Jethallin frowned and pushed her rags back down. She clutched Jennaca to her side and stood up as gently as she could. Her daughter slept on. She smiled down at the sleeping infant and then turned to look at the sun again. Freshly oriented, she saw that Whiskers was stretching. The rat finished and sat beside her, waiting. Jethallin smiled and started to the west.
After a dozen strides, she turned her head to realize the dogs were coming too. They walked on through the grass and trees on her right and left, as well as behind her. She frowned and glanced down at Whiskers, but the rat showed no interest in the dogs. Jethallin kept glancing at them and wondered, were they being escorted or were the dogs only keeping them safe until they got hungry again?
Chapter 9
"This is your plan?" Patrina asked after they sat around one of the largest tables the inn had to offer. The common room of the Shark's Tooth Inn was little more than half full, as early in the evening as it was.
Alto looked around the room and motioned for a serving wench. She pointed her finger at him, acknowledging him, and finished delivering the meals on her platter to the table full of city guardsmen. "Seems like a good place to start," Alto replied as the girl went about her business.
Garrick eyed the serving maid and smiled. "A fine pick, I think."
"I told you I only remembered the name of this place because they say this is where most of the city's guard go," Carson said in a low voice. "If you mean to start trouble with their king, this makes us sheep in a dragon's den."
"Fitting words," Mordrim muttered as the barmaid arrived.
"Well met!" she said with a smile and a cheery tone to her voice. "I'm Alyssa. What can I get for you boys? Oh! I'm sorry, miss. I didn't—oh, um, that's—yes, well, ale?"
Alto saw the red flush in Patrina's cheeks, making her freckles blend in. Alyssa had lost her stride when she'd taken in his fiancée's armor. Or lack of her armor.
"Alyssa," Namitus said while the others looked to Patrina and added to her embarrassment. "I remember another lovely young lady at a bar. Don't you, Alto? What was her name. Alice? Alora? No, no. Now what was it?"
Alto snapped his head to the rogue and glared at him. He could feel everyone else staring at him now, including Patrina. It was his turn for his cheeks to burn. "Yes, I remember her. Ale, please, Alyssa. And a plate of whatever it is that smells so good in the kitchen."
Alyssa looked down at him and smiled. "My father hasn't started dinner yet. Maybe you're just smelling me?" She winked and spun away from them. "I'll be right back with the ales."
"And her father owns the inn," Namitus said. "Amazing coincidence!"
Alyssa was no more than six steps away before Patrina was leaning over the table and gesturing with her finger for Namitus to come closer to her. Her position maximized the indecency of her armor, leaving Alto's tongue tied in his mouth.
"I'm fine over here," Namitus said with a smile.
Patrina snorted and leaned back before saying, "If you know what's best, you'll stay as far over there as you can or I'll knock what little sense you have clear of you!"
"Don't blame me," Namitus said. "I wasn’t there when Alto met her, only Kar and Karthor were."
Hearing his name, Alto shook his head and saw that Garrick was still leering at Patrina after she'd nearly spilled out of the top of her armor. He had no doubt only the magical nature of it allowed it to keep her from exposing herself. Carson cleared his throat and looked away, showing some measure of couth in spite of his years spent in the wild.
Alto cleared his throat but it did no good. Mordrim picked up on the cue and smacked Garrick in the chest with the back of his hand. The barbarian grunted and looked at the dwarf. "What?" He grunted.
Mordrim nodded to Alto. "Keep your eyes to what's yours and not another man's," the dwarf jabbed.
Garrick snorted. "I wasn't doing no harm. Besides, wearing that, she might as well walk through town with nothing on. She was the one leaning forward about to fall out of it!"
Alto opened his mouth to restore peace when Alyssa returned with the promised round of drinks. This time she moved between Alto and Patrina and distributed the cups before saying in a low voice, "I'm sorry about before, miss. We get all kinds of travelers in here but never one like you. You must be very dangerous—or are these big, strong men your personal guards?"
