Omen: 10, 13

  “Brightly coloured stuff, eh?” Adam said, staring at the stalls within Eagle Wing.

  “Yes.”

  “Mmm.” Adam slowly nodded his head, recalling someone inf him about Goblin sight previously. ‘So that’s why they liked Jaygak.’ “I’ll buy a bunch of that sort of thing then.”

  “Okay.”

  ‘Should I ask Jaygak about jewellery?’ Adam thought as he finished buying up the items from Eagle Wing.

  Their journey had been disappointingly smooth. For whatever reason, many creatures left them be. It was as thought they had been walking around with a terrifying creature, like a Dragon, within their midst. O Eagle Wing, Adam allowed them ara day, but he was eager to head to Red Oak, where he had several tasks to handle.

  “Hey, Jaygak,” Adam called out before settling down with her and the other Iyrmen within the guild. “Since you work with jewellery, could you make stuff for the kids if I get you some gold and silver?”

  “I could.”

  “Would you?”

  Jaygak remained silent for a long while. “Perhaps?”

  “How you do this to me?” Adam whispered. “After all I’ve done for you?”

  “What have you done for me?”

  “I only teased you a little when you lost the tour.”

  Jaygak hummed quietly in thought. “That’s true.” She smirked slightly. “I’ll think about it.”

  “I guess the kids don’t need any jewellery yet, but I thought it would be nice for them to have something you made in their hoards, you know?” Adam said.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Alright, alright.” Adam waved his hand, dismissing the topice Jaygak was being difficult. He eyed up the group, noting how smooth everything was going. ‘We might not be this luext year when we adventure. I should make us ss? I could ent them with proteagid it should be able to bump our Defence.’

  “Stop thinking so much, Adam,” Jaygak grumbled. “You’re making the food taste bad.”

  “You sure are talkative now, Jaygak.”

  “It’s because you’re thinking too often.”

  “I’m always thinking.”

  “It’s always annoying.”

  Adam frowned. “Don’t go too far, Jaygak.”

  “When you think about your children I leave it be,” Jaygak replied.

  “You tell?”

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  “If the look on your face is stupid, you’re thinking about something stupid. If it’s really stupid, you’re thinking about your children.”

  ‘Are my thoughts always on my face?’ Adam thought, making a face.

  “You’re not thinking about your children that time.”

  “If I’ve bee so predictable, that’s rather dangerous…”

  The day the group set out of Eagle Wing, heading down towards Deadwood. As evening began approag, they found a camp of soldiers who were making their towards Eagle Wing.

  ‘Oh no.’ “Jurot,” Adam whispered. “You do the… Kitool, you do the talking.”

  “Okay,” Kitool replied, going up with Sir Vonda and Jurot to speak with the group of soldiers.

  ‘If I talk, I’m pretty sure I’ll start a fight,’ Adam thought, gng across the pins oher side. They had been lucky, too lucky, retly, and he was certain their luck was going to run out soon. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’

  “They wish for war tax,” Kitool stated.

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Alright. We’ll hand over thirty gold, then, a little extra to make sure they don’t bother us,” Adam replied, slowly nodding his head, but more thoughts began to invade his mind. “Or should we give exactly as much as we should to not tempt them into doing more? No, maybe we should show the pque?”

  “You’re thinking too much,” Jaygak said, pg a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down.”

  “I’m very calm,” Adam replied, before noting the ways the rest of them were gng at him. “Thirty gold should be fine.”

  “Are you okay?” Vonda asked.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

  “We are almost to the Iyr,” Vonda said. “We will return by the end of the eighth month.”

  “I hope so.”

  Vonda bowed her head slowly, uanding why Adam was being more tense as they he Iyr.

  The days tinued as they made their way to Deadwood. The spotted a caravan ahead of them, making their way from Deadwood to Eagle Wing. The caravan was at fifteen vehicles long, and Adam could see each was guarded by at least four warriors, some of whom were seemingly unarmoured, but were darker skihere were two sets of mounted guards, each guarding the front and back of the caravan.

  “Trouble?” Adam asked, noting the rge number of warriors ahead of them.

  “No,” Jurot replied.

  The front group of riders numbered six, each who were darker skinned rode up towards the group. They were adorned in armour, wielding long spears in hand, and carried shorter bdes at their side. A hammer dangled beside their saddlebags. They wore long cloaks, bck, with white letters within a circle, though they were of a fn nguage.

