Chapter 28

Stüttgart

It was a mildly unpleasant gray day when the group reached Stüttgart. They could've gotten here a few hours earlier, but Lockheed gave them a little trouble. He didn't want to be left behind and kept following them. It took a lot of begging and convincing on Kitty's part to make him stay behind. She tried bribing him with food and promises of a nice surprise if he did as he was told, but the little dragon didn't seem swayed. Then she tried to persuade him by telling him that he wouldn't be left all alone, Nightcrawler wouldn't be coming with them into the city either. She eventually succeeded and now they had reached their next goal.

Stüttgart was pretty much the same as every other city they had visited. It was surrounded by the houses of peasants, then the minor craftsmen, then the merchants, and finally the richest citizens and officials. The streets went from crude, narrow, and twisting to wider cobblestone paved streets that were straighter and easier to navigate. Near the city center there were several markets and auctions that sold all manner of goods. Every district, almost every street, had some sort of tavern or inn that sold decent meals and alcoholic spirits. The only thing that was not average about this city was the mood.

While the streets and markets were full of people they were all very quiet and subdued. It was like a very important and well-liked person that the entire city knew had recently died and they were all in mourning. But there was also a sense of fear, like they knew something terrible was going to happen though they didn't know what or when. This chilled atmosphere of foreboding was so pervasive and obvious that even Bobby was affected by it. He had yet to say a single word since they'd entered the fringes of the city. Something was very wrong here.

They quickly found a suitable inn with a nearby stable for their horses. Kitty and Logan made the arrangements for the rooms and horses as the others got settled. With their things unpacked they went as a group to order their lunch, no one wanted to go alone. They ate in silence and studied everyone else around them just as the other customers studied them. The tension in the room was almost tangible and only the locals knew why. This lack of knowledge was too much for Kitty to stand.

She slipped off giving the excuse that she had to relieve herself. After visiting an outhouse she took a detour and looked for a person to talk to. She passed up several shifty looking merchants; they would probably demand money for information. She avoided a staggering group of drunks; they were only partially aware of their surroundings, they weren't worth the effort. She briefly considered talking to a priest she spotted in the distance, but dismissed the idea. He might not want to waste his time with her. Finally she spotted the perfect target, a young woman who looked open and honest.

"Guten Tag!" Kitty began. The young woman jumped and looked around cautiously.

"Guten Tag." She replied nervously.

"(Could you please tell me why everyone is so upset?)" Kitty asked.

"(Lord Grauhard is here.)" She whispered nervously.

"(Lord Grauhard? I don't think that I am familiar with him.)" Kitty replied.

"(He has recently inherited his father's position and he has quickly made a name for himself.)" The woman explained.

"(What has he done that has put everyone one on edge?)" Kitty wondered.

"(He hates foreigners and Gypsies and feels that he is on a mission from God to drive them out of Germania and kill them if they refuse.)" The woman whispered fearfully. "(I must go.)" She murmured and swiftly vanished into the crowd.

Kitty quietly returned to the others and finished her meal. This was definitely going to complicate things for them. They would have to keep a low profile, especially around soldiers, and that would severely limit what they would be able to find out here. This little quest was just all going to Hell. At this rate they'd never find the Destiny Scrolls. Her mood now officially gone sour Kitty followed the others back up to their rooms to have a quick meeting before they had the rest of the day to themselves.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" Bobby asked before any real business could begin.

"Because Lord Grauhard is here." Kitty sighed.

"Who?" Bobby asked.

"Some young lord who has something personal against Gypsies and foreigners." Kitty replied.

"How do you know that?" Bobby wondered.

"I asked someone." Kitty answered.

"This makes things more complicated." Jean stated.

"Yes it will. Bobby, be on your absolute best behavior or else." Logan threatened.

"I always do." Bobby replied. Everyone just gave him a dirty look and then they got on with their meeting.

Nightcrawler was near the end of his rope. Ever since Kitty had vanished from sight Lockheed had been wailing. Who knew that such a small dragon could make such a loud ear-splitting sound? He sat on a tree branch next to the winged purple lizard with his tri-dactyl hands clamped firmly over his blue pointed ears. If Kitty didn't like this little creature so much he would've strangled it already. It would be so easy to do. All he had to do was wrap his tail around the thing's scrawny neck and squeeze. One more mournful wail and he'd had enough.

"Oh be quiet you little beast!" He shouted. The small purple creature snapped its mouth shut and whimpered pitifully. Nightcrawler held his head and sighed, he gotten rid of one annoyance for another. Lockheed kept whimpering and sniveling and looking utterly miserable. He acted like he'd lost the most important person in the world to him forever. This was just too much for the blue-furred demon to take.

"Please stop!" Nightcrawler cried. "It's not the end of the world!" The mournful look he received in return said that the little dragon felt otherwise. "What? Am I not good enough company for you?" Nightcrawler demanded. Lockheed gave him a sad look and shook his little triangular head. The blue furry German stared in open-mouthed shock for a moment. "Well that did wonders for my self-esteem." He grumbled sourly. The pygmy dragon let out a tiny sigh and curled up on the tree branch in a ball of melancholy.

"What, do you think that she won't come back?" Nightcrawler asked. The purple-hued fire-lizard nodded its head this time. "She wouldn't do that, she likes you too much." Nightcrawler soothed. Lockheed moaned and shook its head negatively. "Of course she does, she likes you far more than she likes me. In fact she downright despises me. She would gladly leave me behind, but not you." The blue German sighed sadly. The little dragon looked up at him inquisitively.

"She's always hated me, almost from the day she met me. I can't say that I'd blame her for it either. I've always ruined things for her, always held her back from her dreams. I kept her away from the boy she truly loved and my presence always displeased her at the very least. And just when we were starting to get along I was forced to abandon her in a living nightmare. She has every reason in the world to hate me." Nightcrawler moaned. The tiny dragon took pity on him and began to rub against his side and make a growling purr.

"I thank you for your support; few would give it to a miserable creature such as I. I deserve everything I get and more for what I have done. I should just walk away and leave her in peace right now, but I can't. I missed her so much for so long that I can't leave her be. It hurts me so much to see her so sad and angry, but there's nothing that I can do because she won't talk to me. To her I'm just some annoying demon that does nothing but pester her. I'm not trustworthy and I'm not worth her time." Nightcrawler murmured mournfully. Lockheed crawled up his arm and snuggled up by his chest. Such a move indicated absolute trust and it warmed the Nightcrawler's aching heart.

"You are one of a kind." Nightcrawler purred in praise. "You are nearly as great as my horse Schwarzi. Maybe you're even better; Schwarzi certainly can't sit up here with me like you can. And, don't tell Schwarzi that I said this; you're much smarter than he is. If only you could talk then I think we'd have wonderful conversations." The German whispered. The miniature dragon puffed up in pride. Nightcrawler grinned a true happy grin for the first time in a long time. He'd managed to win one of the group over, and it looked to be a beautiful friendship indeed.