《Aebbe's Story》


 1. The Beginning

    The first time I remember crying was when I was told the cook wasn¡¯t my mother. Not just tearing from pain. I¡¯d experienced that a bit, but real crying. Turned out, I didn¡¯t have a mother. Just like now, I couldn¡¯t place my feelings and I¡¯d also been confused about how I should feel. My siblings were much older than me and my brothers liked to thump me on the head, so when they got me good, my eyes would tear either from the pain or frustration. I guess they felt they should as our father had little interest or time for me. I didn¡¯t cry when they thumped me; that only encouraged them.


    I knew who my older brothers were and my father, of course. I had older sisters, too, but they were married before I really knew them. I only recognized them later because they came to the manor to visit from time to time. Three of my older brothers were married and their families lived in the manor with us along with an annoying and growing number of little kids. I just tried to keep out of my brothers'' way. I guess they couldn¡¯t forgive me for killing our mother.


    I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. She died giving birth to me. They reminded me of it often. I guess she had been loving and attentive. Not like my father. He named me Aebbe Marie Theodora Wymer (pronounced like Abby and spelled in a difficult way to annoy although some old people pronounced it ab-bay). He¡¯s the Baron of Thornhill and everyone has to do what he says. I¡¯m not good at doing what I¡¯m told, so, I try to stay out of his way, too.


    Thornhill is a bit of a misnomer. It¡¯s actually not just one hill but a cluster of hills that rise up higher than the surrounding marshlands. Our manor house is built on the highest hill and basically in the middle of the town. From my room¡¯s third story window, I look out to the north and see the wide expanse of marsh that surrounds us. My room is the one farthest down the hall and highest up. I don¡¯t mind it. Often I can look out and watch the fog drift over the marsh in the evenings.


    We are a small community in the Duchy of Ashlar with only a few hundred people living here. We mostly get by on fishing, hunting and gathering, but there are a few farms on the road going east and west out of town. The thorn part of the name is because there are briars that naturally occur in these hills of blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry. People think that all those fruits are produced on one plant, but that¡¯s ridiculous, of course. They just grow really close together and it seems that way. Our spring berry harvest is quite famous and our berry turnovers and cakes are well loved in the communities that surround us, even as far away as Holdstone, as it turns out. I didn¡¯t find that out until later, but I¡¯m getting ahead of my story.


    People call us isolated, but we have a good road connecting us to communities to the south which have more minerals and lumber as well as communities to the east and west rich in manufactured goods, livestock and food. It¡¯s true you have to ride for a couple of days to get to any other town and we don¡¯t get too many merchants or entertainments that come through. But when that¡¯s all you know, it seems rather normal.


    I¡¯m the eighth and last child of Baron Aelfgar Wymer of Thornhill. Actually that makes me Lady Aebbe, but the only time people call me that is at boring balls, dinner parties, and clan gatherings. Most people call me Aebbe. Anyone calls me Theodora I thump them on the head. Yes, I know it¡¯s my mother¡¯s name, but she had some nice ones and father had to pick that one for me.


    When I was 3 years old, I was put into the care of Inge, the cook. That¡¯s why I thought she was my mother. Every day she would get me up, dress me, and take me down to the kitchens. She never showed me how to cook officially, she had older daughters for that, but I picked up a few things. She did teach me to find herbs and mushrooms and edible plants all around the marsh and woodlots near Thornhill. Turns out I¡¯m quite good at it. Better at finding morels than the pigs! When I was 5 and a half, I¡¯d go by myself because they knew I could gather enough for the whole household without help. Inge¡¯s daughter, Inge (I know, it¡¯s annoying) showed me how to tend the manor garden and grow things from seeds we would collect in the wild. They eventually set aside a small side yard for me to grow rare flowers and things. I should have realized THEY didn¡¯t get special side gardens. I also should have realized I didn¡¯t get regularly pinched or yelled at by Inge or her husband who was the baker. But, I just didn¡¯t give it much notice it at the time.


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    When I got tired of working in the kitchens at age 6, Inge passed me off to Reeves who took care of the animals of the manor. I loved animals, too, so it was fun to learn how to care for the horses and hunting dogs, as well as the chickens and pigs we kept for food.


    That¡¯s when I met Gavendor. He¡¯s a crusty old soldier who my father put in charge of hunting and defense of the manor. He saw I was a natural rider and a quick learner, so he taught me to ride and began to take me out on hunting trips. Since I knew something about cooking, I was put in charge of making the stew or roast for dinner, when we''d stay overnight. Apparently, adding a few herbs and spices had never occurred to the male hunters and consequently, everyone said they had never eaten so well in the field. I had my secrets (I had my own pot of salt and pfeffer I always carried once I was put in charge of meals), but mostly it was just knowing the herbs, occasionally finding some nice-tasting tubers and mushrooms, and how much to add.


    Once, one of the soldiers had a bad turn of his stomach while we were out and I made him a tea for it. When we got back to the manor, our healer said I had probably saved his life. I didn¡¯t think anything of it. I was actually shocked when I was paraded to my father over it. It was just natural for me to put my knowledge to use. I didn¡¯t mention or let anyone see me cast that earth spell on the tea. I¡¯m not sure what anyone would think about it. It¡¯s not like I have a lot of magic. It¡¯s just in the air and wilderness here. You just have to learn to tap into it. He did look really sick and I thought I¡¯d best put as much healing into the tea as I could, herbs can only do so much.


    We have the occasional mage or wizard that will come through our small town and I was always sure to offer to cook for them or help them find some rare herb to see if I could learn anything. So, I picked up a few things, mostly basic elemental incantations.


    Old Gavendor trained me up on the crossbow. He even got me a small one to learn on. Pretty soon, I was on regular hunting patrol. I learned to shoot small animals in the head to keep the meat intact. I also learned to skin and prepare the carcasses. It was pretty easy. And I¡¯d been around meat from a young age, so it was natural to want to prepare the kills for eating. Plus, they don¡¯t weigh as much after you gut them. That¡¯s important when you¡¯re a young girl.


    I didn¡¯t much appreciate being a girl. Not only was I thumped by my big brothers all a lot older than me, but I couldn¡¯t carry a deer carcass, could I? I could shoot it, no problem and gut it. But I needed help to move it. There was never a small deer around to shoot either. Even the small boys in the hunting party would make fun of me over it. But, there was not much I could do. I asked Gavendor about it and he suggested some exercises to strengthen my arms and legs. I did  them every day, but I didn¡¯t think it would really make a difference.


    When I¡¯d asked Gavendor to train me in the sword, he had refused. When I pressed him as to why, he said he didn¡¯t feel it was a woman¡¯s place and that my father would not allow it. Still, he did teach me to use and throw a dagger. I knew how to use a skinning knife, of course, but he showed me how a dagger could be used very effectively in close combat. We used them on hunts sometimes when an animal wasn¡¯t downed easily. It was important not to let an animal suffer. Suffering is suffering. Even though we have to kill to survive, we never kill to be cruel. He liked to tell us about one time a marsh panther attacked him while he¡¯d been gutting a deer out on his own. Even though he was a master of the sword, that day, his dagger had saved his life. He said it had been a shame to kill the panther, as they weren¡¯t very common, but if he hadn¡¯t he would not have lived to tell the tale. He showed us the scars where it had made deep gashes in his legs. Most of his other scars were from battles with goblins or, at least, that¡¯s what he claimed.

 2. Changes

    One day when I was eleven, I woke up one morning to blood all between my legs. I started screaming. I was just so sure I was dying. It hurt too, deep in my belly. When my father came in to see what it was about he told me I was ¡°a woman¡± now and I¡¯d better start behaving like one. Whatever that meant.


    One of the maids that had attended my older sisters explained what had happened and showed me how to wear a towel in my undergarments to deal with it. That was annoying. They told me it was good for having babies, but I let them know I had no interest in doing that. They laughed and didn¡¯t believe me. I don¡¯t know why. I don¡¯t make things up.


    Remember the cook, Inge? She had ten babies in her life. After I was taken into the hunting parties, she died giving birth to her last one, like my mother. Her husband had said, ¡°Well, at least it was a boy¡± at the time. So I don¡¯t know what all the fuss was about. You¡¯d think my dad would be glad to have a boy as the last one. Why did I have to be a woman now?


    Well, those are ideas of a little girl. Obviously, I got to understand things a little better as I got older. After my blood cycle started, my father got me a tutor. He was shocked I hadn¡¯t had one. Forgot about me, I guess. The first tutor I had was an old wizard who had come to Thornhill and developed a bad knee and couldn¡¯t really ride away again. His name was Affric. I liked learning from him. He taught me a lot about magic, some of it was just silly showy stuff, but he taught me a fire incantation that would start a twig burning even if it was wet, and out in the field that¡¯s downright useful. But I found out he wasn¡¯t supposed to be teaching me that stuff. He was supposed to teach me my family history, the history of Ashlar and, of course, our religion. When father found out about the magic I was learning, Affric¡¯s knee was suddenly better and he rode off back home.


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    The next tutor was an older man who was only from a few towns over. His name was Unroch. I liked him because he would get sleepy in the middle of his lessons and nap. That worked out for me, too, since that¡¯s when his lessons would get really boring. I took that time to go out and find Gavendor and learn more from him instead. When I tried to ask Unroch about the insides of creatures (I gutted one for him once), he turned a little purple and ran off. When I asked Gavendor, he knew some things, so those are the other things I learned from Gavendor that seemed important.


    But Unroch taught me to read and write. I learned the Wymer family history and all about the Deity¡¯s Saints. Our main saints at Thornhill are Ilvir and Kelanen. Ilvir, the Beastmaster, because we are mostly hunters who live off the land. Plus, the lizard people live near us and, although we don¡¯t call them monsters to their faces, well, they sort of are. And Kelanen, the Warrior, because my father thinks we can become fearsome warriors, or at least he wants others to think we are, I guess. Personally, I think he should have chosen Sarajin, Lord of Storms, since storms affect the marshland a great deal and placating him helps hunters and those of us trying to survive on the land. But I guess my father doesn¡¯t really worry about that since everyone works hard around him to assure his survival and that of our manor.


    I know it¡¯s all partly a farce about the one Deity and his Saints. I have heard my father talk about the Old Faith with much greater respect which is founded on understanding and being in unity with the elements of the world. We have shrines to the Saints and the One God, but in secret, we all commune with the earth, air, water, and fire spirits. I feel like that¡¯s where the magic comes from, but as I¡¯ve mentioned, I don¡¯t have a lot of official training in that.

 3. Birthdays

    After my blood cycle started, my father would have a ball on my birthday. I would have an "appropriate" (his term) gown to wear and horrible shoes. I spent weeks learning the proper steps to the latest dances and how to hold a fork properly and which utensil to use with which course of a long meal. I was taught how to sit, how to stand, and how to walk. Could you imagine not walking properly? Well, turned out I didn¡¯t.


    It was all so tedious. It was much more interesting to learn to track game and the names of birds and animals. There were always new plants I needed to identify. But that¡¯s not what ¡®proper'' women were supposed to be interested in, I kept being told.


    After my 12th birthday, I started being more aware of the boys running around the manor and our town. I started having kissing dates with some of the more interesting ones. When my brother Gyric found me kissing a boy once, he laughed and said I¡¯d be having babies soon. That scared me a lot and so I asked Gavendor about it. He just had an air about him that made you feel he knew stuff because he¡¯d seen a lot and traveled to many places before ending up in Thornhill. Anyway, he stammered and coughed, but eventually asked me if I¡¯d seen the horses mated.


    ¡°Of course, I have. My mare, Lidly was mated to Gridiron last year,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°Did you watch it happen?¡± he pressed.


    ¡°Yes, she¡­¡± I thought about what I¡¯d seen. ¡°You mean a boy has a long thing like that and¡­¡± but Gavendor just nodded, confirming my worst fears.


    ¡°And the baby?¡± I pressed.


    ¡°The baby grows inside the mother,¡± he¡¯d said, like it was obvious. ¡°Remember how big Lidly got?¡± I had forgotten about that part, but she did get a big belly after a while.


    ¡°How does it get out?¡± I blubbered in shock.


    ¡°Didn''t you watch Lidly have her foal?¡± he asked gently.


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    ¡°Well, of course¡­¡± I thought again about what I¡¯d seen. ¡°You mean the baby comes out of here?¡± I asked pointing to between my legs.


    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± he said soberly.


    ¡°But why did Lidly have to make a baby?¡± I wanted a full explanation. I knew I was missing something.


    ¡°Well, she was in heat. When Gridiron smelled her, well, they can¡¯t help themselves, can they?¡± he explained.


    ¡°Oh, my Saints! So Osgar and I have to have a baby?!¡± I said, raising my voice.


    ¡°Oh, no. No, Lady Aebbe. People do not go in heat. They can always choose to have a baby or not,¡± he said, turning a bit red in the face. I heaved a sigh of relief over that. It was weird that he¡¯d called me Lady Aebbe, though.


    ¡°Oh, thank the Deity and the Old Gods! Well, I choose never to have one. That¡¯s a relief,¡± I said. For some reason Gavendor did not seem appeased when he got up and left rather quickly. Next time I saw Osgar, he looked like someone had given him a good thumping on the head. It wasn¡¯t me that time. He refused to kiss me again after that. It was too bad since he was a nice kisser.


    I still liked kissing boys. It felt nice. But if their hands strayed to other places or I had any indication that breeding was in their minds, I would end it right quick. I learned where to punch or kick a boy who needed help reminding that no meant no. A punch or knee to the groin was something I got pretty good at. I wished to get my brothers that way, but they were much older and faster.


    Brid, another one of my brothers, started to tell everyone that I¡¯d had kissing dates with all the boys in the manor and Thornhill. That was preposterous, of course. I didn¡¯t do kissing dates with younger boys or dumb ones. That meant at least half of them were not interesting to me in the least. But I moved on from that eventually.


    On my fifteenth birthday ball, I guess some of the neighbor noble boys had heard about my interest in kissing dates. They asked me if I wanted to kiss them. There was one older boy that caught my attention. He seemed smart and he was very good looking, but I¡¯d heard he was a bad shot and not a good rider either. That was too bad. I mean, what would we have to talk about between kissing dates? So I turned them all down. Word got out about that, too.


    As I got older, and I went on hunting trips, Gavendor was concerned about the boys with us getting ¡°handsy" (his word). It was true that I¡¯d had kissing dates with some of them, but I¡¯d also punched a good many of them, too, so they kind of knew what was what. I was afraid I¡¯d lose out on the overnight trips, then. When I¡¯d been younger, Gavendor set up a tiny tent for me and he slept right outside it. But when he saw how I got along with the other boys as I got older, he let me sleep on a bed roll like everyone else. I was glad because I¡¯d hated to have lost something else to womanhood.

 4. An Education

    I learned a lot on hunting trips out into the wilderness. We live, as I mentioned, near a great marsh which we actually share with the lizard people. They sound really scary, but they are pretty peaceful with us. Mostly because we don¡¯t interact. But when we are hunting deep in their territory, we leave them something of what we¡¯ve killed. And when they go near our town or the road, they leave things for us. They are actually very beautiful. The light plays off their scales in the sun so they look covered in rainbows. The colors on their skin can be very bright and striking. But their slitted eyes and long claws are quite intimidating. We would sometimes see them off in the distance. Gavendor showed us how they would walk through our camps at night just checking on us, not in a bad way.


    Often on our overnight hunting trips, at the end of the day around the campfire, Gavendor would tell us tales about days past when we lived closer to lizard settlements and would fight off goblins and trolls together. But nowadays they lived deep in the swamp and I¡¯d never seen any of their settlements. They used poison tipped stingers pushed out of blow guns to capture and kill their prey. You had to be careful to recognize their traps or one of our dogs or horses could get poisoned. But that¡¯s how life was in the marshland. You had to keep your wits about you. Gavendor reminded us of that a lot.


    When I wasn¡¯t on hunting trips and it was too cold or rainy to go outside, I read interesting books from my father¡¯s library. Getting the books was a tricky business as he kept his desk and documents there and he and my brothers spent a good deal of time in that room. I don¡¯t think they much read the books so much as liked using them as a backdrop for their work and meeting with other nobles.


    I tried to read history books and religious texts that Unroch picked out for me, but I would get stuck in some boring detail and fall asleep before I could get through much of it. When I looked through the books myself, I found that we a full shelf of natural history books. These were interesting. Most of these had my mother¡¯s name in the cover, so I guess they had been hers. I managed to take and keep most of the collection in my room by simply rearranging the books to cover up the gaps. No one ever came looking for them.


    Aelfgar, my brother (not my father), made fun of me when he found me reading one of those because he said I only liked them because they had pictures in them. He was not wrong. But the pictures were to help identify things. Anyway, I¡¯d never found him reading a book, so I don¡¯t know why he got to judge my choices.


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    Unroch would often help me with the difficult plant identifications. He wasn¡¯t a plant expert himself, but he could explain the vocabulary and together we¡¯d generally figure things out. The really poisonous stuff was easy to figure out because everyone seemed to know about those. As I mentioned, most people hunted and gathered in the marshland for food, so that was important information and no one kept that to themselves.


    The marsh boasted many hundred species of mushrooms and some of these could kill you with a small dose. We generally only gathered a few species for eating that were plentiful near our town, but sometimes, on hunting trips, I¡¯d find something new and it was nice to know if I could safely add it to the stew. You could also do a quick earth incantation over the food and if the food was highly toxic, you could feel it. I suspect if it only made people a little sick you might not be able to tell, but it was useful to try.


    Sometimes, I was made to sit with the ladies¡¯ circle, usually in days leading up to my birthday ball, as if dealing with that wasn¡¯t enough. The ladies¡¯ circle is a group of older women who sit around stitching, embroidering, and knitting to gossip about all the other women in the manor and town. It was wretchedly dull and I was a nightmare with a needle and thread as they kept reminding me. They tried to show me books on baby making and things, but by that time, I had already helped deliver a few litters of puppies and some foals. I knew plenty about the process. It would have been more helpful if they¡¯d had a book on stitching and how not to poke yourself with the needle.


    That brings me to the second time I¡¯d remembered crying. I had the duty to kill our last bitch. I had to cut her open so the puppies would live when she started having difficulty delivering them. I had wondered if my own mother had been cut open to get me out, but decided not to ask. Anyway, all but one of the puppies survived, so I felt it had been the right thing to do. She¡¯d been in so much pain and likely she and all the pups would have died if I hadn¡¯t done it.


    I hadn¡¯t wanted to do it. Gavendor had thumped me on the back and reminded me that sometimes you had to do things like that, when he saw I was still a bit teary eyed over it. He helped me feel a little better. I was by myself when I had cried really hard after burying the dog in a dry side of Thornhill we used for such things. I know it¡¯s not the same as a person dying, but it hurt anyway.


    I had used that dagger that Gavendor had trained me to fight with. Killing when it was not for food hadn¡¯t felt like I thought it would. I guess I had always thought it would be in battle and it would feel good like they make it sound when a hero survives such things. But it didn¡¯t. My only consolation were the puppies. I supposed that battles would have survivors for consolation, but the stories didn¡¯t seem to emphasize that. It was hard to look at the dagger the same way after, even though I cleaned it up and sharpened it so you could never tell it had killed an innocent.

 5. The Attack

    When I was 16, there was an incident on the old road about 20 leagues from Thornhill. Gavendor called the best shots and riders out as well as our best tracking dogs. When we got there after a hard ride, it was the worst thing I¡¯d ever seen. Goblins had attacked a small group of merchants and their families. They had looted all the food and valuables to be had, which probably hadn¡¯t been much. Dead human bodies were strewn about including women and children. I hopped down from my horse to see if any were still alive that could be rescued even though Gavendor called for us to be cautious.


    As it turned out, he was right to say so as a few goblins had apparently lain in wait for more people to come by. Luckily, the dogs gave warning just before they jumped out and on instinct I shot one of them straight in the eye. It was lucky since they were wearing thick iron helmets with only slits down the front of each eye for them to see out of. Gavendor took two down with his sword and the last one had several arrows in him from the others before he got very far.


    When I went to get my arrow back, the goblin¡¯s eye popped out, stuck to my arrow. That made me throw up, but I still pushed it off with my heel and cleaned it on some grass. It was a good arrow after all. Gavendor thumped me on the back in a friendly way and smiled at me which was rare.


    We tracked the rest of the goblins. The dogs figured out they had split up into two groups after ambushing the carts. Gavendor put me in charge of one group going south further down the road while he and his party rode north and east into some low hills. We had to make sure the road was safe for travelers and merchants. The goblins hadn¡¯t attacked this close to town in decades.


    The dogs helped us track our group of goblins into the ruins of an old farmhouse. They didn¡¯t expect us at all, so we were able to take them out fairly easily. One of my men, Talver, was hit in the arm by one of their black arrows. After we were sure we¡¯d taken out all the goblins, I tended to his wound. Luckily, it was only through the muscle of his arm and he was not bleeding too badly. We pulled the arrow out which was tricky since it was back barbed. I wrapped his arm snuggly with some lime mint leaves that I collected and linen that I ripped from my shirt (it was too big anyway). I thought he¡¯d need stitching, but knew I was not very good with a needle and thread. I gave him some absynthe to chew. Both the lime mint and absynthe would ease his pain temporarily while we returned home.


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    Once we had scouted the whole area for goblins, we went back to the site of the massacre. Gavendor¡¯s group had finished off goblins that had gone into the hills. We rigged up the cart to one of the spare horses and took all the bodies back to town to be buried properly. We searched the people''s belongings but we didn¡¯t know who they were or where they were from. We buried them in the Thornhill cemetery and a priest of the Deity prayed over them. I didn¡¯t cry at all that time, although I had felt bad for the people that had been killed.


    The next day, Talver wanted to go on a kissing date with me. It had been a long time since I¡¯d done that and I didn¡¯t really think Talver was all that interesting. He was a good rider, but I don¡¯t think he could read or write. I don¡¯t blame him on that, I just didn¡¯t know why he would find me so interesting. When I asked Gavendor about it, he just laughed.


    ¡°You might be saved the man¡¯s life. He feels toward you for it,¡± he explained giving a rare smile.


    ¡°Well, he needn¡¯t worry. Perhaps I should explain to him about how I don¡¯t want any babies¡­¡± I started. I also thought I could give him a swift punch in case he didn¡¯t take my meaning.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Lady Aebbe. I¡¯ll speak to him,¡± he said, no longer grinning. I was glad he was serious again because his smile made me nervous, but I also didn¡¯t like when he used my title. It made me feel odd for some reason. Like I was missing some key element again. I shrugged.


    ¡°Thanks, Gavendor,¡± I told him. I had learned that older boys, men, really, were harder to punch and thump than when they were younger. I guess most of them start getting training in hand to hand fighting and weapons combat. So, they know better how to protect themselves. I mean, they have to be wary when fighting men, too, right? It was such a weak spot. Apparently some even wore codpieces to protect themselves down there. And they were getting really tall which made thumping heads all the harder.


    ¡°You did well out there with those goblins. You did me proud, Aebbe,¡± he said. I knew he meant it because he wasn¡¯t smiling and he didn¡¯t call me ¡°Lady¡±. That felt about as good as a kissing date, maybe better. My insides felt like they were swelling up to burst. I smiled at him and went back to my room feeling like I was doing what I was meant to be doing.

 6. The Ultimatum

    As my 18th birthday approached, my father got more and more agitated with me. I don¡¯t know if someone finally caught him up on my kissing dates or my groin punching, but he seemed fit to burst. He never talked directly about anything which made it very hard to understand what he meant all the time. He spoke of being lady-like and being mindful of my family name. How could anyone forget their family name? If I forgot, there would be many in and around the manor who could remind me, anyway.


    One day, he called me into his study and I came dressed in my riding pants, button-down shirt, and boots. He nearly had a heart attack right then and there!


    ¡°What are you wearing, daughter? What is this?¡± he spluttered.


    ¡°Father, I work in the stables and kennels and help Gavendor¡­¡±


    ¡°You WHAT?!¡± he yelled. I shrugged.


    ¡°I''ve been working in the stables since I was 6 and I¡¯ve been going with hunting parties, too. Remember a few years ago that I went out and helped track the goblin band that attacked those¡­¡± I started, but he cut me off.


    ¡°Well, yes, but as my daughter you are expected to carry your weight and bring in a dowry for us to expand our family¡­¡± but it was my turn to cut him off.


    ¡°Carry my weight? I work daily on this manor. I hunt and gather and¡­¡±


    ¡°There are others who can do that,¡± he said raising his voice and standing, so he could look down on me. ¡°You are the only one with the Wymer name that can marry and extend ties to other noble houses.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious, father? You have seven other children. Three other female children quite happy to do that for you, that have already done that. I am not exactly top bride material and we both know it,¡± my face had grown nearly as red as his and I threw my glare right back into his.


    He slammed his hand down on his desk, making me jump.


    ¡°I AM your father and you WILL obey me, daughter. I have found a suitable husband for you apparently able to overlook your¡­ uniqueness. You will meet him at your 18th birthday ball and the next morning you will be wed to him. You will leave Thornhill to be his wife and manage his estates and bear his children. Do you understand me?¡± he asked with finality.


    ¡°Father,¡± I started, my voice trembling, my shoulders slumping, shaking my head. ¡°Please, you can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can and I will. Gavendor!¡± he yelled, making me jump again. A young page popped his head into the room. ¡°Bring me Gavendor! I did not want to do this, daughter, but it seems I must. You will cease your ¡®work'' at the stables and give up your mare; riding is not good for bearing children. From now until your birthday ball you will keep company only with the lady¡¯s circle. They shall instruct you on what will be your wifely duties,¡± he finished with a frown. He opened his desk and took out a key with a yellow tassel marking it. My mouth just hung open, thinking my life could not get worse that this.


    When Gavendor came in, he looked downright uncomfortable. In my life, I¡¯d never seen him like that even when we knew we¡¯d be fighting goblins.


    ¡°Gavendor. You seem to have some weight with my daughter. You will lock her in her room and only allow the lady¡¯s circle in to see her. Oh, I suppose there will have to be some dancing lessons. If they must, they can use the ballroom. No more stables, no more hunting. I will see her in gowns every day at the family table for meals from now on. You will see to it or you will find another post!¡±


    I opened my mouth to protest this injustice, but simply watched as my father handed Gavendor the key to my room. My room which had never before been locked. Which I didn¡¯t even know had a key to it. It would be my jail for the next four months until my marriage. I shut my mouth and turned my back on my father and walked to my room, my mouth pressed into a thin line of fury.


    I stood at my door a moment before opening it, thinking hard. Gavendor patted my back much as he had that day on the road after the attack of the goblins. I sighed, opened the door and shut it behind me. I leaned on the door as I heard the key turn in the lock. I hate to admit it, but I cried hard that time, too. And for a long time. That was the third time.


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    Gavendor did his duty as my father had asked. If I didn¡¯t put on a gown, he would remind me and send me back in with a lady¡¯s maid to help me dress. He did not always lock the door, particularly when the lady¡¯s circle was with me, but if I tried to leave, he would stand in the way. I¡¯m sure he hoped I¡¯d never try to get past him. He wore his sword as he always did, but I don¡¯t think he wanted to use it on me. And I didn¡¯t want him to lose his post. I groaned and rolled my eyes at him, but never tried to force my way past or argue.


    After the first month, Gavendor would bring a book into my room and chose a chair and sit and read while I tried my hand at knitting and stitching. He tried to talk to me about my future.


    ¡°It might not be so bad. I¡¯ve heard who you are to marry. It¡¯s Kaarlo Issakainen from Wellswood, first son of Baron Ilmari Issakainen. It¡¯s a small town like Thornhill. They have a lot of livestock and fishing. It¡¯s nice down there. Lots of new plant species to identify, I daresay,¡± he said one day, not looking up from his book. It was the most words he¡¯d ever put together just to me that I could remember. He knew me well and knew what I liked.


