Three Quest Deal (Tales of Former Dragons Book 1) (14 page)

King Wolford sat in his throne room listening to a farmer explain how his neighbor had stolen a calf from him after it wandered onto the neighbor’s property. Wolford covered his mouth to conceal his yawn and sat up straight in his gold-trimmed red-velvet chair. He adjusted his crown and the collar of his dark-blue tunic.

The throne room was quite large, and easily fit two hundred people. His and the queen’s chair were on an elevated platform at one end, a door behind them, with full-body paintings of the king on one side and the queen on the other. Large floor-to-high-ceiling lattice windows lined the walls to either side. A clerk sat at a desk to his left, and on the right and left of the platform were six guards in full armor. Each guard stood at rest and held a spear at arm’s length, one end on the floor. The double doors on the opposite wall from the platform were open for the line of people who were waiting to see the king.

“So you see, my lord,” the farmer said, “it really is my calf, and I’d appreciate if you told him to return it to me.”

“Make it so,” Wolford told his clerk.

“Thank you, my lord. Thank you very much.” The famer bowed and left the throne room. The next person stepped forward.

Master Advisor Randolph approached the throne and leaned close to whisper into Wolford’s ear: “I have important news about the mages.”

“That will be all for today,” Wolford told his clerk.

“But—” the clerk protested.

Wolford glared at the clerk, stood, and exited the throne room through the door behind the chairs, Randolph close behind.

The door led to a small room where Wolford sat on one of two gold-trimmed red-velvet sofas. “Let’s have it.”

“According to our spies in Barland,” Randolph said as he sat, “the group left Barland for Triton, and from there they’re going to the Dark Forest.”

“Are they mad? The forest is filled with demonic creatures. And what are they doing so close to the orc border?”

“That’s a good question, my lord. We have news that might shed light on the situation. There are rumors that Grand Master Shaman Raah has been assassinated.”

“What? By whom? Don’t tell me the mages killed him.”

“We don’t know for sure, but there are indications they might be involved in his death.”

“How so?”

“A fire performer at the fair in Little Kazzix and his young female companion disappeared the same night that they suspect the shaman was assassinated.”

Wolford grunted. “Fire performer? A fire mage perhaps?”

“My thoughts as well, my lord. According to our spies, we now know there are four individuals wearing gold-trimmed cloaks, not just three, and they have a young female accompanying them.”

Wolford stood, walked to the credenza, and grabbed a bottle of wine and two goblets. He returned to the sofa and poured a drink for himself and Randolph. After taking a big gulp, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “I’m concerned about these events.”

“As am I, my lord.”

“What do you make of these mages? First they search for a mage’s tower owned by someone Baldazar killed, and then they kill the shaman who killed Baldazar.”

Randolph lifted up his goblet and toasted the king. “They never found the body.” He locked his eyes with the king’s and drank.

Wolford face looked puzzled. “The shaman’s body?”

“No, Baldazar’s body. No one found his body after the battle, so no one knew for sure if he was killed. No one has seen him since that day. That’s why it’s recounted that Raah defeated Baldazar, not that he killed Baldazar.”

“You mean there’s a possibility he’s still alive?”

“He can’t possibility be alive. Not after all these years. But even if he were alive, he’d have no quarrel with you.”

“Then who are these mages? Where did they come from? What dealings did they have with Raah? And why are they going into the Dark Forest?”

“I don’t have the answer to those questions, my lord.”

Wolford pounded the sofa with his fist. “Then we need to talk to them and find out. Where are they now?”

“They should be in Triton or somewhere between Triton and the Dark Forest.”

“Intercept them before they get to the forest.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible. What chance does anyone have against four mages?”

“I don’t expect you to attack them. Just talk to them. See if you can convince them to come here first. Even if only for a day. If they enter the forest, we may never see them again.”

“But—”

“I’m not asking you to intercept them. I’m telling you to intercept them.”

“What about the alliance?”

The king ran his hand over his beard and emptied his goblet. “Don’t mention anything about an alliance. Now go.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Randolph handed his goblet to the king, stood, bowed, and left the king’s chambers.

It rained heavily the afternoon Drakor and company arrived at the rest stop in Faunz. They took their horses to the stable and walked through puddles to get to the main building, a two-story stone structure. After they passed through the double doors, they made their way to the dining area. The room was filled with several large rectangular tables and a fireplace.

“We should stay here until the weather clears before continuing to the forest,” Tess said.

