Kelven's Riddle Book Two

by Daniel Hylton

  “Captain, now.” Aram corrected him. “Are you a reasonable man?”

  “More reasonable than him, my lord.” Whittle answered, indicating the ruin of Fraw with a shake of his head. He headed for the door in anticipation of Aram’s next question. “I’ll go get the trinkets.”

  Later, at supper in Mullen’s neat but ramshackle house, Aram found his host gazing at him in mild wonderment. He looked up and met the gaze of the droopy eyes.

  “How did you do it, my lord?”

  “Do what, Mullen?”

  “See the cloth.” Mullen shook his head slowly. “I admit, my lord, when you told me to place it there as a signal, I thought it was just a ruse more than anything else.”

  “A ruse?” Aram frowned at him.

  “To get you out of town with a flourish – it happens a lot in this place. I really didn’t think that you would actually know that it was there. How did you know?”

  Aram looked down at his plate for a moment and decided to answer the question indirectly. “This town will never be out of my sight again, Mullen. It is important to me now. When you place the red cloth, I will know of it.” He looked up. “I know that I asked you this before, but – how good of a man are you?”

  Mullen shrugged. “Not as good as I ought to be, but decent, I suppose. You’re not going to answer my question, are you, my lord?”

  “No.” Aram pushed his plate away. “I want to know that I can trust you, Mullen.”

  Mullen looked pained. “I speak the truth when I say that I ought to be a better man, my lord, but I am trustworthy; and I am glad you have come to claim this town as your own – we are all the better for it. For my part, I gladly declare my fealty to you.”

  Aram gazed into the droopy eyes and saw no dishonesty. “Will you help us unload the steel when it comes and prepare it for transport?”

  “If it comes, yes.”

  “I will watch those ships just as I watch this town, Mullen. They will deliver my steel or they will face justice.”

  Mullen raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

  “After the steel comes, I am going on a journey, Mullen, to the far side of my lands. I will not be able to respond, but these men will. Findaen will come with an army, if necessary. So don’t hesitate to signal.”

  Aram felt the eyes of the Derosans on him as he related this information. He knew that they were curious and confused but none said anything. Mullen nodded his obedience to the instructions. Aram continued.

  “How soon will another ship make port, do you think?”

  If nothing else, Mullen was a quick study. “My lord, if you are worried that you may need to come here every few weeks, let me set your mind at ease. The privateers are a small society, and though they often fight and cheat one another – they talk as well. By the time another week passes, every man jack among them will know what happened to Burkhed and Fraw. I don’t think that we will be troubled for a while. And as long as you let them continue to use this port, they will come to accept the new state of things. Besides, Burkhed and Fraw were two of the worst among them.”

  Aram nodded. “Thank you, Mullen. Get a grip on the town – manage it well – but don’t change things much. As long as visitors to this port listen to you and don’t cheat the citizenry, I will let things be as they are.”

  Once again, Mullen gazed at this tall dark man from the north as if he saw something new and marvelous. “Thank you, my lord. I will do as you say.”

  “Then we will be on our way in the morning. Place the red cloth when the steel comes.”’

  As they rode north the next day, Findaen pulled his mount, Andaran, up beside Aram and Thaniel. “My lord?”

  Aram looked at him. “What is it, Findaen?”

  “This journey you spoke of – will you go alone?”

  “Yes.”

  “May I ask its purpose?”

  In answer, Aram pointed westward across the hills toward the vast rolling plains beyond. “If I am to prosecute a war against Manon – with the purposes of freeing more of our people and establishing defensible frontiers far away from Derosa, then I must get to know more of the world than just that tiny bit of it that lies outside my door, Findaen.” He tapped a finger against his forehead. “I have to put it all in here – rivers, mountains, plains, towns, and cities. I need to know where they are and how the land lies. So – I’m going to go see.”

  “Alone.”

  Aram nodded. “Alone – yes – except for Thaniel, Alvern, and Durlrang. There is no need for anyone else to come.” He leveled a meaningful glance at Findaen. “I will need you to stay and manage things in my absence – in case you had other thoughts.”

