by Dan Decker
Jorad's first thought when he awoke had been for Soret. He'd grabbed a slab of bread from the kitchen and scarfed it down on the way to the Tedenhel Store. The return of the Hunwei had at least solidified his decision about her, his concerns about her parents seemed trivial in comparison to the days ahead. Luckily, when he had arrived at the store, Barc and Hira weren't around. It took some doing, but he'd managed to convince Soret to come with him on a walk.
“Ruder was right,” Jorad said, not knowing how to start. He couldn't afford to have this conversation go badly. There wasn't much time before he would be leaving. He needed to convince her to leave Neberan by either coming with him or by going somewhere safe and hiding.
“Ruder is crazy,” Soret said, her eyes boring into him. He held her gaze. She was wearing brown trousers, a green blouse, and had her hair back in a ponytail. She might have thought she looked prettier when she had dressed up for the wedding, but she was just as beautiful now. He could smell the hint of the shampoo she used this morning.
Jorad shrugged and recounted to her the events of the last day, his certainty that the Hunwei had returned and that he was going to Zecarani to help Adar find a way to fight them. Rarbon had been left out of the explanation for now.
“I can't believe you're trying to convince me the Hunwei are real.” Soret shook her head while standing up. “I need to return to the store. I promised dad I’d make some deliveries.” Soret stalked away, with her back straight. He’d seen that walk before, and knew that she was furious. He would have liked to give her time to calm down but didn't have the luxury. He chased after her.
Somebody called his name from behind, but he ignored it because Soret turned. “Is this your plan to convince me to marry you? You’re not the first man to try something like this on me.” She stood in the middle of the road. Several people were passing by on either side, but she didn't seem to notice the strange looks she was getting.
“Soret,” Jorad began but before he could continue, Erro Paler pushed between them and he almost lost his balance. Erro was the same height as Jorad and reeked of cologne. His gaudy sword hung at his side and he wore a triumphant look.
It took everything Jorad had not to punch the idiot. He didn't know for sure if Erro had been spreading lies about him.
“Here’s the man you want,” Erro said.
Several of Neberan’s town guard had approached as well. Jorad recognized Thon Reaver, who nodded, but without his characteristic friendliness. Thon was a decent fellow, who stood a head taller than Jorad and had broader shoulders. The man always reminded him of an ox. Instead of the open smile that Thon usually wore, he was tight lipped and scrutinizing Jorad’s face. His thick sword, that was more club than sword, was strapped to his back.
Thon looked like he was trying to decide if Jorad had done something wrong. Erro was doing his best to hide a smile. What was the fool grasping at now?
Jorad clenched his fists. The last thing he needed to do right now was get in trouble with the town guard watching. He made a commitment to himself that the next time he had trouble with Erro that he was going to give him a thorough beating.
“Erro--” Soret said.
Erro interrupted her and she scowled. “It’s not about you,” Erro said. “Jorad is wanted for murder.”
That got Jorad's attention. At least Erro had decided to make accusations to his face now. The treatment Jorad was getting from Soret's parent's now made more sense. He tried to refrain from sneering, but he only half succeeded.
“I’m not a murderer,” Jorad said. “Keep this up, that could change.”
Thon smiled and the other guard—Sein wasn’t it?—laughed. Erro pulled a folded piece of paper from his coat pocket. It was old and creased in multiple places. Jorad tried not to look anxious, hoping it wasn’t what he thought.
How had that followed them here? Colonipo was half a continent away and it had been several years. Would that afternoon ever stop haunting them?
“You go too far,” Soret said.
Jorad agreed, he’d been too patient. Erro was spoiling for a fight and maybe it was time he obliged. Thon continued to stare at Jorad, at least that made sense now.
“Here, let me see that little paper again.” Thon took the paper and held it up, comparing it to Jorad, who smiled toothily.
