40

How Did You Do That?

Karendle

For a moment, everyone on the barge just looked at each other. No one seemed to know who anyone else was, or why they were there. All except the giant, who was frantically looking around trying see where the elf girl had gone. The shadow wizard girl and her friend were pretty badly beaten up, and looked like they didn't know who they were fighting, or why. Their attackers were looking at the fire wizard in the middle of the boat like he was some sort of avenging angel, and he wasn't there to rescue them. Suddenly something clicked in Karendle's mind.

They're from the Wizard's Guild! But that revelation brought more questions. What are they doing here? And why do they want the girl?

She reached into her pouch as she scrambled to her feet. Well, I don't care! I'm here to catch wizards, and I hate the Wizard's Guild, so that's all the understanding I need!

She pulled out the entrapment oculus, and pointed it at the fire mage in the middle of the barge, shouting, "I'm taking you down, wizard!" Surprised faces turned to look at her as the oculus glowed with silvery light, which grew and quickly enveloped the man. The light surrounded him, then shrunk around him, shrunk with him, and finally sucked him into the glowing stone.

Karendle looked at the grey gem in her hand and mused, "Amazing! It worked!"

The silent confusion was shattered by the giant's grunts of rage as he rushed at the man who had attacked him, swinging his hammer before him. "Get! OFF! My! BOAT!" He landed a solid hit, smashing the man into the railing, which broke and sent him tumbling into the river.

The soldier in the white tunic rolled from his prone position on the deck to grab his sword and slash the legs of the ruffian who had been beating on him. The man screamed and fell to the deck, where the soldier kicked him off the other side of the barge. The soldier then crawled over to the shadow mage, and helped her sit up. They, Karendle, and the giant looked from one to the other, in awkward and confused silence.

That silence, moments later, was broken by a crackling sound from the bow of the boat. As everyone looked, reality again distorted and swirled, finally spitting the elf girl, screaming, out onto the deck, sprawled across a few of the cargo crates.

"Thissraelle!" The giant ran to her and lifted her up.

"Thanks!" She shivered, clinging to his warmth, "Can I get a blanket?"

As the elf girl made her way to the steering platform, the soldier in white asked, "What happened to the one who had you trapped?"

She smiled, "I left him in The Vast." Karendle didn't understand, and obviously neither did anyone else. "I'll explain later."

The giant wrapped Thissraelle in a blanket, before climbing onto the platform and steering the barge out over the dark river. Karendle saw her shiver and wrap herself up in the blanket's soft comfort, then stepped over to the shadow girl.

The big giant returned aft and stepped up to the steering platform and sighed, "West. West is Best."

41

And Who Are You?

Granthurg

For the last hour, Granthurg had steered the barge westward in silence. He looked down at Thissraelle, wrapped in a blanket on the platform at his feet, fast asleep. After using her powers of light to heal DeFrantis' shoulder, she had collapsed in exhaustion. Antonerri and DeFrantis sat together on the deck, huddled together, too tense to sleep. They weren't talking, but just looked at Granthurg and the unknown other woman, who sat between them and to one side.

Granthurg noticed that she was also nervous, and shifting her gaze back and forth between the giant and the others. Granthurg leaned forward and picked up a bundle of blankets. He stepped away from the rudder and off the platform. He offered blankets to Antonerri and DeFrantis. Antonneri wrapped one around DeFrantis' shoulders.

Granthurg hesitated and looked at the unknown lady. She looked not quite human, but was too stout to be elvish. She didn't look weighty, but rather that her shoulders were more broad and her back stronger than most elvish women. How did she get here? I wish I knew what she's thinking, what she's planning.

Finally, he stepped to her and offered her a blanket. She looked up at him, a bit surprised, and took it.

"I can pay my passage." She didn't look up. "At the first village, I'll get off the barge and return to Twynne Rivers."

"Sure. There's a small dock at a town just on the other side of the forest. We'll be there by late tomorrow." He hesitated. "I'm Granthurg. Who are you?"

