“What do you care?”
“I don’t, I’m just curious. You’re smart, strong-willed, you could have done anything.”
She snorted her disgust. “Hardly. My family’s so poor we barely ate most nights. My aunt taught me to read from a book she stole and I used that to get the job at the library, where I met Crow. When he offered me money and power in exchange for being his spy, I couldn’t pass it up. I never even considered passing it up. He didn’t force me or anything. It was my choice, so you can forget any stupid ideas you might have about me being a pitiful dupe. I made my choice with my eyes wide open.”
“More’s the pity.” Moz checked her thoroughly for weapons then pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go. I suspect the guards will want to talk to you about Crow.”
More likely they’d want to hang her for it if they were getting payoffs from him. That wasn’t Moz’s problem. He needed to talk to Callie then scout out this fort in the wilderness. Whoever the Dark Sages were, Moz had a feeling they didn’t mean anyone any good.
Chapter 18
Moz guided his horse down the road toward the bards’ college. His time in Blinder hadn’t been a complete waste, though he wasn’t much closer to finding Rondo than when he left the first time. At least Crow and Priscilla were out of the picture. He held no illusions that he’d made a real difference. They’d both probably be replaced inside a month. At least now the guard would be on the lookout.
He had learned a little about who Rondo was working for. He also had another location to scout out. Traveling through no man’s land wasn’t going to be easy, but for a ranger, it was probably safer than visiting a city.
He wiped sweat from his brow. Even for summer, the weather had been hot. Back in the swamp, these were the sorts of days you wanted to lie in bed and leave the gators to their own devices. Not that you gave in to those impulses. When a hunter sets a trap, he checks it every day, weather be damned.
He reined in just outside the gate. The guard on duty gave him one look and began opening the portcullis. No delays or questions today, how nice. Callie must have given them a good lecture about holding him up. Moz appreciated that.
When the iron gate was high enough, he urged his mount through. In the courtyard a few students were gathered in a circle doing something with a red ball. It wasn’t a game Moz recognized, so maybe it was part of their studies.
He’d barely dismounted when Ariel came running toward him, her dragons buzzing along behind. He hadn’t spotted her amidst the group, but she, or more likely one of the dragons, had seen him.
“Moz!” she shouted when she was close enough. She skidded to a stop a few feet in front of him. “You’re finally back. Did you find the crow?”
Moz patted her on the head. “Not the one I was hunting, but I did find some of his friends. They weren’t any nicer than him. What about you? Made any friends?”
“One.” Ariel looked back over her shoulder. “They’re afraid of me. The little ones don’t trust them.”
“Why?” Moz asked.
She shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe because of their powers? One of the teachers tried to control them. They didn’t like that at all.”
Who’d be stupid enough to try and control dragons? Moz had seen people doing dumb things over the years, but that took the cake.
“What about you? Have you learned anything here?”
“They don’t know how to teach me,” Ariel said.
“What do you mean?”
“First it was tamers, that was where the teacher tried to control one of the little ones. Then they sent me to practice with the psychics, but after two days my teacher said the dragons’ presence disrupted the psychic flow of the class or something and I was out again. Now I just play on my own, no more classes.” She looked around to make sure no one was nearby. “I like that better anyway.”
“You’ve certainly gotten chattier since I left.” Moz started toward the stables and Ariel fell in beside him.
“You’re different than the people here. The little ones like and trust you and that makes it easier to talk. I don’t know why, that’s just how it feels.”
They reached the stables where she watched him tend to his horse and put it in a stall. When he finished, he said, “I need to talk to Callie. Why don’t you go play some more and when I’m done we’ll have lunch?”
“Yeah! It’s beef stew today, that’s the little ones’ favorite. See you later.” She waved and ran off again.
