Tiny furballs pinned the three students in place, giving them plenty of time to discuss ideas. At first, it had seemed like the solution was obvious: they should just send word to Lorelle and Nils and have the professionals take care of them. It was Lauren who looked around and almost facepalmed.
“They don’t need to hide anymore. They’re staying here to protect their babies, but there aren’t any more goblins to be a threat,” Lauren said.
“They don’t know that though,” Yaric countered.
“Maybe we can show them?” Lauren suggested.
“How? Princess would never leave her cubs.”
“It won’t make a difference,” Li Na piped up from where she lay under five sleeping cubs. “Princess hurt her wing, and the other griffon came back without any food. These goblins probably made food hard to find. None of that is going to change overnight; they can’t feed themselves.”
“That makes sense, but then what can we do?” Lauren asked.
“The first option,” Li Na replied.
Their discussion had gone full circle.
Nothing they could do would be easy or quick to get done. While it was pretty much decided that they would be contacting Lekton for help from the staff, that required sending a message and then trying to help feed the griffons while they wait, or having some of them travel back in person while others stayed behind.
“It might help to stop at some villages on the way. We might be able to get something for them to eat,” Yaric said.
“There’s no way we could carry enough for these two,” Li Na replied.
“We can if it walks. I was thinking of trying to buy a cow or something. We can just bring it here.”
Both Li Na and Lauren seemed hesitant. They had grown up in the city, so they had never been exposed to predators. Yaric had been isolated enough that he didn’t have all that much exposure either, but he at least had lived close to the cattle pens and local butcher.
“I guess it’s what they do anyway,” Lauren eventually said, looking uncomfortable.
Princess’s family wasn’t exposed to any danger anymore, so there was no need for someone to stay with them at the time. It was also getting late, and they had a long way to go if they wanted to catch up with the militia on their return journey, so Yaric prepared himself to rouse the soft little cubs.
There was no need. Somehow sensing the shift in the mood, one cub lifted its head slowly and opened its beak wide, letting out a long, squeaky yawn. The others soon joined, and less than a minute later they were bounding around the humans, chasing each other and pouncing whenever they cornered a sibling.
Princess stiffened slightly when they stood, but she didn’t make any other moves and just watched calmly as they waved and walked away. A few cubs followed at first, until a soft chirrup from their mother brought them running back.
“I wish we’d been able to do something about Princess’s injuries,” Li Na said with a hint of guilt.
“We’re nowhere near that level,” Lauren pointed out.
“Still…”
They waited until they were clear of the so-called mountain before breaking into a run. Months of training with Hiawatha had drilled the need to stay alert into them, so even though they had already cleared the area, they still took up positions that would enable them to watch for surviving groups of goblins. There was nothing to see bar the faint trails of smoke still forming faint smudges against the horizon.
Darkness would be descending soon, leaving them with too little time to get to a village and return with something for the griffons to eat. It was late enough that they weren’t even sure if they would be able to get something to eat for themselves.
Everyone had a lot on their minds during the long run to the nearest village. The discovery of Princess and her babies gave them a brand-new problem to deal with, but Yaric’s thoughts kept drifting to the militia and everything that had happened to them. Running around and destroying goblin villages while talking with friends had been a great distraction, but that was over now.
Lauren noticed his mood and started bouncing ideas off Yaric to try and distract him. It wasn’t long before Li Na had them competing to see who could be the first to spot random objects like logs or birds’ nests; unfortunately she tended to come up with an object to look for just after she spotted it herself.
Yaric countered by repeatedly suggesting they look for a mace, which was strapped out of sight on her back. It didn’t matter if she already knew where it was.
Deep shadows had already shifted to the full shroud of night by the time they made it to the village, running under a dark and cloud-filled sky. Simple fireballs held above their heads gave them just enough light to run with, and as they didn’t need more focus than a constant trickle of arcana once cast, they were easy enough to maintain the entire way. Li Na had to go without, as a fireball held above her head was a fireball held in front of Yaric’s face, but they managed with just the two of them lighting the way.
“It doesn’t look like this place has any inn,” Lauren said hesitantly. “Or a guest house.”
The guards at the gate had let them in without a word, leading the three of them to assume that their arrival wouldn’t cause any complications. Not many villages this far from the border would have walls, and none but the smallest would be without accommodation for travelers. This place seemed to buck both trends.
“We can try the tavern,” Li Na suggested, pointing down the road.
They were standing in the middle of a dark, dusty street, gazing around at the even darker silhouettes of small buildings that lined the unkept road. Slivers of faint silver light slipped out from under a few doorways, silently confirming that the village was not abandoned.
Not that anyone needed any confirmation.
