“Welcome to the Drunken Swine! Best ale, oh, just you three,” the innkeeper said as they came in the door.
“Hello to you too, Winston,” Amber said.
“The usual?”
“Let’s make it a little more special today. You got any cheese today?” Julian asked as he pulled a gold coin out of his pocket.
“Do I have any cheese? What do I look like, boy? Course I got cheese. I’ll bring ya a platter. Choose any table ya like,” Winston said.
Kade looked to Amber to see if she knew anything about Julian’s gold coin, but she just shrugged. They walked fast to catch up to him as he chose a table near the center of the room. The Drunken Swine had a variety of entertainment consisting of jugglers, dancers, storytellers, bards, and sometimes even actors. Julian somehow managed to get one of the best tables every time they visited the inn. Kade took a seat between the two of them and looked around the room for the night’s entertainers. One of the storytellers spotted the three of them and made his way over to their table. He was an older man with a patchy beard and unkempt graying hair.
“Mind if I join you youngsters?” He asked.
“Not at all,” Julian answered.
“A thousand kindnesses upon you. My name is Timus. I’ve traveled far and wide to come here and tell my tales. The three of you seem the sort that would enjoy hearing about them, yes?”
“Sure, why not?” Amber looked to the others for an answer.
“Before you launch into your legends, do you have any information on more recent happenings?” Julian asked as he produced a silver from his pouch.
“Not a whole lot to talk about here in the borderlands. Heard some nasty rumors about the elves though. I’ve got some information on the dwarves as well. Can’t forget the four kingdoms either. Which would you like to hear about first?”
“The elves,” Kade said before the others could answer.
“Near as I can tell, those moon elves or what have you, they’re cursed or so the tale goes. You see, two weeks ago, a merchant friend of mine went to trade for elven silk. Finest silk in the lands by far. He arrives at those blasted evening realms and the elf that came to meet him was covered in some sort of dark purple, I don’t know what it was. My friend swears up and down the seas that it isn’t spreadable, but I’ve kept at a distance just in case he starts to show signs of it. Anyhow, he says that every elf he saw had this to some degree or another. Not sure if it is a disease or something entirely different.”
“Strange. The elves aren’t all that interesting anyway though. What about the three kingdoms?” Julian asked.
“This is prime information, let me tell you. Prince Arlen and Princess Ilsa have run off together to Markurin. Their parents are furious and have threatened war not just with Markurin, but with each other as well. Relations between the four kingdoms are tumultuous at best, but never before have they been this close to all-out war between all four kingdoms,” Timus said.
“What about the dwarves?” Amber asked.
“They’ve decided to start an expedition into the depths of Mount Kargon. It has been more than three hundred years since they last ventured into those caves. Last time they did, they were greeted with an attack from wyrms.”
“What are wyrms?” Julian asked.
“Wingless dragons, lad. Dragons fall into several categories. Night dragons, sun dragons, sea dragons, land dragons, and lesser dragons. Dragon hunters exterminated almost all the dragons from human lands and drove out the rest. The elves have become caretakers for many of the different types.”
“Fascinating, I’ve not heard much other than tales of old,” Kade said.
“Aye, lad. Wyverns, drakes, wyrms, and the like are fairly common. The more ancient dragons are less common. You can find them all in the elven lands though.”
*
Hadrin slowly rose to his feet as he spotted the figures moving in the darkness. The light from the dying fire was far too low to make out what he was seeing. Alandra looked up at him questioningly and he moved over to sit down next to her. She had taken the final watch before morning and there was little chance that he would get back to sleep after seeing the moving shadows. The Prince poked at the fire, hoping that it would emit more light. His actions only made the Captain give him an even stranger look.
“What’s wrong?” She asked.
“How long have they been on the edge of camp?” He asked as he motioned toward one of the figures.
“I’m not certain I understand.”
“She can’t see them, my son,” King Obrin said as he joined the two of them.
“What do you mean, father?”
