Chapter 10 Stormwatch #2
The dwarf’s grin split his beard exposing teeth stained by years of pipe-smoke and strong drink.
“Any enemy of Nordraven is a friend of mine.” He set down the war hammer, though it remained within easy reach, its runes still pulsing with latent power.
“What are you doing out here all alone and without a horse?”
“I’m headed to the city.”
“The city, ya say?”
She nodded.
“I’m headed there myself.” He scratched his beard studying Lark with a stoney gaze. Finally, he broke like split granite, “Do you want a ride?”
“To the city?”
“No, to the Northern kings themselves,” he said, sarcasm dripping from his words.
“Of course, into the city, you wing-bat. It’s a ways yet and I could use the company.
Been on the road a few days without anyone to talk to.
It can make an old dwarf like me a little loopy, although after running into you, I might not be so bad after all. ”
Nix spun excitedly, her flaming dress flaring out at the knees as she twirled. “Yes, yes, go with him,” she said in her honey sweet voice.
“When did you learn to be so trusting of strangers?” Lark said to the fire fae.
“What was that girl? I didn’t hear you; you’re going to have to speak up. I have some hearing damage. Used to work in the mines,” the dwarf said.
“I wasn’t speaking to you,” Lark clarified, this time loud enough for the hardened dwarf to hear.
“I can’t explain it, but I think he can help with your task,” Nix said.
Lark fixed her gaze on Nix, her embodiment of living flame casting ephemeral shadows that only Lark could see. The peculiar doubling of reality, having Nix hover mere inches from the dwarf while he stared unseeing through her radiant form, sent a disconcerting shiver down Lark’s spine.
Lark nervously weighed her choices, the path ahead fragmented like light through crystal. The coastal city’s gray Keep beckoned, but something felt wrong about following Nix’s advice to go with the dwarf .
Nix’s presence flickered with increasing urgency. The fae’s trust in the dwarf reverberated through their strange bond, but Lark had deeper questions.
“You’re not with the North?” Lark said, approaching the driver’s bench.
“If I were, and you named yourself my enemy like you did, we’d already be fighting, and you’d be in a world of pain.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” she said flatly.
He leaned away from her, his serious expression widening to a grin. “You’re strange, and I like that. Not afraid to call yourself an enemy of the North. I think we’ll get along just fine. My name is Ezra Steelbinder.” He offered his iron grip to assist Lark into the cart.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I can get to Astral City on my own.” She sheathed her dagger and turned toward the coast.
“If you’re trying to get to Astral City, you’re going the wrong way,” Ezra said.
Lark stopped. “That right there,” she pointed to the castle near the coast, “is the Vermillion Keep. The city there is Astral City.”
“That’s a Keep alright, but it’s not the Vermillion Keep. You should’ve deciphered that by the castle’s gray walls. They aren’t red like they are in Astral City.”
“That’s not Astral City?”
“No. That’s Stormwatch and Storm Keep,” Ezra said. “Astral City is on the northeast side of those mountains, nestled in a valley just south of this forest,” he pointed with his bearded chin toward the mountains off to their left.
“My mistake. I’d best be on my way,” Lark said.
“If you take this road, it will be a few weeks on foot. Dangerous and hard weeks at that. There are firestorms that flare up from nowhere, there’s all manner of fae creatures crawling through the forest, including wild dragons, and the Paragons are about to renegotiate their contracts with the King.
That always increases tensions over whose troops are patrolling which regions of the forest. Needless to say, I wouldn’t go that way if I were you,” Ezra said.
Nix floated down before her like a flaming ember. “Go with him. He is friendly and knows a lot about the world.”
Like you know anything about who to trust in this world, Lark thought.
“Yes, I do.” Nix said.
Lark withheld the insult she’d prepared in response.
“That’s right. When your guard is down, I can hear what you’re thinking,” Nix said. “You really should be better about keeping your thoughts to yourself.”
“The fastest way to Astral City is by going back to the crossroads at Stormwatch,” Ezra interrupted.
“From there, you can take the road to the base of the Astral Range and follow it around through Fletcher’s Passage.
From there it’s two days south. The next caravan leaves in the morning.
You’re welcome to join in if you can pay. ”
“The crossroads?” she asked.
“Aye. It’s at the edge of the city. I’m going there if you want a ride,” Ezra confirmed, making the offer again.
