by R C Gray
“And the horses.” Ferhani looked over the crates and sent her two guards over to check the condition of the horses. “What are you hoping to get from all this...road-weary gear?”
“I’d say that six gold sounds about right to me.”
Ferhani looked at the dwarf and raised her eyebrows. “Six gold, are you daft?”
Braig tightened his arms across his chest, a stern look crossing his face. “That’s a fair price. What you’ll get from the horses, weapons, and rum should more than cover your costs here and put some coin in your pocket. Now, I’m not looking to run all around the city to sell all this, but I will if I have to.”
“I’ll give you four,” Ferhani said.
“I’ll take seven.”
Ferhani shook her head and looked over the goods. She knew that six gold was a fair price, and she could make that back within the day off the weapons and the cart. But if she could pay less, she would. Looking towards the men inspecting the horses, they gave her a nod as they patted the horses and shut the stall doors.
Ferhani looked over at the crates and back over to Braig. “Where is it that you need to take a ship to?”
“Not that it’s much of your concern, but I need to get to Aerith, just north of Yonkai.”
“Here’s what I’ll do,” Ferhani said, reaching into her pouch. “I’ll give you four gold-”
“I’ll not take it.”
Eyeing Braig, she pulled out four gold coins. “Like I was saying, I’ll give you four gold and passage for you and your companions on one of my ships.”
Braig ran his hand through his beard and studied Ferhani. “How do you know I’m not alone? And how do I know you’re not just trying to sell me the red potion?”
Leaning closer, Ferhani put her face a few inches from Braig. “Aside from the different sized footprints all over the wagon, I have eyes across the city and know when an interesting group of travelers comes into town. And you don’t, dwarf. I suppose you’ll just have to take my word.” Standing up straight, Ferhani sighed and handed Braig the coins. “Here’s your gold. My men will take the wagon and the horses. Meet me down at the dock tomorrow morning on the south side. Look for a dark brown boat with white and yellow sails. The Wind Cutter doesn’t leave for a few days, but I’ll introduce you to the crew and make all the arrangements. I’ll see you bright and early.”
Running her fingers through Braig’s beard as she walked by, Ferhani strode onto the busy street and disappeared into the crowds. Pulling at his beard, he grabbed what was left of his gear off the cart and walked towards the door of the inn. Smiling to himself, Braig opened the door and stepped inside.
The barkeep looked down at Braig as he strode into the room, eyeing him suspiciously. “I was told there’d be a dwarf coming along soon. I suppose you’re with the elf and those other two?”
Braig stiffened as he set down his gear. “What’s that supposed to mean, those other two?”
The barkeep tensed visibly but stood taller, lifting his chin higher into the air. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told them. I ain’t gonna be having no trouble here. The elf told me you was here to keep ‘em safe, and you can do that. But you stir up anything, and you’re all out.”
Braig adjusted his shoulders, popping the bones in his spine. “Just tell me where my room is.”
“Up the stairs, and down the hall on the left. It’s the last room near the end. But you’ll need this to get in,” the barkeep said, tossing a key to Braig and giving him a dirty look.
Taking a deep breath, Braig grabbed his bags off the floor and stared at the man as he walked away. Climbing the stairs to the second floor, he plodded down the hall, unlocked his door, set his gear on the floor, and fell face-first onto the bed. Closing his eyes, he sank down into the mattress. Just as he was about to drift off, a loud knock hammered at his door.
Groaning, Braig opened his eyes, his face still buried in a pillow. “What do you want?”
Faine opened the door and stuck his head inside the room. “I heard you coming down the hall, and it woke me up. Did you have any luck selling the horses and cart?”
“It’s gone. I hope you had everything you wanted because I sold everything with it,” Braig said, sitting up and looking at Faine.
“Get a good price?”
Braig pulled four gold coins out of his pouch and tossed them onto the bed. Faine looked down and frowned slightly. “I also have this,” Braig said, pulling the gold coin out of his boot. “I took it off one of the brothers back in Banrielle.”