Jorad hoped he never ended up on the wrong side of Thon, who was a dangerous enough man without a weapon. The thick sword just made him all the more formidable. Thon passed the paper to Sein, who switched his staff to his other hand so he could take the paper and hold it up for comparison. Jorad continued to smile. Let them see this doesn’t bother me.
“This has been a waste of time,” Sein said, handing the paper back to Erro. For his part, Sein looked relieved. There was a visible relaxing of his narrow shoulders and the grip on his staff relaxed as well. “That drawing could be anybody. Even you Erro.”
“You’re right,” Thon said. “Sorry for the confusion Jorad. Just a mistake, that’s all.” He put out his hand to Jorad, who took it. “Enjoy the rest of your morning.”
“But it’s him!” Erro held the paper up so that Soret could see it. “You deserve to know the truth.”
Jorad relaxed. It wasn’t the one he’d been thinking of, if they’d had that one, Thon and Sein might not have been so easily convinced.
“I’ll never come back to you,” Soret said.
Erro choked on his words as his jaw clenched. “He’s a murderer.”
“If Colonipo wants him, they can come get him,” Thon said. “Until then this piece of paper isn’t enough to ruin a man’s life.”
“You can’t just let him walk free.”
“He’s killed nobody here,” Thon said. Erro grabbed the paper back from Soret and stuffed it into his pocket before leaving.
Jorad turned to talk with Soret but she was already stalking off again. Cursing, he ran to catch up to her. What was it that Adar said? Some women took it as their purpose in life to make men work hard for their affections. Jorad shook his head as he ran after her. This was a matter of life and death. He needed her to pay attention to him so he could help save her life.
Chapter 7
Tere spent the day scouting Neberan, which despite its small size was dusty from all the traffic. The biggest buildings were a boarding house, an inn, and a one-room schoolhouse. He was surprised at the number of shops in town, but he assumed that meant most of the farmers in the surrounding area did their business here.
At least there was a school. Most towns this far away from major cities didn’t have one and children were educated only if there was nothing better for them to do. All the towns surrounding Rarbon had at least one school and several teachers, even the towns that were small enough they barely qualified to be called such.
Tere had made the right decision to leave Tarner and Lous. The people he passed refused to make eye contact with him and when they thought he wasn’t looking would stare at his sword. Three armed men would have been a cause for concern. As it was, one stranger with a sword would be enough to cause gossip.
Instead of asking questions right off, he looked around and told anyone that asked—there were few of those—that he was passing through on his way to Zecarani and was in need of supplies. He wasn’t expecting to learn anything that way but knew people would clam up the moment they felt unsure about him. However, if a merchant thought that he was interested in buying something, a casual question could elicit useful information.
Tere was in the middle of a conversation outside a leather merchant's shop about a new coat he didn’t need, when he noticed a tall young man that had a familiar look to him. Tere couldn't quite place what made the man stick out. Was it his build, sword, light brown hair, or the way he walked with an arrogant confidence? His search had already been a long enough road that he didn't trust the feeling of familiarity. He'd experienced the same thing many times in his hunt for Adar and it had always led to a dead end. Tere's eye beg
an to itch and he did his best to wipe the dust on his face away from his eyes. He only succeeded in making both eyes water.
The kid must have noticed him because he stared at Tere. The kid was with a woman who looked like she was angry about something. He'd seen that same expression on Larae many times.
The leather merchant, Timor, noticed Tere looking at the couple. “That leather coat on Jorad? Best work I’ve done. I could make you one like that for three juen of silver.”
Tere’s heart must have stopped, but he managed to cover his surprise. Jorad had his sword strapped to his back, like a Radim. It was one of the few swords Tere had seen today in Neberan.
Jorad wasn’t a common name in Rarbon, but this far west it wasn’t uncommon at all to find two or three men in a village named Jorad. In the early days of the search when they would ask for anybody named Jorad, they’d get half a dozen leads. They hadn’t asked after the name often. Adar would have stopped using their real names, or so Tere had assumed. Maybe Adar was slipping.
