“Not yet!” hissed the kender. “Not unless there is no choice.”
Ulin subsided. He was beginning to see why this kender rode with the Silver Fox. He forced his attention away from his anger and concentrated on what the Dark Knight was saying to Lucy.
“This brand says the horse is stolen. In the rare instances that the Knights of Neraka sell a horse, we alter the brand.”
Ulin bit back a groan. No wonder Akkar-bin had been so willing to part with the animal.
Lucy bowed her head to look contrite. “Knight Officer, I know nothing about the horse’s past or its brand. It was given to me as part of my wages for a job.”
“What job?” Venturin demanded.
“Well, I—”
“She accepted the position of sheriff for our little town.”
Two people stood silhouetted in the doorway of the inn. Together they shuffled in, frail and bent over their walking sticks, their white hair ghostly in the torchlight.
The five Knights made no move toward the two, in fact they relaxed their tense positions and moved slightly apart. Aylesworthy shifted cautiously out of the way.
“Mayor Efrim.” Knight Officer Venturin curled her lip.
The old man and his companion stopped by the Dark Knights and made ridiculously low bows. Shuffling their feet and swaying, they managed to stand upright again.
Behind the straw bales, Ulin watched the scene with interest. He recognized the other person as Saorsha, but he had not seen the councilwoman look so elderly and bent before.
“Knight Officer Venturin, what a delight to see you again,” the mayor’s voice quavered across the stableyard. “I apologize for any difficulty you are having. What may we do to help?”
Venturin twisted on her heel to glower at the mayor. “Explain your earlier comment, old man, and do it quickly.”
The mayor flinched under the crack of her voice. “This woman agreed to be our sheriff, for a few weeks only.” He lifted his trembling hands as if to ward off a blow. “Just to help keep the peace during the Visiting Day Festival.”
Venturin snorted. Her black, cold eyes turned to Lucy. “This? This soft piece of gutter trash is your new sheriff? She looks better suited for one of the pleasure houses—one of the cheaper ones.”
The other Knights snickered. Lucy did not move. Only her last reserves of self-control held her still and silent.
Saorsha spoke for the first time in a voice soft and compliant. “We like her, Knight Officer, and she gets along well with the townspeople—especially the kender. Our agreement is for such a short time.” She smiled a hopeful smile, her gaze and posture totally inoffensive.
“Like the previous sheriff,” Venturin commented dryly. She snapped back to Lucy. “You are new here. When did you arrive?”
Lucy had been watching Saorsha carefully. Now that the Knight Officer’s attention was back to her, she adopted the elder’s submissive behavior by dropping her gaze to the ground and relaxing her stiff posture. “I was with Akkar-bin’s caravan. I was his cook’s assistant. When he left here, I stayed. Their”—Lucy had trouble getting the words out—“offer was hard to refuse.”
“An offer including the horse?”
Saorsha answered, “Yes, your honor. We bought it from the Khur for her to ride around town.”
“Hmm. Very official looking. Very stupid.” The Knight walked around the big bay horse, running her hand along his flank. “Did it not occur to you to check the brand?” Her voice lost its rough edge and became silky smooth.
Saorsha and Efrim glanced at one another. “The Khur gave us a bill of sale, Knight Officer,” Efrim explained, “and this brand is different from yours. We never thought—”
“Of course you didn’t,” Venturin interrupted, her voice full of false resignation. “And now I am forced to arrest your new sheriff. Too bad. Horse stealing is a hanging offense.”
Mayor Efrim kept his eyes lowered as he reached for a bag of coins tucked into the script that dangled from his belt. “Your honor, perhaps we can reach an agreement that will save you the inconvenience of hauling a prisoner to your base, trying her, and finally burying her. You are a Dark Knight. Could we buy the horse from you?”
The Talon leader paused to go through the pretense of considering the offer. She pursed her thin lips and studied the horse from tail to chunky muzzle before she finally shrugged. “It could be done. Do you have the original bill of sale?”
