Chapter 102: Surprise Awakening

Adrian pushed us to the final stretch of forty miles to Sobral. Not so much us, as we had gotten our riding legs, but Decimus was still struggling since it was his first time riding more than an hour at a time. The alchemist had almost gotten his riding legs when we reached Sobral. At least he had stopped moaning every time Adrian ordered a light trot. I hope I had not been that bad while learning to ride.

The road had that deja vu feeling when traveling somewhere you have been before but in the opposite direction. Around midday and about fifteen miles from Sobral, we passed two carts of a miserable-looking farmer heading toward Sobral with three teenage children helping him. Adrian trotted up to them and asked, "Any trouble in the area?"

The man and children looked in rough shape, with filthy clothes and dirt marring their features. The older farmer grunted, "Tornado tore through the fields." He indicated and kicked his cart, "This is all that is left."

Adrian shifted uncomfortably in his saddle, "How many fields were hit?" I noticed he had a bandaged and braced knee and was limping when I approached.

"All of them," he lamented. "Mine and my two neighbors, at least. Lost most of our livestock as well, legionnaire. Gonna sell what we can in Sobral before trying to rebuild with my children." He looked like a beaten man, and the two boys and his daughter would not make eye contact with any of us. I could see why if everything you worked for was ripped from you.

I noticed his cart had some butchered meat, bundles of carrots, and some other field crops he salvaged. I leaned forward in my saddle, "Sir, my horses love carrots. Can I purchase that bundle there?" I summoned a large silver to my hand and tossed it gently at him before he could respond. He caught it inexpertly and stared in disbelief at the coin and then the carrots. He couldn't believe I was offering ten silver for something that would cost two or three copper at most. He finally understood my charity and retrieved and handed me the dozen large carrots. Atlas was excited as the carrots passed close to his head, and Ginger walked up her lead line to sniff the carrots in my lap.

Lucien nodded to me, "You are a good man, Eryk."

I shrugged, brushing it off, "I was out of apples." That was not true, as I had about a dozen left, but he did not need to know that.

Adrian also tossed the farmer a large silver, "Give Eryk another bundle. We do not want Eryk to be the only generous one today." Lucien and Blaze followed suit, two more large silver tossed and received.

As we rode on, I had four bundles of carrots awkwardly in my arms, "Do I have to be the one to carry all of these?"

Adrian smirked, "It was your idea, legionnaire. Deal with the consequences."

Over the last fifteen miles to Sobral, the horses ate well. Sobral was different when we returned. The farmers we passed were not the only ones whom the weather had hit. Carts stuffed high with personal possessions were outside the city, and makeshift camps were set up. Dirty peasants were making way the best they could. Adrian rode up and talked to the first group, two old men with three women and five children. We waited while he talked with them, and then he rode back to us.

"Refugees from some farms to the west like the farmers we passed. Also, some war refugees from Macha and Vesov. The Bartiradians crossed over from Lortare into Vesov three hundred miles south of Macha," Adiran told us.

Adrian shook his head remorsefully, "Vesov has nothing of value. They probably are lashing out after Macha. Same with unleashing elementals and monstrosities across the Empire."

We walked up to the Citadel, and four men in clean uniforms guarded the gate. One asked formally, "State your business in the Citadel of Duchess Veronica Angela."

Adrian rode forward and patiently answered, "Adrian of Mage Castile's company is returning from duty with an alchemist and scholar. All men safe and unharmed."

One of the guards took off at a jog to inform his superior, and he returned a few minutes later. We were waved through. Adrian announced, "I will bring Alchemist Decimus and Scholar Favian to the Duchess. Blaze go care for the equipment, and Lucien and Eryk care for the horses."

There were actually two stable boys in the stables and a half dozen new horses. After a cursory inspection of the new horses, Lucien commented, "Work horses. The Duchess probably bought them from the refugees. Not bad stock, but not war horses."

