Prisoners of the Keep

by Susan Bianculli

  “That could have been much worse,” Arghen remarked softly as we hit the main road again.

  “I’ll say,” I agreed, feeling free now to wipe the nervous sweat from my forehead.

  Jason said nothing, though his face was a study of emotion. As we traveled deeper into the settlement on the main road, I saw Jason peer all around from where he was perched behind the Under-elf on Stalker. He absently drummed his fingers on the knives at his belt. Clearly Jason been made nervous about the near brush with the law. After this little adventure I knew there was no way that he would take a suggestion from me to stay here and look for ‘Analise’.

  I resigned myself to his company for now.

  CHAPTER 13

  Eventually the glowing road ended under another arched sign and the dirt road began again among the clipped brown grasses. I breathed a sigh of relief to see what must be the Morning’s Glory Inn on the right. It was a comfortable looking two-story inn and stable whose sod roofs were covered in trailing vines of multi-colored flowers, probably morning glories. It all reminded me of a Thomas Kincade painting. I was disappointed that the flowers were closed for the afternoon when we turned our mounts into the wide, flat, empty yard.

  “Ho, the Inn!” called out Arghen.

  A pair of young Surface-elves, a boy and a girl dressed in matching yellow tunics and leggings, ran from around the corner of the barn in response to his hail. They skidded to a halt and stood staring when they saw us.

  “Come, children, we are but weary travelers with weary mounts looking to rest a while,” coaxed Arghen winningly.

  He first helped Jason get off, then dismounted himself and held his hand out for my reins. I easily slid off Saffron, having already drunk an herbal tea that dulled muscle pain while shopping in the marketplace. I handed the horse over to Arghen while Jason toddled out of the way, groaning.

  Arghen, holding out the reins of only Saffron to the children, continued, “Please take care of this horse as tenderly as you would take care of your brothers and sisters. Do not worry about my war-beast; all you need to do is give him water here in the yard. I will take care of his feeding later myself.”

  “Children! What are you doing? Do not just stand there! Take those poor animals to the barn and mind for them!” came a feminine voice from the doorway.

  “But, Mama, there is a …,” the girl started to say, but she was interrupted by the voice again.

  “Do not ‘but Mama’ me until you have done your duty!” it said sharply.

  “Yes, Mama,” the children said in unison.

  They slowly came forward to take Saffron while giving as wide a berth to Stalker as they could. When Saffron was out of the way and the blonde Surface-elf at the door could see both her visitors and the dranth better, she stared in shock until Arghen swung into action.

  He went up to her, bowed deeply with a grand arm gesture, and then took her limp hand and kissed it. “Ah, fair matron! What a lovely establishment you have, and such fine children who echo the magnificence of their mother so closely!” he said smoothly with a large smile. “Truly you are blessed with so much that I, as a Champion of Quiris, feel almost unworthy offering our patronage to your inn. However, as we have traveled far I fear we must ask for permission to enter your door and partake of such wonders as you must have within, for we are in need of rest and cheer for our weary souls. Indeed, I even dare to hope that the abundantly evident care with which this establishment is run would be shown to unworthy patrons such as ourselves. I can only believe that it would be so, as the vision who stands before me must naturally be as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.”

  The Surface-elf tittered a little at the flattery and brushed at her embroidered apron with her free hand. “Of course! Please enter the Morning’s Glory! I have a meat stew, bread, honey, cheese, and ale available today. Come in!”

  “Thank you, matron. It is with pleasure that we will no doubt enjoy whatever your board will provide.”

  “Oh, please, call me Tirillis! And you are?” she chirped.

  She tucked Arghen’s arm into hers and escorted him in, leaving me and Jason behind in the yard. We couldn’t hear his reply to her as the door closed. Jason hobbled after them, and I fell in beside him.

  “Hurt a lot?” I asked, looking at his awkward gait.

  “I’d never ridden a live animal before coming to this estupido world. And we did it all day today, and yesterday, and the day before. What do you think?” he semi-snarled back.

