For a long while, Judeau had just wandered through the crowds, taking in all the strange sights and sizing up the other performers. They had been of a wide range, some sticking to the old pea-and-cup game, some sorely failing to make funny jokes, and some so acrobatic or so talented that they could very well have performed at a court.

Finally, though, he had decided to find a calm place to sit down and see how much money he�d been given, but found no such place in the outer city and had therefore decided to go inside.

He had passed through one of the unquestionably largest gates he�d ever seen before, where he had been stopped by ten ornately armoured soldiers. They�d asked him if he brought any weapons and if so, to leave them in their care, but of course he hadn�t, and had told them as much. They had let him pass without further questions.

The Great City was as grand and impressive on the inside as its outside let on: Each merchant had his own shop, the streets were patrolled by the same kind of white-and-gold armoured soldiers as the gate-watchers had been, and it was surprisingly clean for being as intensely populated as it was. The people in here were a bit better dressed and the wares were of a generally higher quality, but even though it was not quite as noisy in these huge halls as it had been on the outside, the crowds were just as big.

Every turn and square was decorated with statues, frescoes and fountains, as well as ornate signs that told the name of the street one was walking on. Every side-street was a new impression, every shop-window a new distraction, and after having lived with Shammael in the forest for well over a month, Judeau actually felt that the Great City was a little bit too much to take in all at once. He had spotted a sign with the word �Inn� on it, and retreated through that door.

And there was where he was now. Fortunately, the inn looked exactly as he had expected, and the atmosphere was at a typical middle-of-the-day low. He sat down at a table by the door, took a deep breath and leaned back to think a little.

I need a plan. I need to figure out how to live in this world and� what I want to do with my life� He frustratedly ran a hand through his hair. Oh god, I have to start all over again. From scratch.

His line of thought was interrupted by the approach of a barmaid.

�Can I get you anything?� she said, smiling as she stopped beside him.

�Well, actually, I could use a little help�� Judeau picked up the pouch and opened it to show her its insides, �How much is this, and what can I get for it?�

She gave him a curious glance, �You don�t know how much money you have?�

�Um�� telling the truth would maybe not be the best idea, he thought. At best, she wouldn�t believe him, but at worst she would be insulted and get some men to throw him out. He tried a winning smile, thought fast, and lied.

��I�m new in this city, travelling with a small group of performers� We�ve never been here in Ducarron before, and, well, our leader always hogs all the money to himself and never tells us how much we�ve earned. I�ve �borrowed� a little piece of my share, but of course the boss hasn�t told us what this currency is worth either, so� no, I don�t.� Shammael had said something about there being several countries, right? He hoped they all had different currencies, too, otherwise he�d just got himself into a much deeper mess.

To his relief, however, she seemed to accept his story. �That group doesn�t sound like a very good one, to me. You should leave that boss of yours.�

His smile widened, and he dared to elaborate the lie a little. �I might� but if you see a big, burly man with coarse, black hair, and he asks for me��

She grinned back at him ��You�re not here, and you�ve never been here, right? I can do that� but only because you�re so cute, of course.�

�Of course,� he laughed, and inwardly breathed out.

�Let�s see then, what you got�� She bent down, perhaps a bit further than she needed to, to see into the pouch, and gave him an unexpected view of her cleavage as she carefully poked around in the money, humming and counting to herself. Surprised, Judeau quickly looked away and kept his eyes on her fingers instead.

�Well, that�s ten silver Crowns. For that you can get�� She stood for a moment in thought, trailing a finger over her pursed lips. �At this inn, ten Crowns will get you one night in the finest room, with expensive supper and breakfast included, as well as company for the night�� She winked at him. ��or if you stay in an ordinary room, eat the ordinary food and don�t drink too much, you could live here for a week.�

Judeau finally realised that she was flirting with him, and smiled at his own slowness. Has it really been so long since I last stayed in a city? Since I last talked to an available woman?

He spent a short moment contemplating how he felt about it. She was quite pretty, with large, brown eyes, long, curly hair of a deep auburn colour, heart-shaped face, full lips and a body of the more curvaceous sort. She noticed his glance and gave him a small, teasing smile as she very deliberately placed her hands on her hips to accentuate them.

