Lost Souls

by John Van Stry

  Tam nodded, “Makes sense.”

  “Clark is a pretty shrewd Human, when it comes to money. He spends months planning these trips. Tries to take everything into account.”

  “You work for him long then?”

  I shook my head, “Not really, just a few years now. I this is the fourth trip I’ve made with him, and the most ambitious.”

  “Any fighting?”

  I shrugged, “Some Orcs, a bunch of Goblins. A Troll.”

  Tam grinned and leaned a bit closer, “Sounds impressive.”

  “I had help. Plus, I made sure to pick them off in smaller groups first. The Troll was the only difficulty.”

  “Smart too!” she grinned and bumped hips.

  I looked over at Tam and the way she was eyeing me made it clear where she was setting her sights for when we got back to town. I had forgotten just how direct Shrean females could be; at least I didn’t blush.

  Darkness was starting to fall when the stone walls of the city came into view. We made the heavy wooden gates a half hour later, before they were sealed for the night. Northridge was almost completely walled, except for the portion that lay along the great lake, taking advantage of the local geography. It was a fairly good size for a human city, especially considering how far to the west it was. Northridge was part of the Kingdom of Resnick, and used the lake as its primary means of travel to the rest of the kingdom, all of which lay on the other side of the water, several weeks travel if you went around the lake by foot.

  Being settled so far from the rest of the kingdom meant that the city could not count on fast help in the case of raids by barbarians, or worse. This explained the rather well made stonewalls that protected it and the large local militia stationed inside.

  The city itself had become a major hub of trade for the races and people that lived in the region, as it was far enough from human civilization to be tolerable to them, but close enough to be fairly profitable. The strong walls of the city provided a safe shelter for a large market as well as the local populace. There were also a lot of traders and farmers who lived either in or near the city and a long time ago when the city was first developing a fair number of Dwarves had moved in, setting up their forges and other metal working shops. Most of the king’s weapons and armor were now made here, by them, for his soldiers. A very profitable arrangement for both sides apparently.

  All of that, combined with the distance from the seat of power and laws of the kingdom, not to mention the fairly safe ship travel to get here, accounted for the large civilian population. Even if it was a population that most of the rest of the citizens of the kingdom might not have been comfortable with. There was a lot of money to be made here out on the edge of the frontier, for not a lot of actual risk.

  “This place is crowded!” Tam whispered in my ear as we headed down one of the cobblestone streets to Clark’s warehouses. She had taken to holding onto my arm and leaning into me, but I wasn’t complaining.

  “Trust me, this isn’t bad at all.” I whispered back, “In some cities the streets aren’t more than ten feet wide.”

  “Ugh. How do they live like that?”

  “It’s not really that much different than a dwarven mine. Except the airflow is usually better here.”

  Tam snickered at that. “Yeah, I’ve heard about those.”

  We’d reached the warehouse by then and Clark’s men started to unload the wagons.

  “Jareth, could you come to my office for a minute, please?” Clark asked.

  “Sure. Jenna, Tam, Clint, wait out here for me.”

  They all nodded and I followed Clark inside. Once we entered the large room that was his office he walked over to the large oak desk that dominated it. The desk was well built and hand carved and I had heard he'd had it specially made. All of the other chairs in the room paled in comparison to the large one behind it as well. It reminded me almost of a throne room.

  “I’ll have my scribe put together a list of what we recovered and the overall values tonight, as well as what your share comes to," he said rounding the desk. "I’d expect them to be done by the third morning hour.”

  I nodded, “That should be fine. My sister and her friends want to leave as soon as possible.”

  “What about you, Jareth?” He asked sitting down behind it and settling into the large chair.

  “Well, it will be nice to see home once again.” I said noncommittally.

  “You know, I hate losing you, you’re a good man, and a hard worker. I can make it worth your while to stay.”

  I smiled slightly, once Clark got behind that desk of his he could dicker and haggle for hours, trying to get whatever it was he wanted. I couldn’t believe that the same person who sat behind it would risk their life outside the city walls. Of course, that was probably just his greed and lack of trust showing through.

  “You mean find someone as good, who’ll work as cheaply,” I said good naturedly, for all his faults I rarely could get angry at him, it was just his nature to be petty and conniving. He always kept his word and you could trust him, after a fashion. For that I could over look the faults he couldn’t control. “Clark, I appreciate the offer, but this isn’t something I can turn down.”

  He nodded looking a little sad that I wasn’t going to dicker with him. “I guess not. Will you be coming back?”

  I shrugged, “It’s possible. Depends on what they want of me.”

  “Well, you’ll still have a job here if you want it.”

  I nodded, “Well, goodnight, Clark.” and headed outside to find the others.

  “Where to now?” Jenna asked.

  “Well, I have a room over at one of the inns. You can either all sleep with me, or get your own room. Whichever suits.”

  Tam re-attached herself to my arm as we headed over to the inn. It was still early enough that they were serving food, so we all settled down and had a nice cooked dinner. One of the reasons I had stayed at this inn so long was that the cook was rather good. Eventually it came time for bed, so Clark and Jenna got a separate room, and I got Tam.

