Chapter 14 of my newest book. Feeback is appreciated
Chapter 14
Quinten Tyler unlocked the door of his pawn shop just as the sun was rising. As the tall, lanky, mousy-haired shop owner stepped across the threshold, he noticed a white envelope on the ground at his feet. Kneeling to pick it up, he saw it was addressed to him in handwriting that was elegant, yet not overly so, with the letters bearing only a slight hint of the fanciful to them. Quinten was not familiar with the handwriting, but he had an idea of whose it probably was. He took the envelope into a room at the back of the shop, between two curio cabinets. Taking a seat at the small table in the middle of the room, he adjusted his wire-frame glasses and opened the envelope.
Inside, Quinten found a note written in the same style of handwriting. He glanced down to the end of the note and saw Loren’s signature, as he had expected. He returned to the beginning of the note from his friend.
“Quinten,” he read, “by the time you read this, Althea and I, along with a couple of friends, will be on our way to Caldana to take care of some sudden business. We may be gone a while and have asked Dani to stay and keep watch over the pub while we’re away. I would like to ask you a favor, if I may. Would you please keep an eye on her? She’s still young, and I don’t want anything to happen to her. And if you can help her out with running the pub when you have the time, that would be great, too.
Wish us luck, my friend, and I’ll treat you to a drink when we get back.
Your friend, Loren.”
Quinten stared at the note for a minute, then set it on the table with a small smile. “For you, my dear friend, anything you need. I’ll keep an eye on the girl for you and help her with the pub, if that’s what you want me to do. And who knows, maybe I’ll finally get to see Smitty’s ghost.”
* * *
When Dani arrived at the pub not long after sunrise, she found the lights off and the door locked. She knocked, but got no response. “Althea, Loren, and the others must have already left,” she said to herself with a hint of disappointment. She had hoped to catch them before they left so she could wish them luck.
Glancing down, the young girl noticed the edge of a white envelope sticking out from under the door. She knelt down and pulled it out.
The envelope was addressed to her in semi-fanciful handwriting, and it felt as if there was something small and heavy inside besides paper. Opening the envelope, she found a key nestled in the corner, and a folded sheet of paper. Dani took out the letter and opened it.
“Dani,” she read, “here is the key to the pub. We will return as soon as we can. Until then, the place is yours. I know I don’t need to ask this of you, because I know you will, but please take good care of it. The pub is Althea’s dream, after all, and I would hate for anything to happen to it.
I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve asked my friend, Quinten, to keep an eye on you, since you will be there by yourself, and to help you out with the pub when he can.
Again, thank you so much for all of your help.
Loren.”
With a small, bittersweet smile and a promise to herself to do as Loren asked, Dani took the key out of the envelope, unlocked the door, and stepped inside in the pub.
* * *
Anju lay curled up beside the door of the small cabin, his gaze roving around the room as he tried to fall asleep. The room was sparse of furniture, with only a small table at the far end of the room, and a couple of cots, one on either side of the room. There was no window, and the only source of light was an old, shielded lantern hanging down from the middle of the ceiling on a rusting chain. On the table lay Althea and Loren’s weapons, and the book Wren had risked her life to bring them. Anju remembered that after they had boarded the ship that morning and had gotten settled in their rooms, Loren had tried a few times to see if he could read any part of the book, but with no luck. He'd tossed the book roughly onto the table while muttering that he just could not recognize enough words to make any sense of it.
Anju also recalled how they had spent the first part of the day wandering around the ship, learning their way around, watching the sailors at work, and enjoying the scenery. But as the day wore on, they had found that there was really nothing for them to do, so they had retired to their rooms after supping with the captain at his invitation. Anju's tail wagged slightly as he remembered how delicious the scraps of meat Loren had slipped him at the dinner table had been.
When Althea and Loren had returned to their cabin after dinner, Althea had lain down on her cot and drifted off to sleep while Loren had taken another try at reading the book for a little while before giving up and going to sleep himself. Anju had then curled up by the door to keep guard and watch over them.
