…
“I’m having a really hard time understanding how you lost a prince?” King Parth said.
Lambert Symons shook his head. Ever since he’d returned to Progoh the king was on a never-ending rant about the failure to deal with that damn Stoneblood. The plan had been perfect. He’d gathered enough info on the prince to know that he had a temper and the insults to the girl and his family had thrown him into a rage. But just before the duel, something in the prince changed. All his body language changed. From a red face and white-knuckle grip on his weapon to a look of calm reflection. Even worse was the fight itself, Gadwell Maycott was an excellent swordsman, but he looked completely out of his depth against the young prince. Prince Stoneblood had fought with icy cold precision, exactly the opposite of what they’d expected. What had once seemed a great opportunity to throw Elderwood into a leaderless void had turned into a nightmare for Lambert. “Our spies were watching the town and the prince’s castle. Either the prince and his companions snuck out during the night or vanished into thin air. Considering the number of mages they have, the latter may be a realistic consideration, although I suspect the former. If it wasn’t magic, it will only be a matter of time before they are spotted. There are at least three missing in Elderwood and another three our spies suspect are with them.”
“Damn it, Lambert. I can’t have this. What if this upstart prince tries to retaliate? He killed Maycott with ease according to all reports. The whole point of sending you to Elderwood was so that we wouldn’t have to deal with an army on our western front.”
A messenger entered the room nervously and handed the king a pair of notes. The king read the notes then slammed his hands down on the table. He then sent a glass flying across the room.
Lambert waited until the king calmed down enough to speak. “What is going on?”
“What is going on? I’ll tell you what is going on. Some fool peasant wasn’t paying his taxes so one of my soldiers roughed him up a bit. A group of the peasant’s friends retaliated, the captain in charge retreated like a damn coward and now skirmishes are breaking out all across the eastern front.”
Civil war, Lambert thought to himself. It was no shock to Lambert that the king’s heavy-handed tactics would eventually lead to an uprising. “Can it be contained?”
“If I could send all my troops, sure. It could be contained in a day or two. But that damn Duke Bristol can’t be trusted. I must leave half my armies here or he’ll make a move against us. Not to mention Elderwood. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time. If you’d killed that Stoneblood we’d only have two armies to deal with.”
Lambert ignored the comment. What was done was done. “And the second message?”
“That might be your opportunity to redeem yourself. A group of eight riders leaving Raumont headed towards Tarrin. Three of whom are northerners. The only way a group of unknown riders showed up in Raumont is if they came from Elderwood.”
“I’ll deal with it myself,” said Lambert.
“You’d better. Don’t return to Progoh without Prince Stoneblood’s head on a pike.”
Lambert nodded. “Understood.”
“Now, get moving. Send my useless generals in here. I have a gods be damned rebellion to deal with.”
Knowing that the king’s mood would only get worse the more time he had to think about the rebellion, Lambert Symons left the king’s study. He grabbed the first guard he saw and sent for the generals. A smile crossed Lambert’s face. For months the generals had been telling the king that they were well prepared for an uprising in the east, but Lambert knew for a fact the generals were ill prepared for the coming battle. Too many of the king’s troops had been pulled out of the east to deal with the threat of Raumont. Once the eastern cities established a blockade at the pass before Blackpool it would be a long and drawn out affair that would leave the king livid and likely cost a few generals their heads. Chasing down Prince Stoneblood and his companions was a simple task in comparison.
His first stop was to Aldolf, the message keeper. Aldolf organized all the king’s spies and had a network of homing pigeons and messengers throughout Tarnstead. Aldolf was in his usual position, staring out a window overlooking the river.
“Well if it isn’t the king’s pet assassin. I’ll bet todays messages has the king’s court dancing,” Aldolf said with a chuckle as Lambert approached.
“They’ll be doing more than dancing. There’ll be chests puffed out, back slapping and bragging to the king how soon they’ll destroy the rebellion.”
“Ha. Bunch of fools. It might’ve been a peasant getting beaten that started this rebellion but make no mistake the eastern cities have been building towards this for months, if not longer. They will be well prepared,” Aldolf said. “And what task has the king given his pet?”
There were few people who Lambert wouldn’t kill for talking to him with such disregard. Aldolf was at the top of the list. The spymaster was too valuable an asset and the old man knew it. “That group of riders spotted leaving Raumont. I need all patrols in that area on the lookout for them.”
“You realize General Gregson is probably going to be in charge of the attack.”
Lambert paused. General Gregson? “What happened to General Wainwright?”
“He’s sick. Lucky bastard,” said Aldolf with a chuckle. “It’ll probably save his wretched hide.”
That did change things. General Gregson was an aggressive bastard. “He’ll probably send every patrol between Raumont and Bellmore to Blackpool.”
Aldolf nodded. “Even if they find your riders they’ll be ordered to head east.”
“Damn it,” Lambert said. Finding and killing Nathan Stoneblood might be easier than stopping the rebellion, but without men it would be impossible. “How many of the blackguard are in Progoh right now?”
“Two platoons or so. I’d say fifty.”
