Quests Volume One Page 6

"How are we going to carry the tent?" Bellinda asked. "If we sell the horses, we should at least buy a donkey."

  "Or a handcart. I could move a handcart with a simple spell," Keneith answered. "Of course someone should pretend to pull it."

  "And one could sit on it when tired?"

  "Yes, of course. Or we get rid of the tent too and simply sleep under the stars. It's the summer, we should be fine. And then we'll spend winter in some bigger town."

  "And if it rains?" Bellinda wrinkled her nose.

  Hinrik thought he wouldn't mind being soaked. But then, he was half-Waiora.

  "Gee, Bel, you have a hooded coat, use it!" Keneith snorted.

  "Why, won't you put a little magic shield over me if it rained?" she asked innocently.

  He rolled his eyes. "You are trying my patience, Bel," he warned.

  Hinrik stiffened, then relaxed. He should get used to the bickering. Those two obviously had some form of relationship. Not love, not sex, but still a relationship. It was both fun and frustrating watching them argue.

  "Oops, we've cut out Hinrik again. Sorry, Hinrik." Bellinda smiled at him. She seemed to always know when he felt left out. Might be because she had healed his body.

  "It's fine, I'm the intruder on this trip," he said with a shrug.

  "We're traveling companions now. You shouldn't feel an outsider, ever," she replied.

  "I'm fine, really. What do you think is the best thing we can do?"

  "I think I'm going to sleep on it," Keneith said. "Tomorrow hopefully I'll see clearer."

  "Agreed." Bellinda sighed. "I don't think we can sell the horses here anyway. I haven't even seen a place that sells fodder, although we might ask someone at the tavern..."

  The local market didn't have any horse dealers, but they saw a stall of fresh produce.

  "There must be farms around here," Bellinda said. "The forest might reach the river, but not the sea – not everywhere..."

  "If there are farms on the coast, we should be fine," Hinrik said. "Our horses are for riding, they wouldn't be able to pull a wagon."

  "You obviously know more about horses than I do." Bellinda smiled at him. "But then, I started riding when I left Havenstock."

  "Why did you leave?" he asked.

  "I was sick of the warmongering king that wanted to conquer the whole west. I was tired of healing his wounded soldiers. Like you, I don't like war. Our magical blood refuses violence."

  Hinrik nodded, thoughtful, then the smell of crab meat skewers reached his nostrils. He saw an open stall that sold them in a corner of the marketplace. He headed there, followed by the other two.

  "This smells really good," Bellinda said. "What is it?"

  "Crab skewers," he answered, checking the different sauces available. One seemed to be familiar, so he asked for that one.

  Bellinda also tried them, saying it was time for a snack. "They're good!" she said, impressed.

  Hinrik tasted them and tears filled his eyes. They were just like the ones his mother made when she found fresh crabs at the Salamar market. A forgotten taste that made his heart flutter.

  Miss you, Mother, he thought, chewing the crab meat slowly and tasting every drop of that special sauce. If only he'd asked for the recipe! But then, there were so many questions he had refused to ask his mother. And now it was too late.

  Another stall had some maps, and without buying anything, Bellinda and Keneith consulted some, while Hinrik still savored the skewer. He had to buy another while they drove the nearby stall owner crazy.

  "I think we can keep the horses until the next town," Bellinda said as he licked his fingers after the second skewer. "There's a stretch of forest, but then it's farmland and a very thin stretch of beach, apparently."

  "Great." He grinned. "I'm happy to ride Shytur for a little longer!"

  "You really like those skewers, huh? I mean, they're really good..."

  "It's the sauce, just like my mother made them."

  "Ah, I see." She smiled. "Well, you can have that for dinner and avoid another meal at the tavern. Those are much cheaper anyway."

  "Let's have a look at the harbor, they might have more cheap food there," Keneith said.

  Hinrik gladly followed them. He'd remember Louxara for the lovely crab skewers!

  The harbor wasn't really a harbor. Hinrik wasn't too keen on setting foot on the ships he saw there. They were fishermen's ships, not merchants' ships. Louxara was probably far from the normal sea trade routes.

