“I’ve got bags if you’ve got boy,” Bannen stated, hands already reaching for our luggage.
As that sounded fine to me, I reached a hand out to Dag, which he took without much fuss. The Mountain Inn had more the size of a large bed and breakfast with perhaps a dozen rooms on offer. The man at the polished front desk had the caramel colored skin and dark hair of the giants, but not the height, which made me suspect he had a giant far back in his ancestral tree. He looked at us over half-moon spectacles, taking in our uniforms with suspicion. I didn’t take that as a good sign. Now what?
“Agents Hach?” he asked the question as if he already knew the answer, which he did, as I’d booked our rooms via telegram in advance. “And who’s this?”
“An apprentice, Dagwood,” I supplied. “Our room has a cot for him?”
“Yes, Agent, as you requested. You’re here to investigate the railway construction?”
I shared a speaking glance with Bannen. What in the wide green world? “Is there something amiss?”
The man’s thin lips tightened. That was not the response he’d wanted. “Then why are you here?”
“We’re working in conjunction with the Greenway Railroad Company,” Bannen answered slowly, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “They hired us to help with the construction. Master, I saw the petition at the station. Do you mind filling us in?”
His mouth went impossibly flatter and instead he handed us a key attached to a small metal fob. “Your room is up the stairs and on the right; Room Four.”
Right. He had no intention of speaking to people who were apparently on the railroad’s side. I’d gotten odd vibes about this job before, but they were becoming creepy, crawly tingles now, and I didn’t care for it.
Not feeling entirely welcome at the inn, we basically threw our bags into the room, locked the door, then headed out for an early dinner. The foreman had designated our meetup at a local restaurant near the station.
The Corner Market was aptly named, just a small shop on the corner of the main street that, while offering a small outdoor seating area, seemed to be more of a general store than a café. I stepped in through the open doors and found a counter with food selections to my left and aisles of pre-packaged food stuffs on the right. It offered a small selection of sandwiches, soups, and something called dons. The place was clean and smelled good, so I had to assume the foreman chose this spot for a reason.
I looked the handwritten menu over carefully, but the dons were what caught my attention, as it seemed there were more options there. It wasn’t written in Z’ghan, but it had that flair in its pronunciation. “Bannen, what’s a don?”
“You’ve had this before,” he informed me, coming up to stand at my side. “You know those big bowls with rice, meat, egg, and sauce? That’s a don.”
Ahh, I knew what it meant now. Eo’ma just called them bowls when she offered me one. Did different regions of Z’gher call them different things? We were technically on Z’gher’s border still. “Then the gudon, is that the beef bowl?”
“Yes.”
To the boy at my side, I assured him, “You’ll like these. They’re quite tasty. Although they come in chicken and pork too.”
Dag absently licked his lips, staring across the counter at the steaming plates kept warm in the pans. “Beef sounds good.”
Of course it did. Being from a fishing village, Dag had never had beef before this trip. Once discovered, he wanted it for every meal. Shaking my head in amusement, I caught the owner’s eye and ordered three gudons, three drinks, and whatever he recommended for dessert. Not that I really wanted sugar, but I knew a single don would not fill Bannen’s stomach.
Food ordered, I sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather. It still had an edge of overly warm to it up here, despite it being this late in the day and I hoped that the worksite wouldn’t be sweltering during the night. I detest sleeping in muggy heat.
As I sat there, a man in rough looking pants, shirt sleeves rolled up, and a battered hat came up to the table. He looked clean enough, if harried, beard neatly trimmed, and his tanned skin was clean. Still, he gave me the impression of having just left a work site of some sort. “Magus Rocci?”
Standing, I extended a hand. “It’s Hach, now, actually. I got married. Are you Foreman Sumner?”
“Just Mack’s fine, Magus.” He gave me a smile, showing white if crooked teeth. “And who’s this?”
“Then please, call me Rena. This is Dagwood, a young mage in training,” I introduced, putting a hand at Dag’s back. “Dag, this is our boss-on-site, Foreman Sumner.”
