Chronicles of a So-called Fire God (Abridged)

3. The Quest

I was confused. Doesn't take much really at the best of times.

"Hang on a minute," I said. "You don't know he's a real member of the family let alone the question of if he is the true heir." I could feel the stares of all the dwarves towards the non-dwarf, me, and it wasn't nice. I think they would rather hit me over the head with the large golden hammer that was attached to the wall just behind Frin. Lestergrad nudged me, trying to shush me, but I was in full flow already.

"But now you want us to get this Herald thingie. Why has it not already been fetched from its hiding place?"

Frin was fuming, I could tell. If he were a dwarf-shaped kettle you'd be able to see steam rising from his ears. I knew I'd spoken out of turn, but I thought this was an important point. They were asking Torq to risk his life. And if I was going to stick with these two, then my life too.

"Young Torq," said Frin, "kindly keep your human friend quiet."

Torq just glanced in my direction, and then straight back to the old dwarf. Frin was stroking his beard with a smug grin. Either Torq saw my point or just disliked the obvious animosity for non-dwarves shown by Frin and Jinso.

"No," replied Torq, "I won't. I can't keep anyone quiet that wants to speak."

The look on Frin's face switched from one of expectant gratitude to a deep scowl.

"To be honest, Warryn has made a good point," Torq continued. "Yes, I may or may not be a member of this family, but if I am I'd like to know why you expect me to retrieve this item. Why have you not already sent out a contingent to fetch this Herald?"

"We have," shouted Frin. The anger in his voice a surprise even to himself. Jinso flinched. I could barely hide my smile. Taking a deep breath Frin continued in a calmer voice. "They have not returned. The journey to where we believe the Herald to be is but two or three days hence from here. They have not returned in three weeks!" I like upsetting the applecart, particularly when it is obvious things are being kept from me. This revelation of a missing party was telling a tale that Frin was obviously not keen on relating.

Lestergrad, who had remained quiet until now decided it was time to get involved in the conversation. "Where is the Herald believed to reside at the moment?" he asked.

Frin harrumphed, it was clear he only wanted to speak to dwarves and disliked being questioned even less.

"We believe," began Frin through gritted teeth and never taking his eyes from Torq, "that the Herald is somewhere within the vicinity of the ruins of Derno Castle.

Lestergrad scoffed. Jinso sniggered.

Frin surprisingly turned on Jinso. " Would you like to take the trip instead, young Jinso?" The look from Frin said it all, but his tone added venom and anger. Jinso looked like he had been dealt a fatal blow.

"No, no," Jinso stammered. A flush of red was clearly visible through Jinso's perfectly sculpted beard.

"Good, then keep quiet. When you can grow a proper beard then you'll be able to question your elders." Frin then turned back to Torq. "Will you retrieve the Herald?" he asked. "We will cover your expenses and, in the event you are not a Goldbrick we will reward you for your troubles. With a handsome reward. Consult with your friends. If you need." The last comment was meant as an insult to myself and Lestergrad, it was clear Frin thought we were Torq's pets.

Torq looked at Frin very carefully before responding. "Exactly what would we be looking for if we were to take up this challenge?"

"It is believed to be the horn of a demon. As the legend goes, this demon was cursed by a paladin of great power to never be able to tell a lie. No one really knows if the demon still lives or not." The smirk on Frin's face was unmistakable.

It was Torq's turn to scoff. He then turned to Lestergrad and myself. "What do you think?" The look on Torq's face told me I was a 'friend', and oddly that made me happy. Apart from Eria, I don't recall having a friend before. Lestergrad nodded.

"If you'd like me to, then of course I'm more than happy to help as much as I can," I said.

"It's settled then," Frin said. He pulled a cord hanging beside the fireplace and the parlour door opened. Four dwarves entered carrying weapons and armour. The armour ranged from simple leather jackets through to sparkling, yellow chainmail. It appeared the dwarves knew we would accept and also knew that there were humans that accompanied Torq. "These are for you, take whatever you need."

I picked out a smart leather jacket that was clearly made for a human. The fit was perfect. I also picked out a sturdy dagger that was made by a dwarven smith. The dwarven runes along the blade spelled out the name of the weapon as 'Biter'. I hoped that it had a bite as vicious as it looked if it came to a point where I'd need to use it.

Torq took a chainmail shirt and another throwing hammer; he already had one hanging from his belt. His main weapon was a large war axe strapped to his back. Torq had told me the elves believed the previous owner to be Torq's deceased father. And therefore a family heirloom.

"There's many a bad tale about Derno Ruins," said Lestergrad.

"Never heard of it," I said with a shrug.

"Let's hope that the tales are exaggerated," continued Lestergrad, "for I do not fancy facing some of the dangers I have heard lurk therein."

"Nor would I," Torq said.

Neither of my new friends were willing to expand on their comments, and my imagination was running wild. Not wanting to sound ungrateful for their friendship, I just adopted a brave face. "Together we'll face those dangers." I just hoped my voice sounded as strong as my words.

Frin also gave us horses, to 'speed the journey'.

Grateful for the gifts, we set off on our quest. This was the first time I can remember someone paying me to find something for them. I could get used to this.