Three Quest Deal (Tales of Former Dragons Book 1) (7 page)

It was day four of the group’s ten-day journey on foot to Greffenvale when they came upon the gorge that divided what was once known as the eastern and western kingdoms before they were united under King Wolford III. The winding gorge was only twenty yards wide, but its one-hundred-yard vertical walls and the fast-moving river that ran through it made it impossible to cross without a bridge.

Drakor stood at the edge of the gorge and looked at the river. “How do we get to the other side?”

“There’s usually a bandit’s rope bridge here somewhere,” Tess said, stepping up to stand next to Drakor. She looked left and right. “I just don’t know if it’s north or south of here.”

“A rope bridge?” Xan asked. “What does it look like?”

“Wooden planks connected with rope, with rope handrails.”

“I think I see the remains of a rope bridge over there,” Toshen said. He pointed to ropes and planks collapsed against the opposite wall of the gorge, about fifty yards downriver.

Tess frowned. “We’ll have to travel two days north to get to one of the main bridges.”

“Don’t give up so easily,” Toshen said. “Let’s see what things look like on our side of the gorge.”

He led the way along the edge of the gorge until they reached the point opposite the ruined bridge, and knelt to examine the ropes on their side. Six long ropes were tied to two thick trees. It was obvious someone had cut the ropes.

“I wonder if we can tie ropes together, shoot an arrow into one of the planks on the bridge, and then pull the end of the bridge back to this side.”

Drakor examined the rope. “That’s a good idea, but I don’t think we have enough rope to reach all the way across.”

“I have an idea,” Tess said. “Let’s unravel one of these ropes and tie the strands together. I bet that will reach.”

“Good idea,” Toshen said.

“And we’ll have to cut one of these other ropes, so we can use it to reattach the other four ropes that were cut.”

After Tess made the long rope, she tied the end of it to one of the large trees, and coiled the rope onto itself so it wouldn’t tangle as the arrow pulled it from the coil.

Toshen looked at Drakor. “When I draw the bow, attach the rope to the arrow.”

Toshen fired the arrow and it hit the gorge wall below the bridge and landed in the river.

“You can’t aim directly at the bottom plank,” Tess said. “You need to aim your arrow a little higher to compensate for the downward angle.”

Toshen gave Tess a blank look.

“Let me explain it.” Tess took a stick, drew a picture in the dirt, and explained it again.

Drakor pulled up the rope, coiled it on the ground, and handed the arrow to Toshen. When Toshen pulled back on the bowstring, a second arrow appeared.

“Can you grab that?” Toshen asked Drakor.

Drakor removed the second arrow. Toshen aimed and fired. The arrow bounced off the gorge wall at the bridge’s midpoint.

Tess put her hands on her waist and shook her head. “You’re still not doing it right. Aim three-quarters down between the top of the cliff and the bottom of the ropes, and don’t pull back so much.”

Drakor reset the rope and removed the second arrow when Toshen pulled back on the bowstring. Toshen aimed and shot the arrow as instructed. The arrow flew in an arc and got wedged between the second and third planks from the bottom.

“Good shot,” Tess said with a smile. She noticed the others looking at her. “What? It’s exactly where it needs to be.” She grabbed the rope and pulled it. “Help me. I can’t pull the bridge up by myself.”

The bridge was heavier than expected. By the time they got their end up to their side of the gorge, they were exhausted. All struggled to hold onto the bridge so it wouldn’t fall back into the gorge.

“We’ll hold the bridge while you reattach the ropes,” Drakor told Tess. “Hurry.”

Tess tied the four ropes they had prepared to the bridge, and double-checked each rope was secure. “That should hold. Who wants to go first?”

“We’re crossing one by one?” Xan asked.

“Of course. I don’t think it can hold all of us at one time.”

“I’ll go first,” Toshen said. He grabbed the rope handrails and made sure each plank would bear his weight as he crossed. The bridge swayed in the breeze and pitched with each step.

Tess crossed next, followed by Aesus.

Xan stepped up to the bridge and hesitated. She grabbed the rope handrails and looked at the rushing water below. Her hands trembled and her face paled. She closed her eyes and took a step forward. When she felt the sway of the bridge, her breath quickened, and she let go of the handrails and stepped backward off the bridge. Her body trembled and she wrapped her arms around herself.

“What’s wrong?” Drakor asked.

“I don’t know why,” Xan said, “but I’m afraid I’ll fall into the river.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She covered her mouth with a trembling hand while tears welled in her eyes.

“Is there a problem?” Toshen shouted from the other side of the gorge.

“No,” Drakor shouted back. “Why don’t you and Aesus see if you can hunt down a meal?”

Toshen waved, and then disappeared into the forest with Aesus. Tess sat down on a nearby log.

