Escana

by J. R. Karlsson

  He was looking for the proprietor, a man his father had described as 'the ugliest balding fucker this side of the eastern sea'. That wasn't much to go on given the state of most of the gnarled elders. As always he'd have to carry on without his father's help.

  The main room was huge but had a relatively low roof, twin staircases snaking up into it from either side. There were various benches and tables stretching out across the full width of the room with a large unlit hearth on one side and a sprawling bar on the other.

  There were a few people dotted about the room, probably traders of some sort, most of them eating and drinking in silence. They didn't look up as he had walked through the door, apparently he was beneath their attentions.

  He walked across to the bar, searching for the elusive Harold Gooseman, owner of this vast establishment. It appeared to be devoid of life, though he did hear some noises coming from the back room. He started searching for a bell to ring or some other way to get attention but there seemed nothing else to do but shout.

  A hand tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump.

  'Can I help you?' an amused voice said.

  A floppy haired youngster had seemingly crept up behind him with the express purpose of startling him, Jakob didn't take kindly to being startled by anyone. Swallowing his distaste he tried to make the best of a bad situation.

  'Have you seen Harold Gooseman around these parts? The Warden sent me to look for him.'

  The boy smiled. 'I know who you are, you don't have to throw his title around to get answers you know.'

  Jakob didn't share in the boy's smile, his patience was wearing thin. 'Are you going to tell me where Gooseman is or not?'

  The boy nodded, clearly seeing that there was no further amusement to be had. 'He's out at the moment.'

  'Out?'

  'Yeah.' the boy replied infuriatingly.

  'Where?'

  'Elsewhere.'

  'When will he be back?'

  'Sometime.'

  The next thing Jakob knew he had two hands full of the boys shirt and had pinned him up against the bar. 'Where is Harold Gooseman?'

  If the boy was intimidated he didn't show it, continuing to sport that idiotic grin.

  'You're talking to Jimmy Gooseman, son of said Gooseman and current proprietor of the Chipped Flagon in his absence.'

  Jakob dropped him in shock.

  'You? But you're just a boy...'

  Jimmy let out an infectious laugh then, as if Jakob had cracked an incredibly witty joke. 'I'm almost the same age as you, Jakob. I've heard all about you.'

  He straightened out his shirt and continued speaking before Jakob had the chance to ask how. 'I know, I know,' he said, waving away the question on his lips. 'The new Warden and his unruly son have proven to be a very popular topic of conversation over the last two weeks, there are many crazy rumours flying around about you both. While the Warden himself has proven to be a perfectly affable if somewhat intimidating man, his son has failed to pay us a visit until now.'

  Jakob frowned. 'I wasn't aware visiting your establishment was mandatory.'

  Jimmy vaulted over the bar and took an order from a customer who had just appeared, all the time still talking to Jakob. 'You don't have to come here, but I like to think that everyone eventually makes an appearance. I'm not surprised it's taken you this long, your father has painted you as somewhat of a recluse.'

  His blood boiled at the thought of his father's fake persona laughing it up at his expense and telling exaggerated lies about his past. 'I like to know where I am before I start mingling with others. This place is very different from the city.'

  Jimmy clapped his hands together. 'Ah yes, Daelovia, the big city. The furthest I've been out from here is Urial, I've never been east. Is it true what they say?'

  Jakob frowned. 'More crazy rumours?'

  Jimmy laughed again. 'No, about the statues. The Six statues standing outside the gates.'

  It clicked into place then, The Six statues outside the Daelovian city gates. Six legendary figures from the world's past. The rational part of Jakob's mind insisted that not only was it coincidental but it was also impossible that any of these men were still alive after a thousand years. Yet the feeling that had stolen itself upon him at their mention suggested otherwise.

  'Hello? Are you there?'

  Jakob looked up, as if waking from a dream. 'Sorry, I was distracted. What was it you asked?'

  The innkeeper's soon was looking at him with a worried expression on his face. Jakob found the lack of a smile on the boy an improvement. 'You were sat staring into space for a good minute and a half. Was it something I said about the statues?'

