Having finished his business, the plump administrator made his way back aboard the skiff, leaving the harbor pilot aboard to guide them into their allotted berth. By the time the ship was docked and the passengers allowed to disembark, Avari was frantic with impatience. She caught Shay's sleeve and half dragged him down the ramp with her as she spoke.
"Shay, I want to thank you again for all you've done for me. Perhaps one day I can repay you, but now, I have my own debt to collect. Farewell!" She dashed off into the crowds on the docks. Shay quickly lost sight of her, standing there with his mouth open, his reply unuttered.
The shadows were long in the courtyard of Zellohar Keep when the guard was finally changed. The orcs were replaced by a troop of five goblins, led by a towering waglok hefting a many-thonged whip. As night fell, the waglok ordered the goblins into the burned-out buildings to gather more firewood. He tossed the last of the existing wood onto the fire and squatted to warm himself. As the flames rose, the waglok leaned close, his braids of matted hair dangling near the flames. His flat, bat-like features scrinched into a grin of pleasure, his greasy locks giving off a pungent reek as fleas and ticks died in the heat.
The crack of splintering wood followed by a stream of goblin curses told the waglok that more wood was on the way. He reached into their sack of supplies and pulled out a haunch of unidentifiable meat. He sniffed it, smacking his thin lips at the succulent aroma; the meat had been well aged. Thrusting it into the flames for a quick warming, he looked up to see the goblins returning. One held an armload of floorboards while two others dragged a huge beam. The waglok ordered them to break it into smaller chunks. As they smashed at the beam with their spiked maces and axes, the leader winced at the noise, but shrugged it off, ripping off a bite of the sizzling haunch.
When he had reduced the haunch to a raggedly chewed bone and the goblins' noisy chopping had subsided, he noticed that two goblins had not returned. Cursing them for deserters, he ordered the others to stay put while he fetched the traitors. The waglok drew his jagged scimitar, brandishing it in the firelight to make his point, then strode off into the night.
Away from the fire, several minutes passed before the waglok could see. The tracks left by the splayed goblin feet were easy to follow to a ruined stable. Nothing stirred as he searched the empty stalls, although he did find a pile of boards. No other signs of the two were visible, so he decided to return to the fire. They would crawl back when they got cold or hungry. He cursed again, sheathed his blade and hefted the small pile of boards to his shoulder.
Approaching the blazing fire, the glaring flames were blinding. When his vision cleared and he looked around, he saw that the remainder of his troops were gone. He dropped the boards and drew his scimitar with a snarl. Peering into the darkness, he glimpsed movement in the shadows near the doors.
So dat's it, he thought, da liddle cowards have run back into da keep.
The waglok growled an oath and strode up the steps, but stopped when he reached the entrance. He gaped for a moment at the five goblins hanging by their feet from the archway, swaying in the breeze. The bodies were cooling rapidly, the blood pooling beneath each already beginning to thicken.
His thick fingers fumbled at his belt for the alarm horn as his eyes scanned the shadows. Drawing a deep breath, he brought the horn to his lips and blew mightily. Nothing happened. He cursed and tried again, blowing until his head threatened to explode, but still no sound came from the horn. Hissing in rage, he shook the thing, then looked in the end to see what might be blocking it. He stared in puzzlement at the snow that had been firmly packed into the instrument.
He pounded to loosen the blockage, and a perfectly horn-shaped wedge of packed snow plopped onto the steps. He drew another breath, but this time when he blew, air escaped his throat in a spray of frothy blood, hastened by the dagger being drawn across his throat.
In the morning, the relieving watch found six neat bundles, all quite frozen, hanging from the archway of the keep.
CHAPTER 6
Avari slumped over a table in a corner of the tavern, the chill of the evening finally seeping from her feet with the radiant heat of the nearby hearth. She barely noticed the barmaids as they bustled by carrying mugs of ale and platters of food, and ignored the rest of the inn's clientele. Some had glanced curiously at her when she first arrived, but quickly went back to their own conversations, deciding not to bother the sullen woman sporting so many weapons.