“Agreed,” Drakor said. He removed his cloak and hung it on a hook just inside the entrance.

“There’s no way we’ll see the sun rising if it continues to rain like this,” Toshen said, hanging his cloak next to Drakor’s.

Tess was on the edge of sneezing. She caught herself and then sneezed loudly. The others laughed.

Xan whispered a healing spell and looked at Tess. “Better?”

Tess smiled. “I’ll be fine. It’s just the weather.”

The rest stop host approached the group and greeted them. “I’m Gemma. Terrible weather we’re having.”

“Terrible indeed,” Drakor said. “We’ll be staying until it stops raining.”

“It might be a few days,” Gemma said.

“That’s fine,” Tess said. “Do you have any hot food?”

“Yes, yes,” Gemma said. “Sit by the fire, it’s warmer. I’ll be right back.”

Toshen held up his hands in the direction of the fireplace. “This feels good.”

Gemma and her assistant brought plates of hot, steaming pork and bread. “Would you like some ale?”

“Yes,” Drakor said.

Gemma gestured to her assistant to get the drinks. “If there’s anything else we can get you, please let us know. We’ll be in the kitchen.”

“She’s very friendly,” Toshen said. “Much nicer than most of the hosts we’ve encountered since leaving Triton.”

“Almost too friendly,” Tess said. “I don’t trust her.”

Aesus stabbed a piece of pork with his knife, pointed it at Tess, and laughed. “One thing I’ve noticed about you is that you don’t trust anyone running an inn or rest stop.”

Tess stopped chewing and looked at Aesus. “I can’t help it. That’s how I feel. There’s just something about them that makes me nervous.”

“All right, you two,” Drakor said.

Aesus smiled. “Just having fun.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “You’re always testing me.”

“No, I’m not.” Aesus frowned and looked at Tess, who nodded. “Am I really that bad?”

“Worse.” Tess laughed and then glanced at Drakor. “Sorry.”

Drakor smiled at Tess and continued eating.

“What if it keeps raining?” Xan asked Drakor. She looked across the table at the gemstone around his neck. “We’re running out of time.”

“You need to stop looking at the stones,” Drakor said.

“I can’t help myself. They’re almost completely clear. Aren’t you worried?”

Drakor looked at Toshen, who was sitting next to Xan. “Are you?”

Toshen shook his head. “Why worry? We’re doing everything we can to complete the last quest. Why should I think we’ll fail? Like before, I choose not give in to those feelings. I will die fighting.”

“That’s how I feel too,” Drakor said as he turned his attention back to Xan. “We’ll stay here for no more than two nights. After that, we’re leaving, rain or no rain.” He reached over, put his hand on hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We’ll get there before the next full moon.”

Xan put her hand over Drakor’s, gave him a weak smile, and nodded.

After they finished their meal, they retired for the night.

Drakor awoke the next morning to the sound of chirping birds and rays of sunshine through the window. He woke the others, and they got ready to go to the dining room for breakfast.

Tess entered the dining room first. She noticed three men eating at a table next to the fireplace. Two of the men wore polished breastplates and the third man wore a dark-blue velvet robe. She stopped and motioned with her hand for the others to stop. They complied.

One of the men at the table noticed the group. He said something to his companions, and they in turn looked at the group, and resumed talking amongst themselves.

Tess sat at the closest table and pulled on Drakor’s arm so he would sit next to her. The others joined them.

“Is there a problem?” Drakor whispered.

Tess whispered back, “The men at that table are the king’s men.”

“How can you tell?

“Only men in the king’s service wear dark-blue robes like that one.”

“And the men with him?”

“His guards. This isn’t good. We should leave.” Tess rose to stand but Drakor pulled her back down.

“Don’t you think it will look suspicious if we leave? We just sat down to eat.”

Tess looked at the three men. They were watching her. The man in the robe stood and approached the table. Tess looked away. “Too late now. Be ready for anything.”

The robed man stopped at the end of the table. He smiled and bowed his head. “Good day. Sorry to bother you, but is there a Tessandra amongst you?”

Tess frowned. “My name is Tessandra.”

“And your grandfather is Master Sage Garon?”

Tess nodded. “Yes.”

“I’ll be direct,” the man said, “since there’s no point in concealing who I am or my intentions. I am Master Advisor Randolph, advisor to King Wolford V. He sent me to find all of you before you enter the Dark Forest. The king needs your help with an urgent matter.”