Yes, she was pretty, and it wasn�t as if he hadn�t missed 'the company of a woman' for about� well, over a year now, but� no. He had too much to think about and didn�t want, nor really needed, a distraction right now.

He turned his smile as polite as he could.

�And if I wanted to buy, say� clothes?� he asked, deciding to keep on track and find out the proper value of the money.

A hint of disappointment showed in her face, and a little sigh escaped her before she straightened up and put her polite smile on.

�Nothing fancy, that�s for sure, but you�d get a better fitting shirt of about the same quality as the one you�re wearing now� or a pair of really nice socks�� She shrugged.

�Weapons?�

She giggled cutely and shook her head. �Not a chance. Maybe a used, rusty dagger, tops. Steel is expensive here in Ducarron.�

He nodded thoughtfully. �I see. Thank you for your help.�

�You�re welcome. So, do you want to order something?�

He looked up at her and smiled. �Yes, thank you, I think I�ll have an ale.�

�Coming right up, that�ll be three copper Thrones� which means you give me a Crown, and I give you seven Thrones. I�ll be right back�� She turned to leave, but over her shoulder she gave him a smile and a wink. ��Cutie.�

He couldn�t stop himself from smiling at that, but when she had gone his seriousness returned and he went back to pondering his future.

OK, this money is not enough. I need a job.

I can always work as a performer; do some tricks, sing or play - I wonder what a lute would cost - but I am first and foremost a soldier. I�ve been one for most of my life, and it�s what I�m good at.

So, plan: First, I find out if there are any mercenary companies that are hiring, and if so, if they require one to buy their own equipment. If that is the case, or if there are no mercenary companies here, I can try to join a band of entertainers instead� I don�t think I want to join the local army, I mean, the armours are nice, but I don�t know the political situation of anywhere in this place, and that is kind of not good. Armies require loyalty, and I need to know what I am to be loyal to.

�Yes, that�s what I�ll do! But first, I buy myself a new shirt.

Pleased to have made a decision, Judeau leaned back and smiled politely at the barmaid as she returned with his ale and change-money. She winked at him again, but left without further flirting.

Judeau reached for the jug, intending to celebrate his deal with himself with a good swig, but was utterly startled when it was snatched away right under his hand.

Astonished, he gaped at the very short, extremely muscular and completely bald man, who now held his jug and was taking deep draughts from it.

�Excuse me�!�

The short man ignored him, but lowered the jug and made a face as if he�d just drunk one of Shammael�s more putrid potions.

�Tastes like elf piss!� he proclaimed in a very deep, booming voice, and then the jug was snatched away from him too, by another man of equal height, build and baldness.

The second short man also took several draughts before slamming the now empty jug back down on the table before Judeau, and proclaimed in an only slightly more melodious voice:

�Yes! This tastes like watered squirrel-spit!�

Judeau looked from his emptied jug to the two grimacing, short men.

�Pardon me!� he finally exclaimed, �That was mine! I was going to drink it!�

The first man, who was wearing very heavy armour, finally noticed him and gave him a rude glare before replying:

�Then we did you a favour, manling!�

Taken aback, Judeau sputtered, �But� but I paid for it!�

The other, more lightly armoured man shook his head and made another face.

�You really shouldn�t have.�

Judeau found himself rendered uncharacteristically speechless by the blatant rudeness of these men, and just gaped at them for a moment - before a coin landed on the table in front of him with a provocative tinkle.

�Does that cover your expenses?� The words were spoken calmly and with an indifferent air, by a voice at once masculine and soft. Judeau turned his head and half expected to look up into Griffith�s blue, confident eyes, but met a gaze as grey and cold as steel.

The man to whom the voice and the eyes belonged to was tall and well muscled, yet somehow also managed to look slim and agile. He was wearing a very beautiful suit of armour - obviously crafted with great care and tastefully adorned - which only accentuated his regal bearing. But as impressive as he was, he was also as bald as the two short men.

The first short man, the one with the heavy armour, spoke up angrily at the tall man:

�What do you think you�re doing, you stupid tree-fondler?!�

�I�m replacing this man for the ale you so rudely drank for him,� the tall man replied, apparently unfazed.

