Chapter 12
The hot soak took some of the soreness out of Glem’s muscles after the morning's training while he waited for the horse from Jorick to arrive. Hmm, better than expected this morning, at least if it comes to a fight, we should be able to make a showing, Glem thought.
There was a heavy knock at the door. "Glem, there is a young man here with a horse for you. Said you are expecting him," Oarf said through the bath door.
"Thank you, Oarf. Please tell him to wait."
Glem pulled on the fresh shirt and riding breeches that the girls had surprised him with when they returned from the shop in the market. "She does good work," he muttered to himself as he admired the fine stitching on the shirt.
Feeling younger than he had for ages, Glem strode through the inn and out the front door.
"Jorick sends his regards, Sir. He sent me to deliver you this horse and told me that you saw Cerya in her shop yesterday for equipment. I stopped by her shop to see if there was anything she needed to deliver, and she sent me with the saddle, bags, and boots. She told me to tell you that the girls had been fitted, and the rest of your stuff will be ready on time," the young pimple-faced man said in a rush. "Is it… is it true, Sir, what the rumors say?"
"I don't know what the rumors say, but usually find they’re a waste of time," Glem replied as he looked carefully over the tall stallion. He glanced up at the young man. "Boots?"
"Yes Sir, she said to bring them to you since they were ready," the young guardsman said as he pulled open a saddlebag, and took a pair of long, heeled horsemen's boots out.
He handed them to Glem.
Glem sat down on the bench next to the door and began to pull off the low, soft boots he had worn since he arrived to care for Alyra many years ago.
"Never did get comfortable in these," he said to the young man. Glem pulled on the horsemen's boots and stood to settle them with a stomp. The full, thick leather rose just above his knees in the front. "Ahhh. That feels more natural." He reached up to pull the saddlebags down. "Hold the horse for me while I get the rest of my gear."
Glem walked back into the inn and looked around the main room, looking for the girls. He found them at his favorite table in front of the cold hearth.
“I will be leaving for a few days to scout for the cowards that burned our village. In the morning, go to the market for the rest of your gear. I expect to be gone for less than a week, but it could be a few days longer depending on how far we must go. The room and meals are paid for. You two stay out of trouble and listen if Oarf or Eiriean tells you something. I am going to ask them to keep an eye on you while I am gone.”
“Aww, Come on, Grandpa. We are two grown women. We don’t need minders anymore,” Alyra complained.
“Just the same, I will feel better if I know there is someone else watching out for you.”
“Do we have to stay in the inn, or are we allowed to go out into the town?” Rues asked as she glanced at Alyra, willing her to keep her mouth shut.
“Stay in the walls of the town and stay together. You will need to get your new stuff from the market, so you will have to go out for that.” Glem handed a small bag to Rues. “Here is some silver to get some sweets or something pretty if you find it. Maybe a cookbook for Alyra if you find one.” He winked at Rues.
Alyra threw her arms around Glem with tears in her eyes. “Be careful, Grandpa.”
“I will, Alyra, I will. You take care of each other while I am gone,” Glem said, pulling Rues into the hug with Alyra. “I will be back soon. Now, you two wait here while I go talk to Oarf and Eiriean.”
Glem walked over to Oarf, who was behind the bar and cleaning as usual.
“I don’t know how long this is going to take. I expect only a few days but have no way of knowing how far we will have to go. I appreciate you looking after the girls while I am away. I talked to them, and they should not give you too much trouble.”
Glem handed Oarf several more coins. “This should cover everything until I get back, but if you need more, I will settle up when I return.”
“No. No. This is too much.” Oarf replied, trying to push the money back to Glem.
“Ha, by the time I get back, you are going to think I underpaid you. If you feel overpaid, maybe teach one of them to cook. Alyra can burn water in a full pot,” Glem joked.
Clasping Glem’s forearm, Oarf said, “Be careful and look after Jorick. He is a rascal but we would miss him.”
Glem headed up the stairs to the room with his saddlebags.
He tossed them over the chair in the room and started to quickly sort through the things he was taking with him and those that would be left for his return. Inside a few minutes, everything was ready. His bags packed, they waited as Glem stood by the bed looking at spread out mail.
“This never gets more comfortable. Nothing for it.”
He slipped the heavy mail over his shoulders and felt it settle into place, then picked up his equipment and strode out of the room. Glem stopped in the inn’s main room one last time to give each of the girls another hug and assurances for his safe return, then he left.
Glem stepped out through the door of the inn carrying his cloak and saddlebags in one arm and his sheathed sword in the other. The sword was still in the wrappings to obscure his signet. He looked like a completely different man than the one who had arrived two days before.
"You are him!" the young man exclaimed as he came out.
"Him, who, lad?" Glem asked.
"The one that beat Lt. Garen, Lt. Jorick, and Capt. Lorne together this morning. Sir…" he said at a near whisper.
Glem heaved a heavy sigh, "I guess I am at that."
"Umm...Sir?
"Spit it out, lad," Glem said.
"Jorick said to tell you to meet them at the gate you came in when you arrived in the city, an hour before dusk. I am supposed to wait for your answer on the timing," the young man said.
