As evening fell around the city, Elisabeth and Ana sat locked in the captain’s quarters of the ship. A single lantern gave the room a dim, flickering light. Before them sat a clerk of the governor’s office. The poor boy couldn’t be older than 16 and being locked in a room with two gorgeous women was clearly getting to him. His face was flushed and he felt sweat drip down the back of his neck. The sweet wine they enjoyed with him at The Wall was the only thing keeping his nerves together.

Ana sat perched on the desk across from him, her dress all but brushed to the side. He stared lustfully at her long, pale legs and tried to pay attention to what she was saying. Elisabeth sat next to him on the couch, and gently caressed his arm.

“So, you’ve really seen it? What was it like?” Ana asked breathily.

“Come on, tell us about that big sword the governor has,” whispered Elisabeth in his ear as she traced her hands down his chest.

“Uh, Lazarus? I’m not supposed to tell people about it…” the boy stammered.

Ana took a bottle of rum from the desk and sauntered over. She pouted and leaned over in front of the boy, dropping her cleavage dangerously low near his face.

“Oh, you really won’t tell us about it?” she asked. “Not even for a kiss?”

Elisabeth nibbled on his ear and unlatched his belt. “We promise we won’t tell, if you can keep a secret too,” she whispered.

The boy’s resolve was clearly at its breaking point. His pants were painfully tight and he wanted nothing more than to give these women what they wanted.

“Well… the governor keeps it in his office all the time, so I’ve only seen it a few times,” he said, quickly. “One time though, a big storm came through and destroyed some of the outer wall.”

Ana straddled him and kissed him passionately. “Oh yeah? What happened next?” she said, staring at him with big innocent eyes while pressing up against his chest.

“Umm… well… he swung the sword… and the ground sprung up and filled in the wall, good as new,” continued the boy. She was so close. The kisses on his neck… the way Ana rubbed her body against his… it was too much. He’d gone over the edge. A wet spot grew on his pants.

Ana quickly stood up and looked at Elisabeth. “Sounds like the real thing then,” she said, as she stepped back and popped open the bottle of rum. She took a swig then looked at the boy. “Shame about him. I think I’ve had my fun, toss him overboard when you’re done.”

A devilish grin spread across Elisabeth’s face. Ana blew out the lantern and left, locking the door behind her.

===========================================

All things considered, the boys did fairly well, Tobias thought as he looked over the goods his two temporary employees had gathered. I’m impressed they found a couple bars of tungsten, that must have taken some resourcefulness. He repacked the three bags, selected the lightest, then left the room and descended the stairs.

In the main lobby, Oskar and Manuel were debating with a fisherman the merits of finding a golden fish. Tobias watched from the stairs for a moment, before deciding to end the argument once and for all.

“I’ll take that golden tench every day of the week,” said the fisherman. “Feed my family for a year, don’t matter if I have to starve to get home.”

“You won’t make it home if you starve out in the wilderness,” replied Manuel. “All the money in the world won’t help you.”

“I’d take the golden fish and then cast my line out again for another,” said Tobias as he walked up between the three men. “Keep the golden fish for home, and eat the next one I catch.”

“You came in too late, we were talking about if you could only catch golden fish,” said Oskar. “And obviously they’d be in a hidden lake at the edge of the world, or everyone would be catching them.”

Tobias just shook his head. “If you say so. We’ve got a hike back to town today, let’s get a move on,” he said, rousing the boys from their seats. “Grab the packs, then head down to the docks. I’ll meet you there.”

The two friends left the fisherman to his breakfast, and climbed the stairs for the bags. Tobias just smiled at the man, and he laughed back. He left a coin on the counter for the bartender to cover the boys’ meals and waved to the innkeeper on his way out.

Tobias needed to speak with the head guardsman to make sure things were set before heading to the docks. The governor was prompt when he said he’d get something done, but it never hurts to be sure. A quick walk to the guard’s post and a conversation with the burly guard on duty netted a signed contract with the mercenaries.

With a cursory glance over the contract, Tobias discovered the company was called “Persistent Petulance” and owned a large ship currently docked near some barges at the end of the pier. Unsavory indeed, he thought, looking at the name. The guards said that the group had been in port for a week or so and hadn’t caused any trouble yet though, so I won’t be too quick to judge.

As he neared the docks, he saw that Oskar and Manuel were off to the side, almost hiding from view. He waved as he approached the boys.

“What’s the matter? Run into trouble?” Tobias asked, concerned that in their short time apart, the two had managed to lose all the supplies he’d saddled them with.

“Uhh, nothing’s the matter,” responded Manuel suspiciously. “So, who are we gathering here?”

“Well, with the state of the wilderness this year, the governor didn’t think any local hunters would volunteer to hunt this dragon,” explained Tobias. “Instead, he hired a mercenary company to do the job for us. Said they’re docked in a nice ship near some barges. Come on, let’s gather them up and head out.”

He took the lead and the two young men followed, still clearly spooked.

“It’s gonna be them, isn’t it?” Manuel whispered to Oskar.

“Probably,” Oskar replied. “Just keep your cool and we’ll be fine. I doubt those two will be a part of the hunting party. It’ll probably just be some guys we’ve never seen before.”

“Fingers crossed,” Manuel whispered back.

“Looks like this is it,” Tobias said as stopped in front of the very ship the two young men were hoping he’d walk past. A group of eight or nine men stood on the docks, looking ready to go. Tobias approached the group and showed the contract to the leader.

“Do you recognize anyone?” asked Manuel quietly.

“No, and no sign of those women either,” responded Oskar.

“Good. Let’s just hang back and be nobodies,” Manuel replied. “I’ll keep the rum hidden until they’re well out of sight.”

The two young men nodded at each other and decidedly painted bored expressions on their faces. After a moment, things seemed to be settled and Tobias waved to the boys. The group set off to Starstone with Tobias and the leader of the mercenaries at the head of the group and the two friends trailing behind.

Just as they were leaving the docks, Manuel snuck a peak back at the ship and saw two figures in the crow’s nest, watching them leave.