“Great, I will leave the village today. I cannot delay any longer.”
“I would like to ask one more question before you leave, my lord,” he said and rubbed his hanging double chin.
“Spit it out, I don’t have much time.”
“How the hell did it happen that your lordship was the only one surviving the battle, moreover, without a scratch? I have heard what you had said before but could you please detail how the whole thing happened?”
Look at that, a suspecting mind, I had to watch out. I had always been a great actor, I didn’t find it difficult to make up a story, so I quickly improvised one.
“I will tell you Father, to satisfy your curiosity. We had simply underestimated the little maggot! He dumped a huge rock on us as we were mounting upwards, this instantly drifted some of us away. Then he withered about half of the soldiers alive using some dreadful magic, it was not pretty to look at, you can believe me. In the end, he kept casting lightning at us. Hrindel had sacrificed himself so that I could approach him, this is how I could cut his head. Why didn’t I get injured? It might have been for the protecting eyes of our gods that were following me, I don’t know.”
“This might happen, my lord. We cannot change the past but back in the castle I will have to say something to the families of the deceased who will never see their beloved again.”
“You can tell them that they died in a heroic battle, fighting valiantly for their lord.” I put my hands on the wide, soft shoulders of the priest. “And now, Father, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get prepared, I am leaving soon.”
“Take care, sir! Many have been killed over the last few days. The Baroness would be heartbroken if something terrible were to happen to you too.”
“I will be safe! Calm Kirona down when you see her. You can expect my arrival within three days at the latest.”
“I will deliver your message. Have a blessed journey, my lord!”
I took some nourishment and drinks with me and mounted my horse. Before leaving, I shouted to the villagers who were disputing over the head of the goblin.
“It is yours, you can do whatever you want with it. I have kept my word as your lord! Now I take my leave as I have other obligations to fulfill. May the gods protect you all!”
“May the gods bless the Baron, thank you for helping us!” the women were shouting to me gratefully as I left the village.
I headed north, spurring my chestnut horse to go at a trot. I could finally be alone again, without the company of the annoying humans. The memories told me that the castle of Baron Yuraj wasn’t too far away from the mine, in the middle of a small lake. My plan did expose my life to certain danger, but I had done all the protective measures to return to Rockclaw alive, and to me, this was the most important. The harvest ball was approaching which was going to be a turning point in our strategy. I wouldn’t have wanted this damn baron to disturb it in any way. I was going to make an offer that he couldn’t refuse. Therefore, I was riding ahead confidently on the winding road amidst hills and forests. The sun was glaring bright in the blue sky. It was the last weeks of the summer and the sun was scorching. The cuirass and the thicker garment that served to cushion the cuirass heated up considerably and soon fat drops of sweat were rolling down my forehead. I took deep sips from my water bottle to alleviate my thirst. This province was a remote area within the duchy. I barely bumped into humans or any other races, not that I minded at all. The scenery had changed, trees grew scarcer and the forests soon were exchanged by green pastures. Mounting one of the hills, I glimpsed at a pale-blue lake in the valley unfolding before my eyes. A huge towering building was constructed in the middle of the lake, surrounded by resilient walls. The whole complex must have been half the size of Rockclaw. The only entrance to the castle was a massive wooden bridge supported by stakes, its length must have reached up to sixty yards. Flags depicting twin mermaids were hovering in the soft breeze on the top of the towers. The memories told me that it was the home of Baron Yuraj. A small village was built on the shore of the lake, surrounded by countless cattle-grids where the villagers bred all sorts of livestock. As I descended the hill, my way was blocked by a herd of cows. The browsing herd was guarded by a few wildly barking dogs and two peasants. The cows mooed and sluggishly stepped away as I passed through them. The lads in straw hats who guarded the animals were looking at me suspiciously but they didn’t have the courage to speak up. Looking at my garments and my armor, even a blind could see that I was of noble origin.
