Chapter 106: A Watched Pot Always Boils
I entered the dreamscape and was greeted by Oscar. He seemed so lifelike that I almost felt guilty for always leaving him here alone. Not that I could take him out of here anyway. I started by practicing with Xavier, Adrian, and Konstantin for an hour. Using my air shield was becoming more
natural. I was also improving by using fewer shields to conserve my meager aether.
After combat training, I tried to change the walls of the dungeon again. The best I could do was paint them or smooth them out by adding material. I found it odd that the walls were apparent boundaries to the changes I could make in the amulet's dreamscape. Did that mean I could find where the dungeon hid its core? If this amulet was a copy of the dungeon when I first entered it, I should be able to locate the core. I traveled down to the scorpion room and started digging by mentally removing the sand.
The room was a lot bigger than I expected, going down almost thirty feet before I hit the rocky floor that was not affected by my removal efforts. I completely emptied the entire room and could not find the core. I filled the room back up, disappointed, and watched the snails leave their glowing
trails of slime. Maybe I was just assuming there had to be a dungeon core. Delmar told me a dungeon could be destroyed, so I assumed that meant shattering or taking a core.
I returned to the first room and spent a few hours studying the spell form for slow aging. I spent a total of six hours in the dreamscape before returning. I felt completely rested and checked on Ginger. No mess. I took her outside to find it completely dark and a cold drizzle of rain picking up. The night felt alive with insects and the hoots of owls in the distance. Ginger seemed to realize why I had taken her out and quickly did her business without me having to lead her. That deserved an apple when we returned.
Maveith was up when we went back inside and mumbled something about himself being a light sleeper. I patted Ginger and guessed maybe she was housebroken. I went to sleep without the amulet and was sucked into a new nightmare.
Castile had led us into the ruins of Caelora. It was midday, but the massive tree in the center of the dead city was blocking out the sun, and the city was
dark. Black mold grew on all the crumbling buildings, but we did not see any specters as we went deeper into the city.
As we approached the massive trunk of the tree, Castile called for a halt. She had a worried expression and looked from the direction we had come.
Row after row of silver specters blocked our retreat. To make matters even more terrifying, two wispy black creatures stood in front of the specter army. Wraiths. As they charged us, I realized that I did not know what a specter looked like. Which told me this was a dream. I just sent any specter that got close to me to my dimensional space. I started laughing maniacally that I had beaten the nightmare.
Everyone was dumbstruck when all the specters and the two wraiths were gone. Konstantin, with his artificed weapon in hand, barked at me, "Eryk, stop spoiling my fun!" I woke shortly after with a grin on my face. I had controlled the nightmare somewhat as I had done in the dreamscape. I dressed as I planned to ride back to the Citadel and help Decimus with the peppermint wash today.
I found Maveith preparing breakfast with Ginger literally looking over his shoulder, deciding if what he was cooking was edible for a horse. A large wicker basket of white truffles sat on the table. I sorted through the bulbous fungi. They looked like stunted potatoes to me. I sniffed one, and the smell reminded me of spicy garlic. "This is great, Maveith. What do you want for these?"
Maveith was cooking a colorful array of vegetables in a cast iron pot. He looked at me. "We are friends. An equal volume of food for the winter is acceptable. Something that would keep for months would be appreciated."
I put one of Ginger's saddlebags on the table. I pulled out a stack of wrapped meal bars from my dimensional space and stacked them neatly on the table. I packed the off-white truffles carefully in the bag next. "Maveith, let me know if these are fair. Come, Ginger, I will give you an apple
outside."
Ginger looked at the vegetables that were being cooked and then at me before walking outside with me. She had either understood my body
language or my words. She was smart for a horse, but I had no idea how smart horses were. This world was different, so maybe she was not even a real horse. I stopped myself before I went down an introspective rabbit
hole. A horse was a horse, of course. Unless, of course, that horse was the famous—Ginger.
Ginger walked off while I walked around Maveith's rocks and stretched hides. I was looking for any tracks that would signal a dangerous predator visited the area last night. Maveith came outside chewing on one of the ration bars. "This is pretty good. Better than truffles. A good trade, Eryk."
"Glad you like them. Do you want another twenty for the weasel hide
blankets?" I asked hopefully. Maveith did not answer but finished the bar he was eating and considering. The ration bars were not good but not terrible, in my opinion.
The bars were a dense, chewy core that was covered in a thick batter and then baked. The resulting meal bar was tightly wrapped in a wax leaf. They were calorie-dense but on the dry side, requiring lots of water to get them down. I did not mind the taste, even if it was bland.
"Twenty bars for each one?" Maveith finally decided.
The pelts were maybe five by eight feet in size. The fur was short, fine, and silky on one side and soft, velvety hide on the other. Each one would roll up to the size of a normal sleeping roll but was twice as heavy. I thought I was getting a steal. "Maveith, I can get you the bars when we return to the city."
"Agreed," he said. "Breakfast is ready." He looked over at Ginger, "She really was house-trained." He said it like he had not believed me.
"Of course she is, Maveith. Let's eat and start on our way back to Sobral." I tied Ginger with a quick-release knot to a tree and ate with Maveith.
Breakfast was carrots, yellow peppers, green onions, and potatoes with a cut-up sausage cooked in bacon fat. I packed up the weasel hides into tight rolls and packed them on Ginger.
We made our trek back to Sobral. My legion box was already full, so we only paused for mushrooms and flora that did not need to be fresh for the alchemist. As we were getting closer to the city, there were foragers in the woods again.
While I stabled Ginger, Maveith went to the Citadel as he told me, "I am supposed to check in with the Citadel Captain when I am in the city."
"I will be in the Northwest tower with the alchemist after I am done here. You can find me there, and I will have your meal bars," Maveith nodded, and we parted ways. When the stable boys were not looking, both pelts
went into storage. Soon, I finished with Ginger by giving her an apple, my last one.
I carried two saddlebags to the Northwest tower and started up the stairs. I paused, produced a sack, and filled it with fifty ration bars. The extra ten were because I felt guilty for taking advantage of the goliath. But maybe not. These meal bars would probably become quite valuable with the hard winter coming.
Decimus had finished setting up his maze of tables and glassware. He was absorbed in his process and did not even see me enter. The windows were open, which was good as the number of oil burners made the room hot, and some smells around the tower's floor were unpleasant. Something definitely smelled like burning hair.
"Decimus, I have your truffles," I said, and his head snapped around, his eyes wide. "Have you slept?" I asked, concerned.
"Slept? What? No! Too much to do!" He waved his hands "All this needs to be watched carefully. You said truffles?" His bloodshot eyes looked a bit maniacal.
I unloaded the bag of truffles on the table, the other saddlebag, and finally, my dimensional space filled with the ingredients best used fresh. I filled up the entire table, and Decimus attacked the piles with glee. "Decimus, you said you would teach me how to make the peppermint wash?" Although I was more inclined to offer him an oblivion pill than ask for his help.
"What? Yes, yes. Nice job with this. These truffles are fantastic. Come over here." We walked to a table where a glass container was boiling, and the steam was going up into glass tubes. It cooled and then dripped down into a beaker. "Now, this is a delicate process," he started. I rolled my eyes as he was just purifying water.
