Dragon Scales

Foria slipped through the crowded street and into an empty back alley. She made sure no one was around before pulling a mouse from her sleeve. She sat crisscross and cupped her hands for the mouse to sit as she closed her eyes. The mouse’s eyes went black and began crying a dark liquid. A deep rumbling voice echoed in Foria’s head. “Have you made it to Giant Island?”

Foria used her thoughts to speak back to the voice. “Yes, I will parley with the noble who owns the island soon.”

“Earn his trust and he will honor you as a guest for the night. Then take his life as he sleeps.”

“You know I’m not the most charismatic person. Perhaps we should approach this another way.”

The voice grumbled and raised its tone. “If you don’t want my advice then don’t seek my counsel. Be rid of the noble however you see fit.”

“Yes, master.” Foria opened her eyes and the mouse’s blackened eyes returned to normal. The mouse returned up Foria’s sleeve and she made her way to the noble’s estate.

Foria was greeted at the front gate of the estate by a couple of guards that were twice her size. “Halt,” one guard said. “State your business at the Rossetti estate.”

“Noble Rossetti is expecting me,” Foria said. “I’m here to offer a new trading route for him.” The guards let her pass and she made her way down the paved path to the front door of the large estate. Between the main gate and the front door were fields of tall grass. This would make it easier for her to return at night. Two additional guards opened the front doors and Foria entered the great hall, where the noble and his wife were having lunch.

“Ah,” The noble said with a mouth full of cornbread. “The short one has arrived.” Foria faked a smile and curtsied to the noble. “Forgive my indecency. All of you small creatures look the same. Would you be so kind as to educate me on the difference between a dwarf, a gnome, and a halfling?”

“It is quite all right, no offense given. Dwarves are born from a normal family where halflings are considered their own race. A gnome, like myself, is similar to a halfling but we are noticeably smaller and tend to have magical blood more often than not.”

The noble’s shoulders slumped down. “But there are no physical features that distinguish you three?”

“I’m afraid not. Unless you can notice the subtle height difference between gnomes and halflings.”

“Oh well.” The noble swallowed his cornbread and wiped his face with a napkin before continuing. “Onto the reason why you’re here.”

“I’m here to offer an ongoing trade with you. I have the best-salted pork of all the islands and I’m looking for buyers.”

“Magnificent, let me try a sample.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any of the salted pork with me at the moment.” A bead of sweat formed on Foria’s head.

“You come to offer trade but do not show your product?”

Foria froze for a moment, uncertain of what to say. “I’ve been traveling from island to island for weeks now. The salted pork would’ve spoiled by the time I got here.”

“Why would I accept your trade if the pork could spoil before reaching me?”

“We would of course take the quickest route to ensure the meat stays fresh.”

“You have lost my interest.” The noble returned his attention to his plate of food. “Without a sample, you have nothing to offer me. This meeting is over.”

“But sir, if I could-”

The noble slammed his hand on the table and stood. “You have wasted my time for long enough! Guards, escort this halfling off my property.”

Foria was taken back to the front gate and she found a quiet alley where she could commune once again. The voice grumbled in an agitated manner. “I told you so,” Foria said.

“How do you plan to fix this?”

“By doing it my way.” As she waited for the sun to go down, Foria took inventory of her equipment. She had a light crossbow and a couple of daggers. That along with her magic should be enough if she ran into trouble. She made sure her leather armor was fitted tight and secured all her equipment so it wouldn’t rattle while she was on the move.

A full moon cursed Foria that night. Thankfully, the guards at the estate did not use it to their advantage. Only a handful of guards were willing to deal with the cold ocean breeze, making it easy for Foria to shuffle through the tall grass of the estate. She circled the home and found a cracked window to crawl in. Once inside, she made her way down the long hallways looking for the bedroom. At a cross-section of two hallways, a couple of guards walked by. They would see Foria in seconds. Foria focused on the far end of the hallway and made the noise of a crashing vase to distract the guards. “Did you hear that,” one guard said to the other as they turned toward the noise. “It sounded like it came from behind us.”

“Something’s not right,” the other guard said assuredly, turning in the opposite direction. “It sounded off. I’ve heard this deceptive magic before.” The guard brightened his lantern and saw Foria prone on the ground. “Intruder!” The guard charged at Foria as she stood back up. She used her crossbow to fire a bolt at the charging guard but missed. She dropped her crossbow and pulled out her daggers as the guard swung his sword at her, nicking her leg. Foria tried to stab the guard but he blocked her attacks with elegant finesse. When the second guard caught up, Foria extended her hand, and a blazing flame sprayed from her fingertips. One guard was engulfed by the flame while the other managed to escape with just his clothes on fire. Foria used the opportunity to run but found more guards waiting for her around the corner. She dropped her daggers and surrendered as the guards surrounded her.

Foria was presented in front of the noble with her hands bound by a wet cloth. The noble was in his nightgown as he paced from side to side in front of Foria. “No halfling kills over a trade debate gone sour. Someone hired her to kill me. Who is your employer?”

“I’m a gnome,” Foria said without batting an eye.

“Sir,” A guard with burn marks on his armor approached. “The magic this gnome used; I’ve seen it before. These abilities are granted to those who have offered their services to a demon.”

“So, a demon wants me dead?”

“All demons wish to insight chaos. The demon she serves likely wants to see your island fall into anarchy. These demons are cowardly creatures that only let servants do their bidding. If this was his best attempt, I doubt a second attack on your life is likely.” Foria eyed the guard, offended at his insult.

“Then let us be rid of her. There is always someone looking to buy prisoners at the volcanic fighting pit. Sell her cheap and be done with it.”

“Yessir.”