After about an hour or so of walking, we came upon the river Blainaut mentioned the day before. Realizing my shortsightedness, I reached into my Bag and pulled out the pelt.

“Hang on a moment. I forgot to make waterskins for us. It isn’t something I’ve ever really been thoughtful of. I always had water available back home.” I laid the pelt down on the ground, fur side down, and was about to make my first cut when Blainaut stopped me.

“Hang on, Ivor. This river goes directly into the territory of the lizardfolk. We will be able to simply follow it all the way down. If I’m correct, there are also at least two villages that will have an inn or a merchant. We will be able to sell or trade that meat and the pelt for what we need.” He knelt down and scooped some water into his mouth, drinking gratefully. “Still as sweet as ever. This river, the Sioshai, is fed in the north by snowmelt from the Karlin mountains.”

He gestured behind us, and I looked back, noticing for the first time an impressive mountain range behind us. I nodded and scooped a handful of the water. It really was sweet. Not sweet in a ‘I’m seriously parched and this is amazing’ way, rather it was sweet in a ‘Someone spilled some sugar in this water’ way.

“Blainaut, where does that sweet taste come from? I’ve never tasted water this sweet that wasn’t processed in some way.”

“That’s just it, Ivor. Nobody really knows. Expeditions have been sent; some of our finest alchemists have gone, as well. Nobody has ever come back with any sort of a reason as to the sweetness of this water. It also infuses the life that exists within. The small crayfish that live here have some of the sweetest meat I’ve ever had, and I’ve traveled throughout most of this continent, and sailed to the west. Nothing comes close. Even the fish in this river are affected by it. It is a mystery, and a happy one, at that. After several hundred years of wonder, most have decided to simply let the magic be. The taste disappears after it meets with the Croi river at Gnok, our first destination, however.” Blainaut wiped his palms on his pants, and followed the river south.

As we walked, I continued to snack on the jerky that I’d brought, figuring I should exhaust my own supply before I dug into the meat we had harvested from the Dire Bear. I watched the boys surge forward, chasing one another, or a rabbit we startled on our way, only to meet up with them shortly as we kept plodding along. In this way, we covered the few miles to Gnok with no real incident.

Once we could see the city in the distance, Blainaut stopped us. “Now, listen. You will not like this and neither will the children. Slavery is commonplace here. Lizardfolk are the smallest of the slaves, and everyone will expect them to be treated as such. Since they are yours, you will have to at least appear to conform. Otherwise, we may well find ourselves in serious danger; the likes of which even your proclivity to magic would be unable to save us from. I would suggest creating some kind of crate to store the meat in, and giving it to the largest of the three…Ahte-tin, I think is his name?”

I placed a hand on Blainaut’s shoulder, “It’s Ahte-tan, Blainaut, and I think you’re right. As much as I loathe it, in this situation, conformance will keep us all alive.” I motioned for the boys to come to our side. “Hey boys! Come over here. We need to talk.”

The three trotted over, all smiles. “Yes, Mr. Ivor?” Ahte-tan asked.

I knelt down to be closer to their level, and to my surprise, Blainaut did, too. “You all know how life was a few days ago for you?” Three little faces drooped, coupled with nods. “Well, we have to pass through a couple of cities, where we will spend the night, if we can afford it. Well, in order to do that, all the people around us will have to think that you are still slaves. If something happens, know that I’ll step in to protect you, okay?” As they started to protest, I held my hand up for them to stop. “I don’t like it, either. Once we get through both cities, we should be either in or close to the lizardfolk territory. Okay? Just for a short time.”

I scooped all three in a tight hug, and Blainaut added “Listen, I am trying to understand Mr. Ivor’s way of thinking. It isn’t easy for me. Over these last two days, I’ve seen more and more to show me that maybe I was wrong.” He looked me in the eye as he said this, and his face showed regret. “As strong as Mr. Ivor is, he does not know much about our world. As such, I will help him in keeping you safe as is needed. If I’m to face justice from your people, I can at least begin to make amends here and now.”

The kids looked at him with skepticism until Ahte-ukum walked over and placed a stick he had been carrying with him into Blainaut’s hand. “Here you go. You can use this to keep the bad people away.” Then he scurried back over and hid behind his brothers.

Blainaut looked down at the small stick in his hand, then back up at the trio. “This is a mighty weapon indeed. Are you sure I deserve it?” At Ahte-ukum’s nod, he straightened himself, and brandished the stick like a small dagger. “Very well. I shall do my utmost to keep us all safe. Thank you, small warrior.” He sketched a bow, and started off into the treeline, calling back “Ivor, I think we should make what we need, and get moving.”

