Dragon Riders of Etrea—Chapter 7

The three of them walked to the stables together. The elderly stableman fetched their horses right away, and Tobias grabbed his shield and bow and fastened them behind his saddle.

“I could almost wish I had a mother like her,” Rasud said as he pulled himself into the saddle.

“Mother Dura?” Garlen asked.

Rasud nodded. “Someone kind, someone that actually cared. My mother was just a farmer’s daughter and the unfortunate victim of an orc raid. At least, that’s what I’ve been told at the orphanage. I’ve never met my parents so they could have just made the whole thing up. It makes me wonder where I’d be in life, were I raised by kind parents. Maybe I’d be a bit more like Tobias, here.”

Tobias barked a laugh, surprising the other two men. “Having good parents doesn’t necessarily set you up for success in life. I had good ones, and now I’m just a soldier.”

“Yeah, but a soldier for the richest man in all of Selfoss,” Rasud corrected.

“Fair point,” Tobias said. His voice faded back into its customary irritable growl. “Maybe you wouldn’t be a common thief, were your parents different.”

“I take great offense to that, sir!” Rasud exclaimed. “There is nothing common about me, I can assure you that. I am, in fact, quite extraordinary!” He steered his horse around a large man walking down the middle of the path.

“Halfbreed mongrel,” the man muttered, clearly intending for his words to be heard. With his size, he was probably used to being able to run his mouth without fear of any consequences.

Rasud turned in his saddle, his face darkening as he glared at the man.

“What are you gonna do about it?” the man said, stopping.

Garlen was tempted to handle the man, but he didn’t feel like dealing with street trash at the moment. Besides, they needed to get moving. 

“Come on, Rasud. He’s not worth your time,” Garlen said.

Rasud chanting something beneath his breath as he slid a hand into his robes. He pulled out a short staff, two feet long and topped with a glittering sapphire. After briefly twirling the staff over his head, he pointed it at the man.

The man’s leg snapped in two and he toppled to the street, screaming in pain. Rasud nodded to himself, satisfied, and slipped the small staff beneath his robes as he turned his horse back.

“Are you gonna be trouble?” Tobias asked, glaring over his shoulder.

“Not at all,” Rasud said, his voice lacking the jovial tone he often used. “Sometimes I just need to remind people who they’re talking to.”

Tobias frowned at Rasud, then looked past him at the man with the broken leg, who was still screaming on the street. A small crowd was beginning to form as people rushed to check on the man. With a grunt, Tobias turned back to the front and kicked his horse into a fast walk. Garlen and Rasud followed.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have done that,” Rasud said, glancing at the people crowding the street. “I’m usually better at keeping my temper. Sometimes I tire of being reminded of what I am and how society doesn’t accept me.”

“Nah, he deserved it,” Garlen said. “Breaking his leg was a good move. Had you broken his arm, he would still be able to function, to an extent. But a broken leg? He’ll be bed ridden for a month. Maybe that’ll teach him to watch his mouth.”

“Ah, you’re right,” Rasud said. He took a deep breath and let it out. “So, what’s our plan?” He voiced it loud enough for Tobias to hear. “Are we just going straight there?”

“We’re going to the town of Limestone first,” Tobias said over his shoulder. “From there, we’ll gather some information and head northeast. Once we get closer, you two will sneak in at night and steal what we need. Then, we’ll hurry back here before they realize what happened.”

“That is quite the well thought-out plan,” Rasud said. “I admire your incredible attention to detail.”

Tobias glared over his shoulder at the witchman.

“Maybe you should wait until our mission is done to goad him that much,” Garlen said quietly. 

“I’m sorry, I just can’t help myself sometimes,” Rasud replied in equally quiet tones. “The man has the personality of a horse’s ass. But you’re right. I’ll try my best to wait a bit before driving him mad. Do you think we can trust him?”

“No,” Garlen said without hesitation.

“I should have known better than to ask you,” Rasud said. “You trust no one.”

“I trust myself every once in a while,” Garlen replied.