  I was rather happy with that, Tam was quite attractive, quite energetic and quite interested in me to put it mildly. I guess I had made quite an impression on her years ago before I had been exiled. It goes without saying that we were up very late talking about home, and it brought home to me rather clearly just how much I had missed living among my own kind.

  The next morning came with a pounding on the door. I untangled myself from Tam who wanted nothing more then to stay under the covers.

  “Just a minute, I’m coming!” I growled.

  I opened the door and was quite surprised to see my landlady, who was one of the other reasons I had stayed at this inn so long. She also looked very angry, and almost started in on me until she noticed I was all but naked.

  “Put some clothes on!” she yelled looking up at my face, and then immediately followed it up with “and what is this I hear about you having another woman in here?”

  I suddenly felt Tam pressing up against me from behind. All but naked as well.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Tam asked softly as my landlady stared, momentarily at a loss for words.

  I grinned, I knew I shouldn’t, but part of me was enjoying this little display. “Tam, this is Aylith, my landlady. Aylith, this is Tam, an old friend from back home.”

  “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times that you’re not allowed to have strange women in here at all hours of the nigh....” she started to wind herself up. I could never understand her rules about having women staying overnight in your rooms. I could only guess that she didn’t like the competition, she had tried to stay here late often enough herself after all.

  “I’ll fight you for him,” Tam interjected suddenly, bringing Aylith up to yet another screeching halt. Three in a morning, a personal best I’d say.

  “You’ll, WHAT?” Aylith said, flabbergasted.

  “Well, you seem to think he’s yours, and I’m w
illing to contest that. So care to fight for him?” Tam’s voice dropped to a dangerous low when she said that last line.

  “Well, Aylith, I’m checking out today. I’ll be settling up my bill after breakfast,” I said pushing a very evilly grinning Tam back into the room.

  “You’re leaving?” She blinked, “With that harlot?!”

  “Yes, I’m going home. And” I pushed Tam back again; she was starting to growl after that last comment. “You just might want to hold your tongue, Aylith. I do like you, and I’d hate to see Tam here gut you.”

  Aylith paled at that, I think she'd noticed by now that Tam was rather athletically built, which she herself was not, being used to more leisurely pursuits and bossing others around, rather than personally doing any work.

  I closed the door and dragged a now rather angry looking Tam back to the bed, grabbing the sheets off the floor where they'd fallen.

  “That, that, bitch!” Tam growled.

  I laughed, “Yeah, but she has her moments.”

  “I should teach her a lesson!” She said, starting for the door again.

  “You’ll do no such thing," I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. "It wouldn’t be fair, and you know it. Now settle down here for a minute, and then you can help me pack.”

  Tam grumbled a bit, but she did settle down.

  I spent the next half hour sorting my stuff into three piles. That which I was taking with me, which wasn’t much, that which I’d give to Hansen to hold onto, which was a little bit more, and trash. There wasn’t much trash either. I owned surprisingly little beyond some clothes and weapons.

  “Not a lot for eight years, is it?”

  “Well, it’s not like you were ever much of a hoarder,” Tam grinned.

  “I’m surprised you remember that.”

  “Oh, I remember lots of things.” She said smiling sweetly and running a finger down my chest.

  I didn't know if I should be worried by that statement or not.

  “Well lets get this packed up and go save Clint from my sister’s clutches.” I said giving the room one last look; I'd lived here almost two years. The longest I'd been in any one place since I'd had to leave home. I realized suddenly that I wouldn't be missing it either.

  “Sure he wants to be saved?” Tam said, interrupting my thoughts.

  I laughed, “Right about now I bet he’s chomping at the bit to get started and feeling guilty as hell that he’s still in bed.”

  “Yeah, that describes Clint pretty well,” She snickered.

  We roused the two of them shortly after that and headed down to eat and leave. I settled up my bill with Aylith, who glowered, but didn’t say much of anything because Tam kept glaring at her from the table. I don’t know why she was so upset, I knew for a fact there were quite a few men in her life, and I'd never been one of them.

  My next stop after that was Clark’s, to check the numbers on my share. Thankfully that went quickly as well, and then off to Hanson’s to arrange things.

  The Dwarves all lived in their little enclave in the north end of the city, their stone houses looking more like small forts than homes, with the dark smoke from their forges curling up above them all hours of the day and night. We walked up to the entrance to his family's forge and I sent the youngster standing there to fetch him out for me. I’d been here several times before, to either deliver or pick up special items for Clark.

  However, this was the first time I’d been here as a friend. When Hanson came out he invited us inside for a drink. Until now I’d never been in his house, Dwarves were very protective of their homes and their families. Only other Dwarves or those with bonds of friendship to the clan were ever allowed inside.

  “You understand that if I do come back, it may not be for years?” I said as we sat down at the table and one of Hanson’s daughters put mugs of ale down in front of us.

  Hanson nodded, already covered in sweat and smudged with ash. I suspected he'd probably hit the forge as soon as he'd gotten home. Metalworking was in his blood and he only left his forge for the chance of finding treasure he could use to create new magical weapons and the like.

