Ru Emerson: Keep on the Borderlands

She’d picked up a dozen or more odd rumors here and there.Someone had said there were lizardmen out in the wetlands east of the Keep, and another supposedly had proof of magic armor in a cave-which was of coursedistant enough that its exact location was hidden. Others spoke of an enchanted mountain cat living deep in the woods and of a frail-looking hermit who turned men into logs. Two different girls told her about a maiden held by men who’dkilled her family, leaving no one to ransom her, but Eddis had heard a similar tale back in her own village. There seemed to be endless speculation about the bandits, outrage over the merchant’s wife, and plenty of new tales about theattack on Jerdren’s party this morning. She’d heard that three of the banditshad since been seen here in the Keep, disguised as peddlers, and that a small invading party had tried to scale the western wall of the inner bailey and would have succeeded except for the racket they’d made falling into the terracedgarden beds.

There’d been a long hour then, while the guard captainlistened to her story about the battle on the road and got her to identify the two dead men. The third had vanished, only a thin trail of blood to show which way he’d gone. Fortunately, they’d already talked to her clients and seemedwilling to accept what she said as truth.

The aroma of fresh loaves brought her back to the moment, and now she could see M’Whan threading his way between tables, coming her direction.Off to her right, the taverner’s wife was stoking a fire in the massivefireplace and two servants were moving around lighting candles and lanterns. Three half-grown boys came from the direction of the outside kitchens bearing steaming pots of stew. Serving girls followed with covered baskets of bread, and behind his long counter, the taverner turned up his lanterns and began setting out fresh cups and pitchers. Eddis drew a deep breath, sighed happily, and followed M’Whan across the room.

They’d shoved two small tables together in front of a cornerbench built into the southeast wall. Blorys watched as Jerdren spread out a map, securing corners with filled wine cups and two fat candles. Light from these fluttered and cast odd shadows as Eddis took a stool. M’Baddah settled down nextto her and passed her a cup.

If Jerdren had been excited earlier in the day, he was almost vibrating with energy now. But he merely glanced up and smiled a welcome before returning to his map. It was upside down from her viewpoint, but Eddis recognized the Keep and lands to the east, north, and south of it. The map properly flattened out, Jerdren jumped to his feet and began pouring a dark red wine into cups and handing them around.

“To our new company,” he announced, “to Fortune’s Five-and tofame, wealth, and glory!”

Eddis eyed Blorys sidelong. He cast up his eyes. “It’s allhe’s told me since he got here.”

“Said I’d wait until everyone was here, didn’t I?” Jerdrendemanded. He was grinning broadly. “Ask the lady-we’re equals in this. Anyway, Iwent off to the barracks to find Mebros, but he’s normally on the innergatehouse, they told me. None of us would normally be let inside those gates, of course, but I thought, why not see if he’ll come out? One of theguards sent word in for me, and while I waited, he and I talked-he’d heard aboutour ambush this morning, and he told me a tally sheet went up in the mess hall late today. Said it asked for volunteers-trackers and hunters, men who know thewoods east of the Keep.

“Mebros wasn’t to be found, but another guardsman came outwith word that some parchment pusher wanted to talk to me if I was the Jerdren who came in this morning with hide merchant Lhodis.”

Jerdren’s eyebrows went up. “You wouldn’t believe the size ofthat end of the Keep. Stone training grounds for two full companies to drill at the same time-not that there’s so many men, these days. Terraced crop beds onall sides, up against the walls so’s a company can still drill there, and they can eat once they’re through drilling. Seems to me there’s a clever man incharge here. Practical.

“Left alone, I’d’ve got lost at once inside the north towers,but my guide led me up a flight of stairs and inside a plain stone chamber, talking to a tall, pale fellow named Hollis. ‘Undersecretary to CastellanFerec,’ he said. He knew about our set-to out on the road and said Ferec wantedto thank us himself. There’s a banquet tomorrow night, Blor, and we’reinvited-us and our men.”

“Hmmm. That might mean the castellan wants to look us over,Brother. Talk to us, see if we might be useful to him. They say it’s how he doesthings.”

“Could be. Thing is,” Jerdren leaned forward to plant hiselbows on the map, “I ran across Odis-that’s one of the men I hired for thisjourney, Eddis-on my way to the barracks, early on. He and his mates alreadyhave a return job, and they’re heading out tomorrow. Wanted to know if I’d give’em good recommendation to this ore merchant who’s eager to get back north withhis pouch of gold. Well, I did that, and I also told Odis about this raid. He just laughed! Said the main reason they signed on with us was hopes of a chance like the ore merchant. ‘Why give over an easy job with a filled purse at theend,’ he said, ‘in exchange for real danger and crawling through the woods?’

“Anyway, when this Hollis said we were all invited, Ithought, say those bandits had set their ambush late, rather than early, then Eddis would’ve taken ’em out just like we did, right Eddis? And we’re equals inthis, right?”

Eddis stared at him. “Jerdren, tell me you didn’t try towangle us an invitation to a formal banquet!”

He smiled cheerfully. “I didn’t just try -I got it! Allfive of us, tomorrow at second bell after sunset.”

Eddis broke the silence. “Jerdren, I can’t eat at a lord’stable. I’m village!”

“So?” he asked. “We’re village, and we left that forthe army. But this castellan’s no lord! He was a soldier left in charge herewhen the old lord went north with most of his army. When none of ’em came back,he stayed on to keep things together, that’s all. Man like that won’t care howyou eat your soup. Besides, you wanted to know how much truth there is to Meb’srumor, and who’d answer that better for you than the man in charge?”

Eddis shook her head in disbelief. Behind her, the room was filling up, and the babble of voices was growing louder by the moment. M’Baddahsaid something quietly to M’Whan, who went off through the crowd and came backsome moments later followed by one of the taverner’s daughters-a dark-haired,slender lass in bright blue, who smiled at everyone and joshed with most, expertly balancing a tray piled high with bowls of stew and chunks of bread.

Eddis sniffed the fragrant steam cautiously. Stew with no onion-they remembered. She tore her bread into thick strips and dipped it intothe rich broth.

“Eddis? You can do this, right?” Jerdren looked ratheranxious.

She chewed bread, swallowed. Finally shrugged.

“The banquet, you mean? I can-” She fell forward as someoneslammed into her left shoulder.

A long-fingered hand dragged her back upright, and a reedy voice mumbled apologetically. Eddis was turning toward the voice when her belt shifted. My purse! She spun around the other way and snatched at the dark-haired, skinny fellow backing away from her. He evaded the grasp but went sprawling as M’Baddah stuck out a leg. Eddis was off her stool and had him bytwo handfuls of roughspun shirt before he could scramble up. He twisted in her grip but subsided when she transferred one hand to his hair.

“All right,” she snapped, “where is it?”

“Where’s what?” The face was a boy’s, despite a thin smear ofmoustache on his upper lip and a skinny tad of beard. His eyes were very wide.