Soldier Song (The Teralin Sword Book 6)
Page 18
“Recover the books, and we would have no reason to harm him.”
“What if he no longer has them?”
“Then we will have to find them,” the man said.
There was a threat within that, though it didn’t come out overtly, and Endric had little doubt they would have some way of finding Novan, especially as they had tracked him this far.
“Return me to the ship, and I will find them,” Endric said.
“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” the man said.
“Why not?”
“We are too far from the ship to return you.”
“Then take me into Coamdon,” Endric said.
The man stared at him for a moment. Endric tried reading him, but they were too far away, it was too dark, and there was something off about the man that made it difficult to read his body language.
“What purpose did you have in going to Coamdon?” the man asked.
“Apparently, my purpose was to find you these books.”
He nodded. “We will escort you there, and then we will remain. You will find the books, and you will return them to us. And if you do not, we will come after the historian.”
“If you come after the historian, know that you will have to come through me.” Endric directed that comment to the swordsman.
“If it comes to it, then you will do what you have to do, and we will do what we must do.”
13
The ship pulled into the harbor in Coamdon, and Endric looked around, anxious to be off it. The last two days had passed slowly—almost too slowly. He had been on edge the entire time, unwilling to sleep or set his sword down, not sure whether these men would take the opportunity to attack him.
In the days that he traveled with them, he saw enough to let him know there must be some Mage ability among at least one of them. The men Endric had attacked had been healed. Some had injuries that should not have been easy to recover from, but they were back on their feet, working the sails and the lines within a day, walking as if the injuries they’d sustained were nothing.
Endric had said nothing, simply observing, curious if he would learn anything else, but the injured—and restored—men had not approached him. For the most part, they had avoided coming too close to him. Not that he blamed them. He had been the reason they were injured in the first place, and he maintained his guard as long as he could, prepared for the possibility that one of them might instigate more swordplay, but none did.
By the end of the two days, he was exhausted. He was tired of maintaining focus and was ready for nothing more than sleep, but first he needed to get into the port of Coamdon, and then he needed to find a safe place where he could hunker down and get some rest, staying close enough to the shore that he could watch for the arrival of the other ship.
Coamdon was a large city, spread out around a rocky coast, with the city stretching up the mountainous coastline. High up above the water was the main part of the city, and most of it looked as if it were a fortress, a massive central structure rising above the rest, surrounded by a sprawling wall. It was all made of stone—the same stone and coloring that led up from the shore, making it so that everything sort of blended together.
Dozens of ships moved through the harbor, and enormous docks stretched out like fingers into the water. Most of the ships pulled up along the docks, though some anchored in the middle of the harbor, sending smaller dinghies into shore.
What would these men do?
He turned to the leader, the mostly silent man whose name was Varian, and who Endric suspected was the one capable of using Magi abilities. The other man would have similar abilities—at least based on his swordsmanship—but Endric hadn’t seen that yet. “How far ahead of the other ship do you think you are?”
“Perhaps a day,” he said.
“How did you get so far ahead of them?”
He smiled but said nothing.
Although Endric suspected it came from something similar to the Magi abilities, he couldn’t prove it. Then again, it probably didn’t matter anyway. If they had something similar to the Magi abilities, there was no reason that they would need to use them the same as the Magi. The Magi viewed their powers as gifts from the gods, and while Endric didn’t know if that were the case, there were others with similar capabilities, and they viewed them very differently. The Antrilii had gifts which they used to defend the north from the threat of the groeliin. Was that any better use of their abilities than what the Magi did?
“Where will you be staying?” Endric asked.
They started to pull up alongside one of the docks, and he was eager to jump off the ship and get away from them. Before he did, he wanted to be prepared for how he would find them again when he did recover the book. Novan had already done far too good a job at making enemies of them, and Endric didn’t want to exacerbate that. He didn’t want to run the risk of creating even more enemies for the Denraen to have to face.
Besides, it was possible he could turn them into allies. If they were this skilled, and if they had swordsmen who trained with the Antrilii, maybe Endric could use them. Maybe he could somehow encourage them to come and join the Denraen.
What was he doing, thinking like that?
He tried to push the thoughts out of his head, but having soldiers with that sort of skill would be valuable, especially as they faced greater threats. He wasn’t convinced they were done with the Deshmahne, and if they had to encounter the Deshmahne again, having someone like this, with skills that rivaled those of the Antrilii, would make the Denraen that much more capable.
“We will remain on board the ship,” Varian said.
“And when I recover the books?”
“When you recover the books, you can see to it that you bring them out to us.”
“What happens if he doesn’t have them?”