I worked to get the packs off so Blaze could take them in, and then Lucien and I supervised the stable boys as they cared for the horses. Lucien started to teach them the proper way of caring for a mount.

The boys, we learned, were some refugees from Macha that the Duchess had taken into her service. The younger boy explained, "We fled Macha before the Bartiradian army came. We were staying with family in Lignum when the word came that Macha was in ruins. My father's candle shop was destroyed, so we couldn't go back. Word came the Duchess of Sobral was hiring any and all workers two weeks ago, so we traveled here with a caravan."

I understood that it was a smart move on the Duchess' part, except that food would be scarce this winter, and she would not be able to feed her increased population. After the horses were settled, I told the two stablehands, "This girl right here is Ginger. She is my horse. I will be paying for her lodging and feed. No one rides her but me. Also, if one of you could run into the city, fetch the old healer, and bring him to heal her, I would appreciate it. Tell him I will pay his price."

I handed each of them a large copper as a reminder. One of the boys rushed off, and Lucien smirked, "You keep spending your coin like that, and you will have a line of plebians every time you step outside."

"Perhaps," I said, sneaking Ginger an apple when Lucien's back was turned. Atlas looked bewildered; after all, he was the one who had carried me for the last two weeks. I also got him an apple to placate him and addressed Lucien, "But you know we could die tomorrow, and coin is no good to a dead man."

I headed up to my room with my equipment, looking forward to a long bath and hopefully some time with Lareen after I was clean. There were a lot of new faces in the halls of the Citadel. Linus, the company medic, was walking toward me, "Eryk, you made it back in one piece." We clasped forearms in a greeting. "Guess it was not too adventurous if you are all back."

"Not too many problems. Just a few goblins and an ettin," I said casually.

He patted my shoulder, "You have a good sense of humor, Eryk. I have to go work in the clinic for the refugees tonight. I will see you tomorrow at breakfast." There was no point trying to convince him we fought an ettin. Lareen was not in my room, and I guessed she was off doing other duties.

An armor stand was in the room, holding a new set of legion armor. Just the auroch-treated leather variant, not the metal plates the volunteer legion received. It looked new, and I recalled Castile saying the Duchess should get it for me as a reward for killing the manticore on her lands. A black cape was draped over the shoulders. I removed the cape to see the armor better.

The cape felt off, not cloth but more like soft, worked leather. It had a hood and fit over the armor but could be worn without it. This must be the cloak Maveith made me from the manticore wings. I stripped off my armor and tried it on. Without the armor, the cloak could be worn like a duster. He must have dyed it black, which was a fitting color.

He had promised me one other thing, but I did not see it here. I compared my old and new armor, and it looked like Kolm, or whoever assembled it, had gotten the sizes close to correct. I stripped in the bathroom and crossed my fingers as I turned on the water. It was not hot but warm. Good enough. I used a washcloth to clean off most of the road dirt.

After I was clean, I lay back in the tub to relax. I heard the door open after a time and yelled, "Lareen, I am in here; you can join me." Maybe I sounded a little too excited, but that excitement was quickly dashed. Konstantin wandered in with Maveith on his heels. The enormous goliath towering over the short Konstantin.

"I think I will pass on joining you, Eryk. The water looks filthy," Konstantin smirked at my disappointment. "Just heard you fought an ettin from Adrian. He said you refused to run and fought beside him."

I ignored Konstantin and addressed Maveith, "Love the cloak, Maveith. Black is the perfect color."

Maveith beamed. In his deep voice, he addressed me, "It is the nicest thing I have ever made." He reached to his belt and held up a large black pouch, "Still working on this for you. I am waiting for some ice drake hide from the capital to do the lining, but it came out well." He stuffed his massive hand inside, and the pouch fit quite snugly. "It is soft and supple. I will give it to you once I have adhered it to the drake lining."

"Thank you, Maveith. I look forward to receiving your gift. How are Trek and Lyonis?" I asked after the other wardens, still ignoring Konstantin to his bemusement.

