So, in the late 90s, I was on a Dragonlance listserv. If you were on one, you know that they could just be a firehose of emails, especially if something controversial was going on, and moderator emails would be buried somewhere in the flow. So, if there was a controversial subject, and you were sufficiently hot-headed, you would not see "drop this now" messages from the mods until you'd fired off a response, and, because it was email, you couldn't say "oops" and delete the message.
I don't recall what I was right about, but I ran afoul of this, and, as punishment, I was required to write a short story, about two con-men trying to sell dragon parts as medicine. I decided that it was too much homework for a listserv, and didn't do it. And, so, for about 26 years, I've had this assignment in the back of my head. And, with the 40th anniversary of Dragonlance, I decided to do it. Maybe a bit different than the moderator wanted, but it is, at least, recompense for being right when I'd been told to stop.
"Step right up, step right up! Be the first in your town to taste the amazing Dragon Tonic! Yes, indeed, dragon tonic, straight from the Knights in Nordmaar, available here, for you! Today only, two steel, yes two pieces of steel will buy you your very own dragon tonic! You sir! You look like you need some pep in your step, some fire in your life! This tonic here, this elixir of magic and majesty will give you the energy of a man half your age and the strength of a man twice your size! For you sir, I will take just three pieces of bronze, that is HALF my normal price! Any lower and you are robbing me blind, sir, but three pieces of bronze to be able to sip the dragon tonic!"
Elsvier stood on the back of his cart, draped with streamers of gold, silver, and bronze cloth. In lieu of a written sign, he instead displayed the image of a gold dragon in a bottle. His voice was pitched to carry, his words chosen to attract and excite. His chosen mark walked on by. "You, madam, for you I have here the healing power of a silver dragon, held in a bottle! Silver dragons, the most beautiful of all dragonkind, their essence will bring shine to your eyes and hair, fill you with life like you've never experienced! Just two steel pieces, madam, and you will have the life force of a dragon in your veins!" This woman stopped, looking at the glittering bottle in his hand. He could see the glimmers from the silver flecks in the bottle on her warm olive skin.
"This, madam, is the essence of a silver dragon, drawn from her very claws and scales, generously donated by the kindness of her heart! We prepare it according to an elven recipe handed down from my great-grandmother, who lived during the Third Dragon War! It is said that Huma himself drank the first of these draughts, and my health and vitality today is thanks to its power!" He flung open his arms, and the open neck of his shirt showed the edge of a ragged, red, scar, and a silver pendant in the shape of a dragon's claw.
She smiled as he talked, brown eyes following his gestures, the glittering bottle in his hand. She slowly drew her purse from her belt, seeming to weigh it in her hand. The half-elf stepped down from his cart, his voice dropping to speak only to her; he knew when to move in for the sale.
"Madam, I tell you now, that this draught has changed my life. When the dragons returned, my mother spoke to me of the potions her grandmother had taught her, with ingredients long-lost to the world of mortals. I learned from her art, and, by Sirrion, I vowed to bring the blessings of the Dragon Tonic to her kin and mine. Two steel, just four pieces of bronze, and it can be yours; I'll even give you back a silver coin if you return the bottle."
Her hair was honey-blonde, with just a tinge of auburn, and she bowed her head as she opened her purse. His practiced eye saw that it was mostly gold, near to worthless... but the pouch was heavy, so perhaps it wasn't all worthless.
"Two steel... that is... sixty gold?" Her accent was strange, but refugees from Estwilde and Midland crowded these small Solamnian villages; having never been that far east, it may be from there, he thought.
"Madam, two steel is eighty gold, but, for the memory of my great-grandmother and the good she wanted for the world, I shall sell it to you for only sixty of those gold coins."
She smiled at him, and the warmth of her smile would have moved him, if he hadn't worked so hard to bring that smile to countless faces. She counted out the coins, four fifteens worth, and he handed her the bottle.
"May that tonic bring you the health and fortune it has brought me" he said fervently, honestly, as he slipped the coin into his own purse. She clutched the bottle tightly, then withdrew.
Elsvier stepped back upon his cart, calling to more customers. He saw her watching him as he sold a handful more of his dragon tonic... gold for wisdom, silver for health, bronze for might, brass and copper for loquaciousness and acumen. Potent spiced liquor, mere coppers per gallon, and a shaved coin or two to make the brew. He'd never met a dragon... nor a mark he couldn't gull. Sunset would see him out of town; the next dawn would see him well upon his way. As for the girl, the gulls? Well, they may squawk, as gulls often do... but he would be well down the road.
No comments:
Post a Comment