The Wind Riders

by Kris Kramer

  * * * * *

  Galen awoke in the darkness to the sound of creaking. He’d fallen asleep quickly, almost as soon as he laid his head down, but he wasn’t sure how much time had passed since then. It was still pitch dark save for a little torch light from the street coming through the window, so he knew morning hadn’t come yet. He lay still in his bed, his eyes half open, his back to the door. The creaking noise stopped as soon as he heard it, and he waited to see if it came again. He’d never stayed in an inn, or any other large building like this, but he knew the sound of footsteps on wood. He’d spent enough time on a Karawan to recognize that, at least.

  Another creak, and this time he could tell it came from inside the room, near the door. He turned over and found the door slightly ajar and Margis’ bed empty, the sheets pulled back. He sat up on the edge of his bed and leaned forward, looking through the crack in the door, trying to see any movement but he saw nothing. No movement, no sound, not even shadows from the candlelight in the hallway. He stood and walked to the door, then peered out slowly, looking both ways. A small lamp sat on a table at one end of the hall, right next to the entrance to the common room. The low din of conversation coming from that direction told him a few patrons still hadn’t left.

  Galen closed the door and double checked his bags, still on the ground where he left them. He pushed them under the bed, hoping that would be enough to deter any would-be thieves, and then crawled back under his covers. He wasn’t sure where Margis had gone, and he hoped the door was open only because he’d been careless while leaving. He figured he might be getting a drink, or maybe even out back where the barkeep had mentioned they could go to wash up, or relieve themselves. Regardless, he didn’t think he could get back to sleep unless he knew everyone was safely in their rooms.

  He had already decided he hated this city and everything about it. There were too many people crammed into too small a space for his liking, and the streets and buildings seemed designed solely to herd people around from one place to the next, like sheep trapped by a fence. It sickened him and he wanted out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they were stuck here for a few days at least, possibly longer. He knew it would take time to find the people they could trust to help them with their problem, and he grudgingly accepted that.

  What he didn’t accept was that he was totally dependent on Iago to do this. He had been put in charge of this mission, but he’d taken no active part in leading since leaving the camp. And now he was forced to sit around and wait some more until Iago did his part and found his contacts. Which brought up an entirely new set of worries. How could he handle the negotiations if he would be talking to Iago’s friends? He was supposed to lay out the terms, but technically Iago could do that by himself and not even involve Galen. And if he could do that, why send anyone else along? Sending Iago back here by himself would have been easier and safer for them all.

  Galen closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. He was tired and uncomfortable here, and he knew getting all worked up would solve nothing. He would wait until tomorrow and talk to Iago about who exactly they would be meeting. It was time for him to prove that he deserved to be on this mission.