Three Quest Deal (Tales of Former Dragons Book 1) (13 page)

Damon departed Little Kazzix as the night sky turned to day. His cargo was well hidden under blankets in the back of his cart, which gave the appearance he was traveling alone. As soon as the city was a small speck in the distance, his cargo emerged.

“It’s a good thing we don’t have to travel the entire way back under these blankets,” Tess said. “It’s very uncomfortable.”

“Definitely uncomfortable,” Drakor said. He tapped Damon on his shoulder. “Can you stop the cart? We need a stretch.”

Damon stopped the cart and scanned the horizon in all directions. “Make it quick.”

“From what I recall reading, there’s absolutely nothing in the Dark Forest,” Tess said. “No animals or vegetation. We’ll have to bring everything.”

“The forest is about as desolate as it gets,” Drakor said. “There are creatures and vegetation there, but nothing we would want to eat.”

“It wasn’t always that way, was it?” Xan asked.

“It used to be full of life before the dark elves used dark magic. Once they corrupted the plants and animals, everything died.”

“What do you mean by corrupted?” Tess asked.

“When the dark elves corrupt something, they steal its life energy. Plants turn black and die.”

“And what do they do with the life energy?”

“They use it to become more powerful and then fight each other for dominance, destroying everything around them in the process.”

“But why would they do that?” Xan asked.

“I can’t explain their ways. I only know what happened.”

“Let’s get moving,” Damon said.

“You seem a bit impatient today,” Toshen said.

“The sooner we’re back in Barland, the better.”

“I can understand his concern,” Drakor said. “If the orcs find out we’re responsible for Raah’s death, we’re all dead.”

“I know it’s uncomfortable, but can you cover yourselves with the blankets?” Damon asked. “The fewer people who see me with you, the better.”

Tess moaned. “Do we have to?”

“Damon did more than we asked to help us complete the quest,” Drakor said. “I don’t want to put his life in any further danger.”

Tess rolled her eyes, lied down in the cart, and covered herself with a blanket. The others also complied with Damon’s request.

An hour later, a four-orc patrol on horseback pulled up next to Damon’s cart, two on each side. The horses were large and fitted with black armored plates that protected their heads and rumps. The orcs wore black metal breastplates, helmets, and arm bands. Short swords hung from their belts and on their backs they carried round shields with a spike in the middle.

Damon looked over at one of the riders, smiled, and nodded. “Greetings.”

The orc stared at Damon and grunted. Damon returned his attention to the road ahead of him and gave the impression he didn’t care that the patrol was there. The orcs looked into the back of cart, took note of the blankets, and rode on. Damon let out a sigh of relief as they disappeared into the distance.

The group reached the rest stop by mid-afternoon. Other merchants were there, but paid little attention to Damon as he parked the cart. When no one was looking, Tess and the former dragons slipped out of the cart and walked directly to the sleeping quarters. Damon stayed on the cart until they were safely inside and then went to the food merchants’ area to eat.

“My back is aching so badly,” Tess said as she stretched and twisted her body.

“Mine too,” Aesus said. “It’s worse than sleeping on a cave floor.”

Xan whispered some words and waved her hand. “You two should have said something earlier. I can heal the pain away.”

Tess glared at Aesus. “You mean I’ve been suffering all this time for no good reason?”

“How was I supposed to know Xan can heal such things?” Aesus said.

“Can we eat something? I’m starving.”

“We’ll get our food when Damon’s done,” Drakor said.

“Is all of this hiding under the blankets and eating separately really necessary?” Aesus asked.

“Stop complaining. We’ll do what he asked.”

After Damon finished eating, he walked to another building designated as the sleeping quarters. The others went to the food merchants’ area, ate their meal without much conversation, and returned to their quarters before sundown.

Xan stood in the doorway, playing with the gemstone around her neck while she stared at the night sky.

“Everything all right?” Drakor asked.

Xan turned to him. “The new moon starts tomorrow and the top halves of the gemstones are clear.”

