“I do not trust him, and prefer to see him chained and caged than with that staff,” snapped Manfir.
Kael shot a glance at Granu. The giant let out the smallest of sighs and frowned.
“But I gave my word to the Elves to treat him as an ally, and that I shall do,“ added Manfir.
“Elves? Out-worlders and trespassers,” hissed Tepi. “They own no rights and no say in the business of men. They act in their own best interests. If it doesn’t benefit them, they care not. They would sacrifice all of Zodra if it meant one extra coin in their pocket!”
“You don’t know them, Tepi, and therefore do not know what you say,” stated Manfir.
There was a moment of hesitation before Tepi spoke again.
“Perhaps you’re correct, Master Rin,” Tepi offered sweetly. “You are probably right.”
“I deal with the Grey Elves quite a bit and assure you of their intentions,” said Manfir.
“Yes, well I do not and bow to your superior experience,” came the trader’s hypnotic voice. “You’re a man of true power and intellect. You see things more clearly than others.”
“Yes ... I uh...” stammered Manfir, “like to think I ..uh”
“Grasp the situation,” offered Tepi’s voice melodically. “You are in control. You are a master of fate. A man not to be toyed with.”
“Yes ... that’s correct ..” mumbled Manfir.
The hair on the back of Kael’s neck stood on end. He watched Granu’s face. The giant’s eyes narrowed and his expression turned grim.
“However, you grow weary of your responsibilities. You carry such a heavy burden,” continued the sickly sweet voice of Tepi.
“Yes,” came the soft reply.
“If only you might lay your burden down at someone's feet. Let them carry it for awhile,” sang the voice. “Let someone else decide, someone else worry. Wouldn’t it be nice to let someone else relieve you of the burden, it’s so heavy?”
“Yes,” slurred Manfir.
Granu’s huge arm swept out and clasped Kael’s collar. The giant ripped the boy from his feet and propelled him through the grasses. The long, thin leaves whipped Kael’s face and he tried to protect himself from their sharp edges. In an instant, Kael hovered in the air three yards from the pair in the clearing. Manfir stood in front of Tepi with shoulders slumped and head hung low. Tepi stood over the Zodrian prince looking larger than Kael recalled. Granu burst from the grasses behind Kael and his deep voice echoed in the clearing.
“I found the boy, he was lost in the field,” boomed the giant.
Manfir’s head snapped up and he glared at Granu. Tepi threw his cloak about himself and shrunk into it. The trader slid into the night shadows back toward the main encampment.
“What in Avra’s name were you doing, Kael?” slurred Manfir.
Kael shot a glance over his shoulder at the placid face of Granu. The giant betrayed no emotion. Kael turned back to Manfir as Granu set him upon his feet.
“I ... I heard something in the grasses, and went to investigate,” stated Kael.
“Without letting anyone know! What were you thinking?” snapped Manfir.
“I went in a short distance, but before I knew it, the grasses were over my head and I lost my bearings,” pleaded Kael. “I panicked. Then I saw Granu’s face looking down at me from above the field.”
Manfir’s eyes narrowed and he stared at the giant. The Zodrian prince appeared exhausted.
“I’m in no position to command, but it might be helpful if your Keltaran friend kept us informed of his whereabouts,” Manfir whispered through clenched teeth.
“I held no time to inform you, Master Rin. My search called for all of my attention. I noticed the boy step into the field from across the clearing and knew it could come to no good. I focused on his entry point and followed. If I reported to you, as a servant might a master, I might skew my bearings and lose the boy. The grasses are like the waves of the sea. One wisp of the wind and what was, is no more,” said Granu calmly.
Manfir eyed him suspiciously, then turned and marched toward the encampment. Kael glanced at Granu and saw a grave expression cross the man’s face. They followed Manfir into the camp.
Kael woke to the noise of Tepi rummaging in his cart. The young man opened his eyes and noticed most of the group still wrapped in their bedrolls. On the opposite side of the fire lay Granu. The giant’s big frame rhythmically heaved up and down, but Kael was sure the giant’s eyes were slightly open, watching Tepi. Flair quietly moved about the encampment trying hard not to wake any of the men.
