Dragon Riders of Etrea—Chapter 12

They kept their horses at a gallop as they passed through the town. Fortunately, most people were asleep at that hour, with the exception of the group wielding torches far behind them. 

“That could have ended in disaster,” Henrik said, slowing his horse to a fast walk once they were well outside of the town.

“Thankfully, you smashed that poor man’s face against the wall,” Rasud said with a bit of his usual lightness. “And to think, I was just going to set them all on fire.”

“Probably would have burned the whole place down,” Tobias said, rubbing his eyes. “Well, at least we know where we need to start looking. Thankfully the innkeeper was helpful.”

“It’s a shame, isn’t it?” Rasud pondered aloud. “People can’t see beyond skin level. Stuck and drowning in the muck of their own preconceived notions. At least in the city, most won’t go any further than simply insulting me. It’s been a while since someone wanted my head.”

Tobias let out a tired laugh that sounded more like a grunt. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, the dragon probably won’t mind your orc blood. You’ll be a tasty snack, just the same.”

Rasud nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose there is that. I don’t know if I should be appreciative or offended that the dragon would try to eat me. Well, hopefully I won’t have to set a dragon on fire.”

Tobias eyed him warily after that. While Rasud treated every situation like a joke, Tobias had seen the foot-tall flames dancing above his hand back in the tavern. The short jokester was indeed a dangerous man.

Outside of the town of Limestone, the road continued lazily to the south, passing between farms. With the size of some of them, just visible by the light of the moon, Henrik began to wonder if some of the farmers were wealthier than their bluff exteriors suggested. The sheer amount of grain some of those farms grew had to be worth a small fortune. Of course, it would take an army of farmers just to harvest it.

As the sky to the east began to lighten and turn deep red, the road began its slow curve to the left. Farms were still a regular sight this far out, although sometimes otherwise barren grasslands would separate them. Henrik couldn’t help but think it was one of the most boring places he had ever been.

A small deer-like creature bolted away to their right. Tobias snatched up his bow, but by the time he got an arrow nocked the animal was gone.

“Well, at least something lives out here,” he said. “Maybe with some luck I’ll get the next one.”

“Apples,” Rasud said as he watched the animal bound away in the morning light. “What I would give for a handful of apples right now.”

“Can’t make a saddle out of apple skin,” Henrik said. “Well, I suppose you could, but it would fall apart under its own weight.”

Rasud looked at him, eyes narrowing. “Fair point. But I still want some apples.”

“Bread and cheese for you,” Henrik said as he reached back into his saddlebags. “Bread and cheese for all of us, I suppose. At least I remembered to get some wine.” He grabbed a wineskin and tossed it to his small friend.

Rasud caught it in the air and his face melted into a smile. He pulled the cork and took a sip from the skin. “Not the best wine I’ve ever had, but a welcome surprise on this otherwise exhausting morning.” He threw the wineskin back to Henrik.

“Have you given any thought to how you two are going to steal the egg?” Tobias asked. 

“A little, but plans have a tendency to change with the situation. Right now I’m hoping we can get close and observe for a full day. Then I’ll sneak in that night once we’re sure they’re asleep. Pray the orcs stay to the south.”

“I have some magic that can help keep you hidden,” Rasud said. “I can go part of the way with you.”

“Yes,” Tobias replied. “It’s hard to get exact numbers, even with the duke’s scouts. But they have a handful of raiding parties that have been causing trouble at the farms and the southern villages. There’s only a handful of them, usually with two or three dozen men in each. A large enough force to do some real damage, but small enough to move quickly and live off the land. I’ve even heard rumors that one has a witch woman riding with them.”

“A witch woman, you say?” Rasud asked, perking up a bit. He ran his hands over his shaggy black hair, pushing it back. “You think she’s single? I wonder if she’d be interested in a witchman.”

“She’d probably eat your liver,” Henrik said with a laugh. “Orc women are wild enough. Add in magic and there’s no telling what she’d do.”

“Well, if she fucked me first, that might be agreeable,” Rasud said. “It’s been a while.”

“You don’t think much past your dick, do you?” Tobias asked.

Rasud shrugged. “Why should I? Very few things are as important to me as my cock and where I choose to put it.”

Tobias laughed, but kept his eyes on their surroundings. “Hard to argue with that, really.”

Henrik continued his thoughts. “Once I have the egg, I’ll sneak out and join back up with Rasud, then we’ll come to you. We’ll travel directly east under the cover of night, then start angling south once the sun rises.” 

“Any reason for that?” Tobias asked.

“I want to avoid traveling on the same path we used to approach the cave,” Henrik said. “Plus, we might be able to hide better at the base of the mountains, if need be. I’m sure there are more than one caves in that range.”

“What if you get eaten?” Rasud asked.

“Then you two hurry out of there,” Henrik said. 

“I’m no good at sneaking around,” Tobias said. “I like my armor too much. I’ll stay back and watch the horses. Keep them ready in case you two come running out and need to flee.”

“As long as the orcs stay away, we’ll be fine,” Henrik said.

“Not too keen on them?” Tobias asked.

“My friend is not a fan of orcs, or anything else that could possibly kill him, if that is what you’re asking,” Rasud said. “He puts up with me because I’m such a charming companion. Isn’t that right?”

“I stepped in horse shit once,” Henrik said. “Kind of reminds me—”

“Oh, you stop that right now,” Rasud said. “That’s it. I’m setting you up on a date with the first orc woman we see. Or better yet, the dragon.”

“Maybe the dragon rider, if I’m lucky,” Henrik said. “You heard what Hamil said about them. Imagine that, a beautiful woman riding a dragon.”

“The only thing I’m imagining is why she would bother with you, when I’m around,” Rasud said.

That got a laugh out of all of them.

Tobias suddenly raised his bow and pulled the string back to his cheek. A moment later he loosed. His arrow struck a dense patch of scraggly bushes and a small deer bleated and scrambled away. An arrow was straight through its ribs, so it didn’t get far.

“Sorry, no apples for you,” Tobias said to Rasud. “But Henrik and I will have a feast for lunch.”

And feast they did. In their saddlebags, each man even had a small package of salt, which made the deer taste quite good when cooked over an open fire. Even Rasud had some, although he complained the entire time that he wouldn’t shit for a week after eating so much meat. THey let the horses graze while they ate.

“I don’t think we’re going to get much sleep once we get closer to the dragon,” Henrik said as he turned in a slow circle and looked around them. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. We should take advantage of that while we can.”

With that, the three men settled down for a post-lunch nap.