He moved on to the next goblinoid and started going through its belongings.
Jhonate pondered what he had said. She had noticed that when doing the Bowl’s business, her husband seemed to be drawn to dark beasts. Did the reverse work as well? Could a holy mission really bring evil upon you? Was the Dark Prophet’s will strong enough to compel his minions even at such great distance?
She cocked her head, distracted by Nod’s movements. “What are you doing, Pilgrim Nod?”
“Oh, it’s just Nod, Sar. No need for honorifics wif’ me,” said the ex-nobleman as he pulled meager pouches from the belts of the dead goblinoids. “But as a man of little means I find it’s always a good idea to check any bodies I run across. You never know what treasures even filthy beasts like these might hold.”
One of the pouches held some flint and steel. Another was full of broken arrowheads and a few small pieces of unrecognizable jerky that Nod casually tossed into the fire. But the third pouch he opened contained a single gold piece and two small gems. He showed them to her proudly before stowing them away. “Everyfing adds up.”
Jhonate gave him a stony look. Her people would never stoop to looting foul beasts. If you hunted down and killed a thief it was fair and right to reclaim stolen goods, but otherwise it was disrespectful to yourself and your fallen foe to steal their things. This wasn’t an uncommon behavior for uncouth warriors and mercenaries, but seemed beneath a man on a holy pilgrimage.
“Are you going to check their teeth for gold fillings while you are at it?” she asked, her voice steeped in disapproval.
“Bah,” he said with an unashamed grin. “Grunts like these wouldn’t bother with fillings.” When she didn’t smile in return, his back straightened. “Now, don’t you be judgin’ me too harshly, Sar. The curse what’s on me is what drove me to this lowly state. Ain’t like I could work for my food, now is it?”
Jhonate placed her hands on her hips and wondered why she was stuck with this particular man. Even his introduction to her had been uncouth.
When she had returned to her house after being named, he had stepped out of the shadows of her stable and called out to her as “Jhonate, wife of Sir Edge.” After she had reprimanded him for using her name without permission, he had apologized and introduced himself.
Nod had told her of his curse and that he had been searching for Seer Rahan, just as she was. Then he had produced his own letter from the seer. In the letter, Rahan had told him that his curse could be lifted, but that he could not do it alone.
He told Nod to travel to the Mage School and seek out a woman who had also been cursed. It said that she was also looking to find the seer and that she would know the location where he was. They would only succeed on their journey if they traveled together and alone. It then ended with the warning that Seer Rahan’s life would soon end and they needed to leave right away.
Jhonate had read over it several times, at first unbelieving that these events would come together so quickly after her naming. But the letter seemed to be genuine. The paper it had been written on was slightly different, but the handwriting and cadence of speech was the same.
When she had told Nod that the location he sought was Alsarobeth, the pilgrim had been excited. He knew exactly where it was. After years of searching for Rahan, Jhonate finally had a course of action to follow. She had written her letter of resignation to the Academy right away and they had left that night.
Nod walked over to his bedroll and sighed at the multiple cuts the orcs had made in his blankets. He shook the leaves and sticks out of it. “It’s gonna take me hours to sew up this mess!”
Jhonate sighed. “I do not wish to sleep here tonight.”
“Yeah. Me neither,” he said. “You want to ride on?”
“Yes,” she said and started kicking dirt over the fire. “Let us continue along the river.”
They quickly dismantled their camp and climbed back on their horses. It had not been necessary for Jhonate to arrange for her steed upon leaving the Mage School. Nod had brought two well behaved animals with him, knowing that they would need to travel together.
They rode through the night and into the morning hours before they stopped to eat and stretch their legs. Jhonate ate quickly and as she put the rest of the rations away she felt a shiver and glanced back at Nod to find the man leering at her.
The way he was watching made her sure that he was imagining foul things. It wasn’t the first time she had caught his eyes on her in this way, but she certainly wasn’t going to put up with it any longer. She sent him a steely glare. “Do not look at me like that, Pilgrim.”
