Dragonvein (6 page)

“So, you’re leaving?” Rodger said, once they were finished.

“Sadly so,” replied Jonas. “I’m hoping to reach Al’Theona as soon as possible.”

“Al’Theona? Then you’re intending to cross elf country alone?”

“I’ll try to find a caravan,” explained Jonas.

Rodger gave a sarcastic chuckle. “Then you better find one with a lot of protection. The Empire doesn’t do much to keep travelers safe in those parts.”

“Are you sure you should be dragging your nephew along on such a dangerous journey?” added Cynthia.

“I’ll be fine,” said Ethan.

“I’m just saying, that’s all,” she countered with in an innocent smile. “I’m certain your uncle wouldn’t want to put your life at risk.”

“Leave off,” snapped Rodger. “If the boy wants to go, it’s not our affair. He’s old enough to choose for himself.”

“I promise to keep him as safe as I can,” assured Jonas. He bowed. “I thank you again for your hospitality, but we must be off.”

Reaching into his purse, he took out a silver
dractori
and flipped it to Rodger.

The farmer’s eyes lit up and a grin even managed to peak out from the corners of his mouth.

Cynthia shot up and embraced Ethan. “Mind that you remember what I said.”

“I will,” he promised.

“Oh yes. I nearly forgot,” she cried out, suddenly running from the kitchen. She returned a few seconds later with Ethan’s military clothing and equipment. “Don’t forget this. Odd things you have here, I must say.”

Ethan took his belongings and bowed his head in the same way that he’d seen Jonas do. “Thank you,” he said.

Nate offered to walk them to the road, but Jonas respectfully declined. After a final farewell, the pair headed out of the door and down the path leading away from the farmhouse.

The road, when they reached it, was unpaved and had deep grooves worn down on either side by years of travel. They turned north and walked along at a leisurely pace. From out of the thin forest surrounding them came the sound of birds greeting the new morning with song.

“You can’t keep those things the woman gave you,” Jonas said. “They will draw too much attention. Take anything personal and bury the rest.”

Ethan scowled but obeyed. There wasn’t much he couldn’t do without. A picture of his parents was just about it. There were no letters because no one in his family ever knew he had joined the Army. Using his helmet to dig, he buried the rest of the gear as told.

After making sure the freshly disturbed ground was covered with leaves and twigs, Jonas gave a satisfied grunt and set off walking once again. Ethan thought this might be a good time to also dig a little in other ways.

“Tell me more about my family,” he said, as casually as he could manage.

Jonas gave him a sideways glance. “There’s not much I can add. As I said before, I was just a servant.”

“Don’t give me that. You got to know something, I’m sure of it.”

“I’ve told you what you need to know,” he shot back. “As for your family history…I don’t know much. I didn’t concern myself with such things.”

Ethan abruptly stopped walking. “You’re lying. If what you say is true, my mother entrusted you with protecting her only child. No one would just hand over their baby to a servant unless they had complete faith in them.”

Jonas also stopped. He faced Ethan squarely, his expression blank and his eyes cold. “I was never meant to do this alone,” he said. “Your mother’s handmaiden was supposed to come with me.”

“So what happened to her?”

“She died.” He turned away and resumed walking. “And if we don’t want to die too, we’ll get as far away from here as possible.”

Ethan watched Jonas for a moment and then chased after him. “Why? Do you think the Emperor knows we’re here?”

“During the days when he hunted the mages, he had the ability to detect powerful magic,” Jonas replied. “And the portal is very powerful magic. There is no reason to think he can’t still do the same. Your mother found a way to mask her presence from him…but even that wasn’t enough to save her in the end.”

A sense of dread washed over Ethan. “Do you think they’ll find out where we’ve been?”

Jonas nodded.

“So what will happen to…?”

“They’ll likely be tortured and killed,” he replied before Ethan could finish his question. “That’s why I told them we were heading for Al’Theona. If they are interrogated, what they say will lead the Emperor’s men away from where we are actually going.”

Ethan was horrified. “You mean, you knew all the time that we were putting them in danger?”