Just a few buildings down was a brightly lit section of the road, the building beside it almost blazing with light from regular lanterns and candles that contrasted starkly with the black structures beyond it. Laughing and shouting could be heard from within, while shadows danced across both the street and the shimmering golden windows, their dust-covered surfaces glowing from the warm light flickering within.
It was easy to see why Li Na wanted to try there first.
“I doubt they’re also an inn,” Yaric said cautiously. “It’s too small.”
“Who said anything about it being an inn? That tavern just looks like the best place to ask.”
No one disagreed, so Li Na led them up the short flight of stairs and confidently marched right through the door.
All three of them were immediately assaulted by the sights, sounds, and smells of the tavern within. It was well lit, which seemed almost blinding after walking the dark streets outside. Dozens of people were spread around inside, half of them talking loudly, while the other half were in small groups, with each group singing an entirely different song and seemingly attempting to drown out the voices of the other groups nearby. A very large cast iron pot sat over a fireplace beside the bar, bubbling away in full view of the patrons, many of whom already had generous portions of the stew in front of them. More than one person was gesturing wildly enough to agitate the pipe smoke that clung to the rafters and drifted around lazily above them.
“Tavern owners always know everything,” Li Na mumbled, making her way over to the bar.
Yaric caught sight of a middle-aged man looking up quickly from a table at the far side just as Li Na began to speak.
“Hi,” she said simply, nodding as she did.
The man behind the bar remained silent, but he nodded back, waiting expectantly. He had an unusually slight build, with oversized black eyebrows and a thick, well-trimmed beard that pressed against his chest as he looked down at Li Na.
“We’re looking for a meal and a drink or two, but we also need to find an inn for the night,” Li Na explained.
“Ain’t no inn here, I’m afraid. Got ta speak with one o’ the folks with spare rooms, but they’ll have turned in for tha night. Only got one room here, only one bed,” he added, gesturing to a door that Yaric had assumed was a storeroom. He still thought it might be.
“Oh… umm…” Li Na looked back at her friends, unsure of what to do.
“What are ya kids doing traveling out here by yourselves?” some asked loudly from behind them, though his voice sounded concerned.
Yaric turned to see the man who’d looked up earlier. He had a very friendly grin on his face, and a dark birthmark that extended from beside his eye and into his close-cropped copper hair.
“Those weapons won’t help much if ya can’t use them properly, and there’s only three of ya.”
“We know how to use them, sir; there’s no worry there,” Lauren replied. “We’re just looking for a meal and a place to stay for the night.”
That didn’t seem to allay his concerns much, but he did look up at the barman with his eyebrows raised.
“Told ’em already. My room is open, but only one bed. An’ other folks have already locked up.”
“Hm, yes. Bad timing for the three of ya. Lucky timing too, but unfortunate right now. We might be able to put two of ya in a stable or something.”
“I’ll go,” Yaric offered. “You two share the bed.”
The barman folded his arms and looked between them dubiously.
“I’ll come with you,” Lauren countered.
“No, no point in both of us missing out on a bed. Besides, this is a tavern. Someone needs to make sure Lina doesn’t get up for a late-night drink, or seven.”
A long, deep hum came from the barman as he positively scowled at Li Na, looking her up and down in deep disapproval, all without moving anything but his eyes. Li Na seemed completely unbothered.
“Right, well, we’ll get ya quartered away. I’m in charge around here, names Bartholemew,” the helpful man said, holding out his hand. “Names a mouthful, so most folks call me Josh.”
Yaric almost froze as Josh’s words caught up to him, but he managed to shake Josh’s hand without missing a beat.
‘How do you get from Bartholemew to Josh?!’
“I’ll show ya to one of the stables and explain to the owner in the morning. We can’t have kids running around at night. Dangerous,” he added knowingly, leaning in uncomfortably close as he did. Yaric could smell that he’d already had a few drinks.
“It’s okay, we’re arcanists.”
Josh stood straight in surprise.
“From the Academy,” Li Na clarified, just to make sure he understood.
That seemed to change their attitudes immediately. Josh went from concerned to excited, while the silent barman lost his scowl and went back to frowning impassively.
“Ooh, arcanists! Students?” Josh quickly asked, though he looked like he was only looking for confirmation.
All three nodded in reply.
“Right! Let’s get ya sorted out, young man. If there’s anything else I can do, don’t ya hesitate to ask.”
“Actually…” Yaric said hesitantly. “Is there anyone we can speak to about buying a cow? A goat or sheep would do as well, but preferably a cow.”
The barman’s deep hum began droning again as his suspicious scowl crept across his face.
