Beauty and the Magician (Tales of the Red Witch Book 1)

Chapter 3 - Stranger things

The two men awoke early despite Stefan's pounding headache and rode on traveling the main road east towards Jegerborg as it gently sloped down passing out of the rolling pasture lands of central Landet Gress and into the rockier lands of the coast.

"I still can't believe you gave that girl in the tavern last night your ring. Probably convinced that she's engaged to you now. What was her name again? Betty? Berta?" Stefan said with a quizzical brow.

Andri scrunched up his face in thought. "Betty? I had been calling her Minka all night...Actually, that was Viscount Woodbury's ring that I won at cards last week."

Andri smiled and continued. "Giving Whats-her-name the ring was probably not one of my wisest decisions...but she was just so..." He sighed in satisfaction leaving the thought to trail off.

Stefan agreed about the girl, though no one would ever accuse Andri of making wise decisions.

He rubbed his aching head.

"That terrible drink the bartender pushed on us must have been stronger than we thought... Didn't you tell her the ring was a family heirloom?"

"I'm sure it was for Viscount Woodbury." Andri said as he turned and smiled at his friend.

Just before dusk they approached a well-traveled fork in the road. The northern fork would take them towards castle Jegerborg while the southern fork led down to the major port city of Hafenstadt. They had spent many a night there mixing with exciting foreign travelers and learning new card games and new curse-words in various languages. They pondered the vibrant city of Hafenstadt, with all of it's promise and they were faced with a decision.

Andri had never been one to shy away from amusement and adventure and Hafenstadt offered both in excess.

"Let's spend the night in Hafenstadt. I'm feeling lucky and I don't want to pass on a chance at a good card game." Andri decided at the fork.

Stefan preferred cards over hunting anyway, he was a terrible shot but rather good at cards.

"Very well, but I'm a little short." Stefan admitted as he patted his empty pockets. Being Andri's friend was expensive and unlike his friend, Stefan didn't have a steward to follow after him and cover all his debts.

"Yes, but perhaps there's still time for you to grow." Andri answered with a smirk and a lift of his impossibly handsome eyebrow.

Stefan answered back by throwing a glove at him, which Andri caught handily with a flick of his wrist.

Andri laughed a deep hearty bellow. "Let's go. They'll make room for us at the Bull and Thistle." He added further with a mischievous sparkle in his eye.

They made their way towards the great city, the sour pungent smell of the fishy salty port hitting them as soon as they reached the bottom of the craggy hill. As they entered the city, they could hear the water crashing along the pier and the creak of the boats above the general noise of a bustling city. Various ocean birds circled above or chattered from their perches among the rooftops.

Hafenstadt was a large trade city and was second in size only to the capital city of Grune Stadt. The maze-like narrow brick streets were crowded with folks, sailors, and merchants peddling every kind of ware and pouring out of the cities many crowded taverns. Their horses had to walk slow as they wove their way through the crush.

Stefan had been to Hafenstadt many times before but he still gazed in awe at the tall crooked brick and wood buildings leaning heavily over the shabby narrow streets shading out what was left of the sunlight as it fell upon the horizon. The city stood in sharp contrast to Grune Stadt with its wide open streets and more elegant structures made of greenish white stone and richly carved columns and cornices.