by Mark McCabe
He saw no choice but to follow Sara’s lead. Unlike her, he had no soothing words for the girl, however. “We’ll never have time, Sara,” he blurted out as he rushed back and forth, grabbing clothes and other items which had been left around the room. “We’ve got to saddle the horses. They must be almost here by now.”
“If you hurry, Sir,” interrupted Alys, “you can make it.” She’d made no attempt to leave when they began packing. “You must. I ran back as hard as I could, Sir. And I took a shortcut. I told Jakeb to saddle your horses, Sir, and to take them down to the tallow maker’s. That’s two streets away from here. I can show you how to get there, but we must go now.” With that, Alys took hold of Sara’s arm and began to pull her towards the doorway.
“You’re a good girl, Alys, and a good friend,” responded Sara, slinging her pack over her shoulder as she followed her out the door. “C’mon Rayne, she’s right. Let’s go.”
Rayne’s mind raced as they both rushed out of the room in the young girl’s wake. Thank the stars he’d been over-generous with the two coppers he had given her the previous night, he thought. He could only assume the risk she was taking to help them was her way of repaying that munificence.
They were both winded by the time they reached the tallow maker’s shop. Alys had taken them down the stairs and out the back door and the three of them had run through the back alleys until they had reached the shop. It had been hard going, running like that with their packs on their back, and Alys had to keep stopping every now and then so they could catch up. She set a fast pace, nonetheless, and they were both relieved when they rounded a corner to find a young lad holding their horses’ reins.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for us, Alys,” gasped Sara between breaths, as Rayne strapped their gear to the back of the horses. “And you too, Jakeb,” she said, acknowledging the lad. “Thank you both.”
As Sara moved to embrace Alys, Rayne’s thoughts were on their next move. “What’s the quickest way to the gate?” he asked Jakeb.
“That-a-way, Sir,” the boy answered, pointing back over Rayne’s shoulder. “But the gates won’t be open for some time yet, Sir.”
Rayne felt his hopes fall at the youngster’s words. The look on Sara’s face told him she hadn’t thought that far ahead yet either. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Can’t we just go there and be first out as soon as they open.”
“By that time they’ll know we’ve flown the coop,” he replied despondently. “The first thing the soldiers’ll do will be to warn the guards at the gates. That’s what I’d do, and I’m not even a Ranger. We’re trapped.” Though he was holding on to the pommel of Ned’s saddle, his head was slumped forward and he kicked angrily at the dirt as he spoke. He had no idea what to do. They had to move from where they were, and quickly, but he hadn’t the faintest idea where they should go. He had been asleep no more than ten minutes ago and had made no plans for this sort of eventuality.
“He’s right, Miss,” said Jakeb. “You shouldn’t go to the gate.”
“But we have to,” cried Sara. “What else are we to do? We can’t stay here.”
“C’mon,” said Rayne, trying to calm Sara now she had realised the dilemma they were in. Waiting here was going to get them caught for sure. “They haven’t got us yet. We’ll find somewhere quiet to lay low for a while, and then we’ll find a way to get out without the guards knowing, maybe tonight. There must be a way out of a big town like this without the guards knowing.”
Rayne hoped that Sara didn’t know him well enough by now to see he didn’t really believe what he was saying. They didn’t even know how to get to the gate, let alone find somewhere they might hide in the town. Their prospects were dim, to say the least, and no amount of encouraging words was going to change that.
“There are other ways out, Miss,” piped up Alys. “Plenty of them. But you can’t stay here like this, Miss. The guards must be at the inn by now. They’ll start looking for you once they see you’ve gone.”
“She’s right, Sara,” urged Rayne, as he climbed up onto Ned’s back. “We must go, now.”
With a final clasp of the maid’s hand, Sara silently mounted Nell. As she took a hold of the rein to turn her mount, Alys grabbed a hold of her leg.
“I’ve got it, Miss. I know where you can go,” she cried out excitedly. “My brother will know where to hide you.”
Sara turned to look at Rayne, and the silent nod he gave her brought a smile to her face. It was clear to him they had little chance of evading the Rangers without someone to help them. The girl’s offer was all they had. They had no choice but to take it. He pushed the fear that they might end up bringing trouble down on Alys’ head as well to one side. He couldn’t let Sara get caught.
“Thank you, Alys,” said Sara, reaching down and clasping the young maid’s hand. “Once again we owe you our gratitude. How can we find your brother?”
“I’ll take you there, Miss. Here, Jakeb, help me get up behind.” In a moment, Alys had clambered up behind Sara and they were away.
With the young girl directing their progress, they made good speed. Rayne tried to maintain some sense of where they were going but he soon realised that it was impossible; he had no real point of reference to start from. They had travelled from the gate to the inn the evening before largely in darkness, and the wild flight from the inn to the tallow maker’s shop had only served to further disorient what little sense he had of where they were in the town. There was nothing for it now but to trust their guide.
At first, his thoughts wandered through the implications of this new crisis that had been so unexpectedly thrust upon them, just when they were beginning to think they had finally won clear of pursuit. From what Alys had overheard the guards saying, it was clear someone had concocted a story about them that had set the Algarian Rangers on their trail.
