The Rambling Spy

by Mackenzie Morgan

  ~~~~

  Sunday morning Marcus got up early to help Thom move the windows and frames from his shed to the building site. Morris wanted the chapel finished before the shipment of furniture arrived. The interior walls weren’t up yet, but Morris wanted to put the windows in while Marcus was there to help them, so that was their goal for the weekend.

  “Has Caleb talked to you about the man who delivered these windows?” Thom asked as they loaded windows and frames onto the back of his wagon.

  “He said it was the man with the key.”

  “If I hadn’t been looking at Mikos when Caleb said he was in the woods that night, I wouldn’t have paid any attention to it. Pure panic flashed across the man’s face. He recovered quickly though. I don’t think Father saw anything.”

  “How did it come up? Did he just blurt it out?”

  Thom shook his head and told Marcus about the conversation.

  “How about the second man? Did he react?”

  “Not that I saw. He didn’t pause before saying they hadn’t been anywhere near here that night, that they wouldn’t have even known about the raid if I hadn’t told them one night in the tavern. Caleb didn’t want to let it go, so Father changed the subject.”

  “Do you think Mikos was the man in the woods?” Marcus asked.

  Thom shrugged. “I don’t know. The first time I saw them was maybe two weeks after the raid, but they just spent the night and moved on. We barely spoke. The next time I saw them was when I ran into them in the tavern and told them about the raid, but I don’t remember either of them asking any questions. I did all the talking, but I know I said you lived in Milhaven and worked for Myron.” After a moment, Thom asked, “Do you think they’re the ones who told Gwendolyn about you?”

  “I have no idea, and even if he is the man with the key, I’m not sure I’d recognize him, but it’s worth checking out. When will they be back?”

  “I don’t know. They said their route’s on the northern end of West River, that the man who usually handles this end couldn’t make this one so they did it for him.”

  Marcus frowned. “Has the river been divided into territories? Is there someone in particular who makes deliveries here?”

  “Not to my knowledge. Usually we order from someone and they make the delivery arrangements, same as Father does when someone orders something from him.”

  “Who does Morris get?”

  “Me. His deliveries are local.”

  Marcus laughed. “That’s not a lot of help.”

  “No, but we’ll have a shipment of furniture coming in soon. I can see who makes that delivery. Do you want me to ask any questions?”

  Marcus thought for a minute and nodded. “If it’s the same two men, find out where they’re heading when they leave here. If it’s someone else, see if they know anything about these two, like where they’re from.”

  “What are you planning to do?

  “I’m not sure, maybe nothing. But if I do decide to check this man out, I’ll need to know where to start looking.”

  ~~~~

  After delivering the windows in Bridgeport, Mikos and Devron had headed back up the river. Carson had arranged for them to pick up several orders and deliver them to various towns on their way north, and a couple of those deliveries were to a dry goods store in Chadsport, twenty miles north of Myerston.

  Shortly after lunch Monday, they tied up at the dock in Chadsport. “I’ll let them know we’re here and see if I can borrow a wagon,” Mikos said. “Be back in a little while.”

  “I may not be here,” Devron said. “I’m going to the tavern and see if I hear anything interesting.”

  “Like what?”

  “You never know. Someone might be looking to buy a boat.”

  “You’re just looking for an excuse to go get some scog.”

  “Well, there’s that, too.”

  After Mikos left for the store, Devron set off for the tavern. The town wasn’t large, not by Hendon Port standards, but it was larger than Myerston and the tavern was always busy. As he settled down at one of the tables with his scog, he listened to conversations around him. For a while everything he heard dealt with farming. Then two men came in and sat down near him. Although one was obviously passing through, the other had to be local since nearly every person in the tavern greeted him. Devron tuned into their conversation to see if they had anything interesting to say.

  “So, did anything of interest come up at the ministers’ conference?” the local man asked.

  “Several things. For one, Governor Karl wants to know how many villages and settlements are without the services of a sister. That’s the main reason I’m here.”

  “Why? We have a chapel.”

  “I know, but between you and the local sister, we should be able to figure out where clinics might be needed around here.”

  The town director thought for a moment. “I can help with the local area, but that’s it.”

  The other man nodded. “That’s fine. I’ve already talked to several other directors and sisters, and I’m not the only one doing this. By the time we’re done, we should have the whole district covered.”

  “They’re not planning to take our sister away, are they?”

  “No, they want chapel aides to staff the clinics. That’s another reason I need to talk to your local sister, to see if she’s trained anyone who might be willing to do it.”

  “Her aides are fairly young. I’m not sure how well trained they are at this point.”

  “But she’s trained others in the past, women who left the chapel to get married and raise their children, right?”

  The town director nodded. “Several. Sort of discouraging I imagine. She puts all that time and effort into training them and once they’re trained and could be some help, they leave.”

  “Those are the ones we’re looking for, ones who’ve left, raised their children, and might be ready for something new.”

  The town director nodded. “Anything else come out of that meeting?”

  “Well, there’s one more thing that might affect you. Does this town have any slaves?”

  The town director frowned. “You mean does anyone around here own slaves? No one around here has that kind of money.”