Kael rose and softly asked Flair if he required any assistance. Soon, the two young men built the fire up and boiled a pot of water for tea. Flair amazed Kael. The young ranch hand woke early and followed the brook to a pool it formed about a half league from the encampment. The young man hooked several nice trout and now sizzled them in a small pan over the fire.
Shortly, the entire group roused themselves and readied for departure. Tepi wandered over to the fire eyed the trout critically and devoured half of the meal before returning to his cart.
The group doused the fire and started on their way to Rindor, the river city.
“Master Tepi, I am sure you will find someone to service your cart in the village of Ymril,” stated Ader abruptly.
“Ah... yes, that I can,” said Tepi. “When do you anticipate our arrival there, good friend Rin?”
Manfir lifted his head and wearily looked at Tepi.
“Pardon,” said the Zodrian prince.
“I say when do you anticipate our arrival in Ymril? “ smiled Tepi.
“Oh, uh I’m not sure. Uh Ymril is ...” mumbled Manfir.
“We’ll not be going to Ymril,” cut in Ader decisively. “We’ll push on through to Rindor.”
“Not to Ymril?” exclaimed Tepi. “Why, that makes no sense. It’s the next town along the trade route. A warm bed and fresh food are what we all need. Master Rin, surely you see the logic in that?”
“Uh, yes, that sounds satisfying. A warm bed,” said Manfir.
“Of course, we’ll hear no more of this pushing ourselves. It’s far too great a journey for one day. All the way to Rindor, the old man talks nonsense!” laughed Tepi.
Ader’s eyes narrowed and he studied Tepi intently.
“Of course, if the Elves and their slave wish to continue on. So be it,” continued Tepi sweetly. “Those outlanders must conduct business with the crown. The rest of you merely rush to your deaths. Why hurry?”
Kael felt the hairs on his neck tingle as they did the night before. Ader’s mouth tightened and his eyes bore into the trader.
“Perhaps good man Tepi is correct...” stammered Manfir.
Ader turned Tarader hard and faced the group. The giant horse blocked their path. The old man rose high on the back of the mighty stallion, towering above the other members of the party. The early morning sun struck him full in the face and his grave expression stopped everyone in their tracks.
“Ridiculous,” stated Ader firmly. “Rin. It’s time for you to shake the cobwebs from your head. We will stick with our plan, and this ... trader ... will leave us at the crossroads to Ymril. We travel on today, hard. Rindor by nightfall is our goal and with Avra’s help we will make it so!”
Manfir’s shock set him upright and rigid in the saddle. His eyes were wide and fully alert. Ader’s jaw was set hard and his gray eyes bore into the Zodrian prince.
“Of course, we’ll travel on as you say,” stated Manfir. “There’s much to be done and scant time to manage it. My apologies.”
“Apologies accepted,” said Ader as he spun on Tepi. “At the crossroads you will part with us. Until that time you will remember that you are a guest in this traveling group. You will stop when we stop and go where we go when commanded to do so. If you do not like these rules, be gone with you now!”
Tepi shrunk into the seat of his rickety old wagon, shifting the reins of his horse between his fingers. Ader spun his
mount back down the road and the horse trotted forward. The remainder of the group hesitated, still in shock from Ader’s outburst. Kael looked about him wondering what to do. His eyes met those of Granu. The giant stood in the road just behind Kael’s mount smiling in deep satisfaction. He slapped Kael’s mare on the rump sending her trotting after Ader. The rest of the group roused from their shock and continued down the road.
They traveled for hours. Periodically, Manfir or Ader called for a stop to rest, feed and water the horses. Ader took the lead during this leg of the journey, talking to Manfir constantly. The Zodrian prince became more alert after this encounter.
Tepi kept his cart to the back of the group and tried to call as little attention to himself as possible. Kael noticed Tepi distractedly talking to himself. The cart’s continual hiccup jostled the bald man.
After hours on the road, the travelers came to a fork. A crude sign was fashioned onto a post near the right hand road. The sign simply read “To Ymril”. Ader reined in and looked over his shoulder at the group.