    ¡°Kaarlo? Is he a good rider?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I hear so, yes. Not a good archer, but his sword work is good,¡± he said. Well, that was something. Gavendor did not praise just anyone¡¯s skill with a sword being a master of the sword himself. I sighed and thought through what he¡¯d said.


    ¡°You know I won¡¯t be happy. You know he¡¯s not going to like me. You said people have a choice whether they mate or not. But that¡¯s not really true, is it?¡± I looked at him. I knew he wouldn¡¯t lie to me. He didn¡¯t look up. He sighed deeply.


    ¡°You are right. They don¡¯t always have a choice. Perhaps I should say women don¡¯t always have a choice. I¡¯m sorry, Aebbe,¡± he shut his eyes. I nodded. It confirmed what I had heard. It wasn¡¯t his fault, but the whole thing was so unfair.


    ¡°Women like me,¡± I said and blew out a long breath. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t try to run off, Gavendor. You don¡¯t have to waste your time here. You can lock me in if you like. Do you think we can convince father to at least let me keep Lildy, my mare? It would be nice to have a familiar face with me when I go.¡± I looked out the window at the blue sky.


    He seemed to think that over for a while before he answered.


    ¡°And you can take Aelfie, too. Remember the runt from Darlay¡¯s last litter? She¡¯s not suited to flush game with the hunting party. Your father wants to get rid of her anyway. She¡¯s lively and can keep you company,¡± he said. ¡°I''ll bring her to you tomorrow and she can get used to manor life, eh? Train her up a bit so your new husband doesn¡¯t turn her out of the house?¡± I smiled.


    ¡°He¡¯ll have to get rid of me as well,¡± I said snickering. "But, it¡¯s a good idea. Give me something to do besides this goddamn embroidery!¡± I said throwing the little wood ring, cloth, and needle across the room. I looked up at him and we both laughed. I laughed hard from my belly like it would all work out and my life wasn¡¯t completely off track and all I might need is a dog in my room for company.


    True to his word, he brought the pup along the next day. She was shorter than most our dogs, but colored as most of them are in white and dark brown patches of short curly hair, floppy ears and a short tail she could point to the sky. She was very smart if a bit feisty and although easily spooked by lots of horses and other dogs, alone she was calm and sweet. Manor life would suit her just fine. She went with me everywhere and became quite protective of me. I remember having to give her goat¡¯s milk just after she was born because her mother had rejected her. I had kept her in my room then and she had slept in my bed, so maybe she remembered it. I wondered what they had given me when my mother died. I had never thought to ask.


    It was a good thing my door wasn¡¯t always locked now since I had to take her out to make water and dirt to keep my room clean. She was very good about it, scratching at the door when she needed to go out. My father allowed Gavendor to return to his normal duties and also accepted that I should take Lidly with me after my marriage, if my husband allowed it. He forbade me to ride her, though. It was something about keeping me pure, whatever that was about. I mean, I¡¯d been riding since I was 6, so I didn¡¯t see the difference now. But I followed his commands as best I could. He almost never scowled when he saw me these days.


    If he caught me mucking out Lidly¡¯s stall or letting the latest litter jump all over me ruining my gown, then he''d barked at me to go back to my room. But otherwise, he, perhaps, thought I was finally living up to his wishes for his youngest daughter. I still had two more months before my ball and wedding, so I tried to enjoy Thornhill and the manor as much as I could. That was hard to do when confined to a gown, not allowed to ride, or dig in the gardens. Some of the people around the manor took pity on me.


    Reeves who was in charge of the animals let me take some chicken seed and I rigged a basket outside my window to attract birds with the feed. But many people, particularly boys I¡¯d thumped and never had a kissing date with would see me and Aelfie and took to calling us the two runts of Thornhill. I didn¡¯t let it get me down, though. I still had to meet with the Lady¡¯s Circle for knitting and sewing, but I walked all around Thornhill and the surrounding marsh. I learned to fish and a few new bird species. I also ruined a number of ridiculous slippers and gowns. Not that I was overly upset by that. I hid them in the back of my closet so my father wouldn¡¯t find out about them.

 7. My 18th Birthday

    The day of my birthday ball arrived with much ado all about the manor. My father had purchased two special gowns. One for the evening ball and one for my wedding the next day, a blue and pink one. The blue one, I was told very clearly by my father was for the birthday ball. Like I cared which horrid gown and shoes I¡¯d be made to wear which day.


    The whole place was scrubbed and polished to a degree which I had not seen since one of my brother¡¯s weddings nine years prior. I was taken down to my older sister¡¯s room to be bathed, primped, and dressed. Two of my older sisters were there and, oddly, they were being somewhat nice to me. It was more than annoying.


    One, Kittric, was pregnant and the other, Ymma, had two little children and a baby with her. Each of them had other children, but I didn¡¯t know where they were. Three seemed bad enough to me. I abhorred the whole scene wishing they would leave me to my suffering, but no. I had to have the added suffering of whining, crying children and a baby. Perfect. Just the images I needed the day before my marriage.


    To make things worse Aelfie bit one of the kids because he had her cornered and was pulling on her ears and poking at her eyes. When Ymma, the boy¡¯s mother, raised a hand to hit the dog, I lost it.


    ¡°That''s it! Everyone OUT! I only need Aelfie and Dorna to help me with my gown. Sisters, I hope Halea rips your wombs out and Ilvir¡¯s monsters eat them!¡± I yelled.


    I know. It was harsh. I learned a lot of choice swearing while out on hunting parties. The men seemed to forget I was there, which suited me fine, but you do learn a lot of new things. The men mostly swore on women¡¯s anatomy and Halea often came up as mistress of love and carnal lust. That¡¯s why I knew about her.


    I shouldn¡¯t have used such vivid language, they probably never gutted anything, but these women didn¡¯t know me at all and they were not easing my nerves. I had resolved to remain calm and try to reason with my husband as we drove the long way back to his manor, but now all I had in mind was to run from the house screaming!


    I knew I¡¯d made a grave mistake when Gavendor showed up and asked if I was alright. I¡¯m sure my father had wished I had never heard of Saint Halea, although being mistress of coin, she may have caught his own attention. I sighed and took a deep breath trying to tame my emotions.


    ¡°No, Gavendor. I am decidedly NOT alright,¡± I didn¡¯t want to, but a couple tears slipped down my face. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at those bitches, but by the Old Gods! The last thing I need is a screaming baby to remind me of¡­¡±


    He actually grinned at me for a split second. He patted my back again. It seemed he didn¡¯t know what to do for me. I didn¡¯t know what he could do for me either.


    ¡°Are you ready to go in? I believe they are waiting for you,¡± he said, his grim demeanor back. I dried the tears on my face with a kerchief and took another deep breath.


    I turned back to look at myself, now unrecognizable in the mirror. My long brown hair was done up in an intricate bun with locks curling down to my shoulders. There was a blue ribbon the same color of my gown woven through it as well giving the look of a queenly crown.My gown was tight fitting to my bosom and waist, then flaring in layers until the hem hit the floor. I thought I looked ridiculous, but my sisters had crowed over me like I was a rare flower they¡¯d only just discovered. I looked at my maid Dorna, to whom I smiled.


    ¡°Thank you Dorna. I believe I am ready, Gavendor,¡± I said with much more confidence than I felt. I stood tall and took his arm and we marched with determination to my birthday ball.


    A hush fell over the ballroom after the herald had announced me. Perhaps Gavendor was not supposed to come in with me, but I had a viselike grip on his arm, so he entered at my side. I plastered what I hoped was a convincing smile on my face and strode into my own party.


    The hall erupted with clapping and cheers. A handsome young man with dark wavy hair and deep dark eyes wearing a very dashing dark blue coat suspiciously the exact color of my gown came forward to meet me. His coat was trimmed in gold tasseling and gold buttons. His pants were the same blue with a red stripe down each side of his legs and he wore shiny black shoes. His smile was warm and friendly and my heart swelled a little to see it.


    Gavendor let go of me and the young man took his place holding my arm at my side.


    ¡°I am very pleased to meet you, Aebbe. I¡¯m Kaarlo, your fianc¨¦,¡± he said. I could tell he was a bit nervous himself since his hand shook a little as he took mine. I had not thought about his situation. He¡¯s also being married off, sight unseen. But at least he didn¡¯t have to leave his home and have babies.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I said stupidly like it was my first kissing date or something. I was terrified that I would do something horrible and shame my father or make Kaarlo run for his life. That would be embarrassing and stressful. Not that I would entirely blame him as that was precisely what I wanted to do in that moment.


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    I had no idea what my father would do with me then. Probably sentence me to five years with the lady¡¯s circle knitting and embroidering for my keep. A completely inappropriate laugh jumped out of my lips. Luckily, he just grinned at me.


    ¡°Shall we dance?¡± he asked. I nodded, not trusting my voice. The tune of the latest dance started up. I had spent weeks practicing, so I relaxed and tried to go through the steps as calmly as possible.


    Kaarlo was smiling at me and asked me a few questions from time to time. He was a good dancer, his strong, young body moving with grace and ease.


    ¡°I hear you ride,¡± he stated at one point.


    ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯d like to bring my mare along. If¡­ it¡¯s alright with you.¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°I''m sure you¡¯d like some friendly faces in a new place.¡±


    ¡°That''s exactly what I thought,¡± I answered delighted that he seemed to understand that, at least.


    ¡°I also have my dog¡­¡± I started.


    ¡°Your manor is famous for your hunter dogs. Perhaps we can breed her with our stock,¡± he said. Ugh. This topic was threatening to make me sick. I told myself to keep it together. He wasn¡¯t talking about us.


    ¡°Well, unfortunately, she¡¯s just a runt and won¡¯t be good for mating. She doesn¡¯t have the right temperament for the hunt, I¡¯m afraid,¡± I informed him when we next came together as part of the dance.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s alright. We have plenty of room for your pet,¡± he said. His smile was kind and looked sincere. I sighed in relief. Maybe he¡¯d have pity on me, too.


    When the dance was done, he led me to meet his parents. He put his arm around my waist and kept a hand on my hip holding me to his side. I felt like moving away, but didn¡¯t bother since I supposed we were going to go beyond a kissing date soon. After all, tomorrow we¡¯d be married. The lady¡¯s circle had explained all of my carnal duties to my husband. Thinking on that for too long made my stomach lurch a bit.


    There was a whirlwind of introductions and compliments and well wishes from many people present. Kaarlo did find a moment to pull us into a dark, private corner and have a kissing date. I figured he might. I mean, things had already been decided for us and we may as well get a little more acquainted.


    I didn¡¯t mind so much. He was a good kisser. Really quite good. He was good looking, so I reckon he had plenty of practice. When he put his hands on my butt I nearly thumped him, but I stopped myself in time. Probably not a good way to begin a marriage thumping your husband in the head the day before. It actually felt pretty good, but I pushed him away gently and he pulled back and smiled. I really wanted to thump him for that smile more than anything, but I didn¡¯t. I could have. You can kind of tell when a man has never been punched by a woman before. This guy would never have seen it coming.


    I stayed at Kaarlo¡¯s side the whole evening. My father seemed happy. Kaarlo and his family seemed happy. I hoped people thought I was happy as I kept that plastered smile on my face the whole time. If they noticed, they didn¡¯t let on. I was grateful. We could all just live in the lie a little while until the ordeal was over. Or it started. It sort of depended on how you looked at it. I just wanted to get through one ordeal per day. My shoes were pinching and my cheeks hurt from smiling. But surely, I told myself, it had to be over soon and I could get on to the next ordeal.


    Finally, my father came to my side and pulled me away from my fianc¨¦. He made some apologies, took my arm and I thought he would take me to my room, maybe offer me some advice for my future. Instead, he handed me off to Gavendor, handing him the key with the yellow tassel. We said nothing to each other.


    Gavendor and I climbed the stairs arm in arm. For some reason, my breathing became more difficult as we neared my room. When we got outside my door, he took my hands into his. I tried to keep my breathing steady. My world was threatening to fall apart and my emotions with it.


    ¡°Aebbe, I packed you some supplies and put them in Lidly¡¯s saddlebags. I will come for you when the house is asleep and unlock your door. I¡¯ll leave her at the front gate. You¡¯ll get on her and ride out of here,¡± I looked into his face thinking I had not understood a word he¡¯d said.


    ¡°But¡­¡± I started.


    ¡°Don''t worry about me. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he assured me.


    ¡°What about Kaarlo? Won¡¯t he be in trouble?¡± I asked. He seemed a good man after all. Gavendor sighed.


    ¡°Truth is, he has many options for suitors. He won¡¯t be overly troubled. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure why it was you, begging your pardon to say it,¡± he said.


    ¡°I wondered myself,¡± I answered back, shrugging. ¡°Ok. Thank you, Gavendor. Thank you!¡± I said and threw my arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely. It was the first time I¡¯d held a man that I wasn¡¯t on a kissing date with or dancing with. It felt good and he hugged me back hard like I expected. I turned and went into my room.


    I pulled the gown off, popping buttons and tearing seams. I didn¡¯t care about it. I also undid my hair and braided it back simply, the way I liked it. I dug out some riding breeches, boots and a comfortable linen shirt along with some rags for my blood days; I wasn¡¯t sure Gavendor would think of such things. I also pulled out the two best books on plants and animals in Ashlar we owned and put them into a small, waterproof leather bag I could put over my head and carry at my hip. We had many excellent volumes, but I couldn¡¯t carry much more. Aelfie was happy to see me and a comfort to curl into the bed with while I waited for the manor to go quiet.


    It didn¡¯t take long, or maybe I slept a bit. The wedding was scheduled early, so maybe everyone thought to get plenty of sleep beforehand. When Gavendor opened my door, I hopped up and grabbed my bag with the few things I¡¯d gathered. Aelfie came right along with me as usual. She seemed to know something was up because she didn¡¯t bark once. Gavendor thumped me on the back again just before I got to the front door. I just nodded to him and went out to find Lidly. She was saddled and ready to go as he¡¯d promised just outside the front gate. I picked up Aelfie and cradled her in my lap using my cloak to keep her next to me. She didn¡¯t fuss and we were soon trotting down the road into a new adventure.

 8. A Long Road

    Holdstone was the largest town in the Duchy of Ashlar. I decided it would be my destination. The more people in a place, the better to hide. It was about a three and a half week ride. Besides, maybe I could find some work for myself there. I had no idea what anyone would want to pay me for, but I had skills. Hopefully someone would pay me to use them. I didn¡¯t think anyone would come after me from Thornhill. Not really.


    Just in case, the first night I rode all night and through the day. When I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes open any longer which was long after the sun had come up, I found a woodlot with a little grass for Lidly. I curled up around Aelfie and slept. I forced myself to get up while it was late in the day. I had to eat and there were plenty of squirrels running around, so I shot four of them. I knew it was too many just for myself, but I hadn¡¯t left the marshland yet and I thought I should leave some out for the lizard people. Just in case.


    We went further down road and before it got too dark, I found a small rise that was blocked by some dense shrubbery. I made a small fire, put two squirrels on spits out as offering and put two others to roast over the fire.


    I nearly jumped out of my skin when two lizard people came up to my fireside. They were eerily quiet. They don¡¯t usually approach humans, but I was only me and they were two, so they probably reckoned I couldn¡¯t get up to no good with them. I relaxed a little when I saw they had the squirrels I¡¯d left for them.


    I think they said hello in their slurpy, chittery language. I said hello and they sat down at the fire with me. I was surprised Aelfie let them come so close without warning me, but then again, she hadn¡¯t been out in the wild much. She just watched them very carefully. Mostly, I think she was hoping they¡¯d share their squirrel with her. They didn¡¯t and I was glad since I thought she might just take to them better and happily run off into the marsh with them. Lidly hadn¡¯t nickered or snorted. Of course, she had smelled them out in the wilderness pretty commonly, so likely she didn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary.


    I cooked my food a long while which made Aelfie lick her chops. It was a strange quiet to sit with those creatures. Their big eyes only occasionally blinked and their movements were quick and sudden. The lizard people only lightly toasted their food before eating the whole carcass down. They made sickening crunching noises and I tried to keep my stomach steady. It would probably not be too nice to be sick from watching them. They nodded and one of them handed me a sort of beaded necklace. At least it looked like that¡¯s what it was. I thanked them. I guess it was for the food.


    When the squirrels were done to my satisfaction, I ate the meat off the breasts and pulled the leg meat off for Aelfie. When I looked up after feeding her, the lizard people had gone. I was a little relieved. I had never been so close to them before. I didn¡¯t know what to do with their gift, so I just put it in my saddle bag. The fire was nearly out, but the night was still warm. I laid on my bed roll, using the saddle for a pillow as I¡¯d done on so many hunting trips. I was the happiest I¡¯d been in a long time and I slept.


    It took a long ten days to get out of the marshlands. Gavendor had given me some dried rations and a little money, but I wanted to keep that as long as possible. While I was somewhere familiar, it was a relatively simple thing to hunt and fish for my food. This made me take longer, but there was not much to be done about it.


    The first week, I ate only in the evening and trotted or had Lidly at a brisk walk all day. After that, I relaxed a bit and I¡¯d get off and walk beside her to give her a rest. I also had two hunting, fishing or gathering bouts a day so I had a bit more to eat. I found plenty of edible plants and fungi, too, so it wasn¡¯t as drab eating as it sounds. Of course, I also had to make sure Aelfie had enough and we found some forage for Lidly. But they seemed happy enough with whatever we could find, as was I. I think maybe we were meant to travel together. In a way, I was lucky to have been an early summer baby since the weather was going to stay fine for some time.


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    For two weeks straight we had nice clear skies. Just when I thought I¡¯d never need my cloak, the sky crowded in with clouds and a persistent rain started to fall. Lidly and Aelfie didn¡¯t mind much, but soon I was soaked to the skin. My woolen cape kept me warm, but I can¡¯t say I was exactly comfortable. Aelfie would curl up under my cloak and offer some warmth with her body. I didn¡¯t mind smelling like wet dog. Anyway, there was no one else around to complain, so I didn¡¯t let it bother me. Luckily, my crossbow had a sturdy waterproof cover to keep the rain off of it so it wouldn¡¯t be damaged.


    When it finally did clear up, my blood days started. This time was one of the bad times with cramps that made me just want to lay down and sleep. I took advantage of a woodlot and made camp at the edge furthest away from the road. I put most of my clothes up to dry and slept covering myself with dry leaves. Luckily there was plenty of forage and Aelfie didn¡¯t make too much fuss.


    The second day I felt better, so shot a half dozen squirrels for Aelfie, the lizard people, and myself. In the afternoon, I wrapped up a couple of the carcasses to take with us and was pleased that all my clothes were dry again. The water cress was flowering making it very easy to find, so I had plenty of their starchy tubers to add to my meals. They would also keep for a while, so I packed as many as I could carry in my bags.


    Turned out that was time well spent because the next few days I couldn¡¯t catch or fish anything. It was like the game had just migrated away. I didn¡¯t know why that might be, but I took it as a bad sign and made my way through that country as quickly as I could. I did find part of a goblin black arrow off the road once, and I wondered if they had something to do with it.


    I began to pass a few hamlets and larger towns along the roads. Their proximity also seemed to thin out the prey in the surrounding areas. When a small hamlet came into view, I had made my mind up to do something about my hair. I had forgotten to pack a brush and it was getting completely out of hand.


    It was late in the morning as I came through the small town. There was a man cutting another man¡¯s hair off to the side of the main road in the open air. I stopped, tied up Lidly, and watched him. He did a pretty good and efficient job. That was about how I wanted my hair cut. When he finished, I stepped up.


    ¡°Can you cut mine?¡± I asked. He shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t do women¡¯s hair,¡± he said.


    ¡°I want it cut just like you did that guy¡¯s,¡± I protested.


    ¡°You want it short?¡± he said, gaping.


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± I said, putting my fists on my hips and frowning, daring him to say he couldn¡¯t do it.


    ¡°You can sell your hair,¡± he informed me.


    ¡°To whom?¡± I asked, shrugging. The man grunted.


    ¡°Are you staying in town?¡± he asked, eyeing me.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just passing through,¡± I said.


    ¡°Fine. You give me your hair and I¡¯ll cut it no charge. Just don¡¯t tell anyone who cut your hair. I don¡¯t want the notoriety,¡± he said frowning.


    ¡°Works for me,¡± I said. I sat in his chair. He grabbed my braid at the base and worked for some time to cut it. He tucked it into his apron pocket when he was done. Then, he made short work of cutting the rest. I was grateful to get rid of the tangles and rats¡¯ nests that had threatened to take root in my hair. When he was done, I ran a hand through my locks. It was longest on top and trimmed neatly around my ears and neck.


    ¡°Can I have a small comb?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Here, take this one. Now get out of here before you attract a crowd,¡± he said shoving a small turtleshell comb into my hand, pushing me off the chair, and waving a man into the chair after me.


    I was so proud of myself. I¡¯d gotten a haircut and a comb for free. Plus, my hair felt mostly clean since the braid with its collection of twigs and leaves had gone. My head felt lighter somehow but that seemed ridiculous.


    Very soon I decided that had been the best decision I¡¯d ever made. Washing my hair was a breeze. A simple combing and I was done! Men had it great! Long hair had to be another way to keep women indoors. I couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d never thought of it before.


    That¡¯s what I thought until I started getting into hamlets and towns further away from my small manor. I found out lots of men had long hair too. Well, they can suit themselves, I decided. As could I.

 9. The Weird Mage

    The next few days went uneventfully, following the road. I hunted as much as I could to save the hard bread and dried meat Gavendor had packed for me. I still had all the money he¡¯d given me. I had never really handled money myself, so I didn¡¯t know if it was a lot or just a little and how much it would buy me. I passed a few small towns and some larger baronies, and I was started to get into places I had not heard of nor met anyone from. That let me relax a bit feeling no one would recognize me. The land was drier, so we were probably out of lizard people habitat. More trees were growing in patches. The land was rolling hills now.


    I passed a traveler with short brown hair with grey streaks muttering to himself. I expected him to be older when I saw him close up, but I decided his hair was just that color. The streaks were shiny silver really, not grey or white. Most people that mutter to themselves are ragged and often smell strongly of ale or Ginsseny a foul-smelling tobacco that makes people feel weird. I had puffed some Ginsenny once on a hunt when Gavendor wasn¡¯t watching, but it made me cough and my eyes water and I really didn¡¯t like the feeling it gave me. But he smelled normal and his cape and breeches were clean and fairly well made.


    ¡°Hi! Say, can I have a lift?¡± he asked me, when I got close.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, not looking in his direction, passing him on the road. I didn¡¯t feel bad saying no. Just because he didn¡¯t smell didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d be giving him a ride. I didn¡¯t know him and he didn¡¯t know me. Aelfie seemed to think he was okay, but she kept up with me only looking back at him from time to time. It was getting late, so I started to search for a place to camp. The road bent around a curve and took a slow rise. I walked my mare off the road and down into a small swale with a creek gurgling through. Lidly and Aelfie were eager for a drink.


    There were plenty of frogs around for my meal. I caught a few more than I needed and sure enough that traveler trudged down off the road to my small fire when he caught up to me. I had already cleaned the frogs. The thing about frogs is that they really only have the hind legs for meat. The rest is just inedible goo (unless you¡¯re a dog). Aelfie had already had her fill and I had a dozen legs roasting over my small fire.


    The man sniffed the air and said, ¡°It smells like what to you?¡±


    I wondered at his question which made no sense.


    ¡°Hi!¡± I said loudly. He focussed on me then, but didn¡¯t smile. Aelfie must have thought he was a bit odd too since she only wagged her tail a little and kept next to me.


    ¡°Hi,¡± he responded.


    ¡°Would you like something to eat?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Meat,¡± I said, keeping it vague.


    ¡°Well, it smells good to me,¡± he said.


    ¡°You''re welcome,¡± I replied, somewhat confused.


    ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± he told me. I watched him take a tentative bite out of one of the larger legs. He chewed and swallowed, then shrugged.


    ¡°Not that bad, right?¡± I asked. I had salted them and added pfeffer. It helped with the stringy taste somehow. He shrugged again.


    ¡°Leave me alone,¡± he said over his shoulder apparently to no one in particular.


    ¡°Are you talking to someone else?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said and continued chewing on his frog leg.


    ¡°Who?¡± I pressed. He looked up.


    ¡°It''s a spirit. I can talk to spirits,¡± he told me waving a hand impatiently. I thought I took this news rather well.


    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Huh? His...?¡± his eyes seemed to unfocus for a moment. ¡°Baldric, he says.¡±


    ¡°Where''s he from?¡± I continued. The man huffed.


    ¡°What does it¡­ Wellswood,¡± he said, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°Ah, nice. My fianc¨¦ is from there. Well, ex-fianc¨¦ I guess,¡± I corrected. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been talking to this spirit for how long and you didn¡¯t know his name or hometown?¡± The man shook his head, the silver in his short hair gleaming slightly in the firelight. There was a little silver in his eyebrows too.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to know his backstory to¡­¡± he started.


    ¡°I mean, it just seems like common courtesy to me¡­¡± I responded. It was odd to be giving behavioral advice to someone when I had usually been on the receiving end of such lectures.


    ¡°You stay out of it!¡± he yelled and I jumped. Aelfie also stood up and stared at him, her tail straight up.


    ¡°Hey, no need to¡­¡± I said, holding my hands up and trying to stay calm.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you,¡± he told me curtly. He rolled his eyes and mumbled something unintelligible. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should press him. I mean, was he really talking to spirits or was this all in his head? And if it was all in his head, did that mean he¡¯d want to chop me into little pieces in the night or what? I pulled Aelfie closer to myself. I didn¡¯t want her chopped into little bits either.


    ¡°Baldric,¡± he exaggerated his name and then looked back at me, ¡°wants you to know that I¡¯m not crazy and am not going to hurt you.¡± He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°we don¡¯t have to get into the specifics of chopping¡­¡±


    ¡°Okaaay,¡± I said, really nervous now. ¡°That''s good. Thanks.¡± I petted Aelfie. She seemed to sense I was nervous and laid her head down still watching him across the fire. He was a young man, clearly well traveled. He had a gnarled old stick for walking, green breeches, nice boots, and a long grey cape with a hood. He had a bulky pack that he had cleverly arranged to hang off both shoulders and a bedroll tied up on top.


    ¡°Don''t mention it,¡± he concluded reaching for another frog leg.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I said. I waited for any spark of conversation.


    ¡°What''s your name?¡± I asked him finally. Clearly, I was not the only person to fail lessons in basic manners.


    ¡°Pency,¡± he said. He didn¡¯t ask mine. I huffed.


    ¡°I''m Aebbe,¡± I told him.


    ¡°That''s what Baldric said,¡± he retorted, unimpressed.


    ¡°Okay. Good. Well, good night Pency and Baldric,¡± I said. It was full dark now, the wheel of stars sweeping over us. I rolled out my bedding and set up the saddle for a pillow in such a way that I could see him clearly across the fire from me the moment I opened my eyes. He finished the rest of the frog legs and eventually set up his bedroll across from me.


    I was a little annoyed that all he had done was eat my food with little gratitude, but I watched as he gathered a few more bits of wood, murmuring over them calling on the fire spirits, I thought, before placing them in the fire. Those bits of wood seemed to burn slower and brighter.


    Then, he stood and murmured some sort of incantation over the perimeter of our small camp that included where I¡¯d tied Lidly and I sensed that we were blocked or hidden from common sight. An incantation to air, I thought. Good one that. I would have to learn it, if I could.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I could handle feeding this guy a few frog legs if it meant our fire lasted a little longer and we were a little more hidden from sight of the road. Just in case. Assuming he wasn¡¯t up to no good.


    In the morning, I woke up to find the man gone. I could still feel the protective aura around the camp, but it was weak and fading fast. Still, that was impressive that it had hung around after he¡¯d gone. More powerful that he seemed. Or¡­ I looked around nervously and wondered if Baldric had hung around instead. I shrugged and relaxed. Spirits couldn¡¯t hurt me. Well, not here anyway. And I was sure he¡¯d seen a lot of naked people, so I didn¡¯t think any more about it as I washed in the stream and took care of my necessities. Honestly, it worked out better this way since we each had privacy when we needed it.


