No Strings Attached - Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Two

56th Day of Spring - Year 1758 of the Golden Era

Little Lake, Yellowfield, Draya Calyrex

Before Three Lakes was Little Lake, the small town that man they’d encountered had mentioned. It wasn’t much to look at. 

Viridian and her companions walked down the centre of a street, heads on a swivel as they took the town in. It was next to a large basin of mostly still water, one linked out in the distance to the much larger town of Three Lakes. The way to get to the bigger town, however, was to circumvent the smaller lake. 

Little Lake was maybe two dozen homes, with a few larger farms on the edges with fields left untended and a few large pastures with animals penned in and left to roam.

Viridian knew nothing about farming, but the fields seemed a little wild to her. Some sections had been cut and bundled, but the rest had been left unattended. The animals in the fenced-off pastures seemed lethargic. They were gaunt, with ribs showing, and several of them had large growths pushing out of their sides or growing out of their faces. 

The town itself had an open square in its middle, next to a respectably large inn with a stables attached to the side. Being that it was still quite early in the morning, Viridian was surprised to hear some commotion going on in the inn.

The door opened, and two men stumbled out. One chasing the other with a broom. “I don’t care how shiny your gold is. I won’t allow you to drink me out of house and home!” the broom-wielder said.

The other man stumbled back, almost tripping over himself. He was young, with bright clothes covered in fine embroidery and with a crooked hood resting on his shoulders. “N-now now, my good man. I paid for the use of... of you fine inn, didn’t I?”

“You paid to stay for a few nights! Not to drink all of my wine, slap my daughter on the rear, and act like an animal.”

“Now, see here,” the younger man said. “I’m a noble, not some animal.”

“I’ll believe that when you like one, noble-sir. Right now I have seen pigs with more noble a bearing than you.” The innkeeper spat to the ground, but some of his spittle stayed stuck to his face. There was a large lump of scaly flesh growing on the side of his face, pinching his eye in and twisting his lip a little. 

He spun around and stomped back into the inn, and the hard clunk of a latch being pulled echoed through the courtyard.

The young man cursed under his breath, then looked around. He caught sight of Viridian and her companions watching, but continued to look around.

She decided that whatever that was, it wasn’t any of her business. “Let’s keep going,” she said.

“At least it’s lively,” Carnel said. 

“The people look like they’re affected by that cancer that Magus Maldrak warned of,” Lazur said. “It must be in the food and water here.”

“Maybe,” Viridian said. “Isn’t it something that happens when people take more essence? How much dragon essence does the average person here take?”

“That will depend on their socio-economic position,” Lazur said with a sagely nod. “The richer they are, the greater their access to higher-quality goods, which means more essence in their foods and items. Ironically, the very poor of Draya Calyrex will be the least impacted. Them, and the very rich, maybe?”

“Because they know how to better handle it?” Viridian asked. She could recall the baron of Shorefarm, who seemed powerful in his more draconic form. The priest as well, now that she thought about it. The essence they had didn’t seem as... poorly controlled.

“Oi!” 

Viridian and her companions looked over their shoulders. The young man who’d been tossed out of the inn was standing now and dusting himself off. “You three... you’re puppets,” he said.

“Yes,” Viridian said. “Have a nice day.”

“No, just wait a moment,” he called out before he started to jog over.

“Can I stab him?” Carnel asked.

Lazur made a noise that might have been a snort. “No. Best not. It might cause trouble. We’re here to scout, not to cause a scene.”

“Sorry, sorry,” the young man said as he jogged over. He smiled, big and wide, showing off twin rows of nearly perfect teeth, all of which ended in slight points. He reminded Viridian of that lizard monster they’d encountered in the swamps on the way over. “You wouldn’t happen to be the retinue of a noble sir, or perhaps a noble lady? I see the fine dress you’re wearing... is that Emberfang fashion? Very daring, I must say.”

“Who are you, and what do you want?” Carnel asked before Lazur could ask the same but in a more polite way.

The young man took a half-step back, hand over his chest. “Me? My fair automaton, I am Sir Alric the pretty.” He swung his arms around in a flourishing bow. 

“Sir?” Lazur asked. “You’re a noble?”

“My blood is as blue as an ancient dragon’s heart blood,” he replied with a grin. “Ah, but enough of me. Whom do you serve, kinda automatons?”

This Sir Alric looked to be on hard times. His hose and coat were nice, but mud-stained... and maybe some of the stains weren’t mud either. Viridian couldn’t smell, but she suspected that if she could, there would be the faint wafting odour of vomit and alcohol coming off the man. He was sallow-cheeked and a little red of nose. The only other sir she’d interacted with was Sir Ashheel, and this young man couldn’t not be any different.

“We serve Magus Maldrak,” she said.

“A Magus! Ah, that would explain your fine construction,” he said. “Good, good, I could use the assistance of a Magus! Take me to your master, please.”

“No,” Carnel said.

Sir Alric blinked. “No?” he asked.

“Yes,” Carnel said. “No.”

“Forgive me, but ah, how do I put this. I am a noble scion of Draya Calyrex. Certainly your master would deem my company worthy of his noble attention?”

“Maybe, but I don’t care,” Carnel said. “Go away. Or follow us to somewhere private.”

He didn’t seem to catch on to the threat implicit in what Carnel had said, which was too bad, because as they continued to walk, he continued to follow. “I am aware that I may have fallen on... somewhat hard times, but you see, the region seems to have gone somewhat, ah, how do I put this delicately... mad? Yes, quite insane.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Lazur said.

“Yes. Very bad for business. In any case, I seem to find myself one of the few clear-headed people here. Obviously, if you can’t beat them, join them, but I’m finding that my taste for boozing and wenching is coming to a middle.”

“Are you going to follow us for a long time?” Viridian asked.

“Well, I’ve certainly no attachment to this Little Lake place,” he said with a chuckle that rang of false humour. “And you seem like a lot who knows what you’re up to. Fine craftsmanship... your Magus Maldrak wouldn’t happen to be one of those noble Magus’, would he?”

“I think he is,” Viridian said. “He has other magus that serve him. And a knight.”

“Ah, yes, that ought to... yes, good good! Jolly good, even! So, what task did your master send you on? Perhaps I can assist!”

“I’m not sure if we need your assistance, Sir,” Viridian said. “Maybe it would be best if you stay here?”

“Nonsense! I’m a nobleman! I know my letters and you’ll rarely find anyone better with a sword than I!”

Carnel stared at him up and down. “What sword?”

“Any sword!” he replied.

“I say we stick him with a sword and see what happens,” Carnel said.

Viridian was somewhat tempted to agree. “You don’t know where we’re going,” she said. “It may be dangerous.”

“Then all the more reason for me to accompany you,” he said. 

“We’re heading to Three Lakes,” she said finally while pointing ahead.

Sir Alric’s face paled, then he beamed. “Excellent! A fine town! Or so it was, in better days. No doubt they will welcome me back with open arms.”

“Did you not go there already?” she asked.

“Just in passing,” he replied.

Carnel muttered something rude under her breath, but they began to walk again, leaving the quiet Little Lake behind.

The road ahead was lined with crooked fence posts and the occasional wilted tree. Beyond the town’s outskirts, nature had started reclaiming the land, and even the fields of once-tended crops had started to turn wild and weedy.

The young noble trotted after them, swinging a stick like a sword at every imagined threat, a lopsided grin on his face.

“He’s going to get himself killed,” Carnel said.

Viridian nodded. “Maybe. Or maybe he’ll be just enough of a distraction that no one notices us.” That would at least be one use for him. In any case, she let him walk further ahead. Maybe distancing themselves from him would be best.

***