by Allan Joyal
I thought for a moment. "How about you throw in a couple of small kegs of your ale?"
"That I can do," Roldophic said. "I'll bring them to you tomorrow so you have time to load them on your sleds. Oh, you won't have to guard them. The village will have a couple of the young men watch over them for you."
Roldophic turned and headed back to the kitchen. Steve leaned over and whispered in my ear. "But can we trust the young men?"
"Let's not borrow trouble," I replied. "I think the village recognizes that we won't leave anything valuable on the sleds. We should keep someone awake in the room though."
Steve nodded. We sat back and waited for dinner, watching quietly as villagers started to trickle in.
Chapter 14: A Break in the Village
The goose arrived and was perfectly cooked. Victoria went to wake the others, who came back out from the room looking refreshed and relaxed. We saw the rest of the room fill up with villagers. The villagers paid close attention to us, but the looks they gave were curious rather than hostile.
Our group looked back. I felt no hostility coming from anyone at the table. Esme and Natalie did leave some space as they sat. Natalie was very cheerful and teased Gertrilla after the young lady asked one of Roldophic's sons to bring some additional bread. Gertrilla got a little tongue-tied when she asked, and Natalie took full advantage.
I noticed that few of the villagers wore new outfits. Many had outfits that were stained and showed lots of wear. The bowls and knives the people used also seemed well used.
"I think I see why the headman was forced out," I whispered to Steve. "Look at how old and worn all of the clothing and gear is."
Steve looked around. "Damn," he whispered back. "We heard the innkeeper complain about how the caravans won't visit. They must be having trouble replacing anything that wears out unless they can make it here."
"Which reminds me," I said. "Lydia, did we get any kind of sewing kit? We will need it to repair clothing."
Lydia looked around and sighed. "No, we forgot about that," she said.
Jennifer giggled. "We have a small kit; the farmers included it in the packs they provided when they visited with the merchant. We really need to get more thread though."
I said no more that night. The goose proved to be very filling. I was feeling quite stuffed when I picked up the spear and made my way to our rooms. Jennifer and Victoria remained at the table, but the rest of the group followed me back to the room.
Once we were all in the room, I found that the second stone Shaylin had enchanted was resting on the floor in the center of the room. It provided no heat, but a soft light filled the room and made it easy to see. Bedrolls had been laid out in a rough circle around the stone. I paused just inside the door to look as Esme and Natalie ducked into the room and claimed a bedroll against the wall.
"You and Heather get the one close to the door," Esme said. "We figure that you can use the spear on anyone who tries to come in while we sleep."
I nodded and went over to the bedroll. I set the spear on the floor against the wall and then sat down on the bedroll and started to remove my boots. The rest of the group trickled in. Esme helped the others determine which bedrolls to claim.
I undressed and threw the bedroll over my body. Heather slid in with me, pressing her naked back against my chest. I put my arms around her and held her tight.
Heather wiggled around a bit. "I like this," she whispered.
"We need to rest tonight," I whispered back. I kissed her cheek and then lay my head down. Elsewhere, I could hear the others in the room lying down. Someone threw a fur over the glowing stone, leaving a small opening so that a beam of light illuminated the hide blocking the doorway.
The room was actually a bit colder than the tent, but I soon nodded off, warmed by Heather's body pressed against mine.
Sometime later a hand pressed my shoulder, waking me silently. I could feel Heather still sleeping in my arms. "Don't move," Lydia whispered.
"What?" I whispered back.
"I can hear movement in the hallway," Lydia whispered. "Everyone in our group is in the room and asleep."
I released Heather. She stirred and mumbled a complaint before rolling away from me to lie on her stomach. I rolled the other direction and picked up the spear.
The room was quiet. I could hear the quiet snoring of Hencktor and Al, but the others slept peacefully. The sound of the snoring made it a bit difficult to hear what was going on in the hallway. I listened closely and could hear a foot shuffling across the floor.
"I can't see," someone muttered.
"Quiet!" another hissed. "These people cost us our rightful place in this village. We have to stash the pouch in their room without them noticing."
I blinked my eyes and looked over at Lydia, who had retreated to her bedroll and was now aiming a crossbow at the hide. I raised a hand from the spear and she nodded.
The sound of someone coughing echoed through the hide door covering. I could see the hide shift as someone pushed against it and I raised the spear. A moment later a young man of about eighteen years scurried into the room, only to halt when he felt the blade of the spear against his chest.
"I'm afraid us not noticing is not an option," I informed the young man coldly.
"Ber?" the voice of the second body called out softly. "What happened?"
"If your brother is dumb enough to charge in," I began.
"He won't make it three steps," Lydia said. "But if this boy wants to take three steps toward the door ... ."
I snorted. "And we'll never see him no more? I never pictured you as a fan of that band. But we have no one named Linda Lou here."
"The boy's hair is brown anyways," Lydia said with a giggle.
I looked at the boy. In the glare of the stone's light his skin was pale, and he was shaking slightly. He backed away from the spear until his back touched the hide. I slid forward to keep the spear close to his chest.
"Look," the boy said. "I just did what my father wanted."