“A cow?” Josh asked. Josh looked confused, as if he wasn’t sure if he’d heard correctly, but his face suddenly lit up as he turned and started gesticulating wildly. The man he was waving to came over slowly, carefully maneuvering his hefty build between tables.
“Josh,” he said.
“These kids are arcanists,” Josh announced proudly. “They want to buy a cow!”
Yaric was feeling slightly concerned about how much Josh might have had to drink already.
“A cow you say? Sure, I guess I can do that - if the price is right.”
It turned out that the price wasn’t right. They had known it would be expensive, but none of them had known just how much a cow would cost. They didn’t have nearly enough between them.
“Wait! I know, wait here!” Josh said, twisting to wave them down as he headed out the door.
“Lucas,” the man said, nodding patiently as he leaned back on his heels, looking like he was content to just stand there and wait for Josh.
Yaric and the others took the opportunity to ask about the food, which the barman responded to by pulling three tankards up from under the bar. He poured their drinks without saying a word and then began ladling stew into three bowls.
“Here!” Josh called, running back into the tavern while waving a small piece of paper that seemed to be clamped by a piece of iron. He seemed out of breath, but he slapped the paper onto the counter triumphantly as he took deep breaths. “Always wanted… to use one… of these.”
“Is that an Academy chit?” Sven asked, leaning forward.
“Yep! Fill this out so we… can get paid by them. Might cost more though. Ya know, having to wait… to receive the money… an’ all.”
“Not to part with one of my best cows for less than it’s worth,” Lucas said quietly, suggesting that Josh was correct.
Lauren glanced between the others. “Actually, we don’t need your best cow. Even your worst would do.”
“No such thing as my worst cow, just older. But I’m not keen on selling someone an old cow. Wouldn’t be fair.”
Lucas was remarkably composed compared with everyone around him, his voice even and flat as he stared placidly at the students, but Yaric sensed that explaining exactly why they wanted a cow probably wouldn’t be the best idea. Not because they were going to feed the griffons, Lucas likely fed a lot of people with his cattle, but because they were going to feed griffons. It seemed unlikely that he would remain as calm and composed if he knew that there were powerful predators nearby, or that they intended to feed them. On the other hand, they were only trying to keep the griffons fed while they arranged for the griffons to be relocated.
“It’s really no problem sir,” Yaric interjected. “Our current job has nothing to do with anyone here, the danger is too far away, but we actually need a cow as bait. So we can remove a powerful predator from the area.”
“A predator?” he asked in reply, showing some emotion for once.
“There’s no danger to anyone here,” Yaric replied, trying to reassure him. “It’s too far from here, and it’s also injured as well. We’re certain that you have nothing to worry about.”
‘Actually, why hasn’t that other griffon started taking cattle?’
Lucas was hesitant, but he finally started to show signs of excitement upon realizing he really could get rid of one of his least valuable cows, one Lucas had thought he’d never get any money for. He even tried to sell them a second, as he had more than one that was past its prime.
“Seems like an older cow is just as valuable to you three as one of my better cows,” Lucas mused. “I can drop the price a little, but it wouldn’t be a lot.”
“Nah uh. Just because they’re the same to us doesn’t mean they’re the same to you. We’re not the ones selling; you are. We’ll choose to pay a little extra for a better cow then.”
Lucas looked down at Li Na contemplatively. “Fine. We can discuss the price.”
Li Na took over most of the haggling, while Lauren added her piece in on occasion. Yaric far preferred setting a fair price and leaving it at that, so he kept out of it. The price had dropped significantly by the time they were done t, but they only had the initial offer to go on when working out the cost of a cow, and Yaric thought they might have still paid too much if Lucas’s expression was anything to go on.
“Give me a minute to work this thing out,” Yaric said when Josh slid the chit over to him.
Neither man reacted well to that statement.
“We’re still students,” Yaric explained. “We know how to use these; we just haven’t actually done it before.”
Yaric filled it in carefully while both men watched hesitantly. It didn’t take long, and Yaric channeled some arcana into the iron clamp after carefully checking that everything was filled in correctly.
Even Lucas’s eyes grew wide as the piece of paper suddenly changed color, as if it had been stained with a light blue, straightening out as it did until it sat flat and rigid on the countertop like a pane of colored glass.
“So that’s what it does,” Josh breathed. He looked back up at Yaric. “But why would yer Academy send students out here at this time? Do ya even know about those goblins that were here? There was a big battle an’ everything. Everyone here went to have a look,” he added, gesturing to the people in the tavern. “Thousands of the things were blown to bits.”
“We know,” Yaric replied, his smile dropping slightly. “We were there.”