�What? You just go around throwing money at complete strangers like that? Just how much of an idiot are you?!�

�Slightly less of one, then someone who steals ale from complete strangers, I believe.�

The short man bristled and begun turning an interesting shade of red.

�I � did � not � steal � anything! I was going to pay him back!�

The tall man lifted a nonexistent eyebrow. �Oh, then I apologise.�

Judeau stared at the argument, dumbfounded, then looked down at the coin on the table. It was a silver Crown. He picked it up and tried to get the tall man�s attention:

�Excuse me��

The tall man immediately ignored the short and turned his attention on Judeau.

�Yes?�

�This is much more than I paid for the ale��

The tall man shrugged, �Keep it. I have more than I need.�

The short man turned some even more interesting shades of red before shouting something that sounded like �GRAH!� and stomped off towards the bar. The other short man buried his face in his palm and announced: �I�m going to get drunk,� before following the first. The tall man remained standing, surveying the room with a raptor gaze, and the few people who were sitting by the other tables quickly decided that the spectacle was over and busied themselves with something else.

�Sit down, Steelwing. Please.�

Judeau jumped at the new voice behind him and spun in his seat, anticipating some new kind of trouble.

The speaker was a woman of slightly more than average height, with black, shoulder length hair, light eyes and a build of body that spoke of a hard but healthy life, much like Caska�s had been. But, unlike Caska, this woman�s skin was as light as Judeau�s own. When he had jumped and turned she was also startled, but quickly recovered and smiled at him - and suddenly her whole complexion changed.

It wasn�t that she was pretty, because she wasn�t, and she wasn�t exactly ugly either � she would have passed for average-looking, if it hadn�t been for the jagged scars on her nose, cheek- and jawbone, which formed an uneven and broken semicircle on one side of her face and gave it a slightly asymmetrical look. She had a weary and tired air about her, but when she smiled her whole face lit up and her eyes sparkled, as though she smiled with all her being instead of just the muscles in her face. It was the most sincere smile Judeau had ever seen, and it was very infectious: His own lips curled upwards at the edges in response.

�I�m sorry to startle you, sir.� She smiled and pointed at the empty seat beside him. �Mind if I sit down?�

�Not at all.� He smiled back, feeling better by the politeness in her voice, and gestured at the chair.

�Thank you.� She sat down, and so did the tall man, but she almost immediately flew to her feet as an enraged roar tore through the air from the direction of the bar:

�WHAAAT!!??�

Judeau also rose from his seat, as well as every other customer in the inn. The bellow had come from the heavily armoured short man, who was now standing on the bardisk, holding the terrified barkeep suspended in the air by his collar. Beside him, but still on the floor, the other short man stood perfectly still, fists clenched at his sides and trembling with barely controlled rage.

�Holy heavenly crap on a stick�� the woman beside Judeau mumbled, as she hurried off towards the bar.

The short man hauled the barkeep up to the level of his own face and growled:

�Would you care to repeat that?�

The poor man stuttered, �But� but� but� I�m sorry, sir� g-g-guild regulations� s-say that we� we c-can�t s-sell dwarf beer to� to non-dwarves��

�Are you blind as well as stupid, manling? I AM A DWARF!� he roared and immediately everyone in the room froze, but for the short man, who continued: �Or are you so grievously insulting me as to say that I am not dwarfish enough to be one? Are you? ARE YOU SAYING I AM NOT A DWARF?�

The barkeep looked if possible even more terrified. �N-no, no, no, sir, master dwarf, sir, I j-just never saw a dwarf with no beard before! I-I was c-confused! Of- of course you�ll get your beer, master dwarf, sir!�

The short man glared at the barkeep for a while longer, but then the scar-faced woman�s hand landed softly on his shoulder.

�Taskkarr�� she said, in a voice meant to sound soothing, but Judeau easily noticed the undercurrent of nervousness in it, �Let the man go. You can�t get your beer if you don�t let him go and get it.�

The self-proclaimed �dwarf� snarled but soon let the barkeep tumble to the floor with a last disdainful snort:

�Idiot.� He jumped off the counter and leaned his bulky frame against it instead. Then he seemed to notice the silence in the room and looked up, snarling and glaring menacingly at the stunned people.