Moz smiled. It was nice to see her acting like a normal little girl. Even if the bards weren’t teaching her anything, just having a safe place seemed to be doing her good. Maybe he’d stick around a few days before heading north. She seemed more comfortable when he was around. What Moz couldn’t figure out was why the dragons would be so mistrustful of the people here.
He shrugged and made his way to the main building. A passing teacher gave him directions to Callie’s office. He made the short walk and knocked once before pushing the door open. Callie had her head on the empty desk and was sound asleep. He crossed his arms and watched for a second.
“Don’t you have a bed?”
She sputtered awake and blinked at him. “Moz? When did you get back?”
“Just now.” He closed the door and dropped into the empty chair. “You look tired.”
Callie rubbed her dark, bloodshot eyes. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to teach Ariel to do something no one else in the world knows how to do. So far no luck.”
“Yeah, I saw her on my way in. She seems happy enough. Why not just keep her safe and let her be? Her power isn’t running out of control or causing trouble.”
“That’s actually the direction I’m leaning. It’s just…I’m a teacher, Moz. Not being able to help her is driving me nuts.”
“You are helping her. She’s much better than when I left.”
Callie blew out a long sigh. “Thanks. So what did you learn?”
Moz gave her the short version of his recent adventures. When he finished, he asked, “Ever heard of the Dark Sages?”
“Can’t say as I have. There are a lot of sage groups with different specialties, but I never heard of one called the Dark Sages. Though the name implies that they do research that would certainly be frowned upon by others. You think they’re the ones after Ariel?”
“Rondo’s part of the group and if he told his superiors what she can do, I figure if they’re not after her now, they will be soon enough.”
Callie scrubbed a hand across her face. “What are you going to do?”
“I figure I’ll spend a day or two here with the kid then head out to scout their base. Going to be a rough ride. I need to cross part of Carttoom then a fair chunk of no man’s land. And even if I find the place, there’s no guarantee that I’ll learn anything. The problem is, I’m out of ideas.”
“Why not let it go?” Callie asked. “Stay here and help protect Ariel. We’ve got plenty of room. You could handle basic weapons training. No need to run off and get yourself killed.”
“Don’t think I’m not tempted, but I need to know what I’m protecting her from. I can’t make plans without more information. We don’t even know how many people we’re dealing with, ten, a thousand, more. Fighting blind is no way to win a war.”
Callie loosed another big sigh. “I know, but I had to make the suggestion.”
“And I appreciate it. Maybe when this is over, I’ll take you up on that instructor job. Now that I’ve seen you again, returning to the swamp isn’t as appealing.”
“So I’m more appealing than mosquitos and alligators? You always were a charmer, Moz.”
He grinned. It really was good to see her again.
Chapter 19
Yaz, Brigid, and Silas guided their horses around the walled city of Fort Kane. They’d been riding for over a week and now it was midmorning of the eighth day since escaping the Thieves Guild. As cities went, Fort Kane wasn’t especially big, maybe half the size of The City of Bells, but it
sat on a major trade route and hundreds of caravans passed through the city every year. It also butted up against the bank of the Wallowing River and played host to many barges. Yaz assumed that was why Randall Cobb had built his home nearby. For a merchant, it was a natural choice.
The Cobb estate was situated about a mile northeast of the city proper. Far enough away to allow privacy and quiet, but close enough to make coming and going convenient. The estate had a twenty-foot-tall wall surrounding it and a handful of private guards patrolling the battlements.
Yaz pulled up well short of the wall. The gate was closed and the guards carried cocked and loaded crossbows. Clearly something had happened to put the Cobbs on their guard. Perhaps they heard about Randall’s disappearance. Yaz showing up with Randall’s lucky coin might make them think he had something to do with that. While he hoped to use it to get their attention, he didn’t want to end up in a cell.
“Don’t like the look of this,” Silas said, echoing Yaz’s thoughts.
“Me either,” Yaz said. “Unfortunately, we’re not going to learn what happened sitting here. I’m just trying to think of the best way to approach them.”