    I caught up to Pency later that morning. He was a strong walker.


    ¡°Hey, Pency,¡± I said as I rode up. I jumped off Lidly to give her a break and walked along side him.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said. He¡¯d been muttering non-stop as I¡¯d approached.


    ¡°Where are you headed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Holdstone,¡± he said.


    ¡°Me too,¡± I said.


    ¡°Can I ride for a while?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No,¡± I responded. He grunted. Then he waved his arm like he was shooing a fly away.


    ¡°No, stop it! I don¡¯t want to tell her that!¡± he said in a low voice.


    ¡°Tell me what?¡± I asked. Obviously, Baldric wanted to talk to me.


    ¡°He wants me to tell you he likes you, but I don¡¯t want you to get the wrong idea about me,¡± he said, his face reddening.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t. Thanks, Baldric! Why does he hang out with you anyway?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because I can hear him,¡± Pency explained, shrugging, like it should be obvious.


    ¡°Makes sense. Sorry I can¡¯t, Baldric,¡± I said.


    ¡°He understands. Not many can. You¡¯re lucky really. He can be annoying,¡± and then to the side, he continued, "Well, it¡¯s true! And I¡¯m not telling her that!¡± he ended yelling to the side. ¡°Don''t ask me what he said, it is NOT appropriate,¡± he sighed.


    ¡°Ok, no problem. Well, maybe I¡¯ll see you on the road. You¡¯re welcome to share my fire,¡± I said. He actually looked at me in the eyes then.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t talk much. I appreciate that.¡± I guess that was his way of saying he liked sharing my fire. I didn¡¯t mind as he certainly didn¡¯t seem like he had any thoughts of kissing or such-like which suited me.


    ¡°And maybe you can teach me that protection incantation?¡± I asked slowing my walk.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± he said as he walked on, not looking at me and I shrugged. That was fair enough. I wondered how many frog legs it would cost to learn it.


    ¡°Oh, and, Baldric. I¡¯d appreciate if you didn¡¯t always tell him what I was thinking. It¡¯s not altogether polite nor comfortable,¡± I told Baldric. Pency just waved a hand vaguely over his head and I hoped that meant Baldric had at least heard my request. I stopped walking and swung back onto Lidly. I quickly caught up to Pency along the road and went on ahead of him. There were starting to be larger hills and bigger stands of trees in this wilderness. Aelfie amused herself chasing funny long animals in their colonies of burrows that were spread out in some of the meadows we passed. She didn¡¯t catch any and didn¡¯t venture into the tunnels although she tried digging a few out. It made me laugh since I generally saw the weasel, if that¡¯s what it was, pop up some metres away from a different hole and watch her progress while she was oblivious.


    I found a campsite a little early since I wanted to consult my books on that weasel creature and see if I couldn¡¯t get something to eat. I found out those animals were meadow dogs and were not very good eating since they fed on mostly worms and spiders, both of which had a mild poison in them that made the meat difficult to digest. That was good to know as I had considered using them for my meal. Instead, I found some wood rats that my book promised were edible.


    When Pency caught up to me, I had two wood rat carcasses roasting over the fire. They were about double the size of a squirrel and would make a good meal for each of us. Aelfie was too concerned with the smell of fat dripping from them to even look in his direction as he joined us.


    ¡°Hungry?¡± I asked him as he approached.


    ¡°Very,¡± he confirmed. ¡°So what is this meat that you are roasting?¡± he asked. His specificity made me wonder if Baldric had spilled the porridge on the frog legs last night.


    ¡°Wood rat,¡± I said. When he wrinkled his nose, I continued, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not a city rat at all. These are good to eat. I consulted my books on it.¡±


    ¡°Have you tasted it?¡± he asked squinting at the meat, still looking suspicious.


    ¡°No,¡± I confessed. ¡°We''ll just have to find out.¡± He grunted and then proceeded to find some bits of wood and twigs for the fire and set up that incantation around our camp. I wanted to ask about the incantation again, but I figured it may depend greatly on what a wood rat tasted like. I hoped my books were right about them.


    Luckily, we confirmed they were good to eat. I had found some yarnow weed which I had sprinkled on them and that made them really quite tasty. I thought I had a good chance. When I asked him about it he explained it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a true protection spell. Just an illusion spell. That¡¯s why it¡¯s really only an appeal to the air elementals. A true protection spell that will sound an alarm or set off a trap is much more complicated,¡± he¡¯d explained. ¡°You¡¯d have to weave in some complex fire spells or incantations.¡± I nodded in thanks for the explanation.


    I thought it was too bad Pency didn¡¯t play any musical instrument. Ofttimes, we¡¯d have singing around the campfire when we were in the field since there were always a few guys that could play a lute or gittre, which were stringed instruments in different pitches. When it was full dark, but still early, suddenly, Pency pointed to my bags.


    ¡°What''s that?!¡± he said. There seemed to be something glowing from one of my saddle bags. Before I could pull it out to have a look, Aelfie started barking like crazy and I dashed up from my bedroll, grabbing my crossbow which was, thankfully, in reach and loaded with arrows. Whatever Pency started doing was giving our little campsite plenty of light which allowed me to shoot a couple arrows at some goblins that where attacking us with some wicked-looking black daggers. I was aiming for their eye slits, but got one in the throat which worked as well. The other one hit by some sort of light energy. I didn¡¯t have time to care what Pency was up to since I figured I needed to get to Lidly quickly. Goblins were like to take her or eat her either of which I didn¡¯t want. Sure enough, two were going for her. She kicked one hard in the chest while I hit the other with the bottom of my crossbow. He went down, but I didn¡¯t think he was dead, so I pulled the dagger from it¡¯s sheath at my calf and stabbed him in the arm pit between rough pieces of armor.


    By that time, the other goblin had recovered himself and was charging us with a deep growl. I loaded another arrow to hit him, but some light bolts went into him from behind and he went down and stopped moving.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked a breathless Pency, coming up to check the one he¡¯d downed.


    ¡°Yeah, you?¡± I returned straining my eyes into the darkness and ears to see if I could discern any more attackers as I cleaned my dagger.


    ¡°We need to move,¡± said Pency.


    ¡°Why? I think we got them all¡­¡± I started.


    ¡°Balric says they are only a small scouting party. There will be more,¡± he said. He was scanning around us as well.


    ¡°Halea¡¯s tits! Why didn¡¯t you say so?! Let¡¯s go then,¡± I replied. ¡°Thanks, Baldric.¡± I retrieved the arrows I could find and we packed hastily, and put out the fire. When I got back onto Lidly, I put her saddlebags in front of me then reached a hand down to Pency. He looked really surprised, but took it and swung in behind me. I figured Lidly could handle both of us for a short ride. Anyway, Pency was fairly slight for a grown man. He didn¡¯t put his arms around me or speak which I appreciated. He seemed like a fair rider since he was holding on with his legs. That was something.


    We got back on the road and kept going for some time. After what I felt had been at least a couple hours, I asked Pency if Baldric thought this would be far enough.


    ¡°He says there¡¯s a small hamlet further ahead and we should get there or stay beyond there for the night,¡± Pency informed me.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said. ¡°We should probably tell them about the goblins since the attack is so close to their town anyway.¡±


    We rode on until we could see a small town up the road ahead of us. It looked like it was on high alert. We were stopped and questioned. It seems our encounter was not uncommon in the past fortnight. When we asked for a place for the night, they allowed us to use the common stables for no charge. It was late by then and all I wanted was to sleep for a good bit. Lidly nickered and seemed happy to have a roof over her head and some oats which I had to use a little of my money to pay for.


    In the morning, Pency was gone as usual and when I went through my bag to see what it was that had glowed, I decided it had to be that necklace the lizard people had given me. I didn¡¯t know if it would only work on goblins, but it seemed downright useful, so I pulled it out and figured out a way to wear it around my neck. It was made up of some sort of pale stones strung roughly together with a marsh reed silk. It sat heavily on my neck, but it soon warmed up to my skin.


    I refused breakfast at the local pub or more oats for Lidly thinking I¡¯d better keep moving and save my money. We all drank and I refilled our water skins. The stable hands let Lidly munch some hay before we saddled up and headed on down the road.


    After the goblin attack, I noticed Pency would put up a true protective barrier around our camp. I practiced doing the illusion one. The new barrier spell took several minutes and sounded very complicated, but I was grateful. I was still able to get us some fresh meat or fish most nights, but I was starting to pull out the rations Gavendor had packed. However, we didn¡¯t have any more surprises on the road.


    Thankfully, when I was just about out of rations, the city of Holdstone was spread out before us. Pency had mentioned seeing an advertisement for adventurers that he was going to check out at the a tavern called the Miner¡¯s Folly. I decided I would go there too and see if I couldn¡¯t figure out some future for myself.

 10. Holdstone

    Holdstone was a large town, much larger than any I had ever visited before. The first thing I thought about it was: it stank. The closeness of many unwashed human and halfling bodies in a place didn¡¯t lend itself to a sweet smell. Then add to that the smell of animal and human waste running down the center of most streets and, well, there was no getting around the general stench. Thornhill had too much green around it to get this bad. And my family had invested in some clever sewer canals that ran downwind of the town and out into the marsh. Plus, when the rains came, there was a way to flush the canals clean, so I was used to living with much fresher air.


    Luckily, the Miner¡¯s Folly was near the edge of town. I got a room on the second floor and people in the place were washed and generally smelled normal. There was a general smell of tobbac that lingered from the popular pipe smoking and the smell of cooked foods and spices that are usual in such places. The notice called on adventurers to gather the very next day to meet an Astro-Magi Annui about undertaking a quest. It would mean getting paid, so I thought I¡¯d better at least check it out.


    The day of the meeting, it seemed several people were interested in the job. We sort of found each other and sat together at a table with a round of ales while we waited to see if this Annui person would show and what the job would entail. Pency was there, muttering to himself as usual. Since he was my sort-of friend and as we both liked silence, I sat next to him.


    We had joined a man named, Emmon, who seemed to think we¡¯d be charging off on the quest immediately, since he wore his plate armor to the meeting. He kept his long blonde hair back in a low tail. He had a crooked nose and an easy smile. He only wore a chest and back piece of armor. Possibly he expected some trouble at the bar. He was a good head taller than most people and his bulky frame looked easily capable of wearing a full set of plate, if indeed, he owned one. He had a deep booming voice and he enjoyed talking. He explained for some time about how to properly drink ale and what it went well with which was, in his estimation, everything.


    We were joined by a smaller man, with dark skin and shiny, short black hair, who sat next to Emmon. He wore a simple tunic but very fine tall boots. He smiled at everyone and introduced himself as Boyln, but remained otherwise quiet listening and watching the tavern with his dark eyes. He had no weapons that I noticed, but his upper arms were massive, maybe bigger than Emmon''s. You didn¡¯t want these two guys to thump you. I felt sure it would not go well for you.


    The last to join us was a tall woman named Meig. She had reddish brown hair to her shoulders, cleaned and combed but not fancy. Her hair color didn¡¯t seem to match her skin tone in some way. She had sharp, angular features. She moved very quietly and was going to sit next to Pency and me, but she stopped and narrowed her eyes at Pency who was muttering to himself again. I explained about the spirits and she simply sat at the far end of the table as him. Not that I blamed her. She didn¡¯t smile or say much. She was dressed in dark colored shirt and simple breeches of good quality. An intricate silver pin held a light cloak over her shoulders. She sat facing the door, her back to the wall and in that she reminded me of Gavendor since he always did that. She only seemed to carry a small dagger at her hip. They all looked like adventurers or travelers wearing (generally) sensible clothing for ease of movement. I hoped they were decent riders.


    When the mage, Annui, walked in, we all knew it. She had light yellow almost silver hair that fell in waves down her back. Her blue eyes were striking in her pale face and she wore a blue band around her head that kept her hair back the same color of her eyes. Her gown was a slightly lighter color blue and shimmered slightly as she walked. I swear all the men and maybe most of the women had sudden thoughts of having a kissing date with her. Even I wondered if her lips would taste as sweet as the red strawberries they looked like. Her smile wavered and then it was like all of us with kissing on our minds got a sharp slap to the face. Even me. Well, that was one downright useful spell and I smiled in awe. Not that I felt I¡¯d ever need it on such a scale as she just had, but, wow.


    Now I could get past her red lips, I could sense an aura of power around her. The elements seemed to crackle near her. Aelfie had run up to her at first, but didn¡¯t jump up on her like she would usually do to a stranger. Annui looked at me and her smile broadened and I swear the image of cold water came to my head. I wondered if that was related to the incantation she¡¯d cast. I¡¯d have to remember that one. Her gaze swept over us at our little table. She put a kerchief down on the bench in front of us before she sat down.


    ¡°Hello, adventurers!¡± she said flashing a bright smile around the table. ¡°I''m so glad you have come to consider my quest. My name is Annui Elacca. Only a few hours from Holdstone is a place called the Bleak Manor, sadly now in ruins for many years. Hidden there, my sources tell me, are written materials and possibly some fragments of a fallen star. That is what I want you to retrieve for me. Any other treasure or money you may find does not interest me and you can divide among yourselves as you like. I only care about books and the star fragment. I will pay you two nobles each if you are successful and one guinnea apiece for expenses. I will also pay your rooms here at the Miner¡¯s Folly for a week,¡± she said. I still wasn¡¯t sure about how the money worked, but it seemed to be a decent amount given the positive reactions from everyone else at the table.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    The group peppered her with questions since we were new to this part of the country. She explained a little about the falling star and that her research had uncovered a hint to finding what she wanted. Apparently, a star had fallen in the local area about 100 years ago and the pieces of the star had special magical powers that mages could access. A very powerful mage had built the manor, but it was destroyed about 50 years ago in mysterious circumstances, most likely due to violent magical means. That didn¡¯t give me a good feeling, but at least it was 50 years back and plenty of people had already rummaged through the place.


    ¡°There is a hidden chamber in a conference or meeting room and the access to it is through the star. I will be at the Gilded Swan for a few weeks. You can find me there when you are successful,¡± she said, as if she expected us to be done in an hour. The hint didn¡¯t sound very helpful to me.


    After she left, we decided to get some more information on exactly where these ruins were. There were plenty of people in the tavern willing to chat about it although some of it was clearly wild speculation and tall tales. We gathered that the Ruins were only a few hours out of town walking distance and we could easily get there and back in a day. From what we picked up at the tavern these old ruins had been fairly well picked over already by many travelers and adventurers. The likelihood of finding anything seemed low, but I figured a job is a job and at least the stay at the tavern would be paid up for a week.


    I was particularly interested to speak with a woman in soldiers'' leather armor armed with a long sword. She intrigued me since I had been told specifically women couldn¡¯t learn sword play. Meig and I spoke to her. Her name was Velana and she was in tune with some of the political workings of the town which made my eyes roll into the back of my head, but she also gave us confirmation of how to reach the ruins. She didn¡¯t seem like one to exaggerate or repeat tall tales. Even she said that some adventurers that had lately gone to Bleak Manor had never returned. That was concerning, of course. But if it were an easy thing, I was sure Annui could just march into the place herself to find what she wanted as long as she wouldn¡¯t get her nice slippers or gown dirty.


    Velana also mentioned increased attacks by goblins on the roads around Holdstone which caught my attention. I found it odd that it seemed to be happening all over Ashlar. I wanted to ask her more, of course, but it didn¡¯t seem appropriate. I hoped I¡¯d get a chance to meet with her again. When I asked, she smiled and said she could usually be found in the tavern most days. I looked forward to hearing more about her story, but right now I had my first job to do.


    Meig intercepted Emmon who was on his way to chat with a very good-looking woman at the bar. I suspect that Meig had noticed, like I had, her method of cutting off advances many men were trying with her. She hadn¡¯t punched or thumped anyone yet, but clearly, she knew how to. I thought it was sweet of Meig to worry about him, but as I was pretty sure he was wearing a codpiece, he was likely not in too much danger.


    I overheard a lot of that conversation mostly because Talviki, that was her name, was very loud. She had her arm around Meig in a moment and it looked to me like she wanted to have a kissing date with her. Meig was clearly not in that sort of mood, though, and, luckily, Talviki caught on to that and let her go. I wasn¡¯t sure where you should punch a woman to remind her no meant no, but I reckoned Meig could handle herself.


    I didn¡¯t really understand a lot of what she said. She seemed to be hinting at some sort of bedroom games, but I had never bothered learning any. I think Meig understood better what she was saying, and turned her down flat. Talviki took it pretty well. Despite the strange talk, I liked her, she had a friendly way about her as long as she didn¡¯t get too handsy. I chuckled thinking about how Gavendor had worried over the men with me on our overnight hunts and what he would think of Talviki.


    To prepare for tomorrow¡¯s trek, some of us went into town to get some supplies. I tagged along with Meig and we were quickly trading funny travel stories. I could use a lantern since I was more used to living outside and not going down into dark ruins. Emmon and Boyln found some cleverly enchanted lamps they could wear on their heads to be able to see and fight if necessary. Unfortunately, they were too far out of my budget, but I made a note on where to buy them in the future.


    We stocked up on some dry rations and made sure we had rope with us. We really didn¡¯t know how deep the ruins may go or how dilapidated they might be. I also got a waterproof long cape with a hood remembering how miserable I had been in the rain while traveling. The sky looked a bit overcast and some of the weather wizards were predicting rain on the morrow. I know you can never trust a weather wizard, but better safe than sorry.


    I found a really good fletcher and couldn¡¯t help but buy some new bolts for my crossbow. They were the best made I¡¯d ever seen. After my weeks in the wild, I had lost a few and the ones I still had were looking rather worn down. That was my main expense and I used up of the money Gavendor had given me and the guinnea Annui had given out for expenses.


    When we gathered back together over dinner, we decided to head out in the morning having now a clear understanding of where we were going and how long it should take us. I spent some time checking in on Lidly who I decided I wouldn¡¯t take out tomorrow as she had already had a long ride into town. Besides, it didn¡¯t look like the others had horses to ride. I made sure Aelfie had plenty to eat. She didn¡¯t like the busy tavern much, but sat on my feet most of the time unless she was begging for scraps. She pestered Pency and Meig for food which I tried to dissuade although I was glad she took to Meig since I felt we could be good friends.


    People gave Pency plenty of room like they do with people who smell bad and have hair mites. To be fair, the muttering was a bit off-putting and he would occasionally wave his hands like he was shooing a fly. Anyway, I hoped Baldric had stopped telling him my thoughts, not that they were bad, just that one generally expects ones thoughts to be private. And one often thinks things they would never say, so I didn¡¯t need to get into any trouble over that sort of thing like about the hair mites.

 11. The Bleak House Quest

    The morning dawned dreary and a light but steady rain was coming down as we headed north on the road out of town. I was glad I had purchased that waterproof cloak and that my crossbow and bolts were well protected from the drizzle. Aelfie was happy to get outside regardless of the rain and ran ahead and back to us tail wagging. After less than an hour, we reached a sturdy stone bridge over the Selka River. It was swollen with the addition of rain and rushed past in a torrent of white foam. The road was quiet, with no other travelers this far from town.


    There were several paths leading away from the bridge. We followed what seemed like the main road to the northeast between some larger hills. After another hour or so, we could see what we suspected was what was left of Bleak Manor on one of the hills straight ahead of us.


    There was a path that meandered up toward the manor which we followed. There no sign of anyone around.


    Boyln suddenly exclaimed when he noticed something off the road to our left. He dashed off the trail and into the wooded area with Aelfie close on his heels. The rest of us followed more cautiously now noticing something flapping occasionally in the trees further into the woods. I was a little worried about Aelfie as she hadn¡¯t been in the wilderness much, but she did not bark or growl. Something crashed into the woods just behind where Boyln had gone. I was afraid he¡¯d be at the bottom of a heap of heavy tree branches, but it had missed him. On careful inspection, it was a trap set to presumably protect the camp. Clearly, it hadn¡¯t worked. Nothing had.


    The camp was ripped to shreds and the old blood on the canvas and around the area did not bode well for whoever had previously been here. Of course, it had been some time ago. We poked through the remains of the camp looking for some explanation or information, but time had erased most tracks. The attack on the camp must have happened several months ago by my estimation, so we all relaxed a little and headed back onto the road. I called Aelfie back to me after she¡¯d run about the outskirts of the old encampment.


    The path to Blake Manor was well paved with switchbacks to take us up the large hill to the manor house itself. The rain slowed and finally quit. The walking was easier on the paved road. We spied skulls adorned with beads and possibly paints along the road. They look like wolf skulls to me and I let the others know. I wished I knew more about goblin culture. I had always assumed they were just mindless monsters, but maybe they weren¡¯t. I don¡¯t know enough to know if this is something they would do. It was clearly a warning. But a warning of what and for whom?


    We come upon the manor and there is really not much left of it. The walls were only up to 20 feet high in places, most of it razed lower than that. However, as Aelfie and I scouted the area ahead of the group, I found evidence of recent activity all around the old entrance of the manor and the grassy area between its derelict walls. There was a large fire pit recently used but consistently used maybe for years. From the blackened pit, we pulled out a fairly recent and only slightly damaged iron shield with the emblem of two swords through a crown. I don¡¯t recognize it, but my knowledge of duchies far from my own was not good. When the group caught up to us, we decide to take it back with us when we head back. No soldier would willingly throw away such a fine piece of armor. Likely the owner no longer drew breath and it seemed best to let someone know. Emmon added the shield to his pack where it would protect his back.


    What appeared to be a huge bird circled far above us and flew off to the North.


    ¡°I feel like we¡¯re on a schedule now. Let¡¯s get in and out of here quickly,¡± said Meig, as we watched it disappear from sight. I couldn''t help but agree.


    Pency called out that he¡¯d found something. Slightly out of sight behind the shelter of an old wall, was a hole with stairs leading down into the earth below what had been the ground floor of the manor. I was pretty sure our manor only had a cellar below the kitchens where they kept food cool. Then again, I never liked going down there, preferring the open sky above me.


    I commanded Aelfie to stay in the grassy area near the stairs, hoping if she barked we¡¯d hear it from wherever we were under the earth and she¡¯d be smart enough to run off if she needed to. I didn¡¯t think she would like the dark much. I squared my shoulders and followed Meig who lit a lantern and we filed down into the darkness. Behind me the Boyln and Emmon¡¯s head lamps bobbed around us shining unexpectedly on the walls as we headed down.


    Along the dank, destroyed wall next to the stairs, I notice something smooth and out of place. I dug a little in the muck and found a pouch filled with some coin and flint and steel. I began to think there might be some hope of finding something valuable down here after all, although what I found seems likely left more recently than what we were searching for. The stairs ended into a hallway about mid calf deep with water. I groaned as my boots, ratty from long wear, allowed cold water to seep in and soak my feet.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Meig snapped, looking back at me.


    ¡°It''s just my feet are wet now,¡± I complained quietly. Something about this place made me whisper.


    ¡°Oh¡­ why are you glowing?¡± she asked and I noticed my necklace was letting out a faint glow. My mind reeled and tried to turn in all directions as I imagined goblins coming down on us. Meig had turned to the left and to the right, there seemed to be nothing but inky blackness in that direction. I turned and faced that direction, still walking slowly behind Meig.


    ¡°It could mean¡­,¡± I started, but Meig let out a shriek and the lantern swung wildly in her hand. I turned back to her, but she was looking down into the water.


    ¡°Ow! Something bit me!¡± she exclaimed, drawing her dagger. I can see some blood on her leg just below her knee. By now, the others have joined us in the water. Boyln dashed forward and struck the water his his hands around Meig¡¯s ankles but hit nothing. I pulled out my dagger. Pency sent some balls of light to meander along the surface of the water both up and down the hallway, illuminating it somewhat. We were all concentrated on the water at our feet waiting for something to surface.


    I felt something slither past my leg and tried to slash it with my dagger, but missed. Meig got in a good stab as something snake-like reared from the water and attempted to strike her. She swung at it just before the snake could bite and her dagger came back bloody. The snake dropped into the water and we all felt the water shifting around our feet as the large thing slithered past us into the inky blackness of the far hall way. When Emmon walked toward that end of the hallway, we could see the end of the hall had caved in although the water flowed on through the rocks and boulders and presumably further into the ground. The area above the water looked like a narrow cave heading upwards from where we hear the chitter of bats roosting.


    My necklace no longer glowed. Meig raised her lantern to have a look at it.


    ¡°Does that mean it¡¯s gone?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure. It does seem to glow when enemies are near, I just don¡¯t know if it will work for any or what. It¡¯s new to me,¡± I told her, shrugging.


    ¡°Good to know,¡± she said and I wasn¡¯t sure if she was being sarcastic or not.


    We headed into the only direction we could which is further down the hall. There was a step out of the water and to a rotten door on the left. It took a couple of us pulling and Emmon¡¯s longsword to pry open the door since it has swollen shut and the leather hinges were rotted out. The chamber looked to have once been a storage room. An eerie glow illuminated a skeleton with an goblin arrow lodged in it wearing very rusted armor. The glow which appeared to be magically lit, called my attention, but as soon as I pulled some rotting cloth off of it to get a closer look, it fell apart and went out. There were a couple chests which have been smashed open and the room looks to have been plundered before.


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    We continued down the hallway and found a similar storage area across the hall. The back of the room has collapsed, but Meig found a shiny new dagger buried in a corner which, since it looks untarnished despite the condition of the room, seems like it could be magical. She tucks it away in a leg strap I hadn¡¯t noticed before.


    There were other doors leading off this corridor, but the hall ends in a T with a hallway to right and left. To the left, the hall ends in debris, but to the right, there was a faint blue green glow. Meig turned and quickly but quietly moved to look through what we discover is a broken door where the glow is brighter.


    ¡°Let''s try this one,¡± hissed Meig, no doubt thinking about that eagle we¡¯d seen earlier. The group agreed and we opened the door on to an odd six sided room. There are six stone diases each holding a well-made oak chair around a large oak table. The glow is coming from the ceiling which has glowing stones set in the ceiling in the shape of a constellation. One large star with eight others surrounding it. We were disappointed not to find our prize, but I found solace in noting the room was not water logged and so things were in good repair. Since we were looking for books, it would be a shame to find they had all molded into oblivion. I doubted Annui would pay us for a moldy pile of paper.


    We continued down the hallway and opened a door into what must have been a library. My heart dropped to note that a fire has taken out half the room and the shelves, apart from some ash and broken book bindings are bare. The burnt half of the room revealed a secret door had been smashed open and the small niche it revealed was now completely emptied.


    On the opposite wall, a break in the shelves has an eight star constellation with a large central star, much like the stars in the other chamber although glowing much less brightly. One of the stars'' enchantments seems to have run out and gone dark. Boyln stepped up to the display and began to touch the stars in turn. He chuckled and flashed a grin as one of the stars, when pressed and turned caused a shift in one of the book shelves. Emmon strode forward and shoved the bookshelf aside to reveal another secret niche.


    The group sighed collectively knowing we have found our prize. There were six bound, handwritten books, some observation equipment, and a heavy round chunk of rock that was black with lines of silver and grey running through it.


    ¡°I believe this is what we came for,¡± exclaimed Boyln.


    ¡°Indeed. Let us make haste from here before we overstay and find out who was alerted to our entry,¡± said Meig. We split up the items between our packs and head back out into the hallway. Emmon slid the secret panel closed again before we leave. Before we can dash back the way we came, Pency, who has taken a few steps further down the hallway called out.


    ¡°Wait, there is something evil here,¡± his eyes zoned out and I could tell he was hearing Baldric. ¡°We have to help,¡± he said and turned taking large strides down the hall not waiting for the group.


    I could tell the group would much rather head out than continue forward, but knowing Pency and Baldric, I sighed and pushed through the group to follow him. As I walk down the hall, my necklace begins to glow.


