Markus took her and held her against him. He used his body to muffle the sounds she was making, his hand brushing down the back of her head and her back. He was quietly whispering, “It’s going to be all right. Calm down. I won’t leave you alone.”
Kiin had her eyes glued on the man riding past them. He was oblivious to their presence.
Treb looked over to the children. He was a little surprised at the way Markus was helping Crystal. It was sweet and exactly what she needed right now. He would’ve been incensed a day ago to see Markus’ arms all over her, but right then, he wasn’t angry at all. Treb heard Markus say something that helped him understand the boy better.
“Don’t worry; I’ll let them take me first. You’ve been hurt too much. I can’t allow them to hurt you again,” Markus said to Crystal.
Kiin lowered her bow. “We’re clear.” She looked back at her husband. “Treb? What is it?”
He was still watching Markus and Crystal. Looking back at his wife, he smiled. “Nothing. Just saw something I didn’t expect to see.”
Crystal leaned back from Markus. “Thanks, I needed that.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
Markus smiled at her, feeling proud of his chivalry. “Glad I could help.”
Kiin got up and slung her bow around to her back. “Come on, we need to get moving.”
Everyone stood up and looked around to make sure that no one else was behind Morris. Treb turned to his wife. “Where can we go now?”
“Stillwater.”
“But, won’t Morris be heading there too?” Markus asked.
Kiin nodded. “That’d be my best guess. But we can’t go far without resupplying, and with a new person in this group, we don’t have enough.”
Treb let out a sigh and reluctantly nodded. “Stillwater it is.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Markus interjected. “If that Morris is heading for Stillwater, won’t he see us there?”
“Stillwater’s a big place,” Kiin answered. “The guard station is right near the main entrance, and that’s where Morris will likely go. There’s a smaller, older entrance near the riverfront on the opposite side. We can get in, get our stuff, and leave before Morris has any idea we were there.”
Treb nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Now, we need to get moving if we’re going to get there through these trees.”
They headed off toward the old city of Stillwater, paralleling the road through the trees. Fortunately for them, most imps detested the sunlight and avoided daytime. But this did not mean that Treb or Kiin were any less watchful for possible imp attacks. Markus walked close to Crystal, doing his best to get her to smile and not think about the overwhelming fear that bubbled in her belly.
Chapter 10: Into Stillwater
The city of Stillwater was the third largest city in Gallenor. Thendor was the largest, and the Port of Pearls was the second, but this did not make Stillwater any less proud. The city was considered one of the oldest, and it had once belonged to a long forgotten empire that stretched into the lands before they were called Gallenor.
The stark, barren lands of the desolate mountains and wastes to the north offset the lush green grasses and forests of the lands south of Stillwater. The land then turned into sharp peaks without much vegetation. Stillwater was settled on a river that provided the weary travelers water before they headed north. Past the desolate mountains and wastes were the sheer cold lands of the far north. No one traveled these lands, and only the heartiest of animals lived there.
Stillwater had been built long ago on the river. The thick stone buildings and decaying fort at the south entrance displayed its history well. From there, the city grew with each passing generation. The buildings changed from thicker stone to a smaller, yet just as sturdy manmade stone. Then wood buildings and metal structures came in, and finally, when Gallenor decided to make the city a central outpost for the Royal Guard, a wall had been constructed around it.
The wall that Gallenor constructed was actually only two thirds of a wall; one third of it was the ancient wall when the city had been a fortress. A testament to the construction of the forgotten empire, the still used part of the wall stood stronger than the other two thirds built by Gallenor. It had taken a massive fight between dragons to destroy part of the ancient wall, and even that hadn’t completely taken it down.
History was not on the mind of Stillwater’s local potion vendor this evening. Donna was the local apothecary and as such, she was always needed. When a child scraped his arm or bumped his head, parents would come running for one of her famous pain relief potions. She sold potions that could cure most illnesses, season food, and even protect a garden from imps. Yes, she was a popular vendor in Stillwater, and the money was always welcomed. The only potion she did not sell was the infamous love potion. It did exist, but it was nothing more than an infatuation potion that was illegal to brew and foolish to take. However, some days, poor Donna considered it an option because she was single and always looking. But from behind the stand where she sold her potions, most men did not look for love. They just wanted a bargain.
“Ms. Donna, Ms. Donna!” a young boy cried, running up to her. He was a human child with sandy blonde hair and dirt on just about every part of his body.
She stepped out from behind the stand and knelt down. “And what does little Trevor want today?”
Trevor held up a sagging mess of what looked like a thin bag. “Um . . . do you have it—the floating potion?”
“Now, Trevor, you know that I sell these potions. I don’t always give them away.” She was teasing him.
He pouted and just about cried. “But, Daddy just got this for me and, and, and I thought you could make it float.” He held it up for her.
She took it from him and looked at his prize. It was a sheep’s stomach that had been extracted from one of his father’s butcherings that afternoon. “All right, just this once,” she said.
