"There it is!" Asher shouted to his family, having rode ahead to the top of a hill. Down below him was the settlement of Callow. A large settlement of a few hundred inhabitants was the only apparent sign of life in the north country. By the time Connor and the rest caught up, he could make out a protective wall of snow and ice around the outside, probably to help break up the wind and keep wandering bears out. They had seen a white bear the day before, and while it was a strange animal to Connor, he knew better than to set up camp anywhere near bruin activity.
Riding down the hill and toward the town, they all looked up one by one at the large archway marking the city limits. It read, "Welcome to Callow." Connor didn't know what to expect when starting the journey back in the spring, but he was now pleasantly surprised to see that the town was bustling with activity. Mines littered the area and horse teams with lumber in tow were moving along the roadway. Being late summer, there wasn't any snow on the ground. In fact, the ground looked like a grassland, just colder. Down toward the river there were stands of trees stretching out into the distance. They had crossed the river that morning on a stone bridge, no doubt a recent structure made by men.
Shadow spied her first group of snow wolves coming out of one of the structures, most likely a trading post. They were tall and muscular, even the females. The cold climate surely played a hand in making these keidran some of the toughest around. She had seen snow wolves back east, but they had all been in the area for generations and took on a similar form to their southern counterparts, white fur notwithstanding. Shadow did feel out of place though as all eyes seemed to be on her. A bit uneasy, Shadow rode up to Connor's side.
"Is it just me or is everyone staring?"
Connor took a moment to glance around. "Nope, not just you. Best stay close until we can find a place to settle in. Keep between Liz and myself and I'll have Asher stick with you."
Connor then rode up to Asher and had him fall back. If there was any trouble, the teen wanted to be the first one to meet it just in case. That and he knew that if it came to it, Shadow could take Liz and Asher then flee. Thankfully, while people seemed interested no one tried to make a move. After passing, townsfolk went back to their tasks one by one. A block later there were a couple of guards to meet their guests.
"Welcome to Callow." One said while gripping the hilt of his sheathed sword, "what business do you have in my town?"
Connor stopped and motioned for the rest of the family to do the same. Zephyr landed on the back of Liz's saddle, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Connor thought for a second, knowing he best choose his words carefully.
"Good afternoon, sir! My name is Connor, and these people here are my family and friends. My sister and I were farmers back east, but the farm closed up and we came here seeking a fresh start."
It was more or less true, but he didn't want to tell two random guards about his previous adventures, or the possibility that he was still a wanted man. Thankfully, it seemed the guards were won over by this story because they relaxed their posture, with the older one extending a hand.
"Well, our Lord certainly welcomes hard workers to his settlement. My name is Gerrick, captain of the town guard."
Connor took the man's hand for a firm shake, then Gerrick stepped back and gestured for the other, much younger, guard to step to his side.
"And Sam here is my son and lieutenant."
"Pleasure to meet you both." Connor replied, shaking Sam's hand as well. "We were hoping to find a place to stay for a few nights while Shadow, my sister Liz, and myself find work."
"Oh, there is an inn on the other side of the village. Anna Marie should have a place big enough for you all. And, say, who is this young lad? I've never seen a brown one before."
Connor looked back to Asher, who had parked his horse right next to Shadow like he was instructed to.
"Oh yes, captain, this is Asher. He is an Eastern Basitin that we picked up some months ago. Long story, but he had nowhere else to go so I was going to see if the white basitin that live around here would take him in."
"We do see the occasional basitin, but I should tell you that they are all very secretive about the whereabouts of their village. It seems that they've got longstanding relations with the wolves, but this settlement is too new."
"Well sir, I'll just have to take things one step at a time. You said we should go to the inn on the other side of town?"
"Yes Connor, Anna Marie is woman you're looking for."
"I thank you kindly sir, but we should head there now. The we're quite tired after our journey."
"Then it is goodbye for now, young man. If you have any questions or need anything from the guard, you can find our office outside the main hall."