Slowly, the wolf's eyes closed.
A small sound from Althea’s direction made Anju's ears twitch, and he opened his eyes and turned his head slightly to look. He saw Althea moaning softly and tossing lightly in her sleep.
Anju heaved a small sigh and was about to close his eyes again when Althea suddenly sat up. His ears pricked and he watched intently as she got up from her cot and walked over to the little table. To the wolf, her movements seemed just a little stiff, as if they were not quite natural, and though her eyes were open she did not appear to be fully awake, like she was not aware of what she was doing. Anju’s pale blue eyes narrowed and he watched her movements closely.
Althea looked over the items on the table, frowned at the book, then picked up one of Loren’s narrow-bladed knives and unsheathed it. Then she went over to Loren’s cot and stood beside it. She stared at Loren’s prone body for a moment, then slowly lifted the knife over his chest.
Anju leapt his feet and growled.
Loren’s eyes snapped open at the sound, and he grabbed Althea’s wrist and twisted before he fully realized what was happening. The knife fell from Althea’s hand and to the side of the cot.
Althea gasped from the pain of the elf’s rough grip on her wrist. Then she blinked and looked down at her friend.“Loren?” she asked, confusion coloring her voice. “What’s going on? What am I doing over here?” Her gaze drifted to the knife on the cot, not far from her hand, and her eyes widened and the color left her face as she understood.
Realizing Althea was back to herself, Anju sat down in front of the door, relaxed but still watchful.
Loren blinked, looked at the knife that had fallen beside him on the cot, then at the hand he still grasped by the wrist, and then up at Althea's scared face.
“Althea?” he said, similarly confused as to what was going on, but only for a moment. As he comprehended the situation, he released her hand and sat up. Althea looked at him as he did, and he frowned at the tears on her face.
“Loren, I...I...” she stammered through her tears. “I'm so sorry. I...I would never...I could never...”
Loren gave her a small smile, stood up and gently wiped her tears away, then hugged her tightly. “I know, Althea,” he said softly. “I know. Don't cry. It wasn't you. It was Aerith. It wasn't you.”
She hugged him back, and continued to hold on to him as she told him, “I know. I...I'm scared, Loren. More than I have been since this all started. She's getting stronger. She's able to have some control over me now, and I - she- almost killed you. What are we going to do, Loren? Is there a way to keep her from controlling me?” She looked him in the eye. “I don't want you die, Loren, but more than that, I don't want to be the one that kills you. I couldn't live with myself if that happened.”
Loren returned her gaze. “Don't worry, Althea. I promised you I wouldn't die on you, and I intend to keep that promise. There has to be something we can do. Tarn may know something. We can ask him at breakfast. Okay?”
“But...”
“You shook her off fairly easily, right? It can wait until morning. Now why don't you try to get some more rest? Anju and I will keep an eye on you. And I'll make sure to keep my knives somewhere safe. Alright?”
She gave him a small smile. “Alright.”
He smiled in return. “Good girl.” Then he led her back to her cot and got her settled. “Good night, Althea,” he told her, and kissed her forehead.
“Good night, Loren. And thank you.”
As Althea drifted back off to sleep, Loren retrieved his knives from the table and hid them under his cot's mattress. Then he did the same with Althea’s sword. Afterward, laid down, not on his cot, but on the floor next to Althea's.
* * *
“Are you serious?” Tarn commented. He stared dubiously at the elf seated on the cot across from him in his little cabin. “She really tried to kill you?”
Loren nodded. “But to be fair, it wasn't Althea. It was Aerith controlling her.”
“Of course.”
The group had retired to Tarn's room after joining the captain for breakfast. Loren had decided the issue of what had transpired the night before was too sensitive to be discussed openly. So as they were leaving the captain's cabin, he had asked Tarn if they could talk in his room.
“Is there anything that can be done, Tarn?” Althea asked from beside Loren. “Any way to keep her from controlling me? I don't want anything to happen to Loren or anyone by my hand.”
“I'm not sure, Althea. The only thing I can think of is to somehow keep you from dreaming, but I have no idea how to do that. I'm sorry.”
