It only took a few hours to pick up every sword, shield and bit of armor left behind by those unfortunate adventurers before them (plus the time to check through a few more of the houses where Wade got to see firsthand the weird projection when they found a few more of the little magic stones). Valerie busied herself with caring for the new passengers with food but they busied themselves in relaxing with writing or going over the adventure in their minds. Feathers looked especially deep in his own brain for reasons most could guess.
They could have done without the near constant tap-tap-tap of Wade's boots or his leg constantly bouncing and creaking on one of the weak boards.
“This is a lot slower than our cart.”
Clarke didn't even look at him.
“Yeah. They transport a lot of found weaponry and items from old battlefields. Funny how metal is heavy.”
“Well can't you talk to them about going any faster?”
Valerie handed him a bowl of soup, cold but palatable.
“We're heavily weighed down on this trip, kid. What's waiting for you back home?”
Wade's foot redoubled its speed.
“They're having more knight trials in Deraforda. I figured getting a successful adventure under my belt beforehand would help and I'd just rush back after.”
Gwen practically squealed.
“A knight! Now that's a romantic dream.”
Clarke just smirked maliciously.
“As I recall...”
“Shut up.”
“...you left Greater Rens to be a knight thirteen years ago. They hold those try outs twice a year to fill the lowly ranks with combat talented nobodies the noble born can push around and the upper ranks with the nobles. So you failed to even make it as far as a nobody twenty-six times?”
“Listen, compared to a rat-raised, trash digging-”
“Hey, c'mon!”
Gwen cut the air in front of them, breaking their attention just enough to redirect.
“Knights are cool! They're noble and strong and bring hope to people, riding around helping folks.”
Wade snorted, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together.
“Whatever, it's the money I want. The money, the fame of just having the title. Even the lowliest knight makes twice as much as any city guard. All that noble wandering and self sacrifice is bunk made up by the nobles and their writers.”
Gwen was taken aback for a moment but pushed this revelation aside for later mulling.
“C'mon Clarke, he's got a dream, even if it is about money. Don'tcha wanna help a hometown friend?”
“I wouldn't spit on him if he were on fire.”
“Well give me the map then.”
She swiped it from his book, the notes for the adventure coming with it. They turned over in her hands for a bit, sometimes upside down. Wade scooted over to look at them from his side of the wagon.
“There's a town not far off the road we'll be passing by. Maybe you can rent a horse there.”
She pointed it out to Wade, handing the map off. He smacked the page and smiled.
“Hey, that's real good, short stack! I owe you one.”
Valerie peered at the map with them.
“Stoneplain? We're about to pass that right now. If you're trying to get some horses there you should get off now.”
Wade covered his eyes to scan the distance and sure enough there was a little town in the coming up. He turned back to Clarke.
“Alright, gimme the thingies.”
“What? No.”
He growled and thrust his outstretched palm out a little harder but Clarke shook his head.
“You're going to lose them.”
Clarke gasped when he was lifted up, princess carried in Gwen's arms and her nudging Wade out the back. She jumped down after, shouting after the group.
“Bye Feathers! Bye Valerie!”
Their retreating caravan waved as Gwen began to walk towards the small town.
“What are you doing?”
The question asked simultaneously from her partners.
“Well, Clarke wasn't giving up our magic baubles and Wade wants to go home and be a knight in golden armor. So we're all going to get horses.”
Clarke struggled until she dropped him on his butt in the dirt. He could feel prickles over his shoulders rising in warm heat as he stood and dusted himself.
“You're too impulsive. You have to think things through sometimes. What if no one wants to part with a horse in this small town?”
They'd already begun walking before he'd finished. He jogged to catch up as there wasn't anything to do but change plans now.
Best laid plans are like kindling before fools with matches.
The town was just a bit bigger than it looked from the road, lots of low stone walls that reminded Clarke, unwillingly, of his hometown. He could tell Wade thought the same, his walk relaxing a bit.
People waved as they came into town and Gwen waved back.
“This place is so pretty! Too bad we can't stay a while, I've never been in a little town. Dwarf towns are all people living on top of each other and privacy is having someone turn around. Deraforda is only slightly better but this is wide open.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“If you like little towns you should see my hometown, Greater Rens. It's as homey as you like. Friendly people. Me and him grew up there. Oh, hey, you!”
