“Yes,” Lorit said. “We’re headed for Veldwaite.”
“That’s quite a haul this early in the season,” Kinem said. “You’re going to need a team that can handle the cold or you’ll spend all day getting the lizards warmed up enough to walk.”
“I don’t know very much about lizards,” Lorit explained. He shrugged at his ignorance. “I didn’t even know they were used to get across the Plains. I always assumed we could make the crossing on a horse,” he added, waving his arm to show the expanse of the journey ahead of them.
“The grass would slice a horse’s belly to bits before you got half a day’s walk from here,” Kinem said. He took a drink from his cup and set it carefully back on the table. “Lizards,” he continued to explain. “They don’t mind the grass. They’re built for it. They can walk in it all day.”
“Is that the reason for the sled?” Lorit asked.
“That’s right. Without the iron-bottomed sled, you’d slice through anything wood in a day and be left with a pile of kindling,” Kinem explained. “That grass is sharp and dangerous.”
“What inhabits the grass?” Lorit asked. He took a careful drink from his glass of ale, nursing it while they talked.
“Lizards, and what they eat, mostly,” Kinem said. He gestured with his palms up. “I don’t rightly know what lives in there, but it don’t usually worry too many folk. We get a lot of trade through there, and no one’s ever had much trouble.”
“I am glad to have your advice,” Lorit told him. “When can we have a look at this team?”
“Come by in the morning. I can get a good team and sled together. You have your provisions prepared?”
“Not yet,” Lorit said. “We’ve only just arrived.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can have your provisions ready for you. My brother runs a chandlery and has all of the supplies you’ll need to make it across.” He rose and bowed to Chihon, then Lorit in succession. “Until tomorrow then. Lady,” he said. “Gentleman.”
“Until tomorrow then,” Lorit said.
Lorit and Chihon arrived at the livery early in the morning, just as the smoke from the chimneys was reaching into the cold morning air. When they entered the livery office, Kinem was seated at a table near the entrance. Hois was busy setting out cups around a steaming hot pot of dark tea.
“Come on in,” Hois said. “You’re just in time for tea.” She pulled a chair out and gestured to it before she disappeared into a side room, quickly to return with a plate of bread and cheese. She placed it on the table next to the steaming teapot.
She dragged out a chair with her foot and sat down, reaching for a plate and napkin.
“Welcome,” she said. “Please,” she gestured to the food and tea, “help yourselves.”
Kinem laughed and patted Hois on the shoulder. “She doesn’t think we should do business on an empty stomach. She looked after me since my wife passed a few years back. Like the daughter I never had.”
“We do appreciate the breakfast,” Chihon said. She helped herself to a cup of tea and one of the biscuits. “We had planned to get something on our way out of town.”
“Not after what you did last night,” Hois said. “That Honynt’s trouble. He tries to swindle every newcomer in town. He’s always after Kinem’s customers. It’s high time someone finally put him in his place.”
“It was nothing,” Lorit said. “There was just something about him that I didn’t trust. When he decided to rob us instead of sell to us, it was all I could bear.”
“Well, you have my gratitude either way,” Hois said.
Kinem reached beside his chair and pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment. He cleared a space on the table before him and spread it out. It contained a map showing the Freshen Sea and the lands all the way to Quineshua. He traced a route for them with his finger.
“If you follow this route, you should be to the foot of the Swion Mountains in about two weeks,” he explained. “There are faster routes there, but they’re a lot harder on the team and your bodies than this one.”
Lorit looked over the map. “How do you navigate across the Plains without any real landmarks?” he asked, indicating the large flat expanse on the map.
Kinem smiled at Lorit. “How good did your ma teach you numbers?”
“I am passing with numbers,” Lorit said. He looked at Chihon who was leaning forward, looking intently at the map.
“I’m very good with numbers,” she said. “Why do you ask?”
Kinem glanced over at Hois. “Go get them a transit sight,” he asked.
“What’s a transit sight?” Lorit asked.
“You use it to figure out where you are,” he said. He lifted a finger, tracing along a curved line on the map. The thin line had sets of numbers printed along its arc. There were several sets of these lines overlapping and intersecting in a bizarre pattern that Lorit could not fathom.
Hois came back with a brass instrument that looked like a spy glass with a large arched base. The base had two sliding markers that could be positioned along its circumference. Kinem twisted each of them and moved them around the arc.
“You take a fix on several peaks. Once you know how far apart the peaks appear, you can calculate where you are on this map. It takes a little effort to learn how to do the figuring, but it’s not all that bad once you get used to it,” he explained. “Ships at sea use the stars to get their fix. On the Plains, you use the peaks of the Swion Mountains instead of the stars.”
Lorit looked over at Chihon helplessly. She leaned in closer to the map. “Show me how you do it,” she said. “I think I see what you’re talking about.”
Hois stood and shoved her chair back under the table. “Come on,” she said to Lorit. “It’s time to look over the team and sled. They’ll be a while, explaining. If you don’t have a head for numbers, then this won’t make any sense, anyway.”
