by C Woodward
Teltar and I found a small tree nearby, also under cover, where we tied the horses. They and the packs needed to stay dry. Kalus and Rejun went out searching for firewood for the night. Jerak put his pack down and began trying to climb the rock wall. Rejun grabbed his ankle and tugged him down. Jerak fell flat on his back but quickly jumped to his feet. He was ready to pound his brother. Teltar ran in and separated the two. He pulled Jerak away but Rejun kept egging him on verbally, “You are such a child!”
Jerak yelled back, “Oh, yeah!? Well, you are dumb!”
Rejun laughed, “You even insult like a child!” I ran between them and stared at Rejun, “Enough!” Rejun stared back at me and clammed up. I let out a big sigh, “Let’s just try to get a fire started and dry out before it gets too dark.”
I sat against the wall of the cliff, trying to enjoy my meal. Dried meat and fruit is fine as a snack but it was quickly getting old. “So, Blake, how are things with you and Talestria?” Jerak asked through a mouthful of food. His brother stared at me in some disbelief. He looked like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to word it. Jerak swallowed his food and spoke again, “I bet a woman like her is feisty! Eh?! Eh!” Jerak started to laugh.
I chuckled, “I don’t think I should discuss that. Besides, if she found out, she’d kill me!” Even Teltar snickered at that.
Kalus broke in, “Um, so what dangers should we know about in this area?”
Rejun answered, “Mostly choguls, although they wouldn’t mess with a group this big.”
Jerak shrugged, “You might see a rogue ogre or a few bandits. Nothing too dangerous for the likes of us!”
Teltar mumbled, “There is also a dragon. That’s something we don’t want to mess with.”
Kalus sighed, “With our luck, we might find that dragon.” We chatted for a good while that night. The rainfall was light but it could have been miserable without our cover. Kalus sat by the fire and offered to keep watch for the night. Jerak thought his offer was strange and insisted on watching him. Jerak lasted for about an hour before we heard him snoring. Once again, I decided to sleep with my armor on and kept my sword and helmet next to me. I tried to not stress and worry about things so I could sleep. It wasn’t comfortable but was used to wearing the heavy armor and felt safer having it on while outdoors. Finally, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.
Teltar and I were the last ones to wake the next morning. I was drawn to the smell of cooking meat. We saw a plucked game bird being roasted on a stick. Rejun was trying to cook it as fast as he could. His crossbow was right beside him.
Jerak waved at us, then muttered to his brother, “Hey, I spotted it.”
Rejun shoved him away with one arm, “Take off! I shot it, I prepared it, and I’ll eat it!” Jerak sighed and paced around. My body was a little sore. I’ll needed to walk it off. The roasting bird was a meal for one, and I didn’t feel like bothering Rejun about it. I saw that the rained had stopped but everything was wet. Teltar groaned as he slowly climbed out of his bed roll.
Kalus sat across from the fire, humming to himself. He looked at us and waved cheerfully, “Morning!” Teltar and I glanced at each other and grumbled to ourselves and gave him a lazy wave. It’s safe to say that Teltar and I are not morning people.
We ventured out again. Kalus led Alpo while Jerak and Rejun led the way along the trail. Rejun was still munching on his game bird and seemed to be at peace with himself. Jerak stared at him in hopes that his brother will let him have a small piece. I let out a big yawn from under my helmet which probably sounded a bit sinister, since Rejun reacted. He shrugged and went back to his breakfast while he shoved Jerak away again. When we reached the main trail, something spooked the horses. A second later, we saw what startled them. The dragon flew overhead!
We all froze for a moment, and then quickly took cover under trees and behind rocks. I crouched down behind a rock and stared in awe at the dragon. I believed it was the same dragon I had encountered. The massive green-winged reptile flew up high as if without a care. It didn’t seem to notice to us or perhaps didn’t care enough about us. Kalus whispered, “If I wasn’t so afraid, I would feel very blessed to see such a beast.” I nodded, but kept my eyes on it. We all hid quietly until the dragon left.