Mack looked outright worried about Dag, lines deepening around his eyes and making him look a decade older. Still, he shook hands with the boy. “Pleasure, Dagwood.”
“Just Dag,” the young mage instructed, gamely trying to be adult and greet the boss properly.
Not sure why Mack would be against having a child on site, I took a stab in the dark and assured him, “My husband will watch Dag while I’m working. You won’t need to worry about him being underfoot. I took charge of him on the way up here, as he’ll be training with the MISD upon our return.”
“Ah. Well, hopefully that should be fine, Rena. Just…” he glanced around and lowered his voice. “Be careful. We’ve had some spooky things happen up at the site, and there’s some legends up here that will raise the hair on your neck. Keep the boy close, is all I’m saying.”
Interesting. Maybe this job had been given to me not just because I’d be faster at it. What in sard’s name was going on up here? “What legends?”
Mack took a seat, still looking worried and tired. “They’re a bit conflicting, but there’s stories of creatures that live in that mountain, and they’re supposedly territorial. No one’s seen them, as they don’t like sunlight, and they keep to themselves. The legend is so strong in these parts that no local will even build near the base of the mountain. This town is as close as people get.”
I’d encountered some strong beliefs in my time when out on different jobs, but that didn’t match any myth or creature I knew of. “No description of these animals at all?”
“I can’t get anyone to give me a straight answer on that,” he admitted, making a face. “Rena, I’ll be frank, the main reason you’re here is because I literally can’t hire local help. And the few men that I hired on to bring up here with me? They’re not enough to do the job with. We’d be here for the next century trying to tunnel through on our own. I spent two weeks arguing with the higher ups to bring a mage on, said it would be more cost effective, and they finally settled on you. Do me a favor? Do this quickly so I can go home?”
Working up here was that uncomfortable? I would think the locals would support another train line through here, as it would mean more business, but apparently that didn’t outweigh their superstitions. If that was the case, it would be just as hard for me to work here as the original crewmen. No wonder I’d seen that petition, though. That now made more sense. “I’ll certainly do my best.”
At that moment, Bannen joined us, extending a hand. “I’m Bannen Hach.”
Standing, Mack shook hands, eyeing Bannen thoughtfully. “Mack Sumner, pleasure. You’re her husband?”
“And familiar,” Bannen confirmed, all charm and ease. “It’s a long story.”
“I’d certainly like to hear it. But save it for the trip up. We’ve got three solid hours before we can make it back on site. I suggest you grab what food you want to eat the next few days from the market, that way we’re ready to leave first thing in the morning.”
Ah, hence our location. Our food hadn’t come out yet, so I looked to Bannen. “Keep an eye on things. I’ll shop.”
He waved me on, only putting out one request as he took a seat. “Don’t make the shop owner cry, alright? It’s an ugly thing, seeing a man cry for mercy.”
We retreated to the inn for lack of anything better to do. Now that we’d met up with Mack, I had the thought of perhaps doing some quick laundry or going for
another, longer soak. Maybe both? We had another two or three hours before it was a reasonable time to go to bed, after all.
I put the key in the lock and turned it, deciding I’d be responsible and do laundry first. That would pay off better in the long run—oh sards. “We’ve been robbed.”
Bannen abruptly shoved past me, taking in the mess of our suitcases strewn about the room, his hand on his short sword as he worked his way through the single room and the attached bathroom. I watched him go, then regarded the mess on the bed. The thought of someone breaking in didn’t scare me as much as it angered me. I’d been in more dangerous situations than this, but seeing my belongings pawed through and tossed around, it gave me an icky feeling. Like I’d been violated somehow.
Leaning around my leg, Dag took a peek into the room. “Thieves got in? But the door was locked.”
“Yes, that speaks of an inside job,” I responded through gritted teeth. After our experience with the man downstairs, checking in, why did we still stay at this inn?