Loren faced the black-haired woman sitting next to Tarn. “What about a sleep spell, Raven? Would that help.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, but I don't think so. The spell induces a normal sleep, so that means the person could still have dreams.”
“What about somehow keeping her awake?” Wren suggested from where she stood by the door.
Tarn shook his head. “No. Not getting enough sleep isn't healthy. Besides, on an endeavor like this, we need to be as well-rested as we can so we can be alert and ready for any danger.”
“So, what then?” Loren said. “We just let Althea be for now?”
“Well, we could always tie her down to her cot while she's sleeping,” Raven suggested.
The others frowned at her.
“It was just an idea,” she said defensively.
“I think our best bet for now is to just keep an eye on Althea and see how things go,” Tarn told the others. “In the meantime, I'll try to think of something to do about this.”
The others give him tentative nods of agreement.
“Good. Now, we should be reaching Caldana soon. Does anyone have any thoughts about what we’ll do once we get there?”
“Other than finding a place to stay and gathering information about the elves, there’s not much we can do,” said Althea. “We can’t really make any definitive moves until we know whether the rumor about the elves is true and, if it is, where they are.”
“I agree,” said Loren. “I don’t think we can do much until we know more.”
Raven and Wren added their agreement, and Tarn nodded. “Well, then, I suggest we retire and get what rest we can before we arrive,” he said. “I’ve a feeling we’ll be very busy fairly soon.”
* * *
“Hey, Brent,” said a young, black-haired guardsman to his partner as they stood at the western gate to the city of Maarkess. It was early in the morning, so traffic in and out of the gate was rather thin, with only a scant number of pedestrians and horse-drawn carts entering and leaving the city. He leaned back against the stone wall lazily and looked at his towheaded companion standing next to him. “Did you hear that Althea Morrigan and her friends have gone out of town suddenly on some sort of business?”
“Yes, I heard that, Devin,” his young friend answered disinterestedly. “It was kind of hard not to. Everyone's been talking about it. I'm not really sure why such news would be so popular, though.”
“Well, did you know they left a cute young girl in charge of the pub while they're gone?”
Brent raised an eyebrow, his interest now caught. “No, I didn't. Did they really?”
“Evaan said so yesterday evening when he returned to the barracks. What do you say we go check it out after our shift and see for ourselves?” he asked with a sly grin.
Brent returned his grin. “Alright. Things seem to be a bit dull this morning. I could do with a little entertainment later on.”
A commotion of loud, frightened voices sounded outside the gate, and Brent and Devin traded questioning glances before drawing the swords at their hips and stepping out to see what was happening.
Travelers were yelling and hurrying off the road as quickly as they could ahead of an oncoming group of soldiers on horseback, galloping towards Maarkess at breakneck speed, heedless of the people on the road before them. Two people led the group of riders, a man in green robes and an armored man with a dark beard and a scar on his cheek.
Brent and Devin watched the scene in disbelief for a moment, then called out for everyone to quickly clear the road. The order was unnecessary, as they were already doing so, but there wasn't much else the guards could do. As the road cleared, Brent and Devin called out for reinforcements, then stood side by side in front of the gate with their swords held ready at their sides and faced the oncoming soldiers.
As the soldiers approached the gate, a dozen guards arrived and took up positions behind Brent and Devin.
“Halt!” Devin called out to the riders. “Halt and state your business in Maarkess!”
Kinski raised an arm and closed his hand, then he and the green-robed priest brought their horses to a stop just short of running into the guards. A moment later the rest of the soldiers came to a halt.
Kinski glared down at the guards. “Get out of our way,” he snarled. “We're on urgent business and have no time to waste with you.”
“Urgent or not,” Devin said, “you must state your business before we let you through into the city.”
Behind him, even more guards arrived to bolster their numbers, and Kinski frowned slightly. The fact that the number of guards far outnumbered his small group of soldiers now was not lost on the general, and he huffed.
