by Tom D Wright
* * *
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, we begin packing for an extended trip. Saffron and Thorn are equipped with an extra pair of leather saddlebags stuffed with dried food like jerky and nuts and some extra clothing, and topped with a couple of blankets.
In addition to tacking up his own horse, Little Crow cinches a well-used leather harness on Malsum’s back, which the lioness has obviously worn before, and secures a pack over the animal’s shoulders. She looks so much like a feline St. Bernard that I cannot help laughing every time I look at her, until I finally walk away.
As we complete our preparations, Little Crow’s family group gathers to wish him well, including his daughter, a brother, two sisters and a small crowd of cousins. Henry is noticeably absent.
The crowd escorts us to the edge of the village, where Raven Eye awaits us. He lights a tightly-bound bundle of herbs until it smolders and then walks around us, waving the smudge stick over and around us while he intones a prayer.
“Great Spirit, we pray now for Your guidance, strength and wisdom for our brothers and sister as they begin this journey. May they hear Your voice in the four winds, may they see Your presence in the mountains and streams, in the trees and the living things of the earth. Give them compassion toward all Your children, and let them seek beauty and peace before violence and hatred. Give them strength to stand with courage and honor, against the deceivers and destroyers of harmony between men and Mother Earth. Just as sunrise follows sunset, may the circle of their journey bring them safely back to us with pure hands and peaceful spirits. Hear our prayer.”
Little Crow gives his family members a final round of embraces, and we mount up and head out, leaving the secluded valley behind us.
By midday we reach the edge of the trees that border the farmland around Entiak. Little Crow says he and Malsum will wait there for me while I take Danae into town.
She gives me a hard, cold glare which contains a whole unspoken conversation, and Little Crow whistles under his breath as he turns and retreats to the trees. Whether she likes it or not, I am not taking an untrained partner into Wolfengarde. But while I am getting Danae settled, maybe I can at least pick up some valuable information before I leave Entiak.
The afternoon sun warms us as we ride—whenever the scattered clouds are not obscuring it—and we get to the town gates with a couple of hours to spare before we have to meet Danae’s uncle, at sunset. Our first stop is the stable I acquired Saffron from. The horse has actually grown on me, but I am sure I will need my flashlight, which I left as collateral for Saffron.
Just as I predicted, the flashlight is gone. When I did not return the horse after a week, they sold the flashlight, they explain, but I am welcome to keep Saffron.
To make amends, the stable owner offers to put up our horses overnight for free, so we leave them there. It looks like Danae has herself a horse after all, so I will let her figure out what to do with it tomorrow. Maybe The Smugglers’ Cove—or whatever Danae wants to call it—will generate enough income for her to keep the beast.
Since we have some time to kill, I suggest we check up on Danae’s establishment, and walk over to the street where her tavern is located.
As soon as we come around the corner, I stop. It takes a moment to process the fact that where a two-story building should stand, there is only a pile of still-smoldering timbers. Even as the fact sinks in, I grab Danae’s hand and keep moving, hoping we have not drawn attention to ourselves.
Danae and I enter a baker’s storefront across the small street, and examine the offerings casually. We pick out a couple of buns stuffed with meat, and after I negotiate the exchange for half a silver coin, I mention, “It’s a real shame about The Smugglers’ Cove. Do they know what happened?”
“That was a right awful tragedy, it was,” the baker responds. “It happened in the middle of the night. I heard the old woman fell asleep smoking and set herself afire. They found her body in what was left of her bed.”
I thank him as he hands us our food, and we go outside and head over to the Green Mermaid tavern so I can check the drop spot. There is little chance in my mind that the former proprietor of Danae’s tavern was a smoker, because when we were negotiating the sale, the old woman winced whenever a cloud of smoke drifted our way. Plus, there had been no trace of tobacco smoke in the upstairs apartment; odors are far more noticeable in a world that has been free of air pollution for decades.
