Estallion waited on the street side as Thibalt said goodbye to Miera. After a long kiss, Thibalt joined Estallion and they began to head up the street towards the main market district. The district was split up into several sections according to the wares on sale. Fresh produce was located in a large square filled with stalls and carriages and the blacksmiths and tanners held their own section of the market, distinguished by the black streams of smoke rising from the many chimneys. Thibalt and Estallion were headed for another section which housed many of the most frequented inns and establishments to find a decent meal.
"You are sure that this is the best place to look?" asked Thibalt once more as they passed amongst a row of stalls selling pottery and other clay made commodities. "Surely we could find some hired hands at the guilds."
"Honestly, Thibalt. You know no one in this city. The only way you are going to find six soldiers to fight for you in the next three days is if you search every inn in the city for a bunch of out of work mercenaries. And trust me, you do not want to get involved in the politics of the guilds. I've been there before and let's just say I am lucky to still be around."
"If you say so," replied Thibalt. In honesty, Thibalt felt he held little hope of finding six men, even if he would have had a month in which to do it.
Estallion stopped in front of a shabby looking tavern, in front of which sat a few drunken men, most of them half asleep in their own drool. Thibalt looked up to the sign which was hanging by its last splinter and felt uneasy. "Out of all of the places we have passed, you pick this one."
"Don't be so judgmental," replied Estallion with a wave of his hand. "You never know what's inside until you have stepped through the doorway."
"The doorway looks as though it's about to collapse," commented Thibalt with concern.
Estallion stared placidly at Thibalt then moved into the tavern. As Thibalt followed him inside a whiff of strong spirits and sweat assaulted his nostrils and he gagged. The room was gloomy and unclean with stains covering the floor and walls, and empty cups strewn all over. The thin owner was standing with a hunched back over the dirty bar and cast a quick look at them before returning to clean a dirty cup with an even dirtier cloth.
Estallion and Thibalt both studied the people in the room. Thibalt's eyes moved from each man to the next and he found himself shaking his head repeatedly. The majority of them looked to be labourers on their off day or jobless drifters. Here and there a few burly men sat with local whores, wasting away recently earned wages.
They waited at the bar watching men come and go. After a few minutes a fight threatened to break out in the far side of the common room. Though not unusual in these seedy establishments, the argument was severely in favour of the three workers harassing a drunken vagabond who had tumbled into their table. Thibalt moved to step in and aid the man, but stopped when he saw a slender man in a hooded tunic approach the conflict and guide the vagabond away, avoiding further trouble. After pushing the drunkard out of the tavern, the hooded man returned to his own table and sat down next to a man so large that his seat barely supported him.
Estallion nudged Thibalt and motioned to their table.
"They look like wanderers. Probably bandits by the look of the big one," said Thibalt under his breath.
Estallion kept his eyes on them and muttered, "Excellent."
Before he could whisper another word, Estallion was moving towards the two men. Thibalt hurried after him and by the time he reached the table, Estallion had already introduced himself.
"And what in the planes do you want from us," said the large man to Estallion. His guttural voice came from deep within his chest.
"I saw you help that poor man over there. It looks like you two could do with some work and it just so happens that we are looking to hire," replied Estallion, pulling a chair from a nearby table and taking a seat.
"We're no mercenaries. Look elsewhere for your workers," replied the man in annoyance.
"What is it that you do then?" asked Estallion keenly.
The man grew irritated and Thibalt noticed the veins in his neck bulging. "That's none of your business," he roared.
"Work for Captain Steelfist here-," Estallion pointed to Thibalt. "And you will be fed, housed and well paid. What more incentive do you need?"
"You don't know when to give up," boomed the man in a clearly frustrated tone. He moved to stand but his hooded companion placed a restraining hand on his arm. The large man let out a groan and sank back onto his chair. "What do you offer?"
Estallion smiled. "I see that your companion is the brains of the company." The larger man looked as though he was about to burst. Thibalt moved his legs into a defensive position, ready for a fight. He rose from his seat, but was once again restrained by his partner.
"Good," said Estallion. "You will be enlisting in the army of Feldom. That's all that you need to know. You will be reporting to Captain Steelfist and no one else. What say you?"
The burly man looked at his hooded companion, who shrugged his cloak from his shoulders. His hood fell slowly from his head revealing a slim face framed by thin and long blonde hair. Thibalt noticed that the man's eyes held a darkness about them that unsettled his stomach. After a few moments of silence he nodded.
