Meanwhile back in the common room the men had taken the table closest
to the fire and had draped their clocks across the back of the chairs. They
sat conversing in low tones until the innkeeper brought out two steaming
bowls of soup. Both men looked at the soup and called for ale, and then
with a grimace they started the soup which surprisingly wasn't as bad as it
looked. The innkeeper sat in the corner rubbing his hands and greedily
counting the money he had earned and if his plan went right, would earn
very shortly. "No one crossed Mulster Ducly and got away with it, no
sirrie, no one."
The two men's conversation was cut short and the innkeeper let out a little shriek when the door opened with a bang and all that could be seen was a shadowed figure standing in the doorway. Then the figure moved into the flickering light and all three men let out the breaths they had been holding, it was just the boy forgotten in the lure of a hot meal. The two men at the table took their hands off their sword's pommels and rested their arms on the table again. "Mister, ye horses are all taken care of, bedded down for the night and feed with the best we have to offer em'."
"Thank you lad, here's the sickle I promised you." The taller man said.
"No, thank you Master Buck." The boy said with a bow
"Whoa, boy.first of all I'm not a master, and second where did you learn me name?" he said with a serious look upon his face.
"Begging your pardon master, I mean Buck but the other fellow he called you Buck before when, well you know." The boy said sheepishly
"That he did, that he did," the man said with a grin "Tell me boy, what's your name and how did a smart lad like you end up in a dump like this?"
"My name is JD, sir and my mama; well she used to be a chambermaid here back when Mulster's father earned the inn. She used to talk about the good old days..but I'm getting off the subject. Anyways nigh two yrs ago this harvest she got sick suddenly and seeing that we have no doctor, well she faded fast sir." JD finished while wiping a tear away from his eye.
"I'm sorry for your loss son; she sounds as though she was a special woman." Buck intoned
"Err, that's enough of that gossiping!" Mulster sprang in suddenly "Take these two fellows up and show them their room boy. I'm expecting visitors later on and I want to be able to clean up a little."
JD turned pale, but he slowly nodded and said "Yes, Master Ducly, right away."
Turning to the two men who were already on their feet he led them up a pair of rickety, rotting stairs and down a long, narrow hallway to a room at the end of the hallway. Opening the door he let them in and then retraced his steps to the beginning of the hall where he opened the linen closet. He shook the sheets briskly to scatter the dust that had settled upon them and then walked down and knocked on the now closed door. The door opened to admit the taller of the two men, the one who had stood up for him, JD thought his heart filling with shame at what he knew would happen to these two men.
The man took the sheets from him, and thanked him and then withdrew further into the room, leaving the door wide open. JD took this time to look at them men and think. The taller of the two men had dark, brown wavy hair and a bushy mustache on his face. He was tall, at least taller then any man JD had ever seen before and he was almost intimidating until he smiled at you. He had a full grin, with white, shiny teeth, a rare sight in this town where no dentist earned his living. But it was his eyes that captured JD's attention, a dark brown that seemed to twinkle with life except when he was angry of course. The shorter man seemed to be the exact opposite of this filled with life man and JD found himself wondering why the two were traveling together. No smile graced this man's face and his eyes resembled two dark green coals. No warmth graced them and the thought of having that icy glare directed at him made JD shiver. His blond hair was clipped so that it clung to his head and enhanced his menacing face. It seemed to only enforce that this was not a man to be messed with if you valued your life. And yet his face was weary and behind that icy composure seemed enormous loss. As if you had lived a dream and then woken up with the horror that everything you loved was gone and you were left floundering in a sea of loneliness and bitterness.
Shaking his head from his musing he studied their weapons and clothing with a renewed interest. They wore plain traveling cloaks made of what to them was normal material. But to JD they had to be rich because he had never in his life seen such cloth. Not to mention the silver he had seen on their horses close up. Both carried long broadswords and several daggers could be seen tucked into belts and boots. They looked and walked like fighting men, but would it be enough? Could these men fight off thirty other men with clubs? Suddenly a loud voice shook JD from his thoughts.
"Hey Kid, ye gotta be cold standing out in that drafty hallway, come here and I'll se if I can dig up one of me old clocks for ye to wear." Buck boomed cheerfully. He had been watching the boy out of the corner of his eye and knew that something was up by the way the boy was examining them so closely.
