Delver Magic Book III: Balance of Fate
Page 36
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The new mayor of Connel was very tired, but seldom able to sleep. When a strong knock came on her bedroom door, she was already awake considering more rebuilding plans for the next few days.
“Give me a moment,” Helen Flisher responded. She rose from her bed and pulled on her clothes. She knew she would not sleep any further this night, so there was no need to pretend she would return to bed. When she opened her door, she found her assistant waiting for her with a look that revealed more fear than concern.
“What’s wrong?” Helen asked firmly.
“Guard Captain Tevor is here to see you. He says it’s urgent.”
“Where is he?”
“At the door, he wouldn’t come in.”
Mayor Flisher moved past her assistant and toward the front of the house. The door was open and a cold wind greeted her. She grabbed a coat that hung crumpled over a chair, threw it over her shoulders, and stepped outside.
A heavyset man with a sour face only glanced at her and then returned his gaze toward the south of the city. “Sorry to disturb you, mayor, but I’m following your orders.” The career soldier’s voice was thick as if the words from his mouth weighed more than those from other men. “We have reports that goblins are raiding farms to the south. More than one farm family has made the report, so I believe the claims are legitimate. I have no scouts at that position at this time, so I can not verify beyond these reports. Based on what I have heard, I believe three farms have been attacked. I have no reports of casualties at this time. These farms are beyond the city limits, so I have executed your standing orders for all goblin raids outside the city. I have placed all interior guard posts on alert, recalled all outer patrols and placed them at watch within the city’s main quadrants, dispatched additional watch to the roofs of our tallest structures, and placed the cavalry at the ready.”
His initial report complete, Captain Tevor turned and awaited the mayor’s response.
Helen Flisher stepped carefully down the front steps of her house and looked to the south and then up at the sky. She pulled her coat more tightly around her as she inhaled heavily the cold air.
“It’s going to snow,” she remarked.
“Probably,” the soldier agreed.
The mayor played out the possibilities in her mind. “Goblins are small, they probably don’t like the snow. They would move like children, struggling through it if it got too deep. They’re probably hungry and worried the snow might prevent them from scavenging food in the forest. If I were them, I might try a quick strike on a farm to get what food I could.”
“I could send out a patrol on horseback, find out what they’re up to and clear them out,” the captain offered.
The mayor looked up at the sky again and shook her head. “No, it’s still dark and a storm can be unpredictable. Dawn will be here soon, so let’s wait for more light. If the farmers protest, let them know they will be compensated for their losses. The dwarves never hit the farms, so we have more food than we have people now. We can afford to lose a few barrels of grain to a handful of goblins, but I don’t want to lose any more soldiers to goblin crossbows. It’s just not worth the risk.”
The captain found the concern for his soldiers quite refreshing and nodded in acceptance. “Will you be remaining here in case I have to send you updated reports?”
“No, I’m going to head over to town hall—well the temporary town hall—to my office. I’m not going to get any more sleep tonight, so I might as well make good use of the time.”
“Very well. I will keep you updated.”
“Thanks.”