“Then Aesus was right, there is a connection with the cycles of the moon.”

“Do you think it will be painful?”

“What?”

“Our deaths if we don’t complete the quest in time.”

“We’ve completed two of the three quests in half the time. That means we have half of the remaining time to complete the last quest. There’s no reason for you to worry. At least not yet.”

“I can’t explain it, but for some reason I’m worried.”

She stepped forward, put her arms around Drakor, rested her check against his shoulder, and closed her eyes.

Drakor reached around her waist and pulled her close.

After two more days of traveling, the group passed through the border gate out of the land of the orcs and arrived on the outskirts of Barland. Damon pulled up at the side of the road. Once all other merchants were out of sight, everyone got off the cart.

“I’ll talk to Caleb about the horses,” Damon said. “They’ll be ready when you go to pick them up. Just tell the stable boy your name is Rylee, Tess.”

“Thank you, Damon,” Drakor said, “for all you’ve done for us.”

Damon nodded. “These past weeks have been an amazing adventure.” He turned to Xan. “Thank you for healing my foot.”

Xan smiled and nodded at Damon.

Damon got on the cart and they waved him away.

The air was cool and breezy as they walked to Barland, so they put on their cloaks to stay warm.

“Can someone help me carry this staff?” Aesus asked. “It’s starting to get heavy.”

“I’ll make you a strap so you can wear it across your back,” Tess said. She removed a rope from her pack, doubled it, fastened it to the staff, and helped Aesus put the staff on his back. “How’s that?”

“A little awkward, but it will do.” He held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. “At least my hands are free.”

Barland was bustling with activity as the group walked through the town gates. They made their way to the Iron Hoof Inn and found the stable boy.

“Greetings,” Tess said. “I’m Rylee. I’m here for our horses.”

The stable boy nodded. “Be right back.” He disappeared into the stable and returned with two horses. The horses appeared nervous and backed up. “Odd. I’ve never seen these horses act like this before. Are you sure these are yours?”

Tess grabbed the reins from his hands. “These are ours. They get a bit jittery when they’re saddled.”

The stable boy shrugged. “All right. Three more coming out.”

Drakor mounted his horse. “Are we getting supplies now?”

“Yes,” Tess said. “Then on to Triton.”

“What’s in Triton?” Toshen asked.

“We need to sell certain items in order to buy enough supplies to go to the Dark Forest.”

“There’s nothing in that forest except monsters,” the stable boy said as he handed the reins to Tess. “It’s best not to go there.”

“Monsters?” Tess asked. “What kind of monsters?”

“Don’t know, but they say scary things will attack you, and few ever get out of there alive. Those who do wake from nightmares every night.”

“Thank you for your warning,” Drakor said. “Let’s be on our way.”

“How many days is it to Triton?” Tess asked the boy.

“Fourteen days if you stay at the rest stops,” he said. “Thirteen days if you sleep on the road.”

Tess handed him a few coins. “Thank you.”

The stable boy smiled. “Safe journey.”

The group picked up food and water, and headed north to Triton.

Aesus pulled his horse up next to Tess. “What are we selling in Triton that we can’t sell in Barland?”

“We can’t sell orc jewelry in Barland,” Tess said. “The buyer will ask too many questions about how we got it. Damon said orcs don’t sell their jewelry to men. Once the tale gets out about Raah and his guards, they’ll think we did it.”

“But we did do it.”

“Exactly. That’s why it’s better to go to a place where they don’t care.”

“And that place is Triton? Why’s that?”

“Triton is known among bandits as a place to sell goods without questions. I’ve never been there, but Marcus sold things to Harko, a known buyer of stolen goods who lives there.”

“And you know this Harko?”

“I’ve met him a few times. He told me he would take me in if I ever decide to leave Marcus.” Tess smiled, but then caught herself, glanced at Aesus, and laughed.

“You seem to like him.”

“I do, and perhaps after this is done, I’ll take him up on his offer.”

