by J D Bowens
“Help me,” Consus cried to the gryphon. He dug his heels into the bridge pulling against the dragon. “Please, help me.” The gryphon appeared at his side. A claw grabbed his shoulder.
“Awaken,” the gryphon said.
-----------------------------
Consus sat upright in the cave; the fire was little more than embers in the darkness. He breathed a deep sigh of relief though his heart still pounded like a war drum.
“Good thing you’re awake,” a voice behind him said. He turned to see Ewan crouched just behind him. “It’s your turn for the watch. You feeling alright?”
Consus wiped his brow and found he was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. “I am well. Just a bad dream is all.”
“Then you will be glad to be awake.” Ewan settled into his own bedroll as Consus rose up. “The nice elf is still out there by the fire. She says she doesn’t need to sleep any more than a few hours. I need several hours myself, and I’ll take ‘em now.” Before Consus could say anything, Ewan had rolled over and gone to sleep.
He walked over to the mouth of the cave where the small fire still burned and sat down. The rolling hills under the moon appeared as whales moving in the night sea, rising and falling. Leiwyn paid him no regard as he sat across from her but instead continued to watch the shifting landscape.
“You appear quite tired for a last watchman,” she remarked after a few moments of silence.
Consus shrugged his tired shoulders. His muscles ached from sleeping on the ground for so long. “I have had some difficulty sleeping these past few nights.” He wondered how Kyran and Ewan managed to do this so often before he’d joined them.
“Not the snoring from the halfling is it? One would not expect someone so small to snore so loud.”
Consus laughed. “I have grown quite used to it now. I am afraid it is just foolishness that keeps me awake. A restless and imaginative mind terrorizing me with horrible dreams.” He debated if he should ask for her help. “I read somewhere that elves can interpret dreams. Is that true?”
She arched an eyebrow in a curious glance, reading him with her brown almond shaped eyes. “We are given a greater understanding of the supernatural. Some of us are more gifted than others.”
“Would you interpret mine for me?”
“I could, but you may be disappointed. Dreams are often nothing more than our wild imaginations at work.”
“I’d like to know why mine has been recurring. Doesn’t seem too imaginative to repeat the same dream.”
She shrugged. “Perhaps you have some guilt, or you have forgotten to do something. Here, lend me your dominant hand.” Consus held out his right hand as she pulled her brown hair back into a ponytail. She grasped the back of it with her own so that his palm faced up. She touched her fingertips to his palm and traced the lines of his hand. She examined the calluses. “You’re too educated and knowledgeable to be a guide.”
“You’re right; I’ve only been doing this a year since our father passed.”
Leiwyn paused her hand. “I am sorry about your father.”
Consus could only shrug. “There was nothing to be done. He fell ill while traveling. His trading company left a substantial debt, and we have been – er, guiding people to pay it off. Before all this, I was studying in Dar’Moor, the Duenmer College.”
“What did you study?” She resumed the movement with her left hand.
“Historical lore and healing arts. Ewan keeps telling me I shouldn’t tell women that. I should say I studied something ‘violent and masculine.’”
“Violent and masculine are easy enough to come by. A man who understands the soul, well, he may have my heart any day.” Consus’ heart skipped a beat as he calculated his chances of winning her affection. Her fingers stopped over the central line of his palm. Her grasp was firm and her gaze intense.
“Tell me about your dream,” she said. She closed her eyes as he described the two divided lands and the dragon he encountered on the bridge. When they opened again, Consus could see they were red and bleary. “I am afraid that I am not gifted enough to be of much help. It seems as though you are caught in the middle of making a difficult decision.”
Consus eyed her hoping she would explain further, but she said nothing. ”I do not feel as though I am making a difficult decision.” He recalled his conversation with Altin regarding Kyran’s plans for the future. It was not something he’d given much thought as of late. “What more can you tell me?”
