by Allan Joyal
I glanced over my shoulder at the rest of the group. Jennifer and Steve now flanked the first sled; they had their weapons readied as they moved. Hencktor was pulling the lead sled and had his arms on the harness ready to throw off the harness if there was trouble.
"Were ready for trouble," I said. "Hopefully there won't be any." I dashed ahead, skirting the side of the drift as I approached the village.
Once around the drift, I discovered that the villagers had taken the time to clear the snow from the entrance to the village. A foot of packed snow lay on the ground, but there were no drifts or knolls to hide behind as I approached the buildings. I slowed down and put the spear across my back before raising my hands into the air.
The village was unwalled, and I was almost to the first building when someone cried. "Slow down and identify yourself."
I kept my hands away from the spear as I came to a halt. "I am Ron, the leader of Daytona Trading. We are traveling to the East and came upon your village. Would it be possible to rent a room and get meals for a couple of nights?"
"Never heard of your group," the voice said. I saw a man with long gray hair and equally gray beard step out from behind the first building on my left. The man was wearing a heavy cloak and glaring at me. I noticed that his right arm was extended, and he had some leather strap hanging from between his fingers.
"We were only established a few days before the winter storms," I replied.
The man nodded and looked over my shoulder. "Sleds?" he asked.
"We have a bit more than we can carry by hand," I said. "Although much of what we carry is not for trade at this time. We have a contract to deliver it to a city far to the East. Unfortunately, the schedule we were given meant we could not spend the winter resting."
The man shrugged. "We don't have any needs this winter. The harvest was good, and the bandits stayed away this year. You can come in though. The sleds can go in the stable at the inn. It's the second building on the right."
"Thank you," I said as I began walking towards the building.
"Don't thank me," the man said as he faded into the shadows behind the building. "My son is the innkeeper; he'll thank me once you pay him."
The indicated building was ahead of me. The building had a stone wall and a roof made from bundles of what appeared to be long stemmed grass. I was appraising the building as I approached and ran into someone.
I stumbled back as the man I had run into laughed loudly. I brought my gaze to the front and found myself looking at a solidly built man wearing a cloak. The man had long black hair and a short trimmed beard. He held out his hand to me. "Roldophic, innkeeper of our little village on the river."
"Ron, head for Daytona Trading," I replied as I accepted the proffered handshake. "Do you think we might take a room or two for two nights? With meals if possible."
"It's not like my inn is bursting with people," Roldophic admitted. "We don't see many trading groups traveling in winter. How many people would I be providing meals for?" He was looking over my shoulder. I listened and could hear the sound of boots crunching on snow as the rest of the group entered the village.
"Twelve people," I said. "And do you have a place we can park the sleds where we know they will be undisturbed?"
The man scowled. "We have children in this town; they'll likely try to peek. It's a game for them, especially during winter when they don't have farming chores. Are you going to hurt them for trying to peek into your goods?"
"Not for peeking," I affirmed as Lydia strode up to stand next to me. "We won't hurt a child for looking at the sleds and what's in them, but they can't take anything. I'd rather they approach one of us and ask to be shown things if you can get them to do that."
The innkeeper nodded. "That we can do. Why don't you tell everyone to bring the sleds around to the stable? I'm sure you want to get those harnesses off."
The man started walking away, heading to the left side of the building. I followed him quietly. Lydia unloaded the crossbow and ran forward to the corner of the building, using the wall to assist in unstringing the weapon. The innkeeper nodded as he passed her.
As the group rounded the corner, the people pulling the sleds started to struggle. The stable had low stone walls, but the grass roof had done an excellent job of keeping snow off the ground, and the sleds did not want to slide over the bare ground. Steve was the first to notice, and he quickly called for a halt.
"The sleds won't move on dirt," he shouted. "Get out of the harnesses, and we'll carry them to the first stall."
"Shay, Ger, can you grab all the bedrolls and spare clothing first? We'll want to take time to clean everything so we might as well bring that to our rooms," I added.