The leer fell from his face and he raised an eyebrow. “Like what, Sar?”
“You know what I mean,” she snapped. “Do not make me clout you over the head until you admit it.”
“Oh that,” he said and glanced down embarrassedly. “I’m sorry, Sar. I can’t help that you’re a feast for a man’s eyes. That dark skin, those green eyes. Your slender-.”
“Enough!” she snarled.
He flinched away, raising his crippled hand defensively. “Please don’t worry about me, Sar! It’s just a harmless observance. I’m no threat to you. After all, you know that the curse crippled more than just me arm.”
He had told her that vulgar detail when they first met. “So the curse is what makes your attention harmless? How would you be acting if the curse had not taken your virility?”
“Then we would’a never met,” he said, looking genuinely hurt. “I’d still be in Khalpany. Me wife would’a never scampered off and I might even have a clutch of kids of me own.”
Jhonate frowned, feeling a slight surge of guilt. Perhaps she was being a bit hard on the unfortunate man. “Nevertheless, keep those leering eyes away. If you would look at me do so with the eyes of a traveling companion. If you cannot do this I shall leave you behind, no matter what your letter says. I am not without means of finding Alsarobeth by myself.”
He sighed and gave her a reluctant nod. “It’ll be hard, Sar. I am just a lowly man, after all. But outta respect for you, I’ll do it. Every time I glance your way, I’ll just remind meself that you’re naught but a friend and married woman.”
“Who carries no compunctions about beating you senseless and leaving you for the buzzards,” she added.
He laughed good naturedly. “Oh yes, I’m well aware of that, Sar. Don’t you worry.”
“Good,” she said and spurred her horse to ride ahead of him for a while. It would be good to give him time to think on his actions.
She didn’t see his smile turn to a glower. Nod stared daggers at her as he flexed his suddenly uncrippled hand.
East Filgren came into sight just after noontime. The city was the prime crossing point for the Wide River and it seemed to grow every year. Its current size rivaled the Dremaldrian capitol city of Dremald. Its sister city on the Razbeck side of the river, West Filgren, was almost as large.
The docks of West Filgren were nearly as wide as the city itself and hung out over the river as anchoring points for three enormous loops of chain that extended across the vast body of water. Each chain was connected to multiple barges that ferried people and goods from Dremaldria to Razbeck and back again. The chains were moved by gears that were powered by large water wheels spaced out along the docks. The undertaking was a huge feat of engineering and was owned and run by a powerful noble family.
Jhonate didn’t particularly like the idea of crossing the river at Filgren. She felt that they would be better served crossing at the shallows several miles further up the coast where they were less likely to be noticed. If Edge did as she suspected he might, and decided to chase after her, this was an obvious crossing point. She was known well enough that people might recognize her.
When she told Nod her concerns, he agreed. “Oh yes, Sar. No doubt we want to avoid your bein’ seen.” He reached into his saddlebags and withdrew a thick woolen cloak. “You can hide yourself with this and shrink your staff down into, well
. . . somefin’ else, right?”
Jhonate frowned and took the cloak from him. It smelled of dust and mildew. She held it back out to him. “I would still rather we cross at the shallows.”
“It’s bleedin’ cold this time of year, Sar! I dunno if you’ve noticed, but there’s icy bits floatin’ in the river out there. These horses might not make it and even if they do, I might not,” he said. “So please, Sar. Put this on and wait at the outskirts. Let me go into the city proper by meself. I’ve got connections in town and I’ll get us a good berth on a ferry nice and private-like.”
“You have connections here in Dremaldria? In Filgren?” she said.
He smiled. “I may be from Khalpany, but I am a pilgrim, ain’t I? I’ve been travellin’ from site to site hopin’ to find old Rahan. Made the crossin’ here a dozen times and, well, I’m sure you don’t approve of a man drinkin’, but I’ve made meself some friends. You know, other pilgrims what knows what it’s like.”