Lucas’s reaction was entirely contrary to Yaric’s. His eyes grew wide as he turned to face the majority of the people drinking in the tavern. “Everyone! These kids here are arcanists! They were the ones who blew up all those goblins!”
“It wasn’t just us…” Yaric started saying, but the explosion of noise completely drowned him out. Drinks were raised all over as more and more people began making their way over.
Yaric was uncomfortable at first, as everyone continued to praise them despite the fact that it was locals who had taken the real risks and made real sacrifices. However, their earnestness and genuine gratitude gradually wore him down. All three of them had to carry their bowls around and eat as they went, while drink after drink was bought for the students. It was far too many for them to keep up with, so the collection of drinks eventually became a free-for-all that everyone could take from.
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A small gap in the celebrations allowed Josh to pull Yaric outside so he could show him the stables alongside Lauren, who insisted on knowing where he would be. Then she pulled him back to the tavern with Josh trailing close behind.
Lauren had never had any issue with having fun in situations like this, but she had never been so insistent on Yaric joining in before.
They passed Li Na on the way back in as well. Li Na had joined a group for a game of dice, and while Yaric would have normally had an issue with her fleecing a small village, he only shook his head when he saw that they were basically betting peanuts.
Literally.
Everyone at the table had a small bowl of peanuts in front of them. Someone obviously had a dry sense of humor, as they were placing their bets by dropping their peanuts into an actual pot in the center of the table.
It didn’t seem like anyone cared about winning, however, as one man with particularly long hair was absent-mindedly eating from his own bowl, while another kept tossing peanuts across the table to annoy the man opposite him. Those peanuts all ended up in the man’s bowl. Li Na was the only one with a spare, empty bowl, creating additional space for her expected winnings.
Smaller villages like this one were very different from large cities like Lekton. While taverns in more populated areas often hired people for entertainment, mostly to attract additional customers and help them compete with the other taverns nearby, places like this only had one tavern. And likely no entertainers. So the villagers created their own entertainment.
Much of the time was spent talking, but there were frequent bouts of singing, which often got the entire tavern involved. A few more adventurous individuals even got up on tables and played out a scene from a famous story, usually to constant jibes and frequent laughter. It was a very different experience from what they usually had.
The barman also became more friendly once he learned about their involvement in clearing the goblin infestation, though Yaric didn’t put much stock in his attitude, as it seemed to change at the drop of a hat. Still, the drinks kept flowing, and both Yaric and Lauren made sure to periodically buy drinks for others as well. Lauren also continued to drag Yaric around the tavern, going from table to table and often joining in with the singing.
It was very late when the tavern finally started to empty. Smaller groups began making their way out first until only two of the largest groups remained, along with Li Na and the small cluster of gamblers.
“Come on, I’ll help see you home,” one of the older men said, clapping Josh on the back. Josh had just downed the last of his drink. One of many, many drinks he’d had that night.
“I josh won wun morrre,” he slurred in reply.
“No, you’ve had enough. Your wife is going to be upset as it is.”
“I josh won wun more,” Josh pleaded again, holding up his empty tankard.
He was ignored this time, as everyone started saying goodbye to each other and laughing loudly as they joked together.
“I josh... I josh won… I josh,” he kept repeating, trying to get someone’s attention. He’d long since lost the ability to get to the bar by himself. “I josh..! I JOSH!” he shouted.
Josh froze when everyone turned to look at him, then continued much more softly. “I josh won wan morrre.”
Everyone chuckled as Josh’s tankard was taken away before he was slowly helped to the door. He wasn’t the only one, so Yaric and Lauren helped to carry some of the empty tankards back to the bar.
Li Na’s game seemed to be wrapping up as well. She was the only one with peanuts left, with everything else in the pot, while one of the men she was playing against rolled the dice.
“Ha! Ha ha ha! You can’t win now!” he laughed, his voice way too loud for the now much quieter tavern. “Even a six is too low!”
Li Na rolled as Yaric approached, drawing gasps from the table.
“She rolled a seven?!”
“A seven? I didn’t think that was possible…”
“Ne’er rowled a seben b’for.”
One of the men leaned down, putting his nose right by the dice. Yaric smirked as he passed, waiting for the drunk men to realize that there was no such thing as a seven on a six-sided die.
“It’sss a seven,” he mumbled. The man looked up with wide eyes, keeping his nose right in front of the die. “Whoaaah…”
Yaric glanced down at the table. It was a six. Only this time, the two middle dots bulged slightly outward, with a seventh dot right between them. Li Na studiously avoided looking Yaric’s way.
“It’s like madjik…”
The cleanup didn’t take long, as the owner just dumped everything behind the counter. Lauren glanced at Yaric when they saw where everything was going, but it wasn’t their place to judge. For all they knew, everyone did it the same way.