    ¡°There''s something down here. I think we should help,¡± I said taking out my crossbow and hoping someone with a lamp will follow or I¡¯ll be dependent on the little balls of light Pency is flinging in front of him as he walked. Unfortunately for me, they began to peter out behind him making me step blindly forward.


    Luckily, I heard and could see some light coming up behind me as I walked. The hall started to slope downward and I could feel something unpleasant in the air. If I could hear Baldric, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be yelling. I wished I had my own light spell to cast. Although my necklace was glowing more brightly, it did not illuminate more than my neck.


    I gasped when I noticed the light ahead of me winked out and now all the illumination in the corridor is coming up behind me. I worried something had happened to Pency already, but as we get nearer, the hall turned sharply to the right into a large chamber. Emmon was just behind me with the others close behind him and we all nearly collide with Pency who had stopped dead only a few paces into the room.


    The room is so large that our lights did not shine on all of it. Pency¡¯s light globes were dancing around and reaching farther than the weak lantern and headlamps could penetrate. We stood quietly, watching their progress and taking in our surroundings. I couldn¡¯t quite put my senses on it, but there was something evil in this room. It wasn¡¯t quite a smell or a feeling, but something telling myself to flee this place. Only my stubbornness and the desire to not leave my group kept me in place.


    The globes of light had reached the back of the room. It ended in a pile of debris like so much of this place. We began to spread out, weapons ready, still looking for whatever was putting us on edge. I thought to pull a scarf from my bag and wrap it around my neck to hide the necklace since it occurred to me it would not be great to have a glowing target at my throat.


    I moved through the room with Meig, thankful for her lamplight. She had her new dagger out and I had my crossbow ready. We stopped and looked at each other. I felt a shiver down my back.


    ¡°It''s close,¡± I said to her, glancing in her direction again. She put the lamp down and nodded to me. We looked around warily, circling apart from each other. The others are doing the same throughout the room.


    Suddenly, a whooshing sound comes down from above and an immense form drops between me and Meig. I loose three bolts at it, but I¡¯m pretty sure at least two have passed through it, possibly through it¡¯s cloak.


    ¡°It''s here!¡± I called hoping to get the groups attention as Meig grunted in surprise as well.


    I didn¡¯t know what it was, but the malevolence from it was intense and a terrifying hiss escaped from it. I hoped it was injured, but it sounded more menacing than hurt.


    A cry from Meig indicated maybe it had managed to hit her. I cocked three more bolts into place on my bow hoping I can take better aim now and avoid hitting my companions. I heard Emmon charging from the left and Pency some distance away on the right was creating a sphere of light around him with his casting illuminating more of the room. I couldn¡¯t see Boyln, but I hoped he¡¯d be near Meig to help her if her could.


    Another cry from Meig concerned me, but Emmon swung at it hard with his longsword, clearly hitting it. The creature shrieked and turned to face him. It had a skeletal face and glowing red eyes set deeply into it¡¯s head. It raised huge claw-like arms to swipe at Emmon. It towered over the tall man and I had the sense it could take his head off with a solid hit.


    I loosed my three bolts into where I figured it¡¯s center mass was, hoping it was not heavily armored. At nearly the same time, light energy seemed to penetrate it from behind and Emmon hit it again with his back swing. The hiss turned angry and then the eyes seemed to fade out in slow motion as the huge form crumpled to the ground. I watched it hit the floor and then looked up to see Boyln next to Meig both in close range to it. Emmon heaved out a sigh of relief and wiped his sword before putting back into its scabbard. Meig also wiped her dagger clean.


    ¡°Good work everyone,¡± said Emmon wiping his brow. ¡°Everyone okay? Are we clear?¡±


    I pulled the scarf away from my neck and it was dark. Pency informed us that this was the evil thing he had sensed.


    ¡°He hit Meig,¡± said Boyln, turning to her.


    ¡°I can help,¡± I said. ¡°Someone give me some light.¡± I skirted around the form and got to Meig. Pency had some of his light orbes hover around and Boyln and Emmon¡¯s head lamps were also looking in my direction, so I quickly sorted through my pack for a bandage and some herbs I thought might be helpful. When I looked at Boyln, I noticed he was bleeding, too.


    ¡°You took a hit as well,¡± I informed him. He seemed surprised to find a trickle of blood running down his arm. Meig had a deep cut on her shoulder and Boyln had one on his arm. I bound them quickly with some lime mint leaves for the pain. ¡°The herbs are a little dried, but it will help a little until we get back to town.¡±


    ¡°We should go,¡± said Meig impatiently. I nod and snatch up my crossbow bolts that I could find quickly and reload the bow, just in case.


    We headed back to the wet hallway and up the stairs where Aelfie barked and wagged her tail jumping on us in turn. I was happy to see her and more so to see the sky above me even though a rain had started to fall again. We covered our heads with our cloaks and walked briskly back the way we came.


    When we hit the main road just before the bridge, we met a group of hunters who seemed overly interested in our activities. We vaguely tell them that we killed an evil entity that had taken shelter at Bleak Manor. I hoped they were convinced of our story and also that they don¡¯t choose to go to the Manor now since we still think something got a signal about our entry there. We hadn¡¯t mentioned that.


    The rest of the walk back to the inn is uneventful except I have to squelch along in my wet feet the whole way. I know what my first purchase will be when I have some money to spend.

 12. Getting Paid

    It was late by the time we get back to the Miner¡¯s Folly. We all first seek a warm bath and dry clothes. We ordered some food for us in Boyln¡¯s room, since he had a corner room larger than most to look through our collective loot. We browsed the books and I quickly lost interest in them. They were very technical journals and calculations of astronomical movements of planets and comets, specifically the legendary falling star, called the Burning Star. The piece of rock (the star?) was beautiful in the firelight and even I could sense some magical qualities to it. The equipment consisted of three sextants and two spyglasses with tripods. They were of excellent quality.


    Boyln wanted to keep a sextant. Emmon and I each kept a spyglass. Meig asked to keep the dagger. We decided that the money and the sale of the other sextants we will split equally. We figured we would all head to town tomorrow to the Gilded Swan to give Annui her books and the rock. We also have to return the shield we found to it¡¯s unlucky owner. Perhaps more importantly, I needed to buy a new pair of boots!


    The rain clouds had moved out overnight leaving a pleasant sunny day for us to go into town the next morning. We went first to the Annui¡¯s inn. Although we cleaned up from our adventure, people eyed us a bit oddly as they are clearly a much more well-to-do clientele that what we are used to at the Miner¡¯s Folly.


    When we ask for Annui, the reluctant bartender sends a boy to message her. Instead of meeting her in the common room, we are ushered upstairs into a sitting room where she received us looking as radiant and powerful as ever. Her face was flushed with excitement as we produced the 6 volumes and uncover the large, round rock.


    ¡°Oh, good people! You did it! I had my doubts, but, so quickly¡­ I am most impressed. Most impressed. I will give you each a hundred Kronars and should you ever wish to visit the Alshir Research Tower, you have but to say my name!¡± She took the time to shake each of our hands and thank us personally while her scribe doled out our payment into fine leather pouches.


    When she got to me, I mumbled about the cold water under my breath and she whispered the incantation in my ear. I smiled broadly. ¡°That''s brilliant!¡± I said wondering I hadn¡¯t thought of it before. We each put our earnings into our packs and happily headed into town.


    We agreed to meet at a pub we passed in a few hours. Boyln and Emmon went off to do some research on the shield and to sell the remaining sextants while Meig and I grab a snack and I get a new pair of boots. The proprietors of the boot store were not too happy to let Aelfie in, but when I promise to buy her a rawhide ball, they relent and I tossed the ball around for her. Meig found her antics greatly amusing while I tried on and found the perfect pair of waterproof boots that are thick, but supple and cover up to just below my knees. Since I¡¯d always made do with my brothers¡¯ hand me downs or other shoes patched up from young men, I thought they were the most marvelous pair I had ever worn. I am also given some linseed oil to clean them and keep the leather in good repair.


    ¡°I am never wearing slippers again!¡± I declared and Meig laughed with me. We left the store to find the pub, me proudly in my new boots and Aelfie proudly carrying her new ball in her mouth.


    The others were already seated with a round of ales when we got there.


    ¡°We took the liberty of ordering for you,¡± said Boyln with a wink. ¡°There''s only the special,¡± he shrugged.


    ¡°Smells good to me,¡± I said and Meig agreed.


    Over the meal, the men tell us they got a good price for the sextants and found the shield belonged to the Knights of Saint Layan. They have a large shrine and barracks in the northwest corner of Holdstone.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± said Pency, out of context as usual. ¡°What if they think we stole it?¡±


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    ¡°We''ll just explain where we found it. If we stole it, why would we bring it back?¡± I argued.


    ¡°They''ll want to know about it,¡± reasoned Boyln.


    ¡°What does Baldric think?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± said Pency and we all looked at him frowning.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to come if it makes you uncomfortable,¡± said Meig searching for a middle ground.


    ¡°And let you take the reward?!¡± he stammered. I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Enough! We all go then. Let¡¯s fill our bellies first,¡± I said and discussion ended with the arrival of our stew and a couple loaves of bread.


    Our stomachs well satisfied, we headed to Temple of Saint Layan. It was an imposing rock building with tall ceilings and matching large oak doors.


    A monk with shaved head looked at us dubiously when we asked to see someone in charge. A small shrine was open to the public for worship at the entrance, but there was clearly much more to the temple than this small space. When we showed him the shield, he finally relented and led us up some stairs into a large office where we were met by another frowning monk.


    ¡°What is this?¡± he said, raising his eyebrows. Emmon handed over the shield with their emblem on the front. He took it easily from him, his arms clearly stronger than his small, humble stature would suggest. ¡°Oh, my,¡± he said finally sitting down. ¡°Please, sit. Yes.¡±


    ¡°We found this in a fire pit at Bleak Manor. It looked recent, so we thought we¡¯d bring it by in case you didn¡¯t have word about the men who would have been with this shield,¡± said Boyln.


    ¡°Indeed, we have not had word. We feared the worst and with this, well, I suppose it is confirmed,¡± he said. He looked at us each in turn. ¡°You went into the ruins below Bleak Manor and escaped with your lives?¡± he asked with a little too much surprise for my liking.


    ¡°Yes, just yesterday,¡± confirmed Boyln. ¡°There was an evil entity there we were able to kill.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well done. We do appreciate this. We do. Perhaps you are available for another job? We have interests in a mine north of here. There are rumors that the miners that work there go insane and the mine is cursed by demons. I don¡¯t suppose you would consider such a dangerous mission?¡± he said, raising his eyebrows.


    ¡°What''s it worth to you?¡± asked Emmon. Perhaps victory was so fresh upon us we thought ourselves somewhat invincible because I had the same question in my mind.


    ¡°50 Kronars each, plus supplies for the journey. Then, perhaps you can escort a contingent of miners back to the mine and remain with them for a week to reassure them it¡¯s safe. You¡¯ll get 250 Kronars each if the miners remain working at the mine a full month,¡± he said sensing our eagerness. He didn¡¯t wait for our answer before continuing.


    ¡°Regardless, here is an amulet of healing as a token of our appreciation from our temple for bringing the shield back to us,¡± he continued. ¡°Come back tomorrow if you are interested and we can see you well equipped for your journey.¡± He handed it to Boyln who smiled and handed it over to me. I guess that made me official healer of the group. I felt put on the spot a bit, after all, I wasn¡¯t really trained as a healer. I did know a few things, though. I nodded and put it into my pack.


    We thanked him and left feeling good of our prospects. The group split up to meander back to the tavern to do some shopping and to get to know the town. I thought maybe I should find an apothecary to see if I could replenish my supply of healing herbs and bandages.


    Meig tagged along with me throwing Aelfie¡¯s ball for her occasionally. She would glance behind her from time to time, like she expected someone to be following. I wanted to ask her about it, but decided against it. After all, we didn¡¯t know each other very well yet and I didn¡¯t want her to feel uncomfortable.


    It felt nice to have a woman friend I could relate to. For all I knew she was an excellent embroiderer, but after seeing her wield a dagger, I knew she had some combat training or experience. You could just tell by how someone held a weapon in combat. There was a familiarity there that you only get from regular training.


    We passed Boyln who was trying out some sturdy staves at a stall. And I saw Pency go into a very shady looking establishment that I had to assume was for mage spell components. I smiled thinking he and Baldric would fit right in there.


    When Meig and I got back to the Miner¡¯s Folly, Emmon was already deep into his cups boasting about his single-handed killing of a black demon. Meig and I just grinned at each other. We ordered our own ale and joined him at the table, our backs to the wall, facing the door where I knew Meig would feel comfortable. I tossed Aelfie¡¯s ball around causing some minor amusement by the other patrons.


    I sighed thinking I had made the right choice and maybe I was were I was meant to be. Even the ale tasted better here. Maybe it was just that it was not from my familiar brewery and because I had purchased it with money I had earned for myself. I smiled and allowed myself to relax.

 13. The Fianc茅

    Before long, the whole group had gathered at a table together while a band played and we relaxed with more cold ale, enjoying some mild notoriety and the spoils of our success. We were laughing and chatting among ourselves still deciding if we would help with the mine. I was suddenly aware that I was being watched. I guess it comes from hunting and being in the wild where sometimes the hunter becomes the prey. My eyes snapped over near the entrance of the tavern and I spied a pair of deep, dark eyes looking right at me. The last time I¡¯d seen him, his hair was perfectly combed and he was looking very handsome in a perfectly tailored blue jacket with gold trim and shiny black shoes. Today, it was evident he had been traveling hard for some days. But, of course, Wellswood was at least a five week ride from Holdstone and that¡¯s if you¡¯re in a hurry. As he saw me notice him, his shoulders seemed to relax.


    ¡°Excuse me, guys. There¡¯s someone here I know,¡± I pushed my seat back, chugged the last of my ale, wiped my mouth with my sleeve, and stood up to go meet him. What in the world was Kaarlo Issakainen doing here? I made my way over to him. I was suddenly aware that my appearance was far removed from what he may remember. Still he had recognized me, so I tried to relax. The tavern wasn¡¯t completely full like it can be, as it was still early, but I had to make my way through a fair throng. When I got to him, he¡¯d found a place on a bench along the front wall for us to sit but he was waiting for me standing up.


    When I reached him, it seemed like he didn¡¯t know how to greet me.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I said first. Not knowing what else to say. I was suddenly remembering how I had run off just before we were supposed to be wed. He might not have been too happy about it. It had been such a shock to see a familiar face here that I hadn¡¯t totally thought it through. Aelfie was jumping on him and wagging her tail excitedly. She had reached him first having an easier time weaving quickly between people¡¯s legs. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡­uhm. Let¡¯s sit down, can we?¡± he asked. I shrugged. He petted Aelfie and the little turncoat just kept pushing her insistent nose under his hand so he¡¯d keep petting her like he was her best friend. I tried to ignore her.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said and we sat together on the bench. We were not the only people using the bench and we had to sit rather close together.


    ¡°You¡­cut your hair,¡± he said. He reached up and pulled at a strand of my short hair. Oddly, his touch electrified me in a strange way.


    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± I sighed. ¡°Long hair is such a pain to deal with.¡± My hair was probably shorter than his now. It was such a strange way to start. He couldn¡¯t have know about my hair.


    ¡°Why did you leave? Are you with that guy?¡± he said, his eyes looking hard. I looked where he had glanced and he seemed to be looking at Emmon. He certainly stood out in a crowd being a foot taller than most and clanking in his armor. He was laughing at something probably Meig had said. Our table was notoriously loud in the tavern.


    ¡°Who, Emmon?¡± I looked back at Kaarlo, feeling confused. ¡°No, we met in this tavern. We¡¯ve worked together, sure. Not the brightest candle, but you gotta admire someone with that much strength and reach on his sword, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just wondered if there had been someone else¡­¡± he trailed off and looked away.


    ¡°Someone else for what?¡± I said a bit louder than I¡¯d meant, panic rising into my voice. I was thinking of Gavendor and if he had lost his post over letting me out. I had tried very hard not to think about it since that night. I was staring at Kaarlo carefully.


    ¡°Someone else you wanted to marry,¡± he said, turning his eyes to me. I could see the anger there, but I was so relieved he didn¡¯t mention Gavendor letting me go, I smiled. But then I realized what he was saying and I thought there might be hurt in his eyes, so I wiped my smile away.


    ¡°Oh, Gods no,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±I wasn¡¯t sure how to explain it right that wouldn¡¯t hurt him more. ¡°I have no interest in¡­being a wife. And all that entails. I don¡¯t know if you really know about my family. I was the last child, the eighth and long after my other siblings. I killed my mother, in childbirth. My family loved to remind me of that fact, but maybe the other clans and noble houses didn¡¯t know. I¡¯ve known a lot of women to die in childbirth and, frankly, I¡¯d rather face a horde of goblins than deal with that.¡± There, that should explain things.


    When I turned back to face him, he had a funny smile on his face, the kind that made we want to thump him. He distracted me by lacing the fingers of his hand with mine. I looked down at our entwined hands, somewhat taken aback. I was shocked to notice my hands were cleaner than his. I didn¡¯t care about that. He had big, strong hands and some dirt couldn¡¯t detract from them, but my hands were usually dirtier than most other noble people I knew.


    I should have been paying closer attention to the rest of him, because he reached his other hand to my face and pulled me in to kiss him. To his credit, he did it slowly and I had plenty of time to thump him. Only, his touch electrified my face again and his lips looked soft and inviting. Before I knew it, he was kissing me and I was kissing him back. He slipped his tongue in my mouth which surprised me at first, but then felt really nice. As the kiss went on, longer than I expected I felt a throbbing between my legs that made me think his hands had wandered, but when I checked one was still on my neck and the other entwined with mine. Still, it scared me, so I broke away from him.


    ¡°So¡­¡± he started looking down at our hands. Oddly, he brought our hands to his face and kissed the back of mine. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to marry me?¡± he asked. I didn¡¯t see any hurt in his eyes this time.


    ¡°No, Kaarlo. I don¡¯t want to marry anyone. I know my family doesn¡¯t want me, but I need work at something I kinda believe in, you know? I can¡¯t do that in Thornhill. I tried, but I couldn¡¯t satisfy my father.¡±


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    ¡°You worked in Thornhill? Why? How?¡± Kaarlo asked. His brow was knit with curiosity or maybe confusion.


    ¡°I was the last child, a lot younger than all my siblings, and my dad sort of forgot about me, I guess. I worked in the kitchens and then in the stable and kennel. Then I was trained to go in the hunting parties. I didn¡¯t just happen to kill a goblin that one time, you probably heard about it. Gavendor spent years training me in the crossbow,¡± I explained.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he looked down at our hands. He opened my hand in his and felt the calluses on my palm with his thumb. Most were from riding and cocking a crossbow.


    ¡°Did my father lose very much money by not being able to marry me off?¡± I asked worried over his answer. His brows knit together.


    ¡°No. Quite the opposite. My father requested he pay a dowry for me to marry you. It took some time, but your father eventually agreed to some terms, I refused to know the details. When the wedding didn¡¯t happen, your father didn¡¯t have to pay¡­¡± he explained and shrugged. I tried to turned my face away so he wouldn¡¯t see me, but he pulled my chin towards him. ¡°Your father told you we were paying a dowry for you?¡± I nodded and a few tears slipped down my face. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay,¡± I said, wiping the tears away, but now I was really confused. ¡°But why would you convince your father to pay for me?¡± I turned to study him. It was his turn to look away.


    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t remember it. It was your 15th birthday ball. I was there, but I was a little young to be given much attention. It was partly my own fault as I refused to learn the latest dance steps,¡± I had to chuckle at that confession. ¡°Anyway, I saw you turn down all those guys who wanted to kiss you. They had all bragged ahead of time that you would kiss them, but you didn¡¯t kiss a one. Especially that Gaelric guy. He tormented me since our parents were friends and I¡¯d see him a lot. He thought he was so handsome and special and you turned him down flat. I thought to myself: there¡¯s a woman who¡¯s got it together. I could really use a level-headed, maybe strong-headed woman, like that at my side.¡± He jumped and let go of my hand when I started belly laughing.


    ¡°Really?! That¡¯s it?!¡± I asked him between fits. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± I was laughing so hard my tummy hurt and a tear slipped down for an entirely different reason. He didn¡¯t look very amused, so he continued over my laughter.


    ¡°That AND I heard about the goblins you took on. It was the talk of the Duchy.¡± Thinking of that day sobered me and I wiped my face sighing. ¡°Well, at least our small part of it. We have a few raiders come through as well. I know what it¡¯s like to get my sword bloodied, but we never had that many at once,¡± he narrowed his eyes at me. I suddenly noticed he had a longsword on his left hip. That reason, at least, I could better understand. I nodded.


    ¡°That''s not something I want to do everyday, but after seeing what they did to all those people¡­ Well, some things need doing, don¡¯t they?¡± I said. He smiled a small smile and looked at me in a way that made me want to thump him again. That didn¡¯t seem like an appropriate response, though, so I held back. He looked at my lips and I licked them self-consciously. He was probably thinking of our kissing and suddenly I was too and that strange ache between my legs. To distract myself, I decided to ask him the hard question.


    ¡°Is Gavendor okay?¡± I asked him frowning. Kaarlo got a big smile on his face at that question which made me narrow my eyes at him. He laced his fingers with mine again.


    ¡°You mean your co-conspirator?¡± he accused raising his eyebrows and I tried to pull my hand away, but he held firm. It was his turn to laugh. ¡°He''s fine,¡± he said quickly, seeing my panic.


    ¡°Your father fired him, but he had several offers for employment on the spot. I convinced my father to hire him; we quietly outbid everyone else,¡± he smirked. I was horrified.


    ¡°So, he works for your family in Wellswood now?¡± I asked stupidly since he¡¯d already answered that question. My brain seemed fuzzy and unable to process information correctly. Maybe it was his hand in mine that caused it.


    ¡°Sure does. And makes more money now. He¡¯ll probably retire soon, but he¡¯s a good asset, we hope he stays around. Your father was pretty angry at him, but I¡¯m sure he regrets losing Gavendor,¡± he looked away from me and shook his head. ¡°He denied helping you, but of course he¡¯s the only one who had a key to your room, so¡­¡± he shrugged.


    ¡°Gods, I didn¡¯t mean to get him into trouble. But I¡¯m glad it worked out for him,¡± I said thinking about all that I¡¯d learned from Gavendor. We sat in silence for a while. I almost forgot we were holding hands until he gave mine a squeeze.


    ¡°So, you won¡¯t marry me? You don¡¯t have to see your family again,¡± Kaarlo said lifting my hand to his lips again. ¡°I''m sorry they lied you and coerced you into it,¡± he said softly. He traced the side of my face with his finger, pushing some errant strands of hair out of my face. His touch did feel nice and kissing him had felt good too. But I knew I wasn¡¯t really what he wanted.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Kaarlo. You¡¯re a good man, but I have a new friends here. I have a purpose, people who respect me and look out for me. I know it¡¯s not the same as marriage or a family, but it¡¯s what I need. I¡¯m just not the marrying kind. Running a house, having children, that¡¯s good for some, but it¡¯s just not what I¡¯m cut out to do. I¡¯d be better off being in charge of your stable or manor defense. But, Kaarlo, if you need help, if Wellswood is in trouble, if you need someone to watch your back, all you have to do is ask.¡± I leaned in and kissed his cheek. His look turned hard which surprised me.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re alright here?¡± he asked, searching my face for something.


    ¡°I''m alright, Kaarlo. Thanks for¡­ caring about me,¡± I said a little awkwardly. I didn¡¯t want him to get the wrong idea or him to think I thought too highly of myself. He smiled and we stood up and let go of each other¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Have a safe trip back. I doubt anyone in my family will ask about me, but if they do¡­¡± I started. He nodded, his smile turning grim.


    ¡°Don''t worry. They won¡¯t hear anything from me,¡± he said. He looked like he wanted to hug me or kiss me. I stuck out my right hand. After a moment, he grabbed my hand. He squeezed my hand hard, trying to hurt me, like my brothers always did. However, I had still been doing my hand, arm and leg exercises that Gavendor had taught me and I squeezed him hard right back.


    Funnily enough, a smile crept into his face. ¡°Thanks, Aebbe. I will remember what you said and if I reach out, well, you¡¯ll know Wellswood will need help. Good luck to you. May the Saints favor you!¡± he said and let go of me. Aelfie sat on my feet. I guess she had just wanted to say hi and had decided to stay with me after all.


    ¡°May the Old Gods shine their elemental powers on you, Kaarlo. You and your family,¡± I said as he stepped away. I reckoned he¡¯d find a wife pretty easily. Someone like him needs to be married. When you own a manor house, even if you¡¯re father is still alive, there¡¯s a lot of work to do and I knew wives had plenty to manage. It had never been my goal or in my training.


    Marriage would make him happy. I wouldn¡¯t, but someone else could. It would probably take a month to get back to his home, unless he had a coach with a team of horses. I felt bad he had come all this way. Two men in uniform went out behind him. I turned and went as quickly as I could directly up the stairs to my room at the tavern which overlooked the road outside.

 14. Confessions

    I took the stairs two at a time and Aelfie kept up with me. She jumped up on my bed making herself comfortable. The tears started as I got to my room. I tried to wipe them away, but annoyingly they kept coming back. I started when I heard my door close. Meig had followed me up. Her strong features registered concern.


    ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± she asked. I shrugged, not trusting my voice. ¡°Who was that guy?"


    ¡°He¡¯s my ex-fianc¨¦. I was supposed to marry him but I ran away the night before,¡± I explained.


    ¡°And he followed you here,¡± she said, glancing around like there might be other ex-fianc¨¦s about to jump out of my closet.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡­ I guess he was just checking on me. I mean, it¡¯s not like he was a bad guy or anything. I¡­ It¡¯s just not what I see myself doing with my life. I know, I¡¯m weird. I know that,¡± I rambled.


    ¡°No, no. I think it¡¯s admirable that you do what you want and he seemed to be okay with that, too. That¡¯s nice,¡± she said a little wistfully.


    "It¡¯s weird, though. Have you ever¡­just now, when I kissed Kaarlo, I got this funny feeling between my legs and now I can¡¯t seem to stop crying. What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± I asked her, sniffling and wishing I could stop.


    She looked really surprised.


    ¡°Haven''t you ever been in love?¡± she asked. I thought that was about the vaguest question I¡¯d ever heard.


    ¡°No?¡± I answered. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. How would I know?¡± She smiled and wrapped her arm around me. We stepped up to the window and looked down on the street. Kaarlo seemed to be ordering some men around. They were loading a coach. That was a relief. He¡¯d be home in under a month then in fair comfort. Not that he seemed soft, but I don¡¯t think he hunted for his food every day either.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never felt that down there, before?¡± she pressed.


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    ¡°No, I mean it¡¯s like my blood days, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not that,¡± I said, but now I was thinking about it maybe I should check only it would be a bit awkward with Meig here.


    ¡°He''s good looking,¡± Meig commented looking out the window again.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said rather indifferently. ¡°He is.¡±


    ¡°Is he a good rider?¡± she asked and I was pretty sure she was making fun of me.


    ¡°So I hear,¡± I responded refusing to rise up to the bait. ¡°And he¡¯s good with a sword, too,¡± I said beating her to that punch, frowning at her. She smirked.


    ¡°So¡­ you don¡¯t mind the idea of him with another woman?¡± she asked, looking back out the window. I frowned.


    ¡°Of course not. Who else would he marry? A horse?¡± I said, but the annoying tears kept up. When Meig noticed this, she continued.