“Very well,” Jhonate replied with a sigh. She took off her own cloak and replaced it with the smelly brown one. It wasn’t runed with magic, but at least it would ward off the chill while she waited.
“Good!” he said and started to climb down from his horse. “Now hold on while I go have a wee. Be a jiff.”
While the man ran up to the nearest bush, Jhonate edged her horse up next to his. She turned a section of her staff soft and pulled a small pinch of wood away. She formed the wood into a ball and dropped it into one of his saddlebags. She pulled her horse away before he turned back around.
Nod remounted and they travelled down to the city outskirts. The pilgrim indicated that she should stay put and urged his horse into the traffic-heavy main road.
Jhonate waited for a few minutes, then rode slowly after him. She could feel her connection to the wood in his saddlebags and was sure to stay back just enough to remain out of his sight.
She wasn’t completely sure why she had felt the sudden compulsion to follow him. Though she didn’t particularly like some of the man’s behaviors, that was something that could be fixed. In all her years as a trainer, she had molded rougher men into shape. She didn’t have a reason to distrust him either. Rahan wouldn’t have sent him to her if he was a true scoundrel. Nevertheless, there was something about his recent behavior as they had neared the river, a shiftiness that told her that he was up to something.
Jhonate continued to keep her distance and let the crowds hide her until she sensed that the piece of wood had stopped moving. She decided it was time to see what he was up to and urged her horse forward. She drew closer to the wood she had planted on the man and got down from her horse. She led the animal around several carts that were parked outside of different establishments until Nod came into view.
The man was standing under the shade of an awning and was talking to two figures. One was a grim-faced man. The other one had a hood up, but from his height and build she was certain he was a dwarf. While she watched, he went to his horse’s side and withdrew two items from his saddlebags. One of them was a pouch and the other was a long and slender item wrapped in black cloth. He walked back to the figures, the cloth-wrapped item tucked in the crook of his crippled arm.
He handed the items over to the man and gestured commandingly at the dwarf. They nodded and gave him a brief bow, then turned and went through the door and into the building.
Jhonate pursed her lips. She felt that she had seen enough to know that some sort of shady dealing had just happened. She strode towards him dragging her horse behind her. “Pilgrim!”
Nod turned around and saw her approach and he shook his head, a smile appearing on his face. He trotted over to her. “Why Sar Zahara, couldn’t wait, eh? I was just about to come back out and tell you the plan.”
“Who were those men you were talking to?” she demanded, gesturing towards the door that the two men had entered. “What did you give them?”
He blinked in surprise and placed his uncrippled hand on his chest. “Why that was me brokerin’ our passage. It weren’t easy, but I convinced me friends to get us our very own ferry for the trip. It’s the smallest boat, used mainly by employees of the town. It’s also got a covered top so’s no one will see us standin’ in the open. Leaves tonight. Right after dark.”
“What did you pay them with?” she wondered. After all, the man had been scrounging from dead goblinoids just the previous night.
“That there was what we call pilgrim’s wages, ’fings we collect on the way. A couple dusty scrolls, a bag full of rocks gathered at holy sites,” he shrugged and looked regretfully towards the door. “’Fings that ain’t worth nofin’ to nobody but the likes of us. I really hated to let it all go.” He hesitated a moment, then frowned. “Are we okay, Sar? You’ve been awful rough with me the past day.”
Jhonate opened her mouth to tell him how strange he had been acting, but as she did so she realized that he had already explained away all of her issues. The only thing she had were nagging unsubstantiated doubts. If only Edge were with her. He would have had some good ideas.
Oh how she missed her husband. They had been apart for far too long already. At least before this journey she had been able to feel his presence through the ring she had given him.
“I think I am just missing my . . . tribe. It has made me irritable. I-.” She forced the words out. “I apologize.”
“Aw, that’s fine. I’ll tell you what. You can make it up to me.” He grabbed the reins of his horse and gestured towards the river. “I know a good tavern close to the docks where we can wait ’till it’s time for us to make our move. You can buy us both a good meal while we wait.”