  “What about the town. Do you use slaves to fill out your army squad?”

  The town director shook his head. “Being so far inland, we don’t worry too much about fighting. Almost every man in town belongs to the squad, so we hit our number pretty easily. But we spend more time in here than on the practice field during training sessions. Why?”

  “Governor Karl wants Camden to be slave free, and he’s told the ministers to come up with a plan to run their districts without slaves. I was going to tell you to find a way to fill out your squad without slaves, but since you don’t have any, no problem.”

  For a few minutes the two men drank their scog in silence. Then the man from the minister’s office asked, “You heard about the slaver raid down near Bridgeport last winter, didn’t you?”

  “You mean it really happened? I figured it was just a wild story making the rounds. Bridgeport’s too far inland for raids. How did they expect to get away?”

  “They had a seated sorcerer’s key.”

  “A key?! Then they could hit anywhere, even here!”

  The other man nodded. “But you don’t have to worry about it. Myron took care of it.”

  “How?”

  “From what Governor Karl said, the other seated sorcerer challenged him to a duel and lost.”

  “But they still have a key, the heir I mean.”

  “True, but they’re not using it in the slave business anymore, at least not as far as anyone knows. But this is why the people in Milhaven are determined we’re going to be slave free. Myron’s taking a stand against slavery, just like Badec did, only Myron’s taking it a bit farther. From what I understand, he went into the other sorcerer’s castle and rescued all the captives he could find. That’s why the other s
orcerer challenged him.”

  The town director exhaled a low whistle. “No wonder he wants to be able to say there are no slaves in Camden. What about at the castle? Are they going to free the slaves who work there?”

  “There aren’t any.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Every person who works at the castle is free. None of them are slaves.”

  “Did he free them before or after he rescued the captives?”

  “From what Minister Montuck said, there haven’t been any slaves working at the castle in years, since long before Myron took over.”

  “Seriously?”

  The man from the minister’s office nodded. “Are you ready to go? I’d like to talk to the sister before she starts her afternoon clinic.”

  The town director nodded and turned up his mug. A few minutes later the two men left.

  Devron gave them a few minutes to get out of the tavern before he left. As he hurried towards the dock, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d heard. They had to have been talking about Gwendolyn. He couldn’t believe she was dead. Did that mean it was safe for them to go home? Or was it more dangerous now? Who was her heir?

  Devron shook his head. No need to try to figure that out. Surely Mikos would know.

