“We must not slow down, children,” said Blackjack, now back to full strength without as much as a scar from her previous injury. Her healing potion had worked slowly, but effectively, although she had grumbled more than a couple of times about purchasing a more reliable one that would work instantly next time.

“Stop calling us children!” called Friedrich, irked by the elf’s haughtiness.

“You are both sixteen years old, are you not? That is what you told me.”

“Yes, we are.”

“Then you are children.”

“So how old are you anyway?” asked Marina, folding her arms and cocking her head to the side. “If you know our ages, it’s only fair that you tell us too. No?”

“You should never ask an elf his or her age,” said Blackjack, her voice suddenly harsh. “It is most undignified of you to put a question like that to me. I shall not answer.”

“You’re young for an elf, aren’t you?” asked Friedrich slyly with a smirk on his face. “Are you secretly younger than us in elf years?”

“Elves are not canines!” snapped Blackjack, throwing her arms straight down and clenching her fists as though she was on the verge of a tantrum. “We shall discuss the matter no further!”

“If you stop calling us children, we won’t pry about your age then. How about that?”

Blackjack clicked her tongue and frowned. “Fine,” she said irritably, “but know that I am most unhappy with both of you. Being rid of you pair cannot come soon enough and I am longing to reach Akatfall.”

“You’re free to leave at any time, little one,” joked Friedrich with a big grin.

“Ugh!” groaned Blackjack, finally breaking. She stormed ahead, shaking her head slowly and grumpily the whole way while muttering unpleasant words under her breath.

“You really hit a nerve,” Friedrich said to Marina, trying hard not to laugh. “Was it wrong of me to pile on?”

Marina shrugged. “I didn’t think she would take being asked her age so badly. I thought maybe she was older than she looked. Elves age very gracefully from what I’ve been told.”

“I thought the opposite. I reckon she’s barely an adult. She looks young because she is young.”

“Why do you think that?”

“She seems like someone who wants to be seen as mature and wise beyond her years.”

“Like you?”

“Sometimes,” chuckled Friedrich. “Elves reach maturity slower than we do, but then the rest of their lives drag out more. I know it isn’t a one-for-one comparison between her and us, but I think she’s putting on a front so she can seem like the boss.”

“Should we apologise to her?” asked Marina, looking a little guilty.

“Nah, she’ll calm down eventually.”

Friedrich and Marina hurried along after Blackjack, who was walking along the road at a furious speed just shy of a jog. She huffed and puffed most of the cool morning, but after a while she did indeed calm down. She wasn’t quite talkative, but she wasn’t especially talkative at the best of times so the pair took that to mean she was more or less back to her normal mood.

It had been four days since the trio had defeated the demons at the lighthouse and the journey since had been mostly peaceful and pleasant with the occasional wild boar or hungry wolf rearing its head. All that had meant was less time for Friedrich to hunt for food, something Blackjack had insisted he left to her; he refused, making her and Marina set up camp.

“How much further do we have to go?” asked Marina, noticing that the roadside signs at various crossroads and bridges increasingly pointed towards Akatfall.

“I could not be certain, but I would speculate that we are no more than five days away.”

“If we stick to the main road,” said Friedrich, having pulled out his map.

“There is no good reason to not stick to the road, Friedrich,” said Blackjack.

“What if we can shave a day off the journey?”

“That would be unwise.”

“Why?”

“Because there are dark and dangerous beings lying in wait in every nook and cranny of Mercia, have you not seen that already?”

“Of course, but they’re nothing we can’t handle.”

Blackjack scoffed. “Such arrogance from one so…”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Friedrich’s raised eyebrow caught her eye.

“Ahem…from one so inexperienced,” said Blackjack.

“We’ve survived this far,” said Friedrich, smiling cockily at her.

“I have no doubt that a large part of that is luck over skill.”

“We saved you, no?”

“If I can be so grievously injured then you should be more concerned for your own safety. Do not go sticking your nose where it ought not to be, whether that be someone else’s business or a dark tunnel filled with foul beasts.”

“What do you think?” Friedrich asked Marina.

“Is this being put to a vote?” asked Marina.

“Yes,” said Friedrich.

“No,” said Blackjack.

“If I say it is being put to a vote, that gives us a majority and we do put it to a vote. I say yes to a vote and yes to cutting a day off our journey.”

Blackjack looked incredulous. “That is asinine logic, you utter fools.”

“Then travel alone along the road,” said Friedrich.

“As much as I would prefer that, I would consider it a failure in my duty to not keep you both alive. We chose to travel together; therefore, we must look out for one another whether we like it or not.”

“That means that you like us, doesn’t it?” asked Friedrich, moving to nudge Blackjack but finding his arm being batted away by the high elf.

Much to Blackjack’s displeasure, Friedrich steered them off the main road and towards a small path leading into a wooded area. As far as the map told him, this should take them to a cave—a small pickaxe next to the cave entrance indicated it was a mine—that they could cut through to reach the next leg of the main road much quicker.