    ¡°And how do you feel about not kissing him again?¡± I frowned at her when she turned to me. I was embarrassed to think she had seen us kissing earlier.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him to kiss me,¡± I said, my voice rising, stepping away from her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you did,¡± she replied putting a calming hand on my arm. ¡°But, if you never kissed him again¡­ how would you feel about that?¡± That seemed another ridiculous question. I mean, I hadn¡¯t been on kissing dates for years and didn¡¯t really miss them. Only¡­


    ¡°Well, I did feel awfully nice. Maybe more so than some others. But¡­¡± I stared at Kaarlo as he moved about the street still wiping at my tears.


    ¡°But¡­¡± pressed Meig, drawing my eyes back to her. I shrugged. It was hard to put things into words.


    ¡°There are plenty of men available for that, I guess. Not that I¡¯m looking,¡± I added quickly.


    ¡°You certainly don¡¯t have to look,¡± she said a small grin on her face and I frowned at her. ¡°Or find¡­ Don¡¯t have to,¡± she said looking back out the window, relaxing her face when she saw I was still frowning at her.


    I looked back out too and just then Kaarlo looked up and saw me. I tensed. Could he see I was crying? He raised a hand in greeting and I returned it, putting my hand on the uneven glass. It looked like he had a couple guards and a small retinue of servants with him. As a nobleman, of course he would have people from his household with him for such a long voyage. Most people don¡¯t go traveling around on their own in the wilderness. I smiled to myself.


    Of course, I¡¯m not like most people. I wiped my tears away and noticed they had stopped falling. We stood there together and watched as Kaarlo¡¯s carriage was finally loaded and he stepped into it with a final look up at my window. The coachman latched the door closed and hopped up to his seat at the back and the driver got to his bench and took up the whip and reins and got the team moving forward. We watched as it turned down the road going out of town and went out of sight. And that was the last time I cried.

 New Chapter 1: The Beginning

    I suppose many girls have dreams of a life with a loving, doting husband running a large, bountiful estate soon to be surrounded by her children, loved and supported by her family. But that was never my dream. Also, I had never lived nor seen such a life. It probably had to do with not having a mother growing up or maybe working alongside cooks, trainers, grooms and soldiers of my manor instead of in company of high ladies and refined men. My aspirations were more about exploring the wetlands, learning how to hunt and trap, mastering bits of magic and uncovering the healing properties of herbs and fungi. In those activities, I found pleasure and fulfillment. I found respect from my companions in being a good shot with a crossbow and tending anyone wounded in the field. But that was not the path that was meant for me. Perhaps I could have learned the right skills or accepted certain realities, if only I had understood that sooner, but I¡¯m getting ahead of myself.


    The first time I remember crying was when I was told the cook wasn¡¯t my mother. Not just tearing from pain. I¡¯d experienced that a bit, but real crying. Turned out, I didn¡¯t have a mother. Just like now, I couldn¡¯t place my feelings and I¡¯d also been confused about how I should feel. My siblings were much older than me and my brothers liked to thump me on the head, so when they got me good, my eyes would tear either from the pain or frustration. I guess they felt they should as our father had little interest or time for me. I didn¡¯t cry when they thumped me; that only encouraged them.


    I knew who my older brothers were and my father, of course. I had older sisters, too, but they were married before I really knew them. I only recognized them later because they came to the manor to visit from time to time. Three of my older brothers were married and their families lived in the manor with us along with an annoying and growing number of little children. I just tried to keep out of my brothers'' way. I guess they couldn¡¯t forgive me for killing our mother.


    I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. She died giving birth to me. They reminded me of it often. I guess she had been loving and attentive, unlike my father. He named me Aebbe Marie Theodora Wymer (pronounced like Abby and spelled in a difficult way to annoy although some old people pronounced it "Ab-bay"). He¡¯s the Baron of Thornhill and everyone has to do what he says. I¡¯m not good at doing what I¡¯m told, so, I try to stay out of his way, too.


    Thornhill is a bit of a misnomer. It¡¯s actually not just one hill but a cluster of hills that rise up higher than the surrounding marshlands. Our manor house is built on the highest hill in the middle of the town. From my room¡¯s third story window, I look out to the north and see the wide expanse of marsh that surrounds us. My room is the one farthest down the hall and highest up. I don¡¯t mind it. Often I can look out and watch the fog drift over the marsh in the evenings.


    We are a small community in the Duchy of Ashlar with only a few hundred people living here. We mostly get by on fishing, hunting and gathering, but there are a few farms on the road going east and west out of town. The thorn part of the name is because there are briars that naturally occur in these hills of blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry. People think that all those fruits are produced on one plant, but that¡¯s ridiculous, of course. They just grow really close together and it seems that way. Our spring berry harvest is quite famous and our berry turnovers and cakes are well loved in the communities that surround us, even as far away as Holdstone, as it turns out. I didn¡¯t find that out until later, but I¡¯m getting ahead of my story.


    People call us isolated, but we have a good road connecting us to communities to the south which have more minerals and lumber as well as communities to the east and west rich in manufactured goods, livestock and food. It¡¯s true you have to ride for a couple of days to get to any other town and we don¡¯t get too many merchants or entertainments that come through. But when that¡¯s all you know, it seems rather normal.


    I¡¯m the eighth and last child of Baron Aelfgar Wymer of Thornhill. Actually that makes me Lady Aebbe, but the only time people call me that is at boring balls, dinner parties, and clan gatherings. Most people call me Aebbe. Anyone calls me Theodora I thump them on the head. Yes, I know it¡¯s my mother¡¯s name, but she had some nice ones and father had to pick that one.


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    When I was 3 years old, I was put into the care of Inge, the cook. That¡¯s why I thought she was my mother. Every day she would get me up, dress me, and take me down to the kitchens. She never showed me how to cook officially, she had older daughters for that, but I picked up a few things. She did teach me to find herbs and mushrooms and edible plants all around the marsh and woodlots near Thornhill. Turns out I¡¯m quite good at it. Better at finding morels than the pigs! When I was 5 and a half, I¡¯d go by myself because they knew I could gather enough for the whole household without help. Inge¡¯s daughter, Inge (I know, it¡¯s annoying) showed me how to tend the manor garden and grow things from seeds we would collect in the wild. They eventually set aside a small side yard for me to grow rare flowers and things. I should have realized THEY didn¡¯t get special side gardens. I also should have realized I didn¡¯t get regularly pinched or yelled at by Inge or her husband who was the baker. But, I just didn¡¯t give it much notice it at the time.


    When I got tired of working in the kitchens at age 6, Inge passed me off to Reeves who took care of the animals of the manor. I loved animals, too, so it was fun to learn how to care for the horses and hunting dogs, as well as the chickens and pigs we kept for food.


    That¡¯s when I met Gavendor. He was a crusty old soldier who my father put in charge of hunting and defense of the manor. He saw I was a natural rider and a quick learner, so he taught me to ride and began to take me out on hunting trips. Since I knew something about cooking, I was put in charge of making the stew or roast for dinner, when we''d stay overnight. Apparently, adding a few herbs and spices had never occurred to the male hunters and consequently, everyone said they had never eaten so well in the field. I had my secrets (I had my own pot of salt and pfeffer I always carried once I was put in charge of meals), but mostly it was just knowing the herbs, occasionally finding some nice-tasting tubers and mushrooms, and how much to add.


    Once, one of the soldiers had a bad turn of his stomach while we were out and I made him a tea for it. When we got back to the manor, our healer said I had probably saved his life. I didn¡¯t think anything of it. I was actually shocked when I was paraded to my father over it. It was just natural for me to put my knowledge to use. I didn¡¯t mention or let anyone see me cast that earth spell on the tea. I¡¯m not sure what anyone would think about it. It¡¯s not like I have a lot of magic. It¡¯s just in the air and wilderness here. You just have to learn to tap into it. He did look really sick and I thought I¡¯d best put as much healing into the tea as I could, herbs can only do so much.


    We have the occasional mage or wizard that will come through our small town and I was always sure to offer to cook for them or help them find some rare herb to see if I could learn anything. So, I picked up a few things, mostly basic elemental incantations.


    Old Gavendor trained me up on the crossbow. He even got me a small one to learn on. Pretty soon, I was on regular hunting patrol. I learned to shoot small animals in the head to keep the meat intact. I also learned to skin and prepare the carcasses. It was pretty easy. And I¡¯d been around meat from a young age, so it was natural to want to prepare the kills for eating. Plus, they don¡¯t weigh as much after you gut them. That¡¯s important when you¡¯re a young girl.


    I didn¡¯t much appreciate being a girl. Not only was I thumped by my big brothers all a lot older than me, but I couldn¡¯t carry a deer carcass, could I? I could shoot it, no problem and gut it. But I needed help to move it. There was never a small deer around to shoot either. Even the small boys in the hunting party would make fun of me over it. But, there was not much I could do. I asked Gavendor about it and he suggested some exercises to strengthen my arms and legs. I didthem every day, but I didn¡¯t think it would really make a difference.


    When I¡¯d asked Gavendor to train me in the sword, he had refused. When I pressed him as to why, he said he didn¡¯t feel it was a woman¡¯s place and that my father would not allow it. Still, he did teach me to use and throw a dagger. I knew how to use a skinning knife, of course, but he showed me how a dagger could be used very effectively in close combat. We used them on hunts sometimes when an animal wasn¡¯t downed easily. It was important not to let an animal suffer. Suffering is suffering. Even though we have to kill to survive, we never kill to be cruel. He liked to tell us about one time a marsh panther attacked him while he¡¯d been gutting a deer out on his own. Even though he was a master of the sword, that day, his dagger had saved his life. He said it had been a shame to kill the panther, as they weren¡¯t very common, but if he hadn¡¯t he would not have lived to tell the tale. He showed us the scars where it had made deep gashes in his legs. Most of his other scars were from battles with goblins or, at least, that¡¯s what he claimed.

 15. The Mines

    The next day, our little group decided to take up the priest¡¯s offer to help them with their mine. The money was too good to pass up. We would have to clear out the mine and then go back with the miners to keep them safe and take care of any remaining issues. It would take time, but we could give up our rooms at the Folly for a few days since we had very little in the way of possessions anyway as we were all new in town.


    The meeting with at the Sayan temple that afternoon went well. The priests quickly arranged for a wagonload of supplies and horses to be ready to leave the following day. That gave us enough time to head into town for last minute supplies. We all got those enchanted headlamps and some better clothes to deal with the cooler temperatures we might encounter in the mines.


    When we met with them outside their temple to leave, they had also hired some local mercenaries to accompany us and protect the supplies and horses from goblin attack. These men were not to go into the mines themselves, but await our success before getting us back to town. They would return with the miners in tow. Their main role was to keep the caravan safe and hunt for our food as needed.


    They were a scrubby looking group of middle aged men, many with assorted scars of which they seemed eager to give the history. But they were fair riders and all equipped with their own weapons. They ribbed and teased each other like they had worked together for some time. This was a good sign in my book since Gavendor always grilled us about working as a unit and being able to predict where your party would be and what role everyone would take in a tense situation when you cannot always communicate easily. A misunderstanding can leave someone unprotected or dead.


    So we set off the next morning under cloudy skies, one wagon and the rest of us on horseback along the north road out of town and back on the bridge over the Selka river. This time, we took a well worn road further north before turning off to the West into some taller hills. The mountains looked closer and more ominous than before. I wondered if I only thought that because I had always been told that orcs and goblins lived in mountain caves or if there was some maleficence I could sense coming from those high peaks.


    It was a long day of travel, and we were promised it would only half a day more when we stopped for the night. The day had turned clear and Pency assured me it would not rain in the night. I know you¡¯re not supposed to trust a wizard about such things, but the air felt clear and it would be nice to sleep in the open next to the fire. Besides, I watched as Pency did an incantation around where we would be sleeping and I¡¯m pretty sure no one would be able to sneak up on us. One of the old mercenaries, Jornian joined us. The rest dispersed into tents that had been packed especially for the purpose. Meig and Emmon kept us company by the fire for some time before turning in. The mercenaries had guard duty throughout the night, so we could get some restful sleep.


    Jornian told us stories of their last mission. Apparently they were regularly hired by the Temple since they were fairly free of vice. They didn¡¯t gamble, over drink, smoke or chew Ginsenny, or frequent brothels. Or so he said anyway. They had been sent to help some priests gather herbs out of the Great Swamp to the south of Holdstone.


    He confirmed that more attacks from goblins were common all over the countryside. They had met with a small band on their way into the swamplands. He had some exaggerated stories about Lizard people which I knew couldn¡¯t be real, but I didn¡¯t bother to correct him. Mostly, he complained about mosquitoes large enough to carry a man off. He claimed he had rescued his companion, Marley, from such a fate. He had us all belly laughing at his outlandish stories before we called it a night.


    I was a little worried about Jorn since he kept looking me over like he wanted a kissing date, but I knew Aelfie wouldn¡¯t let him near me. She may not look fearsome, but she was rather protective of me. I slept with my crossbow nearby, just in case. In the morning, Jorn wasn¡¯t even in his sleeping roll, so it turns out I was worried for nothing.


    We had a quick breakfast of hard rolls and dried meat before heading back onto the road. The road was good all the way to the mine. The buildings looked in tact and the equipment inside for which we had been briefed looked in working condition. My companions and I made quick work of getting ready to go in and get our first look at the situation.


    Pency was muttering non-stop. When I asked, he told us there were a lot of ¡®restless'' souls here. That made the hairs on the back of my neck rise and they didn¡¯t go down, especially as we prepared to descend into the darkness of the mine. I much preferred to have the sky over my head but thought it would not be appropriate to voice this preference in the current situation.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    There was a sort of platform with some machinery that lowered into the mine. Jornian was quick to figure out the controls and he reassured us that he would stay nearby for when we needed to get back out. Aelfie took a liking to him, so I decided he couldn¡¯t be a bad guy.


    ¡°Come back soon,¡± he said, looking at me specifically. I just nodded feeling a little uncomfortable in his gaze.


    ¡°I think he likes you,¡± Meig murmured in my ear.


    ¡°Can''t like me that much. He didn¡¯t volunteer to come down here, did he?¡± I snarked back and we both chuckled.


    ¡°Good point,¡± she agreed.


    I try to ignore the fact that the hair on the back of my neck is still tingling. Maybe we all do. As we descend, we pull the covers off our headlamps and start shining them around. As we near the first level, Boyln pulls the lever stopping the contraption and it sways in a most uncomfortable way before we can all disembark. We begin down the corridor and Boyln begins to mark the corners with chalk as we move indicating where we have come from.


    I try to memorize the way, but there are too many turns and twists and not all are at 90 degree angles.


    We come to a large cavern with a hole in the center that luckily, Emmon spots before Boyln takes a step too far and falls into it. We pull out rope and tie our lucky volunteer, Meig, onto a rope and lower her down. We lower her down the narrow shaft and she tells us there is a cavern carved into the side she thinks we should check out.


    ¡°Definitely getting a bad feeling here¡­¡± her voice says ominously out of the gloom.


    ¡°Lovely,¡± I murmur as I got tied on, ready to go next. When I get to the cavern which looks like hole in the wall, Meig is able to pull me in onto level ground. Soon we are all in the cramped space ready to move on. We have to leave our rope in place for our return. This area looks more recently and more roughly carved than where we have previously been. The corridor sloped downward and turns, but then climbs again. We get to a small opening into a long shaft and determine we have come out on the other side of the same corridor we started on.


    Meig takes a running leap to reach the rope on the other side so we can continue down without backtracking. I let out a breath I didn¡¯t even know I was holding, but Meig just smiles at us and in a casual way that makes me envious, she quickly descends on the rope further into the mine shaft.


    This time, we reached the bottom of the pit and there is a pile of debris there. When we get our lamps on it, we are horrified to see that besides some mining rock residue, there are burned and blackened bodies of what look like priests in what were dark purple robes.


    ¡°These aren¡¯t from St. Layan,¡± declared Emmon.


    ¡°No,¡± confirmed Boyln.


    We explore more of the rough caves and, although we all feel a bit apprehensive, we get no feeling like what we were told and nothing seems out of the ordinary except the charred remains. After some time, we decide to head back out and continue the search tomorrow after a good rest.


    We finally got back to the contraption that will lift us back out of the mine and while we have the controls to get it moving back it¡¯s a comfort when we see Jornian still waiting for us topside.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back! Any trouble?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nothing yet, but we didn¡¯t get very far. We¡¯ll go back in the morning,¡± I explained.


    ¡°The boys have got supper going. Let¡¯s join them. I¡¯m getting a might hungry settin¡¯ about,¡± he offered.


    After our meal, the group of adventurers with Jornian tagging along, decide to poke around the miner¡¯s old quarters to see if we can find any clues about what we may be facing. There are four rows of bunk beds spread out in the place. Some of the chamber pots were not scrubbed out very well and there is a general stench in the place of old urine and sweaty clothes. Very few of the miners seemed to have kept diaries. Probably not many of them could write, to be fair, but we find a couple that clearly indicate they were hearing voices and their condition seemed to worsen over time until paranoia had set in to many of them. We find only small things of value, some of which I think Jornian pockets. It¡¯s too little to fuss over, so I ignore it.


    After we share the diaries between us, we head out and spend time by the campfire with the others. I pull Emmon along with me to address Jornian who is the self-appointed leader of the mercenaries.


    ¡°Jornian, you need to get the men organized and clean up the old miner¡¯s dormitory. There is nothing wrong with it and it will be a darn sight more comfortable than the tents. Particularly since Pency thinks we are in for some severe storms in the next few days. Just air it out, put the miner¡¯s belongings in a sack to the side, launder the sheets and blankets. Clean out the chamber pots and make sure the necessary pit is functional for everyone. The fireplaces in there will be enough to keep everyone warm and comfortable. I see you''ve already done that with the stables so make sure they do the dorms, okay?¡± I made sure Emmon was standing behind me when I issued our ¡®orders¡¯. I didn¡¯t know how they would take to them, but a tall muscly guy looking sternly over my shoulder seemed to be an asset in that situation.


    Meig and I scoped out a small room, likely a manager¡¯s suite which we cleaned out for ourselves to avoid the tents and getting crowded in the dormitory with the guys. I usually don¡¯t mind it, but the mercenaries seemed a bit too rough-and-tumble for my liking. I felt a little silly about it at first, but when I asked Meig about it, she¡¯d agreed, so we took the time to find some space to ourselves.

 16. Curse of the Mines

    The next morning, we headed out early after a quick, hot breakfast. The mercenaries were mumbling about the work they had ahead of them, but seemed to be getting on with it, albeit a bit slowly. Jorn gave me a wink that I hoped was meant to be no more than reassuring. I hoped I wouldn¡¯t have to resort to socking him, but as he was keeping his distance, I focussed instead at the job we had ahead of us.


    He helped lower us down into the mine again and this time, we went down deeper. I knew we must be getting to the right place because Pency was muttering non-stop and was looking every which way. I don¡¯t usually hear voices in my head, but I sure felt like there was something buzzing, trying to get my attention as we moved into the dark of the mine.


    We went on down, past where we had visited before and all of us felt uneasy. We entered a cavern where the workers seemed to have been most recently. Rock was carved out leaving pillars at regular intervals to keep the place intact. The metal they were mining glowed in a sort of evil way. I know what that sounds like, but it was just a bad feeling you got off of it.


    We were spread out in the cavern a bit and suddenly, Boyln dodged just in time to prevent being skewered by three thick arrows that shot out of the wall. We all let out a strained breath. No sooner than we¡¯d all relaxed, we started to hear some clacking coming from up ahead of us. We formed up and shone our lanterns toward the back of the cavern to see dozens of pairs of eerie red lights moving toward us.


    When one got close enough to our beams of light, we realized skeletons were walking steadily towards us holding various old and rusted weapons. It was hard to count how many there were and I had a sudden fear of a mountain of bones sweeping down over us to drown us, but I shook my head and formed up next to my companions.


    They just walked forward and began attacking whoever was out in front and we did the same. I aimed my crossbow bolts for their eyes and heads. I wished I had something a bit heavier for when they came into range, like Emmon¡¯s longsword, but then again, I wasn¡¯t sure I was strong enough to wield something like that.


    One bolt clattered uselessly off a skull, but one went into the bone and the thing went down, the red light in its eyes flickering out. I shot and reloaded as often as I could, ducking down behind Emmon and Boyln who were beside me to reload.


    Emmon seemed to have little trouble hitting them. The trouble was, sometimes they¡¯d just stand right back up and attack again. I think he started aiming at their heads with greater effect. I was too busy with reloading to see how the others were getting on, but I did hear a few grunts which sounded like they were made in pain.


    When one skeleton broke past Emmon and the column I was sheltering behind, I had no choice but to bash it with my bow and hope I didn¡¯t damage it in the process. I didn¡¯t. It was a pretty sturdy bow, thankfully.


    It felt like ages, but soon there were only a few left and we were able to take the last ones out. I pulled out my healing supplies and was soon binding up people who were bleeding which was just Boyln and Meig. We didn¡¯t take too much time for it, just to get the wounds in order in case there were more surprises in the cavern.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Once we scouted the area, we assured ourselves that there were no more skeletons lurking about in the darkness. Pency confirmed that the muttering had calmed down and we could all feel a lot more comfortable in the mine than we had previously.


    ¡°This is the most recent excavation point,¡± Boyln said. Indeed there were a number of pick axes and new mining implements laying about that had likely been abandoned when the trouble had started. ¡°They must have stirred up these¡­remains and fled.¡±


    We found a miner that appeared to have been killed some time ago by the skeletons. We wrapped him in a tarp and carried him back up with us to be buried properly. Carrying the body out made us take much longer that we would have liked, but seemed the only decent thing to do.


    Jarnian wrinkled his nose at us as we emerged from the mine. I guess the rest of us were used to the smell. The skeletons had not had a pleasant odor about them. Emmon told him to get a group of men together with more sacks and tarps to gather up skeletal remains in the mine. We hoped that laying them to rest properly would satisfy whatever had cursed them to reanimate in the first place.


    I didn¡¯t know much about that sort of thing, but it seemed reasonable. Despite the additional grumbling from the mercenaries, they got on with it after we agreed to have two of our number accompany them each time they entered the mines. It seemed a bit silly to me. They were armed better than some of us, but we agreed and soon, we had dug a pit to bury the miner and the bones.


    That evening, we all stood around the pit and looked down at the poor souls who lay there, mostly in pieces. Someone had some holy water with them, so they sprinkled it on them. Boyln said a few words and after a few minutes of revered silence, some men filled dirt on top of the remains and we went about the business of getting dinner together.


    It was decided that in the morning some of the mercenaries would head back to St. Layan¡¯s and tell the priests the mine had been dealt with and to sent the miners in so we could help them and assure them of their safety so they could get back to work.


    It was a few easy days that we passed waiting for the miners to return. I joined Jarnian and a few mercenaries when they went out to hunt for some meat to cook. They were impressed with my crossbow abilities. A couple of them had long bows and we brought back two deer carcasses to roast over the fire.


    Luckily, there was still plenty of ale to go around, so it was a merry night after what we all thought was a very successful day. That night, the rains started and continued without mercy making everyone grumpy and somewhat miserable.


    The miners arrived as did a couple carts of supplies with them. The priests had been quite generous with their supplies for us and the miners. No doubt the miners had already heard rumors of the ¡®cursed¡¯ mines and had to be bribed a bit to be returning to work here. We arranged two of us to go down with each shift of miners and it was a bit of boring month hanging out and staring at the miners, listening to everyone grumble about their backs, the weather, or whatever had been cooked for the meal.


    There was only one small excitement when a rather large rat jumped out at a miner. Once Emmon skewered it on his sword, everyone had a good laugh about it and got back to work. As we all had rather a lot of time on our hands, we joined the mercenaries in some card games. I refused to bet on the games, so was left out quite often, but Emmon enjoyed betting. Luckily he won about as much as he lost and so didn¡¯t do too badly at it.


    Gavendor had never allowed gambling and had a strict rule against it, so I never tried it. He said it was too easy to be cheated or lose your shirt. As a woman working among men, I can tell you, I had no desire to be losing my shirt any time soon. I could feel the eagerness in the mens¡¯ eyes for me to join them to see Gavendor had been right.

 17. Back to the Folly

    After over a month at the mine, we were eager to get back to the Miner¡¯s Folly for some rest and good ale. The provisions were starting to get stale, although a new shipment was to head out after we¡¯d left. The miners had stopped trembling each time they were lowered down in the mine and only Pency was still hearing voices by the end of the month. It felt like our job was completed.


    We accompanied an empty provisions cart and most of the mercenaries back to Holdstone. We got in late in the afternoon, dusty and sweaty from the road and all we wanted was a bath, some clean clothes and a savory, hot meal. Even our horses seemed eager to get back into the familiar, comfortable stables of the inn.


    Lidly knackered at a stable hand and I felt overly jealous. Sure, I hadn¡¯t had much time to spend giving her special treats, but a small part of my heart hurt to hear her react to someone else. I shook myself. I must be tired to worry about such things.


    As soon as we stepped in, the proprietor called out loudly.


    ¡°Oi! The heroes have returned! Back from another success? Which of you is Aebbe Wymer? I have some post that¡¯s been awaiting your return! Sal, get our dusty travelers some ale while I send up for baths to be drawn!¡± he barked, his face rosy red as usual, and his bushy beard a day¡¯s growth from taking over his face.


    ¡°I''m Aebbe,¡± I said, going up to him, wondering what he might want with me.


    He reached under the bar and pulled out a small packet of correspondence and handed it to me. I had seen Boyln and Meig get the occasional correspondence, but I had never received anything.


    ¡°The messenger wanted an immediate response. It took some convincing that you wouldn¡¯t be able to send a response right away - seeing as you weren¡¯t here - so I just said I¡¯d give it to the moment you arrived back, which I have done,¡± he noted.


    ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± I tried to smile at him in reassurance. My breath caught in my throat when I recognized the Issakainen family crest pressed in wax on one of the letters.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± asked Meig looking over my shoulder. She never missed a thing.


    ¡°I''m not sure. I¡¯ll see you in a bit,¡± I said, scooting up the stairs with Aelfie at my heels. I usually take more care that she¡¯s cleaned up before going into my chamber, but I had to see what the letters were about. For some reason, I my chest felt tight with worry.


    I started with the smallest one first which turned out to be the first one sent. I skimmed the first letter. It seemed to have been sent not long after he¡¯d arrived back in Wellswood. It was an invitation to his wedding which had happened already over a month ago. The next was a bit more concerning. After the general greeting and well wishes for my health, he said goblin attacks becoming more frequent in the area. Gavendor was worried there was something more to these attacks and he asked me if I¡¯d heard about anything in Holdstone. The final missive was larger than the others and I could feel it was written on very fine, thick parchment.


    The first page asked me to come to Wellswood immediately to assist in the defense of the village. The other pages authorized some payment to hire a carriage, buy supplies, and some men to get to Wellswood as soon as possible promising more payment for continued help as the village would require. I reckoned it must be serious if he would authorize such monies to me.


    The last part of the letter firmed my resolve. It said, ¡°Please know I would not call on you to return if I didn¡¯t feel it urgent I get your help in this matter. The safety of my family and my manor are my primary concern and Gavendor and I feel your help would be invaluable. Yours, signed, Kaarlo.¡±


    I smiled to myself. I¡¯d make the journey on my own money and time just to see Gavendor again. Kaarlo must have known that. The offer was very generous and the documents I held were very valuable and could not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. It would be relatively easy for a con man to get a hold of them and make the withdrawals for themselves from what I¡¯d heard around the town. I sighed, sensing the papers were going to be more trouble than they¡¯d be worth.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Of course, Kaarlo had no way of knowing I¡¯d just come into some money enough for what was needed. Still, to hire people, generally you had to show you were good for it and I certainly didn¡¯t look like someone who could afford to do that.


    I was going to dash back down to the others, but no doubt everyone is in a hot bath as I wanted to be, so I made sure a bath was being prepared and started setting aside all that needed to be laundered and mended from my travel pack. I was glad I had spent the time to get to know those mercenaries. I would go ask for their help as they were all bemoaning the end of their paid gig.


