Chapter 12

Daniel's antics were grating on her nerves, leaving Vala more than just a little furious. Shortly after breakfast, her partner-in-crime decided to take a walk to "clear his head" and forgot to tell her he was going. In fact, the only reason she knew his motives for wandering out into the city was because he briefly mentioned them to the landlord on his way out the inn's front door.

The blasted fool had slept on the floor beside the bedroom door, despite her promises she'd keep her hands to herself. Early this morning, he'd had a rather spectacular nightmare which woke her out of a pleasant dream involving tropical beaches and piles of gold. He either couldn't or wouldn't tell her what had caused him to thrash about like a man in the throes of excruciating torture, muttering in a mixture of languages. Instead, he'd grabbed his woodcarving kit and a scrap of lumber and gone down to the commons room to keep himself busy until the caravan's merchants began to rise for the morning.

Then, of course, there was that aforementioned stroll he decided to take without informing her of his intentions. She was going to have to have a serious chat with him about sticking close on strange planets, especially now. The fortuitous combination of his scattered memories, fragile ego, and brilliant mind were proving to be eminently exploitable, and Vala could ill-afford to lose him.

"I have to go find him," she declared, pushing up from the wooden table and heading toward the door.

Kien Lu caught her arm. "There's a reason visitors don't go wandering in the city, Miss... uh, Missus Vala: all the streets and houses look alike. The roads are so twisted, one could lose his way and be only steps away from his intended destination."

"All the more reason for me to find him," she retorted, trying to tug her arm free. "Let go of me, Lu."

"Please think this through rationally, Missus Vala. If you go out looking for Master Daniel, would you not also be lost? Then we would need to send two search parties, not just the one."

Angrily, she yanked her elbow out of his grasp. Taking a single faltering step toward the door, she wheeled back around and planted her hands on the tabletop. "Fine. What do we need to do? It's been almost two hours since he walked out, so he's likely half-frozen by now."

"He's a grown man," protested the innkeeper. "Would he not have sought out assistance with one of the residents?"

"Have you ever known a man to stop and ask for directions?!"

Lu waved his hand in a placating gesture. "He's very intelligent young man, Missus Vala. He would, at least, have found shelter."

Vala glared. "He might be a grown man--and a brilliant one, at that--but Daniel is very much like a child when it comes to people. He trusts far too easily."

"None who live here will mean him harm," the innkeeper promised.

"Can you say the same for the Jaffa who patrol the streets?" At the returning silence, she had her answer. "I didn't think so. So I'll ask again, what do we need to do? What do I need to do?"

The innkeeper exhaled heavily. "We need to determine how far away he might have gone, first. Does he often go wandering about?"

"He had a nightmare this morning," she began. "He's always been quiet and a little disoriented after one of those. What does it matter? If he's lost, he could be two streets over or all the way on the other side of town by now!"

The older man spread his hands. "Would he have been disoriented enough to keep wandering even after he realized he was lost or would he have stopped for help or to warm himself?"

Her preferred response, a snappy "I don't know" stopped at her lips. Daniel was supposed to be her "husband" after all, so wouldn't a wife know his habits? She paused to weigh his stubborn streak against his trusting nature and occasional use of common sense, and found the stubborn side wanting. "He'd have stopped," she answered at last. "He'd probably have met someone with strong parenting instincts and been taken in like a lost lamb."

"Gran," the innkeeper suggested after a moment.

"Gran?"

"That's what everyone calls her. She's nearly eighty thaws and the motherly sort who talks the ears off anyone sitting still long enough to listen."

"Daniel loves a good story," Vala sighed. "Where is this 'Gran'?"

"Fortunately, on this side of the main row from the entry gate," answered the landlord. "Four reds and six blues, if I remember correctly."

"Reds? Blues?"

"It's the way we indicate--" he began, but was interrupted by the sudden opening of the front door.

"Enemy Jaffa at the Ring!" the heavily bundled figure yelled.

In a surprisingly swift move, the innkeeper leapt to his feet and loosened a hanging rope from its hook. When he began hauling on the cord, she realized it was a bell-pull threaded up through the ceiling, probably leading to the roof. Within seconds, a loud clanging overwhelmed all other noises in the room, and Vala felt a brief pang of pity for the members of the caravan unloading the wagon immediately outside the building.

"We have to find Daniel!" she shouted in Lu's direction, hoping the Han agent could hear her over the racket. The front door had opened again, and the caravaneers were quickly stepping into the shelter of the inn.

"It's not safe!" the agent yelled back. "This isn't the first attack this town has been through, Miss Vala, and the people know what to do. If he's with Gran, she'll keep him inside until the crisis is over!"

"And what if he's not with Gran? I'm just supposed to hope no Jaffa mistakes him for the foreigner he is and shoots him?" The ringing began to abate as the innkeeper finished pulling the rope and tied it back to the hook on the wall. "How can I sit still and wait, Lu?"

"I'm sorry, but you don't have a choice," the landlord replied, placing a beefy hand on her shoulder. "The Jaffa at the fortress are likely on their way here by now, as are the patrols. If fighting spills into the City, it will be too dangerous to be on the streets. You must stay here."

A steel-bound plank was settled into mounts on either side of the main door and wooden frames fitted into the front windows, sealing the inn off from the outside. Vala could still have let herself out if she wanted, but her instincts told her she'd have a hard time getting back into the wayside house. As much as she wanted to make sure Daniel wasn't in danger, too many years of self-preservation could not be overcome so easily.

The first sounds of staff blasts outside reinforced her decision. Closing her eyes, she took up a silent mantra.

"Please be safe. Please be safe..."


Author's Notes:
Would anyone object too strongly if I stopped posting on the weekends, but kept adding new chapters every week day? I'm not saying I'm going to right away, but I'd be able to spend my weekends writing instead of attempting to write AND post. Just a thought.