Ancestral Dragon

Chapter 9

The next day, clouds rolled in on strong winds making it difficult for the sun to peek through. Jak and Rory walked along the lake until midday, when Rory took them back into the forest and onto a well-traveled trail. Within the trees, she knelt and picked some mushrooms, examined them and handed some to Jak.

The last time Jak ate mushrooms was eight or nine years ago. His mother had tried to introduce them during dinner. He had outright refused to eat them after one try and never gave them a second chance. But Jak's stomach growled from hunger and willing to eat anything. There had not been time to fish that morning. He bit into a mushroom and almost spit it out from the texture alone. Jak forced himself to swallow and hesitantly finished the meager meal.

"We'll be going through a small town," Rory said breaking the silence. "Don't interact with anyone. It was once a sanctuary for Aunsi until about ten years ago, then turned into one of the worst concentration camps in the kingdom."

"If it's a prison, why don't we go around? Why do they even let people travel through it?"

"The king likes it when the punishment for using magic can be seen. It serves as a reminder that magic is against his law. Plus, there is a tavern we can eat at."

The mention of food pushed away all concerns; except one.

"What about our swords?" Jak asked.

"Many people travel with weapons. It's using magic that's forbidden."

As they walked through the forest, a tall wooden wall appeared to their right. It was at least three times as tall as Jak with barbed wire at the top. There was a tall, open wooden tower ahead, at the end of the wall. Two men were at the top keeping watch. As they passed the tower, Jak's stomach had a fluttery feeling that almost made him lose his appetite and suggest that they forget about the tavern.

The trail widened into a dirt road lined with a dozen log buildings. The windows were too dirty to see inside and the broken ones only showed darkness. Most of the buildings had porches with benches or broken rocking chairs. An ache formed in Jak's throat. No one deserved to live here, especially against their will. He could see why the king allowed people to travel through this town. Even though Jak couldn't use magic willingly, he never wanted to use it again.

Rory didn't seem fazed at all, walking with confidence on the main street to one of the large buildings. She walked through swinging doors into a wide-open room with a bar in the back. Many empty, wooden tables were spread throughout and Rory told Jak to take a seat before she walked over to talk with the barman.

Jak sat at a table near the front, for an easy escape route. The room felt dark and heavy with the smell of alcohol and sweat. Three men sat at the bar with long, dispassionate faces. Each of them wore rags for clothes that hung off of filthy bodies. These must have been prisoners from behind the wall. Jak's heart ached for them and he couldn't believe that the king would allow his subjects to live in such conditions. Jak longed to help but there wasn't anything he could do.

Rory returned to the table with a couple of large bowls. The smell of cooked vegetables and some kind of meat floating in warm liquid caused Jak's stomach to rumble. He dug right in and ate without reservation, stuffing his face before he even swallowed. Rory took her time and seemed to savor the meal.

"That was so good," Jak said when finished. "What kind of meat is that?"

"You'll probably be happier not knowing," she responded.

Jak considered the empty bowl but accepted his full stomach and let it go. Now that he was paying attention to the rest of the room, he noticed that the three men at the bar were glancing over at his table. Rory seemed to be too involved with her own meal to notice. Jak kept his attention on them and accidentally made eye contact with one. The man stood and sauntered over to Jak's table.