Chapter 33: Trouble
It was a two-week journey on horseback to the Alchemists’ Guild. At least, the dirt road only passed through grasslands and barren fields, saving Percy the trouble of trekking through more forests or mountains.
Not that the trip was without dangers. Baldy had given him a month’s worth of elixirs, so that he wouldn’t fall behind on his second core’s purification. Unfortunately, the excessive amount of wealth was a double-edged sword, turning him into a juicy target for any aspiring robbers.
The young man knew bandits frequented places like this, so he found it difficult to sleep at night. His family didn’t have any justification to send escorts this time, making him easy prey for the criminals. Sure, he was the owner of a promising bloodline but, as far as his relatives were concerned, he should have stayed locked up at home like a good little Red-born – not risk his life on needless adventures.
His only consolation was that he wasn’t completely alone. Micky flew nearby, a couple miles away, ready to help if something happened. Of course, that came with its own set of challenges as Percy didn’t want to be seen too close to the bird, to avoid drawing suspicions.
‘Just five more days of this. Nothing bad will happen.’
The good news was that they had already travelled nearly two thirds of the trip without getting into trouble. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so quick to jinx it though…
***
‘Shit, I think they’re following me.’
Four men rode just a couple hundred meters behind him. Normally, it wouldn’t have necessarily meant much, as this was a popular road. Maybe they were regular travellers or merchants heading the same route. However, their movements were rather suspicious.