Drakor stood in front of Xan and looked into her eyes. “I don’t know what to tell you to make the fear go away.”

A brief time passed before Drakor reached out to put his arms around Xan. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into the side of his cheek. He pulled her close, and they held each other for several minutes. Eventually, she pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“I guess that’s why men and women hold each other,” Xan said. “To feel better.”

Drakor extended his hand for her to take. “I’ll cross with you. Just don’t look down.”

“Are you sure we can both cross at the same time?”

“It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

Xan took his hand. Drakor turned around and walked toward the bridge, Xan close behind, holding tight to the hand he extended behind him. Drakor grabbed the rope handrail and took two steps forward.

He looked over his shoulder. “You all right?”

Xan nodded and grabbed the other handrail. As they crossed the bridge, she became more confident with each step.

Aesus leaned close to Tess during their evening meal of fresh venison. “You did well today. I’m glad you’re with us. You’re very clever. We wouldn’t have gotten across the gorge without you.”

Tess smiled at Aesus. “The five of us work well together.” She took her last bite and leaned her head on Aesus’s shoulder as she watched the flickering flames of the campfire.

Like other nights, the group slept on the ground. But unlike previous nights, when everyone had slept in a circle around the campfire, Xan lay next to Drakor. While they waited to fall asleep, they both looked at the stars in the clear night sky.

“In my entire life, I’ve never been afraid,” Xan whispered. “Even when fighting the forces of man or other dragons. I still don’t understand why I couldn’t cross the bridge today. When you held me, I felt… safe. That I wasn’t dealing with my fear on my own. It’s a feeling I’ve never experienced before.”

“It has something to do with the transformation,” Drakor whispered back. “I know my thoughts are my own, but there are times when I feel like someone else is controlling my actions, my words. As if…”

“Someone else is inside your head.”

“Yes. Only Baldazar can explain what he’s done to us.” Drakor shook his head. “If only he were here now.”

“Can I hold your hand?” Xan asked. She reached out between them even before Drakor responded.

“Of course,” Drakor said, and took her hand in his.

The morning sunrise brought loud voices, and the sound of clanking armor and swords being removed from their sheaths.

“Get up scoundrels,” a male voice commanded. “Come on. Come on. We haven’t got all day.”

Eight men surrounded the group. Each wore chain mail, a polished iron breastplate, a simple round helmet, and had a sword in one hand and a shield with a blue horse-head emblem in the other hand.

Drakor was still a bit groggy when he got kicked in the ribs. “Hey!” he protested.

“What are you people? Mercenaries? Bandits? We tracked your footprints from the bridge. Lord Nellis doesn’t like scoundrels on his property,” said the man standing over Drakor.

“We’re just passing through,” Drakor said as he and the rest of the group stood. “We meant no harm. We’ll be on our way.”

“Lord Nellis sees everyone who trespasses on his land. You’re coming with us, whether you like it or not.”

“Not,” Aesus said.

He rapidly cast several fireballs that struck two men in their faces. They screamed, went silent, and collapsed. Caught off guard by the fireballs, Lord Nellis’s other men froze.

Toshen bent down, picked up his bow and bowstring, and aimed at the throat of the man in front of him. He released the bowstring, the arrow flew into the man’s throat, and he collapsed. 

Drakor drew his sword and engaged the man who had kicked him. The man blocked two of Drakor’s blows while he backed up, unaware of a protruding tree root behind him. When he tripped over the root and lost his balance, his arms spread apart and he exposed his face to a direct thrust from Drakor’s blade.

The four remaining men looked at each other, unsure of what to do. One man turned around and ran toward the group’s horses, twenty yards away. The other men followed.

“Not this again!” Toshen said. He fired several arrows at the men, catching one in the buttocks and in the back of the neck.

Aesus targeted a man, and cast two large fireballs that engulfed the man in flames. The man slowed and fell face first onto the ground.

The other two men had managed to get onto their horses and were getting away.

“Toshen!” Tess yelled. “Aim above their heads.”

Toshen aimed as Tess said, unsure where the arrow would strike, and released the bowstring. The arrow hit one of the horses in its hindquarters, and sent the horse and its rider crashing to the ground. When the man stood, Toshen fired another arrow that struck the man in the head.

The other rider turned his head to see what happened, and failed to see the low-lying branch ahead of him. When he turned his head to look forward, his face smacked right into the branch. He was knocked off the back of his horse, and broke his neck. The horse ran away.

“This isn’t good,” Tess said. “If Lord Nellis finds out about this, he’ll send men after us.”

Drakor thought for a moment. “We’ll throw the bodies into the river.”

“What about the horses?”

“We’ll take the horses.”

“We don’t know how to ride horses,” Xan said.

Aesus turned to Tess. “You know how to ride a horse, don’t you?”

