Chapter Twenty
One look at the man seated with Drun and Bourninund, quaffing ale like a man with a fatal thirst, and Renir understood more than he wished to.
Shorn’s old mentor and teacher, Wen Gossar, was more than slightly suicidal. The dark skinned man was a giant, broad across the shoulder and chest, with thick, strong hands. His back was bowed with age, but he looked hale enough to Renir His head gleamed in the bright sunshine that streaked through the slats across the windows, and a strip of light fell on his face, lighting the man’s eyes — it was a sight that Renir thought would live long in his memory.
Renir tried to refrain from making an instant judgement, but, he thought, Shorn must be as insane as his teacher surely was to bring him along. Renir could see insanity bubbling in those red-rimmed eyes, shining bright with madness. The man’s mouth leered on one side, like someone affected by a heavy blow to the brain. He was dribbling his beer on his stained jerkin, looking around the room distractedly as Drun was saying something to him.
The man was too busy eyeing the bar to take note of Renir’s examination, although Renir knew he had spotted them entering the tavern. In a glimpse of those eyes Renir saw not only madness, but a cold intelligence, despite the slack features on one side of his mouth.
Renir wondered if the sparseness of customers was because of the unusual heat, or because the customers of the Horseshoe were wise enough to place self-preservation above the desire for cool ale. Renir thought it was probably the later. Shorn left Renir standing just inside the door and walked to the small group. Renir found himself rooted to the spot. Of all the crazy things he had done since finding Shorn that cold night so long ago, meeting Wen was the thing he least wanted to do. It was more than apprehension. It bordered on fear.
He would not let it rule him.
Urlane, although a vague memory, would never allow him to be a coward, and usually Renir gave little thought to his own welfare. It was not a habit he would let himself fall into. He pulled his feet from the boards and walked slowly, reluctantly, to meet the giant.
“Ah, and this is Renir. He, too, joins us on our journey,” said Drun by way of introduction.
Renir felt himself weaken as Wen looked him up and down. The leer on his face did not distract from the danger this man posed. He was far from finished. Renir noted, now that he was closer, how the man’s eyebrows stood out, white where his skin was otherwise darker than that of a Sturman.
“He’s just a boy,” growled Wen, taking a swig of his ale and dismissing Renir.
Shorn felt obliged to defend his friend. “And proven in battle already. He’ll stand true.”
“I hope so.” Wen’s eyes darkened and he fixed Renir in his powerful stare. “Do you feel the moons, Renir? I feel them pulling at me. They are full, and the Seafarers will not wait much longer. Are you ready to put your life on the line?”
“I am,” said Renir with more surety than he felt. “I’ll not be left behind. But what of you? Are you to be trusted?”
Renir sensed Drun’s warning glance, but ignored the priest. He would not be put on the spot by a stranger, with whom he had shared nothing. It might be wise to fear the man, but he was far from wise, and wiser than most men in that he knew his failing.
Wen laughed, his voice cracked in what Renir knew was the throat of one accustomed to the harsh smoke of seer’s grass. It changed minds, Renir knew, and not for the better. That would explain the red-rimmed eyes, and perhaps the permanent leer fixed on his face.
“I’m as reliable as rock. I will stand.”
“Well, then that’s the introductions over with. Whose round is it?” asked Bourninund.
“I’ll stand this one, and pay up what you owe. I have money in abundance,” said Wen. He drew a pouch from his belt and tipped the contents out on the table.
The silence was sudden.
Hundreds of tiny, cut rubies tumbled across the wooden table. Shorn was the first to react.
“Put them away, man! You’ll have every thief in the city trying to cut our throats!”
Wen barked a laugh and scooped the rubies back into the pouch. “The wages of death, my friend. I have saved every one. It is only fair that the dead should pay our passage north. They know their own kind.”
Renir wondered if the man thought he was dead, and if he was some strange assassin who only accepted payment in rubies.
