Quests Volume One Read online

  "You're a warrior. Get yourself what you'll need to be a warrior."

  Belfi had finished reading the king's letter and he sighed. "You'll have to continue without me," he announced. "Apparently Conon thinks my presence will protect the city and the kingdom from the Varians and the Blackmore."

  "Oh, such a shame," Bellinda said. "At least you knew where we were going!"

  "I thought you were out to explore the world anyway," Belfi replied with a smile. "Just follow the Ondan and reach the northern coast. I'm afraid down here the old kingdoms are reforming..."

  "What do you mean?" Hinrik asked, jarred.

  "The Gallian and Varian dynasties lived on the lands of the Genn kingdom of Appleyard. As for the Blackmore... they're slowly conquering what used to be my father's kingdom, Rayheart."

  "Maybe we should reach the south," Bellinda mused. "Didn't you mention they're less of a warring kind down there?"

  "Yes, and you can reach it by going around the coast. You might even embark on some merchant ship, if you're sick of riding. Sell the horses and buy passage to the southern towns."

  "Or use a year or two to get down there with common means," Keneith added. "I don't want to use instant-transfer spells to go to unknown places."

  "You should travel by land, then. I might meet you in Maxwetria or on the Kelvian coast in six months or so. Should give me time to do my pilgrimage and then continue east."

  "You won't stay in Salamar to protect the king?" Hinrik asked, worried.

  "I'll stay until I can be of use," Belfi answered. "I'm immortal but not invulnerable, and I already told him I can't do much for him."

  "I guess we should follow the Ondan, then," Bellinda said. "Maybe Hinrik's father will give us some direction."

  Hinrik's eyes widened in shock. "I don't want to talk to him!"

  "You don't have to," she assured him. "We will. He might have gathered some coins from the river and give them to you for the trip."

  "I don't want anything from him!"

  "Hinrik, you're not the only one who lost a parent very early," Keneith said, a little too bluntly. Bellinda knew it was a sensitive topic for her magic user friend. "My mother dumped me and my father when I was still a toddler. She's the Fajrulo of the pair, I inherited her cold blood and lack of heart. You don't know why your father didn't stick to your mother, so you should at least give him a chance."

  Hinrik glared at him and looked away.

  "I think we're all quite tired," Bellinda said while Belfi folded the letter and put it in his travel bag. "Let's get some sleep, shall we?"

  "Right, I still don't have mattresses for you, but you can use the benches or the table, since the tiles on the floor become quite cold at night," Hinrik said grumpily.

  Keneith scoffed. He crouched and passed his hands over a piece of floor and an immaterial mattress gleamed in the room. Bellinda had tried his magic mattress and knew how comfortable it could be.

  "Maybe eventually you'll be able to conjure water mattresses," Keneith said, rising.

  Belfi made another mattress of Genn golden powder under Hinrik's awed eyes. "We'll be fine, Hinrik. Good night."

  Bellinda shook their host from his surprise and he followed her upstairs. He still looked lost as he sat on his cot. She leaned to give him a peck on the cheek.

  "Sweet dreams, Hinrik," she whispered before heading for the attic.

  He cleared his throat before answering, "Good night, Bellinda."

  Bellinda tried to hide her hilarity. Boy, was he formal! But he'd get used to the company...

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Hinrik didn't sleep well, and not because he had guests. Still, at some point he must have slept, because when he went downstairs he found all three around the hearth, preparing herbal tea. Keneith had even gone to the bakery down the road to get fresh bread.

  "I didn't hear you coming down the ladder," Hinrik told Bellinda.

  "You were sound asleep, so I tiptoed around you," she replied with a smile. "I'm sure you needed it."

  "Thanks," he grumbled.

  "I'm going to the palace, do you need my mare to carry your things?" Belfi asked. "I won't need her anymore and a pack horse might be useful to you all."

  "Yes, especially if Hinrik buys the full warrior gear again," Keneith said. "We could use her to carry the tent and his armor."

  "Maybe I won't buy the full warrior gear, but I need a sword," Hinrik snapped. "I feel naked without."

