They have to find a Dragon's egg

Chapter 4

         They raced away from the community. The wind blew for two and a half days. It was impossible to have the horses from the Hung Goblin, with them after they left the the Hung Goblin. Because they theyre riding the horses of the Royal guard. They released the horses from their manipulation of them.
         They walked toward the nearest livery stable. The stable hand looked at the three of them, two of them walked toward him with Creeton riding his mule. The stable hand said,”What are you doing here?”
         Thallin suggested as he approached,”I would like to buy two of your horses to ride?”
         “I see, Why would I want to do that?”
         “Because I will give you this?” Thallin said as he opened his hand to present him with a sizable profit for him.
         Thallin handed him the coins The stable hand handed Thallin the riens to two horses. Thallin said, “Thank you.”
         Shallynne vaulted on the horse’s back after putting the saddle on its back. Thallin helped her up and then put his saddle on the other horse lumbered up on its back snapped the reins and they were on the move.
         The guards will go to the watch to tell them.
         Their steeds raced down the street, they came to a bend in the road, there there two roads there they knew they would have to travel down the road to give us some leeway the guards pursuing them. They choose to go down a tree covered grove that curtained the road way. When the wind stopped blowing they checked over our shoulder if the guards would pursue us. He
         Thalin did not see any movement but heard their hooves striking the ground heavily. It was coming toward them.
         The three of them relaxed as they rode away from “the Hung Goblin”. The watch would not be able to find them yet. Shallynne smiled as she watched the dust cloud climb into the air. Shallynne ran her hand through her curly black hair to brush some of the dirt out. A small smile appeared on her face as she hit her horse on its withers. The horse began to pick speed. Creeton was behind us by a bit; the small horse he rode on was not able to keep up with us..
         Shallynne looked at Creeton as he sat there, seeing the debris flying about the streets that they’re near the tavern, it was impossible to see ones hand if it wasn’t inches away from his face and he said, “See what I said, nothing to worry about. They can’t see us on the roads about the city. Not with that wind storm, the dirt is going to be in the air for quite some time, now.”
         “What should they do?” Creeton asked as he brought his mule to them. He looked pristine as if he had the world by the tail. He plummeted up his chest and lifted his head high; he was shorter than the both of them by a head.
         “I think, they should find a place to stay until the guards forget about us,” Shallynne said.
         “I agreed, but where could we go? The guards have been issued an order to find us and capture at the least, but the incentive was to have they killed. Was more than likely best deal from where they sat? After all we attacked a noble.” Thallin said, “We had better ride.”
         They had arrived at the nearest community. It looked calm and peaceful. There were horses standing by the posts of the taverns and shops, people were walking across the roads and talking amongst themselves as they arrived there.
         Shallynne saw an eagle fly through the air toward where the sheriff’s building stood. She was worried; the city’s watch from their community would send a note to have them captured. Thallin watched the door of the sheriff’s building.
         It would take them some time to read the note. Then they would appear on the street shortly. Thallin suspected the guiards would be looking for them. Her mouth had grown dry, sweat ran down her brow, was worried; She looked at Creeton and asked, “What are you talking about I remember what.you had said, “Zan offered you something.””`
         Creeton’s eyes sparkled, she beamed. Creeton said, “Yes, you should have seen it. Zan has offered to me… An electrum coin. If they could find for him... a dragon’s egg! Did you hear me, a dragon’s egg? Can you imagine that?”
         He clapped his hands together.
         “Let me get this straight. Zan is offering you an electrum?” Shallynne said as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Her skin paled, she shivered as she patted her horse’s mane. The horse’s head turned to face. “Why would he do that? Do you not know how much that is worth? Give it back to him. Tell him, no thank you!”
         “He isn’t offering he gave me an electrum for doing this,” Creeton said nearly jumping off his horse as the excitement tore through him. He patted his coin purse.
         “The coin has to be counterfeit.” Thallin said, as he realised what Zan had done. Gave Creeton a coin, but no one got one of those coins from anyone. There was no one with more than enough coin to do this. You could buy a kingdom with this coin.
         “I don’t think so?” Creeton said as he looked at me, smirked, and patted his purse.
         They climbed off their steeds and dismounted. We walked to ‘the Hungry Ork” to have us eat a good meal, and drink some ale. Thallln looked at the smiling face of the Ork looking over the plate of food. If the Ork was this happy with his meal than I would be as well.
