by James Bee
Townsfolk watched worriedly as they passed, sunken eyes opened wide. Everywhere Gerald looked he saw evidence of the strain that Redstone was under. Fear and paranoia were rampant, turning friends into strangers. He’d had to put two men in chains already. They’d been caught beating a man for supposedly being a northern spy. Gerald knew it would only get worse once the fighting actually started.
As they walked out of the gate, he could see men running ahead of them. No doubt they’re hurrying to warn Rolan of their approach. The merchant would have expected them to come. Gerald couldn’t ignore open defiance, not now.
“How many men work at the mine?”he asked as they approached the darkness of the forest. A rough-cut trail led to the mine, a narrow wound through the forest’s skin. The trees were thick around it, pressing in tightly. Once inside, it was nearly impossible to see much any either direction. Rolan could have twenty men lying in wait and they wouldn’t have any idea.
“About a hundred, give or take. Hard to tell. Men tend to come and go,”Rolan replied.
“A hundred? I haven’t seen near that amount in town!”Gerald said.
“Most stay in camps around the mine. Only those with families stay in the town,”Fletcher explained. Gerald felt even more uneasy as they entered the dimness of the forest canopy. A hundred men? Men who were hardened by long hours smashing rocks in the bowels of the earth. Gerald had spent enough time around soldiers to know that their loyalties lay in their purses. Rolan and the guild gave them the gold they needed to survive.
“Guards?”Kayl asked tensely. If Gerald was worried about begin ambushed, Kayl was likely seeing danger behind every shrub. He’d been working tirelessly, desperately improving the town’s defences.
“Aye. Not sure how many, though. All the men are pretty good at swinging a pick or a hammer, and our heads ain’t as tough as rocks,”Blane replied.
“It won’t come to that,”Gerald replied. If it does, then we are all truly doomed. Without the miners, holding the town would be very near impossible. “How much farther?”The deeper they walked into the forest, the stronger his paranoia became. Trees and branches had never looked so threatening, swaying ominously in the half-light that filtered through.
“Just around this bend. Redstone was built around the mine. Wouldn’t make much sense to settle far away,”Fletcher answered. Gerald’s saw that his reluctant bodyguard spoke truly as they emerged from the crushing confines of the trees.
A vast pit had been opened up in the heart of the forest, a comforting wideness that stretched all the way to the base of a small hill. In front of the hill, a few buildings hid in its shade. One towered above the other ones, a solid-looking lodge, as high as any in Redstone. A growing wall was being built around the structures. In front of the mine, there was a flurry of movement. Men were struggling to lash fallen trees together. It looked like they had been at it for some time. In places, the wall was twice as high as a man.
“Fuck me. If they finish, their defences are going to make ours look like the makings of a child. How have they done this so fast? Does Rolan employ any war engineers?”Kayl said, sounding more awed than angry.
“This lot could have made Redstone near impregnable! Instead they wall themselves in around a hole in the ground. Bloody madness!”Blane growled.
“This cannot stand. Rolan must be held accountable. Do I have your support in this, Blane?”Gerald asked. He couldn’t fight the guild if Blane was poised to shove a knife in his back.
“Aye. Rolan’s gone too far this time. He’s putting people’s lives at risk. If there were no walls here, him and his men would have to fight with us. Now they can cower while we burn,”Blane replied.
“Looks as though he’s as eager to meet as we are,”Fletcher said, point to the front of the camp. A sizeable group of men were coming toward them, a cart in the middle of them. Unmistakable at their head was Rolan.
“Let’s go meet the prick then,”Gerald said. The unease he’d felt in the forest was back. Rolan had known that he would come, and he clearly had a plan ready. Gerald had no plan, no thoughts past arresting the guildmaster and perhaps burning his walls to the ground. As the two groups got closer, Gerald could see that Rolan’s men were armed. Not as well as his own, but still enough to do damage.
“Swords loose in your scabbards, boys,”Kayl commanded from behind Gerald.