Avari was in a foul mood, of that there was no doubt. As she nursed her drink, she vacillated between rage, determination and hopelessness. Her afternoon had not been productive.
After leaving Shay she had roamed the waterfront, finally locating the harbor's main offices. After waiting over an hour for an audience with the harbormaster, she found herself face to face—really face to chest—with the same repugnant little administrator who had harassed her aboard the ship. When he denied any knowledge of a shipment of horses, Avari had insisted, perhaps too vehemently, that he must have seen them. He had continued looking her over as if she were for sale, rubbing his fingers together while maintaining that nothing went into or out of Beriknor without his knowledge. Guards finally forcibly removed Avari when she threatened to keelhaul the bloated liar until he answered her questions truthfully.
Avari had no idea what keelhauling was, but she had heard a sailor say it and it did not sound very pleasant. She roamed the city until dusk, looking in each corral and stable she passed for a familiar horse, but she found none. With night falling and the air cooling, for it was much closer to winter here, she resigned herself to failure for the day. She found an inn where she could afford some refreshment and warm up.
And here she sat.
"All right, Avari, now what?"
She kept asking herself that question, but so far had not come up with a reasonable answer. Her stomach was not helping the situation. It kept interrupting her with rude rumblings that she feared could be heard at the next table.
"How can you be hungry after the meal we had on the ship?" she complained to it in a soft voice. "And what do you expect me to do about it, since I'm all out of money?"
She sighed and took a sip of her drink, grimacing at the astringent taste. Tomorrow she would have to sell something to get more money. As for tonight...
"Excuse me..."
The soft voice startled her and she swung around, fist ready.
"...but did you find your men?"
Avari caught herself before knocking Shay to the floor. She stared up at him in astonishment.
"Stop doing that to me!" she exclaimed. "Didn't you ever learn not to sneak up on people?"
"No," Shay replied, flashing that wonderful smile at her.
"And don't give me that grin," Avari said. "It may let you get your way with others, but... Wait. What are you doing here?"
"I have a room here, at least for tonight. May I join you?"
Avari waved at a chair and resumed staring into her drink. A barmaid came by to take Shay's order and tripped over her apron trying to wipe the table while not taking her eyes off of him. His smile left her dazed, so she rushed off to fill his order: ale and some inexpensive scraps from the kitchen.
"And what are you drinking?" he asked, trying to peer into Avari's cup as she hung her head over it.
"It's spiced wine," she replied. "I asked for spiced cider, but this was all they had. It doesn't taste very good, but it's warming me up."
"I take it you didn't find your men after all," Shay said. "May I inquire what that errand was all about?"
Avari caught her breath, about to tell him it was none of his business, but then decided that Shay did not deserve her wrath. She settled on a different tack.
"The men are thieves and murderers, and I'm going to kill them," she said bluntly, looking at him as if daring him to tell her that she could not do it. To her surprise, he merely looked thoughtful, meeting her defiant glare with polite consideration.
"That is a big task. How
is it progressing?"
His blasé response surprised her even further. Her eyes narrowed, suspecting mockery, but met only curiosity. She opened her mouth to put him off, but found herself relating the events of the afternoon. The half-elf explained what keelhauling meant, and chuckled at the description of her confrontation with the port official, then grew serious.
"Avari, please consider what I have said regarding the danger of dealing rashly with city officials. It is not in your best interests to antagonize them."
"Well, it got me nowhere, anyway. I'm no closer to finding those murdering bastards than I was back on the island." She took another sip of her drink.
The barmaid arrived with Shay's order; his 'scraps' turned out to be huge platter of roast mutton surrounded by mounds of stewed onions, potatoes and carrots, a loaf of just-baked bread, a small crock of butter and a bowl of thick gravy. The woman was going to any length to get Shay to look kindly at her. It got to be almost ridiculous, and Avari bit her lip to keep from snickering. She had to admit that Shay was extremely handsome, and she delighted in listening to him talk, but she was amazed at his effect on other people. Perhaps her response had been blunted by the unusual circumstances of their first meeting.
