It was the height of summer, and ungodly hot in Dragon Stone. Fortunately the house sits at a point and a cool breeze was running off the river. Pie was paying the piano. Outside I could hear the shrik, shrik, shrik of the gardeners sheers cutting grass around the edge of the house. Otherwise the house was empty. I could hear Revrend from next door working on a sermon. No one was at Daenyra’s house to the north of me that I could see. Wait no I could see Mia. I looked again Mia was gone. Strange girl that one. I could see the tops of Devlin’s and Siobhan’s places through the trees farther to the west. The Cicadia’s were at it in unrelenting waves of sound. I had never encountered them before moving to Dragon Stone, noisy buggers. I saw in the distance someone walking down the road all in pink and a wide flat straw hat. Jaden? Hmm. I went down and outside to the back of the house where the gardener was working. I gave him a few coins and told him to come back tomorrow.
I was standing there wondering where we stored the wheelbarrow and clippers, when Jaden walked up to me.
“Gardening Roberto?” she asked.
“What? Oh well” I said as I still stood there with the gardener’s sheers in hand dismissively. I can make a leg go green but I can’t raise a plant to save my life.
I like Jaden she’s less dour than most of us. Most of us are broken toys. She was happy the love of her life had come back and was hanging around with her. Good for her. But she was here on a different tangent of thought. She was asking about Deanyra with some level of concern. She came to her final question. “Has Deanyra changed?”
I thought and of course she had changed. You don’t manage a good sized guild and a sprawling village without it changing you.
“Yes” I replied.
Jaden put her finger to her lips and said “shhhhhh” and walked away.
I admit that people in general are a mystery to me. Women in particular. And any woman associated with Dragon Stone pointedly so. I certainly had no interest in anything causing drama to my guild mistress. I dropped the sheers in the wheel barrow and determined the Gardener could damn well pick up where he’d left off. I needed a drink.
I went up to the tavern. It was empty inside and out. Although I thought I heard faint laughter in the leaves of the trees. Dagda? I shrugged and went on up to the moon gate and popped over to Trinsic. The Keg was empty. I was just about to order a drink when Lord John Chanticleer came in.
“Roberto, come with me to the hall of the holy fist.”
I’d never been, so was quite pleased to be invited. We mounted up and headed due west out of Trinsic’s main gate. About half way, as I judged it, between Skara Brea outskirts and the Trinsic gate we came on the hall of the Holy Fist. We went in and up to the ramparts where Duraj stood guard. Duraj such a funny man. His lack of social grace is only matched by his ever present vigil. Eventually he left perhaps too many people.
Several of the fairer members of Chanticleers guild showed up. And then Jacob and his horse showed up with his winged simian cousins. A troop of mongbats had wandered in through the woods. Jacob joined the conversation and at this point the group IQ went down by 40 points. I am not sure if John was being a good host, or just exasperated and wanted to shut Jacob up. But he left for Trinsic to get some ale for Jacob.
Out of the woods a raiding party charged into the Hall they came up the stairs and bounced Jacob’s head off the pavers, yay. They brushed their way past Faeryl, Erollisi, and the others, boo. I pulled out my Kryss and slid it between the ribs of one of the attackers he fell down twitching. Again the raiders came back the other way with Aila’s daughter in tow. And again buffeting Callista about and she fell from the stair case.
The henchmen left with their prize. A big brooding bad guy stood twirling his mustache or whatever. I would find out later his name was Gana. As in Gana kill ya. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. Gana twirled around and went down the stairs just as John arrived from Trinsic. They engaged in combat. I walked down the stairs shield raised and Kryss ready.
Gana was facing away from me so I threw in with my shield and kryss against him. Chanticleer was cursing up a storm. Apparently the two knew each other. Gana was a cocky ******* never shut up once. Kept telling John all the horrible things he was going to do. John chased Gana around the hall three times. On the third round about I was in position and pierced Gana’s shield arm to the bone. Gana fled toward Trinsic John in pursuit. Gana did not get far before John brought him down.
Appearing out of the woods at this moment in time, came several riders at full gallop. I was worried and then I saw it was Annabeth and others from Dragon Stone. Hurray! Annabeth looked about.
“You could have called us in Roberto, why did we get notification through the Holy Fist when you are here?”
“Ahhhhm… Sorry I was kind of taken up in the moment.” I said sheepishly.
John came back as I was making introductions, dragging Gana behind him. Once things were more or less sorted out John took his war mace and splattered Gana all over the walls.
I made my way back to Trinsic and ordered an ale. I took it outside and looked at the river. It stank. One moment I was about to drink a refreshing ale. The next I was flying at speed spread eagled face down towards the river.
I scrambled and my head came up for air.
And I heard. “Can you swim dear Roberto?” Dagda! Menace to the time space continuum. Friend? Ally? Prankster!
I can swim. Just not in full metal plate. Maybe I’d pushed her into the river too many times. Or maybe her twitchy Drow mind had snapped.
Dagda smiled down at me sweetly from the bank. She held out a long stick to help me up. I began to climb up.
“Are you feeling bad about all the times you threw me in the river Roberto?”
“Absolutely not” I replied.
I found myself falling backwards once again into the river. And shortly thereafter with a good solid lung of water. I eventually made it to the mud and muck of the bank.
Dagda leaned down from the top of the bank. “Are you sure? Not the least bit sorry? Not one teeny bit?” I nodded and coughed. Dagda leaned down and helped drag me up over the edge.
“TSK. You’re a mess Roberto. Let’s go have a drink.” I nodded still not trusting my voice.
I sat down next to my friend Dagda and finally had a drink.
Aila’s daughter was missing… again.
