Sinners of Magic (12 page)

‘
Our laws
tell us we should only use magic in our own kingdoms so as not to
dominate the weaker realms,’ Tremlon explained with a
sigh.

‘
Well, what
about our world, do the same rules apply there?’ Matt asked,
setting his face in a hard scowl, ‘I mean, let’s face it, you were
about as subtle as a brick back there!’

Tremlon’s eyes narrowed and he
flicked the reins hard, causing the horses to almost jolt him out
of his seat, and when Crystal turned to look at him, she thought
Matt looked quite angry.

‘
I’m sure
we’re going to be alright,’ she soothed, holding his hand and
trying her best to ease the glare in his eyes.

‘
What were we
thinking coming here?’ Matt gasped, his anger still simmering.
‘We’re virtually prisoners and it’s all our own doing.’

Crystal let her hand fall, the
truth hitting her like a slap in the face. Matt was right, they
were at the mercy of these mystical beings; how could she have been
so stupid to come here so willingly? It was too late to turn back
now; she knew Tremlon would never let her go. She had inadvertently
put them both in great danger and a hard lump filled her
throat.

‘
I’m so
sorry,’ she whispered, causing Matt’s glare to soften. ‘I should
never have asked you to come here with me.’

The sun was already showing
signs of setting when one of the guards made his way to the side of
the wagon and suggested they stop for the night.

‘
There’s a
tavern just north of here,’ he told them, pointing ahead. ‘We can
stop there and carry on again in the morning.’ Crystal grabbed hold
of Tremlon’s arm, forcing him to look at her.

‘
How long are
you expecting us to stay?’ she asked, looking at his face for a
sign of a clue.

‘
Don’t worry
about that,’ he replied, shrugging her hand away. ‘Time has stood
still in the earth world; so when you return, it will be as though
you have never left.’

‘
Are you
sure?’ she pressed, her voice wavering with un-spilled emotion.
‘Because I don’t want my mum frantic with worry, thinking I’ve been
kidnapped or worse ...’

‘
You’re going
to have to learn to trust me and listen to what I say,’ said the
shape-changer, drawing his lips into a tight line. He pulled at the
reins and slowed the horses. ‘You’ve got a lot to learn, little
one, and it will take much time for you to understand our ways. Do
not fear your destiny for it is your fate that you should come
here.’

‘
Don’t say
stuff like that,’ Crystal snapped. ‘Why, here I am, in the middle
of God knows where, with God knows who, with creatures out there
that would willingly hurt me, and you’re telling me it’s my
destiny!’

‘
Listen to
me!’ Tremlon suddenly hissed. ‘You are unique, the only one of your
kind; without you, we could all be lost.’

‘
So it’s
true, you do know more than you’re telling me,’ she retorted, her
eyes flashing with hostility. ‘I damn well knew it!’ Tremlon
glanced away.

‘
Perhaps we
can talk later,’ he said, staring ahead. ‘Look, we are approaching
the tavern.’

As the sun finally set, Tremlon
stood at the side of the wagon, his hand resting on his leather
hilt.

‘
Men,
inside!’ he shouted, directing the elves towards the main door of
the tavern. He turned to take Crystal’s hand to help her from the
wagon. She took it and slid down by his side. She felt
uncomfortable being so close to him, sensing his fearful
mood.

They entered the tavern as
weary travellers, and Matt was relieved to find it was warm and
cosy inside. Crystal felt the heat enfold her body and she let
herself relax a little.

A huge log fire burned in a
large, open grate, filling most of the back wall. The heat soared
from the orange and red flames that licked at the wood with a
devilish madness and Crystal hoped they would be seated close by. A
young girl soon approached them. She was dressed in simple clothes
but there was an air of sophistication about her that caused
Crystal to wish she was dressed a little smarter.

‘
Good
evening, my lady,’ the girl said, before welcoming the others each
in turn. ‘I believe you are in need of a room and a hearty meal
this night?’ Crystal nodded and then followed her to an unoccupied
table. Tremlon pulled out a chair and gestured for Crystal to sit
down, and Matt slipped into the seat next to her, forcing Tremlon
to sit on the opposite side of the table. An angry glare left
Tremlon’s hooded eyes but his sign of hostility was wasted on Matt
who simply pretended not to see his furious stare.

