by Jo Fontana
"No harm, I assure you Reyden. You still do not believe my intentions are benign?" Medicine Woman asked wearily.
Reyden glanced at Omaric briefly before answering. "I’m responsible for him, so I want to know what it is first."
Omaric looked surprised by Reyden’s announcement. Reyden was pleased that it didn’t blow up in his face; he knew kids could be contrary. Omaric could be quite cutting when he was angry with someone and Reyden wouldn’t casually put himself in a position to be on the receiving end of one of his jibes.
“When visitors are here, they are under my protection—that includes all of you," Medicine Woman told Reyden and then turned her attention back to Omaric. "I sense a bit of anxiety in you. I thought that perhaps this would keep it from getting to its worst. Just a pinch mixed with a little water once a day and you should be fine. This will last for some time, but when you start to run out, come back and I will have more for you.”
Omaric took the bag, opened it, and then took a whiff. "It doesn't smell too bad at least."
"No, and it doesn't taste bad either,” she promised him with a laugh.
Emory walked back into the lodge, hunched over, and then sat down by Herb Gatherer.
Reyden paused his packing. “It’s about time Postulate. We need to leave right away if we want to get to Newton by dusk.”
"We’ll make it," Emory promised as he sat down. Herb Gatherer administered the ointment as the rest of the men packed up.
"We also came because we want to wish you a safe journey and much luck. We hope you find your egg swiftly Reyden," Medicine Woman explained.
"As soon as I catch up with him, it’ll be a breeze," Reyden boasted.
"Over confidence isn’t a good thing," Medicine Woman warned.
Reyden shrugged. He was sure he could take the little weasel now.
As soon as Herb Gatherer finished, Emory picked up his rucksack. “It’s time we left. Thank you, Herb Gatherer and Medicine Woman.”
"Safe journey,” they wished the men in unison.
The women followed the group out of the lodge. Morgan hugged them both. Reyden ignored them and mounted his horse.
“Thank you, I’ll see you again,” Morgan told them.
"Of course you will," agreed Herb Gatherer.
“And with some new friends,” added Medicine Woman.
The Chief approached them leading three horses. “I noticed you were short a few horses. Take these to make your journey easier.”
"Thank you," Deverick replied gratefully as he took the reins of the horses. "We could certainly use them."
Reyden had a hard time masking his disappointment. Not only did this thwart his plan to force Deverick to walk for a little bit, he didn’t want to ride alone. Now he had no choice.
“Oh goody! I get my own horse!” Omaric declared.
The Chief smiled. “Yes. May the ancestors keep you safe until we meet again.”
“You as well,” Morgan replied as he mounted a horse.
Deverick led them alongside the stream that flowed past the village. The plains slowly became greener until they came to a vast field that was dotted sparsely with small trees. The stream they were following became broader and deeper before eventually merging with the Emerald River. When they finally arrived at the river, Reyden realized it wouldn’t be easy to find a place to cross. It took several hours for them to find the main bridge many travelers used to get into Newton. There were many makeshift bridges but Deverick insisted they only cross by the main bridge connected with Newton. He blamed it on Emory’s size, but Reyden secretly agreed that crossing the makeshift passes would be a bad idea.
They entered Newton at twilight, just before the gates closed. Newton was larger than Tolosa, but not as large as Hollow Harbor. It bordered the Thunder Forest and the trees of the forest soared higher than the city walls. Lightning bugs flitted everywhere almost making the outside lamps seem redundant. Newton’s population looked diverse, which pleased Reyden because they would blend in easily. He felt a sense of comfort in this town that he hadn’t felt before. This was not lost on him and he acknowledged that this comfort led him to let his guard down. Reyden shook off the comforting feeling and focused on the present.
“Oh look—trees again,” he sneered.
Illithor chuckled and Omaric sang, “Hello trees!”
Reyden glanced at Omaric. “You’ll have to make us some money kid. This will be a good place to do that.”
“I’ll think about it,” Omaric said defiantly.