“Why don’t we ride up and tell them what happened?” Brigid said. “They’re probably as worried about Randall as we are about our parents.”
“I suspect that’s the only way to go.” Yaz turned to Silas. “I don’t suppose you’d mind waiting out here? If something goes wrong, maybe you can bust us out. Unless there’s a serious problem we should be back before dark.”
“Sure.” Silas looked around and pointed to a stand of maples fifty yards to their left. “I’ll settle in over there. If you’re not back by dark, I’ll come knocking.”
The way he said it made Yaz glad Silas was on their side. Yaz glanced at Brigid who nodded.
“Wish us luck.” Yaz waved and nudged his horse.
He and Brigid rode slowly towards the Cobb estate being careful to make no moves that might cause the guards to use their crossbows. They reined in ten paces from the closed gate, a massive oak and iron set of double doors twice as tall as Yaz. He hated to think of the battering ram you’d need to break that door down.
A man in mail armor wearing a blue tabard with a wagon on it stood directly above the gate looking down at them. “What’s your business here?”
“We were hoping to speak to Randall’s wife,” Yaz said. “We’re from Dragonspire Village. We believe he was kidnapped along with our families and many others. You haven’t heard from him, have you?”
The guard looked hard at them. “What makes you think he was taken from there?”
Yaz pulled the coin out of his pocket. “We found this outside the inn. I think he might have dropped it when he was taken.”
The guard squinted, but it was doubtful he could make out any details from so far away. At last he said, “Wait there.”
Five minutes passed, then ten. Yaz was beginning to think the guards were having a joke at their expense when a loud thud sounded from beyond the gate and it slowly swung inward. Ten guards, including the man from the wall, accompanied a woman in her midfifties. From the looks of her, she hadn’t slept in many nights. Her pale skin held an ashen tint and dark circles surrounded her eyes. The look of exhaustion combined with the fine, pale-green silk dress led Yaz to believe this was Randall’s wife.
“Gerard says you believe my husband was taken from Dragonspire Village,” Lady Cobb said. “I have reason to believe he was taken on the road somewhere south of here. Why should I trust you?”
Yaz offered the coin a second time. “We found this outside the inn in the village. A scholar in the City of Bells identified it as belonging to Randall. My name is Yazgrim Yeager, my father was village chief. I sold wolfskins to your husband a while back. My companion is Brigid Dahl. When we returned home everyone in the valley was missing without a trace. The only clue we found was this coin. If you can tell us anything at all, we would be most grateful.”
She gestured at Gerard who hurried over to collect the coin. When he handed it to Lady Cobb, she gasped. Looked like they hadn’t been led astray. It was Randall’s coin.
“It seems we have much to discuss,” Lady Cobb said. “Will you come in?”
“Yes, ma’am. And thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I fear I have little to offer in the way of good news.” She turned to the guards. “You may return to your duties. Gerard, take their mounts to the stable.”
The gathered men all gave Yaz and Brigid a hard look before dispersing. Lady Cobb had loyal retainers for sure.
Yaz and Brigid dismounted, handed their reins to Gerard, and fell in beside Lady Cobb as she walked toward a large, single-story manor. The gate slammed shut behind them and a massive bar was set in place. It seemed a bit excessive for the middle of the day in a time of peace, but it wasn’t Yaz’s place to say anything.
A female servant wearing a deep-green uniform opened the manor door at their approach. As she passed, Lady Cobb said, “We’ll have tea in the lounge.”
The servant curtsied and closed the door behind them. Inside, the manor was a combination of home and museum. Relics of all sorts decorated tables and hung on the walls. Yaz recognized imperial busts, Kingdom of Aqua paintings, and a number of more modern pieces. In addition to the items he knew, there were dozens he’d never seen before. Years of exploring ruins had clearly left Randall with a fine collection. Even if he wanted to, Yaz couldn’t begin to calculate how much all this was worth.