‘
Your food
will be with you shortly,’ said the girl, departing with an
unexpected curtsey. Her feet appeared to glide along the floor and
both Crystal and Matt thought it looked rather freaky.

The foot soldiers, who had also
taken residence, sat on carved, wooden benches, with their swords
still strapped to their sides. They were chatting amongst
themselves about their journey, pleased it was almost at an end and
their laughter filled the air. Two helpers came from behind a dark,
heavy curtain. Their hands were filled with frothy tankards and
loud cheers and wolf whistles soon reached everyone’s ears. Once
the tankards were in the soldiers’ grasp, they wasted no time
guzzling the amber nectar and it wasn’t long before cries for more
burst from their eager mouths, their mood happy and jovial. Crystal
turned to see Tremlon passing her a tankard of her own.

‘
Here, take
this,’ he said, thrusting it into her hand.

‘
What is it?’
she asked, feeling rather overwhelmed. He smiled unexpectedly,
showing a row of small, white teeth.

‘
It’s a type
of woodland wine,’ he explained with a grin. ‘It’s grown from the
local vines and I think you’ll find it quite to your
liking.’

Matt cupped his drink to his
lips and emptied the vessel of its contents in five large, greedy
gulps.

‘
Ease up,
boy,’ said Tremlon, with a smirk twitching the corners of his
mouth. ‘I can’t have you falling over drunk now, can I?’ Matt
grunted and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He set the
empty tankard back on the table and looked around the room, hoping
for more.

‘
He’s right,’
said Crystal, looking at him with concern. ‘Don’t drink too much of
that stuff, after all you don’t actually know what’s in it.’ Matt
tried to protest, but then three serving girls came into the room
and his voice died in his throat. Their arms were laden with large,
oval platters decorated with an attempting array of specially
selected meats and freshly cooked treats. One girl came over and
placed a large dish in front of Crystal, giving her a warm
smile.

‘
Welcome,’
she said. ‘My name is Nienna and I will be here to serve you for
the rest of the evening. If there’s anything you need, please don’t
hesitate to ask.’

Crystal smiled her thanks and
Matt nodded his appreciation, but shouted out that he needed more
wine, whilst pointing to his empty cup.

‘
I will fetch
it as soon as I can,’ said Nienna, furrowing her brows at his tone;
a shout from one of the soldiers distracted her and she glanced
across the room, noticing they were becoming rowdy.

‘
I will just
help to feed your men and then I will be back,’ she mouthed back at
him, but it was clear her mind was already elsewhere.

‘
I can wait,’
said Matt, feeling a stab of disappointment, ‘but my throat is very
dry,’ he added, rubbing his Adam’s apple for effect.

Tremlon turned in his seat and
watched the soldiers becoming boisterous, clearly eager to have
their empty bellies filled, and let out a hearty laugh.

‘
They won’t
be quiet until their stomachs are full and they’ve drunk the owner
dry,’ he mused. ‘Sooner they’re fed the better for
everyone.’

Crystal ignored the soldiers
and watched Nienna instead. She decided the girl was actually quite
stunning in an elfish kind of way. She noticed her well-defined
features, like her eyes, which were protected by long, thick
lashes, and her smooth, flawless skin looked like porcelain. Her
dark hair was pulled back, showing off her pointed ears and Crystal
couldn’t help but stare at them. Nienna caught her looking at her
and Crystal swept her gaze towards her food, embarrassed at being
seen, and her cheeks flushed pink.

‘
Look at all
this odd grub,’ said Matt, catching her attention.

‘
Will you try
it first?’ Crystal asked, feeling a bit of a coward. ‘But don’t go
eating like a savage like him,’ she added, flicking her gaze
towards Tremlon who was munching through his meal as though he
hadn’t eaten for weeks. Matt picked up a fork and gingerly prodded
the dark, brown substance on his plate and Tremlon noticed him
hesitate.