With a nod of his head, Connor motioned for everyone else to follow him. One by one each passed the two guards who went back to their business. However, Liz caught Sam's eye as she rode past. The teenager was struck by the girl's beauty, a rare figure in the harsh lands of the north. Liz didn't seem to notice him, but Sam couldn't help but stare as she rode down the street.
"That one got your eye, eh son?" Gerrick said from behind, startling Sam.
"Ah! Geez dad… I mean sir… you startled me!"
"Best focus on our job son, maybe you can find her after your shift. I'd be careful though; did you catch the sword her brother was wearing?"
"No, I didn't…"
"Better try to make friends with him if you're going to keep eyeing his kin. Now, let's go."
The father and son went back to making their rounds, not noticing that Liz turned around to glance Sam as he turned to follow his father. She'd never noticed a boy looking at her like that before. The horse snorting brought her back to attention though and she was quick to catch up to Connor and the others.
"Did you see that, Zephyr?"
"Yeah, that one seemed 'cute'. Is that how you humans choose a mate?"
"Woah, Zephyr! Well… I guess that can happen, sometimes, but it's going to take more than some gawking to get a date out of me."
The inn came into view after a few blocks, complete with stables in the back and a large tavern at the front. It would make a great stepping stone until more permanent quarters could be found. Riding around back to the stables, Connor climbed down from the saddle and was quick to grab the reins of both his horse and Asher's. Shadow did the same, grabbing Liz's horse in the process.
"Alright," Connor said, "Liz and Asher, you two watch the horses for a minute while Shadow and I check it out."
"What about me?" Zephyr asked as she flew from Liz's saddle to Connor's mare, landing gently on the animal's rump.
"You stay with Liz and Asher too. Go high up and be our eye in the sky." The teen replied mentally.
The dragon nodded her head in understanding. Connor then removed his sword and handed it to Liz.
"Aw, why don't I get to hold the sword?" Asher whined.
"Because Liz is big enough to actually use if it needed." Connor replied, winking at his sister. "Besides, the last time I let you watch over my father's sword, you nearly lost it in the river."
Asher looked down, embarrassed that a basitin of all things would be so careless. Connor just ruffled the kid's hair though. "Hey, we'll get you a proper sword soon enough. Now stay with your sister and help watch over the horses."
"Yes sir…"
"Good kid. Okay, see you three in a few minutes."
With a nod from Shadow, both left the stables and made their way toward the inn. Crossing the threshold of the main entrance, the two were cloaked in dim light provided by small windows. The walls were thick, no doubt to keep out the winter cold. A hallway led in one direction, while an opening to the tavern led in the other. In the middle was a plain staircase to the upper level, where no doubt the innkeeper lived, and more rooms were available. Deciding the owner must be in the bar, Connor and Shadow took a left and went into the large room. Standing on the other side of the counter, cleaning glasses and getting ready for the evening rush, was a lone barmaid.
While she had a stout figure, there was no doubt that she was strong, a product of living in such a harsh place. Whild red hair glistened in the dim light, tied back with a ribbon. A white apron was tied tightly against her figure, stained with food, soap, sweat, beer, and whatever else she had encountered that day. Taking notice of her two new customers, her face perked up and gave a warm smile.
"And what can I get for you two youngin's today?"
Connor cleared his throat quietly before speaking. "Good morning, ma'am. I was told I could find Anna Marie here?"
"Well son, you're talking to her! Must be new into town if we haven't been acquainted yet."
"Ah yes, we just rode in today. My name is Connor, and this here is Shadow. My broth and sister are outside with the horses. To make a long story short, we're hoping you'd have a room we could rent for a while until we can find more permanent housing before winter."
"I sure do!" Anna said. "Ya'll are lucky to be here at the end of summer. Most travelers have left before the first snow."
"Lucky indeed ma'am. What would you require in payment for, say, a week?"
"Oh, I'll give ya'll the weekly rate for this time of year. Two silver pennies a day. I'll even knock some off if a strapping lad like yourself could help me fix some things before winter."