Not long after the trio had settled by the roadside for a small meal, did a rustling from the trees reach their ears. They all jumped up with their weapons at the ready; Friedrich with his shield high and sword drawn back, Marina with her staff already buzzing to set off a lightning bolt and Blackjack with an arrow nocked.

“Easy, strangers, easy,” came a voice as a man emerged with his hands held high. At least he appeared to be a man, all that was visible was his eyes and hands. He wore long, flowing robes that were coloured a mixture of yellows, reds and purples, all patterned erratically from stripes to spots to flowers, depending on where the fabric lay upon him. It looked as though he was wearing a helmet, but it was hard to be certain with the fabric wrapped around his head so thickly.

“Who are you?” asked Blackjack.

“I am merely a traveller,” said the man. “A tale teller. I wandered this direction and I smelled your food. If you would be so kind, I am incredibly hungry.”

“I would prefer it if you moved along,” said Blackjack.

“Please, strangers,” said the man, bowing his head. “I will repay you the only way I know how, with my words.”

“What does that mean?” asked Friedrich.

“That means that in exchange for some meat, I will tell you a tale that you may find enlightening. It is not much, but perhaps it will be more valuable to you than kupons.”

“What do you think?” Friedrich asked Blackjack.

“He is a stranger, therefore, he is dangerous.”

“Agreed.”

“Are we really going to let him starve?” muttered Marina, not taking her eyes off the man.

“He doesn’t look skinny,” said Friedrich, “but that may be the robes.”

“I will move along if you will not feed me,” said the man, “and you can rest assured that you will not see me again.”

“Do you like pork loin?” asked Friedrich.

The man nodded slowly. “I will eat whatever is given to me. If pork loin is what you have, I will be more than happy.”

“If we are to feed you, you are to be on your best behaviour,” warned Blackjack. “My reflexes are quick and the humans are not much slower. If I detect even a hint of malicious intent, I will not hesitate to end your life.”

“I will abide by whatever terms you impose upon me,” said the man, then gesturing towards his clothing. “All I ask is that I am allowed to remain covered. I do not reveal myself to anyone, least of all strangers.”

Friedrich couldn’t help but feel as though the man had been honest with him, but he was nonetheless bizarre. He did not look like a court jester or a bard, despite the unusually colourful attire, but he also did not look like a mage for he had no visible implement to cast spells with. Perhaps he relied solely on his hands, but that was not especially common.

“What is your name?” asked Blackjack as Friedrich kept an eye on the food.

“I have had many names, but my current one is Elketh,” he said. “And yours?”

“I am called Blackjack.”

“Do you fear your true name being used?” asked Elketh.

“Yes,” said Blackjack honestly.

“Then we are of similar mind. There is great power in a name, and should only reveal it to our dearest friends.”

“Here you go,” said Friedrich, passing the man a piece of badly sliced pork loin.

“Thank you, young man,” he said, holding it in his hand and pushing it under the robes around his chest, his hand visibly moving underneath and working its way up to his covered mouth. After he finished eating, he took his hand back out and bowed his head once again. Friedrich, Marina and Blackjack all stared at him, terribly confused by who this man was or why he was the way he was.

“That satiated my appetite, nicely,” he said to Friedrich. “I did not catch your name.”

“Friedrich,” he said.

“And yours?” he asked Marina.

“Marina,” she replied.

“Lovely names, most lovely indeed,” he said pleasantly. “As promised, I will tell you a tale that you may find useful. Are you ready to listen?”

“Yes,” said Friedrich as Marina nodded and Blackjack continued to eye Elketh suspiciously.

Elketh cleared his throat and began.

“Seek out a cave within the mount,

Filled with treasures of many to count,

Dare you fill your purses full,

Or shall you awaken the mighty bull?

The seeker of nether toils below,

Forever to hammer to and fro,

Perhaps you will find what you seek,

Or perhaps you will find yourselves weak?

I warn you now, yet still you wander,

But perhaps I give you a gift to ponder…”

Friedrich and Blackjack stared on in confusion, while Marina slowly clapped before petering out when nobody joined in.

“Thank you, thank you,” said Elketh, standing up to leave. “Perhaps you found that enlightening, no? Judging by your faces, that was simply confusing. No matter, for I have told my tale.”

“That was a tale?” asked Friedrich. “It sounded like you were talking about treasure and monsters. Where?”

“I will leave you to think about my words,” said Elketh, taking a bow. “Your humble offering was much appreciated. I bid you all a good day and perhaps we shall meet again.”

With that, he left. Friedrich, Marina and Blackjack were dumbfounded at what had just happened. The man must have been some sort of lunatic or an unorthodox grifter.

“What now?” asked Marina.

“I suggest that we eat and leave, then never talk about this incident again.”

“Agreed,” said Friedrich.

Even though what Elketh had said was not clear, the talk of treasure did intrigue him. Had he meant the mine ahead? Was he some sort of guardian of the place or was he truly just a wandering madman looking for his next meal? He tried to clear his mind of Elketh, but he could not help but feel uneasy as he pondered over the meaning of the man’s poem.