Reaching the valley, I headed towards the massive wooden bridge. I could see it in the corner of my eyes that three horsemen were approaching rapidly from my right. They reached me before I arrived to the bridge. The warrior in the middle was wearing a cuirass and a long sword at his side, his face was covered by a thick beard. His strict look didn’t suggest much good and with the horsemen wearing plate armor, they immediately surrounded me.
“Stop right there, sir! This is the land of Baron Yuraj! Who are you and what are your intentions?” the bearded warrior addressed me on his rearing horse.
“I am Baron Telron Muran and I came to your lord regarding a business matter.”
“I apologize, sir, I didn’t recognize you! I am Lieutenant Zerdan, commander of the scouts. I have not been informed about your arrival.”
“You couldn’t have been since I came without notice, Lieutenant.”
“Completely alone, without an escort?”
“I can take care of myself, soldier! Don’t take up more of my time, take me to your lord right away!”
“Well, alright sir. Please follow us,” bridling its prancing, snorting horse, he went forward, still surrounding me with his soldiers.
We crossed the bridge together with my escorts, the hoofs of the horses were tramping loudly on the planks. Two guards with halberds made the iron gate lifted up for our arrival and stood straight to salute us. The court of the castle looked quite small compared to the fortress of Rockclaw. We headed to its centre which was a larger tower with thick walls. We dismounted our horses when we arrived and a few stable-boys rushed to us to take the reins to lead the horses away.
“My lord is not keen on having unexpected visitors, so you might not receive the warmest welcome, Baron Telron.” the lieutenant squared his shoulders.
“I won’t be the least bothered, believe me, but the matter that is behind my visit is highly important and allows no delay!”
“In that case, please, stay here with the soldiers. I will go upstairs and notify the lord of your arrival.”
I nodded in agreement. He turned around and disappeared at the entrance of the tower. In the yard, servants were carrying out their regular duties. One strong lad was pulling water from the well, the stable-boys were taking hay to the feeding trough, and a stout woman was hurrying outside the gate with baskets loaded with clothes under her arms. The soldiers beside me were waiting silently, sometimes glancing at me, but whenever I looked at them, they quickly looked the other way. Soon, the lieutenant emerged at the door.
“Baron Yuraj is ready to accept you. Please follow me.”
Zerdan was leading me upstairs through endless steps, up to the uppermost floor. The guards opened a door at the end of the corridor and it swung open. On the left side, three people were sitting at a huge table. The sunbeams of the late afternoon shed mystical lights in the room, dust was swirling in the light. A bald man was sitting at the end of the table, his beard neatly trimmed, his age slightly superior to Telron’s. His cold, steel-blue look felt like penetrating the one he looked at, his earlobes were rather big and projecting. He was wearing a light hazel-colored tunic and a golden medallion was hanging around his neck. On his right side, a young man was seated, at first sight he must have been an offspring of the old man, their eyes and earlobes looked alike. He was wearing a steel-riveted leather jerkin and a longsword was buckled on his side. A bushy red-bearded dwarf was sitting opposite them in a lavish bordeaux velvet jerkin.
“Gentlemen
, Baron Telron Muran, our guest,” the lieutenant introduced me.
“We know who he is, Zerdan, you may leave now,” said the bald man in the middle when he turned to me. “Greetings, Baron Telron! Accept my apology for my soldier not having recognized you. But, what can you expect from the simple-minded,” he opened his arms.
“No bother, Yuraj. He didn’t take much of my time.”
“Please, have a seat, for we are neighbors,” the man grinned, exposing his yellow teeth.
Being a good guest, I seated opposite him at the large mahogany table.
“Let me introduce you to my son, Ruzand,” he turned to the younger lad wearing a leather jerkin who stared at me with a distrustful, shifty look. “Opposite him, my other guest is Sandaled Fergund from the clan of the Goldenaxes. So, what has brought you here?”
“Let’s forget about the formalities, Yuraj. We both know that you wanted to kill me not that long ago. It came to my knowledge that you were behind the murder attempt at the Goldenbeam inn.”
“You have well cut to the chase, neighbor. What proof do you have? This seems like accusation to me, my dear friend!” he raised his voice.
