The Quest

Chapter 9

~Di~
Di was frozen against the wall. Treth seemed unfazed as he continued sliding to the right, away from the gate and behind all the market stalls. She felt she had no choice but to follow him. There were too many mermaids swimming about—they were going to get caught. She cursed inwardly. How does one study unknown mermaid lairs before going into them? These idiots were so unprepared with this quest.

Di did her best to keep steady as they walked on sand and rocks, while also keeping quiet. She was sure mermaids had better hearing than she underwater because she only heard the muffled sounds of their swimming and talking. It was not like on land, where the bustling of a market was loud and one heard footsteps all over.

Treth looked up at her. Di looked around where they stopped; the end of the market and the start of a row of buildings. They looked similar to shops and a tavern. There were fewer people stirring around, which could be either good or bad.

"What are the chances we can find cover in the tavern?" She asked the dwarf. He grunted.

"We must take the chance," he replied. Except we have legs. Di looked at their legs. She was not very good at illusions, they'd have to suck it up and hope these mermaids had seen two-legged creatures in their land before. She swallowed.

Treth led the way in, confidently walking into the building they had been speaking by—the tavern. It was dark and seedy looking. They had no chairs, just tables, and a bar. The bartender had his back to them and it seemed no one else was inside.

Di took her chance and walked to the bar, knocking it for attention. Treth stayed a little behind her, keeping in sight with the bartender and the doorway. The bartender turned around. He was a tall, or rather long, with a bald head, an eyebrow piercing, and a tattoo going around his right arm. It looked like tribal marks to Di. He raised his eyebrows at them but didn't seem alarmed.

"Drink?" He asked. His voice sounded clearer than theirs and still lower. It was strange to Di, whatever magic they possessed.

"We're looking for jobs," Di responded quietly. She couldn't even think about the physics of having drinks underwater anymore, only hoping to gain some sort of help from this bartender.

His eyes narrowed as he responded, "Not hiring."

"In the castle." Di tried to look cool and collected. This is going to end terribly, I can feel it. Di didn't enjoy speaking so quickly and short with the merman—it meant there was something to hide on both ends.

"The castle?" He barked out a short laugh. "Looking to be slaves I see! That's a new one!"

Di looked down at Treth uncertainly.

"We're escaping from a different place," she tried to reason. The man still smiled at her, making her queasy. "We need to lie low for a day."

"And work at the castle is lying low?" He leaned forward. "Tell you what. I'll find you an in there for a piece of the magic that's letting you speak here. You don't belong here, but that's some strong work there."

"The imp too?" She looked at the man and gestured to Treth. He grimaced.

"Impossible. His kind is not welcome there. Not welcome here but for a piece of that magic I'll get ya in and hide it."

"We can't be separated." Di took a step back and grabbed Treth's hand. She was so afraid of losing this strange wager with the merman that she couldn't even feel disgusted by touching Treth. "He's my ticket upwards."

The man crossed his arms. Di gulped.

"Death to you then." He chuckled. "Try to take him with ya, but he can only get you both killed."