Crixus spat out his drink. “You lie!”

“On my honor as the Baliff!” Cirea said proudly, her eyes glittering as she pressed two fingers lightly over her heart. “Even brought the beast in myself.”

“Thats... incredible!” Crixus gasped. “How did you manage it? From all the stories I’ve heard, they’re more dangerous than an elder warg!”

Cirea took a long pull on her mug, holding up her index finger in the universal ‘hold on a second’ gesture. After she was done, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“I wish I could say that I overpowered the brute, but truth be told the beast was practically skin and bones and as docile as a lamb when I rescued him. Had to have been on his own for weeks, if not months. All I had to do was feed it an apple and it practically followed me home.”

“Still, a Gen’Sheld,” Crixus whistled. “A mare?”

“Uncut stallion,” Cirea’s smile widened, showing her teeth. “Earned me quite the bonus from the Patriarch.”

“Whatever he gave you wasn’t enough,” Crixus sat back stunned. “The money he could make off the studding fees alone...”

“Pardon, but what makes a Gen’Sheld so special? Is it a special breed of horse?” Kedryn interrupted, his eyes alight with curiosity.

“What kind of elf doesn’t know what a damned Gen’Sheld is?” Cirea snorted, looking at Kedryn like he belonged on the short bus. “Out of everyone here I thought you’d be the one to object to us having caught him.”

Glade winced internally. This was a time to keep their mouths shut and ears open, not ask questions that would make them stand out. Hopefully, everyone remembered their back story.

“A sheltered one,” Bragden snorted before taking another pull of his drink. “He was done raised apart from others of his kind. Somethin to do with elvish slagging politics.”

“Really?” Cirea leaned forward, showing far too much interest. “Now that sounds like a tale begging to be told.”

Glade opened his mouth to respond with as bland an answer as he could come up with when a loud bell interrupted his thoughts.

Cirea scowled, scooting back her chair to stand.

“A story that will have to wait, I suppose. I’m leading the watch this evening,” she groused before draining the rest of her drink. “Since you lot are in town until the Dragonling is refitted maybe I can take you to see the brute.”

“I’d happily treat you to a night on the town if you could make that happen,” Crixus said with a knowing smile.

“Ha! You never stop trying, do you, you old sea dog!” Cirea laughed, casually slinging her great sword over her shoulder. “Fine, I’ll show you and some of your new friends around the Aldorn’s stables. Drop by the training field tomorrow after eighth bell. We can talk about you treating me to dinner then,” she called over her shoulder, winking at Crixus.

“She didn’t pay for her drink,” Bragden growled, looking after the Balif as she swaggered out the door.

“The Balif and I have an understanding,” Crixus said, casually leaning back in his chair with a self satisfied smile. “My men don’t have to worry about being harassed so long as they don’t do anything too stupid and Cirea gets to wet her whistle with a friendly chap like myself.”

“All paid for by house Fellu?” Kedryn asked with a grin.

“I love using other people’s money, don’t you?” Crixus laughed, raising his mug in a salute.

“We should probably go over exactly what we can get away with and what we need to avoid,” Glade said in a low voice. “No need to draw too much attention to ourselves. I can only imagine what our new friend the Baliff would have to say if she found out.”

“Tis true, but thats a discussion for tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate!” Crixus yelled. “To our generous benefactors and, at long last, to being free men!”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Freedom!” the other sailors cheered around the tavern.

“Shouldn’t we keep that quiet?” Kedryn hissed, pulling Crixus back into his seat.

The captain laughed, slapping Kedryn on the back like he had told the funniest joke in the world.

“We would draw far more attention if we weren’t celebrating,” he replied in a low voice, keeping a cheerful smile. “The people here know us. I can tell you straight that the first thing they noticed was that me and mine no longer wear the collar. By celebrating, we’re making them think that we earned our freedom from the Fellu family. The only person we really need to fear is the local slavers guild official, and he and I have a similar arrangement as I do with the Baliff.”

“Is that wise?” Bragden growled, whatever happiness he had before vanished at the mention of the slavers guild. “If the man identifies us...”

“Old Earnest is one of the biggest drunks along the coast,” Crixus snorted, swirling the remainder of his ale as he grinned at them. “Even better, he’s the laziest man I’ve ever met. There’s a reason he was sent out to a place like Aldorna to run the guild.”