Tess gave Aesus a puzzled look. “Yes. How is it none of you know how to ride a horse?”

“We don’t ride horses, we ea—”

Toshen put his hand over Aesus’s mouth. He looked into Aesus’s eyes and shook his head, and then turned to Tess. “Can you teach us how to ride the horses?”

“Yes,” Tess said.

“Let’s take care of the bodies first,” said Drakor.

He picked up a dead man and walked toward a horse to toss a body on top of it, but the horse moved away as he approached.

“That’s odd,” Tess said. “I’ve never seen a horse do that before.” She went to the horse, grabbed its bridle, and stroked its head. “It’s all right,” she said in a soft voice. She held the horse steady, and Drakor heaved the dead man onto the horse’s back.

“What do you mean?” Aesus asked.

“The horse moved away from him when he got close to it. It’s like it sensed danger.”

Aesus shrugged. “I don’t know what to say.”

Xan leaned close to Drakor. “They sense we used to be dragons.”

When the group reached the gorge, the rope bridge they had restored was gone. The ropes looked burned on their side of the gorge. No ropes were visible against the other side’s wall. They dumped the bodies and shields into the river.

“What do we do with the extra horse?” Toshen asked.

“Remove the saddle and bridle, and throw them into the river,” Tess said. “The horse will eventually find its way home.”

They ate a quick meal of bread and water, and found a clearing where they learned to ride the horses. Tess taught her companions the basics of how to mount, dismount, and control a horse. She decided to save the galloping lesson until after they gained more riding experience.

“How long is it by horse to Greffenvale?” Drakor asked Tess.

“I don’t know, but it’s certainly faster than walking,” Tess said. “Let’s find a road.”

King Wolford V sat in the map room of his castle and pondered what to do about the error Master Map Maker Quinn had brought to his attention. He adjusted the gold crown on vibrant red hair, smoothed down his dark-blue tunic over his muscular build, ran his fingers through his short-trimmed beard, and pouted. He looked at the map, up at Master Quinn, and back at the map again.

“If I understand correctly, Lord Hastings gave the same parcel of land to two lords based on this map, which indicates the land is six hides when it’s actually only three.”

“Yes, my lord,” Quinn said. “Which means the parcels above and below it are probably incorrect as well.”

“Which means—”

The door to the map room burst open. “My lord,” said Master Advisor Randolph. The gray-haired man put one hand on the map table, leaned forward, and tried to catch his breath. Standing tall, he adjusted the neckline of his dark-blue velvet robe so that it hung better on his lanky frame.

Wolford frowned. “I’m quite busy at the moment. Can’t this wait?”

“My apologies, my lord. I have news from Lord Byron.” He glanced at Quinn.

Wolford sighed and turned to Quinn. “We’ll resume this tomorrow. Leave us.”

Quinn gathered his papers, bowed, and left the map room. Randolph closed the door behind him.

“All right. What’s so urgent it can’t wait?”

“Lord Byron says one of his sages, Master Garon, was healed of the talking madness.”

“Healed of the talking madness? Nonsense. There isn’t an alchemist in the land that can heal the talking madness.”

“Yes, my lord. That’s why I came to see you. He wasn’t healed by an alchemist. Master Garon believes he was healed by a spellcaster.”

Wolford grunted. “No one has seen or heard of any spellcasters since Wolford I fought Baldazar. What makes Master Garon so sure it was a spellcaster?”

“According to the message from Lord Byron, Master Garon suffered from the talking madness for five years. He was living on the streets of Melhorn, spewing nonsense and being a nuisance. Then, a few days ago, he showed up at Lord Byron’s castle in perfect health and with no recollection of the past five years. He awoke from the madness in the presence of his granddaughter and three strangers, one of whom he suspects is a spellcaster.”

“So we have no proof. Just speculation.”

“According to Master Sage Ferris, the talking madness can only be removed by a healing spellcaster.”

Wolford grunted and nodded.

“My lord—” Randolph began.

“Yes, I know what you’re about to say,” Wolford interrupted. “If a spellcaster healed Garon, then Merrim and Karsten can be healed as well. Who else knows about the spellcaster?”

“Only you, myself, and Lord Byron’s messenger. Is there a problem?”

“If this spellcaster falls into the hands of our enemies, it’ll be a problem.”

“Do you think Lord Callan would try to take the throne?”

“I can assure you he would most certainly try. He still believes my bloodline betrayed the east.”

“Are you thinking this spellcaster could raise another army of the undead?”

“I’m thinking that with a healer at Callan’s side, his forces would be unstoppable. Imagine being able to heal all of your wounded. We need to control that power or destroy it.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Take Sirs Gunther and Rothchild, and go to Lord Byron’s. Speak to Master Garon and his granddaughter. Find out what you can about the spellcaster, and report back to me.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Randolph bowed, and left the map room.