Free Legends of Luternia by Thomas Sabel Page B

that only he could find and bring the flower? Hadn’t he alone been given this mission? He knew that evil beyond all understanding filled the wizard, but couldn’t evil be used for good?
    “Uley . . . Uley . . . Ulrik!” Barty’s voice pulled him out of his thought. “We have to go on. We have to get out of here before it’s too late. They know you’re here. They thought I was connected to you and that’s why they did this.” He opened his shirt revealing a red and blistered spot the size of a dinner plate. Edgar stared, a sympathetic tear rolling down his cheek.
    “Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything. We’ve got to find this captain we keep hearing about, this Bombastus Euphrates.
    “Who spoke my name!” erupted a man on the other side of the room. The size of the voice matched the man. When he stood up, he filled the entire room. In four great strides he was the table, looming over them, arms on his hips. “Which of you said my name?” Deep blue eyes glared out from under reddish- grey brows, riveting each of them to the spot with a long and deliberate stare. Under his steady glaze they wilted. “I know it was one of you.” His growl vibrated the glasses on the table. Barty timidly raised his eyes and replied, “I did, sir.”
    “You did, eh?” His scowl furrowed his brow into deep ravines. “Well, glad to meet you.” An enormous smile split his face. “Had you going, lads! Why are three young . . . uh . . . gentlemen looking for the likes of me?” He pulled a chair from the table, gave it a spin around, straddled it and sat with his arms crossed on the chair’s back.
    “We need to get across the Desert of Hope,” Ulrik blurted.
    “Desert of Hope? Only the oldest folks call it that. Where’d you learn that name?” He leaned forward and studied the prince, boring a hole into him with his eyes.
    “Read it in the  . . .” Edgar started to say but a quick look from Ulrik stopped him.
    “Read it, eh?” The captain relaxed and leaned back. “No matter. Keep your secrets. Most men around here have more than their share.” He leaned in again. “I hope you realize that this is a business proposition,” he said, raising an eyebrow
    “Don’t worry, we can pay,” Barty told him.
    “By the looks of what happened to you, somebody already made you pay plenty!” he roared in laughter.
    Barty pulled out the pouch of their money and set it on the table making sure the coins rattled as they hit it.
    “It wasn’t money they were after, was it?” questioned the big man as he stood up, leaned in with his knuckles on the table and said, “I’ll take you lads, and my fee for you three little lambs . . .” He reached into the pouch unopposed and took out three of the smallest coins. “ . . . is one of these for each of you. Meet me at the Gap, Dock Number One, find the Hurricane’s Handmaiden. Looks like the weather’ll be up in three days. Be there or miss out. Storms and Bombastus Euphrates wait for no one, no matter who their parents are!” He turned from the table left with a roaring laugh and threw the coins to the innkeeper, “Use it to buy a few rounds for the house.” The innkeeper pocketed the money and eyed Ulrik, Edgar, and Barty.
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Barty was put to bed to recuperate. Ulrik and Edgar set about making preparations for their journey. As they neared the Gap, the vendors of charms and talismans competed for travelers’ attention by barking their wares: “Best charms here!” “Guaranteed protection!” “Wear this, be safe.” “This one’s made from potent vulture livers.” Amidst the noise and chaos of the marketplace, a small doorway radiating quiet was out of place. Recognizing the same perfume of sweet smoke that had drifted in Elijah and Joanna’s cabin, Ulrik moved toward the door. He and Edgar entered to find an enormous stone table holding a large open book in the center of the room. A brass container stood on a nearby