  Jakob waved away the boy's fears. 'It's nothing, and yes there are six large statues just outside the gates of Daelovia. They're meant to represent heroes of a time gone by.'

  Jimmy nodded. 'My father taught me about them when I was small, but I've never had chance to see them.'

  Jakob looked up, as if seeing the boy for the first time, his interest kindled. 'I was never taught such a thing, we were always told that the statues' history had been lost.'

  'I can tell you if you want.' Jimmy opened up the bar and dragged a stool up next to him, pushing hair out of his eyes. 'The Six are said to be the former champions of the land, none now living know of their names. They are The Orc, The Lady, The Enchanter, The Fae, The King and The Unknown.'

  Jakob shuffled his feet nervously, was it that easy? Were The Six simply these unnamed heroes? He knew nobody could last a thousand years, yet that nagging feeling within him insisted that this was an important part of why he had been brought here. Was the innkeeper's boy to be a friend he encountered along the way? Were their threads entwined without his realisation as the man had said? He sincerely hoped not. He couldn't think what use an innkeepers son would be in tracking down elusive figures intent on bringing down the Empire. Regardless, Jimmy had triggered something within him and it warranted further investigation.

  Jimmy slapped him on the back, jolting him into the here and now. 'You really do think far too much, you know that? I was all ready to continue my story but you'd gone and spaced out on me again.'

  'Sorry,' Jakob said, somewhat embarrassed. 'I have a lot on my mind at the minute.'

  'That makes a change from most people around here,' a voice said, coming out from the store room.

  Jakob gaped.

  There were no words he could summon up to describe her. Sufficed to say that he was smitten and rendered speechless by her presence. She was more or less perfect in his eyes, aside from a tiredness around her own eyes, he even found her expression of distaste amusing.

  She scowled at Jimmy. 'Don't you have work to do instead of nattering on at the customers?'

  Jimmy's smile was perfect innocence. 'I was merely greeting our newest customer, Ella. This fine young man is called Jakob, the Warden's son.'

  Ella seemed somewhat mollified. 'A pleasure to meet you, Jakob.'

  Jakob let out a strangled cough.

  Noticing the awkward pause, Jimmy continued talking over it. 'Don't mind her Jakob, she's got her bossy boots on. They've been coming out more and more ever since she got promoted ahead of me.'

  Jakob arched an eyebrow, glad for the distraction. 'She got promoted ahead of the owner's son?'

  Jimmy gave a wistful smile and gazed deep into Ella's eyes. 'Beauty gets you everywhere Jakob, all she needed to do was flash my father her prettiest smile and the promotion was as good as hers. At least, I think it was her smile.'

  He got a dishcloth thrown in his face for that comment, for which Jakob was glad. A feeling of intense jealousy had crept up on him.

  'So what's your poison?' Ella asked him.

  Jakob finally met her eyes, but couldn't think of anything sensible to say.

  He heard a sigh coming from his right. 'This is our fine host's way of asking you what you would like to drink.'

  'I don't drink.'

  Jimmy smiled and nudged him in the
ribs. 'So what do you do when you get thirsty then, eh?'

  Ella reached over the bar and clipped him around the ear, causing him to yelp. 'Don't mind him. Is there anything else I can get you?'

  Jakob's eyes had wandered. What was wrong with him? He was acting like a pubescent schoolboy. School

  There was something about that world that had come unbidden into his thoughts, he couldn't place the meaning or bring it into any degree of clarity. Why had he thought of a word without knowing the meaning of it? How could he have used it in context? The answer eluded him.

  Mercifully he found he was now looking at her face. 'I'm not really interested in food or drink. I'm looking for Harold Gooseman, his son isn't being very helpful.'

  Jimmy made a noise of protest that they both ignored.