She shrugged. “That is all I can see.” Consus heaved a sigh. “I would try to remain calm in your sleep if you have any control. It may help you to change your surroundings or even defeat the dragon. Remember, it is your dream.”
Consus nodded pretending to understand. How does a person just control his dreams? He tried to recall from his mind’s library if he had ever read any books on the matter. He spent the last few hours of his watch thinking on it as the starlight waned and the sun appeared on the horizon.
Chapter 18
Two days later, just past noon, they arrived at Dawnrose Manor. Consus looked upon the humble structure as it came into view. The weathered establishment served as a relief to many weary travelers, and he was happy to see it. It sat in the middle of a sunny green field. A bubbling brook flowed by at the edge of the field, parallel to the horizon. Just a few paces from the manor was a two-story home. A neat vegetable garden grew out of the side facing the manor.
A familiar stout man emerged from the garden. He approached them brushing the dirt from his plain clothing, his thin gray hair bristling about in the wind as he walked.
“Eddericks, g’afternoon to you,” he said. “It’s been four months since I last saw
you, ain’t it? I half expected to see you with the last passing convoy.”
Kyran dismounted, leading his horse by the reins. “Hello Cleese, it’s good to see you. We would’ve been among them, but we received some new work from the sheriff. How’ve
you been?”
“Och, I’ve been well,” he nodded to the house. “Can’t say as much for Alyss though. A bit angry, that one. But I suspect she will be happy to see some familiar faces.” Consus saw a slender brown-haired woman walk from the house to the Manor. She paused and looked at the group before she continued to the inn.
Consus waved to Alyss, but she appeared to ignore his greeting. Is she glaring at us? he wondered. Alyss and her family often came to the annual Winter Festival in Normead. She and the brothers grew up as friends; however, often Kyran and Alyss argued over almost anything. As children, they challenged one another to climbing trees, catching animals, and racing on horseback. There was one memorable instance where Alyss wrestled Kyran to demonstrate she was not the “weak damsel” he often called her.
Consus noticed Kyran shift his stance to an almost defensive position as if he were anticipating an attack. He saw his brother relax after Alyss disappeared inside the inn.
“Have you room in your stables for the horses and our guests?” Kyran asked.
“Aye, take ‘em around, and I’ll have the boy come around to take care of the horses,” Cleese said.
Kyran handed Cleese several coins. “We were hoping the two best rooms you have, one for the ladies and one for ourselves. We would like to avoid any of the other travelers you may have
staying with you.”
“I haven’t a soul staying here tonight,” Cleese replied. “Take the rooms upstairs; both are empty. I’ll send word to Ida to prepare a stew. Do ya need help with yer belongings?”
Kyran shook his head. Cleese nodded, bowed to the two women and disappeared into the inn. Dismounting, Consus followed Kyran to the stables with the others. He avoided stepping on a cat that scurried between his legs and out of the stables.
“Consus, why don’t you see to the ladies’ belongings and help them to their room,” Kyran said, removing Milo from his horse. “When you’re all settled, meet us in the common room. We can take our packs there with us. We’ve a friend h
ere who has a great collection of maps.” Consus nodded and began to help Leiwyn with her own pack. Karinne had already taken her pack and bedroll from her horse with little effort.
Milo beamed. “Oh, can’t I help with the maps?”
“No, I don’t want you arguing with Ewan. Why don’t you visit Ida for a while? It’s been a long time since she’s seen you and I am sure she would just love your help in preparing dinner
tonight.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful. I’m very good in the kitchen. Bobboh wouldn’t let me near his, but I’m sure lda wouldn’t mind.” He dashed out of the stables and through the inn, the sound of his little footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Consus shook his head as he walked toward the side door of the inn. “Ida is going to kill you.”
“I know, but the fun is well worth it. Besides we have work to do, and I can’t have Ewan distracted.”