He continued to explain, "There are tiny particles in water. We are turning the water into steam to free it from the particles that cannot become steam. You can watch the process and ensure this large container stays half full. If the boiling gets too violent, remove the lid with the tongs here for a moment. Be careful because the boiling water can get too intense and
explode!"
For my first lesson in alchemy, I was going to watch the water boil. I almost wished to be training in the yard with Konstantin over this. Maveith rescued
me an hour later. I think the stone tower shook when he climbed the stairs, but it was just his voice echoing. "Eryk, is this the right tower?" he called up as he climbed.
"Come on in, Maveith!" I called. "I am testing the theory that a watched pot never boils. So far, I have thoroughly debunked the myth."
Maveith ducked through the stone archway and looked confused. "Is he pink?"
"Yes," I answered for the alchemist, who was stunned at the sight of the goliath. "Looks like you two have not yet met. Maveith, this is Decimus. Decimus, this is Maveith."
Decimus considered and then just said, "Be careful and do not knock anything over." Maveith frowned at the insinuation he was clumsy just because he was so large.
"Decimus, I am going to leave with Maveith. Your distillation of water is proceeding well. Maybe we can work on the other parts of the wash next time I come?" I asked hopefully. I thought I had been patient and done a fantastic job watching the water turn to steam.
"I had to watch the water purification process for a week before I was allowed to work on compounds," Decimus replied seriously. I just nodded and had no plans to watch water boil for a week. Maybe I was not going to be an amateur alchemist.
Maveith said, "Eryk, Delmar wanted to see you. Some goblins have been harassing farms in the west. He wants to send Flavius, you, me, and Blaze to handle it."
"Green?" I asked, having learned that variety was a nuisance more than a threat.
"I believe so. A number of farms have been raided at night. Small animals keep disappearing. Delmar said we can leave tomorrow," I nodded but was not looking forward to working with Flavius, who was already suspicious of me.
I handed Maveith his sack of meal bars, and he looked inside with a huge grin. I guessed he really did like the taste. We went and found Delmar drilling some Citadel guards in the spear and shield.
Delmar paused to talk with me. "Eryk, is the alchemist being kept busy?" "He should have enough supplies for a few days," I replied.
"Excellent. Farmers a few miles from the city are complaining about night raids. Chickens and newborn sheep have gone missing. Leave tomorrow after the midday meal and spend the night to kill whatever is stealing
them." Delmar issued his order.
"Who will be in charge, and who is going?" I asked, even though Maveith had already told me.
Delmar issued his orders. "Flavius will lead you, the goliath, and Blaze. You are the freshest group. Everyone else has not returned from their week's rotation digging holes. No horses, you can walk there. The farmer's name is Cassio Cervius. He has two young boys. He supplies a fair amount of grain to the city, so do a good job for him."
"Will four of us be enough?" I asked, concealing my disappointment.
"We are fairly certain it is just a handful of goblins. We were told the tracks were goblins, and there do not seem to be many of them. Flavius is confident you four can handle it," Delmar said, dismissing me by returning to his instruction.
Maveith and I went to have lunch in the dining room. We found Blaze and Adrian eating at the table. Lunch was just cold sandwich wraps. A servant brought over a bench for Maveith as he would not fit in the chair with armrests. Even after he sat, he had trouble with his knees bumping the table.
Adrian apologized, "Sorry to send you and Blaze out again so soon after our ride, but so many things are happening."
"What has been happening?" I asked as I began to help myself to the sandwiches and weak ale.
"Not much affecting the Sobral province. However, some of the western provinces have been requested to send double shipments of grain to the
capital before the winter. The western provinces have not been hit with the summoned monsters. Duke Octavian controls about half of the grain production in the west." Adrian informed me.
"So that is good news. Octavian will be giving up more of his harvest," I deduced.
Adrian barked a laugh, "No, most likely Duke Octavian will be getting a few favors from the Emperor if he does send the requested grain. It is burning Castile something fierce that Duke Octavian may be seen as the hero in this war by providing food to the starving citizens this winter. He
will make sure everyone knows it is his bread they are eating, of that you can be sure."
We finished our meal, and Adrian dropped more bad news on me, "The company is moving to the Citadel barracks in a few days."
"Why? Are we expecting to be attacked?" I asked, having flashes of being in the gate tower in Macha during the siege.
"No. Much worse. Countess Asella Angella and First Citizen Boris Angella will be arriving with their retinue. The countess is the duchess's mother, and Boris is her eldest brother. From what I understand, the duchess's city is
close to the Eastern Border, and she has decided it is time to visit her daughter in Sobral. The eldest brother is destined to take over the city but is jealous of Veronica for being given a province to rule by the Emperor.
Veronica outranks them both."
"What does that mean for us?" Blaze asked for me.
"Just stay out of their way." He nodded knowingly at us. "Enjoy your last night with a personal servant. I do not see that continuing while they are here."
"Understood," I said and stood.
"Maveith, I have had the misfortune of fighting a lot of big things in the last two months. Do you want to go to the grounds and get some practice in?" Maveith looked at Adrian, who nodded.
His deep voice bellowed, "That sounds fun." Of course, my plan was to get enough time sparring with Maveith to add him to my dreamscape. That way, I could get a decent facsimile to practice against while I slept.
Chapter 107: Not So Secret Anymore
My practice with Maveith was proceeding differently than I had envisioned. I was sprawled on the ground for the fifth time this afternoon. My ribs ached as Maveith extended his hand to help me stand. "You are too bloody strong, Maveith," I complimented him while wincing and focusing on secretly healing a cracked rib. I had not revealed my healing spell form to Maveith, but he had become more aggressive with his swings when he noticed I recovered quickly from his strikes.
"Your invisible shields are no fun to fight against either," he said, rubbing his groin absentmindedly. He had run into one of the shields when we had started, but had become more cautious and intentionally kicked up more dust with his movements to reveal the air shields.
"I have had enough for today, you?" Maveith nodded in agreement, replacing his club on his belt.
The practice yard had five young Citadel guard recruits drilled by the guard captain while I practiced with Maveith. They watched in disbelief as I, for
the most part, held my own against the massive goliath. That was until I ran out of aether and had to block his club with my standard shield.
What I learned was I never wanted to be struck by a giant. Maveith's full- force swing was strong enough to shatter my air shield in one swing. That
was how he hit me for the first time. The shield slowed his club enough that he just knocked me to the ground, but still, I did not think it was fair. He
was also faster than a man his size should be. His second successful strike surprised me with a snap-leg kick to my chest. I had not thought he would use his feet in a fight.
We walked toward the dining room, but I was covered in sweat and dirt. I was still unsure how my relationship with Lareen would play out. She was no longer going to be my attendant. She was also clearly carrying a torch
for her friend in the Dragon Legion. We ended up being early for dinner and were given trimmings of the unfinished roast and loaves of fresh herb bread. Maveith made a sandwich the size of my head and had no trouble consuming it. I filled up on the meat, folding it into sliced bread. Flavius arrived as we were finishing the early meal.