Of course, once had been four times this week already. But she always liked the way it made him happy. The stomach had been tied off at one end, and there was an opening at the other. She searched through her more magical potions and found a white sparkling one that was not commonly sold to just any customer. Donna pulled the cork out and then carefully tipped it up and put three drops into the stomach. Quickly, she pinched the open end closed, and then got a little string from her stand and tied it off. “Here you go,” she said, handing it back to him.
Trevor took the limp stomach and waited eagerly as it swelled up with magical gas. Soon, it was so round and tight, it looked as though it would burst with one tap against a moderately sharp object. He let go of it, and it floated up a little and then hung in the air only four feet off of the ground. “WHOO-HOOO!” he yelled out, and then batted it down the street, directing it to a group of his friends who would use it to invent yet another sport with a hovering, inflated sheep stomach.
“Donna, you’re too nice. That’s a special potion, and you’re just giving it away,” an older woman said, coming up to the booth.
“What use does an old flotation potion have for me otherwise? No one will buy it any time soon. Besides, that kind of potion costs a lot more than anyone around here has to spend.”
The older woman, Marguerite, laughed and shook her head. “But every time one of the Guards sees that kind of potion, they send someone over to see if you’re a wizard.”
“Yeah, you’d think that after the thousandth time, they’d get the idea that I’m not a wizard, just an apothecary.”
“Well, as you are our local apothecary, I need a potion.” Marguerite looked at all the bottles sitting out on display.
Donna gave her friend a very knowing smirk and pulled out a vial of black liquid. “Some spirit remover again?”
Marguerite feigned offense. “What would make you think I needed that?”
Donna cleared her throat. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Well, since you are offering it, I suppose getting another bottle wouldn’t be bad
. Of course, what I came for is a bottle of your flower food potion. My roses look a little weak right now.”
“Sure, that’ll be four coin.” Donna picked up a small bottle of the pink liquid she mixed for the flowers, and put it with the black liquid.
Marguerite took out the four silver coins, paid for her products, and placed them in her basket with the two loaves of bread and the freshly plucked and wrapped goose. “That’s all. Have a nice day.”
Donna smiled and put the coins in her box.
“Oh, Donna, one more thing.” Marguerite returned to the booth and leaned over it a little to speak a more privately. “I saw Captain Morris come in to town earlier. If you are going to use that love potion of yours, you had better douse yourself with it now.”
Donna rolled her eyes but grinned all the same. “What makes you think I have any love potion?”
“Oh, just like I don’t need any spirit remover. Good evening, Donna.” Marguerite waved and left for home.
Donna shook her head and walked back from her booth into the building she used to mix her potions. It was funny to her that most people hid their use of spirit remover potions.
She made her way over to a large, ornate cabinet that housed her most special potions. Donna opened the wooden doors and looked upon dozens of bottles in various sizes, each containing numerous potions for all occasions. These were the most expensive and rarest of potions; often, the ingredients were only found in remote locations and from rare things. She reached up and picked up a small teardrop-shaped bottle that was very smooth and filled with a clear liquid. When it hit the light, the liquid had a glow that was golden and pink at the same time. This was a real love potion, one that could cause any man to go crazy for her, at least until the effects wore off. To own the recipe to mix a potion like this was illegal enough, but to actually have the potion was by far even more illegal.
For a terrifically brief moment, she considered the dashingly handsome Captain Morris who was destined to make another stop by her place. No, it would be foolish, and he, of all people, could lock her up for such a thing, she thought. She replaced the potion and then took a small wooden box from the back of the cabinet. Using a key tied to a bracelet, she unlocked the box and pulled out a small metal flask. Donna uncorked it, and then dabbed a bit of it on her neck and arms like a woman placing a bit of perfume.
Just then, the door to her place opened, and in strode the handsome Captain Morris. He flashed his golden grin and walked over to her, his shining armor glinting off a few of the more exotic potions around the place. “Donna the Apothecary, I see you are doing good business.”
Donna calmly and discretely placed the flask into the box, locked it, and then closed the cabinet. Turning around to him, she smiled. “Well, if it isn’t the gallant Morris come to pay me another visit.”
He knew full well she was attracted to him, and he sort of enjoyed toying with her flirtations now and then. Of course, he wasn’t ever going to fulfill her fantasy. “It seems yet another local has reported a wizard here. They believe your potions carry a little more than just ingredients. Perhaps a little magic.”
Donna cocked her head and grinned at him. “Now, now, Morris, you know we’ve been through this a dozen times. I pass your test each time you come to town. I’m no more a wizard than you. I just make special things that seem like magic.”
Morris cleared his throat and looked around the room. “It does strike me odd that when we apprehended all wizards in Gallenor, almost every apothecary was shut down.”
“Ah, but there are others like me. Not all apothecaries are wizards.”
He walked around the room, looking at some of the glowing liquids with a critical gaze. “Yes, but I haven’t found one yet with the . . . uniqueness of your talents.”
“I’ll simply take that as a compliment. If you’re not convinced that I’m not a wizard, then bring out your stone, and I’ll prove it to you once again.” Donna held out her arms, waiting for him like she wanted to give him a hug.