  "Of course, let's go to the market before leaving town," Bellinda said. "I might need a few things myself."

  "Running out of herbs, Bel?" Keneith teased.

  "I may not use them to heal, but I like drinking them and so do you," she retorted before sipping her herbal tea while he chuckled.

  Hinrik watched them bicker with slight envy. Whether they were a couple or just friends, they had a relationship of some kind – something he'd sorely missed after his mother's death. He hadn't made friends in town and had taken the soldier job because he was well built and it was a job like any other. He had been very fond of his captain, who had believed in him and taught him everything, but now he too was gone and Hinrik was alone again.

  He thanked Belfi for the intercession with the king and watched him head for the palace before taking Bellinda and Keneith to the main market. He stopped at a stall made of sacks and baskets that sold swords. The female owner was helpful and slightly overweight. There was no discount for a discharged soldier of the Salamar army, but her goods were of above average quality.

  Bellinda and Keneith waited for him at the next stall, a kiosk with roof and no walls that sold religious icons. They both ignored the highly attractive female owner to check the various items as a pastime until Hinrik got his sword.

  They passed by the shrine at the center of the square and headed for a makeshift structure that sold belts and fancy hats.

  "My hooded coat was enough so far, and since we're going north, I don't want anything," Bellinda said, but Hinrik and Keneith both tried on a couple of belts and a few hats. Keneith bought a new belt and Hinrik opted for a hood, making the exuberant and gangly female owner very happy.

  Next to it were several carts full of wares – reptiles, exotic armor and helmets. The owner was male, greedy and had many tattoos. The quality was very low and Hinrik decided not to waste coins on a helmet that would break with the first blow. As for the exotic armors, he didn't think it would protect him enough to buy any.

  Behind the shrine there was a roofed and walled kiosk that sold enchantments, spell components and magical constructs. Hinrik watched as Bellinda and Keneith checked everything and haggled with the anxious male owner who completely lacked a sense of humor and therefore didn't get their jokes.

  Hinrik found himself smiling despite himself, and Bellinda winked at him, obviously pleased.

  "There are other shops, you know?" he told her while Keneith thanked the owner, saying they didn't really need anything.

  "If you could take us to a place that sells maps and adventuring supplies, that would be great," Bellinda said. "Without Belfi we should really get a map to know where we're going..."

  "Come with me, then. Daveth is the man you want to see."

  Daveth's shop was rather small and smelled of incense. It was noisy and gaudily decorated. It specialized in potions but also provided poisons, maps and anything useful to travel out of town. Occupants included a druid, a beggar and another merchant.

  Daveth was still incredibly skinny for a middle-aged man. He looked bored as he talked to a guard and raised his eyebrows at the sight of Hinrik. The shop owner was the father of one of Hinrik's companion-at-arms and had known him since childhood. Hinrik realized he had no idea of what had happened to Daveth's son.

  "Hinrik!" Daveth said as the guard scoffed at the sight of him. "Loriss left you for dead in Moriana!"

  "So not the whole company was slaughtered," Hinrik replied. "I fell next to Captain Irmos, but I wasn't killed, just wounded."

  "Yes, not m
any came back from that disaster," the guard commented, shaking his head. "You're lucky. Are you going back out there?"

  "I was discharged," Hinrik said proudly. "I've come looking for a map of the north and east."

  "And traveling supplies," Keneith added, standing by his side.

  The magic user ignored the stares of the guard and the shop owner. Bellinda was already looking through the folder of maps, which made Daveth gasp and rush to her side.

  "My lady, those are precious maps!"

  "I'm sure they are," she replied. "I should have asked my Genn father to provide me with one, since these look quite approximate." She put down the folder with a disgusted look on her face. "Human maps are awful," she told Keneith. "We should have asked Belfi to call a Sila for us."

  "Why shouldn't we call a Sila ourselves?" Keneith shrugged. "Don't you have two Sila friends including a map-maker? We might be far from their nests, but I'm sure they could hear you..."

  "True." Bellinda shrugged and turned to Daveth again. "So, no maps, thanks, what do you have for traveling?"