“Fine,” he snapped. “We're looking for someone. A redheaded swordswoman. We believe she may be in your city.”
“A redheaded swordswoman?” Brent asked. “Do you mean Althea Morrigan?”
“That's right. All we want is her. Once we have her in our custody, we will leave. Is she here?”
“Well, she did just take up residence in the city. But she's not here right now. She left a couple days ago with some friends to take care of some business in Caldana, north of here.”
Kinski and the priest traded looks. Then, without a word, Kinski raised his arm and made a circling motion with his hand. He and the priest turned their horses around and galloped back the way they'd come, followed by his six soldiers.
Once Kinski's group was out of sight, the displaced travelers slowly made their way back onto the road and the guards dispersed back into the city. As Devin and Brent resumed their post at the gate, they traded looks.
“I wonder what they want with Althea,” Devin remarked. “They sure didn't seem all that friendly. And that person in the green robes sent a chill down my spine.”
“I don't know what they want,” Brent said. “But it can't be good, whatever it is. Hey, remember how I said I thought it was strange that everyone was talking about her leaving suddenly? Do you think she knew they were coming for her and made sure that everyone knew she was gone in case they showed up?”
“I don't know. Maybe. If so, it was smart of her and I'm glad she did. They probably would have caused a lot of trouble for us if they got inside the city.”
“I think you're right.”
* * *
He stood beside a warehouse at the riverside, hiding behind a couple of large crates and watching a ship pull up to the dock. A cool breeze wafted by, blowing his blonde hair in his eyes and carrying the smell of the river with it. Somewhere overhead, gulls cried. It was early in the morning, so there were not many people about except the dockworkers and some sailors coming and going from other ships already docked. Even so, he tried to keep to the shadows so his red robes wouldn't draw attention. He didn't feel like trying to explain why he, a priest of Samaryu, was skulking down at the waterfront, especially since he wasn't even sure of the reason himself. He had no idea why he was there, how he had gotten there, or even where he was. The last thing he remembered was making camp in forest clearing, eating a quick meal, tending to his horse, and then falling asleep by the campfire.
Figuring that he had to be dreaming, he decided to watch and see what happened.
He brushed his bangs out of his face and watched as the ship made port, then watched the crew begin unloading cargo. It was such a boring scene, he couldn't figure out why he would be dreaming about it. What could his subconscious possibly be trying tell him?
Then he saw it.
A redheaded woman, a blonde elf man, and white wolf left the ship and began walking his way, followed by a black-haired woman and a young girl with mousy brown hair. Bringing up the rear of the group was a dark-haired man in red priest's robes – Tarn, his mark.
“So what do you want to do first, Althea?” he heard the elf ask they walked by.
“I suppose we should find a place to stay to start,” the redheaded woman said. “Then we can start asking around. I've never been to Caldana before. Do any of you know a good place to stay?”
“Sorry,” said Tarn. “I've never been here before, either.”
The other two women answered the same.
“I guess we should find someone to ask directions from, then,” Althea replied.
Then they rounded the corner of the warehouse and were lost from sight.
Lenaeus smiled to himself and stepped out from his hiding place, intending to follow them.
His eyes snapped open and he found himself back at his little campfire, reduced to glowing embers. Morning light filtered through the trees, bringing the forest to life.
“Just a dream,” he said to himself with a sigh of disappointment. “It was just a dream.” He stared at the campfire for a moment, reliving the dream. He vividly recalled the sound of the birds and the smell of the river on the breeze. He'd never even heard of Caldana before, either. “No,” he said, casting his eyes skyward, “it was more than a dream. It was too real. It must have been a vision. Tarn and the avatar are in Caldana, wherever that is.”
His horse, a black stallion, looked over at him from where he grazed at the other side of the camp and watched him get up and put out the campfire then walk towards him.
“Well, I know they were supposed to be in Maarkess,” Lenaeus said as he began saddling the horse. “That's what Usiah told me when he sent me after Tarn. And since Maarkess is situated alongside a river, Caldana can't be far from there. We still have a ways to go, my friend. I hope you're well rested.”
