Read Online Whill of Agora Trilogy: Book 01 - Whill of Agora by Michael Ploof - Free Book Online

Fendale’s main street, he felt as though he was being watched. Since the tournament, many people now pointed at him as he rode or walked by. Some children asked for his signature, and he gave rise to many hushed whispers wherever he went. But this was not the feeling of adoring fans watching him. It was more like the feeling he had had in the woods before the wolf attack.
    He stopped his horse in the street and looked around. Rain fell softly on the cobblestone street. A woman shook a rug from a second-story window. The street was fairly quiet; only a small crowd moved about. Three children hurried after two women. Men on horseback rode by, talking loudly, and a kid pulling a wheel cart ran past. The strange feeling did not ebb as Whill searched for its source. He began to ride again, slightly faster now. The feeling followed him all the way to Freston’s door.
    Once inside, he peered through the small window on the front door. A lone horseman slowly rode by, coming from the same direction that Whill had. He could not determine whether the man had been following him, though, for he looked straight ahead and showed no interest in the house.
    “Are you ready to begin work on your beauty?”
    Whill jumped. The old man looked at him oddly. “Are you alright, Whill?”
    “Uh, yeah, fine, a little jumpy. I brought payment for the ship.” He handed over a bag of gold coins. “That is the agreed-upon amount.”
    Freston’s eyes grew wide as he felt the weight of the gold. “You know, you could have just transferred the gold from your vault to mine at the bank.”
    Whill felt like an idiot. “I’m sorry, it didn’t cross my mind. I should have assumed that a man such as you would have his own vault. Now I feel like a genuine ass.”
    “No matter,” assured Freston. “But you shouldn’t travel the city with so much gold. There isn’t a person in Fendale who doesn’t know about your victory, or your generosity. You have become a target of bandits and thieves already, I’m sure. But they will not be bold enough to try to rob you here in the city. They will wait until you set sail.”
    “I could just leave the money here in Fendale.”
    “That you could, but they will assume you have the gold on you anyway. Your best bet is to trade the gold for jewels, which are much easier to carry and less difficult to conceal. As for setting sail, I would ask for a naval escort if I were you.”
    Whill pondered the situation. “Maybe you’re right. Would Lord Rogus grant such an escort?”
    “He could spare at least one ship, I’m sure. Don’t worry yourself about it. Abram has been through worse than a pirate raid. I’m sure he is prepared for such things.” Freston smiled reassuringly. “Now let’s see how my boys are coming with the frame.”
    Whill followed Freston the short distance to the dock entrance. There were many ways to get to the docks; at least twenty passages led from different parts of the city down into the great cave. They headed down a wide spiral stairway lit with large torches mounted every few feet. As they descended, Whill’s excitement increased. He had of course read about the great cave harbor of Fendale, and had even seen elaborate drawings of it in many books. Now he was having his own ship built there. They reached the end of the stairway, and Whill beheld the great harbor.
    The cave was bigger than Whill had envisioned—at least a half a mile across, as far as he could tell. Its ceiling was more than one hundred feet high in some places. Light from the sun, along with the ocean waters, came in through four great gates carved out of the cave wall and was reflected off of the cave’s shiny surface. From the back wall to the gates he guessed was a distance of about one thousand feet. It was hard to believe that above them sat the great city of Fendale. Within the immense cave there were over one hundred ships docked. The harbor was abuzz with movement. There were fisherman unloading their