Death Or Fortune Read Free Page B

me of my father at first, I should have listened to that
feeling.  Yet I ignored it and told the man in white to continue.  ‘ My
name is Hans, this is Hetaron.  I saw you interviewing with some of the
mercenary companies, will you be leaving soon or are you staying in town?’  
When I told him I had no plans on leaving a small smile broke out on the
clerics face. 
         ‘I have
only arrived here in Arcadia a week ago so you will have to forgive me if I am
going about this the wrong way.  I have never been on this end of things
before.  I am a priest of Solarth; a man from the Arcadian Royal Guard
came to our temple yesterday.  He was seeking any information we could
lend on a suspected cult.  There were bodies found outside of the city and
there was something strange about them.  My Bishop volunteered me to
investigate even though I know very little of the dark arts, he told me that it
would do me well to explore the city a bit.  I tried to protest to him,
that I was new to the order and not qualified to investigate something like
this he just waved his hands at me and told me I was doing it.  He then
sent me to a wizard by the name of Senjin, stating that if anyone in the city
had knowledge of any strange or ancient cults, it would be him.’  
         ‘Senjin
was quite amused with me.’ The priest continued.  ‘He told me he
was far too old and far too busy to waste his time with something as trivial as
this.  Yet he felt the need to oblige us and he introduced me to Hetaron,
his apprentice.’  I looked at the man in black again and he only
nodded at me.  ’We have to go meet with a Captain Turk in the morning;
he will give us any information we need on where to begin.  I was told
that we would be paid very well for this and I was hoping that you would join
us.  Just in case we need someone that can handle a sword, you can handle
that blade I assume?’  I ignored the question and told Hans I would be
happy to join them.  They were staying in the city and they were being
well paid by important people, it was everything I could have hoped for. 
I told them to come find me in the morning and I would go with them to meet
this Captain Turk.  Little did I know that there was another set of ears
in the room, who also liked the sound of what Hans had to say.
         I was
awake and ready to go before the dawn.  I put on my best clothes, shined
my boots and had a good breakfast.  I then put on my armor and sat down to
wait for the priest to arrive in the common room of the inn I was staying
at.  I thought I was the only person in the room, yet there was another,
who was also quiet eager to begin the day.  Had I not spent so much time
fussing with my hat to make sure it was sitting on my head just right, I might
have noticed I was being watched.  Not long after the sun light started to
pour through the windows of the common room, Hans of North Hembers walked in
the door.  He told me Hetaron was waiting outside.  As we left the
inn, I never noticed the third set of footsteps walking out the door.
         It took us
more than an hour to walk to the Lords District where we were supposed to meet
with Captain Turk.  I was so lost in thought over the gold we were about
to earn, I was oblivious to everything around me.  I honestly couldn't
believe it was going to be this easy.  Today I can’t believe how stupid I
was or that my hat still fit on my fat, swollen head.  The three of us met
with Captain Turk for a whole two minutes.  Captain of the Arcadian Royal
Guard, the safety of the King and the thirty Arcadian Lords rested on his
shoulders.  He was only involved for one reason.  Of the four bodies
found outside the city, one of them was a second cousin to a Lord Drake. 
Who took that as a threat to him and demanded Turk look into the crime. 
He explained this to us very clearly and then told us he was not to see us
again unless we found something new.  Otherwise we were to deal