Dragon Hero II: Bounty of the Blood Witch

by C Woodward

  Everyone was either picking at their teeth or groaning about eating so much. It was beginning to get dark. Jerak ran ahead to chat with two women. One slapped him in the face and they both walked off. Rejun sighed, “Idiot.” Kalus walked over to Jerak and put a hand on his shoulder and appeared to be talking with him. It looked like Kalus was going to give him some advice.

  “Well, what are we going to do?” Bolam asked.

  I looked around, “Well, we know that we should head to Halatross. Is tomorrow alright right for you guys?”

  Teltar nodded, “Just need to get some supplies before we go.” I smiled, “I plan on getting a little extra sleep tomorrow.” I reached into my pouch and took out a couple silver coins, “Here, this should pay for the supplies.”

  Teltar nodded, “That’s plenty.”

  I laughed, “Hey, you are all doing this for me. I should at least pay for the expenses!” Jerak, Rejun, and Teltar went to a different inn than the one I found. I wasn’t sure where Kalus ended up, but it might be best not to know. I think Torkuhl and Jerak went to hit some taverns. Bolam went back to his quarters at the school to pack.

  I was fending for myself tonight. I booked a small room for myself and figured I’d meet up with everyone late in the morning. It was kind of nice to have some time alone to relax. I had eaten so much that I didn’t even consider having dinner. I had so much on my mind that I just laid on my bed and pondered. It would take five days to reach Halatross, but what would we do when we got there? Why was Forren there anyway? Was Talestria safe? There was no way they could get to her, even if they knew she was in Trawlast. She was well-protected among the most secret group of dwarves. I was now stronger, but was it enough?

  Even with my worries of our upcoming events, I slept really well. I had no clue about the time, but when the sunlight hit my face through the window, I got up. I put on my armor and gathered up my things. My pike stuck out of the pack a bit so I thought I might as well carry it. My pack was fairly empty except for a few things like blankets and things to survive on the road. Seeing the skull startled me. I had forgotten about it. Someone did a good job cleaning it. I yawned loudly and looked at the skull, “Ready to go, Deshra?” I chuckled a little, closed the bag and walked out of the door.

  Wearing such a fancy suit of armor brought me some stares. I worried that people might figure out who I was, but at this point I didn’t care. I was heading out anyway. I began to whistle as I walked down the main road out of the city. Whenever someone looked strangely at me, I just smiled and waved. I spotted a few elves who might be part of a guild. They whispered among themselves and gave me dirty looks. It was pretty clear they knew who I was, but they didn’t bother me. I didn’t smile or wave at them since it might tick them off. I shrugged, put on my helmet and walked on.

  Torkuhl spotted me first because he was way taller than everyone else. They were all standing outside the west gate. The two horses were loaded. “Blake!” Jerak called to me while waving. Good thing I didn’t need to keep a low profile. “Bolam is still not here yet Gotta wait for him,” Jerak explained. I spotted my other pack strapped onto Alpo. I opened it and checked what I had. Nothing big, any food had been either tossed or consumed. A few minutes passed and Bolam came along the outer wall with a wagon.

  Torkuhl took a few steps and yelled, “Hey, that’s my horse!”

  Bolam looked at the warhorse and gave a nervous smile, “Uh, this is your horse. I kept it healthy!” No one else said anything. It felt good to be traveling with my friends. We had a good amount of force within our party. Teltar and Jerak were handy fighters, Bolam was a capable mage, Rejun seemed to be handy with a crossbow, and Torkuhl was big and mean and would just love to charge into a fight. I wasn’t sure about Kalus, but he did boost morale with his music and he can heal, so he was useful as well. I still couldn’t help but be nervous. Forren was surely plotting something, and he might have mustered up more foes for us to fight.

  That night, after we made camp, I had a chat with Bolam. Everyone was eating and chatting among each other. Kalus’ music filled the air. Bolam and I sat a fair distance away. He stared at the group, “It is so strange to see Torkuhl as an ally.”

  I chuckled, “Strange, huh?”

  Bolam shrugged, “I would be afraid of him trying to get at us but Minotaurs are a pretty straight-forward race.”

  “Really?” I raised a brow.

