Page 22 of A Fable of Riddles and Redemption

Herrick

While ensuring the rogue red panda, Anala, stayed outside of the shop the next day, Herrick noticed a figure in a dark cloak approaching from a distance. He frowned as he watched the person slowly draw nearer, studying them surreptitiously. Whoever was hidden beneath the black hooded cloak was tall, likely close to his own height.

Probably a man, then, he mused. Though some women may reach my height, most do not. Zorina certainly doesn’t.

Herrick also realized that from what he could see, the figure was built like a man. There were certainly no feminine graces in his movements, nor in the way some sort of brown object—a weapon, perhaps—swung as it dangled from his belt.

The hooded cloak in and of itself was not overly suspicious, but as the figure came closer, Herrick noticed that under the fully drawn hood was a white mask that covered all but the wearer’s mouth. Who was the masked man, and why was he hiding? Or worse: what was he hiding? Did he have nefarious intentions?

As the man drew closer, Herrick could see that the brown object hanging from the man’s belt was a small wooden flute. That answered one riddle, at least. A musician, then? A piper?

Herrick continued to watch him, hoping that another guard would be able to follow the hooded man—or that Zorina would exit the shop, thus freeing him from guarding against Anala’s destruction. As it was nearing evening, he expected her to make an appearance any minute.

Unfortunately, no other guards seemed to be patrolling the area, and Zorina was still inside when the cloaked man passed the pottery shop. The man turned his head toward Herrick, but Herrick could not see his eyes beneath his cowl and his mask. It seemed, however, that the stranger had noticed him watching—or at the very least, recognized that he was a guard.

No outward reaction beyond that was apparent, however, and the cloaked man continued on toward the center of Adael—and toward the castle. Could he have business there, or would he stop somewhere else along the road?

The door behind Herrick suddenly opened, and Zorina stepped out of the shop, quickly closing the door after exiting. “Done. Finally.”

Herrick nodded, but kept his eyes on the strange man. “I’d offer to escort you home, but…” His voice trailed off.

Zorina apparently followed his line of sight since she sucked in a breath and asked, “Who is that?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “But I’m hoping to find out.”

Just before Herrick could begin following the cloaked man, the masked figure turned toward them. The stranger tilted his head as if in curiosity at the sight of Zorina. The thought of her being a target of this cowled man’s attention unsettled him, and he instinctively placed a protective hand on her shoulder, moving a bit in front of her as he did so. He could almost feel her gaze on him at the touch, but he kept his focus on the man watching them.

Then, with a slight shrug, the man turned and continued walking toward the castle.

“I’m going to follow him,” Herrick whispered as he started to pull his hand back, but Zorina snagged it with hers before he could reclaim it.

“Don’t be stupid or reckless,” she hissed back.

A smirk lifted one corner of his mouth as he squeezed her hand gently before releasing it. “No promises.”

Blending into the crowd as well as he could, Herrick trailed after the masked man. Thankfully, the stranger did not turn around and notice him—as far as he could tell.

As Herrick followed, he could not discern anything particularly alarming about the man’s behavior—aside from his odd mask and cowl, that is. The man led the way to Adael Castle until he reached the gate, currently guarded by Cadby and Jupp.

“Halt! Who goes there?” Cadby cried.

Herrick fully caught up just as the masked man stopped and bowed elegantly. “Good sirs, my name is Caliban. I am a mage, and I can help with your red panda problem.”

The gate guards peered at Caliban with curious suspicion—a feeling Herrick felt himself at the situation. Could this mage aid them? Was he someone who could be trusted to do so?

Herrick did not know the answers to those questions, but he was grateful that he would not have to be the one to decide.

“In what way do you offer your assistance?” Cadby asked cautiously.

Jupp nodded his agreement, though Herrick wondered if he was intelligent enough to fully grasp the situation. Based on his past interactions with the younger guard, probably not.

“With my magic, I can lure the red pandas out of the city and put a barrier in place to keep them from reentering.”

It sounded perfect…maybe a little too perfect.

Still, it was worth at least looking into.

And then Jupp had to open his big mouth and say, “What a load of trash. Just drop them in the bay and be done with it.”