Consus beckoned Leiwyn and Karinne to follow him and walked through the corridor into the west end of the manor. Though the exterior of the inn showed signs of wear, the interior of the home was well kept. The oak and stone walls were sturdy, and the pinewood floors did not creak under his footsteps. He proceeded up a flight of stairs and down another small hallway to a cozy sunlit room. The two beds and a nightstand with a washing basin left little space to move about in. He placed their packs by the bed and walked back down the stairs to the common room. Leiwyn and Karinne promised to be down shortly.
The common room was not as grand as the Pig in the Pot. There were two large tables with benches by a fireplace on the other side of the room. There was no raised dais, a matter that Milo often complained about. Kyran and Ewan stood hunched over the table; their packs lay beside them. They studied a large map of the continent as Cleese dropped several more rolled papers onto the bench next to them.
“That’s all I have on the Nor Sea,” he said before he shuffled into the kitchen.
Ewan pointed to a forest at the edge of the northern shoreline on the map. “There’re a few spots along the shore of the Nor Sea someone could hide. The Nor Wood is nearby, and it is possible that a sanctuary lies within the forest somewhere.”
Kyran waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t suppose it would be there though. Nothing stays hidden in that forest for two thousand years without being discovered. I‘ve never heard any tales of anything in those woods.”
“Nor have I, though if it was a hidden sanctuary, I would expect that they would work to that end to keep it such. The next likely place may be the caves along the Nor Sea. There are a few located here and here.” Ewan tapped his finger at each location on the map. “I have heard that the caverns go on underground for quite a distance, but no one knows where they end. I used to know of an entrance here, but it has been a long time since I ventured out there.”
“Perhaps we should move this conversation to a private room,” Leiwyn said. She wrung her hands together as she looked around the empty common room. Consus looked up from the map to see her and Karinne standing on the other side of the table; their hoods covered their heads and their ears.
Ewan huffed and thumbed his nose. “Well, it’s not as though someone will ride in here out of the blue.” Consus slapped his brother’s shoulder, hoping he’d remember to mind his manners with clients.
“She’s right,” Kyran said. “Move to the other room.” He ushered them to a small dining room secluded from the common area. Ewan fumbled with his maps as he plopped into a chair in front of the only table in the room. Kyran closed the door behind him after everyone filed in.
Leiwyn pulled down her hood and fixed her long brown hair into a loose bun. “You think the caves are the most likely passage to the ancient refuge?”
Ewan shared a glance with Kyran and then shrugged his shoulders. Kyran rolled his eyes. “If the temple, refuge, or whatever - if it exists, it’ll be in the caves. Problem is there’s a lot of caves. Hard to narrow it down to just one. We could be there for years searching.”
Kyran let out a deep sigh. “Is there any way you could at least determine what side of the Nor Sea we should be looking?”
Leiwyn bit her lip and pulled out the small aged piece of parchment from its scroll case. “I have a theory that this parchment bears a spell on it. A conditional spell.”
Consus could see that his brothers did not understand her. “A conditional spell is a sort of enchantment,” he answered. “It ‘activates’ under certain conditions set by the spellcaster. The ancient priests were very good at casting them.”
“Yes, and I believe that the conditions are as the words here allude to: ‘under the moon of the Nor Sea.’” She tucked away the parchment. “But I cannot be certain until we have arrived.”
Ewan groaned at the mention of magic. “And we are here without the mage,” Ewan said. “Blast it, Altin.”
Consus rolled his eyes. “You don’t need a mage to cast the spell. It operates on its own. It’ll probably be triggered the closer we get to the Nor Sea.”
Ewan crossed his arms under his chest. “Terrific. Our whole job depends on this piece of paper.”.
Karinne and Leiwyn wrinkled their nose at his sour remark.
Kyran ignored him and gave them a reassuring smile. “Well, we’ve worked with less hope. We’ll leave for the shore in the morning and look for an entrance to the caves.”
