Ecliptica Page 9

  “I wasn’t going to ask; I mean, if you’d had a tail I would have been straight on that like a dog with a bone.”

  “Oo, I’d quite like a tail, I bet it would come in handy sometimes,” Rossa continued to keep the lightened tone as they walked down the short corridor to the stairs. “Anyway, the scar isn’t from anything horrific. I was ‘acquiring’ a nice piece for a well connected noble in Picinto a few years ago and unfortunately someone tipped off the guard I was coming. It felt like a bit of a set up if you were to ask me now, but at the time…the money was right. I managed to get away without too much hassle, but one of the guards turned out to be handy with a whip. Serves me right in some respects; I was getting a little cocky by that point with what I could and couldn’t get hold of”.

  Nethalie looked at her friend, there was still so much she didn’t know about Rossa’s past. In time, Nethalie hoped she would find out more about just what Rossa had acquired and for whom. Her stomach gave a gentle rumble.

  “Looks like we are headed the right way. I wonder if they serve dessert?” Rossa giggled.

  ~ 14 ~

  After a good night’s sleep, feeling well rested and ready to go, Drake made his way downstairs. The Inn was almost empty save for the odd soul, still medicating themselves with the harder liquors. Gracie was stood behind one of the serving hatches. It looked as though the woman had not moved since yesterday evening when Drake had finally come back from Marik’s hut. She welcomed Drake when she saw the young man heading across the room.

  “Mornin’ young sir. Might I be able to interest you in some eggs and rye bread this mornin’? They are fresh from the farm.”

  Drake could think of nothing better for his morning meal. “That would be a perfect start to the day. You wouldn’t also happen to have some of the dried tea Marik has by any chance as well?”

  “Indeed we do. I shall have a mug sent out to you once the water has boiled up again.”

  Drake made his way to a table in the corner of the room, making sure to see who else was around at this time. The room seemed to be filled with the remnants of last night’s drinkers and an older couple with flour stained clothes, probably the bakers. He took a table as he began to consider the day; meeting Marik up at the hut to collect his mount and then crossing the border. He and Zeek had discussed at length which direction to head in once they crossed into the Shadow Realm, but had decided that they would go whichever way felt right as neither could decide on a specific direction.

  Following his splendid morning meal, Drake returned to his room to collect his pack and blades.

  He had spent a great deal of time the previous night coaxing the rust and mould off of the two blades. Zeek had also instructed him on how to imbue and restore metalwork with magic but Drake still felt more comfortable with the whetstone glove. The morning light revealed the work that the gloom of night had hidden. The two blades lay on the blanketed bed, glistening in the sunlight that blazed through the window. With the aid of magic, Drake had achieved what would have taken a good swordsman eight or nine hours to match. Giving a smile to his night well spent, Drake reached for his pack and slung in onto his shoulders. The two blades he collected and slid them into their sheathes which he had hidden within the seams of his pack. The blades found their homes perfectly, closing with a satisfying clink of metal into metal. Drake drew the flaps down on either side to hide the handles from view, knowing that within a heartbeat, he could reach and draw them from hiding.

  “Shall we go and meet our new travelling companion then?”, Drake asked Zeek, wanting his mentor and friend to agree that it was time to move on once more.

  “In another life I might have called him dinner.” Zeek said plainly.

  Drake stood for a moment and then laughed out loud.

  “Why Zeek, are we developing a sense of humour?

  “At no point have I ever claimed to be without one. That, however, was one I could not miss,” he chuckled.

  “You are full of surprises this morning,” he paused for a second “you didn’t really eat people did you?”

  “Do not fear youngling, dragons do not eat people, elves or dwarves. We are actually quite selective in our palette,” Zeek clarified, allowing Drake a short sigh of relief, “we have even been known to eat the occasional turnip.”

  The thought of the Great Dragon settling down to eat a turnip was too much and, laughing to himself, looking a little crazy to any onlookers, Drake made his way down the stairs to settle his bill and bid his farewell to Gracie.