Jerak peeked out from a bush, almost comically, “I think we are clear.” I rolled my eyes. We waited a little longer before returning to the trail. I think everyone was a bit fearful now that the dragon made its presence known. Not even Jerak spoke a word but kept staring upward. I will admit that I was uneasy as well. It’s not every day that you venture through a canyon with a giant fire-breathing lizard flying around. We hiked for hours in utter silence. We skipped our normal lunch break. Even the horses didn’t seem to miss the break. The trip became anxious and boring. By evening, I was practically cheering when we reached the edge of the canyon.
We all let out a big sigh of relief and Jerak was the first to speak, “Next time, we are taking the ferry to Torclyn.”
I glared at him, “You mean we could have taken a ship?!” Jerak shrugged, “Yeah, but I didn’t think we could afford it.” I took a deep breath and shook my head. I had to agree that it would be costly to travel with a group our size and two horses. Rejun mumbled under his breath and I could tell he was thinking something unkind about his brother. Jerak looked at him with a puzzled expression, “What?”
The rough terrain turned to high grass and scattered trees. It looked like the clouds were dispersing enough to reduce the chance of rainfall. We continued traveling down the road for about an hour when we spotted farmland. We saw a large expanse of fields on the east side of the road. Jerak spoke, “Maybe we can find a barn to sleep in for the night.”
Kalus sighed, “I rather not sleep in some filthy barn.”
“I doubt we would find anyone who would allow us to sleep in their barn,” Rejun said.
Jerak laughed, “True, but we don’t have to ask for permission.”
I glanced around, “Wouldn’t it be a bit hard to hide five people and two horses in a barn without attracting attention?”
Jerak ignored my question or maybe he didn’t hear it because he was pointing to a barn, “There’s one!” And just like that, he took off. We had no choice but follow him. We hiked around a field and saw a large barn with a small house a hundred feet or so away from it. “He is such an idiot” Rejun remarked.
Teltar spoke, “He looks so excited about it. Let’s go find another camp spot.” We followed Teltar away from the farm to a spot by a few trees and with no settlement nearby.
Rejun chuckled, “I bet he will stay in there for a while waiting for us before he gets the hint.” I tried not to laugh but couldn’t help but chuckle. I helped unpack Alpo and tied him to a tree before I heard Jerak jogging our way. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and spoke in a disappointed tone, “You guys are wusses!”
We felt a little safer out in the farmlands, away from the canyon and hopefully away from the dragon. “If we get up early we should hit Torclyn by sundown tomorrow” Rejun mentioned as we got a fire started.
I sat quietly, staring at the glow of the fire. My mind drifted but I kept coming back to Talestria and this whole chain of events. Tomorrow, I might face the wretched man who caused this mess. I wonder how I’ll make him stop. I doubted words would cut it. I wasn’t sure how legal it would be for me to just put my sword through him. I didn’t know if I was allowed to be in that town, either. I looked away from the fire, “When we reach Torclyn, no one mention who I am. I am not allowed in some places so I need to keep a low profile.”
Rejun turned my way, “Why are you not allowed?” Kalus sighed, “He is a criminal to the elves and most towns have a friendly status with elves, so they try to distance themselves from humans. As a result, he is banned from most major towns.”
I shrugged; I didn’t expect Kalus to explain it that well. I looked at Kalus; he didn’t look too happy with that information. He glanced at me but quickly turne
d to stare at the fire. For the first time, I felt he was questioning why he came to my aid.
I spoke up, “Yeah, I committed some crimes against the elves and I deserve banishment.”
Jerak protested, “But…” He stopped himself and let out a big sigh. I decided to excuse myself and retire for the night. Everyone else stayed up conversing, even Teltar. I laid on my bed roll, in my armor with my helmet next to me.
Kalus came over to me. He looked at me with a solemn expression on his face, “Blake, I am sorry. I didn’t mean that you are a bad person.”
I nodded, “I am not proud of what I have done.” He shrugged, “You did what you had to do. You stole because it was needed and when the sentries came after you, you defended yourself.” I didn’t know what to say. Kalus spoke again, “You did a great service for the elves, and you stopped a potential war with the dwarves. You destroyed Xum’gol who would have been a great threat to us all.”
