by D. L. Kramer
Nahtan looked over to Mallin. "This is what I brought you for," he told him.
Mallin nodded and picked up his cloak, swinging it out over his shoulders and tying the blue cords at the top corners. Just before they rounded the last curve before coming in sight of the gates into Edgewind, Mallin spurred his horse forward into the lead, slowing to a walk again about twenty paces ahead of Nahtan. When they reached the gates, Mallin reined in, the others stopping a short distance behind him.
"We would enter here," Mallin said, his voice gruff and commanding.
The guard who came to the gate looked from Mallin, then back to Nahtan and the others.
"You're welcome, Sir," the man said, giving Mallin a clumsy salute and trying to straighten his worn cloak and rusted chain shirt without much luck. "But we were told to apprehend anyone with a red cloak and hold them here for the Cap'n."
"Idiot," Mallin returned. "Where do you think I'm taking them?"
The guard started to say something, then stopped, his eyes shifting to Nahtan and Brijade as their red cloaks blew gently in the morning breeze.
"Beggin' yer pardon, Sir," the guard said, looking back at Mallin. "But they don't look much like prisoners. Those two with the red cloaks still have their weapons."
Rather than respond verbally, Mallin sat back in his saddle, folded his arms and Nahtan could practically feel the glare the former church officer leveled at the guard.
"But I trust you already knew that," the guard finished hastily, flinching under Mallin's gaze. He turned to his partner, who had tried staying out of site behind a post. The other guard peeked out at the assembled group, and seemed to pale.
"Let 'em in," he said. "We don't have to tell anyone we saw any red cloaks."
The first guard shifted restlessly as he looked back at Mallin. "You understand, don't you, Sir?" he asked, his voice hopeful. "If the Cap'n knew we'd let 'em pass into the town, he'd have our hands and feet cut off. But if you don't tell 'im you came in this way, then it's none of our skin."
Mallin continued to glare at the guard, making him squirm under his steady gaze.
"Sir?" the guard asked, starting to look uncomfortable.
"Such disregard for command is only deserving of the dungeons below Herridon castle," Mallin said finally. "You have orders but yet do not follow them."
Nahtan saw Brijade look over at him, and shrugged. He could only trust that Mallin knew what he was doing.
The guard paled and took a step back, unable to find anything to say.
Mallin tapped his heels to his horse and moved forward several steps.
"You had best stand aside, soldier," Mallin suggested. "Else you find yourself ground into the dirt."
The guard hesitated for a moment, as if letting Mallin's threat sink in, then scrambled to the other side of the gates. Mallin's horse started forward again, and Nahtan told Renato to follow him. Everyone else fell in beside or behind him as they rode into Edgewind. When they were clear of the gates and out of sight of the guards, Mallin fell back beside Nahtan again.
"You don't think they'll run to tell?" Brijade asked him.
Mallin shook his head. "They're more loyal to me right now than Thorvald," he answered, a satisfied tone to his voice.
"How do you draw that conclusion?" Adie asked.
Mallin turned to look at her. "Because my dear Lady Adiella, Thorvald would cut off their hands and feet, but I'd let them keep them and only throw them in his Majesty's dungeon."
"And that makes them more loyal?" Adie asked, raising her eyebrows.
Mallin returned her look. "You have to understand the mind of the church," he told her. "In the dungeon, there's a chance for redemption and eventual release. Once your hands and feet are gone, there is no second chance."
They pulled their horses in a short ways further into the village. Men and women and horses and carts all moved through the streets in every direction. There seemed to be an equal mix of the unwashed and those who took more care about their appearance. One thing both had in common, however, was the way they possessively held onto their children. Nahtan even saw one mother who had gone so far as to tie each of her children around the waist with a length of rope, then tie the other end to her own waist. Many merchants had dogs tied near their tables or doors, and the merchants near them regarded them all with undisguised suspicion.
"Let's split up from here," Nahtan ordered. "We'll meet back here a couple of hours before dusk."
