Oh no no no! Ewan's heart was pounding. It was so loud surely someone must have heard. The boy had scuttle beneath a table on the other side of a shelf, and sat clutching his knees to his chest. A rush of cold air filled the room as Thordane entered, giving both Serenian boys a sickly chill. The mercenary was clad in iron. The metal had a tendency to drink down magic like a sponge. Ewan remembered learning it made magic do weird stuff underground and cool mutant mushrooms and worms grew near it. Why was he thinking of that now?
***
Narlis gave a snort of annoyance after passing a display rife with pretty smells and bright flowers. What use were pretty plants that died in a week? What sort of MAN would waste coin on such a frivolous gift? A nice black kettle, or a good sharp cleaver, is what a woman needs. Before him stood a grubby kid grinning like an idiot. The dwarf raised a bushy eye-brow and stared at Randal with incredulity until the boy caught on. The net-wielding goblin who came toddling after, known as Dogstink, seemed to find this hilarious and struggled to suppress a cackle.
"Ain't the flower-buying type, runt. I'm Narlis Thordane, captain of the Grimguts. Saved this stinkpit from a dragon last month. The hero of Zantaric they call me!" Some weeks ago a feathered rainbow dragon had been seen in the hills showering travelers with healing rain and good fortune. The "menace" had since been sold to an Essryni sultan. Narlis forced a smile. Tobacco stained teeth and squinty eyes did not make it an especially heartwarming. "I'm with the guard, in a manner of speaking. Official business!"
"Yup!" Dogstink stood at attention and gave Randal a mock solute.
"A little shitstain, uh, whelp about your age has gone missing. The name is Ewan; he's got fair skin, light hair, fancy clothes. His ma lives up on the Peak and is worried sick ya see." Zantar's Peak was one of the nicer districts. It was home to slavers, sorcerers, and exiled nobility. The Peak was more a collection of fortresses than homes and one of the few bastions of "law" in the city. "Boy's a mage and can't control his power. If ya catch him chasing cats, pissing into letterboxes, or whatever you brats do best give a shout. Ya wanna be a hero, aye?"