BBB Club: The Kingdom Eternal Part One

The Kingdom Eternal

Part One By Greg

greg.gabsbitesizeblogs@gmail.com

Elias had always respected boundaries, always allowed curiosity to wash over him and move on without a second thought. It had been engrained in him from an early age, his mother had always tried to keep him focused and avoid unnecessary distractions, ‘be direct… it’s is the fastest route to your goal…’ he could hear her voice even now only to realise that daydreaming about his mother was… distracting… ‘shake it off Elias!’ He thought to himself, smiling as he pictured the inevitable eye roll that would have followed.

‘Focus Elias! You can’t be daydreaming, not here… certainly not now’ he glanced over his shoulder, adjusted his footing and moved closer to the edge of the building he was using as cover.

From here Elias knew he’d have a good view of the Red Dragon Inn whilst remaining relatively unseen, even able to hear the regulars leaving, still discussing whether it was or wasn’t a real dragons tooth above the fire place.

“I’m telling you! Old man Larkin was gifted it by his brother who had just got back from the eastern kingdoms, right around the time the dragon Valarius was slain…”

“That don’t mean nothin’ coincidence is all… could just be an Orka horn, or a spine from one of those Tzeech things in them swamps…”

Elias couldn’t help but smile, fully aware the ‘dragons tooth’ was actually an expertly crafted sculpture from a piece of marble. Old man Larkin had commissioned it for the inn years ago, right around the time Valarius was slain, just like the drunkard had said. Clever marketing really when you think about it.

‘Oh that, that’s from the Red Dragon Valarius… you can still see the scarring from a knights sword across its edge…’ Larkin would say, as he regaled the inn with great stories of the slaying of the great Red Dragon Valarius… that part was always true, with perhaps a little poetic licence on certain elements around the retrieval of the tooth, the most effective lies always had elements of the truth Elias thought.

Elias had been waiting some time, hidden as best he could between the buildings, in the shadows. The sun was high in the sky when he first arrived, now the moon appeared dull behind the clouds where the sun had previously been burning bright.

A lamp lighter was wondering the streets, torch ablaze, every so often lighting a lantern that shed light onto the path, guiding late traders and travellers to the various inns across the city.

It was then he saw him, the lamp lighter lit another lantern, its light poured into the darkness casting fresh new shadows across the path and onto the buildings as the flame flickered into life.

Beneath the lantern was a hooded individual, casting the deepest shadow onto the path. A large, ominous shadow that seemed to creep farther than it should, touching the darkness that sat beyond the lanterns light.

‘That’s him..’ Elias confirmed to himself. He checked the streets, it was quiet, a trader was tying up his horse and going into the Red Dragon, beyond that it was clear… an opportunity… Elias put his hands up to his lips and positioned them as required to mimic the sound of a brown finch, the hooded figure turned their head, their face in shadow and crossed the path to where Elias was waiting.

‘Elias… Elias Stone?’ Came a rough male voice from within the hood of the stranger.

‘I am… you must be Jaxx…’ Elias stated rather than questioned.

He couldn’t see any reaction from within the hood, as the lantern light burned behind him, casting him almost entirely in shadow.

‘I have what you seek’ Jaxx replied, pulling a small box from beneath his cloak and passing it to Elias…

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