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The Continuing Adventures of Draco Moonbeam

Chapter 2, Section 1: On the Road

By John MarkhamPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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The Continuing Adventures of Draco Moonbeam
Photo by Slawek K on Unsplash

Draco sat by the side of the road. The grass was cool. He took off his boots and let his feet relax in the afternoon sun. He rubbed the aching soles and stretched out the tight muscles.

Two weeks now he had been traveling from Cloudgate towards Voridia, the capital of the South Province, on the road that led towards Pridda. It was about 250 miles from Cloudgate to Voridia. And another 300 miles from there to Pridda.

If he had used the obsidian horse, he might have reached Voridia already, but Draco was not accustomed to riding horses, and he quickly got sore.

It worked fine, though. He would set the two inch black obsidian statuette of a horse on the ground, and say, “black bridle on” and the statuette would instantly transform into a full size black stallion. However, it didn’t come with a saddle or bags. Not even the bridle or bit that the command implied.

He would ride it bareback which, after a few hours, made him appreciate walking instead.

“Black bridle off” and it returned to a small statuette that he stored comfortably inside his belt pouch.

He reached into his backpack and removed a handful of jerky. The dried and salted beef was easy to carry, and he didn’t need to keep it cool. As he chewed on a piece, he took out a pocket sized canteen. It was a metal container of water that refilled itself magically upon replacing the cap. He took a drink.

It was a clear fall day, and the air was cool. But walking with a coat (his cloak was rolled up inside his pack) still made him warm. The brimmed leather hat kept him warm from the breeze as much as it kept him cool from the sun. He preferred to keep it on regardless.

Before leaving Cloudgate, he informed his students (they called themselves apprentices although he discouraged the term) that he would be traveling for a while. He also informed his kids that he would be gone for a while, and that he might bring back presents upon his return if they obeyed their mother.

He secured his home with powerful warding glyphs that prevented any unwanted visitors from entering in his absence. He packed a few things, including a book of Aeridian poetry and the book on potions. At least he could read while he had downtime.

Fewer people traveled on this road than he expected. He often traveled without company. He had seen two horse drawn carriages and one merchant caravan in a week. Otherwise he saw almost no one except the local folk.

Small towns periodically marked the road allowing him the ability to restock on food, and occasionally get a room in a lodge where he could sleep on a bed. Or else he slept in the fields off the road with his pack for a pillow.

While he sat and listened to the chatter of squirrels in a nearby tree, he thought about why he was going to Pridda.

He wasn’t entirely sure that removing Queen Semna from power, much less killing her, was the right thing to do.

Farfant Mallon did not seem to tell everything he knew. Draco wondered if Farfant might have a hidden agenda. He was holding something back. Yet everything he did say not only seemed plausible, but fit into Draco’s own suspicions of the Queen.

Something was most definitely amiss.

And as much as he might declare that this was not his fight, and as tempting as it was to ignore it all, Draco knew that his children would suffer if they didn’t have freedom of conscience, their very liberty.

So Draco decided that at the very least he would investigate. And if he found something insidious, he would do whatever was necessary to make things right.

So he made this his mission.

And as he sat and pondered, he began wondering if he should start looking for a place to rest for the night, away from the road, and hidden from view. The sun would only last two more hours before getting dark.

But then a wagon made its way towards him from the south. A farmer and another man were riding the twin horse wagon with two large dogs. The wagon appeared empty. It stopped near him.

“Good afternoon,” said the farmer, an older gent with a full white beard.

“Hello,” said Draco.

“Are you traveling alone? Would you like some company?”

“I am alone, but I’m fine.”

The farmer said, “Well, it’s not long before sundown and it gets terribly cold sometimes. Would you like a place to stay for the night? I’d hate to see you suffer. This here,” he said motioning to the other rider, “is another gentleman like yourself, just passing through. He’ll be staying with us, too. I just picked him up a couple miles back.”

The other nodded towards Draco. Draco tipped his hat in polite reply.

The memory of cold hard ground under his sleeping body made up Draco’s mind.

“That sounds fine. Thank you.”

And he put his boots on and climbed into the wagon next to the farmer as the second man climbed into the back between the dogs. The dogs seemed friendly enough as they nosed at him. “My name’s Draco.”

“Well, they call me Anda Brink.” The farmer offered his hand in greeting. Draco shook it and smiled. “The guy in back now is Hank Dreason if I got it right.” Hank nodded. Anda continued, “I’m just coming back from taking some of my harvest into town. I’ve got a small house just over that other hill. It’s not a big place, but me and the kids can make room for the two of you.”

Draco replied, “That sounds great.”

The horses started up again and the wagon carried them all.

Anda led them down the road for a bit, then took a turn to the right and followed a dusty path for another mile until they came to a small hollow ringed with willow trees. A cottage and a barn were the only buildings.

“Welcome to my home,” said Anda Brink.

Two teens appeared in the doorway to the barn, both girls. They waved. The sun was just starting to set, and the golden rays of the sun made the girls’ auburn hair appear as flame. Draco made a mental note of it as he looked forward to the promised hospitality.

Series
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About the Creator

John Markham

I’m an amateur at writing. I began writing fiction/fantasy as well as poetry as a teenager.

My current stories are about a wizard from Earth named Draco Moonbeam on a clandestine mission in the White Kingdom on the planet Gaia.

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  • Brin J.2 years ago

    This was cute! I’m really curious about him supposedly killing the queen. You haven’t gone much into his background, but after hearing what a nice person he appears to be I can’t imagine him as an assassin. So I’m wondering what his motives are :). I’ll be watching for the next one.

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