‘
Don’t worry,
it won’t fight back,’ he scoffed, pointing to his own plate with
his greasy fingers. ‘It’s mainly feefalas; a kind of wild bird
that’s plentiful in these parts.’

Matt forced a weak smile that
looked unconvincing, but his belly rumbled with hunger, telling
them he was starving. Regardless of the species, he knew he had no
choice but to eat what had been placed before him.

‘
Umm, it
actually tastes quite good,’ he said, taking a bite and trying to
entice Crystal. ‘It reminds me of roast duck.’

Half-heartedly, Crystal made a
conscious effort to slice into a piece of meat. She brought it to
her uncooperative lips and took a nibble. She chewed at the soft
flesh, whilst her taste buds investigated what she had put in her
mouth and after reaching for her wine she admitted that it hadn’t
tasted quite so bad after all, and Matt was right, it did have a
distinct flavour of duck. Whilst she ate, she switched her
attention to some of the other guests.

In a corner stood some other
soldiers dressed in dark clothing. These men had a golden crest on
their chests and fury in their voices. Her own party of guards
appeared unperturbed when these voices rose, enjoying instead the
free-flowing wine and a night of good company and so her gaze
flickered towards a wizened old dwarf, sitting alone by the fire.
He was small in stature and reminded her of a character from one of
the fairy stories she had read as a child. He sat acknowledging no
one, uninterested in making casual conversation or making friends.
With his head bent low, he stared into his drink, perhaps, she
thought, to look for the answer to the problem that appeared to
trouble him so, but she soon lost interest and scouted the rest of
the room for someone more appealing.

To her right, tucked almost out
of sight, lay a small, cosy snug and two young elves were playing
some kind of game. She couldn’t make out what they were playing,
but small tablets that looked to be made of stone were floating in
the air and bright, shiny coins lay haphazardly on the table,
glistening yellow-gold, caught by the flickering firelight. Muffled
curses rang out at random, followed by merry belts of laughter
whilst each elf tried to outfox the other.

Eventually she grew weary of
trying to work out what they were playing and switched her
attention to the elf warriors instead. By now the soldiers had
finished their supper and were moving from the dining room into the
main hall. A few belches were heard followed by heavy laughter; it
would appear to those who were interested that the soldiers would
be content for the rest of the evening.

Crystal and Matt eventually
started some idle chit-chat and Tremlon, still very much the
outsider, listened to every word his human visitors had to say with
eager ears, making it difficult for them to discuss anything in
private and their conversation eventually became stunted. Just when
the silence was starting to become unbearable, the solider who’d
approached the wagon earlier made his way over to their table and
nodded in greeting before turning his attention to Tremlon.

‘
Yes, Arhdel,
what is it?’ Tremlon asked, shooting him a look of
impatience.

Arhdel cleared his throat. He
had a presence that automatically commanded respect and, although
not a tall man, he had a broad physique and arms that were powerful
and strong. A wispy beard, coarse and wiry with flecks of grey,
fell from his chin in spiky tufts. His leathery face told the tale
of many a bloody battle and a thick scar, red and inflamed, ran
from his left ear to underneath his chin; he had the kind of face
you could never forget.

‘
The rooms
are ready, sire,’ he said, in a low rumble, ‘and I have taken the
liberty of having your bag taken straight to your room.’ Tremlon
nodded his appreciation, but Arhdel hadn’t finished.

‘
Unfortunately, sire, the tavern is quite full tonight and
only two rooms were available. Naturally, I have given the young
lady a room of her own, however, due to unforeseen circumstances,
it appears you will have to share with the mortal this
night.’

He glanced at Matt and then
averted his eyes. ‘I’m sorry, but it’s the best they could do at
such short notice.’ Tremlon gulped down the last of his wine before
slamming his tankard down hard on the table.

‘
Well, I
don’t suppose I have a choice,’ he growled.

‘
No, sire,
I’m afraid you don’t,’ Arhdel agreed, ‘but at least you’re not with
the horses, unlike the rest of us.’ Tremlon turned then to the
soldier.

‘
I see your
point,’ he said, heaving himself out of his chair, ‘and on that
note I think it’s time we called it a night.’