Knight and Squire Reunited

"Others?"

"Oh yes, there is quite a little party of would-be dragon slayers now. But I should introduce myself. I am Belboz, a poor old country mage reduced to living in these caves."

"Please to meet you, sir. I am Alric, Lord Frederigo's squire as you correctly deduced. Forgive me for asking, but how can you live in these caves when they are the home of a dragon?"

"I keep to those areas where the beast rarely if ever comes. If the worst should come to the worst, then I have warding spells that I can use to protect myself. But come with me, and I will reunite you with your master."

Belboz led Alric down the tunnel towards the source of the red light. As the squire passed the spot where he had first seen Belboz, apparently leaning over something. he looked down. However there seemed to be nothing there.

They soon emerged into a steamy chamber, with water bubbling somewhere in the background. Alric saw three people there. One was his master, who did not look well. His face appeared drawn, and he seemed to be favouring one arm.

The other two, astonishingly, were female. One was very beautiful, though plump. No, "plump" wasn't quite the right word, he decided, for her waist, face, arms and legs seemed trim enough. Extremely voluptuous might be a better description. Her hair appeared as a mass of flame in the red light, and he imagined that even seen in white light it would still have a reddish hue. Her face looked sad, he thought.

The strangest member of the group, though, was what he would have taken to be a waiflike young woman, had she not had wings. Was she a succubus, or maybe a harpie? But his master seemed unalarmed by her presence, and anyway surely a succubus should be more attractive than she was. So he stilled the hand with which he had been about to cross himself.

His master smiled when he saw him. "You got here safely then, Alric," he said. "I was expecting to meet you outside the caves, but you seem to have found your own way in. My friends are Princess Astra of Aqualaria and Checkers, from a faraway land and of the race known as Gliders. Belboz the mage I see you have already met. Astra, Checkers, this is Alric, my squire."

Alric bowed. "Your Highness... my lady," he said, turning first to Astra and then to Checkers.

"Pleased to meet you, Alric," Astra said. "I was a princess but consider myself one no longer," she went on to the squire's mystification, "so please just call me 'Astra'."

"And please call me 'Checkers', Alric."

Alric was not altogether happy with this, though he said nothing. In Allaria, correct etiquette was thought to be very important. He would never dream of addressing his master as other than "Sir", for instance.

Fred went on: "As you see, we now need more than two horses. You and I are going to ride back to the nearest village and buy some more to add to the two that you, I hope, have brought. We'll buy supplies as well. My original horse is lost, by the way."

"So will everyone be leaving the caves then, sir? Does that mean that your quest is complete and that the dragon is dead?"

"I'm afraid not. There are many dangers in these caves even disregarding the dragon, and unfortunately I was wounded badly by one of them. As a result, I have little strength left in my sword-arm. So my quest will have to wait until my arm has recovered. Checkers, whose quest is the same as mine, also is injured, though less seriously. Once you and I return with the extra horses, we have decided that all of us should head for Aqualaria."

1. "It's late now," Belboz pointed out. "I suggest that we should all get a good night's sleep, and then Fred and his squire can set off in the morning."
2. "Aqualaria?" Alric queried. "Sir, I don't understand. Why would you go there?"

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