“Peanuts?” Li Na asked, holding out a bowl while munching away. The last of her little group was staggering out the door, leaving the three of them alone with the barkeep.
“Your room,” he said gruffly, holding the door open. Li Na went to take a look, still shoveling peanuts into her mouth as she disappeared through the dark doorway.
“Why don’t you sleep inside here?” Lauren asked, looking around the tavern as she did. She didn’t see any area that looked particularly comfortable, but the alternative was the stables. The aggressive glare from the barkeep was enough of an answer for both of them.
“It’s just like our normal trips, only I’ll have a roof over my head,” Yaric pointed out.
Li Na came out of the room just then, a pillow and blankets in her arms. “The bed is small, but there are way too many pillows and blankets,” she explained, thrusting them into his arms.
Lauren smiled at Li Na in time with the barkeep’s glare, but Li Na simply glared back at him in challenge. He remained silent.
Yaric found himself settling into one of the stables not long after, having said goodnight to everyone before leaving the tavern so the barkeep could lock up. Fresh hay piled up in his corner ensured he didn’t have any nasty surprises after lying down, with his bedding and pillow settled over it. Yaric started unbuckling his belt and froze.
‘Crap! We were fully armed and armored the entire night!’
Still, while it would have certainly been frowned upon in Lekton, no one in the village had ever said a word. And they didn’t exactly have anywhere to store their weapons either.
‘They probably thought we did all the fighting by ourselves when they saw us dressed like this.’
Yaric didn’t have long to worry about it, as sleep claimed him almost as soon as he laid back his head.
----------------------------------------
“Here’s your cow,” Lucas said, holding up a coarse rope. The cow stood placidly in the road behind him.
It was still morning, but the sun was already well up. Lauren and Li Na looked as tired as Yaric felt. No one had experienced any issues due to sharing a small bed or sleeping next to stabled horses, but they had had a long day and very little sleep. Now they were already getting set to leave once again.
“Thank you,” Li Na said, taking hold of the rope. She hefted her bag back to keep it from slipping and wrapped the rope around her wrist. The morning had already seen Li Na running from place to place to purchase food for her stay with the griffons, and she’d filled her bag with a rather unusual assortment of things to eat. Luckily Lauren had found a small stream near where the griffons were hiding, so water wouldn’t be a problem.
“Let me know if you need another one just like this,” Lucas said cheerfully, making Yaric’s stomach drop. “I have two more I can do the same deal for. Never know when you might need more bait.”
The three of them walked out the same gate they had arrived through, leading the cow as they went.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Lauren asked.
“Yeah.”
“Maybe you should take this,” Yaric said, unhooking the rod from behind his belt and holding it out to Li Na.
“You know I’m not allowed to use that. It was issued to you. Besides, who am I going to summon for help out there?”
“Someone might see,” Yaric replied weakly.
“Someone stronger than Princess and Other Griffon?” Li Na asked.
“We’ll walk part of the way with you,” Lauren suggested.
“Don’t be stupid, you need to catch up with Sven. I’ll be fine, I have macey. And I’ll be with two griffons. And their little ones,” she added with a grin.
Yaric and Lauren reluctantly agreed and hugged her goodbye before turning to make their way around the village wall. Li Na was already beginning her long walk back.
“You think she’ll be okay?” Yaric asked.
“There isn’t anything we could fight that she couldn’t.”
“I’m more worried about her naming the cow before she gets to Princess,” Yaric said.
“Her dad owns a tannery.”
“Still, it’s Lina.”
“I know,” Lauren sighed. “She wanted this though. It’s her choice.”
There wasn’t anything they could do besides worry, so the subject was dropped and both broke into an augmented run. They had a lot of ground to cover before they even got back to the road, and the militia had a full day’s head start.
There was a lot to talk about at first, particularly after the discovery of Princess and her babies. Just the fact that they’d stumbled onto a griffon in the wild was amazing, but running into one that they recognized was unbelievable. Lauren was very excited about the cubs as well.
They spoke a lot less after they arrived at the road, but the silence didn’t feel awkward at all. Every now and then, Lauren would catch him glancing her way and smile. That didn’t stop them from pointing out interesting landmarks along the way, even though interesting landmarks tended to be things like the lightning-struck tree Yaric saw, or the cat-shaped marker stone Lauren liked.
Catching up with the militia took most of the day, but their run ended much too soon for Yaric’s liking. One positive was that it did give Yaric an idea, although he would need Lloyd’s assistance when he got back. And a lucky appeal.
