“Yes, thank you Miss Spencer, top job there,” the mayor replied sarcastically.
“Look, my friend and I are travellers who happen to be stuck in this damp little town of yours, and we want to leave,” Pacian continued. “I don’t think anyone else living here is enjoying it too much either.” Despite his initial shock at the abrupt introduction, the mayor quickly recovered.
“I thought I said I never wanted to see you in here again, Mister Colt,” he added, noticing the burly man looming in the background.
“Relax Olaf, I'm not here to threaten you,” Colt grunted. “These three have something important to tell you.”
“Three? Oh yes, Nellise and some... friends,” Olaf remarked. “Is this impertinent rapscallion an acquaintance of yours?”
“I only just met these two, Your Honour,” Nellise protested, raising an eyebrow at Pacian.
“I see. So, you want me to throw open the gates - I’m sorry, but it’s out of the question,” the elderly man muttered impatiently in the manner of one who was used to being obeyed. “The town is sealed for our protection. I assure you, I am not insensitive to the plight of the townsfolk, but it is simply far too dangerous to allow anyone to travel outside the walls at this time. Thank you.” The last was delivered with a note of finality.
“If we can't leave today this town is going to go hungry,” Aiden pointed out. “Hungry people do desperate things, and I don't think we're the only ones either.”
“Honestly, this could not have come at a worse time,” the mayor muttered. “I have something of a personal crisis going on which has me rather distracted.”
“I see,” Aiden remarked, not really seeing anything. “Well, we're just seeking permission to leave via the northern gate to Culdeny so -”
“The north road? Good heavens no,” the mayor interrupted, standing up quickly. His clothing, while rich and fine, hung from his shoulders, giving the impression the man had lost a lot of weight. “There are bandits to the north sir, and word has reached me here that savage tribesmen are gathering to the east. With our local garrison depleted, I dare not allow anyone to travel outside the gates until we have received reinforcements.”
“Olaf, why didn't you mention things were this dire before?” she quietly asked.
“To be blunt, my dear Nellise, this was none of your concern,” Olaf explained. “When His Majesty swept through here months ago, I protested at the quantity of soldiers he requested, but my words fell on deaf ears. I’ve had to cut back on patrolling the highway, and the result was predictable – lawlessness and brigandry.”
“Why did he take all the guards with him?” Pacian asked.
“There’s a war on, or have you had your head in the dirt for the past two months?” Colt grunted. “Olaf, have you tried sending someone to Fort Highmarch?”
“I have sent several messengers, and two of the remaining town guards over the past ten days. Upon their return they informed me that the fort is shuttered to all traffic and did not permit them entry.” Olaf paused and looked around at his guests. “Perhaps now you understand our predicament a little better?”
“You said that you refused to people wander about because of the danger,” Pacian observed, “but that’s our choice to make. If something happens to us, you’re not responsible.”
“Simple clothes, sparse equipment,” Olaf mumbled as he inspected each of them. “You hardly seem capable of dealing with any of the threats to this town, and I wouldn't wish to endanger your lives.”
“It’s come to the point that we're being endangered just sitting around town, slowly starving to death,” Aiden retorted. “Culdeny is nearly three days’ travel from here, so the sooner we leave, the sooner supplies and reinforcements can make their way here.” Olaf seemed to consider this, and then his expression took on a more considered look.
“I have my doubts as to your intentions, so I'll tell you what,” he offered. “I'll give you a little task and if you can get it done, you'll have convinced me of your resourcefulness and genuine desire to help the town.”
“You’re paying us, right?” Pacian hinted with a distinct lack of subtlety.
“Of course.”
“I suppose that's fair,” Aiden hedged, disliking the direction of this conversation but having little choice but to carry on. “What's the task?”
“A former associate of mine is seeking to discredit my name and oust me from my position as mayor,” he explained. “She wants five gold sovereigns to keep her silent.” Aiden's eyes inadvertently widened in surprise – it was a small fortune by anyone's measure.