That was what Endric worried about most of all. It was possible that Novan wouldn’t even have it with him, and if he didn’t, then would there be anything he could do?
Probably not. It meant he might need to fight, and while he normally didn’t mind fighting, he didn’t want to fight these people until he knew more about them.
“Do what you can, son of Dendril.”
They reached the dock, and the ship slowed to a stop. Endric barely waited before jumping off and hurrying down the dock, casting a glance back. The others on the ship worked to tie it up, wrapping lines around the massive dock poles and furling the sails.
He studied the ship, wanting to be able to find it again, though with its narrow hull and black-painted sides, he doubted that he would have a hard time. It was unique.
Endric reached the end of the dock. There were lots of people along the dock, most who looked to be ship workers, many with colorful and vibrant decorative tattoos, not the kind the Deshmahne possessed. Others could be merchants, or locals, and there was one band of acrobats he came across, their tight-fitting clothing revealing their muscularity.
Some of the people making their way along the docks pushed carts while others were heading back toward ships and some were talking loudly to each other. Endric passed one group of men who stunk of ale, and he smiled to himself. This was a harbor city, and places like this would be full of people from dozens of different cities, so there would be no particular surprise at someone like him coming through here. It would be a good place to hide, and he wouldn’t have to worry about drawing too much attention or encountering anyone dangerous.
Then again, none of the men he passed were armed, and he made no attempt at concealing his sword. He had no intention of doing so, not wanting to restrict access to the blade if he were to need it.
At the end of the dock, he paused and looked back. From here, the harbor stretched out in front of him. It was enormous, and ships moved in and out, some under sail while others were rowed. He saw no sign of the ship he had been traveling on with Novan. If Varian told the truth, Endric had a day or so before they would even reach him. It was time he could use to explore t
he city, but first he needed to find a place to rest. Until he did that, it would be no use to explore. He was exhausted from the past two days and needed to rest before he could begin his quest to find Novan.
He debated his options, but the best bet was finding a tavern with an inn attached. From there, he could find a bed for the night. He had some coins, enough to at least purchase one night, though he might not have enough to buy himself a place to stay for much longer than that.
He wandered along the shore. The coast was rocky, and while there was a road running along the docks, with dozens of hawkers trying to sell various goods to the sailors, it wasn’t a prosperous part of the city. Endric looked up and realized that he would have to go deeper into the city to find anyplace safer.
It would probably be cheaper to stay along the shore, especially if this was the worst part of the city, but Endric didn’t necessarily want cheaper. He had moved beyond that, and he would either sleep under the open sky, or he would spend a little extra and have a decent meal and a place to sleep where he didn’t have to worry about getting jumped by someone after his coins. Those kind of places wouldn’t be found along the coastline; they would be found deeper in the city, where the merchants tended to stay.
The buildings higher up were a little nicer. The streets were still filled with people, and carts were pushed through here, mostly merchant wagons, none of them guided by horse, something Endric found surprising. The people were dressed in dingy clothing, and many of them stunk of fish and the sea, though there was an undercurrent of filth to everything. Endric hated that he felt that way and tried to ignore it, but it seemed to permeate everyone that he passed.
He continued up and along the road, passing more people. With the way the road traveled, meandering up through the city, he had a sense that it was similar to Vasha, though there was not the same terracing. He passed a section full of what he suspected were homes, the buildings all pressed together.
As he continued to climb, the people were better dressed, and there was less of the stench that hung over everything. Soon he noticed nicer storefronts, and then he passed another stretch of homes that were more spaced out.
This was the nicer part of Coamdon. Endric looked up. High overhead, he could still see the fortress, though he didn’t intend to climb quite that high. He was content in this section of the city, which looked like it was likely going to be mostly merchants and nothing more. Surprisingly, none of the buildings were marked.
It made it more difficult to determine where he could go, but he started to listen for sounds of music and laughter and voices, all of the typical types of sounds that he associated with taverns. Most of the taverns within Vasha and other great cities had inns attached to them, and that was what he wanted more than a tavern. While he wouldn’t pass on a meal, what he wanted was a bed, a place to rest, and a chance to sleep.
Finally, he found a place. It was a narrow building, and it seemed to be built deep into the side of the mountain leading up toward the fortress, but Endric pulled open the door, hesitating for a moment. There were voices within, and the sounds of conversation slowly died off as he stood there. Endric hurried inside and took a seat. There were tables scattered around the narrow room, and a few lanterns gave light, something that was especially necessary considering there were few windows on the face of the building. A long counter stretched along one wall, and several people sat at the counter.
This might only be a tavern and not an inn.