He mounted up and left the clearing, headed back for the road to Maarkess.
* * *
Althea stared at an old, weathered tavern near the middle of the city. Over the door was a battered wooden sign with a faded image of a sleeping dragon painted on it. The sight of the tavern reminded her of her own little pub, and she briefly wondered how Dani was doing, if she and the pub were all right. Loren had told her that he'd asked Quinten to help Dani, but she still worried about the young girl. She also wondered if Kinski had reached Maarkess yet and if the plan to spread the word that she was no longer in the city had worked and driven Kinski away.
“What was the name of the man again?” Loren asked from beside her.
“Navan,” Tarn replied from behind them.
The group had found rooms at the Gold Crown Inn, not far from the riverside docks. Once they had gotten settled, they began asking around about the elves that were rumored to be nearby. No one at the inn knew anything, so they started asking around on the streets. The group split up in order to cover more area. Wren went off in one direction with Anju, leaving Althea and the others to go another. Eventually, Althea's group learned of an old sailor by the name of Navan who might know something and who could usually be found at the Sleeping Dragon tavern. The directions they were given had led them to the old tavern.
Loren and Tarn stared at the tavern, their thoughts also on Dani and Althea's pub back in Maarkess, and where Kinski might be.
“Shall we go in, then,” Raven prompted impatiently from beside Tarn after a few moments.
“Oh, right,” Althea said. “Sorry. Let's go.”
She opened the battered wooden door and led them inside.
The inside of the tavern complimented the outside's aged appearance. Old, wooden tables sat scattered around the floor. An older man with graying hair and beard stood behind an old, weathered wooden bar, wiping down the top with a cloth rag. About a third of the tables were occupied, and even the majority of the patrons were on the more mature side. A few covered lanterns hanging on the walls bolstered what little sunlight managed to come through the grimy windows. Even then, the place still seemed somewhat gloomy.
“Can I help you folks?” the old man at the bar asked them as they looked around.
Loren walked up the bar. “Four ales, please,” he said, “and is an old man named Navan here, by any chance?”
“Over there,” he replied with a nod at a corner table. He turned and grabbed a bottle and four mugs from the shelves on the wall behind the bar. Setting them on the bar, he asked,“What do want with him?”
“We just have a few questions we'd like to ask him,” Loren replied as the man poured the drinks. “That's all.”
“As long as you don't cause any trouble,” he said, eying Tarn's red robes. “He's a good man.”
“I'm sure he is. And we don't plan to cause any trouble. We just want to talk to him, to ask him some questions.”
“Alright. But just so you know, his memory may not be as good as it once was. He is getting a bit old, after all.”
“Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.”
Loren grabbed the mugs and turned towards his friends. He gave them a nod in the direction of the corner table, where a man with stark white hair sat. With a nod of acknowledgment, they made their way over to the table, with Loren right behind them.
“May we join you?” Althea asked the old man politely.
The old man looked up from his mug, and grinned at the sight of four young people standing at his table, wishing to sit with him.
“Please do,” he said, his voice soft and somewhat scratchy with age.
“Thank you.”
Once they were seated at the table, the old man nodded. “I appreciate you young ones joining me,” he said. “Not many people care to sit with an old man like me anymore, and certainly not young folk like you.”
“I'm so sorry to hear it,” Althea said. “And it's our pleasure to sit with you, sir.”
“Thank you, my dear. My name is Navan, by the way.”
“It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I'm Althea. And these are my friends: Loren, Tarn, and Raven.”
“Nice to meet you, Althea.”
Althea took a sip of ale then asked,“Why don't you tell us a little about yourself, sir? I'm sure you must have had an interesting life and have some stories to tell.”