“We made a good pace today. I do believe that if we push on we’ll reach Rindor just after nightfall,” The old man paused. “Unless there are any objections?”
All remained silent and Kael stole a glance at Tepi. The trader sat in his cart covered in his robes, sweating profusely. He simply stared at the reins.
“This is where we say goodbye to you, Master Tepi. Ymril is not nearly so far down the right fork as our journey to Rindor. You should arrive within the hour,” stated Ader.
The trader looked up and a wicked smile crossed his face.
“Old man, you lead your compatriots to their death. You think I’m an ignorant gypsy, wandering through these lands full of hate and prejudice. You don’t know one grain of what I am. While you rot on the foothills of the Scythtar, I’ll be raised far above all men!” snarled Tepi.
The trader raised his arm and his riding whip mercilessly snapped on the back of his old nag. The horse lurched forward and trotted down the road to Ymril as the red faced trader cackled. The old cart rattled and shook as it bumped down the road.
“I sense Master Tepi will one day come to a bad end,” stated Teeg.
“It’ll come none to soon for the rest of the world,” added Eidyn.
Tarader once again headed north along the Northern Trade Route. This time however, the group was able to improve their pace without the straggling presence of the trader and his cart. Kael found the pace refreshing. The breeze created by their trot cooled him slightly and the concentration required in the saddle took his mind from the foreboding sense of doom Tepi placed there. Conversation in the group started again. Even Flair chanced a discussion on horsemanship with Eidyn. The loss of the trader lifted a brooding cloud from the entire company.
The ride to Rindor took less time than Ader suggested. The sun was near to setting as the group passed homesteads. Kael saw small cottages and huts set here and there on rolling hilltops a half league from the road. Goat pens and corrals were erected near the homes. The occasional dog barked in the distance as the group trotted down the road. The area reminded Kael of Kelky. Good people set in the middle of good land, just trying to make a life for themselves. People unaware of the larger world about them. People just happy to be left to themselves and the land they worked.
And why shouldn’t they? Why did things like war and disease poke their heads into the happy lives of these people? Kael’s thoughts wandered to images of his mother. She was so happy when she were alive. They lived a simple life, and that’s all she ever wanted. If Kael knew then what he knew now, would he have seen it differently? No, he was sure his mother, the daughter of the most powerful man in Zodra, was content. They were just another of these families, happy in their lives. Happy to be left to themselves and the life they chose. Happy until she was taken from them. Now his brother was gone as well.
“To each his own.” said Teeg riding close by Kael.
“Uh, pardon.” mumbled Kael, waking from his reflection.
Teeg nodded to a small cottage in the distance. A pigpen was set thirty yards from the home and a few cows roamed a nearby hillock munching on grass. A large dog raced from under the porch and pulled up on the next hilltop. Its bark was barely audible in the distance.
“I said ‘To each his own’,” restated Teeg.
“What do you mean?” asked Kael.
“All of us are born into our own situation, as it were,” answered Teeg. “We all can’t choose who we are to be and how we want to live.”
“Why not? Why can’t we decide to be and live a certain way?” said Kael.
“Any number of reasons Kael. The first and foremost being that our Creator may not want it that way. Another may be that the powers of Chaos may want to intrude on your plans,” added Teeg. “What about the desires and needs of others? They may not be evil, but their intents and desires may conflict with yours.”
“Its not fair. People should be allowed to be left out of it!” barked Kael.
“People cannot be left out of it, Kael. It’s about everyone, not just some of them and some of us. There are those who pretend they are not involved. They bury their heads and dismiss it all. Yet one day it comes to you. One day you are called upon, sometimes in a small way, and sometimes in a big way, but you are called. If you cannot meet the challenge, you fail. The Creator makes it easy to follow him, Kael. Search your heart, know what is right and act. That is all he requires,” said Teeg.
“But what if I don’t feel like acting? What if I feel like I’m not the one who should be acting?” questioned Kael. “How do I know what my job is?”