  “Na much of a problem for me, me family will honor the debt to me grandson, not that I think yea’ live that long!” he laughed.

  I laughed at that as well and nodded. Shreans lived longer than Humans, but Dwarves were another matter.

  “I must thank you again for calling me a friend,” I said tipping my mug to him as I took a long pull. “I honestly would have hated to have to abandon my share to Clark.”

  “Aye! I can understan’ that!” Hanson nodded. “Tha' one’s only saving grace be his commitment to the contract!”

  “So, have you had many dealings with us before?” Clint asked taking a drink himself. He may have been in a rush to go, but he obviously knew better than to turn up a drink with a Dwarf who had offered friendship. Dwarves have been known to raze entire kingdoms to the ground for an insult over matters of friendship, family, or clan.

  They’d also gone to war more than once solely because a friend needed their help. Friendship was a serious matter to Dwarves, and a core concept to their communities.

  “Aye,” Hanson said and nodded to Clint. “Me clan employs a company of ye’ mercs to protect their supply lines from the Rust Mountains down to our forges in the Black Hills. Been a very profitable arrangement for all the’ many years.

  “If’n I’d known sooner, I would have offered yea a better job than yon Clark would have ‘gain yea. Had me suspicions, but was never quite sure.”

  I nodded to Hanson and took another drink. Custom dictated we had to finish the mug before we could go. Both Jenna and Tam weren’t having any problems putting theirs away. Thankfully, we’d all been served standard human-sized mugs, unlike the monster one that Hanson was downing.

  I asked if he had any word of travel conditions to the west.

  “Na, too early for the traders who carry goods to and from me broda’s forges outside of Portsmith.”

  I nodded and stood, finishing my ale as the others joined me. “Well, thank you for your hospitality. May your coals glow ever hot, Hanson.”

  Hanson drained his own mug and stood offering me his hand. “And may yer metal be strong, Jareth. If you ever do come this way again, me and mine would be happy to give ye work more fitting of yer skills.”

  I shook hands with him, “I will remember that, my friend.”

  And once again, we were off.

  We headed out the north gate of the city; the Elshavel Haven lay off to the southwest quite a distance. We'd have to travel through the midland mountains to the coast, and then catch a ship to get there. For now, the trip was fairly easy, there was a road heading where we wanted to go, and the ground was mostly flat, this being farming country.

  There was still a decent amount of traffic on the road, too much for any of us to change yet, and I didn't want to go through the brush, roads were always quicker. Personally, I'd have rather taken horses, but unless they were trained to deal with it, horses usually didn't do well with big hunting cats. Not that I blame them, horse does taste good after all.

  Jenna looked over her shoulder as we crested a rise that would put the city out of sight.

  "You put up with all of that for how many years?"

  I shrugged, "That's actually one of the better cities I've lived in. I guess it's been two years now, since Clarke hired me on after running into me up in Lorensburg. He could be annoying, but he paid reliably and reasonably well."

  "Paid well? What use does a Shrean have for money?" She asked disdainfully.

  "Quite a lot when he's been expelled from his home and has been too ashamed to live among his own kind," I countered almost bitterly. I stopped a moment and composed my thoughts; Jenna didn’t deserve that kind of tone. "Sorry, Jenna, but I was forced to live in the world of men, I did not care for it much, but I had little choice. At least my skills at arms and in the forests were of use to them."

  She stoppe
d and looked at me. "Are you going to shift?"

  I shook my head, I had no desire to deal with the issues shifting might cause. "No, it's still too close to the city and the farming settlements around it. Wait until we're a day or two farther out."

  She looked at me then looked over at Clint who nodded in agreement with me.

  "A day or two out and there will be less traffic on the road. Raising an alarm here would just slow us down." He said.

  We walked till it was very late. Darkness holds little fear for those who hunt in it after all. It wasn't long before Jenna shifted into her natural form, which looked very much like a spotted leopard. Clint's was a very large black leopard which reminded me very much of my own form. Tam's was the more normal spotted like Jenna's as well, though her coat was more of a tawny color to Jenna’s deeper yellow.

  I stayed in my human form however. Traveling on a road like this one, it didn't matter much what form you took, neither had any real advantages over the other and the pace we kept in either form was still a rather fast one. Besides, changing back and forth a lot could be tiring, if anyone came along, it might be nice if one of us could talk to them.

  That at least is what I told Tam when she asked why I hadn't shifted.

  As the days wore on, the road grew less traveled, and less cared for. I think three or four caravans traveled it a year, which is what kept it from completely disappearing. Clint told me they had actually joined one of those caravans on the way out to find me.

  This brought me to consider an interesting question, that I only now thought of. "Just how did you manage to find me anyway?" I asked. "I wasn't making any efforts to hide, but you traveled a good, long, distance and I didn't leave any tips as to where I could be found when I left Winstow."

  "Well, as much as I'd like to claim that tracking prowess," Clint said in shrean as he was now in his feline form along with the girls. "The honor belongs to Tam."

  "Oh?" I looked down at Tam, who gave me a little head butt as she padded alongside on all fours. "And just how did you do that, might I ask?"