Bannen came back out of the bathroom with a grim look on his face. “They’re long gone and I see no trace of whoever did this. Let’s call the police in.”
Not that it was likely going to do any good. Still, there were procedures to follow. “Alright. You do that. Let me see if I can figure out what they stole.”
“Be back in a minute,” he promised. “Dag? This is one of those times you can stab someone. Anyone not in uniform that tries to sneak up on Rena, stab first, okay?”
Dag liked this order a lot. I think Bannen gave it to him mostly to keep him focused and out of trouble, but I had no doubt Dag would go stabbity on anyone that tried something nefarious. “Okay!”
Shaking my head—why were all the men around me fighting fanatics?—I carefully shifted things aside to see if I could get a good inventory. I didn’t see any missing clothing items, which didn’t surprise me, as who wanted dirty laundry? My books were still there, as were Dag’s keepsakes. My TMC was still here, oddly enough, as that would fetch a nice price on the black market. Frowning, I went through the pile on the opposite side of the bed, the break-in not adding up. The important, valuable things were all here. So why…?
It took me a minute to realize the obvious. The one thing I didn’t place a lot of value on, even though it was important at the moment. “Sarding son of a Bauchi.” Realizing I shouldn’t use that language in front of a child, I cast a guilty look at Dag. “Don’t repeat that.”
He grinned at me. “Dad says that sometimes too.”
Okay, so I wasn’t the only bad influence in his life. I could live with that.
Coming in closer, he peered over my shoulder, head cocked. “What did they take?”
“Our work papers. Specifically, the contract I have for the work here,” I answered darkly. “That is…problematic. Not that I need it, per se, and other people have a copy of the same contract, but if someone from the town comes up and demands that we show proof that I’ve been granted permission to work up here? I wouldn’t be able to. It would delay us by several days before we could get it straightened out.”
“Oh,” he responded, face screwing up in a doubtful frown. “But it wouldn’t stop you.”
“Right. I can’t figure out why they’re delaying me. Or if it’s part of some plan altogether.” I hated unknowns. Especially with a small child on hand to protect.
Bannen came back to us, his footsteps light. “Policeman is coming. What did they take?”
“Our work contract,” I answered, turning on my heels to look up at him. It took a second for the full ramifications to hit, but I saw it when they did, as Bannen went from angry to outright pissed. “Yeah. Exactly.”
“We’re not staying here tonight,” my husband informed me flatly. His hands unclenched and clenched at his sides, as if fighting the urge to hit something. “And let’s change out of uniform and not mention anything MISD when we switch inns.”
A wise precaution and I nodded instant agreement. “Alright. Dag, let’s both get changed while we wait on the policeman.”
Although, honestly? If this was a representation of how the town felt, I didn’t hold out much faith about the policeman taking our situation seriously.
The rest of the night did not go well. Rena wanted to strangle the very unhelpful policeman who arrived. We managed to switch inns before it got too late at night, and then spent a good majority of the night tossing and turning. I came awake at every unfamiliar noise.
Spoiler alert: new inn meant a lot of unfamiliar noises.
We were not bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning, to say the least. Mack came and got us just after breakfast and thankfully had a cart pulled by two mules for us to load everything into. Rena had bought an unholy amount of food for us, packed in a crate with ice, and another bag full of bottled drinks. I found this amount a little ridiculous until I remembered she was trying to feed both me AND Dag. Kid could eat a man out of house and home when the mood struck him.
Rena found time to send off a telegram and report the theft of the work papers and request another copy sent up. She did not want to work without those papers, and I didn’t blame her, because right now? With this situation? We might have to prove we had the right to work up here. And the locals weren’t of the mindset to just take our word on it.
With a steady hand on the reins, Mack guided the team out of the town, which I was very thankful for. Mountain Point did not seem to like us much. My concerns grew as he headed toward a road that strongly resembled a switchback trail. I’d expected a job site to have a proper dirt road at least, but the branches of the trees we passed actually brushed the sides of the cart. We ended up tucked in the middle of the cart to avoid being randomly swatted by nature.