“I've tried reasoning with this individual but she simply won't co-operate. I'm not one to employ 'strong-arm' tactics myself, but if you were to... persuade her to see reason and return the documents she is attempting to blackmail me with, you will have proven your worth.”
“Do you expect trouble from this person?” Nellise inquired. “I doubt she will simply hand over something quite so valuable simply because we ask her to.”
“I can be very persuasive,” Pacian offered, smiling coldly.
“Violence shouldn’t be necessary,” Olaf replied, dismissing the thought with a wave of his hand. “By all means, talk with her but do not underestimate her. If she still refuses, feel free to use whatever means you deem necessary to change her mind.”
“This sounds like the sort of work your guards should be undertaking,” Nellise pointed out.
“This is a personal issue, Nellise, and I’d rather not bring them into it if it can be avoided. I’m paying extra for your discretion in this matter.”
“A discrete inquiry it is, then,” Aiden agreed, simply wanting the conversation over and done with. “Who is this person and where can we find her?”
“Her name is Merin, and she resides in a small house on the eastern edge of town, right next to the smithy,” Olaf explained. “Just follow the main street down towards the gate, and you’ll see it just off to the right.”
“Okay, we'll do what we can,” Aiden agreed. Without another word, the small group donned their longcoats as they headed out the door. Aiden was the last to leave, avoiding eye contact with the secretary as he went past and closed the door behind him. A few people moved along the street in the dim morning light, similarly garbed in longcoats or the more old-fashioned hooded cloaks, going about their lives as best they could.
“So, instead of being allowed to leave, we're doing his dirty work now?” Pacian observed wryly.
“Who the hell asked you?” Colt growled.
“He makes a valid point,” Aiden retorted. “Just the fact he didn’t want to bring the local guards in on this suggests he’s hiding something.”
“It’s more than I’ve been able to get out of him all week,” Nellise remarked.
“Let's just be cautious, shall we? Pace, do you have your knife?”
“Always,” he replied, reaching inside his longcoat to rest his hand upon the kitchen utensil turned weapon.
“Nellise and I will try to reason with her first. If that doesn’t work, just grab her and search the place.”
A short walk down the main street in the ankle-deep water brought them to a sturdy cottage next door to the town smithy, where a solid-looking oaken door with metal bracing around the edge practically screamed 'go away'. With a strong desire to get this over and done with, Aiden knocked and waited for a response.
“Who is it?” came the muffled voice of a woman from the other side of the door.
“Merin? Good morning. My name is Aiden and I need to speak with you.”
“I'm not interested in anything you have to say,” she replied after a moment's hesitation. Aiden glanced at Nellise, who shrugged in silent reply.
“It really is quite urgent that I speak with you, ma’am,” Aiden tried again, this time more forcefully. “I must insist that you open this door immediately.”
“Let me think about it for a moment,” Merin replied, pausing for only a fraction of a second before she added,
“No, I don’t think I’m going to do that. Go away.” Aiden was on the verge of yelling at her, but Pacian put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, gesturing to himself with his other hand.
“Very well,” Aiden said, forcing a note of defeat into his voice. “Perhaps I can meet with you later in the day, as I have other business to attend to. Good day.” He motioned for Nellise and Colt to follow him, as he walked away from the door and stood nearby to watch what came next.
“What was the point of that?” Colt inquired.
“We have other methods at our disposal,” he answered, nodding to where Pacian was attempting to pick the lock. Colt grunted in understanding and huddled into his cloak for warmth while Pacian carefully went about his work. Aiden glanced around casually to make sure he wasn't drawing too much attention, but he needn't have worried – the townsfolk were too mired in their daily lives to bother with one man appearing to have trouble opening a door.
A few moments later, Pace turned the handle on the door and opened it a crack, peeking through the narrow space and signalling the rest of them to come closer. Checking to make sure everyone was ready, Aiden nodded to Pacian, who opened the door carefully and stepped inside.