  "Are you considering sailor life?" Bellinda asked him.

  "No," he answered. "I grew up on dry land, albeit near water. I'm not ready to travel the oceans."

  "And you're half-Waiora," Keneith commented. "So we'll have to keep going on horseback, I guess!"

  "It's fine with me," Hinrik replied.

  Bellinda groaned, but nodded.

  ***

  The next morning they left the town. It was too small for any of them to find something to do, so they just hit the road again. The first stretch was through the forest, like Bellinda had seen on those maps.

  She had a good visual memory, thus she didn't buy the maps in Louxara because she still remembered a Sila-made map her father had shown her that was much more detailed. She should have brought that, but she still hoped to find another one similar somewhere. Maybe in the bigger towns.

  Then the road was blocked by a fallen log.

  "An ambush," Keneith muttered as Hinrik looked around among the trees.

  As if on cue, six men armed with battle-axes and nocked arrows surrounded them.

  "My lords and lady, give us your money," the one-eyed bearded leader ordered with a smirk.

  Bellinda raised her eyebrows. She looked forward to seeing their reaction when their arrows bounced off Keneith's shield.

  Hinrik had obviously forgotten the magic shield. He unsheathed his sword and grabbed his shield. Before Bellinda could stop him, he slid off the saddle and attacked the closest outlaws with a war scream.

  "Oh, drat," she muttered as Keneith rolled his eyes.

  She grabbed Hinrik's reins before Shytur ran away at the sound of the battle. Keneith passed her the reins of the pack horse and she led the three horses to a thicket. She made sure they were tied up and wouldn't wander off, or worse, run away as the fight got worse before going back to the road.

  The bandits concentrated on the warrior and knocked him out with the flat of an axe. Hinrik slumped to the ground and at that point Keneith decided it was time to get rid of them. He slid off his saddle, attached the reins of his horse to a low branch and turned to face the outlaws.

  Bellinda sighed when he started shooting balls of fire from his hands, burning down one after the other. She glanced at the horses, and then crouched near Hinrik. She couldn't watch when Keneith went into battle-mode. He was worse than a warrior with his magic.

  She blotted out the screams of pain of the bandits and concentrated on the bruises on Hinrik's body and head. Luckily he wasn't too badly hurt, just passed out.

  As he slowly opened his eyes with a moan, the fight with the bandits was over and Bellinda's head didn't hurt too much. She sat on her heels and exhaled in relief, staring at Hinrik so she wouldn't have to see Keneith drop the charred corpses away from the road.

  "Where are they?" Hinrik sat too quickly and almost passed out again. She helped him to straighten himself as he looked wildly around.

  Keneith emerged from the undergrowth and stopped next to them.

  "Is he all right?"

  "Yes."

  "And you?"

  "I'm fine."

  "Where are the bandits?" Hinrik asked again.

  "They met a half-Fajrulo's wrath," Keneith answered. "I told you we don't need protection. There's no need to actually play the bodyguard, I can take care of myself and my traveling companions."

  "Oh." Hinrik blushed and hung his head. "Sorry," he muttered.

  "It's fine, Hinrik." She caressed his shoulder. "You did what you thought was right. You'll have to
remember we're not common Humans – none of us are. We are all very special in different ways."

  He looked at her without raising his chin. She put a hand under it and forced him to look up.

  "You will have to unlearn a few things, but there's plenty of time," she said. "Just don't get yourself killed, will you?"

  "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I didn't think."

  "It's okay, they didn't want to ruin that armor of yours, they probably hoped to use it themselves," Keneith said. "But maybe next time you won't be so lucky." He offered his hand.

  Hinrik took it and stood. "Thank you, Keneith."

  "Let's get away from here," Bellinda muttered, as a whiff of blood reached her nostrils.

  The two men followed her eagerly to retrieve the horses that were on the verge of panic. The riders had to calm them before being able to climb into the saddle again.

  Hinrik gaped when Keneith lifted the log off the road and threw it on the side with simple hand gestures.

  "I thought one should recite something to make a spell work," he said.