Lorit stood and followed her into the barn. “I think you’re right,” he said.
The first thing he saw in the barn was a long row of stanchions, each with the head of a lizard trapped inside. They munched silently at the fodder placed before them, a heavy green grass as thick as Lorit’s wrist. He reached for some of the grass to examine it, but before he could touch it, Hois grabbed his arm.
“That’s Plains Grass,” she said. “You have to be very careful, or it’ll slice you open. You get cut with Plains Grass, and you don’t stop bleeding until you’re all bled out. It has some kind of sap that keeps the blood flowing,” she explained.
“Doesn’t seem to bother the lizards,” Lorit observed.
“They’re born to it.”
Lorit examined one of the lizards closely. Their large, powerful jaws munched lazily at the razor-sharp grass. Just behind their jaws, heavy gold rings pierced the cheeks on both sides of their scaly green heads.
“What’re these for?” Lorit asked, pointing one of them out to Hois.
“Those are the guides,” she said, indicating a fine brass chain hanging near one of the stalls. It had clips on either end that would snap into the rings. It was used to control the lizards like a bridle on a horse.
“You can’t put a bit and bridle on a lizard. They’re too strong. They could bite through one easily. The rings in their cheeks work just as well. They’re pretty sensitive there, and guide more easily than a horse, once you get used to it,” she explained.
“Come on down this way.” Hois indicated the rear of the barns. “We have a fine sled ready for you. You’ll love this.”
The sled was a large wooden platform with the leading edge curled up to help it slide over the grass. It was plated underneath with scuffed but highly polished metal, and had a pair of small wheels at the rear. The sled was packed with several large barrels and boxes.
On a peg near the sled hung the strangest garment Lorit had ever seen. It consisted of a pair of scaly leather pants and a jacket that were sewn together to make one garment. The sleeves ended in gloves that were attached to the g
arment. Near that, a leather hood and a pair of goggles hung from another peg.
“This is your protective gear, for when you have to get off the sled in the grass,” Hois explained. “You’d be sliced to ribbons by the grass if you walked through it unprotected. This is made of lizard skin and will offer you protection.”
Lorit examined the clothing and then the sled. The barrels were filled with water and supplies. One of the smaller barrels was packed with salted meat, another with travel bread, and yet another with roots and greens.
“I hope everything is to your liking,” Hois said.
“Yes,” Lorit remarked. “This is more than I could have hoped for.”
Lorit and Hois returned to the office just as Chihon and Kinem were stowing the transit sight and map.
“I think I can find the way,” Chihon said. “It’s tricky but not impossible.”
“She’s a quick learner,” Kinem said, inclining his head toward Chihon.
“How much for the team?” Lorit asked. He was worried that even with the pirates’ golds they might fall short.
“Normally, a team like this goes for close to five hundred golds,” Kinem said. “That would be one hundred fifty each for the lizards. Another hundred fifty for the sled, and thirty more for the provisions,” he said. “I can give you a discount, for taking care of that scum who accosted you yesterday. How about four hundred for the whole thing?”
Lorit whistled. “That’s a lot of golds.”
Chihon put her hand on Lorit’s shoulder and said quietly, “We’ve just come into a windfall.”
Lorit considered for a moment. He’d learned how to make golds, but conjuring this many golds would take a lot out of him. It would take almost all of the golds they’d taken from the Captain.
“Considering that you’re already giving us such a discount, I think it’s a fair price,” Lorit answered. He extended his hand toward Kinem, who shook it vigorously.
“You won’t be disappointed,” he exclaimed. He looked up at Hois. “Can you hitch the team and bring her around front?”
“I will be right back,” she said and scurried back into the barn.
Hois pulled up in front of the livery just as Lorit and Kinem finished counting the golds. They walked out into the early morning sun and examined their purchase. The two lizards were twice as long as Lorit’s outstretched arms, not including the tails which were half again as long. They were yoked together by a heavy wooden beam with metal loops that encircled their powerful necks.
“Once you get into the grass, you can remove the wheels,” Kinem instructed Lorit. “Until then you need them to travel the roads.”
Lorit and Chihon mounted the sled, sliding onto the small bench located near the front, and picked up the small chains that ran to the cheek rings in the lizards. Lorit gave them a slight snap as he’d been instructed. The lizards lurched forward with their twisting side-to-side gait and the sled lurched after them.
They were soon out of town and headed down the dirt road that would take them to the Plains of Grass. They turned off the road onto the hay field as shown on Kinem’s map. Soon shafts of Plains Grass began to show up occasionally between the uncut hay. When they started to become more common and thicker, Lorit pulled back on the reins and halted the lizards.
They detached the wheels and allowed the sled to come to rest on the fresh hay. They stowed the wheels and returned to the sled. With a jerk of the reins, the lizards started their gate once again.
Soon they were surrounded by Plains Grass almost chest high on Lorit. Only the raised bench allowed him any view above the grass itself. The grass stretched on endlessly. Lorit understood why navigating the Plains was so difficult. An endless sea of grass stretched out in front of them with nothing but gently rolling hills to break up the monotony of the surface.
