Rescue mission

The De Vonder arrived at the citadel of Mennor late at night, yet the Linarel did their utmost to accommodate one of the most appealing families of the time. The Linarel family household was both a house and a business. The fallen high-class noble family was now engaged in the blacksmithing business, with which they managed to make a decent living. After Veldat's attack, the family abandoned Farpas and acquired cheap land in the Mennor citadel that was being rebuilt.

'It is an honor for our family that the De Vonder's visits us in our humble dwelling,' the leader of the Linarel family said, welcoming Xavier and Temma. From time to time, he looked at Temma with admiration and a little fear.

'Thank you for welcoming us so late in the night; forgive us for being annoying, leader Diego,' Xavier apologized. Diego was a white man about fifty years old, and his scarce hair began to whiten early. The light of the oil lamp did not allow Xavier to see the color of his eyes, but he had the impression they were green. He was short and skinny.

'It's not a hassle at all. You can be sure that our family is willing to collaborate on anything your family might need,' Diego replied. "If the famous de Vonder comes to Mennor this late in the night, it must be a very serious matter, maybe related to the lord of Farpas or the Third Prince. It is a golden opportunity." Diego thought, smiling.

'I am glad that we have your cooperation and trust. I'll go straight to the point. Habdlan showed us the gift you gave him. Uruk has developed a particular appreciation for such objects. I would like to buy those eggs as a gift,' commented Xavier, trying to sound interested but not desperate.

"Uruk, the destroyer!" The idea of not being able to satisfy the wishes of one of the kingdom's most powerful magicians, known for his savagery and lack of control, was unthinkable for Diego. 'Oh! you mean the dragon's eggs?'

'Indeed. How many of them do you have?' asked Temma.

'You are lucky, Your Excellency. We have two more eggs still, and besides, we have other items like dragon claws and teeth. My son himself pulled it out of the mouth of a huge dragon who guarded the nest. He told us that the battle was brutal and that these wild beasts had monumental strength.'

Xavier looked at Temma; his look contained a clear thought: "Keep calm." Temma kept himself serious while, behind his back, he held his hand tightly closed, his sharp nails ripping into his hard skin.

'I remember the dragon world. I took part in that war too,' said Xavier, pointing to the scars on his face. 'Is your son here right now?'

'I'm afraid not, Your Excellency.'

'What a pity. It's fun to talk to other veterans about our adventures. I suppose I'm getting old' Xavier gave out a sigh. "Your son should know the other smugglers."

Diego was much older than Xavier. 'I understand you, Excellency. I also suffer from the same evil.' empathized Diego, laughing.

'Anyway, tell me a price. We are willing to buy both eggs and other items,' Xavier continued.

'I can't really put a price on it, Your Excellency. We've never sold any. Of the four eggs my son brought, we gave two away.'

'Who has the other egg?' asked Temma.

'We gave it to the Lord of Mennor a couple of months ago as a gift. It was his birthday; I want to believe that our family gave him the most exotic gift,' Diego replied proudly.

'I see.'

'It's late, and I don't want to take any more of your time, leader Diego. Could we negotiate now? I want to surprise Uruk as soon as possible,' Xavier hurried.

'Of course, Excellency.' Diego got up from the couch and went out of the room.

Xavier and Temma looked at each other without saying a word; the apprehension in Temma's face was remarkable. A few minutes later, Diego returned in the company of another man. He was muscular, especially his forearms; he was probably the one who worked the forge. In his hands, he carried two dragon teeth, and Diego carried the dragon's two eggs.

Temma approached Diego without asking for permission. He took the dragon's eggs in his hands and brought them close to his body. Xavier was not happy with what he had done, but he understood his actions.

Temma turned around, not to be seen by the Linarel. He was almost unable to control his voice. 'I'll take them to the carriage.' His body was burning, and the air around him could be seen distorting. Xavier nodded. Diego would not dare to object.

'I will take the teeth,' said Xavier.

The other man who accompanied Diego put them on the table between the sofas.

'Well, let's talk about the price.'

Diego remained pensieve; it was a good opportunity to make some money, although the favor of a family with two titled fire magicians who had connections with the royalty was important. They were the last eggs and teeth; only a couple of claws remained. The family had some financial needs, and if they gave it all away, it would be a huge loss. But he still wanted to stay on the positive side of the De Vonder.

'Ten gold coins will be enough, Your Excellency,' replied Diego after thinking about it.

The man next to him tightened his lips; his gesture made it obvious that he did not agree with the decision of the head of the family.