Faine looked down at the coin and wondered about the piece of gold he had lost in there in the inn. “I hope that’s enough to get to Aerith. We all have some coin on us, but I don’t know how much passage is or what we might need on the road.”
Braig put the coins back into a pouch and shoved them under his mattress. “We don’t have to worry about spending the gold on a ship. Part of the deal was our passage.”
Faine nodded his head and rubbed his hand over his slight beard. “That’s a good deal. You must have a way with words. When do we leave?”
Stretching back out on the bed, Braig covered his eyes with a pillow and waved his hand towards the door. “I have to go down to the docks in the morning and to meet Ferhani and see the ship. Not quite sure of the details yet.”
“We could all use a good night or two of rest anyway. I know Renna’s most likely going out tonight, not sure what I’ll do yet. But I’ll be in the tavern for a while. If I don’t see you later tonight, I’ll meet you in the morning and go with you to the docks.”
“Don’t forget to shut the door on your way out,” Braig said, pulling the outer edge of the blanket over his stomach and rolling to his side.
Closing the door quietly as he left, Faine padded down the hall and knocked on both Renna’s and Skara’s doors, telling them to meet him downstairs when they were ready. Walking down the stairs, Faine took a seat at a table near the stage and waved over a barmaid.
After setting down a tray full of drinks at a full table, she strode over to Faine and smiled. Her cream-colored shirt hung loosely over her chest and was tied into a knot near her hip, showing a sliver of her stomach as she moved. “What’ll it be?”
Faine looked up at the barmaid, giving her a smile as he leaned back in his chair. “Anything unique here that a lonely traveler like myself should try?”
The barmaid tilted her head to the side and put a hand on her hip. “Oh, indeed. We have a nice ale made with cinnamon and ginger, brewed right here in town.”
Faine tapped his fingers on the table as a slight smile spread across his face. “Hmm. Is it spicy?”
The barmaid leaned down closer to Faine, resting her arms on the table as the neckline of her shirt draped lower on her chest. “It has a bit of spice. Maybe a bit more than you can handle. But the honey gives it a nice, sweet finish.”
Faine smirked as his eyes studied the barmaid. “I think I can handle a little spice. I’ll take one.”
“Coming right up.” Giving Faine a quick wink, the barmaid turned and walked back towards the bar, her brown skirt flowing out behind her.
Looking up at the second floor, Faine saw Skara and Renna walking down the stairs. Renna was wearing a light blue dress with a pale green bodice with black lacing on each side. Her hair was pulled up into a loose bun with a small red flower tucked into it. Waving them over, he pointed to the chairs next to him. “Well, don’t you look nice. Spending the evening out, are we?”
Renna looked down and smoothed her dress. “I didn’t feel like sleeping, so I went out and picked this up after I got settled in. I thought I’d go see something at the theatre and wanted something nice to wear. I don’t think showing up in dusty clothing is very becoming.”
“Well, you look magnificent. In fact, I’d say you’re hoping to catch someone’s eye tonight. Maybe even a bit more.” Faine said, raising his eyebrows.
Renna blushed and looked up at the barmaid as she brought Faine’s drink. “I’
ll have what he’s having. What about you, Skara?”
Skara looked up at the barmaid and shook his head.
“I think we could all use something to eat. Not sure what’s on the menu here, though.”
“I have just the thing,” the barmaid said, strutting back to the bar. Keeping her eyes on Faine, she poured another mug of ale and walked it gently back to the table, carefully setting it down in front of Renna. “I’m sorry. I may have filled it a bit full. Let me run to the kitchen, and I’ll be right back with your food.”
“It’s fine,” Renna said, picking it up slowly to take a sip.
Faine took a long drink of his ale and let out a small burp. “What about you, Skara? Heading down to the water tonight?”
Skara glanced around the room and felt an uneasiness creep up his spine. He was already getting several glares from the other patrons, and he knew that it would only be worse if he went out onto the crowded streets. “I think I might just stay in. I haven’t done much carving since we left.”