“And just what should I have done?” he challenged. “Leave you unconscious in a field clothed in garb that would certainly get you noticed and possibly captured? Walk about blindly until we figured out where in the hell we are? For all I knew, those people were our only chance of survival. And though I wish it were not so –
they
are expendable.
You
are not.”

Ethan fumed. He wanted to strike the old man, and could not bring himself to speak to him for the rest of the walk to Jaobin.

As they entered the town, Ethan was reminded of the westerns his father would occasionally take him to see at the cinema. Horses were tied to hitching posts in front of simple wooden buildings, and a stench of earth and dung permeated the air. The people were dressed much like himself in simple attire made for work rather than fashion. The horses were identical to the ones found on Earth, making him wonder exactly how they came to be in this world. He wanted to ask Jonas, but was still too angry to start a conversation. He probably wouldn’t know anyway. That, or he wouldn’t tell him.

Jonas led them down the main avenue and then right along a narrow side street. The ringing of a hammer chimed repeatedly, growing ever louder as they progressed.

They stopped in front of a mud brick building with large double doors. This seemed to be where the hammering was coming from. “Stay here,” Jonas ordered. “I won’t be very long.” He pulled open one of the doors and squeezed inside.

Ethan did as told and waited. About ten minutes later, Jonas emerged with a satisfied look on his face. “I’ve purchased a wagon and two horses,” he announced. “And…”

He took hold of Ethan’s hand and placed three copper coins in his palm. “Don’t spend this unless you have to. I have enough of the new money to get us a room for the night, plus a meal and a few provisions. But we’ll need to wait until we arrive in Miltino before getting any more.”

“We’re staying the night?”

“No choice,” Jonas explained. “The wagon I bought is being repaired and won’t be ready until morning. For now, we should head to the inn. You can wait there while I buy the provisions.”

“Shouldn’t I go with you?”

Jonas shook his head. “I need you to keep your mouth shut and your ears open. I know enough to keep from drawing too much attention, but you know nothing of this world.”

“I would if you told me about it,” he countered.

Jonas sniffed, then pushed his way past and set off in the direction they had come. He eventually led Ethan to a rickety wooden building on the other end of town with a stable on the side and several horses tethered in front.

“Once I get our room, stay in the common area and listen carefully to anything you hear,” he said. “If you’re asked, tell people you are from Al’Theona. Make up a town. But do your best to change the subject.”

Having issued these instructions, he opened the door and stepped inside. The inn’s common area was far from spacious, with room for just two long tables and a small bar. The few occupants looked up at the newcomers with only passing interest before returning to their drinks. The smell of stale beer and unwashed men made Ethan’s eyes water. He had thought some of the local pubs in England were bad…but this had them beat by a mile.

Jonas quickly located the innkeeper and had him show them to a room. They were taken through a door at the rear of the common area and down a couple of narrow corridors. When they arrived, Jonas pressed a coin into the innkeeper’s hand. The man frowned. This was clearly not as much as he’d been hoping for, but after a long pause he eventually walked away muttering curses under his breath.

The room was bare aside from two cots shoved carelessly into the far corners. Not that such meager accommodations bothered Ethan. He’d slept in far worse since joining the Army. Jonas, on the other hand, looked highly displeased.

“To think I’m reduced to this,” he complained.

His remark brought a smile to Ethan’s lips that Jonas immediately picked up on.

“Stay inside the inn,” he instructed sharply. With a sneer and a huff, he then strode rapidly away.

Ethan returned to the common room and took a seat at one of the long tables. He jingled the coins in his pocket, wondering how much they were worth. A young serving maid very soon approached, her blond curls bouncing with each step. Her tanned skin, twinkling blue eyes and obvious curves had every male eye watching.

She gave Ethan a bright smile. “What can I get you?” she asked.

He wasn’t sure. “A beer, I suppose,” he finally said, pulling out a coin and handing it to her.

“Planning on getting a bit drunk tonight are we?” she teased. Before Ethan could reply, she sauntered off with hips swaying provocatively.

She returned a short time later with a large pitcher and clay mug. Foam spilled down the side of the pitcher as she placed it on the table in front of him.

