The Orb of Wrath

Erion's boots sank into the mud more than he wanted while he trudged through that marshland. The sky was dark, sinister, as if someone had covered it with ash. He could barely make out a ray of sun, although they were in broad daylight. The equipment made it difficult for him to pass. He wore a silver-edged short sword in his right hand, decorated with amazing watermarks, probably elven. No doubt, it was a very valuable sword and it was probably powerful.

  Mithir walked to his right, also with difficulty, and some others followed behind. They breathed that heavy air. There was a putrid stench in the air and they still had to cover more than five hundred steps to reach the end of that field. They worked hard to accelerate their pace.

  Suddenly, an arrow of black plumes crossed swiftly toward them and Erion heard as someone screamed and fell, probably dead, in the group behind. He had seen that kind of arrow before. They were goblins who had ambushed them.

  Erion awoke sweaty. It had been a very strange dream. Very intense, real, unlike any dream he had ever remembered having. He breathed deeply and saw Mithir sleeping peacefully in bed next to his. He needed some air before trying to sleep again. He donned his leather shoes, which were very light and resistant. Their soles, combined with his ability, allowed him to walk without making virtually any noise.

  He left his room at the inn and closed the door very slowly. He walked to the end of the hallway and opened the window. He slipped out very carefully. He reached up, raising his hands and grabbing the cornice of the building. With two quick movements he rose up, and was already on the roof of the inn. He walked to the highest part of it, next to the fireplace, and sat, leaning his back against it.

  Although the inn was not a very tall building (it had only three floors), from its roof you could see a lot of the town of Andon. It was a quiet and peaceful night, with a pleasant temperature. He closed his eyes and concentrated on listening to the sounds of the city. The night was fairly quiet, but in the distance some noise of the low activity in those hours could be heard. An occasional dog barking could be heard, and frankly, not a lot more.

  Erion took advantage to try and collect his thoughts. That afternoon, as agreed, the messenger had delivered the documents he had stolen from the Commander's house. As usual, the messenger had given him a small leather pouch containing the second half of the payment of his fees.

  This customer was very good. He always paid half in advance and his payments were always reasonable and proportionate to the risk and complexity of the job. That being said, he was very serious. He didn't accept bargains. Once he tried to round up the fees for a job and almost lost the customer. Since then, he always accepted at once the amount offered. At the end of the day, it was always a reasonable amount.

  Something very curious had happened during dinner. While Mithir and he were eating a roasted partridge in the dining room of the inn, a courier delivered a message to them. It was the same customer for whom they had worked on that trip. Normally, weeks passed between two orders. The note delivered to them was very brief. It said tersely:

  "You will have to go out tomorrow and travel to Talmyra. After crossing the town, you will continue along the path towards Deepcliff. After nine leagues south, you will find a crossroads. There you will take the westbound road for about three leagues. At that point you should see a small but lush forest not far away there, northwest. It is the only wooded area in that field, so you won't miss it. We will meet in a camp in the middle of the forest at midnight after tomorrow. I am confident that the proposal I will make will interest you."

  In the two years they had been doing intermittent work for this client, this would be the third time that they would meet in person. The first time they saw him was when he made his first request. Probably the client wanted to see how they looked before recruiting them. In any case, he remembered that that mission was simple and unimportant. It had essentially been a small test.

  The second time they saw him was about nine months ago when he tasked them, perhaps the most important and best paid mission to date. Erion sensed that this job could be even more important. He was excited and eager to know what it was, and to receive a good commission in the process. The prospect of getting rich someday attracted him, almost as much as the possibility of continuing to help the various orphanages in Bor. Also, he never said no to a good adventure.

  After wandering for a while, he returned to his quarters. With slow and steady steps, he returned to the end of the ledge. There he fell, clutching the edge of the roof at the last moment. Finally, after a couple of minor swings, he jumped into the inn through the window. Then he closed it and returned to the room. He lay back on his bed and closed his eyes. At last, he could sleep.