Ulin tensed behind his straw bale—the Khur had left no bill of sale—but Mayor Efrim drew a piece of coarse paper from his script and held it out. Venturin snatched it from his fingers.
“Hmm. Akkar-bin again. He travels to and from Sanction for that oily Garzan the rug maker. He should know better,” she growled, perusing the paper. “You paid ten silver pieces for this horse to that Khurish thief. Consider that a fine. Pay me ten silver pieces, and I will alter the brand and validate your bill of sale.”
Validate it she might, but Ulin knew those ten pieces of silver would never see the coffers of the Knights of Neraka. That much was evident in the way the Knight held out her hand for Efrim’s coins.
“Sheriff,” she snorted derisively, “enjoy your stay in this flea-trap.” Drawing her dagger, she strode to the horse, and before anyone could stop her, she slashed her blade twice across the brand in an X-shape. The horse squealed in pain and jumped sideways into the groom. With a jerk of her head toward the door, Knight Officer Venturin walked out of the stableyard, followed by her Talon of Knights.
The people left behind remained still. No one made a sound or moved. They listened to the clump of boots on the inn floor, the loud voice shouting commands, and finally the thud of hooves in front of the inn. Challie followed quietly behind to be certain they were truly gone.
At last she stuck her head out the door. “They’ve left,” she announced.
The silence in the stableyard turned into an uproar. Ulin burst from his hiding place and rushed to Lucy. She was so relieved to see him safe and unharmed that she threw her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder. Pease dashed into the kitchen and came out with Bridget, both talking at once in high, excited voices. Innkeeper Aylesworthy climbed to his feet and leveled a ferocious glare at his groom.
Saorsha slowly straightened to her full, erect height. “That viscous brat of an ogre’s offspring,” she muttered as she examined the bleeding wound on the horse’s hip.
The silent bystanders in the stable spoke a few words to Pease then melted back into the darkness of the postern gate. Only Cosmo stayed to see the fun.
Lucy recovered from the shock of the moment and thrust herself away from Ulin. “Where have you been all day? I was worried sick!” she shouted at him over the hubbub in the inn yard. In a blink she switched her anger to the old mayor and added, “And you! What possessed you to tell that harpy I was your new sheriff? If she comes back here, she’ll expect me to be fulfilling my duties. I didn’t accept your offer!”
“We know that, dear,” Mayor Efrim replied. “I was simply trying to give you an official capacity that would allow me to offer her a bribe. We do it all the time.” His rheumy eyes glinted with a humorous twinkle. “The trick to dealing with those Dark Knights is to act as harmless and ineffectual as possible, then they don’t bother us very much.” He chuckled. “That’s why the council made me mayor.”
Lucy drew back and put her hands on her hips. “And is that why you want me to be sheriff? Because I look harmless and ineffectual?”
Aylesworthy tucked his hands in his belt and shook his head. “That was part of it. That Knight Officer you just met is one of the most arrogant and condescending harpies you will ever meet. If she hates men, she hates women more and considers any woman out of the Knighthood to be little more than trash.”
“But we know better,” Saorsha told her. “This town believes you to be fair-minded, courageous, and best of all, a sorceress. And this town is all that matters.”
Ulin crossed his arms and asked, “
Where did you get that bill of sale?”
Mayor Efrim grasped the paper between thumb and forefinger and gently waved it in the air. “The convenience of living in a town that collects many talents: false coiners, herbalists, con-men, pick-pockets, and forgerers. There is a talented young man, part elf I think, who can copy anything. He did this for us yesterday. We were going to give it to you for that horse as soon as it was convenient.”
“You mean as soon as I said yes,” Lucy remarked. “I feel like I’m being herded into a pen.”
Saorsha wiped her hands on the coarse apron tied around her waist and patted Lucy on the arm. Her smile was genuine when she offered it to the girl. “You have every right to refuse. We cannot force your hand, nor do we want to. A reluctant, resentful sheriff is no good to us. But please, Lucy, we need you. Just for a little while. Even if we can’t find your father or the money, there are still so many ways you could help.”
“To make amends, you mean,” Lucy grumbled.
