I see Trouble
…
Ocularus was a strange name for a town, thought Harry, but strange name or not he was glad to see it. It had been three days since the incident at the Fount of Forms and his weariness was beginning to tell. While Luna had adapted to her new size with little fanfare, at least after that first night, the other woman, Emille, had reacted a little differently. Finally able to actually touch another person again she did so whenever possible, primarily with Harry.
Hermione had scolded the woman at every turn but she seemed completely unperturbed by it. Ron in typical Ron fashion was jealous that Harry was getting all the attention and Seraphina was expressing much the same attitude as Luna though for different reasons. Was not her father the most prime specimen of his kind, why should it be a surprise that the females of his species were drawn to him then?
Harry wasn't sure if it was a compliment so he didn't ask, foolishly leaving the little dragon girl primarily in the care of the new human sized Luna who, as he had been told the previous evening, had been adopted as the dragons mother. At that point Harry had been too tired to do more than nod.
They stopped outside the first inn they came to and stabled their mounts. Luna's caused a bit of a ruckus by its mere presence and Harry really wasn't surprised, its presence had caused a bit of a ruckus the first time he'd seen it. Waking up with two naked women to find a black horse with a crimson mane and tail staring down at you with glowing red eyes was enough to make a man wish to never wake up again.
Luna had seemed pleased and before he could even ask, she'd mounted the nightmare bareback and been on her way. He was almost certain she had done it on purpose but he'd been too busy try to get dressed and fend off Emille that he hadn't had time to think about it then or since.
"Alright" said Hermione in her best commanders voice, "first order of business, buy you two some proper cloths" she said indicating Emille and Luna who were conveniently standing together. "Ron I want you to…"
"Goin to the pub" he grumbled without so much as looking back.
"What, now wait a minute" she protested but it was too late, he was already gone.
"What's he so surly for?" asked Emille.
"Nothing you need be concerned with" said Luna.
"He is a wizard, that's just how they are" said Seraphina.
Harry shook his head at the two females before turning to Hermione, "I have an alchemist to find and a bow to replace" he said, "I'll meet you all back here around noon."
"But Harry, I… and he's gone too" she sighed, crestfallen.
"So, you were going to take us shopping then?"
Hermione looked at the two women and one small girl and shuddered. Boyish she was not but the only kind of shopping she personally enjoyed involve things you could read. By the over-excited bouncing from Luna, the ever-present cheerfulness of Emille and the wide-eyed curiosity sometimes displayed by Seraphina, Hermione just knew this was going to be a very long morning.
…
"Well, I must say the Fount of Forms certainly lives up to its reputation."
Harry snorted and gave a weak smile. He had just finished informing the Alchemist, Fin as he'd introduced himself, of the events surrounding his acquisition of the enchanted waters.
"I have to tell you, I was beginning to think no one would ever get this for me" he said, admiring the glowing vial.
"Why not go get it yourself then, really not all that far?" asked Harry, looking at the alchemist who appeared to be in reasonable good shape.
"Oh goodness no, I do not travel well, or at all if I can help it" he said scandalized, "my place is hear among my cauldrons and beakers."
"Speaking of cauldrons and beakers" said Harry, "I heard a rumor about you, and a certain ritual you had."
"Oh, which one?" asked Fin.
"Apparently, you gave perfect sight to a man that had been almost completely blind."
"Ah, not true, he was completely blind."
"And the perfect sight?" asked Harry.
"That part was accurate" admitted Fin.
"Could you do it again, say for someone who is not quite blind?" there was a hidden hint of hope to the question.
"Certainly I could, I mean in theory it's absolutely possible" he said.
Harry sighed, "I'm sensing a but."
The alchemist nodded, "It's actually a ritual and a potion. The ritual part is easy enough to put together but the potion takes a week to brew and some of the ingredients are very rare, very expensive."
"And I don't suppose you might happen to have all the ingredients on hand?" as if he even had to ask.
"Sadly know, though I'm sure they could be found easily enough as I said they would be very expensive. The man I did this for was a wealthy merchant, he could afford to throw around that kind of money."
"What kind of money?" asked Harry, ready to cringe.
"Three hundred gold."
*Initiate cringe*
"That's a fair bit of change isn't it" said Harry suddenly feeling very tired again.
"Indeed it is, however, if you happen to come across it by all means come back. In the meantime, here is the fifteen I promised for the water" said Fin handing Harry a small pouch.
"Pleasure doing business with you" said Harry.
