The Elf and the Amulet

by Chris Africa

  "Must be strange to live in a village with walls around it instead of trees," Chassy said.

  "There's a gatehouse, but no one is in it," Nita said.

  Andrev poked them with a long stick to keep them moving. "It’s only walled to keep out predators like wolves and bears," he said. "Otherwise they would have switched to stone by now. Wood doesn’t keep out armies."

  Chassy shook his head. Andrev should have known that was the wrong thing to tell Nita.

  "Bears and wolves?" Nita stopped in her tracks, yanking the stick out of her brother’s hand. "We’ve been sleeping with bears and wolves every night, and you didn’t even tell us? Is that what all the sounds were?"

  Andrev trotted past her. "If you want to stay out here pouting all night, that’s fine by me. I’m going to have a good night’s sleep and look for that elf... Besides," he said. "There’s plenty of game this time of year. Predators aren’t hunting on the edge of the Blackwood, and they certainly aren’t looking for anything that might fight back."

  Nita heeled her horse and followed.

  An old man sitting in a chair under the gate stared as they rode through. He didn’t look like a guard, but seemed to be examining them carefully.

  "Gates close at dusk." His voice creaked like an old hinge.

  "Thank you, sir," Nita said.

  The old man scowled at her breeches and turned back to his post.

  "The entire grove could fit inside these walls," Chassy said as they cleared the gate. For the sake of Nita and Andrev, who looked bedraggled and cranky, he tried to contain his excitement. But this was exactly the sort of experience he had hoped to have as a traveler with Mayvis. It could only be better with his friends.

  The area inside the walls was crowded with buildings. To their left was a row of shops, the nearest with a brightly painted sign proclaiming it the "Maiden’s Blush." To the right, a neat line of small homes marched up the road.

  "I think we should find an inn tonight and have a look at the city tomorrow," Chassy said. The city was a nice change of view from the past decan. In the distance, he could see a stone building on top of a hill, towering above the rest of the city.

  "You think this is the inn?" Nita pointed to the Maiden’s Blush.

  "If not, they’ll know where we can find one," Andrev said. "Come on, Chassy, quit gaping."

  The Maiden’s Blush was crowded with round tables packed with men drinking ale and throwing dice. On one of the tables, a plump young woman with her skirt hiked nearly to the waist was just finishing a bawdy song to a round of jeers and applause. A tired looking man with broad shoulders, thick fingers, and a gray curl straying into the middle of his forehead trudged up to them. He eyed them up and down, and wiped his hands on a soiled apron.

  "You’d be wantin’ the Wineburst. It’s down the Mainway, round the other side o’ the keep." He turned in trudged back through the crowd.

  "Wait!" Andrev called, hurrying after the man and tugging his sleeve. "What’s the Wineburst?"

  "Noble folk’s inn," the man responded, pulling free as he hurried away.

  "We aren’t—" Chassy started, but the man disappeared into the crowd. Noble folks?

  A shaggy man to their right retched. Nita wrinkled her nose and turned away.

  "I’m feeling pretty noble right now," she said. Chassy agreed.

  Andrev shook his head. "We only have two gold pieces to get us to the other side of the world. If there’s an inn here just for nobles, it will be costly."

  The man who had just retched was wiping his face on the back of his arm. Nita shot him a disgusted look and pushed past Chassy and Andrev.

  "Fine. You sleep here. I’ll sleep in the woods if this is our only choice," Nita said.

  "Nita—" Andrev threw up his hands. Nita was disappearing out the door of the tavern, Andrev on her heels. Chassy followed them, rummaging through his pouch. There must be something valuable in the pouch. They couldn't stay in a place like this. He'd rather sleep in the woods, too.

  "Be reasonable!" Andrev demanded. "We can't afford an inn for nobles. What happens when we run out of coin?"

  "Did you see that place? Did you smell it?" Nita’s face was a storm cloud ready to rain lightning. "And who made you the leader of this group anyway? What about what Chassy and I want?"

  Chassy pulled out the tiny blade.

  "Maybe we can sell this." He grinned and brandished it at them. Andrev and Nita stopped arguing and just looked at him.