    After I¡¯d finished my bath and was getting ready to go down for some food, Meig knocked on the door and I told her the situation. She was willing to come along with me and I assured her she would be well paid. I suggested that in the morning we should get her a horse for the voyage and she seemed eager enough to come along.


    The others were not eager to set out on a long journey again after just getting back to Holdstone and having some coin in their pockets. I couldn¡¯t really blame them. It would be a long voyage and news was spreading of a wider goblin threat, particularly along stretches of road without towns nearby to protect them which was precisely where we would be heading.


    Since I had some time before everything would be ready, I gathered as much information about the goblin activities as I could. I also found a scholar that claimed, very controversially, that goblins had a complex and extensive culture. His work was not well received in academic or public circles, but he was eager to speak to me about his work and gave me a couple books on the subject which he had written himself.


    ¡°We need to stop treating them as mindless monsters and start some real rapport with them,¡± he insisted. His hair looked a little wild like he maybe didn¡¯t own a comb, although he smelled and looked clean enough.


    ¡°How?¡± I¡¯d asked him. On that point, he had no ideas. He did have some information on their language which he¡¯d put into the books. He had interesting ideas and maybe some of his information would be useful. I was glad I¡¯d found him and taken the time to chat with him.


    I guess he¡¯d never seen the results of a goblin attack as I had. If he had, he may not have harbored such ideas about them. Still, I didn¡¯t think there would be any harm in taking the information he offered. He¡¯d gone into the far east, farther than anyone else I¡¯d ever heard of and gotten close to where their hives were thought to be and survived it. Information on one¡¯s enemy is always valuable as long as it is accurate. I knew it was old, but if it were true, that could be helpful.


    He had noticed some of their specific traits which I had as well since I had seen them up close after that attack. I had noticed they seemed to make sounds to each other, but even animals communicate with each other when they are in groups. He made a lot of their communication among themselves, but I pointed out how meadow dogs will have one keep a look out while others forage and when the lookout spots danger, they signal a sort of bark for the whole group to get back under cover.


    It seemed he didn¡¯t know a whole lot about animals, so he accepted my information and allowed that the language goblins use may not be as advanced as he suspected, but he seemed sure they had actual, multiple words in their language. I couldn¡¯t argue the point because I had never listened to them for very long like he apparently had. I can¡¯t say he convinced me of his argument, but speaking to him gave me something new to think on and I reckoned I¡¯d have plenty of time to read on the voyage out to Wellswood.


    When I got back to the Folly, I chatted with Meig about what he¡¯d said. Even she was skeptical about his information. She had seen their attacks as well. It¡¯s hard to consider they may be more than mindless when you see they¡¯ve killed children and babies.


    ¡°But, I suppose we do the same to them,¡± Meig had said after we¡¯d grown quiet with our own thoughts a while.


    ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a goblin baby,¡± I told her frowning.


    ¡°Well, maybe they are more mature when they are born. Not every species has a terribly vulnerable starting stage. Maybe they don¡¯t understand us like we don¡¯t understand them,¡± she concluded.


    ¡°So, they see us kill their young, so it¡¯s nothing to them to do the same. And the cycle never ends,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Exactly. But how does one break the cycle?¡± she asked into her goblet of ale.


    I had no answers for her. The problem seemed to big for just a couple of people to fix. Especially when it seemed like the cycle of war had already begun.

 18. A New Adventure

    In the end, ten of the mercenaries, including Jornian, and Meig came along with me to Wellswood. I helped Meig choose and pay for a horse for the journey. I hired a cart and bought supplies for a two week journey. Actually, Jornian arranged those things for us, and he did a first rate job of negotiating good prices and getting good quality and amounts of what we needed.


    I quickly decided he should get a bigger cut than the other mercenaries since he also kept the others in line for me. I would miss having the others in our group to lean on, even if it was only Emmon standing behind me for intimidation purposes, but I hoped we would be enough to help Kaarlo.


    I had sent a letter on to Kaarlo the day after I¡¯d read his letter hoping it might get there ahead of us so he¡¯d know we were on our way. I wanted to get to Wellswood as quickly as we could. In five short days after we¡¯d arrived back, we set out from Holdstone. I could only hope we would not be too late to be of any good.


    Meig and I had purchased some warmer travel clothes since autumn had already fallen and soon the long nights of winter would follow. Nights where cooling off and an open fire wouldn¡¯t be enough to keep us warm. Luckily, the weather was supposed to stay relatively clear. At least, that¡¯s what the weather wizards were saying and I hoped it would be true, but we packed tents for everyone in any event.


    We set out early, having woken at dawn to be sure everything was loaded and ready to go. The men arrived on time and we set out on a cool, but clear day.


    The news on the road out was not good. We were one of the few travelers heading west. Many carriages and lone horses and donkeys were loaded down and heading to Holdstone with young families and terrified elders. The only young men we encountered were there to deliver their family members to safety.


    We shared campfires with these travelers and they told tales of hordes of goblins marauding through the country, looting and killing as they went. They told of more fearsome creatures attacking in the dark, but, honestly, I couldn¡¯t tell if those stories were real or merely brought on by hunger, tiredness, or fear.


    We had to guard our supplies constantly and, though we fed quite a few children and lactating women from our fires, we needed to conserve our stores to be able to travel quickly like I wanted. We could hunt for food, but that would delay us and the gnawing in my stomach told me we needed to get there as soon as we could.


    As time went on and we got further from Holdstone, the groups of travelers were more bedraggled and less frequent. One woman we met will haunt me the rest of my days. She was muttering to herself as she walked, barefoot and muddy along the road.


    We put her into the cart and found some shoes and warmer clothes for her. The fall was coming into winter now and nights could be biting particularly as the air grew heavy with humidity. She didn¡¯t want to go our direction and it took a little convincing that we¡¯d find another cart going her way soon.


    She kept saying she had lost everything. Clearly she had since no one of sound mind would undertake a long journey barefoot and with only the clothes on their backs. But when I noticed she was lactating without a babe, my heart truly broke for her. Aelfie seemed to know she needed consoling and she curled up in the woman¡¯s lap the moment we got her settled between baskets of food and supplies. The woman seemed to settle down and looked a lot less haunted as she petted Aelfie. And Aelfie being the little ham that she is stayed with her continuously until we found a cart going to Holdstone and bribed the family driving it to take her to St. Layan. I felt sure she could get some help and healing with them.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    While she seemed whole in body, her mind was damaged and while the priests chanting and singing tended to grate on my nerves, I knew some found solace and peace in it. They were finally convinced when Meig and I penned a letter to the head priest to give a sort of introduction for them. They seemed happy to have a landing place in Holdstone as they had never been there before. I was just glad to have perhaps helped someone a little along the way. I was worried she wouldn¡¯t give up Aelfie to me, but when we parted ways, she just patted her head lightly and got in the cart going the opposite direction. Aelfie gave her a little bark and she smiled and waved back. It was the only time I¡¯d seen the woman smile.


    The villages along the road were putting up walls of spikes around themselves. New towers reached precariously high to watch for intruders from any direction.You¡¯d have thought we were a marauding horde of goblins by the looks we got for going through their towns. It was a good thing we had our own provisions as no one was in the market to sell anything edible or any weapon of any sort. In fact, we were propositioned with the purchase of everything we had. I was nearly compelled to kill some man who offered to give his daughter to the mercenaries with us for some weapons they carried.


    Luckily, not a one said a word and Jorn let him know in no uncertain terms there would not ever be such a deal and should he offer again the Gods would reign down such misery in his life he¡¯d live a half life begging for death. It was too good a scenario in my opinion, but I kept that thought to myself as it seemed to have changed the man¡¯s tune right quick.


    They didn¡¯t even provide fodder for our horses when we lodged in a barn for the night. Everything was tightly controlled and guarded. Up until then, when we were about half way to Wellswood, we had been able to graze our animals and save our grain.


    Now, at the start of our second week of travel, the countryside was blackened and soot covered the road and was soon a constant on our hands and faces. Where the land wasn¡¯t a soaking swamp, everything was a burned out husk. What must have been barns and homes were gone, some still smoking. It was good we had brought plenty of oats and fodder along to feed our animals. Luckily, there were some fall tubers that grow in shallow ponds often found near the road that were untouched. We collected these to add to our supplies.


    A few days later, however, even the waters near the road looked evil. A quick water incantation confirmed that the water was poisoned. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was just blood in the water or it there was also poison in it, but either way, we kept well away from the worst of it and waded out the clearer water to feed ourselves and our animals. Aelfie had a really good nose for this and was always eager to dive into the wet, so she could lead the group to some viable water to drink.


    I repeated my incantation over everything we took for drinking or eating, even from our stores, worried we¡¯d been sabotaged in the night somehow. But, everything remained good, if starting to stale.


    Finally, on the twelfth day, over a week from our departure from Holdstone, the manor of Wellswood could be seen in the distance. I knew we still had some ways to go. The flatness of the land made it seem closer than it was and I had to urge everyone to keep normal pace or we¡¯d tire and have to stop for the night, just shy of the village.


    As we got closer, we could see that the village was surrounded now by a sturdy wall of spikes. The manor which sat near the center of the village much like mine had in our village, had a couple tall towers. With my spyglass, I could see archers on it at all hours.


    When we were somewhat close, riders approached us from the town. Aelfie started barking her fool head off in a very undignified manner. As they got closer, I recognized Gavendor with two sizable, well-armed men with him. We swung off our mounts and approached each other.


    ¡°Gavendor!¡± I said with pleasure at seeing my old mentor.


    ¡°You''ve come! Thank the Old Gods!¡± he said in turn. We had an awkward moment. I wanted to hug him, but it didn¡¯t seem in good form. We grasped wrists in the way of warriors greeting each other.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you,¡± I flushed with more emotion than I had intended.


    ¡°And you. Come! Kaarlo will want to see you. I assume you have news from on the road,¡± he said.


    ¡°And none of it good, I¡¯m afraid,¡± I told him. He looked unsurprised.


    ¡°What good can we expect these days?¡± he asked with a grim look. We went back to our mounts. I asked Meig to come with me ahead of the group and I told Jorn I¡¯d work out our quarters and he should just press on with the carriage and rest of the men until he got there tonight. One of the men with Gavendor stayed with the cart and mercenaries and the rest of us cantered on ahead into the wide gates of the town that sat waiting open for us.

 19. Wellswood

    There was plenty of activity we could see around the town as we rode into the gate, even though daylight was failing. We slowed and walked our mounts through. Gavendor waved at the guards as he passed. I had been here before many years earlier and the village looked larger than I remembered it. There were a significant number of rough huts that looked recently made. The outer perimeter of the village was reinforced with stakes and a thick wood walls, double thickness in many places.


    My cursory assessment of the village and fortifications were interrupted when we got to the stables and dismounted and I was swept into a hug by none other than Kaarlo, my ex-fiancee.


    ¡°I''m so glad you have come,¡± he said into my hair with emotion breaking his voice. It embarrassed me in a strange way. I pulled away from him and patted his arm like a male friend would.


    ¡°Baron Issakainen,¡± I said loudly, using his formal title. ¡°Thank you for your confidence. This is my comrade in arms, Meig. We have ten others with us, well-seasoned men, fairly well armed. They are riding behind with a cart of supplies. I hope we can help with your situation.¡± If he was disappointed in my behavior, his countenance didn¡¯t show it.


    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯ve arranged quarters for you¡­¡± he started.


    ¡°Meig and I can room together. The men-at-arms are a bit rough around the edges¡­¡± I said, but he caught my meaning easily.


    ¡°We have room in the barracks for your men. Too much room, truth be told. Gavendor will see them settled. Your luggage¡­?¡± he looked around.


    ¡°There is a carriage with a few things. I travel light these days,¡± I told him, smiling. He looked over at Meig. ¡°We both do.¡± He nodded and waved to us to follow him.


    ¡°I will arrange baths and, perhaps, some robes until your things arrive. You must be tired from your journey. Rest tonight and in the morning we will discuss things,¡± he told us as we walked into the front door of his manor home.


    A lovely woman with light brown hair, still immaculate despite the hour, and in a brocaded green dress was waiting to greet us as we entered.


    ¡°This is my wife, Pardama. Pardama, this is my friend Aebbe and her companion, Meig,¡± he said as he strode forward and linked his arm through hers.


    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance, madam,¡± I said formally, bowing while Meig gave a slight curtsey.


    ¡°Oh, please, call me Pardama or Pardy, if you will. Kaarlo and Gavendor speak of you often and I¡¯d like to think of you as family,¡± she told me and I was surprised. ¡°I make Kaarlo include me in all the war talk, I¡¯m afraid, so I get to hear everything. I knew you would approve!¡± The lady of the house was impressing me very positively, but perhaps it showed more on Kaarlo and his appreciation of the fairer sex.


    ¡°As you please, Pardy. I am glad you are kept informed and I hope to be of some help to you all,¡± I told her sincerely. Her smile was genuine as was mine in return.


    ¡°It''s so late. I had hoped to welcome you with a good meal, but instead, I have arranged for some food delivered to your room in case you are hungry. And perhaps a bath would be welcome¡­¡± she said.


    ¡°I''ll see to it,¡± Kaarlo told her, giving her a swift kiss on her cheek and striding away.


    ¡°Come. I¡¯ll show you to your room, er¡­,¡± she muttered to a servant nearby and then waved us to go with her up a grand staircase and down a short hall. There was a heavy wooden door which stood open. Inside, there was a large bed with heavy curtains to draw around it and a hearth with a fire already going in it. ¡°I¡­ er¡­¡±


    ¡°This will do just fine for us,¡± I reassured her, glancing at Meig to make sure it was. There was only one bed, but it was easily large enough for Meig and myself. The slight nod of her head let me know it was.


    Aelfie jumped up on the bed before I could tell her off.


    ¡°Aelfie!¡± I told her sharply, noticing the muddy paw prints she was making.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s your side,¡± Meig said, chuckling.


    ¡°I''ll leave you to get settled. The baths will be set up just a few doors down. I¡¯ll have some gowns and robes brought for you as well so you don¡¯t have to wait for your luggage and can rest comfortably as soon as may be,¡± the lady of the house said before taking her leave. We thanked her as she left. I pulled Aelfie off the bed. We set the things we were carrying down and warmed ourselves by the fire until the baths were ready.Stolen story; please report.


    The bath tubs were separate, but next to each other. I had hoped there would be no awkwardness between Meig and I as we stripped and there wasn¡¯t. It occurred to me that she may have also been a Lady once that had been surrounded by lady¡¯s maids and servants. We both groaned in unison as our bodies hit the warm water of the baths, making us snicker. Some lady¡¯s maids asked if we wanted our hair washed and we both eagerly agreed.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll finally get the soot out from my hair and fingernails,¡± I mused. I had kept my hair short, mostly with Meig¡¯s help cutting it for me, but it still felt stiff from grime.


    ¡°And every other crease and seam,¡± muttered Meig and I chuckled. The soot did seem to get everywhere and I was beginning to forget the color of the skin of my arms and face under the blackening stuff.


    When we finished, we were provided with some simple frocks to sleep in and a robe to fend off the chill until we got into bed. Back in our room, the maids had heated the bed for us and we both hopped in and were asleep before we had much time to register any discomfort at sharing the bed along with Aelfie curled up at our feet, no doubt having found one of the spots the warmers had been.


    ***


    In the morning, Meig and I woke almost at the same time. We stretched and found that our trunks had been brought up while we slept, so we dressed into some relatively fresh clothes that had the least amount of soot on them we could find. Aelfie found her chew toy and we tossed it for her as we drifted down the hall and back down the stairs in search of some breakfast.


    A servant noticed us and directed us into a grand hall that was set for about twelve to eat. Kaarlo was already there with Gavendor.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Kaarlo told us with a smile. ¡°I trust you slept well?¡±


    ¡°Very well, thank you,¡± we assured him as we sat down at the table near them. Kaarlo sat at the head of the table with Gavendor on one side. I headed to the seat next to him on the other side with Meig beside me.


    They waved us over and servants brought food for all of us along with hot koff, a bit of a luxurious drink I hadn¡¯t had since I¡¯d left my father¡¯s house. The smell of it brought back memories. I waved my hand over my food as I¡¯d been doing all trip and got an alarming sense of foreboding from none other than Kaarlo¡¯s cup.


    He was just bringing it to his lips, so I shot out my hand and knocked it away from him. The whole room seemed to freeze in shock at my actions and I felt many eyes on me.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s bad luck to drink koff at the start of a job. Sorry, Kaarlo. I should have said,¡± I told him rather lamely. I looked at Gavendor and slightly shook my head when he continued to bring his own cup to his lips. He put it down. A servant ran up to mop up the spilled drink from the table cloth. Kaarlo looked as shocked as anyone.


    ¡°I''m sorry, but the boys are pretty strict on it. They¡¯d never forgive me if we started out the job on a wrong foot,¡± I explained. Kaarlo collected himself and told the servants to take away the hot drinks. I noticed that Meig did her own spell over her food and gave me a slight nod.


    ¡°Is¡­everything else to your satisfaction?¡± Kaarlo asked with an edge to his voice.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, of course. Just no koff,¡± I said and we ate what was before us. Water was brought out which in no way substituted for the lovely drinks we had turned down. Luckily, many people had all sorts of strange superstitions and I was hoping the staff would think no more about my odd behavior.


    ¡°The goblin raids had been becoming more frequent. We¡¯ve brought in many people from around the country side to provide them protection, but some are refusing to leave their farms,¡± Gavendor explained gravely. ¡°It¡¯s harvest time and they have to bring in their fall crops. Plus, many are putting in the winter wheat to have an early crop in spring.¡±


    ¡°It''s the same everywhere. People are fleeing the west. We passed many burned and blackened houses and fields on the way here,¡± I told them. ¡°Wellswood seems to have avoided the worst of it in many ways. I wonder why that is¡­¡±


    ¡°It is wetter here. Maybe, just harder to burn?¡± suggested Meig.


    ¡°Possibly. But a house will burn all the same, right? We should look around. Have a look at places that have been raided,¡± I suggested, shrugging. ¡°See those that haven¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°The lizard people have been affected as well and we are interacting with them much more,¡± Gavendor informed us.


    ¡°Really?! How does that work?¡± I asked, remembering their chittery language.


    ¡°There are some who still remember we had a system of signs that we used to communicate with them. Much has been lost, but we¡¯re relearning things,¡± Gavendor explained. Meig perked up.


    ¡°That sounds really interesting. I¡¯d like to learn about that and meet these lizard people. I¡¯ve never heard of them before,¡± she said.


    ¡°And, she¡¯s got a knack with communication. It might help,¡± I added, only slightly teasing. We finished eating and split up. Kaarlo took me into his study and shut the thick door behind us.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The koff was poisoned. We need to check all the food. I¡¯ll do it in a bit. This is not good. I¡¯m here one night and this attempt is made? Has anyone in your family been attacked or gotten sick lately?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, but worry etched his brow.


    ¡°Where is your father these days?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°He¡­he passed on his title to me and moved East to the coast to ease his joints. Should I send for him?¡± Kaarlo asked and I wondered if he was hurt by my question.


    ¡°No, no. I¡­ Please, don¡¯t be offended by my question, but who would inherit your Barony if you should die? Would your wife?¡± My mind was reeling with possibilities.


    ¡°I¡­yes,¡± he started, but I cut him off.


    ¡°And if she passed?¡± I continued. ¡°Is your father still in the running?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, I don¡¯t think so. I think once you abdicate you can¡¯t go back, but I¡¯d have to ask mysteward to be sure¡­¡± he explained.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t ask anyone these questions, Kaarlo. This stays between us. But I think you should send your wife away for her own safety. I¡¯d ask you to remove her from your inheritance, but that could be too obvious a move and not really ideal,¡± I said and noted the frown on his face.


    ¡°I¡­,¡± he sat down heavily at his desk and put his head in his hands. I could see a lot of emotion playing across his face.


    ¡°Think on it. I want to go into the kitchen and check what your wife is eating. I¡¯ll be back,¡± I told him and dashed out the door.

 20. The Attempt

    I went back to the dining room and found it empty. From there, I followed my nose to the kitchens easily enough. It looked like they were feeding the staff now and I could only hope the lady had taken breakfast early and without incident. I checked the store of koff and it seemed to be untainted. I couldn¡¯t find any source of toxin in any of the food either in the kitchen or in the pantry area.


    I would have to do a more thorough search, but with all the staff looking at me oddly, I decided I should have Kaarlo¡¯s explicit permission to be in his house and among his servants. My main concern was that his wife was not targeted.


    When I returned to his office, I strode in after a quick knock to find the lady sitting in his lap in the large chair behind his desk.


    ¡°Oh, I beg your pardon. I don¡¯t mean to intrude¡­¡± I said, backing out quickly.


    ¡°Come in, come in!¡± insisted Kaarlo and I stopped backpedaling. I shut the door behind me and approached them slowly. They didn¡¯t change their positions.


    ¡°I was just chatting with Pardy,¡± Kaarlo said, looking at his wife. She was only looking at me.


    ¡°Do you really think someone is trying to kill Kaarl?¡± she asked me, her voice wavering.


    ¡°I''m pretty sure they would have succeeded this morning had I not been in the habit of casting a spell over everything that I eat,¡± I confessed.


    ¡°Why have you been doing that?¡± Kaarlo asked, through narrowed eyes.


    ¡°It seems either on purpose or accident, some water has been poisoned along the road on our way here and I feared some sort of sabotage to our food stores at night, so we¡¯d all gotten in the habit of checking what we consume before prepping it or eating it,¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Only Kaarl¡¯s cup had been poisoned?¡± pressed Pardy.


    ¡°No, they were all poisoned, but only Kaarlo¡¯s had a fatal dose. Perhaps to disguise the poisoning. If we all got a bit sick¡­¡± I started.


    ¡°Then it would be less suspicious that I died,¡± finished Kaarlo. I nodded and Pardy hugged him harder and buried her head in his shoulder. I turned away from them wishing to give them privacy.


    ¡°So, you see why you have to go, darling?¡± Kaarlo¡¯s voice was soft as a feather.


    ¡°But what about you?¡± she asked back.


    ¡°I have Aebbe here now. We¡¯ll figure this out and I¡¯ll send for you as soon as I can,¡± he reassured her.


    ¡°I think you should send Gavendor with her, Kaarlo. And tell him what¡¯s going on. She needs someone we trust to watch over her,¡± I piped up, glancing in their direction. Pardy was shaking her head, but I could see that Kaarlo agreed with me. ¡°He taught me that palatability spell, so he¡¯ll know what to do.¡±


    No one said anything for a bit. I assumed they were thinking things over, but I didn¡¯t watch them. I tried and failed to read book titles on a shelf.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need a good excuse. We don¡¯t want to tip our hand to what we know or suspect,¡± I said after a while. I thought they might be kissing, but I didn¡¯t want to look in case I was right.


    ¡°My sister is expecting. I could go see her. I¡¯ve been wanting to visit¡­¡± Pardy said, sighing.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± said Kaarlo.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± I asked, interrupting their reverie.


    ¡°Northerton, near the foothills of Mt. Guardon,¡± explained Pardy. I visualized the location. I had not been there, but knew it was on the North-South road which crossed the road to Holdstone to the east of here and even further east of the town I grew up in. The closeness to the mountains concerned me a little, but, on the other hand, the only trouble with goblins seemed to becoming from the western ranges and not those to the North.


    ¡°Is it common knowledge that Pardy would inherit the Barony?¡± I asked them in a quiet voice that shouldn¡¯t carry outside the room.


    ¡°No, there was no need to broadcast the information. You see, Kaarl, I don¡¯t think¡­¡± Pardy started, but we were interrupted by a sharp rapping at the door which promptly swung open.


    ¡°Baron Kaarlo, I¡­¡± a short man in fine robes with an ornate walking stick tucked under his arm had walked in looking over a scroll of paper, but he stopped short at seeing Kaarlo and Pardy behind the desk. Pardy quickly got out of Kaarlo¡¯s lap. ¡°I beg your pardon, Baron, Lady, I¡­¡± his eyes landed on me and narrowed. ¡°I should return at another time¡­¡± He turned to leave.


    ¡°No, no, Yonath. I¡¯ve been expecting you. Running late, are you?¡± said Kaarlo. ¡°You ladies will excuse me¡­¡± he nodded meaningfully to me and Pardy and we took our leaves. I noticed Yonath¡¯s eyebrow rise at me at the title of ¡®Lady¡¯, but ignored it.


    Pardy and I walked out of the study together. She surprised me by linking her arm through mine and pulling me into a parlor just down the hall. It looked like a room set up for her since there was a harp and some knitting and embroidering supplies here with half finished projects around. She closed the door behind us and shocked me again by embracing me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough for saving my Kaarlo. Thank Sarajin and all the Saints for bringing you to us just in time!¡± she said and I could hear the emotion in her voice. ¡°I can¡¯t go! How can I leave him now?!¡±


    ¡°I''ll keep him safe, Pardy. I promise. I hope we can figure this all out soon, but I¡¯d rather not have to worry about you too. I¡¯m just glad it seems his father is not a target as he¡¯s so far out of our reach.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Abdication is forever, as my father always said. Why he never did it and made my brother wait years to take over. Stubborn as a mule, my father. But fair in the end. Well, my brother never thought so, but he learned a lot and I think he was better for it,¡± she told me. I felt like she enjoyed the sound of her voice. Or perhaps she was nervous.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Your sister¡­¡± I started.


    ¡°She stayed on in Northerton. Helps my brother. Married the captain of the guard! Oh, quite the scandal I can tell you. Well, I guess I don¡¯t need to. Had a bit of your own scandal leaving my Kaarlo at the altar like that,¡± she said, but I could detect no malice in her voice or demeanor.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about¡­¡± I started again.


    ¡°Oh, pish-posh! No one is happier than I that you did that. While he was pursuing you, I was pursuing him! Yes. Quite my own scandal, don¡¯t you worry! He was fixed in my sites early on. Thankfully, he came around to woo me. But I didn¡¯t make him wait, no, no! Part of me thought you might come back, but now I see things much clearer. You have¡­¡± she paused and looked me over. ¡°A different calling.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Thank you for your understanding. And for going. It will ease all our minds, especially with Gavendor with you,¡± I finally got out.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m more sorry to take him from your company. I¡¯m sure you would have wanted more time with your mentor. But I¡¯ll do as you both ask. Well, I had better go pack. Perhaps you should find Gavendor and tell him of his new assignment. He won¡¯t like it. I¡¯ll warn you now!¡± she said, smiling as she left the room. She seemed a great judge of character. I agreed with her assessment and didn¡¯t look forward to telling Gav the news.


    I wandered around the manor house for a while before finally asking a servant where I might find Gavendor. They directed me outside where I finally found him with Meig and some other men. They were with a group of three lizard people one of which had a fancy headdress on like I had never seen before. I think some of the stones on the headdress were the same, only much larger, than the ones in my necklace.


    The group was in discussion it seemed. One of the men was leading the humans side of the discussion. Meig was watching everything intently, particularly the lizard in the headdress who seemed to be doing most of the communication. Since they seemed quite intent, I decided to check on Jornian and the rest of the men before returning to talk to Gavendor.


    I found them in the mess tent set up to feed the men of the barracks. They seemed in good spirits. Jornian was done eating, so he walked over to me and we made plans for the day.


    ¡°We need to get the lay of the land. I want to split up and check on the surrounding countryside to see what we are dealing with. We might get some ideas of their attack strategies and tactics by seeing what has already been targeted. I¡¯d like to head out this afternoon. Tomorrow, let¡¯s head out earlier to get farther out from town. Can you figure out who should go with whom? Let¡¯s mix things up so everyone gets to work with other people and everyone gets to scout in all directions, okay?¡± Jorn understood what I wanted and went to get the men organized.


    When I got back to where the lizard people had been, Meig and the lizard people were gone, but Gavendor was still hanging about. He smiled when he saw me approach and strode toward me.


    ¡°Aebbe, but it is good you¡¯re here,¡± he said, smiling.