  “I’m sorry about that,” I replied truthfully. “Arghen picked up some herb tea packets in the marketplace that helps to dull aches and pain. I’ll ask for some hot water once we’re inside and mix a packet up for you. And when we sit down, you can use some numbing salve we bought from an apothecary.”

  We followed Arghen and Tirillis into the common room of the Morning’s Glory.

  “He’s kinda spreading it on a bit thick, don’cha think?” Jason asked me in a low tone as we entered in time to hear the Under-elf praise the establishment’s simple but elegant décor.

  The room was large and made of a golden-stained wood, and had a slight scent of wood smoke in the air. Smooth round tables that had small benches for seats were scattered around the area. A large fireplace with half-burnt logs in it was along the east wall, and a bar with tall wooden stools dominated the south portion of the room. Hunting trophies of animal heads, horns, pelts, and other things I couldn’t readily identify hung on all the walls.

  “Maybe so, but it certainly smooths over initial difficulties,” I replied.

  We reached the table right near the kitchen where the matronly Surface-elf had seated Arghen. Tirillis paused in alarm as she finally took notice of us.

  “Are you …?” she said to us. She looked from us to Arghen with concern and fear in her blue eyes. “Are they really …?”

  He cut in. “Yes, my dear Tirillis, they are Human. But Paladin is favored by the Goddess Caelestis as you can see by her pendent, and Jason is a member of our little company. They are here with the knowledge and blessings of the Gods and are my trusted companions of the road.”

  I smiled at the Inn’s owner in as friendly a fashion as I knew how, and I elbowed Jason to do the same. He belatedly smiled, though it was more of a baring of his teeth than anything else.

  Tirillis looked dubious. “Well, if you say so, Arghen. You are sure it will be all right? I do not want any trouble in the Morning’s Glory.”

  “I assure you, my dear hostess, that no ill will comes to you or yours from me or mine.”

  Reassured, she bustled around and set out napkins, utensils, and delicate wooden mugs of ale for all of us.

  “May I have some hot water, please? I need to make a medicinal tea,” I asked her.

  “Of course, of course!” replied Tirillis in an almost cheery manner.

  She disappeared into the kitchen, and returned almost right away with a large rose-decorated ceramic cup filled with cold water on a small plate. I started to object that the water wasn’t ready for use, but closed my mouth as the cup started warming up even before Tirillis had set it on the table. The water inside was steaming by the time the Surface-elf had bustled back into the kitchen.

  Jason and I marveled at it, but Arghen was unperturbed. I got hold of myself first, peeked to make sure Jason hadn’t caught me staring, then rummaged in one of the pouches and brought out a small packet of folded paper.

  I mixed its contents into the now hot water and covered it with the plate. “There. It has to sit for about twenty minutes before you drink it. In the meantime, let’s have our ale.”

  The three of us picked up our mugs from the somewhat worn but very clean plain wooden table.

  Jason cocked his black-haired head towards Arghen. “So that’s the way to go in this world, huh? Smother them with fancy speeches until they break down?”

  “You have asked this before. But now that we do not have so many eyes upon us, I will answer. You have put it rather crudely,
but essentially, yes,” replied Arghen. “It works in Relkanav, where I come from, so I would not have seen why overly-polite speech would not work here as well. And as you have seen, it does.” The Under-elf put his mug to his mouth, tasted it, and then drained the contents. “Hmm. It is good.” He smacked his lips. “Different than what I am used to; but then again, so is all the world up here.”

  Jason muttered something that sounded like ‘you got that right, hombre,’ as he picked up his mug to look into it and sniff it.

  I, never having had anything alcoholic in my life, was curious about the ale—especially since Arghen said it was ‘good’. I sniffed it before trying it; the drink smelled somehow sharp to my nose. I found it barely drinkable when I tried it; it was so bitter. It took some effort but I managed to swallow part of the mug’s contents without making a face. Jason, on the other hand, screwed up his face and spit out the first mouthful.

  “Ugh! What is this stuff? Tastes like–ow!” he finished as I kicked him under the table.

