The Stone Keeper's Quest- Elrich
Chapter 5

Elrich hid behind the bushes, growing impatient. He had to get rid of the two soldiers. He crept low to a nearby pond and broke off four red thorns from a Honey Locust tree. He heard a familiar and harmless bird call in the distance and looked for the source, thanks to his father who took him hunting. He smeared his hands with a lavender plant to protect himself.

Elrich spotted the frog, a bright yellow and black poison dart frog. He quickly grabbed its back legs before it could hop away. He coated the four thorns with the frog’s venom, one by one. The frog escaped when Elrich released it. Elrich returned to his hiding place and took out his blowpipe.

He put one of the venomous thorns in the blowpipe and aimed it at one soldier. He took a deep breath and blew hard. The dart flew out and hit the soldier’s neck. The soldier thought it was a mosquito bite and slapped his neck, pushing the dart deeper.

He inserted another dart in the blowpipe and blew once more. The dart hit the other soldier on the cheek. The soldier pulled out the dart and stared at it. He muttered something nonsensical to his partner, who was already on his knees and clutching his belt. Soon, they both collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Elrich ran out of the bushes to the clearing. He ignored the fallen soldiers and went to the opposite side of the bush. He pushed away the branches that hid the dragon’s skin and the Firestone. He tucked the Firestone inside the skin and used his full strength to drag it. The dragon’s skin scraped the ground, leaving a clear trail.

Elrich pulled the heavy load with sweat and breath. It was hard work, but he didn’t give up. He passed the unconscious soldiers and reached his hiding place. He rested there for a while, telling himself he was almost by the cart. He resumed his task, until he reached the back of his cart.

Elrich looked at the cart and wondered how to lift the dragon skin onto it. He opened the latch of the cart door and lowered it. He gathered all his strength and grabbed the dragon’s skin. His arms bulged with veins as he lifted it above his knee. He ignored his sore waist and pushed the skin to the back of his cart, breathing hard in triumph.

King Gilfillan II and his army returned the way they came, following their marked path like lost dogs. They encountered the two soldiers who had captured Kiara. They had tied her hands and feet together and put a stick through them. They carried her on their shoulders. The king and his army also met the soldiers who had caught Madeleine. They carried her in the same way.

The soldiers quickly formed a protective circle around King Gilfillan II. In the middle of the open field, where they saw two of their comrades lying motionless on the ground.

“Go and check on them,” the king ordered one of the soldiers, pointing at the fallen men. He frowned as he watched the scene with concern.

The soldier obeyed and knelt down to examine them. “They are still alive, my lord,” he reported. “But they have thorns embedded in their skin.” He showed the king one of the thorns, which had a purple hue.

“What about the other one?” the king asked. The soldier moved closer to the second man, who was lying on his back with his eyes closed. “He is also breathing, my lord. But the skin around the thorns is turning black.”

“They have been poisoned,” First Commander Zachary said. “We need to get them medical help as soon as possible, my lord.” He looked around for any signs of the attacker.

“We need to hurry and take them to the capital,” King Gilfillan II said. He nodded to two of his soldiers, who lifted the injured men and carried them to their horses.

First Commander Zachary scanned the ground and spotted a trail. He followed it and said, “Whoever did this must have left by now. Look, something was hidden here near this corpse.” He pointed at the dead dragon. He continued along the trail and vanished into the bushes. The king and his soldiers trailed behind him.

“See here, something heavy was dragged this way and loaded onto a cart. You can see the marks of the wheels and the horseshoes,” First Commander Zachary said, indicating the traces on the ground. He rubbed his chin and tried to guess what it could be.

“It must be something valuable,” King Gilfillan II said.

“My lord, I suggest we return to the castle. It will be dark soon,” First Commander Zachary said. He pointed at the sky, which was turning orange and purple.

“Lower the bridge!” a soldier shouted to his comrade, who quickly pulled the lever. The metal chains rattled as the wooden bridge descended over the moat, allowing the king and his men to cross over.

King Gilfillan and his men rode into the castle courtyard and dismounted their steeds. They were greeted by cheers and applause from the castle staff and residents, who had been anxiously waiting for their return.

“Commander, I want a full report on the forest incident by dawn,” King Gilfillan II said, hurrying away with a sense of urgency.

“Lock up the prisoners in the cells,” First Commander Zachary ordered, waving his men off.