The large man sat on the table, and it groaned in protest. It was made for sorting clothes, not supporting a goliath. He took one last showing of the pouch, "The size of this pouch will be a great sign of your prowess among my clans." He secured the incomplete sack on his belt. He motioned to Konstantin, "He helped me get Lyonis to the city, and he was healed, as were my lingering injuries. The other two manticores were killed five days ago, three hundred miles northwest. Lyonis and Trek are now helping with the province markers."

Konstantin was done waiting on the reunion and intruded on the conversation, "Your servant, Lareen, is helping in the city feeding the refugees. She will be back late. You have been given three days off by Castile."

I sensed a but coming and tried to get out of whatever Konstantin had planned for me, "Great. I found my first horse, and she needs healing and some care. I hope to get her ride-worthy again and take her on some rides in the woods while foraging for the alchemist."

Konstantin broke into a grin, "That is great news!" It was like I had fallen into a trap. "The Duchess wants the alchemist working as soon as possible. You can talk with him, see what he needs to start brewing, and take your horse out riding. He is set up in the northwest tower."

"I thought Castile asked you to appease the alchemist after bringing supplies to the men working in the woods?" Mavieth's deep voice questioned Konstantin.

"Eryk is already planning to be out there, so he can handle it. He also has the dimensional space, not me. You can join him, Maveith, after you run supplies out to the men digging and laying the marker stones," Konstantin expertly delegated all his orders out to us.

"What are you going to do while we handle your assignments?" I asked the smug Konstantin.

Konstantin hedged a bit, but then spoke, "I am going to look for signs of Traeliorn Kelran."

The name tickled something Adrian had said, "The elven summoner? You know where he is?"

"He is definitely on this side of the Aganterao River. The Central Empire has a new monstrosity appearing every week. I may not be able to find him, but I will look for signs of him. Maybe find a campsite he used or his ritual circles for summoning," he elaborated.

"What about the Hounds? Is that not what they do?" I asked, getting out of the recessed tub.

Konstantin held up a letter, "The Hounds might help track a dangerous mage, but the Mage Companies would be called in when they are found to deal with him. Cornelius asked me to search down this way. His Hounds are deployed on the front and protecting the dig site," Konstantin admitted. "And he already has a squad that is missing."

He was mistaken if Konstantin was waiting for me to volunteer to go with him. I would take a few days gathering mushrooms, roots, leaves, and flowers over running off to find one of the most powerful mages on the continent, who would kill me on sight or sic his summoned critters on me.

"Well, have fun," I smiled at him.

Konstantin hesitated momentarily before making to leave, "I will, Maveith, make sure this one does not get himself killed."

"Are you going to let him go alone?" Maveith said, watching his back as he left.

"Konstantin can take care of himself. We have our orders." I dressed in a light shirt and pants. "Maveith, it is good to see you, but I really want to reacquaint myself with my favorite pillow."

Maveith creased his brow, "Is that a reference to your maid? She said you and her..."

"No, my pillow!" I went into the bedroom to pull the griffin down pillow out of the made bed. Maveith looked at me skeptically but did leave.

I was hungry, but sleep was overtaking me. Unfortunately, It looked like Lareen was not returning tonight. I secured the dreamscape amulet under my shirt and went in to get some practice. I spent my time studying the time spell form for slow aging tonight. The sooner I learned it, the younger I would be for longer. I had been studying for about two hours in the large plush chair with Oscar in my lap when I was suddenly ripped out of the dreamscape.

Lareen was kneeling over me in a nightshirt, her hair cascading around my face, and holding the amulet in her hand. She must have felt it and pulled it from under my shirt. I immediately assumed that I lost contact with the dreamscape when it left contact with my skin. She was fingering and studying the amulet in the minimal light of the fireplace. Seeing I was awake, she asked, "What is this, Eryk?"