by Jamie Davis
* * *
2,500 experience awarded
2,500 experience awarded
* * *
Three to go, Hal thought. He pointed his fingers at the sergeant and summoned the simplest, quickest magic spell he knew. Some of his magic still worked though it was not as reliable as it had been on his trips to Fantasma years before. The simpler spells seemed to work just fine, however, so he kept things simple.
Razor sharp shards of ice flew from Hal’s fingertips, impaling the sergeant from neck to groin in a continuous line. He grunted in surprise before falling dead to the ground.
* * *
3,500 experience awarded
* * *
The remaining two guards sat frozen, their eyes wide at the death and destruction unleashed on their comrades. Both stood, dropped their muskets, and ran for the street at the edge of the market square.
Hal couldn’t afford to let them get away. Chasing after them, he readied another spell. Suddenly, vines grew up between the cobblestones grasping at the legs of the running guards. One of them managed to slip free, but the other was tangled enough that he fell to the ground rolling over and kicking to try and free his legs. Hal ran past pausing only long enough to stab down once with his dagger, killing the guard with a thrust to the heart.
* * *
2,500 experience awarded
* * *
The final guard had almost made it to the street and might manage to escape. Damn, Hal wasn’t going to catch him in time. He had to try, though. That guard could bring every one of Charon’s goons down on the three of them and spoil their plan to escape the city.
Just as the guard started to turn the corner at the edge of the square, a crossbow bolt slammed into him followed immediately by a second. Both bolts were barely an inch apart, striking him squarely in the middle of the chest. The force of the blow threw the guard backward to the ground where he lay still. His eyes glazed over, staring up at the sky. Hal relaxed and slowed down. Mona stepped out from the shadows at the edge of the street followed by Stefan, his sword drawn.
“Nice shot, honey.”
“Retrieve those crossbow bolts. I don’t have that many to go around and we may need them again.”
Hal groaned but did as he was asked. It was a grizzly task, cutting those barbed crossbow bolts free of a body without damaging the shafts. He made quick work of the task, though, and handed the bloody darts back to his wife.
Mona finished re-cranking the clockwork mechanism on her repeating crossbow and reloaded the two crossbow bolts into the magazine before slinging the crossbow back over her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get moving. There’s bound to be another patrol along soon and they’ll find the bodies quickly. We don’t have time to hide them.”
Hal nodded. His wife was right. He took the lead and turned left, leading them down the street. They had almost reached the fisherman’s district of Morton Creek. They would be able to walk more openly there. The fishermen were allowed to be up early during the curfew time.
A few blocks later, they reached the area of the harbor known as the fishing docks. Hal turned to Stefan. “You’re up kid. Where’s the fisherman you found who agreed to transport us out of the city?”
“He’s just over here. His name is Buckingham.”
Stefan took the lead. Hal and Mona were right behind him as they walked down the narrow pier. Small fishing vessels were being readied for the morning catch on either side of them. Nets were being laid out, ready to cast overboard, and lines were strung with bait. Stefan stopped at one of the boats and called out. “Buckingham, are you here?”
“Who wants to know?” a voice from inside the small cabin said. The man belonging to the voice stepped out from the small structure in the center of the boat and scowled up at them “Oh, it’s you, boy. I suppose you’re ready for me to sneak you out of town?”
“Yes, sir. These are my companions. What would you like us to do?”
“You’ll have to hide down in the fishing hold. It’s smelly, but there’s no place else to put you. Once you’re down there, get under this tarp and stay there until I tell you we are clear of the harbor mouth. It don’t do anybody any good if somebody on one of those ships spots you as I sail by. They’re watching us carefully and a single one of those cannonballs could blow us out of the water before we would be able to get away.”
“How far up the coast will you be able to carry us?” Hal asked.
“I can carry you as far as you want to go. The boy here said you had the money to pay for me to take you just about anywhere. I assume that’s true?”
Hal nodded and jangled the full purse at his belt so that the captain could hear the coins jostling about inside. “There’s plenty of coin here and more where that came from when we get to where we’re going.”
“And where would that be?”
“I’ll tell you when we’re clear of the harbor. Until then it’s better if you don’t know.”
“Mysteries cost extra, Mister.”
“Understood.” Hal jumped down from the pier into the small boat. He turned and held up a hand to help Mona. She waved him off and jumped down next to him with ease. Stefan joined them and together the three of them climbed down into the open fishing hold at the front of the boat. It was where the captain kept all of his catch to bring back to the market.
Buckingham was right. It smelled awful.
The three them settled down against the side of the boat keeping the hull at their backs while they pulled the canvas tarp up to cover themselves. They felt the boat start moving soon after they settled in place. Not much later, they were underway, headed for the harbor mouth.
The small fishing boat’s rocking soon became more pronounced and Hal realized they’d cleared the harbor mouth, entering the open sea beyond the headland. His guess was confirmed when Captain Buckingham called out from where he sat at the ship’s tiller.