"You two will be coming with me to handle the goblin problem," Flavius said in a commanding statement. As he sat, servants placed plates in front of him. I waved the servant to get me some of the vegetables Flavius had been given.
I recalled something, produced a pouch from under the table, and tossed it to Flavius. He caught the soft toss, and a look of recognition came across his face. I explained, "After you left with Mage Sebastian, I carried your pack. I thought you would want that back. One gold, eight silver."
Flavius was surprised and softened his features. "Thank you, Eryk." He put his coin pouch away. I had not taken anything from it, and I was sure he would confirm that later in private.
Maveith looked to Flavius, "I am happy to be working with you. It feels like I am part of the company."
"Goliaths cannot join the Legion," Flavius stated flatly.
"Why not?" I asked. "Maveith would make a hell of a legionnaire. Would cost ten times what a normal man would to clothe and feed him, but he would be ten times as valuable on the battlefield."
Maveith disagreed, shoveling more food into his mouth, "I only eat twice what a normal man eats, Eryk." He finished swallowing and added, "And a goliath is worth about five men on the battlefield."
His absolutely serious delivery had Flavius and me make eye contact and then laugh. Flavius commented with a grin, "I would gladly fight beside a goliath. They are great at drawing the enemy attacks," Flavius absently stripped the meat from a drumstick with his teeth.
"I can see what you mean. No longer being the tallest man in our company would be welcome. How about it, Maveith? Join Castile's company?" I asked in jest.
Adrian walked into the dining room, and he had obviously been listening, "I can make that happen. You cannot be a legionnaire, Maveith, but you can be logged as a huntsman, guide, or porter for the company."
"Huntsman?" Maveith's deep voice rang out in the hall, focused on the first job.
Adrian sat and talked while he was served. "Huntsman is a mix of guide and purveyor of supplies, basically an additional scout for the company. They are also expected to help us in a fight. Delmar has paid a few in the
past to keep our supplies topped off when we are not near a Legion Hall." He started eagerly on the food placed before him. "Guides are locals that help us in unfamiliar terrain but do not fight with us."
"I think he would make a great porter," I rejoined the conversation. I assumed a porter just carried the legion gear.
Adrian was cleaning a chicken leg, "We usually only use porters when we cannot bring horses along for an extended assignment outside the cities."
Adrian sipped his goblet of wine, "Also, Maveith is contracted to the duchess as a warden, so we would need her to release him from her
service." He sized up the goliath, "But I would welcome you as well. Castile would not be opposed either."
Maveith was reflecting on the offer as he took advantage of the continuous plates of food being delivered by the servants. "I would have to travel with you? Leave my cabin?"
Adrian nodded. "Contracts are usually termed and paid up front. You would travel with us and be given a Legion of the Lion badge. It will allow you to use the Legion Halls with us."
I was confused and asked, "I thought the Empire did not allow non- humans?"
Flavius answered me with a serious tone, "Mage Commanders have more discretion. I have seen halflings and even a dwarf attached to a mage company in the past."
Maveith's voice rumbled. "I will consider your offer. I have many
endeavors going on at my cabin." He looked to be thinking and whispered to himself, "I have missed having others to talk to. My fellow wardens generally do not like company."
Blaze came in with Lucien, "We moved our packs to the barracks, Adrian. When are the guests arriving?"
"Thank you, Blaze. They arrived in the portal in Parvas yesterday. So
maybe five days to make their way down the trade road," Adrian answered.
I inquired, "Can I move into the northwest tower instead? The floors below the alchemist are empty." Adrian looked thoughtful, so I added, "It would make it easier as I am helping him gather ingredients and have to help one day a week with his apparatus."
Adrian slowly nodded. "I will ask Castile and the Duchess. Perhaps we will move a few of the company there. It is at the outer wall?"
I confirmed, "It is. About one hundred feet is cleared from the wall to the woods, and the view looks out over the trees."
"Good. I will let you know when you return from your goblin hunt." Adrian took his wine goblet and left the dining hall, presumably to talk with Castile.
I had some idle talk with Lucien about how Ginger was doing. Maveith, of course, informed everyone at the table that Ginger was house-trained, which got a lot of laughs until they understood he was absolutely serious. Lucien gave me a curious look, and I just shrugged. It was not like I had trained the horse. Maveith really did have a big mouth. I would have to be cautious about what I said and did around him in the future.
I went to my room, probably for the last time, and drew a bath. The water was actually hot this evening, so the servant with the spell form to heat metal was on duty. Without Lareen around, I did my best to clean up and pack for tomorrow's expedition. I briefly wondered how Konstantin was doing in his search for signs of the Elven High Mage Summoner. I was sure he was fine and did not feel guilty at all for not going with him.
I was in bed early and considered using the amulet. Lareen was already aware of it, so there would be no harm. I much preferred the controlled dreamscape to the unpredictable nightmares I seemed to have. Also, I missed Oscar. I entered the dreamscape and played ball with Oscar for a
time before taking a seat in the comfy chair to study the spell form for slow aging. Oscar stretched out in my lap.
It was much more complex than the other spell forms, and there were a number of warnings in the text about mistakes not to make. For instance, I could write the spell form accidentally and not include all of my body.
Granted, this was less likely since the warnings were directed at mages who lacked a high enough time affinity to imprint the spell form. Still, I would proceed with caution.
I was a few hours in when a voice cut my studies. "Where is this place?" I snapped up to see Lareen standing in the middle of the entry chamber.
Oscar looked at me and then at Lareen. "Thanks for letting me know, boy." I stood up, Oscar hopping off my lap and his bob tail wagging as he went to
greet Lareen. "Lareen, what are you doing here? Did you channel aether into my amulet?" A thousand things were going through my mind right
now. I thought the worst-case scenario was she would pick up the amulet again and take me out of the space. I had not thought two people could
utilize the amulet at the same time.
Lareen was walking toward the shelf of books, and I intercepted her, "Did you channel aether into my amulet? The one under my shirt?" I repeated with a little bite this time.
Lareen was trying to read the titles from twenty feet away, but I kept blocking her. "What? Yes. I figured out what it was. This is pretty boring." She gestured to the rock chamber. "I thought you had a better imagination than this, Eryk." She was walking toward the opening of the ankheg room since I blocked her path to the bookshelf.
"You need to leave," I said firmly. Lareen ignored me and continued to the next room. I followed her to the chamber. Adrian, Xavier, Lucien, Maveith,
Konstantin, and Blaze were playing cards at a table. I had set up the poker
table out of some guilt, as I did not know how real these dreamscape people were. I figured I could at least give them something to do.
Konstantin stood eagerly. "Are you ready to get some practice and stop wasting time studying books, Eryk?"
Lareen paused, processing what she saw, so I rushed back and exited the dreamscape. I found Lareen straddling me with her hand under my shirt, holding the amulet. I pushed her off and sent the amulet to my dimensional space.
Lareen rolled to the floor with a thud, disoriented. Lareen quickly gained her senses. "Why did you do that?" she said, dismayed.
"I did not give you permission to use the amulet," I growled.
"It is a dreamscape amulet! We can do anything inside it." She looked confused. "Why are you upset?"
