The sergeant of the guard at Bale's Westend Gate, was in a churlish
mood. Kopper had made the coffee too bitter again. And there was
precious little to remake the pot. Plus the magistrate had decreed
a delay in the payroll. It was going to be a long cold night, he
thought, as snow began to fall.
He had made the rounds once already, but a steady, heavy pounding
of hooves, amplified through fog and snow, reached his ears from
inside the guard hut. He reluctantly left the fire-stove to investigate.
It was a bitter night out. Snow fell in heavy wet flakes, and the
wind drove it into any gap in cloak or armor.
Two of his best men manned the winch. One of his sentries peered
into the night, trying to pierce the veil of snow and night.
“Give it up, Forse. They'll be on top of us before we'll
see 'em. Be patient.” Sounded like a dozen horses.
“What’s a bunch of folks doin' out at this hour,
Sgt. Holze? Don' they know nothin' about these parts? People disappear
in the night with no trace of 'em!”
“Sounds like they might have been clued in, way they're
pushin'. Stand fast, I'll do the talking'“ He chuckled at
the superstitious nature of all soldiers. Dark rumors abounded
about the ‘Black-Grabbers’. No one knew what it was,
but it was supposedly responsible for people’s disappearances
all over this area. Holze shook his head. More like a party of
bandits had moved in nearby and started preying on the foolhardy..
The horses came on hard until they were right on top of the gatehouse.
Holze heard a bolt slide home on a heavy crossbow. The mounted
band reigned in a cloud of swirling snow and steaming breath.
The riders were torn up. The red-head in the lead had a stare
could break stone, and the others behind looked as hard. An older
one, obviously in charge, came forward. His grizzled appearance
marked him a soldier for sure. He had a few cuts about his legs,
but they'd been recently tended.
“Ho, in the gatehouse!” His voice was gravelly, and
Holze knew for sure this man had led drill. His companions were
a hard lot, one man carrying a wounded woman. Not to mention the
hugely muscled giant. Two horses bearing double in cavalry saddles
- that told of missing mounts. Another woman, attractive but for
the drying blood all about her face, took up a defensive position
with a bow, facing away from the walls.. Two more riders followed
the eight; a well-muscled woman, and a man who looked like a court
boot-licker, save the cold eyes.
“Ho, the riders! What business do ye run from? We'll have
no trouble pass this gate tonight!”
“We mean nothing but to rest, tend wounded, and pass on
to Alder. We were ambushed a few miles ago. Bandits by the look
o' them. Might we pass? You can hole us up and put a guard while
we tarry, but we'd prefer the current safety of the walls.” The
riders remained silent and alert - soldiers for sure.
“Mean you no harm then?” Holze was more eager to
be in from the cold himself than to feed his soldier’s paranoia.
“Nay, my word as a Free-soldier upon it!”
Holze laughed. “Open up boys! These folks ain't nothin
to dread - unless you’re paid to fight against ‘em!
Told you all ‘twas just bandits makin' off with dullards!” From
somewhere behind an embrasure, a crossbow uncocked. The winch creaked
and the grate opened enough to let the riders pass. It slammed
shut quickly, 'just bandits' or no. Holze met the soldiers in the
gatehouse courtyard.
“You’re a fool to be out this late, soldier,” laughed
Holze. “Whoa, there, girl,” he exclaimed as he caught
Ahren as she passed out and slid off her horse. Holze's brow quirked.
“Lots a bad road,” muttered Aldon, taking possession
of his soldier.
“I see,” the guard Sgt. muttered, “Name's Holze.” He
pointed to the guardroom door. “In there.”
The whole lot piled into the fifteen by twenty room. Toady and
Fingers saw to the horses, for once.
Lorry was sure of the reason. His attention, however was on Quiet.
He lay her gently down on his cloak and pillowed her head with
his lap. The sergeant of the guard, Holze, was staring at the rent
in his hauberk.
I'll have to remedy that very soon, thought Lorry. Aldon gently
deposited Ahren next to Quiet. Bull started to work on her, but
Toady came in with his aid bag. He ushered Bull away, and dropped
a heavy sack at Lorry's side at the same time.
“No one appreciates me,” Bull muttered. Ahren's eyes
opened to slits.
“I do,” she wheezed, and then coughed. “Without
that big back of yours, I'd be dead...” She winced as Toady
applied topical antibiotics. Lorry was cooing and rocking Quiet.
To see the hard-eyed killer doing so floored Aldon. Fingers came
in a few minutes later to find the group pretty well decamped.
One of the gatehouse guards brought out a metal flagon of a dark
liquid. Fingers put his nose to the vile concoction.
He pointed uneasily to the vessel. “That supposed to be
coffee?”
He took some as Aldon growled at him.
Teneil, still fairly rocky, was following Toady's finger from
one side to the next. “Hell, Toady,” chuckled Fingers,” she
can't see no good anyway, how can you tell if-” A blur brought
up his hands and he caught the blade a foot from his head. He noticed
it was reversed from the way she usually threw.
“Never mind.” Fingers sat heavily, quaffing half
his mug. He put the blade to rest on the table. Like magic, out
came a flask and he filled the mug up again. He sampled the mix
and wrinkled his nose. But he finished both the flask and the coffee.