  Following his departure from the inn, Drake made his way to the far side of Isimir, to one of the smaller dwellings. The house that he was heading for belonged to Lou the map and artefact expert.

  “My memory of the realm itself is rather...scattered, for lack of a better phrase. A map, although it may not be as accurate of one drawn from the air, will be a great help in our navigation.” Zeek mused at how useful being able to fly was at this point.

  “I’m sure Lou will have some worthwhile maps that will be of use to us. I’d wager that once you see a map, you will be able to recognise some areas and be as much of a guide as the map will be,” Drake tried to reassure his friend. Zeek seemed to be more aware as of late, to the gaps in his memories. This simply urged Drake on to help his friend recover himself.

  The building itself led any onlooker to believe that it was simply another ordinary dwelling, with an ordinary owner. When Drake had to forcibly open the door with a good shoulder shove it was clear this was no ordinary home.

  “Hello? Lou? Lou are you in here somewhere?” Drake called out.

  He was answered by a muffled groan.

  “Hello?” Drake tried again.

  “mmooofffeeerrr...hhhaaarrreeee!” the voice replied, with some urgency this time.

  Drake looked around the room to see if there was any sign of where the voice might be coming from. Then he spotted a pair of curled toe boots, with feet inside them, sticking out from a rather large pile of parchments.

  Drake sighed to himself “Oh dear. He’s going to be one of those scholars.”

  “I’m not sure I understand what you mean?” Zeek responded.

  “Just wait and see.”

  Drake began to pull rolls of parchments off the buried man to free him from his prison of parchment. Gradually, he made a new pile, not on top of a person he was pleased to say.

  Finally, as he removed yet another arm full, Lou burst forth out of the pile. Drake had to admit he was surprised that Lou was in fact a woman. He had assumed the name was that of a man.

  “It just goes to show; don’t judge a tome by its title,” Drake mused.

  “That took you long enough!” Lou muttered as she reached back into the pile for a pair of spectaxicles. Quite a rare sight in Port Gol, or anywhere in Kelsach, spectaxicles. They were only affordable to the ridiculously overly wealthy. The glass inside the gold frame was shaped and moulded by magic, usually by a trader of elvish decent, which was equally rare. Smoothing and shaping glass was a very lengthy process, therefore not one with which most humans had the patience to endure.

  “I would offer my thanks, but it would probably go straight in one of your ears and out of the other. But here goes...THANK YOU,” she said to Drake in a deliberately slow and louder voice.

  “Oh. I See.” Was all Zeek had to say to Drake as he took in this strange scholar.

  “You are most welcome,” Drake replied deciding not to be sarcastic in return, for a change. He wanted to collect his map and get on his way quickly. He also wanted to make sure to get one of the better maps that would undoubtedly be buried in the great piles of parchments.

  “Well…what do you want? I don’t tend to get many visitors here, so you must want something?”

  “You’ve got me there,” Drake replied, giving his best cheeky smile to the woman before him “I’m after a map. I bet you didn’t see that coming did you?”

  Lou smiled at Drake, “you’re right. I thought you were here for some sa
ge advice”. Her smile dropped as she moved back into the piles of parchments.

  “I’m always looking for a good bit of advice,” Drake continued, “what I could really do with however, is a map of the Shadow realm, if you have one around.”

  “What a surprise,” Lou sighed “I’m sure you could find somewhere else to go looking for your fame and fortune whilst avoiding inevitable death.”

  “Actually, I’m a cartographer’s apprentice. I’m hoping to do some remapping of the current border and an existing map would be a great point to start,” Drake smiled at Lou.

  She smiled back in surprise, “well, I’m always happy to help out a fellow cartographer. An apprentice you say. Your master must either really dislike you or is testing your skills and resolve to become a fully fledged member of the Cartographer’s Guild.”

  “I can’t believe there actually is one of those,” Drake said in amazement to Zeek.

  The woman then vanished from sight and parchments began flying around the room.