“You can come out now. We’ve moved out of sight of the last Imperial vessel.”
Hal poked his head out from under the tarp to see the harbor and rooftops of Morton Creek disappearing into the distance amidst the rays of the early morning sun, just cresting the eastern horizon. “Good work, Captain.”
“Of course it is. I know what I’m doing. You’re not the first person I’ve smuggled in my day. Now, which way am I headed? I’d rather not sail in circles out here if I don’t have to.”
“Tandon. Tandon is where we want to go. How long will it take us to get there?”
“The Clarabelle is a fast, little boat. I’ll have you there inside of seven days.”
“Make it six and I’ll add an extra hundred gold pieces to the payment.”
Captain Buckingham spat something over the side and turned back to Hal with a grin. “You’re on. I never shy away from a challenge, not where gold is concerned.”
Hal smiled back. They were on their way again, finally heading back on the trail to track down Cari and get her back home where she belonged.
Chapter 16
Three days after exiting the Dwarven tunnels under the mountain, Cari and her four companions joined a caravan traveling east. It only cost them a few silver pieces for the right to a sheltered place under one of the wagons when they camped and a place for them to ride occasionally as the caravan trundled along on its route towards Hyroth.
On the day they exited the tunnels, Cari completed the under-mountain quest and received a new quest notice.
* * *
Quest completed — travel through the tunnels under the mountain
15,000 experience awarded
Quest accepted — complete journey to Hyroth
* * *
During this time Jaycee rarely left Cari’s side. Ever since the little girl had named Cari her champion, the two of them seemed to be joined at the hip. Cari didn’t mind so much, but she wanted the young empress to be more independent. She wouldn’t be around forever and Jaycee needed to understand there were others she could count on. Cari mentioned a
s much to Helen during one of the rare times when Jaycee was off playing with Percy.
“She’s only six, Cari. You can’t expect her to be all that independent. She lost her entire family and apparently has decided that you will fill that role for the foreseeable future.”
“But I’m not a mother. I don’t know how to do what she needs. I’m not the type of person who can fill that role.”
“I think you’d be surprised,” Helen said with a smile. “You’re the type of mother she needs right now partly because you’re the one she chose. You’re also the right choice because she needs someone strong. She needs someone able to protect her from anything that comes along, someone she feels she can trust more than anyone else.”
Cari thought about the words Helen used to describe the type of mother she had become to the young girl. She found it funny because she could’ve used those same words to describe her own mother at times. Her mom had always been protective, had always been her biggest champion, even when she disagreed with some of the things Cari was doing. Her mom always came to her fencing competitions and always cheered while watching her daughter sparring with competitors.
Cari nodded. “I think I understand. I can do this and be what she needs me to be. At least I can do it as long as it takes us to get her safely on the throne. Once we rid her of any immediate dangers, we can talk about finding someone else to take over.”
“Careful, Cari. I suspect you’re going to become more attached to that little girl than you think. You’ve taken on more or less of a permanent position whether you like it or not.”
Cari looked over at where Jaycee and Percy played with some glass marbles in the dirt. The young man was surprisingly patient with Jaycee. He took the time to show her how to flick the marble with her thumb and forefinger in such a way that they would knock other marbles out of the ring they’d drawn in the dirt. Cari watched them play and shook her head. A lot was riding on that little girl. A lot was riding on them staying safe until they got to where they were going.
The caravan was large enough it didn’t encounter any trouble as it traveled east. Cari and the others walked and rode along for over a week and a half. They might have been able to travel faster on their own but there was an advantage to being just another anonymous caravan traveler coming into the city, dusty from the road. Plus, it didn’t take that much longer. Soon the caravan rolled up to the outer gates of the city of Hyroth.
Cari paid off the remaining silver they owed to the caravan master, then the five companions walked through the gate and into the city.
* * *
Quest completed — complete journey to Hyroth
12,000 experience awarded
* * *
Inside the caravan gates, a great square opened up with market stalls all spread around open space in front of them. It wasn’t the stalls that caught Cari’s eyes first, though. It was the enormous statue of a hooded man standing guard over the entrance to the city. The statue was armed with a long sword in one hand and a dagger in the other.
Before she caught herself, Cari pointed at the statue and said, “Who is that?”
A woman passing by, pushing a cart of turnips smiled and nodded at the statue. “That’s Prince Hal. That statue was built soon after the old Empress took her throne. The city and the people of Hyroth built it in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of his leading the revolt that overthrew the Emperor’s factors in the city, setting us all free.”
Cari murmured her thanks as she stared upward at the giant statue erected to her father’s memory. She wondered if he knew about it. It would be just the sort of thing he would want to brag about.
Shaking her head, Cari led the others through the square searching for an area where she could find an inn. She, for one, was looking forward to getting a nice, hot bath and sleeping in an actual bed for the first time in nearly a month.