"Humph, once I get loaded, I will follow you back to him."
"Thank you, Sir. He also said you only need your gear; the captain is supplying the rest of the provisions. Sir, are there any additional messages you would like me to deliver? The lieutenant said to return with your answer and then to run any errands or messages you need, Sir," the young man said, tripping over his words as if talking to royalty.
"Thank you, lad, call me Glem. I don't need anything done, and the girls picked up the rest of my gear already. I'll be ready in just a moment."
"I can't, Sir. Lt. Jorick was very clear that I was to address you as Sir."
He settled his saddlebags in place and tied his heavy cloak to them with a practiced motion. After he swung up into the saddle, he reached a hand down.
"Come on, lad, it'll be faster getting back if we both ride," Glem said as he quickly towed the young man up into the pillion behind him. "Is Jorick at the guard headquarters?"
"I think so, Sir. That is where he told me to find him after I delivered your horse," he replied.
The city doesn't yet know the danger it’s in, Glem thought as they entered the now quiet yard where he had spent the morning.
A nod to the guards at the gate was enough to grant him entry now without question.
A familiar form hurried across the yard to meet them as they came in.
"Jorick," Glem called loudly, bringing his new friend to a stop. He dismounted and strode to Jorick. "I wanted to have a look at the plans again before we left, so I had this young man bring me to you."
"Good. I thought you might, but I wanted to leave it up to you. Trainee, take Glem's horse to the stable and rub him down with straw. We'll resaddle him just before we leave."
"Yes, Sir."
"Glem, you're with me. I’m on my way to see the Captain," Jorick said, turning into the doorway just ahead of them.
With his hand, Glem shaded his eyes from the sun that set low above the wall as he emerged from the building a couple of hours after entering.
Glem saw five horses that were just
being led out, held by the young man he’d met earlier in the day. Three more serious-looking young males walked across the yard from the barracks, buckling on their swords as they angled toward Glem and Jorick.
"Is everything in order?" asked Jorick sternly of the three.
Coming to attention, the middle of the three stepped one pace forward. "Yes, Sir, the horses and gear are as requested. Jake was also able to find the heavy longbow the Captain requested for Master Glem," he said, nodding to the shorter young man to his right.
"Bow?" Glem questioned.
"Yes, Sir. The Captain said he remembered you having a... fondness for the bow and suggested that you might appreciate it if we could find one heavy enough. We have a good bowyer in town, and he thought that this one might be enough for you," he said as he pulled a thick bundle from under a strap on Glem’s saddle.
"This was made by the master bowyer here in the town," the guard said, handing the unstrung bow to Glem along with a string taken from a pouch.
Glem took the bow and looked it over. "This is good work. Hmm. Good weight to it," he said as he set the curve of the bow over his instep and strung it in one smooth motion. He drew the string to his cheek a couple of times to test the pull. "This will do," as he unstrung the bow. He looked around at the shocked faces of the others. "What?"
"That bow has hung in the bowyer’s shop for years. The bowyer built it for a giant of a man who never came back for it. No one else has been able to string it, much less draw it. Glem, they bought it as a joke," Jorick said.
"Ha, looks like the joke’s on you," Glem said to the guard.
"How much was the bow? And for your joke, you get to rub down all the horses every night," Jorick said.
"He gave it to us for a penny and said that if he couldn't draw it to bring it back, he would keep the penny, and we could buy a regular one," the guard said, still staring in shock. "I think he just wanted it out of his shop finally."
"Enough of that. Let's get on with it. If we are going to clear the gates, we need to move," Glem said as he slid the bow back under the saddle strap. He raised an eyebrow at the guard as he swung into the saddle. "I'm keeping this."
Chapter 13
The gate boomed to a close behind the men.
The sound cemented the recent changes in Glem’s life.
He had comfortably settled into spending his retirement on his warm sunny bench with a beer and taking care of Alyra. He had become used to the idea of eventually dying the death of an old drunkard, likely hitting his head on a rock walking back from the pub during winter and not being found until morning. Instead, he found himself in a hard unbroken-in saddle with his sword on his hip and full saddlebags to scout for the enemy who had destroyed Rues and Alyra’s home. What a difference a week could make.
Glem felt comfortable on horseback, remembering how to ride almost as well as he remembered how to walk. The ride was not going to be a problem for him, but the muscles that had not been used in an exceedingly long time were going to be in agony by the time they stopped for the night.
"Let's move out. We have information on where the force has been. Based on that, we have an estimation of where they are likely to be headed. If we don't get moving, it will be a hard ride to catch up," Jorick said.
He seems like a good leader, Jorick does, even though he doesn't have as much practical experience as I would prefer in a commander. As they rode toward the wood line across the clear-cut field, Glem could smell the clumps of wild lavender scattered in the open. It created a sharp contrast to the smells of the chainmail and the hard, biting smell of steel.
Out of sight of the town, Jorick pulled back to Glem.
"Do you think we are far enough out?" he asked.
Glem glanced at him and nodded. Let’s see how he does.
Jorick moved back up to the front of their small party and called a halt.
