Origin Scroll

    In the morning, Sarac left the inn and went to the stables to retrieve Cauldron, but the stallion was not in the stables. The stable hand had never received the horse from the small boy. Sarac was furious and went in search of the little boy. Sarac found the boy playing in the alley alongside the butcher shop and demanded to know where his horse was.

    "I tied him up to the post at the inn," said the little boy.

    "I told you to take him to the stables," asserted Sarac.

    "My father doesn't allow me to go to the stables," whimpered the boy. "He says it's too dangerous being by those big horses."

    "Well, you are going to find my horse," demanded Sarac, "or I will turn you into a toad."

    The little boy started crying loudly and Sarac did not want the attention the boy's crying would bring, yet the boy must be punished. Sarac walked to the end of the alley, then turned and hurled a fireball at the youngster. A smoldering pile of ashes was all that was left of the little boy. With a smile of satisfaction, Sarac started searching the town for his horse. Sarac soon found that there were only two places in town with horses besides the stables -- Tulek's Shipping and the Dalek Shipping Company. He tried Dalek's first and did not find his black stallion. A sandy-haired boy offered to let him look around and Sarac satisfied himself that the horse was not there. He walked up the road and entered Tulek's Shipping. Ramor was quite rude to the stranger and denied knowing anything about the horse. He also refused to allow Sarac to look for himself. Sarac was not in a mood to be treated rudely and thought about frying Ramor on the spot, but decided he should be more subtle and stepped outside to plan his attack.

    Just then, three wagons stopped outside Tulek's Shipping. The sandy- haired boy he had spoken to before asked if he had found his horse.

    "No," replied Sarac trying to remain calm. "I have searched everywhere, so whoever stole him has hidden him."

    "Well," said the sandy-haired boy, "we're heading south as far as Balfour and you're welcome to ride with us if you wish."

    "I really need to find my horse," Sarac replied.

    "Suit yourself," stated the boy, "but we're the only ones heading south for a week and you won't even be able to buy a horse in this town."

    "Wait," shouted Sarac, "I do believe that I will take your kind offer." He would have to find his horse on the return trip.

    "Hop up," said the boy. "I am Oscar. Welcome to our caravan."

    "Thank you, Oscar. My name is Carson," stated Sarac.

    "My pleasure, Carson," replied Oscar. "You will be able to buy a horse in Balfour. It's a larger town than Bordon."

    Just outside of town, the caravan met up with six armored horsemen and Sarac steeled himself for an attack. Oscar sensed the tautness of his passenger and said, "It's okay, Carson. They're with us. There have been too many robberies in these parts and Ramor has been itching to get at me, so we have our own security force. Sometimes they travel along side us, so that bandits know what they're here for. Sometimes they are nowhere to be seen, which keeps the bandits guessing. It's worked out pretty good so far."

    Oscar was pleasant company for Sarac and he actually enjoyed riding with the caravan even if it had cost him some time. One night Oscar got to talking about his hometown, Bordon, and how nice the people were. Sarac sneered when mention of the town brought back memories of his stolen horse, but he also realized that if Oscar lived in Bordon, he might be able to retrieve his horse. "Oscar," he said, "if you can find my horse, I will give you something of great value."