"It would be my pleasure. I'm sure there is a lot to do before winter arrives."
"Certainly son. I'm sure your kin and keidran are tired from travel'n so go ahead and take room number five at the end. Plenty of space for ya'll to spread out in and a couple large beds." Anna Marie then produced a black skeleton key from under the counter. "Once ya get yer kin settled in and are ready for a meal, come on back to the tavern and we'll settle payment.
With a room secured at least for a few days, Connor gave a nod to Shadow, "Thank you kindly Ms. Anna."
Walking down the hall, the two came upon room number five. Connor inserted the key and turned the lock, allowing the wooden door to open with a small creak and groan. The room was plain, but adequate. Just as Anna Marie had described, there were two large beds on one side of a fireplace. On the other side against the outer wall was a big table with four chairs. Trunks at the foot of each bed were there for personal belongings. Near the entrance to the room was another door which led to the latrine.
"Yeah, this will do." Shadow said, satisfied it wasn't some dump like the backroad inns and taverns she was used to.
Outside, Asher was helping put away the horse tack as best as his little body would allow. The saddles almost weighed as much as him so he could only gather the lighter accessories and empty saddlebags. Liz had made a small pile of their things on a bench in the stable before leading each mare into a large stall. It must have seen a lot more use during the summer, but now it was empty, save for a couple of horses that either belonged to another traveler or the innkeeper.
"Hey Liz?"
"Yeah buddy?"
"You worked at an inn before, right? Do you think you could work at this one?"
"Well, I could, but it's not exactly a job I loved. Certainly doesn't pay enough to support a family."
"Connor will get a job though, so maybe you won't have to support all of us by yourself."
"That's true, but until Connor has a job there's no telling how much money he'll be able to bring. And you're going to need new clothes before winter." Liz explained while giving Asher a light boop on the nose with her finger.
Asher thought about that. She had a point, normally basitin would have a lot of their materials provided by the military but two humans and a keidran had to support him. Another idea came into his young mind that might be better. "You could be a teacher! After all, you and Connor taught me how to speak human!"
"And you speak it very well, but no doubt they have teachers up here."
"Ooh, what about—"
Liz ruffled Asher's hair before he could finish. "You don't worry about work, alright? Besides, you and Connor need to find these northern basitin."
"Here they come!" Zephyr called out as she swooped down from the roof and into the stables. Behind her followed Connor and Shadow.
"Well, Connor? Do we have a room?"
"Yep! For a week at least. That should buy us some time until we can find work. Now, let's get settled in, shall we?"
No sooner had their supplies been loaded into the room that Liz collapsed on the bed and fell asleep within moments. Asher did the same in the other bed with Zephyr opting to take a nap of her own on the window sill. That just left Shadow and Connor.
"Not tired, Shadow?"
"Nope, not for another hour or two. You?"
"No way am I going to be able to sleep until I've at least looked for a job."
"Sounds like a good place to start then. Got any ideas?"
"I say let's go the main hall like Gerrick suggested. Perhaps we can get a tour of the town and I can make note of employers."
"Let's do it, show us the way."
Slipping out the room, Connor didn't bother to lock the door. Instead he gently placed the key on the night stand between the two beds. While putting on his jumper. Shadow did the same. Even in the warmer months, this place wasn't all that warm. Certainly nothing like the southern coast. It was increasingly apparent that winters here were harsh. But how did the town survive? The buildings seemed to have thicker walls, but that could only help so much.
Roving through the town, it was nice to feel the crisp air. At the moment everything on the landscape was green while in the far distance brown hills rolled off into distant mountain ranges on both sides. Snow could be seen in places, though by this time of the season it wasn't a continuous blanket. Still, the permafrost kept snow all year wherever it could find a bit of shade. Eventually, the pair found the great hall. The town's meeting place and seat of power for the Jarl of Callow.