More wagons had been procured from somewhere along the route, as seven new wagons brought up the rear of the reorganized column. All of the more badly wounded were in the wagons, along with most of the so-called ‘armor’ everyone had been wearing and their halberds as well. There was even enough space left for some of the healthier militia members to rotate through so everyone could take a break from the march without stopping.
Still, the organized columns were a big surprise. The militia had been in no state to keep in formations when Yaric and the others had left, and that had only been the morning before.
Several people cheered or shouted greetings as they ran down the column, causing those further ahead to twist their necks or try craning their necks to see what the commotion was, only for them to join in the shouts as Yaric and Lauren ran past.
Sven stepped out from the head of the column to see what was going on, only to wave when he saw them approach. His smile quickly dropped.
“Where’s Lina?” he asked.
“You’ll never believe us,” Yaric replied.
Lauren snorted and nudged Yaric with her elbow. “It’s more likely that he won’t believe there wasn’t a dragon or behemoth involved.”
“Probably,” Yaric laughed. He turned back to where Sven was waiting impatiently. “We ran into Princess.”
“What? You ran into a… wait, the griffon?!”
“Yes. She’s hurt, but she has cubs that can’t fly. Her den was near one of the goblin settlements and they got into conflict with one another. Lina is going to stay with them while we get someone back here to help.”
“She’d like that,” Sven agreed.
“But what about everyone here?” Yaric asked, pointing back the way they’d come. “It feels so different to when we left.”
“It’s been better,” Sven said. “And the discipline also seemed to help; it gave people something to focus on and direction on what they needed to do. Mage Dedrick did warn that some people won’t be as good as they seem. He’s also convinced that this is a temporary improvement for a few others, because they are going from everything that happened two days ago to going home and back to their lives, so things feel like they’re looking up right now. But they still have to deal with what happened, so things will get worse again once the relief of going home wears off. Either way, this is a good time to get people back and have them looked over by professional healers, I’m sure they’ll know how to help.”
“They? I thought it was just one person?”
“You know how dedicated healers tend to have several Apprentices learning from them, they should know enough to help as well. I’ve also added a request for help to my report.”
Neither Yaric nor Lauren were surprised to hear that the report had already been written up.
“We need to add a message for help with Princess as well,” Lauren said.
“Of course. By the way, how was Lina going to get food while she stayed with the griffons?”
Yaric shuddered at the thought of her purchases. Sweetmeats and pastries would only last so long in her bag before going off, so she’d have to eat all of it in the first few days or throw some out. She could eat the dried bread and biscuits with the honey she bought, but she had insisted on getting the largest jar they had, which was far more than she could reasonably add to her bread and biscuit supplies. She was at least well stocked with dried meats and cheeses.
Lauren started recounting exactly what had happened while they continued their march, which thankfully wasn’t for very long. It was already getting late, so they soon pulled over to set up camp.
Most people still stayed within their squads, but the mood was more upbeat than it had ever been, even when compared to before their first encounter. Many militia members seemed to have formed a camaraderie with the other members of their squad, and even with other squads as well.
It was a nice change of pace. The arcanists from Caelfall were still with the group, and they had formed themselves into something of a scouting unit that rode slightly ahead. Everyone still wanted to talk to them, however, so they were far busier in the evenings once camp had been made.
Several militia members also came to talk with Yaric and Lauren, particularly squad leaders, though old Kostas just wanted to know where Lina was, even if he asked in his own roundabout way.
“Where’s the little girl? Tripped over her own feet and hurt her leg?”
“She stayed behind to keep an injured animal safe while we fetch someone who can help it,” Lauren explained.
“Hmph. She couldn’t look after a cat.”
Yaric had to bite his tongue to keep himself from explaining that she was looking after a giant cat, one that was, for all intents and purposes, half eagle as well. Two of them, in fact. With a bunch of cubs as well. Kostas was also asking after Li Na even as Yaric was writing his request for advice on how to handle the situation with Princess.
This time they were able to get a decent amount of sleep, and Yaric felt much better the next morning. Lauren looked like she had slept better as well, and she had already restarted the fire when Yaric got up.
They sat together and shared some hot coffee before packing up their things to leave with the militia.
Caelfall was close enough that they arrived long before midday, heading straight for the warehouse they had trained in. So much still had to be done before it was over, with Sven making it clear that he already had some plans in place.
That included finding the healer, which Mage Dendrick was happy to do for them, leaving Sven free to handle the Baron’s official. He wasn’t at the warehouse when they arrived, but there were several guards in proper armor and the Baron’s colors hanging around outside, one of whom rushed off the moment the militia made their appearance. The same official arrived not long after.
“You’re late!” he declared triumphantly. “That’s going to be docked from your – hey!”
