by Allan Joyal
“Husband?” Jerisa asked.
“Where are the trees? Where are any rock formations? I don’t remember this when we travelled to the mountain for the first time,” Dared said as he continued to look around.
Roquel and Jerisa stood up in their saddles and scanned the landscape. Dared was right. It seemed like every tree or rock that might rise up over the ground had been pulled out. There were even signs that some of the pits and depressions that would naturally occur had been filled in. The expanse they could see was flat in all directions.
“Dared!” Jerisa shouted. She pointed to the southeast. “I think I see people approaching.”
“We’ll stay on the trail,” Dared said as he looked to the southeast. A band of five men carrying spears was making their way towards them.
The approaching people quickly changed their route so that they would cut in front of the trio of riders. Dared could see that and sighed. “Let’s slow down. They appear to have questions for us.”
“Why?” Jerisa asked. “We’re just travelling to Fairview.”
One of the five men approaching broke into a trot. The others formed up shoulder to shoulder and readied their spears.
“That’s far enough,” the leader of the armed men shouted.
“We are just travelling to Fairview,” Dared said calmly. “Why are you stopping us?”
“No one travels to Fairview,” the man said. “At least not from west of Oersteglen.”
“Narhert will be surprised to hear that,” Dared said. “He’s been making a regular circuit between Fairview and Montgar.”
“Montgar?” the leader of the spearmen asked. “I’ve never heard of it.”
Jerisa giggled. “I’d be surprised if you had. We only decided on the name nine days ago.”
“We? I see just three people,” the spearman responded. “And who are you?”
Dared sighed. “I am Dared, Lord of Montgar. The young lady who spoke is my wife, Jerisa. Our companion is Roquel.”
Dared looked over at Roquel. She shook her head, but he nodded towards the leader.
“Really,” she complained. “I can’t even remember half of the titles I’ve won over the years. They never mattered to me. Why repeat a number of names that would mean little to a farmer from Oersteglen?”
“How did you know?” the leader of the spearmen asked.
Roquel pulled the reins of her horse. It pivoted to the left and pranced backwards as she looked down at the men. “You aren’t covered in dust, so you haven’t been travelling for days. You also are knowledgeable about the area. That told me you live nearby. The only village close enough to be able to free five men to perform a patrol is Oersteglen.”
“And how do you know where Oersteglen is?” the man asked.
“Because we planned to stop there at midday and get a meal,” Dared said with a sigh. “We are headed to Fairview. I have some business to conduct there.”
“And the other two?” the man asked angrily.
“I wanted to travel with my husband,” Jerisa said firmly.
The man looked up at Roquel. She said nothing until he growled. “And you? Or are you going to claim to be some princess in exile.”
“I’m too old to be a princess, and I don’t want to rule over some territory,” Roquel said in a gruff voice. “I’m an adventurer who had reason to visit Fairview before we return to Montgar.”
“Where is this Montgar? I’ve never heard of it,” one of the men in the group of four asked.
“Travel to the northwest for about nine days and you’ll find it,” Dared said. “There is a cart path, but it can be a bit hard to see some of the time. The village is next to a great mountain.”
“Why would anyone build a town out there? Those mountains are full of monsters,” the leader of the villagers snapped.
“Adventure,” Roquel replied. “We found a great adventure there. Now why are farmers roaming the countryside? I’d expect you to be dealing with a harvest.”
“We’re protecting the village,” the talkative member of the four men still standing shoulder-to-shoulder said.
“We aren’t going to harm the village or any villagers. We just want a quick meal, and then we’ll ride on for Fairview. And I should warn you that there are four wagons behind us. They should arrive around the time the sun kisses the horizon,” Dared said.
“How can you be sure about the wagons?” the leader of the villagers asked. “And stop talking Ristof.”
Dared slapped his forehead. “We were travelling with the wagons. The leader of the caravan is my employee. He’s been travelling between Fairview and Montgar bringing supplies. In fact, three of the wagons should be picking up a large order of grains and other food stock from your village.”
“That’s a huge order,” Ristof said.
“It should be,” Dared said. “It will likely be the last time we can come here and purchase grain. At least until the spring thaw.”
“What are you guarding the village against?” Roquel asked. “I mean, there is no way anyone can sneak up on you if all the land is this flat.”
“We spent most of the summer making it this way,” Ristof said.
“Ristof, shut up!” the leader snapped.
“Thanul,” Ristof said in a scornful voice. “Look, they are just three travelers. Now they might not be telling the truth, but I don’t think they are coming to raid a farm. We should turn back and search to the south.”
“Raiders?” Roquel asked.
“No,” Ristof said. “Not here. But we’ve been hearing that there have been a large number of nighttime attacks on farms and villages far to the south.”
“How far?” Dared asked.
“You’d have to travel more than ten days to reach the nearest farm that has been attacked,” Ristof said as he pointed to the southwest. “And most of the attacks have been at least thirteen days travel away.”
“What kind of raids?” Roquel asked.