Lambert nodded. That would be enough, and he could take them without General Gregson overriding his decision. “Do you have three good scouts who can find and keep an eye on the riders while I get the blackguards to Tarrin?”
Aldolf went to his desk and started writing a note. “Yes. I know the men to use. Head to the outpost north of Tarrin. When you get there, there will be a message waiting for you with the location of your riders.”
“Thank you, Aldolf,” Lambert said.
Aldolf chuckled. “You’d better hurry. If those riders get past Tarrin before you arrive you might not catch them at all. And you’ll be the one who answers to the king. You know what that means.”
Lambert grinned at the old man. “Yes. I know what it means. If I don’t bring Nathan Stoneblood’s head back on a pike, it’ll be my head instead.”
27
Despite passing many people on the road, including a couple of patrols of soldiers, the group arrived in the village of Ferndale without incident. Nathan knew there was still a long way to go, but so far it seemed that they’d been lucky. To avoid notice, they decided they would enter the village in smaller groups, and from different directions.
Following Captain Vatkin’s suggestion, Nathan and Hanna bypassed the first inn and headed to the one on the east side of the moderately sized village. Leaving the others with the horses, they headed inside. They found the inn completely empty.
“Have a seat anywhere you like. You’re a little early for supper but we have a stew cooking that is ready, and if you’re willing to wait five minutes there will be fresh bread,” said a bubbly woman from the other side of the room as they entered.
Nathan and Hanna picked a table by the large open fireplace. The crackling of the fire and the smell of oak smoke and fresh bread filled the inn. It was a cozy and pleasant inn, Nathan decided as they waited for the woman.
“How you all doing? I’m Rachel, my husband and I run this inn. Care for some ale? Or if you like I have a bit of tea. It’s a little cool today after last night’s storm. I love tea on a cool day, don’t you?”
Nathan smil
ed at Rachel. She certainly was friendly. “Tea would be lovely.”
“I wouldn’t mind some tea as well, thank you,” Hanna said.
Rachel disappeared again.
“She’s friendly,” Hanna said as they waited for the innkeeper’s wife to return.
“Very.”
Rachel returned with two large bowls and two mugs of steaming hot tea. “I’ll be right back out with some fresh bread. Is there anything else I can get you?”
With the inn empty, it seemed a perfect time to have a conversation. “I’m told you have amazing plum pie here. Perhaps a couple slices?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. We’re all out of the plum pie. It is a local favorite.”
“How about apple instead?” Nathan asked.
Rachel smiled. “I’ll see what I can find.”
The stew smelled delicious and looked even better. Large chunks of vegetables and venison made Nathan’s mouth water.
As they ate, a large bearded man came out of the kitchen and placed a bowl of fresh buns on the table between Nathan and Hanna and a large chunk of pie beside each of them.
“I’m Larson. My wife tells me you requested plum pie?”
“Yes. A friend in Raumont suggested it,” Nathan said.
Larson pulled up a chair from a nearby table and sat with them. You don’t have long before the dinner crowd comes in. We can speak freely now.”
“We’re on our way east and we’d like to keep a low profile,” Nathan said.
“And by low profile you mean avoid any of the king’s men,” Larson said.
Nathan took one of the buns and dipped it in the stew. The warm bread was delicious.
“That is exactly what we mean,” Hanna said.
Larson frowned. “How many are you?”
“Eight,” Hanna said.
Larson shook his head. “You have trouble then. You have two troubles.”
“Two troubles?” Hanna said.
“Yes. First, war has broken out in the east. Every patrol and king’s man are headed towards Blackpool. Second, every patrol and king’s man except one is headed east. That one has been hanging out in the village for a day and a half. He keeps checking the inns and every group of riders coming into Ferndale. He’s asking around about a group of riders heading east. This man, he is a good scout. If he wasn’t looking for someone important he would’ve been sent east with the patrols. Someone knows you are heading east.”
“Damn it,” said Hanna. “It is a good thing we didn’t come into town together.
Nathan wasn’t sure what to think. The fact that war had broken out in the east wasn’t good, war never was. However, if the king was looking for them, then it was to their advantage if all the nearby soldiers were already headed towards Blackpool. That left the immediate problem of avoiding the king’s scouts. “I noticed you have your own stable, is there a livery here that you trust?” Nathan asked.
“Nielson’s. Next road up. But my friend Gertrude has a pair of rooms she lets out when the inn is full. She also has a barn. I can take some of your people to her. She can be trusted.”
Nathan nodded. “How many rooms do you have?”
“Six, and another two that are permanently rented out to traders from Raumont. But I’m not expecting them for a few days.”
Nathan placed a handful of coins on the table. “We’ll have all the rooms. Hanna, why don’t you take the horses to the Livery up the street. Larson, there is going to be a group of three riders arriving any minute, could you explain that the inn is booked for the night and that they should go see Gertrude.”
Larson nodded. “Yes, that might work. There are always plenty of travelers coming through town in groups of two or three. Should I tell your people to stay out of sight?”
“When the inn is full do Gertrude’s guests eat with her or here?” Nathan asked.
“Here. Gertrude has a nice home and she keeps it clean, but her cooking is not so good.”