�And what are you lot staring at? Never seen a dwarf before?�

That seemed to snap everyone out of their shock, because suddenly nobody was looking at the two short men, and an embarrassed hum filled the room.

The woman leaned down beside the �dwarf� and spoke with a silent, pleading voice, though Judeau could still hear her:

�I know what you are going through, Taskkarr. I really do, but it is almost over now; we're closer than we have ever been before. Could you please try to control your temper for just a little longer? Please?�

The �dwarf� gave her a withering glare and growled back:

�I am controlled, woman. You have not yet seen me uncontrolled!� But he turned back towards the bar and grabbed one of the large jugs that the barkeep had swiftly placed before him and the other man. Both of the short men proceeded to drink as if there was no tomorrow and they had a deep depression to forget about before then, and the woman exhaled quietly as she walked back to the table.

When they sat down again, she flashed Judeau a bright, apologetic smile.

�I must apologise for the behaviour of my comrades, they have been quite on edge lately.�

�We constantly have to apologise for them,� said the tall man without looking up. Come to think of it, this man had remained sitting throughout the whole ordeal, and now he was carefully poking pebbles out of the sole of his shoe with a dagger. So unruffled, cold, nonchalant� It was almost making Judeau a little bit uneasy.

�But where are my manners?� the woman blurted, extending her hand with a polite smile. �I am Samina. Pleased to meet you.�

Happy for the distraction, Judeau smiled back and shook her hand. She had a warrior�s grip, firm and direct, and he returned it as such.

�The pleasure is all mine, I�m sure. My name is Judeau.�

�Steelwing,� said the tall man and looked up from his shoe only long enough to grip Judeau�s hand briefly.

�Yes, well, unfortunately,� Samina said with a quick glare at Steelwing, �None of my companions are very sociable people.�

If the tall man noticed the jibe, he made no sign of it. She continued:

�Those two trouble-causing grumps by the bar are Taskkarr and Thirgynn, and they are dwarves, despite their appearance.�

�Um� forgive me if my asking makes me seem stupid,� Judeau ventured, �but� I have never met a �dwarf� before� what is strange about them?�

The scar-faced woman stared at him for a while, with a small, uncertain are-you-joking smile on her face, but then she leaned towards him with narrowed eyes.

�You� really don�t know, do you?�

�No,� He answered honestly. ��Dwarf� to me means short, stunted person.�

Samina threw a quick glance at the bar and then replied in a lowered voice:

�I don�t know where you�re from, if you don�t know about dwarves, but you are lucky that they don�t have good hearing. Here�s a free tip: never use the word �short�, and especially not �stunted�, in the same sentence as �dwarf�. They won�t like it.�

Judeau was convinced by the seriousness of her voice and replied, more hushed:

�Noted.�

�Good. I see you are as intelligent as you look.� She smiled briefly, and then turned serious again. �Interesting. All right, I can tell you about dwarves - the Gods know I've been starved for good conversation lately. It'll probably do me some good. Okay, the thing about dwarves is, first of all, that they are not human; they are of an entirely different race that just happens to resemble us. Secondly, they all have a very �significant� hair growth, and they pride themselves in their beards. To them, it is the bond to their God and their honour; it�s what marks them as dwarves. It is a terrible punishment for a dwarf to have it shaved off, since that means that he is no longer a dwarf and the God has turned away from him. They prefer the penalty of death to that of shaving.�

�Is that what has happened to them? Were they punished?� Judeau felt a little more sympathy for the two bald men now; if what this woman was saying was true, then they had every reason to be surly. But Samina shook her head and sighed tiredly.

�No. It�s worse than that.� She nodded at the still shoe-poking Steelwing and continued: �You�ve noticed that Mr Steelwing is also completely hairless?�

With a sigh, the tall man took a quick break in the close scrutiny of his sole and removed his ornate helmet so Judeau could see for sure that there was not a single hair on his head, but he also noticed that the man�s ears were unusually long, and very pointy at the top. This piqued his curiosity, and he asked about it.