  He nodded, “If they hate someone, they will make it well-known. The concept of deceit or acting is unknown to them.”

  I laughed, “Yeah, I didn’t get a sense any of hostility toward me.”

  Bolam looked at me strangely, “What do you mean sense?” I went on to explain how I was able to determine if someone is lying or how they are feeling when I am close to them. Bolam was somewhat skeptic about it, so he tested me. He told a few true things and a lie and I had to guess which was which. After getting it right, he was amazed and a bit nervous. I laughed, “I can’t read minds or anything like that. I only sense something really strong when I look in their eyes.”

  “When did you notice this ability?”

  I shrugged, “I think it happened after I freed the Dragon Spirit.”

  He nodded, “Well, that makes sense then.”

  I tilted my head, “Really?” He smiled, “It was once said that dragons can sense fear and courage in others. So it wouldn’t be a surprise because of all your interactions with the dragon deity.”

  I laughed, “I guess that would explain that and why the dragon-folk claim my blood is like theirs.” Bolam folded his hands and nodded, “I guess in a way you are now part dragon.” I laughed because that sounded cool. I glanced at Kalus who was strolling around loudly playing his music.

  Speaking quietly but seriously, I said, “Don’t tell anyone about my ability, especially my wife.”We began to talk on a more serious matter. “What do you think we should do once we reached Halatross?” I asked.

  Bolam pondered for a moment, “Actually, I really don’t know. We don’t know why they are after you or how many they are now.”

  I sighed, “Hopefully, we will get more answers once we reach Halatross.” Bolam sighed, “I can’t even imagine how scary that Blood Witch is. The book of Scrathelm is frightening, and in the hands of a highly known assassin, who knows.”

  I stared at my hands which were still wearing armor, “I faced her twice and felt like I came through better than I should.” I paused for a moment and went on, “If Forren wants to use me to become ageless, why not just target an elf?” Bolam took a deep breath, “Elves are naturally ageless. There have been times when people tried to use an elf to achieve some form of immortality but it never worked. The fact you are not from this world, and Xum’gol himself believed you were a powerful source of energy. I hate to admit it, but when it comes to dark arts and the like, no one knew more than he.”

  I felt very uneasy. I didn’t like the idea of being some power source for a twisted, dark-magic user. Deshra and Xum’gol thought to use me, and now Forren. I clenched my fist and muttered angrily, “I guess I need to destroy Forren so that no one will dare to use me as some kind of conductor for evil.”

  After our discussion, I went to bed. I didn’t think it was necessary to have someone keep watch since Kalus stayed awake most of the night and Torkuhl would be intimidating to any stray choguls who showed up. A large number still might attempt an attack, but there we were a larger group now.

  It was a cloudy night; I could barely see one of the two moons in the sky. Jerak was chatting with his brother a little way outside of camp. I didn’t think much about it. Their conversation got louder and then broke into a fight. Jerak was hot-headed and Rejun seemed the type who would push his buttons and tick him off. Torkuhl shouted, “Quiet!” They both stopped, parted ways and walked to their bed rolls while still glaring at each other. Torkuhl won bonus points with me tonight.

  The morning was a bit cloudy as we headed back out on the road. The wagon allowed us to walk without ha
ving to carry our packs. Kalus rode Alpo and Teltar had his horse. Torkuhl didn’t seem upset that his horse was pulling the wagon but he spoke with Bolam and requested to take the horse back after all this was over. Bolam didn’t argue about it. I expected Torkuhl to be angry with me for stealing the horse in the first place but he might not be thinking deeply enough to recall how it happened. I didn’t feel prompted to bring it up. Kalus sang and played his lute while we traveled.

  Lunch time was actually pleasant. Rejun and Jerak didn’t bicker. We found a nice spot near some fruit trees. There was no fruit yet and we weren’t sure what kind of trees they were. Teltar took a nap under them. Everyone else started moving on to see how long it would take for him to notice. We walked out of sight and he still slept. Jerak ran back to wake him up so we could get back on our way. Teltar was the sleep expert. It gave us a good laugh, though. “So Blake, do you think you can beat me?” Jerak asked in a confidant tone.

  Rejun looked back and forth between Torkuhl and me and then pointing to Torkuhl, said, “Um, if Blake beat him, I don’t think you…”

  Jerak snapped back, “Shut it, Rejun!”

