Nath-esh sat at an oval table with Griffon, Raif, and Dingo Boy. Tianna, Sebastian, Timmon, and Gregory sat at a similar table nearby. John stood near the doorway leading into the small kitchen that the guards used during their longer shifts. He looked a little uncomfortable at having all of the eyes in the room on him.
“So, this is our party for this… mission? Are we calling it a mission?” he asked.
“Ayuh, may as well call it thet,” said Tianna.
“Are you sure eight of us will be enough even with thet weapon of yars?” asked Raif.
“That’s one of the questions we’re here to answer,” said John, “The corridors in that place are pretty wide but we don’t want so many in our party that we can’t fight without getting in each other’s way.”
“Not all who’s goin’ is a fighteh,” said Griffon looking pointedly at Sebastian and his friends.
“Tianna and Bastian will be our archers and you and Raif will use your swords,” John told him. He turned to Timmon and Gregory. “Can either of you fight?”
“Can wrestle well ‘nough an’ Greg theah carries a knife. Used t’ at least. Them Hobgoblins took our geah when they took us the otheh day.”
“Wrestling and knife…” John thought for a moment then said, “Okay. We can work with that. We’ll do some training in the yard out back after this meeting with a focus on defense and creating short ranged openings. I want to encourage both of you to consider staying behind and giving your spots up to trained guards.”
“Ain’t gonna happen John,” said Gregory grimly and Sebastian nodded his agreement.
“I go wheah they go,” said Timmon with a shrug. “Besides, you folk are gonna need someone t’ carry food an’ wateh at least. Depends on how long ya’re plannin’ on bein’ in theah I suppose.”
“I’m not sure how long we’ll be in there,” said John. “As for carrying food and water…”
“Watch this one boys,” said Tianna with a sly smile.
John reached into his pocket and pulled out then returned the copper wok just as he had for Tianna earlier that morning. Timmon’s reaction was the strongest. He leapt up and examined the pocket John had used. He even stuck his hand in it then staggered backward.
“Theah’s nothing in theah!” he said.
“The pockets in my jacket only work if I want them to,” John said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the shiny yellow rock the goblin cook had given him. He handed it to Timmon and said, “Try putting this in my pocket.”
The Packer took the rock and examined it, “John, do you know what this is?” he asked.
“It’s a shiny rock I got when I was in Kiningdom Burruh.”
“This is gold John.”
Everyone was up and out of their seats. They passed the shiny rock around, each person examining it. Griffon and Gregory both bit at it gently. They all agreed that it was, indeed, a gold nugget.
“I wonder if she knew,” John asked quietly.
“What’s thet John?” asked Tianna.
“Oh… nothing… just thinking out loud. Try to put it in my pocket Tim,” he said.
Tim reached for the pocket but it wouldn’t open. It was as if it had been sewn shut. “I jest had my hand in theah didn’t I? This is a pocket, isn’t it? I had my hand in theah, ya had yar hand in theah… what’s goin’ on heah John?”
“Just as I said, the pockets only work if I want them to. Try again.”
Tim tried again and the pocket worked normally. He had no problem pulling it open and dropping the gold nugget into it.
“By Gorry! So if someone tries t’ pick yar pockets they wouldn’t be able t’ open them at all an’ if they did they wouldn’t find anythin’ anyhow,” said Sebastian.
“Alright Tim, go ahead and take out what you find in my pocket,” John invited.
Tim reached into the pocket expecting to remove the gold nugget but he pulled out a spoon instead. The shocked look on the young man’s face made everyone in the room break out in laughter. “How does thet work?” Timmon asked.
“Gorry,” said Griffon. He smiled when he saw a look of awe on Raif’s face.
“My jacket can store a lot so to get the item I want from it I have to focus on what I want before I try to pull it out.”
“How much is ‘a lot’ theah John?” asked Timmon, interested.
John walked to the empty table in the room. He picked up a chair and put it in his pocket, then another, and another, and another, then the table. Shock and wonder shown on every face in the room. Even Nath-esh and Dingo Boy were impressed. He pulled out the furniture and returned it all to where it once was. He turned to his audience and shrugged, “What can I say, it’s a gift from a Celestian.”
“Him?” asked Sebastian, nodding at Nath-esh.
“My daddy,” the Angelic Shard said and Dingo Boy’s muzzle split in a laughing grin.
“So what ya’re sayin’ is thet ya still need me t’ carry some of the food an’ wateh,” said Timmon.
“Well…” said John, patting his pockets meaningfully. “Nothing in my jacket has weight so…”
“If somethin’ happens t’ ya an’ ya can’t get the food or wateh outta yar jacket f’ us we’d be in a hard way John,” said the Packer
“I hadn’t thought of that,” John said, “I guess Dingo Boy could carry the food and water in his pouches. No, same problem. If something happened to both of us the supplies would be effectively locked away…”
“Them pouches on his… what is thet thin’ he’s always wearin’?” asked Raif.
“That’s his harness.”
“Them pouches on his harness work the same as yar jacket?” asked Raif.
Dingo Boy barked and John nodded. “Get your bowl out buddy, I want to show it to them anyway.”
The merle Heeler shook and his mystical silver bowl popped out of his left pouch. It landed upside down. He used his paw to flip it over and, once it was rightside up, it started to fill with fresh clean water.
