Feral Mage Book 2: Chapter 10

The rays of sunlight blared down on Bryce in the back of the wagon. It had been a restless night for him. He had kept his Manticore Aspect active the whole night while lying beside Vex and Janna, waiting for the red-eyed monster to try to attack them. Instead, the night was filled with the sounds of crickets, frogs, and Omelet’s snoring.

Bryce had also felt like he was lying in an oven most of the night. Vex had snuggled as close as she could to him when they first lay down in the wagon, and Janna had rolled over in her sleep until she was next to him. Now, five tails were draped over Bryce with a griffin chick sleeping on top of them.

He had been half tempted to push the girls away, but the tails and Omelet wouldn’t slow him down if there were an attack, and it did make him feel better to have the girls close by.

If I can feel them touching me, I know they’re there.

Also, letting Omelet sleep was the only way to keep the griffin chick out of trouble, and Bryce hadn’t wanted to wrangle the little bastard while trying to keep watch.

Janna woke first, and Bryce pretended to be asleep, so as not to embarrass her as she figured out who she was sleeping against. Quietly, she moved Omelet and returned to her original spot. Vex woke next, but she just climbed more onto him and tried to fall back asleep.

“Come on, Vex. It’s morning,” Bryce said, rubbing her back.

Vex mumbled something incoherently, but eventually, he saw her sleepy head raise and look at him.

“Good morning,” Vex yawned with a stretch as she got off him.

It was a good morning. They were all still alive. Bryce moved out of the back of the wagon, stopping to help Janna and Vex out. Then he walked the perimeter of their camp, looking for tracks past the campfires. He couldn’t even smell a hint of the stale stench of death that clung to the red-eyed monster, but he wanted to break camp and get on the road quickly. Breakfast today would be dried meat and bread.

“I’m going to examine the corpse now that it’s light out,” Bryce said to the girls as he placed the spiked poles in the wagon.

“We’re going to be sleeping in the wagon again?” Janna asked as she watched him.

Bryce nodded.

“I’m pretty sure that monster has been following us.”

Janna’s eyes went wide at his words.

“Seriously! Since when?” she asked.

Bryce’s lips thinned.

“I think since the graveyard. I thought I saw red eyes watching us from the woodline, but I wasn’t sure. Well, I wasn’t until last night when I saw those eyes again as the monster flew away,” he answered. “Then there was the one Vex and I smelled the other night outside our camp.”

He placed the last pole into the wagon.

“I’ll be just past the tree line. You two stay in the wagon, I’ll be right back,” Bryce said.

Levi’s face was frozen in a state of panic when Bryce hauled his body down from the dead tree. Claw marks cut into the dwarf’s shoulders, torn through his clothing, and down to the bone.

The creature swooped down and grabbed him.

He rolled the body over, looking for any other signs from the attack.

No bite marks. So the monster didn’t return to feed on its kill?

That was strange. Even if Bryce had spooked the beast, it should have returned. A monster like that would be an apex predator in an area like this, so for it to just abandon a kill would be… unnatural.

“Did you stink too much like gnolls for that thing?” Bryce asked the corpse.

He narrowed his eyes at Levi’s hand, clenched into a fist. Reaching down, he pried the fingers stiffened by rigor mortis open, revealing a dark piece of cloth in it.

“Where did you get this?” he wondered aloud as he examined it.

The fabric was soft. The kind used in expensive clothing. He lifted it to his nose and smelled it. The scent of the red-eyed monster clung to it.

Bryce slipped the piece of cloth into his pocket and scanned the skies. The more he learned about this monster stalking him, the less he liked it.

The girls were waiting for him in the wagon, both of their ears perked, as he stepped from the woodline.

“Did you find anything?” Janna asked, her tails swishing nervously.

Bryce shook his head.

“Just more questions than answers. I think we’ll stay at Baroness Julia’s or the town with the stone wall for a night or two.”

Levi might be dead, but they still knew why he had been at the graveyard and could inform the Baroness of the reason. Hopefully, the shield and bag of jewelry would be enough proof to convince her and net them a reward. A day or two in a town may even shake the monster from their trail.

They arrived in the town with the stonewall a few hours later, the journey thankfully uneventful. They had even more luck when they neared the tavern and saw Captain Taylor dismounting his horse outside the establishment.

“Whoa, girl!” Bryce said, pulling on the reins.

Captain Taylor turned at his voice and frowned.

“I figured you lot would be in Witchbrook by now?” he said, then took in the state of their wagon and horse. “You ran into trouble.”

Bryce sighed.

“We did. I need to speak with Baroness Julia. We were on our way to her towerhouse.”

Captain Taylor shook his head.

“The Baroness has been called away,” he replied.

