Tarun and Shon walked through the forest, trying to make as little sound as possible so Shon could listen for the thoughts of the stranger. A full moon in the sky provided some light in the woods, but they still had to go slowly to avoid running into any trees.

Shon was surprised how much noise there was in the forest as they walked. The desert where he grew up supported very little life, and he found himself both excited and unsettled by the constant sounds of insects and other creatures in the woods. Leaves and other vegetation crunched and rustled under their feet with every step. He didn’t know whether to be annoyed that they were making such a ruckus, or relieved that they probably wouldn’t run the risk of startling the rather large stranger they were trying to find.

Despite the noise, Shon was able to keep them headed towards the thoughts he had heard earlier. He was certainly glad that he had Stick to amplify his magical abilities, as he was uncertain whether he would have been able to pick up such strange and foreign thought patterns without it. Shon was not even certain if he was sensing just one train of thought or if there were more.

With so little light in the forest and his mind so focused on the sounds and thoughts he was listening to, Shon did not even realize he had closed his eyes until Tarun grabbed his shoulder to halt his pace. Shon then opened his eyes to see a low campfire in the middle of a small clearing. Beside the campfire was the large stranger under his hood, and behind him was the green wagon.

“Y’know,” the stranger said, not looking up from the campfire, “I kinda liked you two at first. It’s not often you find folks willing to stand up to bullies like Smitt, especially for a total stranger.” The stranger made a snorting sound and spit into the fire, making it pop and spark. “But I had some business in that town, and you two have put a real twist in my plans. And now you even decided to follow me. I hate to say it boys, but you’re starting to downright get on my nerves.”

“Why didn’t you stand up to the woodcutters yourself when they were bothering you?” asked Tarun, apparently less unnerved than Shon was at having annoyed the stranger. “You’re obviously not weak.”

“Guess I’m just a coward,” replied the stranger, spitting into the fire again.

“Well then why didn’t you cower under a table like everyone else when you thought there was a dragon?” asked Shon, emboldened by Tarun’s candor.

“Guess I’m just stupid too,” said the stranger with what sounded like a growl in his voice.

“I think you’re neither,” said Tarun, stepping towards the light of the campfire. “I think you’re a dragon hunter, and the person we’ve come to deliver the Dragon’s Bane plant to.”

“Tarun!” shouted Shon, unable to believe his friend had taken such a terrible chance telling their goal.

The stranger suddenly lifted his head and looked at Tarun. Though his face was still deep in shadow, Shon could now see the reflections of his eyes under the hood, which is more than he had seen of the stranger’s face so far. Shon had no idea if the expression on the stranger’s face was shock or rage.

Without warning, the stranger let out a loud and roaring laugh. As the stranger continued laughing he bent over and slapped his large thighs with such force that Shon was fairly certain such blows would have left him quite bruised. He then looked up at Tarun and Shon again and continued his laughter in earnest.

After a moment, the stranger cleared his throat and spit into the fire again. “Well, I guess this night’s not a total waste after all,” he said. “Though I have to say, you two certainly don’t look like the kind of couriers who would usually deliver Dragon’s Bane. I’ve seen delivery boys carrying baskets of eggs who look meaner than you two!”

At his last statement, the stranger inhaled as if to begin his laughing fit again, but his breath was cut short and he suddenly rose to his feet. Shon was about to say something, but the stranger sharply shushed him and began sniffing the air.

Shon had been so focused on the stranger that he had stopped paying attention to anything else. Now with the clearing suddenly quiet, Shon could hear several loud and angry thoughts gradually surrounding them. Many of the thoughts were slow and foggy from alcohol, but Shon recognized one them immediately. “It’s Smitt and the woodcutters,” Shon whispered.

“I know,” the stranger said in a low and gravely voice. “Guess you boys didn’t make much effort covering your tracks as you found me?”

“What are we going to do?” asked Shon. “They’re really, really angry, and I think…” Shon paused to delve deeper into the thoughts of the mob. “I think they brought their axes with them.”

“I’m not even gonna ask how you know that,” said the stranger. “It’s obvious you must be some kind of wizard or something. So tell me, can you figure out how many of them there are?”

“Six or seven, I think,” replied Shon.

“Seven with axes,” growled the stranger, “and I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to kill anyone tonight. Any chance you can make ‘em think there’s a dragon attacking again?”

“I doubt they would fall for that again,” Shon said, “and considering how impaired their brains are right now, I don’t know how effective my magic would be on them anyway. Still, I’m open for any other suggestions of something to catch them off guard.”

At Shon’s words, Tarun had an idea. He stepped into the middle of the clearing and called out loud and clear, “Smitt!” When he heard nothing but the sounds of insects and night air, he called out again. “We know you and your company are out there, Smitt!”

“What is he doing?!” hissed the stranger. “He’s giving away any advantage of surprise we might have had. Doesn’t he have any common sense?”

“Not really, no,” Shon replied. “His head is nearly empty. But he often ends up being right anyway. Let’s see what he has in mind.”

Tarun continued calling to the darkness of the woods. “I know we had to finish our contest early, but I didn’t realize you wanted to finish it this badly, Smitt. If you’ve bothered to come out all this way, I’d be happy to finish it here.”

A few moments later Smitt walked out of the trees and into the dim light of the now dwindling campfire. “Why would I wanna arm wrestle you again?” asked Smitt with a heavy slur. “You’re a cheater and a lier. You got me and my boys kicked out of the inn for the night. They practically threw us out of town!”