“Let me help you with that, sire,” Merlin said, reaching for the buckles of the king’s armour. He unfastened them quickly and helped the king remove his heavy metal plates.

“Where are my beloved ones?” King Gilfillan II asked. He looked around the castle courtyard, hoping to see his wife and children.

“My dear, you have arrived just in time for a feast,” Queen Danielle said, meeting the king halfway. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately, showing her love. She then took his hand and led him towards the banquet hall. “Come, let us dine, my love.” He followed his wife eagerly, looking forward to spending some quality time with his family.

“There they are, my two sons and my lovely daughter,” King Gilfillan II said as he entered the banquet hall. He saw his children sitting at a long table, waiting for him. He walked over to them and hugged them one by one.

“Who has missed their father?” King Gilfillan II asked. He looked at his children with pride and affection.

“Oh yes, all the scolding and strict rules, who wouldn’t miss that,” Princess Victoria said, making everyone laugh. She had a mischievous grin on her face as she teased her father.

“Wait until you marry, daughter. Then you will see what a real tyrant is like,” King Gilfillan II said. He winked at her and gave her a playful nudge.

“Ethan Finbow, you need to improve your combat skills. A future king cannot lose a duel in front of his people. How will they respect him?” Prince Dylan said, mimicking his father’s deep voice and making everyone laugh. He gestured with his fork as if it was a sword.

“That was funny, Dylan,” Crown Prince Ethan said. He rolled his eyes and shook his head at his brother’s antics.

“Dad has a point, though. You are terrible at fighting. Maybe I should be the crown princess,” Princess Victoria said. She smirked at her older brother and challenged him with her eyes.

“In your dreams,” Crown Prince Ethan said. He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“She is right, you know. She can beat you with a sword any day,” King Gilfillan II said. He chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair.

“How did the hunt go, my dear?” Queen Danielle asked as she sat down on a chair that her husband had pulled out for her. She smiled warmly at him, grateful for his gesture.

King Gilfillan II’s face darkened as if he remembered something unpleasant. “We found a strange corpse that had been skinned. I saw the creature fall from the sky,” he said as he took his seat. He reached for a napkin and placed it on his lap.

“Maybe it was a large bird,” Princess Victoria suggested, frowning. She tilted her head, trying to imagine what the creature looked like.

Suddenly, as if he had a flash of insight, he said, “I think it was a dragon. I know it sounds crazy, but I think it was a dragon.” He looked at his family with a serious expression, hoping they would believe him.

“Dad, everyone knows that dragons haven’t been seen for a thousand years,” Prince Dylan said, cutting into a pork chop. He rolled his eyes, thinking his father was joking.

“I thought so too, until today,” King Gilfillan II said. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. He wanted to convince his son that he was telling the truth.

“Dad, are you sure it was a fire-breather?” Crown Prince Ethan asked, biting into a turkey leg.

“I am certain of it,” King Gilfillan II said as he picked up a glass of red wine and took a small sip, enjoying the taste.

“Did you say that to your men?” Queen Danielle asked. She was concerned about her husband’s reputation and safety. She knew that some of his subjects might think he was losing his mind.

King Gilfillan II shook his head. “No, that would only cause unnecessary alarm,” he said.

“That was wise of you,” Queen Danielle said. She nodded in approval, trusting her husband’s judgment.

“I have ordered the commander to investigate the matter,” King Gilfillan II said.

*****

The bar was a huge stone building shaped like a mug with round windows all over it. The handle of the ‘mug’ was held by a wooden ‘hand’ with glass ‘nails’ and pink ‘nail beds'. In the middle of the round ceiling, there was a large metal chandelier with sixty candles burning brightly. Elrich tucked his shirt into his pants and hid the Firestone under his shirt. He walked into the bar.

“What is that under your shirt?” the bartender asked, pointing at the bulge on Elrich’s chest.

Elrich glanced down and pulled his shirt closer. He felt the warmth of the firestone against his skin. “It’s none of your concern, but it’s a gift from a friend who died,” Elrich said, his voice low and bitter. He looked away from the bartender’s curious eyes.

The bartender frowned and nodded sympathetically. He reached for a clean glass and poured some beer from the tap. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, handing the drink to Elrich. Elrich grabbed the mug and drank the beer in one gulp.

Elrich was about to order another one when he heard a familiar voice behind him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head. “Hey, you’re late,” Troy said, clapping him on the shoulder. He grinned and winked at him.