"You may have a deal," the larger man said to Estallion.
"I need definite answers," said Thibalt in a strong voice.
"If you want us to work for you there are some rules," replied the man. "We get paid on time, every time. You'll supply us with weapons and any other supplies that we may need. And finally, there's my own personal rule."
"And what is that?" asked Estallion.
"I wont take orders from any man who cannot beat me in a fight," he answered, showing a mouth full of crooked teeth in his wicked smile.
Estallion glanced up at Thibalt who was now standing with wide eyes. "Well there is only one way to settle this then," muttered Estallion.
The man rose from his chair and Thibalt now saw that he was even larger than he had originally thought. He stood two heads higher than Thibalt's own tall body and was almost twice as wide. The man's muscled arms were bulging out of his shirt and as he moved closer, Thibalt could swear he felt the ground tremble.
Thibalt moved back into the centre of the room and raised his fists. The men sitting in the tavern caught wind of what was happening and stopped their conversations to watch the fight.
"Don't worry, Thibalt. If he beats you I will find someone to carry you home," called Estallion from the table.
"That makes me feel a lot better," Thibalt called back sarcastically.
The large man stormed into the centre of the room, laughing deeply. Thibalt shook his head, realizing that this man was obviously enjoying this whole fiasco.
"Are you ready?" he snarled.
Thibalt, keeping his eyes on the man's arms, nodded and at once he found himself dodging the Brute's giant fists. Each swing flew through the air with great accuracy and Thibalt was forced backwards to avoid the blows. With a quick sidestep, Thibalt managed to jab the man in the side with a powerful hit, but he barely flinched. The next thing he knew he was flying backwards as the man pounded him in the chest with a heavy blow. Thibalt hit the wooden floor hard, his breath flying out of him. He scrambled up as quickly as he could, holding his chest and coughing uncontrollably.
The man began to laugh once more and stopped to give Thibalt a chance to recover. Thibalt knew there was no way he would be able to overpower this Brute, so he would have to find a way to disable him. Once his breath returned he ran straight at the man who braced himself for the impact, but at the last second Thibalt slid to the left and darted past the man.
Before the slower Brute could turn, Thibalt had jumped up onto his back and wrapped his arm around the man's thick neck. He reached up and tried to pry Thibalt's arms away, but could not remove them. He then tried to grab Thibalt from behind, but had even less success. Thibalt continued to squeeze the breath from his attacker and slowly the giant man began
to stagger.
In one last attempt, the man ran backwards into the wall causing Thibalt to almost black out in pain, but the effort was too much and within moments the giant man fell to his knees with a purple face. Thibalt removed his grip, allowing the man to breath and moved away. After several coughs and deep breaths the man rose and walked over to Thibalt. Thibalt braced himself for another attack, but instead the man raised his hand for Thibalt to shake. Thibalt took it and let out a sigh of relief.
"The name is Irrol. And my life long companion over there is Torrlan," he said.
"Thibalt Steelfist. And, if I may say, that is a hell of a punch you have," returned Thibalt, rubbing his sore muscles.
Irrol began to chuckle and moved back to the table. Estallion glanced over at Torrlan and spoke to him. "What's your deal? You have been awfully quiet."
"He can't speak, and he don't hear to well either," replied Irrol.
"Well what good is he to us then?" replied Thibalt.
In an instant Thibalt felt a sharp sting on his neck and moved his hand to find a long cut. He looked down at Torrlan who was holding a bunch of small knifes in his hand.
"He missed on purpose," said Irrol with a chuckle. "And just because he can't hear doesn't mean that he don't know what you're saying. Torrlan here has a knack for reading lips. A very handy skill at times."
Thibalt looked down at Estallion. "Maybe I can put you to use."
Thibalt told Irrol where to meet him in three days and left the tavern with Estallion. "Can we trust them?" he asked.
"Who knows," replied Estallion. "At this stage I would worry more about finding six people than their loyalty."
Further down the street their search resumed as Estallion picked another inn. It continued long into the night of the second day, yet they were unable to find any more recruits.
Returning home after a long day, doubts of finding four more men rose, with only one day remaining. "What am I going to do Estallion? We have looked in almost every tavern, inn and whorehouse in the city. Not one single mercenary has been willing to join me."
"Have faith. We will think of something," replied Estallion with his ever jovial smile.
Dawn of the Valiant (The Valerious Chronicles: Book One) Page 97