  "Not really." Keneith shrugged. "Once you've learned to direct your energy, you don't need words."

  CHAPTER NINE

  As expected, the coast had some farms spread out along it as soon as the forest ended. The horses found plenty of grass to graze, but not always water, although there were springs or ponds every now and then. Hinrik always knew where the closest freshwater supply was, though, so it wasn't too hard on anybody.

  They managed to sleep in barns, paying for the horses and themselves, until they reached the town of Inex. It was large, with wooden walls and several large gates. The forest around it had been cut down to make room for fields and meadows, and to build walls and houses, leaving only a dark green ribbon in the background.

  The beach was made of cobbles and the town had been built around several springs, therefore didn't lack freshwater in spite of the closeness to the northern sea. It seemed to have lavish temples and city parks, and the buildings had slanted rooftops.

  The streets were full of pigeons and seagulls, and the nearest tavern was just beyond the entrance. They asked the very hospitable locals for directions and were sent to The Cowardly Dagger that also had stables.

  Most citizens had longbows on their shoulders and Hinrik deducted this city must be famous for its archers. And from the smells that came from both private houses, palace kitchens and taverns, even the cooks must be exceptional. He wondered if he'd find more crab skewers in Inex.

  The Dagger was large, rundown and decently clean. Everything was overpriced, but half the rooms were vacant. They had two sizes, small and medium. Again Hinrik shared a medium room with Keneith, while Bellinda took a small single.

  The female innkeeper looked quiet. She was bulky and could probably keep the peace in her establishment. The crowd had a few shady characters that were openly armed, but didn't seem out for trouble.

  The food was disgusting, so Hinrik said he wanted to look for a marketplace and see if there was street food available at a cheaper price and better quality. Bellinda still had in mind to find a decent map, so they headed out again, leaving the horses to the stable-boys.

  Near one of the main temples, they found a shop that specialized in trap components – archers went hunting in the faraway forest but sometimes also used traps – but also had maps and adventuring supplies.

  The shop was cramped, the interior well lit, messy, noisy. It smelled of herbs and looked quite inspiring. The prices seemed reasonable and the variety very good. The shopkeeper was a very overweight woman who had called out to them and eagerly welcomed them to her humble shop.

  "My name is Juliasam, how can I help you today?"

  Other occupants included another merchant, a cleric, a young woman and a vicious guard dog. No apparent affiliation to any guild, the helpful shopkeeper kept fussing around them.

  "Maps," Bellinda said. "We would like to see your maps."

  "Ah, maps! Talullah, show them the maps!" the fat shopkeeper called to the young woman who nodded and guided them to a corner where shelves held maps and other documents.

  "I think now we're talking," Bellinda said, staring at the maps.

  Hinrik looked over her shoulder. The maps seemed to be much more detailed than the ones he'd seen so far.

  "How can they be so precise?" he asked, puzzled.

  "It's easy when you see the world from up above," Bellinda answered absentmindedly. "This one covers the east and west," she showed it to Keneith, "but maybe we should take something more specific."

  "There's one from the Ondan to the east coast," Keneith said. "See, they even marked Kelvia here."

  "I'm sorry, but how can one see the world from up above?" Hinrik asked them.

  "Those are Sila-made maps," Bellinda answered. "See the difference?" She grabbed another map that looked more like the ones Hinrik had seen everywhere else.

  "Oh, I see!" Hinrik stared at the more precise map. "But the writing is done with a different pen?"

  "Sila don't have an alphabet. The writings are either Human or Genn."

  Hinrik nodded. One never stopped learning!

  "You know a lot about Sila maps," the young woman who answered to the name of Talullah said, amused. She had long black hair and brown skin, like the southern populations that lived beyond the central massif. Even her name sounded like she came from the southern kingdoms. She had big doe eyes and very white teeth in a dazzling smile.

  "I'm half-Genn," Bellinda answered, still staring at the maps. "Which one do you suggest, Ken?"

  Keneith picked the one that showed the east. There was Salamar and Xendaria and Maxwetria and Kelvia...

  "This is it. This is the one."

