(Thanks for reading! Please leave comments here, and rate on the main page for Dragonfather!)
Turning to Hym, who was still lying on the ground, exhausted, the Palather let loose a harrumph. “Boy. Your sword arm needs work. I don’t know how you survived that, but Darion is one of the strongest of my knights. You’ll want to keep your head down if you want to keep it on your shoulders. Pride comes before a fall, and all that rot.”
Sighing, he shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on with the knights these days. Worthless, the lot of ‘em. I apologize you had to go through all that, it used to be a man could forge his own path in life. These days, people like you are killed more out of custom than any actual reason for hatred. Enough of that though, you’re probably wondering what to do next?” Hym nodded. This man was surprisingly talkative, for looking as rough as he did.
“Well your life is spared, obviously. I’ll write you up a writ of passage, so you can leave and enter the city when you need. I’ll also spread the word that you’ve been exonerated in regards to your lineage. You should be able to walk the streets at least, but I wouldn’t recommend walking down too many dark alleys.”
Turning to Vip, he said, “You’re naturally free to go. Honestly, the way this whole debacle was handled makes me sick. Darion should have asked you to come, and bribed you to try to mate. He’s lucky you didn’t roast his rotten arse. You have to understand, we aren’t interested in subjugating you, we’re interested in allying with you. The strength of a city under dragon protection would be immeasurable. I hope you can let all this be forgotten. In return, you can stay here when you need.”
Pulling out two rectangular, hand sized stone tablets, Darius traced his finger over the surfaces. “These are your Writs, they’re made with Stonecutter magic, so they won’t break, and they aren’t alterable. Keep them on you, and don’t show ‘em off, even though they’re useless to anybody else.” Handing over the slabs, Hym looked at it closely. It looked like ordinary rock for the most part, except for the unnatural smoothness. Hym couldn’t read the language written, but he assumed whatever was written on the slab was important.
Sliding the tablet into the waist of his pants, he nodded at the Palanther. “Thank you for your assistance. Not all of you seem to be scum.” “My name is actually Arthur, so if you get into a spot of trouble, mention it to the guards. Although you’ll end up back here at the end of a stronger sword than last time. Just don’t break any laws and you should be fine.” Having said his piece, the Palanther stomped off towards the barracks.
It was odd to walk through the streets, surrounded by the staring faces of those he passed as he wandered down the cities many roads. Vip walked by his side, drawing just as many gasps of fear. Being used to people staring, it didn’t really bother Hym. He would have found somewhere else to be, or even left the city, if it weren’t for a small problem.
He was lost. The city was truly large, but cramped. If Hym stopped to ask a person for directions, said person would either soil themselves and run, or stand there with their mouths flopping. The surrounding crowds pressed far too close for either of them to spread their wings and get an aerial view either. “This is bothersome,” Hym sighed. “It could be worse, after all, you could be dead. Or the guards could be coming after you,” Vip chortled. Hym shivered slightly at the memory of all those guards in their black, shining armor. They kept moving until the sky grew dark, the second sun setting and the first moon growing visible.
Hym eventually gave up, tired of walking, and collapsed on a bench in front of a shop. Uncertain what to do, he pondered as he watched the crowds move through the streets. A cry of pain echoed through the streets, and the crowds were eventually pushed out of the way as the patrolling guards came through to stop whatever was happening. The guards surrounded Hym as he sat on the bench, sighing and looking slightly lost. “Oy, you. What choo have to do with this over here, ey?” One of the guards started questioning Hym.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
He was dressed in the same black armor as those practicing in the fields outside, intricate, black as night and polished to a sheen. Hym couldn’t see their faces, but he could smell the fear on them when they looked at Vip. “I didn’t have anything to do with it. Here, look at these.” Hym handed the guard the Writ he had received from Arthur, and the guard’s breath caught. “Sorry guv’nor, didn’t mean no harm did I? This guy o’er here got ‘is stuff nicked. You ‘appen to see anythin’ funny?” Hym shook his head. “Well that’s awlrite then, ‘ave a good one.” The guard backed off rather quickly after handing the tablet back to Hym.
Looking at it, he placed it back into his waistband. There was a wave of mutters amongst the crowd, as the questioning guard explained that Hym was innocent. One of the guards was inspecting Hym’s wings from a distance. Obviously pondering the wisdom of talking to a Skald, he sauntered over and said, “You look like you haven’t enough money to eat, let alone get a decent room. You lookin’ for a way to get some money?” Nodding noncommittally, Hym asked, “What do you need, then?”
The guard explained that the peasant had been robbed, gave a brief description of the thief, and told how he would pay if he would find the thief and get her food back. Hym asked, “Is that all?” Seeing a nod from the guard, Hym asked them to give him room to spread his wings, and took off into the air. Having an aerial view of the city, Hym sighed in disgust.
They had actually managed to get deeper into the city, rather than finding an exit. The city spread out below him, a labyrinth of twisting alley ways. Hym soon spotted the thief, sprinting full out through a dark alley. A scrawny man of diminutive stature. Deciding to take a trick out of Vip’s book, Hym positioned himself above the man, and folded his wings, diving through the air, feet first.
He hit the man square in the back, and Hym could hear, and feel the crunching of bone. Stepping off the man’s back, he grabbed him by the hair, crouched, and looked at his face. He seemed to be unconscious. Grabbing the more than likely paralyzed man, he tossed him into the air as high as he could. Vip swept by, and grabbed the man’s leg in his teeth.
Hym looked at the alley, and thankfully there seemed to be enough room in it to spread his wings, if he stood sideways. The problem with wings is that it’s hard to hover, the natural instinct is to go forward. So Hym grabbed the sack of food, and launched himself strongly, letting loose strong strokes with his wings. He impacted the side of one of the buildings that made the alley way, and essentially clawed his way up, until he made it into the air.
The flight back to the guards was uneventful, if you discount the thief waking in mid-air, wetting himself, and immediately passing out again. As Hym handed the food over, the peasant grabbed Hym’s hand and gave it a thorough shaking, thanking him over and over. He pressed a few copper into Hym’s hands and hurried off for the safety of his hovel. Eyeing the money in his hand, he was surprised.
There were about five copper there, which was enough to at least get a meal. Smiling, Hym pocketed the money. One of the guards wandered over. The guard grudgingly handed over a thin sack that jingled. “The standard fee for a bounty hunter, regardless of the fact that he would have been caught in a matter of time anyways.” Looking inside, Hym nearly swallowed his tongue. This was more money than he had ever had in his life!
Having grown up in a small village, eating bugs and worse, Hym fully knew the value of the money in this sack. He counted out the copper, he now had fifty-three of them. Seeing the smile on Hym’s face, the guards relaxed slightly. If it likes money, it’s at least some part human. Hym looked up from the bag, and narrowed his eyes. The guards tensed back up, until his next question. “Where can I find more of this work?”