Chapter 2

Raindrops on Roses

Novembre 19-23, 5599

As the stormy days slowly passed, the amount of rain, along with the strength of the wind, began to slacken. During the inclement weather, Maidawn and Shorn trained ten hours each day behind the red door.

In the barn behind Theleisium’s cottage, Zift the welcorg, Cyereth the elf, Braunk the centaur, and Thorfrn Throkreaver, the Yellowbeard Dwarf, found ways of entertaining themselves. They played games, practiced battle techniques, told stories, maintained their weapons and armor, enjoyed each other’s company, and relaxed. They were trapped inside the barn and knew that they had to wait out the storm. Luckily, there was plenty of food and drink to be had in Theleisium’s magical icebox. They just had to run through the rain, avoiding the worst of the puddles, and make it back to the cottage for meals.

As for Stench, he spent a lot of time with Chomper, his donkey, and Thrasher, Shorn’s black warhorse. He did enjoy playing games with the other three, as he truly enjoyed winning. Unfortunately for him, Stench was frequently caught cheating and booted from whichever game they were playing. Every time this happened, Stench promised that he was done cheating and pleaded until the others couldn’t take it anymore. Eventually, they would let him rejoin, only to kick the goblin out again, and again, and again from every single game. He had yet to actually finish a game.

Stench always shrugged his shoulders and said, “It’s in my nature to cheat. I’m a goblin. It really can’t be helped.” Then he would get up from the table and give them a compliment of some sort. “Gee, you guys sure are swell.”

This always elicited a round of groans from the others. They attempted to help him get over his tendency to be dishonest, but it never lasted long. Stench really tried to play a clean game, but it just wasn’t in his makeup.

Inside the cottage, Spck the flairie spent her days exploring the entire building, except, of course, the room behind the red door. She investigated the cupboards in the kitchen, under the beds, even the toilet room, in which she learned NOT to fly down into the dark, dank hole. The smell down there had almost knocked her out.

At first, her favorite game was making her way under the couch cushions to look for lost trinkets. But things changed when she discovered that by really pulling on the icebox handle, her wings fluttering like crazy, she could open the door. Ever since that happened, she spent many hours tasting all the different foods that were stored in there. Boy, oh boy, did she love that icebox. It was the most miraculous thing she had ever discovered. She spent many hours on top of the icebox, sleeping off her latest food frenzy. Most importantly, she kept an eye on anyone who wanted a snack, dive bombing them if she felt like they were taking too much. She didn’t seem to realize that the icebox magically refilled itself every night.

Early in the morning, on the fifth day of training, the rain stopped, the clouds lifted, and the suns, Brumel and Pasq, bathed the drenched land in glorious, water-evaporating rays of sunsshine. The puddles on the ground began to dry up and the ground began to harden again. Byrds came out of hiding and filled the forest with their joyous songs while squirellees frolicked on the limbs of trees, hunting for their hidden nuts.

Early in the afternoon, shortly after the midday meal, Theleisium called a meeting, and the party gathered in the main room of his cottage.

“Maidawn and Shorn have made great progress in mastering their Amber magic,” the mage stated with a certain sense of satisfaction. “I believe it’s time to leave this place and make our way to Kexy Island. What say you?”

“Aye, about time,” Thorfrn stated in his gravelly voice, a slight smile on his lips. “Got me an itchin’ for some adventurin’.”

“I’m anxious to travel,” Cyereth chimed in, rocking back and forth on her heels with happiness. “This is a beautiful forest, but I’ve grown weary of all this rain.”

“I had thought to return to Yärum,” Braunk stated, “but after much discussion with my new friends, I have decided to remain at your side. I owe you a debt of gratitude for rescuing me from my imprisonment in Yelve. If it were not for all of you, I would have ended up in a yellow goblin stew, I am sure.”

“We’re happy to have you remain with us,” Alizabet said, giving Braunk a pat on his hindquarters.

Spck flew around the room in circles and then landed on Shorn’s head. She sat down and crossed her legs, slapping her hands on her thighs in joy. She glanced at the icebox and then shrugged her tiny shoulders. She was really going to miss all that interesting food, but she was ready for a new adventure.

“Well, then,” Theleisium said, smiling, “we’ll leave in an hour. Everyone go and pack and then we’ll all meet in the barn to head out.”

Maidawn laughed and hugged Cyereth. Everyone joined in and the cabin was filled with joy and excited talking.

After all, four pieces of Amber Armor were still missing.

Their quest was far from over.