“And if you’re needing a bit of company, just let me know,” she said with a wink. “We don’t see too many handsome strangers around here.”

“Th-thanks,” he stammered.

The girl laughed merrily and spun around, leaving Ethan gawking after her, and uncomfortably aware that the color had risen in his face. He wasn’t normally shy around girls. He’d even had a girlfriend for a while back in Brooklyn. But he’d never had one be so forward with him before. Markus would have teased him about it no end had he been there.

Markus… Thoughts of his friend flooded in. At this rate he would never find out what had happened to him. Finding Markus was the only reason he’d come to Lumnia, and yet here he was…lost and at the mercy of a grumpy old man he didn’t trust.

He sat alone for more than an hour steadily drinking, though the beer tasted terrible and was far too warm for his liking. The serving maid stopped by from time to time to see if he needed anything…and to flirt a little more.

By the time the pitcher was drained, Ethan’s head was beginning to swim. The common room was now almost empty – only a lone drunkard remained slumped in the corner – and Ethan was ready to leave.

“To hell with Jonas,” he mumbled. With shaky legs, he pushed himself to his feet. After gripping the edge of the table for a moment, he made his way to the door. “Tell him I’ll be back,” he called out. He had no idea if anyone had heard him. Nor did he much care.

Not certain which direction to take, Ethan turned left on a whim, taking elaborate care not to stumble as he moved along. Soon he could hear the sound of singing and laughing coming from a building a short distance away.

That’s more like it, he told himself.

The door was already flung wide open, and even from outside he could see at least a dozen men and women seated at small tables with pitchers of what he assumed to be beer in front of them. For a moment, the thought of more beer soured his stomach. Then he belched, releasing much of the discomfort. He reached into his pocket to finger the two remaining coins, briefly recalling Jonas’ warning about not spending them. But the alcohol already coursing through his veins pushed aside any care for what the old man had said.

The tavern was indeed lively. On stepping inside, he saw that it was virtually full to capacity with a pretty much equal number of men and women, their simple dress and familiar cheer suggesting that they were mostly local townsfolk.

Ethan’s entry did not go unnoticed as he made his way across the room to the bar at the far end. His youthful countenance and unsteady steps drew more than a few stares. But no one seemed sufficiently interested to say anything.

He plopped himself down on a bar stool and ordered a beer, careful not to slur his words. The bartender gave him a wary look before turning to a large barrel behind and filling a mug.

“You’re not from around here, I take it,” he said.

Ethan reached into his pocket to retrieve a coin. “No, sir. I’m not.”

The man merely nodded, then handed him five smaller coins. His change, Ethan supposed. He took a sip and raised an eyebrow. This was much better than the beer at the inn. Infinitely better.

He sat there quietly drinking until the daylight coming in through the windows started to dim. At this point, a serving maid began lighting lanterns hanging from the ceiling. He had been trying to listen to what people were talking about, but the sheer number and volume of competing voices, combined with the amount of beer he had consumed, made it impossible to gather anything useful. By now, the five coins he had received in change were all gone. Oh well, he thought. It’ll give Jonas another reason to be an asshole.

The serving maid from the inn flashed into his mind, producing a devilish grin. Maybe she was still there. Gripping the bar to steady his legs, he slid off the stool. The beer had certainly bolstered his courage and relieved him of any boyish inhibitions.

Just as he was about to leave, a commotion sprang up two tables away. A stocky man in a sleeveless shirt and rough trousers was clutching hold of a girl who looked to be no more than thirteen years old. He had her wrist pinned firmly to the table top. With thick muscular arms and a shaved head giving him a menacing appearance, he was clearly no stranger to violence.

“Damn little street rat!” the man roared, small flecks of spittle flying from his mouth with each syllable. “Steal from me, would you?”

The girl, her brown eyes wide with fear, struggled in vain. Her straight black hair, tied in a ponytail, flailed wildly back and forth across her thin features.

“Hey, what’s the problem here?” demanded the bartender, his loud voice carrying over the crowd. Quickly, he rounded the end of the bar and approached the table.