“No one is sure. The stories that reach us don’t tell of any survivors,” Ristof said. He sounded scared. “Villagers will notice that no one has seen anyone from a farm. They send out a small party and find the farmhouse burned. If they find any people, its just their mutilated bodies. Their animals and food are always missing as well.”
“It sounds like the raids occur at night,” Roquel said. “Why patrol during the day?”
“That was all Thanul’s idea,” Ristof said.
“Ristof, shut up!” the leader snapped. “You don’t have to tell them everything!”
“I wish we could help,” Dared said as he pointed back to the northwest. “But our home is nine days in that direction. But I can promise to try to find out more and to help if I can.”
“In the spring,” Jerisa said. “I’m not having you separated from me during our first winter together.”
“I was thinking of talking to some of the adventurers,” Dared said. “I’m sure there will be some who feel taking a break from the dungeon would be welcome. And they’d likely do a far better job than I could. I never received much training in combat.”
Roquel snorted. “You know more than these farmers,” she said.
The leader looked offended. “I’ll have you!” he snarled.
Roquel just stared at the man. “I can tell you have no training. You are out patrolling a flat expanse. We could see you from a great distance as could any bandit you might want to capture. You should be watching places where someone might hide, especially if the attacks always come at night.”
The four men behind the leader all relaxed. One of the ones who had not spoken nodded to Roquel. “She’s right Thanul. Let’s get back to our crops. The harvest will start in just a few days.”
“But,” Thanul complained.
Dared smiled. “Can we go? We really were hoping to just stop for a quick meal and continue on our way. Our horses are rested and we’d like to be in Fairview tomorrow night.”
“Go,” Ristof said.
Dared k
icked his horse into motion. Jerisa and Roquel quickly followed as the five men began arguing behind them.
Chapter 8: Village Politics
As soon as they were away from the farmers, Dared encouraged his horse to canter. He led the trio as they raced across the artificially flat plain. They could see the village in the distance and turned to head directly towards the tall bell tower that towered over the other buildings.
“They ought to just have someone stand in the bell tower and watch,” Roquel muttered as they approached the village.
A moment later they could hear a mournful gong ring out over the plains. Dared nodded. “It looks like they have someone watching. And seeing how high that bell tower is, that’s really all they need. That patrol was silly.”
“Scared men,” Roquel said calmly. “I’ve seen men like them all my life. They are scared and want to do something to help calm the fear. A patrol allows them to believe they are doing something.”
“But any competent group of bandits could kill all of them,” Dared complained. “I didn’t even see one carrying a bow or crossbow. They could be killed from ambush so easily.”
Roquel said nothing as the group encountered the edge of a cart track. It led directly towards the bell tower so they guided their horses onto the track and then slowed down to an easy walking pace.
“A chance for a hot meal,” Jerisa said merrily as they approached the village.
The villagers had clearly noticed the approach of the three riders. Two more men with spears rushed to the point where the cart track passed between two stone buildings. One held a hand out and shouted. “Halt! Identify yourselves!”
Dared sighed as he reined in his horse. “I am Dared from Montgar. The ladies with me are Jerisa, my wife, and Roquel.”
“Not using a title?” Roquel asked quietly as the two spearmen turned to look at each other.
The spearman who had challenged them turned back to face them. “Where is this Montgar?”
Dared sighed again. His wife giggled. “It will be like that for a while my love,” she said merrily. “You had to have expected people to not know. We only decided on the name during our journey here.”
“I know, but I hoped that someone could pay some attention to the fact that we approached from the west and were riding on the cart track,” Dared said to his wife. He turned to look at the two spearmen. “Montgar is a new village about nine days journey west of here. Up in the mountains.”
The guards looked at each other. “In the mountains? I hadn’t heard of anything.”
As the guards stood there staring at each other a richly dressed man ran up from between the buildings. “You! Are you with the carter I am expecting?”
“Who?” one of the guards asked.
“I’m expecting four wagons to arrive. Three will load up with the grain in the south warehouse. The fourth is going to be headed to Fairview. I was going to see if I could hire it to deliver those hams, we just finished smoking,” the man said. “And if you ruined that deal, I will see that the village council hears about it.”
“Who cares, Berkins,” the guard said angrily. “There are entire farms being wiped out just a few days from here and you are worried about a shipment of hams to Fairview. Everyone knows you are trying to get accepted onto the Merchant’s Council.”
“And that would help the whole village. No more cartage fees when we sent goods to Fairview. A free space at the market there. I’d share with the village,” Berkins replied.
“You’d still take most of the profits,” the guard said. “You bankrupted Jericy. Don’t think that any farmer will ever forgive you for that.”
“I had nothing to do with Jericy’s bankruptcy,” Berkins said. His face flushed. “I even tried to bail him out once I realized that the trade in copper he had made was going bad.”
“Copper?” Dared asked.
“You stay out of this, whoever you are,” the guard snapped.
“Why are you interested in copper?” Jerisa asked.
