truly exceptional items.’
‘Mr Debroth.’ James tried to draw attention to himself. ‘I’d like to check the goods.
‘You'll be enchanted, young master.’ The merchant continued, paying no heed to the elf.
‘Mr Debroth.’ The long-eared one tried again, this time in a slightly irritated tone and louder.
‘Yes?’ The goblin shot a sidelong glance at the young blacksmith’s apprentice.
‘The shipment. I wanted to check it.’ James had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying anything else.
Draco watched them both. He hadn’t liked the merchant from the start, but his attitude towards the dragon’s friend only made that impression worse. However, it seemed that the elf, though annoyed, didn’t mind being ignored by the goblin.
‘Hans!’, Debroth shouted towards the pile of crates near the entrance.
‘Yes, sir?’ From behind the barrier blocking the view emerged a dwarf in a quilted tunic, with a monocle over his right eye and a neatly braided chestnut beard, in which silver ornaments glinted.
‘Show Mr Lancaster Master Vittoro’s order. Let him confirm that everything is correct.’ And once again, the goblin turned towards the dragon. Out of the corner of his eye, Draco noticed that James breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he realised he couldn’t expect any further attention from the merchant.
‘Follow me, I’m sure there’s something that will interest you, young master.’ The goblin smiled artificially.
Resigned, Draco let himself be led on, whilst James walked off with the dwarf to attend to his own business. Debroth very quickly found himself by the displayed chests and began to open one of them.
‘That’s an interesting find; you don’t see many like this.’ The lid swung open, revealing a dwarven warhammer. It looked quite old, but the runes covering it still sent a shiver down his spine. The weapon looked well-maintained, though it also bore plenty of signs of use. ‘A 15th-century officer’s hammer forged in the smithies of Lower Abbis. It has seen more than a few battles.’
‘I don't think this is really my cup of tea,’ Draco remarked casually, giving Gler'thys’s head