“Is thet wateh it’s fillin’ with theah?” asked Tianna in awe. “Wheah does it come from?”
“Yeah, it’s water and it comes from the air,” said John.
“The air?” she asked. “Wateh in the air?”
“Yep,” said Nath-esh, “the air has water in it. Did you ever notice that on some days you sweat more than on others?”
“Always wondehed about that,” said Raif. “Some days a sweat comes on quick. Always thought it was somethin’ like a sickness.”
“Nope,” said the Celestian. “Some days there’s more water in the air than others. On those days it’s easier to sweat.”
“So thet bowl theah gets the wateh from the air. Get thet from the Celestian ya met in thet grey place ya told us ‘bout?” asked Raif.
“Nathanael. Yeah, he improved my gun and my jacket and gave me the holy light. He gave Dingo Boy his harness with its pouches, his silver bowl, and his ball.”
“A ball? Thet the same ball I was throwin’ f’ him yesterday?” asked Tianna.
Dingo Boy shook and the red ball in question flew out of his right pouch. He picked it up and brought it to Tianna. She took it and looked it over.
“It’s ‘nearly’ indestructible,” Dingo Boy said proudly. She was so focused on the ball she didn’t question who had spoken. Everyone else in the room was looking around in bewilderment except for John and Nath-esh.
“Mind if I test thet?” she asked as she drew a knife from her belt. No one protested so she tried to cut the ball with it. She was gentle at first and could not cut it. She tried harder with no results. In the end she had it on the table, sawing at the orb with her knife. She couldn’t so much as scratch it. She bounced it off the ground and the Heeler caught it. “Can’t speak t’ it being beyond hahm but I sure couldn’t make a dent.”
Dingo Boy tossed the ball into the air then dashed forward and caught it in his right pouch.
“Ya mentioned a holy light,” said Griffon, “thet the light ya had when ya first came t’ the gates? Jeffery mentioned somethin’ ‘bout a peculiah light ya had.”
John reached into his right pocket and retrieved Shirak. “This is my holy light, I call it Shirak.” Griffon, hearing that John had another named piece of gear, grinned and clapped Raif on the shoulder. Tianna rolled her eyes and sighed. John twisted Shirak’s base and converted it to flashlight mode. He kept the beam fairly narrow making a fingertip sized spot of light shine on the ground. Even with full daylight filling the room the spot was clearly visible. He moved it around a bit and everyone watched it go. Then he twisted the base more and converted Shirak to floodlight mode. He played the wide beam over the wall. Finally he converted the holy light to torch mode and the room was noticeably brighter.
“Thet’s a handy bit of kit ya got there John,” said Sebastian. “But won’t the place be lit with torches anyhow?”
“I didn’t see any torches at all when I was there. I think the goblins and hobgoblins can see in the dark.”
“Ayuh, they can at thet. They hate fire,” Tianna said. “Torch or thet theah light anythin’ in that place is gonna see us comin’ before we even know it’s theah.”
“Anything that sees us coming is not our enemy. Evil creatures can’t see the holy light that Shirak makes,” John said.
“You’re a man full of surprises,” said Gregory.
“I’ve got one more but we’ll have to go outside for me to show that one to you,” he said.
They moved out to the training yard behind the town guard headquarters. John said, “We’ll need a bow and arrow and a good shot.”
Both Tianna and Sebastian stepped up. “You got a bow theah?” she asked him.
“We’re gonna need t’ borroh some geah before tomorroh,” he said.
“Ya heard Joy, ya boys don’t get t’ borroh anythin’ t’day,” she said with a grin.
“Thet’s not gonna stop us from goin’ it’s jest gonna make us less use when we come anyhow.” he said sullenly.
“Them girls got a surprise brewin’ an’ I won’t say more than thet. Probably said more than I should awready.” She smiled and walked away to get her bow.
“Betteh hope it don’t involve no rope theah boys,” said Gregory.
“Betteh hope it don’t involve any rope, Greg,” corrected Timmon.
“Oh, they ain’t coming f’ me Tim,” said Gregory.
Tianna returned with her bow in hand and a quiver of arrows on her back. “Awright John, what do ya want me t’ do?”
He walked a couple of paces away from the group, turned his back to her, and lifted his jacket on the left side like a small wing. “Shoot my jacket where I’ve lifted it away from my body,” he said.
“John…” he was showing her so much trust that it left her momentarily speechless. “Thet’s a very fine jacket an’ one blessed by Gorry. Don’t want t’ ruin it or take the risk I might hurt ya.”
“Trust me,” he said simply.
Those may have been the only words he could have used that would have persuaded her. She drew the arrow back to her cheek and released. It struck the flap of the jacket he was holding out. The fabric folded around the arrow and pulled from his hand. The projectile fell to the ground and he held up the flap again to show that the jacket had not been penetrated by the arrow. The oilskin wasn’t even scuffed.
“It’s armoh?” asked Raif.
“It’s the best armoh I’ve ever seen,” said Griffon, “betteh than ours anyhow.”
“Dingo Boy’s harness is the same,” said John, “they can’t be pierced or cut but we both feel the force of impacts.”
“So an arroh t’ the chest wouldn’t go in but it’d break yar rib f’ sure,” said Tianna.
“Yeah and it’d take the rest of the day and maybe the night to heal,” John said.
