As the muscles in her jaw spasmed and then clenched as hard as iron, she raised her greatsword and pointed it north.
“Retreat!” she cried, and the word shook the very air, though her voice was thick with the blood in her lungs. “North! Retreat!”
I looked to Kaita again. She had taken up the call as well, shoving the Shades around her towards the trees—towards us.
And then I saw Mag.
She and her squadron had begun to fall back, retreating before the Shades as Kun had ordered. But Mag had stopped. She was looking at Kaita, who stood amid the Shades a span away.
Their eyes met across the battlefield.
Both of them stood motionless, gazes locked. Around Kaita, the Shades fled straight towards us, towards the trees that promised safety. Around Mag, her squadron wavered, unsure, not wishing to abandon their sergeant.
“Mag!”
My voice cut through the battle. Mag swiveled to look at me.
But there was Kaita. Mag turned back.
“Mag!” I barked again. Her gaze drew inexorably back to me. “Not yet.”
She heaved a great sigh. And she nodded, turning to her squad. I saw her order the retreat, though I could not hear the words.
“Retreat!” I called out. “West, into the woods!”
My unit looked ready to melt with relief, for the Shades were now only half a span away. They began to head west, but I hesitated a moment more, looking back towards Kaita.
She had not moved. She was looking at Mag, even as Mag’s unit withdrew. And in that moment, it was as if I could hear the silent words in her mind.
Not yet, I had said. And now I heard Kaita promise, But soon.
I turned and followed my squadron. The Shades fled north towards the hills, just as Kun had planned, and we gathered to wait for the rest of our forces to catch up.
“And was she correct?” said Sun.
“Hm?” Albern was studying the streets and barely seemed to have heard Sun’s question.
“Kaita. Was she correct? Was it soon that she and Mag faced each other at last?”
Albern sighed. “Still eager for the end. Well, be assured, it is coming. It was not long at all before it happened.”
“Thank the sky,” said Sun. “Let us hear it, then.”
“Ah-ah,” said Albern. “You shall have to wait a little while. We have arrived.”
He stopped, and Sun groaned as she skidded to a halt beside him. They stood in front of a building that looked like a simple shop but for the thick wooden beam barring the front door.
“This place?” said Sun. “It looks to be closed. You should keep telling the story while we wait for it to open.”
“It is meant to look abandoned,” said Albern, chuckling. “Yet it is very much occupied. Come.”
He led her around the back of the building. In the rear was another, smaller door. Sun had seen this sort of shop before. Behind the door would be a stair leading up to an apartment. Albern knocked in a strange pattern: three times, then a pause, then once, then another pause, and then twice more.
Moments passed as Sun looked nervously around. They were in a narrow intersection in the alleys between buildings. Though it led to open air in all four directions, Sun could not help a slight feeling of being trapped.
“Keep talking while we wait,” she whispered. “At least tell me what Kaita—”
Snap. A latch turned inside the door, and it cracked open. But Sun could see that a thick chain was affixed to the inside of it, which kept the door from opening too far.
Through the crack, she saw a man. His face was of a medium brown and wrinkled—though not as heavily as Albern’s. He wore a thin mustache and a scrub of beard that only held to the edge of his chin, but which was neatly trimmed. His clothing had a sort of look Sun was well familiar with from up-jumped courtiers back home: fine quality, but too ostentatious. His hair fell to his shoulders, black but heavily streaked with grey. His eyes were sharp as he took in Albern, and then his glance flitted to Sun. When he spoke, it was with a heavy south Heddish accent and cadence.
“Albern,” said the man. He undid the chain and opened the door wider. “You’re late.”
“Only by a few days, old friend,” said Albern. “I had some important business to attend in Lan Shui.”
The man sniffed. “Iss always important business with you. I s’pose you should come in.”
“We would not want to trouble you.”
“Did I say you’re troubling me? Come, iss bloody warm in this sun.”
He closed the door and undid the chain before opening it again. He waved a hand to indicate they should climb the stairs. It was less the gesture of a well-mannered doorman and more the furtive command of an irritated parent summoning their children in for dinner.
At the top of the stairs was an apartment, as Sun had expected. A large central room took up much of the space. Cabinets and shelves of crockery lined the walls, and a hearth dominated the back right corner, though it was now empty and cold. A large wooden table stood in the center. On this was a map of Dorsea and Selvan, with some of the other kingdoms poking in at the edges. Sun spied some markings on the map in various colors. But before she could get a good look at them, the man threw a thin blanket over the map to cover it.
“Something to drink?” said the man.
“Mayhap a bit of wine,” said Albern. “Not too much, though. We need to keep our wits about us today.”
The man’s eyes sharpened at that. “Some trouble in the city?”
“Not if we avoid it,” said Albern. He sounded unconcerned, but his words reminded Sun of her family. A worried knot formed in her stomach.
The man snorted. “Fairly said.” His gaze turned upon Sun, and she felt as though she was being inspected like a murky ledger. “You as well?”
She felt her cheeks flame. “I … I will have some wine, yes. Thank you.”
“Welcome.”