When I check the drop, I find that my message is gone and has been replaced with a new one. I unfurl the scrap of paper quickly.
‘Do not confront Disciples, avoid antagonizing. Cut losses and return immediately.’
The only friends that I can be sure of right now are sitting in a booth just outside the restroom, or waiting outside town. The destruction of Danae’s tavern and the probable murder of the former owner may not be connected to a traitor in the Archives, but I cannot trust anyone at this point.
Using the small stub of a pencil I stashed in my pack, I scrawl a quick message on the back of the paper.
‘Taking merchant to Reyeston, will rendezvous there.’
After inserting it back in the drop, I head out. I have no intention of going to that hellhole of a town right now, but it may misdirect whoever has been one step ahead of me so far. It is not entirely a lie; I may well go to Reyeston after I retrieve the generator, but not before then.
Daylight is fading quickly by the time Danae and I head back to the edge of town. We enter a café down the street, where I spend some time observing the comings and goings at the Broken Pipe Inn. Eventually Danae touches my arm and points outside.
“There he is, I’m sure of it. That’s Uncle Franz.”
A portly man, well dressed even for Entiak, passes by, and I am glad to see that he is alone. I really did not want to rough up Hanlin again. We wait another fifteen minutes, and when I do not see anyone loitering, we settle up and head over to the inn.
“Don’t say anything about me being an Archivist unless I bring it up first,” I tell Danae. I am planning to take a backseat in this meeting.
Franz waits for us in a booth at the far back, and as we approach, he rises to greet Danae. She gives him a quick, cursory hug, then sits opposite him. They may be family, but obviously not close family.
“Has it really been ten years?” he asks with a boisterous laugh. “You barely had boobs the last time I saw you, but you’ve definitely grown some nice big ones now. I would recognize you anywhere, because you’re the spitting image of your mother. However, I’m sure I haven’t met your companion.”
Danae pulls her shawl over her chest and stares at him for a few moments, obviously taken aback by his vulgar comment. It is a good thing I told Danae I was going to sit back, because I am ready to tear this jerk apart.
“Oh, right,” Danae says, turning to me. “This is my, friend K’Marr. We traveled here together, and he’s helped me out along the way.”
He leans forward and asks her in a conspiratorial, low voice, “So how good of a friend is he? On a cold night, is he a one-blanket friend?”
Danae’s cheeks flush. “Nothing like that, Uncle. He is just a good, trustworthy friend. So, how was your trip?”
“Quite successful. I acquired some important and rare ingredients I need for some popular compounds. But enough with the niceties, what word of your father? I’ve been worried about you since hearing what happened to Port Sadelow.” Something about his words nags at me.
Danae drops her head. “I don’t know how to say this, but… Papa is dead. There was an awful accident, and, well, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“What?!” Franz sits back, and makes a show of being sad, but I get the sense he already knew, and I recall what Hanlin said about expecting only Danae. “That’s terrible, I’m so sorry to hear that. Your father was a good man.”
“What happened to Port Sadelow?” I ask, with a sinking feeling. The town really should have had a wall.
“I hea
rd about it two days ago, when I returned. A large force of Disciples descended on the town and burned most of it to the ground. Something about hiding the heart of all blasphemies, and retribution for killing a defenseless group of Disciple pilgrims. Most of the population escaped to the surrounding countryside, but they say there were at least a dozen executions. You didn’t know about this?”
I shake my head as I recall the bireme full of Disciples that our ship passed in the fog, while we were on our way to Entiak. Now I know where it was headed. I feel sorrow for what happened to that pitiful town, but I could not have done anything to prevent it, even if I had realized where they were going.
“It happened after we left,” I say. “Do you know where the Disciples are going now?”
“No. Several Disciples came into town a couple nights ago, and the sheriff politely but in no uncertain terms ordered them to leave. Since they are a couple hundred miles from their own lands and didn’t have a small army to bully their way, they really didn’t have much choice.” Franz looks at me with cagey eyes. “I suspect you have no particular love for Disciples.”