“You mean it’d take a handful of weeks or maybe a month theah John?” asked Timmon.
John reached into his right jacket pocket and withdrew the large knife that the female goblin had given him. He drew it from its sheath, cut his palm, wiped the knife off on his pant leg, and returned it to its sheath and then to his pocket. The series of events occurred so fast that Tianna’s gasp came after the knife had vanished back into John’s jacket.
“John! What are ya doin’ theah!” shouted Sebastian.
Silently John held up his palm to show them. The bleeding stops in seconds. “You all know that he and I,” he pointed at the Heeler who sat, barked, and wagged his tail, “died. We became Purgated. That doesn’t mean we’re dead. We still sleep and eat and we can die. It does mean that we’ve been changed though. We heal extremely fast now.” He wiped the blood from his hand onto his pants and held it up again. The long cut was now little more than a short slit. It continued to shorten and close as they watched.
“By Gorry, with all the gifts ya got it’s worth the dying!” said Timmon.
“Yeah, except for the dying part,” said John. “The leaving friends and family behind. The being a stranger in strange worlds until a journey of undetermined length is over.” He looked away from them in shame, “The need to hide things from good people.”
“Is theah anythin’ else John? Anythin’ we need t’ know before we head inta thet place?” asked Griffon gently.
“One last thing. Have you wondered how I know your language?” he asked. Everyone nodded but Timmon. “I am saying this in your language,” he focused and said in English, “and I am saying this in the language of my home.” This was the least surprising revelation of the day for everyone except Timmon who looked like he was doing complex math in his head.
“How do ya know our words?” asked Sebastian.
“I have a mental connection with all of you. It forms with any speaking creature I meet on my journey from world to world. It doesn’t allow me to know your thoughts. It’s just enough for me to understand and speak the language of anyone I meet.”
“Ya’d need thet,” said Raif, “if ya was t’ be goin’ t’ strange lands an’ meetin’ strange folk. Thet’s a bit of carin’ an’ grace.” The last part he said was very low, only Griffon, standing next to him, heard it.
“Dingo Boy has the same kind of connection with people and creatures he meets but Nath-esh says that his is different from mine,” said John.
“He can’t speak out loud so he’s figured out how to speak in your mind,” Nath-esh said, “I can do that too, but he learned to send more than words. He can send pictures and feelings.”
“Yes I can,” the Cattle Dog said through the mind-leashes he had connected to all of them. There were a few gasps, a couple of profanities, and Tianna burst into giggles.
They stood in the center of the training yard. Once again John was the focus of attention. “I think it would be best if everyone going into Kiningdom Burruh was a guard, a Celestian, or a Purgated. You’ve made it clear that you’re going in regardless of what I think.” He said the latter directly to Sebastian, Timmon, and Gregory. “I also think it would be a mistake to take too many of us in at once. Not only because the fighting room will be limited but because there are narrow passages we’ll be using to move around in secret.”
“What do ya mean theah, John?” asked Raif.
“There are passages hidden in the walls. The doors to them are disguised, they look just like the wall itself. We’ll use them to move in secret and to escape if need be. I used them the last time I was there to get out.”
“Thet’s an extra arroh in our quiveh,” said Tianna and Griffon nodded in agreement.
“If you three are going with us we need to prepare you as best we can. Bastian, as an archer you’ll stay back and fight at a distance. Tim, Greg, you’ll be a defense for the archers. Raif, Griffon, and I will fight in front.” John said.
“Doesn’t thet weapon of yars make ya a distance fighteh theah John?” asked Timmon.
“My gun is a long range weapon but it’s not the only way I can fight. We’re out here so I can make sure that you Tim and you Greg are ready to protect yourselves, Tianna, and Bastian. When we fight Griffon, Raif, and I will focus on taking down the hobgoblins first. That means you two most likely are going to face goblins. If they’re unarmed you’ll be able to over power them easily so it’s their knives and hatchets that are your greatest threat. Griffon, do you have practice knives like the practice swords we used yesterday?”
“Why would we have such a thing?” the Guardsman asked the Marksman.
“That’s a no. Okay, we’ll need a stick,” said John.
Dingo Boy barked and shook like he was trying to dry himself after getting wet. Sticks and twigs flew from his pouches on both sides. Tianna laughed and Gregory chucked. John sifted through them until he found a knife-sized stick. Once he had made his selection the merle Heeler started to roll on the ground collecting all of his sticks and a few extra ones that happened to be on the ground to begin with. When he was finished he stood up and shook again, removing the excess dust from his fur.
“Raif, do you mind playing goblin for me?” John asked. The guard looked puzzled then realization changed his expression to a grin of anticipation. He stepped forward and took the ‘knife’ from John. “Do you mind fighting in the lowest crouch you can manage?” Raif crouched and attacked from a low position. He stabbed at the Marksman who twisted and pushed the wrist holding the ‘knife’ to the side. The stab missed. Next Raif slashed with the ‘knife’ and John danced back out of range. Then Raif slashed from the other side and John stepped into him and caught his wrist. He lifted his knee into Raif’s face but slowed to blow to a bare tap. Still holding the wrist John brought his elbow down onto the shoulder of the arm holding the ‘knife’ once again he slowed the blow down to a bare tap. He stepped away and Raif came forward with a downward stab. John caught the wrist below the ‘knife’ with his left hand and struck upward with his right palm at the elbow while straightening the arm. He followed that by swinging his right elbow up into Raif’s face. They separated and John bowed to Raif. The guard stood to his full height and bowed in return.