"Did you tell anyone I had this?" I asked, forcing myself to cool off.
"What? No? I just figured it out this afternoon. I was thinking about the dungeon artifacts we studied at the Emperor's palace; it was the only thing that made sense." She stood and went defensive, rubbing her hip, which had bounced on the floor. "I can keep a secret." She said indignantly.
I relaxed. If she studied it, I briefly thought maybe she could tell me more about the device so I could use it more effectively. I shook my head. "Please do. It is precious to me, and this private space is the only way I can get a good night's sleep." I looked at her pleadingly.
"But…" She started. "What were you reading?" She did not realize it was
the wrong question. I decided that maybe I could not afford to trust her. Too many secrets were on those shelves.
"It is not important. Just do not tell anyone about it." I redirected the conversation. "I need to pack," I said, grabbing a glowstone. "The
legionnaires are being sent to the barracks."
Lareen frowned, biting her lip. "That is not for a few days. We still have a few nights together."
I said with manufactured disappointment, "No, I am leaving tomorrow to hunt goblins," I informed her. I started packing the new armor that the
duchess had made for me. Lareen sat on her heels on the bed in her nightshirt, watching me and not helping. I was worried about what was going on in her mind. I dressed in my old armor and bundled the new armor for transport.
As I finished bundling up the armor, Lareen pleaded, "I am sorry. I will not tell anyone about your dungeon amulet. We still have tonight."
I shouldered my backpack, "I have a few things to get done before dawn." I nodded, started walking out of the room, and turned around. I approached
the bed, and Lareen looked hopeful, but I grabbed my griffin down pillow before continuing my dramatic exit. I walked the empty hallway at night, headed toward the northeast tower. Maybe Decimus was awake.
Decimus was sleeping in his cot in the dimly lit alchemy lab. A lot of
burners had been doused or were no longer heating anything. At least the man was getting some needed rest. I went to the floor below and sent the
new armor to my storage. I retrieved one of the weasel pelts and my pillow to sleep on the stone floor. It was definitely getting colder at night.
I tossed and turned while I tried to sleep. I had never been good in relationships, but everyone would agree Lareen was in the wrong here, not me. I thought maybe I should talk with her before I left and apologize anyway. Even when I was right, my past girlfriends always appreciated my capitulation when we argued, and I needed Lareen to keep my secret.
I did not see Lareen at breakfast, and Flavius was anxious to leave even though we were not expected to leave until after midday meal. Shortly after breakfast, Blaze, Flavius, Maveith, and I were walking down the road toward the farm with goblin problems.
Chapter 108: Goblin Slaughter
The road was wet with light rain from last night. I walked next to Maveith with Flavius and Blaze in front. My mind was still turning over the fact that Lareen knew I had a dreamscape amulet. She might know what it was, but I doubted she had figured out just how valuable it was. Six thousand gold
was a fortune in the Telhian Empire. I also wanted to keep how I obtained it a secret. Maybe I was selfish, but I did not want to share it.
Lareen did teach me something interesting about the artifact. More than one person could use it at a time, which raised more questions. Was there an upper limit to the number of people? Did everyone using the amulet have
the same amount of control over the environment? Would the amulet reset if others activated it?
I was distracted from my thoughts by Blaze and Flavius talking. Blaze asked, "Why are we going to kill goblins? This seems just the type of easy assignment the duchess' new guards could wet their lips on."
Flavius answered, "I asked to go when I heard about the farmer's request." Blaze pressed, "Why?"
Flavius was quiet for a good few minutes, then he sighed and admitted,
"The last goblin uprising, some twenty years ago, when they came north in numbers from the mountains, my family was killed. Killing them helps me feel like I am getting revenge."
Maveith had overheard as well and said, "Goblins breed quickly, and they have cities deep in the earth filled with them. Most of what you find on the surface are exiles or wanderers."
Flavius stopped walking and turned around. "How do you know that?"
Maveith shrugged. "There was a goblin sailor on one of the ships I was voyaging on. He was a bit of a pariah like me, and we talked at night on
deck." Seeing Flavius' intense stare, Maveith added, "He was not a bad sort, but I have also killed my fair share of his kind and have no reluctance to kill more." Flavius nodded at Maveith.
Flavius was also interested in learning more. "What did he tell you about the underground cities?"
Maveith scrunched his face, retrieving the memories, "The goblin cities
have thousands of goblins. They grow and eat mushrooms and lichen. They fish in underground lakes for blind frogs and fish. The goblins are constantly living on alert. He talked mostly about the horrors of The
Endless Dark and why he fled."
Blaze, also interested, asked, "What horrors?"
"Giant tunneling purple worms down there are a blessing and curse. They created a network of passages down there but are also nearly unkillable and mindless. Other than that, there are dark elves, kobolds, dwarves, hibernating dragons, and wandering monsters that escape the confines of
the dungeons," Maveith said, testing his memory.
"I don't think I want to visit," Blaze commented. Maveith huffed an amused breath.
Flavius nodded slowly, accepting the answer. "The last goblin uprising was a larger horde than anyone thought possible. If those from The Endless Dark reinforced them, then that makes sense." He turned and started walking. "No matter. We will kill what goblins we find tonight."
We passed a wagon of refugees every hour as we walked. Most were thin and dirty. I had no idea how the duchess would handle the constant stream of people. The walk to the farm was just over four hours, and we waited for Flavius to talk to the farmer in the field for directions.
When Flavius returned, he explained, "The two buildings there are where
the goblins have been raiding at night, chickens and piglets so far. But they will get bolder soon. The farmer has not seen them, but the tracks he found indicate there are maybe half a dozen. Eryk and I will explore beyond the fields, and you two can make camp in that building," he pointed.
I followed Flavius while Maveith and Blaze set up inside the building. As we walked, I scanned the ground with Flavius, looking for signs. Last night's light rain had softened the soil and made tracks difficult to see.
Flavius pointed under some trees. "There. I can see the goblins cut the branches to make a path."
I nodded but did not see anything until we approached. The goblins were only three feet in height, so they cleared the lower branches. Flavius studied the small footprints under the tree. He looked up, "Lot of prints, but it could
be the same goblin over and over. Definitely goblin prints and fresh. The farmer was right. I will go and tell him. Pick out some spots for snares."
As Flavius left, I was at a loss for choosing the best spots for snares. I did not even know how to set snares. When Flavius returned, I told him as much, "I have never hunted with snares before. Can you show me?"
Flavius seemed a little annoyed but did explain. He pulled out some fine metal wire. "We will drive a stake into the ground to anchor one end of the wire. On the other end, we make a loop like this." He demonstrated.
"And this will hold the goblin? Won't they just cut the wire?" I replied, holding a length of the thin wire.
"The green ones are too stupid. The wire cinches into a knot as well. Normally, I would use this for rabbits, but I have found it works just as well on goblins. They struggle, and the wire cuts into the flesh all the way to the bone, making it near impossible to remove without cutting deep into the
leg," he explained. He dropped six prepared twenty-inch stakes from his pack. I helped him for the next hour, driving the stakes in with a rock, and set the wires so that the goblins likely triggered them. He only set the traps on their likely path of retreat into the woods, which I had not thought about.