"Let's get the horses stabled, then we can see about the rest," Reyden snapped.
"Anything else Captain?" Illithor asked.
“Yes. Shut your pie hole.”
Illithor looked at Omaric and winked. "I'll think about it."
Reyden frowned and led his horse to the stables. They settled the horses while he complained about the cost of their upkeep.
There were several places to stay and Reyden rejected all but one. They settled on The Blue Star Inn, which appeared to be in the best condition. Once inside Reyden insisted someone inquire about lodging. Morgan took it upon himself and approached the bartender about lodging for the night.
After a few minutes, Morgan returned. “I got the last two rooms so we split into threes. Four of us will just have to sleep on the floor.”
“I will be getting a bed,” asserted Reyden.
“Naturally,” Illithor commented under his breath. “Omaric and I will bunk with Reyden; you three can take the other room.”
“You can share with me if you like, elfling,” Reyden teased Illithor.
“You know what Reyden? I’ll take you up on your offer,” Illithor replied without hesitation.
“Then I’m sleeping next to the window for the fresh air,” Omaric announced.
Reyden smirked at Omaric’s remark and noticed the others seemed amused by it as well.
“We’ll let the new guy take the bed since he was seriously injured recently,” Deverick suggested, indicating Morgan.
“Besides, Emory is probably too big and his feet would hang over the edge,” joked Omaric.
“Thanks for the reminder,” Emory said ruefully.
The server briefly interrupted their conversation. When she approached, Reyden awkwardly tried to ask her about Rafe. The waitress looked at Reyden with such pity that he suddenly snapped his order at her. He noted with pleasure afterwards that she couldn’t get away from them fast enough.
“We need to find that thug Rafe and my egg,” Reyden stated impatiently after a few minutes of silence.
“We will Reyden,” promised Emory. “One way or another, you’ll get your egg back.”
"I’m going to nose around and see if he's been in town," Omaric whispered, then left the table and headed towards the bar.
“Good, he should have better luck,” Reyden replied enthusiastically.
“I bet the ladies might talk to you if you asked the right questions,” Deverick hinted to Emory.
Emory blushed and mumbled something about having better luck checking out the jails.
“Fine, do that then. I guess it’ll be up to me, to handle the ladies,” Deverick answered.
Reyden made a face at Deverick but decided to let it drop.
"Unless of course you want to do it, oh mysterious man in black," Deverick suggested to Reyden.
"Far be it from me to hold my tongue anymore," Reyden hissed at him.
“Boys, don’t make me send you to your rooms,” Illithor admonished mildly.
Morgan looked at Reyden thoughtfully. “Actually Reyden it’s not a terrible idea.”
“You know, this is your egg we’re looking for,” Deverick reminded Reyden.
“I’m tired,” Reyden announced as he got up from the table and went upstairs. While he got ready for bed, he mentally went over what just happened downstairs and decided it would be a bad idea to admit to them how little he knew about flirting or trying to get information. He didn’t want a repeat of the fiasco with t
he waitress. Reyden understood that his icy exterior put many people off and he refused to change it just for the sake of getting a little information. He knew some of the others, like the healer and the kid, would get better results anyway.
Reyden was startled awake by Illithor’s entry into the room. He jumped up and aimed an egg at Illithor as Illithor neared the bed.
"Oh, it's just you," Reyden mumbled as he put the egg away
"Yes, thank you for not egging me. If you feel like staying awake long enough to eat, Deverick sent up your food."
Reyden held out his hands so he could take the plate from Illithor. “All he thinks about is food.”
Illithor sat down. "Tonight wasn't very productive, but I think we'll find out something soon."
"I guessed as much. I’ve underestimated Rafe,” Reyden finally admitted.
"I believe he's just been lucky."
"Or smart."
Reyden looked down at his plate and was surprised to see he had eaten most of the food already. He wished that Illithor would drop the nice guy act. He was certain Illithor was only tagging along to retrieve his map. He wondered how much amusement the elf got out of his charades.