“We’ll take the money where we can get it, thank you, Wen,” said Drun, ever polite. “But I think one should be sufficient to cover the remainder of our bill.”
“Very well. I will save the rest. The Seafarers have a liking for baubles, too. Although I don’t know why. It’s not like there’s any use for gems in the ocean.”
“You do know why,” said Shorn, “Don’t pretend like you’re some fool who’s never left home.”
“Every man is a fool, student, but I left home many years ago. I know it well. I remember the day I left, and every day before it.”
Shorn ignored him. He had heard the tale of the weapons’ master’s exile many times during his tutelage. It was a sad tale, but Shorn would not let it have unmanned him as it had his old teacher.
But then, perhaps Shorn had his own bane. Every man of war was beset by ghosts. It was just that Wen communed with his, whereas most warriors merely pretended they could not hear the babble of the slain on their shoulder.
Renir took a seat next to Drun, and beckoned the barmaid with a gesture. He studiously avoided looking at Wen, and glanced round the tavern. There was not much to see. It was early yet, and few men in Pulhuth had the time or the money to spare to spend all day drinking.
He was fortunate indeed.
As the older men discussed their journey, Renir watched them and held his council. Once, when his journey had begun, he would have tried to lighten the mood. Now he knew he would have only done so to alleviate his own discomfort. He was a different man now, but still, somewhere deep inside, there was a core of innocence and decency that could not be tarnished by the trials he had already born, and the hardships yet to come.
But he was not blind. There was some tension that Renir could not fail to notice, and fresh wounds on Wen’s bare upper arms. He came to the obvious conclusion that the two men had fought, and not with fists, but he could see none of the animosity that was so often evident in Shorn’s manner. It was as though Shorn was resigned to the fact of Wen accompanying them on their journey north, and had set aside any thoughts of revenge on the giant warrior.
It must have been some fight, thought Renir. From what he knew of Shorn, it would not have gone easy. And for this man to have trained him…the ground must have shook.
Renir felt it was up to him to steer the conversation into more friendly waters. Perhaps if he got to know Wen better he would feel less apprehensive about the man.
“And where do you come from, Wen?” he asked as a convenient gap opened in the conversation. “You have a strange accent, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“I come from a distant land, boy. Far from here, across the endless seas. People on Lianthre call it the fourth continent. We call it Makref. It means ‘land of sand’. It is a largely barren land, peopled with strange creatures much like the Protectorate that you flee, and human people, like me. It is there that I learned to kill, and there I learned to enjoy it. But that is all I will say. There is plenty of time to get to know one another on the journey to the north.”
Suddenly, Renir realised, there was nothing he would like to do less.
“But more of you, Renir. You are haunted are you not?” Wen looked at him sideways. Or perhaps it was just the set of his face.
Renir was forced to re-evaluate the man. Only the Bear and Drun knew of his strange nightly visitations. He obviously saw much with his bloodshot eyes.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“Of course it is. Death is my business. We are both haunted, are we not, Renir Esyn? I know more of you than you think. The dead d
o not reserve their meanderings to your mind, boy.”
Bourninund, while not a wise man, saw enough shock on Renir’s face to stir him into action.
“Perhaps we should be moving on,” he said, with a careful smile to the others. “There’s tavern’s a’beckoning, and I’ve got a thirst that needs to be slaked. There’ll be plenty of time for chat tonight, but I’m tired of this place. I need to say goodbye to the city if we are to leave tomorrow. What say you all?”
“As good a plan as any, Bear,” said Renir, tearing his gaze away from Wen’s seeking eyes. It was almost as difficult as tearing his eyes away from a fresh corpse. There was a certain morbidity about the man.
Chapter Twenty-One
They made their way slowly to the Long Pig. It was a tavern of great repute, and popular among the wealthier denizens of the city, but it was not selective in its crowd. If you could afford to drink there, you were welcome.
None of the men were attired in finery, and all but Drun were armed. It was not unusual for men to go armed around the city. It was a dangerous place to walk without a steely friend at your side. However, most settled for gentleman’s weapons, such as narrow swords for fencing in the well-to-do districts, or sharp daggers in the seedier districts.