  Mikos. Devron slowed down a bit. He was going to have to tell him his mother was dead. Mikos might have been afraid of her, might have even hated her, but the woman was still his mother. Might be better to wait until they were out of town to tell him.

  ~~~~

  Devron waited until they were well out of Chadsport and headed north to tell Mikos what he’d heard about Gwendolyn.

  Mikos didn’t say anything for several minutes. Then he sighed. “I’m sure I’m supposed to feel something, but I don’t.”

  “It’s not like the two of you were close,” Devron said.

  Mikos snorted. “No. And it’s not like she was really a mother either. She gave me birth and handed me off to someone else. The next time I saw her was fifteen years later when she said since I had no magic, I’d have to find some other way to make myself useful and sent me to study under her business manager. I can’t remember his name. I wasn’t with him six months before she killed him and put someone else in charge. And that’s the way it went for the next few years.” Mikos paused. “I was wrong. I do feel something now that she’s gone. I feel relief.”

  “Do you have any idea who’s in charge in Landoryn now?”

  Mikos shrugged. “I’d imagine it’s Alastar, but I’m not sure. She didn’t exactly include me in her plans.”

  “Isn’t he the oldest?”

  Mikos nodded. “And the only one she bothered to arrange an apprenticeship for. I think he arranged apprenticeships for the others, but since I don’t have any magic in my blood, I wasn’t involved.”

  “How well do you know him?”

  “Not well at all,” Mikos said. “Why?”

  “I was wondering if we should let him know where we are and ask him to come get us.”

  Mikos laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant laugh. “If he knows I lost Mother’s key, and I’m sure he does if he’s the one in charge now, he’d be more likely to kill us than pick us up. No, I don’t think that would work.”

  Devron nodded. “I was afraid of that. All right, back to our original plan. We’ll find someone who’ll trade a wagon and a couple of horses for the boat and head south.”

  Chapter 21

  Back in Milhaven

  The next Tuesday, things were quiet around the office so Chris joined Darrell for a workout after lunch. While they were sparring, Darrell asked Chris if he carried a backup dagger.

  Chris shook his head and held up the one he’d gotten from Paladin when they’d first arrived on Terah. “This is it. Why?”

  “You need at least one more.”

  Chris frowned. “Why?”

  “It’s too easy to lose one. If you had to throw it, you’d be left defenseless.”

  Chris laughed. “I’m not that good at hitting what I aim at. I’m not throwing my dagger away. It’s staying right here where it belongs, in my hand.”

  “Let me ask you something. When Gwendolyn’s guards searched you for weapons, how well did they search?”

  “They checked my waist and around my forearms, but that was it. Why?”

  “If you’d had a dagger or two in your boots you’d have had a weapon on you while you were in that dungeon.”

  Chris thought for a moment. “It would have been nice to know I had one on me, not that I could have done much with it under the circumstances, but at least I wouldn’t have felt quite so helpless.”

  “Then let’s go to Tolliver’s and get you a spare.” Darrell put his dagger away. “I need to wash up a bit and change clothes first.” He looked at Chris. “And so do you. Meet me at the stable when you’re ready.”

  An hour later, Darrell and Chris rode into Milhaven. When they got to Tolliver’s, Nan was the only one in the store.

  “What can I do for you?” she asked as she stepped behind the counter. “Something for a lady friend perhaps?”

  Darrell laughed. “Not today. We’re looking for a dagger that’ll fit in a boot, and we’ll need a sheath, too.”

  Nan led them to a display case on the other side of the store. “Then you’ll want one of these.”

  “I don’t think so,” Chris said. “Those are dainty, feminine.”

  “Only because they’re small.” Nan picked up a slim dagger with a crossguard that extended a quarter of an inch on each side of the blade. “But you need something little if you want to hide it in your boot. Anything much larger would ruin the line of the boot and be obvious. And it would get uncomfortable, too.”

  Chris fingered the little dagger. “It looks like something Joan or Theresa would carry.”

  Darrell laughed. “Have you seen the dagger Joan carries? It would make at least two of those, and Theresa doesn’t carry one. She has her pendant, which is bigger than that dagger.”

  “But it looks delicate, like something a woman would wear strapped to her thigh, under a dinner dress.”

  “And it would work just fine for that,” Nan said. “Doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, if you want a dagger that you can wear without anyone knowing you have it, this is the one you need.”

  Darrell nodded. “She’s right, and besides, it’s a spare. No one will see it unless your life’s in danger, and at that point, who cares what it looks like as long as it saves your life.”

  Chris continued to finger the dagger. “I’ll need to practice with it, to get used to the feel of it. I’ve used heavier knives to butter my bread. I’m not sure how well this would hold up in a fight.”

  “Tell you what,” Darrell said as he took the dagger out of Chris’s hand. “Buy it. We’ll try it out a few times. Then, if you decide it won’t work for you, I’ll buy it from you and you can get another one.”

  “Do you need a new dagger?” Chris asked.

  “No, but you can never have too many weapons.” Darrell flipped the little dagger up and down with his fingertips, “And this one has a good feel to it, good balance, and it’s got a fine edge. It’ll make a good backup weapon.” He looked at Nan. “We’ll need a sheath. Do you have one this small?”

  Nan went back to the counter and pulled a box of sheaths out from under it. She rummaged around in the box for a few minutes and then held up a slim soft leather case. “Try this one.”

  Chris slid the little dagger into the sheath. It was a perfect fit. When he nodded, Nan held out her hand, so Chris put the dagger and sheath in it. Nan took a strip of thin leather and cut enough for two straps, one for the top of the sheath and one for the bottom.

  When Nan started to sew the straps in place, Chris said, “You don’t need to do that. I can do it.”

  Nan looked at him as she continued to sew. “Don’t you want to try it on and see how it fits?”

  “I guess so,” Chris said hesitantly. “Are you sure you
don’t mind?”

  “All part of the service.” Nan tied off the thread on the top strap, quickly attached the bottom one, and handed the sheath and dagger back to Chris. “See if it fits all right.”

  Chris took his boot off, tied the straps over his leggings, and put the boot back on. He could barely feel it. “How does it look?” he asked Darrell.

  “Fine. I can’t see it, and that’s what you want.”

  “But how does it feel?” Nan asked. “Can you feel the stitching? Does the point of the dagger hit your ankle? Things like that matter if you’re going to wear it. Walk around the store a bit and see how it feels.”

  Chris walked back and forth to the door a few times. “I know it’s there, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s not rubbing or poking anywhere. I think it’ll work.”

  Nan nodded. “I’ll write it up and send the bill to Cryslyn. Notice how it does when you’re riding home though. Sometimes that can make them rub.”

  Chris frowned. “How do you know?”

  “I wear one.” Nan pulled her skirt up. Chris could see the handle of her dagger sticking out of her boot. “I don’t have to wear it as low in my boot as you do. My skirts hide it.”

  “Have you always worn one?” Darrell asked, wondering if getting captured by the slavers had caused her to start.

  “Since I was fourteen. My father insisted. And if the slavers hadn’t attacked while I was in bed, I’d have had it on me when they came crashing through the front door. But as it was, I couldn’t get to it before they were in the bedroom. Now I sleep with it under my pillow.” Nan shrugged. “If it had been under my pillow that night they’d never have taken me alive. I probably would have died, but I’d have taken a couple of them with me.”

  Darrell nodded and turned to Chris. “Ready to go?”

  After Chris thanked Nan for sewing the straps on for him, they made their way out of the store. As they untied their horses, Darrell said, “It’s time for dinner. Want to go to Fenway’s?” When Chris hesitated, Darrell said, “Come on. I’m hungry and the food’s good.”