The boy seemed surprised to see Tere. Had he recognized something about Tere or something from Rarbon? Jorad had known Tere as a small boy, but that was long enough ago that Tere wasn’t worried he'd be recognized. Tere doubted the boy had recognized anything from Rarbon because he’d been careful to dress in clothing that didn’t proclaim him to be anything other than a man with a sword. He'd even covered the hilt of his sword with cloth, hiding the distinctive marks.
The young man Timor had indicated, looked like Adar and seemed to have something of Nelion in him as well. That could just be Tere’s imagination playing a trick on him. Searching for something for so long made it easy to see things that didn’t exist.
Jorad walked faster and the woman with him ran to catch up. Tere thanked Timor and left but not before he mentioned that he might be back for the coat. It was best to keep up appearances, even if it might not be necessary any longer.
What were the chances of Tere finding a man named Jorad, who carried a sword in a place where most others didn’t, that had recognized something about Tere?
Once he mounted his horse, Tere had to restrain from galloping out of town. Now that he had found them, he didn’t want to mess up. So as much as it bothered him, he continued at a walk on the road out of Neberan. With every passing moment he became more anxious and worried. This was the best lead since Adar had disappeared and Tere’s men were half a mile out of town. It had seemed a small thing to leave them, but now Tere cursed his decision. He’d become careless. He smiled at some of the people he passed but they didn’t return it and looked straight ahead pretending not to notice. So much for the rumored hospitality of the west.
Tere alone might be a match for Adar, but together with Lous and Tarner they should be able to take him. Even though it had been years, Tere was certain that Adar would still be in shape. The man had been diligent about his training even when he was going through the trials. He wouldn’t have become lax now.
Tere snorted. Adar had always been driven as though somebody were cracking a whip over his head. Tere doubted that Adar lacked the motivation to continue his training. Living life on the run would be reason enough.
Tere reached the edge of town, made sure no one was around and urged his horse to a gallop.
Chapter 8
Soret was a step ahead of Jorad and the street was crowded with people so he had to strain to hear her words. The dust kicked up from all the traffic was sticking to his sweaty face. Using the back of his hand, he wiped off his forehead. It came away grimy and he cleaned it on his pants. He wanted to take a few minutes to rest and calm down but couldn't afford the luxury.
His blood was still racing from the encounter with Erro. If Erro tried something again, Jorad would give him the beating he deserved, whether the town guard was there or not. He didn’t know what else to say to Soret. Jorad couldn’t blame her for her anger and confusion. Ruder hadn’t been able to convince him, Jorad had needed to see it for himself. He wished that he had evidence to show her but all he could do was tell her what he'd seen.
“I can't come with you,” Soret said.
“I don’t know if I can convince Adar to wait any longer,” Jorad said. “He's adamant about getting to Zecarani as fast as possible.”
“He wants to get that weapon or whatever, right?” Soret asked, she looked like she was thinking of slapping him. “Why the rush now? It sounds like he’s known about it for years.”
“It won’t be the first time we’ve tried, but this time is different. He’s not going to leave without it.”
“And where will you go after that?”
“I don’t know,” he lied. Much as Jorad hated to admit it, Adar’s logic made sense. If there was even a chance that something in the Portal could help, it was worth Jorad making the effort to access it. Assuming of course that Rarbon hadn't already been taken over by the Hunwei.
As they passed Timor’s tanner shop, Jorad noticed an armed man that he didn’t recognize. The man was a bit shorter than most but he looked like he knew how to fight. A merchant guard or a mercenary? It was rare to have mercenaries in Neberan. Merchant guards were more common. There wasn’t much unusual about the man’s clothes but the sword slung on his back was out of place. Swords were rare and those that had them wore their swords at their sides.