It seemed a little cruel. I remembered the green goblins I killed in the stables. They seemed more like helpless children than anything. I also did not foresee any opportunity to harvest essence from the goblins we killed with my present company. It would be even more dangerous to use Durandus' collector with Flavius here.
After the midday meal, we returned to the barn where Maveith and Blaze had made camp. It was a livestock building with pigs, chickens, and goats. The smell was not appealing, but this was where we needed to be to confront the goblins. Flavius inspected the barn and pointed. "The windows. When they arrive, three of us will use the windows to catch them outside. Neptune willing, his tear will shine bright tonight, and we will have clear targets with our bows."
I looked and realized I would not be one of the three jumping out the
window. Flavius, Blaze, and Maveith were all the archers in our group. I did not even have a bow. Well, not a bow they knew about.
"We will not leave the barn again for fear of being spotted. Goblins rise about two hours before sunset and are active through the night," Flavius
educated us.
Blaze complained, "I am going to smell like a pig. Are you sure we can't wait on the roof?"
Flavius looked up. "I doubt it could support your weight, definitely not the goliath's. We will wait under those windows, and when the sun sets, we will remain completely silent and wait."
We ate dinner. Maveith happily ate two of the ration bars I bartered with him. Blaze had packed our food. The overwhelming smell of the animals made the honey-sweet rolls, sugar beets, and sweet jerky not as tasty. I also guessed Blaze had a bit of a sweet tooth from his selection.
We whispered to each other as evening came. Flavius told the farmer our plan, so he was not going to visit the barn. It meant that we had to feed the animals, which somehow fell to me. I probably gave them too much, but they did not complain. The sky was clear when the sun set, Neptune's tear was soon bright, and we all went silent. The animals had become
comfortable with us and were trying to sleep, making weird sounds from flatulence and constantly moving to get comfortable.
After an hour, I thought the goblins would stand us up. After two hours, I was sure of it. Then, one of the sows squealed in unhappiness, and her
piglets made soft panicked squeals, trying to hide under her. Other animals started to get anxious as well. The goblins must be near, and the animals could smell or hear them. We still waited for Flavius' signal. My job was to kill any goblin inside the barn. My hand was making my hilt sweaty as I waited perfectly still.
The barn door rattled as the goblins removed the simple bar holding it closed. I could hear them talking in their coarse language as they entered. They sounded suspicious. This would be the third night in a row they raided the same farm. They were not too bright as they entered anyway.
We waited as they entered the barn. A piglet squealed in dismay as it was seized by a goblin who ran out the door with it. The sow crashed in her stall, upset. Finally, Flavius yelled, "Now!"
I rushed out of my dark corner, tossing a glowstone from its black bag. I heard the windows open as the others made their way outside. In the barn's center were four short goblins and one much larger goblin. He was almost
my height but still had green skin. The three small ones looked to him for guidance. He wielded something and rushed me.
He had a rusty long sword, which was a surprise in itself. I made an air shield to block his clumsy swing, then stabbed him in the throat. He dropped his sword and grabbed at my blade, sticking in his neck, surprised he had been struck so quickly. The three small greens bolted for the door
now that their leader was dead.
I caught one in the back of the head as it ran, but the other two were through the door, and now the archer's problem. I searched the barn as I heard bow twangs outside and squeals of pain from the goblins. I found one tiny goblin, no taller than two feet in height, crouched in an empty pen. It
was shaking so violently that I felt pity for it.
I could move the creature to my storage, but did I really want to bottom out my aether right now? We were in the middle of a fight. What would I even do with a goblin child? I was indecisive as the smell of urine became even more pronounced amongst the animals. "You are a fucking idiot, Eryk." I moved the goblin to my storage, bottoming out my aether.
I grabbed my glowstone and confirmed the rest of the barn was clear, and I joined the others outside. The blue water moon gave us enough light to see. Maveith was retrieving an arrow from a goblin corpse, and Blaze and
Flavius were walking toward the woods. It looked like a pair of goblins
were caught in the snares we had set. "I got two; how many did you get out here?" I asked Maveith.
Maveith's deep voice came back. "Blaze got three, and Flavius and I two each. Four made it into the woods, and another two were caught." He pointed. I hustled to catch up to Flavius and Blaze.
Flavius hissed. "Caution, Eryk. There were more than I assumed. One of the ones we killed had a sling, too."
"One of the ones in the barn was as tall as me and had a sword," I replied.
"Hag's curses on us. A hobgoblin?" I just shrugged, not knowing what a hobgoblin was.
"Kill the two in the snares while we cover you," Flavius ordered.
I crouched and approached the woods, looking for movement in the shadows. The first goblin was trying to cut off his foot with a rusty knife, and I ended his torment with my blade. I almost tripped on another snare,
reaching the second goblin. The second goblin was slightly smarter. It had dug up the stake and was carrying it into the woods, limping. But as soon as it stood, Blaze put an arrow into its throat.
I backed away from the woodline to talk with the others. Flavius had us return to the barn. "Two got away, but that is not a hobgoblin, at least.
Looks like a half-breed between a red and a green." Blaze asked, "What do we do?"
"We got eleven of them, and two got away. The world is a better place for it. Most likely, those two will not stop running till morning. We will bury the corpses in the morning," Flavius informed us.
"Do we have to sleep in the barn?" Blaze asked, hopeful of an alternative. Flavius nodded. "Yes, it will be safer. We will scout the woods in the morning for tracks to make sure this pack of goblins is not much larger than
the two that got away."
We dragged my two goblins outside and slept in the barn. The animals were upset all night due to the smell of blood, and I did not sleep well with the noise. The piglet that had been snatched by a goblin returned in the middle of the night, and Flavius volunteered me to go outside and bring it to its mother. When I came back inside, I noticed Flavius shifting in his bedroll by the window. I was immediately suspicious. Did he check on me? Was he thinking I might use the collector on the dead goblins? I was going to have to be cautious around him.
In the morning, we dug a trench while the farmer watched, satisfied with our work, dumped the bodies inside, and covered them in dirt. We walked the woods, and Flavius identified four sets of tracks fleeing away. We tracked them for half a mile before returning to the farm.
Flavius talked to the farmer, and then we started our walk back to Sobral. What was I going to do with a goblin child in my storage? It could make a nice distracting snack for a monster or a distraction. Or maybe I could try harvesting its essence?
When we arrived in Sobral, I looked forward to a bath and rest. Flavius went to make a report to Castile and the Duchess. I went to the kitchens as it was between midday and dinner. I still smelled like the barn, and they chased me out, handing me a plate of food. I found the common baths in the Citadel and washed up before climbing the Northwest Tower to get some
much-needed sleep on the unoccupied floor below the alchemist. I was in a mostly hidden corner of the floor when I donned my amulet and fell into the dreamscape.
Chapter 109: The Duchess' Mother
I felt secure in my little corner of the tower as I entered the dreamscape. Oscar was there to greet me, and I gladly spent a few minutes rubbing his furry belly. I planned to limit my time in the dreamscape to just four hours unless I knew I would not be disturbed. I spent my time studying the spell form tonight. I wanted to learn slow aging as soon as possible. When I returned from the dreamscape, it was dark outside, and apparently, no one had found me bundled in the weasel pelts. Still mentally fatigued from the goblin hunt, I returned for four more hours of study in the dreamscape.