“Ya know more than swohds theah John.” the guard said appreciatively, handing the ‘knife’ back to him.
“Thanks Raif,” he said then he turned back to his audience, “These moves will work for the most common knife and hatchet attacks the goblins are likely to use. We only have a few hours to train so we’ll focus on these moves and make them as instinctive for you as we can.”
Tianna and Sebastian spent some time on the archery range doing their own training. The Guardswoman taught the Hunter how to use his bow as a makeshift staff if an attacker got too close. The emphasis was on creating distance then nocking and firing an arrow quickly. Raif and Griffon drilled on the Heaven Six Sinawali John had taught them before. John took Timmon and Gregory through the techniques he’d demonstrated with Raif as well as a few more to handle upward attacks and diagonal attacks from above and below. They worked with the stick using it as both a ‘knife’ and a ‘hatchet’. Nath-esh vanished and returned to his anchor. He loaded and unloaded the revolver focusing on speed and varying between single rounds and all six of them at once. Dingo Boy explored the local area looking for useful things to collect in his pouches and napping in a few different sunspots that he found. When the sun was high in the sky Tianna called a break and they all headed toward the Wolf’s Head Inn for lunch.
When the Kiningdom Burruh party entered the common room they were greeted with the wondrous aroma of pizza. Tianna, wearing a proud smile, headed for the kitchen. Nath-esh, wearing a smile of his own, helped John, Sebastian, Timmon, and Gregory put two tables together to make a long ten person table. John sat at one end with Nath-esh to his right. Next came Timmon then Gregory next to him. Sebastian sat to John’s left. Joy and Mayor Huewen came into the inn and Gregory moved to sit next to Sebastian so Joy could sit next to Timmon. The Mayor sat at the end of the table opposite John and Griffon and Raif sat to his right and left respectively.
“Ya boys borroh what ya need?” Joy asked with a smirk.
“What’s yar plan Joy?” asked Sebastian. “Ya jest gonna send us off unprepahed.”
“Ya’ll see,” she said with a smile. “Jest know that me an’ Tanny wouldn’t send ya off t’ danger in a bad way.” Her words robbed her of her smile. She looked at Timmon and tousled his hair. The Packer blushed and Joy noticed Nath-esh sitting on the other side of him. “Howdy,” she said, giving a short wave. “I’m Joy.”
“Nath-esh but you can call me Nash,” he said.
“Ya new in town?” she asked.
“N-n-yeah, yes I am,” he said, recovering from his near mistake.
“Think I saw ya earlieh t’day with John,” she said.
“That’s right,” he said, “when you kissed Tim here on the cheek.”
Both Joy and Timmon blushed. He suddenly noticed the wolf’s head over the bar as if he’d never seen it before. She started tracing the pattern of the woodgrain of the table in front of her. After a moment he looked at her hand, one finger following the darkest line in the tabletop. He reached out and took her hand in his. She jumped slightly at his touch then laid her head against his shoulder and sighed.
Tannyah and Tianna came to the table carrying a pizza in each hand. Gregory’s eyes bulged. “Heah I got a pizza with sausage an’ mushrooms an’ ‘nother topped with pickled vegetables,” said Tannyah, “an’ theah’s one with smoked rabbit an’ roasted garlic an’ ‘nother with partridge an’ herbs.” They put the pizzas down on the table and Tianna sat in the open chair between Gregory and Griffon.
“Theah’s a piece missing outta thet pizza theah!” said Gregory. He realized how loudly he’d spoken and blushed.
“Thet was me,” said Tianna, “Owen insisted he get t’ watch me take my first bite of his new favorite food. It’s good, real good, I’ll give him thet.”
“Oh yeah,” said Gregory with deep sincerity, ”it’s real good.”
“Oh my, oh my, oh my!” exclaimed Nath-esh around a mouthful of pizza. “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” He did a little wiggling dance in his chair. John recognized it and wished he’d gotten the chance to share pizza and a cookbook’s worth of other dishes with the little goblin Cook.
“Thanks f’ the trainin’ John. Thanks f’ makin’ us betteh” said Timmon, “I don’t feel ready but I don’t feel unprepahed anymohe either.”
“Afteh lunch we’ll be headin’ back t’ train some mohe.” said Raif.
“Ayuh,” said Griffon, “ya fellas are gonna be in good shape by suppeh!”
“Ain’t no way I’m gonna be in good shape by suppeh!” laughed Gregory, “Took my whole life t’ get in the bad shape I’m in now!”
Timmon was too busy laughing at the joke to correct his friend.
John, Nath-esh, and Dingo Boy stayed behind when the others headed off to train. Tianna assured the Marksman that the guards could handle the training. She wanted him to stay behind and teach Owen a new dish for dinner. He’d resisted at first but she hinted that something special was planned for Sebastian and his hunting party and a tasty dinner would be a great contribution. John’d given Owen a list of ingredients they’d need and the Innkeeper told him that it’d take a couple of hours to get it all together. So the Marksman decided to take the opportunity to have a pre-mission meeting with the Cattle Dog and the Angelic Shard.