“Only those with the scourge have reported seeing the figures on the edge of light and darkness. Similar to the reports of elves seeing figures in the distance when they are close to death. They affectionately call it death’s shadow. Many believe it is those who have passed on before us coming to welcome us into their number. Truth be told, we haven’t a clue what is actually being seen nor do we know if the scourge produces the same effect.”
“Isaack had some ideas about the scourge,” Wrotan said as he sat up on his bedroll.
“He never shared those insights with me,” Obrin said.
“It is possible he didn’t want to worry you. He earnestly believed that whatever separates the living and the dead is beginning to fail. If he is correct and we cannot combat the scourge, the results would be catastrophic.”
“They don’t look particularly elven,” Hadrin said.
“What do they look like?” Alandra asked.
“I would say they look humanoid. The shapes are ever changing, but some of them look elven and others do not,” Obrin said, glancing toward his cousin.
“My cousin probably sees them more clearly than the Prince. The scourge has, after all, taken the most out of him,” Erlkan said.
“Perhaps the dragons can give us a better idea of what we are dealing with,” Wrotan said as he slung his pack over his shoulder.
Hadrin and he others nodded and then began to gather their own belongings. The sun rose over the mountains just as they were getting underway. Wrotan took the lead, cautiously glancing over his shoulder regularly. There was a sense of accomplishment among the group as they neared the foothills underneath the mountain range. King Obrin kept his same wary attitude, which put his son on edge. The Prince glanced up at the sun before deciding to call the others together before moving forward.
“I think father should decide on our path from here on out,” he said.
“My men and I are far better equipped to make such a decision,” Alandra said.
“I agree with the Prince. King Obrin is the only one of us who has ever been to the Citadel of the Night, it is important to know your terrain,” Wrotan said.
“Do we care more about safety or about reaching our destination faster?” The King asked.
“Speed is crucial, we are being tracked. Those wolves slowed down our enemies, but not for much longer,” Wrotan replied as he looked across the plains toward the forest.
“How long have you known this?” Alandra asked.
“Since we left camp this morning. I would have mentioned it, but we were moving at a good enough pace already.”
“It doesn’t matter now, we need to get moving. Those elves won’t think to ask questions first,” King Obrin said.
*
Finrul nodded to Fenzik as he opened the massive door. Though the sun dragon’s nest was over one thousand years old, it was still the greatest of its kind. The only comparable dragon roost was the Citadel of the Night. At one time, there had been a sister stronghold in the sun realms, but long since the Citadel of the Sun had been left in ruins. The two mages cared little for the history between the sun and evening realms. Like the Empress, they had come from the other elven kingdoms. The empire had once been four separate kingdoms. In more recent times, the sun and night elf kingdoms had joined together to fend off the woodland and sea kingdoms. The fighting had laste
d for several decades before the marriage of Erlkan and Melisandre forged a new empire out of the ashes of the four kingdoms. Finrul and Fenzik had jumped at the chance to study the other dragon types under the Empress.
“They are more restless than usual,” Fenzik said as he pointed toward the two bronze dragons in the middle of the nest.
“The elder dragons have always fought for supremacy, but never have I seen such violence,” Finrul replied.
The two bronze dragons circled a larger gold dragon. They circled their prey, looking for an opening. Two silver dragons lingered on the outskirts of the fight, seemingly waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting victim. The gold dragon lashed out with its tail and hit one of the bronze dragons in the face. His other opponent lunged forward and the two exchanged blows. Their hardened scales took the brunt of the damage and the two creatures reared back and eyed one another. They each let out a low roar before turning away from each other. The two silver dragons snorted before turning away from the short fight.
“That was not normal,” Finrul said.
“Have you studied the sun dragons long enough to know if their habits are different from the others?” Fenzik asked.
“I have, but there are only a few distinguishable differences. The sun dragons rarely end a fight without one side dying. They are as dangerous as they are majestic.”
