Warded Mage (Reawakening Saga) Read Free

drink it. Drinking at the pub had become their nightly ritual, though today they were starting far earlier than usual.
    As soon as they were seated at their usual table in the corner of the room , Brianna, a young dwarven girl only slightly older than Thad appeared to take their order. “I see it’s the hardhead and me lovely little cutie. Bit early today aren’t we lads. Don’t tell me ya finally decided to take me up on me offer for a night of real fun, have ya laddie.” Brianna said placing her hands on her busty hips.
    Thad had always thought that dwarven women would look much like their men just with a larger chest, he couldn’t have been more wrong. Unlike their men, the females were much thinner though they still looked as if they could wrestle a wild boar and win. Brianna reminded Thad much of Eloen, she was brash, hotheaded and always spoke her mind, she was also quite fetching. At a little under five foot she had long brown hair and the deepest grey eyes Thad had ever seen. More than once Thad had thought about taking her up on the offer for a role in the hay, but something told him she was looking for more than just a little fun on the side, and Thad knew in the end he couldn’t give more to her than that.
    “I’d love fer ya to show me a good time Bri, just say when and I’ll ditch scrawny here.” Crusher said in his deep raspy voice.
    Brianna slapped Crusher hard enough on the back of the head it reverberated throughout the room. “ Ya addlebrained son of a rockboar, I wasn’t talking to ya and ya darn well know it.”
    “ Ya break me heart lass, to fix er up I’m gonna need twenty pints of yer finest sandai beer.” Crusher said giving Brianna a wink.
    Brianna huffed loudly and turned back toward Thad. “I’ll bring ya each a pint ta start ya off,” she said vehemently then ran her hand across Thad’s cheek, “and you think about me offer. One night with me and ya be forgetting all about those lassies back home boyo.”
    As she walked away Brianna let her hips sway slightly. “Lad you should take Bri up on her offer, she be a good lass for ya. I’d sell me last hammer if she’d look at me that way.” Crusher said watching the waitress as she walked away. “It’s not because she’s a dwarf now is it Thad.”
    Thad let out a hearty laugh. “I honestly thought about it Crusher, but I got too much on my mi nd to add another woman to it, and women like Brianna there tend to take up a lot of time and energy, which I just don’t have at the moment.”
    “That be the truth,” Crusher said laughing.

CHAPTER II
    Thad woke early the next morning with his head screaming. He had drunk way more than was wise the previous night but Crusher had been more than a little insistent that they celebrate the completion of his weapon and for some reason that included trying to drink the bar out of beer. His stomach churning Thad made his way to the small basin of water that he kept in his room and began splashing cold water on his face in hopes of clearing his mind or at least keep it from banging so hard.
    Turning around Thad’s eyes fell to the sword that now hung in its new scabbard on the wall. With his head still trying to break free of the rest of his body , Thad sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and placed his hands around his ears in attempt to help ease the pain. As soon as everything began to settle down a loud knock resounded making the thumping in his head redouble its efforts in driving him mad.
    Slowly Thad got to his feet and inched toward the door. The old hinges creaked sending slivers of pain into his mind as it opened. A grey beaded dwarf stood on the other side of the wooden portal his wrinkled face smiling brightly. “I heard you finished your sword. Guess that means ya be headed ta go talk ta those goblin loving Vathari?” Grenlor asked half in jest.
    “I was planning on leaving today but thanks to Crusher my head feels like someone used it as an anvil all night long.”