  Findaen grimaced. “I did have other thoughts, my lord. Many of us – well, all of us feel that you take too many risks. It is time that others took up some of these more dangerous tasks in your stead. As a matter of fact, I would like to tag along – extra set of eyes, extra sword hand, you know.”

  “And who would be in charge of things here?”

  Findaen shrugged. “Donnick, Jonwood – even Wamlak or Mallet. And my father will be here.”

  “No. Findaen, you are a natural leader of men – and you are the son of the prince. I want you here. If there is a need for men to return to Durck and settle trouble, it will fall to you to choose those who will go with you to handle the situation.” Aram looked over at his future brother-in-law. “Besides, my friend, I am well used to traveling unheard and unseen through strange country – I’ve done it for years. It is the last time, no doubt, that it will be necessary. When the steel comes, and Arthrus is at work, then I will go.”

  “Alone.”

  “Yes.”

  They rode in silence for a while and then Aram glanced back over at him. “Where is Stell?”

  Findaen twisted around in his saddle and looked slightly southwest. They had crossed the pass between the two valleys and the hills to the west were falling away and diminishing into the plains. He pointed. “A hundred miles perhaps that way. The river that flows out from the valley of Derosa is called the Weser. About fifty miles southwest of the gate, it joins with Broad River. Fifty miles south of that junction, it turns back southeastward, toward the sea. The ancient capitol of Stell lies across its banks – most of the city lies on this side, but a good portion of it is on the west.”

  “What happened at Stell?”

  “It was overrun by lashers and gray men – in my father’s time, when he was a boy. I’ve actually never seen it.”

  “Did most of the citizens escape?”

  “No. The enemy came suddenly. My grandfather led a small army to the west of the city to try to buy time for the people to escape. Ralphon – who was prince at the time – led a portion of the citizens northeast to Derosa and then returned for the others. My father was just a boy at the time and was among those that escaped along with Ralphon’s two daughters. But many people refused to leave, hoping that the army would stop Manon’s forces.” He went suddenly silent, causing Aram to glance at him curiously.

  Findaen had an odd look on his face. “You know, my lord, at that time my people thought that Manon was just some prince of one of the western cities who wished to expand his holdings. The battle of Stell was the first time anyone had seen lashers. My father says that that is when they began to suspect that the grim lord was something more – hideous.

  “Anyway, many people stayed, refusing to leave their homes, so Ralphon went out to join my grandfather with the army. The army was slaughtered and the city overrun. If anyone survived, they – or their descendents – are in slavery there to this day. The countryside around Stell is some of the finest farmland in the world. I’ve no doubt that Manon understands its value.”

  “I want to see it.”

  Findaen’s face was a study in sincerity. “I can take you there, my lord.”

  Aram smiled. “Nice try, my friend. I will find it on my own and take stock of its situation during my travels.”

  “And you’re goi
ng alone.”

  “As I said.”

  Twenty Four

  The steel arrived two weeks later. One morning as Aram was watching the cavalry wheel and turn across the plains; Palus descended from the sky and hovered on the wind. Aram looked up at him.

  “What is it, Palus?”

  “Lord Alvern informed me, my lord, that you expected three ships, laden with metal, to come to the town by the bay. On your behalf, knowing your great desire for news of these ships, he asked me to watch. I have watched the great waters of the sea, my lord, to that end. There are now two ships out on the sea beyond the finger of land. They move toward the town by the bay. They are heavily laden and plow the sea almost as if they are in distress. Could these be the ships for which you have waited?”

  “Two ships only?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “When will they make the harbor?”

  “The seas are rough but there are no storms. Two days.”

  “Lord Alvern asked you to do this?”

  “He knew of your great desire for the metal, my lord.”

  “Thank you, Palus; they may indeed be the ships for which I have waited. I am most grateful.”

  “As ever, my lord, I am glad to be of service.” The bird answered, and he caught the wind and lifted away.

