Chapter 5
Thoroughly soaked, Karigan stepped into the warm, boisterous inn. A large and mostly intoxicated crowd was enjoying the shelter from the cold rain that had been falling in sheets for the past half hour. Few took notice of her as she removed her sodden great coat. With its oil-paper patched windows, aged stained walls, and scantly clad women, it was hardly the type of establishment that Karigan would have stepped foot in if it wasn't for the weather. Only a fool would stay out in a spring storm if there was any alternative, but it was a disappointing turn of events for her. She was enjoying sleeping under the stars this run because it cleared her mind after so much time with the king.
If she was honest with herself, the intensity of her interactions with the king had been steadily increasing since the wedding was canceled, reaching its peak last night. She knew what he ultimately wanted--a marriage. There was simply no way he would risk his position by pursuing her the way he did if he only wanted a fling or a mistress. And as much as she had enjoyed being at his side while the captain was gone, it was foolish to think that they could be together. It was an impossible notion unless some of the most influential nobles in the land suddenly decided that it was just fine and dandy for commoners and royals to mix as equals. No matter how much logical sense it made to refuse the king, the real question was becoming clear. Did she have the strength to refuse a man she had fallen in love with? It wasn't a question that Karigan could answer truthfully yet.
Karigan made her way to the bar in search of the innkeeper. She found him filling mugs from an ale barrel. He was a greasy, bald man who wore a stained apron and a toothless smile. "I need a room for the night," Karigan asked.
"Yer in luck, lass. We hav' a single left. Will ya' be wantin' a meal as well?"
Karigan was wary about the quality of the food, but her rations were running low. She had no intention of refilling her saddle bags at this inn, but she did not want to diminish her supplies any more than necessary. She ordered some of a stew simmering over the cooking fire that looked safe enough before the innkeeper led her to the room. A short trip up flight of narrow, creaking stairs and down a grimy hall ended at a solid oak door. The room itself was little more than a glorified closet, but it was cleaner than she was expecting. The floor was swept, the corners were free of cobwebs, and there was a scent of fresh straw indicating that the filling of the narrow mattress was fresh and free of vermin. A small night table held a single, nearly guttered tallow candle next to a chipped bowl and pitcher for washing.
"Three coppers for the room an' meal." Karigan nodded and handed over the coins. The innkeeper handed her an antique skeleton key that probably fit most of the locks in the building. She took note of the room number and returned to the warmth of the dining room, leaving her saddle bags under the bed but keeping her saber and long knife.
A small table reasonably close to the hearth was vacant; she settled in for the evening with a mug of bitter ale and a bowl of rabbit stew. It wasn't long before she started to relax. The rowdy group largely left her alone, and in all honesty, they were amusing to watch. Card players in one corner could barely hold their cards upright due to their state of inebriation. In another corner a group of young travelers added constant laughter to the sounds of the inn. At the center was a strange mix of men and women, young and old, engrossed in some conversation. Probably laborers looking for work. It was from this group that a troubling declaration was heard over the din, and Karigan's evening was disrupted.
"I'm telling you the Eletians are behind it." The tobacco roughened voice captured the attention of a number of patrons. Karigan quickly found the source of the voice and focused on a weathered man in worn traveler's garb. He continued, "Roaming our land, using their evil magics, attacking our people, they are responsible for it all and King Zachary is helping them."
"How do you figure that?" a young, clean cut man responded from the group of young men in the corner that Karigan notice earlier. She was glad to see someone speak out. However, the man's skepticism was a minority view in this crowd, and it wasn't a surprise. Early in her run she discovered distrust in the king was becoming a common theme among the people of Sacordia. People were frightened and didn't see their king acting to protect them. Within the walls of the castle in Sacor City, King Zachary could soothe the worries of a petitioner with well chosen words, but it was not so simple with an entire nation.
"Do you have another explanation?" the first man answered, "Besides, I heard that the Eletians offered Zachary everything if he let them have free reign. Men seek power. Why wouldn't he take them up on the offer regardless of the people?" A round of cheers greeted the statement as Karigan bit her tongue. It wouldn't due to draw attention to herself considering the road this night could take.
"Rumor and conjecture that is your evidence?" the second man shot back.