'I will make you a counter offer,' replied Xavier, surprising the two men.

'Your excellency, I can't lower the price anymore; my family cannot...'

Xavier raised a hand and stopped Diego. 'You misunderstood me, leader Diego.' Xavier put a bag on the table. Obviously, there were more than ten coins inside.

'Here are about fifty gold coins. It's a way to thank your family for the gesture. Besides, I'd like you to keep this transaction a secret. We want it to be a surprise for Uruk; he has too many friends and acquaintances among the nobility, and if we do not keep the secret, he will find out. Oh! When your son comes back from his trips, I'd love to chat with him. I want to know about his experience in the war and maybe get other dragon items.'

'Excellency, thank you for your generosity.' Fifty coins was much more than the Linarel would earn by selling the eggs to other nobles. The teeth and claws were used by the craftsmen as material for armor or weapons, but at best they would give them five gold coins for them. 'I will make sure my son visits you as soon as he returns.'

Xavier got up from the couch, ready to leave.

'Wait for a moment, Excellency, and I will help you load the claws.' The robust man hurried out of the room, returning with the dragon's cuticles.

Xavier had forgotten about them; he only wanted to go back to the carriage and join Temma and the eggs. They loaded the materials into the Tumulos carriage. Xavier said goodbye to the Linarel, and the carriage moved towards their mansion in Farpas.

'What's going on?' asked Xavier once the carriage began to move.

'This one is dead,' said Temma, looking at the egg in his right arm while still pressing it against his body.

There was a moment of silence.

'We have to rescue the others. Every day that passes, they are in danger of dying' The anguish in Temma's voice was palpable.

'Don't worry. We'll rescue them all. But we can't go to the Citadel Lord Mansion without a good reason. Besides, we have to think of a reason for...' Xavier had a great idea.

'What is it?' asked Temma.

'The citadel lords are very rich men; in general, even Habdlan came from a wealthy family. The nobles are very arrogant; they may not want to hand over or sell the eggs unless we make a big concession.' Xavier looked at the egg in Temma's right hand. 'However, we can propose an exchange. We can say it's because of the color or something.'

The eggs were different; the one that Uruk had brought to the cave had blue dots. The two in Temma's hands had red lines. Temma's face revealed that he did not like the idea of giving the dead egg to a noble to be used as an ornament in an office, but he understood the situation and ended up giving in. The Vonders arrived at their mansion at sunrise. Xavier stayed in the mansion with the dead egg. Temma took the living one to Morr's Jungle. Xavier sent a messenger requesting an audience with the Lord of Mennor.

Temma got to the cave. Uruk had turned the interior of the cave into a furnace. The wood of the jungle burned while keeping the egg warm. Temma placed the egg he had just acquired inside the cave and told Uruk what had happened.

Uruk's face was saddened when he heard that one of the eggs was dead. 'The egg at Mennor's mansion must be rescued,' there was anticipation and anxiety in his voice.

'I know; Xavier is working on it. But dealing with high-class nobles is more difficult than dealing with minor nobles. Moreover, we cannot attract attention; it could cause us a lot of trouble. Stay calm. If we are desperate, it could be very expensive or impossible to buy the eggs. There is a lot at risk; if they find out who we are, the eggs will die,' Temma said, looking at the eggs inside the cave.

Moger arrived a few hours later, and when he saw the eggs inside the cave and touched them, he started crying.

'The grandfather always gives us what we need,' said Moger, looking at Uruk, who nodded with a sad, hopeful smile.

'I will go back to Farpas. We will get Mennor's egg at all costs. We may need a lot of money,' Temma commented, looking at Moger.

Moger nodded. 'There may be some eggs in Veldat or Orphen. I can find out by asking the other criminals' Moger went back to Orphen.

Temma returned to Farpas and joined Xavier. The next day, they left for Mennor.

'Thank you for welcoming us, Excellency.'

'Please drop the titles; there is no need to be so serious. The difference between the Van Buldet and the De Vonder is not that great.'

'Well then, Jacomo, thank you for your consideration towards our family.' Xavier answered the Lord of Mennor's request for informality. He was a tall, thin, bronze-skinned man with short, smooth hair, brown eyes, and a long, beardless face with prominent eyebrows that joined into a single hairline.

'I am glad to finally have the opportunity to speak to you in private. It is difficult to get a hold of the De Vonders; the royalty gives no chance.' Jacomo smiled. 'The presence of the Vonder has altered the dynasty power balance.' Jacomo's face turned serious. "You lot are dangerous. Tamalor got too close to you and burned himself. I offered my support to the prince because he seems to have enough strength to reach the throne, but that is only in appearance. The princess and the king are still too powerful and influential."