“Dingo Boy, Nath-esh said you can send pictures through your… mind-thingy…”
“Mind-leash!” Nath-esh supplied.
“Yeah, that,” said John. The dog gave him a side-eye. “Can you show me?”
The Heeler connected a mind-leash to John and made it very solid. He sent a picture of the bunny from his pouch.
“The rabbit that you chased around the room, the one in your pouch. I can almost see it. It’s a really strong image in my mind. Can you make it so I can see the rabbit with my eyes? Maybe put him on the bed?”
Dingo Boy tried a few tweaks and after a few minutes John said, “Yeah! That’s it! I can see the rabbit on the bed! It’s a little see-through just like my status screen.” He walked around a bit looking in the direction of the bed. “This is perfect! Great job buddy!”
“Thanks!” said the dingo mix, wagging his tail. He stretched and took a bow. “I’m using the same part of your mind that is used when you see your blue screen.”
“Okay. Can you make Nath-esh see the rabbit too?”
“How’s that gonna work? My mind is nothing like… Hey! There’s a rabbit on the bed! I can see it!” The Angelic Shard walked across the room, looking at the illusory rabbit as he did.
“You can see the blue screen too,” said the dog, “I’m just using your connection to John’s mind.”
“My mind-leash?” asked Nath-esh.
“No, your connection, my mind-leash is more than what you and John use,” he said flatly.
“Alright,” said John, “one last step. Instead of showing us the rabbit, can you make a green light shine around Nath-esh? Not bright, just an outline?”
Immediately the rabbit faded away and a green aura faded in around Nath-esh. He held up his hand and examined it. “Neat. So why are we doing this?” he asked John.
“You said Dingo Boy can tell if the hobgoblins or goblins in that place are good or evil right?”
“Yep.”
“So this way when we see one of them Dingo Boy can put a green light around good ones and a red light around bad ones.”
“That’s brilliant!” said Nath-esh.
“That’s nothing. Watch this!” said the Cattle Dog. Movement caught John’s attention and to his right, on the wall, he saw the green auras of several people. They were small as if they were at a distance. He realized they weren’t on the wall, he was seeing.
“Dingo Boy? Are those actual people sitting at the tables eating lunch?” he asked, awe heavy in his voice.
“Yes they are,” said the Heeler, flopping down and licking himself.
“You’re amazing!” said John.
“Neat! Really, really neat!” said Nath-esh.
“You deserve all the snackies,” John said. Dingo Boy shook the snackie bag from his pouch and John picked it up. He opened it and tossed a few to the Heeler, then held it up and asked, “Where did these come from again?”
John stood in the kitchen with Owen looking over the collection of ingredients on the large work table in the center of the room. A nine inch tall Nath-esh was standing on the table with his hands on his hips. He’d materialized while the two men were talking about the bag of rice central to the pile. They’d both jumped when he stepped out from behind it which made him laugh until he cried.
“Not sure he should be standin’ on the table like thet, Celestian or not,” said Owen.
“My boots are clean!” Nath-esh protested.
John reached into the bag of rice and pulled out a handful. It was good brown rice but it wasn’t what he was hoping for. “Do you have a mortar and pestle I could use?” he asked Owen. The Innkeeper got them and gave them to John. He put the handful of brown rice into the mortar and started pounding it gently with the pestle.
“Making flour out of that rice theah John? Could have just gotten rice flour f’ ya.”
“I’m polishing the rice,” John said. “I didn’t think to ask you to get white rice.”
“White rice? Jest have the brown kind ‘round heah.”
After several minutes John poured the contents of the mortar onto the table and separated the polished white endosperm from the powdered bran and germ. He brushed the grains of white rice into his palm and showed them to Owen. “This is white rice. It’s the starchy center of the rice grains. It’s not as healthy to eat as brown rice is but it’s really tasty.”
“John, you’re wasted on fightin’ by Gorry,” said Owen.
“My mother used to say the same thing. Nath-esh, want to help with dinner?”
The Celestian’s face lit up. “That would be great! Do I stir the stew or roll the dough?”
“Think you can polish the rice? Make the brown rice into white rice?” John asked.
“Sure, I can give it a try. Do you mind putting some on the table for me?” John put a handful of brown rice on the table. The Angelic Shard bent down and picked up a grain of brown rice. He held it in his hand for a moment and the bran and germ turned to powder and drifted to the table. He held up the perfectly polished grain of white rice for inspection.
“Now thet’s a trick! Ya’re a wondeh theah Celestian!” said Owen.
“Call me Nash,” said Nath-esh with a grin inspecting the grain of rice in his hand thoughtfully. He walked to the pile of rice on the table and knelt down. He put his hand into the middle of it and closed his eyes. His brow furrowed and the bran and germ poured off of several grains at a time. In a few moments the entire handful was polished. “I’m gonna need a bowl and I might need to be a little bigger…” he said thoughtfully.
John found a large bowl and gave it to the now full-sized Nath-esh. Then he got a pan and filled it with water from the barrel in the corner. He put it on the stove to boil.
“What are ya making John?” asked Owen.
“I’m making a dough for a dish called egg rolls. We’ll also make a filling for them.”
“How many eggs ya gonna need f’ the dough?”
“None, the kind I’m making doesn’t have any egg in it,” John said with a grin.