“Still, Bragden makes a good point. The less interaction we have with him the better,” Glade replied.

“Not going to be an issue,” Crixus replied, pointing at the only passed out drunk at the bar. “Thats where we can usually find him when we’re in port. Some of the best copper I’ve ever spent.”

Glade took in Crixus with newfound respect. That kind of foresight was rare in a person.

“Still, can anyone tell me what a Gen’Sheld is?” Kedryn asked. “I’d like to avoid any further embarrassment if I can.”

“Good luck with that,” Bragden muttered.

“Don’t pay attention to old sourpuss,” Crixus smiled. “I knew you were sheltered the moment we met. Never seen an elf with a bald head before. Anyway, a Gen’Sheld is to horses like a Greater Dragon is to drakes. Its the highest evolved form a horse can take on its own. Their name means Horse Lords in Free Script.”

“Bah, yer not explaining it half as well as ye should,” Gent interjected, his nose and cheeks flushed from the alcohol. “Horse Lords be rare because thousands o’ years ago they swore their line to a particular house o’ elves. They’re sentient in the way that lesser dragons be sentient. Smart enough to communicate, but not the kind of intelligent creatures that they can set up their own society. But that not be the most interesting thing about them. Not by half. If’n a Gen’Sheld chooses ye, then the both of ye can form a bond like a tamer can bonds to his beasts. If that happens, the horse lord can evolve further depending on what attunements or abilities its bonded has. At least, thats what the stories say.”

“Evolve how?” Kedryn leaned in, his eyes wide with excitement.

“Don’t know for certain. Nobody outside the elves do,” Gent explained. “But I’ve heard tell that they can grow wings, cast magic, or even breathe fire.”

“I take it you’ve never seen one?” Glade asked, taking a sip of his water.

“Hardly anybody alive has,” Crixus replied. “Which is why I’m not going to miss out on seeing one tomorrow. If I were a betting man, the Aldorn Patriarch isn’t going to be able to keep that prize for long. It’ll draw far too much attention for such a small house. If I were him, I’d try to get it to breed every mare within fifty leagues until its taken off his hands.”

A cold breeze blew into the tavern as someone walked in. Slowly, conversations died down as heads turned from their conversations.

“Who is that?” Glade heard one of the sailors whisper in awe.

A beautiful woman with tanned skin and shoulder length sun bleached hair stood just inside the door. She was wearing fitted leather pants and a long forest green tunic, a broad brown belt wrapped around her waist tying the ensemble together.

Several men whistled their appreciation.

“Riya?” Kedryn asked, doing a double take.

The woman glanced in their direction, her amber eyes lighting up with recognition.

Glade stood, gesturing to an empty chair as several others began grumbling

Riya’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment at the attention as she rushed to the offered seat.

“You look fantastic!” Kedryn blurted out.

“Thank you,” she squeaked out.

“If they can clean you up that well, just imagine what they can do for our illustrious Glade?” Crixus laughed.

“Or Bragden,” Gent snorted into yet another cup of ale.

“I think thats a lost cause myself,” Glade replied. Everyone except Bragden burst out laughing.

“What’s for dinner?” Riya asked. “I’m starving.”

“Fish stew and fresh baked bread,” Glade replied, waving down a server. “How was the tailor?”

“Mistress Firea was most accommodating,” Riya said with a smile. “She will finish a dress and another change of clothes for me by tomorrow evening.”

“I’m glad to see you smiling,” Glade said with all honesty. “We’ll head over tomorrow after we get back from the stables. I’ve arranged for the staff here to wash and dry our clothes while we sleep.”

“The stables? Why are we going to the stables tomorrow?” Riya asked with genuine interest.

“The town Balif found a horse lord or something and wants to show it off,” Kedryn said matter of factly. Riya’s head snapped in his direction, her eyes wide with shock. “By the way, Crixus, which of the elvish houses did the Gen’Sheld’s bind themselves to.”

“Well, thats what makes finding one so impossible. They went and bound themselves to the treeless of all things!” Crixus said with a shake of his head. “From what I hear, not even the royal family has one.”

“One of the Gen’Sheld is here?” Riya hissed, gripping Glade’s arm tightly.

“Thats what Cirea said,” Kedryn replied, looking at her in concern. “Riya, are you ok? You’re as white as a ghost.”

“Take me there. Now!”