  Again they dined at the Unlucky Bard. Hinrik was glad to have found someone who seemed to know more about travel than he ever would.

  "We only need to follow the Ondan," Bellinda said. "We'll find better maps when we reach the next town, I'm sure. I'm surprised Salamar doesn't have more Genn-made maps, after all Belfi and other Genn come here every now and then."

  "They probably can't be bothered to share their knowledge of the world," Keneith replied. "We should have bought one in Havenstock."

  "We were supposed to follow Belfi..."

  "Even if we get lost, who cares? We don't have a specific destination, as long as we get away from wars."

  "True. And the tribes are on the other shore of the Ondan, so we should be fine."

  Hinrik listened, a little worried.

  "Do you think we'll be safe?" he asked.

  "Hey, you're the warrior, you're supposed to be our bodyguard!" Keneith replied. "Don't worry, bandits usually don't attack wizards. Besides, this is the year of living dangerously. Weren't you on the verge of suicide anyway? What do you care of safety?"

  "Keneith!" Bellinda chided. "Leave him alone! The only time he left home was to march with an army to his doom. This is definitely different." She looked at Hinrik again. "We'll be fine, Hinrik. Don't listen to that heartless half-Fajrulo with a wicked sense of humor."

  Hinrik nodded since his voice wouldn't come out. Keneith had reminded him how he'd met them, what had happened before meeting them, why he was now ready to leave the house where he'd been born to go on an adventure.

  There was no return to Salamar, and it was fine. He felt a lump in his throat, though. This was the last night he'd spend in his bed, in the house he had shared with his mother. But Keneith was right, it was time to move on. Leave the past behind and find a new place to call home.

  He cleared his throat. "We should leave tomorrow morning," he said, finishing his ale and then staring at his empty plate. "You've seen everything there is to see in Salamar today. And I'm ready."

  "Good." Bellinda smiled. "Then let's get some sleep and we can get back on the road on the morrow."

  ***

  "Do you intend to bring the whole house with you?" Bellinda asked, raising her eyebrows, as Hinrik huffed and puffed trying to fit too many things in his travel bags.

  "How do you manage to travel so light?" he complained, stepping back and staring at the overflowing bags in despair.

  "Well, first of all, we're not going to no-man's land. You don't need half of that stuff," she replied, coming forward to help him sort things. "I mean, you should resell here what you don't need to carry with you, so you'll have some extra cash. That's what I did with my spare clothes. You can always buy new ones when the ones you have are worn out."

  He watched her as she quickly divided things that would be useful from things that could be left behind. She had learned early to travel light, having no man to carry her bags. It had taken her a little longer to get rid of things that were close to her heart, but when she had realized she couldn't keep everything forever, it had become easier.

  "Now, is there anything in this batch that you really can't live without?" she asked at last, pointing at the useless items.

  He blushed and quickly retrieved a couple of scarves. "My mother's," he muttered. He must have kept them in memory of her. She nodded and put them in the travel bags again.

  "Now, everything else along with the kitchen stuff and furniture, you can resell. Where is the closest pawnshop?"

  "Wouldn't that delay our departure?" he asked, worried.

  "We're not in a hurry, are we?" she replied. "Settle your business, you're not coming back to town anytime soon. Maybe never."

  "Oh." That seemed to sink in at last. He nodded, thoughtful. "Then let's take these to the pawnshop."

  He put the travel bags on the floor and wrapped the rest in the bed-sheet. Keneith helped him carry the rest of the things. By midday the house was empty but for their packs. At that point they headed for the stables to retrieve their horses.

  Shytur was a sorrel gelding with a rust-colored coat and blond mane and tail. Hinrik said he'd had him as spare horse for five years already. He was probably still mourning his war stallion – and his loss of innocence. The siege of Moriana might have not been his first battle, but it had definitely been the worst, and Bellinda knew he still had nightmares about it.

  They used Belfi's mare as pack horse and paid for all four animals' housing, then finally headed for the town gates. They had bought fresh bread and ate it as they headed along the river shore.

  "Tonight you'll see how Ken hunts," Bellinda said cheerfully.