It was still dark when I came out the second time, but I could hear Decimus working above. He apparently liked to talk to himself when he was exhausted. Eight hours in the amulet had washed away my fatigue like a full night's sleep. I climbed the stairs to help him until sunrise—and breakfast.
The smell of peppermint was strong in the room, and I was hopeful my mouthwash was among his processes. "Decimus, how goes the alchemy?"
The pink man jumped in surprise. "Eryk? I was told you were off killing goblins."
"That was yesterday. Today, I am hoping to get my peppermint wash." I sniffed around the room, walking toward the strongest scent of peppermint.
"Ah yes, I purified the lavender yesterday and started in on the peppermint oil this morning. Maybe another day or two. Do you want to see the
process?" The excitable pink alchemist asked. I indicated he should proceed. "Just like the lavender, you grind up the leaves into a mash. Then you use the same equipment for the water purification, but this time, you need pressure to force the oil into the air."
As he explained the process, he did not understand the chemistry as much as a true scientist from Earth. I paid close attention; it was dangerous as hot liquids were under pressure as he worked. The final collection beaker had a
slow drip of oil. I tapped the flask and asked, "Why not cover the collection beaker? Couldn't dust contaminate it?"
Decimus' eyes widended in surprise. "Are you sure you are not an
alchemist? All my special collection beakers are being used." He pointed at
two tables that had a number of sealed beakers that were collecting fluids and gas from a maze of glass pipes.
He sniffed the peppermint oil. "This oil's purity is generally not as important in balancing the reaction. The wash is just one cup of pure water, eleven drops of lavender oil, twelve drops of peppermint oil, some concentrated hawthorn berry juice, and a pinch of sapphire dust. Stir and
activate with a wisp of aether!" He stopped the collection of the peppermint oil by removing the flame and moving a few apparatus. "I guess I have enough to make some if you want to watch." He smiled, his bright white teeth beaming.
"Show me your skills," I encouraged the pink man.
I watched as he took a large glass cup and measured out the water, carefully pipetted drops of lavender, and then peppermint oil. Nothing magical had happened. He took a pouch of powder and added a tiny pinch of the blue- white dust. "Sapphire dust," he informed me. He then rapidly stirred the mixture. He paused and dipped his finger in, and the mostly clear
concoction suddenly sparkled blue and emitted a glow. The glow faded, and Decimus frowned.
"Did it not work?" I asked at his disappointment. The air smelled like a peppermint aerosol.
"No, it was a success. The ingredient harmonization was not very strong, though. The stronger the glow when the aether catalyzes the ingredients, the better the potion." He looked at his ingredients and mumbled to himself, "Probably did not wash the leaves well enough."
I picked up the drink and sniffed it. A strong peppermint smell wafted from it. "So just take a sip, swish, and spit?" I asked reluctantly.
Decimus went to his alchemy book and read, "Peppermint wash is designed to cleanse the mouth and whiten teeth. It should ease rotting teeth as well. A dose is one mouthful. Hold it inside for twenty heartbeats and spit it out. Do not swallow."
"Bottoms up." I raised the glass and took a mouthful; about a quarter of the concoction filled my mouth. I held it for a moment and felt the familiar
taste of peppermint spread, saturating my taste buds. A tingling feeling spread through my gums and to my teeth. Decimus was watching me closely. He seemed to realize something and grabbed a bucket for me to spit
into. I spit into the bucket and ran my tongue across my teeth. The minty feeling remained, and my teeth felt polished.
Decimus tilted his head to look in my mouth. I showed him my teeth, "Ah, great, it worked!" He exclaimed. "My first time trying to brew this potion. Your teeth are whiter, and your gums look healthier! I might have to try it myself," he mumbled softly, "After a few days, to ensure there are no side effects."
I kept running my tongue over my teeth. My mouth really felt better; it felt like I had just swished a healing potion around it. "Why is this potion not more popular?"
"It is in the capital. But the cost to make it." He waved at his equipment, "I would charge maybe fifty silver for the two days of work involved in preparing the potion. And not all potions catalyze properly. If the aether didn't combine the lavender and peppermint, my two days of effort would have been wasted."
"Does that happen often? Failure?" I questioned.
He looked askance, "Not for me! I am quite good at monitoring the purification processes. But maybe the variant of peppermint I selected would not have harmonized with the lavender. Alchemy is very complex, legionnaire."
"How much to have you prepare me ten more cups?" I inquired.
Decimus frowned. "I do not have time. This was a favor to you. Maybe after the winter when the herbs are fresh," he offered. I sighed, took the cup with three doses remaining, and moved it to my dimensional space.
Decimus frowned, realizing he wouldn't get to try it.
"You said it has a short shelf life. Do you have a list of other things you
need? I am supposed to keep you stocked," I added, trying to plan out my day. The sky was graying from the early morning approaching. Decimus rapidly wrote a list on a torn piece of yellowing parchment, and I went to the dining room.
An unfamiliar servant directed me to the barracks on the east side of the Citadel. As I walked to the stone building, I realized that our company had been kicked out of the Citadel. Most of the company was inside the common room. Brutus chirped, seeing me, "Eryk, we thought you were
caught in another clusterfuck with goblins." I should have never taught him that word.
I came and sat at his table with Felix, Firth, and Wylie. Everyone was smiling as they engaged me in conversation. Wylie asked, "How did the goblin hunt go? Blaze did not say much before he left to dig holes, and Flavius is never around."
I pulled a jar of jam and bread toward me before answering, "It went well other than having to sleep in a barn. I think I can still smell the pigs on my clothes." I leaned into Brutus, "Smell my breath."
Brutus leaned away, interposing his hand to my mouth. "Is this some joke?" I grabbed his wrist, pulled it aside, and breathed into his face.
Brutus had been too slow to react. "What the…" he sniffed the air. "Is that mint? Been chewing on mint leaves? That gives you the shits, you know, Eryk."
"No, it is a mouthwash the alchemist is working on. Fifty silver for four doses," I replied to my table.
Firth said, disgusted, "Do not get that pink man sidetracked. I would much rather have a healing potion in hand when my guts are spilling out than minty breath." The table laughed and agreed with Firth.
In spite, I decided not to tell them about the importance of dental hygiene and asked, "So, how have things been on your end?"
Felix answered, "Great, now that the Duchess has been hiring the refugees to dig the holes. We just have four men out there guarding them now."
I asked, "How will she feed all these refugees during the winter? At the rate they are arriving, it does not seem sustainable."
Firth responded by slapping the table, "Exactly what I told Castile and the Duchess. Not that they listened to me. We have been patrolling the city at night to help the guard. Burglaries are starting to increase, and the citizens are blaming the refugees. Soon, things will boil over, I've seen it before."
Brutus shook his head. "He exaggerates. There have only been two thefts from homes in the last two days, no more than normal." He looked at me, "Maybe we can get you on a night patrol. I am sure a legionnaire with minty breath will pacify the angry populace."