Elrich turned and saw his friend smiling at him. “Has the game started already?

Troy nodded and gestured at the table. He pointed at a man in a brown coat who was holding a pair of dice. “It’s the second game,” he said. “That guy is on fire. He’s won three times already.”

Elrich followed his gaze and saw the man in the brown coat. He had a smug expression on his face and a pile of coins in front of him. Elrich felt a surge of anger and resentment. He wanted to wipe that smile off his face. “First, I need a drink,” Elrich said, looking at the bartender.

The bartender nodded and slid a full mug across the counter. “Here you go,” he said.

Elrich grabbed the mug and drank the beer in one gulp. He slammed the mug down and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Another one,” he said, pushing the empty mug back to the bartender.

The bartender raised his eyebrows and filled it up again. “Take it easy if you want to play the game. The guy in the brown coat hasn’t lost a single game,” he said.

Elrich lifted the mug and gulped down the beer. He felt the alcohol burning his throat and stomach. He didn’t care. He needed something to silence his fear. “Let’s go play,” he said, nudging his friend. Elrich and Troy got up and sat at the gaming table.

“Let me remind you of the rules. The Dice of Fate has six sides: the dragon, the king, the witch, the thief, the soldier and the farmer. If you roll the witch, the dragon or the thief, you can’t draw a card. If you roll the farmer or the soldier, you can keep a card from the deck, but you can’t have more than three cards at a time.

If you roll the king, you can draw two cards and put back any two to keep three cards maximum. These fifty cards are numbered from zero to nine. If you get three zeros, you win a quarter of the pot. If you get three threes, you win half. If you get three fives, you win three quarters.

If you get three nines, you win the whole pot. If you get three sevens, you win one and a half times the pot. Any other numbers, you win nothing,” the bookmaker said.

“For the third round, the bets are three gold coins,” the bookmaker said, handing over the dice.

Elrich took the dice and blew on it. He felt a surge of adrenaline as he prepared to roll. “Do you have your lucky bracelet on?” he asked his friend.

“Always,” Troy said, showing his left wrist. He smiled confidently and winked at Elrich. Elrich shook his wrist and then tossed the dice on the table. The dice rolled and stopped.

“A king! That’s a good start,” the man in the brown coat said. He announced his call and flipped his cards over. “Three sevens. Beat that,” he said, sliding them across the table with a smug grin.

Elrich glared at him and his brown coat. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he looked at his own cards. Troy nudged him and whispered something in his ear. Elrich shook his head and tossed his cards face down. He had nothing.

“You cheated. Take off your coat and show me your sleeves,” Elrich demanded, standing up and pointing at the man.

The man snorted. “How rude of you to accuse me of cheating, boy.” He gestured to his two friends, who grabbed Elrich and searched him. One of them pulled out the firestone from under his shirt.

“What’s this?” he asked, holding it up for everyone to see.

“None of your business,” Elrich snapped, trying to get free. “Let me go.”

The man in the brown coat took the firestone and examined it. “I’ll keep this as collateral until you pay up,” he said, putting it in his pocket.

“Give it back to him. You’re the cheater here, I saw you,” a tall man said, approaching the table. He had a leather jacket and a face that looked like he had seen many fights.

The man in the brown coat sneered. “Or what?” He reached for his knife, but before he could draw it, the tall man punched him in the jaw. The man in the brown coat fell back, hitting his head on the edge of the table. There was a sickening crack and he stopped moving.

One of the friends of the man in a brown coat removed a dagger and stabbed Troy in the ribs, saying, “That’s what you get for your big mouth.” Then he and his other accomplice ran away, leaving behind their dead leader.

The tall man Elrich’s saviour searched the corpse of the cheater and took off his brown coat. A bunch of playing cards spilled out of it. He shook his head and tossed the coat aside.

Elrich knelt beside his dying friend and apologized.

“He cheated,” Troy said, clutching his wound. Blood stained his shirt.

“I saw it too,” Elrich said, tears in his eyes.

Troy took off his bracelet and handed it to Elrich. “Keep this,” he said. “You’re my best friend.” It was a silver chain with a small charm that looked like a horseshoe.

Elrich protested. “I can’t take your lucky bracelet.”

“Please,” Troy said. “It’s yours now.” He closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

The tall man approached them and gave Elrich the firestone. “This belongs to you,” he said. Elrich thanked him and took the firestone. He clutched his dead friend, tears streaming down his cheeks.