  Rejun shrugged and pointed at Teltar, “What about him?”

  Jerak stopped walking and zoned out for a moment, “Yeah.” He rushed to catch up with us, “Hey Blake, who do you think is better? Teltar or me?” I had never fought Teltar, so I really didn’t know. Teltar was more precise in his moves but Jerak was more agile and full of energy.” I laughed and shrugged, “I really don’t know.”

  Rejun turned to Teltar, “So you think you can beat Jerak?”

  Teltar yawned, “Huh? Sorry wasn’t paying attention.”

  Jerak smiled and insisted, “Teltar! Who do you think is better in a fight? Me or you?”

  Teltar mumbled, “I don’t know.”

  Rejun scratched his head, “Should you two duke it out and see?”

  Teltar shook his head, “Naw.”

  Jerak laughed, “Ha! You know I am better!”

  Teltar muttered, “Sure, if it makes you feel better.” It didn’t seem to matter to all to Teltar. I was glad everyone seemed to be getting along. Even Torkuhl was fitting in with the group. Rejun and Kalus were still intimidated by him, which was odd since they never knew him when he was our enemy. We made camp just as the sun set.

  After we pulled out our bed rolls, Jerak went to find some sparring sticks. I can easily see where this was going. Rejun rolled his eyes and wandered off with his crossbow. Bolam and Kalus went to find firewood.

  Jerak came back with four sticks and tossed one to me, Torkuhl and Teltar. Teltar didn’t bother to catch his. He looked down at it, “I’m going to get something to eat” and walked off.

  “Looks like it’s us three again” Jerak muttered. He would have protested, but he knew Teltar well enough by now, so he let it slide. We played a game that was basically rock, paper, scissors. I was the odd one out. It was Torkuhl verses Jerak. I offered Jerak my helmet but he refused it, claiming he didn’t need it. Jerak started moving around Torkuhl, but Torkuhl was used to fighting people a little faster than him. Jerak did better than I expected, I but cringed when he got knocked down. Jerak held his left arm which would bear a bruise tomorrow.

  Bolam interrupted, “Guys! Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he complained. “What’s wrong with warming up our skills before the big fight?” Jerak laughed. Torkuhl nodded. Jerak wiped some sweat from his forehead, “Alright, Blake and Torkuhl, go!” I took a deep breath, I was still a bit nervous facing Torkuhl but at least I had my enchanted armor on.

  Torkuhl grinned, “Aha, rematch!” I saw that everyone except Rejun was watching. Torkuhl was watching me and waiting. I could tell he was excited, and he grew more so as I moved. I was glad this armor was lightweight, but it still might slow me down.

  Torkuhl got a little to antsy and stepped in for an attack. I parried, so he stepped in and pressed forward again. I turned my body and let him forcefully slide by. He leaned toward me and appeared to stumble, but to my surprise, he made a quick swipe at my head. I leaned back just in time to feel a swish of air zip by. I swung at the side of his chest. The fight went quicker than I thought. He sighed, “That didn’t go so well.”

  I smiled from under my helmet, “You almost got me with that wild swing.” He felt a little better about that and grinned, “Want to try again?” Jerak who was actually being healed by Kalus, spoke up, “Hey, my turn!” He pulled down his sleeve and marched over. Torkuhl took several steps back and folded his arms. Jerak bore a cocky smile, “Let’s see how much you have improved.” Jerak quickly charged at me. I stepped back and avoided his buckler. His stick came straight down. I tilted mine to block. I didn’t even think about Jerak’s buckler attack.

  I stepped back and he came at me again. He was definitely going all out. I held my weapon with both hands and repelled both attacks once more. Jerak was pumped and attacked a third time. He wouldn’t let me get an attack in. His moves were a bit predictable, now. Again, I parried his stick and the buckler. He grinned and attacked, but this time, I jumped back. His buckler hit air and I leaned forward with a thrust. He parried it, but I stepped in and took swing at him. He blocked with his buckler. I pressed forward and gave him just enough time to start to swing at me. I leaned back and thrust forward. My stick got him in the center of the chest.

  “Aw! No way!” Jerak mumbled.