Adrian came and joined us at the table. "Eryk, where did you sleep last night? I sent Benito to find you."
"I was in the northwest tower. We had a rough night handling the goblins. I just wanted some quiet," I said, finishing my meal.
"Northwest tower? Ah, yes, I talked to the duchess about that. She said it was fine, but there are no fireplaces. It was also stripped of furniture," Adrian informed me, chewing on his meal.
"I am fine with sleeping on the floor," I said after a little thought.
"Good, we will move all the scouts there and Maveith as well." Adrian laughed as I made an unhappy, surprised face. "Thought you would be alone to do what you wanted in the middle of the night?"
I ignored the implication. "Is Maveith part of the company, then? Has Konstantin returned?" I asked.
The table got quiet, and Adrian shook his head. "Not yet. But the duchess has given the goliath permission to leave her service for Castile's. As to Konstantin…he should have reported in by now."
My heart raced a little in guilt. "Are we going to look for him, then?"
Adrian grimaced. "No. Other plans are being made. Scholar Favian has made progress." I realized that Adrian's grimace was twofold—one for
Konstantin and one for the likelihood of having to enter the specter city of Caelora. "For now, you can find a bed somewhere to bring to the northwest tower and continue to help the alchemist." His tone changed to commanding. "I do not want to hear about you wandering off to look for
Konstantin."
I nodded in understanding. Adrian stood and left our table. "I could use some help carrying a bed to the northwest tower," I asked my table.
Everyone was suddenly done with breakfast and had somewhere else to be. I found Maveith in the gardens and got him to help me carry a bed to the tower. Well, I had him carry the bed by himself, and I carried the musty-
smelling mattress. I took a wooden bed from a dusty room in a wing of the
Citadel. I probably should have asked, but people seemed busy, and the room had obviously not been used in some time.
Maveith was breathing heavily from the effort. "We need two more of these?" He was distressed as the heavy bed frame weighed nearly three hundred pounds and came in one piece. It was not fancy, just overbuilt.
"Three more if you want to sleep in the tower as well. Where have you been sleeping when you stay at the Citadel?" I asked while making the bed. I was
not looking forward to sharing a room with Flavius.
Maveith said, "The old servant's rooms." He looked out the window, "This room does have a nice view."
"We should get some heavy rope in case we need to escape out the window," I said, looking out on the forest with Maveith.
"Why would you need to escape?" Flavius' voice came from the stairs.
"You know, in case a dragon or some other creature was attacking the Citadel," I replied smoothly.
Flavius studied the one bed in the room and looked across the space, maybe thirty feet across, with an archway to a circular staircase. "Dragon?" Flavius said, walking to a window. He looked down. "Maybe a rope wouldn't be a bad idea. I will take care of it. You can get me a bed."
Maveith looked at me before agreeing, "Three more beds then." He huffed and headed down the stairs. I followed him, and the next three beds were lighter and more manageable, but we were both coughing from the dust.
After the midday meal, I finally made it into the woods with Maveith to forage for the alchemist. We returned before sunset.
The next four days proceeded with Maveith and me heading into the woods with Flavius. I rode and exercised Ginger while I searched with Maveith for ingredients. After four days, my mouth still felt clean and a little minty—
the potion far exceeded my expectations.
Flavius split from us and went hunting, and we went foraging. All three of us searched for signs of Konstantin but did not find any. I used the amulet during the night, not expecting Flavius to grope me in my sleep. I also had Maveith's bed next to mine, which was slightly of an error on my part. His loud breathing and sporadic snoring kept me awake if I tried to sleep without the amulet or an oblivion pill.
When we returned from the fourth day, there were forty soldiers and a number of wagons in the primary courtyard of the Citadel. They had blue and gold house colors. Brutus was with the gate guards, and we walked over to him. He explained, "Countess Asella Angella and First Citizen Boris Angella have arrived." Brutus did not look too thrilled.
It had taken them a little longer to get here than expected. The countess was the Duchess' mother, and Boris was her eldest brother. From what I had been told, the countess ruled a city near the border with the Bartiradians and
thought it was a good time to visit her daughter with the war heating up. Things were about to get more interesting.
Chapter: 110 Konstantin Returns
The soldiers for the countess were at attention and waiting for orders. They were all sneaking curious glances at Maveith. Brutus appeared to have been working with the Citadel gate guards. Brutus looked tired and asked, "I am done for the day. Do you mind if I spend some time with you in the alchemist tower?"
"You are welcome to. Maveith hauled up an old table and some seating a
few days ago. Why don't you go steal something from the kitchen for us?" I smiled knowingly at Brutus.
Brutus laughed at me. "Lareen still has the kitchen staff after you?"
I shrugged. "Well, Lareen is upset I have been avoiding her, and her anger has bled over to the kitchen staff. Last time I went for a snack, they just
gave me the scraps they normally give the pigs."
Brutus laughed. "I will get us something good. I am guessing the kitchen staff will be focused on dinner for the esteemed guests."
I went to the stables to unsaddle Ginger and rub her down. As I finished with her, I told her, "Sorry, girl. No apples today." I held up a large yellow carrot. "Will this do?" Ginger sniffed it, considering the betrayal. She eventually took it from my hand, seeing that no apple would magically appear today. Apples had become hard to come by because the refugees had taken them all, clearing the small orchards.
Finished, I went up to drop off my harvest with the alchemist. Decimus' skin was just a faint pink now, and he was hopeful in another two weeks, his skin would be back to normal. Decimus looked up from his work as I entered. Last night, he had fallen asleep and had blown up a boiling container. We had rushed up the stairs to find a mess, and Decimus was pulling shards of glass out of his skin. It allowed him to test his first batch of healing salve on himself. It worked, and our company would be getting the first healing paste from the alchemist soon.
Decimus smiled, still creepy even with pink skin. "Did you get it?"
"Yes," I said tiredly. I emptied my legion box from my dimensional space.
Decimus eagerly sorted through the harvest. As the days cooled, some things were getting hard to find fresh in the woods. Decimus took the ginseng roots that had taken me three days to find with Maveith's help.
The wild herb root was rare in the area. It was one of the ingredients
Decimus needed for the lesser healing potion. The giant bee honey had arrived from the capital just yesterday, along with the special white leather Maveith needed to finish my manticore pouch. I knew he planned to finish it in secret and surprise me, so I pretended not to be aware it had arrived.
Decimus inspected the roots. "Amazing. This one is over thirty years old! This other one is about ten years. Great job. The peppermint wash is over there," he waved his hands, shooing me away, focused on the root.
I went to the table and found a glass container with odd-shaped jagged holes. Decimus had a spell form that could repair items. The alchemist had tried to repair the exploded glassware but had not found all the shards yet. There were also four sealed containers of the peppermint wash on the table
—about sixteen doses in total. The wash freshened breath, whitened teeth, and restored gums and teeth as a minor healing potion—dental hygiene at its finest.