“There’ll be plenty of time for that on the ship. Who knows, maybe the sailors can show you a trick or two. I hear some of them are pretty good at scrimshaw. While you’re here, you should go out and see the town or the ocean. Or, you can always come out with me. You didn’t come all this way just to do nothing, did you?” Faine said, scratching at his unshaven face.
“And where are you going?”
Faine took another long drink of ale and twirled his finger in a circle. “I’m going to the pubs. There’s quite a few in the general area, and I’m planning to see them all. Well, most of ‘em anyway. After that, who knows where I’ll end up.”
Renna shook her head and took another sip of her ale. “Most likely in a ditch somewhere. You keep drinking like that, and you’ll be feeling it in the morning.”
“Speaking of the morning, Braig sold the horses and supplies. He’s arranged for us to check out a ship a little after first light. I don’t know much about it, but that’s the plan. So I say we see what the town has to offer tonight and meet up in the morning to head down to the docks to check it out.”
“I’ll try to meet you before you leave, but I may just head to the archives and see what I can learn about the stones. If I don’t make it, I’m sure you can fill me in on the details.” Standing up and looking towards the door, Renna took one last drink and set her mug down next to Faine. “Here, you can finish this. I need to get going before it gets too dark. Maybe I’ll catch up with you in a pub later.”
Faine leaned forward and knocked on the table. “Are you good to go out alone?”
Renna put her boot up on her chair and patted the dagger there. “I’m good. You just watch out for yourself and try to stay out of trouble.”
“What fun would that be?” Faine said, smiling at Renna as she turned and walked out onto the busy street. “Well, it looks like it’s just you and me, Skara, me boy.”
Skara turned his head and looked at the tapestries hanging on the walls as the barmaid brought out a plate of hot dates wrapped in thinly sliced ham coated in a thick syrup.
Setting the dish on the table in front of Skara, the barmaid smiled. “Made fresh this evening. The dates are stuffed with sharp cheese and pine nuts, and the sweet glaze has a hint of peppers to give it some heat.”
Skara looked down at the dates and stabbed one with a knife, the thick sugar glaze clinging onto the thinly sliced meat as melted cheese pressed out of a slit in the side. The warm syrup dripped down the blade as he pushed the whole date into his mouth. Looking over at Faine and the barmaid, his eyes were wide as he nodded and chewed.
“I’m glad you like it,” the barmaid said, smiling at Skara and lightly touching Faine’s arm. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Faine winked at the barmaid and watched her walk away before turning back towards Skara. “First time having a date?”
Skara nodded and took another bite. “It’s good. It makes my mouth burn, though.”
Faine slid the mug of ale that Renna had set down over to Skara. “It’s the peppers. You know, we’re only going to be in town for a few nights. I know you’re hesitant to get out, but it was a long road here, and you should see what it’s like before we leave. Maybe we’ll even make it all the way to the beach. Dark waters can still hold beauty.”
Skara glanced out towards the busy street and back towards the dates, stabbing another with his knife. He thought about the longing for adventure he had felt back in Banrielle when Faine was describing the red waters of the Sanguine Gulf, and he didn’t want to miss out on seeing something new because of fear. It had stopped him too many times in the past, and there were too many things he wanted to see here. “You’re right. I didn’t come all this way to stay inside.”
Finishing the ale in his mug, Faine set it down with a hard thud on the table. Looking over towards the bar, he watched as the barmaid poured several drinks, glancing his way and smiling as she moved towards the end of the bar. Setting down one last drink, she looked over at Faine and tilted her head, motioning to the door leading out of the bar into a back room.
“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear. Just give me a few minutes and we’ll get moving. I, uh, just need to make a quick run before we leave,” Faine said, nodding towards the back room as he took a quick drink out of Renna’s mug. “And as you can see, things are a lot different here. We’re not in Banrielle anymore.”
