Hellborne

The Desert Guild

Vesta was a beautiful city situated right on the coast with easy access to the ocean. Boats skimmed through Vesta's water and made for port to stop and drop off their stock or load more stock and take off again. Unlike Gildeeran Vesta had no guards because it was a small trading town, so I could easily slip through the main entrance to the city. My hood was pulled low over my green eyes showing that I didn't want to attract attention, yet as I trotted atop of Hellborne, down the main road of Vesta people still had the audacity to stare at me like I was a prized piece of meat.

Not wanting to linger any longer than necessary, I quickly trotted Hellborne down the dirt road leading to the port. I managed to negotiate with the port master fir a boat to take me to the land of Kolu a small island that not many civilians know about he told me. Perfect, Kolu was the perfect place for me and Hellborne to lie low for a while.

The problem was transporting Hellborne to Kolu as well, he was much too big to fit on the boat that was the only one sailing to the tiny island for the next month and I couldn't wait that long lest I cause the chance for Lord Raji to find me.

Not willing to abandon Hellborne in Vesta I instead booked a small room at an inn where the rooms where connected to the stables. It was a convenient place to check up on Hellborne during the day. I needed a plan to somehow get Hellborne to Kolu between know and the next week. I knew that Lord Ruji would only wait that long before he sent Nox after me.

Thinking about Nox was a punch in the gut, sure he was my rival and all but Nox always stuck by me through thick and thin. I left him at the mercy of Lord Ruji, I really was a monster, wasn't I.

I needed to sleep, and then tomorrow morning I would figure out a plan. I rode Hellborne into the stables that connected to the room I would stay in and washed him down. As I stroked his hairy flank, Hellborne butted my side with his head in an affectionate manner. After he did this a couple of times I murmured "Alright, alright I will get you your dinner". Deciding that Hellborne deserved a treat for how well behaving he had been as of late. I strode to the market not far from the inn and purchased carrots and apples most likely imported from other lands to Vesta.

As I went back to the stable, Hellborne greedily devoured the carrots I held out for him I kept the apples for later. I turned in for the night and blew out the candle placed on a table alone in the cramped space.

My dreams were a garbled mess of screaming and the sound of something sharp slowly being dragged across a stone. I awoke with a gasp and a jerk and sat up violently. I looked around the dim room and noting looked to be amiss. Wanting to check up on Hellborne, I stood up and walked through the doorway leading the stable.

Where Hellborne was supposed to be, there was only a knife stabbed harshly through a parchment. Hellborne had vanished into the night, gone from my protection and to where I couldn't be with him. I bolted to that damn parchment and read the following

To the assassin turned traitor.

Blood so sweet drops slowly to the floor, a beast so big he dwarfs other creatures will roar.

You will feel the wrath of those you betrayed, unless you can give us your necklace of jade.

Desert Guild.

The damn Desert Guild, similar to that of the Assassin Guild that I grew up in, this guild is a bunch of sissies who have learnt to survive in the desert. Some people say that the boss of the Desert Guild is some magi and controls the water in the desert. I highly doubt these claims because on high ranking lord and their descendants have access to spells and elemental control.

Why the freaking hell would they take Hellborne and why do they want my jade necklace, I got this necklace from a market in Heru where the shopkeeper was selling it for a bargain I just couldn't pass up.

I knew where their headquarters were, I had been there before on a previous mission to take out a couple scouts.

How the heck would I get there now? Hellborne was gone and I didn't want to walk there in the middle of the night. Fine, I would hire a horse, or steal one I didn't care, and ride out there and get back my stallion.