He took out the stone and walked around her. This examination took about twice as long as any other he did. There was a part of him that knew she was a wizard; she had to be. Yet, without proof, he could do nothing. So he closed his hand and looked her in the eye. “It seems you’re not a wizard today.”
“Guess what? I won’t be one tomorrow either. Sorry to disappoint you.” She gave him a seductive smile. “Now, if you’re free tonight, I’d love to use a few of my special cooking potions to make you a fantastic dinner.”
Morris put the stone away, ignoring her offer. “So, how did you come by these?” He walked over to a wall with a set of very special potions in slender teardrop shaped bottles.
Donna hid her nervousness well at that moment, for those were a type of magical potion that anyone would recognize. “I keep them on hand for those with the gold to buy them. After all, until the wizards are released, they won’t be made again.”
Morris slowly reached over and picked up a bottle with a purple potion inside. The frosted smooth glass of the bottle was warm from the magic infused within. “What do they do?” he asked coolly.
Donna could see he was more interested in what these potions did than who made them, so she was in the clear. “Well, Captain, they’re unique potions that have powerful abilities. That one is a sleeping potion that can knock out just about anyone. If I’m not mistaken, it was designed by an early wizard apothecary who wanted to stun enemies during the War. The only customers now that have any interest in it are bounty hunters and imp seekers.”
Morris twirled the bottle a little, sloshing the liquid around. “So, it can incapacitate an imp. That’s impressive. Those creatures are highly resistant to most known stun magic.”
Donna leaned up against the counter. She bit her lower lip and bat her eyes, hoping to entice the handsome captain. “You’d be surprised what those potions can do. Just about the only reason potion magic is practiced, with all the available spells, is that it’s uniquely powerful. Even a powerful wizard would be taken down by that. For a while, at least. Throw it, and when the bottle breaks, it releases a fog that induces any who breathe it in to sleep.”
“What about the user? Wouldn’t he be subject to it as well?”
“Yes, unless he drips a single drop of it on his tongue just before using it. That’ll give him temporary immunity. Magic potions are complicated pieces of work, but very, very valuable.”
Morris gave her the smile every girl in Gallenor loved to see. “I’ll take it.”
Donna was honestly surprised. “Oh, what would you need with such a potion? All you have to do is charm the imps right out of the sky.”
Morris always maintained his focus and attitude, but he did enjoy the way the women responded to him, especially when he had absolutely no intention of indulging them. “Let’s just say there are a few rogue wizards the Royal Guards are seeking, and this might help me.”
Donna was also practiced at maintaining her attitude, though she despised the idea of helping him to track down and imprison other wizards. Unfortunately for her, if she balked at selling it to him, it might have raised suspicions that could prove difficult to defend. “I hope you understand they are expensive. Not just anyone can afford them.”
Morris pulled out a small bag of gold coins and handed it to her. Inside was about twice the value of the potion, but he didn’t care. “I’m not just anyone.” With that, he walked out of her store, knowing full well she was watching his rear the whole time.
Donna sighed and shook her head. “He needs a good woman. Someone who would melt that ice in his blood,” she stated to no one in particular, and then went back outside to put away her potions and close up shop for the night.
One after another, she put the potion vials into a slotted wooden box designed to carry them. Today had been a good day. She had sold over a hundred potions and made a lot of money.
Suddenly, an odd sound broke her concentration. The old door in the city wall near her shop
unlatched. She looked to the side, curious as to whom was using the relic passageway. The ancient door was hardly ever opened, and few travelers came up to this side of the city. There wasn’t even a road outside the door any longer. The road had faded into the forest centuries ago.
Three Rakki and a human walked through. The male Rakki nodded to the old City Guard who had opened the door for them.
Donna didn’t spend much time wondering who they were worried about seeing; she was too fixed on the big muscles and bare chest of the Rakki warrior. “Wow,” she whispered to herself.
Chapter 11: Finding Wizards
A young Royal Guard knelt before the Wizard Hallond in his private chambers of the mage tower. The wizard did not look pleased, but outside of public appearances, he never seemed to look happy.
The dutiful soldier began, “Sir, I . . . uh . . . was told to come see you. But, uh, I was supposed to report to the King directly. Captain Morris said that—”
Hallond interrupted him. “Morris knows that I have just as much authority as the King. You can report to me.”
“Sir, there was an incident. We have at least one rogue wizard that used a spell to evade us and then fled. We were told to report any runners directly to the King.”
Hallond gave the poor young man a grisly smile. “It is all right. You may report to me on this. I am the authority on magic in this kingdom after all. Now, how old is the runner, and what direction was he going?”
“Uh, he looked to be fourteen or fifteen . . . I don’t know. He was with several others, and they ran north. Captain Morris is in pursuit and expects to find them in Stillwater.”
Hallond calmly asked, “How is it that such a young wizard could use magic powerful enough to make you run? I should think a child would not be so clever, especially against seasoned officers such as yourselves.”
“He had a wand and used it to—”
Hallond became very alert just then. “He had a wand!? What did it look like?”
Legacy of Dragonwand: Book 1 (Legacy of Dragonwand Trilogy) Page 12