“Peace though, lads. No blood will be spilled today. These men are not our enemies; they’re our brothers in arms. Any man struck down is one less the northerners have to kill,”Gerald said. He didn’t like contradicting Kayl, but the stakes were too high for him to worry about the big knight’s feelings. Violence could break out at any moment, dooming them all. “Fight a battle on two sides and you’ll get cut down both ways,” his old master at arms had said. Fighting the miners and the Sanish would be a death sentence for everyone in Redstone. He couldn’t let it come to that.
The two sides came to a halt a dozen strides away from each other. Gerald couldn’t see what was in the cart they’d brought with them. He was unable to see past the smirking face of Rolan.
“Come out for a nice stroll through the woods, have you? I wish I had thought to bring some wine for you. Are you here to inspect our walls? I must admit to being quite impressed with them,”Rolan said.
“I’m here to tear them down,”Gerald said calmly. A spasm flashed across the angular face of the merchant. Behind him, his men’s hands dropped to their weapons.
“I don’t think that will be necessary. These walls are just here to protect my men while we work. What possible justification could you have for risking their lives?”Rolan said. An explosion of angry muttering from behind Gerald met these words.
“You risk all of our lives! These men could be working on the town’s walls right now! Walls that could be all that stand between us and death! Instead you toil to surround a heap of rocks!”Blane thundered. He would have taken a step forward had Kayl not held out his arm. Rolan didn’t flinch, his look of smugness solid as stone.
“Hardly a heap of rocks. This mine is an important holding of the Crown. Much more vital than some backward town in the middle of the woods. We must take steps to, what was the wording, Gerald? ‘To keep the mine operational?’Destroying my fortifications would hardly be carrying out the queen’s orders, now would it?”Rolan said. Gerald felt the steel of the trap closing around him. Rolan had him by the stones, and he knew it. I should have never shown him the queen’s letter. He hadn’t known what manner of serpent he was dealing with then. Now he would have to suffer the consequences. He couldn’t ignore the queen’s orders, but nor could he act in a manner that would jeopardize the town. Rolan had placed him in an impossible situation. There was nothing he could do that wouldn’t jeopardize his mission. As painful as it was, he couldn’t move against Rolan.
“Aye. I suppose that burning your little fortress to the ground would not be an effective use of our time,”he said. Some of the tension leaked away, with the men on both sides relaxing a hair. “Still, this cannot be allowed. We need to stand together, not apart. What is to stop you and your men from hiding behind your walls while the northerners butcher us? Not that they would leave you alone once they were finished with us.”Immediately the tension returned, both sides able to smell a fight coming.
“Why this, of course,”Rolan said, gesturing behind him. With a groan, his men pushed the cart forward. Curiosity tempered his suspicion and Gerald strode up to it. What was inside made his jaw drop. Men would kill for half of its contents, betray loved ones and forsake their country. His mouth fell open as he stared blankly into the wagon’s depths.
“What is it?”Orland asked. Gerald couldn't respond, too stunned to comprehend what was in front of him.
“It’s a shitload of gold,”Fletcher said, gliding up beside Gerald. “Might be two, actually.”
“This is half of the contents of our coffers. It’s to be held in ransom against the guild’s help in the troubles to come. You shall keep it
inside the town, returnable upon our victory,”Rolan said. His voice was pained, and Gerald didn’t blame him. He was handing over a king’s ransom in gold to men who hated him. Offering it as a compromise. An offer that Gerald couldn’t afford to ignore. It was a way out, a way to appease both sides.
“Bullshit,”Orland said. Gerald felt a flash of annoyance at him. He had no say in the matter. The choice was Gerald’s, as was the responsibility.
“Excuse me?”Rolan said, disdain dripping from his voice.
“I said bullshit. This gold won’t help us if you leave us out on our arses. We’ll have little use for it when we’re dead,”Orland replied.
“If the town is sacked and the gold is in the town, then the savages will get it,”Rolan said slowly, as though he was talking to a child.
“Aye, but it’ll be a small price to pay for getting us to fight the battle for you. You’d make mercenaries of us,”Orland spat at him. Gerald felt a kernel of doubt begin to root in his mind. Orland could be right; the gold was no guarantee. Though it was better than nothing. He could do nothing more against the guild. His hands were bound.