The first room they came to at the end of a long hall was filled with mahogany and leather furniture, two chairs and a couch surrounding a rectangular table that held a single rolled-up scroll. Lady Cobb sat in one of the chairs and waved them onto the couch.
When they’d seated themselves, she said, “Tell me everything.”
Yaz did as she asked, starting from when they returned to the valley and ending with their arrival here. What happened earlier was none of her concern. When he finished Yaz said, “You said you had reason to believe Randall was kidnapped on the road. Who told you that?”
She raised a trembling hand and pointed at the scroll. “Read it.”
Yaz and Brigid shared a look before he picked up the scroll and unrolled it. For Brigid’s benefit he read out loud. “We have your husband. He was captured while carelessly traveling the Great Eastern Road with only three guards. If you want to see him alive again, the price is one thousand gold scales. Our messenger will return in two days with instructions for delivery. Anything less than full compliance will result in his instant death.”
Yaz returned the scroll to the table. The writing was crude, but legible, like the hand of someone barely literate. But some of the word choices gave the impression of someone educated. The combination felt wrong to Yaz.
“That’s horrible,” Brigid said.
“Did the kidnappers send any proof that they really had Randall?” Yaz asked.
Lady Cobb nodded. “His wedding ring. I’m sure it’s genuine. What I don’t understand is, why would they lie about where they captured him? I mean, if he was snatched in your village, why not just say so?”
“I wish I knew.” Yaz scratched his cheek. “When is the messenger due to return?”
“Noon today. I have the scale they want. It’s a fortune, but not so much that I’d hesitate to trade it for Randall’s safe return.”
“Assuming they keep their word,” Yaz said.
Brigid swatted him on the shoulder. “Yaz!”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“No,” Lady Cobb said. “I’ve had the same thought myself, but what choice do I have? If I don’t give them what they want, Randall is dead for sure.”
“I know you have no reason to trust us,” Yaz said. “But if we can be of any help, please ask. Randall might be the only person who can tell us what happened in the village and where our parents are.”
“I accept,” Lady Cobb said instantly with a mix of hope and desperation. “Rand
all often spoke of the chief of Dragonspire Village being an honorable man. I’m willing to stake his life on your being equally honorable.”
“Thank you.” Now all Yaz had to do was live up to his father’s legacy.
Lady Cobb offered them lunch and Yaz and Brigid were happy to take her up on that. As he ate the delicate ham and cheese sandwich, Yaz felt a little bad about leaving Silas out in the wild, but he didn’t fully trust Lady Cobb’s generosity. She was just a little too quick to accept the help of two total strangers. Maybe she was just that desperate. Under the circumstances no one could blame her.
Brigid didn’t seem to share his mistrust. She had fallen into deep conversation with Lady Cobb. Yaz only listened with half an ear, but it sounded like they were discussing their dogs. Hopefully, such a safe topic would help take the lady’s mind off her situation, at least for a few minutes.
Yaz finished his sandwich and glanced out the window to try and get a feel for the sun’s position. From the few visible shadows, he guessed noon was quickly approaching. The kidnappers’ messenger should be here soon. When he arrived, things would get serious in a hurry. Lady Cobb didn’t seem overly concerned about the money, as long as she got her husband back safely, assuming he was still alive. It wouldn’t be hard to take a ring off a dead man’s finger after all.
A soft knock sounded on the door and the maid from earlier poked her head in. “Someone is approaching, my lady.”
Lady Cobb tensed and pushed to her feet. Yaz and Brigid joined her.
“I’ll be there in a moment, thank you,” Lady Cobb said.
The maid withdrew and they were alone again. The pressure in the room was almost physical. Yaz wiped his sweating palms on his pant legs.
To his surprise, Brigid reached out and put a hand on Lady Cobb’s shoulder. “You can do this. We’ll be right there with you.”
“Absolutely,” Yaz agreed.
“Thank you both.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m ready.”
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