Chapter Nine
I stared at Aila for a few more moments, and I could see the plea behind her eyes.
She wanted me to believe her. She wanted me to see her not just as an imposing burden on our town, but as someone there to help.
And I did believe her. I believed that she was good and pure and wanted to do what was best to help other people, but I couldn’t say the same for the rest of her party.
They were on a mission with one intention, even if Aila didn’t want to admit it. The shard was their priority, and it was draped under the guise of saving our suffering town from the wrath of Shaar.
For them, it was hitting two birds with one stone. The threat only aided the theory that the shard was here, and while they helped protect us, they could keep searching for it.
But I had the knowledge of what they were trying to do, which meant I could take advantage of the help they were offering.
Aila’s innocent and pleading stare pierced straight to my soul, but I couldn’t feel bad about doing to her what she was inadvertently doing to me. Taking advantage.
Maybe she didn’t know the truth behind her orders. Maybe Nuro and Giian were the only ones who knew. Either way, she was complicit in this manipulative scheme now, and I couldn’t let her softness get the better of me.
“Well, I feel like we’ve already gotten to know each other much better,” I said as I stood up to leave. “Hopefully, there will be more opportunities for that during your stay here in Gladewood.”
“Wait, I--”
“It was nice meeting you, Aila,” I cut the soldier off and beelined for Ellyn, Raeth, and Frederik.
“How did that go?” Ellyn asked as she spun on her stool to greet me.
“Well, I can confidently say that Aila believes she’s here to help our town,” I said. “And she confirmed that they already knew about the shard being around here.”
“So… not great?” Raeth snorted. “Figures. The king’s soldiers are all bootlickers.”
“Just because you’re a hired sword,” Ellyn teased.
“Watch it, Ears,” Raeth fired back with a flicker of a smirk, but then she turned back to me with a more serious expression. “What’s the plan now?”
“I’m going back to my farm and taking a load off,” I said. “I think I’ve had enough battles today. Both verbal and physical.”
“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the bootlickers,” Raeth said as she glanced at the king’s soldiers. “If they start sniffing around like truffle pigs, I’ll light the smoke signal.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come back with us?” I asked. “If you want to get away from these guys, you know you can stay with me.”
“I’ll be fine,” Raeth drawled. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. Besides, Frederik here will keep me company. Isn’t that right, Fred?”
“Well, after Ellyn is gone, I was going to head back into the back room and--”
“That’s right, you’ll keep me company,” Raeth repeated as she clapped a hand on the old man’s shoulder. “You’re a good man, Frederik.”
Frederik looked like he regretted every life decision that led him up to this point, and Ellyn and I said our goodbyes while fighting off our laughter.
I whistled for Fang before we reached the door, and the pup skidded around the bar with a large bone still stuck between his teeth.
“You’re one lucky pup, aren’t you?” I teased as I reached for the door handle. “We’ll have to bring you back here more often so you can--”
My body suddenly collided with something small but firm, and when I glanced down, Karrida was skidding across the cobblestones. I lashed my hand out and grabbed her wrist before she could fall, and then I pulled her against my chest.
“Easy, tiger,” I said. “I almost knocked you flat on your ass.”
“Noah,” the half-dwarf breathed as she wrapped her arms around my middle and hugged me tight. “I was looking for you.”
“Well, you found me.” I chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss to her head. “What did you need me for?”
“I’ve been feeling a pull,” Karrida whispered as she eyed the open door to the inn. “Just outside of Gladewood.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see Nuro looking at us from across the bar. I flicked my head toward the door, and Ellyn quickly closed it. Once the commander’s intense stare was snuffed out, I relaxed a little and guided Karrida over to my side-by-side.
“What kind of pull?” I asked. “Big? Small?”
“I can’t explain it.” The ginger-haired woman shook her head. “It’s harder than the others. It’s like it has seeped into the marrow of my bones and is tugging from my core.”
“Shit,” I hissed to myself. “How far away are we talking?”
“Maybe an hour on foot,” she said. “But it wouldn’t take long on your cart.”
I glanced up at the sky, only to see the baby blue bleeding into a deep crimson. It was getting late, and I’d already had one fight today.
“We shouldn’t investigate until tomorrow,” I said. “It’s too risky going when night’s about to fall. If we get stuck out there or end up fighting something big and nasty, we need the daylight.”
“Agreed,” Ellyn said. “You should come back with us, Karrida. That way we can set off straight away tomorrow morning.”