  Torkuhl laughed, “Guess we can’t expect to beat Blake anymore!”

  I smiled, “Good fight.” Jerak dropped his stick and frowned. He didn’t seem too happy about losing both matches. I looked at him and at Torkuhl, “Hey, you guys did a great job training me.” They looked at each other and felt a bit better about themselves.

  “You sure you don’t want a try, Teltar?” Jerak asked. Teltar looked at him with sleepy eyes and just stared. Jerak shrugged, “Oh well. I’m going to eat some grub.”

  I sat down and pulled off my helmet. My stomach was growling so I checked the goodies that we purchased in Vunash. Rejun showed up a few minutes later lugging a large rodent-type creature with an arrow sticking out of it. It looks like he won’t be eating dried fruit and meat with the rest of us.

  After our meal I laid down, and listened to everyone talking. Kalus was talking to Bolam about his views of the things I had told him. Teltar was already snoring and Rejun kept to himself, enjoying his meal. Jerak and Torkuhl were in a bragging contest which ended in a round of sparring. I didn’t see who won. I was still bothered by the idea of being hunted as a source of power. Thoughts ran through my head about other reasons Forren why sought me. Nothing made any sense.

  I woke up to almost silence. I heard just one or two guys walking around. Kalus and Bolam were drinking tea. I groaned a little and slowly put on my armor. The morning dew made things slightly wet. “Morning.” I muttered.

  Kalus smiled, “Morning!” I yawned and then heard some other guys getting up. It was too early for me. I can’t wait for all this to be over and I can sleep back at my home.

  Bolam looked around and saw that nearly everyone was awake, “We should make it to Halatross late tomorrow, and it might be good to get started a little earlier tomorrow.” Most of us groaned.

  After we put our packs onto the wagon, we started out. The road to Halatross was quite boring. On both sides were higher ground and distant woods. On the south side lay the great elvin woods, which were maybe half a day away. I was doubtful I would be welcomed there again. At least the dwarves and dark elves like me. I wasn’t all that fond of the elves, actually. The elves who went after us were too quick to kill me and fighting back seemed to be a crime. I don’t deny that what I did was a crime. Maybe in time they can forgive me or let me make it up to them. I glanced over at Kalus cheerfully playing music while riding Alpo. He seemed to trust me and didn’t hold any grudges, but he didn’t represent his entire people.

  Torkuhl was talking with Jerak again about his arena idea. Jerak shrugged, “I don’t know if people would really pay
to see some guys fight for fun.”

  I laughed, “It does well in my home world.”

  Jerak looked at me, “But this isn’t your home world.” Teltar rode past us and sighed, “If people like seeing mock fights in one world, the next world shouldn’t be too different.”

  Torkuhl grinned, “See?! I think it will be great!” Jerak still wasn’t convinced, but kept his mouth shut. It was nearly noon. The sun was nearly straight above us. We walked another hour or so before we took our break.

  I drank some water from my wineskin and sat down on the grass. Rejun sat down by me. “I am not sure if I am suited for this much walking” he complained.

  I laughed, “It does get tedious.” I swallowed another mouthful of water.

  “So, what are we going to do when we reach Halatross?” he asked. I closed up my wineskin, placed it next to me and thought for a moment, “I hope we can gather information about Forren. He likely will need supplies from town and he might even hire more shady people to build up his power.”

  Rejun laughed, “I would say it would be stupid to face someone like him, but you guys have faced worse, right?”

  I laughed a little and sighed, “Xum’gol was scary and had a powerful force but we had a small army with us then.”

  Rejun shrugged, “I still think he was a bit stupid to tick-off someone like you.”

  I laughed, “Why is that?” Rejun smiled, “You beat Xum’gol, and defeated a scary Minotaur like Torkuhl over there. You didn’t even seem to break a sweat. You also have that armor that is supposed to help you.” I laughed. His words helped me worry a little less.

  Jerak walked by and grabbed my wineskin, “You are done with it, right?” He had a few other wineskins in his hands, “I might as well fill them up, while I fill up mine.” Rejun handed Jerak his. Jerak looked at him “Go fill your own!” Rejun bit his lower lip and Jerak laughed, “Just playing with ya!” and grabbed his brothers’ wineskin.