Jorad studied the weapon for as long as he dared. It looked familiar, even with the hilt wrapped in red cloth. He tried to make the connection but it didn’t come. He was too focused on trying to make Soret see reason. The man regarded him with cold eyes. A mercenary then.
“You going to answer my question?” Soret asked.
“Yeah,” Jorad said. “Sorry, that man just looks familiar.”
“He's just some merchant guard. What will you do after Zecarani?”
“I'm not sure.” A mercenary in town was rare but not alarming and the man was alone. How much harm could he cause?
“That’s not an answer.”
Jorad remembered now, it shouldn’t have taken him so long to make the connection. Adar’s Radim sword was similar to the one the mercenary wore. It had been a quick look, it wasn’t wise to show too much interest in an armed man, but the longer Jorad thought the more certain he became. The hilt of the man’s sword had been wrapped on purpose to cover the insignia of his Radim army.
Adar rarely carried his Radim sword because it was too distinctive. Jorad walked faster. What was a Radim doing here and why was he trying to pass himself off as a mercenary? Was he searching for them? Jorad felt a chill run through his body.
The Radim had come for Adar. The last thing they needed now was to have the Radim tracking them while they were trying to find a way to fight the Hunwei.
“Jorad, why are you speeding up?” Soret demanded. They were almost to her father’s shop.
“I need to find Adar. I’ll tell you everything later.”
The look on her face showed she didn’t believe him, but she’d have to wait. Jorad burst into a run. He had only seen one Radim soldier, but he was positive that there would be more. Adar had been one of the best swordsmen in Rarbon and they'd know that it would take a group to bring him in. Jorad couldn't let that happen.
Several minutes later Jorad charged into the common room of the boarding house, his sides heaving as he gasped for breath. Adar wasn’t there and their room upstairs was empty as well. Jorad scribbled a note and set it on Adar’s bed. Downstairs he found Mac, the stable boy, laughing with Harri the cook.
“Have either of you seen Adar?” Jorad asked, still out of breath. He was wheezing.
“Not since he left for old man Koope’s place earlier,” Mac said. He smelled of manure and had a loose piece of straw in his hair. Harri's large apron covered her girth and was smeared with flour and grease. There were several burn marks. In Jorad's experience it was rare for a cook to be slim. “He said something about getting money he was owed. What’s wrong? You’re covered with sweat! What’s got you so work
ed up?” Mac edged away from Harri. They’d been standing to close for just casual conversation. Was something going on between them? Jorad pushed the thought away. He didn't care.
He wiped the sweat from his face. He would have removed his coat if he didn't need it to cover the daggers he kept hidden. “What’s he doing at the Koope place?”
“Just told ya,” Mac said.
Jorad nodded. Mac had just told him, and he took several breaths and ended up in a fit of coughing.
“Look,” Harri said, “you need to have a talk with Adar. He tried to convince me that the Hunwei are planning an attack on Neberan. He even mentioned he was going to talk to the mayor about it. Has he lost it? I mean seriously, Hunwei?”
With a final cough, Jorad was able to breathe a bit more normally and moved to the door.
“The Hunwei are coming, but I gotta go. If Adar returns make sure he sees the note I left upstairs.”
Jorad ran out the door and smacked into Soret, sending her flying to the ground.
“Ouch!” she cried. That wasn’t going to help her mood.
Jorad jumped to her side and tried to help her up but she ignored him as she stood. She did her best to brush off her pants between glares. It reminded him of the look he'd received from Hira the other night and made him feel like she wanted to skin him and use it for a rug.
“Why the hurry?” Soret demanded. She was sweating and covered in dust, but she wasn't sweating as bad as Jorad by half. He was surprised she'd run after him. Maybe she had more feelings for him than he thought. He felt a flash of hope but pushed it away. Adar was in danger; he didn't have time for this. “You leaving right now?”
“I’ve got to find Adar. I don't have time to explain.”
“Well, I’m not done with you. We need to talk.” Soret looked even more stubborn than she had before. Of all the times!