Darkin A Journey East - By Joseph A. Turkot Page 0,44

he asked.

“It is Adacon. It is one of the last in Darkin,” Slowin answered.

“And what is it that is so dangerous about the route to reach it?”

“That city is only accessible by crossing the Fang Shoals. It is said that more than just shoals, however, stay those waters.”

“Fang Shoals, it sounds dreadful.”

“It is, and those forbidding shoals must we thank for Erol Drunne’s safety,” Slowin ended, and he turned over to go to sleep. Adacon’s imagination flared briefly, imagining what Erol Drunne and the Fang Shoals looked like; then he thought about his friend Remtall, and his new friend, the gnome father. It seemed that each day passed with more excitement than the last, and though the contents of the days were stained with dark omens, Adacon relished in it, enjoying each new curiosity. He tossed for a short while in hope, and then fell fast asleep.

VI: WEAKHOOF

The morning came fast for Adacon and his party, and Deedle’s Inn was alive and bustling in the early hours of a new day. The group had a swift breakfast in the tavern before convening outside the Inn on Rislind’s main drag. The slaves—filled with fresh Rislind tea, dough cakes, burnt potatoes, and sausages—decided it had been the best food they had ever tasted. Slowin led a brief council in the cool breeze, and with urgency he pressed the party to move eastward, yet Remtall interrupted:

“I believe I can procure for us three horses,” he said, and in the early morning sun he released a flask from his side and drank twice. Remtall, it appeared, was already drunk with liquor.

“Horses! That would be exactly what we need,” Adacon replied with glee.

“I expect no horse could carry me,” Slowin confessed.

“I know such a steed as might carry you Slowin—indeed I know just the steed,” Remtall proclaimed.

“But we’ve never ridden horses before. Besides that, there are five of us traveling,” Erguile said.

“These horses will mind you less than you will mind them, so worry not that you have never ridden. To you Slowin, I will give my steed Thunderhoof. To Flaer and Adacon I will give Fablefen; and Erguile, you will have Weakhoof,” Remtall explained.

Flaer, Slowin, and Adacon nodded in acknowledgement, but Erguile looked confused.

“Weakhoof? I wonder if he will make our journey, or does his name belie his endurance?” Erguile griped.

“His name more than belies his hardihood; though Weakhoof is old and slow, he is ever full of valor,” said Remtall.

“And then what horse will you ride to Kalm’s Point?” asked Adacon.

“Gnomes have other friends in nature that you have yet to see—Yarnhoot!” Remtall shouted. In a moment a giant black condor appeared, diving down and standing next to Remtall. The bird was half as big as Adacon, and the perfect size for Remtall. He immediately mounted Yarnhoot and ascended, turning his path mid-air for a nearby meadow where horses grazed.

“Astounding!” Adacon remarked.

“Yes, gnomes are curious in their partnerships. I myself would prefer a giant tortoise over any other beast,” Slowin chuckled.

“A golem on a giant tortoise—that would be a sight; I think I’ll need some of Remtall’s liquor before seeing that,” Erguile laughed.

“It is odd that he drinks at this early hour,” Slowin thought aloud. Flaer nodded in agreement to Slowin.

“Maybe he is celebrating his return to the ocean as a captain of the high seas,” Adacon guessed merrily.

“Yes, perhaps.”

Remtall suddenly returned in the sky, and just as quickly he descended upon the street, diving in for a landing that thumped, and he bounced off of Yarnhoot with a stutter. In the meadow three horses could be seen galloping in toward Deedle’s. Soon the three horses stood before the party, neighing in unison and then hanging their heads in a mellow fashion.

“The saddles, and then we will be off,” Remtall said, and once more he hurried off, this time on foot, leaving Yarnhoot with the slaves. The enormous condor eyed the group lazily and diverted its attention to some bugs crawling on the ground nearby. Adacon and Erguile went to the horses and petted them, offering the much needed creatures a warm greeting.

“We’re very lucky to have met Remtall’s aid here. Without horses we would be delayed almost two days’ time,” said Slowin.

After several moments Remtall appeared again, carrying saddles. He went about fastening them, introducing each horse as he worked. Thunderhoof was a powerful looking white stallion; Fablefen was an equally impressive brown stallion; and last was grey old Weakhoof, who looked more a mule than a horse. Weakhoof and Erguile began