For a few moments, Rayne considered if there could be any truth behind what they had said. Was Sara, in fact, really just the runaway daughter of one of the Guardian’s servants? That would certainly explain a lot that had happened. But no, he chided himself, he refused to believe that Sara had lied to him. He didn’t sense any duplicity in the girl at all; quite the opposite in fact. And why would Tug and his men have tried to kill them both if that was the case? And what about the sligs, why would they be after them?
He quickly pushed the notion aside, berating himself as he did so for even considering such an idea. No, the story was an invention, put about by Tug perhaps, or even Golkar, to enlist the aid of the authorities in tracking them down. This was a dangerous turn of events. Until now, it had been sligs and draghar that had been after them. With the Rangers pursuing them as well, they were surely doomed. Though he felt his own hopes rapidly sinking, Rayne realised that he couldn’t let Sara know how slim he thought their chances now were. He couldn’t bear to think of what that would do to her.
At least there was no sign of pursuit from the guards as yet, he thought, taking a deep breath and trying to find something positive to latch on to. They seemed to have managed to give them the slip for the moment, and each step their horses took was increasing what had already become a healthy distance between themselves and the inn.
Looking about, he could see their surroundings were gradually changing. The area around the inn had abounded with artisan’s shops. From the increasing number of warehouses and stores they were now passing, Rayne guessed that Alys was leading them into the commercial quarter of Novistor. While most of the establishments were closed at this early hour, in a few, the day’s activities had already begun. The commercial warehouses, in particular, were a hive of activity. Around these, carters and hauliers were busy loading their wagons for the longer trips to be made as soon as the gates were opened. The runners, he could see, had already begun their local hauls.
Rayne knew from stories his father had told him that the job of the latter was to carry small loads to the local businesses, either on their back, if it was a sack of me
al or grain, or on small carts, if the load was a little larger. His father had told him that theirs was a gruelling task. Only the desperate took on this work, and they didn’t last long. The burn out rate was appalling.
The first rays of the rising sun were only just now beginning to soften the morning sky and yet the runners would have been about their business for some time already. For most, the signal that their work for the day was done wouldn’t come until the evening bell that heralded the closing of the gates and the lighting of the lamps. Whatever errand they were on then would be their last, though they would be up and at it again before sunrise on the morrow. And all this for a pittance a day. Labour was cheap, and for those who thought the work too demanding for such little recompense, there were many more ready to take their place. Life was tough, no less so here in the big towns than out on the Marches.
It was to a lane at the rear of one of these big warehouses that Alys eventually led them. The two large wooden doors that fronted the lane were open and a wagon could be seen jutting out slightly into the lane itself. Four more wagons were lined up outside, waiting their turn. A small gang of men were loading large crates on to the first wagon under the direction of a small, balding man with a barking voice. When Alys left them at the entrance and disappeared inside the building, neither the workers nor the overseer paid Rayne or Sara any heed. The men simply continued about their task with an efficiency obviously borne of years of experience. Very few words passed between them; it seemed that the task they were about was one with which they were all familiar. Looking up, Rayne could see a name, ‘Johnson and Haddir, Long Haulage Contractors’, written in large, fading, red letters above the big double doors.
“Maybe we can get out with some of these wagons,” whispered Sara to Rayne after they had been watching for a few moments.
Rayne nodded slowly. “Maybe,” he replied. “Though we’ll still need horses. I’m sure it can be done. The question is whether we can find someone to show us how.”
It didn’t take long for Alys to return, and when she did she motioned for them to follow her into the warehouse and to bring their horses with them. They quickly did as she said, finding that the building was much bigger than they had imagined it to be from the outside. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness of the interior, they could see that the structure comprised a wide central avenue on either side of which were stacked all manner of paraphernalia, most of it in crates and barrels stacked higgledy-piggledy around the sides of the warehouse. Here and there, ladders ascended, disappearing through small trapdoors to an apparent upper level. Alys led them to a row of stalls at the rear of the building where she helped them to tether and unsaddle Nell and Ned.
“My brother will help you, Miss,” she assured Sara, as she helped her to dismount.
“Thank God,” replied Sara. “I don’t know what we would have done without your help, Alys. I’m not sure we deserve it. I do know that I can’t thank you enough, though.”
“It’s fine, Miss,” replied the girl as a blush began to cover her face. “Good people have to help good people. That’s what Mrs Forrodeer always says. I knew Jon would help. He’s the best brother a girl could have. He’ll look after your horses too, Miss. He’s a marker here. He said he’s got a spot where you can spend the day, no questions asked. He also knows someone who can get you both out of the city after sundown. I’ll come back and bring you something to eat when I can later in the day.”
“You’ve been too kind to us,” replied Sara. “I really am worried about your safety. Will you be all right back at the inn? Do you think there’ll be any trouble for you there over this?”
“Oh no, Miss. Mrs Forrodeer will make a big fuss when she hears what’s happened. She got all weepy talking about you last night. Said you and the Master reminded her of herself and Mr Forrodeer. Said she eloped too when she was your age.”