Navan blushed slightly. “Oh, I don't know that my life has been all that interesting. I was a simple sailor for nigh on fifty years, shipping cargo up and down the river. I never made it to captain, though. I wasn't interested in all the responsibility. I did act as first mate on a few ships, however. And I had a little ship of my own that I used for recreational sailing. I loved sailing the river. It was so peaceful and beautiful out there on the water. But as I got older, I found I lacked the strength to keep working on the river, and I had to retire. I do still sail my little boat sometimes, though. But most of the time I'm here, where some of my friends from the ships I've worked on come on occasion and I can talk with them. Fewer and fewer of them come by anymore, however, and I sit here alone most of the time. Not many other people will sit with me, either. It's lonely, being old. I don't recommend it.”
Tarn frowned. “But what about family? Surely you have some family to keep you company.”
The old man sighed and gave small shake of his head. “I did at one time. My parents and siblings have all passed on, though. My wife passed, also, oh, ten years ago. And my children have all married and moved away to other cities and towns. They come for a visit once in a while, but not often. I'm all alone here.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the group for a moment, then Loren cleared his throat softly and asked, “I gather you've lived here all your life, sir. You must have some stories you could share with us, either from your time as a sailor or from when you were growing up.”
“Stories? Well, yes, I suppose I do have some stories I could tell. There was the one time I saved a man who had fallen overboard. Oh, and the time pirates tried to raid our ship. That was pretty exciting. Or how about the time Jayme swore he saw a mermaid but it was really just a prank some of the other sailors played on him? That was pretty funny, if I do say so myself,” he said with a chuckle.
“Those do sound like some interesting stories,” Loren said.
The old man nodded. “Thank you, young man.” Then he noticed Loren's ears and the slant of his eyebrows, and his mouth dropped open. “Excuse me, but...but are you an elf?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Unbelievable! An elf! Sitting across the table from me! My grandfather used to tell me stories about elves, but I never thought to ever see one, let alone share a drink with one!”
“Your grandfather told you stories about elves?” Loren asked, trying not to sound overly excited. “What did he tell you?”
“Well, let me think. It was such a long time ago....” Navan closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and took a drink from his mug. “He told me there was a time, many years ago, when the people of this city were friends with some elves, having an arrangement with them for trading goods. Elves could be seen in the city quite often buying and selling things. But though we were friendly with them and had opened our borders to them, the elves were reluctant to let any of us into their realm. Only a few times did they ever allow any humans into their city, and then only for business purposes.”
He paused to take another swallow, then continued. “Something happened one day, though. No one is really sure anymore what exactly it was. There are many differing versions. Some say it had something to do with a forbidden romance between a human and an elf. Others say an elf was killed in some sort of dispute. There are other stories, as well. But whatever the reason, the elves stopped coming to Caldana. A few emissaries were sent to the elf city to find out what had happened and to try to encourage them to come back, but the emissaries never returned. Eventually, they stopped sending emissaries, and everyone slowly forgot about the elves. They just became a part of the history of the city, and are now just a story. Once in a while, a rumor will start going around that someone had seen an elf, but no one really believes them. They think it just a story made up to get attention. There has been no real, confirmed sighting of an elf in or around Caldana, at least that I know of, in many a year.” He paused, looked Loren in the eye, and added, “At least, not until today. I imagine there will be all kinds of rumors and stories going around now, once people notice you.”
“I suppose there will be,” Loren replied after a moment. “I'm not from around here, however. I have nothing to do with whatever group of elves may have been coming here at one time. My elven home is far from here.”
“I understand. It would have been nice if you were, though. Not only would it mean that the elves were still around, but seeing one out among humans and walking our streets again could be seen as a sign that they'd finally forgiven us and were interested in trading again. But still, to see any elf at all is remarkable!”
“Yes, I suppose it is,” Loren replied as the old man took a long drink from his mug of ale.
“Out of curiosity, sir,” Tarn said, “where is this elf city you mentioned? Is it far from here?”
“Eh?” Navan said, turning his attention to the priest. “Where's the elf city, you asked?” He gave his head a small shake. “I'm not sure if this is true or not, but it's been said that it's a day's journey west of here, in a clearing in the forest.”
Althea and her friends shared a glance.