         Shallynne and Creeton followed Thalli. the place was calm, there were candles on the table, a bar with a bar keep behind it. She watched us enter; there was a hint of a smile on her thin lips. Her hair was up on her head. Her top revealed her bosom, it was lace. She waved a man toward us.
         This community was a miner’s community; the people there working in the mine presently. When they came out they would be coming this way. It was a place, where they could break that coin if it was in fact the coin that Zan had given Creeton.
         Thallin headed the barkeep to acquire a couple of rooms for the night. The tavern was quiet, there were people in the tavern drinking and eating. they walked in, it was quiet. The barkeep looked at them, she smiled.
         They took a table to drink and eat at. A waiter smiled as he came over to their table and looked down at the table. He asked, “What is it you wish to have?”
         “Ale, some brandy for the lady. I don’t know what he wants?” Thallin said as he looked at Creeton who sat there patting his coin purse. There was a huge smile on his face.
         “Yes, sir. What does the gent want?” the waiter said, as he looked into Creeton’s face.
         Creeton said, “An ale, please. Is that okay Thallin?”
         He smiled, and said,”Yes.”
         The crowd came in from the mine talking loudly, and laughing. A few of the miner’s wives had come in.
         “You should have seen the coin.” Creeton continued on in this matter that was before them.
         “Are you sure, that Zan gave you this coin,” Thallin asked looking at Creeton.
         “I am sure, that he gave me the coin,” Creeton said as he beamed, he caressed his purse.
         “Could you show me the coin?” Shallynne asked.
         Creeton began to smile as he lifted the purse up. Creeton whispered, “If they can find a place to look at it, in private.”
         “Yes, they can do this.” Shallynne whispered back as she brought her elbow out so Creeton could put his arm there. Creeton did this and they walked away to his room. Creeton lifted the key to open the door to his room.
         Shallynne looked about the room, there was a bureau and a trunk at the foot of his bed, and the windows were with three accordion windows that made it up. The window protruded from the window’s ledge, the curtain was drawn to allow light to come into the room.
         Creeton sat on the bed; he lifted the pouch and opened it. Shallynne looked in to see the coin, Light struck the coin, the outer rim was gold, with a silver orb in the middle, and there were darker lines of red and grey in the center. There was a face of a woman on the coin, on one side a falcon with its wings spread.
         He turned the coin around so Shallynne could see both of sides of it. It was what Creeton said, it was. He was puzzled by her reaction. Creeton turned to see what she was looking at. He drew back from where he sat, the pouch fell. He caught it by the thread that closed the bag. His mouth hung open. His hand trembled. The blood drained from his face.
         Her eyes were wide open, her skin had grown pale. She shivered. She knew she saw a man’s face in the window. There was no way that he could be there as she did not see his neck or shoulders in the window frame. His face appeared to be burned on both sides. One eye was missing. There was a puffiness from the fire on it. The right eye was open.
         If he was up here, then he should be seen outside the window on the third story floor. How could a man climb three stories to look through the window, with no trees to hide beneath their shadow of leaves or branches there? It was in plain sight. It was impossible that no one had seen him.
         The head drew closer to the window. They saw his shoulders and neck. He floated toward the window; she thought she must have been asleep to have seen this. The figure slipped through the glass to move toward them, both.
         Creeton and she had gotten to their feet to bolt to the doorway. They collided with the door forgetting that they had closed the door. The figure was a Caucasian; he reached into the room with his hands. He was perhaps seeking the coin, the hand passed through the window and its sill. The ghost had reached for them.
         The two of them after having crashed into the door slipped back to reach for the door to open it. The hand had come toward them. It reached out to grab Creeton by his neck and arm. Creeton dodged out of its path.
         Shallynne drew up her dagger to slash at the ghost’s hand and wrist; the dagger sank into its flesh. Blood rose to the surface, droplets fell from its hand to splatter on the wooden floor. Its hand hung from where the dagger stopped touching down on it. The hand hung there from its wrist. It quickly drew back its opposing hand to grasp it.
         The man’s face floated toward the glass pane that should have kept the breeze from coming inside the room, but the window was open. He passed through the glass; his shoulders appeared as he went through the glass. Creeton leapt up, tried to close the curtain and the window. Perhaps this would keep him safe, he prayed. His skin had grown pale; his hand that brushed the curtain trembled a bit.
         This head was now, in the room, as was its shoulders and then the torso was also there. The waist began to appear as well, he brought his hands down to push himself into the room. The ghost reached out to grab Creeton by his hand holding the coin purse. His hand touched Creeton’s hand. The hand felt icy cold, vapor rose from the hand that was touching Creeton’s own.