Challie stamped out of the inn into the yard to join the conversation. “To be honest, Lucy, we did not think about the sheriff’s position at the time I left to find you. That idea came after the ambush on the caravan. When you handled the draconians and then the brigands so easily, we jumped at the chance to make you the offer.” She made a soft sound like a derisive snort. “In this town we take what we can get when we can get it. Even for a few weeks.”
Lucy looked at Ulin, her round face filled with confusion, but he did not know what to tell her. As much as he wanted to protect her, she was a grown woman and not yet married to him. Ultimately the decision was hers.
Lucy dropped her gaze to Challie, who merely shrugged, then she looked at the three town councilors and the kender who watched her hopefully. The whole idea seemed preposterous. What did she know about being a sheriff? She had come to this town to identify her father’s body, not capture brigands, settle fist fights, and face dragons. Yet hadn’t she already killed two draconians and been responsible for the capture of four brigands? She hadn’t been looking for trouble, but it had still found her. What if she could use her reputation to help these people, even for just a few weeks? How hard could it be? Her rational mind told her: Don’t be absurd. You’re not a law officer or a trained knight or anyone else truly capable of handling this job. True, her heart replied, but what a challenge!
Most of what she had said to Ulin that stormy night on the freighter had been a joke, but she had to admit to herself that the sentiments were drawn from the truth in her heart. She did miss the excitement and challenge of her studies in magic. Teaching children by day and serving beer at night did not compare to the fascinating and sometimes dangerous art of wielding magic. There was, too, a small and persistent part of her mind that trembled at the thought of marrying a Majere. What if she wasn’t worthy? How could she, a mere student and babysitter, hope to compare with someone like Ulin? She wanted to do something important, something that would prove to herself, if no one else, that she could be capable and strong enough to hold her head up among Caramon, Tika, Palin, Usha, Linsha, and most of all, Ulin. Perhaps this unlikely offer from the Flotsam City Council was what she needed.
As for her father, she was honorable enough to do her best to alleviate the consequences of his crime, but in the end, if circumstances came down to a final confrontation with Fyremantle or Malys, she would not endanger herself or Ulin. She owed him that much.
“I have several conditions,” she said at last.
Ulin swallowed a groan.
“Name them,” Aylesworthy assented.
“I want the authority to punish offenders as I see fit. I want the authority to hire deputies. I want your complete support and that substantial fee you mentioned. Last, if you are going to keep me busy here, I want you to make every effort to find my father. He deserves to be hanged.”
The councilmembers looked relieved. “That’s fair,” Mayor Efrim agreed.
Ulin drew a deep breath and resigned himself to Lucy’s decision. In his head he knew she was right, but his heart quailed at the danger she could be putting herself into. He put his hands on Lucy’s shoulder and drew her close. “I have a condition of my own to add,” he said, staring into her beautiful green eyes. “If you’re sure you want to do this, I will do everything I can to find your father, but I want your promise that we will leave for home after the festival whether I have found him or not.”
Lucy spit in her palm and held out her hand to him. “Deal.”
They shook on the solemn promise then turned to the trio of elders. The offer was accepted and the terms agreed upon.
Much to Lucy’s droll amazement, she was now the Sheriff of Flotsam.
It did not take long for news of Lucy’s appointment to spread through the town. As soon as day broke, a line of petitioners and curiosity seekers began to form at the Jetties’s front door. It grew progressively longer with every passing minute. Master Aylesworthy opened his doors early to the let the crowd into the common room, but he refused to let anyone talk to Lucy.
“In good time, my friends,” he told them all while his serving girls sold biscuits and cold ham and mugs of weak ale.
Councilwoman Saorsha and Mayor Efrim were more informative. They arrived in Saorsha’s pony cart two hours after sunrise just as the crowd in the inn was starting to grow restive. The councilwoman swept into the common room, Mayor Efrim trailing in her wake.
“You may see our new sheriff this afternoon at the Sheriff’s Office,” she informed everyone. “Not until then.” Over the groans and protests she had to shout to be heard. “We still have to swear her in. At noon on the steps of the city hall.”