In the docks, you were lucky if you just got clubbed.
They entered the tavern and took a seat. It was still early in the evening, but there was a fair crowd gathering. The working day was over, and there were plenty of patrons taking up positions for the night. The night was balmy, and would be short now that summer had arrived. Renir felt his sweat from the walk cooling in the shadowy interior of the tavern, and was grateful for the coolness.
The first thing that Bourninund noticed was a fat barmaid. She was happy and rotund…a rolling pin kind of woman. Renir sighed and pulled the Bear over to their table.
Bourninund ignored Wen’s questioning gaze as the woman came over. Wen asked for a chicken — everyone else asked for ale and stew. It was still early in the day and they needed fuel to drink until late, which they fully intended to do.
Wen glared at Renir over a chicken leg, tearing the meat with sharp, stained teeth. Another sign of a seasoned smoker. Renir wondered that his teeth hadn’t fallen out yet, for they were certainly sour, and now, close across the table from the madman, Renir could smell the taint of Kun on his breath.
It would soon become busy, and Renir was glad for a table near the bar. On this, the fifth day of the week, most people were paid. Harlots would be working the tables within a few hours. It was common for the ladies to work a certain tavern, and they made most of their income for the week on the last day. They could have been fine, or tarnished — in the moody light of the Long Pig it was impossible to tell. Renir guessed the shoppers wouldn’t be examining their wares by the light of day, either.
He turned his gaze back to Wen.
The big man was barely resting. Whereas Shorn gave the impression of nonchalance in a tavern, never letting his guard down, but always seeming to be relaxed and carefree, Wen was the exact opposite. Every muscle in his huge chest stood taut. His face was strained, his discomfort in being in such surrounds evident. He glared at the serving girl, sending her scurrying back to the bar. None of the other drinkers would even look their way.
“Relax, Wen,” said Shorn, sensing his old master’s discomfort. “There is no one here to fight.”
“It is not the living that concern me, Mandolen, but the dead. I see them everywhere, hanging on like cobwebs to their loved ones. I wish I had never returned to the city.”
“Well, if you will insist on communing with the dead, it is no surprise that they follow you. You invited them in, and the dead are ever lonely.”
“I see your dead, Shorn. They crowd to the walls and overlap the ceiling.”
“Let’s not get into this now, Wen. Have a drink and forget your duty for a time. We leave in the morning and I for one do not intend to be maudlin in my cups.”
“Nor I,” said Bourninund, taking a swig of warm, piss tasting ale, “But on this swill I’ll be sober come morning. Haven’t they any real ale?”
Renir took a taste of his. “It’s certainly light,” he said, holding it up to the light of a lantern. “I expect my ale to be more like mud, not shine like a dewdrop.”
The girl that Wen had glared at was replaced by the fat barmaid, who was much more to Bourninund’s liking. He treated her to a goosing and a cheeky wink as she laid their drinks on the table. She was shocked more than offended — she expected to scold the patrons for confusing her bargirls with the working ladies, not to be abused. Such was her surprise at the Bear’s lascivious attentions that she forgot entirely to take umbrage and walked back to her side of the bar with a sort of bemused grin on her face, looking over her shoulder once at Bourninund, to find him watching her girth sway across the crowded room.
Renir watched all this and shook his head. Their party might have changed (no doubt for the worse, he thought ruefully) but the Bear never would.
They drank quietly into the evening, talking little, but in some small way taking the measure of their newest member. Shorn seemed to have found a balance with the man who had tried to kill him, which was strange as Shorn was not renowned for his forgiving nature. Perhaps it was the priest’s influence rubbing off on him.
Bourninund took the new addition in his stride, matching the old master drink for drink, not out of any sense of competition, more out of interest than anything else. A mercenary finds many ways to pass the peaceful hours, and contrary to popular thought avoided confrontation when they weren’t being paid to fight. Bourninund seemed comfortable around Wen.