For JD this was the final kicker, in all his nineteen years no one besides his mother had ever cared enough to give a damn whether he was hungry, or tired, or cold. From the moment he was born he was forced to fight for everything, and after his mother died it had only gotten worse. This small act of kindness made JD's choice for him.
"Sir, I mean Buck.if I may have a word with you?" He asked in a rush
"Whoa, slow down kid, here come inside and tell me what's eating you." And with that said he hurried the boy in and sat him down on the only chair available in the room.
Now another boy in JD's case might have been scared what with being in a cramped room with two men both bigger then him and one who looked like he had eaten something sour for breakfast. And another boy might have tried to show them he was a tough lad by standing up and speaking to them directly. But JD was neither of these so he sat in the chair and hurriedly related his tale to the two men. Now any other men then these two might have packed up and ran after hearing that Ducly also dabbled in the slave market on the side; and that sometime tonight the two would be dragged from their beds by thirty men, put in chains and put on a boat to places unknown to the boy. Places that had names like rock island and Beelzebub's caves. Places the two men had heard of in dark, smoky taverns whispered by old pirates, places they thought were just the old pirate's age and imagination finally catching up to them. But these two men weren't just any regular two men, so after sharing their last flask of ale between the two of them they sat down to discuss what they would do.
"I ain't ever been one to run from a fight" Buck started off "Hell, neither have you. But you gotta remember we got things to do, people to see, places to go, women to bed." He said with a grin.
"I mean, the odds aren't looking good here.thirty to two?" He said to the still silent man
"Three!" JD broke in and exclaimed, which only earned him a dirty look from Buck
"Seriously Chris, you aren't honestly thinking.." Buck trailed off when Chris turned to face him with a determined look on his face.
"Buck, I am Sir Christo of Lunder, a Knight of the Order of King Orin, I bow to none but my King and I do not run from fights and you had best remember that!" He said his green eyes blazing with a renewed light.
"Hellfire and brimstone!" Buck roared "well, kid you better go get your kitchen knives sharpened, because I smell trouble and I hate trouble!" With a smile on his face he turned his back to Chris and began rummaging through his bags pulling out more knives and finally a crossbow while thinking to himself : "You old war dog, if it takes a outnumbered fight to put some spirit back in ya, well then by all the Gods above bring it on!"
He started handing the weapons out and then with a grin and a sparkle in his eyes he turned to Chris and asked
"So what's the plan here?"
The two men's conversation was cut short and the innkeeper let out a little shriek when the door opened with a bang and all that could be seen was a shadowed figure standing in the doorway. Then the figure moved into the flickering light and all three men let out the breaths they had been holding, it was just the boy forgotten in the lure of a hot meal. The two men at the table took their hands off their sword's pommels and rested their arms on the table again. "Mister, ye horses are all taken care of, bedded down for the night and feed with the best we have to offer em'."
"Thank you lad, here's the sickle I promised you." The taller man said.
"No, thank you Master Buck." The boy said with a bow
"Whoa, boy.first of all I'm not a master, and second where did you learn me name?" he said with a serious look upon his face.
"Begging your pardon master, I mean Buck but the other fellow he called you Buck before when, well you know." The boy said sheepishly
"That he did, that he did," the man said with a grin "Tell me boy, what's your name and how did a smart lad like you end up in a dump like this?"
"My name is JD, sir and my mama; well she used to be a chambermaid here back when Mulster's father earned the inn. She used to talk about the good old days..but I'm getting off the subject. Anyways nigh two yrs ago this harvest she got sick suddenly and seeing that we have no doctor, well she faded fast sir." JD finished while wiping a tear away from his eye.
"I'm sorry for your loss son; she sounds as though she was a special woman." Buck intoned
"Err, that's enough of that gossiping!" Mulster sprang in suddenly "Take these two fellows up and show them their room boy. I'm expecting visitors later on and I want to be able to clean up a little."
JD turned pale, but he slowly nodded and said "Yes, Master Ducly, right away."
Turning to the two men who were already on their feet he led them up a pair of rickety, rotting stairs and down a long, narrow hallway to a room at the end of the hallway. Opening the door he let them in and then retraced his steps to the beginning of the hall where he opened the linen closet. He shook the sheets briskly to scatter the dust that had settled upon them and then walked down and knocked on the now closed door. The door opened to admit the taller of the two men, the one who had stood up for him, JD thought his heart filling with shame at what he knew would happen to these two men.