Endric waited until someone made their way over to him. The waitress was a little older than him, and she had round cheeks and round hips, the kind of girl he once would have ogled far too long. “I’m looking for something to eat,” he said.
“Well, we have food.”
“And I’m looking for someplace to stay.”
The woman stared at him. “You’re not my type.”
“It’s not like that,” he said.
“We don’t have rooms,” she said.
“None?”
She took a step back, watching him for a moment. “You’re not from here, are you?”
Endric shook his head. “I came in from the north.”
She stared at him. “From the north? And you come all the way up here?”
“What do you mean?”
“Most of the places the sailors prefer are along the coast.”
“Those aren’t the kind of places that I’m looking for.”
“Ah. You like something a little higher end. Well, I’m afraid that I can’t help you with that, either.”
Endric shook his head again. “That’s not what I’m looking for, either.”
“If you have coins, I’m sure that I can help guide you to the right place. We don’t have them here, but if you go down closer to the docks, some places are nicer than others. I might know the right kind of place for you to search, though I would take donations for my suggestions.”
Endric forced a smile and shook his head. “Thank you, but I am not looking for that kind of suggestion. All I’m looking for is a place to stay.”
“And I’ve offered you a few suggestions, but you seem to be too prudish for them.”
Endric smiled to himself. It was the first time that he’d ever been called too prudish for anything. “Are there no inns in the city?”
“If all you’re looking for is a place to sleep, there are plenty of places, but a man like you, you strike me as someone who’s looking for something a little bit more entertaining,” she said. She leaned forward and squeezed his arm, smiling to herself. “Maybe I might change my mind. A few more coins, and I might be able to spare some space in my room.”
Endric only shook his head. “Just a meal, then.”
She shrugged. “If you please.”
She disappeared, heading back into what he could only suspect was the kitchen, and was gone for little while before returning with a plate heaped with meat and vegetables. “How much?”
“Two silvers,” she said.
“Two?”
“It would’ve been less, but…”
Endric snorted and fished into his pocket, pulling out his coins. Thankfully he had more than enough to pay for this overpriced meal. He started eating and flipped a coin toward her.
“I said it was two.”
“You’ll get one silver and be thankful for it. Already that’s more than this cost you.”
She reached for his tray, as if to pull it away from him, but he grabbed her wrist.
“I’m happy to pay another coin if you can tell me a safe and clean place to stay. That’s all I’m looking for.”
He wasn’t sure that he would trust her at this point anyway, but now that he was here, and now that he was eating, he did want to know where he could go and sleep. He was tired, and dealing with someone like her only made that worse.
“If all you need is a bed, you can go up to the temple.”
“Let’s just assume that I don’t want to go to the temple,” he said. Endric didn’t know enough about Coamdon yet to know whether the Deshmahne had much of a presence here, but if they did, he wasn’t eager to go and expose himself to them, and he didn’t like the idea of needing to trust their hospitality.
“Then you have to go closer to the docks, like I said.”
Endric released her wrist and flipped the other coin to her. It was another silver, much more than what he really should pay, but at this point, he wanted to be left alone. If he refused to pay what she demanded, he might end up in a confrontation, and that was something he very much did not need. There wasn’t much of a Denraen presence in Coamdon, though there wasn’t much of a Denraen presence in many parts of the southern continent. Dendril had attempted to place men here, but there was a danger in staying here, danger that came from the presence of the Deshmahne. Because of that, Dendril had been unwilling to place too many men here, and when—and if—Endric became general, he thought that needed to change. The Denraen were tasked with maintaining peace everywhere, not only the north.
He headed down the road, back toward the docks, finding that walking back through the crowd this way was much more difficult than it had been on his way up. As he wandered, he watched for places where he could stay, and waited, looking for something that he could use, but he was growing incredibly tired.
Endric blinked, trying to keep his eyes open, and struggled. Why should it be so difficult?
It had to be the two days that he’d spent awake, time that he had remained vigilant, constantly on edge, trying to avoid any attack, but this was almost too much for that. He staggered forward, stumbling, and caught himself. When he did, he looked around. Everything seemed blurred.
His head was foggy, and his thoughts came slowly.
Was this only fatigue?
He thought of the waitress and the way that he had talked to her, and maybe he had been too abrupt.
Or maybe she had put something in his food.
Could he have been poisoned?
Endric swallowed, but his mouth was dry.
He needed to find someplace to sit down. He looked around the street, but it was difficult to make out anything. Where was he?
Coamdon.
His mind answered that, but it almost wasn’t enough. It was almost as if he couldn’t remember anything.
Why was he here?
The guild. That was why he had come. He was to be Novan’s apprentice. He was here to find out why the guild had gone silent.