  "Who would buy something like that? What good is it?" Nita said crossly.

  "Don't be touchy; I'm trying to lighten things up," he said.

  "What else do you have, Chassy?" Andrev asked.

  Chassy knelt on the ground and turned his pouch out into the dirt. A few passers-by stared as he spread the items out: the ring, cook pot, blade, book, carved stone, thimble, a coil of thread, vials, and the gold coins. Realistically, nothing to barter with.

  Above him, brother and sister resumed their argument.

  "That doesn’t mean anything!" Andrev said. "Even with two gold coins, we’ll run out of coin and provisions long before we get to Death’s End."

  "Andrev, I’m not staying in that nasty place! I’d rather sleep with the bears and wolves. A nice inn is the closest thing we’ve got to home out here," Nita insisted. "Please, just one night."

  Their voices were drawing too much attention, and Nita looked like she was going to start crying. Chassy’s scooped everything back into his pouch, dirt and all, and stepped between them. He slipped his arm through Nita's.

  "I agree with Nita. I say we stay at this Wineburst. If we run out of coin, that silver mirror’s sure to be worth more than anything else we have," he concluded.

  Andrev just scowled.

  "The only surety is that we will regret every penny we waste on luxury," he said, and turned his back on them. But he'd obviously given up. Well, it wouldn’t be a real compromise if anyone walked away completely happy. At least they weren’t fighting any more.

  Chassy headed down what the old man had called the Mainway. A part of him agreed with Andrev that they should be frugal. But after a decan of walking cross-country all day and being jabbed by dead needles and branches all night, he thought they needed a reprieve. They would feel much better in the morning, their sibling rivalries calmed. That was what he hoped, anyway. Chassy had never had a brother or sister, but he could not imagine arguing with one half as often as Nita and Andrev went at it.

  The Mainway was twice as wide as any road through Waet, but there was enough traffic of people and wagons that there was barely room to move. The closer they got to the keep in the center of town, the busier the road became. The alleys seemed to be dumping grounds for all sorts of waste. These odors mingled with the familiar odor of horse sweat and exotically spiced meat. The crowds pushed between them, driving their horses further and further apart. Chassy followed as closely as possible, keeping them in sight ahead of him.

  As they passed the keep, Chassy paused to stare up at it. Like a stream divided by a boulder, the crowd flowed around him. He quickly caught up to his friends, to avoid being separated. The closer they got, the bigger the keep looked, and the more the crowds grew. But by the time they reached the Wineburst Inn, the sun had begun to drop and the crowds were beginning to thin. The darkness that fell seemed to weigh a hundred stone. Eyelids drooping, Chassy finally dismounted and stepped across the threshold of the inn.

  Numb with relief and exhaustion, Chassy noticed only the wonderful smells of roasted meat and a hickory fire. A small boy in a white tunic approached with a round brown woman close behind him. The boy reached for their packs, while the woman introduced herself as Nana Tuck. She peered around them, as if expecting to see someone who was not there.

  "Will you require separate rooms for your personal servants?" she questioned.

  "We don’t have any servants," Nita said.

  "We will have two of your cheapest rooms," Andrev added.

  The broad smile
was replaced by a disapproving frown. "Are you sure this is where you want to be? Our rooms are five silvers each."

  Andrev opened his mouth, but Chassy said, "Yes, please show us to our rooms."

  "Paid in advance." The innkeeper extended her hand.

  She looked surprised when Chassy dropped a gold coin in her palm and added, "We will also require hot baths and hot meals."

  "The bath comes with the room," Nana Tuck said, "and the wine. An extra five gets you three bowls of barley stew with lamb."

  Chassy said, "We will also be breaking fast here, so you can keep the other five."

  "Your packs will be brought up for you. Adl, show them their rooms," the innkeeper said. The boy led the way to the back of the common room, all three packs heaped on his small frame. He made it look effortless.

  Adl paused at the foot of the steps, bowing as they approached. "Shall I send Liam to stable your horses?"

  "Yes, thank you," Chassy said.

  Adl blinked at Andrev's sour face, then turned to stomp up the steps as fast as his little legs would carry him. That was almost too fast for Chassy, whose legs seemed impossibly heavy.