The group arrived in Triton on the fourteenth day, just as the stable boy had said. They walked through the market district and asked around about Harko. Someone reluctantly told them where to find Harko’s shop, Collectable Treasures.

“There are many interesting things here,” Aesus said as he peered through the front window of Harko’s shop.

Aesus saw many items most would consider unnecessary. A marble statue of a man with the head of a tiger. A sofa upholstered with the hide of a dragon. A six-foot-tall candle holder made from an orc war chief’s throwing spear. The skull of a bear coated in metal.

Xan stood next to Aesus, wide-eyed. “Interesting indeed. What are all of these things? Where did they come from?”

“They come from all over the land,” a man said from the doorway. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt, black vest, black trousers and black boots. His hair was slicked back, his face adorned with a mustache and goatee.

“Harko!” Tess shouted out. She ran to him and gave him a hug. “How are you?”

“You’re looking good, Tess. Where’s Marcus?”

Her face turned from joyful to pensive. “He’s dead.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Does this mean you’ve come to take me up on my offer?”

She looked at Aesus and back at Harko. “Not yet.”

Harko looked at Aesus. “Oh, I see.”

“It’s not like that. We’re just traveling companions.”

“Ah. Can you introduce me to your traveling companions?”

Tess pointed out her companions one by one. “This is Drakor, Xan, Toshen, and Aesus.”

Harko grinned and bowed. “Your attire is as interesting as the items in my shop. Come in and have a look around.”

Harko let them in and closed the door behind them.

Tess stayed close to Harko as the others browsed throughout the shop. “I have some things to sell you,” she told Harko.

He raised an eyebrow. “All right. Let’s go to the counter and have a look.”

She followed him and put a pouch on the counter. “How much for this?”

He opened the pouch and looked inside. Giving her a suspicious look, he pulled out the orc gold chains. He laid each piece out in an orderly fashion on the black velour cloth that lay on the counter and examined them: eighteen pieces in total.

“This is quite a collection you have here. Not the type of loot I see every day.”

She eyed him and kept a straight face.

He picked up the heavy gold sun medallion. “I’ve seen this before. On someone well known. But I can’t recall where.” He tapped it with his finger, looked off into the distance for a moment, and then looked at her. “Whom did this belong to?”

“I thought you didn’t ask these types of questions.”

“I usually don’t, but I’m making an exception for this piece.”

She held out her hand. “I’ll just keep it. What can I get for the rest?”

He handed the gold medallion to her. “I’ll give you ninety gold.”

She looked at the pieces laid out on the counter. “One hundred and ten. They’re worth at least one hundred and ten.”

“Perhaps, but I do need to make a profit from my transactions.”

“Marcus always said you gave him a fair price for our goods. I think one hundred and ten is a fair price.”

Harko laughed. “Marcus taught you well. I can go as high as one hundred.”

“One hundred and ten.”

He glanced around the shop at her companions and saw Aesus watching them from a distance. There was a look in Aesus’s eyes that made the hairs on the back of Harko’s neck stand up. He looked at Tess and smiled. “All right, Tess. One hundred and ten.”

Toshen saw Drakor examining a large framed drawing on the wall and joined him. “What’s this?”

“It’s a map,” Drakor said. “It has distances in days on foot and on horse.” He pointed to the city of Triton. “We’re here and the Dark Forest is here.”

“How many days?”

“Six days to Offen. Twelve days to Faunz. It doesn’t show how long it takes to get from Faunz to the forest.” Drakor held up his hands and tried to estimate the distance using other distances on the map. “But I’m guessing six days.”

“And we’re not even sure about the terrain. It’s going to be close. I hope we can make it before the third full moon.”

“I hope so too.”

Tess smiled when she and the others stepped out of shop.

“I take it you’re happy with the amount you got for the necklaces,” Aesus said.

“Yes,” Tess said. “With this and the gold you made working at the fair, we have more than enough.”

“Good,” Drakor said. “We can buy more supplies and then leave for the forest tomorrow morning.”