The Merchant and the Menace (53 page)

A small image in the corner showed a Rindoran
trident catching a heavy blade between its tines and locking it there. The
Rindoran simultaneously whipped his net across the ridged armor of the
assailant. With a tug of the net, the armored soldier lost his footing and
teetered over the swirling water of the tapestry for an eternity.

Smoldering barges spun past the citadel to smash
into the rocky shoreline. Steel covered arms and helms flailed in the water
around the barges. Bodies littered the shoreline. Catapults launched
ineffective salvos, unable to achieve a steady shot. Rindoran catapults
returned accurate volleys from the parapets of the citadel.

Kael smiled as he looked at the other corner of the
tapestry. The artist summed up the Rindoran concept of the battle. A tiny image
portrayed a pack of hungry, gaunt wolves standing on the muddy shoreline. A
group of river otters spun and played in the murky water just out of reach from
the hungry pack.

Kael left the tapestry and moved to the stairs.
Cautiously he stole down the stairwell. Corad and Lucyn had never granted them
leave of the castle, but Kael was anxious. He yearned to see more of Rindor and
couldn’t do it from inside. Kael scampered down the stairwell passing several
uninhabited levels along the way. A flurry of activity greeted him on the
bottom floor. Pages, soldiers and maids hustled back and forth along the lower
level.

 News of the Army’s imminent departure threw this
part of the castle into a hive of activity. Kael passed an open doorway and was
nearly bowled over by the rush of three exiting pages. Inside the room, a
hulking, gray bearded man in an oilskin overcoat sat at a large desk covered in
parchment. The man barked orders to pages and soldiers alike while he scribbled
frantically on the parchment.

“You there,” barked the man to a page as he held
out an envelope. “Lord Yaw’s estates in the north! As fast as you can!”

The page snatched the envelope from his hand and
bowed deeply.

“No time for that now,” snapped the man without
ever looking up. “Off you go!”

The page spun and sprinted from the room. Once again
Kael was nearly knocked to the floor as the page brushed past and headed down
the hallway. Kael recovered and looked back into the room. A tall, thin woman
was rapidly folding the parchment the graybeard had written on. She turned a
burning red candle over the fold and dripped wax upon it. Before the wax
cooled, she slammed a large forged seal down upon it.

“Remember, one and all!” bellowed the woman above
the melee. “If the addressee obtains an envelope with a broken seal, they are
ordered to detain you. So take care!”

The entire hive of activity paused momentarily and
bowed to the woman. The graybeard flicked his hand toward another page.

“Lord Manfir’s estates in the northeast! His people
will know what to do!”

The page snatched the envelope and turned toward
the door. Kael was ready. He quickly leapt aside. The page barreled through.
Kael saw enough. He turned to follow the page toward the exit and nearly ran
into a figure standing just inches behind him.

 “Pardon,” spluttered Kael and he backed away.

 A young man stood staring into the room. The man
was completely covered in a heavy, woolen robe. Hanging in the middle of the
man’s chest was a silver amulet. The amulet was fashioned into a swirling pool
of water. A pair of dusty sandals sat upon his feet and he carried a long
walking staff. Kael had never spoken to a Delvin Scribe before, though he saw a
few travel through Kelky.

“I didn’t see you there,” apologized Kael.

The scribe lightly bowed and Kael returned the
gesture. Kael stepped to the side and the scribe entered the doorway to monitor
the activity in the room. Kael moved down the hallway. After a dozen steps he
heard the graybeard shout.

“Where are those mapmakers? I want at least ten
copies of each of these maps by week’s end. I won’t allow my people to go
wandering aimlessly in a foreign land!”

Kael followed the hallway until it terminated at a
large oaken door. Several pages and soldiers passed him in either direction. He
exited and found himself standing on a small twisting street in the heart of
Rindor. Castle personnel flitted about the massive building and citizens
strolled past. Kael looked for the sun to get his bearings. He didn’t want to
lose his way. He might feel a bit silly asking directions to get back to the
castle.