The Holy Fist were in a towering rage.
Had Deanyra brought Dragon Stone into a war against the Broken Anhk? And I’m thinking that’s my fault if so.
The Cicadia’s were probably still chirping away in Dragon Stone.
Pie was probably passed out at the piano.
And the gardening was still not done.
Yes a lot was going on. I raised one finger and said “Ale” and the tavern keeper obliged.
Such is life in Dragon Stone
-- Roberto
I was standing there wondering where we stored the wheelbarrow and clippers, when Jaden walked up to me.
“Gardening Roberto?” she asked.
“What? Oh well” I said as I still stood there with the gardener’s sheers in hand dismissively. I can make a leg go green but I can’t raise a plant to save my life.
I like Jaden she’s less dour than most of us. Most of us are broken toys. She was happy the love of her life had come back and was hanging around with her. Good for her. But she was here on a different tangent of thought. She was asking about Deanyra with some level of concern. She came to her final question. “Has Deanyra changed?”
I thought and of course she had changed. You don’t manage a good sized guild and a sprawling village without it changing you.
“Yes” I replied.
Jaden put her finger to her lips and said “shhhhhh” and walked away.
I admit that people in general are a mystery to me. Women in particular. And any woman associated with Dragon Stone pointedly so. I certainly had no interest in anything causing drama to my guild mistress. I dropped the sheers in the wheel barrow and determined the Gardener could damn well pick up where he’d left off. I needed a drink.
I went up to the tavern. It was empty inside and out. Although I thought I heard faint laughter in the leaves of the trees. Dagda? I shrugged and went on up to the moon gate and popped over to Trinsic. The Keg was empty. I was just about to order a drink when Lord John Chanticleer came in.
“Roberto, come with me to the hall of the holy fist.”
I’d never been, so was quite pleased to be invited. We mounted up and headed due west out of Trinsic’s main gate. About half way, as I judged it, between Skara Brea outskirts and the Trinsic gate we came on the hall of the Holy Fist. We went in and up to the ramparts where Duraj stood guard. Duraj such a funny man. His lack of social grace is only matched by his ever present vigil. Eventually he left perhaps too many people.
Several of the fairer members of Chanticleers guild showed up. And then Jacob and his horse showed up with his winged simian cousins. A troop of mongbats had wandered in through the woods. Jacob joined the conversation and at this point the group IQ went down by 40 points. I am not sure if John was being a good host, or just exasperated and wanted to shut Jacob up. But he left for Trinsic to get some ale for Jacob.
Out of the woods a raiding party charged into the Hall they came up the stairs and bounced Jacob’s head off the pavers, yay. They brushed their way past Faeryl, Erollisi, and the others, boo. I pulled out my Kryss and slid it between the ribs of one of the attackers he fell down twitching. Again the raiders came back the other way with Aila’s daughter in tow. And again buffeting Callista about and she fell from the stair case.
The henchmen left with their prize. A big brooding bad guy stood twirling his mustache or whatever. I would find out later his name was Gana. As in Gana kill ya. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. Gana twirled around and went down the stairs just as John arrived from Trinsic. They engaged in combat. I walked down the stairs shield raised and Kryss ready.
Gana was facing away from me so I threw in with my shield and kryss against him. Chanticleer was cursing up a storm. Apparently the two knew each other. Gana was a cocky ******* never shut up once. Kept telling John all the horrible things he was going to do. John chased Gana around the hall three times. On the third round about I was in position and pierced Gana’s shield arm to the bone. Gana fled toward Trinsic John in pursuit. Gana did not get far before John brought him down.
Appearing out of the woods at this moment in time, came several riders at full gallop. I was worried and then I saw it was Annabeth and others from Dragon Stone. Hurray! Annabeth looked about.
“You could have called us in Roberto, why did we get notification through the Holy Fist when you are here?”
“Ahhhhm… Sorry I was kind of taken up in the moment.” I said sheepishly.
John came back as I was making introductions, dragging Gana behind him. Once things were more or less sorted out John took his war mace and splattered Gana all over the walls.
I made my way back to Trinsic and ordered an ale. I took it outside and looked at the river. It stank. One moment I was about to drink a refreshing ale. The next I was flying at speed spread eagled face down towards the river.
I scrambled and my head came up for air.
And I heard. “Can you swim dear Roberto?” Dagda! Menace to the time space continuum. Friend? Ally? Prankster!
I can swim. Just not in full metal plate. Maybe I’d pushed her into the river too many times. Or maybe her twitchy Drow mind had snapped.
Dagda smiled down at me sweetly from the bank. She held out a long stick to help me up. I began to climb up.
“Are you feeling bad about all the times you threw me in the river Roberto?”
“Absolutely not” I replied.
I found myself falling backwards once again into the river. And shortly thereafter with a good solid lung of water. I eventually made it to the mud and muck of the bank.
Dagda leaned down from the top of the bank. “Are you sure? Not the least bit sorry? Not one teeny bit?” I nodded and coughed. Dagda leaned down and helped drag me up over the edge.
“TSK. You’re a mess Roberto. Let’s go have a drink.” I nodded still not trusting my voice.
I sat down next to my friend Dagda and finally had a drink.
Aila’s daughter was missing… again.
The Holy Fist were in a towering rage.
Had Deanyra brought Dragon Stone into a war against the Broken Anhk? And I’m thinking that’s my fault if so.
The Cicadia’s were probably still chirping away in Dragon Stone.
Pie was probably passed out at the piano.
And the gardening was still not done.
Yes a lot was going on. I raised one finger and said “Ale” and the tavern keeper obliged.
Such is life in Dragon Stone
-- Roberto