####

         Creeton flinched as he drew back from the window; he looked up to see this man’s burnt face in his. Creeton’s breath caught in his throat. He knew this man. He knew he had seen his face. When he was there with Zan who gave Creeton the coin he held. The man was too tall to be human. His hands held a staff with a skull upon it, with hand holding it there. The rest of the forearm went down to its elbow.
         This is what Creeton had seen when he was there in the inn. He turned to face the being who was watching them. His face was burned. He looked muscular; on his hip was a longsword. He wore boots to his knee. He wore a long coat. His pants were dark, his hair hung to his shoulders. He walked toward them.
         Zan said, “NO!” He lifted his right hand up and pointed his palm at him. Fire leapt toward the man, the man faltered and drew back from where he was heading. He hit the swinging doors and vanished.

####

         Creeton whirled about to look at the window, to try and see what Shallynne had seen. There was no one there. Creeton turned to face Shallynne, he asked, “What is wrong?”
         “Didn’t you see the face?” Shallynne asked as she turned to face the window once again. She did not see the face that was there an instance ago. She was unsure if she had seen the neck of the man who appeared here, but she knew she had seen the face there. Her breath caught in her throat, she gasped.
         “Yes, I did.” Creeton said his face was pale.
         The figure reached out to grab Creeton’s pouch. Creeton flinched as if he had been bitten by a cobra. The purse slipped out of the way of his hand. The fingers reached Creeton’s wrist they fell upon it.
         Creeton felt a chill. His blood had grown cold. He looked at the hand touching his wrist. His hand had turned white; there theyre bubbles in the flesh. Fluid spilled from his hand as if it had been burned. The hand closed about his wrist. It felt as if it was crushing his wrist as if it was a grape.
         Creeton’s mouth sprang open. He reached out to pry the man’s hand away from his wrist. Creeton’s fingernails sank beneath the fingers of the man’s hand. He tried to lift the fingers, they moved a mite.
         Creeton reached for his war hammer, or so Shallynne and she supposed the burned man did too, but Creeton’s hand. Slowly moved his hand into the pouch with blessed powder then it took but a moment and the hand had come out of the pouch. Fine white powder was in his hand; it slipped and spilled through his finger’s creases.
         Smoke appeared and began to climb into the air. It tagged the man’s wrist. The hand leapt off of Creeton’s wrist. Smoke crawled across the hand. The man glared at Creeton.
         There was a scent of spoiled meat that was burning. The man glared at Creeton as he pulled away than leapt toward Creeton. Creeton did not anticipate this happening; Shallynne flew into his path to stop him from doing this.
         Shallynne drew her sword; she swung the sword at the figure’s waist. The sword sank into his waist. She struggled to drive the sword into its body. Her body felt the weight of its body lying on her sword. Blood ran from the sword’s edge. Shallynne smiled. The wound would kill him in an instance.
         He should’ve died, yet he still stood there glaring at her. The man advanced toward her.
         He stood there glaring at her and reached for something about his waist, the burned man smiled as his hand closed about the object he found. His hand came upon, and he threw the object from his hand between him and Shallynne.
         Shallynne danced back from him.
         He reached out to grab her. It smiled and laughed at her. It was as if it was the wound was not real. The man had begun to walk toward Shallynne and Creeton. It flinched as it approached the powder that burst into flame. The fire caused it to draw back from them, the powder touched the floor, the man tried to move toward them.
         The powder covered the floor. The powder was something his lady had given him to protect the innocents from evil. It would sanctify the room with its purity. Creeton knew that the powder would protect them from it and grinned at the figure that was between Shallynne and Creeton.
         Creeton watched the powder fall away from the hand. His body showed no reaction to his hand being set on fire. The flames of sanctification began to move across the room. Flames lifted from the floor to seal the room they were in. The man drew back from them.
         It began to make a motion with his hands and began to speak words which they did not hear. Within less than a heartbeat, a huge head of a cobra began to appear before them along with its body, it appeared beneath the bed. The cobra tried to close the gap between the window and them. The cobra slithered towards them. Its neck spread to reveal its form.
         The cobra tried to bite Shallynne, the huge fangs dripped with its poison as it spilled from its gaping maw. The head leapt toward Shallynne’s thigh. Shallynne looked at it; she knew she would have to do this to stop it. The forked tongue leapt from its maw. The fire rose to intercept it. The snake did not take notice of it.
         Shallynne swung her sword at its neck, she caught it there. Another head began to appear on its body. The head that was cleaved began to regenerate a body as well.
         Creeton grabbed Shallynne’s wrist and wanked her into the hallway. He quickly closed the door. Brought his hand before his face as if to sushi her. Slamming the door shut. The man seemed to be real, yet he could not be killed.
         The burned man had to be nearby, he must be. There was no excuse for this to have happened, there was only one way that he could do this to them. Where was he? Did he not feel the blows that they had given to him? The blade should have killed him. He could do this, if he was dreaming it to happen. How could he have caused the serpent to appear? Creeton did not know how he could have done this.

