Stories Have Power

There was no one in Emre more elusive than Elwin Gowers, well, maybe Rory Hotten, but that poor bastard had been caught a few days ago. Elwin had always admired Rory. He thought he was untouchable. They were the same person after all.

“You can’t dwell on the past,” Elwin had told him.

As untouchable as Rory was, he was reckless and had never been a good listener, so Elwin did what any sane adventurer would do–he killed him and buried him deep below a mountain of unaddressed emotional trauma.

Now, Elwin rolled a coin over his knuckles on the side of the road a few miles outside of Numeria. He didn’t know if he would ever return to the city, which was a shame, as Numeria was his favorite city west of the Kaharn Desert.

He wasn’t the best magician, but he knew enough tricks to garner the attention of a few pretty women; however, he was the best pickpocket and had earned enough coins to tag along with the next wagon that passed by, except none of the wagons that passed by were stopping today.

Another wagon rolled down the dirt road, his fifth attempt of the day, just as he finished the trick he liked to call A Coin From Nowhere. Elwin plucked the coin out of the air, spun, and dropped it into a hidden pocket. He took off his favorite floppy hat and waved it, hoping to catch the driver’s attention.

Again, the wagon didn’t seem to be stopping, so Elwin took luck into his own hands and jumped onto the road, flailing his hands wildly. Rory Hotten had been known for similar attention-seeking displays. It appeared that the ghost of his old friend wasn’t buried as deeply as he hoped. He prayed this wouldn’t become an inconvenience because he had a lot of old friends.

Dirt kicked into the air as a massive brown mare stopped inches from Elwin’s nose. He scratched the horse’s white-speckled snout appreciatively.

“By all the Gods in Emre, what are you doing?” the driver said.

“Oh, a fine morning to you, sir. I’m Elwin Gowers, magician extraordinaire. It is my honor to make your acquaintance,” Elwin said, pulling the coin out of his pocket, making it glisten in the golden sunlight. “Are you heading East?”

The driver’s eyes darted back and forth from Elwin to the coin. “That’s my business,” he said.

Elwin made the coin dance in his hand, hopping from knuckle to knuckle like a cricket. “I can pay,” he said, flashing the coin so it glared back at the driver. “I won’t be a burden; in fact, several people have said I’m interesting company.”

The driver took off his saggy, brown hat, revealing a bald head and crow’s feet next to his eyes. He was older than Elwin had thought. “I ain’t got the room,” he said, gesturing to the wagon.

Elwin furrowed his eyebrows. “As you can see,” he said, gesturing to his small frame. “I don’t take up much space.”

“I’ve already got a stowaway,” the driver said. He cracked the reins, and the mare nudged Elwin out of the way.

The wheel nearly rolled over Elwin’s foot as he stepped to the side. He dropped his coin into the dirt as it moved. He never dropped his coin. A familiar, beautiful blonde-haired woman with freckled cheeks and blue eyes popped her head out of the back of the wagon.

“Give Rory my regards, Mr. Gowers,” she said, smiling and putting his oversized hat on.

Maybe he wasn’t the best pickpocket after all.

Want More Stories?

If you liked this story and want to read more of my work, I suggest Tales & Treasure. The novel is available in its entirety on Substack for FREE, or you can order the ebook and paperback on Amazon.

Thank you for reading! See you soon.