As everyone nodded and turned to walk off in different directions, Nahtan turned to Rial. "Where is the temple most likely to be?" he asked.
Rial considered their surroundings for a moment, then motioned to the southeast. "The buildings in that direction tend to be a little cleaner," he said. "I didn't go specifically looking for any temples, so I can't tell you for certain, but that's my guess of where it would be."
Nahtan nodded, took hold of Renato's reins, and took the lead towards the southeast corner of the village. As they moved through the crowds, he noticed some giving them a wide berth, while others barely seemed to notice them. None of them, however, seemed to care about their red cloaks, reminding him of what Rial had told him upon his return to Herridon.
"I thought you said they knew what the red cloaks meant," Nahtan said, looking at Rial with narrowed eyes. "That's why I couldn't just march an army down here without scaring everyone off."
"Yes," Rial nodded his head. "Surely you don't think those two guards at the gate were afraid of Mallin alone. Whether they want to admit it or not, they know the presence here of you and Lady Takis is more than likely going to cause an uproar. That's why they didn't want to be held responsible for letting you in."
"Did they really think they could stop us?" Brijade asked, her green eyes bored into Lord Valin's.
"They know they can't stop you," Rial returned to her easily. "They're simple, forgotten men who only know finding a way to exist. If their choice was groveling before Mallin or letting the two of you charge them, they're obviously going to choose the former. They may not have half a brain between them, but they do recognize where power lays and that his Majesty here commands more of it than Thorvald." He considered her for a moment. "I'm surprised you didn't realize that, Lady Takis, considering the time you spent with your king last night."
"Don't, Brijade," Nahtan ordered her back just as she started to draw her sword. He stopped and faced Rial. To his surprise, he saw no challenge towards him in the young lord's demeanor. It was obvious he was just baiting Brijade, trying to do nothing more than upset her.
"I'm sure you can find another pastime than getting Lady Takis angry with you," Nahtan told him. "Or at the very least don't do it when she's already upset with you. You're not likely to survive the encounter."
Rial chuckled, looking at Brijade. "Oh, she won't kill me," he said, still meeting her cold gaze. "That would take all the fun out of it. She's more apt to want me locked up somewhere so she can torture me whenever the mood suits her."
"Don't bet on it, swamprat," Brijade said, sliding her sword back into the sheath. "You still owe me a number of Mo'ani for the ones you got killed."
Rial continued to smile at her. "Yes, I know, and you'll carve them out of me if you have to."
"Yes," Brijade agreed with a single nod of her head. "I will."
"All right, you two," Nahtan said, looking over to Yenene, who was only shaking her head sadly. He didn't really want these two declaring war on each other--though he was starting to think it was inevitable. For a brief moment he wondered how many armies he would have to camp between their holds to stop them. "Which way now?" he asked Rial.
Rial paused to look around again, then pointed to a narrow alley between two low stone buildings that disappeared into shadow. "That way cuts off about four blocks, but cutpurses tend to lurk in alleys like that."
"I don't think they'll be too much trouble," Nahtan told Rial, leading Renato towards the alley. There wouldn't be room to draw his sword, but he had the dagger st
rapped to his left forearm and hidden by the sleeve of his tunic as well as the skinning knife in his boot. Yenene followed after him, then Rial, then Brijade brought up the rear.
Several yards into the alley, a hooded figure laughed and dropped down in front of Nahtan. Nahtan heard others hit the packed ground behind them and taunting chuckles. He felt, rather than saw, Yenene's startled jump.
"It'll cost ya to go through our alley," the person in front of him said. Nahtan was surprised to hear a girl's voice.
"I don't pay anyone I can't see," he returned, his voice calm. Renato was tugging against his reins, and Nahtan knew the horse badly wanted to trample the figure ahead of them.