Shaylin and Gertrilla looked at me. "Shay?" Shaylin asked.
Victoria giggled as she pulled the harness off her shoulders. "I like it. It fits a darling girl like you."
Both girls giggled and ran over to the sleds. They started pulling bedrolls off the piles. Once both of their arms were full, they looked at the innkeeper, who was standing and watching everyone.
The man blushed when he noticed the stares of the girls. "Sorry," he muttered. "We can enter through the door here. I'll give you the first two rooms."
He turned and walked through a doorway, pushing aside a heavy hide that hung in the opening. Lydia followed him closely, and the girls scampered to keep up.
The rest of us concentrated on moving the sleds into the first stall in the stable. We all groaned with the efforts of moving the heavily laden sleds, but after an eternity of grunting and groaning all three were lined up on the straw covered ground. By that time Lydia was standing in the doorway, glaring at us.
"We need to bathe and to clean clothing," she said. "And we need a day to rest."
I bowed. "The queen is always correct," I mocked. "That is exactly what I planned on. We have spent four days traveling, and everyone is exhausted. A day of rest here will help."
Lydia nodded and turned to lead us into the inn. We followed her into a hallway that was filled with smoke. My eyes watered as I scanned the hallway and found several oil lamps burning and throwing off the thick black smoke that covered everything.
"Are the rooms this bad?" I asked.
Lydia led us to the first doorway on the left. It was blocked by a heavy hide rather than a wooden door. She pushed the hide aside and walked in.
We followed. I was coughing from inhaling the thick smoke as we ducked into the room. "God, what was that?"
"Oil lamps," I heard Shaylin say. "They must be using rendered pig fat for the oil. It's always nasty."
"I can't believe there wouldn't be anything better," Victoria said before she began coughing. "How can anyone breathe with that smoke around?"
The room was dark. There were no windows, and the hide blocked what little light was coming from the oil lamps in the hallway. "What about in the rooms? How do we get some light in here?"
Light burst forth from the far side of the room. The sudden change blinded me for a moment, and I flung my hand between the light and my face. Spots danced in front of my eyes as they adjusted to the sudden change. Curses from the rest of the group revealed that everyone had been surprised.
When my eyes had adjusted, I could see Shaylin holding a glowing crystal in her hand. She seemed a bit abashed by everyone's reaction. "Sorry, I should have warned you."
"Can you maintain that without holding the crystal in your hands?" I asked.
"No," Shaylin said. "This magic requires concentration. There is a way to make an object give off light permanently, but I can't cast the spell."
"Why not?" Lydia asked softly. "Is it something you don't know?"
"I know it," Shaylin said. "But I'd need some blades of glow grass in order to affix the light to the object."
"Do you need anything else?" I asked.
"My crystal here to initially call the light. Then I just need an object to enchant. I'm sure we can come up with something I could cast the spell on," Shay
lin replied.
There was a noise near the door and then coughing as someone left the room. I checked the pouches attached to my belt until I found the one I was looking for. I opened the pouch and pulled out a small vial. I held it out so Shaylin could see it. "Is this enough glow grass for you?"
Shaylin gasped. "Where did you get this?"
"We did a favor for a dwarf clan," Lydia replied. "They rewarded us by giving us a few items."
Shaylin reached out with her empty hand and claimed the vial. She held it up in front of her eyes and spun it slowly. "One, two, eight, fifteen… no eighteen. They just gave you eighteen blades of glow grass," she said breathlessly. "I could enchant six items with this much."
The coughing in the hallway started up again. A moment later, Steve staggered into the room. He held a small stone in each hand. The stones were smooth ovals that fit neatly into his palms. "Would these work?" he gasped out around the coughs.
Shaylin smiled. "Those are perfect. Set them on the floor. And if someone can get some water to wash these off. Sometimes the light fails if an item is dirty when you imbue the object."
"How long will this take?" I asked.