The man went to one of the cupboards and pulled out a bottle, tugging the rag from its neck. He produced two glasses and filled them, handing them over. Sun thought it strange that he was not having any himself, and her hackles rose—but then he went to the table in the center of the room. A half-full glass already stood there, and he filled it the rest of the way. Still, she waited for him to drink before she took her first sip.
“How goes business?” said Albern. “Have you had any more trouble along the western coast?”
“Fah,” spat the man. “The western coast is nothing but trouble these days. Well, trouble and money, which is the only reason I still deal there. But most of the northern pirates have scuttled into dark holes with the hunt on, and so it isn’t as bad as it might be.”
“That is good to hear,” said Albern. He drank deep of his wine. “And how about closer to home?”
For the first time, the man gave a smile. It was crafty and seemed to hide many secrets, but it was still a smile. “Much better, especially with your help. And speaking of …”
He went to another cupboard on the opposite side of the room from the wine. Inside, Sun could glimpse several iron cases that she recognized as lockboxes for coin, as well as piles of bags made from black velvet. He danced his fingers along the bags as if the tips could tell the contents merely by touch. At last, he selected one and hefted it, tossing it in the air twice. Satisfied, he returned to the table and upended the pouch.
Gold scattered across the thin blanket covering the map. Sun guessed there had to be more than a hundred weights. She could not stop her eyes from widening. The man spread a hand expansively over the coins.
“Payment rendered for services well performed,” he said. “I threw in a little bit extra. Loyalty may be iss own reward, but I find something a bit heavier provides even more motivation.”
“And we thank you kindly,” said Albern. He began to scoop the gold up, dropping it back into the pouch without counting it, and then he glanced over his shoulder at Sun. “Would you like a separate pouch?”
&
nbsp; Her throat went dry. “I … A separate one?”
“Why, yes,” said Albern. “Half of this is yours, you know.”
“I … What am I supposed to do with it?”
Albern blinked. “Money can be exchanged for goods and services.”
Over his shoulder, the strange man turned away, but not quite quick enough to hide a smirk. “Glad to see yer keeping witty company these days.”
Sun’s cheeks, already dark, flushed darker still. “I know that,” she snapped. “I mean, what am I supposed to do with it now?”
Albern shrugged. “Tie it to your belt and keep it under your cloak, I suppose. You would not want to lose it to a cutpurse. And try not to spend it all today—I have one more place to visit, and you may find a profitable use for it there.”
“But I …” Again Sun looked at the size of the purse in Albern’s hand. “That is too much to carry around. It will pull my belt straight off!”
Albern turned to give the stranger a look. The man sighed before turning and stepping behind a half-wall that obscured the rear left of the apartment. In a moment, he reappeared, carrying an odd sort of wallet. It was made of well-worn leather, and it had thick, long straps. The man tossed it to Albern, who caught it deftly and turned to Sun.
“You may buckle this around your chest,” he said. “It will keep the purse slung against your right shoulder. You will appear to have a slight hunch under your cloak, but it is more comfortable than having the pouch hang from your belt. Or you can fit it into your saddlebag.”
“Thank you,” said Sun, taking it from him. Then she turned to the stranger. “I can pay you for this.”
He gave her a thin smile. “Pray don’t worry about it. Call it another bonus—for him, not for you. Mayhap in time, you’ll provide enough services to earn such rewards.”
Sun did not know quite what to say to that, particularly since she did not know what services had been performed for all this coin in the first place. She scooped her gold into the purse and strapped it over her shoulder. It did indeed hang comfortably on her, and she decided to keep it there rather than put it in her saddlebag. She had never held this much money before in her life. Of course, she had seen this much, but it had all belonged to her family, and they never let her touch it or choose how to spend it.
“I believe thass all the dealings we have for today,” said the strange man. “Do let me know if you see to that business along the south Selvan border, old man.”
Albern snorted. “Scarcely older than you.”
“But you are older than me.”
Albern chuckled and reached out his left hand. The man took his wrist, and they shook. Then Albern motioned Sun to the back stairs before descending them himself. Before she followed him, Sun turned to their host.
“Thank you,” she said. “For the coin, and the wine. I am Sun, of the … that is, just Sun.”
His eyes flashed, but he did not ask about the words she had abandoned. “Iss been my pleasure, Sun. If I can ask: have you met any of Albern’s other friends?”
Sun blinked. The question seemed to hold hidden meaning, but she had no idea what it might be. “We … met a woman named Dawan in Lan Shui,” she ventured.
“No, no,” said the man, shaking his head. “Here in Bertram. Never you mind. Juss look after yourself—and him. That man’s worth a fair spot of coin to me.”
The words were quite mercenary, but Sun thought she caught concern in the man’s eyes. It reminded her of Dawan’s parting words, a quiet plea the medica had whispered in her ear when Albern was not listening. Nodding, she turned to follow Albern out of the apartment.
Only when they were back outside did she realize that the stranger had never given his name. Sun’s mouth twisted, but she decided to leave it.
“Well,” she said instead. “I suppose you have no intention of telling me what that was all about?”
“You suppose quite correctly,” said Albern. “But you may learn in time.”