“I already told my father I might be coming back with you,” the short woman said.
“And he’s okay with that?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“He trusts me too much to think we’d be doing anything… unbecoming,” she admitted with a shy smile.
“Little does he know,” I snorted. “Alright. Let’s head back before the sun fully sets.”
Ellyn slid into the Gator beside Karrida, and I settled myself in the driver’s seat. After Fang hopped in the back, I drove us back home, and by the time we got there, the farmhands were being picked up by the small party of guards to escort them back to town.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, an update about our new guests in town, and a reminder to keep the shard’s presence under wraps, they headed home, and I pulled up in front of the house.
A crow squawked from its perch on the fence of my porch. When it didn’t fly away at our arrival, I knew it was probably one of the wizards, so I told the girls to go inside with Fang and wait for me.
“Renthan?” I asked tentatively as I approached the large feathered creature. “Is that you?”
“No-ah!” The bird’s croaking squawk merged with the familiar sound of Renthan’s voice. “It’s me.”
“Thank god you’re here,” I sighed. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
“We’ve seen the king’s men,” Renthan said as he gained more control over the crow’s form. “We didn’t know about the attack the other day because we were so far north looking for Drakar.”
“Yeah, well, we’ve got another person to worry about now,” I said. “He goes by Shaar. He’s supposedly Drakar’s Lieutenant.”
“How distressing,” the wizard said, followed by a bristle of his feathers. “So, Drakar is puppeteering again.”
“No, this guy is acting of his own free will,” I said. “He’s just as foul as Drakar is.”
“Then it’s worse,” Renthan admitted. “This is not good news, Noah.”
“You’re telling me,” I scoffed. “Now, we’ve got the king’s men to worry about, too.”
“What is their business in Gladewood?” the disguised wizard asked. “Don’t tell me they know about the shard.”
“I’m afraid they do,” I revealed with a wince. “They’re here under the guise of protecting Gladewood from the recent attacks.”
“Honeyed words lathered over a sharpened blade, then,” Renthan said as his wings flared out beside him.
“There have been no signs of Drakar. Our suspicions are that he’s making his way north, either gathering troops like this Lieutenant Shaar, or recuperating his strength while spreading the word about the shard. ”
“Or maybe all three,” I suggested. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“Nor would I,” the crow agreed as he bowed his beak toward the wooden railing. “I wish I had better news.”
“So do I.” I sighed and tipped my head toward the bleeding sky. “But I’m trying to see the bright side. While the king’s men are here to snoop, they’re also helping to protect Gladewood.”
“Then it’s not all damned,” Renthan croaked. “I’ll let the other wizards know what the situation is. And, Noah? Stay vigilant. If there’s another full-frontal attack, we will help where we can.”
“Thanks, Renthan,” I said. “You take care of yourself.”
The bird flared his wings out before taking off into the air with a resounding squawk. I watched as Renthan flew further and further away, until he was nothing more than a black speck on the horizon.
When he was finally out of sight, I made my way inside, where the girls were waiting in the dining room for me.
Fang and Nelly were tucking into their dinner Ellyn had scooped into their respective bowls, and my wife had already whipped up a few sandwiches for us all.
“Was that who I think it was?” Ellyn asked as she sliced each sandwich into two.
“Yep,” I said and popped the ‘p’ for emphasis. “He had no idea about the king’s men or Shaar.”
“And what did he say to that?” Karrida asked. “Are the wizards going to help?”
“Not unless it’s needed,” I said. “They’re still looking for Drakar.”
“I doubt they’re going to find him,” Ellyn sighed as she placed our plates in front of us. “He won’t be found unless he wants to be.”
“He’s like a mole,” Karrida said as she reached for a sandwich. “Burrowing underground and hiding from the light.”
“With a trail of mole hills to show where he’s been,” Ellyn added as she grabbed a sandwich, too. “In this case, those hills are just a trail of rumors leading away from Gladewood.”
“A trail is a trail,” I said as I snatched a piece of bread up. “They all lead somewhere eventually.”
The three of us tucked into the food, and I felt the exhaustion from the day ease up a little now that I had some grub in me. Once we were finished eating, Ellyn and I decided to grab a quick shower while Karrida waited in the living room for us.
I showed her the magic of the TV and stuck on an episode of Farscape my dad had recorded on a VHS tape. It was a pretty old sci-fi show, but it had been one of my favorites growing up.