"Not too long," Shaylin said. "Longer if everyone watches. How about you claim a table in the dining area, and I'll come out when I'm done."
Lydia laughed. "Our little girl shows her true colors. Listen to her order Ron and the rest of us around."
Shaylin's face dropped and the light from her crystal wavered. "I'm sorry," she blubbered. "I just thought you were all hungry and wouldn't want to be around. And I'm a bit nervous about using magic in front of people. Back home if anyone saw me, I could have been taken away by the wizards."
Lydia knelt down and gave Shaylin a hug. "Shay, I didn't mean anything bad by it. I was trying to tease you a little. We love you."
"You don't know me," Shaylin said with a sniffle. "My father forced you to take me."
I knelt down and put my hand on Shaylin's chin. I lifted her tear-filled face until she was looking me in the eye. "Shay," I said softly, "your father did ask us to take you with us, but we weren't forced. Once we heard the full story, we wanted to take you with us. Everyone here has promised to protect you. Cheer up. We might not know you well, but we do love you. Now, I can understand you wanting privacy to cast your magic. So I'll take everyone except Lydia and Gertrilla and we'll get a table and prepare to eat. You can come out once the spells are cast."
Shaylin nodded. She pushed Lydia away long enough to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I can do that," she said.
I waved to Steve, who began guiding the rest of our group out of the room. The light from Shaylin's crystal faded away. I stood up to follow when I felt someone tugging on my shirt. I turned to see who it and found Gertrilla standing there and gazing up at me worriedly.
"Come, we'll talk outside," I said as I put my arm around the girl. She followed quietly as I guided her into the hallway and then out into the stable area. Once we were out there, I led her to the sleds and sat down on the front edge of one of them.
Gertrilla fidgeted for a moment and then looked at me. "Do you not want me?" she asked.
I hugged Gertrilla. She froze in my arms, but stood quietly and then wrapped her arms around my chest. "Ger," I whispered. "You have helped Shaylin settle in. You help with the dogs. I even thought Natalie had the prettiest crutch in the world when you were helping her walk earlier today."
Gertrilla giggled. Her arms squeezed me tighter for a moment. "She's nice."
"She is," I said. "And she likes you. We all like you. We have been happy to have you with us."
"But no one talks to me," Gertrilla said into my shoulder. "They ignore me."
"I have an idea," I said. "Let's go into the inn and find the table. I'll make sure everyone talks to you."
Gertrilla nodded. I stood up, picking her up in my arms. She giggled loudly as I carried her to the doorway. Once there, I set her on her feet and winked. "Deep breath before we enter the smoky hallway. It's like this man hired a dragon to light the passage."
Gertrilla giggled again and took a deep breath before turning and running through the doorway. I entered at a walking pace. My eyes watered as the thick smoke attacked them but I staggered through until a breeze carried the smoke away. I looked around to discover that I had entered a large chamber.
The chamber was lit by a pair of candelabras suspended from the ceiling. Each one had at least twenty large candles burning brightly, casting lots of light into the room. The smoke from the hallway was kept out due to a gentle but continuous breeze created by a pair of bellows attached to a geared mechanism that kept them pumping. I stopped in surprise upon seeing the device.
"Fascinating isn't it?" Steve called out. I turned to the sound of the voice to find that everyone was sitting at a single long table. One end of the table touched the wall leading to the hallway. I could see that Heather and Steve had saved space between them for two people. I tapped Gertrilla on the shoulder.
"Do you recognize Steve?" I asked her.
Gertrilla nodded. "He's the one nearly as old as you. He's got the beard right?"
I looked over at Steve and realized that he had grown a bushy brown beard since we had arrived on Jord. Al and I had been carefully using knives to try to keep our facial hair under control, but Steve had allowed his to grow. I nodded, a bit embarrassed to realize I had paid so little attention to my long time co-worker. "Yes, that's him. Go and sit on his right, and I'll join you."