I respond, “Not when they terrorize whole towns. I hope they get the justice that they have coming to them.”
“You won’t see me shed any tears,” Uncle Franz says with a thin smile. “In fact, Danae’s father and I shared a particular dislike for them.”
“What are you saying?” Danae asks, a frown creasing her forehead.
Franz leans forward as he responds to Danae, “For many years, your father was part of an underground movement that sees the Disciples as the biggest threat to rebuilding our civilization.” Franz reaches into his shirt and pulls out a small, seven-starred medallion, identical to the one Danae removed from her father. “He was seeking possession of information that he could use to develop a poison, which we were going to use against their main compound. In one stroke, our group was going to put an end to their menace, once and for all.”
“How do you know this?” I ask, trying to hide my surprise. So that is why Doc wanted the e-reader. I suspected there was more to his motives than just researching a medical mystery. Over the years, the Archives has heard rumors about such a resistance group, but I never believed they actually existed until now.
“He was supposed to bring that information to me after he got it from a certain Archivist. I was his underground contact.” Franz looks at me. “I presume you are that Archivist.”
Danae stares at her uncle, speechless. I am going to be very careful with my next words, because there is the official stance, and then the reality that the Archives knows it must face.
“The Archives does not have a political agenda, and prefers to avoid taking sides. Regardless of your purpose for the information, we did have an agreement, so my obligation is to provide it. Assuming you can still use it.”
Franz gives me a wicked smile. “I assure you, if you still have it, we can find someone who can use the information. And some of that justice you are hoping for may yet be served.”
I open up my pack and pull out the e-reader. “It’s all on here. I’ll just say that it would be convenient for my purposes as well if you carried your plans out much sooner rather than later.”
“After what they did to Port Sadelow, it would be convenient for a lot of people to cut off the legs of those bastards. And what lies between their legs.” Franz takes the reader and slides it into an inside pocket. “Since you know of our plans, what are yours?”
What the hell? If Franz really is part of a Disciple-hating underground, we may be able to help each other. “I’ve lost my Archives contacts here, so I’m going to look up a friend in Georges. After that, we’ll see.”
Franz nods and turns to Danae. “What about you, Danae? I don’t have luxurious accommodations, but can always make room for a beautiful woman.”
“Well, I was hoping…” Danae starts, but I step on her foot firmly.
Then I interject, “She needs to take care of some unfinished matters first. Actually, we have to go now, I have other business waiting.”
Up until five minutes ago, I had every intention of foisting Danae onto her uncle, but that was before I found out that he is part of a secret society that is a lightning rod for Disciple vengeance. Leaving her with him is not a good idea, in any way imaginable.
“Really?” Franz fumbles with his pouch. “Where are you staying in town? You’re more than welcome to stay with me.”
“Thank you for the offer, but we have arrangements. Danae?” I say as I rise.
Scrambling to get up with me, Danae mumbles a farewell to her uncle and we leave the tavern. As soon as we step out into the street, I turn down a side alley and execute several maneuvers that are part of basic retrieval training, to ensure that we are not being tailed. I was inexcusably careless the last time we were in Entiak.
“What was that all about?” Danae shoves me against the building wall when we pause in some shadows, while I make sure Hanlin is not following us again.
“Staying with your uncle would not be good for your health.”
“You have no right to tell me what to do,” she hisses. “Understand something, you’re not Papa, and your obligation to him ends here and now.”
“I can’t put my finger on it right now, but there’s something not right about your uncle’s story. After what happened to your tavern, I doubt anywhere in Entiak is safe for you.”
She pauses to ponder that for a moment. “That may be true. Listen, it’s your choice who you take with you to Wolfengarde, but it’s my choice where I go from here.”
“I believe you’ll be safe in Georges,” I try to persuade her, so we can get the hell out of this town. “Think of Port Sadelow, but with farmers instead of fishermen and sailors.”