    ¡°It''s good to see you, Gavendor. I¡¯ve missed you,¡± I told him. He clasped my arm again. ¡°But¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to start.


    ¡°But?¡± he asked, chuckling.


    ¡°I''m afraid Kaarlo needs you to travel with Lady Pardama to Northerton,¡± I told him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, releasing me. ¡°Impossible! With all the attacks around here¡­,¡± he stuttered.


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s important. You¡¯re the only one we trust with her safety,¡± I said, more quietly. ¡°Come, let¡¯s talk more privately,¡± I told him, aware of all the people around us. He grunted, but walked with me.


    ¡°We?¡± he asked as we moved back toward the manor house.


    ¡°Kaarlo agrees with me,¡± I explained and he snorted as we approached Kaarlo¡¯s office. Gavendor knocked.


    ¡°Come!¡± We heard from inside, so Gavendor pushed open the door. ¡°Ah, Gav. You must get ready to leave. Aebbe has told you, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, not why¡­,¡± started Gavendor.


    ¡°No time for that now. Pack and prepare for the trip. Take a couple good men and Pardama¡¯s maid. I will speak to Aebbe a moment,¡± Kaarlo said. Gavendor looked like he would say something, but then just strode out the door and shut it behind him.


    ¡°You made quite the impression on Pardy,¡± Kaarlo said looking up at me from his desk. ¡°Perhaps I overstepped in inviting you to our wedding¡­¡± He looked down at the desk avoiding my eye.


    ¡°Oh, no. I got all your letters at the same time actually. We had a long job at a mine and were out of town for over a month, so¡­,¡± I shrugged and he had looked back at me.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m relieved. I thought¡­¡± he started, but I continued.


    ¡°I really like her. She reminds me a little of me, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯s a great wife to you. I mean, keeping books and organizing balls and that. Well beyond me for certain¡­,¡± I laughed at myself and Kaarlo joined in lightly. Kaarlo shook his head.


    ¡°Well, thank you for convincing her to go. And to take Gavendor. I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t make more of a fuss,¡± Kaarlo commented.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t heard the last of it. You should tell him about things so he can be alert about it. I¡¯m going to go out with some of the men and do some scouting while we have light. I¡¯ll go out again tomorrow earlier. I hope to have some ideas on the goblin front and we¡¯ll go from there. Also, before he leaves, I¡¯d better get all of Gavendor¡¯s insight, too,¡± I said thinking about all that needed to happen. I was sad to lose Gavendor so soon, but couldn¡¯t disagree with our logic in it.


    Heading out the door of Kaarlo¡¯s office, I ran into Meig, so we quickly got ready to ride out and do some scouting with our men. We decided to go in different groups and report back together tonight. I also wanted her to hear Gavendor¡¯s report on the situation.


    Thankfully, when we went out with our weapons in hand, Jornian had already gotten our horses saddled and ready. Gavendor surprised me by showing up, so I sent Jornian with Meig¡¯s group and he came with me.


    My group went east along the main road out where we hadn¡¯t traveled before. Gavendor said he wanted to show me something out that way. I thought we could talk on the way, but we took off at a lope and didn¡¯t have much chance to speak together until we¡¯d gotten to the burned out shell of what looked like it had been a sizable farm house and barn just a short path of the main road.


    ¡°This is the closest attack we¡¯ve had,¡± Gavendor told us as we slowed our approach. ¡°About a month ago now, no closer to two.¡±


    The place didn¡¯t smell of smoke. The roof had caved in and there were weeds poking up around the inside of what had been the house. Five graves looked relatively new at the back of the property that testified to the tragedy that had occurred here.


    ¡°Here''s what stood out to me,¡± Gavendor told me as we dismounted and walked around the property. ¡°Everything was taken.¡±


    ¡°Don''t they usually take everything?¡± I asked, thinking back on that attack that had happened while I still lived in Thornhill.


    ¡°Anything edible, yes. But these biters took their clothes, their furniture, EVERYTHING. They burned what was left, but people who knew them knew things were missing,¡± he explained. ¡°The house was empty. They often kill all the animals in the vicinity. Not here. They packed up the horse and cart nice and neat, drove it away¡­¡±


    ¡°To where?¡± I asked.


    ¡°West. That¡¯s all we could figure,¡± he told me. ¡°Didn''t want to ride too far away in case of another attack on the village.¡± I nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Now you mention it. I didn¡¯t think goblins rode or used horses¡­¡± I thought out loud.


    ¡°Right. They do now. Not all the people are killed. Sometimes they just take stuff. Animals and food mostly, but after this we started to ask more broadly. And it seems they do take clothing, too. No one thought to mention it before.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ something has changed. Something with the goblins has changed,¡± I mused. I had skimmed most of the books on goblins that man had given me and he¡¯d never mentioned any shifts or changes in their culture. Then again, how often do these changes happen and given the short time the man had to study them, that may not be all that strange. How often had our own culture changed and what had been the cause? I¡¯d have to think on that. History was not my best subject to be sure, but surely there would be someone around that could give me some insight.

 21. An Empty Bed

    A week passed and no move was made against Kaarlo again. I was beginning to doubt the wisdom of sending Pardy away. Kaarlo was visibly agitated all the time, putting the whole household on edge. I had been told that men¡¯s needs had to be fulfilled by a wife or they would sour, but I had never actually believed it much. After all, my whole life my father had been without a wife. Of course, he was as prickly as a blackberry bush, but I thought that was just the way he was naturally. I had never thought to ask anyone what he was like before my mother died.


    I decided to use the night as a cover to sneak around the manor and snoop into the offices and see what I could find. Kaarlo didn¡¯t think this would yield anything new, but he gave me permission along with a set of master keys that should get me into anything locked in the house. I was aware that I had his full confidence and this weighed on me heavily. He was counting on me and, so far, I had yet to deliver despite all the costs I had incurred on him.


    Moreover, there had been no more goblin attacks in the near countryside either. Meig used the day to work on communication with the lizard people which she said was very slow going as our cultures didn¡¯t allow for a lot of common ground and to gather reports from our men that had joined forces with the Wellswood garrison in their patrolling of the countryside and town.


    She thought the lizard people were in communication with the goblins. This had come as a complete, but welcome surprise. If we could negotiate with the goblins perhaps we could find a way to keep the countryside safe. We both thought this was well worth our time in pursuing. I was relying on Meig¡¯s communication skills in this and she seemed confident a breakthrough could be made.


    In the manor, she would check the kitchen and pantry as well as each meal served during the day and I would check the food storage and supplies at night. It was the only way I could sleep without worry. I knew she would be on top of things while I slept.


    She and I would go over everything and plan for the next day when I woke in the evening. I¡¯d also started consulting with a local historian down at the local pub where we would chat over my ¡®breakfast¡¯, his dinner. I was learning a lot, but relating it to the unknown culture and society of goblins was a difficult task one I was beginning to think impossible.


    It took me a few days to really be able to switch my days and nights and I was starting to get a feel for the manor house at night. I skulked about the kitchens, casting my spells about. I checked his office and library, even Pardy¡¯s parlor, but came up empty.


    The Issakainen manor house was larger than my own home in Thornhill. I hadn¡¯t realized how much more well off Kaarlo was than my own family. Of course, I had never cared about such things and during my betrothal to Kaarlo I was only worried about how my life was out of my control and my duties at his manor would be so out of line with what I was actually trained to do.


    I could see how well he and Pardy were suited to each other. Her touch was everywhere in the manor house. I could tell she loved lilies with their abundance in most common rooms. I also came to see how much she liked sunshine as her chosen parlor room had a south facing window which let light in throughout the year.


    I found out as I roamed the manor house at night, they had separate bedrooms, but with a joining door that was usually left open. From the maids I learned that often only one of their beds was used at all in the night, much to the delight and gossip of the maids sent to straighten and tend to their rooms.


    Pardy and Kaarlo had vast closets of lovely clothes, most of it formal and I spotted some small knitted blankets and clothes that I assumed Pardy had made in preparation for the addition of children into their home hidden in a chest in her parlor. I admired her skill with needles as well as her strength in her new-found position.


    All the staff respected and at the same time seemed to adore her. Their gossip was light-hearted and almost endearing when it came to the master and mistress of the manor. I must confess I envied them in this. What a different experience it would have been to have grown up in a house run by them! The rumor mill from my own family members had never been kind to me as the black sheep of my own house.


    I was both more determined to find the culprit and felt farther from this outcome as time went on. Then, at the end of the week, I had a vague trace of poison in Kaarlo¡¯s office. I cast my spells multiple times to be sure. I detected it on the floor and not on any dish or goblet, so I sighed with relief, suddenly worried about Kaarlo''s safety all over again. I arranged with Meig to meet with Kaarlo once I awoke to speak with him about his visitors that day.


    I skipped my usual breakfast with the historian to catch Kaarlo in his study. It was late for him, long after his dinner time. He looked tired and I felt bad for keeping him up.


    ¡°Kaarlo, who visited you in this room yesterday?¡± I asked him, getting right to the point. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.


    ¡°Let''s see¡­ there were many. As it¡¯s the end of the week, I generally get updates from the manor staff and village.¡± I groaned at that information, but took out a bit of charcoal to start a list and take notes. ¡°I had a report from your man Jornian and Derek of my own guard. I had Corra from the kitchens with her weekly inventory. Kinmon from the livery¡­ Is this really necessary?¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Please, Kaarlo. I need to know everyone who set foot in here. It¡¯s important,¡± I stressed. He sighed again.


    ¡°Let''s see, I met with Yonath, of course. Oh, I had some correspondence come, so the mail boy came in here¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it the same boy each time?¡±


    ¡°Usually, uhm, one of the kitchen maid¡¯s boys. Galley is his name, I think. Likes to run out and meet the courier for a bit or two, save him the trip up into the manor,¡± he explained, shrugging, and I made my notes.


    ¡°And none of these people had come into this office before yesterday this week?¡± I asked, to be sure.


    ¡°Ah, no. Oh, and Matty brought me my tea, but she does that almost everyday,¡± he added. ¡°It''s Maddy or, maybe, Gelva. Someone in the kitchen staff.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where these people live?¡± I asked him. He sighed again and it looked like he¡¯d rather get to bed than continue with our discussion, but he went through and told me what he knew. When we were done, I thanked him for his time.


    ¡°Get some rest, Kaarlo,¡± I said as I folded my notes away. He surprised me by grunting.


    ¡°How can I rest? I¡¯m worried sick about Pardy, haven¡¯t heard one word from her since she left. Can¡¯t eat or drink anything without feeling sick over it¡­ Bah¡­¡± he nearly growled as he stood up to leave.


    ¡°She¡¯s only been gone a week. A letter will take time, right? We¡¯ll get to the bottom of this. I think this information will help. Thanks,¡± I told him, hoping to calm his worries, but he only grunted again in response and looked irritated.


    I said nothing more. He got up, groaning, and left without looking back. The little experience I had with grumpy men told me to leave him on his own. I understood his frustration all to well, but these leads were just what I needed. I felt some hope bloom in my chest.


    I could have kicked myself for not having cast the spells out each of the doors to see if I could find a trail yesterday. When I tried tonight, there was nothing. Of course, the evidence, had their been any, had been washed or trampled away. I wondered if the thick carpets in Kaarlo¡¯s study had allowed the tiniest bit of poison to become trapped, if only temporarily, and that¡¯s why I had been able to pinpoint it. It worried me though because it must have been a tiny amount and if I had been able to pick it up with the spell, it must be a very potent poison indeed.


    Scouting around the town at night was not nearly as simple as sneaking about the manor with keys to every door. There was a great deal more activity in the town and finding the houses that Kaarlo had described in the dark was not straightforward either.


    I eliminated a few names from my list quickly. The maid who brought up his tea and koff each day as well as the mail boy. It would be too easy to target the maid and the boy could just as easily poison himself as a goblet. No. Besides, nothing had actually been poisoned, so why would someone carry poison into Kaarlo¡¯s office, but not use it?


    Of course, after the first attempt, Kaarlo was much more cautious and watchful over his drinks and food, so another attempt would be more difficult. Perhaps they were just waiting for the right opportunity. That made my hackles rise. The threat was still near. It was too close by for my liking.


    I couldn¡¯t find evidence of poison in or around the stable area. Someone who worked here would probably spill some and that could lead to an unforeseen and unexplained death of an animal. That would not go unnoticed. I asked around and was shocked to discover that one of the draft horses had died three weeks ago. That was before my arrival here. I asked what they had done with the animal¡¯s body and found out that, like at my village, there was a place where they buried livestock.


    I wanted to dig it up immediately and cast my spells, but it was the dead of night and I wasn¡¯t equipped to do it. I made a mental note and kept skulking around the town.


    I was pretty sure I found Corra¡¯s house. It was close to the manor. The place was nicely kept and neat. Her husband worked in town at a tavern nights while she worked in the manor during the day. They had three children, one of which was old enough to apprentice as a stable boy. There was no trace of anything around the house and again, it seemed too likely for a person involved in food preparation to deal with poison. They would be the first people questioned and accused, wouldn¡¯t they? Even an accusation like that could cost her position in the household.


    I knew from Kaarlo that she had worked many years in the kitchen. She¡¯d started as a kitchen maid as a girl and apprenticed with the old cook for years. She ran a clean and efficient kitchen and hardly put up with the likes of me traipsing through even with Kaarlo¡¯s permission. It reflected well on her and I couldn¡¯t blame her for it in the least.


    And who would risk their children¡¯s safety like that? What would she gain from Kaarlo¡¯s death, anyway? No, it seemed very unlikely these townspeople were involved. From the look of it, they took pride in their work and Kaarlo was a generous employer. I knew he paid his people more than my father ever had. The town was prospering because of his generosity. It seemed counterintuitive to me, but the more he paid out his wealth, the more wealth that seemed to come back to him in terms of rents and revenues.


    One person stood out to me and that was Yonath, the steward. He lived alone. I was surprised he wasn¡¯t married with children having such a position such as his. He should have been a very eligible bachelor. His position granted him significant wages, far superior to those that worked the kitchen, stables, and fields. So, why did it seem that he had not made much of a life for himself?


    His house was modest and dark when I found it. I wanted to go in, but I didn¡¯t have the skills necessary to pick the lock and I didn¡¯t really want a confrontation with him for no reason. I could find no evidence around the house, but the area was well watered and swept. I had to be sure before I accused anyone. Besides, he didn¡¯t seem to have a motive that I could find.


    Still, I had to check on that horse. I thought that I could get Meig to mark it¡¯s location for me and I could dig it up tomorrow night, without too many people noticing. I¡¯d need some help. Maybe that boy, Galley, would be up for some late night work. He seemed eager enough to earn a shilling or two. Before sunrise, still cloaked in darkness, I made my way back to the manor to meet with Meig and work out details for tomorrow.

 22. A Tainted Grave

    Meig arranged for Galley to join me that night. His slightly older brother, Darlien, also came along, but I didn¡¯t complain as I¡¯d have someone else to help with the shoveling. We carried two shovels and a torch with us out to an empty field on a small rise just outside the edge of town. There was a stick stuck in a relatively recent grave that I had to assume was Meig¡¯s marker.


    We got to work quickly, but it took some time to get to the body. Galley held the torch and excitedly told us where to dig and how slow we were. When we finally got to the body, we had reached the bloated stomach, so we still had to dig our way to its head. My spells couldn¡¯t detect anything on its body which surprised me, but as soon as we got close to its head, it was clear it had, indeed been poisoned.


    I was breathing hard from all the work and indicated that Darl should stop.


    ¡°That''s all I need,¡± I said, gasping and stretching my sore arms.


    ¡°That''s it? I thought we were going to dig him up!¡± Galley said, outraged.


    ¡°That''s all. Let¡¯s cover him back up,¡± I said. I climbed out of the hole and helped Darl out.


    Galley insisted he could take over for me if I held the torch. I let him, but soon enough, he was grunting with the exertion of it and we traded back. Luckily, covering the grave was easier than digging it out.


    I had thought I could get more done tonight, but I was tired and dirty. I paid the boys when we got back to the manor, telling them to put the tools away, and went right up to get cleaned up. It wasn¡¯t that late and I managed to get a maid to help me prepare a warm bath. I sent her out telling her I could get myself dried and dressed and she gratefully left me to myself probably to seek her own bed.


    I didn¡¯t linger as the water was just warm and cooled quickly, but it was warm enough to allow me to scrub the dirt from my nails and hair. I wrapped myself in my towel and meant to dart back to my room where I had left my clean clothes when I ran straight into a hard body that grunted on impact.


    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± I mumbled and tried to scramble away from the stranger. Strong arms grabbed my upper arms and held me in place.


    ¡°Aebbe?¡± said a gruff voice in the dark. Strong arms pushed me against a wall and I could just make out a face and features from light spilling from an open door down the hall a short ways. His face was in silhouette, but I knew it was Kaarlo.


    He seemed to contemplate me a moment. I opened my mouth to say something, but he pressed his lips to mine followed by his warm body. I gasped in surprise only to have him deepen the kiss by pressing his tongue into my mouth. I shivered in surprise as every nerve in me came alive at his touch. I had forgotten what a good kisser he was. When we broke apart, he pressed his forehead to mine.


    ¡°Come to my bedchamber,¡± Kaarlo whispered. My breath caught in my throat. I swallowed nervously, but nodded. He walked on down the hallway and into the lit room as if nothing had happened. I watched him go, frozen for a moment.


    When I recovered myself, I scurried into my room and put on some clean clothes and combed my short hair, doing this quietly to let Meig sleep undisturbed. When I went back into the hall, the light from that room was out and the door closed. I crept quietly down the halls of the Issakainen manor house to the door of Kaarlo¡¯s bed chamber. I pushed the heavy door open and it creaked softly as it opened.


    I stepped into the room. It was dark and I wondered for a moment if he was here. I gasped in surprise when Kaarlo captured my lips with his again, pressing me against the door as it closed behind me. I could feel his hard body against mine.He seemed to hesitate and wait for my reaction. His kiss was hot and his tongue in my mouth made me tingle from my head to my toes. I put my arms around his neck and pulled him in closer to me, returning the kiss.


    ¡°So you are attracted to me?¡± he asked me gruffly, a sudden wave of anger and possessiveness seemed to go through him which surprised me, but I couldn¡¯t read his face in the gloom.


    ¡°I never didn¡¯t want you, Kaarlo,¡± I told him. ¡°I just never wanted to be a wife, not for anyone. Even you,¡± he growled.


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    ¡°I want you, painfully so. Let me have you tonight. This one night,¡± he insisted and kissed me again in another searing kiss, his tongue seeking mine. I moaned without meaning to. ¡°I won¡¯t demand anything else from you,¡± he promised me, kissing my neck making my whole body shiver.


    ¡°But, Pardy¡­¡± I started, when another hot kiss had ended.


    ¡°I know, I disgrace her and myself in this moment. I have never cheated on her and I will never do so again. You have been the desire of my heart since I first laid eyes on you. One night and I will be satisfied,¡± he said, and it sounded like he was making a promise to himself as much as to me. Feelings I had pushed down for so long resurfaced and a longing I had never known crowded into my mind or perhaps it was my body responding to his.


    ¡°One night,¡± I told him, my voice shaky. There was really too much to worry about with the threats and attacks, but in this moment none of that seemed to matter to either of us. I had to push the image of his wife out of my head. I didn¡¯t doubt his devotion to her nor hers to him.


    Kaarlo pulled me further into to his bed chamber and lit several candles around the bed. I had hoped for relative anonymity of the dark.


    ¡°Do we need so much light?¡± I asked feeling uncomfortable, now things were headed in this new and unexpected direction. Kaarlo chuckled. I looked around the room and noticed the door to Pardy¡¯s chamber was closed.


    ¡°Oh, love. There is no way we will do this in the dark. I want to see all of you clearly so I can remember our one night of passion forever as it will be our last.¡± I hadn¡¯t seen him smile in some time and was pleased to have been the cause of it.


    When he was satisfied, he strode confidently to me and began undressing me. He did it slowly, letting his hands move along my bare skin as each garment was removed. He kissed my lips from time to time. He smirked at me as he undid my breeches.


    ¡°I''ve never had to take breeches off a woman before. At least it¡¯s something I¡¯m familiar with¡­¡± he joked, but I was too nervous to laugh. I knew I was not much to look at. Other men had called me mannish and coarse, so I was worried I wouldn¡¯t live up to Kaarlo¡¯s expectations. His wife was a good deal curvier and bustier than me. Once he had pulled off my boots and I was completely bare, he stood back and looked me over. It made me self-conscious, so I tried to cover myself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he told me. ¡°You''re beautiful and strong. You amaze me. You always have,¡± he stared and I decided I wouldn¡¯t be the only one bared for viewing. I reached up and pushed his rich robe from his shoulders. He smiled and let it fall behind him. I started undoing the buttons of his shirt as he pushed his feet out of his rich leather boots. He just watched me. His breath would catch when my hands met his bare skin. He felt hot and firm under my hands. Manor life had not softened him.


    I pushed the shirt from his shoulders and it fluttered down to join his other clothes. Soon, his breeches had joined the rest of the clothes on the floor and I could admire his naked body. I was really nervous now as I hadn¡¯t thought a man would be quite that size. I tentatively ran my hands through the smattering of hair on his chest and up to his strong shoulders. He ran his arms down my back and pressed me to him. He must have noticed me looking and how nervous I was. He cupped my face and kissed me softly this time.


    ¡°Have you ever been with a man before, Aebbe?¡± he asked me in a gentle voice. I shook my head not wanting to look into his eyes. He sighed deeply. ¡°Are you sure you want to, love? I shouldn¡¯t have pressured you. Maybe, if there¡¯s someone special¡­¡±


    ¡°There''s no one, Kaarlo,¡± I told him, looking up at him now. ¡°Only you.¡± At that admission, he groaned and captured my lips in another hot kiss and pushed me back and down into his bed. When I fell into it, I giggled at how soft it was, feeling I might fall in never to come out again, but I moved into the middle of the bed and Kaarlo crawled in on top of me.


    I was nervous again, but he rubbed my skin softly and planted kisses on my lips and body until I was relaxed and my heart rate had slowed down. It was clear he was not in a heated rush as I had feared. I couldn¡¯t say whether Kaarlo was a skilled lover or not, having nothing to compare it to, but I did figure out what all the fuss was about. I had never felt like that before and, while a bit uncomfortable at first, each time seemed to be better than the last. He took his time with me and when his eyes finally fluttered closed, I got up and blew out the candles in the room.


    I was used to being awake all night, so when he finally fell asleep, I curled up into him and enjoyed his warmth until the dawn filled the sky. I gave his strong lips a final kiss before I got out of his bed while he slept on. I pulled on my clothes and rushed into my room to get my mind back on my mission here.


    Meig was already awake when I went into our room. She gave me a once-over that let me know she had no doubt of my activities that night, but I just rolled my eyes at her and read her reports and observations from the day before and we set up a plan so I could get some sleep before I had to get back to work. Kaarlo was still in danger and I had yet to figure out from whom.


    At least I had a lead now. The horse had been poisoned. Meig and I agreed it had been a test run. The choice of a large animal to make sure a small dose would work. Then the attempt, the poison spread to many to deflect blame perhaps. I needed Meig¡¯s skills the next night and she agreed to help me in my plan. We were close to solving the mystery. We had to be.

 23. The Snake in the Grass

    I slept only a few hours. I made Meig tell Kaarlo to set up a meeting at noon with his steward so we could get into his place and snoop around. When she roused me, I had to fight to open my eyes and focus. I splashed some water on my face and found some clean clothes to pull on.


    ¡°Are you sure you are up for this?¡± Meig asked. Her question annoyed me but, as much as I hated to admit it, she had a point. I was groggy and clearly not at my best. But all I needed were a few minutes to cast some spells and look through the guy¡¯s papers. I was awake enough for that.


    ¡°I''ll be fine. Let¡¯s not waste time,¡± I said, more to myself as I tried to shake the sleep from my body.


    We hurried out of the manor and went directly to Yonath¡¯s home. It was quiet. I stood casually next to the door while she picked the lock. It did not take long before we were inside the place. Spells cast over the kitchen yielded nothing, but I got a vague sense of uneasiness coming from the stairway.


    We made our way up the stairs where there appeared to be two bedrooms. One had a lock on the outside of the door. Meig took her time picking the lock. When there was finally a click indicating the lock had retracted, she sighed. Just before I was going to open the door, we could hear shouting from outside. It became louder as we froze to listen. I thought fast as Meig and I stared at each other.


    ¡°You go! I¡¯ll finish here and join you. Looks like a dead end anyway¡­¡± I said. She nodded quickly, turned, and ran back down the stairs. I took two steps to a small window that looked out and down into the town hoping to see something from the second story. The window was dirty and seemed to be facing the wrong direction to yield any information.


    The back of my neck prickled with a slight breeze which made me spin around and, luckily, since I had my hands up, I was able to catch the end of a stick in my hand before it smacked the back of my head.


    It hit my hand hard, but I suppressed the pain, and held onto the weapon as hard as I could. I was facing a very angry Yonath who had swung his walking cane at me. A glance down the hall showed me that the previously locked door stood open.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± said the man, who I now realized was not Yonath as I had thought. He looked much like him, but his skin was pale, his cheeks more sunken and there was an angry sheen in his eyes.


    ¡°Trying to solve a mystery,¡± I told him. The man cackled in a way that made my stomach twist.


    ¡°What''s the big mystery? That my brother is a coward and a liar? That he hides me away in shame? That he deserves better than your pitiful master? He deserves it all!¡± He pulled back on the cane again and I knew I couldn¡¯t let go or he would swing it again. Now that I felt it, it was a very sturdy weapon.


    I brought my other hand to help take the cane from the man and we fought over it. When he lunged, rather than counter his greater weight and strength, I propelled him in the same direction which overbalanced him. The fancy cane end hit the wall hard and broke. A cloud of powder wafted from the end of the cane and onto the man¡¯s face.


    He took a breath and looked frightened.


    ¡°No! No! What have you¡­,¡± he released the cane and brushed at his face desperately. I didn¡¯t needed to cast my spell to guess what the powder was. It was over before I could hardly think. He started foaming at the mouth, fell over, and then his eyes glazed over.


    I went into the room where he had been. When I cast my spell in there, I found a cache of dried mushrooms under a loose floorboard. They were common enough and pretty much everyone knew they were poisonous. At least around Thornhill where I¡¯d grown up they were common.


    Footsteps on the stairs drew my attention out of the room. Meig ducked her head into the room, out of breath.


    ¡°Oh, Saints! What happened here?¡± she asked, but before I could say anything, I heard more footsteps and a strangled cry as Yonath pushed past Meig in the hall.


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    ¡°No! What have you done?¡± Yonath cried and I wondered who he was asking. I put the floor back the way it had been and walked slowly into the hallway where Yonath was cradling his brother. He was crying and gasping, muttering to himself. I laid a hand on his shoulder gently.


    ¡°Be careful. There¡¯s some very poison on his face. I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s what killed him,¡± I told him. He turned to me, his face red with anger. I stepped back from the force of his stare.


    ¡°You! What are you doing here?! You shouldn¡¯t be here! You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re trespassing!¡± Tears streaked his face and a little of the madness in his brother seemed to shine in his eyes.


    ¡°Yes. I am. I am sorry. I had to figure out who was trying to poison Kaarlo. Did you know?¡± I heard Meig gasp behind me. Yonath looked defeated as he looked down at his sibling.


    ¡°I¡­no. I didn¡¯t think¡­ But I caught him in the manor the other morning in the dining room. And sometimes when I let him out he runs off for hours. But I¡­ Why?!¡± he asked, then he curled into his brother and kept repeating his question.