####

         “What did you think,” This happened in the instance before they were able to leave the room.
         “I saw it before, when Zan gave me the coin, He was in the room where this had happened,” Creeton looked nervously as he said this. His eyes rested on the window where the being had come inside the room. The being vanished, smoke oozed off of its right hand, the smoke was white. It turned to look into the room; it stared at Creeton’s face.
         “What was he?” Shallynne asked.
         “I do not know for sure. I suspect he is a mage. That is why your sword did damage him. You saw what the powder I had done to him,” Creeton said as he looked into her eyes.
         “But he showed no true result, a spell to allow him to appear here in the form that they have seen. He is able to cast spells in this form,” Creeton said as he walked down the hallway, smoke began to fill the hallway.
         Other people saw this occur they raced into common room, yelling that there is a fire in the hallway on the third floor.
         Others raced into the hallway, bringing buckets with them to put out the fire, no one said anything yet. In the common room, the inn keeper and his aides raced upstairs to put out the fire. Other people charged through the front door.

####

         Thallin was waiting for them to reappear when the meal arrived, He was hungry. So, he tore into the meal, the waiter brought the drinks to the table after the meal appeared. Thallin heard them approach; He looked up from his plate to look into their faces.
         I saw that their eyes were wide, their skin was pale. Shallynne was trembling. I said, “What is wrong?”
         “Creeton was being followed by something or someone. Since he saw Zan, he has gained a tail. The tail came here to attack him.” Shallynne said as she drew herself into her chair.
         “Then you should give Zan back the coin. He gave you,” I said as I watched his face crumble to a face of despair. He shook as he stood there looking at me.
         “I can’t. I don’t know where he is?” Creeton said as he took the chair where he should.