Aldon made the rounds. Jask and Himmel were stitching one another,
each had small gashes on legs from riding through the picket. Jask
had a graze from an arrow, but that had already stopped bleeding.
Minutes dragged into an hour.
The room began to warm up, and Bull began to snore. Toady sutured
him while he slept. Ahren faded off, too. Aldon sat quietly speaking
with Holze in the far corner, by the stove. Himmel had made three
trips out to check on the horses. The fact that there'd been nothing
left of Bobo to bury bothered him.
Jask snored on a bench, tightly wrapped in his cloak. Toady came
to sit next to Fingers.
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
Toady's lips pursed. “What do we do about Lorry?” They
both looked to see him still rocking Quiet. He seemed absorbed
by her.
“I ain't sayin' nothin' till I'm ordered. And I didn't
see nothing. Neither did you.”
“How do you figure?”
“I figure that Witch-boy over the could off us at any time
if he felt like it. So I'll just go along for the ride. Last thing
I need is unwelcome rumors about my past cropping up.”
“Very, well,” agreed Toady. “We bide our time.” His
voice had a sinister quality. For the first time, Fingers noticed
the foppishness was absent from his voice.
The fire had wound down, but the room was comfortably warm.
* * *
Quiet's startling scream brought steel like the rain brings weeds.
Holze and the other guards were absent, doing rounds.
“It’s okay,” Lorry was soothing. Quiet's eyes
were wild with fear. “ We are all okay, Quiet. You are fine.” The
woman quieted a bit, her surroundings coming into clearer focus.
Her eyes, wide and white, rolled from one corner to the next, pinpointing
her compatriots.
Jask had fallen off his bench. He groaned and shook his head.
Aldon motioned for them all to remain as they were. He moved to
Lorry's side.
“How you doin', soldier?” His gruffness was softened
by a smile. Quiet nodded, but was clearly confused. She gazed up
at Lorry, who extricated himself from behind her. She watched him
like a hawk. Teneil asked if she wanted water and she nodded. The
canteen went up, and a long draw followed. A bit dribbled.
When she licked her lips, Aldon nearly fell over. The gasps from
Teneil and Lorry brought everyone's attention to focus.
Quiet began to shake violently, fingers touching the part of
her missing for so long. It was Lorry's turn to watch carefully.
For long minutes, no one could say a word. Quiet grabbed Lorry's
tunic and motioned to her tongue.
“It was part of it. I had no idea. The Mother suits her
own designs, I am merely her servant.” His face was downcast. “ I
can't believe she would grant my wishes, for I was sure to have
fallen from her grace long ago...”
“I want it all, Lorry,” growled Aldon. “ What
happened back there? Is it going to affect our mission?”
Lorry took a deep breath.
“I have a certain - power. Actually I don't. I am granted
certain power through the grace of the Mother.”
“Whose mother, Lorry?”
“Every living being's roots are traced to the Earth. It
is she that healed me and Quiet, too. It was power granted through
her that I killed that priestess of-”
Aldon held up a hand. He turned a menacing eye on the two figures
across the room. Fingers and Toady scowled and ruffled deeper into
their cloaks.
“She was of the Circle, no doubt. I don't know why I am
still alive. She was far more powerful than I. If Quiet hadn't
killed a bodyguard and drawn the witch's attention, neither of
us would be here to tell of it.” He paused. “ We still
almost weren't.”
“So the Circle knows about us, now. We can't take any more
chances. We've got to be there by mid-afternoon to catch Asraithe.” Aldon
took in everyone with a glance.
“Does anything else need to be told? Is there something
about your past that will hinder us. You stand on your right as
a free soldier to speak what you will about your past - as long
as it stays in the past.”
Lorry shook his head. “No there is nothing else. Just that
I don't want this getting around. I'm no priest. I made that choice
years ago.” He still seemed bewildered by the whole ordeal.
Himmel, now standing nearby shook his head. “ You don't
have a choice it would seem. One has been made for you.” The
red-haired man turned and went to prepare the horses.
“Okay, everyone gather your things. We can't afford to
wait. Jask.” Aldon was still looking at Lorry.
“Sir!”
“Get Holze for me.”
“Sir!” Jask left with only the slightest of glances
at Lorry and Quiet.
“I have no choice but to trust you Lorry. For the time
being.” Aldon turned to the two huddled figures in their
cloaks. “You two consider yourselves on report - if we live
you'll forfeit two eight-days of pay, each.” Toady's eyes
narrowed.
“You got a problem, soldier?” The Daum's voice was
very quiet. He looked at Toady through his own slitted eyes.
“No sir. Not yet.”
“Make sure it waits until we're done - and then you can
take care of it by Contest, if need be.” Soldiers often settled
differences between them by combating one another in ritual combat.
Rules varied, as different as the reasons for the fights. Most
commanders only let first blood be drawn; only on certain charges
would more damage be allowed. Those circumstances were few and
far between.
Fingers stood and grabbed up his bag. “Toady’s okay,
he's just had a bit of a shock. He'll be over it when he gives
it some thought.” The two glided out the door.
Bull pulled Ahren and Teneil up. They seemed steadier after a
rest. The group as a whole was shredded, frayed at the edges, and
weary. But, soldiers all, they repacked, wolfed down dried meat
and cheese, and took on water. Lorry opened the bag set by him,
only to find another chain shirt. He smiled to himself.
“Bastard,” he muttered.