“What a shameless man this is, father! He barges in here and accuses you in our own home!” the lad interrupted, smacking the table.
“These are not mere accusations, son! One of the assassins admitted that they got commissioned by a dwarf, who, what a surprise, came from the clan of the Goldenaxes,” I pointed at the bushy-bearded dwarf who was looking at Yuraj with a slanted face, then he cleared his throat and started to speak.
“Baron Telron! You have either gone mad to come here alone and inculpate us, or you have come to make an offer. Am I right?” he pulled his typically thick dwarfish eyebrows together.
“You are right, sir. Since I constantly feel that my life is in danger, I have grown tired of always looking backwards. Hence, I have decided to come to you personally, Baron Yuraj, to arrange this case once and forever.”
“Well, I am listening, neighbor,” Yuraj said, his steel blue eyes glared with interest.
“My offer is the following: In exchange for precious stones worth one thousand gold, I will renounce my rights to the mine in your favor.”
They all burst out in laughter. I waited with a strict face until they finished.
“I am sorry, Telron, I haven’t had such a good laugh for a long while!” Yuraj wiped his teary eyes. “I didn’t know you were such a funny bloke. But seriously, you come here unannounced, you accuse us of planning a murder attack against you, then you have demands! Have you grown tired of this life?”
“I might have but I may have also come to my senses. So, what do you say to my offer?”
“What would you say, dear neighbor, if I simply grabbed you, had you tied by my soldiers and thrown you into the lake around my castle so that I may watch you drown from the parapet? You can believe me that the lake has seen many a bandit find their fate under its dark waters.”
I felt it on his steel-blue gaze that he was being serious. This is the time that I had to convince him about the opposite, otherwise my bold adventure might end up ugly.
“You can do that but I have prepared for this possibility. Kirona knows everything, if I am not back within a few days, she will turn to Duke Orlond and accuse you of my murder. I believe you wouldn’t want the investigators to leave you with no peace and to find out whether you had something to do with my disappearance. The word of truth is a powerful spell.”
“Is this how you think of me, neighbor?” the Baron rubbed his beard and looked at Fergund. “Let’s talk about that offer of yours. I will definitely not pay you a thousand gold worth of precious stones. I will trust my merchant friend to carry out the negotiations, for he is the professional.”
I knew that he chose the member of the Goldenaxes for this purpose because it would be them who would actually use the mine, as I had learnt before. The Baron would merely provide them with the rights to mine. Most likely it was also them who would have to pay me. Fergund leaned forward and squared his shoulders to exude more confidence towards me.
“What would you say to seven hundred, Baron?” he was nervously drumming on the table with his short fingers.
“This seems rather low. I thought of at least nine hundred.”
“That is unacceptable, my final offer is eight hundred dorens.”
“Let’s agree halfway on eight-hundred and fifty.”
He moaned a little under his beard but following a short consideration, he began to speak.
“Let that be eight-hundred and fifty then. Five hundred in precious stones and the remaining three hundred and fifty in gold.”
“Alright, I accept your offer. Let’s sign the agreement as soon as possible.”
“We will do so, Telron. I am glad that you finally gave in and you get rid of that mine that causes so much trouble,” said Yuraj.
“There is another thing, neighbor. If you dare to attempt to murder me once again, I will consider it an open proclamation of war and I swear I will burn your castle and your lands to the ground, together with you in it!”
“Calm down, Telron. God save me from acting so inconsiderately. After signing this agreement, I think we can maintain a good relationship. I would rather suggest that we drink to peace and good-neighborliness,” he looked around with a pervasive look. He clapped twice and a servant girl entered the hall, bringing a wine jug and glasses on a tray.
“To the bottom!” Yuraj raised his glass and gulped down the delicious beverage and we followed.
“My people will prepare the paperwork, we will both sign it in the morning, you will get the money and we can bid farewell in peace,” the host outlined the plan.
“Regarding the property rights, I have one condition though.”
“What would that be, Telron?”
“Officially, you can get hold of the mine and the village after the harvest ball the earliest.”