“If we have enough time,” said Sun. “I fear that there are not enough years left in your life to tell me of all the years that came before.”
“Oh, come now,” said Albern, nudging her shoulder. “In only a few days, I have told you the story of many months. You will catch up eventually, and should not feel too badly about being so slow.”
Sun whirled on him. “Me slow? You are the one—”
But Albern laughed and stepped for the mouth of the alley, back towards the street. Sun followed him, fuming, but mostly for show. She enjoyed the easy rapport she and Albern had built together, and which had seemed to come to them quite quickly. It reminded her of the old man’s conversations with Mag.
And as she thought of that, it occurred to Sun that such familiarity might be a double-edged sword to Albern. Surely he enjoyed the return to a time where he had a traveling companion he could jest with, and who would return jokes as easily as she took them. But at the same time, she must be a poor replacement for Mag and a constant reminder of what he had lost years ago.
Her mood dampened. Pulling her cloak tighter about her, she started to follow Albern into the street.
But then she leaped back, dragging Albern with her. Two riders on horseback thundered through the place he had been standing. Sun took an angry step after them, opening her mouth to call out.
She froze as she saw cloaks of black and gold—the colors of her family.
“Albern!” she whispered, her voice full of fear.
“I see them,” he muttered.
Together they moved into the alley’s shadows, watching as the riders hit a bend in the street and passed out of sight.
“A good thing you are wearing that borrowed cloak,” said Albern softly. “They did not recognize you.”
“Yet they must know I am in the city!” said Sun. “Why else would they be in Bertram? We have to leave.”
“There are a thousand reasons they might be in Bertram.” Albern’s voice was calm, as though he was trying to talk down a rearing horse. “We knew they might have sent out scouts in many directions, hoping to catch you in a wide net. This might be no more than that. They were not keeping too careful an eye out, or they would have looked more closely at your face.”
“I … I should get new clothes,” said Sun. “And mayhap some sort of mask. The hood may not be enough.”
“As soon as we may.” A sudden smile crossed Albern’s lips. “After all, we have the coin for it.”
Despite herself, Sun gave a little smile in return, and her fingers rose to slide along the straps of her new purse. “I … I suppose we do.”
“They have no way of knowing you are here,” said Albern. “Not for certain. We are not in danger yet.”
Sun blew a heavy sigh out through her nose. “Mayhap not. But let us keep it that way. We should leave Bertram now. We have enough coin for the next leg of the journey. Whatever your other business here, you can return for it later.”
Albern hesitated, and his gentle smile faded away. “I cannot. Someone is expecting to meet me here today, and if I do not appear, it will cause trouble. I am sorry, Sun, but I have to see this through. I hope you will come with me.”
A rising tide of panic threatened to make her vomit. “How urgent can these errands be? When we were in Lan Shui, you made it seem like Bertram was one of many choices. Was that true? Or did you always mean to come here, no matter what I said?”
Albern did not hesitate in the slightest. “Both,” he said. “We could have gone another way if you wanted. My errands here could have waited a few days, or even as much as a week or two. But I always intended to come to Bertram eventually. And now that I am here, I must finish my business in the city. If you wish to leave Bertram at once, there are places I can arrange for you to go. You can return when you and I are both assured it is safe. But if you stay, I do not think you will regret it.”
The offer to send her away was tempting. She feared to stumble into another of her family’s guards out here on the bustling stree
ts. And she thought of herself far away, spending her days in an inn, with plenty of coin to pay for food and ale while she waited for Albern to fetch her.
But then she thought of being alone. Of Albern’s absence. And what if her family found her regardless of her caution? Then Albern would not be there to help her escape them.
That was not such a tempting thought, after all.
Albern seemed to spy the indecision in her eyes, for he spoke again. “Remember what I told you not long ago. My family tried to pull me back into their clutches, but they failed. You will not be taken anywhere while I draw breath. Something you should do, by the way.”
She sucked in a deep gasp of air and then let it out in a rush. For a moment, she felt lightheaded. But then her head seemed to clear, and she came to a decision.
“Very well,” she said. “I will stay with you. But for the sky’s sake, please do your business in the city quickly.”
“As quickly as I may,” said Albern. “And if you wish, I will not continue the story until we know we are safe again.”
“Do you jest?” grumbled Sun. “I need something to distract me. Say on.”
Well. You remember that we had driven the Shades into the hills north of the Greenfrost. While our company set up camp in the wood, Kun gathered Tou and the sergeants for a small council after the battle. His customary smile was absent. Soldiers had died that day. He found a large rock to use as a makeshift table and laid a map of the area upon it. With one hand wrapped around his chin, he studied it as he spoke to us.
“Our foes will not go far tonight,” he said. “They are already weary, for they have pressed their march hard, and now they have wounded to tend to. We can wait for the rest of our force to arrive in the night, and then we can wipe them out at our leisure. Let the company rest and recover themselves. What were our losses?”
“None from Black Squadron,” I said. The other archer sergeants gave the same reply.
“None from Green,” said Mag. “A few cuts and bruises, but nothing to slow anyone down.”
The Tales of the Wanderer Volume One: A Book of Underrealm (The Underrealm Volumes 4) Page 73