“It was unintentional,” replied Tarun calmly. “Why don’t we just finish our contest so your company can see once and for all who is the stronger man, and then we can all get a good night’s sleep?”

Smitt looked at Tarun for a moment with cold, angry eyes. “Alright,” he finally replied, setting down his axe, “but my boys are going to keep an eye on you this time to make sure you don’t cheat again.” Once he had said this, five other men walked out of the woods carrying large axes.

“I thought you said there were seven,” the stranger whispered to Shon.

“I said ‘six or seven’ didn’t I?” replied Shon quietly. “Besides, there could still be one hiding in the trees.”

The stranger lifted his head a bit and inhaled deeply through his nose. “Nope, this is all of them,” the stranger said. “There’s no way I could miss anybody who smelled this bad.”

Meanwhile, Tarun had walked over to a stump in the clearing and kneeled down next to it. Smitt kneeled down on the other side. “Yer cheating darn near broke my right hand last time,” Smitt said, “so this time we’ll use our left hands.” Tarun agreed and both men grasped left hands across the stump.

As they were getting ready to start, Shon read his friend’s thoughts and was relieved to learn that Tarun intended to let Smitt win. But his relief was short lived as he also read Smitt’s muddled thoughts. “He’s got a dagger!” Shon shouted.

With left hands already firmly grasped and kneeling on the hard ground, Tarun was in an awkward position. Shon’s warning had given him just enough time to raise his arm to block the knife that Smitt held in his right hand. He managed to deflect the blade away from his chest where Smitt had been aiming, but he received a nasty cut along his arm.

Seeing that the plan had gone awry, the other woodcutters began closing in on Tarun, Shon, and the stranger. The stranger pulled from his side what looked like a jagged black knife with his right hand, while bringing his left hand to his mouth and letting out a loud sharp whistle.

Suddenly an elf with a longbow jumped out from behind the green wagon, shooting an arrow that lodged into Smitt’s sleeve just below his arm, pinning him to the stump. At the same time, something fast, loud, and hairy came crashing through the brush riding a large boar, and slammed into two of the woodcutters, knocking them to the ground. After a moment, Shon realized it was the half-naked hairy dwarf that he and Tarun had seen earlier that day outside of town.

The stranger brandished his strange black knife and removed his hood, revealing a face with dark green skin, sharp teeth, and wild eyes. At this turn of events, the woodcutters faltered and one of them completely lost his nerve. He dropped his axe and ran into the woods screaming, “Orc! Orc!!”

The other two woodcutters who were still standing raised their axes, ready to charge at the orc in front of them. But just then, Tarun tackled them from behind, sending them sprawling to the earth, dropping their axes as they fell. Realizing they were outmatched, the woodcutters all fled the clearing, leaving Smitt behind, his arm still pinned to the stump.

Smitt pulled frantically on the arrow as Tarun and the orc approached the stump. Despite his obvious terror, Smitt made a defiant face at the pair. “What’re you gonna do?” Smitt spat at them. “Kill me? Eat me? Once the town finds out there’s a killer orc on the loose, you’ll have an entire posse to deal with!”

“Why do you think we didn’t kill you already?” said the orc, putting his face close enough to Smitt to whisper in his ear. “And for the record, Krall the Dragon Hunter doesn’t eat garbage. I eat your nightmares.”

Krall yanked the arrow out of the stump, freeing Smitt and causing him to fall backwards. “Oh, and I wouldn’t plan on gathering that posse tonight,” said Krall as he sniffed the air. “At least not until you’ve found some fresh pants to change into.” And with that, Smitt went running into the dark forest.

Tarun stood in the clearing, holding his bloodied arm. Next to him was a very terrified Shon who kept looking back and forth at the elf, dwarf, and orc who had rescued them.

“Well,” Krall said, putting away his black knife, “that went better than I expected.”

Dragon Hunters Art by Ryan Salway

Shon’s excitement at Tarun’s victory quickly turned to concern as he felt the mood in the room suddenly take a turn for the worse. A few of the woodcutters were impressed by Tarun’s strength, but most of them were just embarrassed and angry that their leader had been beaten so easily. Even without sensing Smitt’s mind, Shon could tell that the captain’s thoughts had turned downright murderous.

Shon also became keenly aware of the thoughts and emotions of Ulysis and his deputies in the room. They could clearly see the destabilizing situation, and were tensing up in preparation for a fight that might be ahead. They didn’t want a fight, but each of them was ready to hit the first thing that made a wrong move.

The large cloaked figure behind Tarun stood perfectly still, and his thoughts were difficult to understand, almost as if he was thinking in another language. But Shon did sense that he felt very worried, almost panicked, about the sudden turn of events. Ever so slightly, Shon thought he could sense the stranger’s focus shift to the nearby exit.

The pieces were all in place, and events were already in motion. Shon could tell that unless something unexpected occurred, a lot of people would be hurt today, and he could very likely be one of them. But what could he do? Perhaps he could mentally tell Tarun to stand up and use that commanding voice of his to tell everyone to calm down? No, many of the men were already angry with Tarun, and it would probably only make things worse if he spoke up.

