Chapter 3: Land - Port city Amgree

The city was full of color and sound as people shouted and called out trying to get someone to buy their wares. I slowly made my way across the city and stopped at a large inn by what they called the caravan gate. Inside my room, I filled a large purse with gold coins and then dumped a dozen stones into a large pouch.

I got directions from the innkeeper and headed out the gates. Outside the gates were huge pens and corrals that held a variety of animals. When I came upon the isolated pen of drama I stopped. There were four in the pen and only two of those were adults. The desert tribesman stood and walked to where I was standing, “They can go for days with little water young sir.”

I glanced at him, “And only eat meat.”

He blinked as I walked to the strong bars and hissed softly. The drama turned towards me slowly and I could see that they had been drugged. I glanced at the tribesman, “Why did you drug them?”

His eyes widened, “All know young sir that the beasts can not be tamed.”

I snorted and vaulted over the bars and he gasped. The drama hissed a warning as I came closer and hissed back in a softer tone. I scratched the male behind the ear hole and he hummed as I moved to the female. I hissed softly as I scratched her and checked her carefully. The two adolescents hissed softly as I walked to them and rubbed or scratched them.

I walked back to the bars thinking. The male was in good enough shape, the female was newly pregnant and could carry a light pack. The two adolescents were not related and were both female, (that could be good or bad). I vaulted back over the bars as the tribesman stared at me wide eyed. I looked back and we started bargaining, when we finished they were mine.

I paid him extra to keep them and not give them anymore drugs. Next was a trip back through the city. I had walked through a large market place after leaving the ship and headed there. The merchant I wanted was easy to find, I could see the array of stones from criskin and leviathans and knew he would not pay top dollar for more.

I pulled out the two Siren stones and set them on the counter. The merchant tried to act like they were something he saw everyday but I knew better. I shook my head and pulled the two back. The merchant gasped, “Wait!”

I looked at him and he nodded to the guard by the door. The guard turned and locked the door. I did not even glance back as I pulled one of my swords. The merchant raised his hands, “NO!”

My other hand dropped and then flicked back and the guard that was reaching to pull his own sword froze as the spike slammed into the doorframe next to his head. I continued to stare at the merchant and he licked his lips, “We can bargain.”

I turned sideways and pointed the sword at the guard, “Leave.”

The guard looked from me to the merchant. The merchant nodded and the guard walked to the back of the shop and into another room. I put my sword away and the merchant began bargaining. He was smart enough to start at a good price. When we finished, the merchant reached under the counter and pulled out a metal lock box. I left after he paid me, heading back into the market place.

It took awhile but I finally finished as the shops were closing. That evening I sat in my room and began the task of making a riding pad for the male Drama and pack saddles for the females. I filled the pack saddles and set them beside the door. My next task was to study a map I had managed to find. It was of the area between here and the next city inland called Sin-Haree.

Sin-Haree was a trade city on the other edge of the desert and my next stop. I heard footsteps in the hall and when they stopped at my door I looked at it. They started pounding on the door and I walked to stand beside it. I flipped the locking latch and let the door swing open. There were two men in the hall and they started into the room and then stopped as they realized where I was standing.

One was a city guard and the other was a merchant by his clothes. The merchant cleared his throat, “We heard that you are ... very good with your weapons.”

I waited and he shifted from foot to foot before clearing his throat, “We have a serious problem just outside the city walls. A creature has nested in some rocks and attacks anyone that tries to enter or leave by the western gate.”

I smiled and moved away from the wall, “What does that have to do with me?”

The merchant and guard stepped into the room and the merchant shook a heavy purse. I bent and lifted the lid of the chest to show both the sea stones and the gold before looking at the merchant, “I do not need your gold.”

The merchant was staring at the chest and finally looked at me, “We will pay for everything. I was informed you purchased four dramas. We will pay for their upkeep.”

I nodded to the packs behind them, “I had planned to leave in the morning.”

The merchant looked desperate and the guard finally cleared his throat, “We need your help assassin. I will guarantee your belongings will not be touched. You will have the city guards support when you face the beast. You will be paid a handsome sum for your services and leave with our gratitude and we will be in your debt.”

I turned away to think and found myself curious about whatever threatened the city. I turned back to face the guard, “Describe the creature.”

He bowed slightly, “Big, maybe thirty paces long and ten high. It is like the drama but smarter. It drags its kills into the warren it has created in the rocks. We have tried sneaking up on it but it never works. Even an arbalest bolt can not seem to penetrate its scales. The front feet have claws as long as my arm.”

I could not even image the beast and sat on my bed to think. I finally looked up, “How far from the walls?”

The merchant snorted but the guard ignored him, “At first it stayed away but now it comes over the wall when it gets hungry. The warren is about three hundred paces from the walls and it is never gone from the warren long.”