Renir was, he noted with some satisfaction, not the only one to think Wen dangerous. Drun was more reserved than usual, and while he might have been solicitous on the face of things, Renir knew the priest well enough to know that he struggled with some doubt internally. That Drun had not already told Wen what he thought of him, or tried to change him in some infinitesimal way, was a testament to how wary he was.
As far as Renir was concerned, the man was a threat. He sat on a knife edge, drinking steadily but never losing the tension that rode his shoulders and his eyes. Renir, by now knowing trouble all too well, slowed down his drinking and kept his hands loose.
He had no illusions about winning a fight with the man, but should it come to violence he didn’t want it said when he met Madal that he’d died because he was too in his cups to draw his axe. He had vowed long ago that on this journey he would not be a sixth finger. Hertha had had one, and it hadn’t made her any more useful around their home. He would pull his weight, and so he had. He was no longer lazy or fat, but lean, and as wily as could be expected after so few battles.
He fully intended to see more.
They drank in careful conversation for the best part of an hour.
Wen was the first to rise, leaving to relieve himself in the back. Drun nudged Renir’s arm as the big warrior glided effortlessly through the growing throng.
“You think as I think? That he is mad?”
“I’m glad I’m not the only one. His eyes scream while he sits calmly. I do not trust him, Drun.”
“He thinks he is mad, too. But I do not think that is the case.”
“I’m not so sure. If not mad, then what is he?”
“Unhappy. Sad people convince themselves they’re ill, or insane. It’s easier to accept and deal with. Wen would like to think he’s dead, but really he’d just like to be. It is a common ailment of those riddled by guilt.”
“You mean he’s suicidal,” said Renir.
“Probably, but he’s so accustomed to surviving his body won’t let him die,” said Shorn, overhearing them.
“You seem to be comfortable with him, Shorn, considering he tried to kill you.”
“But he didn’t. We’ll never be friends, but we have both changed. When we met again, we fought, but I think it was more out of duty than true anger. He feels he should speak for the d
ead, that his own slain urge him to make amends for his early life. You would be strange, too, if the dead rode your shoulder.”
Renir thought about this for a moment.
“Do the dead follow a warrior?”
“I don’t know, Renir. I have never seen the souls of the dead rise. They go beyond Madal’s Gates — there is no return.”
“But Wen sees differently?”
“So he says. Even when he was teaching me, for many years, he saw the dead. His addiction to the seer’s grass is a new thing. I did not get to ask him much on the topic since our meeting. He is often reluctant to talk of the dead, but if you catch him in the right mood he will talk for hours. I have yet to catch him in the right mood.”
“He seems sad,” said Drun.
Shorn nodded. “Even I know that. He was sad when I first met him, and time has not diminished his sorrow. It is a tale I will let him tell you.”
“As it should be.” Drun spied Wen emerging from the toilet. “Perhaps, on our journey, he will find peace.”
“I think, perhaps, that Wen was never destined to know peace. He knows tortures of the mind too well. I fear they will follow him to the grave.”
“Don’t be so sure, Shorn,” said Drun with a gentle smile. “Peace can be found in the strangest of places.”
“Well, as strange places go, wait until you see the Seafarer’s boats. Perhaps when we are aboard, Wen will remember himself as he was then, and move on.”
“I for one,” said Bourninund, tearing his gaze from the large barmaid, “am looking forward to a trip by sea. I envy you, Shorn. I have never been to sea.”
“Envy is for fools, old friend. You wouldn’t envy me if you knew how long I’d spent at sea.”
“How long?” asked Renir.
“Seven years. Almost my entire childhood. I was sixteen before I found land again.”
“Seven years with Wen?”
“Every day. Day in, day out, the roll of the sea and the clatter of blades.”
“Must have been boring.”
Shorn laughed. “Oh, you’ll see. There’s plenty of places to roam on a Seafarer’s ship.”
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