They looked surprised by Randolph’s revelation.

“How do you know we’re going to the Dark Forest?” Drakor asked.

“In order to protect the kingdom, we have eyes and ears everywhere.”

“How did you find us?”

Randolph grinned. “Actually, you found us. We, like you, needed to get out of the rain and this was the closest rest stop. It’s sheer luck we meet.”

“On what urgent matter does the king need our help?”

“The queen and his son have the talking madness, and as I understand it, one of you healed Master Garon. All the king asks is that you heal them, and then you can be on your way.”

“We would like to help the king, but we can’t help him until we’ve completed a quest.”

“Our concern is that none of you will make it out of the forest alive. It wouldn’t be a problem if there were more healing mages, but since the healer amongst you is the only one we’re aware of, you’re our only hope.”

“What would you do if we chose the forest over helping your king?”

“I’d have to let you go. If that’s the case, can you help the king after your quest?”

“If all your king desires is that we heal his kin, we can do that after we’re done.”

“Excellent. I’ll let the king know you’ve agreed to help him. How long will your quest take?”

“No more than ten days, but then we have to get out of the forest, so perhaps twenty days.”

Randolph nodded. “Very well then. Giving you some extra time, I’ll expect you no more than forty-eight days from today.” He reached into his tunic, pulled out a small scroll, and handed it to Drakor. “Show this to any of the guards at the castle gates and they’ll escort you to me. Safe journey.”

He motioned to the men sitting at the table near the fireplace and they left the dining hall.

Tess let out a sigh of relief. “I wasn’t expecting that. Do you think Damon told him about the forest?”

“No,” Drakor said. “He was worthy of our trust.”

“But who else knew we’re going to the forest?”

Toshen grunted. “It was the stable boy at Barland. We talked openly about our plans without even thinking he might be listening or that he would tell someone.”

“Stable boys are taught to mind their own affairs,” Tess said. “The less they know, the less likely it is they’ll be tortured for information. Everyone knows this.”

Gemma walked up to the table while drying her hands on her apron. “Good morning, everyone. Ready for a hot breakfast?”

“Yes,” Tess said.

Gemma and her assistant returned with bowls of porridge and fruit.

“We’ll be leaving this morning,” Drakor said.

Gemma smiled. “I figured as much, with the sun shining and all. Do you need any food for the road?”

“No, we’re fine. Thank you.”

“All right.” Gemma nodded, and she and her assistant disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Regardless of what anyone thinks they know,” Toshen said, “that stable boy told someone, and that information found its way to Randolph. It concerns me that we can be tracked so easily.”

Aesus said, “Haven’t you noticed? It’s our cloaks. It’s the one thing that makes us stand apart from everyone else. If we wore something less conspicuous, we wouldn’t be noticed.”

Tess nodded in agreement. “I wish I’d realized that earlier.”

“We’ve benefitted from our noble attire,” Drakor said, “so don’t feel that it’s been a problem. If we weren’t wearing these cloaks, I’m sure they would have found another way to track us.”

“Even without the cloaks, the color of your armor would still get attention. Look how white and clean Xan’s clothes are. They’re always clean. How’s that even possible?”

“I think our clothes are enchanted,” Xan said. “If I spill something on my pants, it’s clean the next morning.”

“See?”

“And even Drakor’s tunic healed itself after being cut.”

“We have self-cleaning and healing hides?” Toshen asked.

Drakor frowned and looked at his sleeve where he had been slashed in his first battle. There were no indications it had ever been cut open. “Enough of this talk about clothing,” he said. “Let’s finish eating and go.”

“Do you really intend for us to help the king after we’re done with the quest?” Xan asked Drakor.

“I don’t see how we can avoid it,” Drakor said. “Those men know who we are and what we look like. Do you think the king will allow us to roam the land freely knowing we can heal his kin? I don’t want to live out the rest of my life worrying he’ll try to capture us to do his bidding.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Xan said.

“Maybe healing his kin is just the beginning,” Toshen said. “Maybe he’ll have us heal others too.”

“Or kill someone,” Aesus said. “If we’re the only mages in the land, we would be powerful allies.”

“Or enemies. Why do you think they didn’t capture us now? Because they’re afraid. Afraid of us and what we’d do to them.”

“I say we help the king after the quest and then be on our way,” Drakor said. “If he tries to enslave us, we’ll kill him. Agreed?”

The others nodded in agreement. They finished their meal, settled their bill, and left for the Dark Forest.