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"What?!" "Don't worry. It has to be an exaggeration, right?" Rose and Finn walked up the first grassy knoll, and at its summit got a better sense of the area. They could see the western ridge, behind which the lake was supposed to be. But as they walked the narrow trails to get there, they came upon a wagon hanging precariously at the edge of a steep decline. A young man in gaudy purple and beige robes strained at one of the wheels, attempting to pull the vehicle back onto safe ground. There were no draft animals to be seen, but a great deal of blood spattered the dirt. "Don't do that!" Finn bellowed. "You're going to get yourself killed, you stupid boy!" "But my fortune is in there! If I lose the wagon, I'll never be able to pay off my debts!" Rose looked at her partner. "Finn . . ." "Yeah, yeah." Together, the two big warriors dragged the wagon to safety. Rose let Finn do most of the work, as pulling hurt her midsection. "I hope you don't expect us to pull this for you to wherever you're going. Where the hell are your animals?" The young man let out a miserable sigh. "I was attacked by wyverns. They snatched up both my mules, but I managed to shoot one in the neck." Rose walked to the edge of the trail and looked down. Sure enough, the twisted corpse of one huge winged reptile lay below, with the mule crushed beneath. Finn joined her and nodded appreciatively. "You're pretty brave, for such a stupidly dressed kid. But where are you going with that wagon? From what I know, there aren't many people living here." "Not living, but visiting. There's a big event being held, and I intend to make a killing. I hope somebody can sell me some mules there." Curious as to what he was selling, Rose peeked inside his wagon. "What the . . ! Squid dolls? What is this event?" "What, you didn't hear? Tomorrow at the lake, Mathias the Magnificent unveils his greatest catch--the Kraken of the Mountains." # As they were all going the same way, Rose and Finn let the young merchant accompany them. Perrin, as he was named, seemed quite eager to see the Kraken, but knew little about the beast. Finn had his own ideas. "I think it'll probably just be some toy made of wood and cloth, which this Mathias the Charlatan hopes will make him some easy money." "But there are real monsters around here," Rose reminded him. "I know. Mathias might be in for a surprise if he tries to use the lake for this." By the time the threesome arrived at the lake, many tents of varied color and quality had already been set up on the shore. Perrin left to find someone to sell him mules, while Rose and Finn were quickly mobbed by strangers who recognized them. "The legendary heroes are here!" a child said, and the crowd was on them. Finn indulged in their admiration, gladly boasting of his great deeds, while Rose simply shook hands and nodded politely. Eventually, an obese man in an undersized silk jacket pushed his way through the crowd, huffing and puffing. Two huge, muscle-bound men followed closely, gripping clubs in callused hands. "What is all this commotion here?" he asked as he laid eyes on the warrior pair. "Mathias the Magnificent?" In response to the fat man's nod, Finn introduced himself. "Finn Nost, who is more magnificent than you will ever be." Mathias began to turn bright red. Rose smacked her head. "He means no offense--he's drunk." "Am not." She elbowed him. "Lord Mathias, we have to talk to you about using the lake for this event. I'm wondering what exactly you're planning, because some activities on the lake might have to be reconsidered due to the danger." The Magnificent spat. "First you come here with your big swords and fancy armor, stealing attention from my show, without which you wouldn't even be here. Then you have the nerve to try and tell me what I can and can't do? You're lucky I am a generous man, because I'm tempted to have you forcibly removed. As it is, you'd do best to stay out of my way." Rose managed to keep Finn quiet with repeated elbows until Mathias was out of sight. Then he said, "Fat piece of pig shit. Did you hear him? He called my mace a sword! As if his faggot lovers could possibly remove me, with their show muscles." "He had a point. This is his show, and we don't even know if monsters will actually come. Though, we would have been here without the show." "He could have been more cooperative about what he's doing." "What did you expect, when you said that line about your magnificence?" "I don't like him. He's a fat cheat. And besides, the line was true." Rose smiled. "Probably. Let's just wait and see what happens." # Despite Finn's altercation with Mathias, the couple was not denied the purchase of a guest tent from the show staff. The next morning, they awakened to loud, dramatic music signaling the start of the event. "It's too damn early," Finn said. "I doubt the crowd is pleased." The sun had barely risen, and a distant hillside still obscured it from view. Mathias stood on a high platform, shouting in his thunderous voice. "Wake, good travelers, open those sleepy eyes, for you are about to see a sight like nothing else in the world. Look, behind me! On the stream, it comes! Behold, the Kraken of the Mountains!"
All eyes turned to the stream, where what looked like a wide raft
was being pulled upstream by a pair of ponies walking along the
bank. But as it got closer, Rose noticed the tentacles which became
visible now and then as they thrashed below the platform. Slowly,
she realized that the "raft" was attached to the top
of some kind of cage, presumably to enhance its buoyancy. |