I smiled, “Thank you, Kalus.” He exposed a big grin, “Besides, what’s a legend without some conflicts in his character?” His mood became more cheery after getting all that off his chest. He waved and then turned around, “Have a good night; I’m going to tap Jerak for more information about your adventures!”
I chuckled and watched him walk away. I hoped any doubts he had about me were lifted now, but I could be wrong. I thought on that for a while until my body decided it needed sleep.
I woke up to hear Jerak and Rejun arguing. It was early, but everyone was awake now, so we might as well get ready. I placed my helmet on and let out a long yawn.
Kalus was writing in his notebook. Teltar was still sleeping but needed to get up. I gently nudged the side of his leg, “Hey, get up.” He mumbled and turned over, so I did it again.
He finally opened his eyes and stared at me, “Oh, its morning?” Jerak and Rejun stopped their disagreement to greet me. “I guess we should get going.” I said with a yawn halfway through. The brothers went back to arguing. I was too tired to care what it was about. The fight annoyed Kalus a bit so he stopped writing and took out his lute. Teltar grumbled to himself as he wandered over to his steed. I laughed a little, “Yea, let’s get going.”
We made our way down the road. Jerak was giving Kalus his view on our previous adventures. Kalus eagerly wrote while he walked. Rejun, listening, rolled his eyes more than once.
I decided to chat with Rejun, “So, enjoying the trip so far?”
He glimpsed at me, “Not really, but I guess boring travel should be expected.” I laughed, “We saw a dragon, now that’s not too boring.”
Rejun laughed, “I guess not, at least the dragon didn’t spot us.”
I nodded, “I am sure we will get into plenty of trouble before long.”
Rejun frowned, “I am not really crazy about action or trouble, like my brother is.” He went on, “To be honest, now don’t tell him this, but I am a bit jealous.”
“I won’t repeat a word,” I promised. Rejun went on, “I was always the rational one since our parents died. But, I felt like I missed out on adventures and traveling. So, I decided to come along, hoping I might make a name for myself. Man, please don’t tell Jerak this.”
I laughed, “No worries. I understand.”
Rejun smiled, laughed and then asked, “So, you and Talestria really are married?” I laughed again. I guess he really couldn’t believe that. He scratched the back of his ear, “I grew up hearing stories about her and I could hardly believe it. I always thought she was a crazy, old witch who collected the bones of children and such.”
“Naw!” I chuckled. “She does have a mess of chogul bones outside the castle, though.”
He looked at me, “Really?” I nodded, “Let me explain.” I told him about Talestria’s true and unique character. The group stopped at a crossroads. On the path to the right was a sign that read “Felmun” and the sign straight ahead stated “Torclyn”.
I spotted a six figures coming toward us on horseback. All of them wore black cloaks and the familiar Shaden masks. One of them called out, “Halt! If you want to live, hand over your valuables!” They were well-armed with swords. Two had loaded crossbows.
Kalus was already turning back. I stood there and called back, “Thought you Shadens were no more!” They laughed, “You will be no more if you don’t hand over your fancy armor and all your coin!” I glanced at Jerak who nodded at me. “Don’t get any funny ideas! There are six of us and only five of you, and one of you had already retreated!” They all laughed.
I spoke, “I’ve faced worse!” as I drew my sword. The two crossbows were pointed at me. The one who had been doing all the talking turned his back, “Oh, you are itching to die, eh? Well, maybe my boss will take you down!” A few moments later, a large, dark figure came into view. The figure became a large Minotaur with black fur, scale-mail armor and wore an eye patch. I knew instantly who it was. I shouted loudly, “Torkuhl!”
Chapter 6
The large Minotaur stared at all of us and then exposed a wide grin, “I see others know of my fearsome reputation!” He then began laughing which quickly died as he took notice of our party, “Wait, Jerak? And that dwarf guy!”
Teltar muttered, “I have a name.”
He studied me and Rejun, “Who are these chumps?” Rejun slowly backed away and joined Kalus, behind the rest of us.