  Talullah grinned. "My brother did that one. Well, duonfrato."

  "Your what?" Hinrik blurted out as Bellinda stared at the young woman.

  "Half-brother for Humans," Talullah replied.

  "You're Sila," Bellinda said. "What happened to your wings?"

  Talullah shrugged. "Accidents happen. Some don't survive. I did. Even wingless, I'm still here."

  "It must be a challenge for a female Sila to live among Humans," Keneith said, serious.

  "One gets used to it. Reaching the nests is too complicated now, although my duonfrato carries me to the dankotago ceremony every year."

  "Do you work here?" Bellinda asked, glancing at the shopkeeper who was closing a deal with the merchant and would probably join them soon. "Can you meet us at the Cowardly Dagger tonight?"

  "Sure. What for?"

  "We'll talk tonight," Bellinda said quickly as Juliasam approached with a big grin.

  "Did you find what you were looking for?"

  "Yes! We'll take this one, thank you!"

  Hinrik waited until they were outside of the shop to ask, "What was the fuss about?"

  "A wingless Sila," Keneith said. "Probably nobody knows she's a member of the Magical Races, so we don't want to give her away. The Sila, like the Waiora, mate every ten years. So it's like you and Dynine for her and her brother. Who probably glides outside the town walls at night to carry her to those meetings."

  "What are those meetings?"

  "Sila things," Bellinda said. "They celebrate the day of thanks for newborns once a year, since those mating flights are always at the same time. I'm curious to hear how she's faring among Humans!"

  "Especially since Sila eat very little of the food available on the ground," Keneith added. "They feed mostly on clouds nectar."

  Hinrik stared at them wide-eyed. He really knew nothing of the Magical Races. Especially the elusive Sila, the winged children of Air. He tried to imagine Talullah with wings.

  "What color would her wings be?" he asked.

  "The same shade as her hair," Bellinda answered. "I'm sure the accident meant she was mistaken for a demon..."

  "Why anyone would think feathered wings, albeit black, belong to a demon is anyone's guess," Keneith commented. "I look forward to hearing her story!" />
  Hinrik was very eager to learn more about Talullah too.

  ***

  Talullah walked into the Cowardly Dagger with the confidence of a resident. She even greeted some patrons before heading for the corner table where Bellinda, Keneith and Hinrik waited for her. She wore a long gown in the local fashion made of green linen, with enough cleavage to capture men's eyes. She had braided her long black hair, which showed off her neck and bosom more than in the shop.

  "Where is this group of half-bloods headed?" she asked, sitting on the bench next to Bellinda and in front of the two men.

  Bellinda could feel the scars on her back where her wings had been. She almost touched Talullah's back.

  "There's nothing you can do about it," Talullah said. "A healer has already taken care of them."

  "Does the dress give you any discomfort?"

  "No, I'm used to it by now. I've been like this for ten years already."

  Bellinda held her breath as Talullah's doe eyes turned to look at Keneith and Hinrik who were obviously smitten.

  "So, what did you want to talk about?"

  Keneith snapped out of his trance-like state and leaned forward on the table.

  "To answer your first question, we don't have a specific destination yet," he answered. "I'm trying to locate my Fajrulo mother and Bellinda is sick of her warmongering king and Hinrik has decided he needs to see the world. As for the second question, we are curious to hear your story."

  Talullah smiled. "I don't need protection from Humans, if that's what you had in mind," she said. "Like I said, I've been like this for ten years, and I've gotten used to my sorto."

  "What's sorto?" Hinrik asked shyly.

  "Destiny," Bellinda translated for him. "Are we correct to think the rest of Inex doesn't know you're Sila?"

  "Juliasam knows." Talullah shrugged. "And so does my husband, of course."

  "So you have a Human husband?"

  "Yes, I married the man who saved me. Even though Sila don't really marry, since I'm bound to Earth now, I thought I might as well follow Human traditions. It was important for him and it didn't change anything for me, so I agreed."

  "Please tell us the story from the beginning," Keneith said. "Can we buy you something while you speak?"

  "I have eaten with my family, but some water would be great," Talullah answered.