Raven motioned to the barkeeper. “Another drink for our friend here,” she called out. The barkeeper nodded and brought another mug over to Navan. Raven thanked him and he returned to bar. Then she turned to the old man and fixed her gaze on him, looking deep into his eyes. Althea couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Raven's mouth move, as if whispering a quick, short word, and the old man flinch, ever so slightly. “Now, then,” Raven said, giving Navan her brightest smile, “tell us more, please, sir.”
* * *
Wren sat at a table near the back of the rather crowded dining room of the Golden Crown Inn, eating lunch. Anju sat beside her chair, staring up at the plate of food in front of the young mage. The white wolf let out a small whine, and Wren looked down at him and chuckled. “You want a piece, Anju?” she asked. “Well, you did good, earlier, so I supposed you deserve a little something.” She took a piece of meat off the plate and tossed it to the wolf, who snatched it out of the air and swallowed it whole. “Hey!” Wren said, laughing. “Next time, trying chewing it first, you greedy thing.”
When she looked back up, she saw Althea and the others enter the room. She waved to them to get their attention. Raven and Tarn waved back, and the group wound their way between the many occupied tables in the brightly lit room to join her, narrowly avoiding bumping into a few plate-bearing servers along the way.
Once they were seated at the table, one of the servers – a young blonde girl with a slightly stained apron - came over and took their orders. Once she was gone, Anju left Wren's side and sat down between Althea and Loren. Althea gave the wolf's head a quick pat in greeting, then she turned her attention to the young mage. “So, how did your search go, Wren?” she asked.
“Well enough, I suppose. Anju and I questioned dozens of people on the street. Actually, I suppose I should say I did all the questioning. Anju just sort of sniffed everyone, and begged from anyone who had the slightest bit of food with them. But he certainly was helpful. I'm not sure how or why, but he seemed to know exactly where to go to find people to ask about the elves. He kept me from getting lost on the way back here, too. He even warned off a couple of guys who apparently were going to try to rob me while I was questioning someone.”
Loren looked at the wolf. “You did all that, Anju?” he said, patting his head. “Good boy!”
Anju panted happily, his pink tongue lolling out, while Loren continued petting him.
Althea looked at the two of them and shook her head slightly. She turned back to Wren. “So, did you find out anything about the elves?” she asked.
Wren started to answer, but the server returned then with food for Althea, Loren, Tarn, and Raven, and a small plate of scraps for Anju, as Loren had asked. Once the plates were distributed and she was gone, Wren was able to answer Althea's question.
“I'm not sure if what I learned is of any help or not,” she said. “It may be, as almost everyone I talked to who knew anything at all told me pretty much the same thing; however, it seems to be pretty much just be rumor and old stories. No one seemed to know anything for certain. Supposedly, the elves had a trade agreement with Caldana many years ago, but something happened – no one seemed to know for sure what it was – and the elves stopped coming to the city. None of the envoys sent to talk with them ever returned. It's believed they were killed, but it was never confirmed. No elves have been seen in or around the city since, and over time, the elves just became a story. Once in a while someone will claim to have seen one, but the sightings have never been confirmed.
“As for where the elves lived, they all seemed to agree that their city was somewhere in a forest to the west, and that it would take about a day to get there.”
Raven nodded. “Yes, that's what we learned, too. And to think I wasted a perfectly good Recollection spell on that old man, too, and he couldn't give us any more information than he already had. Hmph.”
“But you did help him to remember some rather amusing sailing stories,” Tarn said, grinning. “So it wasn't a total waste.”
Loren chuckled. “Yeah, that one story about the giant eel was pretty good.”
“Yeah, it was,” Tarn said with a chuckle of his own.
Raven rolled her eyes.
Wren raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Never mind,” Althea said, doing her best to suppress a chuckle. “You did good, Wren. Thank you. Your information matches what we heard, so I think there must be some truth to it.”
“I agree,” said Loren. “They all seem to think the city is a day's travel west of here, and that's a good enough lead for me. So I think I'll go check it out first thing in the morning.”
“You're going to go alone?” Althea asked.
“Well, I'll take Anju, of course. But otherwise, yes. I'll go alone.”