"What is it about you?" she asked Shay after the barmaid had gone. "Do you enchant people to make them do your will?"
His violet eyes flung open like he'd been slapped, then mellowed to a feigned expression of indignation.
"It is just my natural charm and good looks." Then he smiled. "Actually, it sometimes is rather embarrassing. I don't consciously attempt to beguile, but I've always had the ability to capture the attention of people and persuade them into my way of thinking. My mother says it is due to my mixture of elvish and human blood, but my father says it is inherited solely from my mother, for she can do the same to him."
He paused to sample his food and motioned to the hovering barmaid to bring another plate. Avari protested but he would have none of it, insisting that there was too much for one. She acceded again to his generosity and soon they were both feasting on slabs of steaming meat and vegetables drenched in gravy.
"If I may say so, you are rather impressive yourself," Shay said between mouthfuls. "In all my travels, I have never met a woman of such stature. And you are very well-armed for a horse farmer. I would have guessed you to be a warrior."
"A warrior?" Avari blushed furiously. "No, no. My father and I raised and trained horses to sell at the autumn fair in Isleport. But he had been a warrior, and he believed it was important to be able to fight if the need arose. So he trained me to be able to defend myself.
"As for my size," she continued, "I take after my father, although at times I wish I was more like my mother. She was small and very pretty. On the island, I was taller than most of the men, and they didn't like that. The other girls were small and pink-cheeked and helpless, with curls falling from beneath their bonnets. That's the way men like them, I guess, though it seems rather silly to me." She straightened in her chair. "But my father always said that the right man would love me for who I am."
"And he is right. However, you told the harbor master that your father had died..." Shay's voice trailed off as he waited for her to pick up the thought, but Avari shook her head and was silent for some moments. Abruptly, she changed the subject.
"What about you? Where do you come from? Are you a warrior? I noticed your hammer and chainmail. And where did you learn to make potions to cure ship's sickness?"
Shay laughed. "One question at a time, please. No, I also am not a warrior. I am a priest of Tem the Balancer, Lord of Justice."
"But the priest in Isleport wasn't like you," Avari said. "He was short, fat and bald, and he led only worship, not fighting. We worshiped the Earth Mother mostly, but father also included Eloss the Defender in our prayers, and did the honing ritual at winter solstice for Eloss' protection."
"Each worships his or her god in his or her own way. I had a... disagreement... with the elders of my temple, so I am looking for one that will let me worship in the way I choose."
"Does your god condone the killing of murderers?" Avari asked abruptly.
"When the cause is justified and there is no other solution, yes," Shay replied. "Why are you so intent on killing these men?"
Avari was reluctant to relate such recent and painful memories, but at the priest's gentle coaxing, her self-erected barrier finally broke and she poured forth her story, sometimes in tears, sometimes in a rage. A nod by Shay at the barmaid brought refills for their drinks. Shay sipped his, but as Avari talked, she drank to soothe her throat. Shay listened, and began to understand something of this naive girl who was alone and so far from home. Avari's burden of anguish was whittled away, bit by bit until the evening slowly faded into darkness.
Avari awoke in a soft bed and again snuggled into the sheets, peeking out at the sunlight streaming in through the window. Panic sent her bolting upright, shaking her head to clear it of the cobwebs that obscured the reasons why she should not be here. Pain attacked her from all sides and the room began to lurch and spin crazily. Was she back on the ship? No, she thought as she spied buildings outside the window. She held her hands to her head, and moaned. As the room slowed, she spotted her weapons and pouches piled neatly in the corner, reminiscent of a certain ship's cabin.
"Damn, I've got to stop letting this happen to me!"
Avari climbed from the bed, but her foot caught on something and she pitched headfirst onto the floor. This brought on new waves of pain that took several minutes to subside. She climbed to her feet and looked down to see that she was wearing a nightgown.
