down a bit." He glanced at Storm. "Would that make you happy?"
Storm nickered happily, and pawed at the cobblestones, sending sparks flying out from his steel shoes.
With the crisis at the stables averted, they spent the next several hours touring the city and battlements, then they slowly started to make their way back up to the keep.
"This is my stop." Sly told them as they reached one of the local taverns.
"Isn't it a bit early to start drinking?" Damarius asked the scruffy little man in disgust.
"For your information, the tavern owner and I are developing a new ale from a recipe that I obtained from a dwarf some years back. If we can perfect it, it could make us very rich men."
"Ale is a drink for lesser races." Brody sniffed with a faintly disapproving expression. "Everyone knows that wine is the drink of the superior mind."
"Is that so?" Sly's face darkened as he considered the fussy elf. "Well, I think..."
"It's getting close to lunchtime," Damarius quickly cut him off. "I think that the cooks are preparing pheasant today."
"Pheasant, you say?" The elven man asked with an interested expression, following the old wizard as he started off towards the castle, leaving Sly to stare after them with an irritated expression.
When they reached the courtyard outside of the castle once again, they found Leia awaiting their return on the steps leading up to the towering keep.
"Where's Slither?" Damion asked as they approached.
"He wanted to go have a look at those goblins that Shirk mentioned." The young girl shrugged. "He said that he'll be back in a few hours."
"How did your lesson go?"
"Not as well as I would have liked." She admitted with a frown. "It's a lot more difficult to move silently through the shadows than I thought. I kept making so much noise that even a deaf man would have heard me."
"You'll get better with practice." The huge warrior assured her. "It takes time to become proficient at such a thing."
"How did the armor perform?" Damarius asked eagerly.
"Perfectly." Leia smiled. "I can hardly even notice that I'm wearing it. I just can't seem to move through the underbrush without making a bunch of noise. Slither makes it looks so easy!"
"Perhaps you do not have the aptitude to develop such skills." Brody suggested to the young girl in a dismissive tone. "You should stick to activities more suited for a child of your age."
"Such as?" Leia asked, a dangerous gleam in her eye.
"Most elven children spend their days perfecting their archery skills. There are no better archers in the world than the elven people, and I hold the honor of being among their very best."
"Is that right?" The young girl murmured in a bland tone.
"Would you care for a demonstration?"
"I would, actually." Leia nodded.
"Do we really have time for this?" Damarius complained sourly. "The pheasant is going to get cold."
"Let them have their fun." Damion murmured to the old wizard quietly. "Besides, I think that Leia is planning on using this demonstration as an opportunity to put Etha Brody in his place. You wouldn't want to miss that, now would you?"
"Well," Damarius conceded reluctantly. "since you put it that way, I think lunch can wait."
It took a few minutes for the necessary equipment to be gathered, and for a pair of servants to erect a small target on a post at the far end of the courtyard, then Leia and Brody both stepped forward with bows in hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" The elven man asked in bewilderment.
"I thought we might have a bit of a contest." The young girl said innocently.
"Really?" Brody couldn't keep the amusement from his voice. "What makes you think that you can hope to best me in an archery contest?"
Leia merely shrugged, a small smile playing about her mouth.
"Very well." The elf agreed. "I will be happy to give you a lesson in humility." He glanced at the target at the far end of the courtyard. "First to hit the target dead center wins. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Leia nodded. "Would you
Storm nickered happily, and pawed at the cobblestones, sending sparks flying out from his steel shoes.
With the crisis at the stables averted, they spent the next several hours touring the city and battlements, then they slowly started to make their way back up to the keep.
"This is my stop." Sly told them as they reached one of the local taverns.
"Isn't it a bit early to start drinking?" Damarius asked the scruffy little man in disgust.
"For your information, the tavern owner and I are developing a new ale from a recipe that I obtained from a dwarf some years back. If we can perfect it, it could make us very rich men."
"Ale is a drink for lesser races." Brody sniffed with a faintly disapproving expression. "Everyone knows that wine is the drink of the superior mind."
"Is that so?" Sly's face darkened as he considered the fussy elf. "Well, I think..."
"It's getting close to lunchtime," Damarius quickly cut him off. "I think that the cooks are preparing pheasant today."
"Pheasant, you say?" The elven man asked with an interested expression, following the old wizard as he started off towards the castle, leaving Sly to stare after them with an irritated expression.
When they reached the courtyard outside of the castle once again, they found Leia awaiting their return on the steps leading up to the towering keep.
"Where's Slither?" Damion asked as they approached.
"He wanted to go have a look at those goblins that Shirk mentioned." The young girl shrugged. "He said that he'll be back in a few hours."
"How did your lesson go?"
"Not as well as I would have liked." She admitted with a frown. "It's a lot more difficult to move silently through the shadows than I thought. I kept making so much noise that even a deaf man would have heard me."
"You'll get better with practice." The huge warrior assured her. "It takes time to become proficient at such a thing."
"How did the armor perform?" Damarius asked eagerly.
"Perfectly." Leia smiled. "I can hardly even notice that I'm wearing it. I just can't seem to move through the underbrush without making a bunch of noise. Slither makes it looks so easy!"
"Perhaps you do not have the aptitude to develop such skills." Brody suggested to the young girl in a dismissive tone. "You should stick to activities more suited for a child of your age."
"Such as?" Leia asked, a dangerous gleam in her eye.
"Most elven children spend their days perfecting their archery skills. There are no better archers in the world than the elven people, and I hold the honor of being among their very best."
"Is that right?" The young girl murmured in a bland tone.
"Would you care for a demonstration?"
"I would, actually." Leia nodded.
"Do we really have time for this?" Damarius complained sourly. "The pheasant is going to get cold."
"Let them have their fun." Damion murmured to the old wizard quietly. "Besides, I think that Leia is planning on using this demonstration as an opportunity to put Etha Brody in his place. You wouldn't want to miss that, now would you?"
"Well," Damarius conceded reluctantly. "since you put it that way, I think lunch can wait."
It took a few minutes for the necessary equipment to be gathered, and for a pair of servants to erect a small target on a post at the far end of the courtyard, then Leia and Brody both stepped forward with bows in hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" The elven man asked in bewilderment.
"I thought we might have a bit of a contest." The young girl said innocently.
"Really?" Brody couldn't keep the amusement from his voice. "What makes you think that you can hope to best me in an archery contest?"
Leia merely shrugged, a small smile playing about her mouth.
"Very well." The elf agreed. "I will be happy to give you a lesson in humility." He glanced at the target at the far end of the courtyard. "First to hit the target dead center wins. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Leia nodded. "Would you
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