I nodded and explained the situation to Ahte-tan, who nodded thoughtfully and agreed to carry the crate. “Come on kids. I have some small magic to do, and we all have to prepare for what’s about to happen.”

Upon reaching the treeline, I found that Blainaut had already selected some branches and sticks of a decent size, and had laid them out for me. I arranged them into the necessary shapes and Fused them together, making it look like a natural growth pattern, and fitted it to Ahte-tan’s body. I did my best to make sure he wasn’t pinched or hurt by his new pack, and commenced to filling it with some of the dried meat and a section of the pelt from the Dire Bear. In all, he carried an extra twenty pounds on him, and he seemed to be okay with the weight. I took the time to add a simple timed locating spell to each of the boys, just in case we got separated somehow. It would, upon concentrating on the spell, give me a direction that he was in, nothing more. I had each child test it out by playing a quick game of hide and seek, with me being blindfolded.

Satisfied with my work, we continued to the gates of Gnok, and I kept reassuring them that whatever happened, I’d take care of them, no matter what.

Gnok, it seemed, was a small town that happened to exist at the junction of the Croi and the Sioshai rivers. As such, it was a hotbed of trade and commerce. Boats of all sorts passed through the town on a regular basis, picking up and dropping off goods. I may well find some source of money here, if I were lucky.

I turned to Blainaut and asked, “What about buying our passage downriver to the next town, and head off from there?”

He stroked his chin, replying “It’s a possibility. The passage isn’t cheap, but we might be able to offer some of the meat and the pelt as payment?” He shrugged his shoulders, and we continued into the city, seeking out an inn. “We will try to offload some of the meat here tomorrow. One of the inns may take it as stew meat. I know a tailor who might be interested in your pelt. Night will be here soon, and if memory serves, we absolutely do not want to be out and about after nightfall. The local thieves guild is unapologetic and ruthless. It is said that it is they, and not the magistrate who actually runs this city. If they want something to happen, it happens. You would be wise to keep your knife and your other weapon ah, what did you call it?”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“A gun,” I supplied helpfully.

“Yes, your gun, keep it handy. While you may never need it here, it would be a worthwhile deterrent.”

Blainaut turned a corner, and I kept the three boys directly in front of me with gentle touches on their shoulders. People watched us from the sides of the streets as if we were some sort of parade. None seemed too happy to see three lizardfolk children walking about in the open. Some even spat at us, but shrank back at a sharp look from myself or Blainaut.

Looking about, I saw several different species of people. Some that I recognized as Dwarves, others I could only call Elves due to their height, thin bodies and pointed ears; I saw what was definitely a line of Orcs shackled to each other, walking toward a central dais in the city square that I assumed to be their flesh bazaar, and among them I saw a multitude of lizardfolk. It seemed adult lizardfolk were only about five feet tall, and the boys were of average height. I sighed, knowing I could do little to help these people. The knowledge weighed heavily on my heart. Here I was, going to save three little boys while countless others still remained in bondage. I hardened my resolve, and continued on, following Blainaut.

Eventually, we came to The Sleeping Dog, an inn that apparently Blainaut had frequented when he was still exploring.

“Blainaut! It has been too long, my friend! You haven't been here in almost a decade, and Miriam was getting worried.” The portly innkeeper grasped Blainaut’s hand in both of his and gave it a hearty shake.

“Colben! It’s good to see you well. I trust Miriam is still baking her wonderful fruit pies? Oh, who am I kidding? Looking at you, it’s quite obvious she still is, and frequently.” The two shared a boisterous laugh at the exchange.

Colben gestured toward me and the boys, who were huddled close to me in fear. “And who are these? You’ve brought lizardfolk to my inn, Blainiaut. I trust they’re tame?” He stared daggers at the boys, who tried to disappear into me.

Blainaut looked wounded. “Come now, Colben. Of course they’re tame. I remember what happened with that Orc when Waltred failed to tame it properly. Poor man. Nobody deserves to die like that. Besides, these are younglings, the oldest is no more than nine, and the youngest is four, I think. They pose no danger to you or your patrons.”

Colben harrumphed “They’d better not, or I’ll be serving lizard stew on the morrow.”

I chimed in, “Speaking of stew, good sir. I have brought a goodly amount of meat for trade, if that’s possible.” I smiled as disarmingly as I could.

“Blainaut, who is this short barrel of a man?” Colben crossed his arms, “I don’t recall you having travel companions before.”

“This is Ivor Freyrsson, Colben. Ivor, this is Colben Stormhunt. Proprietor of The Sleeping Dog, and a longtime friend. Ivor here is a rather good hunter, and has taken an interesting beast that might bring you some local fame.”

I shook the larger man’s hand warmly. “It’s a pleasure, sir.”