"Ha! The last time I wore a nightgown to bed I was only—"
A light knock sounded, followed by the door opening a crack and a round, pink face appearing around the corner.
"There you are, just getting up as your friend said you would be." The maid entered with a pile of clean clothes—her clothes—and put them on the foot of the bed. "I'll bring you some water to wash with. The gentleman requests that you meet him downstairs for breakfast."
Avari wished the woman would not shout. She started to ask a question, but the maid had already gone to fetch the water and basin. When she returned, Avari was still standing in a daze, clinging to the sturdy bedpost.
"What happened last night? Who undressed me and put me to bed?" She was frightened; the last thing she remembered was talking to Shay in the tavern.
"Well, you had just a wee bit too much to drink last night and... Oh, miss! You don't think..." The maid's fit of giggles caused Avari's head to pound like hammers in a smithy.
"I undressed you and put you to bed! Your friend is a perfect gentleman. He even gave me a handsome tip to clean up your clothes, although, if you don't mind me saying, a lovely young lady like you shouldn't be traipsing around in such drab leggings and leather. You should have a nice dress and shawl, or at least a pretty lacy blouse to wear."
Avari stared at the maid as she allowed herself to be led to the wash basin. "Did he tell you to say that?"
"What?" The maid looked confused at the question.
"Never mind."
Avari lacked the strength to protest, so she endured the maid's attentiveness, accepting her help with getting dressed and following her directions downstairs. When she arrived in the dining room, Shay was already downing a plateful of potatoes and leftover meats. He waved Avari over and pointed with his fork to an empty place where another plate sat steaming. Her ire rose, helped along by her throbbing headache. Was he trying to dictate to her? She considered refusing his offer, but thought the food might help assuage the pounding in her temples and the rumbling in her stomach. Avari sat and started to eat, fixing Shay with an evil eye to express her displeasure. He seemed not to notice as he tended to his breakfast, occasionally glancing up with that smile of his.
Their plates finally clean, the silent breakfast companions leaned back in their chairs. A loaf of bread, a pot of honey and a bowl of fruit sat on the ta
ble between them. Shay drizzled honey onto a chunk of bread as Avari railed at him.
"What kind of concoction did you put in my drink last night? Or was it last night? For all I know, it could have been last week! And this time it probably was poison, considering the way I feel this morning." She steamed for a moment, at a loss for something further to say. Before she could start again, Shay raised a hand to forestall her next indictment.
"I put nothing in your drink last night. I didn't have to. Do you know how many cups of wine you had?" He shook his head in wonder. "Enough to put two men under the table. You do have an amazing constitution."
Avari snatched her dagger from her belt, twirled it in her palm, flipped it and stabbed an apple out of the bowl. One deft twist split it. She dunked one half in honey and wagged it under the half-elf's nose. "You could have warned me how strong the drink was," she said, taking a bite before it could drip.
"Well, there is no harm done. At least, nothing a little time and food won't cure," he said, his violet eyes softening as she cleaned and sheathed her dagger. "And you really did need to relax and relate to someone your plight of late.
"Don't worry," he reassured her at her startled glance, "you did not reveal any shocking secrets, merely the events that have been troubling you so. And rest assured that anything you told me will be kept in the greatest confidence."
They sat quietly for a while, finishing the food. Finally Shay spoke again.
"Most likely the harbor master was not telling you the truth about the horses, but a few coins would have loosened his tongue more than a threat of violence. Have you checked the stables outside the city? They are known for not asking questions of those who bring them quality horseflesh."
"No, I only looked inside the walls," Avari answered. "It got dark before I could go any further."
"I have some time today," Shay said as he pushed his chair back. "Maybe I can help you find your horse thieves."
Avari stared in wonderment at his offer. He had done so much for her already, and now he was going to help her find her horses? She started to object, but soon found herself once again acceding to that calm persuasiveness to which she had thought she was immune.
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