“This is a rather odd request but I will survive those two weeks somehow, Telron,” he rubbed his chin. “I believe you will spend the night here. I will have the servants prepare a room for you.”
“Thank you. If you excuse me now, I would like to retreat, I have had a dreadful day.”
“As you wish. We will meet in the morning to sign the agreement and then you can leave.”
“Don’t forget about the money, Yuraj! Three hundred and fifty golden dorens and the precious stones.” I stood up from the table.
“Naturally. You know me, I keep my word,” he smiled.
I knew he was a vile shite, but he wouldn’t have killed me in his own home and I already had plans for the journey back. It was early evening and I went to rest my weary eyes. I was looking forward to the dawn and to finally leave this unfriendly place behind. The evening passed rather quietly, nobody wanted to slit my throat, although it is true that I shivered to all noises.
In the morning, I finally met Yuraj, his son, and Fergund again. I read the agreement written on buff leather, and since I found everything all right, I signed both copies in the presence of two witnesses. The dwarf pulled out a small pouch and put it on the table in front of me.
“This is your remuneration that we have agreed upon, sir,” he folded his curt fingers.
I opened the pouch and looked inside and I took a smaller and a bigger deer leather sachet from it. Emeralds and sapphires of various size glittered in the smaller one and golden dorens clacked to each other in the other.
“You can see, Telron, I keep my promises. Your recompense is here to the last piece, you may count it, if you wish!” said Yuraj contentedly.
“I don’t want to take up your time any longer. The weight of the bag is appropriate, I wouldn’t count it now. The precious stones seem real to me. I would like to set off and return to Rockclaw as soon as possible.”
“There is no problem about that, neighbor. But if you allow me, I would like to send my son and four of my soldiers to escort you as your guards until you reach the
borders of my province. I wouldn’t want you to be robbed here and then be accused of being behind it,” he grinned with his yellow teeth.
“I can assure you, Baron, that you will be safe while you are escorted by me and the soldiers of my father, as far as the borders,” the boy said proudly.
“Well, as for me, we might as well leave now,” I replied with no further ado.
I put my copy of the agreement away. I shook hands with the Baron and the dwarf and we left the lake fortress behind, together with my escort. I knew they didn’t want to let me go with so much money and a trap was awaiting me somewhere. The only question remained, where and when did they want to attack me?
“I am glad that you have managed to reach an agreement with my father, sir. I wouldn’t have thought that this would ever happen,” the young Yuraj broke the silence.
“I thought the time has come to end the bad neighborliness between our families. This seemed to me a perfect opportunity to visit you unexpectedly with this offer. I was at least hopeful that your father wouldn’t reject me.”
“My father is a rational man, even if I don’t agree with him at times. Can you see those hills there, sir?” he asked, pointing ahead.
“Of course.”
“We will escort you to that point and then we will return, that is already your territory.”
“Yes, Ruzand, I can recognize the borders of my land.”
After riding for about a good hour, we reached the hilly area. A fresh morning breeze drifted in the air as we mounted the hills.
“This is the time to bid farewell, Baron Telron! Take care on your way home! We could escort you only up to this point.”
“I will take care. Farewell to you!”
I spurred my horse and rushed down the hill following a trade route to ride inside the forest below. I knew that this wasn’t over yet. Yuraj had always been two-faced according to the memories of the Baron. The road would not be easy on the way home. I had already devised how to counter their plan. I made sure that nobody was following me and rode off the road into the depth of the forest. I took my armour off and hid it under a bush. I quickly looked for a hollow tree and carefully hid the valuable content of my bag into one of its hollows. I changed my appearance to a young wanderer that I had been once in the past. I made my cloak and trousers look dirty, got on my horse and returned to the main road. I proceeded at a calm pace. The road seemed quite abandoned, I only encountered one carriage transporting wood. After about half an hour, galloping horsemen emerged from behind and they soon caught up with me. They might have been half a dozen soldiers, all wearing pitch-black cloaks and plate armor with ornamented swords on their sides.
Faceless: The Takeover (The Shapeshifters Book 1) Page 17