"I don't kill children," I growled. "But I want you and your brother out there in the hallway to run home. Then I want you to stay there until after we leave the village. Tell your father that should this happen again, those attempting to cause trouble won't be coming home."
The boy nodded, then turned and ran through the hide. I could hear a loud grunt followed by a crash as he ran into something in the hallway.
"Ber! What are you doing?" the voice from the hallway shouted.
"They caught me!" the boy called Ber replied. "We need to get out of here."
The next sound was that of feet pounding on the stone floor as someone ran down the hallway toward the common room. I listened for them to leave. The sound kept moving away and faded out after a moment.
"Cover me," I hissed to Lydia. The noise from the boy's departure had not been loud enough to wake anyone, but I could hear people stirring. I held the spear in my left hand as I picked up our light stone with my right and carried it to the hide. I used the spear to move the hide away and sprayed the light from the stone into the hall.
Shadows danced in the light as the hide slipped against the spear. I could see no one waiting for me to leave. I crept forward until I was in the hall and pulled the cover from the stone, lighting up the hallway.
The hallway was empty. The alcoves that had contained the oil lamps stood empty. I looked at the doorway and could see Lydia standing just behind the hide. She had pushed aside the hide with her left hand and looked out into the hallway. "Sons of the former headman I bet."
"I'm not betting against you," I replied. "That's what I was thinking as well. Can you watch the hallway? I want to go and check on the sleds."
"You are carrying our only light source," Lydia said, pointing at the stone in my hand. "Unless you want me to wake Shaylin and have her use her crystal."
"That light is a bit harsh, and she seemed wiped out tired by the time we started leaving the table," I said.
Lydia nodded. "
I watched her enchant the two stones. It took a lot out of her. She said that she would not be able to do it again for at least ten days."
"It was an impressive feat," I said. "I guess all I can ask is for you listen to see if those two idiots try to come back. I'll try to move quickly."
"I'll stay near you," Lydia countered. "I can stand in the doorway to the stable. From there the light from the stone should be enough."
"Fine, let's do this," I said.
I walked through the still smoky hallway. The hide separating the hallway from the stable was easy to push aside, and I heard someone scrambling to his feet as I stepped through the doorway.
The light from my stone illuminated the stable. "Where did you get that?" a young male voice asked.
"We never said the one we provided Roldophic was the only one we had," I replied calmly. I looked toward the voice and could see the younger of the two boys who had been serving in the inn. He had straw on his shirt and in his hair. The young man glanced down at his shirt and started to panic.
"Sir, please," he blubbered.
I shook my head. "Stop. I just wanted to check on the sleds. A couple of young men about your age tried to sneak into our room."
"What?" the boy asked.
"Two boys, one who went by the name Ber, tried to sneak into our room. From what they said while standing in the hallway, there were going to leave something in the room. The plan appears to have been to cause trouble tomorrow by claiming we stole something."
"There's not much worth stealing," the boy responded. "Maybe the bell from our watchtower ... ."
The boy's face paled again. "They wouldn't!" he hissed. "We need that bell!"
The boy dashed past Lydia and me. He entered the inn at a run, vanishing into the main room. I watched him go and then walked over to the sleds. All three had hides draped over the cargo and tied down. I could see no signs that the sleds had been disturbed.
"What was that about?" Lydia asked when I walked back toward the door. "You said something to the boy, and then he ran off like the inn was on fire."
"I told him about our visitors, and he's worried that they were going to stash the village's warning bell in our room," I said. "I expect he'll tell his father, and then things will get rather busy. We should return to the room and watch."
I led Lydia back into the hallway and then back to our room. Heather was sitting up and blinking in the dark as we entered. She closed her eyes and threw a hand over her face. "Why did you leave me?" she asked. "It's cold without you."
"Someone tried to sneak in and leave something," I said. "I'm guessing the goal was to get us in trouble in the morning. They ran when we revealed we knew they were there, but ... ."
"Do you think they'll be back?" Heather whispered. "Should we be prepared to leave again?"
"We aren't a traveling show and the sheriff isn't on his way here," I said. "I went to check the sleds. One of the innkeeper's sons was guarding our stuff."
"He was sleeping in the straw," Lydia stage whispered.
I glared at her and then shook my head. "Anyway, I told the son what had happened, and he ran into the inn. It sounded like he thought he knew what the boys were going to hide in our room."
"Damn," Heather said. "So let me guess: no more sleep?"
"Any idea what time it is?" I asked.
"Close to dawn," Lydia said. "Steve organized the watch schedule, and I was supposed to be the last one before the sun came up."
"I'm surprised that Hencktor wasn't awake with you," Heather said.
Lydia burnished her fingernails and smiled. "I left him too drained to stay awake," she vamped.
Heather and Lydia giggled together as I shook my head. I got dressed as the duo engaged in a whispered conversation. A few muffled snorts made it clear that the rest of the group was starting to wake.
I headed out to the main room as everyone else woke. There was a lot of activity in the main room as villagers came and went. From what I heard said, it was clear they were searching for someone. I sat at the table we had used the night before. As soon as I set the spear behind me, Roldophic's wife ran over.