  “I see now how she got into the situation we found her in,” Zeek said as Drake ducked under a rolled up parchment that came flying through the air.

  “I get the feeling that it happens more often than we might expect.”

  “Right, young man. Since you were kind enough to help me out of my earlier predicament and you remind me of myself at your age, this map is a copy of one of the most recent to be made,” Lou called out as she reappeared near to Drake, who was somewhat startled by her sudden appearance.

  Drake took the map from her hand and unfurled it gently, showing the proper appreciation for a good map. The level of detail was much greater than he had expected.

  “I made this myself not long after I graduated from my apprenticeship. The border mapping could certainly do with a refresh. Just be sure to bring me back a copy once you are finished…if you’re still alive of course.”

  Drake looked at Lou, trying to judge if she was joking or not. The odd little laugh that quickly followed seemed to suggest that she was. Feeling a little more relaxed with Lou now, Drake took out a small selection of coins to offer Lou for the map.

  Lou saw what Drake was doing and shook her head, “that won’t be necessary. Just be sure to produce a good quality map and keep me in mind when it is done.”

  “I will be sure to drop my revised version in once copies have been made,” Drake promised. Someway or another he would repay Lou for her generosity. He would have to keep an eye out for any maps lying around once they got into the Shadow realm.

  . . .

  Isimir was a quiet place in the morning. It seemed that the locals were more inclined to sleep in through the mornings and then work longer into the evenings. It was a very different pace of life to the one found almost anywhere else in Kelsach. Drake almost admired them and had to admit, the idea of keeping his toes in that perfect temperature bed when everyone else was rushing around just as the sun began to warm up the day, did seem rather appealing.

  Leaving Lou’s rather odd home, Drake made his way out of Isimir along the route that Marik had told him to follow.

  “I expect that the woman we just left will be expecting a map to appear when we return, youngling.”

  “True, I’m rather hoping that we come across something when we cross over. They must have some sort of map somewhere, even if we have to pillage a shadow library,” Drake chuckled at the thought of a dark and dingy room filled with tomes and scrolls, “that certainly would make for an interesting find!”

  “I do not believe in leaving others without some form of compensation,” Zeek did not seem too happy about the possibility of not finding a map for Lou.

  “I promise, when we come back through, we will stop in again and make a payment for the map in some form or another.”

  “Be sure that we do.”

  Trekking up the path towards the small hut didn’t take too long now that he knew how to get through the magical barrier that confounded other travellers. He was very grateful that Marik had told him exactly how to navigate the path. Smiling to himself as he walked, he made a note to find out how to create these illusions from a barrier spell.

  Upon reaching the hut, Drake went around the back to find Marik grooming one of his ponies. Hoping it wasn’t going to be Springwind, he meandered along and greeted the man.

  “Good morning Marik. I take it this fine beast is to be my mount for the journey ahead?”

  “Yes she is indeed. This is Arthure, he is one of my finest trekkers. Sure footed, strong and intelligent,” Marik patted his flank as he spoke.

  “Do apologise to Springwind for me, but it could never have worked out between us,” Drake smiled and nodded to the man.

  “I’ll see she gets the message,” he chuckled. “You’d best be using the path off behind the top field,” he pointed up to his left. “That will loop around and take you across the border away from the usual path. If anyone should be watching the paths, this will be the more obscure one to watch. Not many know about it and even fewer ever use it.”

  Drake reached out his hand, Marik took it firmly and the two shook.

  “Thank you for everything. I hope to see you very soon, but since I have no idea how long or where to even start looking, I will simply say; until we meet again.”

  “Good luck to you Drake. I hope you find the answers you seek.”

  Taking his pack from his shoulders, he strapped it onto the saddle of Arthure. He gave a soft snort as the weight settled onto her back.

  “There’s a good lad,” said Drake as he pulled the strap to secure the pack. He made his way up to her head and took the reins from the loop on the saddle then stroked his nose. “Right then, shall we start our next adventure?” he asked, as much to himself as to Arthure. As if to answer, the pony shook her mane and started to slowly walk up towards the top field.