Shon began to think of the dragon’s bane plant they were carrying, and wonder if there was any way they could use it to their advantage. As he was deep in thought on the matter, Shon saw Smitt stand up, grab Tarun across the table and punch him right across the face. Shon immediately stood up, only to realize that Smitt was still in his chair and Tarun was untouched. Shon had only seen Smitt’s thoughts, and mistaken them for reality.

However in that moment, Shon realized something. Something unexpected had just happened. Nobody in the tavern expected the pale skinny bald kid to be the first one to stand up and start something. Tensions were still high, but there was a feeling that events may not be quite so inevitable as everyone thought. “OK,” Shon thought to himself, “now I’ve just got to do something really unexpected and maybe we can all get out of here without broken noses and black eyes.”

Shon briefly considered jumping on the table and trying to do a dance, or splashing someone’s drink on top of his head, but he decided that would probably only annoy people, not shock them out of their rage. Frustration overcame Shon as he thought how none of this would have happened if they had just been able to find their buyer in the first place.

Suddenly an idea came to Shon, and he acted before he could think better of it. He grasped Stick tightly, and as forcefully as he could manage he broadcast to the entire room the thought, DRAGON!

The reaction was both more immediate and more dramatic than Shon had expected. Nearly every man in the tavern began to duck and cower below tables, chairs, or anything else they could find.

There were only two exceptions to this, other than himself. Tarun immediately rose to his feet and looked towards Shon, and the hooded stranger looked out the window and reached for some unseen object near his waist. Upon turning and seeing that Shon and Tarun were now looking at him, the stranger immediately ran and exited through the door of the tavern. Shon and Tarun both quickly grabbed their packs and ran out into the cool evening air after him, while everyone else stayed in their huddled positions on the floor in shock and confusion.

The sky outside was already considerably darker than when they had entered the inn less than an hour earlier, and it took Tarun and Shon a moment to see the cloaked stranger walking away in the darkness. He was already quite far from them, but seemed to be walking slowly and calmly as he passed the guard next to the gate leading outside of the Duskwood fort.

“Come on,” Shon said to Tarun as he started running towards the stranger, “we can still catch up to him if we hurry.” Tarun ran next to Shon, but their speed was limited by the weight and jostling of their packs. Still, they were fast enough that they began gaining on the stranger, and Shon was confident they would soon catch up to their target.

As soon as they neared the gate where the guard was standing though, Shonrealized why the stranger had been walking so slowly. “Oy!” shouted the guard as he jumped to his feet. “Where are you two headed in such a hurry? Not trying to skip out on the price of your drinks, I hope?”

Shon felt like an idiot. Of course he and Tarun looked suspicious running out of the inn towards the forest this late at night. Shon knew he had to think fast if they were going to have any hope of catching up to the stranger, who was already regaining his distance.

“It’s Smitt,” Shon said through heavy breathing. “He and his woodcutters had too much to drink and they’re causing trouble at the inn. Ulysis told us to come here and get you to help get things under control.” Shon hoped that by using the names he had picked up while listening to the others’ thoughts, he could add some believability to the lie.

“I’ve told Ulysis a hundred times that I don’t work for him,” grumbled the guard. “He’s already deputized half the men in this town anyway. Say, why’d he send you two to get me instead of one of his deputies?”

“They were all too busy helping Ulysis with the woodcutters,” Tarun quickly interjected. “He sent us out to get you because he said you were the only one left in town who could help.”

Shon was surprised how convincingly Tarun had picked up the story, and could see the doubt fade from the guard’s face. “I always knew those ruffians would end up being more trouble than they’re worth,” said the guard, muttering under his breath. And with that he picked up his weapon and began running towards the inn.

As soon as the guard was out of sight, Tarun and Shon quickly ran through the gate into the woods outside. The stranger was nowhere in sight, so they began looking for signs of which way he went.

“Do you think we will have trouble entering the town again now that we’ve lied to the gatekeeper?” asked Tarun.

Shon instantly felt stupid for not thinking of this sooner. “Yes,” Shon replied, “I expect we would. But hopefully this stranger is who I think he is so we won’t have to go back into that town anyway. Though I was looking forward to sleeping on a real bed in that inn.”

Shon was starting to worry that they had completely lost track of the stranger when Tarun spoke up. “Did you notice the dwarf and his wagon are gone?”

Shon looked back and noticed that Tarun was right. The strange dwarf and his green wagon were no longer parked next to the wall of the fort, and there was a pair of deep wheel tracks leading into the forest, roughly in the direction that the stranger had been heading when they last saw him.

Shon didn’t know if this was only coincidence, but he decided it was the best lead they had and acted on it. He grasped Stick with both hands and tried to sense any thoughts coming from the woods in the direction of the woods where the wagon tracks had headed. After a few moments of intense listening, he managed to hear the whisperings of a few strange thoughts coming from that direction.

“Let’s go see if we can find our buyer,” said Shon as he and Tarun walked into the ever-darkening wood.

Tarun and Shon entered the town inn as the last of the daylight began to fade outside. The first floor of the inn was set up as a restaurant and tavern for travelers, but it occurred to Shon from the number of people he saw that it must also be a regular meeting place for the locals as well. As soon as his eyes began to adjust to the dim light of the oil lamps inside, Shon began looking for signs of who their customer would be. An herbalist, a druid, possibly a dragon hunter.

