“They hunt dragons?” he hissed. “How much do they pay for one like me?” The anger in his voice was not lost on the young apprentice.
Kyra blushed and quickly turned the page. She had been so wrapped up in the story that she had forgotten to skip that part. She reached out and stroked Leatherback’s neck. “Don’t think on it, Leatherback. No one will hunt you, I promise.”
Leatherback rolled his head to the side on the grass, growling softly. “Continue story,” he said after a moment.
Kyra skipped over the part that detailed the payment before continuing. “Ravenel turned back around to face the woman and, despite his fears, within moments he found his head nodding in agreement with her. ‘You said you had a map for me to use in finding the cave,’ Ravenel said dryly.
“Lirian nodded. She moved to the table beside her throne and picked up a rolled parchment. ‘The path is marked for you,’ she said. Ravenel took the map. He unrolled it, studied the markings, and then rolled it again and shoved it into his satchel. ‘May the gods protect you,’ Lirian offered.
‘“Perhaps you failed to notice, but the gods abandoned us two centuries ago,’ Ravenel said flatly. He then left without another word. As he opened the door to step out into the full, late-morning sunlight, he was greeted by a crowd of people. Some of them he recognized as members of Lirian’s court, others were faces he didn’t recognize. Most were women, though there were a few older men and some children in the group as well. They all clamored for him, begging him to deliver them from their plight.
‘“I am no savior,’ Ravenel said under his breath as he pushed through the pressing throng. He left the city as quickly as he could, escaping the pleading and wailing masses as he finally made it beyond the outer walls of the city. He followed the roads that led east, then turned sharply north when he reached the pine forest of Goresthin. He walked along a babbling brook, stopping only for a few moments to drink from the cool, crystalline waters and eat a mouthful of bread and dried apricots that he had packed in his satchel.
“The evening light fell darkly upon the hills before the mountains, barely lighting the way for Ravenel as he carefully climbed up the rocky, dry riverbed that led to the cave. He looked up at the waning light through the trees and sighed. He had hoped to reach the lair before the beasts woke to prowl. Along the trail he found scattered bones and large piles of droppings, the sure tell-tale signs of a predator in the area. He stopped to examine the leg bone of a deer and ran his fingers through the grooves.
‘“That’s some set of teeth,’ he remarked as he set the bone back on the ground. He readied his bow in his left hand and pulled one arrow out of his quiver, sticking it in his teeth for quick retrieval while he pulled another arrow and held it to the string.”
“He has no magic,” Leatherback commented, a hint of concern in his voice.
Kyra smiled and shushed Leatherback so she could continue reading. “Another twenty minutes of picking his way up the slope over the lichen-covered rocks in the fading light brought him to a large, black hole that led into the side of the mountain like an ever-open mouth waiting to swallow the unwary. Ravenel felt a shiver run down his spine when he heard the wind howl through the cave, but he shrugged it off quickly, knowing that he had work to do. He crouched low next to a waist-high boulder and scanned the area around him before setting his bow down to reach for his satchel.
“First he pulled out a mini crossbow, made similar to the design an elf warrior might use, with vine and leaf patterns etched into the sides. The weight and balance of the crossbow were of such fine craftsmanship that the weapon could be wielded very quickly and with the utmost precision to deliver a powerful, deadly punch to almost any of the lesser beasts in the realm, despite the
Kyra blushed and quickly turned the page. She had been so wrapped up in the story that she had forgotten to skip that part. She reached out and stroked Leatherback’s neck. “Don’t think on it, Leatherback. No one will hunt you, I promise.”
Leatherback rolled his head to the side on the grass, growling softly. “Continue story,” he said after a moment.
Kyra skipped over the part that detailed the payment before continuing. “Ravenel turned back around to face the woman and, despite his fears, within moments he found his head nodding in agreement with her. ‘You said you had a map for me to use in finding the cave,’ Ravenel said dryly.
“Lirian nodded. She moved to the table beside her throne and picked up a rolled parchment. ‘The path is marked for you,’ she said. Ravenel took the map. He unrolled it, studied the markings, and then rolled it again and shoved it into his satchel. ‘May the gods protect you,’ Lirian offered.
‘“Perhaps you failed to notice, but the gods abandoned us two centuries ago,’ Ravenel said flatly. He then left without another word. As he opened the door to step out into the full, late-morning sunlight, he was greeted by a crowd of people. Some of them he recognized as members of Lirian’s court, others were faces he didn’t recognize. Most were women, though there were a few older men and some children in the group as well. They all clamored for him, begging him to deliver them from their plight.
‘“I am no savior,’ Ravenel said under his breath as he pushed through the pressing throng. He left the city as quickly as he could, escaping the pleading and wailing masses as he finally made it beyond the outer walls of the city. He followed the roads that led east, then turned sharply north when he reached the pine forest of Goresthin. He walked along a babbling brook, stopping only for a few moments to drink from the cool, crystalline waters and eat a mouthful of bread and dried apricots that he had packed in his satchel.
“The evening light fell darkly upon the hills before the mountains, barely lighting the way for Ravenel as he carefully climbed up the rocky, dry riverbed that led to the cave. He looked up at the waning light through the trees and sighed. He had hoped to reach the lair before the beasts woke to prowl. Along the trail he found scattered bones and large piles of droppings, the sure tell-tale signs of a predator in the area. He stopped to examine the leg bone of a deer and ran his fingers through the grooves.
‘“That’s some set of teeth,’ he remarked as he set the bone back on the ground. He readied his bow in his left hand and pulled one arrow out of his quiver, sticking it in his teeth for quick retrieval while he pulled another arrow and held it to the string.”
“He has no magic,” Leatherback commented, a hint of concern in his voice.
Kyra smiled and shushed Leatherback so she could continue reading. “Another twenty minutes of picking his way up the slope over the lichen-covered rocks in the fading light brought him to a large, black hole that led into the side of the mountain like an ever-open mouth waiting to swallow the unwary. Ravenel felt a shiver run down his spine when he heard the wind howl through the cave, but he shrugged it off quickly, knowing that he had work to do. He crouched low next to a waist-high boulder and scanned the area around him before setting his bow down to reach for his satchel.
“First he pulled out a mini crossbow, made similar to the design an elf warrior might use, with vine and leaf patterns etched into the sides. The weight and balance of the crossbow were of such fine craftsmanship that the weapon could be wielded very quickly and with the utmost precision to deliver a powerful, deadly punch to almost any of the lesser beasts in the realm, despite the
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