“Then they should eat here. We’ll split up into groups. Hanna, Raven, Magnus, and I can’t hide the fact we are northerners, so we will sit together. Everyone else will split up.”
Rachel came out of the kitchen. “Can I get anyone anything?”
Larson stood. “Yes, dear. Could you show our new friend the rooms? I’ll be outside cleaning the front steps.”
As Hanna and Larson went outside Nathan followed Rachel upstairs. The upstairs of the inn was a long hallway with rooms on both side.
“The first two rooms are reserved, but the rest are yours,” said Rachel. She opened the door of the first of the rooms. It was simple with only a bed, a nightstand, and a mirror. The room had a small window that was partially covered by a thick set of curtains.
Rachel noticed the attention Nathan was paying to the curtains. “I redid all the curtains in the upstairs rooms. The neighbor’s son is a bit of a peeping tom.”
Nathan laughed. “Are all the rooms the same?”
“The last two rooms are bigger, with a pair of bunk beds and a main bed. The bunk beds are meant for travelers with families, but during busy season plenty of adults use them.” Rachel looked Nathan up and down. “They’re certainly not meant for someone your size.”
“Are you sure? I could curl up like a cat.”
Rachel snorted. “That would be one big ass cat. Everything alright with you and your friend? Was Larson able to help? You won’t find many loyal to the king here in Ferndale, but there are still those who’ll take his coin. I’ve seen whole families turn against each other. The king just loves to use spies. For some, the only way they survive is by acting as spies the damn taxes are so high. I hope this rebellion spreads all the way across Tarnstead.”
“Yes, Larson is being very helpful. We’re trying to avoid those spies as well.”
“Are you the ones that scout is looking for? I don’t like the look of that one. Shifty eyes, but not just wandering if you know what I mean. He seems the sort to not miss a single detail.”
Nathan smiled. “Well, let’s hope he misses a few this time.”
28
When Lambert Symons arrived at the Tarrin outpost he found it nearly abandoned. As old Aldolf had predicted most of the men had been sent towards Blackpool. Aside from the skeleton staff left to look after the outpost, Lambert was greeted by one of the scouts Aldolf had arranged for. Lambert wasted no time on pleasantries when he met the man. “Report,” he said in a brusque tone.
“Bryant Larimer found them, sir. They are sneaky. They split up before reaching Ferndale, and stayed in two different places, but Bryant played a hunch that there were only so many northerners traveling through Tarnstead at any time, so he ignored the wrong numbers and followed them. Sure enough, the group joined back together shortly after leaving Ferndale. He almost lost them again, they worked hard at losing the trail, but thankfully there was a storm the day before and the ground was soft enough that he could recognize the tracks of the northerners’ horses. They avoided Tarrin altogether and are now traveling off the main road. They headed south and are following the mountains west.”
Lambert frowned at the news. What was the group doing in Tarnstead anyways, and why avoid Tarrin? “Where do you think they are going?”
The scout scratched his head behind his ear. “I’m no mind reader, so no knowing for sure. However, if I was heading toward Blackpool or any other of the eastern cities and I was trying to avoid being seen I would have done exactly what they did. Stay out of the big cities where the king has the most spies and stick to the main roads as long as you think you aren’t being followed. From the reports of when they left Raumont, it means they were moving fast, staying on the main roads until they got to Ferndale. From there they made a huge effort to try to cover their tracks and disappear, which tells me that they likely spotted Bryant. Heading south means they will be much tougher to track and it’s exactly what I’d do in their shoes.”
Blackpool? What in the seven hells was Stoneblood doing, taking a ragtag group into a battle zon
e? Lambert didn’t care as to the reason why, but the situation in Blackpool was tenuous at best and would make catching Stoneblood all the harder. “What are the chances of us catching them before they get to Blackpool?”
“Depends,” said the scout. “Right now, they’re a full day or two ahead, but since they went south they’ll be traveling slower than us if we stick to the roads. We’ll be able to make up ground fairly quick. But if we push too hard our horses will be exhausted. Seeing how quickly you arrived here, they weren’t the only ones pushing fast. We’ll need to pace ourselves or risk exhausting the animals in which case they would simply sprint away from us before we could engage them in a fight.”
“Are there no replacement mounts available?”
“I could round up a dozen or so decent mounts before morning, but any of the king’s horses have already been sent towards the front.”
“Damn it,” said Lambert. “Fine. Get the horses. We’ll spend the night here and let our mounts rest.”
The scout nodded and left to head towards Tarrin.
Lambert found Hussain, the leader of the blackguards. “We make camp here tonight. Break camp at first light.”
“Have the scouts found them?” asked Hussain.
“Yes, but they are two days ahead of us and heading towards Blackpool.”
Hussain’s brow furrowed as he considered this news. “So, it is a race.”
Lambert nodded. “Indeed. The scout is heading into Tarrin to round up some more horses. You will pick ten of your best men and ride ahead of us. Ride until your mounts are finished and then switch. I don’t want them reaching Blackpool unmolested.”
Treachery in Tarnstead (Stoneblood Saga Book 5) Page 26