The last thought made Shon cringe. No, not possibly a dragon hunter, almost definitely a dragon hunter. There really was no one else interested in paying good money for the plant that they brought except for a dragon hunter who really knew what he was doing. It was a simple fact to Shon that dragon hunters were frightening. He felt no shame in his fear because he reasoned with himself that he would have to be crazy to not be afraid of dragon hunters. They were dangerous. Thrill seekers, and fighters to the core of their instinct. The job was too dangerous to be sought by the sane, and wasn’t even profitable enough to make one wealthy.

Shon had actually never met or even seen a dragon hunter before, so he didn’t really know what to look for. He and Tarun sat down at a table near the door so Shon could have a good look at everyone in the room, and try to use what he knew. Aside from the temperament of dragon hunters there was the very simple fact that dragon hunters always worked in hunting parties, because hunting a dragon alone would be suicide. Such a thing was only done by a Dragon Slayer of legend. He saw two tables full of men that looked promising. The first table was surrounded by rowdy men watching quite loudly as a large hairy man sitting at the table defeated anyone who challenged him to an arm wrestle. The other table had a small crowd of men gambling in a game that Shon was not familiar with, and most attention seemed to be fixed on a thin man with a sour expression and thick scar on his face. Shon decided use the hood of his father’s cloak to focus his attention on the thoughts of each group one at a time for a while to gather some clues as to which table they should approach.

Disappointment came quickly to Shon as he learned the thoughts of the groups of men.

As Shon read the minds of the first group of men he learned that the large hairy man was named Smitt, and that he was the captain of a company of woodcutters who had been hired by the town to clear some of the nearby forest for town growth. Most of the men standing around him were also members of that company. He was definitely not the man that they were looking for.

The group of men who were gambling were all locals, and the thin man with the scar was actually the town lawkeeper. His name was Ulysis, and his business in the tavern was not just recreational, but also professional. He was there to keep an eye on the woodcutters and make sure they didn’t get out of hand. Many of the men around him were lay-deputies, there in case they were needed.

Shon’s mind started to tire from the focus of listening to so many individual minds at once, and so he pulled the hood farther down his face until the thoughts around him quieted down. He shook his head a little and looked up at Tarun who was intently watching Smitt, fascinated with the arm-wrestling. Shon’s mind was feeling a little too tired to comfortably send his thoughts to Tarun, so he whispered, “They aren’t dragon hunters, but they could still be trouble. Let’s try to find our customer as soon as possible, and avoid them if we can.”

Shon then began looking around the room in hopes of spotting any other likely candidates. There really weren’t any. There was one other occupied table that had two men, who were wearing the clothes of farmers, and at the bar there was only a merchant and in the far corner what appeared to be an old man with a large hunch on his back hidden under a thick dark cloak. Shon was about to whisper to Tarun again, when suddenly there was a commotion from the table of woodcutters.

“Is that all of you?” Smitt bellowed, “I’m sure there must be someone in this town who can best my strength!” He stood up from his chair and began to look around. “You farmers look like sturdy, hardworking men. I’m sure that one of you could give me a challenge.” Both farmers at the table shook their heads and looked down in to their mugs. “How about you two?” said Smitt as he gestured to Shon and Tarun.

“We’re just passing through,” said Shon, shaking his head.

Smitt gave Tarun a wry look, “And do you just let baldy here speak for you, kid?” Tarun nodded in response. Smitt then turned to the table of gamblers, but upon seeing Ulysis he continued to turn himself to the bar. “Well barkeep, would one of your customers up here be up for some exercise?”

“Not me,” replied the merchant, “I’m afraid I need both of my arms to carry on business.”

Smitt turned his eyes and sneered, “And I suppose there’s no sense even asking you, eh old man?” The figure in the dark cloak gave no indication that he had heard Smitt at all, and Shon felt the mood in the room become suddenly tense. “Did you hear me, old man?” shouted Smitt, “I don’t take kindly to being ignored!”

“Gee cap’n” said one of the men from his company, “maybe his hearing’s gone south or somethin’.” The man walked right behind the man and shouted behind his head, “Does this help you hear us better?” The man in the corner still gave no reaction, and this lead to more men leaving their seats and starting towards him.

Shon could see Ulysis begin to apprehensively reach for the club on his belt, when Tarun unexpectedly stood up. “Leave him alone,” said Tarun. It was not a timid request. The sheer clarity of voice and lack of fear in Tarun caused the men to startle and look to Smitt, who was more than a bit surprised at this young man who had chosen to not even speak before.

After a moment Smitt regained his swagger and said, “Ah, I see you’re brave enough to speak for yourself this time.” Laughs came from the men in the company. “And are you going to make us leave him alone?”

“You’ve been looking for someone to play your game with,” replied Tarun, “If you leave him alone, I will challenge you.” Someone within the company let out a long whistle and Smitt and the rest of the men laughed.

“Alright then,” sneered Smitt, “if you can beat me then we’ll leave the old man alone. But otherwise you just mind your own business and let us have our fun.” Tarun hadn’t met anyone yet that he could remember disliking, but he really didn’t care for the way that Smitt preyed on those who he thought were weaker than him.

Tarun nodded his head and rose to his feet. As he stood up from the table, Shon could once again feel the mood in the room change. It became clear that Tarun was quite a bit larger than they had all originally thought. Smitt’s expression, though so brief that only Shon spotted it, was the most surprised of all. “I’m afraid that you’ll have to tell me how to play,” said Tarun as he walked to the other table. “I’m not familiar with this game.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” replied Smitt. “Well, you start out by sitting down and giving me your best hand.” Tarun had no sooner taken his seat and reached out to Smitt, than the woodcutter gripped his hand and struck it down on the table. The crowd cheered and Smitt roared with laughter, while Tarun looked bewildered at what had just happened.