She looked up. "My name is Karendle." She said nothing more.

Granthurg nodded. He moved to a trunk by the side of the platform, and drew out bread, cheese, and a jug of ale. He offered her some, but she looked uncertain as to how to respond to his gesture.

"Go ahead," he said, and offered again. This time she took a loaf and some cheese and began to eat. He moved to the others and offered to them as well. Finally, he took his own bread back to the platform and stood by the rudder. "You were quite a surprise. I appreciate your help in the fight, but I'm not sure what you're doing with us. How did you come to be on my barge?"

She didn't seem to be too sure how to answer. After a moment, she said, "I guess I'm a bounty hunter."

"And you caught your target?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Granthurg noticed DeFrantis keeping a watchful eye on her. "I'll have to take him back to the city."

Granthurg continued, "Where are you from?"

She was done with her bread, and leaned back. She broke off a piece of cheese. "Originally, I'm from the Western Mountains."

"AH! I am, too! You're part dwarf, am I right?" She ate, then nodded. "I wondered. You're a little short for a human, but you don't have elvish features! Have you been gone from the mountains long? I was hoping to get back to my city after this river run." She simply nodded, and Granthurg started talking about the mountains and his home. Before long, he glanced out over the barge and saw that Karendle, DeFrantis, and Antonerri were all lying down on the deck, wrapped in their blankets, asleep. He smiled to himself and nodded. We'll sort everything out tomorrow.

He took a hold of the rudder. It will all be fine tomorrow.

42

Thoughts

The morning sun rose, and shone on the barge. When everyone woke, Antonerri offered to steer to allow Granthurg to sleep. After a moment of instruction, Grathurg rolled out a blanket and in moments was loudly snoring.

The others opened up the stores for more bread and cheese, and sat talking and asking questions. After a few hours of sleep, Granthurg woke and joined them. The river flowed under them smoothly and evenly, and the mid-spring breeze kept them cool in the sun. Granthurg got out his maps and each made their plans. Finally, they relaxed in silence as the afternoon approached.

DeFrantis:

This giant seems very knowledgeable of the things near the river. I'm not sure where to begin looking for the kids once we get to this village. I think they're somewhere in the forest, but that's a big area to cover. Maybe someone in the town knows something.

I barely know Antonerri, but he seems committed to helping. I know I shouldn't ask him to go with me, but I'll need his help. I don't know what we're up against!

The elf and the giant seemed to show concern for the children, but they have their own plans. That's kind of a shame. It would be nice to have a giant and a real wizard along! The dwarven lady is very distant. Oh, what am I saying? This is my task, why would anyone else be bothered?

Antonerri:

I am so lost. Everything I've worked for is gone. Right now, my only clear purpose is helping DeFrantis to retrieve these children. Beyond that, who knows what the Creator has for me? Who knows what the Creator has in store at all?

Maybe He's forgotten me. I've been cast aside, adrift on this river. What's around the next bend?

Thissraelle:

It was so kind of Karendle to help me fight against the sentries sent to retrieve me. I know there will be more. My father will not rest until I've been hunted and recaptured. I need to be cautious.

DeFrantis' story of the children being sold away is tragic! Her dedication to that quest is very noble. I should help them. I have been so fortunate in my own life. But if I travel with them, I may just bring more danger along.

I DID ask for adventure, didn't I?

Karendle:

I did it. I actually did it. I captured a wizard. And from the Guild, no less! That will fetch me a nice bounty. I need to get him back to the others. But, this elf girl seems to be pretty important. She seems to be connected somehow to the Guild as well, and she's a strong wizard, too! Maybe I can capture her, too, if I'm just careful. She won't go down so easy, though, and it would probably get the giant very angry.

I'll have to play this very carefully!

Granthurg:

This is all quite a big mess. What did Rinkmorr do? What were they after? It wasn't Thissraelle, like those other wizards. I wonder if it was whatever was in Rinkmorr's trunk.