…
"Three hundred gold?" exclaimed Hermione.
"That's what the man said" spoke Harry from behind his mug.
"That's highway robbery" she declared indignantly.
"But how can that be, he's right here in town?" asked Luna.
"Wha…, Luna that's not what I… oh never mind" she said flopping down into her chair.
"We do not have this much money papa?" Seraphina inquired.
"No Sera" said Harry, "We might have had fifty gold between us when we came into town but I imagine a good portion of that has been spent. Especially since I don't see Ron which means he's still in the process of spending."
"Or passed out in an alley" said Hermione vindictively.
"Mm" Harry nodded, "By the way where has Emille gotten off to" he asked discreetly glancing around.
"No idea" said Hermione.
"We lost her to some troll with biceps as big as my head" said Luna.
'Troll' mouthed Harry, Hermione shook her head in the negative, "Well anyway, it was a nice dream but it's just not going to happen."
"I wouldn't discard the possibility just yet."
All four at the table turned to look at the newest participant in the conversation.
"And who might you be sir" Harry asked of the distinguished looking gentlemen with the strange looking metal staff.
"Permit me to introduce myself, I am Zedd, Lord Zedd, and I have a proposition for you."
…
"Harry, I don't trust him" said Hermione as the cantered down the road.
"I know."
"I mean just the way he looked at us, made my skin crawl."
"I know."
"I think this is a really bad idea, we really shouldn't…"
"Cleric" barked Seraphina, "he knows, did you not hear him the first time."
Hermione looked ready to cry at the rebuke, "It's alright Sera" said Harry, "this is just how she copes with stress."
"I wish she would cope with her stress more quietly, the wizard is already loud enough" she said.
Harry really couldn't argue with her on that point. Ron was ploughing along on the back of his mule moaning and groaning like the hand of the reaper hung over him.
"What's his problem anyway, he's usually more talkative when he's drunk?" asked Harry.
"Blue balls" said Luna.
"He was attempting to copulate with a female when we retrieved him" said Seraphina.
Apparently hearing them he moaned all the louder which made them all cringe.
*WHANG*
"There, much better" said Seraphina as she and Luna sped up to ride with Harry and Hermione.
"Not that I mind the quiet but I really don't think she should be doing that all the time" said Hermione disapprovingly.
When Harry remained silent she pressed, "Aren't you going to say something?"
He looked at Hermione, than at Seraphina, "Sera, you shouldn't hit Ron with the frying pan" he said causing Hermione to smile, "You might dent it on his head and we can't afford to be replacing it all the time."
Seraphina nodded in understanding, "I'm sorry papa, I'll find something free to do it with the next time he annoys me."
"Well that's alright then" said Harry.
"Harry!" Hermione protested.
"Hermione, if all the drink hasn't already killed every brain cell in his head I don't think the frying pan is going to accomplish it."
"That's not the point, you shouldn't be encouraging bad behavior" she harped.
"She's right you know" said Luna, surprising Hermione, "Usually when someone annoys you its best just to ignore them."
"Does that work?" asked Seraphina.
Luna shrugged, "If at first you don't succeed let go of your grip on reality and it won't bother you anymore."
Hermione scoffed at Luna's nonsense but was interrupted by Harry, "STOP!"
Pulling their horses to a halt he ignored the fuming Cleric, dismounted and stepped over to a series of markings in the road.
"This is where it happened" he said, crouching down to examine them more closely.
"Your certain" asked Luna, "doesn't look like much of a scuffle."
"That's because it wasn't" said Harry, "there was no raid and no fight like the carrier said. It was a hand off, a planned exchange."
"So the one paid to bring the artifact to Lord Zedd was in fact paid twice" surmised Luna.
"That would be my guess" said Harry, turning and swinging back up onto his horse with practiced ease, "They've got a three day head start on us, we need to get going."
…
Their target hadn't made much distance with his three day head start as the found the strange hairy man not but a few hours later. He put up no resistance as they approached appearing to be in a deep melancholy of some sort.
"The stone, it's gone" he said sourly.
"Gone where?" asked Hermione.
"How should I know" he exclaimed bitterly, "do I look like I'm keeping track of it."
Hermione was taken aback at his vehemence but Harry thought he understood and came at things from a different angle.
"Who took it?"
If anything this question only seemed to make him angrier, "rotten traitor, pathetic blue… stump! Partners for years and then this, unforgivable!" he shrieked.
"Your partner betrayed you and took it for himself?"