"You forgot smelly," Patrina said and glanced directly at Garrick. She turned back to the barmaid to ask, "How old are you, Alyssa?"
"Fifteen."
"I thought as much. Too young to be trying to woo one of these boys to your bed," she counseled.
Alyssa sighed. "That's what my mother says, but my father keeps hoping to marry me off to one of the guards who comes in here all the time. He doesn't understand that I want more than that! You're beautiful and strong. You're Kelgryn, aren't you? I've seen a few people with your look."
"Yes, I'm Kelgryn," Patrina said with a glance at Alto.
"I've heard of a woman in the north, up in the Kingdom. They say she's a knight. Some blessed by Leander. Have you heard of her?"
Alto groaned and Namitus burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Alyssa asked. Her chin wrinkled and her lips puffed up as she turned to look at the two men. "Are you making fun of me? I'm friends with half the city guard! All I have to—"
"Alyssa, stop," Patrina interrupted her. "They're not making fun of you. And yes, I know the woman you're talking about. It's the same woman the boy over there was teasing this farm boy beside me about."
"Farm boy?" Alyssa said as she turned to look at the sword at Alto's hip and the size of his chest and arms.
"Long story," Alto muttered.
"And it's a story that includes Aleena, Paladin of Leander. She was once a barmaid like yourself," Patrina said. "She wanted more and last I knew, she'd found it."
Alyssa nodded. "I heard she's led an army of knights in the mountains!"
Alto stiffened and turned in his seat. "What's this?"
Alyssa glanced at him and then looked back to Patrina. "It's true. Or at least that's what I heard. There's a new kingdom in the Northern Divide and this woman, Aleena, leads an army to help them against their enemies."
"Who are their enemies?" Alto asked.
Alyssa shrugged. "I don't know. I only put together what I hear from travelers. One man said something about elves but I didn't think there were any elves left. At least not in any numbers. I've never seen one."
"We should head that way," Garrick said.
Alyssa frowned. "Won't you stay a bit, at least? I told my father you wanted a meal and he's started roasting several rabbits and a few pheasants brought in earlier." She shrugged and added, "It was a poor day for the hunters, I guess. We have fresh bread. I'll bring you some!"
Before they could say another word, she turned and rushed off. Alto watched her go and then turned back to the others. Garrick caught his eye and nodded his head towards Alyssa. "If she looks like that at fifteen, think of her in a few more years!"
Alto opened his mouth and saw Patrina fixing a level-eyed gaze on him. "I, um, think we need to know more about what's going on in the mountains," Alto said.
"Elves?" Namitus mused. "My grandmother's people are a long ways from here, so it's not them."
"We need Kar," Patrina said.
Alto nodded. "Kar and Karthor will meet us when they're done. They'll probably have a lot to add."
Garrick frowned and then saw Alyssa emerge from the kitchen with two loaves of bread on a platter. His frown twisted into a smile. "We can spend a little more time here, I suppose."
Patrina's steely glare settled on him as she said, "You're to be keeping your hands off her. She's a child."
Garrick snorted. "How old were you when you set your eyes on Alto?"
"Sixteen," Patrina said. "But that was different!"
"Different! Ha!" The barbarian laughed. "How?"
Alyssa placed the bread on the table, one in front of Patrina and the other loaf on the f
ar side, nearer to Carson.
"Thank you," Patrina said to the young barmaid. She turned back to Garrick and said, "Different because I didn't like him."
Alto pulled his hand back from the loaf he'd been reaching for and stared at her. "What?"
She turned and smiled at him. "It's true. You fell out of a cave in the ceiling with your friend, you didn't know how to fight, and you were so sure of yourself. You almost got us all killed by goblins."
"You weren't doing too good yourselves," Alto pointed out. "Seems like you'd run off and gotten lost in the dark."
"I'm not sure we were lost," Namitus recalled. "We knew how to get out."
"Never mind the score of goblins and armed men in the way."