"I don't need more. Nobles are all the same, power hungry, selfish, greedy. Look at what he did to the refugees from the borderlands or the Anti-Monarchy Society."
"I don't believe that. What about you Rider? You seem to have something to say." The young man confidently addressed Karigan, who realized that she was no longer sitting and had her hand upon her saber. All eyes turned to the King's Messenger.
So much for being inconspicuous, she thought. Pausing to consider her words, she addressed the crowd, "There is a breach in the D'Yer Wall. The power of Blackveil is disrupting the balance of the land." It was a piece of information that was already known my most of the people, but Karigan figured a reminder was a good idea.
"And I bet King Zachary put it there. Him and his Eletian allies. I tell you, if Amilton was king, as he should have been, he wouldn't allow the breach to stay open." The travel worn man asserted to agreements from nearly everyone. The exception was the group of young men who had left their seat and were making their way to the center of the room.
Outraged by the man's claim, Karigan also approached the center table. She looked the man dead in the eye as he and his companions rose to meet the advancing people. "I was there during the coup. And I know for a fact that Amilton was in alliance with the rouge Eletain that broke the wall. It was also Amilton that gave the order to fire upon the Anti-Monarchy Society. And it was the former Lord-Governor D'Ivary who paid mercenaries to dress as Sacordian soldiers and commit those atrocious acts. All that you have accused King Zachary of is wrong." Karigan forced her hand away from her saber and turned on her heel before striding to the rickety stairs leading to her room. Her intent was to leave a bad situation before it could get worse. Unfortunately, that was not an option.
A strong hand grabbed her arm. She quickly found herself face to face the man who started this situation. "Of course you support him, Greenie. He pays your salary. Your words mean nothing." He released her roughly, clearly wanting Karigan to retort.
"I don't speak to boars like you for a Rider's salary." It probably wasn't best to insult the man.
"A boar, am I? Well I suppose I should act like one then," with that the man took a swing at Karigan. She avoided the hit easily and rammed her shoulder into the man's gut. Caught off guard he stumbled back, crashing into the table behind him. The man's companions quickly came to his aid and the young men from the corner quickly came to Karigan's. Any hope that the innkeeper or his staff would come to the rescue was bashed when Karigan saw them take cover under the bar. Soon fists and furniture were flying as a full tavern brawl broke out.
Oh, if my aunts could see me now, Karigan thought as she kicked a chair in path of a woman rushing towards her. The coal haired woman tripped over it and fell to the ground. She was drunk enough that the fall took her out of the fight. A loud smack behind Karigan's head distracted her from the woman on the floor. She saw the young man who allied himself with the king grinning back at her while a graying man on the floor groaned.
"Thanks," she said quickly as she realized that the young man was watching her back.
"No problem luv," he responded with a wink of a freshly bruised eye before rejoining the fight.
Surveying the unruly mass, Karigan spotted the man who threw the first punch. Saber drawn she advanced from behind as he wrestled a young blond man into a headlock. Karigan placed her saber at his scruffy throat. As she expected, it caught the man's attention. "Let go of him," she demanded and he complied, maintaining eye contact with Karigan. "Tell your friends to back off."
"Or you'll spill my blood? I don't think you could stand the sight of blood, Greenie."
"Think again. You won't be the first man I've killed," his eyes widened. Karigan shouted her bluff, attempting to be heard over the ruckus, "Throw another punch, and this man dies as a traitor to the king!" Those closest to them took notice immediately, which prompted the rest of the room to end the brawl. When all eyes rested on Karigan, she lowered her weapon. In a clear, commanding voice she addressed the room, "We were all having a pleasant evening, right? I suggest we forget our little argument and get back to enjoying the night." Murmured agreements met her announcement.
Chairs and tables were righted as everyone took their original spots. Karigan sheathed her sword and headed for the stairs. A pale woman in little more than a corset stopped her, "That was one of the shortest brawls I've seen around here. Good job, Greenie." She then turned and left in search the crowd for lonely men.
"She's right. You handled yourself well," Karigan recognized the voice of the young man who had helped her during the fight. Closing her eyes in exasperation, she took a deep breath and turned to address the man who introduced himself. "Name's Delano. And you are?"