"I think we'll find he's arrogant enough to eventually brag to someone. We just need a little of that luck he seems to have,” Illithor said, interrupting Reyden’s thoughts.
“We’ll see.”
The door opened, startling Reyden. Omaric walked in. "You two are still up?"
“For the time being,” Reyden answered.
"Well I'm tired so I’m going to sleep," he said as he walked straight to the window, opened it a little bit and then sprawled out underneath it. "Goodnight."
“Get over here,” Reyden ordered. “There’s enough room for all of us, and I won’t take off my shoes.”
“You’re going to stick me in the middle because I’m the smallest, aren’t you?” Omaric asked suspiciously.
“No, I’ll let Illithor protect you from the mean and nasty magic worker.”
“All right. But no kicking or elbowing, Illithor.”
Later that night, Illithor’s thrashing woke Reyden.
"Ouch!" Omaric yelled from the other side of Illithor.
Reyden took out a plant and a small bowl from his bag. He ignited the plant, and within a few minutes, Illithor calmed and quieted.
“Go back to sleep now kid. He won’t be restless anymore,” Reyden assured him as he rolled over and closed his eyes.
“How come he won’t wake up?”
“I think he’s a sleepwalker. I’ve heard they don’t wake easily when they get like this.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks Reyden,” Omaric replied sleepily.
Reyden was the first one up in the morning. He slipped quietly out of the room and made his way to the outhouse. On his way back into the room, he made just enough noise to rouse the others.
"Is it morning already?" complained Omaric.
Reyden smirked. "Unfortunately for you kid, we still have to find my egg, so no sleeping in for you."
Omaric reluctantly dragged himself from the bed. "Alright, I'm up."
Reyden muttered something, took out a different plant, and waved it in front of Illithor, who immediately woke up.
“Okay Reyden, what did you do?" Illithor asked and coughed from the smoke.
"You punched the kid in your sleep last night. I wasn't going to let you keep us up all night so I put you in a stasis."
"I told you not to kick and elbow," Omaric reminded him.
"I'm sorry Elfling. When I'm restless, I'm really restless," Illithor apologized while glancing pointedly at Reyden. “Don’t do that again, wake me up and I’ll sleep somewhere else instead.”
“Don’t pick on him because you hate when I call you elfling,” Reyden warned Illithor. “The remedy was harmless. I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal about it.”
"It was unintentional. I wasn’t beating him up. You should remember the ethics your master taught you. Don’t cast on someone without their consent unless it’s life or death,” Illithor snarled.
Omaric stood silently watching the two argue. He started creeping towards the door as Reyden raised his voice.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea to wake you. Next time I won’t hesitate to shove you out of the bed,” Reyden said as he stormed out of the room.
When he saw Deverick downstairs, Reyden boomed, “We need to get going so don’t order a twelve course meal!”
Deverick, who was enjoying a bowl of oatmeal and some toast, just glared at Reyden and continued to eat. Omaric sat down next to Reyden with a worried look on his face.
Morgan leaned towards Omaric. "Good morning?"
“Nope. Illithor made him angry," answered Omaric in a whisper.
“What did Illithor do?"
"Reyden actually did it. He casted to calm Illithor last night because he was hitting me in his sleep. It backfired when Illithor found out."
“That’s not good,” Morgan replied and turned to watch Reyden.
Reyden ignored everyone and ordered eggs and bacon.
Illithor was the last to come downstairs. Reyden noticed he sat on the far side of him. Illithor ordered breakfast but remained unusually quiet.
Emory looked from one man to the other, and then he got up from his seat. "I'm going back to the jail; I'll be back shortly."
There was a tense silence hovering over the group. As the waitress came around to collect the bill, Illithor reached in his pocket and suddenly looked around in a panic.
"What is it?" Reyden barked.
"My money! It was here when I paid for dinner—now it's gone!"
Reyden dug in his pocket and handed Illithor enough to pay for his breakfast.