Once again he got that uncertain look from Samina, and even Steelwing himself looked up at him when she said:

�He�s an elf� you don�t know about elves either?� She then shook her head as if to clear it and decisively continued, �No, elves later, back to baldness.� She sat in thought for a moment before speaking again:

�OK, Besides being an elf, Mr Steelwing is also a Crusader, and I am a bounty hunter, following him on his lifelong quest to root out evil in all it�s forms, blah, blah, blah. I'm sure you know about Crusaders at least, so I won't get into that. Now, I do it to collect the money, and the dwarves� well, they have their own reasons to fight alongside us - but we are all on a mission to �get the bad guys�, so to speak. Now, one of these bad guys was a necromancer� you know, a mage dedicated to the use of death-magic. Waking the dead, animating corpses and other such unpleasant things that makes Necromancy outlawed in most places. This guy was causing quite a ruckus among the local population of one such place, so we went to get him.

�Long story short: He was more powerful then we had anticipated, but we got him. Unfortunately, however, he used his last breath and every ounce of his power to cast a magical curse on us, �to have all our hair fall out, all caves cave in behind us and bad weather to follow us wherever we go�. This might not seem like a very clever spell, but I thought it was rather ingenious for being thought out on the spot, with only thirty seconds of life left to act on� since dwarves, as well as deep-elves-� She pointed at Steelwing again. �-Live inside the mountains. The hair-thing was more meant for the dwarves, I think, and the weather for me.�

Judeau frowned. �But you�re not bald.�

She suddenly looked a little uneasy, and hesitated before answering the unspoken question, �No, I... um� am special. I have a... a Birthright, an unusual ability� It saved me, so I wasn�t cursed. The dwarves never really forgave me for that, I think�� She fell silent as the aforementioned dwarves came trudging towards the table, one oversized jug in each hand, and sat down.

The one called Taskkarr glared up at them.

�What are you two mumbling about?�

Samina smiled back down at him. "Well, I was just telling Mr Judeau here about our adventures and misfortunes.�

�Yes�� Judeau decided to dare an attempt at politeness. �I am sorry to hear about your curse.�

�Not as sorry as we were,� sighed the one called Thirgynn into his beer. �But the worst part,� he suddenly announced, �is that the bloody curse has been lifted!�

�Yeah, I was just getting to that, but perhaps you would like to tell the story instead?� Samina suggested, and the dwarves immediately grabbed the opportunity by the throat.

�Yes, just wait �til you hear it!� Thirgynn rumbled, at the same time as Taskkarr growled, �Oh, I�ll tell you about it!�

And they began the tale of their latest adventure. They spoke passionately and often at the same time as the other, about different things, and kept correcting each other, but Judeau still got the general picture:

In order to have the curse lifted, they had decided that the group should return an old and extremely valuable dwarf artefact to its rightful place in the High Church of Vontar, the dwarf god, upon that said god might choose to reward them by removing the curse.

So after fighting their way through guardians and enemies, nearly getting killed, saving each other�s lives more times than both dwarves and elf cared to admit, as well as slaying an unspeakable creature whose description made Judeau vividly remember the demons of the eclipse, they�d finally returned with the artefact, but�

~
As the dwarves talked their frustration off, Samina couldn�t help but feel a little guilty for using the strange man, Judeau, in this manner. But she needed someone else to take the blunt end of the dwarves for a little while, and they needed to vent their anger in some non-violent way. An opportunity had presented itself, and she�d taken it, what else could she have done?

She dared a glance over at the blond man beside her, but found to her surprise that he was actually listening intently, sometimes even asking the dwarves to repeat themselves so he would understand better. This was so far from what she had expected that for a long time, all she could do was stare.

This man is becoming stranger and more interesting all the time�

She gave him a second appraisal. His round face had a boyish look to it with large, round eyes, full lips (for a man), an easy smile, and freckles on the rather large, round nose. His hair was long, straw blond and kept tied back in a ponytail, except for a loose bang on each side of his face which were apparently too short to tie up.

That was where the boyish look ceased, though. He was of average height, maybe a touch taller than she was, and of normal build, but there was something fluid and alert in his motions which made Samina guess, with confidence, that he had received some kind of combat training, and most likely had experience of fighting seriously.