"Rider G'ladheon," she appraised the man in front of her. He was tall and rather handsome. He didn't look any older than Karigan, but he already had laugh lines around dark blue eyes. Well, around his left eye anyway. The eye he winked at her with was swelling and starting to turn purple. Someone knew how to throw a punch.
"Well Rider G'ladheon, why don't you join us? You said that you were at the castle during the coup. My friends and I would love to hear the story."
"I have no doubt. Thanks for the offer and for standing up for the king and for helping during the fight. Unfortunately that room isn't exactly friendly to Riders right now," the man gave a half grin and looked as though he was going to argue. Karigan cut him off, "And I should get an early start tomorrow. My mission is urgent."
"Of course," there was a disappointed glint in his eyes, but he seemed to accept her refusal.
"Get something cold on that eye. You won't be able to see out of it for awhile." Karigan left him at the foot of the stairs and went to her room. Quickly sliding into her night clothes, she settled into bed. The sooner she was on the road in the morning the better.
As the rosy glow of dawn turned to a clear blue, Karigan left the inn where she decided to board Condor for a few days. She set out on foot along dirty and uneven roads. Callah wasn't as prosperous as many of the cities along Ullem Bay since it was further than was ideal for trade in the region. Due to tight city funds only the most essential roads were kept fully maintained and even the grandest buildings needed a fresh coat of paint. Law enforcement was minimal, which meant the waterfront of Callah was the roughest in the bay. Nonetheless, Karigan was headed to the docks.
The noise of gull cries and the smell of salt water increased in intensity as she approached the docks. When she turned a corner and passed a small Chapel of the Moon, the harbor came into view. A left turn away from the tall masted, ocean going vessels brought her to a collection of smaller ships that primarily made up the seaside market. She bypassed vendors selling cheap textiles and baubles, continued past stands of fresh fruits and vegetables, until she reached a fleet of assorted fishing vessels. Fishermen had already unloaded their catches and had various sea creatures displayed for sale. Sun glistened off the skin of gutted fish and the fleshy bodies of fresh squid. Vendors were trying to make a sale to anyone who passed their booths.
Karigan ignored it all, looking at the markings on the vessels in search of a particular set. The markings identified where the ships originated from and, if it applied, clan ownership. Black Island's mark was a silhouette of a sparrow gull, a small bird found only on the island, and a ship at full sail was Clan G'ladheon's emblem. As it turned out she didn't need to search long, her uncle's very animated gestures drew a great deal of attention even in the large crowd.
Uncle Gabran's voice boomed out his sales pitches, trying to attract the attention of any passerby. He was a tall, broad man with prominent streaks of gray in hair that was bound at the base of his neck. His figure was imposing, but he had a jovial face. It was deeply tanned with deep dimples in the cheeks, crows feet surrounding the eyes that spoke of much mirth and the glare of the sea.
Grinning, Karigan approached his booth unnoticed, "Your fish must be rotten. The stench reached Sacor City."
He turned in surprise and enveloped her in a big bear hug, lifting her off the ground. "Kari, I didn't know you were coming to Callah! And I would have thought that Stevic had taught you not to insult a man's fish." Gabran turned towards the ship behind him. "Father, get out here, there's someone to see."
A white-bearded man emerged from the hull of the ship. He was in his mid-sixties and had deeply creased skin, but his back was straight and his eyes bright. Karigan hugged her grandfather tightly. "Kari, well this is a surprise. Are you here for a visit then?"
"I'm on official buisness, I'm afraid. But since the island is a part of the mission, I can still visit for a few days, if I'm welcome?"
"Of course you're welcome, but why is a far flung island part of your mission?" Gabran asked.
"Looking for an artifact."
"Really? Well, you can tell us all about it at supper with the family. We'll be done here by noon, and then we'll be heading home." Gabran said. Karigan happily joined them for the rest of the morning. When most of the fish had been sold and the other fishermen were packing up for the day, the G'ladheons boarded their fishing vessel.
The trip to Black Island took a good two hours from Callah on a fair wind, but Karigan was happy for it. It had been so long since she had been on a ship of any kind that she realized how much she missed it. Sprays of salt water swept her face and the wind whipped her hair into a mess of tangles. A small dark dot of land could be in seen in the distance. It wouldn't be long before she was enjoying a hearty meal and dodging questions about her mission and her marriage prospects.