“How many eggs ya gonna need f’ the fillin’ then?”
“None,” he said again, grinning wider, “we’re going to use chopped pickled vegetables and minced smoked meats for the filling.”
“So thet theah dish called egg rolls don’t have any eggs in it at all?” asked Owen with a grin of his own.
“Nope,” said John and they shared a laugh.
“Done!” said Nath-esh, “now how do we get the rice out of the powder?”
“Guessin’ we wash it just like you do with regulah rice?” asked Owen. He pulled a woven basket with a lid down from a shelf. Inside of it was a cloth big enough to fill the inside of the basket. “This is my grandmotheh’s rice kit.”
“I thought your grandmother only cooked stew,” said Nath-esh.
“No,” Owen said looking ashamed, “I only cooked her stew. She cooked a great many thin’s an’ did it real well.”
“She’d be proud to see you learning so much,” said John, “breakfast was all your cooking and it was fantastic. Some of the best French Toast I’ve ever eaten.”
A smile spread across the Innkeeper’s face that lit his eyes. He showed John and Nath-esh how the cloth spread out in the basket and fit perfectly. The polished rice was poured into it by Owen then the basket was moved to the sink. Using water and shaking Owen cleaned the powder from the rice. Then he put a copper pot with some water in it on the stove with the basket of rice on top of it. “Now we use steam t’ cook the rice in the basket,” he said.
John saw that the pan of water he’d put on the stove was boiling so he added some flour to a bowl along with some salt. He stirred them well then poured in some of the boiling water, mixing the dough as he went. Next he added some cold water and some oil. He formed the dough into a ball and pulled it from the bowl then he kneaded it on the table using flour to keep it from sticking. After several minutes of kneading he returned the doughball to the bowl and covered it with a damp towel.
“Boilin’ water t’ make dough? Never seen thet before,” said Owen.
“It helps make a nice smooth dough,” said John, “Nath-esh, could you wash these mushrooms?”
“Sure!”
“What’s the mushrooms f’ John?”
“Usually we’d use a liquid called soy sauce in a couple of the dishes we’re making and we’d dip the egg rolls in it when they’re done. You don’t have soy sauce here so we’re going to make something close to it with the mushrooms.”
“Soy sauce ya say?”
“It has an umami taste. Umami is the taste that mushrooms have that’s unlike the taste of any other food. It’s one of the five flavors we can taste: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami. Believe it or not that’s all we can taste and everything is a mix of them.”
The Innkeeper opened his mouth to protest, then a thoughtful expression came over his face. He leaned against the table and contemplated. Nath-esh brought the washed mushrooms to John who put them in a large pot with some water.
“We should prep some meat and vegetables while the dough rests and the rice and mushrooms cook,” said John. The two men and the Angelic Shard got out cutting boards and knives and they cut, diced, chopped, and minced. When they were done they had several bowls filled with prepared ingredients.
“Think this rice is done,” said Owen. He pulled the lid off and fragrant steam rose from the basket. He took a spoonful of the rice out and passed it to John then he prepared one for Nath-esh then one for himself. They all ate their rice at the same time.
“That is very good rice!” said John. He’d always been a fan of white rice.
“This is great!” Nath-esh said, chewing with a smile.
“By Gorry John, I’ve never liked rice much. Could take it or leave it but his heah is a mighty fine thin’ t’ be eatin’,” said Owen.
John pulled the mushrooms from the boiling water and put them in a piece of clean cloth. He strained the liquid from them into the water they came from. Then squeezed as much juice out of them as he could. He put them on a cutting board and asked Nath-esh to dice them. Salt, black pepper, and vinegar went into the mushroom water with plenty of taste testing along the way. Finally he said, “That’s surprisingly close to soy sauce!” He handed the tasting spoon to Owen with a pleased grin on this face.
“Never tasted anythin’ like this heah soy sauce. It’s good, don’t take me wrong, but it’s different.”
Next John handed Nath-esh the tasting spoon. “Everything he said, not that I have a lot of context but, yeah, different, good but different.”
John got a small plate and put three spoonfuls of rice on it then he drizzled a small amount of the mock soy sauce over the rice. He passed the plate around and they each ate their trial bite.
“Okay! Now I see it!” said the Angelic Shard.
“Everything he said,” grinned the Innkeeper, “Strong on its own but a little on the rice an’ you got somethin’ real special.
“I’m glad you like it because this is the core flavor of fried rice, the second dish we’re making,” said John. “As for the third dish, it’s a soup called egg drop soup.”
“No egg in thet I wageh,” said Owen with a chuckle.
“That’s a bet you’d lose,” said John with a chuckle of his own. “I’ll roll out the egg roll wrappers. Owen, can you make a simple meat broth? Season it with some of the soy sauce, pepper, and basil. Don’t make the flavor very strong.”
“I can do thet,” said the Innkeeper.
“What should I do?” asked Nath-esh.
“Please crack six eggs into a bowl, no shells, and mix them up until there are no clear parts left, all one color. Separate a little out into a small bowl.”
“I’m on it!”