A disastrous clang bellowed out of the kitchen, followed by the sound of little footsteps and Milo burst into the room. “Dinner is ready. Oh, Kyran! Ida wants to speak with you.”
-----
Consus snapped awake once more from the same recurring nightmare. This time it was different. The dragon had managed to pull him along the bridge, farther than before and the gryphon had not come to save him this time. Consus was almost in the realm of fire when he woke up. He shuddered at the thought of being dragged to the mountain of flames.
What’s making me dream of this place? Everything there feels so real, so vivid. At times he was not sure whether the dreams were not a real experience.
Consus glanced around. Ewan lay in his own bed still and silent. Kyran’s bed was empty, but the tousled sheets indicated that he had been there earlier. Consus looked out of the window of the room to the dawn sky, a thin layer of clouds interrupted by the light from the rising sun.
The sight of Milo arrested his attention. He sat in front of the window with a tin cup pressed against the window pane. His ear was on the other end of the cup as though he were trying to listen to something.
“What are you doing?” Consus whispered.
Milo held a finger to his lips for silence and then waved him over. Consus rose up from his bed and joined the halfling by the window. Milo pointed toward a couple of distant figures in the field toward the stream. Consus recognized Alyss with a bucket in her hand. Kyran was running to catch up to her.
“What is going on?” Consus whispered to Milo. The halfling shushed him. “Well, you can’t hear them from here, Milo.”
“Yes, I can,” he said. “Altin made this for me. He called it a ‘Cup of Far-Hearing.’” He handed the
little cup to Consus. Consus mimicked the halfling and pressed his ear against the cup.
Consus could hear the cheery songs of morning birds and the raucous honk of geese outside. The breeze passed through the trees and rustled the leaves. The stream splashed against the stones and ducks quacked as they paddled along the banks.
“Amazing,” he said. Why had Altin only made such a thing for Milo? He focused his hearing on Kyran as he ran up behind Alyss.
“Alyss!” Kyran yelled. “Alyss, wait a moment.”
Consus watched Alyss stoop down to the stream and fill the bucket with water. “Four months you’ve been gone,” Alyss said. She stood back up with the bucket and set it down beside her. “No letter or any word from you. You tell me you love me and then disappear for four months.”
“I was busy making a future for us,” he retorted. “I’m doing some good for the both of us.”
“And how am I to know that? You seduce me and promise to marry me. Then you say nothing for four months.” Consus gasped.
“What is it?” Milo asked. “What are they saying? Tell me!”
“Hush,” Consus said. He waved the halfling away.
Alyss crossed her arms and glared at Kyran. “What’d you have to say for yourself?”
“I’m not a fiend,” Kyran replied. “I’m sorry I didn’t have time to send word to you about what I was doing. I’ve been risking my life to buy us home and land. What have you been up to? Serving meals and cleaning house is all from what I can tell.”
Alyss picked up the bucket and heaved the water on him. He jumped back but was soaked from head to toe. “Cleaning?” she hollered. “Is that what you think I do? I suppose it’s not as glorious as running around playing a hero for hire. We’ll just pretend I don’t break my back carrying water, scrubbing floors, cooking for strangers, being ogled at by traders and trappers.”
Kyran tried to wring water out of his shirt. “It’s not as bad as fighting highwaymen or brögs. You don’t have to risk your life for it. Hell, I might do that for fun.”
Alyss rolled her eyes and threw up her arms. “Great, I’m sure you’d be a good tavern maid,” she retorted. “Go put on a dress, find a tavern in the city, and don’t come back.” She turned and marched towards the inn away from Kyran.
“Alyss, stop.” She ignored him, and Kyran ran to catch her. He grabbed her shoulder, but she whirled around and hit him in the side with the bucket. “Stop hitting me and being so mad!”
Consus could not stifle his laughter. His brother - the mighty dual blade wielding mercenary - was unable to protect himself from a woman with a bucket.
“Oh, please just give the cup back,” Milo said. “It’s my turn now.”