“You call that fair?!” shouted Shon as he jumped to his feet. He did not like the idea of someone making a fool out of his friend. “You didn’t even give him time to grip your hand!”

The room went silent as Smitt turned his eyes to Shon. Smitt squinted his eyes and pointed a thick finger at Shon as he hissed through gritted teeth, “Are you calling me a cheater, you little runt?”

Shon had pulled down his hood and was reading Smitt’s mind so he knew his words before they had even left his mouth, and his reply was quick. “You started without warning because you thought you might not be able to beat him, and you need all your men to think that you’re unbeatable so they’ll listen to you. Even now you’re thinking that with your advantage it was still tough to win!”

Suddenly Smitt pounded the table with his fist, and Shon realized that he had probably revealed too much of Smitt’s thoughts. He could feel the rage coming to a boiling point in Smitt’s mind, when a deep, gravelly voice unexpectedly came from the far corner.

“It’s not a difficult problem,” said the figure under the dark cloak, who didn’t seem so old to everyone anymore. “If you say you can really beat him, you should just do it again and get the bald boy to apologize.” Before Smitt could respond, the cloaked man stood up from his stool. This time some of the men were surprised enough this time to audibly gasp. As he stood straight up they could all see that what they all thought was a hump on his back was merely his own large shoulder when he stooped over while sitting at the bar. As they saw him now, he was tall enough that he would have to duck as he entered the door. Everyone was quiet as they waited to see what he would do next. “And if that apology isn’t enough to entice a rematch,” he said as he threw some coins to the table, “perhaps a friendly wager will help. I’ll wager that this time, he’ll beat you.”

No one said anything. Shon could tell that Smitt was in a difficult position now. After all, how could he refuse the chance to win some money by beating a man he had already beaten? But at the same time, Shon knew that Smitt was afraid of Tarun. After a couple of uncomfortable seconds Shon gave one of the men around the table a slight mental nudge, and he shouted, “C’mon, you can beat him, cap’n!” And all the other men joined in with a cheer.

At that point Smitt knew he couldn’t get out of it. He grinned in spite of it all and hollered over the cheers, “How ‘bout that, men? I’ll get to take their coins and their apology!” There was another great cheer as they all moved behind where Smitt sat.

The cloaked figure walked around the room, always able to keep his face hidden. As he stood behind Tarun, he whispered in his ear, “Don’t try to beat him right away, just make sure you keep your arm up straight. And for pity’s sake, this time be ready to keep your arm up no matter when he starts. You can’t expect everyone to play fair just because you do.” Tarun nodded his head and looked straight into Smitt’s eyes. He would not be fooled a second time.

“Go!” Smitt suddenly yelled, attempting the same tactic as before, but this time Tarun was ready to resist him and his arm didn’t even budge. All of the men behind Smitt were cheering and whistling, but some quieted a bit when Smitt didn’t meet instant victory. Smitt’s frustration was instant and hot, and his face didn’t hide one ounce of it.

More than a minute had passed and both arms were right were they had been when they began, though Smitt’s face was bright and beginning to turn red and sweat was moving down his forehead. Tarun didn’t take his eyes off of Smitt, but turned his head back a bit to ask, “What do I do now?”

“Put his hand down on the table,” came the deep-voiced response. And just as quickly as his opponent had ended things the first time, Tarun threw Smitt’s hand down on the hard table, leaving it instantly red and sore and ending all of the cheers. Shon turned his head in a vain attempt to conceal his grin.

Early the next morning, Tarun and Shon found themselves traveling in the direction of the rising sun. Shon began to feel a sense of disappointment when the sun reached its highest point in the sky and the only evidence of their traveling away from Life’s Edge was a few dry, ugly bushes and shrubs growing sparsely around their path. As the two of them sat down to eat their small afternoon meal, Shon began to wish that they had waited for the next trading caravan to arrive at Life’s Edge, so that they could have just returned east with them.

Tarun, on the other hand, had a smile that seemed to grow a little bit wider with every step he took further away from Life’s Edge. He never seemed to notice the ground growing harder and rockier, or the incline of their hike growing steeper and higher. The ground continued to ascend as they traveled, until each step sent loose dirt and rocks falling behind them.

Shon began to grow nervous that he would loose his footing, and was very grateful to have Stick in his hands to steady him. At one point, Shon did begin to stumble after slipping on a loose stone, but Tarun quickly grabbed him by the arm, and helped him upright. After that, Shon stayed particularly close to Tarun.

As the sun drew close to the western horizon, Shon began to worry how they would be able to sleep on such uneven ground. Due to his several near-slips, Shon had kept his eyes on the ground directly in front of him, which was the cause of his surprise when they reached the top of the large hill they had been climbing. As soon as the ground leveled out at the top, Shon lifted his eyes and gasped in astonishment.

Below them lay a valley covered with more greenery than Shon had ever seen. The low sun behind them was already casting long shadows on the valley, and Shon realized that anyone in the valley would have already seen the sun set over the hills. For reasons that he did not understand, the sight brought tears to Shon’s eyes.

Tarun was equally excited at the sight before them, and he let out a loud laugh, slapping Shon on the back. He began to move quickly down the hill, but Shon called out to him before he had gone very far.