"We could have dealt with them," Patrina insisted.
Alto sighed. "I remember it differently."
"You think you were a dashing knight who could do no wrong?" she challenged.
Alto laughed. He glanced up and saw Alyssa was watching them with bright eyes and parted lips. He chuckled again and said, "I was a clumsy oaf, you're right. Drefan might have been the best, but he was hurt. We made it out by working together. For what it's worth, I knew when I first saw you."
"Knew what?" Patrina asked.
"Yeah, knew what?" Alyssa added.
"That I wanted you to pester me the rest of my life," Alto said with a grin.
Namitus cleared his throat. "Speaking of fallen comrades," he said while raising his glass. "We've lost too many over the years."
Alto's smile faded at the rogue's words. He nodded and reached for his own cup. He raised it. He drained the cup and slammed it on the table. "Friends and more," he added in a voice hoarse from the ale. "Another cup and food. We have affairs to settle before we head north."
Alyssa glanced at him and then to Patrina. The Kelgryn princess nodded and turned her attention back to Alto and the others. Alyssa counted the three empty cups: one for the tall northman, one for the dwarf, and one for the man they seemed to follow. She nodded and hurried away to bring them more ale.
Chapter 10
The wizard stared at the doors of the small temple of Leander and sighed. He pushed his sleeves up his forearms and then cracked his fingers. He shook his hands at his sides and ignored his sleeves as they slid back to his arm. "First person to try to convert me gets turned into a frog," he muttered before he stomped up the three steps to the door and pushed it open.
Kar stepped into the entryway and was nearly overwhelmed with the scent of burning incense. He blinked and pushed ahead, forcing himself to breathe in the heavy fumes. A basin filled with water lay ahead of him between two open archways. Above the basin, the shining sun symbol of Leander graced the wall.
Kar looked at the water and considered using it to wash himself much as the Kelgryn would. He doubted the priests would appreciate the gesture. He sighed and walked through the archway on the right and looked around for someone to help him find his son.
Instead, Kar found Karthor kneeling before an altar, with his head bowed. Kar rolled his eyes and strode up the aisle towards the boy. "How many times have I warned you not to be getting on your knees like that?"
Karthor ignored the wizard's comments and continued to pray. Kar sighed and moved to the first line of benches. He sat down and waited until several minutes passed. When Karthor didn't stir, Kar sighed again, louder, and then moved over so he could lay down on the bench. He no more than folded his hands across his chest and closed his eyes when he heard footsteps shuffle into the room.
"Excuse me, can I help you?" a deep voice said from a few feet away from him.
"Perhaps," Kar said. "Do you have a pillow?"
"This is not an inn! It is a place of worship!"
Kar blinked his eyes open and stared up at the priest. "Never heard of Saint Mattress, the patron of sleep?"
"There's no such saint!" the priest declared. "Your comments border on heresy. Saint Leander deserves respect and homage. It is with his light that we all—"
Kar sat up and waved his hands to stop the priest. "Yes, yes, I know. I've heard it all before. Countless times, in fact. I'm just waiting on him to finish up."
The priest turned and looked at Karthor. He frowned. "There is room beside him; you can pray with him if you like. You should know this young man is one of the Church of Leander's brightest young priests. And there's no need to worry about privacy here."
"I bet you tell all the acolytes that," Kar muttered.
"Pardon me?" The priest turned back around and leaned his head one way to hear Kar better.
Kar shook his head. "I said I'm not sure how long he's going to be doing that. I'm with him, not waiting to go after him."
The priest straightened. "You're with him? I see. I've not had the honor of journeying to Portland to meet any of his regular traveling companions but I have heard their tales. Are you, perhaps, Tristam?"
Kar laughed so abruptly he snorted. He got himself under control and shook his head. "Gads no! Tristam's the baron of Highpeak these days. He has been for over a year now. You really are behind the times down here. Explains why I can't find a wizard worth a damn outside of the castle, and I'd be a fool to talk to one in there."