Sven gripped him by the front of his decorative armor and appeared to be pulling him to one side, but Yaric didn’t miss how the official’s toes were dragging on the ground as Sven lifted him off his feet.
Lauren leaned in close to Yaric to quietly whisper, “Lina’s going to be so mad she missed this.”
The official was dropped back on the ground after Sven had pulled him into a narrow gap between the warehouse and the building beside them. Several of the guards rushed forward, but a glare from Yaric, along with dancing flames along his arms, quickly dissuaded them.
“You can’t ju- !”
“Shut up and listen. None of these people will be docked anything. I’m going to arrange for them to stay at local inns at your Baron’s expense, and we’re going to be holding on to all of the equipment as well, until your Baron appears here in person. I want a word with him, face to face.”
“He won’t be summoned like s- .”
“He will. My report to the Academy is going to describe his gross inadequacies in great detail, along with information regarding my intention to speak with him. You’re welcome to note that I have not used words like ‘request’. Please also inform him that my report is being sent directly to High Wizard Lloyd Chen; I’m certain he will know who I am talking about.”
It seemed like even the official knew who Lloyd was, as he turned white at the mention of the name.
“My orders are not to leave here without the equipment,” the man stammered.
Yaric unhooked the rod clipped to his belt. “I could always use this and issue an imperial decree,” Yaric offered.
The official’s eyes widened. “No no, that won’t be necessary. I’m certain my liege would prefer I leave without the equipment, given the change in circumstances.”
Sven stepped back without a word, making it clear that the official was dismissed. All three of them watched him rush out onto the street in silence. They followed him out, and Sven started scanning up and down the road once everyone had gone.
“Who are you looking for?” Yaric asked.
“Messenger. Mage Dedrick said he’d send someone to take our report, and I don’t want these people to see him. I don’t trust their intentions.”
It wasn’t a problem in the end, as it took more than an hour for a dark-haired young man to arrive, walking along with two saddled horses. He went straight to the warehouse, before pausing at the entrance and looking around as if he were lost.
“Did Mage Dedrick send you?” Sven asked.
“I’m Fritz, yes,” he replied. Fritz looked barely older than they did. “You the mages?”
“Novices, but yes. I’m Novice McDavids, the person you’re looking for. Was everything explained to you?”
“Just that it’s an express delivery, and it’s to go to the Academy in Lekton. But I don’t know who I’m supposed to deliver the package to or how to find them inside.”
“You just go through the main entrance and straight through the large door on the opposite end of the courtyard. There will be many people who will try to direct you anyway. Just hand these over at the counter,” Sven explained, holding up two sealed folders.
Both had ‘Urgent’ in big bold letters on top, while the oversized folder had Lloyd’s name on it and the virtually empty one simply had ‘Beastiary’ written on the front.
“If I can ask around, that should be enough,” Fritz acknowledged.
“You can. The important thing here is speed. And they will pay you on delivery.”
Fritz just grinned. “That’s why I brought an extra horse.”
Sven made sure that no one was watching before handing over the folders, though the purpose of Fritz’s visit would have already been obvious to anyone. It wasn’t about preventing his discovery at this point, but about making sure anyone watching was aware that they knew.
The healer arrived while they were busy with Fritz. He was already looking people over while others asked after the injured that had been sent ahead.
“They’re resting. I appreciate that you’re concerned, but the best thing you can do for any of them right now is let them rest, at least for the next two days. We can reconsider visitors after then.”
Yaric and the others hung back instead of interrupting the healer while he worked. There were a lot of people to get through, and while he was already looking over those who had made the journey in the carts Dedrick had procured, almost everyone had some kind of injury as well.
It was bad enough that the healer didn’t finish that day, and even though he did get to every individual before the end of the next day, some of those with more serious injuries needed to come back for a follow-up. He also had to leave on occasion to check up on those who had been sent ahead.
While Yaric and the others weren’t able to introduce themselves or speak to the healer without interrupting him, Sven was able to start organizing proper lodging for the militia. Rooms were booked up and down Caelfall, beginning with those closest to the warehouse. Many militia members still had to stay in the warehouse on the first night, but Sven made sure to book rooms by squad, so everyone could stay together. He’d secured enough rooms by the end of the second day for everyone to sleep in a proper bed, all at the Baron’s expense, whether the Baron liked it or not.
The equipment was secured in a small courtyard behind their own inn, which was the same place they had stayed in when they’d first arrived.
Several days passed without much happening. Sven made sure everyone understood that leaving without permission would likely be counted as desertion, permission that hadn’t been granted yet, which ensured that none of the bored and frustrated militia members got fed up and left for home before the Baron arrived.