“I think we ought to spend the night right here,” said Shon to Tarun’s disappointment. “I’m just as excited as you are to go down there, but I really think we should wait until morning. This is the only level spot of ground I can see until we reach the bottom, and by the time we get all the way down there it will be long dark. It would be awfully difficult to set up camp in complete darkness.”

Tarun was frustrated with his friend for a moment, but then his reason caught up with his emotions, and he saw that Shon was right. “Let us set up our camp then,” said Tarun. “We can continue on as soon as the sun rises.”

Sleep was difficult for both of them that night. The ground was covered with large, angular rocks that jabbed their backs and crunched underneath them any time one of them shifted their weight. Shon had first tried to clear the rocks away from the spot of ground where he wanted to sleep, but he quickly learned that the only thing under the rocks was more rock.

When the sun rose the next morning, Shon and Tarun rose to their feet stiffly, but excitedly. The green valley below them looked even more magnificent in the early morning sunlight, and they were anxious to start climbing down the hill.

“I’m confused,” said Tarun as they began their hike down the hill. “Your uncle told us that the green valley was a week’s journey. We only traveled one full day before we arrived.”

Shon pulled the map out of his pocket and unfolded it. As he studied it closely, his face fell a bit. “That’s because this isn’t the green valley Uncle Grodin talked about,” said Shon, pointing to the map. “We’ve only gone a small part of the way. See that line of hills next to the desert? I’d say that’s where we are.”

“Oh,” said Tarun. Then, brightening with a smile he added, “Well then we should continue on. The sooner we pack up, the sooner we get to the real valley.”

Neither of them wanted to look away from the beautiful sight in front of them, but it soon became apparent that the hillside they were descending was still dangerous, and if they wanted to reach the bottom safely, they needed to keep their eyes on their feet. A few times they reached a ledge that dropped straight down much farther than either of them would have liked to fall, and they had to travel a considerable distance off their course to find an area that descended gradually enough for the two of them to continue safely. Shon became even more grateful that they had not attempted the descent after sunset.

By they time the sun had reached its full height, the ground had become significantly more level, there were fewer rocks beneath their feet, and the temperature was already surprisingly cooler than Shon had expected. Grass was growing all around them, and Shon bent over to pull some up from the ground, and smell it in his palm. They were not far from the wall of trees before them, and they both marveled at the abundance of life within sight.

While they still had some height to their vantage point, Shon began looking for the path that they were supposed to follow. After finding it, he was relieved to find that despite their detours on their way down the hill, they were still not far from the trail. Once they were on the path, they both looked back up the hill to see where they had slept the night before. When Shon saw how treacherous the climb looked from below, his knees grew weak. The drop-offs that he and Tarun had managed to avoid were quite a bit higher than he had thought on their way down.

On the trail at last, Tarun and Shon headed towards the nearby trees. Shon stopped at the first tree they came upon, touching the rough bark with his hands. “This will sound ridiculous,” he said to Tarun, “but I have never seen a tree with my own eyes before. I have only seen images like this in the minds of others.”

“That is not strange to me at all,” Tarun replied, walking past the tree. “To my knowledge, I have never seen a tree either. This is all just as new to me as it is to you.”

“That’s right,” Shon said quietly. “I often forget that.” There was a long pause as the two of them followed the path deeper into the woods. Before too long they could no longer see the clearing behind them, and Shon decided to break the silence. “How long do you think it will be before we see the desert again?” Shon asked.

“I am hoping to never see it again,” Tarun replied darkly. “So I suppose you will see it again someday when we have to part ways.” As soon as Tarun had spoken he saw that his words had caused a very troubled expression on Shon. “So I hope that neither of us sees it again for a long time, my friend,” Tarun hastily added.

Shon managed a smile despite the intense worry that was creeping in to his mind. “In that case,” Shon said, “we should travel as far as we can today.”

As the sun drew close to setting far off in the west, the path that Shon and Tarun traveled began to grow wider, the soil was more heavily trodden, and a few other paths began to merge with theirs from other directions. A small wooden sign off the side of the trail informed them that they would soon be entering the town of Duskwood.

“I sure am glad that we’re arriving before dark,” Shon said as they passed the sign. “Sleeping on sand is one thing, but sleeping on the ground with all of these roots and rocks everywhere would be nearly impossible.”

“Isn’t Duskwood where we are supposed to meet the dragon hunters?” Tarun asked quietly.

“Yes,” Shon answered, even quieter, “this is where we are supposed to meet our buyer.” He emphasized the last word. “But if this town is anything like the size of Life’s Edge, then finding him could take us all week.”

As they drew closer to the town, other travelers joined them from different paths. Some were carrying large bundles of wood, some appeared to be returning home from hunting, and others were leading livestock along the trail. Because Shon was still carrying Stick, he had sensed each of them long before they came in to sight. He had never felt so grateful to be able to hear the thoughts of others and know that none of them meant any harm.

Once the tall wooden wall of Duskwood was in view, Shon realized that the town was not anywhere near the size of Life’s Edge. It appeared to Shon to be more like a large fort built to keep out wolves and other creatures at night. He could not imagine many buildings or homes being able to fit into such a confined structure.

