Belloe wasn’t worriedabout the trip at all. He and his group had been on similar tripsin the region she wanted to visit on several occasions, and he knewroughly where he might find some of the magical animals thatinterested her. The main problem was whether this was some type oftrap.
He and his group hadtaken a spoilt young couple on an excursion into the wilderness ayear ago. Unfortunately, the young couple had been killed a fewdays into the trip. The jungle was a dangerous place for thefoolish or unwary. Was this another similar problem? He had seenand heard the bard in one of the inns before, and while he wasimpressed with his musical talent, that wasn’t of much use in atight situation in the jungle.
‘Alright, yer on. It’sbloody dangerous where ye want to go, so it’ll cost yer two hundredgold up front,’ he said. ‘Yer better git yerself properly kittedout with some decent gear for traveling in the jungle. That leatheryer wearin’ will be too hot and it’ll go moldy inside a week, andbring two pairs of boots. Don’t try to look pretty. I don’t wantyou drivin’ me men balmy. I’ll supply the traveling and campinggear. I hope yer don’t mind a few insect bites, and make sure yergives a few silvers to the Lady. We be sure to be needin’ her helpsometime on the trip. The first part of the journey be by boat. Ifyer agree, we can be ready to leave by dawn tomorrow, from outsidethe docks.’
‘One more thing, therewill be three of us going. I will be bringing my personal assistantalong to help me,’ said Zephira.
‘That be all right, aslong as she’s up to the trip and stays away from the men,’ repliedBelloe.
‘Oh, I’m sure the menwon’t want anything to do with my assistant,’ she said with a slysmile. After discussing a few more details Zephira agreed to thecontract, paid the retainer and stalked back to her room withChantalot for some entertainment.
‘I think that youshould have told him about Goth,’ said Chantalot.
‘He’ll find out soonenough,’ Zephira replied, with great anticipation of a good nightahead.
Belloe took anotherpull from his mug and thought, ‘Another spoilt brat that thinksshe’s a bloody heroine, and a bard. Why do I do this job? Thisone’s going to be real trouble for sure!’
At noon Zephira andChantalot arrived at the dock to meet the party she had hired thenight before. She no longer wore her leather, but turned up wearinga dark green loosely fitting cotton tunic that covered her fromneck to knee, but left her arms uncovered. She still wore knee-highbrown leather boots with her daggers sheathed on the outside ofeach. In one hand she held a brightly coloured umbrella open toprotect her skin from the sun. On both arms she had dark tattoosthat seemed almost alive. Chantalot wore loose pants and a shirt,but had his leather amour and weapons bundled in his arms.
What made the partyreally stare was the large metal construct following her. It wasshaped like a huge armoured warrior made of some type of blackmetal, and stood more than half again as big as the tallest man inthe party. It carried a pack on its back as well as a huge sword.It had a vacant look in its eyes and didn’t acknowledge anyone.
‘Yer not be bringingthat thing are you?’ grunted Belloe.
‘That is my assistant,Goth. Where I go, Goth goes!’ said the woman.
‘Yer didn’t sayanything about a construct.’
‘You didn’t ask me,’said the woman smugly.
After a few minutes ofheated discussion amongst the group, Belloe came back, ‘I’m afraidit’ll be too big and heavy for the boat. Yer going to have terleave it behind.’
‘Can’t we get a biggerboat?’
‘Not where we begoing,’ he said.
‘What if my assistantwas smaller?’
‘Well, if it was halfas big, and a lot lighter we might fit it in.’
‘Done,’ she said andturning to the construct muttered a few arcane words and it shrankto half its size.
‘That be a usefultrick,’ he said.
‘Well it won’t alwaysfit through doors otherwise,’ she explained.
‘Is it likely to runamuck and try to kill everyone?’
‘Only if I tell it to,’said Zephira with a smile, as she looked at the motley group aboardthe boat. ‘We’ll need more men than this, won’t we?’
‘Yer right,’ saidBelloe. ‘They be waiting at the camp up the river.’
‘Well, let’s getgoing.’
‘Righto. We be leavingafter we load the squid aboard.’
‘What do we need squidfor?’
‘Yer’ll soon see,’ saidBelloe with a wry grin.
Zephira, Chantalot andGoth boarded the boat and moved to the front. The craft was tenpaces long and about three wide. The front two thirds had no deckbut planks lay crosswise along the length for seating. The rearthird had flat decking raised a hand span above the height of therailing, that formed a small cabin, stacked with supplies. It had asingle mast and furled sail. It also had a large oar fixed to theback both for steering and propulsion. There was a sturdy woodenseat fixed to the decking towards the front.
A pair of labourersloaded six large wicker baskets of squid aboard and left with a fewcoppers in hand. The captain of the boat, a small, wiry fellowwearing a wide-brimmed wicker hat, ordered the crew, two youngteenage boys, to cast off the ropes, holding the boat to the dock.He then propelled the craft out into the bay using the single largeoar, weaving it in a figure of eight pattern.
Zephira surveyed herparty. There was Belloe, short, tough and stout. He had aweather-beaten face covered with a rich brown beard, greying at theedges. His eyes were a light granite grey and his occasional smilesoftened his rough, craggy demeanour. The big brawny greenishskinned fighter was simply called ‘The Orc’. He looked terriblystrong, with huge chest and impressive arm and leg muscles. He wasrelatively ugly, but seemed to have a reasonably happydisposition.
The third member of thegroup was a slim, dark tan, grey bearded old newman, shorter andthinner than Zephira, wearing faded cotton traveller’s clothes andclutching a weatherworn painted bamboo umbrella. He was supposed tobe the party’s magic user, but he looked like he was one step fromthe grave, and she wondered what use he might