Jhonate couldn’t deny the appeal of a properly cooked dinner, even if it was likely to be a liquor-soaked dimly-lit den. She offered him a conciliatory smile. “Very well. But I am not buying you hard drink.”
He grinned widely. “Grand.”
Chapter Thirteen
Sir Edge – Tracking
Edge and his tribe were at a disadvantage from the start. Jhonate and the mysterious thief she was with had a full day’s head start. To make things worse, they didn’t know whether the two of them were on foot or on horseback. Edge felt that it was more likely that they would travel by horse.
Even though Jhonate preferred traveling on foot, she had become a decent rider over the years. The guards said she hadn’t taken any horses from the stables, but it was a very long journey to Alsarobeth. Besides, despite her requests, she probably knew that Edge would be coming after her.
Their one advantage was the two fantastic trackers in their group. Rufus had keen eyesight and sense of smell and Deathclaw was one of the best trackers in the Known Lands. His senses were almost as keen as the rogue horse’s and Edge had never known anyone other than Tarah Woodblade that could learn more from a track.
Rufus had caused his body to grow to a size large enough for both Fist and Edge to ride his back comfortably together. The conical top of his head nearly reached the treetops. Lenny rode on old Albert, sitting on a saddle specially built for his short legs. The saddle glowed multiple colors to Edge’s mage sight. He wasn’t quite sure how it worked, but the warhorse certainly acted nimble enough for his age.
Not knowing whether Jhonate had taken the road or had cut across land, Deathclaw stayed off the road. The raptoid took a parallel course east through the woods on foot, looking for recent signs that someone may have traveled off the path. Edge, Fist, and Lenny kept to the road, Rufus snuffling at the dirt.
Edge was bothered by how much the tracking process was slowing them down. The trip to Sampo, the first major city on the road, usually took around six hours. It was going to take them much longer while trying to track their quarry at night. He wasn’t the only one bothered by the pace.
“We oughtta forget ’bout trackin’ ’em,” Lenny argued. The dwarf was wearing a pair of runed spectacles that he claimed helped him see well in the dark. “We should just run on straight to this dag-gum holy site fast as w
e can. “We can try to get there first and cut ’em off. If’n we come across the two of ’em along the way, hell, that’s even better!”
Edge had already considered that option. It was the fastest course of action and that appealed to his sense of urgency, but he and his bonded had already discussed it through the bond and there were problems. “We’re assuming they’re heading to Alsarobeth, but what if they’re not?”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” Lenny asked with a frown.
“Seer Rahan’s letter told Jhonate to go to Alsarobeth, but it didn’t say where the site was,” Fist explained. “According to Jhonate’s own letter, she is depending on her companion to take her to the correct place.”
“We don’t know his intentions yet,” said Edge. “We assume he’s taking her to the holy site so that he can use her to get close enough to kill the seer, but what if that’s not his plan?”
Fist nodded in agreement. “If this is all just a ruse to lure Edge into a trap, he could be taking her anywhere really.”
“We can’t afford to gamble,” Edge added. “Right now, their trail is still relatively fresh. Imagine if we travelled all the way to this holy site and waited and Jhonate never arrived. By the time we were able to come back here and try to pick up the trail anything could have happened.”
Lenny cocked his head and gestured up at the two of them irritably. “Y’all already done talked about this in yer heads, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Fist.
Lenny’s hand tightened on Albert’s reins. “Dag-blasted bondeds! How’s I ’posed to know? Use yer gall-durn mouths when yer talkin’!”
“Sorry, Lenny,” Edge said. “We get so used to talking this way that we sometimes forget everyone can’t just hear us.”
“That’s a dumb-arsed thing to forget!” the dwarf griped. “’Course nobody else can hear what’s in yer brains. That’s normal. Y’all are the weird ones.”
Sir Edge Page 14