Shon was fascinated by the strange pointed logs that formed the bulk of the wall, but right before they reached the gate, his attention was drawn to a much stranger sight. Sitting just stone’s throw from the gate, off the path a couple of steps, was a large green wagon. The color of the wagon matched the color of the woods so closely that he didn’t see it at all until they had come closer to it. Sitting at the front of the wagon was a wild looking dwarf who appeared to be wearing nothing more than a loin cloth and his own thick body hair. The dwarf sat, smoking a long white pipe and keeping an eye on a boar and two massive, thick skinned animals with horns, tusks, and flat snouts. Shon watched the animals chew loudly on the nearby vegetation, captivated by the rippling muscles and obvious strength of the animals. When Shon looked back at the dwarf, he jumped at the realization that he was making direct eye contact with him. Shon hurriedly looked away, but the dwarf continued to stare, constantly muttering under his beard.

Shon wasted no time entering the gate in to Duskwood as soon as they reached it, anxious to escape the gaze of the dwarf. “Did you see that dwarf in the woods?” Shon asked Tarun once they were inside the wall.

“Of course,’ Tarun replied. “He was quite unique.”

“He was scary if you ask me.” Shon said. “He just kept staring at me! And there was something else about him that just didn’t seem right.” Shon then realized that it was not the staring that had bothered him so much. It was the fact that Shon had no idea what the dwarf had been thinking as he stared at him. He wasn’t even sure if he had heard the dwarf’s thoughts at all.

Once Shon had returned to the greenhouse with Tarun, he and Grodin had shared with him what Shon had just learned about his parents. Grodin also revealed his identity as a druid, and his willingness to allow Shon to leave Life’s Edge. After that, Shon excitedly showed Tarun the gifts his parents had left for him, as well as the staff that Grodin was letting him borrow.

“Now,” said Grodin, once he felt that Tarun was all caught up, “what we need to discuss is what the two of you are going to do once you have left Life’s Edge.” He looked Tarun in the eyes and said, “I regret not giving greater respect and heed to your insight before, Tarun. I don’t intend to make the same mistake again. So before I say anything I would like to ask, do you have any sort of plan already?”

“I know only my direction,” said Tarun. “I have no plan.”

“What about you, Shon,” Grodin said, turning to his nephew. “You’ve obviously been thinking of leaving for a while now. Do you have any goals or plan once you leave Life’s Edge?”

“To be honest, my only plan up to this point was following Tarun wherever he went,” said Shon, his voice trailing off into a mumble. Shon then put a hand on his chest and felt the hard lump of his mother’s familiar egg through his father’s cloak. He lifted his head up to look at Grodin and Tarun, and with strength in his voice he said, “But as of tonight, at least I have a goal. I’m going to find my parents.”

“Excellent,” said Grodin. “Then allow me to suggest a plan that I think will help you get started. It will be up to the two of you whether or not to follow it, but I think you will find it very generous on my part. I hope it will somewhat compensate for our unpleasant experience in the desert.”

“Compensation is not necessary,” Tarun said softly, “but I would like to hear this plan of yours.”

“I agree,” said Shon.

“Alright then,” said Grodin, walking to the back of the greenhouse, “follow me.” He stopped in front of the strange thorny plant that Shon had seen him trimming earlier that day. “Nearly all of the plants in this greenhouse are far more exotic and magical than any ordinary gardener could grow. Many people in Life’s Edge wonder why I need such a large greenhouse since I only manage to sell a couple dozen flowers and herbs each month. To tell you the truth, the only things that I sell in town are grown at the very front of the greenhouse. I discovered very early on in my life here that I would need to be a bit more…” Grodin paused as he searched for the right word, “…enterprising if I was going to make a living for Shon and myself.”

“Aha!” Shon burst out, “I always wondered how you managed to support us on herbs and flowers.”

“Oh I’ve done quite a bit better than you suspect,” Grodin said with a wink. “I’m just very good at not living extravagantly. I thought it would attract too much attention.”

“Whom do you sell to, if not the people of Life’s Edge?” Tarun asked.

“I receive several orders from people who still remember my name, and know where to find me. Some old friends continue to refer business to me when they have customers looking for exceptionally hard-to-find vegetation. The man who ordered this plant is one such customer,” Grodin said, gesturing to the thorny plant.

“What is it?” Shon asked.

“It has a few different names,” answered Grodin, “but the most common one is Dragon’s Bane. It is native to Dragon Country, and it can be quite the nasty problem if handled carelessly.”

“What do you mean?” asked Tarun.

“Well, it’s nearly impossible to grow Dragon’s Bane from a seed, as I have done, and transplanting it from a previous spot of ground is completely impossible, but if you can manage to plant a young specimen like this in fertile ground it will grow and spread like a weed. I have had prior dealings with the man who ordered this, and I believe he will not use it recklessly, but I would not place it in the care of any mere delivery boy.”

“So you intend for us to safely deliver it?” Tarun asked?

“That is what I had in mind,” Grodin replied. “He already sent me half of his payment to begin growing the Dragon’s Bane, and you may keep the other half after you deliver it. He will pay you thirty pieces of silver, which should help fund your search for quite some time.”

“Thirty pieces of silver for one plant?” Shon gasped in astonishment. “What does he intend to do with it?”

“Nothing you want to get mixed up in,” said Grodin. “Dragon’s Bane has several magical properties, but it is most commonly used by dragon hunters.”

“A dragon hunter?” Shon asked. “And you think we can trust him?”

“I didn’t say anything about trust,” Grodin clarified, “but I do believe that he will use the plant responsibly. He has proven himself of that in the past.”

