Beyond Scarfold [discontinued]

(1) Milborrow's Demise

"Dri! S'been a while!" he grinned his crooked smile and slapped my back lightly in greeting.

"Aye. It's been a frightfully busy week, what with my lessons." I pursed my lips, sitting down at my usual table.

He laughed. "Well, it be good for a young lass like yerself to be educated in using that gift of yours!"

"Ah, but friend, the lessons are mostly tiresome exercises to test my abilities. I want to learn spells, Jones!"

He shook his head. "Dri, yer not ready to be doin' advanced magic quite yet. Maybe after you got yer basics mastered. So what can I be gettin' you tonight, lass?"

I looked up at Jones pleadingly, and his gaze steeled.

"It be too late at night for any young soul to be drinkin', Dri. You can't go about intoxicating yerself; not when there be drunken men walking the streets. Yeh needa be right in the head in case yeh need to go defendin' yerself. I'll get you some sweetened goat milk instead," he left and disappeared into the kitchen.

I sighed, already having known what his answer would be. To pass the time, I pulled out a small knife from an inner pocket of my coat and started etching designs into the wooden table in front of me. It was a habit I had for a few years now, and Jones was used to my ruining his tables.

"Here's that milk fer you," Jones came back and set the mug on the table, ignoring the new scratches I had put into the table. "You be wantin' anything else, Dri?"

"I'm fine, thank you very much Jones." I pulled the warm mug towards me, wrapping my fingers around it.

He nodded and left me to drink my milk in peace.

I sipped the creamy liquid and closed my eyes as I relished in the warmth. Before long, I had finished it off. I trailed my tongue along my lower lip to catch a drop of milk.

"...and then, as if the monsters weren't enough, there's said to be absolute nothingness beyond Scarfold."

"Nothing you say?"

"Aye. Nothing at all. Edge of oblivion itself."

I turned in my seat to see Allan Milborrow speaking with a young lad of around my age. Milborrow was a frequent like me, and always told the best stories, or rather, rumors. He had the roundest belly you had ever seen - but not technically the largest, mind you - and a bushy mustache that made up for the lack of hair on his shaved head. I didn't recognize the boy with him.

Deciding to join their conversation, I pulled my chair around to their table, slipping my knife back into my hidden pocket.

"Milborrow, that's quite the worn tale to be telling. You can't be out of stories?" I laughed.

He smiled a toothless smile at me. "Ah, it is, but this boy didn't know the good details about Scarfold. I was just helping the lad catch up a bit. He'll need to be, if he starts going to The Drunken Bear more often. It's good to see you, though, Dri. Where've you been?"

"Lessons," I said briefly.

"Ah," he nodded.

I chuckled. "Now would you be a gentleman, old Milborrow, and introduce me to your company?"

"Aye, this is young Nicholas."

I raised my hand to shake."Nice to meet you Nicholas. You can call me Dri."

He eyed me judgingly. "You're a girl," he finally said.

I clenched my jaw. "Nice observation."

Nicholas frowned. "What would a girl be doing here at night, hmm? I'm sure the innkeeper wouldn't appreciate a young, intoxicated lass passed out on the floor at this time."