The man took the sheets from him, and thanked him and then withdrew further into the room, leaving the door wide open. JD took this time to look at them men and think. The taller of the two men had dark, brown wavy hair and a bushy mustache on his face. He was tall, at least taller then any man JD had ever seen before and he was almost intimidating until he smiled at you. He had a full grin, with white, shiny teeth, a rare sight in this town where no dentist earned his living. But it was his eyes that captured JD's attention, a dark brown that seemed to twinkle with life except when he was angry of course. The shorter man seemed to be the exact opposite of this filled with life man and JD found himself wondering why the two were traveling together. No smile graced this man's face and his eyes resembled two dark green coals. No warmth graced them and the thought of having that icy glare directed at him made JD shiver. His blond hair was clipped so that it clung to his head and enhanced his menacing face. It seemed to only enforce that this was not a man to be messed with if you valued your life. And yet his face was weary and behind that icy composure seemed enormous loss. As if you had lived a dream and then woken up with the horror that everything you loved was gone and you were left floundering in a sea of loneliness and bitterness.
Shaking his head from his musing he studied their weapons and clothing with a renewed interest. They wore plain traveling cloaks made of what to them was normal material. But to JD they had to be rich because he had never in his life seen such cloth. Not to mention the silver he had seen on their horses close up. Both carried long broadswords and several daggers could be seen tucked into belts and boots. They looked and walked like fighting men, but would it be enough? Could these men fight off thirty other men with clubs? Suddenly a loud voice shook JD from his thoughts.
"Hey Kid, ye gotta be cold standing out in that drafty hallway, come here and I'll se if I can dig up one of me old clocks for ye to wear." Buck boomed cheerfully. He had been watching the boy out of the corner of his eye and knew that something was up by the way the boy was examining them so closely.
For JD this was the final kicker, in all his nineteen years no one besides his mother had ever cared enough to give a damn whether he was hungry, or tired, or cold. From the moment he was born he was forced to fight for everything, and after his mother died it had only gotten worse. This small act of kindness made JD's choice for him.
"Sir, I mean Buck.if I may have a word with you?" He asked in a rush
"Whoa, slow down kid, here come inside and tell me what's eating you." And with that said he hurried the boy in and sat him down on the only chair available in the room.
Now another boy in JD's case might have been scared what with being in a cramped room with two men both bigger then him and one who looked like he had eaten something sour for breakfast. And another boy might have tried to show them he was a tough lad by standing up and speaking to them directly. But JD was neither of these so he sat in the chair and hurriedly related his tale to the two men. Now any other men then these two might have packed up and ran after hearing that Ducly also dabbled in the slave market on the side; and that sometime tonight the two would be dragged from their beds by thirty men, put in chains and put on a boat to places unknown to the boy. Places that had names like rock island and Beelzebub's caves. Places the two men had heard of in dark, smoky taverns whispered by old pirates, places they thought were just the old pirate's age and imagination finally catching up to them. But these two men weren't just any regular two men, so after sharing their last flask of ale between the two of them they sat down to discuss what they would do.
"I ain't ever been one to run from a fight" Buck started off "Hell, neither have you. But you gotta remember we got things to do, people to see, places to go, women to bed." He said with a grin.
"I mean, the odds aren't looking good here.thirty to two?" He said to the still silent man
"Three!" JD broke in and exclaimed, which only earned him a dirty look from Buck
"Seriously Chris, you aren't honestly thinking.." Buck trailed off when Chris turned to face him with a determined look on his face.
"Buck, I am Sir Christo of Lunder, a Knight of the Order of King Orin, I bow to none but my King and I do not run from fights and you had best remember that!" He said his green eyes blazing with a renewed light.
"Hellfire and brimstone!" Buck roared "well, kid you better go get your kitchen knives sharpened, because I smell trouble and I hate trouble!" With a smile on his face he turned his back to Chris and began rummaging through his bags pulling out more knives and finally a crossbow while thinking to himself : "You old war dog, if it takes a outnumbered fight to put some spirit back in ya, well then by all the Gods above bring it on!"
He started handing the weapons out and then with a grin and a sparkle in his eyes he turned to Chris and asked
"So what's the plan here?"