John rolled the dough out very thin and cut it into four inch squares. He put a large copper pot of oil on the stove to get hot for frying. In a bowl he combined chopped pickled vegetables, some of the diced boiled mushrooms from the mock soy sauce, and some diced smoked quail. A dash of mock soy sauce finished the egg roll filling. Owen completed the broth and stepped back to wait for it to boil. John tossed some fresh green peas in it as well as some chopped carrot and onion. Owen watched as John put some filling in an egg roll wrapper, folded the ends over, rolled it shut, then sealed it with some egg wash. After seeing the process a few times the Innkeeper tried his hand at it and after he was making perfect egg rolls Nath-esh tried his hand at it. John got out a very large frying pan and put it on the stove with some oil in it.
“Looking like the biggest bit of cookin’ we’ve done yet theah, John.”
“I think you’re right, Owen,” said Nath-esh.
“It’ll be worth it. Besides, now that you know how to make egg rolls you can make pizza rolls,” said John.
Owen grabbed him by the shoulders, looked into his eyes, and said, “Pizza rolls!?!” making it both a question and an exclamation.
John patted the hands on his shoulders and turned back to cooking. “Let’s start the fried rice,” he said. Chopped onions, carrots, and cabbage went into the frying pan with some green peas, minced garlic, and a variety of diced smoked meats. The sizzle was loud and satisfying. John put eight egg rolls into the copper pot of hot oil then he checked on the broth. He tasted it, added a little more mock soy sauce, then showed Owen how to stir raw egg into the boiling liquid. The Innkeeper was fascinated by the clouds of egg in the soup. John returned to the frying pan and pushed the meat and vegetables to one side then broke several eggs into the pan. He scrambled them then stirred them into the meat and vegetables. Next he spooned rice into the frying pan. He stirred the rice and other ingredients together then let them sit so the rice could form some mi guoba, the crunchy rice found in the best fried rices.
“Sure ‘bout stirring raw egg inta the broth like this heah?”
“Yeah, that’s why it’s called egg drop soup,” said John as he checked on the egg rolls. They were starting to brown. “Do you have tongs Owen?”
“Haven’t got them out since thet last corn hahvest,” he said and bustled off to find them.
John pulled the frying pan of fried rice off the burner and moved it to a clear spot on the table. He poured in some of the mock soy sauce and stirred it well. Owen handed him the tongs and he pulled out the egg rolls draining as much oil from them as possible as he went. He put them on a plate and put it on the table next to the fried rice. Owen and Nath-esh looked over the bounty on the table. Exuberant anticipation was plain on their features.
Moments later all three of them had a bowl of egg drop soup and a plate with fried rice and a couple of egg rolls on it. Tannyah came into the kitchen following her nose. Her eyes widened when she saw the unfamiliar and tantalizing assortment of foods. John served her up as well and they all began to eat. Nath-esh started the wiggling happy dance and it spread through them. Soon all four of them were chewing, dancing, and gobbling with glee.
“Ayuh, this is suppeh right heah,” proclaimed Owen. “Mind givin’ me a hand with it?” he asked John.
Word had spread that Owen was serving something other than stew for lunch and dinner and that the new dishes were exotic and delicious. The common room of the Wolf’s Head Inn was packed. Every stool at the bar was in use. Every seat at every table was occupied. The Kiningdom Burruh party was sitting at its usual table with Mayor Huewen Srives at one end and Dingo Boy at the other. On the Mayor’s right was Griffon, Joy, Timmon, then Gregory. On Dingo Boy’s right was Sebastian, Tianna, Turin, and Raif.
“Sure ya don’t want more folk goin’ with ya in the mornin’?” Turin asked Raif.
“John’s got a plan an’ I’m feelin’ pretty good ‘bout it,” said Raif.
“Them three don’t know a lick ‘bout fightin’ anyhow,” Turin said nodding toward Sebastian and his boys.
“Them boys did some trainin’ t’day an’ I gotta say they ain’t half bad,” Griffon said.
“Hope not, they’re gonna need t’ be more than half good or they’ll be more trouble than use to ya,” Turin said.
“John’s got a plan an’ more goin’ than thet weapon of his,” said Tianna, “Turns out he’s a trained fighteh an’ was a soldieh in the wo… country he came from.”
“What country is that Tianna?” Turin asked.
“His story is his t’ tell,” she said, “As f’ t’night, he’s got ‘nough t’ think ‘bout without ya bothehin’ him.”
A coin landed on the table in front of Turin. Griffon grinned at him. Turin picked it up and looked through the hole in it. The reminder of John’s talent with his gun was well timed. Turin lapsed into silent contemplation of the coin and the strange man who defaced it.
Tannyah came to the table with a tray of bowls in hand.
“Stew?” asked Tianna.
The Barmaid put a bowl in front of Timmon and started working her way around the table. When she set Tianna’s bowl in front of her she said, “This heah’s egg drop soup. Ayuh, this is ‘nother one from John. This an’ the otheh two dishes coming out t’night.” When she reached Dingo Boy she gave him a plate of scapes with a bonus piece of cheese on it.
“Looks like it’s got a cloud in it,” Tianna said, stirring it lightly with her spoon, “it’s beautiful.”
“Tastes beautiful too!” said Mayor Huewen.
“Not gonna fill nobody up but it’s worth puttin’ in your mouth,” said Gregory.
“Not gonna fill anybody up theah Greg,” corrected Timmon.
“Ayuh, thet’s jest what I said Tim,” returned Gregory.