By my estimation, each dose lasted three to four days and could be spaced out even further. My agreement with Decimus was that he would work on the peppermint wash on the side if I helped him for a few hours at night, supervising the extraction of peppermint and lavender oils. He had too much work for the Duchess and Castile to work on my wash. Well, he was also working on a number of processes for his own benefit to eventually sell.
I descended the tower to find Maveith munching on a ration bar and sitting on a bench at the large oak table. He really did like those bars. I took a seat and slid him one of the peppermint containers. "This is it?" Maveith asked.
"Yeah, it should remove the yellow from your teeth and fix the toothache you mentioned," I replied. "Don't swallow it. Just swish it a bit and then spit it out the window."
Maveith broke the wax seal and sniffed the wash. His nose scrunched at the strong, minty wave that hit his nose. He took a pull, taking a double dose to fill his sizable mouth, and started swishing. His eyes went wide as the wash worked. After I counted to twenty, I said, "Go spit it out." Maveith walked to the window and spat out a mist of used wash. He looked down and quickly closed the window.
Maveith looked guilty. "A pair of guards were walking the wall below."
I burst into laughter as Maveith slowly smiled. I commented, "Your teeth do look much whiter. How is the tooth?" I inquired while still letting loose my mirth at the unfortunate guards.
Maveith sucked his teeth and tested them with his tongue. He found the one that had plagued him. "It does not hurt. My mouth feels cold and fresh.
Thank you, Eryk." He pushed the remaining half of the wash toward me. "Keep it. Use it again in four days. Decimus thinks the efficiency will fade in five days, so use it before then. He is slowly working out ways for better
purity of ingredients, too," I said, letting him keep the remaining wash. The
other three jars were secured in my dimensional space for use.
Brutus arrived up the stairs carrying a pack. Mateo was behind him, bear- hugging a small cask. Mateo had a grin on his face, "Got us a cask of ale."
Brutus thumbed in the direction of Mateo. "Found this one moping about no longer having a servant to tend his needs at night and having to do his own laundry. Hope you don't mind."
Mateo put the heavy cask on the sturdy table. It was maybe ten gallons.
Brutus put his own heavy pack of food on the table. Mateo looked around the room. "Nice place. Are we going to play cards or dice?"
"Checkers?" Maveith offered, hopefully. I had found the checkers board and taught Maveith to play, and now he wanted to play every night. Flavius had corrected the rules I taught Maveith. Once a piece was 'crowned,' it could move one or two spaces instead of one I was familiar with. It created some interesting strategy in the end game, as the crowned piece was
unkillable on the edges.
Mateo nodded. "Sure, Maveith." Maveith gleefully went to get the board and pieces.
Brutus had walked around the room and looked out the windows. It was his first time up here. He eventually came back and unpacked his bag. He pulled two loaves, ceramic and glass jars filled with interesting jams and pickled vegetables, a whole roasted chicken, four goblets, and six plates. I was left with tapping the small cask of ale. I only had to remove a round plug on the cask, which took me a few moments. I filled the top-heavy goblets, spilling some ale on the floor, and distributed them.
We started to eat the pre-dinner snack. As we ate, Brutus asked, "How is it living with Flavius up here?"
"Fine, we talk a little at night about his day's hunt, but he keeps to himself mostly," I noted, cleaning a greasy wing.
Brutus shrugged. "Did he go through your things, too?"
My perplexed look had Mateo chime in as he lost the first game to Maveith. "Felix caught him going through Brutus's pack while you were getting the alchemist."
Brutus stated confidently, "He was looking for Durandus' collector. I confronted him after. Don't know why he thought I had it. Thought he might have searched your things as well."
I shrugged, unconcerned, "Maybe. Most days, my pack is left by my bed. Haven't noticed anything out of place." A lot of thoughts went through my head. Was Flavius working for Sebastian to find the collector? Was the goblin hunt a setup to catch me using the collector? Was being placed to
live in the tower to bunk with him a chance to keep an eye on me?
We ate, and we all got defeated by Maveith at checkers. As the sun set,
Flavius returned from his hunt. He looked over our little group, and Mateo asked, "What did you get today?"
Flavius noted indifferently, "Just a small buck. The kitchen is butchering it now." He helped himself to the cask of ale, taking Brutus' cup. "Are you two now bunking up here now?"
Mateo answered, "Wouldn't mind it. Benito snores, and Kolm's boots smell like an overripe block of cheese."
"You should have him see the alchemist. Decimus has something for that," I said, standing. "Are we going to head to the barracks for the evening meal with the company?"
As we walked to the barrack's dining hall for soldiers on the other side of
the Citadel, there was a lot of activity, with servants running everywhere to host. I asked, "A lot of work for just two people. The duchess must really want to impress her mother."
Mateo smirked. "Not what I heard. The duchess was not happy about her mother coming, but there was nothing she could do."
Brutus added, "She was even more upset by her brother coming. At least, that is what Saphron told me she overheard. She hates her brother fiercely, and he is her parent's favorite child. I doubt he is happy that his sister now has a higher rank than himself and their parents. Her father is a baron who
oversees some farming villages but did not travel with the Countess because he has a mistress he prefers."
Flavius was walking behind us and overheard, "You shouldn't be spreading rumors about First Citizens. It is a good way to gain their ire." Brutus just shrugged, as gossip was the best entertainment the men got.
We reached the dining room, and the company had already served the meal. I noted that Castile, Adrian, and Delmar were not here. My small group sat with Firth and Wylie. They welcomed us as we sat.
"Any news?" Flavius asked Firth.
Firth had a habit of knowing things he shouldn't know. "Bit of a spat with the duchess and her mother. The countess wants to quarter her personal guard in the Citadel, but both barracks are occupied." He smiled. We all laughed at the table as we occupied one of the barracks, and the Citadel guard we were training occupied the other.
Firth drank and added, "The countess also brought some twenty attendants with her, and there is a major scramble in the kitchens to feed everyone.
The influx of some sixty mouths into the Citadel is causing the kitchens to go into a frenzy with lack of staff."
Blaze joined us from another table. "The countess' guards are still standing in the courtyard. Poor sods." No one at the table mentioned there was plenty of room in the barracks for both Castile's company and the household guard for the countess. We had all recently been evicted from our luxury
accommodations to accommodate their arrival and were not about to do them any favors.
The conversation turned to the training of the city and Citadel guards, and I only half paid attention as I ate. I was still puzzling out how much interest Flavius might have in me. After returning his coin and the goblin job, I thought we were on good terms, but now I was not certain. I was getting ready to head back up to the alchemist tower when a runner from the Citadel gate came in.
The runner was one of the young guards we were training. He had just run here and was breathing heavily. "Come quick! One of your men has returned, and he needs help!"
We all stood immediately and rushed out of the dining hall, not needing another word. We all thought that maybe the men guarding the hole diggers
had come under attack, but instead, we found Konstantin at the gate, slumped on the ground inside the archway. His arm was in a filthy sling, and the right side of his face was burned, blistered, and cracked. Dried blood marred his armor and face, making him a grotesque sight. His armor was completely blackened on the right side.
Konstantin was barely conscious as six men carried him back to the barracks. Someone went to get potions from the alchemist. Wylie was sent to get Castile, and we waited. Just what in the hell had happened to
Konstantin?