  'That doesn't surprise me, Harold Gooseman's son is a pain at the best of times,' she spoke loudly, cutting off Jimmy's protests. 'He's gone down to visit Garth, the local smith. He'll be back after dawn.' She eyed him strangely then, as if seeing something he hadn't. 'You look exhausted, are you sure there's nothing I can do?' Jimmy snickered in the background, causing her to stumble. 'I mean... is there nothing I can get you to drink or eat? Maybe a bed for the night?' Jimmy made to laugh again but Ella silenced him by shoving him off his stool. Nobody looked round as Jimmy came crashing down, apparently this was a regular occurrence.

  'A bed does sound nice,' Jakob said, trying to stay focused, 'but I don't have any coin.'

  Ella shrugged. 'Use Jimmy's bed, it's free for the night.'

  'Hey!' Jimmy protested from the floor.

  Ella looked down at him. 'You're on nights this week, you won't be needing that bed until morning. Will you?'

  There was a dangerous tone in her voice, hinting at further retribution.

  'No, I guess not,' Jimmy replied, picking his bar stool up sulkily.

  Ella flashed a dazzling smile at him. 'Thank you Jimmy, now kindly continue doing your job.'

  She opened up the bar and stood next to him with her hand on it, waiting for him to scuttle behind.

  'Where will you be going?' Jimmy asked.

  Ella beckoned Jakob to follow her, Jimmy said no more.

  4

  Jakob

  Jakob followed her in a daze. It was only now that he realised just how tired he was. Darkness had taken the inn quickly as Ella led him higher and higher up its various floors. It would appear that Jimmy's room was near the top.

  She finally stopped by a small door on what looked to be the final floor and opened it up. Apparently the proprietor didn't lavish his son with excessive comfort. An empty wash bucket lay next to a small bed, Jakob didn't see much else. The way he had dragged himself up the steps it felt like a stone floor would have sufficed.

  Ella sheepishly gestured toward the door. 'It's not much, but it's the best we've got for free. I hope you have a good night's sleep.'

  Jakob nodded to her and felt her breath trace the back of his neck as he passed her into the room. A shiver went up his spine and his head screamed at him. He really didn't need to feel like this right now.

  He walked toward the bed, trying to calm himself down, waiting for the door to shut and everything to go dark. He could see the flickering shadows, she was standing in the doorway, waiting for something.

  'You're not like the others.'

  He froze, what was she implying? His head promptly started hurting again. 'What do you mean?' he managed to utter through clenched teeth, the sudden sharp pain was beginning to recede.

  'I can tell what a man is like, I can read them like a scholar would a book. I don't even need to look in their eyes, it's in their demeanour. It's in their stance. The way they conduct themselves finally betrays that to others but I'm the one to see it before it comes to light.'

  He sighed, she had seen the same thing many others had. His lack of expression, his body riveted in position like a pillar, giving away nothing. What he saw as a serious problem simply intrigued her. With a confidence he didn't feel, he responded. 'You can't read me, can you? You've seen many men and you've been able to tell what they were, to put them into darker or lighter shades. You look at me and you see nothing, you see both danger and intrigue in finding out.'

  Her breath left her body, he had no idea what effect his words had on her until her response. 'You're... right. I can't read you, I look at you and I see someone that could be either the most vile creature in existence or the most hallowed of saints. I simply don't know.'

  He froze as her fingers brushed the small of his back. He couldn't remember her moving forward or shutting the door, having been so concentrated on her words.

  'I would like to find out,' she said, easing him gently onto the bed.

  It was as if in a dream that he acquiesced to her touch, barely concealing the betrayal of his body as she drew closer to him. He lay on the cramped bed now as she lowered herself beside him and pushed her head into his chest.

  He lay there in the dark with her for an untold amount of time, waiting for something more to happen, until his dozing was interrupted by a faint shaking, followed by the slightest of noises. Her shaking increased over time and the wetness dripping onto his chest told him she was quietly sobbing into him.

  He shifted his head forward, then caught the faint sound playing across her lips, repeatedly breaking up her sobs as if in a mantra. He couldn't tell what the words were. It was barely more than a whisper, the merest hint of sound, yet in this darkness he heard everything. He felt a sharp pricking sensation in his chest as she dug her nails into his shirt.