####

         A guard walked into the room, he looked at them, thallin knew him, he was a guard that my mother knew, and he was seen by him. When he came over to my mother’s house when dad was away, Thallin was leery of his doing this. He had gone into the bedroom of my mother.
         They’re not to go there ever. they were told to speak to no one about it happening. they did not know why? Mother looked at me when Thallin looked at the door to the room should he be here when father was home.
         The guard did not seem to know Thallin, as he headed toward their table; he looked at them and looked up from us to face the rest of the patrons there. He decided to talk to the patrons of the tavern, His voice was loud, and he was a big man. His hands were in metal gauntlets; his surcoat was the same as the guards of the community who were pursuing us. He was standing before us.
         The guard brought his hands to rest on his hips. He said, “Someone was in “the Hung Goblin”, and killed a few guards there.”
         “I am seeking to find them?” the guard said..
         Thallin said, “Why are you saying this?”
         “I have a suspicion that they are here?”
         “Fine,” Creeton sat down to think watching the guards walking about the tavern, he stared at the people there.
         The guard slowly headed toward the door and they to would have to leave the tavern. The guard looked at us again, he sent his guards after them as the guards were leaving. The guards charged toward them
         Thallin weaved through the crowd. The people saw the guards as they emerged from the tavern. Their eyes scanned the crowd, looking for us. They were unsure of what they’re doing.
         The crowd lost us. they’re fortunate that they have done this. The people who put out the fire in Creeton’s room seemed a bit frightened. They did not see the cobras or the man who summoned the cobra. They did not know that this had happened thanks to priest being in the room
         The innkeeper was talking with the guards, trying to have them understand what he has found in Creeton’s room. The guards left the tavern.
         So, they headed to another inn to relax in as the guards walked through the streets. The guards watched the doors of the tavern, to see if the guards would come through the doors in search of them. The guards did not arrive here.
         As they’re sitting there eating, they heard that the guards came here. So the guards left the tavern in search of them. The guards headed for their rooms. Shallynne figured Creeton had better stay with them. Rather than staying in his room. Creeton sat on the floor, he looked at the window, and he shivered. Creeton closed his eyes to pray to his Lady.
         Creeton did not move so much as a muscle as he slept there; he would open his eyes ever so often to see if anything had come our way. His right hand held the pouch in it; the powder was still there that he could seal the room from the daemon that attacked him in his room.
         He saw a movement in the window, he screamed, waking them. Thallin leapt for my sword, Shallynne sprang for her bow. Creeton was pointing at the window, the hand drenched in powder flew toward the movement that was there, and he saw a shadow appear in it.
         I quickly climbed to my feet barrelled over to the window to see what Creeton saw than I threw back the curtain to see the wing of a raven lit from the window sill. My sword was drawn; it was in the defensive position over my chest. Shallynne had an arrow drawn and pointing at the window where the dust from Creeton’s hand had fallen. No fire appeared so there was no demonic presence there. Creeton was still shivering; his teeth were grinding in his mouth. Tears sped from his eyes.
         They laughed at Creeton’s reaction to the bird’s wing arriving in the window frame; Creeton gave them a lopsided smile as he dismissed what he had seen there.
         Shallynne said, “See nothing to worry about.” As Thallin returned his smile and opened his hands to show that there was nothing in them to show Thallin was being truthful.
         Shallynne lowered the bow. She put the arrow back in her quiver. Closing it up, she tapped Creeton on the arm to reassure him. He said,” Sorry about that, I was startled by its arrival there.
         Thallin bought some horses to ride. they knew they would have to travel to a community that would have ships to sail to the southern continent; this was where Zan told them to go.
         The three of them relaxed as they rode away from “the Hungry Ork”. The watch had not been able to catch us.
         Shallynne smiled as she had been able to relax, patting the saddle horn. they were fortunate that the guards hadn’t caught them yet. The guards took their duty seriously wanted to find us.
         Shallynne ran her hand through her curly black hair to brush some of the dirt out. A small smile appeared on her face as she hit her horse on its withers. The horse began to pick speed. Creeton was behind us by a bit; the small horse he rode on was not able to keep up.
         Thallin looked at Creeton as he sat there, looking about trying to see if this mage was anywhere nearby. He could not shake the feeling that they’re being watched. The mage beat them to the community where they had been found by the mage who attacked Creeton and Shallynne.
         Shallynne said, “See what I said, nothing to worry about.”
         Creeton said, “I can’t relax, the mage is after us and the guards as well.”
         They were in a valley heading toward the coast line.
         There were huge trees that made up the majority of the woods; there was something about the trees that caused Creeton to feel ill at ease. The sense of them being watched by someone or something there. Shallynne trembled as she was about to fall asleep, she looked about trying to find who was watching them. She did not see anyone watching them.
         It would take them about a week to arrive there. they would have to ride.
         Thallin dreamt “Of a man sitting cross legged. His head was down, his head quickly lifted. He smiled as he did this. The man’s eyes opened I saw his eyes were elliptical like a cat’s eyes. He stared at me. He wore a hooded cloak; the hood concealed the top of his head.
         Thallin stood before him walked to him, Thallin reached for sword which hung byy belt. I found that it was not there. The man said, “Do not reach for your weapons, I here as a friend. I wish to guide you in protection of yourselves. I am here to protect you from what Creeton is seeking to find.
         The object is sought after by two forms of magi. One who is evil did not tell Creeton to find the egg. The other mage did this instead He lifted his head to stare at me; It had the face of bat. Its eyes were elongated. The nose was two small indentations in its face. The mouth had fangs in it for teeth. Its hands were furry. The cloak concealed his bicep and forearm and shoulders, where the cloak closed was a chest cavity that was hairy. It looked into my eyes, I felt a chill begin to slip down into my chest, and I was growing cold. My breath came in heaving gasps. Tears ran from my eyes to spill onto my cheeks and fall upon my chest.
         "Who are you?” I asked. When I could finally speak, the words barely fell from my maw. Saliva ran down my chin, I could feel it’s cold as it ran. I trembled,
         “That I cannot tell you; do not speak of Creeton about me. His Lady would not be pleased. She does not look favourably on mages with good reason.” The man said as he looked into my eyes. The man rose to his feet and vanished.
         I felt cold. The chill sank into my flesh. The chill crept across my shoulders; it tore me from my sleep. I woke, smelt fish being cooked, heard birds chirping and the babbling of water were near a river or brook. My eyelid began to slowly lift so I could see what was around me.
         Creeton was skinning the fish; Shallynne was busy cooking the fish. I walked up to them and tapped Shallynne on the shoulder she turned about and looked at me. She said, “About time, you woke. Lazy bones.”
         “What do you mean by lazy bones?”
         The sun’s high in the sky. they caught these fish, by the time you woke, that’s what I mean by calling you Lazy Bones. Cause you are? Aren’t you?” She laughed.
         “I can’t shake the feeling that they are being watched by something. I don’t know if I should be concerned with this thing watching us?” Creeton said, as he handed me a fish to eat.
         “I think they should find a place to stay until the guards forget about us,” Shallynne said, as she closed her eyes to see the guards burst into our room. The guards did not look happy as they came in. they did not see them enter, but they knew that they did. As they saw the head of the guard's look out the window to see them,