Felix Let Loose (The Slayer Book 2)

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The Cat

'There was a long time ago' Waltz was saying, 'back when I lived with my old guild, god it feels like a lifetime ago...'

'Return to your original point?' Sumaey suggested, sitting opposite him at the table.

'Oh, sorry' Waltz mumbled.

'I'm sure you miss them' Sumaey spoke quietly to her lap.

'The witch thought killing them would be a good punishment for me, because I disobeyed her.'

'You have not seen her in a while. She's not summoned you.'

Waltz smiled, changing the subject then.

'My original point' he said steepling his fingers. 'Wait.... oh yes, I remember. A long time ago we fought a griffon in think it was, we used a magical arrow, we stuck it in its body, and as it flew, it left a trail through the sky for us to follow.'

'Ok' Sumaey spoke levelly.

'We can't do that.'

'Why not?'

'Because' Waltz frowned, 'that device was very expensive. And it's not all that easy to find, but I don't think it matters' he paused, 'we don't need that anyway. This creature is very big, I think we can find it if.... it's very big' he mused. 'Its nest would be easy to find, it would be somewhere high.'

'Why do you think that?'

'I would be somewhere rocky.'

'What makes you think that?'

Waltz glanced up. 'It....' He thought. 'It would be somewhere rocky, an elemental creature like that.... fire....it would burn everything around it, and it would not be near water, birds nest high, it would be in the mountains.'

'If you say so' Sumaey said leaning forwards on her elbows.

'We just need to get somewhere high' Waltz mumbled distractedly, 'get a vantage-point.'

'Mh-hm.' Sumaey took a drink from her tankard. 'Maybe if you ask Graham nicely he will let you ride him the whole way.'

Waltz scowled then, turning sharply away.

'I need a horse' he huffed moodily, hugging himself. 'They are so dam expensive.'

'Get a cheap one.'

'No I can't have an old mare or unbroken animal, I need a strong and fit horse for my work, or else it's not worth the money.'

Sumaey glanced away then at the bar around them.

'Maybe one day eh?'

'Maybe' Waltz grumbled, lifting his drink, '....one day...'

The inn around them was mostly empty, a few figures moved around and spoke in mumbles. It was dim inside, and small, but comfortable. The place had a nice atmosphere.

They were alone here, the cat was nowhere to be seen, and Spirit as he so often did, hid from the people, and Graham and Loxus slept in the sun outside, attracting more than a few stares from those who saw them.

'You've got our rooms ready?' Sumaey asked him. 'You've booked them I mean?'

'We need a weapon' Waltz spoke to himself, not listening to Sumaey, 'something like a lance fired from a contraption. Killing this creature would be easy, setting up the trap correctly would be hard.' He frowned to himself. 'I need more money for this, I need to buy tools to build a device, like a great crossbow, or pay someone else to do it. But for that I need money.'