Three Quest Deal (Tales of Former Dragons Book 1) by Rainer Domingo

Author:Rainer Domingo [Domingo, Rainer]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2015-06-29T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

King Wolford was sitting in the castle courtyard gazebo eating lunch. The gazebo was raised, with a bed of flowers along its base, surrounded by irregular stone tiles. It was the queen’s favorite place to eat and entertain guests, weather permitting. He was seated at the head of a table large enough for a party of eight, but was the only one dining. Because he couldn’t say what he wanted to eat, the kitchen had prepared various dishes of venison, chicken, pork, fruits, vegetables, and breads in an effort to appease his palate. There was so much food that he didn’t know what to eat next. He put his hand on his stomach and let out a loud belch. “Cedric,” he called.

Cedric and two others rushed in from just outside the gazebo.

“I’m done. Take this away.” Wolford grabbed a goblet of wine as the table was cleared. “And less food next time. I’m getting fat.”

“Yes, my lord,” Cedric said. “Will there be anything else?”

“That will be all.” In his peripheral vision, he saw someone in a dark-blue velvet robe walk up to the gazebo. “Master Randolph. I hope you’ve eaten.”

Randolph approached the king and nodded. “Yes, my lord.”

“Don’t just stand there. Sit.”

Randolph pulled up a chair. “Are you sure it’s safe to discuss this here?”

Wolford looked left, right, and then over his shoulder. “Safe enough.”

“I spoke to Master Garon. He doesn’t remember much about the encounter after he awoke from the madness. He was in an alley surrounded by his granddaughter and three nobles—two men and a woman. One thing he noted is all three wore cloaks with gold trim. One man wore a black cloak. The other, crimson. The woman, a white one. His granddaughter asked about the location of mage Verick’s tower, and he told them it’s in Greffenvale. That’s all he had to say.”

“Greffenvale? Isn’t there a ruined mage tower inside the southern outpost?”

“Yes, my lord. The tower burned to the ground long ago. Nothing of value could possibly be there.”

“And yet they still sought it out. There must be a reason. What do you know about Verick?”

“He was one of Wolford I’s fire mages. He and some others were ordered to find and kill Baldazar. Baldazar killed them instead.”

“And what about these three strangers? Are they all spellcasters?”

“He doesn’t know. Right after he told his granddaughter where to find the tower, they took her away.”

Wolford grunted. “That’s a bit suspicious, wouldn’t you say?”

“Indeed, my lord.”

Wolford leaned back in his seat, crossed his arms, and thought about what to do next. He raised his hand to his face and stroked his beard.

“A suggestion, my lord?”

“Go on.”

“There isn’t anyone I know of who wears gold-trimmed cloaks these days. If we send word out we’re looking for a group wearing those cloaks, I’m sure we’ll find them rather quickly.”

Wolford raised an eyebrow. “That’s only if they don’t hear we’re looking for them and discard their cloaks.”

“Well said, my lord. We can limit word to only our spies, but that will limit how many people are looking out for them.

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