“Yet they are not considered to be as dangerous as the night dragons.”
“That is a frightening concept. For now, we must put it aside. These dragons are acting erratically and something must be done to fix it.”
“You presume to fix us, elf?” The gold dragon asked in a booming voice as he landed near the entrance to the next.
“We are here to offer expertise and our educated opinions, nothing more,” Fenzik replied.
“Tell the Empress that we do not need any assistance.”
“You are making a foolish mistake, dragon. The scourge is pervasive and deadly, you should accept whatever help you can get.”
*
Obrin held up his hand as he heard a noise in the distance. He leaned forward, straining to hear better. The sound of soft crunching echoed off the neighboring hills. Wrotan drew his sword and leaped in front of the King. A large winged beast roared as it lunged at the hunter. Alandra and her elves rushed forward as several more winged beasts landed around them. Erlkan drew his sword and stood back near Hadrin and Obrin. The King of the evening realms took a moment to regain his composure before examining the creatures. There were seven in all. From what the dragons had told him, the four with six foot wingspans, two hind legs, and a more snakelike form were wyverns. Two of them were easily recognizable as drakes with their near ten foot wingspans, quadruped lizardlike form, razorsharp claws, and teeth like small daggers. The final beast, what could only be a wyrm, looked like a massive monitor lizard.
“We are nearly there, these dragonlings follow their greater brethren,” Obrin said.
“That one almost looks more like a lizard than a dragon,” Hadrin said as he pointed toward the wyrm.
“There are many types of dragons, my son. The wyrms most closely resemble the earth dragons.”
Wrotan skewered one of the wyverns with his spear before retreating back behind Alandra’s shield. The two worked in unison to take down one of the drakes. He lashed out from behind the shield, pestering the beast into charging. She shoved the bottom of her shield into the ground and ducked down behind it. The large drake charged forward and extended an arm out to smash the shield. They both rolled out from behind the shield and thrust their swords into the creature’s chest. It bellowed in pain as it tried to pull back from the strikes. The hunter pulled out one of his knives and dug it into the drake’s side. He used it to pull himself up and grab onto the neck of the creature. His weight was too much for the beast to hold and it was forced to lower its neck closer to the ground. Alandra pulled her sword out of the drake’s chest and thrust it into the dragon’s left eye.
“Regroup and hit them one more time, that should be enough to force a retreat,” Obrin called out to the others.
Alandra, Wrotan, and the three remaining elven soldiers pulled back and regrouped closer to the elven Kings. The lone surviving wyvern pounced before his companions and was quickly dispatched by the Captain. She rolled backward just in time to dodge a tail swing by the wrym. Wrotan moved to his left and motioned for the others to start to circle around the beast from the other direction. The creature moved with incredible speed as it lunged forward. It latched onto one of the elves with its claws and bit into another with its teeth. The remaining elven warrior rushed forward to avenge her companions. She managed to score a hit on the beast’s neck before it batted her away with a front paw. Wrotan sprinted forward and slid toward Alandra’s shield. He grabbed hold of the shield and raised it above his head just as the wyrm’s tail swung around at him. The force of the impact nearly knocked the shield out of his hand.
Wrotan rolled to the side before standing up. He fended off the wyrm’s bite attempts using both sword and shield. The great beast knocked him back with a swift flick of the paw. Alandra rushed forward to assist, but the wyrm hit her with a tail swipe. Erlkan let out a battle cry as he rushed toward the creature. It twisted about to face the elf. The wyrm let out a roar as it charged toward the elf King. He leaned back and began to slide as the creature got closer. His slid back behind him and he dropped to the ground and thrust his sword forward. The beast attempted to change course but was too slow. Erlkan’s sword tore into the creature’s neck and slid down to the wyrm’s chest as its momentum carried it forward. The elf King rolled to the side as the creature shuddered. It let out one last weak roar before collapsing to the ground.
“What happened to the other drake?” Hadrin asked as he counted the bodies.