Gertrilla giggled and ran over to the table. I spent a moment looking at the bellows and the mechanism that was operating it. I could see no source of power. My stomach growled, reminding me that I was hungry, so I headed over to the table to join my friends.
Steve was shaking his head as I approached. "What distracted you?" he asked.
"The bellows over there. It's the first mechanical device I've seen. I was wondering how they power it," I said. "And … well … let's just say Gertrilla managed to remind me that I haven't spent much time talking to you since we arrived in Jord."
Steve laughed. "You've been too busy trying to keep all of us alive. And when you have had time to think about the group, you've rightly concentrated on protecting the ladies. I just try to follow your lead."
"I still should have spent a bit of time getting to know you, Al, and Hencktor," I replied. "Heck, I should have spent some time with the wonderful little girl who's been with us the past four days. I don't know much more than her name and the fact that she's good with the puppies."
Steve shook his head. "I don't know much more about the munchkin," he said, putting a hand on her head. "She does try hard and was willing to start carrying a pack. I hear she's the best at finding wood for the fire each night too."
I noticed a wistful look on Steve's face. "You miss something?" I asked.
Steve closed his eyes and then shook his head. "Nothing that can be changed now. Let's just say that my choices while I was growing up cost me the chance to have a daughter just like Gertrilla here. Now, I think you said we'd stay here a day."
"We should," Esme said. "Natalie and Aine both need a day of rest. They've had to push themselves to keep up."
"I should have kept Aine from pulling a sled," I muttered.
"She would not have thanked you," Al said. "Aine isn't weak, she's just been hurt. Pulling the sled helped remind her that she's a strong woman."
I glanced over at his voice. Al and Aine were sitting next to each other. They had joined their hands and set them on the table. Aine was gazing at the young man with a huge smile on her face.
Before I could say more, a young man of about fourteen or fifteen approached the table. He was wearing leather clothes that were patched and torn. His hair might have been blond, but the dirt and grease in it made it difficult to tell. The man barely looked at us as he spoke. "Father told me that you need to be served. He's got a mutton stew, or if you are willing to wait, he can send someone over to the icehouse to retrieve some gees
e for roasting. If you want roast goose, we'll probably have to replace some of the candles before it's ready."
"Would there be bread available while we wait for the goose?" I asked. "And how old is the mutton stew?"
The boy shrugged. "We have flat loaves available now. Mother has started some new loaves, but they aren't ready. The mutton stew was first prepared two days ago. Mother added new herbs and meat this morning, so it's still good."
I looked at the others. No one seemed willing to say anything. "How about roast goose for everyone," I said. "We'd like some of the flat loaves and some hard cheese if you have any. Also bring us four pitchers of ale."
The boy gulped. "That I can do, I'll send Father out to tell you the prices."
The young man turned and ran away from the table. Kariy sighed as she saw him run. "It sounds like he's family, but those clothes ..." she said softly.
"This place doesn't look like it's very busy," Victoria said. "This might not be on many major caravan routes."
It was Al's turn to nod. "Damn, I never thought about that. If there is little trade, the towns pretty much have whatever they can make themselves."
There was a sound of flesh on flesh. I glanced over to see that Kariy had a palm on her forehead. "We forgot to bring in our tankards and spoons."
I can help bring them in," Hencktor said. "Just show me which sled has them."
Kariy and Hencktor stood up and left the inn by the front door. Esme laughed as the hide fell back to cover the doorway. "I don't blame them for wanting to avoid that smoky hallway."
The hide at the front door twisted. I watched a man step through. The man was wearing a heavy cloak that concealed his body. The hood covered his head, giving him an almost sinister appearance. He shook his boots a couple of times, sending a shower of ice across the stone floor of the inn and then threw the hood of his cloak back.
The massive man was bald. He turned his eyes to our table, and I felt as if his gray eyes were piercing into my soul, seeing what kind of man he was looking at. I sat there quietly and returned his quiet appraisal.
Moments later the man grunted and walked toward the table. "Who's the leader here?" he asked. "And are you a group of bandits or traders?"
