150 At the Stables
Lydia gasped, staring at the man on the moose. “Arad?” She sheathed her sword, “What is this thing?”
Brrrr! The moose growled. He glared down, kicking the ground with his front legs.
“I haven’t named him yet. Call him moose, or he might get upset,” Arad patted the moose’s head.
“You didn’t give him a name yet? How about Jean or Raptor?” Lydia lifted her hand, trying to touch the moose’s head.
“I will think about it later,” Arad extended his arm to her, “Let’s get up,”
Lydia shook her head. “You will hurt him.” She patted her armor, causing it to crack.
“The stables are close. Let’s see if they have a large enough saddle.” She pointed into the distance, “He bought the extra time. We could spend some to get him a saddle,” Arad didn’t want to harm the moose. Aella didn’t seem to be in immediate danger, so it was okay to tend to this matter first.
Lydia walked beside the moose until they reached the stables.
The stable owner gasped, falling on his back as he saw a moose walk it. “Who let this thing in?” He crawled back.
Brrrrr! The moose growled, kicking one of the vases decorating the garden. CRACK!
“I’m up here.” Arad waved his hand. “I’m looking for a saddle.”
“Kamel, This moose is his mount. Please provide him with everything needed.” Lydia walked forward.
“Lydia of the golden order?” The stable master stood, “Fine. But I don’t want to get kicked.” He sighed, “A saddle for a large horse will work for the time being. I will also give his hooves a trim if he behaved while setting the saddle.”．
Arad looked at the moose, patting his neck, “Did you hear him? Behave and you will have your hooves cleaned.” He jumped from the moose and guided him to the stable master.
The stable master patted the moose’s side and inspected the skeletal structure. “As I expected, a large saddle with longer straps and some padding will do for now,”
The stable master walked back to the shed and brought paper and a measuring rope. “I will give you a modified horse saddle, but visit me tomorrow. I will have a saddle built for him.” He measured the moose from each shoulder and up to his neck.
“Yo!” Jack walked into the stables, “The birds told me Lydia was around with a beefy man and a moose. Thought I must check it out.”
Arad looked back, “Jack!”
Lydia sighed, “What are those birds you talk about?”
“Old friends,” Jack walked forward with a smile, patting Lydia’s head. CRACK! She punched him in the gut, and his body bent like a leaf. “OW!”
“Anything new?” Arad asked, patting Jack’s back to help him breathe, “Yeah, a few things here and there,” He stood, “I did a few jobs when you were out. Got about ten gold coins from them. I also did finish the payment for the house with Lyla. That was a total of twenty-nine gold coins, thirty silver coins, and five coppers.”
Jack straightened his back, cracking his neck. “But if you’re looking for interesting stuff, I have some news.”
Arad stared at Jack, “What’s new?”
Lydia sighed, staring at the stable master moving the moose to the crush so he could fix his hooves. “Are you talking about lord Esmeray?”
Jack smiled, “Exactly,” He pointed at Arad, “Lord Esmeray and the city lord argued a few days ago.” He started giggling.
“Lord Esmeray’s son, aged four years, slapped the city lord’s wife after she argued against his father. That moment was unforgettable.” Jack burst laughing, “And what’s even more, everyone agreed with the little kid.”
Lydia sighed, “The city lord’s head started boiling, but he couldn’t do anything.”
“What did they argue about?” Arad asked.
“Word about a large tree appearing in the northern forest has been going around. A Sylph’s root, a rare elder wood.” Jack waved his hand. “The city Lord’s wife said she will send a party to gather the wood so they can use it for furniture and rare art. Lord Esmeray’s son said it will be better to use it as material for staffs and wands, vampire stakes, and more.”
Lydia sighed, “That four years old kid knew what he was talking about. We need more magic weapons and anti-vampire stakes. He was thinking of putting the wood to actual use.”
Jack smiled, wiping tears from his eyes, “Yeah, the lord’s wife called him a clueless kid and grabbed his ear. The boy slapped hard enough to scare everyone and called her a wasteful bitch.”
“What complicated the matter more? The city lord discussed the same use the kid talked about with the nobles before so he couldn’t take his wife’s side.” Lydia scratched her head, staring at the sky, “The lord has four wives, and she’s the worst of them. What’s more, the kid looked at the people at that party, and everyone agreed with him.”
“He put the lord’s wife in a tough spot. The lord can’t support her, and the nobles won’t dare speak up as they know what is best. And more, she’s the one who grabbed the kid by the ear first.” Jack looked at Arad.
Arad looked at the sky with his eyes closed, ^I’m less than one month old. Could he be a dragon as well? No, he would have taken an older look to blend it, and he has a family, so he’s something else?^
“Can you tell me more about that kid?” Arad looked at Lydia, “Chuzuke Esmeray. Born four years ago to Liam Esmeray and his wife Hana whom he picked from the east. Not much was known about him besides being a genius. They live in the western side of the city in a mansion outside the city.” Lydia explained. “You can see the kid training with a wooden sword from noon to evening each day if you walked past their mansion.”
Arad looked at Jack, “I guess this isn’t some noble drama. Where does it matter to us?”
Jack smiled, “It doesn’t matter to us, but it matters to Mira.” Jack said, “As far as I know, she’s the most knowledgeable about wood. I’m sure both Chuzuke and the lord’s wife are going to approach her.”
Thud! The stable master walked in. “I got him ready!” The moose had his saddle strapped and hoves done.
