Chapter Eleven #3
I could see the craftsmanship etched into each and every piece, and my eyes traced the fine, intricate divots where his blade had pushed in and carved every face and every bone.
It would be a shame not to get something from him while we were here, and considering I had next to no toys for our future child to play with, it was good to start somewhere.
I reached out and grabbed a figure of a wyvern. Despite the spread wings and the talons, it wasn’t sharp. That meant Dawson Junior wouldn’t poke their eye out while playing with it, and it was something that had sentimental meaning to me.
“Do you want to get that for the little one?” Ellyn asked as she leaned into my side and stared down at the detailed figurine.
“Yeah, why not, right?” I asked as I turned the carving over in my hand. “Whenever they play with it, I can tell them their dad helped kill one of these things to save our town.”
“Not many parents can say that,” Ellyn giggled and reached a hand out to run it along the raised spine of the wyvern. “They will love it, I’m sure.”
“Hey, guys, I found something over here!” Karrida called out from across the room.
Ellyn and I turned at the same time, only to see the half-dwarf pointing to a dark wooden rocking chair.
“I know it’s not a toy or anything, but it would be nice for you to have somewhere to sit and nurse the baby,” the half-dwarf said. “There’s a sign here that says it’s only twelve gold.”
“Twelve?” I blinked in surprise. “That’s not bad at all.”
“So, what do you think?” Karrida bounced on the balls of her feet with a wide grin on her freckled face. “Did I do good?”
“Yeah, you did,” I chuckled as I led Ellyn over to the rocking chair. “What do you think, babe? Want to give it a test ride?”
My wife tentatively sat on the wooden seat, and surprise flickered across her face as she relaxed into it and started rocking.
“It’s perfect. Much more comfortable than I was expecting, too.” Ellyn nodded her blonde head with satisfaction. “And we have the wagon, so we might as well.”
Witchall suddenly pushed through the back door with flushed cheeks and a small white mattress in his grip. He huffed and puffed as he brought it around the counter and leaned it against the side. Then he brushed the wisps of hair that had unfurled from his bald head back across his scalp.
“One mattress, not wooden and not handcrafted,” he grumbled. “It’s goose feather, so I can only ask for five gold for it in this size.”
“Do you mind adding that rocking chair and this figurine to the total?” I asked as I gestured to my wife and the carving in my hand. “We had a look around.”
All the annoyance dissipated from Witchall’s face in the blink of an eye. His furrowed eyebrows relaxed, and a wide grin spread across his wrinkled face. Then the dwarf let out a sharp laugh and clapped his hands together as he danced on the spot.
It took every ounce of willpower not to laugh out loud at his sudden display of pure glee, but Ellyn and Karrida couldn’t hold back their giggles as Witchall continued his happy dance.
“Ahhh, you’re making a good decision there, my boy,” the old dwarf said as he wagged his finger at me. “To the hells with it. You can have the figurine, the rocking chair, and the mattress for… fifteen gold!”
I almost choked on my own saliva at the generous offer, but I wasn’t going to turn it down.
“You’ve got a deal,” I said as I pulled out the pouch Josee had given me and fished out the right amount. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Witchall.”
“And you,” the dwarf said as he snatched the coins from my hand. “Do you need help carrying your purchases outside?”
“I wouldn’t want to bother you with that--”
“Nonsense!” the gray-haired dwarf barked. “It’s part of the service.”
Witchall slammed the coins onto the dusty counter and hauled the mattress back into his arms with a grunt.
“If… one of you lovely ladies could open the door, that would be a big help,” he said in a strained voice.
“I’m on it,” Karrida said as she dashed for the door.
I handed Ellyn the wyvern figurine before I picked up the rocking chair and followed Witchall outside, and I directed the large dwarf back down the street toward my wagon. He carefully slid our new mattress into the back, and then he clambered up and helped me lift the rocking chair.
Aila had watched us the entire time from her horse, but she had made no effort to actually help us lug the furniture.
I shook Witchall’s hand after I thanked him for his help, and then the short dwarf waddled back to his store with a satisfied grin on his face.
I didn’t have much gold left from Josee, so our trip to the toy store was a little more frugal.
Just like Witchall’s store, it was full to the brim with the owner’s craft, and it was run by an elderly human woman with kind brown eyes and ice-white hair cut into a sharp bob.
She suggested some soft teddies she’d either made by hand or acquired over the years, and I handed over the rest of my gold in exchange for a sack full of stuffed animals for our future child.
As far as shopping trips go, this one was a success, and I was only getting more and more excited at the thought of me and Ellyn having a child one day soon.
When we reached the wagon again, I put the sack of toys next to the rocking chair and made sure they were secure before I jumped down.
The Blue Bow Inn was calling to me, and I was more than ready to have another ale with Thror for company.
But before I could even take another step, I heard my name being called out from behind me.
Aila stormed down the street on her horse with flushed cheeks and wide eyes. Seconds later, the doors to the inn burst open, and Thror and a handful of armed men scrambled out into the open.
“What is it, Aila?” I demanded as I pulled Karrida and Ellyn closer to my side.
As the half-elf went to open her mouth, a piercing scream cut through the peace of Midhallow like a sharpened blade.
“Someone has breached the gates,” Aila panted. “Midhallow is under attack!”
My blood turned cold.
Shaar wasn’t just after Gladewood.
He was after me and me alone.