The Southland boy wandered the streets of Rindor
taking in all his eyes could see. His first impression was one of confusion.
The streets made no rhyme or reason. Twisting this way and that. Also, the
architecture was ridiculous. Structures were heaped upon structures. It was
quite evident that the Rindorans ran out of room upon their island years ago and
simply decided to build up.

Often, Kael walked under causeways built between
structures. More often than not, these causeways were transformed from a means
to travel between buildings into actual living spaces. Anyplace that could hold
a small dwelling or apartment served as such. Laundry lines drifted like
cobwebs throughout the entire city. Streets were crowded with men, women and
children.

As Kael moved further and further from the castle,
periodically he passed through gateways. The boy realized that these were the
old walls of the city. As Rindor grew, new walls were built to protect outlying
homes and shops. Eventually, the land between the new walls and the old filled
in with more dwellings and buildings. He walked and imagined how the city
evolved over time. He determined that from above the city must look like a
huge, freshly cut tree stump, each ring of new growth capped by an ancient wall
circling through the city’s interior.

Kael stopped for a moment and breathed deeply. His
nose informed him that he moved closer to the outer wall. The air from the
river smelled heavy and dank. He paused and took in the hustle of the Rindoran
folk around him.

The sight of two boys walking down the street to
his left struck him as significant. The boys strolled a hundred paces away and
something about them tweaked Kael’s interest. He slid close to the wall of the
nearest building and shadowed their progress. Kael slipped forward blending in
with dozens of other Rindorans going about their business.

The boys arrived at the next crossroads and turned
left. Kael raced ahead and peered around the corner of a building. He was close
and took a good look at them. He was certain they were the same duo he saw
playing in the marketplace. He was just as certain they were the lads he saw
frolicking in the streets of Quay. The boys moved a good distance from the
corner and Kael stepped into the street to follow. All at once he was knocked sideways.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” said a sweet voice beside
him.

Kael turned to see a girl bending to retrieve a
basket of flowers. Flowers littered the street beneath him. He began to
apologize, but hesitated as she smiled and gazed at him with her stunning
blue-green eyes.

“I, uh, no, it was my fault. I was not looking
where I was going,” said Kael.

He quickly bent down and gathered the flowers from
the road.

“Oh, please don’t bother,” said the girl in her
high pitched, lilting voice. “I can do that.”

Kael fumbled with the flowers.

“No trouble at all. My mistake, so I should make it
right,” he replied.

 “Well, that’s a healthy attitude,” replied the
smiling girl.

  Kael rose and laid the damaged flowers in her
basket. The girl bowed and smiled. He was captivated. At first, he surmised she
could be no older than thirteen, but the more he gazed at her the more
uncertain he became. The girl was diminutive in stature. Her hands and arms
were delicate. They reminded Kael of some of the beautiful porcelain statues he
saw in the halls of the Rindoran castle. However, if her size hinted at youth,
her demeanor and bearing told him otherwise. She spoke confidently and grinned
at him as if he were an awkward puppy to be admired and played with.

Her clothing did not give away her age either.
Simple Rindoran garb with no accouterments. Yet simple as her attire was, her
beauty shone through. Ageless eyes penetrated his soul. There was both
confidence and knowledge behind those eyes.

 Kael suddenly remembered the boys.

“Once again, I humbly apologize for my clumsiness,”
said Kael. “Good day to you miss.”

“Such manners too,” said the woman. “You will make
a fine catch one day.”

Kael smiled and turned from the woman. He raced
down the street trying to find the boys. At the nearest crossroads he made a
guess and headed deeper into the city. He sidestepped carts and peddlers.
There! He glimpsed the boys strolling toward an inn. A sign above the doorway
read “The Rusty Nail”. Kael held back and watched them disappear inside its doors.
He waited until he felt he could enter inconspicuously then stepped into the
inn.