Colben crossed his arms again, “Now what kind of animal have you taken that might interest me, Ivor? I’ve seen all manner of beast pass through my kitchen, and none have been anything very special.”

“Oh really? Well, I’d only taken down deer, and the occasional wild dog before last week. Until I chanced upon this Dire Bear.” I tapped the cloak I was wearing and gestured to the pack on Ahte-tan’s back.

“You expect me to believe that a little man like you managed to kill a Dire Bear?” I nodded and he laughed loudly. “Blainaut, you should have told me you brought a prankster.” He looked over to Blainaut who simply gave him a blank look and raised an eyebrow. “Wait. You’re serious? This is Dire Bear pelt? And meat?”

Blainaut nodded, adding “Yes. I was there for the kill and the subsequent tanning. It was a thing of marvel, that bear. To see it taken down with a single, well-placed shot was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This man is as fearless as they come, if not a little reckless.”

I nodded, and handed the man a piece of the dried meat, “I managed to prepare and smoke all the meat from the bear, here is a sample.” I also handed him the small square of pelt. “And this is the pelt. I made sure to make it supple as well as thick. It is what our cloaks are made of. And yes, I gave one to my porters, as they are of no use to me if they freeze to death.”

Colben stuck the small piece of meat in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, closing his eyes. After a moment of chewing he swallowed and said smiling “Yes. I do believe this is what will make a name for us. Dire Bear stew. A pity you couldn’t get me some fresh meat. A roast would be sublime. Name your price, Ivor. I’ll pay it.” The man nodded once.

I looked at Blainaut questioningly. Thankfully, he seemed to take the hint. “Ivor isn’t from here, old friend. He doesn’t know our currency. In fact, he only just managed to learn our language. However, I believe a single night, two meals each and say, thirty silver?”

“Fifteen.” Colben set a hand on his hip and looked into Blainaut’s eyes.

“Fifteen? You would rob this man of his well-deserved reward? Twenty-five.”

“Twenty. And not a copper more, you hear me? Times are hard with the magistrate breathing down our necks here.” Colben’s massive head drooped, stress evident in his frame.

I stuck out my hand. “Deal. Twenty silver, along with a small purse for it?”

Colben shook my hand, nodding gratefully “Aye, lad. Twenty and a purse. How many pounds do you have in that basket of yours?”

“About fifteen, sir. Should last a while if you serve it on a limited basis, on a specific day. And you could up the price for it, too. Within reason, of course.” I gave him my most dazzling smile.

“Oh, yes. Within reason, sure.” The man laughed at the statement.

“Excellent. I’ll just take this basket from you, lizard. It belongs to that man, now.” I gently removed the basket from Ahte-tan’s back, and handed it to the innkeeper. “Enjoy, sir.”

“Now, Colben. If you’d be so kind as to show us to our rooms, we would like to rest from our journey.” Blainaut smiled and clapped his big friend on the shoulder.

“Of course! This way.” Colben led us up a flight of stairs to the six rooms he had available in his inn.

“Blainaut, you’ll have your usual room, and Ivor, you can have the one next to him.” Colben gestured to a pair of doors at the end of the hallway.

I opened the door to my room, noting that it was about as large as a standard bedroom back in my world, having a bed, washbasin and a small desk. “Sir, may I ask where the lizards will sleep? I don’t want them too far, in case I need them to run an errand.”

“Lizards sleep in the barn with the other slaves and servants. If you want them in here, you’re responsible for the room. Tame or not, I don’t like them in my home.”

I looked him in the eyes, a blank look on my face “They stay with me, then. I shall also take my meal here, if you don’t mind.” Blainaut’s eyes grew wide as saucers.

“Fearless and reckless, indeed. I warn you hunter, that if anything is missing, chewed up, or destroyed, I will kill your lizards, and then beat you so badly your own mother wouldn’t know your corpse.” He leaned in menacingly.

I smiled slightly, my hands opening and closing rhythmically, “You may test that assumption at your earliest convenience, Sir. Have a good evening.” I ushered the boys into the room, and gently closed the door in Colben’s face.

“Blainaut, that man is as dangerous as they come. The blatant disrespect coupled with consideration for slaves. For lizards of all things. I don’t see how you put up with it.” Colben shook his large head slowly.

“He grows on you, old friend. He grows on you. I’ll take my meal up here as well, if you don’t mind. He and I have some things to discuss about our trip. I promise I’ll be down to say hello to Miriam before we leave on the morrow.” Blainaut gently patted his friend’s arm and walked into his room.

Colben shook his head, wondering if the world hadn’t gone crazy. A small man like that killing a Dire Bear? Showing consideration to a slave? And what was up with that look in his eyes? He certainly seemed willing and ready to fight in the corridor. Best not to think about it.