Another testiment to that was the look she could see in the depth of his eyes. It was the look of a man who had seen a lot, perhaps more than he ever should have. She�d seen it before, mostly in the faces of war-weary soldiers, but in his eyes it seemed subtly different. She couldn�t yet define how.

~
��So there we were,� Taskkarr rumbled, �waiting right outside the entrance of the dwarf hold for Samina to come back out and tell us about Vontar�s answer - since she was the only one who could enter the hold, because of the gods-damned curse! - And when she comes, she tells us that the God has spoken to her through the Prophet of the temple - to her, a human, just for our sake! The honour he showed her...!�

Judeau was captivated by the story, in spite of Taskkarr�s less-than-perfect storytelling abilities, and he leaned forward, listening intently.

�So what did he say?�

�He said,� Thirgynn interrupted, ��for what you have done for me, I have rewarded you. The curse has been lifted.��

�Curses,� Samina corrected, �He said curses, and he also said �even for the elf, who has fought very bravely. His name shall be remembered.��

�Well, that�s great! �Wasn�t it?� Judeau looked from face to face, but the dwarves just scowled and grunted. Finally Taskkarr growled angrily,

�No. It would have been great if our beards had grown back out.�

�So� why didn�t they? Wasn�t the curse lifted after all?�

�Oh, the curse is lifted, no doubt about that!� Thirgynn said, �Vontar would never say something and then not do it! Absolutely impossible! �Besides, I would have noticed if the magic of the curse still lingered.�

�All right� so what's wrong then?�

�What�s wrong is that we don�t have any beards, manling! Haven�t you been listening at all?� Taskkarr roared, and Judeau held his hands up in front of himself in a half calming, half protective gesture.

�I meant, what is wrong with your beards; why do they not grow back?�

�Oh. Right.� Taskkarr looked away and seemed to lose some steam. Maybe there was even a touch of embarrassment that quickly passed over his face.

Thirgynn answered Judeau�s question:

�Well, the curse didn�t just make the hair fall out, nor did it seal the follicles magically; it sort of deactivated them, and as long as the magical resonance remains around us - not the spell, that is already gone - but the �um �after-image of it� rocks, how I hate trying to explain these things to a layman.� He let out a sigh and rubbed his smooth chin with a large hand.

�Please, do try,� Judeau coaxed.

Thirgynn regarded him thoughtfully for a moment and then continued:

�All right� you know how it�s like when you�re sitting in a dark room with a candle, and you look directly at the flame for a while? That afterwards, when you look away or you blow out the candle, you can still see the image of it wherever you look?�

Judeau nodded his agreement.

�Well� It�s the same thing about magic. Every spell, no matter how small, leaves an after-image that a mage or a miracle-worker as myself can detect if we concentrate correctly. It fades overtime, but the bigger the spell, the longer it takes for the resonance� the after-image� to fade. Do you follow me?�

�Yes, I think I understand. This is interesting.�

Thirgynn actually looked pleased and, for the briefest of moments, Judeau thought he saw the prospect of a smile in the dwarf�s eyes.

�Good, good. Now, the curse that the corpse-kissing, rot-faced necrophiliac of a death-mage cast on us was a very large spell. Its resonance will linger for years, and during that time our follicles won�t re-activate. Not on their own. The force of so much magic directed immediately at them sort of �shocked� them into paralysis, and the resonance keeps them there.�

Judeau let out an empathic �Oh, no�� and he meant it. After hearing the dwarves talk for surely an hour he had come to understand them better, and especially how awfully deep their loss was. �I am so sorry to hear that��

Thirgynn sighed and Taskkarr growled, and there was silence around the table for a while.

�However,� Samina�s quiet voice interrupted the depressed mood, �There is a cure. That�s why we�re here in Ducarron.� She smiled at the dwarves. �And we are almost there.� This time, Thirgynn managed a weak smile, but Taskkarr only growled again:

�I bet we have to ask a bloody elf for it. And they won�t want to give it to us, just to spite us �cause we�re dwarves! And they�ll laugh!�

�You don�t have to automatically assume the worst, Taskkarr,� Samina said with an annoyed frown.