“Be that as it may, we will still accept this offer. Your men will fight for us when the time comes. The mine will close, and you will leave your walls lightly manned. Only enough to deter an attack,”Gerald said, ignoring the protestations coming from behind him. Rolan shook his head in disgust.
“What is the point in building these walls if we are not going to hold them firmly? What men of mine would consent to guard them? It would be a death sentence if they were to be attacked!”he burst out angrily.
“There was no point in you building them, my lord. In fact you were instructed not to. These are the terms that I am presenting to you. Accept them, and we will leave you in peace.”Gerald took a steadying breath before continuing. If the merchant refused, he would have no choice but to use force. “Refuse and I will be forced to take you into custody, burn down your walls, and press your men into my service. In the name of the Crown, of course,”Gerald finished.
Hands on both sides went to hilts and handles of weapons. All eyes were on Rolan, awaiting his reaction. For his part, the guildmaster was staring hard into Gerald’s eyes, likely looking to gauge his resolve, if his words were mere empty blustering. Orland always said he had a poor face for playing cards; his emotions always plain to see. Now, he struggled to keep his face blank, hoping that Rolan wouldn’t be able to see that he was near shitting himself.
Finally, he nodded. “As you wish. If the savages come screaming out of the woods, we shall abide by your conditions,”he said bitterly. Snapping his fingers, he turned on his heel and stalked back toward the mine. His men followed, leaving the cart where it was.
“Kayl, if you wouldn’t mind escorting the cart back into town and finding somewhere secure to put it,”Gerald said, patting his friend on the arm.
“Aye. I’ll make sure none of these greedy bastards filches any of it,”the big knight replied.
Gerald turned and headed back the way they’d come. He needed time to think, to figure out what had happened. Could he trust Rolan? Would the gold be enough to buy his loyalty?
“I don’t like it,”Blane said. To Gerald’s annoyance, he, Fletcher, and Orland had hurried after him.
“What in particular? Should we have asked for more gold?”Gerald asked tiredly. No doubt he and Lucan would take no time in criticizing him.
“Not that. Rolan would have rather given you a son than that much money. He’ll do anything to get it back. I’m talking about the men he had with him. I didn’t recognize half of them. So far as I know, there hasn’t been any large groups come into Redstone since you arrived,”Blane said.
“You said there’s a hundred men working there. Seems likely that you might not know them all,”Gerald replied. The garrison commander’s constant worrying was starting to rub on his nerves. The man saw treachery and ill will everywhere.
“Not by name, but I know faces. Those men had hard ones, and I doubt they came from the south, by their looks,”Blane shot back. That got Gerald’s attention. A unknown group of tough-looking men with northern faces.
“I know most of them. Drank with them in the taverns last week. Traders and trappers mostly, a bit down on their luck. Come up here for a bit of steady work,”Fletcher broke in.
“I haven’t seen you at any taverns, and I’ve been to them all,”Orland said.
“You must have been passed out. Not an uncommon occurrence,”Fletcher replied disdainfully.
“Fuck you!”Orland said.
“Enough! We’ve got enough problems to worry about without bickering over some mean-looking miners,”Gerald said shortly. Increasing his pace, he left them behind, stalking alone through the suffocating forest.
19
Chapter 19
“Once Mam died, it was just us, stranded in this arsehole of a town,”Tristan said, throwing his arm around his sister. Felicia slipped under his grasp and punched him in the gut.
“That’s a fine way to bring us all down. Talking of dead parents and such!”she said reproachfully.
The young man threw his hands up in protest.“I just thought we should be getting to know each other more, ’tis all. Besides, I was hoping someone might be moved to pity and buy me another drink,”he said, casting his gaze around the tavern. Unfortunately, they were tucked away in the corner, far from the earshot of any possible kindhearted donors.
“I’ll buy you one, just so you don’t ask about my own tragic upbringing,”Orland said, gesturing to the barkeep. Kayl snorted, and Gerald almost choked on his drink.