  “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all! At least, that’s what my mother taught me—didn’t yours?” I hissed at him.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that before. So I guess our worlds have something in common after all,” he said sarcastically.

  I stared at him, not understanding where the sarcasm came from, and then glanced at Arghen. He gave me that odd look again but still didn’t say anything.

  Jason noticed the exchange. “Hey, what’s that look for? Is he in it with you?”

  The Under-elf focused on his drink, and I became interested in an artistic arrangement of antlers hanging nearby.

  Annoyed, Jason said, “Hey! Paladin! Arghen! I’m part of this road show, too! If something’s going on, I wanna know what’s up!”

  I turned on him angrily. “Look, buddy, the only reason you’re on this ‘road show’, as you call it, is because I felt sorry for you. Anytime you want to leave is fine by me! There’s even a settlement here that you could stay behind at and get information to see if anyone’s seen the person you’re looking for! So either shut up or get out!”

  Jason shut up, but he glowered. Arghen looked at me pointedly. I chose to ignore them both and stared into my mug instead. The Under-elf frowned at me but smoothed it away before Jason could see it. The tension at the table was broken when Tirillis bustled in with a large tray bearing three large bowls of wonderful smelling stew, a plate piled high with bread and cheese, and a pot of honey butter. The bread may have been colored orange, but its aroma was great. We forgot our dawning quarrel and fell to eating as soon as the food was placed before us.

  “Is everything all right? Can I get you anything else? Will you be staying the night?” Tirillis asked in rapid succession as she refilled Arghen’s ale mug.

  I blocked mine, indicating I didn’t want a refill.

  Before the Surface-elf could get to his mug, Jason asked, “Could I have some regular water instead? It’s a, uh, religious practice of mine not to drink, uh, ale.”

  I hastily chimed in, “Me too, please?”

  Tirillis looked a little puzzled but went to get some well water. Arghen looked at us.

  “Religious practice?” he inquired dryly.

  We both shrugged.

  Jason seemed much relieved when she returned with the water and started drinking it right away. I sipped at mine and found it tasted nearly the same as the water Caelestis had provided, and I drank it with more relish.

  Arghen smiled winningly up at our hostess. “In answer to your previous questions, my dear Tirillis: yes, everything tastes wonderful; and no, we will not be staying the night at your fine establishment. However, if you happen to have a horse for sale or know of one, we would be in your debt if we could buy it.”

  “Why, I happen to have a couple of horses to offer. When you are done eating, meet me in the barn out back, and I will show you what I have.” She bustled back through the kitchen door before he could say ‘thank you’.

  After the meal Jason drained the contents of my medicinal brew and pronounced it ‘not bad’. He then without undressing indiscreetly reached into his hose enough to be able to use some of the numbing salve on his legs. The lines of pain that had been on his face during the meal lessened as the mint-smelling liniment soaked into his skin. When Jason had finished and re-settled his leggings we all walked out into the common yard. We passed Stalker, a half-filled bucket of water now in front of him surrounded by wet ground, and headed towards the barn. Our hostess had already trotted out two mares: a non-descript grey and a brown-and-tangerine horse with a white mark on her nose. Tirillis’ children stood off to the left and watched with big eyes as we approached. I caught at the arms of the two males.

  “I have experience with horses,” I semi-pretended to them, trying to reinforce my cover with Jason. “Let me do the choosing,”

  Arghen bowed his head to me, indicating agreement. Jason just shrugged. I went and checked over the two horses, ignoring their colors. I ran my hands down the legs and did everything else I could think to do to make me look knowledgeable. I finally decided on the grey one. The last coins we owned just about covered Tirillis’ asking price for both lunch and the horse. When Tirillis saw that we had emptied our money pouches, she threw a horse blanket, an old saddle and saddlebags, and a bridle into the bargain. Arghen, after a whispered conference with us, turned to her and smiled.

