The Order of Dragonfire

Chapter 9

It wasn't often that raiders bought their lives back from the edge of a sword. Those who attacked Serpensbane would be killed almost without hesitation. They would be wandering tribes, often hungry, in need of equipment or just looking for something - or someone - to sell on to other marauders. This person, however, was different. He came alone and found a way into the city, even managing to sneak into the highly restricted Dragonfire Spire before being found as an intruder as the soldiers passed through. That alone was odd; why would a thief bypass the market stalls in the outer ring to make it to the spire? There wasn't much there that would be of any worth to him, or at least nothing he couldn't have gotten more easily elsewhere. Rather than kill him instantly as she would normally have done, Ava had demanded to know what he was up to. His answer seemed innocuous but the coincidence was too much to ignore.

"What is your name?" Gareth asked the shaking wreck that had been brought before him. Gareth sat behind his desk, adorned with trinkets and scribbled notes. Opposite him sat a man in dark grey robes, his eyes darting around the small room as he struggled slightly to escape the chain holding his waist in place.

"J...Jacob, sir." He stammered.

"And what, exactly, motivated you to break into the spire?"

Jacob gulped as he prepared his answer, with even his robes appearing to shake with fear.

"It was that amulet I wanted. The red one."

"You don't know its name?"

"No sir."

The answer troubled Gareth deeply. There was no denying that the Firebreath Amulet was invaluable, but not to bandits and raiders. Only a trained and disciplined mind would be able to harness its power, certainly not a marauder or anyone they could sell it to. And even if he did know its true worth, how would he not also know its name or that it was far more than just a red amulet?

"I see. But this doesn't really answer my initial question." Gareth leaned forwards and stared into the intruder's eyes. "I want to know why you did this. What possible use could you have for it that would be worth this perilous undertaking?"

Jacob seemed to grow all the more uncomfortable as Gareth questioned him, shifting uneasily in his seat rather than saying anything.

"Tell me." Gareth demanded, growing irritated. This was the second time in the past few weeks that someone had tried to steal the amulet, and the second time that it was someone with no apparent motive. Alexia's actions had continued to haunt him and he wasn't going to give up now that he was so close to the truth.

"It was... them. In the dreams, sir."

"Them? Who are they?"

"I don't know. But they know me. They know my name. They know my talents, said that's why they picked me."

Gareth's eyes narrowed. Was he lying or just mad? 

"So you broke in because a dream told you to? Why do you think there's any more to this than mere dreaming?"

"They showed me your spire. The whole city. And it was right, I got here and everything was as they showed me. Everything. They want that necklace." Jacob grew a little more forceful as he spoke, indignant that this ordeal was being belittled.

"And they drove me mad, they did. I was an elite cat burglar, a picture of calm. Now..." He stammered, his knees bouncing as he spoke.

Gareth nodded.

"There may be more to this than you know. Guards, take him to a cell for now. We will have more discuss later."