“Aye, my friends do laugh at me, but I speak the truth! Have you country chums have any idea how drafty mansions get? And the strain of trying to remember the names of all of the servants! It was almost more than anyone could bear! And don’t let me start on the challenge of trying to decide on an outfit! Truly a struggle of an existence, I’ve had!”Orland said dramatically, casting a sorrowful look at all of them.
“Why come out here at all then? Surely this cannot be much of an improvement?”Felicia asked.
“To see if anyone would notice I was gone,”he replied in a voice that had lost some of its exuberance. Gerald frowned, suddenly ashamed that he hadn’t thought to ask the question sooner. Orland was so merry that Gerald sometimes forgot what an act it often was.
“To Orland!”Kayl said, raising his glass. “Though his nine brothers may have gotten all the looks, the brains, and the brawn, I wouldn’t rather drink with any of them!”The rest of the table raised their glasses and took a healthy swig. Orland raised his with them with a genuine smile.
“I wouldn’t say that his brothers took all of the looks,”Felecia said, winking at the nobleman. Gerald’s chest tightened at the glance that passed between them. Immediate guilt followed that he could be so jealous of his friend. Especially over something as innocent as a cheeky look.
“What about you, eh big man?”Tristan said, clinking Kayl’s mug. “Come from a mighty family of warriors? Descended from giants, with their blood still flowing in your veins?”
“From a farm. Descended from farmers, with cows’ cowshit in their hair,”Kayl said. As usual, he didn’t want much to talk about his past, a peculiarity that Gerald could sympathize with all too well.
“Aye. Kayl’s parents thought he was a horse until the age of six. Gave them quite a shock when one day he asked for more carrots,”Orland said, causing all around the table to sputter with laughter.
A sudden awkwardness settled over the table as everyone looked at Gerald. Though he doubted that it had been intentional, it was now his turn to tell his story. A story that all present had already heard a version of at least. Not the whole truth, though there were kernels sprinkled in here and there. He knew that in a moment Orland would make another joke or Kayl would steer the conversation away, sparing him the embarrassment of having to answer.
“I doubt any of you would be interested in my upbringing,”Gerald said, e
liciting a few chuckles. Felicia and Tristan were staring at him, eyes hungry. Even Kayl and Orland were looking at him, unable to hide their eagerness. He hadn’t told them, and they’d never asked. Now they all might be dead in a week. How little it seemed to matter now. Besides, it would feel good to tell someone. To let some of the pain leak out a bit.
“I’ll tell you anyway. First, though, I’d like to hear the version that is told when I’m not around,”Gerald said. At the looks on his friends’ faces, he felt immediate guilt. Undoubtedly they’d suffered because of their friendship with him. Being mates with the queen’s bastard couldn’t have been much fun.
“I’ll tell you,”Felicia said gently. Gerald felt his heart begin to beat faster, though he didn’t care for the look in her eyes. Pity and something else. Disgust maybe? He couldn’t tell. Felicia took a deep breath. “They say that you are the queen’s illegitimate son. That you were sired by a great knight of the queen’s household. That the knight seduced the queen and conceived you. That once the king found out he ordered the knight killed, but you spared.”She swallowed before continuing, “They say that you were spared as a show of the king’s forgiveness. That if he could show mercy to his wife he could show mercy to all.”The table quieted as she finished. It was a tale that Gerald had heard before, many times. Likely she had omitted some of the more sordid rumours to spare his feelings. Those details had been shouted at him through the streets, jeers aimed at provoking and angering him. If only they’d known the truth, how much worse it would have been.
“Aye, that’s not too far from the mark. Save for a few details.”Gerald took a long drink to steady himself. He’d never spoken of this before, always avoided the questions. Now he was about to reveal it to two near strangers as well. His heartbeat was choking his throat, his mouth full of sand.
“My mother is the queen, that is no secret, and my father was a knight,”Gerald continued.
“A great knight,”Kayl interrupted. A catch in his throat caused Gerald to swallow. How could he get choked up about a man he never men?