"Is it true that Berwin and Mescaline attempted to hide the watch bell in your room last night?" she asked.
"I only saw one boy," I replied. "And the light was poor. I heard him and another boy talking about leaving something in our room. He left quickly once I confronted him, and I never saw what he planned on leaving."
The woman frowned. "My husband went and checked the watchtower when Radvernin ran in and woke us saying that the bell had been swiped. The bell is missing, and now no one can find Berwin, Mescaline, or their father Edvald."
"Edvald being the bald man who caused trouble last night?" I asked.
The woman nodded. "Yes, his ancestors founded the town. They had preserved some of the Empire's water pumps. Without those pumps, the land here would be too dry to farm. Instead, we get very good yields."
"So he held power thanks to what his forefathers had done," I said with a nod. "And he probably blames us for his removal from power."
"How could you know?" the woman asked.
"We've seen it happen elsewhere," I replied, although I refrained from explaining where. "Meanwhile, is there some breakfast?"
The woman nodded. "I used the leftover goose as the main part of a new stew. It's simmering now along with some freshly baked bread. I even have some cheese to use as a spread on the bread."
"Perfect," I said as I looked around. I noticed that one of the candelabras had no candles, and the glowing stone was mounted in the center of the device, providing a soft light for the room. The innkeeper's wife noticed my gaze.
"It's perfect for there. We can use fewer candles to keep this place lit and maybe stop using those horrible pig fat lamps in the hallway," she said. "Now I'll have to check on the stew. I'll send Radvernin out with things as we get them ready."
"Is there anything we should know for today?" I asked. "Our plan was to rest and then we'll leave tomorrow morning."
"No," the innkeeper's wife said. "I'd stay near the inn though. Edvald did have a few friends in the village, and they are very unhappy about his fall from power."
I nodded. The woman turned and walked away. At the same time, Heather emerged from the hallway and ran around the table to sit next to me.
"What is the plan for today?" she asked.
"Rest," I replied. "We should also look at the sleds and see if we can organize them a bit better. We have items we won't need until we find a place to settle stacked on the top of the sleds. Let's shift things around so that we can quickly get to what we need, and things like the kegs of seeds are on the bottom where they won't be disturbed often."
"We really need a day to play and have fun," Heather said. "You realize that we haven't done anything that could be considered relaxing since we arrived on Jord. Every day there has been something important."
"What? Our time trapped in the lodge in the Wizards City wasn't relaxing?" I said.
Heather put her hands on my shoulders and held me down while she kissed my lips. "Not for me, you were too shy to give me the love I needed."
"Heather," I hissed.
Heather kissed me again. "I'm teasing. I know you aren't comfortable with the idea of doing it in front of everyone. However, there was a lot of stress while we were in the lodge. First, we all had bad feelings about the Wizards and then the arrival of Aine and Sharice. It was not a comfortable time for us."
"So we got physical rest, but you are saying we need to find a way to relax," I said. "Well, I'd suggest a game of some kind, but we don't really have anything to use."
"Soccer," Heather said."
"What do we use for a ball?" I asked.
Heather smiled. "We make one. We take something to use as the hard core of a ball, wrap it up with some of our spare cloth, and then have Aine sew some kind of leather exterior for it."
"We might have nothing that can sew leather," I pointed out. "I asked Lydia
about it last night. And the villagers probably won't have anything to spare. That was a huge part of what the dispute with the former headman was about. The man was driving traders away."
Heather frowned. "I forgot that. I thought soccer would be a great way to relax."
"It isn't a bad idea," I admitted. "We'll have to see about getting more items for sewing in the future."
"Well, if we can't do that, I guess we can just play games like tag," Heather said. "Or we can ask the villagers."
"We'll work it out," I said as the boy who had been guarding our sleds came out carrying two pitchers in his hand. He set them on the table with a frown as he looked at the empty space on both benches. "Where is everyone?" he asked.
"They are still waking up," Heather said. "Everyone will be out shortly."
The boy nodded and turned away. He slunk back to the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder at the hallway.
He had just made his way out of sight when Aine came out of the hallway. She was escorting Gertrilla and Shaylin. The girls cheered when they noticed the pitchers and ran over to the table. They placed several tankards on the table and began filling them.
"You forgot your tankard," Shaylin observed.
"But we remembered it for you," Gertrilla said as she pushed a tankard in my direction.
"Thanks," I said with a nod. I picked up the tankard and brought it to my lips. I expected the flat ale from the previous night, but the drink had a strong and sweet flavor. Beside me, Heather also tried the beverage.
"Sweet," she said.
"Very," I agreed. "And we should have some breakfast here in a short time. It will be goose stew."
"I'm a bit surprised the village had so many geese," Heather said.
I nodded as the boy came out carrying a medium sized cauldron. He set it on the table and handed a ladle to Gertrilla.
The girl giggled and then looked at me. "I'll be right back," she said. "We forgot the bowls."
Gertrilla and Shaylin got up and dashed off into the hallway, leaving the poor boy standing there and watching them as they vanished. He sighed.