Bryce frowned.

“To where?” he exclaimed.

“Not here,” Captain Taylor said before gesturing to the tavern. “I’ll buy you all a meal and drink, then we can talk.”

The bartender brought four dark ales and placed them on the table in the small room. Captain Taylor had requested a more private spot, and the bartender led them into a small room near the kitchen. Bryce doubted anyone actually dined here except the owner, and this was done more since it was a request from a man who worked closely with the Baroness.

Captain Taylor lifted his tankard as Bryce did the same, both men taking a deep swig of the dark liquid.

“Bartender gave us the good stuff,” he said, setting the beer on the table. “So what happened after you left? You’re down a horse, and I saw the burn marks on your wagon.”

Bryce set his own down at the end of the question and caught Captain Taylor frowning at the bandages on Janna’s hands.

“We were ambushed by the owner of the gnolls and his friend,” Bryce answered. “A gnoll killed our horse, and the mage hurled fireballs at the wagon.”

Captain Taylor’s gaze shifted to Bryce, and his frown deepened.

“Bloody hell, they attacked you on this side of the Winter River? I didn’t put much stock in the Baroness’s theory, but…”

Bryce shook his head, then pulled out the bag of jewelry and tossed it on the table.

“They were a rogue element of the dwarven mercenary company doing the raiding. The gnoll tamer was using the beasts to loot graves to line his own pocket, not on the company’s orders. He knew where to ambush us by bribing one of the Baroness’s maids.”

Captain Taylor opened the bag, peeked inside it, and then raised an eyebrow at him.

“Which is why I wanted to meet with the Baroness,” Bryce added.

“The maids gossip,” Captain Taylor assured as he closed the bag. “We’ll know the one that took the bribe soon enough.”

Then the old soldier pulled his coin purse from his belt and slid the whole thing across the table. Bryce picked it up, feeling the weight of the coins inside—a decent sum.

“Good work. The Baroness would pay you more than that, but a rider arrived yesterday with a letter requesting her presence. She’ll compensate me for that sum and no doubt send more to your guild upon her return,” Captain Taylor said, slipping the bag of jewelry into his coat. “Care to tell me about the battle? I’ll even buy another round.”

Bryce smiled.

“Is that your subtle way of asking how I know all this, but don’t have a prisoner?”

Captain Taylor laughed, then nodded.

“We did have one, and he told me all this, even the company that he worked for, The Red-Shield Company,” Bryce’s smile dropped. “He died last night.”

Captain Taylor had his tankard half raised and set it back down.

“Injuries?”

Bryce shook his head.

“Something killed him. Something almost human-shaped with red eyes and wings. Have you heard of anything like that?”

Captain Taylor lifted the tankard and took a deep drink, a grim look on his face.

“No. No, I haven’t, and I hope I never hear of it again.”

Bryce had hoped the old soldier would have heard stories or something that he could use to narrow down what the creature was. Hopefully, the bartender had heard something. Their profession always made them privy to the rumors and gossip around towns.

The small room's atmosphere had turned dark with the talk of the monster, and they sat there nursing their beers in silence until Janna spoke.

“Where did Baroness Julia go?” she asked, her bandaged hands holding her tankard. “It must have been important for her to leave in such a rush.”

Captain Taylor shrugged, and the dark look he had been wearing a moment ago faded.

“It’s not a secret. Gossip will carry it far and wide soon enough. A dignitary from the Volpin Kingdom crossed the Winter River and is visiting with a nearby Count. The brother of the King of Volpin, I think,” Captain Taylor said, tapping his tankard in thought. “The Count is holding a feast in the dignitary’s honor.”

Bryce grimaced.

“I’m surprised she went, given her suspicions on the Kingdom of Volpin.”

Captain Taylor laughed.

“Even if the Baroness had hard proof for her theory, she would still follow the etiquette expected of her as a noble and attend the feast. I will send a rider with a letter to her and let her know what you have discovered to put her mind at ease.”

When the tankards were empty, Captain Taylor said his farewells, and Bryce booked a room for him and the girls. It was just one room with two beds, much to Vex’s displeasure. The wolfkin didn’t voice her disappointment, though it was written across her face.

The girls left to settle into the room as Bryce questioned the bartender.

“No odd sightings? Or missing livestock in the area?” he asked, hoping for a lead.

The bartender shook his head, the same as he had done with the other questions.

“Nothing like that, even the drunks haven’t rambled about anything close to such a creature,” the bartender answered. The man looked like he was wondering if Bryce already had one too many ales. “Anything else I might help you with?”

Bryce silently cursed at the lack of information on the red-eyed monster. Had anyone seen it but him?

“Does this town have a healer?”