"Thank you, I’ll pay you back."
“Consider it payment for the spell.”
The tension melted away as Illithor smiled and Reyden shook his head.
“They’re friends again!” Omaric proclaimed.
Morgan smiled at Omaric’s enthusiasm and Deverick looked down at his empty bowl and smiled. Suddenly, they heard a commotion outside. Omaric jumped up and dashed to the door before Reyden could stop him. Reyden caught up to him quickly and stepped in front of him so he could see what was going on. Reyden saw that Emory was restraining a suave looking blonde-haired elf.
"What happened now?" Reyden called to Emory.
"I caught him trying to take something that doesn't belong to him. Looks like he’ll be spending some time in jail."
Stroking his goatee, Reyden studied Emory's captive thoughtfully. He watched Emory drag the blonde-haired man off before slowly following them to the jail. While he waited, he wondered how long it took to lock up one measly pickpocket.
It took longer than Reyden deemed necessary and he began tapping his foot impatiently. Reyden pounced on Emory as soon as he walked out of the jail.
"Did you ask him about Rafe?"
Emory stopped for a moment, before shaking his head. "I just arrested him; I doubt he would be very forthcoming."
“Wait for me out here,” Reyden told the others, then walked into the jail.
The jailer was a squat balding man wearing a stained uniform that smelled like a strong cheese. Reyden’s lip curled as the stench hit him. “I want to see the new arrival.”
"Suit yourself," came the disinterested reply.
Reyden walked back to see the only person in the jail. "I need information.”
"People usually do. I, however, need to get out of here. Not a common dilemma for most,” the pickpocket stated matter-of-factly.
Reyden paused, pondering his options. “If I bail you out, how do I know you won’t just lie or try to run away? I mean, I could kill you if you did, but then I wouldn't get what I needed either.”
"That is a problem. Do you trust a thief or not? You know I’m more useful to you out of here.”
"I‘m not so sure about that. I know it was you who stole my companion's purse." Reyden bluffed.
&nbs
p; The pickpocket paused a moment. "Who's your companion?"
"The brainy elf that sits with us."
"Oh yes, the guy who was pretending to read while he was really eavesdropping on everyone around him. That made it entirely too easy—I almost felt bad about it."
"Return his pouch, and I’ll think about getting you out of here."
"And how do I know this isn't a trick just to get back the pouch?"
"I give you my word and I don’t do that lightly. I’m looking for someone who has stolen something very important from me. I know who he is but I need information and possibly someone to lead us to him."
"Who is it?" he inquired with seeming indifference.
“Rafe.”
The elf now looked at Reyden with interest. He sat up and grasped onto the bars. "I know that name."
Reyden raised an eyebrow, indicating that the elf should elaborate.
"If you’re looking for him you’ll want to get me out. Here’s your friend’s money,” the pickpocket bragged as he handed Reyden a pouch. “Bail me out and I might be able to help."
It secretly impressed Reyden that the jailer didn’t find the money. He figured it would be in his best interest to get the elf out of there.
"You’ll be out tomorrow the latest," Reyden promised as he left the holding area.
CHAPTER SIX
Reyden met the others outside of the jail. He pulled Illithor aside and handed him his pouch. “Now you owe me.”
Illithor gaped at Reyden then stammered, “Everything is still in here! How did you get this back?”
“You can repay your debt to me by doing some for hire work so we can bail out the pickpocket.”
“Pay the pickpocket’s bail?”
“Yes, it may take a thief to catch a thief. He said he would help us and he may know something about Rafe. I don’t know how true that is though.”
“I know the inn we were staying at wanted some extra security.”
“That’s a good start. I’ll be bartering with the jailer—I know that I can convince him to reduce the pickpocket’s bail if I do a little work in there.”
Reyden turned to the rest of the group. “This trek is becoming more expensive by the day. Illithor and I will be working to raise funds and you should too, this way we don’t have to delay so often because we’re out of dumars.”