    ¡°He''s not quite right,¡± asked, not really knowing how to ask my question. ¡°Is he?¡±


    ¡°No. Sometimes he¡¯s fine. Sometimes he sees things that aren¡¯t there. He imagines enemies. I tried to calm him. I keep him locked in his room when I¡¯m not here, in case. I never thought he¡¯d hurt anyone. You have to believe me. He often hurt himself. That¡¯s what I was more worried over. I had to¡­ he¡¯s my brother.¡±


    Meig and I exchanged a look. I¡¯m sure she had heard, as I had, about such people. When they are poor, they often wander and get themselves killed by the elements or bandits. When they are well off, they are hidden and often kept to themselves. I couldn¡¯t decide which outcome was worse. But I felt for Yonath. At least he had stood by his blood and tried to do his best for him. That¡¯s more than some families do even when they have means.


    ¡°We have to tell Kaarlo,¡± I told him in what I hoped was a soft, kind voice.


    ¡°Please, let me. I¡­after I make arrangements,¡± he sounded calm now. He laid his brother down gently and stood up.


    ¡°Wash your hands. Don¡¯t touch your face,¡± I advised him. I wasn¡¯t sure, but I suspected you could get poisoned through your eyes and nose. It had seemed that his brother had inhaled some of the powder by accident. I picked up the broken cane. ¡°He stole your cane?¡±


    ¡°No. We each have one. My father made them for us. We both trained to be stewards. When we finished our apprenticeship, he gifted them to us. He was so proud. That was before¡­ well, when he was better. I¡¯m sorry about my anger before. I¡¯m thankful you prevented tragedy that day and I can see this was an accident,¡± he concluded and heaved a sigh.


    ¡°I''m sorry for your loss,¡± I said, not really knowing what else to say. He nodded and stood still looking down at his brother. Meig and I made our way out of the house, leaving him with his grief and responsibilities.


    ¡°Oh, what was the noise about, outside?¡± I asked, Meig remembering what drew her away.


    ¡°The usual. An ember from a fireplace caught a curtain on fire. No grate. We got it out in time. Only part of the house burned down, thankfully. No one was gravely hurt,¡± she reported.


    ¡°Thank goodness. I was worried it was another goblin attack or something,¡± I said.


    ¡°Actually, I need to get to a meeting. I think we have seen the end of those attacks!¡± she slapped my shoulder and smiled broadly. ¡°I''ll let you know when I get back!¡±


    With that, she ran off to where the lizard people had set up a temporary camp. I shrugged. I supposed I would head back to the manor and stay with Kaarlo until Yonath came by to tell him what had happened. He would be happy to have Pardy home soon and I was looking forward to seeing Gavendor again.


    I was nervous about seeing Kaarlo again after our night together. But when he caught me loitering outside his office, he called me in and acted like nothing had happened. That both relieved and saddened me.


    I told him I had news, but to wait. Soon, Yonath came in. He looked much smaller and aged. He apologized and explained about his brother. He resigned his position insisting even after Kaarlo told him it wasn¡¯t necessary. Personally, I thought it was for the best. I knew how a town liked to talk and such a thing would stick to him forever. He¡¯d have to find a new post and start fresh somewhere the rumor hadn¡¯t reached.


    After he left, Kaarlo asked if I had been injured. I had completely forgotten about my hand, but it had an ugly bruise on it when I checked.


    ¡°He might have killed you!¡± he said, sounding more angry than he needed to.


    ¡°I can take care of myself, Kaarlo. This is a temporary injury. I would do it again to be sure you and your family are safe. I¡¯m glad I could be of some help to you,¡± I told him, sincerely, and his smile was kind. ¡°After all I¡¯ve cost you¡­¡± He harrumphed at that.


    ¡°A small price. A very small price. You and your friend have been invaluable to us. You¡¯ll always be important and welcome here in Wellswood. I hope you know that,¡± he stood and took my hands in his. Just as I was starting to feel awkward with him, remembering the feeling of his lips on mine, Meig knocked and entered the room, making us separate.


    ¡°Good news!¡± she announced. ¡°I think we have reached an accord with both the lizard people and the goblins!¡± Her eyes were shining with pride. I knew it was well deserved. Kaarlo strode to her and took her hands in his, reiterating what he¡¯d said to me about always being welcome in his town and manor and I felt a little more relaxed.

 24. An End to Hostilities

    If our communications were correct, and I had little reason to doubt Meig¡¯s abilities, we had been able to buy off the goblin attacks with simple trade deals. We also reopened trade with the lizard people at the same time. The goblins didn¡¯t think they had anything of value we would want and it hadn¡¯t occurred to them to exchange goods as it wasn¡¯t a custom in their culture.


    The lizard people also had a non-traditional method of exchanges. Much like I had grown up leaving offerings on their land, they agreed to leave piles of provisions at set places and we were expected to reciprocate in like manner. The main issue with this method is that we didn¡¯t really understand each other¡¯s equivalency. I had always thought the necklace I had received in trade was out of balance with my offering of a few squirrels, for example, but the lizard people didn¡¯t find much need for those sorts of baubles, feeling that food was much more valuable to them. They just made jewelry mostly for fun and knew we associated some value to it.


    Everyone reckoned we would muddle through it and work it out, learning as we went along. Communication between our cultures was emphasized and plans in the human community were made to teach the sign language that the goblins and lizard people could understand more broadly.


    When we sat down for the final negotiations, Meig took a main role in deciphering signs and interpreting for everyone. I was really impressed with her progress in the short few months we¡¯d been here. She definitely had a gift for communication and teaching, as she had begun to teach me some of what she had learned.


    Everything seemed settled and then we came to a last item goblin¡¯s requested. Meig translated it as ¡°blood for a year¡±. It sounded very alarming to everyone, myself included, and I hoped I was wrong about what that might mean. Meig was finally able to figure out that they wanted a human to stay with them in their hive tunnels and learn their ways as a sort of cultural exchange.


    The humans around the fire were scoffing at such a request, but I understood. They wanted some assurances the humans would keep their word of peace. Didn¡¯t enemies exchange wards for the same purpose? Too much blood had been spilt for there to be real trust between our species. The indiscriminate killing of each other for too long made the truce difficult to accept.


    ¡°I''ll go,¡± I said, looking at Meig. She looked at me, blinking. No one else seemed to have heard me as they were still arguing amongst themselves.


    ¡°I''ll go,¡± I said more loudly and the humans quieted.


    ¡°No,¡± Kaarlo stated, shaking his head but not looking at me.


    ¡°Ask them if they would accept me, Meig,¡± I requested. Meig motioned to me and signed their ¡®blood offering¡¯ request. The goblin ¡®king¡¯ as we called him looked at me in surprise and glanced at Kaarlo who looked angry. The king nodded. I stood and walked over to the goblin king, offering him my hand and we shook wrists like we had shown them human males do with each other.


    ¡°I''ll pack,¡± I said with a small smile.


    ¡°I''ll come along with you,¡± Meig said, signing to the lizard monarch and the goblins.


    I was a bit surprised at myself. I didn¡¯t really want to go with the goblins, but I understood the need. And I was curious. I hoped Aelfie would want to come along. I¡¯d be lonesome without her around.


    Back in my room, I put together my small trunk quickly. The washerwomen had been through and most of my clothes were cleaned and folded neatly, ready to be packed, so it didn¡¯t take long. As I was shutting it, Kaarlo came in.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this,¡± he told me, putting his hands on my arms, looking into my eyes. He looked like he was planning to talk me out of it and I realized I liked the feel of his hands on me much more than I should.


    ¡°I know,¡± I assured him, pulling out of his grasp. ¡°Pardy will be home soon. I know you have a little one on the way,¡± he gasped and I shrugged. ¡°Women can tell these things. You¡¯ll be too busy to worry about me. Anyway, I¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll learn a lot about each other. It¡¯s important,¡± I said perhaps trying to convince myself.


    Meig came dashing in with an armful of clean clothes she¡¯d probably just pulled off the drying lines outside.


    ¡°They want to leave soon, there¡¯s not much time¡­Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡± she stuttered at seeing Kaarlo in our room.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Meig. We were just saying good-bye, for now. I¡¯ll make sure our horses are saddled and ready. My trunk is ready to go,¡± I told her. She nodded and threw her things onto the bed and pulled out her own trunk.


    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll walk you out,¡± Kaarlo said to me and I let him lead me out the door. He stopped abruptly in the empty hall way and turned to me.


    ¡°Gavendor will never forgive me. You¡¯ll be gone before he gets back,¡± he pulled my hands into his and kissed the backs of them. ¡°You''ll be in our thoughts, Aebbe. Take care.¡±


    ¡°I will, thank you for everything. You¡¯ll settle things with Jornian and the men?¡± I asked. He dropped my hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they will want to stay on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. And¡­ will you stop back to visit us. When the year is up?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Maybe, we¡¯ll see where the road takes me,¡± I told him and turned from him to dash down the stairs and go out the stout front door. I jogged to the stables where I ordered Meig and my horses to be readied for travel.


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    I didn¡¯t want to spend too much time in Kaarlo¡¯s presence. Now it came to it I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to leave him at all. That would do neither of us any good and I didn¡¯t know why these ideas were forming in my head. We had been very clear with each other and I respected Pardama too much to interfere with her life and Kaarlo¡¯s. I shook myself and went to prepare Lidley knowing it would help calm me.


    My mare nickered when she saw me which was a balm on my nerves. I cleaned out her hooves and found a curry comb to brush her out. Jornian happened to be striding by as I worked and came to talk with me.


    ¡°Where are you off to then?¡± he asked me, probably thinking I was going out on a short patrol.


    ¡°I''m going to be staying with the goblins for a while,¡± I said, hoping it didn¡¯t sound completely insane.


    ¡°Are you mad?! Surely you are jesting with me! I thought mayhap we would leave here¡­together. Find a new job somewhere¡­¡± he looked downright uncomfortable now. I tried to pretend I hadn¡¯t noticed, paying extra attention as I finished brushing Lidley and found her blankets and saddle.


    ¡°I''m sorry Jornian. It¡¯s not meant to be. Our paths may cross again one day. Will you stay on here, you think?¡± I asked him, more to keep the conversation going and away from the direction he had sent it than any real curiosity.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I was only here for you, Aebbe. You must know that,¡± he said, his arms crossed over his strong, wiry body, chewing a piece of straw in his mouth. I watched his strong jaw work and he caught me staring.


    ¡°You''ll be compensated appropriately for your time as I promised. You and all the men. You have been a very valuable asset, Jorn, but¡­¡± I said, turning away from him to put the saddle blankets and my horse¡¯s back, tugging them into place. Jornian picked up my saddle and placed it for me. He stood close in next to me. I tried to ignore that and pulled the girth strap up under her belly and cinched it, not looking at him.


    ¡°An asset?! I see,¡± he said and sighed. ¡°I was a fool to think otherwise, I suppose. You¡¯d never given any indication¡­yes, I see now it was foolishness on my part.¡± His face looked hard and closed off. He began moving away.


    ¡°I''m sorry¡­¡± I said, but I wasn¡¯t. Not really. I had worried he¡¯d seen me this way, but convinced myself I was imagining things.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Perhaps our paths will cross again. Fare thee well, Aebbe,¡± he said in a soft voice and strode away. I turned back to my saddle to check the stirrups.


    ¡°Breaking hearts all ¡®round, I see,¡± said Meig from just behind me, making me jump.


    ¡°By the Gods! You gave me a fright. And I¡¯ve done no such thing! Go do something useful and check your mount!¡± I said, perhaps a bit more sternly that I¡¯d meant, but Meig just smirked and went to her horse. She assured me our trunks had been taken to the carriage.


    We made our way out of the town on the road heading east. The lizard people were also leaving and there was a gathering of townspeople seeing everyone off. I tried not to look at Kaarlo or Jornian. They were both scowling more than necessary. The lizard people were leaving on some straw canoes. Their leader sitting with a thick canopy overhead to keep him cool, his boat poled by two strong lizard people ornately clothed.


    The goblin king and his entourage looked relieved when I rode up and it was only then they got on their mounts. They were fine steeds from Kaarlo¡¯s stables and had been part of the trade deal. One of them pointed at Aelfie who was in my arms and Meig tried to explain about her. I was worried it would be an issue, but she assured me they were merely curious about why she was with me.


    I successfully avoided Kaarlo¡¯s eyes until Aelfie started barking and looking back toward him and making a fuss. I turned to look. He was very handsome in the late afternoon light in his fine cloak and boots. He smiled and waved at me, so I returned his wave before turning back in my saddle and urging Lidley down the road as the group started the slow march east.


    The goblins were riding and walking spread out around us and I vaguely wondered if they thought I might bolt at first opportunity. After a few hours on the road, one of the goblins started riding alongside me. Meig helped me learn his name. It seemed he was to take charge of me when we reached their hives. Soon, he was pointing at things and naming them in their language. I did the same, but he didn¡¯t repeat anything I said, only insisted I try to say his words back to him.


    That night, when we stopped to make camp, he stayed annoyingly close to me, even going so far as to put his bedroll right next to mine. When I asked Meig if she knew where to hit a goblin to discourage any romantic intentions, she just giggled uncontrollably and said she didn¡¯t know. She assured me that was not his intent, but how could any of us be sure of that?


    He wondered why we would not be sleeping in tents like many of the other humans and we just explained it was a clear night and they were really not necessary since we were next to our fire. This he seemed to understand. He also tried to pet Aelfie but she wasn¡¯t having it. She actually growled at him when he approached which seemed to intrigue the goblin even more.


    He kept calling me ¡®Kara¡¯ even though I¡¯d said my name to him over a dozen times. When I asked Meig what it meant, she wasn¡¯t sure, but thought the ¡®Ra¡¯ part meant blood, so maybe it was my title of sorts. His name, as far as we could tell was Domon. Whether it was a title or a given name, we could not figure out.


    ¡°Great, so my name is Blood Year. That¡¯s lovely,¡± I grumbled, but this just set Meig off in another fit of laughter. I had to fight not to give her a smack in the head. I really didn¡¯t want to do it in front of the goblins as I had no idea what they¡¯d make of that and I didn¡¯t want to set an example of smacking a human since I¡¯m pretty sure a similar smack from them would likely break my head. They were so much thicker and harder than we were. I didn¡¯t know for sure, of course, but I thought it best not to find out.


    ¡°Are you really okay with this exchange? It¡¯s a whole year!¡± Meig muttered after we¡¯d settled down in our bed rolls. At least I could lie with my back to Domon to chat with Meig and nearly forget his nearness.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be alright,¡± I said, hoping it was true.


    ¡°You have to write to me. If I don¡¯t hear from you EVERY MONTH I¡¯m going to come find you!¡± she said, sternly.


    ¡°Where in the Old Gods of Ashlar will you be that I can write to you?! We don¡¯t even know if the goblins will have that sort of¡­ service!¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to have to figure it out. You¡¯re not just falling off the face of the earth with no word to anyone! I¡¯ll talk to the king tomorrow on the road and see if we can¡¯t figure something out. You can at least write to Kaarlo. You know where he¡¯ll be!¡± she told me. I rolled my eyes at her.


    ¡°You going to be checking in with Kaarlo about me? Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Maybe. I know he¡¯s reliable and he cares about you, so if something happens, he¡¯ll know what to do!¡±


    ¡°Since when are you such a worry wart? The year will go quickly. I¡¯ll have Aelfie and Lidley for company. No worries.¡± I said, starting to settle and relax for the night. I really didn¡¯t want to think too long about my situation. Best to just take things one day at a time.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Meig said yawning and we both nodded off to sleep.

 25. A Hard Farewell

    In the morning, each camp made breakfast for themselves. I stood around with the few humans that were still with us, but Domon grabbed my hand and pulled me to the goblin side to eat with them. When I tried to make him let go of me and stay on the human side, he just ignored me. To be fair, he was so much stronger than me he may not have realized I was trying to pull away from him. I gave up after too long and just went with him. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to be on the goblin side, I just knew my time with Meig was limited and wanted to spend it with her. Trying to communicate that to Domon was a bit beyond our vocabulary, so I just accepted things.


    He taught me a few more words. We ate meat and some stale bread. It wasn¡¯t too bad and there was plenty to be had. He tried to make me eat more than my fill, but I let him know I was very full and didn¡¯t need so much food. This seemed to calm him and please him in some way. Perhaps he felt it wouldn¡¯t be very difficult to keep me fed since it seemed I would be in his charge from now on. He watched with interest when I fed Aelfie who had been happy to jog along with us.


    She didn¡¯t let the goblins get too close to her, but she felt comfortable enough dodging around them. The goblins watched her with interest and they were careful around her, so I felt we would all get along well together. She would probably warm up to them eventually. The goblins smelled a little funny and as they were large, probably looked a lot more threatening from where she stood down around their ankles.


    Soon we cleaned up camp and set out again. True to her word, Meig spent some time communicating with the goblin king and his interpreter about me, presumably to set up some sort of mail system between us.


    When she finally fell back in riding next to me, she explained the system. Every two weeks or so, there would be an exchanged between the goblins and humans. At that time, any letters I wrote would be picked up and delivered along with the goblin goods.


    ¡°I''m going to spend some time with the lizard people. They¡¯ve invited me and I¡¯m eager to find out what I can about them. Maybe I¡¯ll get one of those necklaces for myself and figure out how they work! Write to Kaarlo, okay? You¡¯ll do it, right?¡± Meig asked me. I wanted to say no and argue, but I knew I would do it both for Kaarlo and her sakes.


    ¡°Yes, fine. I¡¯ll do it. How long will you be with them?¡± I wondered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Not a year. I¡¯m not crazy. Plus, I think I¡¯ll meet up with Boylin and the others in Holdstone. We¡¯ll keep busy. There¡¯s¡­,¡± she said.


    ¡°Always another adventure,¡± I finished for her and she smiled. ¡°Will you write to me? I¡¯m sure Kaarlo will forward anything you send¡­¡± I felt foolish asking and watched the ground under our mount¡¯s feet as we moved along. I looked up in surprise when I felt a hand on my arm.


    ¡°Of course, I will!¡± Meig reassured me.


    ¡°Thanks. It will be nice to hear news of the others and all. Be sure you exaggerate our adventures here!¡± I teased.


    ¡°Oh, I will! Everyone will know how we saved Wellswood and, in fact, the world, with our great skills!¡± Something caught our funny bones in that moment and we started laughing hysterically until tears rolled down our faces. Poor Domon rode alongside and was clearly concerned for our well being. To be fair, I nearly fell off my horse and could have cared less about it. Somehow, him holding me onto my saddle and grunting in goblin just made us laugh even harder.


    When he began to call for the goblin king, it sobered us up a little and Meig managed to make the sign for ¡®fine¡¯ and ¡®agreement¡¯, so Domon finally calmed down.


    ¡°I''m going to miss you, Meig. I never had a friend like you who really understood me before. I had Gavendor. I think he understood me, but he was more my mentor,¡± I shrugged, suddenly self-conscious.


    ¡°What about Kaarlo? Isn¡¯t he a friend?¡± Meig asked me and I¡¯m pretty sure she was teasing me.


    ¡°Kaarlo was never a friend. He was my fiancee, who I ran away from, remember? Then, he became¡­ well, I don¡¯t know, but not a friend. We don¡¯t really even know each other. We would have made each other miserable if I¡¯d stayed and married him,¡± I explained, hoping I wasn¡¯t rambling too badly.


    ¡°Well, miserable in some ways, I¡¯m sure,¡± said Meig with a smirk and I¡¯m pretty sure she was referring to our previous nighttime activities. Had it only been two days ago? So much had happened since then. But I could still feel his hands and lips on me and the way my body had responded to him.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I said, finally came back to the present. ¡°There''s more to life than that! I¡¯m a nightmare at managing people and sewing and babies¡­ Can you imagine me with a baby? I wouldn¡¯t know which end was up. No, Lady Pardama is where she needs to be as am I. No doubt about it!¡± I was aware that I was rambling even more and probably just trying to convince myself at this point.


    ¡°I''ll write to you, my dear. I¡¯ll let you know what I¡¯m up to and where I¡¯ll be, especially as your Blood Year ends so you can catch me up and we can have some more adventures together. If I¡¯m not retired by then,¡± she added with a wink.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be raking in the gold with all my Blood Year responsibilities, so we can buy manors next to each other,¡± I teased.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan. I¡¯ll settle down and write a book on the lizard people and their culture while you work on your goblin treatise. Yes, that plan has merit,¡± she said, gazing out at the road ahead of us like she could picture it.


    ¡°By the sea, somewhere. I hear it¡¯s good for one¡¯s joints. As one gets older,¡± I added.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± she responded in an understanding tone.


    We chatted about this and that for the rest of the morning. When we stopped for our noon meal, I was herded over to the goblin side again where the goblin king looked me over careful as if he expected I should fall apart at any moment. But as he watched me eat and try to communicate with Domon, he seemed satisfied and went back to his entourage.


    Domon tried to get Aelfie to let him pet her. He crouched down to be able to reach her and she kept just out of his reach. I felt sorry for him, so I handed him a sliver of meat and indicated he should offer it to her.


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    After a while, and with great patience, she did go over to him. It took a few more strip of meat, but he managed to give her a gentle pat. Once he got her behind her one ear the way she liked, the little turncoat just gave herself over to the goblin and I only hoped she would still listen to me.


    Domon seemed very pleased with himself and kept signing ¡®Thank you¡¯ to me, so I suppose he understood that I had helped endear him to my little creature. It¡¯s hard to tell with goblins as they don¡¯t seem to show emotion on their faces as we do, so I had to go by his signs and behavior.


    We were not long on our horses when we arrived to where Meig would be picked up by the lizard people. It was a stone and wood bridge over a slow, lazy river. Indeed, the lizard people were already waiting for her.


    We organized Meig¡¯s trunk and belongings to be unloaded from the carriage and put into a boat and all too soon, we were saying good bye at the water¡¯s edge.


    ¡°Take care of yourself, Meig,¡± I told her, feeling my emotions bubbling up and we hugged hard.


    ¡°You too. If you figure out how to tell a goblin ¡®no means no¡¯ you let me know,¡± she whispered into my ear and I really wanted to smack her for that.


    We let go and she was helped into one of the boats that was going to head further into lizard territory. She told me she had been invited to what was likely the capital city of the lizard people. We didn¡¯t know if any human had ever been there before, so it was quite an honor and I looked forward to tales of her adventures.


    As the lizard people poled the boats out into the current. I stood and watched. We waved and then did the sign for ¡®Fare thee well¡¯ which was an arm across the chest and then moving it in sort of waves away from you. It was a sight to see all the lizard people do the same sign back to me at the same time. Even some of the goblins made the sign in return.


    Most of the goblins remounted and started back down the road. The carriages were urged onward, the clip clop of hooves faded, but I stood on the shore and watched the canoes get smaller and smaller until they turned a bend in the river beyond which I could not see.


    Domon had stood silently next to me. I realized we were the last still standing here. The caravan had moved on out of sight down the road. I hadn¡¯t been worried. There was only one road going east and I would be able to catch them up within the next hour or two.


    When I looked up at Domon, he patted my shoulder in what I suppose was meant to be a reassuring way. And it was.


    ¡°Let''s go,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Kangor,¡± he said, which I took to mean much the same thing.


    I put a lead on Meig¡¯s horse to pull it behind my own. She had made some sort of arrangement with the goblins for its eventual return or exchange. I suppose they had thought taking it before she¡¯d left for certain would be rude or something. I didn¡¯t mind. It was a gelding of steady stock, not nearly as fine as from Kaarlo¡¯s stables, but very serviceable and, in the rocky areas we were heading possibly more surefooted than many horses.


    Domon mounted and urged his mount forward. He didn¡¯t wait for me, which I took as a sign of the growing trust between us. I mounted and kicked Lidley to fall in next to Domon and we rode mostly in silence until we met up with the rest of the caravan.


    The humans still with the group seemed surprised at our arrival. I reckoned they couldn¡¯t tell one goblin from another very well and hadn¡¯t realized Domon had been left behind. I was starting to be able to tell them apart and learn their names fairly easily, but the groups didn¡¯t interact much.


    That night it looked like it might rain, so I started to wonder about my sleeping arrangement. I carry a tiny pup tent with me for when I travel, but it is only big enough for me and Aelfie and my pack and I didn¡¯t think Domon would like the arrangement. Sure enough, after I¡¯d tied up Lidley with the other horses, he pulled me in towards the goblin tent area and shoved me into a large tent. I tried to remind myself that his rough treatment of me was due to his strength and no ill will between us.


    He went to one corner and indicated I should put out my bed roll. I was hesitant, but then I saw the goblin king was there with his guards in another part of the tent. Domon stood around and over me, shoving other goblins who got too close to his liking further away from me. I had a small corner and he put his roll next to mine so that it was between me an all other goblins in the tent. Once he was satisfied with our positioning, he pulled me into the eating tent where we sat together and had some dinner.


    It was a hot meal today as some had apparently gone hunting. The stew could have used some spices and salt, but it wasn¡¯t too bad and I was too tired out from the day to mind too much about it. When the meal was over, Domon led me back to our sleeping tent. The king and his guard were already snoozing, so I tried to relax and sleep despite the guttural grunts and sounds from the goblins all around me.


    The next day, we would get to Kongmor. It was a recent settlement of goblins along the human road. The humans with us were going to assist in building houses and stables and such for this settlement. Humans had been encouraged to stay if they wished. I knew from speaking with the people with us that they were eager to see what goods the goblins had that could be traded.


    There had long been rumors that the goblins were rich in precious stones and metals that they mined out of their mountains. Many were eager to confirm the stories and figure out what the goblins would want in trade for these valuable goods.


    From looking at some of the carriages, some humans had already gambled that they would want bolts of fabric, household items, or seeds for farming. Weapon trading had been a sore spot in the negotiations for many days, according to Meig, and no wonder. The goblins seemed well equipped as we had found to our dismay when the attacks had begun. Trust had not built up enough to compare and contrast our armaments, but rope for animals, snares and fishhooks were all things that seemed we could agree to trade on.


    When we arrived at Kongmor, it was not much more than a mud pit with some minor organization to it. There was clearly a lot of work needed to make it into a viable trading post. I was glad that Domon seemed to take this same view of things and was eager to move on from the place.


    We made arrangements to go on past the budding town toward their hives, so I bid the humans fare well there. I had not really made any friendships, so it was a quick process. One of the men, however, handed me a letter from Kaarlo and told me he¡¯d help me escape. I just smiled and patted his shoulder.


    ¡°I''m not going to run from this. Tell Kaarlo that I¡¯m fine and I¡¯ll write, so he needn¡¯t worry,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Then, if that be your answer, he told me to give you this,¡± the man handed me an ornate box. I glanced inside to to find sheafs of paper and ink quills and bottles.


    ¡°Okay, this I will take. When you see him, thank him from me,¡± I said. The man had made sure to talk with me when Domon had been separated from me. The humans with us all seemed to look at me sadly and I wondered if they assumed I was heading toward certain death.


    I can¡¯t say I felt the same. If Domon or any of them wanted me dead, why wait until I was in their hives? And I understood being worried about my virtue, but, honestly, I had felt more concerned for that around human males than I ever had with the goblins.


    We didn¡¯t know how goblins reproduced in the first place and it was likely I could not produce any goblin progeny, so that sort of issue seemed remote to me. Besides, Domon, despite sleeping right next to me for some nights had not laid a hand or claw (in his case) on me.


    I put the nice box into my trunk on the carriage and made sure Lidley was saddled and ready to go, so I was standing next to the caravan when Domon returned. He looked a little surprised to see me. The goblin king chattered at him extensively, pointing to me, so I knew I was a topic of conversation, but didn¡¯t know their language well enough to know what he was saying.


    We all mounted up and headed out. We were no longer on the road, but crossed rocky country down a trail toward the high mountains where, presumably, the goblin hives were found. Aelfie was happy to run about the wilder country, chasing small critters around as we picked our way through the country side.


    I could see the further mountains had snow on them and, perhaps it was my imagination or fancy but a sudden breeze seemed to have a cold edge to it. When I asked Domon how long it would take to get there, he indicated about four hours. So, in four short hours I would find out what my future year would hold.