“Why Garlen, I think you just made a joke,” Rasud said, clapping his hands several times. “I’m quite proud of you. You see? Life doesn’t have to be all brooding and swordplay.”

“I prefer brooding and swordplay,” Garlen said with a grin.

Rasud adjusted his robes and settled them on his shoulders. “Truth be told, you can brood all you want as long as we have money for wine and whores. I’m a simple man, and that’s enough to keep me happy.”

“Well, if we finish this we should have enough money for you to make every whore in Selfoss bow-legged.”

Rasud beamed a smile. “Wouldn’t that be something? Instead of Rasud, the common thief, I’d be Rasud, entertainer of prostitutes. Definitely a step up, I’d say.”

“Depends on the quality of the whores,” Garlen said.

“You two sure enjoy yapping, don’t you?” Tobias said from in front of them.

“Of course we do,” Rasud replied. “It helps pass time. Do you really expect us to just be silent for days at a time?”

“A man can dream, right?” Tobias replied.

“Well, I can see he’s going to make this trip an absolute joy,” Rasud muttered.

The three of them continued east through the city until they merged onto one of the main roads. From there, they pushed their way through the throng of people until they came to the city gates.

Surrounding the inner portion of the city was a great stone wall—the population had long since outgrown the confines of the wall and continued expanding the city for nearly a mile further—with a gate twenty feet tall. Garlen had heard that the walls and gates of Peralta were nearly twice the size, but he supposed with the dragon attack those weren’t in good standing any longer.

A dozen guards in sturdy armor were posted at the gate, and they kept suspicious eyes on everyone. For all its reputation as a rough city, the guards usually did a good job of keeping the peace here. 

Of course, Garlen was the type that generally avoided the local law enforcement, as they’d gladly put him out of a job. He kept his calm as several of the guards eyed him a bit too closely. Garlen was a private man, but one did not become the best thief in all of Selfoss without garnering a bit of a reputation.

The guards also recognized Duke Ardun’s colors on Tobias’s tabard, so the three of them passed through the gate without issue. It looked like the man did come in handy every once in a while.

The buildings surrounding them changed once they passed through the gates. Towering houses of brick and stone gave way to long and field stone, and fancy shops with stained glass windows became open-air markets. The prices were better in this part of town, so whenever Garlen needed anything he preferred to come here. 

If he was working, though, he went north, where the aristocracy lived. But that was a different story.

Tobias fell in beside them, forcing the people filling the street to steer wide of them. “I haven’t been out here in a while,” he said, wrinkling his nose. 

“Ah yes, the gears of the city often turn with a certain smell, don’t they?” Rasud said, sweeping his hand to the side. “It’s been a while since I’ve smelled something that bad, but thanks to that nearby slaughterhouse, I no longer feel the need.”

“Too many animals here,” Garlen said. They both looked at him and he shrugged. “People, farmers, like to bring their animals closer to the city to raise them and process them, but animals make a lot of shit. There’s a reason we sometimes call the outskirts of Selfoss ‘Shit City.’ At least the people don’t look down their noses at you, though.”

“Yes, that’s something I can certainly appreciate,” Rasud said. 

Indeed, him being a halfbreed didn’t seem to be an issue in this part of the city. People were too busy going about their business, walking to here or there and avoiding piles of horse dung on the wide street.

The smells eventually began to subside—both the animal smells and those of unwashed bodies—and the houses grew farther and farther apart. In the outermost parts of the city, many of the houses were made from cob and topped with thatch. Farmhouses dotted each side of the road, and the sizes of their farms grew the further they went from the city.

“This is my first time leaving the city in years,” Tobias said, sounding almost pleasant for once. He took a deep breath and actually smiled. “I can’t even remember the last time I smelled air this fresh.”

“Certainly being around the duke is quite…perfumed,” Rasud said. “From the way he spoke I got the impression his shit smelled of roses.”

“Watch it,” Tobias growled. “Look, I know we don’t like each other but ease up a bit. We have to live together for the next few weeks.”

“Tobias, the voice of reason,” Rasud said. “I never expected that.”