  "This would be your room, lady," he said, opening a door for Nita. As she entered the room, he crossed and stirred the fire, lit several lamps, and fluffed a pillow on the bed.

  "Tabitha will be up to draw your bath. Will you take your meal in your room?" Adl asked.

  "Yes, please," Nita said.

  "I will bring it, then. The maid will extinguish your lamps when you've finished your meal. Ring if you require anything." He indicated a braided, tasseled cord that hung down flat against the wall from the ceiling. He gave her a little bow and turned to leave.

  "Adl—" she called. He turned and Chassy's mouth dropped open when she pressed a copper into his palm.

  Where did she get that? Chassy would have to ask her when they had a chance to talk alone.

  "Thank you for your help," Nita said.

  Adl led Andrev and Chassy to the end of the hall. As they reached what seemed to be a dead end, they noticed an adjoining hallway whose entrance was lost in shadows. Adl turned down this narrow hallway, which was lit only half so well as the one they had just left.

  "Where are we going?" Andrev demanded.

  "To the servants’ wing," answered Adl, as if it were obvious.

  "We didn’t pay for servants’ quarters," Andrev said, stepping in front of him.

  "I apologize for my assumption." Adl bowed again. "For five silvers, you may have a room with two beds in the servants’ quarters, or you may have a room in the guest wing with one bed for whoever wants to be the noble, and a palette for whoever wants to be the servant." Adl waited.

  "Uh, we'll take two beds in the servants’ quarters," Chassy said. He shrugged at Andrev, who was glaring and undoubtedly fuming that Adl had automatically offered Nita the guest room. Well, it was a bed. What difference did it make which wing they were in?

  "Do we still get a hot bath?" Chassy asked.

  "Yes, the same amenities apply. Here is your room." Adl opened the door and led the way inside.

  This was clearly of lower quality, not nearly as nice as even the lowest room in the Two Pumpkin Inn. It was half the size of Nita's guest room, with no window. The linens were a simple blue, and the beds were so close together, he and Andrev would bump into each other if they got out of bed at same time. He was disappointed for a moment.

  But it's a bed, he reminded himself, not a pile of sticks in a cold, scary wood.

  "This is nice, thank you Adl," he said, bowing.

  "You call this a room?" Andrev said. "This is a little more than a pantry with two beds stuffed inside. At our inn, we serve all our paying guests equally."

  Adl dropped their bags to the floor and gave Andrev a crooked grin. "So, you are an innkeeper’s son? Then you should know that servants are not paying guests, and that all paying guests are not equal. But if you are only innkeeper’s sons, perhaps you do not know your place."

  "And he's the Masterweaver's son. Do you even know what that means?" Andrev continued.

  Chassy elbowed Andrev.

  "Oh, the Masterweaver’s son, then. Hmph." Adl's lip curled. "So that is why you are all so well dressed. Well, you are not my betters, and I will not be treated so by my equals. Your meals will be served in the common room."

  "Our baths!" Chassy called after his retreating figure. There was no answer.

  At least the room and the linens were clean.

  "Little scoundrel!" Andrev slammed the door behind them. "If we don’t get our baths, I will demand our silvers returned."

  "I doubt the innkeeper will pay any attention to you at all." Chassy removed his boots and wiggled his tired toes, glad to be free of their confinement. "We’re only here because I gave them a whole gold piece. We might have got our meals in our room if you had been nicer, like Nita."

  "We can’t afford to stay here," Andrev repeated. "How do you expect to pay for anything beyond tomorrow’s breakfast?"

  Chassy leaned back on the pillow and closed his eyes. "I still have one gold piece. We'll figure something out."

  "You are being stupid," Andrev said. "You can't keep spending all our coin willy nilly and expect us to survive all summer."

  Chassy opened his eyes and sat up. "We wouldn't even have had any coin if it weren't for the wizard's pouch. What right do you have to tell me where to spend my coin?"

  "If you can read a map and tell the directions from the stars, you’re welcome to make all the decisions." Andrev threw a pile of scrolls and a book onto Chassy’s lap.

