Chapter TwelveA Chance Encounter
“And this great leader shall
Be revered amongst the gods,
And they shall aid his quest
In unseen ways.”
Book of Gallian, 12:7.
Year 4999 (Present day)
It took a full day of flight to get to the capital city of Berol, Coontan. The Great Dragon had taken its time and circled the city a few times before landing, mostly out of joy at having the strength to fly again. Then the beast dropped them off near the edge of the sprawling city to keep the disruptions at a minimum. It might look weird for a dragon to fly into the middle of a large city, after all, considering no one had seen one in a thousand years and few people even believed in them anymore.
Even on the outskirts, it took the dragon several minutes to find a place with no people around. The capital was truly a busy place. After landing, the Great Dragon took off quickly without saying a word.
Such was the way of dragons.
When the humans were back firmly on the ground, Teryn and Valeria both gasped at the sheer size and beauty of the castle and town before them.
Having spent virtually his entire life within the Guild’s headquarters in Urgam, Teryn had never seen so many people in one place. Valeria had been in Guilds her whole life as well, so he figured she felt about the same.
Either way, the sight was truly marvelous.
It was night, but still there were countless people scurrying about from one place to the next, lighting up the night with noise and boisterous activity.
“Isn’t this just beautiful?” Teryn asked Valeria.
“Yes, it’s lovely,” she replied.
He looked deep into the emerald pools of her eyes and she smiled up at him. Valeria’s smile eased his mind and he felt his shoulders ease their tension again. The sight of all those people had made his heart race a little, beautiful as it was, but seeing Valeria made it all go away.
Still, all the trials of the last few weeks were weighing heavily on his mind. His sleep the last night, when it had finally come, had been fitful. He still had dark circles around his eyes.
Talon looked at the two mesmerized children and scoffed. “Well, this is all fine and dandy, and I have nothing against two people who want to do snuggly cozy kissy things, but not when there’s a job to finish!”
“What? Oh, yes, of course. We need to go and see your King Christopher. A promise is a promise,” Teryn replied. He turned to face Valeria and extended the crook of his arm. “Shall we?”
She placed her hand gingerly on his arm and motioned for the young mage to take the lead. Teryn started walking and then quickly deferred to Talon once he realized he had no idea of where to go.
The big man sighed and took the lead, then the three of them started walking side-by-side toward the castle gates. Teryn and Valeria smiled and winked at each other while Talon watched them, looking vaguely sick like he had before after the teleport jobs.
As they kept walking, Teryn’s thoughts turned inward and he let his hand slip from Valeria’s grasp. His face soured. He wanted to be happy with her, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the gravity of their situation. His thoughts grew darker with each step forward.
Something wrong? Terwain asked him a moment later.
What makes you think that? Teryn fired back angrily.
Ooh! The image of a man holding his hands in front of his face came to him. Well, you rescued the girl, battled ferocious beasts, and escaped the Guild. At least for now. But you’re still down in the dumps. What’s there to be so glum about?
Teryn sighed again. Then he lost his concentration as a man carrying a giant basket filled with baked goods almost barreled into him on his way past. He let the near-miss go and returned his focus back to Terwain.
I guess it’s mostly the ‘at least for now’ bit. We’re safe in this big city, sure, but when and where will the Guild strike next? I’m not sure I’ll ever truly be safe from them. Valeria sure won’t.
Hmm . . . you do have a point, there, Terwain admitted. So what do you want to do about it?
Honestly? I’m not sure. We barely escaped back there. How am I supposed to take down an army of mages?
Well, if I may offer a suggestion?
Go on.
Now would be a really good time to figure that out.
Teryn rolled his eyes.
No, I mean like, before you see the king, so you can go to him with a plan in mind. You need to come up with a good distraction, so you can sit and think about it for a bit.
He nodded. Sure, but how am I going to get that?
An image of a clown shrugging. Stop off for refreshments? I mean, when’s the last time you ate something other than army rations? Surely even Talon is ready for a change in diet.
Teryn had to admit his stomach was rumbling, and a change in pace would be more than welcome. Plus, there was a pub not too far off on their left that looked to be open.
“Talon,” he called out to the old soldier, who by this point was walking several paces ahead of his companions.
“What is it?” Talon replied in a gravelly voice. He looked like he was fed up with the constant distractions.
“Could we perhaps stop off for a bit to eat?”
Talon stopped in his tracks and glowered at him, crossing his arms.
“Please. Valeria has only just been rescued and likely hasn’t eaten for days. For her.”
The big man scowled, but his expression softened. He let out a long sigh. “Fine,” he said after a long pause. “But only for the lady.”
This made Valeria smile weakly at him, which made his face soften a bit more.
“Come, let’s head to The Drunken Pheasant. They have decent food.”
He beckoned for the two to follow him into the building and