The girl chuckled and pushed her hood back, exposing her features. Nahtan guessed her age at about twenty, but couldn't be sure. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back into a simple tail and her clothes were a combination of leather breeches, a wool vest and linen blouse. Her boots were soft leather and the legs of her breeches were tucked into the tops. Leather laces crisscrossed up each boot, holding them in place. All were dyed in dark shades of brown and grey, and her clear grey eyes searched Nahtan's. She held a long dagger in one hand, flipping and catching it almost absently as she looked him up and down.
"It'll cost you your cloak," she said, looking back at his face.
Nahtan couldn't help but smile. Of everything he owned, she had requested the one thing he would not part with.
"No," he said simply, meeting her gaze.
Behind him, he heard the rest of her gang chuckle.
"He's not bein' very cooper'tive," one of them called to her. "Show 'im how mean you can git, Korrie."
The girl named Korrie tilted her head as she looked at Nahtan. "Then I guess you're not leaving our alley," she said, just as simply as he had. "I get what I want, or the deadwagons get heavier." She smiled easily, her eyes sparkling. "And then I still get what I want."
Nahtan could feel the tension from those behind him. He hoped Brijade and Rial wouldn't do anything rash. Yenene was being strangely still and Nahtan glanced over his shoulder. A young man of about fifteen or sixteen summers held a dagger to her throat. He smiled when Nahtan looked at him, shrugging slightly in seeming innocence.
"There does seem to be a problem," Nahtan returned, looking back at Korrie. "I'm not negotiating anything while one of my friends is being threatened so directly." Renato tugged again at his reins, stamping his hooves and snorting angrily towards the girl before him. "And if you continue to insist, we won't have any choice but to kill you." He knew that the small group of thieves would be no challenge to them. They were obviously used to preying on merchants and farmers.
Korrie laughed. "Oh, I like you," she nodded to him. "I haven't had someone this much fun come through this alley in a long time. Most of them start crying and crawling around in the dirt."
"I'm not given to either," Nahtan returned. He considered the girl for a moment. There was an intelligence there that he hadn't expected to find in a common thief. There was also a self-assurance that would rival Calan's. "How about if we discuss a trade of sorts," he said after a moment.
"A trade?" Korrie asked. "All right, you give me your cloak, and I'll let you leave my alley alive."
Nahtan shook his head. "Your time's about up," he told her. "In about one minute I'm going to let go of my horse and he's going to do his damndest to run you down. The same with my friends. You obviously know this village and I'm looking for a specific building. We can arrange something for you to take us there."
Korrie's eyes shifted for a second to Renato. Renato responded by snapping his teeth at her and pulling on the reins again. Her expression was speculative for a moment, but didn't show any fear of the big stallion. Looking past Nahtan, she motioned with her head. Nahtan turned and the boy who had been behind Yenene let her go.
"We're not guides," the boy said, giving Renato as wide a berth as he could as he came to Korrie's side. "Tell 'im Korrie. We don't take anyone anyplace." He looked at Nahtan as he said the last.
Before Nahtan could respond, Korrie belted the young man squarely in the jaw, sending him reeling into a pile of trash.
"And I'm tired of telling you that I make the decisions," Korrie told the unconscious boy, then looked back at Nahtan. "Where are you trying to go?" she asked him, her tone easy. "And why would you want to pay me to take you there? Any other idiot in this town could give you directions for free."
"Let's just say you have a certain style about you," Nahtan told her. "And I don't want an idiot's directions, I might get lost trying to follow them."
Korrie tossed her head back and laughed. "Oh, I do like you," she said after composing herself. "What's your name?"
"Nahtan," he answered. He hadn't expected any real response from her, so he was surprised when she actually took a step back, her eyes wide.
"The king." It was said as a statement, not a question. After a moment, she took a step forward again, her eyes wary this time as they moved over the others. With a nod of her head, she motioned to the rest of her gang. With barely any noise, they disappeared to the rooftops, climbing the gutters and stones along the sides of the buildings. "I didn't recognize you," she said then to Nahtan, then paused. "Which isn't hard to believe since I've never seen you."
"How do you know who I am?" Nahtan asked her. "So far we haven't come across anyone here who does."