“We talked about needing a blacksmith. A coppersmith wouldn’t be exactly the same, but they can make pots and pans for cooking. We could even use copper to make coins so that Montgar has some kind of currency rather than relying on coins we obtain elsewhere,” Dared said.
“Montgar?” Berkins asked. “That sounds like the name of a place. Is it some kind of offshoot of Rockgar?”
“I was born in Rockgar,” Dared said. “But Montgar will always be separate from Rockgar. As I told your guard as well as the patrol we ran into, Montgar is a new village established about nine days travel east from here.”
“Is that where my grain is going?” Berkins asked.
“Yes,” Dared replied. “The village was founded in the summer and we did not get enough farming done to supply the population for the winter.”
Berkins looked pleased, but quickly schooled his features into careful neutrality. “Would you be interested in setting up a more permanent agreement regarding storage of goods. I would be happy to serve as your representative within Fairview. I could bring goods to my warehouses here and your carter would not have to travel to the capital.”
“Berkins! You have no authority to do that!” the talkative guard snarled.
“It’s a private transaction with someone from outside the council’s control. No laws would be broken,” Berkins said confidently.
The guard rushed forward placing his chest against Berkin’s. “It’s a violation of everything the Fairview charter stands for. We’re supposed to work for the good of everyone. You just see personal profit and reward!”
“What’s going on?” Jerisa asked quietly to Roquel as the two ladies watched the men argue. Dared was sitting quietly on his horse watching the interchange.
“I don’t know much about the Fairview charter, but the guard is correct that the intent of the writers was to create a tradition where the merchants worked together for everyone’s good.”
“It failed within a year of the founding,” Dared said quietly as he backed up his horse. The remaining guard had a dismayed look on his face as Berkins and the other guard roared at each other.
“What do we do?” Jerisa asked.
The remaining guard looked at them. “Enter in peace,” he said with a resigned sigh. “These two will be arguing until long past midday and I’m guessing you want to get a bite to eat.”
“Is there anyplace to get hot food?” Jerisa asked as she gazed over the dozen or so buildings that made up the village.
“Jericy’s widow has set up a few tables in the open room of their former home,” the guard said. “She should have fresh bread and a roast cooking. The roast might not be ready.”
“Which building?” Dared asked.
“It’s the large two-story one on the west side of town,” the guard said. “Tell Audiete that her brother remembers her fondly.”
“Her brother being?” Dared asked.
“I’m Dustun,” the man said.
“May we pass?” Dared asked.
“Go ahead,” the guard said. “There is no reason to keep you out. It’s clear you aren’t planning on raiding the village.”
“I need to be able to trade with Fairview,” Dared said. “Raiding your village would likely cause the council to ban trade with Montgar.”
The guard waved for them to enter the village. Dared nodded to Jerisa and Roquel. The two women kicked their horses forward.
Their horses were passing Berkins and the angry guard. Berkins appeared to notice that the guard had agreed to let them enter. “Hey! What about my warehousing offer?”
“I have to talk with my advisors,” Dared replied. “Some of what we expect to produce won’t sell well here. But we might want to purchase more grain in the future.”
Berkins frowned. “I might not be willing to trade without a long term deal.”
Dared just nodded as he kicked his horse into motion. “We’ll remember that when its time to negotiate. And I better not hear that you tried to c
harge Narhert any special fees. This grain pickup was paid for in advance through the Fairview Council.”
Berkins frowned. He reached towards one of the guard’s spears. The guard pulled it away as both guards moved to stand with their backs against the left building. Dared nodded to the guards as he followed Roquel and Jerisa into the village.
Once his horse had passed between the two buildings, Dared found Roquel and his wife waiting for him. “Which direction?” Jerisa asked.
Dared pointed to the left. He could see a rather unkept two-story building with a small hitching rail set up out front just across the small village square they were in. “I’m guessing its that building.
Jerisa smiled. “Oh, you’re right, it has to be that building. Can we go and sit for a few moments? I’d love to just relax. It seems like you’ve spent the last few days watching everywhere.”
“I’m getting used to the region,” Dared said. “I don’t really want to get too involved, but if Montgar prospers we can expect many of the valleys around here to fill up with farmers.”
“Why?” Jerisa asked.
“Trade,” Roquel said as their horses approached the hitching rail. Dared jumped off and quickly secured his horse to the rail before turning back and holding out his hand to Jerisa.
The young woman tossed her reins to Dared and then waited for him to coax her horse to stop. He was securing the horse when she slipped her leg over the horses back and dropped to the ground.
“Trade?” she asked her husband.
“Who’s out there?” a woman’s voice called out. “If you are here for trade go see that thief Berkins.”
“We are travelers heading to Fairview,” Dared called out. “But we were discussing how future trade will bring more farmers to the region.”
A woman of middling age appeared in the doorway to the building. She was wearing a scarf over her hair and a homespun dress that was brown with dirt and dust. “And what brings you to my door then?” she asked.
“Your brother Dustun suggested that we could stop here for a quick bite before we resume our journey,” Dared said.
“You can’t make it to Fairview today,” the woman said. “Not unless you have extra horses somewhere.”