“Remember the plan,” said Friedrich as he, Marina and Teleri walked through Legama with all eyes upon them. They were all tense as they moved, but none more than Friedrich who was carrying the goblin mask that Namavar sought.
“It is a simple plan to remember,” muttered Teleri. “If they attack us, we kill them all.”
“Perhaps that’s easier said than done, now that I think about it,” said Marina as she looked at the many men throughout the town who gave the group their full attention.
Namavar hailed them from his post on the Red Sand Teahouse balcony. He was too far for anyone but Teleri to see his expression, but Friedrich surmised that it was one of satisfaction considering they had all returned; he knew he was going to get what he wanted.
Zahez met them at the base of the walkway steps. His expression was cold. “Do you have?” he asked.
Friedrich pulled out the goblin mask from underneath his tunic. “We have it,” he said.
“I will take it from you here.”
“No,” said Friedrich. “I will only give it to Namavar. It is not that I don’t trust you, but…well, yes, it is that I don’t trust you. There’s no point in playing coy, is there?”
Zahez looked towards Namavar and then back to the trio. “Very well,” he said and led them up the stairs, along the walkway and into the teahouse.
Upon reaching the balcony, Rala was already placing four cups of tea on the table. The trio had agreed to on the journey back to Legama that, this time, none of them would drink. If there was ever a time to poison them, it was now. Zahez led Rala back inside and left Friedrich, Marina and Teleri alone with Namavar.
“My new best friends,” said Namavar, standing up to greet them. “I am pleased that you come bearing good news. Please, have a drink.”
Namavar sat back down and slid three cups towards them.
“As much as we appreciate the gesture, Namavar, we will not be staying long. I wouldn’t want to leave the tea unfinished.”
“Nonsense,” said Namavar, flicking his hand dismissively. “A deal is not done unless it is over tea. You may pick your own cups and we will all drink at the same time. If they are poisoned, then I do not like my odds.”
“No,” whispered Teleri as Friedrich reached for the cup in front of Namavar.
He picked up the cup and Namavar picked up the one intended for Friedrich. They raised the cups to their mouth and both drank at the same time before setting the cups back on the table.
“Ah,” sighed Namavar in satisfaction. “Exquisite, isn’t it? Now, let’s talk business.”
Namavar reached under his chair and pulled out a small pouch. He out six yellow kupons and passed two to Friedrich, two to Marina and two to Teleri. A yellow kupon carried a unit of five hundred and was much-sought after for its size and worth. An easy way to transport vast wealth in the palm of your hand.
Friedrich picked his two yellow kupons up off the table and inspected them in the sunlight. In his own amateur opinion, he would have said they were real, but he handed them to Teleri who confirmed it for him.
“We’re most certainly in business, Namavar,” said Friedrich, taking the goblin mask from around his neck while the girls pocked their kupons. “Do you want to know what happened to Bahadur?”
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“Not especially,” said Namavar, “but I hope his fate was most unpleasant. I do not take kindly to betrayal, and I am delighted to see that you kept your word and returned as I had asked. I know all too well the temptation of a soul mask. Did you try it on, Friedrich?”
“Yes,” admitted Friedrich. “As an assurance.”
“A fox is a beautiful creature,” said Namavar, looking towards the sands. “As is the moth, whose wings warp the wind to its will and let it fly freely. It is a power I certainly cherish, but it is not what I truly want or need. I need something much more savage.”
“And now you will have it,” said Friedrich, feeling worse about this deal, knowing that Namavar would happily let the goblin mask tear people to shreds without a second thought.”
“How did it feel?” asked the tea merchant. “To be in the body of such a wretched creature?”
“Truthfully, I felt nothing,” said Friedrich. “I do not know if the soul within the mask had no time to see who it was up against or if it was lying in wait before demanding control.”
“That is understandable,” said Namavar. “Each soul is different, after all. I can only wonder what the soul of a much more powerful creature is capable of. How it can warp and twist you to its every desire. The soul of another human? That would be a battle hard fought. The soul of a dragon? Well, you would be dominated with ease.”
“I hadn’t even considered either of those,” said Friedrich.
Namavar sat forward and held out his hand. “Once you pass over the mask, our business is complete. You are welcome to come back periodically as I may require further assistance in the future and I can see us working together for quite some time.”
Friedrich could feel Marina and Teleri’s gaze upon him as he passed the mask over. The atmosphere was thick and they were all expecting a grand ploy from Namavar, but he took the mask and marvelled at it for a minute before setting it on the table.
“You may leave,” he said. “You would not like to finish your tea?”
Friedrich picked up his cup and downed the rest of his tea, but Marina and Teleri politely refused. With a nod to Namavar, Friedrich led the girls back through the teahouse, past Zahez and Rala, and then back onto the walkway where they made their way towards the stairs. Truthfully, they felt much more at ease now that they had their money and were being allowed to leave.
“That went surprisingly smoothly,” whispered Marina as the Namavar’s men continued watching them from their positions around town.
“If he needs us in the future, then perhaps he can be trusted to keep his—”
Teleri’s words were cut off suddenly and she fell limp to the floor. Before she had even hit the ground, Friedrich transformed into his fox form, narrowly avoiding the dart that whizzed past him. Marina, however, was not so lucky and took one to the neck, falling limp beside Teleri who mouthed silent words, unable to move.
At least a hundred men in to surround them tightly, drawing blades and bows. There was nothing Friedrich could do to fight them in this state; he wanted to pull Marina and Teleri, but he was much too weak now. He would have to run, shameful as was to him.
He bolted across the town, dodging the diving thugs who sought to capture him. One man got lucky wrapped his hands around Friedrich’s neck, but his golden fur was so sleek that the Mercian wriggled free and ran as fast as his four legs could carry him under the walkway and out of the town. Arrows rained upon him, but he bounded from side to side as he escaped across the sands and headed for the hills.
He did not stop running until he was certain that he was no longer being followed. Upon which, he flopped onto the ground, exhausted, and returned to his normal state. He let out a grunt of frustration and thumped his fist into the sand. How could he have not seen this coming? Of course, Namavar would say whatever he needed to make them lower their guard. It was he, Friedrich, that the tea merchant wanted, yet Marina and Teleri were the ones who had captured while Friedrich ran free.
“Jorren, grant me strength,” sighed Friedrich, sitting up.
There was not an ounce of him that wanted to abandon Marina and Teleri, he just needed a plan to break them out. What was he supposed to do? He could not carry them both out at once and fight effectively, even as a minotaur. He couldn’t hope to kill all of Namavar’s men for he was much too weak and only a lone warrior. It would have to be the quick and quiet approach to start with before things got out of hand.
In a town full of men like that, he could only imagine the dreadful things they would do to Marina and Teleri if he did not act fast. Two beautiful women? They would be torn to shreds before the hour had passed, of that, he was certain.
Friedrich stood up and breathed deeply, summoning up all of his soulful might. He took a step forward and then another. As he walked, he desired to change into a fox, and he did just that. It was not a power of pure instinct; it was his defiant willpower that gave him mastery over this form. Now, he needed to find a way to use it to defeat Namavar and rescue the girls. He needed to defeat another soul masker.