Wade stopped a passing farmer and his horse pulled wagon. Clarke wandered a bit further, spying a bigger than average building people sat in front of, some coming and going. No sign out front but the amount of people carrying drinks made it obvious it was a place for a bite and a drink and he could do with a drink.
“You don't like small towns?”
Gwen asked, following him into the place.
“Why do you say that?”
“Your constant frown is frownier.”
They took a seat at one of the tables.
“Greater Rens was...there were two of them. I liked it and I...didn't like it.”
“Cryptic.”
They ordered a little food and Clarke spied a trio of bards, their patches from the traveling bard guild sewn on their sleeves. He nodded at them which immediately started a little game betwixt themselves of dominant hand motions. The winner did a little victory pump and walked over, blowing a few notes on his flute.
“Hey, guys. Do you mind a little story? Maybe a dwarven love ballad for the couple? Or a tale of high adventure?”
“We're just partners, not partners. How about a tale of adventure? You got anything you want to hear, Clarke?”
He shrugged and ate his soup, both a bite and a drink.
“We don't really have the time...”
“We've got time for one story.”
He looked out the door they'd come in, Wade rubbing his face as he haggled with the farmer.
“I guess. How about that latest tale about Alouella Lawfer? You know, the one where she saved the entire town of Koar from a huge monster.”
There was a moment of silence from the bard and Gwen brightened considerably.
“What? I love her, when did that happen!? That's amazing!”
Clarke looked up, waving his dripping spoon.
“I know you love her, I told you just a few days ago on the way here, remember? We sat around the campfire and you acted out the whole thing.
The bard looked back at his friends and shrugged.
“Um, sir, I know all about the many incredible exploits of the the lovely lightning lass but...I'm afraid you're mistaken. I was there for a few weeks recently and nothing happened there.”
Clarke's eye twitched. He dropped his spoon, splattering droplets across the table. He stood, his grip on the edge of the table threatening to overturn it. He spit through clenched teeth.
“It was a huge story. Half the town leveled, many dead, giant monster...Gwen, you read the story out loud from my book-”
She looked a bit lost in the conversation and shook her head.
“No, we just sat around and chatted-”
Sweat poured down his face and he jerked the portable hole from one of his pockets, slapping it onto the table and jerking the book out.
“Here, right here!”
He was shouting, people were looking over as the bard and Gwen read the book he slammed onto the table.
“Sir, the dates listed here...well, I was there. Really, nothing happened. This is made up.”
Gwen handed him the book.
“It's a nice story though. Did you write it?”
He put it away, slowly folded the hole, slipped it into one of his many pockets.
Then he flipped the table, the bowls flying and smacking other patrons, the table crushing the bard to the ground. Clarke screamed, his face contorting like some maddened beast.
“Don't lie to me! I'll kill you, how DARE YOU!”
He stumbled back, hands gripping his face, muttered mantras spilling from his mouth as he stumbled back over a chair and fell to the ground.
“Nonotagainnotagainnotagain.”
He scrambled up, Gwen trying to help him up, worry all over her face.
“DON'T TOUCH ME!”
He shrieked,slapping her hand away and racing out the door towards Wade.
“I got the horses. I expect to be paid back for-”
Clarke shoved him aside and leaped up onto the only saddled one.
“Clarke!”
Gwen raced out, people watching the scene as Clarke rode off.
“CLARKE! He just took one of my horses! What the hell happened to that nutjob?!”
Wade slapped his pockets.
“And he took those doodads!”
He tossed a bunch of coins at the farmer, most of them hitting the dirt as they took off.
“I don't know! We were having lunch, a bard asked if we wanted to hear a story and Clarke started arguing about this story he says happened to Alouella Lawfer but no one remembered it ever happening! He started screaming about not again and ran off!”
The horses pounded over the dirt but Clarke was pulling further and further away from them as light as he was compared to his pursuers. Gwen's constant swaying from side to side on the horse didn't help any as she fought to keep her balance.
“God dammit, not this bullshit again.”
“What? What's wrong with him?”
Wade glared ahead, annoyance all over his face. They hadn't even had time to stock up on supplies and at the rate Clarke was going to kill that horse.