“Are you sure that's wise?” Tarn said. “Shouldn't at least one of us go with you? What if you run into trouble with the elves?”
“I told you before how I thought I might not be welcome among the elves because of my time spent among humans. What do you think would happen if I went to their city accompanied by humans? No. It's best if I go alone.”
“But...” Althea said.
“Anju and I can take care of ourselves,” Loren told her. “We'll be fine, Althea. Don't worry. Now what do you say we go rest up for a bit, then do a little exploring before dinner?”
* * *
The next morning, Althea and Loren met Tarn, Raven, and Wren in the dining room for breakfast. Anju sat between Loren and Althea as they ate. He could sense tension between them, and wasn't sure what to do about it, so he just let out a low whine and laid down with his chin on his paws. He didn't like it when his two favorite people argued.
Althea and Loren ate silently, not looking at each other.
“Is something wrong?” Tarn asked them, also sensing that something had happened between the two.
“Nothing,” Althea said.
“Nothing,” Loren said.
“Let me guess,” Raven said. “There was an argument about Loren going off on his own to find the elves. Althea doesn't want him to and tried to talk him out of it, but he's determined that it's for the best and wouldn't relent.”
Loren and Althea looked at her, stunned.
“Did you listen in on them?” Tarn accused.
Raven shook her head. “No. I think it's fairly obvious,” she said with a knowing smile.
Althea and Loren both blushed and resumed eating silently.
Standing outside the Golden Crown Inn after breakfast, Althea and Loren stood facing each other. Loren held a small leather sack in one hand. In it he had the book to be translated, and some traveling food for him and Anju.
“Are you sure about this?” Althea asked yet again.
“Yes. You know I would have you come with me if I could, Althea.”
Althea nodded. “I know. I'm just afraid something might happen to you and I wouldn't be there to help you.”
“Don't worry. I promise I'll be careful and will be back as soon as I can.”
“You had better be,” she said, then gave him a hug, which he returned.
Anju let out a quick yip, happy to see them on friendly terms again.
Althea knelt and gave the wolf a hug. “You take care of your silly master for me and bring him home soon, okay, Anju?” she told him.
Anju gave another quick yip and wagged his tail.
Althea rose and faced Loren again. “Well, I guess while you're gone, we can see if we can learn anything more around here.”
Loren nodded. “Alright. Well, uh, I'll see you later, then. Take care, Althea.”
“You, too, Loren.”
He gave her one final hug, then turned and walked off, Anju following along beside him.
A tear trickled down Althea's cheek as she watched her best friend walk away.
The chapter reads fairly well. If I had to offer suggestions for improvement it would be in rounding out the characters a little more, deepening them, making the emotions a little more complex. A little more attention to sensory detail--imparting more mood and atmosphere--wouldn't hurt either. Over all, good job.
I started your very well written chapter but didn't finish. I'm sure that you have a following, but stories about elves are just not my cup of tea. I saw a very few little errors that could improve story a bit. Like changing up "a small smile" to "a slight smile" once in a while avoid repetition.
I know this is strange, but while most dogs were domesticated from wolves, wolves cannot bark. Check it out. They make many sounds while communicating to their packs, but howling is one of their favorites. My little Pomeranian (whose story of his death I have posted here), was a barker and yipped a lot. I only heard him howl once. It was primordial and I was totally surprised that night when he suddenly got the urge and did a wolf proud. By the way, since your story is fanciful fiction, it's okay for wolves to bark.
Since committing an environmental crime on the post apocolyptic planet Klairn is grounds for execution, investigating the guilty is quite dangerous for a Protector of Klairn.
The rookies joining the ranks of this elite core of environmental spies
The second book of the trilogy, The Chronicles of Henry Roach-Dairier, this volume will be enjoyed by astute 10 or 11 year olds as well as adults. A reader does not have to read To Build a Tunnel First to understand this volume.
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A half-zythian bard gets caught up in an affair with the Duchess of Highlake. The Duke wants him dead and our hero is forced to flee through a forest that no one has ever returned from.