I shouldn't even think of looking in there. That's his private property. I wouldn't want him going through my maps and scrolls, so I shouldn't go through his things. But whatever is in there is changing my life, putting me in danger, so I should have a right to know what I'm tangled up in, right?

Maybe I will look.

The river flowed steadily underneath them, and the oculus drove them slowly against the current. Granthurg took in a deep breath. He thought, I have no idea what's going on, do I?

The End of Story One

Interlude I

43

Placing a Dinner Order

Tonklyn

Tonklyn stood on a large balcony, jutting out from halfway up the side of a mountain. Really, to say the balcony was large was an understatement. It was easily thirty to forty feet wide, and it jutted out over the mountainside at least twenty feet in a sweeping half circle. The light glowing from the oculus at the end of his staff barely chased the dark from the balcony's edge, enhanced a bit by the moonlight. There was no ledge or railing, just a stonework masonry floor, and then a steep and fast drop down the side of the mountain. Below the balcony were crags still full of unmelted snow, spotted with trees.

Tonklyn stood a safe distance from the edge, but not against the mountainside opposite the drop off, or particularly close to the gaping open mouth of a corridor carved into that mountain. The night breeze was cold. It was the late spring, of course, but at this altitude, the air was still winter. His heavy dark brown robes and hood kept him relatively warm as he waited.

It was a clear night, with lots of stars, and an almost full moon. The view of the forest at the valley floor below him was stunning. His eyes, however, were up in the air, scanning, looking, watching.

The balcony was built just at the timber line. There were trees below, but above him only rocks and mountain, except for two other constructions, watchtowers jutting upward out of the mountain on either side of the balcony. The wind blew stronger for a moment, and he drew his hood and cloak tighter, though his breath still formed a mist in the chill before him.

He caught sight of a motion in the air far off to his right, and his eyes focused on it immediately. It swept across the sky, silhouetted before the moon. He stepped forward and stood a little taller. As the shadow turned in the air, he raised his staff and waved it from side to side. It grew larger as it drew closer, and it came quickly. It dropped down, and for a moment was out of sight.

Tonklyn could hear the heavy flapping of huge wings and felt the wind sweeping up from the trees below. Suddenly the balcony was enveloped in shadow as a massive dragon swooped up over the edge, waving its wings to both stop and steady itself. Its neck arched over and its head looked across the balcony, finally focusing on Tonklyn, whose cloak was waving fiercely in the torrent created by the wings. As the dragon's wings drew back and up for another stroke, its back legs, easily as long as Tonklyn was high, reached down and settled onto the edge of the balcony. The muscular body was covered in skin of deep black scales with a slight tint of red reflecting on the underside. The wingstroke came, though not as hard as others, and the forelegs reached out and landed on the stone floor. The dragon leaned back on its back legs and lifted up its head. It stretched out its wings and shook them before folding them neatly across its back. It swayed its head from side to side as if to work its muscles, and finally looked at the human.

Tonklyn stepped forward and dropped to one knee, bowing deeply. "My Liege."

The dragon snorted, enveloping Tonklyn in smoke and fumes. It turned and lowered its head to slide his body into the corridor entryway. The pounding of its feet on the floor echoed through the chambers. Tonklyn scurried after it, trying to catch up to the head. He spoke hurriedly. "There is a scroll for you, a message from the High Priests of the Church of Three Lights in Twynne Rivers. Shall I get it for you?"

"Yes. But I am hungry." The dragon's voice was guttural and raspy, and it sounded as if forming the sounds of human speech didn't come naturally to its lips. "Bring me a meal, and read it to me as I feed."

"Certainly." They stepped from the corridor into a large open chamber with a high ceiling supported by pillars all around, each with a dimly glowing oculus. In the center of this space was a vast round carpet of soft furs and blankets. The dragon strode in and circled himself onto it and settled down, with his head up and alert.

"But today, I have grown tired of cattle and venison. Bring me something more delicate."

"Yes, my Liege."

"Bring me children. Human children."

"Yes, my Liege. Right away."