  “My dear Tirillis, you have gone far and away above what a being might expect in kindness. Therefore, since my companions have no objections, I would like to offer you a green Field Catamount skin from one that attacked us on the road. As you can see it was we who came out the victors,” he said grandly, indicating with a wave of his hand the rolled up skin on the dranth’s saddle.

  She looked pleased. “How lovely! Yes, I will take it!”

  Arghen retrieved it from Stalker and bowed as he presented it to the Surface-elf matron.

  “I can get one of the tanners in Meritzon to finish curing it, and it shall have a place of honor on my walls. No other place will have one like mine or with such a story behind it!” she said happily, examining it and stroking it.

  “Thank you, fair Tirillis. I am glad you are happy with the exchange. We are most grateful for your assistance. Without you our journey would have been far more difficult to accomplish. And now if you will give us permission to depart, my friends and I have far to travel before dark.”

  “You are not going so soon? It is late afternoon, and the sun will be setting in a couple of hours. We can work out a trade of services so you all can stay the night,” urged Tirillis. “It is better to travel by day. That way, if trouble comes hounding you, you will be better able to fight it off; as strong as the three of you seem to be.”

  I wrinkled my forehead. “Trouble? What trouble?”

  “Did not anyone in the settlement mention this to you at all?”

  All of us shook our heads.

  Tirillis leaned in confidentially. “I suppose it depends on how far you are going. Nobody is quite sure whether it is just coincidence or more, but it is a fact that not everybody who goes into the Garrend Mountains, a few days ride north from here, comes back out again. It has definitely thinned out travel over the last couple of seasonals. But nobody in authority seems to be overly worried about it around here, it seems. No all out effort to find out what is going on has been made that I know about. And I would.”

  I looked at Arghen. “I did overhear something about that while we were shopping, but I wasn’t sure what was meant. The Surface-elves I was near stopped talking about it when they saw me listening. And then that little boy mentioned something about people missing, too, if you’ll remember. I was going to mention it over supper tonight, but I guess now is the time to talk about it.”

  “Hmmm,” Arghen replied. “I wonder, Paladin, if this may be the quest that Caelestis has set you: to find these people who seemed to have disappeared.”

  “A divine quest?” Tirillis was agog
at his words, and looked at us with awe. “No wonder there are Humans guided by an Under-elf in our lands!”

  I was embarrassed by her reaction but managed to reply to Arghen, “Oh, no, I don’t think so. She told me that I was to find people who had been wrongfully imprisoned, and–oh.” I paused. “I think I see what you mean now.”

  Jason frowned. “You never did really say what you were doing, at least to me. Nice to know you left me out of the loop, chica.”

  I looked at Jason. “I talked about it briefly with Arghen when I first met him while you were still knocked out. But just so you know, I haven’t told him more about my quest than I’ve already told you.” I turned to Arghen. “If you’re right, then this sounds like something we should look into. Caelestis sort of suggested that I would find out what I needed to know in Meritzon, which was probably about the disappearances, and now Tirillis has said they are happening in the mountains.”

  I looked at the female Surface-elf and asked, “Does the road outside go all the way into the mountains?”

  She nodded wide-eyed confirmation.

  “So I guess we should continue onward and wait for instructions as we go. If we’re wrong, I’m guessing we’ll be told so at some point. Caelestis did say that I would get more information the further I went,” I finished.

  I flicked a glance sideways at Jason. He looked mutinous. Tirillis, on the other hand, looked thrilled.

  Arghen told our hostess with apparent regret, “We thank you for your timely information, fair Tirillis. We will be most careful heading into the mountains. But I am afraid that despite what you have told us, we cannot wait.”

  “If your divine quest says you must go …. May the Goddess Sylvanelle, Guardian of the Forest, speed and protect you all,” she said with emotion.

  She motioned her children to take the rejected horse back into the barn. We quickly tacked up the grey one, Maris, and lightened some of the load from Saffron and Stalker onto her. Thankfully, the numbing salve let Jason mount his new horse without help. With many flowery farewells from Arghen, we left the inn and headed north again, Jason fumbling at his reins.