As she walked along, Cari saw a sign that caught her eye. It was a stylized drawing carved into the wood of an imperial dragoon complete with the colored cape and a sword. “Let’s try this inn over here. Something about it tells me we can find someone friendly to our cause there.”
The inn’s common room wasn’t very crowded, seeing as how it was midday. It probably filled up towards the dinner hour and afterward in the evening. Cari walked up to the bar while her friends stayed at the door. An old man with a thin line of short gray hair circling his mostly bald head stepped out from the kitchen door behind the bar and nodded at Cari. “What can I do for you miss?”
“I’m hoping my companions and I can find a room for the night, perhaps even several nights?”
“Rooms we’ve got. There’s five of you. Will you need five rooms?”
“I think we can settle for two. I’ll stay with the two younger ones and the other two women can have one to themselves.”
“Two rooms it is. Will you be wanting something to eat now, or can you wait for dinner?”
“Dinner will be fine. While I’m here talking with you, I was wondering if you might explain the meaning of your sign out front?”
“This is the ‘Old Dragoon Inn,’” the innkeeper said. He puffed up his chest with pride. “I retired from her Majesty’s service 20 years ago, took my pension, and settled here in Hyroth. I opened this inn and tavern.” His face grew somber. “I have to say I’m sorry to see the old lady go, especially given all the heartache she’s been through these last five years with her family and all. I suppose she passed away out of sheer sadness.”
Cari nodded and leaned close to the bar. “I don’t suppose you have any contacts with any of your old comrades in arms?”
The innkeeper raised an eyebrow at her question and studied her for a few seconds before he answered. “Why would you be seeking out my old companions, missy. Haven’t you heard, the dragoons have been disbanded.”
“I’ve heard, but the dragoons I knew would never give up on their oath to serve the Empress or her heirs.”
“Saying things like that can get you in a lot of trouble in the wrong places, girl.”
“I’m hoping they can also open some doors in the right places, too.”
Once again, the innkeeper paused, staring Cari in the eye. A few awkward seconds passed. His eyes darted to the doorway and Cari’s companions. His eye’s widened when they fell on young Jaycee and he returned his gaze to Cari. “If I were to be able to speak to some of my old comrades would there be a message you’d like to give them?”
“My message is for three companions in particular. I am hoping you know who they are and how to reach them. Their names are Liam, Chance, and Thad. Do you know them?”
“If you are who I think you are, then the answer is a resounding and joyful yes!” He pointed to the stairs. “This is business best kept private. Why don’t you and your friends get settled upstairs? Take the first two rooms to the right as you reach the landing. I’ll have my wife fill a bath in each of your rooms for you. It looks like you’ve got quite a bit of road grime to deal with.”
Cari tensed. “You know who we are?”
“I’d rather not say, but I can tell you that the old information network still flows within the dragoons. As you say, we live to serve the Empress and her heirs. Our oath never expires. That includes her champions, too. Isn’t that right, Princess Cari?”
Cari resisted the urge to correct the man, thankful they’d found a friend at last. It had been a long time since they’d left a place where she could count on other friends to watch out for her and the others. It was good to be somewhere where she had some backup again. “A bath would be wonderful for my friends and me for sure. We’ll head up to the rooms and wait for someone to let us know when the bath is ready.”
“I’ll get my wife right on it. Now go upstairs and get out of sight. Too many prying eyes out and about these days.”
Cari nodded and returned to her friends. She gestured for them to follow her and the five of them headed up the stairs to their rooms.
An hour later, the in
nkeeper’s wife fussed over Cari and Jaycee as the two of them took their baths. A serving girl and the innkeeper’s wife both took turns bringing up kettles of hot water until the two tubs were full of steaming, scented water.
As Cari sat soaking amidst the bubbles of the soapy water, the innkeeper’s wife turned from her place at the door where she was hanging up towels for the two of them. “Would either of the two of you like scented bath oils?”
“No, this is quite good enough, I assure you. It is nice to just to be able to wash the dirt from our pores after our long travels.” To punctuate her statement, Cari took the sponge and ran it along her arm, scrubbing at her skin with the slightly rough surface.
The woman checked outside the door for eavesdroppers and to make sure the serving girl had left before continuing. “I’m not sure what the two of you are used to, seeing as how you are who you are and all.” She punctuated her statement with an awkward curtsy.
Cari cast a wary eye at the woman. “Please, Mistress, we must keep quiet about that. We are fine with ordinary things just like everyone else. There is no need to be worried about what kind of upper-class things we might be used to. Both of us have lived very simple lives over the last couple of years. Isn’t that right Jaycee?”
The little girl stopped playing in the water of her tub for a moment and nodded.
The little girl’s smile must’ve reassured the woman. “If you say so. I just don’t want to cause no offense, that’s all.”
“I assure you there is no offense taken.”
The woman finished hanging up towels for the two of them and went to leave before she stopped and turned to say one more thing. “My husband has long been out of the dragoons. I don’t want him to get caught up in nothing that would cause him harm.”