Despite being only a modestly sized cottage, it was comfortably furnished. It was warm and dry, and the aroma of freshly cooked food hung in the air. The small entryway featured a curiously short hat stand next to a very small and highly polished round table. The height of it was ridiculous - one would have to crouch to make proper use of it.
Several pieces of art were hanging on the walls leading to the rest of the cottage, but they were all hanging below chest height. Finding this whole house very strange, he led the others into the dining room, complete with what appeared to be a child's dining table and chair. A small girl in an elegant dress sitting at the table looked up at them in surprise, and then smiled in a very devious way.
“Breaking into my house, hmm?” she observed coldly. It was the same voice which had spoken through the door. “That’s very bold of you. I'm actually surprised you made it past my door - I should probably have invested in a better lock.”
What Aiden had thought was a small girl was, in fact, a very small woman and it suddenly dawned on him that she was from the Rael Islands. Commonly referred to as the raelani, they were a diminutive people who were in many respects the same as humans but roughly half the size.
“You are Merin, yes?” Nellise inquired. “We have come from the mayor's office to talk.”
“Is that why you were so insistent?” she inquired rhetorically, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, Olaf was bound to send someone over sooner or later. Four tallfolk seems to be overkill for one little raelani woman, though. Did he tell you to 'toss me about' or ‘rough me up’, as is custom in these situations?”
“Not at all,” Nellise assured her, maintaining her calm demeanour. “We have simply been instructed to have a chat with you. Tell me, why are you blackmailing the mayor?”
“Because it's good money, my dear,” Merin grinned with a measure of condescension. “The man’s not exactly a saint, either. I can't tell you what it's been like for me having to live in a boring little pile of dirt like Bracksford for the past year. No, I’m moving on and Olaf's indiscretions are going to pay my way. Don’t be too concerned for him - he knew what he was getting in to when all this started.”
“We have made an arrangement with him,” Aiden said, curious at what her words alluded to. “You have some documents of importance - I request you to hand them over, immediately.”
“Hand them over?” she balked. “Unless Olaf had the sense to conscript or deputise you, you don’t have any authority, sweetie,” she winked. Aiden was suddenly shoved aside by Colt, who towered over the diminutive woman.
“Hey, pint-size,” he snarled impatiently, “if you don't hand over the stuff, I'll smash your annoying little face in. If you’re innocent, you’ll just call for the guards, right? I’m sure they’d be interested in doing a quick search while they’re here.” Merin's smile vanished instantly, and her eyes widened.
“Okay, look, I don't want any trouble,” she replied with a tremble to her voice. “I can see you're clearly not as stupid as your friend there, even if you do smell a lot worse.” Colt clenched his gloved fist and seemed ready to do as he promised, but Merin quickly changed her attitude. “Just take the documents and go, please. They're in the drawers behind you, just... don't hurt me.”
“That's more like it,” Colt growled, nodding to Pacian who immediately walked to the drawers. Aiden frowned, looking down at Merin cautiously. Certainly, Colt was an intimidating presence to the tiny woman, but she seemed to give in a little too easily after her earlier defiance.
Pacian reached out and attempted to open the top drawer, but found that it was locked. At this moment, Merin called out ‘Now!’, and Aiden noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, turning to see another raelani - this one male – suddenly appear from behind a cupboard on the opposite side of the room and throw a small dagger in the direction of Colt’s head. Reacting instinctively, Aiden lunged forward and pushed the big man out of the way, sending Colt sprawling on the floor.
Merin glared at Aiden, now standing right in front of her, and began weaving her fingers in an intricate pattern, whispering words in a strange language. Before he could figure out what was going on, a stroke of electrical energy crackled from her fingertips and hit Aiden’s left arm, sending him reeling backwards as he clasped his burned limb.
Aiden’s backpedalling crashed him into a surprised Nellise, sending them both tumbling to the floor. Colt regained his footing and drew his massive sword, taking a swing at Merin's tiny frame, forcing her to duck underneath the clumsy attack as she pulled a dagger out of a small scabbard attached to her right boot. All signs of her earlier levity had vanished, and the raelani woman now moved with practiced speed and skill.