“I think it’s a lovely flavoh,” said Joy, “It’s lighteh than stew an’ simpleh but each part has a nice clear taste.
“The cloud is egg!” Tianna said.
“Wondeh why it ain’t called egg stew?” asked Griffon.
By the time they’d finished their soup Tannyah was back with a plate for each of them on her tray. Dingo Boy got a second plate of scraps and a second piece of cheese though less of both than the first round. When everyone had their plate she announced, “This heah is fried rice an’ egg rolls.” She put several small cups on the table and said, “An’ this is soy sauce. It’s good on both but has a powerful flavoh so you won’t want t’ use too much.”
Gregory took a bite of fried rice and his eyebrows went up, “This is rice?” he asked with his mouth full.
“Ayuh,” said Tannyah, “thet they is white rice. Tuhns out the kind we’re used t’ is brown rice.”
“This is the best rice I’ve eveh had in all my days!” said Tianna.
A satisfying crunch came from the end of the table and Mayor Huewen Srives chewed with his eyes shut. He finished chewing, swallowed, and said, “Oh my stahs, this heah is almost as good as pizza”
“John told my dad how t’ make these with pizza toppings inside. They’re called pizza rolls.” A fork clattered to the table and Tannyah turned to find Gregory with his head in his hands weeping openly with a wide smile on his face.
The common room was half empty, the dinner crowd having left satisfied and gossiping about the wonderful new foods Owen served that night. Dingo Boy had given his seat up for John to sit in and Nath-esh now sat next to Tianna where Turin had been. Tannyah had squeezed a chair in between Sebastian and her mother. Owen was running the inn on his own for the rest of the night. Everyone had a pint of ale in front of them and the atmosphere was festive.
“Keep in mind Tim, I’m not sewing up anymore shirts f’ ya so ya better not get stabbed again,” Joy said.
“Ayuh, no gettin’ stabbed, Joy says so,” Timmon laughed, “what if I take an arroh t’ the knee?”
“Then I guess your time as an adventurer will be over,” said John with a chuckle. He was the only one who got the joke but he was delighted by it.
“Ya boys get the geah ya needed?” Tannyah teased.
“Ya know we didn’t,” said Sebatian, “Don’t know why ya’d want t’ send us off t’ thet place without what we need.”
“We wouldn’t,” said Joy seriously.
“We wouldn’t,” agreed Tannyah.
Dingo Boy barked three times, giving the signal, and Owen brought three items from behind the bar to the table. They were wrapped up in cloth. He handed a long one to Tianna, a bulky one to Joy, and Anna Dale walked up to him and took the smallest of the three.
“Ya know my grandfather, my mom’s dad, was a Hunter?” Tannyah asked Sebastian.
“Ayuh,” he said.
“Ya don’t know thet he was one of them who went inta then came outta thet place so many years ago. This heah came out with him.”
“Didn’t know thet Tanny,” he said to her and she handed him the long object wrapped in cloth in her hands. “What’s this now?”
“It’s yars,” said Tianna, “with me an’ Owen’s blessings.” The sparkle in her eyes from forming tears suggested the blessings they were giving had nothing to do with their mission tomorrow or the object in his hands.
The Hunter unwrapped the cloth and inside it he found the most beautiful bow he’d ever seen in his life. It was made of a very pale, almost white, material that didn’t seem to be wood. It was adorned with a carved scene of a forest, a river, and a beautiful stag. “I can’t ,” he said, “it’s a family treasuhe.”
“I’ve never been able t’ draw that thin’,” Tianna said, “can’t even get a strin’ on it an’ ya’ll jest have t’ find some way t’ make it a family treasuhe again now won’t ya?”
Tannyah’s hand closed over the one he was holding the bow with. Owen walked around the table and put his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and gave it a firm but friendly squeeze.
Joy shoved her bundle into Timmon’s lap, smiled at him, and fluttered her eyelashes. He sighed dramatically and unwrapped the cloth from the bulky object in his arms. It was a very familiar leather pack. “How did ya get my pack from them hobgoblins?” he asked. The question made Joy’s smile widen. He looked closer and said, “This heah ain’t my pack. It looks the same, mostly, some of the stitchin’ is betteh.”
“First time I eveh took a needle t’ leatheh,” the Seamstress said proudly.
“Looks jest like my pack. How’d ya know it so well as t’ make this one jest like the old one?” he asked her.
“Ya fool man,” she said and she laid her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze and she sighed a contented sigh.
Anna approached Gregory with a slight blush on her cheeks. “This one is f’ ya Gregory,” she said. The Tracker stood and took the cloth bundle from her. He unwrapped it carefully and saw a familiar hunting knife in the cloth. It had belonged to her husband before he was killed in the attack on the farms. Gregory had always thought it was a very fine knife. He’d seen it hundreds of times. His parent’s farm and the Dale farm were next to each other and he’d known Curtis Dale his whole life. “He gave this t’ me the night…” her voice failed her. “He’d want ya to have it.”
“Mrs. Dale… Anna…” he began.
“Jest come back from thet place an’ do what ya can t’ balance them scales Greg,” she said, hurt anger laced her voice. In a softer tone she said, “When our fahms are back maybe you’ll check on us from time to time. Maybe a suppeh now an’ again.” She hugged him awkwardly and he awkwardly returned the hug.