  "I forgot to buy a bow and arrows!" Hinrik slapped his forehead.

  "You won't need one. I told you, Ken has his own hunting methods."

  "For small animals," Keneith added with a chuckle. "Not sure I could take down a deer."

  "Now don't be modest. You can take down bipeds, of course you can take down deer!"

  "I'm not too keen on magic battles, thank you. That's why I left Havenstock in case you forgot. It had become too dangerous with all those sorcerers around."

  "And apparently it's worse at the Blackmore court. But we're not going that way."

  "What is a magic battle like?" Hinrik asked, eyes wide.

  "It's... messy." Keneith looked away. He didn't like to talk about it any more than Hinrik wanted to talk about being raped. Hinrik didn't insist.

  They rode at a leisurely pace until they found a good place to stop and make camp. The horses had plenty of water and grass, and they had some protection among the willows.

  At least with camping, Hinrik was as good as them. He could set up a tent and prepare the fire, but of course he gasped when he saw how Keneith lit it up.

  "He's half-Fajrulo." Bellinda grinned. "He masters fire."

  "And what do you master?" Hinrik asked.

  "Ether," she answered. "It's everything in between. You should see if you can manipulate water."

  "I know I can breathe underwater." Hinrik looked away and blushed.

  "There's nothing to be embarrassed about," she replied. "I'm sure you could learn to control it, if you allowed your father to teach you something."

  He glared at her.

  "Yes, yes, I know you don't want to talk to him," she continued. "But it might be useful. For you and for us. Now, I'm not saying you should call him or anything, but if he shows up – and I think he will – at least listen to him."

  "Fine," Hinrik muttered.

  "Aren't you curious to hear your parents' story?" Keneith asked. "I mean, what do you know of the circumstances of your birth?"

  "Not much." Hinrik shrugged, hugging his knees. "I didn't want to know anything. I was so despised and my mother was so left out of everything, disowned by her family and all... I really didn't care."

  "It must have been a scandal, an unmarried woman having a baby," Bellinda commented.
>
  "She was a washerwoman, not a lady," Hinrik grumbled. "They said she'd been spellbound and I was a demon's spawn."

  "They were envious of your beautiful eyes," she replied.

  Startled, he looked at her and she blew him a kiss. His lips trembled into a smile.

  "You are a strange woman, Bellinda."

  "And proud of it," she replied. "Took me years to be what I want to be without listening to other people's opinions. Now I hope I can help you to be like me. It's none of their business who you are or where you came from. Who do you want to be? That's the only thing that counts."

  He nodded, thoughtful. "I will have to think about that."

  "How old are you?"

  "Twenty-five."

  "Then there's plenty of time. You'll find your way, Hinrik."

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Hinrik was in the river again. The water was soothing and he could lie like this forever. Except it was just a dream, and reality bit him hard with the sound of birdsong. He opened his eyes, saw the tent and remembered he was on the road. With two strangers, not with the army.

  Bellinda was still asleep, wrapped in her blanket, but Keneith was not in the tent.

  Hinrik sighed and got up. Outside it was barely dawn and Keneith sat by the dying fire, looking at the sun rising on the horizon, his back to the river. Hinrik yawned and then shivered in the cool morning air. Keneith rekindled the fire and signaled him to sit by it. Hinrik gathered a few lose sticks and threw them in before sitting down.

  "You don't sleep much, do you?" he asked.

  "Not really. Bellinda is the dormouse." Keneith flashed a smile at him and looked at the sunrise again.

  Hinrik smiled. "I must be a dormouse in your eyes too."

  "Well, you're up, aren't you?"

  "I... had bad dreams." Hinrik hugged his knees and stared at the fire. He was still cold.

  "You should probably get in the water," Keneith said. "That's your element."

  Puzzled, Hinrik looked at him. "I always feel good in the water. I think it has healing powers on me."

  Keneith nodded. "It's probably regenerative for you. Go ahead, have a bath. I'm sure you'll feel better afterward."

  Hinrik sighed, but Keneith was probably right. He got up and walked to the river shore. He left his clothes on the grass and walked in. The air might be cool, but the water was just perfect, as usual.