Korrie shifted her eyes over Yenene, Rial and Brijade. "We shouldn't talk here," she said, looking back to Nahtan. "Come with me." Turning on her heel, she led them through the alley and out into a bright roadway on the other side. Barely looking around her, she led them across the road, through another alley, then to an empty stable behind a tiny inn.
While Korrie checked to make sure no one was in the tack room or any of the stalls, Brijade leaned closer to Nahtan.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked him quietly.
Nahtan nodded. "There's something going on here," he told her. "I need to know what it is. You and Rial keep your eyes open, though."
Brijade nodded, stepping back to stand with Essian as Korrie bolted the stable door and came back over to them.
"My great grandmother was a soothsayer," she told them, her voice hushed.
She led them over to one of the stalls. Inside, she brushed aside the straw, then pulled up one of the boards. Very carefully, she pulled out a wrapped scroll. She held it for a moment, then turned and handed it to Nahtan. "She gave this to my grandmother, then she gave it to my mother, then it went to me. It's what my great grandmother told a Lord Mo'ani d'Herridon about your coming."
Nahtan turned and looked at Yenene, who stood with her eyes closed. After a moment, she nodded her head slightly. Nahtan unwrapped the scroll, then carefully opened it. The parchment crackled and threatened to split in several places. Nahtan's eyes skimmed through it. Most of the scroll was in a language that was unreadable, though the few parts that weren't seemed to be parts of prophecy that referred to him.
"Well?" Brijade asked.
Nahtan handed it to her, then looked back at Korrie, who still knelt in the straw. "I was under the impression that particular soothsayer was from one of the holds around Herridon," he said. "Not from here."
"She traveled all over," Korrie said, her voice reverent as she spoke of her ancestor. "My grandmother said after she told Lord Mo'ani, she moved her family here--for some unknown reason. I guess one night she wrote down what she'd seen and saved it. When she died, she told my grandmother to save it until someone named in it came looking for it. My grandmother said the same thing to my mother, and my mother passed it on to me with those same instructions."
"Yenene?" Nahtan asked, turning to the priestess again.
Yenene's eyes remained closed for a moment, then opened as she took a deep breath. "The scroll is meant to be returned to Halona," she said after a moment. "It is her words written on it, but they could be dangerous in the wrong hands."
Nahtan's mind raced with her words. An image o
f the three cloaked riders swam before his mind's eye. Could it be those riders knew about the scroll and that's why they had come here? What could it possibly contain that would be such a danger?
"Thorvald and a large group came here last night," he said to Korrie. "Do you know where they went?"
Korrie seemed to think about it for a moment, then shook her head. "I remember seeing them ride through the west gate, but I was busy and couldn't see where they went."
"Busy?" Nahtan asked her deliberately.
Korrie smiled. "I had---uh--come upon something of value and another individual thought it was his. I had to put some effort into getting away from him."
"I see," Nahtan said. "Do you think you could find out for me?"
Korrie shrugged. "It shouldn't be too hard," she said. "As long as you're willing to pay for my time, that is."
Nahtan sighed. Apparently everything with her was going to involve money. "We'll arrange something." He offered her a hand up. After standing, she kicked straw over the floorboard again. "But first," he told her, taking the scroll back from Brijade. He walked around to put it into one of Renato's saddlebags. "We need to get to Jensina's temple."
Korrie actually shuddered. "My price just doubled," she said evenly. "Not even I'm dumb enough to try getting in there."
Twenty Three - "She keeps 'em to 'erself"
Jensina started pacing as Halona faded from the room, off to trace her schemes again. There was something about this that nagged at her, something her sister was doing seemed wrong, though she knew her sister was incapable of doing wrong, just as she was.
Halona was spending most of her time watching Nahtan and his allies, giving them subtle nudges in specific directions--like towards the scroll telling of Mo'ani's fate. Towards what final end, however, Jensina couldn't figure out, but the urge to learn nipped and bit at her.