  He had no perception of time in this place, it could have gone on for minutes or hours but eventually she stilled as sleep took her. He lay there, not daring to move lest he wake her, thinking long into the depths of the night.

  A pounding on the door and a yelling voice woke them both. He felt Ella go rigid on his body and frantically rise from the bed.

  After searching for her clothes and realising she was still wearing them, she pointed desperately at the window and put on a convincing impression of being put out at having been woken.

  Not desiring a confrontation with the stranger, Jakob leaned out the window and was thankful to spot a sloping roof he could roll onto. He lowered himself down with as much care as he could muster when rushed, just in time to see the door open. He couldn't help but hear the rest of the exchange from under the windowsill.

  'Why was this door locked?' the deep voice demanded, clearly sounding tense.

  'Why wouldn't it be locked, do you think I want anyone wandering in on me?' Ella replied.

  'I waited for you at the farm and find you sleeping in another man's room.'

  She laughed, which didn't sound advisable considering how angry the other person sounded. 'You're not seriously paranoid about Jimmy, are you? He's practically my little brother.'

  She said it in such a derisive tone that the voice lowered its volume, as if to calm her somewhat.

  'I didn't think it was Jimmy, I thought that...'

  'You thought that I was up here getting fucked by some other drunkard from downstairs, right?' Ella finished for him. 'Well look around, do you see any drunkards here, Solomon?'

  Jakob had no idea where this confidence had come from, it was a very dangerous game she was playing. He heard footsteps approach the window and tried to press himself even further under the sill, wishing he could disappear. The man blew a sigh out into the air, Jakob could smell the liquor on his breath.

  'No, I suppose you're right, there are no drunkards here. Jimmy told me he didn't see anyone else all night, said it was slow business apparently.' Solomon didn't sound entirely convinced but the brief flash of anger had receded for now.

  'I'll be down shortly to start work, they had me working late so I didn't see the point of leaving. I'm sorry for standing you up.'

  She seemed to add the last bit as an afterthought, though the tone was much softer, they sounded involved. Jakob was even more relieved for having not been discover
ed.

  'I'm sorry for raising my voice,' Solomon said gruffly, as if with great difficulty. 'I'll let you get on with your day.' Jakob heard the sound of a kiss and tried to stifle his jealousy. 'I look forward to seeing you tonight.'

  Jakob lay there as the footsteps receded, and Ella sighed audibly.

  'You can come out now, he's gone.'

  He clambered out from his cramped hiding spot and stepped back into the room, stretching his sore arms. 'Thanks for the warning, I don't think he would have appreciated finding me here with you. Have you been together long?'

  Ella nodded briefly. 'Four years, it's unimportant.' She stepped close to him once again, as if to intimate something. 'I'd just like to thank you for last night.'

  This caught Jakob off guard. 'Thank me? For what?'

  'For not being like the other guys.'

  Jakob furrowed his brows in confusion, he wasn't aware of doing anything. Ella saw the look on his face.

  'I woke up with my clothes on, that's never happened before.'

  He smiled. 'Perhaps you should try going to sleep in your clothes more often then.'

  He knew it was the wrong thing to say from the stricken look she gave him. 'Stay here. Jimmy will come up for you after Solomon has left.' That brief moment of tenderness that she shared was gone and in its place she had become brisk and business-like in tone. Before he had chance to say another word she had turned her back and walked out.

  He was sat glumly by the bedside when the door opened again. Jimmy wandered in looking tired and worried, nothing like the boisterous young lad of yesterday.

  'Solomon seemed in good spirits when he came downstairs, he can't have seen you, so why is Ella not saying a word to me?'

  Jakob shrugged. 'I cracked a joke, it was in poor taste. It has nothing to do with you.'

  Jimmy didn't look convinced. 'If you did anything to her...'

  'I was the perfect gentleman, you can ask her yourself when she starts talking to you again. Thanks for covering for her, you could have easily turned me in.'

  'I look out for her,' he sighed. 'Nobody else does.'