"Change of plan, men, we are circling the city. There has been concern that strategic information may have been leaked to our enemies. We have spies setting out false trails. Our direction of travel is one of them. We're going to swing wide around the city and go a different direction to try and find the group that burned the towns."
“Sir, do you really think there is a spy?" one of the young guards asked.
"I hope we’re wrong," Jorick replied. "Let's go."
They kicked the horses to a trot and began to rapidly circle the town. They moved toward the sun that was bleeding across into night as it set.
The riders couldn’t dismiss the portents of fear that the sky was reflecting back at them.
Glem had always been fascinated by the transition of the world from the day into the night. How the hunters of the world changed and passed their hunger to another; the owl took the place of the hawk, and the fisher cat took over for the red fox. Even the insects changed, the fireflies for the honeybees. People talked about things as being 'in the still of the night' or the 'dead of night.' Yet for anyone who grew up outside of the city, the night rang loud with the struggle of life, each creature hunting and being hunted. They had become the hunters of those who had hunted them. And these hunters were much more dangerous.
The first evening stars had risen while Glem was lost in thought.
"We'll camp here tonight. Rub down the horses and get a small fire going. We are not so far out that the fire is a risk yet," Jorick said.
Glem took one of the practice swords from under his saddlebags and handed it to Jorick.
"Let's start with the basics," Glem told him while he drew a couple of rough interlocking circles in the debris of the moonlight forest floor. "Step into the first circle. This one represents the area that you can control. It is not a large area, but within it, you can easily control anything that comes into it with even the most rudimentary technique. Start with the defensive forms and work through each one. I want them to be slow and perfect. Concentrate on your hand position and breathing. Each form should take no less than three minutes. Each time you make a mistake or slip, you start over."
Glem waited for Jorick to nod and step into the circle. He moved back to a position that allowed him to watch both Jorick and the men setting up camp. He has potential, but his technique is lacking, almost like someone tried to teach him that had never fought, but only read about techniques. Hm. Even so, we can fix that in a few days.
The dark forest was damp with mist during Glem’s watch. He stood in his cloak with his back to a tree and listened to the sounds of animals creeping through the underbrush.
They seemed louder than they should, and looked oddly sharper.
Even with only the smallest amount of moonlight, the night seemed more like a gray day than a dark night. He had never been as strong or as fast as he was now, even in his prime.
The changes were coming quicker, and he still didn't understand the cause or catalyst.
The work Rues was doing also surpassed her father’s now. It all reminded Glem of the stories of magic his grandmother used to tell him when he was small. Was it even possible? It had been more than two thousand years since there’d been any magic other than the swearing stones in the capital. What was happening, and where was it headed?
Glem built a fire back up once the false dawn started. No one in the camp moved until the hardtack was warm in the grease from the rashers of bacon in the pan. We might as well enjoy the hot food while we can. It may be the last hot meal we have for a while.
Breakfast was short, and they were moving toward the enemy long before the actual dawn took hold. The forest damp with dew, and the heavy fog, came creeping up to obscure everything beyond a few yards.
✽✽✽
Rues and Alyra returned to Gate Street Market. Cerya, the shopkeeper Glem had commissioned to provide armor and other provisions for traveling, had needed an additional twenty-four hours to complete the armor, double the time she had initially estimated.
Glem was due back sometime in the next day, and both girls were anxiously awaiting what the future held
in store for them.
“We could be leaving soon, you know? Glem didn’t pay for all of this just to stay here,” Alyra said.
“Obviously,” Rues responded sarcastically. “He wants to get to Laioruum. We both know that. What concerns me is how has he been paying for everything? I don’t mean to get into your personal business, but you aren’t rich. None of us is. Where is all of this gold coming from?”
“I don’t really know,” Alyra responded quietly. “Like we’ve talked about before, I’m not sure what Grandpa did in the Army. Dad didn’t like talking about it, neither did Mom. I always got the feeling that they didn’t approve of something.”
“However, he got it. I’m glad he did. And I’m glad he didn’t waste it all drinking. That reminds me, I wanted to talk to you about how different he has become. What happened to the jovial drunk that could hardly walk back home after a day of storytelling at the tavern? So much has happened. But this doesn’t add up.”
“I don’t understand either. After the attack, everything’s moved so fast. I’ve been overwhelmed by this city, and it’s kept my mind off it. I don’t even know how you’re holding up.”
“Day by day. I try not to think about it. The day on the forge was a terrible reminder of what I’ve lost. It would be so easy to just break down and cry. Yeah, everything has changed. Our old lives burned to ash with the town. I have no idea what happens to us next.”
“We move on. That’s all we can do. I trust Grandpa has a plan, and I know it’s in our best interest. I just wish he would let us in on some of it.”
✽✽✽
Jorick’s men had broken camp before the sun was fully above the horizon. They were moving at a steady trot toward where they believed the Southern Army lay. They passed into a narrow gully running through the forest that fed a small stream, only to find the path ahead blocked with a downed tree. The recent fall had not been down long enough to lose its leaves yet.
Reciprocity : Volume 1 of The Fledgegate Cycle Page 12