“As I said, my boy, it’ll come to you. We’re all born into a situation. Our lives may take us many different places, but our true nature always rises to the top,” answered Teeg. “Your father was never meant to be a shepherd’s son. He could have stayed in the foothills of the Zorim, chasing wolves from his flock, but something called him. Your mother could have married some fool of a courtesan, probably a titled baron with wealthy land possessions, but she did not. She followed her heart.”
“But my mother escaped. She left responsibility. When they moved to Kelky she was able to run and avoid it,” stated Kael.
“Ah,” smiled Teeg. “You think that story I told you is about your mother escaping? Running from a controlling father and the responsibilities of a kingdom?”
“Well, isn’t that what she did?” questioned Kael.
“OF COURSE NOT YOU DOLT!” shouted Teeg.
The remainder of the party turned to stare at Teeg and Kael. The old Elf’s eyes bore into the boy.
“We are having a lesson. Please attend to your business gentlemen!”
Eidyn smiled at Manfir.
“That was me, not so long ago,” smiled the Elven prince.
Teeg resumed the discussion.
“Do you honestly believe walking away from a life of privilege and power to run an inn in the middle of nowhere AND raise two small boys is an escape from responsibility?”
“Well, I thought ..” began Kael.
“No, you didn’t think!” snapped Teeg. “I don’t find a problem with you feeling sorry for yourself, Kael. We all do it now and again. But don’t let it start to cloud your perception of reality! Don’t let it tell you that you’re the only one who sacrifices. You’ve been a part of this struggle for a short time. Some of us have been waging this war for hundreds of years. Some of us lost loved ones, just as you lost Aemmon. Some of us know what it’s like to release a normal life, a carefree life and accept a life of struggle.”
Kael bowed his head, squirming in the saddle. He reflected on Hrafnu once more. He contemplated Awoi and Gretcha. He pondered his father’s years in the Guard. He thought of Cefiz. He glanced forward to Manfir. So many scars crisscrossed the big man’s arms and face. Teeg, as perceptive as usual, continued.
“Those scars are what you receive for joining the struggle. Even a man as stoic as Manfir wouldn’t lie to you. He would a
dmit that each and every scar caused him pain. But would he give them all back, to avoid the fight? I think not. The struggle will wound you. It may even kill you. But if the fight is worthy, that is enough,” said Teeg. “You wear your first scar. The loss of your brother will stay with you a lifetime. Just as the rain will cause an old wound to ache, so will memories of your youth cause your brother’s memory to ache in your heart. Live with your scars. Know there will be more to follow, but never never question whether they are worth it.“
Teeg turned forward and trotted ahead to join up with Eidyn. Kael was left with his thoughts. Thoughts of doubt and sorrow. Thoughts he decided to deal with.
The troop cantered along and night fell over the rolling hills around Rindor. The road rose to the crest of one of these small hills. Kael’s sight fell upon Rindor. Two leagues down the road stood the river city, bathed in moonlight. The Ituan River flowed deep and wide at this point in its journey from the Zorim Mountains to the Toxkri Swamp. Its spinning, rolling currents pushed around an island at the river’s widest point. Set atop this rocky island stood the city of Rindor. Massive stone slab after massive stone slab rose straight out of the flowing waters and stretched into the clouds. Not a single square yard of the island was left without structure. Martins and terns wheeled around the parapets feasting on the flying insects of nightfall. Their darting figures resembled a star shower as the moonlight caught their plumage and lit them in the night sky. The shimmering water rolled past. Kael felt his heart race at the beauty of the city.
“The duchy of Rindor awaits gentlemen,” said Manfir smiling. “Perhaps a warm bed and a good meal will take some of the ache out of our bones.”
The group trotted down the road at a much livelier pace with that suggestion fresh in their minds. As they approached the river, they came to a long bridge. The bridge spanned the river from the south shore to the island. A large guard post sat next to the slightly arching bridge. Windows glowed with candlelight in the early evening. A guard stepped from the post and blocked entry to the bridge. He held a large trident nearly as tall as himself. The guard quickly surveyed the travelers and his eyes nervously shifted back to the guardhouse. He dipped the trident’s pointed tines slightly forward and spoke loudly.
The Merchant and the Menace Page 29