  Chassy started to reply when there was a knock at the door. A head of shaggy black hair with black eyes peered into the room from an equally shaggy face.

  "Adl says ye’d be needing baths. Come wit’ me."

  "Come with you? Where?" Andrev asked.

  The black head poked back into the room again.

  "Why, to the baths a’ course." The black eyes widened in surprise. "Ye didn’t think we could fit one o’ them big basins in this little can, did ye? We only do that in the guest rooms."

  "Of course not." Chassy answered. He nudged Andrev silent. "Should we bring anything?"

  "Bring anything? What would ye be needin’ besides me? Unless ye meant the water a’ course." He chuckled at his own joke. "Just follow old Geoff, and he’ll fix you up right."

  Chassy and Andrev hurried into the hallway, where the massive back of the shaggy-headed man was quickly disappearing into the darkness. They reached the main hallway, passed it, and continued down another dark and narrow corridor. Geoff didn't smell like he frequented the baths himself. Chassy almost gagged before he breathed through his mouth. Andrev was always so unhappy-looking that Chassy couldn't tell by Andrev's sour look if he smelled it too.

  "Where—" Andrev started.

  "Shush!" Geoff half turned and pressed a finger to his lips. "We be full o’ guests tonight, some I’ve strict orders not to disturb," he whispered.

  The dark hallway ended in a surprisingly well-lit room. Steam and a faint minty smell rolled out of the opening. Geoff entered, motioning them to follow. A woven screen hid the room from them; rounding that, they were greeted by a small pavilion in red and brown mosaic tiles. The dominating feature of the room was a series of irregularly shaped natural pools with hand carved stepping stones leading down into them. The tile had been carefully crafted around the pools.

  "Here we be," Geoff said, turning to them, "Now, since ye’ve addled little Adl—" He paused to chuckle at himself again, "—it’ll be turns for ye tonight, or one of yer must dress hisself. What’ll it be?"

  "We can both dress and undress ourselves," Andrev said. "Just fetch us some soap and be off with you."

  Geoff raised his hands and eyes toward the ceiling in appeal. "Soap, he wants! Now there be a good joke!" Laughing heartily the big man turned and left.

  Chassy sat and began removing his trousers, while Andrev stood and stared impatiently at the screen.<
br />
  "A public bath—and we have to specially request soap. Well, I certainly hope he brings it tonight, rather than tomorrow!" Andrev raged.

  "You might as well join me in the bath," Chassy said, sinking up to his chin. After a decan of bathing in cold streams, hot water felt delicious, even without soap. He wished now that he had asked Nita to share the cake of soap that he had seen Tuva sneaking into Nita's pack. "He’s already halfway to the tavern by now."

  "What about the soap I requested?"

  "You didn’t request, you ordered," Chassy reminded him. "You can’t be rude to everyone and expect them to be nice to you in return."

  Andrev hurled his shirt at the screen.

  "That's not the point! We paid in gold for our rooms, and we deserve the best service. Besides you’ve seen how the nobles treat us at the Two Pumpkins. I’m no worse than any of them."

  "This is a nobles' inn, not an inn for commoners like us. The difference is, we’re not nobles. Ana and Asa! What’s wrong with you?"

  Andrev scowled at Chassy. "Well, he won’t be getting a copper more from me. And I’d better not catch you or Nita slipping him anything either." He slid into the bath furthest from Chassy and turned his back.

  Chassy shook his head and set about scrubbing. Andrev was still soaking—and likely sulking—in the bath when he returned to their room.

  Some kind soul had delivered their meals to the room. It was probably Nita's doing. He wondered how much coin she had brought with her. After gobbling down his food, he laid out his wet things on the hearth in front of the fire, pulled on a nightshirt and crawled under the blankets. Sleep was slow arriving, despite his chronic exhaustion. The bed felt hard, the blankets made of some sort of sheep's wool or cotton—he could not tell which, having worn neither.

  He missed the smooth weaves and the nubby textures of his mother’s everyday linens. These linens were hardly fit for a commoner, much less a nobleman. But it made him wonder what Mayvis and her crew lived with day after day, year-round, as traveling traders. That would have been his life, if he weren't here.