“He thinks things happen when they never did and he makes up these really elaborate stories. He's a lunatic regardless of where the moon is.”
They could see the lizardfolk caravan coming up, Clarke scattering their group as he raced by them on the thousand pound animal.
“Hey, stop him! Knock him off his horse!”
Clarke shot by them before they'd even registered the words, lizardfolk watching as they pulled up. Gwen slowed as she pulled beside Swampbelly, Wade still racing forward.
“What's got him so riled up, he almost ran us over.”
“We don't know! Clarke just got all upset when he showed us a story and now he's gonna kill a horse or-we have to stop him but he's so far-”
“There's nothing we can do if he's that far-”
Twang.
The sound jerked her attention and Feathers stood on the buckboard of the wagon, abnormally large longbow in hand. His arrow sailed out to hit the dirt near Clarke.
“Oh, uh, sorry, I found this bow-”
“What are you doing!? You're gonna hit him!”
Gwen screamed, jerking side to side to keep her balance on the horse. Feathers gulped, eyes shifting around nervously even as he grabbed another arrow.
“No, please, I'll just...I'm not, just let me aim-”
He pulled back further this time, the string creaking. It snapped forward and the arrow soared, disappearing into the sky to piff into the dirt ahead of Clarke. The horse swerved, slowing enough that Wade gained.
“Okay...just one more...”
He took the arrow and swirled it into an open lantern then over the open flame of the small kitchen so it lit up.
He pulled back, let go of all the breath in his body and focused his eyes on a point ahead of Clarke...and released. The arrow flew once more, glowing against the blue sky. The flame flashed before the horses eyes and it skidded in the dirt, bucking in a circle.
They watched as Wade's small figure caught up to him, jerking him off the horse and rolling around on the ground.
The screamed profanity became evident the closer they got.
“-me go or I swear I'll kill you, Wade! You worthless knight wannabe loser piece of-”
Wade bashed his head into the ground, screaming muffled by dirt filling his mouth. His struggling did nothing against the behemoth sitting on him.
“Get off him, you're gonna hurt him!”
“Well he bit me, I'm entitled!”
Gwen knelt down, hands hovering over Clarke's head as what to do held exactly zero seats on her train of thought.
“Clarke, Clarke, c'mon, what is it? What happened? It wasn't a bad story, what-”
The screaming stopped, the scrambling stopped but his body kept shaking and she could see his dirt smeared face dripping with tears. He sobbed and ground his teeth.
“It was true, it happened, it happened...not aga...not aga...”
She finally pulled off a gauntlet and rubbed a shaking hand on his head.
“C'mon, calm down...”
To her surprise he did, burying his face into the dirt. His squirming stopped as well and he lay face down with everyone awkwardly watching the scene.
A minute passed before Clarke moved again, snorting back through his nose. He took a deep breath that came out shaky.
“Wade.”
“What?”
“I'm going to see her. It's the same as with my mother.”
Wade shook him enough to rattle his teeth.
“Oh, sure, you pick right before I need to be somewhere to pull this! You know I'm not letting you see her without me so you think, 'let's ruin Wade's life some more!'”
He took his knee out of Clarke's back and got up. Wade's face was a mystery, lips shifting between smile and angry scowl while all anyone else had was utter confusion.
“Well get up! It'll be great to show Alouella the mess you always were.”
He grumbled and stomped back to his horse, throwing his arms up.
“Goddammit!”
And hopped back up.
Clarke lay in the dirt catching breath from having Wade crush his lungs.
“So...we're gonna see Alouella Lawfer?”
Clarke nodded, his spine popping when he pushed himself up and onto his knees.
“Yeah.”
“So...what was all..”
“We're not talking about it.”
The caravan started moving again, the lizardfolk passing by. Swampbelly patted him on the head as they went ahead.
“You alright boy?”
He waved the scaled inquiry away.
“Not now, at least. Just...leave me alone. I'm sorry.”
The group was moving ahead now and Gwen with them when Clarke grabbed her pants leg.
“What's my name, Gwen?”
She looked down at him. His face was back to the stony irritation it usually wore. His eyes were sharper this time, like you'd cut yourself touching his face.
“It's Clarke.”
He nodded, biting his lip and finally standing.
The rest of the day was silence.