“I think we should do it,” Tarun said to Shon. “Your uncle’s offer is very generous, and I would like to meet this dragon hunter.”

Shon felt hesitant about any dealings with dragon hunters, but it he hadn’t seen Tarun show much interest in anything other than leaving ever since they returned from the Endless Desert, and he was eager to keep his friend positive. “If that is what you really want,” said Shon, “then I will trust your judgment. I’m just worried about the things I’ve heard about dragon hunters.”

“If it is any comfort to you, nephew,” Grodin said with a smile, “only half the things you ever hear about dragon hunters are true. The tricky part is figuring out which half it is.” Grodin winked and then stood up. “Now that we’ve discussed the means, it’s time to talk about the ends. I don’t believe that finding your parents will be easy, Shon, but I can give you a place to start.”

Grodin lead the boys back inside the house and retrieved a folded piece of parchment from a trunk under his cot. As he unfolded the parchment, Tarun and Shon saw that it was a map. “East of here, about a week’s journey, is a beautiful green valley where your parents and I used to stay between jobs and adventures.”

Grodin produced a stout charcoal pencil from one of his pockets and began drawing a winding path on the map as he continued speaking. “There are no paths leading directly there, at least the last time I visited, which made it quite secluded. The peace and tranquility was one of the things your parents and I loved about that place. It felt like our own secret little piece of paradise. When we were young we used to fantasize about settling there and building cabins and gardens.” Grodin’s voice began to trail off as he looked out the window to the east.

“And you think we’ll find my parents there?” asked Shon, urging his uncle to continue.

Grodin shook himself as if waking from a daydream. “No,” he replied, looking at Shon. “No, I would be very surprised if you found either of your parents there. But you should find something that I left there that may give you some clues or direction. Shon, do you have any idea what a Soul Tree is?”

Shon rubbed his eyebrows, thinking for a moment. “Is it some kind of magical plant? Shon guessed.

“Yes and no,” said Grodin. “A Soul Tree may look like any normal tree, but it has been enchanted with a complex bit of magic while it is still young to tie it to a person’s soul. The Soul Tree will then become a reflection of the soul it is tied to. If the person prospers, the tree will prosper. If the person grows frail, the tree will grow frail. And if the person dies, so does their Soul Tree.”

“Years ago,” Grodin continued, “I planted three Soul Trees in that valley. One for me, and one for each of your parents. Twice since I moved to Life’s Edge, I’ve inquired from old friends if your parents’ Soul Trees were still alive. Both times I was told that their trees were alive, but there was something strange about them.”

Grodin folded the map and handed it to Shon, who began feeling around his cloak for a pocket. He found one hidden on the inside of his left sleeve. “That’s strange,” Shon said, “I didn’t feel a pocket here until just now.”

Grodin chucked. “I forgot. You father was quite fond of pockets, especially hidden ones. Since so many of his creations were controlled by thought, I wouldn’t be surprised if you find more than a couple of hidden pockets in the future, depending on what you’re thinking about.”

“Alright,” said Shon, putting the map in his newly discovered pocket, “so I go and find my parents’ Soul Trees in the valley. What do I do once I find them?”

“I’m not sure,” said Grodin, suddenly looking very heavy. “There is no specific magic that the Soul Trees possess that will help you locate your parents. But I do believe that finding their Soul Trees and figuring out what is ‘strange’ about them is your best chance to gather some clues. If nothing else, it will allow you to see for yourself if their trees are still alive.” At this last sentence, Grodin’s voice caught in his throat.

“We had better get you two ready for your journey,” Grodin said suddenly, waving a hand in front of his face as if waving off some invisible fly.

The rest of the day was spent packing equipment and supplying Shon and Tarun with the gear they would need until they could deliver the Dragon’s Bane. “After that,” Grodin had said, “you two should be able to provide your own provisions.” It felt strange to Shon to be loading up their packs so similarly to how they had packed them only twelve days ago, and now they would be heading in the opposite direction. He continually reminded himself that this time he would not have to eat any Camel Truffles.

Shon had thought that the memory of packing would put Tarun in a foul mood, but to his surprise he read nothing but excitement in Tarun’s face and thoughts. In fact, Tarun’s thoughts had been so clear about his desire to be gone from Life’s Edge that Shon had to put away Stick, just so he didn’t feel overwhelmed.

More surprising to Shon was his own feelings about leaving Life’s Edge. For as long as he could remember, Shon had always longed to leave the town, and go somewhere distant in search of adventure. Now that he was actually preparing to leave the next day, Shon felt a great nervousness growing inside him. He also felt a sharp pang of loneliness at the thought of never living with his uncle again.

Shon had never realized before that there were so many things in Life’s Edge that he had wanted to do, but had always put off. Would he ever learn how to build his own adobe and sandstone home? Would he ever have another chance to tell Kryst’s oldest daughter how pretty he thought she was? The last thought made Shon blush as he continued packing.

“Is something wrong?” Tarun asked Shon, bringing him out of his reverie. “It is unlike you to be quiet for so long.”

Shon flashed a quick smile. “No,” he said at once. “I am just nervous about the trip. It will be my first time ever leaving the desert.”

Tarun walked over to Shon and place a large arm over his shoulder. “Do not fear,” Tarun said with a confident smile. “I will protect your skinny body, and you will protect my empty head.” The comment made Shon laugh.