The young man stood before the High Priest. He had only just been assigned to Nebrook and was pleased with his promotion to Under Priest. He was no longer an acolyte and had been entrusted with a mission of great importance by Torl, the High Priest.
“Father, I have failed you. They are gone, departed this morning. They are in the Plains of Grass. I found a man by the name of Honynt who had a run-in with the wizard. He said they were looking for transport to Veldwaite.”
“What else did the man tell you?” Torl asked.
“He said they were seeking transport to Veldwaite and that they had plenty of golds to spend on a team. I heard that Kinem sold them a sled and team of lizards and helped them off. I fear we have missed our opportunity.”
Father Torl shook his head. “That’s too bad. We were entrusted with a duty to stop this wizard before he left our city. This will have to be reported to Quineshua.”
Father Torl leaned across his desk. “Tell me, son…have you ever traveled by magic?”
Chapter 15
By the sixth day, Lorit had the routine well established. He and Chihon took turns driving the lizards. They needed remarkably little attention. Each morning and afternoon Chihon took sightings on the mountain peaks. She plotted their position and progress on the map. He was grateful that she’d taken on the responsibility of navigation.
They stopped four times a day to water the lizards. This task required them to circle the lizards around in a tight circle until there was a flat spot in the grass. Lorit would have to get off of the sled and set troughs out with their water. This meant that Lorit had to don the heavy lizard skin garments before he could dismount and attend to their care.
Occasionally Chihon took on this chore just to stretch her legs. She said it helped her work out the cramps from sitting too long. Lorit knew she was just giving him a break from the hot and sweaty job.
Each day seemed much the same as the one before as they crossed the endless sameness of the Plains. The hissing of the sled as it slid across the grass was a constant background to their conversation.
About an hour before sunset Lorit circled the lizards just as he’d done so often before. He pulled the reins tighter and tighter to position the sled in the center of the newly flattened grass. He pulled the reins to signal the lizards to stop and donned the garment that protected him from the razor-sharp blades of grass.
Lorit pounded the stake into the ground that would keep the lizards from wandering off during the night, while still leaving them enough room to graze to their fill.
Lorit spread out the lizard skin carpet that formed their campground and protected them from the grass during the night. He laid out the blankets and the packs in preparation for the evening meal. With the protective skin on the flattened grass, Lorit stripped off the heavy lizard skin garment, walked over to the sled, and held out his hand to help Chihon down.
“I’m glad we’re finally stopping for the night,” she said. “This has been a particularly rough day. I don’t know why, but I think I’ve had enough of the endless sea of grass already, and we’re not even halfway there yet.”
“I am, too,” Lorit said. He hauled out the fire pit that stood above the lizard skin carpet on its wooden legs. He stacked a small amount of dry wood into the pit, ordering it into a neat pile. He held his hand over the wood and willed it to ignite. Flames licked out and warmed his hand.
After dinner, they cleaned up and stowed their gear. They always started as early in the morning as the lizards woke up and often skipped breakfast, preferring to eat on the go rather than take more time than necessary. It was full twilight, and the stars were just starting to show.
Lorit noticed the lizards were showing signs of agitation. Usually they calmed down and were sound asleep by nightfall, but tonight they seemed upset. Their tongues darted in and out, and they breathed heavily. They slashed their tales back and forth.
“I wonder what’s gotten into them,” Chihon said. “They seem to have caught the scent of something.”
“Kinem said there was nothing dangerous out here,” Lorit reminded her. “I hope he wasn’t mistaken,” he added, looking around. All there was to see wa
s the tall grass surrounding the matted-down circle created by the lizards and the sled.
One of the lizards raised its head and hissed angrily. It tugged at the stake as if trying to get away from something. Its tongue darted in and out quickly while its head swayed from side to side.
“There’s definitely something out there,” Lorit said. He probed with his senses to see if he could make out what was disturbing the lizards. He could feel vague shapes heading their way. They appeared to be traveling in a single file line. He couldn’t make out what it was, but it was moving steadily their way.
“I feel something headed our way,” Lorit said. “There are several of them, and they’re all headed straight toward us in a neat line.” He probed for more detail but could make out nothing more.
“Can you tell what they are?” Chihon asked. “I can sense something, too. I’m not sure what it is. It has an odd feel to it.”
“Listen,” Lorit said.
He extinguished the fire with a wave of his hand, plunging the campsite into darkness, save for the glow of the stars. He listened intently for any noise the approaching creatures might make.
He quieted himself, trying to hear anything that would indicate what it was. He heard nothing outside of the rustling and hissing of the lizards, who continued to taste the air, searching for the intruder as Lorit did.
Lorit could sense the creatures coming closer. As the procession approached their campsite, it turned and started to surround them. Soon Lorit could sense them fanning out in a circle until the campsite was entirely surrounded. He prepared himself for whatever might come out of the tall grass. Gathering strength, he steeled himself for a fight.
He strained to discern what the creatures were doing, but nothing happened. Whatever they were, they’d encircled the campsite and were now standing, unmoving in the tall grass, waiting.
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