A smoky common room held the usual array of shadowy
figures. Several patrons at the bar hardly flinched as Kael stepped from the
doorway and let it slam behind him. He halted a moment and let his eyes adjust
to the darkness as he surveyed the room. The boys were nowhere to be seen. The
door behind him swung open and a heavily cloaked figure pushed his way past the
young man and took a seat near the bar. The figure waved a barmaid over and
muttered something. She turned and headed toward a large, tapped keg. Kael felt
uncomfortable and the feeling stirred him to action. The Southlander approached
the bartender and quickly produced some silver coins from his pocket.

“Excuse me, good sir, perhaps you might help me?”
said Kael sheepishly.

The barman hungrily eyed the coin as Kael flipped
it in an open palm.

“What can I do ya’ for, young master?” asked the
barman.

“A pair of boys were just at my father’s booth in
the marketplace,” began Kael, “and they overpaid for a service we rendered. My
father, being an honest man, said he overheard them say they took lodging here.
He sent me to return the extra coin.”

The barman smiled and wiped his dirty hands on a
towel that hung from a loop on his belt.

“Well now, your father is right. Always treat
customers fairly to retain their business in the future,” began the barman. “A
couple of boys are staying here. However, I’m not quite sure if they’re in at
the moment. I’ve not seen ‘em for most of the day. Perhaps you could leave the
coin with me and I’ll make sure it gets to its rightful owners.”

The barman outstretched a hand and smiled deeply at
Kael. The boy inched his hand toward the fidgeting barman, then snatched it
back at the last moment.

”I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir. You see, my
father wanted me to talk with the lads about unscrupulous behavior in the city,
and how they could get taken advantage of if they weren’t dealing with someone
as honest as him. I wouldn’t feel right unless I said my piece. You understand,
don’t you?”

The barman frowned and rolled his eyes. His hand
balled into a fist and dropped to the bar.

“Well, if ya’ must. If they’re in, and mind ya, I
mighta been in the back and missed ‘em, but if they’re in, they’ll be in the far
room on the third floor,” muttered the barman.

“Thank you kindly, sir. I’ll attend to my business
quickly.”

Kael slid past the tables in the bar and made his
way to the main stairwell. He wasn’t sure what he was doing or why he was doing
it. What did he hope to accomplish? What if he stumbled upon the boys? What
would he say? They would probably play the part of clueless children and he
would discover no more answers. However, he was sure of one thing. This was a
sight better than sitting in a stuffy room, high in the Rindoran castle,
staring at the river roll by.

Kael cautiously climbed the stairs. At the second
level he surveyed the layout of the building. Two doors on each side of the
hallway, and one facing down the hall from the end. On the third level, Kael
stepped into the hallway. He silently tiptoed the length of the corridor on the
old wooden floor and halted before the door.

Kael tilted his head close to the door and listened
intently. The soft, muffled hum of conversation could be heard in the room.
Obviously the boys were there. Kael recognized the sound of laughter from
inside the room. It was hard to make out words. He closed his eyes and strained
to hear. The sound remained fuzzy at first, then his mind just reached out to
it.

“... Chimbre you possess plenty of money. Why you
can’t pay for it, I’ll never know?” said a high-pitched voice.

“Why pay when I get it for free? Besides it keeps
the skills sharp. If I don’t snatch something now and again, I’ll fall out of
practice and make a mistake when it could cost us our lives. It was only an
apple, Sprig,” said a second slightly deeper voice.

“Only an apple! But it was the apple he was looking
at when you took it. He didn’t even see your hand. The apple was there, then it
was gone,” laughed the voice of Sprig.  “I nearly died when he waved his hand
over the spot it had been.”

“You missed the best part,” laughed Chimbre. “I
slipped a copper coin in his other hand as I walked away. He felt its weight as
we rounded the corner.”