"Please, friend, take care with your language in this holy place."
"What?" Kar asked. "Oh. Damn. You didn't like it when I said damn. My apologies, good priest. I shall try not to say damn anymore."
The priest closed his eyes for a second and his cheeks colored in the flickering light from the many braziers filled with candles around the room.
"Father, stop tormenting Father Theonos."
Kar turned to see his son rising to his feet. The young priest turned to the older one and smiled. "I'm sorry. My father can be difficult at times."
"Your father's also standing next to you and not half as senile as you'd like him to be," Kar snapped.
Karthor's eyebrows rose before he turned to face Kar. "Senile is the last word I would use to describe you."
Kar chuckled. "I know better than to ask the first. Come, boy, let's be off. I couldn't find a damn wizard to talk to. Oh damn. Sorry about saying damn again. Or so much. Can't control my damn mouth sometimes. Maybe I am going daft."
They left the red-faced priest behind as Kar let Karthor steer him out of the church. Once outside, Kar couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Does he really think Leander gives a damn about my mouth in his church?"
"It's about respect," Karthor said.
Kar scoffed. "He's a fool."
Karthor sighed. "So you learned nothing?"
"I learned there's no wizards to be found in this town who aren't traveling through or are firmly in the employ of the King of Peltarch."
"That doesn't help."
"It doesn't?" Kar asked. He shook his head. "Shame on you, boy, for not thinking. It means independent wizards and witches aren't welcomed here. Try to set up shop and I hate to think what might happen. The question is, why not?"
Karthor opened his mouth but Kar waved him silent.
"I'll tell you why not! It's because the fiend on the throne doesn't want anyone having a chance at figuring out there's more to him than he wants people to know. Think about it: only someone with knowledge from Shazamir would know, unless you had the ability to use magic to see certain things."
"You said the king has wizards. Couldn't they protect him?"
"Of course they could," Kar snapped. "Unless they were dealing with someone stronger than they were. Someone so skilled at such magic that they could use it without raising the attention of the pet wizards."
"Pet wizards?"
Kar waved it away. "Seems a bit overzealous to me, but then again it's also quite thorough. To each their own."
"So we can't be certain."
"Oh, I think this makes us plenty certain," Kar said. "Otherwise why go to all of the trouble?"
Karthor glanced around to make sure no one was walking too close or paying too much attention to them. "All right, but that doesn't tel
l us his true nature. Is he a dragon or a man? Or something else altogether?"
Kar shrugged. "We didn't know what the walking snake was in the mountain either and that turned out okay."
"If by okay you mean risking the lives of several of our friends and nearly killing me in the process of trying to heal them all."
Kar grinned and took out his pipe. "Yes, that is precisely what I meant."
"Father, you're a difficult man."
Kar grinned and loaded his pipe and lit it. "That's the way to stay free, my boy."
"Free?"
Kar nodded. "No woman tying me down and keeping me from doing what must be done. Now then, what about you? Did you learn anything spending all that time on your knees? I'd hate to think it was for naught."
"Time in reflection and prayer is never wasted," Karthor said. "The locals here are oblivious of recent events, which is surprising."
"Oblivious?" Kar asked with a grin. "That's a big word for a priest."
Karthor ignored him and continued. "The local taxes and laws are strict, but crime is low and the people get by well enough because of it. There's not much in the way of excess on display, even for the king or his court. People get by and it seems the most trouble that's caused is that of drunkards."
"That sort of thing happen often?"
"Very often."
"I see. That tells us something there," the wizard mused. "These people aren't as free as they think they are. They're living in fear and in near poverty, I bet."
"They seem happy enough."
Kar harrumphed and then tapped out his pipe on the ground. He stomped the faintly glowing root out and put his pipe away. "Anything else?"
"Not of particular interest," Karthor said.
Kar grunted "Then let's go find our fearless leader."
Karthor sighed. "He carries a symbol of Jarook. I'd hardly say he's without fear."
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