Rising higher than the other structures in the village, the hall resembled a great lodge. A slopping roof came down to the ground on each side of the building, the cavities making for great storage spaces. The high wooden walls on each end rose to an apex that was topped with a large caribou skull. Carved into the wood was an intricate display of what could only have been ancient history. Bears, caribou, moose, deer, men, and snow wolves were shown in a number of panels. As the two marveled at the architecture a familiar voice called out behind them.
"Ah, Connor! There you are."
The teen turned around to see Gerrick briskly walking up to shake his hand, Sam in tow.
"Glad to meet you again sir!" Connor said as he extended his hand to meet Gerrick's. "And you of course remember Shadow here."
"Yes, yes. How are you handling the cold, dear? We don't see many felines this far north."
"Oh, I'll be alright, sir." Shadow replied.
"I suppose you are here for a tour of Callow. Sam here will be happy to show you two around."
Sam then stepped up and shook Connor's hand. "Will it be you and your keidran?" He asked, trying not to give away his curiosity about Liz.
"Yes, the others were tired from such a long journey."
"I see." Sam said with some disappointment in his voice. "But I'm still happy to show you around if you like."
"That would be great, Sam.," said Shadow.
Walking about town once again, the trio made their way to the outer wall where guards patrolled. Climbing the stairs, they all came to a stop at a deck which looked out both to the outside and the inside. Connor was briefly reminded of the adrakist fortress. One building in particular felt a lot like the one he got blown off of after his lucky shot. Shadow gently gripped his hand though and brough the teen back to reality.
"So, this is pretty much the entire town. Off to the East are those mountains you both crossed to get here, but to the west and across the river is where most of the snow wolves' dwell. We have a trade relationship with them that's proven to be mutually beneficial over the decades since Callow was founded." Sam explained while pointing at the landmarks that could be seen from the wall. He failed to mention a third, lower set of hills or mountains to the North that Shadow was curious about."
"Sam, what about those hills over there? They look like another mountain range."
"Oh yeah. They aren't mountains, just a line of big hills. The tallest one is called Ditter's Ridge. On the other side of it is Widow Lake. People have been looking for minerals out there for decades without success, not even the snow wolves want to claim it."
Connor was focused on something else though. He looked down and could see plenty of keidran and humans, but no basitin.
"So where do the Northern Basitin live?" Connor asked.
"Yes, well… to be honest, we don't know exactly where they reside. They're a rather insular species, I guess. You'll find one or two coming through here to trade and gather news about the world. They don't stay for long though."
Moving through the town, Sam pointed out all kinds of merchants, shops, and artisans. It was readily apparent that the whole village relied on trade and the sale of raw materials like wood and iron. Sam mentioned at one point that all the materials were shipped down the Widow River to the sea where a harbor town loaded everything on ocean-going ships.
"But that's only in the summer. In the winter, we are pretty much on our own. The passes snow over, and the rivers freeze solid."
"So, why put a town here? Seems like it would make more sense to be near the coast." Shadow questioned.
"Aye, that's true. But this is where the trading post was set up, and believe me, the snow wolves do not want us to spread out more. Our Lord has managed to negotiate many treaties and that's what lets us scratch out a living here in Callow."
"Hmm." Connor pondered, "so if I'm looking for work, where do you recommend?"
"I guess that depends on what you can do?"
Connor thought back to all the things he had done in his short life so far, and not a lot of it was all that useful.
"Well, I can farm. But there's not a lot of that around here, is there?"
Sam shook his head. Yeah, the tundra isn't exactly productive.
"I'll never go to sea again, so that's out. But I guess I can chop down trees."
"You could certainly chop firewood through the winter." Sam added, "but it really doesn't pay much. We could always use more muscle for the guard."
"I don't know, I'm not much of a—" But Shadow was quick to cut Connor off.
"He can fight, Sam. He's not experienced, but he managed to get us all across the continent."
"Why don't you talk to my father about it?"
"I don't know. How much does it pay?"
"An awful lot more than chopping wood, I can tell you that much." The guard said with a confident smile.