  Aram considered what the eagle had told him. The timing was right for the steel to arrive, and though he knew nothing of sailing, it seemed right that ships full of steel would ride low in the water. The fact that there were only two ships was not especially troubling, though it was suggestive because of the sort of men that sailed in such vessels. Something had occurred, in a distant port perhaps, or out on the high seas, to reduce their number. He caught Findaen’s eye and motioned him over. “The steel arrives in two days, Findaen. Arthrus needs to gather as many carts and oxen as he can – along with drivers, and start toward Durck. You and I and the others must get supplies for the road and go at once.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  By late the next afternoon, they sat on their mounts once again on the hillside above Durck. The harbor was empty. Mullen saw them and came down the slope and across the bridge.

  “Can I be of service, my lord? I sent no signal.”

  “The steel is coming, Mullen.” Aram answered. “Today or tomorrow.”

  Mullen wheeled and looked down the long stretch of water that led to the sea. All the way out that inlet to the point where it angled south out of sight, the water was empty. He looked back at Aram. “Are you certain, Lord Aram?”

  “Two ships sail this way, Mullen. It is my hope that they bear my steel.”

  Mullen pivoted again and together they gazed down the length of the empty inlet in silence. The wind was calm and the water like glass. Seabirds wheeled overhead and the heavy, saline scents of the ocean filled the air. Then, as they watched, the prow of a ship hove into view, followed by the rest of it. Its sails were furled. On either side of the ship a dozen or so oars protruded from its side, drawing the ship down the bay toward the dock. Mullen shook his head in disbelief, his eyes on the inlet as the second ship came into sight.

  “I don’t know how you do that, my lord.”

  “Get used to it.” Jonwood said dryly.

  An hour later, they waited on the dock, watching a pair of launches approach from the anchored ships. Keegan, Lubchek and twenty men tied the launches to the pylons of the dock and came ashore. Keegan and Lubchek approached Aram and the others. Aram glanced out at the two ships anchored in the bay.

  “Where’s Niven?”

  Keegan glanced at Lubchek. “He evidently decided that three coins were enough – as long as he could have them all. He attacked us late one night off the coast of Elam. He did some damage to the Windever, but I was on the Nighthawk and we had the wind, plus four more guns than he had. A couple of broadsides, and he and the Deepwater went down.” The young man shrugged. “He didn’t think it through and he didn’t realize that Lubchek and I suspected him all along anyway and were attentive.”

  “Did you bring my steel?”

  “Yes, my lord. Though only two ships full. We understand that there will be an adjustment on the agreed price.”

  Aram looked at Lubchek. “So – you decided to stand with Keegan and honor the deal you made with me?”

  Lubchek grinned behind his enormous orange-red beard. “I heard the advice you offered Burkhed, my lord, and took it to heart even when he ignored it. I’d much rather be rich than dead.”

  “Very wise.” Aram turned back to Keegan. “Is it good steel?”

  “Yes, my lord – pounded steel plate from Corvalsea. The best.”

  Arthrus had not arrived, so Aram looked to Mullen for confirmation. Mullen nodded. “He speaks the truth. That steel is the best, especially for your needs, Lord Aram.”

  “Then there will be no reduction in the agreed price.” Aram produced two coins and saw the two captains’ eyes go wide. “Who gets the money?”

  “We – we split it equally, my lord.” Keegan answered.

  Aram placed a coin in each man’s hand. “Would you like to earn more?”

  Wide-eyed, staring at their bounty, Keegan bobbed his head eagerly, and Lubchek’s beard widened as his unseen grin expanded.

  “My wagons will arrive within the week, led by a man named Arthrus. Help him load the steel for transport. Mullen will oversee the operation. When your ships are emptied, there are other things I need. Every time you sail for my benefit, I will give you each a coin for making purchases. You may keep the balance. When you return with a full ship, each of you will receive another coin for payment for your services. How you pay your crews is your business.