“Pace, over there!” Aiden slurred, silently wishing he had a weapon. Pacian snapped his gaze around to Merin’s accomplice and charged. The little man threw another dagger but Pacian, expecting the throw, dodged left and the small blade only gashed his shoulder instead of catching him in the chest.
Pacian leaned forward as he ran and would have slammed into the raelani with his other shoulder had his target not rolled out of the way. He whirled around and recovered in time to square off against his opponent while Colt engaged in a game of hit and miss with Merin.
Pacian had always been nimble and light on his feet, but the smaller raelani was quicker still and managed to gash Pace’s arm when he didn't move fast enough. Seeing his friend in desperate need of help, Aiden quickly looked around for something that he could use as a weapon.
Seeing nothing but miniature cutlery, he reached out for a small ceramic bowl and flung it at the back of the little man’s head. The bowl struck true, shattering and dazing the raelani for a brief moment, giving Pacian just enough time to step in and finish him with one quick stab.
Colt was having far less luck against Merin. His greatsword may have been a fearsome weapon on the battlefield, but in a small house attacking an even smaller woman, it was next to useless. Merin landed a series of quick slashes on the big man’s leg with her tiny dagger before dashing between his legs and making for the exit.
Her escape came to an abrupt end as Pacian's knife thudded into her back. She gazed at Aiden with empty eyes as spreading blood stained the front of her dress, and then slumped to the floor, dead. The silence was broken only by the heavy breathing of those still alive as the realisation of what had just occurred sank in.
Pacian reached over and removed his bloody knife from Merin’s back, absently wiping it on his tunic. A stunned Nellise had one hand over her mouth, clearly appalled by what had just taken place before her very eyes.
“What have we done?” she whispered.
“We defended ourselves against a pair of crooks intending to do bodily harm,” Pacian shrugged
, unconcerned. “Better them than us.”
“We weren’t supposed to kill them,” Aiden exclaimed in a hushed voice. Colt went to the window and peered out through the curtains.
“I don’t think anyone heard the fight,” he muttered. “We can keep this quiet.”
“Keep it quiet?” Nellise repeated incredulously. “We are complicit in the deaths of two people.”
“They started it,” Pacian pointed out. “We just happened to end it.” He sifted through the bloody remains for anything of value, his expression devoid of feeling. Aiden looked over Merin's prone form, lamenting that this was not the first dead person he had ever seen.
“We must have had them backed into a corner,” Aiden surmised. “Innocent people don’t attack superior numbers who also happen to be twice their size.” He hissed in pain as he tried to move his arm.
“Are you alright?” Nellise asked.
“I'm alive,” he replied, wincing at the burns on his arm. “I wasn't expecting her to shoot lightning exactly, but I’ll live. You’d think Olaf would have mentioned she could use magic.”
“I’ve heard it’s pretty common amongst raelani,” Colt grunted, “but I didn’t get a chance to mention that before she tried to kill us.”
“Hold still for a few minutes,” Nellise instructed absently, fidgeting her shaking hands around in a small leather pouch until she produced a crystal. “Just clear your mind and I'll take care of that arm.”
“I don't know who her friend was,” Pacian observed, gesturing down at the late Merin’s mysterious friend, “but he wasn't short on coin. His clothing isn't anything special and there was nothing else of interest on him. Maybe he was her 'special friend'?”
“Could be,” Aiden muttered. “I guess we'll never know. Perhaps we should find out exactly what they were willing to die for.”
“Stop squirming,” Nellise chided him, continuing to work on his arm.
“Sorry. Pace, see if you can get that drawer open. I want to have a look at those documents she was bribing the mayor with.”
“Sure,” Pacian agreed, then noticed Aiden's diminishing wound. “Hey, your arm is looking better. What is she doing?”
Nature Abhors a Vacuum (The Aielund Saga Book 1) Page 4