Danae crosses her arms while she considers her options, then narrows her eyes as she responds. “If I still had my tavern, there’s no way I would leave, but all I have here now is a creepy uncle. So I’ll go with you to Georges, but whether I stay there is my choice.”
“Okay, then it’s on to Georges,” I say.
To be at least a little bit honest with myself, while I genuinely do believe Danae will be safer in Georges, part of me is also relieved that we will stay together at least that far. In fact, I am stunned to realize how much I did not want to part from her again.
Actually, that is a bit too much honesty. I put any questions about inconvenient attachments into the emotional lockbox that I will not open in the field.
“So where are we going to stay now?” Danae asks.
“The safest place I know of,” I reply, peering around the corner. Satisfied that we are not being followed, I swing by the stables to retrieve our mounts. I am also glad I am not leaving Saffron behind after all. She has been a good companion.
We ride our horses out through the eastern gate just before it closes for the night. By the time the full moon reaches its zenith, we have met up again with Little Crow and Malsum at the edge of the forest. They were watching for me. Little Crow leads us to a small encampment he has already fixed up. When he sees Danae riding alongside me, he shoots me a querying glance, but thankfully, he says nothing.
A bank of clouds starts to roll in, as Malsum folds all three of us within her massive paws. Moments later, I am fast asleep.
Chapter Twelve
When we get up the next morning, Little Crow does not ask about what happened in town, or why Danae is still with us. He has little use for what he calls shama villages. A light breeze rustles through the branches above us, and we huddle around a small fire for warmth and a cold breakfast. Malsum is off somewhere hunting for her own repast.
“Where do we go from here?” Little Crow asks, in between bites of elk jerky. “And what is this thing you want so bad, anyway?”
“We’re still going to Georges,” I respond. “Danae will be with us that far. Then you and I are on to Wolfengarde. What we are recovering is hard to explain, especially because I don’t entirely understand it myself
. But it’s some sort of technology that will carry a ship into the sky, and perhaps even out among the stars.”
Little Crow slowly nods in understanding. “Well, I can see why the Archives would want that. You guys are hot for all sorts of strange shit. But the False Brothers hate anything that’s nailed together, so why would they want it?”
I shrug, and glance at Danae. She is just listening and chewing, probably still processing what she learned about her father and uncle being underground guerillas. I doubt she saw that one coming. I certainly did not.
“I’m sure they have no clue what it really is, just as I’m sure where they’re taking it. We can ask them when we get to Wolfengarde.”
“So what do you know about Wolfengarde?” Danae asks.
“Not much,” I reply frankly. “No Archivist has been there—at least none have returned to talk about it. That’s why I’m not going straight there.”
“Right, Georges,” Danae mumbles through a full mouth. “So how will going to Georges help?”
“I know someone who lives there. A friend who has inside information on Wolfengarde and may know a way to get inside.” If she does not shoot me on sight, that is, but I do not add that detail. I will worry about the crossbow behind her counter when we get there.
“So how do we get through the mountains to the other side?” I ask Little Crow.
Little Crow frowns, which I never take as a good sign. “The route my people take when we go hunting in the spring leads over a couple of passes, but we’ve already seen several light snowfalls. The road should still be passable, though it could get blocked for the winter any day.”
“Then we don’t have any time to waste,” I say.
The sun is still rising from behind the mountain range to the east when we leave Entiak’s valley behind and start heading into the foothills. From time to time, I catch glimpses of snow patches on the peaks ahead of us, like Little Crow said. Our horses should get us through as long as it is not too deep, but I wonder about Malsum.
I have not thought about it before, but I examine her as she paces next to us. Her fur is thicker than the African lions I saw about ten years ago, while on a few retrievals in what is left of South Africa. Malsum’s tail, paws and ears have furry tufts which remind me of a snow leopard, which makes sense, since most of her DNA came from ancestors who roamed alongside woolly mammoths and rhinos. Malsum might actually enjoy this little excursion.