�And why not? Have I not had cause for it so far?� the dwarf grumpily replied.

�Well, at some point it has to turn.�

�Really? I haven�t seen any indication of that happening.�

�So�� Judeau decided to interrupt the argument, and he was also curious: �What is this cure?�

�Some sissy-ass flower,� Taskkarr immediately declared, but Samina sent the dwarf a glare and explained more closely to Judeau:

�There�s an herb that grows only in the deep forests here in Ducarron. If it is prepared the right way, it has the ability to remove any magical resonance from a person or object. We�re going to look for it.�

Judeau blinked.

�An herb? In the forest?�

�Yes!� Taskkarr rumbled �in the gods-cursed, surely elf-infested, deep, dark, nasty forest, where I�ll bet it grows in a cute little flower-pot in a tree where the elves can keep it out of reach from dwarves in need of it! Just to annoy us!"

Samina�s eyes narrowed and she turned a very serious scowl at Taskkarr, but before she could vent her opinion on the dwarf�s provocatively depressive attitude, Judeau interfered again.

�I don�t know about that, but I think I know someone who might.�

He noted that he now had their undivided attention; even Steelwing put his boot back down on the floor and regarded him with an unreadable expression.

Taskkarr frowned. �Explain.�

�Well, I came to this city just today, in the company of a Healer I�ve been staying with for some time. He lives in a deep forest about a week�s ride from here, and he knows herbs. I believe he could be of help to you.�

Samina just gaped at him, Thirgynn frowned as if unsure whether or not he�d heard right and Steelwing remained impassive, but Taskkarr was immediately suspicious:

�Is he an elf? I bet he�s an elf. He's an elf, isn�t he?�

Judeau thoughtfully paused before shrugging.

�I don�t know. All I can say that I�m sure of, is that he doesn�t have pointy ears.�

Samina shook her head incredulously, whispering, �Of all the luck�� and Thirgynn downed the remains of his beer and rose from his chair.

�So what are we waiting for, then? Let�s go see this Healer!�

�Or at least see if he really exists�� Taskkarr grumbled, but finished his beer and stood up as well.

Samina leaned closer to Judeau.

�Can you really take us to him right now? Otherwise you�ll leave me with two very grumpy dwarves, here��

He smiled confidently at her. �Yes, I can.� He rose, followed by Steelwing and Samina. �Let�s go.�

�Wait!�

It was Taskkarr. The bald dwarf had his arms crossed over his massive chest and had locked a serious gaze on Judeau. �First� what did you pay for your beer, manling?�

�Pardon?�

�What did you pay for the beer?� Taskkarr growled impatiently and pointed at the empty jug on the table.

�Uh� three copper Thrones, Mr Taskkarr�?�

The dwarf shoved a hand inside his armour and pulled out a purse from which he withdrew three small copper coins before hiding it again. He then put the coins on the table in front of Judeau with a loud slap of his hand.

�There. Now we�re even.�

�But�� Judeau confusedly pointed at Steelwing. ��Mr Steelwing has already��

�I DON�T CARE what that pointy-eared flowergirl does with his own money!� Taskkarr growled and made Steelwing raise both eyebrows at the insult, �but he�s NOT stealing MY debts! A dwarf who can not repay his own debts is either dead, or not a dwarf at all!�

Judeau stared at Taskkarr for a moment before tentatively reaching out and scooping up the money. The dwarf�s frown eased.

�Good. No more debt between us.�

�No more debt between us,� Judeau echoed, and noticed Samina�s appreciating smile, as well as Steelwing and Thirgynn�s barely perceptive nods. He felt as though he had just passed a great test, possibly with flying colours.

With a smile to Taskkarr, he let the three coins fall into his purse, picked up his sack and walked over to the tavern door.

�Are you coming?�

****AN - On dwarf names: kk indicates a hard k, like in �back�; rr means it�s pronounced like a Swedish �r� - rrrrroll it off the tip of your tounge. The double �n� in �Thirgynn� means that the �y� is short, and that means that the �i� is long, like so: Thiir-gynn.

Previous Chapter