That wasn’t too much of a problem, since all three of them had made it clear that the room had been arranged at the Baron’s expense. Every one of the seriously injured rejoined their squads over that period as well, which lifted everyone’s morale even further. The only real issue was the uncertainty over what would happen next, and when that would be.
Yaric and Lauren took the opportunity to explore by themselves. There wasn’t all that much to see, but they didn’t really care. Most of the time was spent walking up and down the same roads with periodic check-ins to make sure there were no issues with any squads.
For most, though, the first five days were very boring, with each day spent trying to keep themselves entertained. Things changed on the sixth day when someone somehow spread the word about what had happened with the goblins.
Suddenly the militia found themselves being hailed as heroes all throughout Caelfall.
Parties and invites were being thrown around so fast that no one could keep track of what was happening, leaving different squads to attend various celebrations separately. Wild stories started spreading of their exploits, usually with gross overexaggerations, but while some of the militia members tried to correct the misconceptions, all of them enjoyed the recognition and attention.
The presence of Caelfall’s arcanists was suspiciously absent however, offering Yaric some indication of who was responsible for the spread of those stories.
Everything changed once again when Lali, now fully healed and back on her feet, came running up to Yaric and Lauren, her face flushed.
“The guards are looking for you,” she panted. “They want you at the gate, I don’t know why.”
Yaric wasn’t concerned, so he just thanked her and left for the guardhouse with Lauren. Lali had been particularly popular as rumors of how she had been so badly injured had begun to spread, usually involving her singlehandedly saving a squad or fighting off a chieftain. The lack of arguments from the other militia members who heard those rumors said a lot.
“Hi, you were looking for us?” Yaric asked after knocking on the door. “We’re the students from the Academy.”
“Yes, we have a message for you. A wizard dropped this off,” the guard said, holding up a heavy bag that jingled suspiciously like money. “Said there was a spell on it, so you need to be careful when opening it. There’s also this message.”
The guard handed over a blank piece of paper along with the bag.
“He assured me there was a message,” the guard said with a shrug when Yaric inspected the blank piece of paper.
Assuming it must involve magic somehow, and it had to be something they would be capable of uncovering, Yaric tried channeling arcana into the page.
It didn’t accept it, but writing began to appear as arcana washed over its surface, revealing a short and simple message.
Buy a cart for Princess and cubs. Use the money. No animals. Meet me outside the North Gate.
Nils
P.S. There’s no spell on the bag.
Yaric showed the message to Lauren and thanked the guard. Finding a cart was surprisingly difficult, as there wasn’t exactly a store with a bunch of carts for sale. Getting desperate, Yaric and Lauren started visiting any store they came across, hoping to at least get some advice on where to look. In the end they managed to find the owner of a furniture store who agreed to rent his cart to them, so long as they could prove that they were arcanists.
The now monotonous fireball above the hand did the trick.
“Do you think the issue with Princess is worse than we thought?” Lauren asked. “I mean, Nils came personally. And so quickly too.”
“I don’t know,” Yaric admitted. He was worried too.
It took a minute to figure out how to pull the cart themselves. It was too wide for Yaric to reach both of the traces when he tried to pull it himself, and they found it was too narrow for them both to be between the traces when they tried to do it together. Eventually they found that lifting the traces from the sides of the wagon worked, and with some careful coordination they were able to pull it through the streets of Caelfall and out of the North Gate. They received several curious stares as they went.
Nils wasn’t outside the gate, so they continued pulling the cart down the road. There was no sign of him, but unwilling to give up, they decided to keep going past the first bend around a hill.
Still there was nothing.
A deep shadow flashed over them, a stopped, twisting in place on the ground before starting to glide back.
Yaric looked up just in time to see a griffon come in to land before them. A griffon he recognized once again.
Slasher.
“Good job finding a cart,” Nils said. “I was watching you, but I thought you’d take longer.”
Yaric and Lauren just stared.
Nils hadn’t popped up along the road but instead flown in with Slasher. On Slasher’s back.
“You can ride them?” Yaric asked incredulously.
“Of course,” Nils laughed. “We recently started a breeding program just for that. The only hiccup has been getting Princess to breed, and then she disappeared on us. So imagine my surprise when I got your message.”
Yaric and Lauren glanced back and forth between each other and Slasher, but neither wanted to speak first.
Nils just chuckled. “I chose Slasher because it’s the only other griffon I know you four have met. Would one of you like to take Slasher for a ride?”
“Yes.”
“Yes!” they both answered at the same time.
Lauren leaned over to Yaric to repeat the same thing she’d said when they arrived back in Caelfall the week before.
“Lina’s going to be so mad!”