She followed Pancras and nearly bumped into him when he stopped and
turned to admire Drak-Anor one last time.
"It has
been my home for so long. Now, I feel like I may never see it again."
"We'll
be coming home soon, Pancras." Delilah took his hand. He looked down at
her and shook his head.
Kale trotted
up to them. "Yeah, it's just a trip to Muncifer and back, right?"
"For
you, perhaps. I don't know what awaits me there. It was my home before I came
here. I left for a reason." The minotaur's face twitched, and he stared
with unfocused eyes into the distance. Pancras rubbed his right horn and shook
his head.
"I
don't want to go."
Delilah
studied his face and then regarded Drak-Anor. It was the only home she'd ever
known. She lived there all her life, visiting Ironkrag only once, ten years
ago. The world lay ahead, a great unknown, and like Kale, she eagerly
anticipated the adventure, despite her anxieties. The two guard towers stood on
either side of the forged gates, spires piercing the sky, monuments to the day
Sarvesh truly took control and named the city Drak-Anor. Most minotaurs still
grumbled in their ales about living in a city called "Home of the Draks.
Pancras
slumped and gazed toward the city gates. His ears drooped as he shuffled his
feet. Sunlight flashed off his earrings of gold and silver. His fur-trimmed
purple robes ruffled in the breeze.
Delilah
tugged at his hand. "We're with you, Pancras. We'll make this journey
together, the three of us, and we'll stick together. You're not alone out
here."
* * *
Pancras
regarded Delilah and her brother as they looked up at him and held his hands. Drak
twins of crimson and ebony, black and red, and—odd, I don't remember Kale
having a tattoo on his chest. It looks draconic. He chuckled and nodded,
deciding to let the questions he had about Kale's new symbol lie. My
friends.
"Yes,
yes, thank you. Let's be on our way. We should reach Bramblevale Keep in a
week." He pulled his hands away from the draks, wiped his nose, and hefted
his pack. With a deep breath Pancras turned away from Drak-Anor and set out
along the road that would take them to within a day of Ironkrag before it
turned east and down out of the Dragon Spine Mountains.
Kale and
Delilah followed, and Pancras took comfort in the knowledge that no matter
where he went, as long as they were with him, some part of home would be with
him, too.
As they
strode, the sun continued its journey across the sky, bringing warmth to the
cool mountain air. Below, the plains of Etrunia were shrouded in mist, and the
bright colors in the forests blazed forth in unparalleled glory, heralding the
slow change from summer to autumn. The drak twins sang songs to pass the time,
and once the bone-aching chill burned away, Pancras hummed along, too.
"This
fresh air is great." Delilah inhaled deeply. "It's been too long
since I've been outside the city. Too many stinky minotaurs in there."
"Hey!"
"Sorry,
Pancras, but it's true. You don't bathe enough."
Pancras
considered himself fastidious, more so than his brethren. "I reckon I
bathe as often as you." He glanced back at Kale and Delilah
"I'm
sure she didn't mean you, Pancras." Kale gave his sister a playful shove.
"We don't
have fur stinky things can stick to." Delilah returned her brother's
shove.
Sniffing
himself, Pancras shrugged. "Well, I don't smell anything offensive."
"You're
probably the best-smelling minotaur in the city, Pancras."
"Someone's
coming!" Kale pointed to the road ahead.
Pancras
shielded his eyes. A diminutive figure trudged up the road toward them. He
thought it looked like a dwarf. As it approached, Pancras realized that it was,
indeed, a sole dwarf in traveling gear.
"It's a
dwarf for sure, but I don't think it's a trader. An envoy, perhaps?" They
stopped and waited for the dwarf to reach them.
"It's
Edric!" Kale waved at the familiar dwarf. Pancras saw that he was correct.
The dwarf, alongside whom they fought a few days earlier,
turned to admire Drak-Anor one last time.
"It has
been my home for so long. Now, I feel like I may never see it again."
"We'll
be coming home soon, Pancras." Delilah took his hand. He looked down at
her and shook his head.
Kale trotted
up to them. "Yeah, it's just a trip to Muncifer and back, right?"
"For
you, perhaps. I don't know what awaits me there. It was my home before I came
here. I left for a reason." The minotaur's face twitched, and he stared
with unfocused eyes into the distance. Pancras rubbed his right horn and shook
his head.
"I
don't want to go."
Delilah
studied his face and then regarded Drak-Anor. It was the only home she'd ever
known. She lived there all her life, visiting Ironkrag only once, ten years
ago. The world lay ahead, a great unknown, and like Kale, she eagerly
anticipated the adventure, despite her anxieties. The two guard towers stood on
either side of the forged gates, spires piercing the sky, monuments to the day
Sarvesh truly took control and named the city Drak-Anor. Most minotaurs still
grumbled in their ales about living in a city called "Home of the Draks.
Pancras
slumped and gazed toward the city gates. His ears drooped as he shuffled his
feet. Sunlight flashed off his earrings of gold and silver. His fur-trimmed
purple robes ruffled in the breeze.
Delilah
tugged at his hand. "We're with you, Pancras. We'll make this journey
together, the three of us, and we'll stick together. You're not alone out
here."
* * *
Pancras
regarded Delilah and her brother as they looked up at him and held his hands. Drak
twins of crimson and ebony, black and red, and—odd, I don't remember Kale
having a tattoo on his chest. It looks draconic. He chuckled and nodded,
deciding to let the questions he had about Kale's new symbol lie. My
friends.
"Yes,
yes, thank you. Let's be on our way. We should reach Bramblevale Keep in a
week." He pulled his hands away from the draks, wiped his nose, and hefted
his pack. With a deep breath Pancras turned away from Drak-Anor and set out
along the road that would take them to within a day of Ironkrag before it
turned east and down out of the Dragon Spine Mountains.
Kale and
Delilah followed, and Pancras took comfort in the knowledge that no matter
where he went, as long as they were with him, some part of home would be with
him, too.
As they
strode, the sun continued its journey across the sky, bringing warmth to the
cool mountain air. Below, the plains of Etrunia were shrouded in mist, and the
bright colors in the forests blazed forth in unparalleled glory, heralding the
slow change from summer to autumn. The drak twins sang songs to pass the time,
and once the bone-aching chill burned away, Pancras hummed along, too.
"This
fresh air is great." Delilah inhaled deeply. "It's been too long
since I've been outside the city. Too many stinky minotaurs in there."
"Hey!"
"Sorry,
Pancras, but it's true. You don't bathe enough."
Pancras
considered himself fastidious, more so than his brethren. "I reckon I
bathe as often as you." He glanced back at Kale and Delilah
"I'm
sure she didn't mean you, Pancras." Kale gave his sister a playful shove.
"We don't
have fur stinky things can stick to." Delilah returned her brother's
shove.
Sniffing
himself, Pancras shrugged. "Well, I don't smell anything offensive."
"You're
probably the best-smelling minotaur in the city, Pancras."
"Someone's
coming!" Kale pointed to the road ahead.
Pancras
shielded his eyes. A diminutive figure trudged up the road toward them. He
thought it looked like a dwarf. As it approached, Pancras realized that it was,
indeed, a sole dwarf in traveling gear.
"It's a
dwarf for sure, but I don't think it's a trader. An envoy, perhaps?" They
stopped and waited for the dwarf to reach them.
"It's
Edric!" Kale waved at the familiar dwarf. Pancras saw that he was correct.
The dwarf, alongside whom they fought a few days earlier,
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