"Bashed me over the head and ran off, squat little bastard, hope he falls and smashes it to pieces" said the hairy man furiously.
"Which way did he go?" asked Harry.
"That way" he said, pointing in the direction, "He has a two day head start on you though if you want to catch him."
"Is he mounted?"
"No, and he isn't a terribly fast runner but he never gets tired either so he has no need to stop and rest. He's probably still running even now."
…
Turned out when they caught the stumpy blue ogre two days later he was not running, nor was he conscious. By the time they were able to rouse him though he seemed more than ready to talk.
"Great golden monkey faced creep, flew down out of nowhere, never even saw im comin" he said.
"Where'd he go?" asked Hermione.
The blue ogre turned to the craggy peak and pointed, "Up there."
"Oh well isn't that just bloody wonderful" griped Ron.
…
In the end Ron was more than happy to spend all day climbing the mountain, leaving his mule alone with the other horses as well as Luna and Seraphina who remained to watch them. Anything to get away from the evil little dragon girl and her frying pan he reasoned.
They discovered what they assumed to be their quarry about half way up sitting on a rock, leaning against his sword with dried blood smeared down the rock from where it had dripped off his back.
"It was the bony one" he said, "I was prepared for the scorpion girl but I hadn't thought him smart enough to find me."
"Which way did he go?"
"Across the mountain and down the other side, I would have gone after him but he cut off my wings."
"Yeesh, what a mess" commented Ron.
The golden armored monkey simply shrugged, "They will return, but not soon enough for me to catch him."
…
Down the mountain was much easier than up the mountain, a little too easy at some points where they were forced to catch a tumbling Ron lest he roll all the way down. Eventually however they did make it and low and behold, there lay what looked like a skeleton wearing armor also made of bones, with a sword that too looked to be made of bones.
"Ya know, I'm beginning to detect a pattern here" said Hermione.
…
"It was the scorpion wench that got me" he said when he finally came around, "thought the monkey had already got her, wasn't even watching" he admitted shamelessly.
"I don't suppose you saw which way she went" said Hermione impatiently.
"Nope" he replied which caused Hermione to groan, "coarse I didn't need to see it, I know where she's goin."
"Where?"
"Her fortress of course."
…
After retrieving their companions and their mounts they made for the scorpion girls fortress. It was two days hard ride to the fortress and they were received amicably, which surprised them all.
"Yes, I have the stone."
The group as a whole breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, no more people hopping.
"We'll be taking it then" said Ron happily.
"No, I don't think so."
"What, but it's not yours ya thief" shouted Ron in protest.
"Nor is it yours" she shot back, "it is however an artifact of my lost mistress, a precious keepsake I see no reason to part with."
"Oh yeah, well how bout I give you one" said Ron, his short temper having been worn even shorter in the past days finally expiring.
The lightning bolt flew straight and true, a spell he'd mastered long ago. It melted the throne she where she had been perched but missed her entirely. She was above him before he could blink, swinging her strange weapon down to cleave his head in two when another weapon intercepted it. It was Harry's hatchet meeting her downward swing with an upward swing, the two strokes reached a stalemate long enough for Ron to stumble out of the way and re-aim his staff.
"NO!" Harry barked the command, "We are not thieves."
"Please be reasonable" pleaded Hermione, "There must be something we could work out."
The scorpion girl gave a disdainful sniff at the cowering wizard before turning on her heel and sauntering back to her ruined throne, "I really can't imagine what. I want for nothing I cannot provide myself, what else could you possibly offer me."
"Something you can't get yourself" said Luna with an impish grin.
The scorpion girl looked intrigued and Harry felt an unexplainable sense of dread.
…
"I must say, I'm impressed" said Zedd as he admired the ovoid red jewel.
"I'm so happy" said Harry, the only other one in the room.
"How exactly did you get it from the scorpion girl did you say?"
Harry flinched, "I don't want to talk about it."
Zedd chuckled giving the ranger a knowing look, "still, your tenacity is impressive. Most would have given up well before they ever reached the fortress, you are a rare breed ranger."
"You're too kind" said Harry, ignoring the flattery, "So what's so special about this gem anyway, doesn't look like much."
"It is the final piece in a magnificent puzzle. With this I shall finally be able to reach the prize I have coveted for so very long."
"Still doesn't look like much" said Harry, his weariness telling as he began acting like Ron.
"It is only a small piece of something else. Would you like to see the whole thing?"
"Sure, why not" he said carelessly.
… To be continued