"Well, I guess I'll sleep on it then." Connor concluded.
"Anyways I guess that pretty much wraps up a tour of the town. Anna's Inn is just down that street."
"Thank you, Sam." Shadow replied.
"Any time! Now, there's going to be a meeting tonight in the great hall. You'll be able to see the Jarl then. Good luck with the job hunt!" He said while walking away. "Tell your sister I said hello!"
"Thanks, I will." Connor said, puzzled.
"I think that one likes Liz." Shadow observed.
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah, didn't you notice how he was looking at her when we rode in?"
"No! He was looking at her, how, exactly?"
"He was looking at her like a boy in love. You've had the same look for Eira."
"I… well, I guess she's not a little kid anymore. But mark my words Shadow, I've got my eye on him. If he tries anything I'll- "
"You know you're overprotective, right?"
"Would you rather I be under… protective?"
"Well, no, but there's a bit of a gap between not caring at all and threatening a teenager for being attracted to a woman."
"One, Liz is not a woman yet. Two, I'm a teenager… as are you, technically. And three—"
"And three, you're just a wee bit over protective." Shadow finished before grabbing his hand, "but I didn't say it was a bad thing. Just don't go overboard, okay?"
Connor sighed, letting his defensiveness go. "You're right… I just don't want to lose her again."
"And you won't, but Liz is far from being some weak little flower. After all, she rode with us all the way across Mekkan. Now, let's get back to the Inn. All that riding has finally caught up with me." Shadow then pulled Connor behind her to lead him back. He was caught off-guard by the gesture and quickly caught up.
"You know, you've been doing that more and more."
"Doing what?"
"Leading me away like I'm your kid or something."
"Oh… Sorry, I guess I didn't notice. Guess it's a force of habit from getting older."
"Getting… older?"
"Yeah, do the math Connor. I'll be ten in a couple of months. Technically, that makes me older than you."
Connor stopped to think. He could do math, but the notion felt… odd. Shadow was quick to grab his hand again and lead him onward.
"Hey, you're doing it again…"
"Oops, sorry." Shadow quickly let go.
"Okay, now seriously Shadow. So let me get this straight, in a couple of months, you'll be older than me?"
"Come on Connor, we talk about that later. Besides, you know how keidran age. It won't be that weird, I'll just be like an older sister… then an aunt… then a grandmother… okay, yeah, that does sound kind of weird now that I say it out loud."
"I'll just settle for sister, or good friend, if you don't mind." Connor said.
"Alright, fair enough. Don't worry though, I'm not going to smother you all like you do Asher."
"That's because Asher is a little kid."
"He's a basitin Connor, if he were back home he'd already be in the military and fighting."
"Well, not quite. Asher described the first few years of service as being more like school. He wouldn't even see a battle field until he was 12. Still too young if you ask me."
At this point the pair had walked inside and were standing at the room. Connor slowly opened the door and walked in with Shadow close behind. Both Asher and Liz were still asleep in the beds while Zephyr hadn't moved from her perch on the window sill.
"So how long until sundown?" Shadow whispered.
"This time of year? Seven or eight hours I guess."
"Good, I'll wake us up before the meeting."
Shadow then slipped into Liz's bed and curled up with her back to the teenage girl. Connor followed suit and did the same with Asher, though naturally Asher moved to be closer. The travels across the mountains and the continent seemed to hit Connor like a wall. Laying back with Asher against his side, Connor reflected once again. Six months ago, he never would have imagined they'd all be staying at an inn on the other side of the continent. He could scarcely imagine being home. But that home was gone forever, and it was time to look to the future.
His eyes then wandered to a glint of steel in the corner. The sun shone through the curtain and a ray of light reflected off of the cold steel that was his father's blade. It certainly wouldn't be a bad thing to learn how to fight properly, and if the pay was good then becoming a guardsman might indeed be a good idea. But that could wait until later, for now the teen was content to just enjoy what he had.