Grumbling loudly, the crowd dispersed into the hot street until the common room was virtually empty, except for the three elders and two serving girls.
Pease burst in, a streak of boundless energy. “She’s up! She’s up! Challie says they’d like a tray.”
“Invite her to join us in here,” Alyesworthy instructed the kender.
“Them, you mean,” Mayor Efrim said gently.
“Yes, yes, of course. The whole lot.”
The kender took that, of course, to mean himself, too, and as soon as Lucy, Challie, and Ulin entered the common room and sat at Master Aylesworthy’s table, Pease grabbed the chair closest to Lucy and joined in.
“Lucy, I want to be your deputy,” he said in an enthusiastic voice.
Her weight had not even settled into the seat before he asked her. She didn’t answer right away but cast a look at the innkeeper to judge his reaction.
Aylesworthy gave him an emphatic shake of his head. “You already have enough to do. Your mother needs your help and—”
Pease’s noisy protest drowned him out.
“And,” Challie’s voice cut him off abruptly. “She already has a deputy. Me.”
Aylesworthy, Lucy, and Ulin turned to the dwarf in surprise. Her manner was usually quiet and reserved, yet she met their questioning eyes with a determined stare. “My duties as magistrate often coincide with that of sheriff. I can manage both, and I feel I owe you the help.”
“Thank you,” Lucy said. “I would like that.”
“But what about me?” insisted Pease. “I want to help, too!”
Lucy laughed. “You might be helpful with the festival. How about a compromise, if Master Aylesworthy is agreeable? You may be a deputy, but you’ll work only on the days your mother and the captain approve.”
The kender grinned winningly at the innkeeper. Aylesworthy paused for a long moment, and when he shrugged his acquiescence, his face was vaguely troubled.
Challie rolled her eyes while the kender cheered.
Well-fed by Bridget’s good cooking, the group left the Jetties at midmorning and made the long walk to the city hall. Townspeople, seeing their city councilors and the new lady sheriff, joined in until the small party became a noisy procession of kender on foot and donkeys, women of various professions, barbarians in their flowing robes, card players,
fishermen, farmers, shopkeepers, and sprinkled through the crowd walked several half-ogres, some elves, and a few dwarves—a fair representation of Flotsam’s population. Gossiping, laughing, and filled with curiosity, the spectators followed Lucy and her entourage to the old crumbling barracks where they stopped on the worn, stone steps.
Mayor Efrim raised his hand for silence. “My friends, if you can be patient, we will have the swearing-in ceremony at noon, and the Sheriff will begin her duties at that time.”
Numerous rowdy calls and shouts met his pronouncement, but the Mayor turned his back on the crowd and ushered Lucy, Challie, and Ulin inside.
Ulin hung back a little. This was Lucy’s day, and while he wanted to be with her, he did not want to get in the way. The last one through the door, he glanced back over his shoulder, wondering if the crowd would follow them into the building. He caught a glimpse of a tall man in faded robes speaking to the two half-ogres who had trailed the procession through town. Both rocklike faces nodded a quick assent, then the two figures climbed the stairs and took their places on either side of the door. Ulin’s gaze caught the eye of the man in the robes, and they nodded briefly to each other before Lysandros blended back into the crowd.
The mage turned back indoors, satisfied. Half-ogres were powerful and ferocious fighters. Most people would think twice about trying to force their way past them. The presence of the half-ogres satisfied Ulin on another level, too. While he didn’t entirely trust or like this resistance leader, he had a grudging respect for the half-elf’s courage, daring, and abilities. If the Silver Fox was going to be in the background, ready to lend his aid to Lucy, Ulin would feel easier about leaving her for the time it took to find Kethril Torkay. Reassured, he hurried to catch up with the group.
Once inside the big barracks, Mayor Efrim showed Lucy and her companions the courtyard in back, the old prison, and the ruined treasury.
Ulin stamped a roach into the dirt and asked a question he had thought of only now. “Where are those four brigands Lucy stopped the other day?”
Dragon's Bluff Page 13