  “You may sometimes sail your respective ships to different ports. You are not required to work together. I don’t know, nor care – that is also your business. You only answer to me when your ships are in these waters. At the end of each year of honorable service, you will each receive one coin for personal use and another to share with your crews. You will become very rich if you deal honestly with me. What do you say?”

  Keegan swallowed his astonishment and met Aram’s gaze. “What things do you need next, my lord?”

  Aram turned his attention to Findaen and the men from Derosa. “What do we need?”

  Findaen comprehended immediately. “Kolfa,” he said, “we always need kolfa.”

  Jonwood licked his lips. “Whiskey – good whiskey.”

  “Banyas.” Mallet blurted out.

  Aram frowned. “What are banyas?”

  Findaen answered. “A banya is a long yellow fruit, comes from some island to the south, I think. Arthrus brought some back from Durck a few years ago.” He grinned at Mallet and shrugged. “They’re very good actually. Children especially love them – and Mallet.”

  Aram looked at Keegan. “Can you acquire banyas?”

  “Yes.”

  Aram turned and found Wamlak. “You haven’t spoken yet.”

  The expression in Wamlak’s eyes, for once, was quite serious. “It occurs to me, my lord, that we are going to need a lot of leather – much more than we can produce ourselves. For the armor stays, for saddles, for boots, and for clothing.”

  Aram smiled in appreciation of Wamlak’s perceptiveness. “Very good. I should have thought of it myself.”

  “We can get boots – already made in various sizes.” Said Lubchek. “From Eremand, in Elam.”

  “Do that, then.” Aram answered.

  “The town could use wax for candle-making.” Mullen interjected. “I can pay for that myself.”

  “No. I’ll pay.” Aram said. “These are my people, too.” He turned back to the two captains. “You’ve heard what we need. Bring my steel ashore. When Arthrus arrives, help him load it for transport. As you travel the ocean, find anything you can that inland folk might need and use, and bring it here. You will be rewarded. Here are two coins for purchases.”

  Lubcheck nodded and Keegan replied for the both of them. “We will gladly do
as you wish, my lord.”

  “Then thank you and we will be away. My wagons will arrive in days.”

  The two captains bowed and Aram bade Mullen farewell. The men of Derosa mounted their horses and went up through the gap toward the north. They camped that night on the south side of the low pass between the southern and northern valleys. Late the next afternoon, they passed Arthrus and his wagon train, headed south. Dane Sekish drove one wagon with two of the oxen they’d saved from Burning Mountain a year earlier, his son Alred drove another, and Mallet’s cousin Aberlon another. There were two more wagons handled by men that Aram did not know personally, but they had the same dependable look about them as did the others.

  Aram spoke with Arthrus, informing him of the arrangements he’d made and the situation waiting for him in Durck. As per Aram’s instructions, there were ten mounted and armed men, led by the irascible Erak Barris, accompanying them for protection and to provide labor. Palus would watch from the skies above – if anything went amiss, Aram would know immediately.

  That night, Aram sat on the porch, holding Ka’en’s hand, watching the hills across the valley turn from orange to purple as the sun resigned over the horizon. After a while in which the silence was broken only by the calls of night birds and the songs of crickets, she turned to him.

  “You’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you?”

  “I must.” He confirmed. “This is a thing that I must do. If it helps – I’m going to miss you terribly.”

  “Then take me with you.”

  Aram sighed and met her eyes. “That is not possible, Ka’en, and you know it.”

  “I suppose.”

  He tried to smile. “You’ll have the wedding to plan for.”

  Disapproval showed on her fair features. “You think I care about that?”

  “I hope you do – you’re marrying me.”

  “I am going to marry you, Aram, but the wedding? I care nothing about such things. Jena can manage the details of the ceremony. She loves doing things like that.” She smiled slightly. “You said I had an adventuresome spirit – that’s true. I would like to go with you and see the world. More than that, I just want to be with you. Since we met again, there has been no time to just be with you – quiet time – do you know what I mean?”