Jerak spoke, while acting a bit too casually, “Hey, this is my brother Rejun,” and pulled his brother next to him.
Rejun freaked and tried franticly to shove away from his brother’s grip. “You idiot!” Rejun shouted at his brother, “This isn’t a social gathering!”
Torkuhl shouted back, “Enough!” That silenced Rejun. Torkuhl barked at me, “You are foolish to wander around in such expensive-looking armor!”
That made me chuckle. Jerak spoke up, “Blake isn’t a fool!” Torkuhl looked at him and argued, “He is a fool! Who is foolish enough to advertise…Wait,” Torkuhl’s expression turned to shock. He slowly turned fully toward me.
There was silence until one of the Shaden goons spoke out, “Torkuhl, we should just take care of these guys!” Torkuhl kept staring at me. I decided to pull off my helmet. I felt his alarm as I removed all doubt by revealing my face.
His distress gave me enough confidence to smile and I spoke cheerfully, “Hey, Torkuhl. Long time no see.” Torkuhl let out a curse word or two, and then took off. His men stared after him, dumbfounded. A moment later, they turned away from their fleeing boss and focused on me. They had no clue what had just happened.
Jerak started to laugh, “If you wretches desire to live, you should flee as well!” They glanced at each other and figured that with their numbers they had nothing to fear. I knew they wondered why an intimidating Minotaur like Torkuhl had fled. I quickly put my helmet back on. The last thing I needed was one of those crossbows firing at my face.
Jerak, Teltar, and I were combat ready. I wasn’t sure what Rejun was planning, but I knew Kalus would flee from the battle. There were quite a few of them, but we had faced worse. I studied their ranks to see who would be the ideal first target. My heart was racing at the tension between both factions. We were all sizing each other up.
One of the opponents spoke, “Um, what is about you that made boss run?” The curious one obviously had doubts about engaging in combat, so Jerak was kind enough to answer his question. He spoke up proudly, “Because he knows Blake defeated Xum’gol, your previous leader and destroyed him!”
I heard Teltar whisper to Jerak, “Um, didn’t Talestria defeat their leader?” Jerak shushed him.
The Shadens whispered among themselves and one spoke out, “Wait, are you THAT Blake?!” I nodded. Rejun called out before his brother could continue, “Is there anyone else you know by that name?” A couple of the Shadens turned and ran. The rest watched, then looked at each other and followed suit.
We waited there a minute or two. Jerak sighed, “I was hoping to smite some of them!”
Rejun shook his head, “Before
or after you get a few arrows in you?”
“That was pointless,” Teltar said while putting his large sword away. Kalus run back to join us, “Good job!”
Jerak protested, “Good what? Nothing happened!”
Kalus laughed, “Hey, the fight is over! Who cares how?”
“Victory comes from a struggle! There was no struggle!” Jerak argued.
Rejun punched his brother, “Enough of the dramatics, let’s get going.”
We were back on our merry way. I could see the sea along our left side. If I wasn’t wearing my armor, maybe I could feel a refreshing breeze. Jerak was chatting about a fight with the Shadens and those bone constructs. “…and then, we faced Deshra and several dark elves. I deflected a few arrows and threw my mace at Deshra but, I had to help save Blake,” he claimed.
Rejun sighed and tried to not waste any time arguing about the story. I walked up next to Jerak, “You know who would disagree with that story?”
Jerak must been too deep into his delusion because he dared ask, “Who?”
I laughed, “Talestria.”
Jerak paused for a moment, “Oh, she knows I am only joking about that story, right? Right?”
Rejun chuckled, “So, what really happened?”
I pondered the best way to put it, then spoke, “Well, she was really angry, and all that was left of those guys was bones and ash…”
Rejun looked shocked, “And you married her?”
I nodded, “She is nicer than what people claim.”
Jerak laughed, “I don’t know, she is awfully scary when she gets mad.”
Kalus chimed in, “Quite so!” Even Teltar nodded. I lowered my head, “Ah, screw you guys, then.”
Jerak walked by me again, “So, what did Talestria make you anyway?”