I didn’t know anything about railroad construction, but didn’t they need to bring a certain amount of lumber up with them to lay down tracks with? Railroad ties, iron tracks, lots of nails, that kind of thing? How could they possibly bring any of those supplies through this narrow trail?
This job smelled worse and worse, and it wasn’t fried chicken.
Catching my wife’s eye, I exchanged a look with her, and I could tell from her face that she entertained similar thoughts. With an inclination of the head and a wave of both hands, she urged me forward, so I shrugged agreement. Putting my back to the front corner, I put myself easily within conversation level and threw Mack a dangling line. “So, Mack, you said you couldn’t hire any locals?”
“Stupid legend,” the man grumbled, glaring at the back of the mules’ heads as if they’d personally insulted his mother. “Not only can I not hire any help here, but some of the locals have gotten it into their heads to sabotage us. We brought dynamite along with us the first week, only to find it all soaked and ruined the next morning. Supplies go missing, I can’t recount how many tools have disappeared, and even with guards up, we sometimes have trouble with the food too. My men are frustrated, want to go home, and I don’t blame ’em.”
“Which is why you were able to convince your bosses to hire Rena.”
“Sure. Can’t demo any other way. Can’t keep the supplies to do it, can’t hire the labor I need, no other way to do the job.” Turning in the seat, Mack assured Rena directly, “It’s only hassling and theft. No one’s been hurt and I don’t believe it’ll escalate to that, so don’t worry for your safety or the boy’s. And I think once you get through the mountain, and nothing happens, this nonsense will die down and we can get back to building the line.”
“I see,” she responded with a thoughtful frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I hope you’re right.”
I took the silent warning he offered to heart. I wasn’t as convinced that it would only be hassling and theft, not after what happened last night. The policemen weren’t helpful and that…was not reassuring. Fortunately, I slept light under such conditions, so I should be able to hear any thieves come in.
Still with an eye on the trail, Mack continued hopefully, “How long
will it take you to go through the mountain, you figure?”
“Entirely depends on how big the tunnel needs to be,” Rena informed him bluntly.
“Tunnels have to be thirteen feet open circular space,” he responded promptly.
“Ah. In that case, about a month, I think. I looked at a map on the way up here and measured out the breadth of the mountain, but I wasn’t sure where my starting point would be. It might take a little more than that, or a little less.” Scooting up on her knees, she pointed ahead. “About where do I need to start?”
Mack also pointed dead ahead. “You see that one tree standing above the others? Has a dead branch jutting out of it?”
We hit a random clearing, strong sunlight shining through, and Rena had to shield her eyes with one hand to see it. “Yes.”
“Go down about ten trees to the right, and that’s roughly where you’ll start.”
“Ah. Then likely about two weeks. I’m tunneling through the thinnest part of the mountain.” Sinking back, she asked him innocently, “Will that work for you?”
A blind man could see how pleased Mack was with this answer. “Yes, ma’am, that will do just fine.”
Dynamite and tunneling by hand would have taken months. Rena’s speed put manual labor to shame, but then magic normally did. I felt more than a little relief that we wouldn’t be up here for too long. The woods seemed nice and all but I felt the heebie-jeebies just imagining who might be tracking us, playing hide and seek behind the trunks. I would not be sleeping well on this leg of the trip, I could see it now.
As if remembering she had a temporary student, Rena turned, pulling Dag’s attention to her. “While I’m working, especially the first day, work alongside me. I’ll teach you how to recognize what you’re seeing.”
Dag looked a little doubtful at this, as if he couldn’t imagine that would be very fun. It likely wouldn’t be, so I tried to back my wife up a little. “This is important info for later, kid. Think about it. Say you’re up against an enemy fortress, and there’s all sorts of bad guys for you to defeat, but their defenses are too strong. Easiest way in is to break down a wall, right?”
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