  “You’re more keen than I am,” Drake muttered as he took a few quick steps to catch up.

  So it was that Drake took his first steps towards the very heartland, the seat of the shadows and the great mountain that was Esdraksen.

  ~ 15 ~

  The path weaved along, away from Isimir. To Drake, it looked as though it was a dried up riverbed, meandering its way as if carving out the path of least resistance. Large rocks dotted the path as Drake led Arthure along. Marik was true to his word, Arthure turned out to be more sure footed than Drake at this point.

  “This is not the best of starts to crossing the border,” he said aloud as he stumbled on yet another rock. “At this rate I’ll have a sprained ankle and be limping for the whole journey.”

  “Let us hope then, that your feet become more aware of where they are stepping. Perhaps riding atop your mount rather than leading her along would be more prudent?”

  “Are you kidding? One bad pony footing and I’ll have the crushing weight of Arthure on top of me. No offence,” he patted his flank.

  “As you choose, but the consequences are on your shoulders.”

  “When we get to more stable ground, then I’ll ride,” he sighed, and nudged a larger stone out of the way with his boot. “Assuming we ever find stable ground again.”

  . . .

  Kalisle opened the front door to the shop, the rusting hinges creaking in protest. “Hello? Nethalie, are you home? Tre’larr?” Moving slowly into the store he noticed how dimly lit it seemed, even at mid-day. It was almost eerily quiet.

  It had been almost seven days since Kalisle had seen Nethalie last. They had been out to their usual spot outside of the city to practise with bows. Once again, he had proved that his natural talent was not for launching an arrow with any kind of accuracy.

  Walking into the shop, he pulled the door closed behind him. As he turned back to scour the shop further for signs of Nethalie, he spotted Tre’larr through the door way to the back room. He seemed to be pacing back and forward, which struck Kalisle as rather odd. As he made his way toward the pacing man, he could hear muted sounds of what appeared to be a discussion bet
ween Tre’larr and a woman. Though he could not make out any words, the expression on Tre’larr’s face was troubled. Deciding he was being rude to sneak into the shop, Kalilse coughed to make his presence known. Tre’larr stopped his pacing and turned in the doorway, giving a ghostly hint of a smile.

  “Ah, Kalisle. What brings you here? Looking for Nethalie I assume?” the questions almost tripping out of his mouth.

  “Yes sir, I am. I haven’t seen her around for a few days, so I thought I might surprise her. I hope I’m not interrupting a meeting with a supplier, I can always come back later.”

  Tre’larr looked over his shoulder, “you are not interrupting anything at all. Please” he beckoned the young man through into the back of the shop.

  Making his way through, Kalisle saw no hint of another person. “I have missed them going out the back,” he thought to himself.

  “I’m afraid Nethalie has taken herself of on an expedition, with a Bluecap none the less. They have gone searching for a piece of an Ecliptica,” Tre’larr explained.

  “The what, with whom?” Kalisle had no idea what a Bluecap was or what this Ecliptica might be either.

  “How little you get taught these days,” Tre’larr sighed, “a Bluecap is a creature, rather sprite like. About so tall,” he gestured, “with a rather sizeable attitude. The Ecliptica however, now that is an item of myth and legend. It is said to be a piece of a dragon.”

  Kalisle almost scoffed as Tre’larr spoke. Dragons had not been seen for over a thousand years and few people even believed they ever existed; himself being one of them. What annoyed him however, is that Nethalie had gone off on this adventure without him. Granted his own father was keen to groom him for taking over the fishing business and the fleet of small boats he had collected over his life; but Kalisle wanted at least one big adventure before that happened. Having a family business to take over was a blessing for most people; a job without an apprenticeship and being brought up in an environment where the ropes of the business were almost second nature, it was an easy life. For others though, they were left wanting more from life, a fresh challenge to take on and conquer.