  Adam, Jurot, Kitool, Vonda, Dunes, and Sara, stepped up to meet them. The leader dismounted, rubbing the side of his hently, before he removed his helmet to reveal that he was much youhan his panions. He had bck hair which fell down to his shoulders, and his beard was thick, but short arimmed.

  “Aswadi?” the young man asked, eyeing up Dunes and the others.

  Dunes removed his ow, nodding his head. “Chakari?”

  The man replied in Aswadian, and Dunes he man asked another question iongue, and Dunes looked past him to the group of guards behind them. Dunes replied with a rather casual response, motioning his head to Adam.

  The young Aswadian stared at Adam, before his eyes fell across the Iyrmen beside the Half Elf. The young man said something, causing the others behind him to ugh.

  Dunes smiled, befiving his response. “Adam, remove your helmet.”

  Adam did so, revealing his handsome face, and his pointed ears. ‘…’

  “Acha!” The young man nodded his ahead approvingly, fshing more of a smile. He turned his head back to his panions. “Kal, ajuk.”

  One of the other riders dismounted, a man who wore a peculiar helmet which was more of a box at the top, but as he removed it, he revealed a white, box like hat which tained his hair, which was almost as white as his hat. His wrinkled face betrayed that he was at least in his forties, but his white hair made him appear much older.

  “I am Adil Al Zuhd,” he said, his words permeated with a deep at.

  “Adam Fateson.”

  “I transte.”

  “Sure.”

  “You are the leader?”

  “I am.”

  “Our leader, Zain Al Zuhd.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “He say the same.”

  Adam looked to Dunes, w why he wasn’t transting. Dunes replied with a shake of his head, and Adam left it at that.

  “You are head to Deadwood?”

  “Yes.”

  “Trouble on road?”

  “We have been very lucky,” Adam said, shaking his head. “I ’t say the same for anroup.”

  “Noor watches over you.”

  Adam smiled, tapping his amulet. “Baktu, Lord Sozain, seems to not bless me.”

  “Mm.”

  “Do you have any trio sell?” Adam asked. “I’d like to buy some for my children.”

  “No tris, only treasures.”

  Adam reached into his tunid though the heavily armoured warriors tensed up behind them, Zain and Adil did not seem to react. Adam held out a gem. “Then I’d like to buy a few treasures for my children. I have five, but I should buy some more for the other children too. I’d like at least… fifty items?” Adam reached into his poud pulled out aiger eye. “If you don’t mind.”

  “Very rich Half Elf,” Adil said.

  “I made a lot of money betting iour.”

  “Aha, bets in tour? Very good?”

  “Very good,” Adam said, motioning a hand to Jurot. “My brother here came first pce, and Kitool here came sed. Nobby here, and my Cousins, also pced very well, first through seventh in their segment.”

  “Oho! Very strong! You fight too?”

  “I did okay too.”

  “Very okay?”

  “Very okay.” Adam smiled. “I beat Vasera, if you know of her.”

  “Golden Savages?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “You beat Vasera?” Adil asked once more, narrowing his eyes at Adam.

  “Yes.” Adam smiled. “I beat everyone I fought.”

  “You pce third.”

  “I beat everyone, but I surreoo.”

  Zain said something iongue, before Adil replied, his eyes never leaving Adam’s. Zain eyed Adam up, narrowing his eyes at the Half Elf. He spoke, mentioning Vasera’s name, and Adil replied to him iongue.

  “We trade,” Adil said, nodding his head to Adam, before handing the gems to one of the riders, whht it baert. The mert pulled out a tiny monocle and stared at the gem.

  “The gems are from the Iyr, aren’t they?” Dunes said.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied.

  Adil shouted something back, and the mert gheir way. The merts eyes fell across the group, taking in the sights of the Iyrmen, before he pocketed the gems and called for one of the servants t some tris.

  Adil asked something in Aswadian, causing Duo ugh, before the Priest of War smiled wide. He replied something iongue, motioning his head to Jurot.

  “Why did you choose the God of Death?” Adil asked, his eyes staring suspiciously at Adam.

  “I like him,” Adam replied, before thinking back to his past life. “It’s probably more correct to say he e, though?”

  Dunes and Sara turowards Adam, even more surprised he’d admit to something like that.

  Adam trying to be careful when he's on his way home.

  "I was chosen by Death."

  ...