Setting the mug down, he gave Skara a quick smile as he turned and strolled towards the back room, tying his hair back with a leather cord as he went.
A Heart in the Darkness
Renna opened the front door of the inn and stepped out onto the crowded streets. The temperature had dropped slightly since they had arrived, but it was still warm compared to Banrielle. The sky was a crisp, deep blue as the sun sank slowly towards the horizon, casting an orange glow across the thin white clouds that drifted across the sky. A warm breeze twisted down the wide streets, pulling at the red flower in her hair and fluttering the flags and signs that hung outside of the shops. Reaching up, she pressed the stem back into her bun and walked deeper into the city, checking the signs on several theatres as she went.
Walking up to the front booth outside of the Silver Penny Theatre, she knocked lightly on the wooden counter just outside of the main entrance. A man with short dark hair and an elegant white shirt sat on a stool behind the counter, reading from a thin, leather-bound book. Hearing the knock, he closed it slightly and looked up at Renna, his smile fading as he saw her small tusks and pale green skin.
“Can I help you?” the man said, looking as though he had been disturbed.
Renna ran her hands over her skirt to straighten it and stared into the man in the eyes. “Yes. I was hoping to find a showing of The Black Dragon or any Wyldernacht readings. Are there any in town?”
The man sighed lightly as he closed his book, holding the page with his finger. “There aren’t any showings in theatres, but there’s a good reading down at the Last Chance pub. I hear that Bodhran the Beardless will be performing. No doubt it’ll be something to see. But that doesn’t start for another couple of hours.”
As the large red door to the theatre swung open, Renna turned her head and peered into the lobby as a man dressed in fine clothing made his way inside. She caught a brief flicker of candlelight pouring from inside and looked back towards the man in the booth. “And what’s playing here?”
The man’s eyes glanced down to a small piece of paper, looking over the days and times. “Starting soon...will be the Witches of Wren.”
Pulling a small wisp of hair behind her ear, Renna glanced down at the piece of paper the man was reading from. “I’m not familiar with them. What do they do?”
The man marked his book with a slip of ribbon and set it down on the counter and rubbed his forehead. “I’m not sure if it’s something you’d be interested in. The performers dance and use a bit of magic. They don’t brawl or tell bawdy jokes.” Noticing the scars on Renna’s a
rms, he pointed down the lane and nodded his head towards a row of shops and inns. “There’s a pub right down the street that might be more to your liking if you’re just looking to pass the time.”
Renna’s eyes were hard as she stared at the man, and she briefly considered pulling out her dagger to teach him some manners but quickly thought better of it. If this had been a smaller town without so many people milling about, or she hadn’t been waiting for months to see a show, she may have had more to say to the man. “I’m here to see someone perform, not just sit at a pub swilling ale to pass the time.”
The man looked out behind Renna, shaking his head as he reached for a ticket. “As you say, miss. Now, if you’d like a ticket, that will be one silver. If not, there are people waiting behind you, and I have to ask you to move along.”
Glancing over her shoulder, Renna saw several people waiting in a line behind her, each glaring at her. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her skin, or because they were growing impatient, but she didn’t like the feeling of so many eyes watching her. “Yes, I think I’ll go inside and see the show.” Setting a silver coin down on the counter, she snatched her ticket out of the man’s hand and flashed him a quick, fake smile. Hurrying away from the booth, she pulled open the heavy door and stepped inside.
The floors were covered in soft, red rugs accented with gold filigree, and the smell of spice packets burning on hot coals wafted through the room. Paintings hung along the walls, each showing past performers or shows, some of which were signed or marked with a handprint from the performers themselves near the bottom corner. White tiles flecked with silver lined the ceiling, sparkling in the dim glow from the ornately carved candles that hung in the chandelier above her.
Lifting up her long skirt just above her boots, she walked up several stairs to a set of double doors and handed her ticket to the doorkeeper. Placing the stub in a blue velvet bag, the man smiled and bowed his head slightly as he pulled open the door and motioned for her to step inside.