Chapter Three Hundred and Thirty-One - Fortune Seeker

Chapter Three Hundred and Thirty-One - Fortune Seeker

Chapter Three Hundred and Thirty-One - Fortune Seeker

Where are you thinking of sending us? Amaryllis asked. She sounded suspicious, which I supposed was only fair.

Mayor Cody rubbed at his cheek, then made a vague gesture off to one side. I assumed that he was pointing more in the general direction than to the back wall of his forge. Northwards. North and west a ways. Thats the direction Deiter probably headed off in.

Whats that way? I asked.

Honestly, not very much. Most of the time, theres nothing at all up North until you reach the badlands. Past that youre in the Snowlandia. But every year there are big hunter gatherer groups that pass by chasing after the cockatrice herds.

The what? I asked. Id never heard of a cockatrice before.

The mayor shook his head. Cockatrice. Theyre these birds; though Ive been told theyre related to dragons somehow. Big ugly things, usually covered in skin and nasty as sin. About as tall as any of you girls to boot.

That sounded like a lot of trouble. Are they an issue? Amaryllis asked.

Not usually. They avoid folk for the most part. Theyll fight if you get close to their nests, and youll want to avoid being anywhere near them during mating season. The males will pick a fight with anything that time of year.

Deiter went to see the cockatrice? I asked, confused. I didnt get that impression about him.

Cody snorted. Nay, he likely went to see the harvesters caravan. Cockatrice have all sorts of useful things to them. Feathers and the like. Well ... so I hear. It's not my line of business. People say you can't ranch them; cant keep them on a farm. So, every year, the harvesters follow after them and grab what they can. Its hard work, but it pays; from what I hear.

Oh, I said. Do you think he joined them for work then?

Possibly. A caravan stopped by here about three days ago. They needed the forge to whip up some new axle fittings for one of their wagons and they bought up a few supplies. I suspect Deiter got to talking to them and saw an opportunity to leave.

I nodded along. It made some sense, I imagined. Alright. And you want us to go meet these harvesters?

Thats up to you. Id appreciate it though if someone checked on Deiter. Besides, you said you were looking for something out in the plains, werent you? No one better than the harvesters to ask. They range across the entire prarie chasing after the cockatrice.

Thats... actually reasonable, Amaryllis said. If we do find Deiter though, how are we going to tell you about it?

Honestly, just guilt him into sending his mother a letter. I understand his wanting to run off, trust me, but he owes her that much, I imagine, Cody said.

I considered things while Amaryllis asked Cody a few more questions, mostly about the area and if hed seen any passing airships lately. It didnt look like shed find the answers she was looking for, but that was okay.

We were heading to Fort Middlesfaire to find out if anyone had seen the diplomatic convoy of airships. From what I remembered of its trajectory, it was supposed to pass far to the north of the fort, not over it. It was unlikely anyone at Fort Middlesfaire could have spotted the ships, but we were assuming that others might have and that they'd have told people at the fort.

On the other hand, these harvesters were to the north, where the ships likely had passed.

I nodded as I chewed.

Ah, do you think theres anything dangerous around here? Awen asked.

Cockatrices should be plenty dangerous, Amaryllis said. I suspect we could take one on with the three of us working together. If we see a group of them though, walking away might be the wisest course.

Whats a cockatrice anyway? I finally asked.

Amaryllis entered lecturing mode. A cockatrice is a large draconic bird. Theyre primarily omnivorous and will mostly subsist on grains and grasses and seeds, though theyll hunt down any small creature they come across too. Think rabbits and foxes and flying birds. Theyre relatively large, with great talons and... strange beaks.

How strange? Awen asked.

They have teeth, Amaryllis said. At least, the females do. The males have sharper, longer beaks. At least, I believe thats the case. We dont have any in the Harpy Mountains, so what Im saying is mostly coming from what I've read. Their main weapon though is their eyes. If a cockatrice locks eyes with you, youll freeze up. I believe the bigger, more powerful ones have more powerful gazes. Some can turn you to stone in an instant.

Thats terrifying, I said.

Fortunately, those have likely all been hunted down. Cockatrice parts are valuable alchemical reagents and their meat is supposed to be a delicacy, especially the older, bigger ones, Amaryllis said. The current wild herds have been trimmed and hunted year on year for decades now; I doubt theyre as formidable as they once were.

I shook my head. That doesnt sound good. Theyll hunt them to extinction if they go on for too long.

I suppose, Amaryllis said. She didnt seem terribly bothered by the idea. Anyway, it needed to be done. The cervid have large overland caravans that loop around the northern end of the Harpy Mountains towards their western frontier. They do some trade with the independent cities there and Snowlandia as well. The Cockatrice were a threat to those caravans, once.

We finished up our late lunch, got up, then headed out once more.

The day was really nice for a walk. The skies were nearly empty of clouds except for a few white wisps far, far above, and the sun was warm on our faces. There was a brisk wind coming from the north that kept us cool despite the sunlight. It was very much appreciated.

Walking up hills all day was a chore, but it was wholesome exercise and it meant that the route down the hills would be all the easier later.

We chit-chatted about nothing with great enthusiasm until the hour grew late and we all grew quite tired. The hills had grown smaller and the grass taller as we headed north. We couldnt find a spot with any trees or even a stream, so we ended up settling down in a spot where a few large boulders would cut the wind.

There was nothing to burn, so we didnt get to build a fire, but Amaryllis was good with magic so she warmed things up for us while Awen and I struggled with the tent.

We ate with our backs to the boulder. Somehow, Awen convinced Amaryllis to tell stories about her sisters, then we talked about our schooling. Explaining how school worked back home was weird, but my friends had had very different sorts of education.

And then it was bedtime.

I took the first watch, sat atop the boulder, and watched the plains fade to utter darkness with only my one tiny magical light ball for illumination. In that breathtaking stillness, I lost myself in the glittering sea of stars until Amaryllis came to replace me.

So far, our trip had gone pretty well. I was looking forward to the next day!

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