Rayne saw Sara smile at the girl’s comment. “We haven’t eloped, Alys,” she responded. “Nothing as romantic as that.” Then, leaning conspiratorially towards the girl, she spoke in a softer voice, though not so soft that Rayne couldn’t hear what she said. “Though if I was going to elope, Rayne’s just the sort of man I’d want to elope with.”
He felt himself blush as Sara turned and gave him a grin and a wink. Alys looked at him too, and then turned back to Sara with a matching grin when she saw him blushing. When the two girls both giggled together, he thought his face must be turning scarlet.
Luckily, Alys’ brother turned up before he could be put through any further embarrassment. Once Alys had introduced them, she rushed off, anxious to get back to the inn. Jon then asked them to follow him, saying he would show them where they could spend the day well away from prying eyes. Within a few moments, they found themselves clambering up a wooden ladder which led to the upper level.
The loft was both dusty and dark but somehow reassuring in its isolation. Jon led them to a quiet spot, hidden from view by some old wooden chests in the unlikely event that anyone did venture up there. He assured them that, though he had taken this precaution, it was really quite unnecessary. No one other than him ever came up to the upper level any more and they could wait out the day there in total safety. He also told them he would be back once it was dark with someone who could help them to get out of the town. With that, he left them.
True to her word, Alys returned in the middle of the day with a small basket of food, a few pieces of bread, some cheese and some fruit. Jon accompanied her.
Rayne was glad to see her, and he could see that Sara was too. It was the only human contact the two fugitives had had all day and their wait had been a long and a worrying one, despite Jon’s assurances. Rayne didn’t feel at all secure knowing their safety now lay entirely in the hands of strangers.
At least he trusted Alys. Thank Mishra for her, he thought. Without her help, who knows where they would be. Caught, that much was for sure, though what the Rangers would do with them if they did catch up with them was much less clear. Of course, he and Sara would deny whatever story Tug and his men must have concocted. Rayne knew enough about how things went in Ilythia, however, to know that their word would count for little against that of a servant of Golkar. He remembered how sceptical he himself had been when Sara had first told him what had happened to her. It was only when Tug and his men had tried to kill them at the falls that he had truly believed a Guardian could do such a thing.
He knew they had no choice now but to put their trust in Alys’ brother as well. It seemed that choices were something they had long since relinquished a right to. Events just seemed to sweep them along, like a stream in flood. Once more, they would just have to go with the flow and see where their fate took them.
While Rayne and Sara ate, Jon explained that he had a friend who could show them a way out of the town without their being questioned by the Rangers. It would cost them a few silvers, but the route, he assured them, was relatively safe.
It seemed that, although the main gate was closed at night, it was always attended by two guards. Jon’s friend, Kip, knew from experience that the two guards who had that shift at the moment were eminently bribeable. Kip had acted as a go-between for such deals a number of times and apparently he had agreed to lead them to the gate and to help them transact the deal. He would return with Jon later that evening, once the town was quiet and bedded down for the night. And so they were left to wait again.
Neither of them slept during the course of the afternoon; they just sat together in the darkness of the loft, holding hands and exchanging the occasional few words. The sun set and still they waited. It was so dark in the loft that Rayne could no longer see Sara, even when she crawled over to him and lay down with her head in his lap. He could smell her wonderfully distinctive odour, however. That and the silky feeling of her hair as he ran his hands through it more than made up for his loss of sight.
They stayed like that for some time. When Rayne eventually removed his hand, Sara spoke for the first time in hours. “P
lease don’t stop,” she said. “I like that.”
And so they waited, chatting infrequently, quiet as field mice the rest of the time, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, when Rayne was beginning to wonder if they had been forgotten altogether, Jon returned. As soon as Rayne saw the flicker of lantern light and heard Jon’s soft whistle, he helped Sara up and they set about getting their few belongings together. Rayne’s joints were stiff from hours of inactivity and he could see in the soft light of the lantern that Sara was in no better condition than he was. They knew they had to get going, however. After a few quick stretches, they slung their gear over their shoulders and scampered after Jon as he led the way to the ladder.
Downstairs, they were pleased to find Alys waiting to farewell them. What a friend she had turned out to be, thought Rayne with wonder. Mrs Forrodeer had sent some fresh fruit and bread for them, as well as two pieces of game pie, straight from her own oven. The latter were hastily devoured while the other items were stowed in their packs for later. Then, after a tearful farewell between Sara and Alys, they were on their way.
Their new companion, Kip, took the lead. He was a slender lad, very similar in build and height to Rayne, though a year or two younger. Rayne noticed that the boy even had his hair tied back in a ponytail in a similar fashion to his own. That, however, was where the similarity ended.
Where Rayne was nervous and unsure of himself in the narrow streets of the town, the boy was street-smart in a way that Rayne could never dream to be. Right from the moment he had been introduced to them, Rayne had seen that if the lad lacked anything, it wasn’t confidence. Even the way he had stood as he had been introduced, with his thumbs hooked into his belt and his head cocked to one side as he silently appraised them, had bespoken a confidence Rayne could only envy.