'I have to admit that it is true. Our relationship with the third prince has created a certain degree of division in the dynasty' Xavier winked an eye to Jacomo.

'I hear that the de Vonder family has committed itself to supporting the prince throughout his many projects,' Jacomo continued to seek confirmation for his doubts.

'I do have good relations with the prince; he has done us a great deal of favor and helped me avoid my death. However, although I am the head of the family, we are all aware that the real power lies with my nephews,' Xavier replied to Jacomo's inquisitive words.

Jacomo looked at Temma as if looking for the straight answer that Xavier didn't give him.

'We're the Vonder. The family goes first. Uncle Xavier is the family leader, and we believe in his vision. We will support him, even if we have the whole continent as our enemy,' Temma replied.

'I have heard that Uruk, the destroyer, has moved a little away from the family; he spent a great deal of time with the prince and the new lord of Farpas, Habdlan,' added Jacob.

"Vulture," Xavier thought as he answered. 'Unfounded rumors. Uruk spends more time with Habdlan because of his passion for the arena; he has always been a bit savage; he does not visit the mansion often because he gets bored; and he prefers our old house in Fuera de Mola. The jungle of Morr is the only place where my nephew feels comfortable.' Xavier lied.

'The truth is, my brother is... too much of a wild beast. Sometimes I think he's not entirely human,' Temma commented, following Xavier's play.

"Then the prince does have the De Vonder support; contrary to the rumors, they are not divided; he has both magicians titled on his side." 'Enough of boring politics. Let's talk about more mundane things.'

'I'm glad you mentioned it, Jacomo. You see, the Linarel told me they gave you a dragon egg. Is that true?' asked Temma.

'Oh! That thing. Yeah, I've kept it for a while now. I don't like reptiles; the only idea of having an egg from these grotesque creatures makes me nauseous. I accepted the gift because it is a strange object, and some nobles like those things,' replied Jacob with a disgusted face.

'Excellent!' exclaimed Xavier, clapping his hands together.

Temma was offended by the Lord's comments, but his mission was to save the eggs.

'We wanted to give Uruk an egg as a present. Would you be interested in selling yours?'

'I'm sorry, but it would not be possible. I have already promised it to another nobleman,' replied Jacob. "Let's see how much you're willing to pay."

'I'm sorry to hear that. Can we at least see the egg?'

'Of course,' replied Jacomo, rising from his seat and leading the two De Vonders to another room.

Jacomo had a small collection of objects, some of them somewhat morbid. Axes, even with the remains of blood on their edges, swords, and daggers. An unassuming rope drew Xavier's attention; it didn't match the other violent items. Jacomo noticed how Xavier looked at the rope and commented.

'This is the rope with which the kingdom of Veldat hung Captain Dalila at the gates of Mennor. I keep it as a reminder of how dangerous our neighbors are and of how hazardous my position is, especially these days. After the Dragon War, we have military dominance over the continent; however, His Majesty insists that the kingdom of Veldat will not attack the dynasty with the few forces they have left. I don't believe it; I don't want to die like the former lord of Mennor. By the time the army can move over here, I will be hanging from the end of a rope like that. The prince promised that if he managed to obtain more power in the future, he would not hesitate to offer more support to my citadel.

'I see. hmm! It is true that it would take the army a long time to arrive here in case of need. But a magician in a Tumulos carriage would be here in half a day,' commented Xavier, to which Jacomo responded with a smile.

They had reached the location of the egg, which had short, vertical yellow stripes. Temma approached the egg and lifted it up. 'It's the perfect color for Uruk.'

Xavier looked at Jacomo, who pretended to be at a crossroads. He wanted to secure a large sum of money, or at least De Vonder's unconditional support for Mennor.

'I have an idea,' said Xavier. 'The truth is that we already have an egg, but it has red lines. Uruk doesn't like the red color; it reminds him of the color of his hair... something related to the past. We'd rather not talk about it. You wouldn't mind exchanging eggs, do you?'

"Damn it," Jacomo thought. The opportunity slipped through his fingers, but he had no other choice. 'Of course not,' replied Jacob, cursing in silence.

'Thank you very much, Jacomo. You have done us a great favor,' said Xavier, looking at Temma, who went to pick up the other egg from the carriage.

After exchanging eggs, they had a short conversation about mundane things, and then the de Vonder left.