Lark looked back into the forest where the wild dragon had been.
“Go with him,” Nix insisted.
“Alright,” she said, giving in to Nix and Ezra both. “I’ll ride into the crossroads, but that’s as far I’m going with you.”
Lark made for the wagon door.
“Can’t ride in there. You’ll have to sit up front with me,” Ezra said.
“Is there someone in there?” Lark asked.
“No, but this wagon has rules. Paying customers only for the wagon. Seeing as you don’t have much of anything on you, you can’t afford to ride in the wagon. Besides, I like to keep an eye on strangers who ride with me. Sit up here and we can get to know each other.”
Nix bobbed along happily. Lark reluctantly climbed up onto the driver’s seat and sat down on the bench next to Ezra. The dwarf relaxed the reins and clicked his tongue to get the horses moving again.
“So,” Ezra said, breaking the silence. “What’s your name?”
“Lark,” she answered.
“Like that bird on your necklace.”
“That’s right.”
“Where are you from, Lark?”
“A village, few days back that way,” she said, thumbing over her shoulder.
“Does the village have a name?”
She shrugged.
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
“What gave it away, that I don’t know where Astral City is or that I can’t name the village I came from?”
“No need to get testy about it. I only ask because anyone who’s seen a map of Lamar would know the difference between Stormwatch and Astral City. What’s your reason for wanting to go there, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I made a promise to someone that I would go.”
“I think I understand,” Ezra said.
“Do you think he knows about the Hyalite?” Nix asked from her shoulder.
How would he know about the Hyalite? Lark thought.
“I think he is a warlock,” Nix said.
Does that mean he can sense it?
“I’ve had my run-ins with your type before,” Ezra was saying.
“Seen a lot since my days as an instructor at the Astral City Paragon Academy. You were part of that village that was burned down a ways back east, weren’t you?
Since most of the soldiers are off fighting in the eastern region of the forest, you thought you could go to the city and try to get a Knight of the Vermillion Keep to come and help. Am I right?”
“How do you figure that?”
“I’ll enlighten you, only because I know I’m right.
You were a fire wheat harvester, one of the best in your village based on your age, your athletic build, and those daggers you wear.
Your village didn’t venture very far away from their settlement, other than when you and your townsfolk would go harvesting in the forest. If they had, you would know where the Vermillion Keep was.
With the recent chaos caused by Nordraven, I’d guess you are the last surviving member of your home.
You’re angry at the North and want justice.
You’re going to Astral City to get help from either a Knight or a Paragon.
Either that or you’re going to join one of their troops and likely get sent across the kingdom to wage war in the northeast where the firestorms aren’t as destructive.
Whichever it is, revenge won’t bring them back. What’s in the past is behind us.”
Lark held her tongue, letting his words melt over her like warm honey. He wasn’t completely right, but the dwarf had guessed many of the aspects of her experience that she could remember.
“If you don’t mind my observations, it seems like you don’t have much money to your name.
Looks to me like it’s what you got on, your pack there, and that fancy dagger, all of which you’ll most likely be needing.
You might have better luck finding help from Storm Keep.
The heroes for hire in Astral City are costly,” Ezra said.
“Could the Paragons of Storm Keep defeat a Nordraven dragonrider?” she asked.
“They have many talented Knights, a few elves and dwarves, others from the Magi Order, but I doubt you could afford the Paragon who would be able to compete with a Northern rider, regardless of the Keep,” Ezra said.
“Can any in Stormwatch win a Hyalite or a set of Yogos from an enemy of the North, yes or no?” she asked.
“Tel Roan was one of the few who always could. Now that he is gone. I can’t confidently say if any of the Paragons left in Northern Lamar could go up and consistently win against the best of the Northern riders.
It will skew the Hyalite and Yogo collection to their favor and I don’t know how that will affect Lamar in the long run.
For the war effort. It would mean a shift.
Dragonriders would be able to fully invest their efforts to deciding the fate of the war.
Since I’ve been alive, they’ve always focused on finding and collecting Hyalites. ”
“If money weren’t an object, I’d contract a dragonrider Paragon to wipe out the Nordraven kings for what they did to me. They took everything I knew,” Lark said.
“Revenge is a dish that is best served cold, but no matter how it’s served, it can never undo what’s already come to pass,” Ezra said.
What if it’s the only thing on the menu.