“I didn’t get a chance to see it,” Wrotan replied, clutching his bloodied head.
“Could it have run away?” Alandra asked as she hobbled up to the others.
“It went for reinforcements,” Obrin replied.
*
The crowd went silent as the performers took the stage. Kade smiled as he leaned back in his chair. The Drunken Swine was known for having the best variety entertain of all the taverns in Reddington. Even Timus seemed to be interested in the show. A young boy of no more than seven stepped forward on the stage and pulled a sword. He spun the blade in his hand as he whipped it back behind his head and around his body. Another performer pulled his sword and threw it into the air. The boy spun and caught the second sword. He began juggling the two swords. Kade chuckled as the crowd called for more swords. The other entertainers joined in and there were three people juggling four swords each.
“You don’t see that every day,” Timus said.
Kade turned to say something to the storyteller, but stopped when he saw the door swing open. A large man in gold plate armor with an orange tabard entered the inn. Several others in the same garb followed behind him. Two of them stayed at the door while their leader approached the bar and the others began to spread out through the room. Winston and the newcomer exchanged words and the innkeeper stormed into the back. Kade got the attention of the others. They watched in silence as the man approached the people at the bar and talked to each of them.
“They look like trouble,” Amber said.
“Just play it cool, there is little chance they are looking for anyone like us,” Julian said.
The leader of the heavily armored soldiers made his way to their table. He looked first at Timus. The storyteller nodded before looking down at the table. Amber did the best she could at watching the performers and ignoring the man. Julian stared at him defiantly. Kade kicked his friend under the table, but it only broke his stare for a moment. The stranger glanced around the room before taking a seat across from Kade. He started at the young man for what seemed like an hour. Timus cleared his throat, but the man took no notice. Julian bumped Kade in the elbow and motioned toward the front door. Amber looked from one to the o
ther, trying to figure out what they were going to do.
“Come on, it’s high time we got back home,” Julian said.
“Not so fast, my friends,” the stranger said.
“What exactly do you want here?” Winston asked as he approached the table.
“The Knights of Ardevale are sworn to protect humankind from enemies both foreign and domestic. Perhaps you’ve heard that the elves are dealing with a pervasive disease that is known as death’s shadow. It is said that the victims slowly succumb to a scourge of sorts. They are living in death’s shadow, if you will.”
“What does that have to do with us?” Julian asked.
“Why don’t we ask your friend?” The Knight asked as he grabbed Kade’s hand.
“Let go of him!” Amber yelled as she swung at the stranger’s hand.
The man didn’t even flinch when her hand struck his arm. Kade attempted to pull his hand away, but the Knight was too strong. He grabbed the man with his other hand. Another of the Knight walked over and grabbed hold of Kade’s shoulders. Their leader pulled back the glove to reveal the small black circle. Amber gasped as she looked down at her friend’s hand. Julian rose to his feet and rammed into the Knight that was holding Kade. Two more Knights came over and grabbed hold of Kade. Their leader rose from his chair and motioned for the door. He stopped at the door and turned to face the room.
“If anyone else sees anything that resembled the scourge, contact us immediately,” he said before pulling Kade into the streets.
*
“Don’t even think about it, boy,” Winston said as he moved between Julian and the door.
“What are we supposed to do?” Amber asked.
“We’ll be contacting the authorities, that’s what.”
Julian let out a sigh of resignation as he took a seat at the bar. Amber and Timus took the seats next to him as Winston exited the inn. The innkeeper returned moments later and nodded to the three of them. Amber placed a hand on Julian’s shoulder, but he shrugged it away. The last thing he wanted was to be comforted. He wanted his anger to well up inside until he was able to unleash it on the Knights of Ardevale. The thought was foolish, but one that he could not shake. Winston came back to the bar and placed a mug in front of each of the three. Julian slid it closer and stared into the liquid. Amber lifted her mug to her nose and smelled it.