Ru Emerson: Keep on the Borderlands

“Could be,” Jerdren allowed, “but I don’t think so. He got itdirect from one of the men who watches the inner gates, and that fellow is good friends with one of the castellan’s personal guard. That’s not the same asmarket rumor, is it?”

“Save the argument for later,” Eddis said. “Just tell us.”

“All right,” Jerdren said. “What he said is that up untilthis summer, there’ve been the usual raids on travelers and caravans. You know.A few men preying on lone wagons, harrying riders. Mostly, they’ve beenunorganized and easily driven off. But recently, the attacks have increased, and the raiders seem better armed, better organized. Mebros says all evidence points to a large band, a camp of fifty or more men-soldier-trained.”

“The men who attacked us this morning were organized, but Iwouldn’t call them well trained,” Blorys pointed out.

Jerdren shook his head. “From what Mebros said, I don’t thinkthey were part of this local band. He says they wear a patch or badge of some kind-a bit of dark green on one sleeve. Our bunch might have been a raidingparty moving through the area, or maybe men looking to join up with the local band.” He waved that aside. “Mebros says it’s near certain there’s at least onecamp close by, but it’s also fairly sure they move often. Still, a large band ofmen, I’m thinking they’d have two or three regular sites up in the hills they goto, near the river or across rock, so they’d leave no obvious trail. Far enoughaway that the castellan can’t afford to send men looking for them but nearenough to keep watch on the road.”

“That still covers a lot of rough ground,” Eddis said.

“Exactly.” Jerdren grinned at her. “And most of thecastellan’s men are guards. They’re best at manning the walls here.”

“So what, Jers?” his brother asked dryly. “You’re suggestingthat the five of us go looking for a well-armed group of fifty or more? Track them down ourselves and bring them down? That’s high odds even for you, isn’t it?”

“Well-”

“Forget it, Jerdren,” Eddis cut him off flatly. “Those aren’tmy kind of odds. Personally, I’m still happy guarding merchant carts. Themoney’s good, and I don’t have to answer to some captain or… or castellan,either.”

“I didn’t say just us,” the man protested. “The men I hiredup north might want to join us, and there should be a few more like us here. Besides, Mebros says there’s to be a decent reward and a call for volunteersfrom the guard-”

“Who are men fit only to guard the walls, according to you,”Eddis broke in sharply. “I don’t like it, Jerdren. Too much ‘if and maybe’ toyour story, and besides, every time we run into each other, there’s trouble.Usually started by you.”

“Eddis?” M’Baddah spoke up for the first time. “PerhapsM’Whan and I should go learn what we can before you and Jerdren argue the matterfurther.”

Why bother? she thought sourly. All the same, she at least needed to discuss things with M’Baddah-privately.

Jerdren nodded. “Sure, M’Baddah, that’s the spirit! Blor andI can talk to men we know in the barracks, and we’ll meet back here later. Fairenough, Eddis?”

Silence.

“Look, this isn’t like running into each other some placelike Lower Vale. This would be a job. We’d plan it, like a regular campaign.What could go wrong?” The gleam was back in his eyes. “You know, when Mebrostold me, all I could think was, ‘Why not us?’ Then, when I heard you hadjust ridden in, Eddis, it all-came together. It’s a chance for…”

“Fame, wealth and glory?” Blorys asked sourly as the olderman hesitated.

“What’s wrong with fame and glory, Blor?”

“What’s wrong with living to a ripe old age?” Eddis asked asshe pushed to her feet. “Look, M’Baddah’s right. Why sit here arguing over whatmight be wild rumor? I want to know what’s involved. What we’d have toaccomplish, how much help we’d get from the Keep, what size of a reward….”

Blorys laid a hand on his brother’s arm. “Wait, Jers. You’vehad your say. I agree with M’Baddah and Eddis. Let’s go learn what we can. Wecould meet back here later, if there’s more than rumor to go on.”

“One more thing, Jerdren,” Eddis said. “If your rumorproves true, and we decide to go in with you, and if the castellan decides we’rewhat he wants-or what he’s willing to settle for, you and I are equals inthis. Got me?”

“Equals-well, sure! But-?”

“That means I get equal say with you on who’s chosen to gowith us, how things are planned, and who sits in on the planning sessions-all ofit, all the way. I am not joining you, Jerdren. We two are working together, or you can start looking elsewhere for your fighting force, got it?”

The man nodded. She glanced at his younger brother, who gave her an apologetic smile. “Blorys, you’ll be back here maybe an hour aftersundown?”

He smiled faintly and nodded. “We’ll be here.”

The wind had died away, and afternoon sun cast long shadows,warming the stone walls and paving. Eddis strode across the square and over to the fountain, M’Baddah at her elbow and M’Whan close behind. Water burbled froma central pillar, falling back into the shallow stone bowl. It was much cooler here, and quiet. Private, for the moment. Most of the local people she could see were dismantling the morning market stalls across the courtyard, while a few customers haggled over the last fruits and baskets of tubers. Eddis settled her elbows and the small of her back against the stone lip and looked at her companions.

“You hadn’t heard about this mad venture?” she asked.

M’Baddah shrugged.

M’Whan shook his head.

“This Mebros could be pulling a joke on Jerdren. He’d havefriends like that. Still, say it’s true. Say the castellan would pick peoplelike us to clean up these bandits, give us what aid we needed, and reward us if we succeeded. Say even that between you two, Blorys, and me, we can keep Jerdren in check. Are we interested?”

Silence, which she broke. “For myself-I don’t know. I’veworked hard to build this business and a good reputation. It’s good coin,steady work. Why trade that for an unknown?”

Her lieutenant raised an eyebrow. “Because a good warrioralways seeks challenge, but we could return to the road, once the task is done. For the challenge alone, I say we should go.”

M’Whan merely nodded.

“All right.” Eddis sighed faintly. “I just wish Jerdrenwasn’t involved. I hardly feel comfortable sharing a table with him in thetavern, but if he went off on some wild scheme of his own out there, it could get us killed.”

“No,” M’Baddah said. “We know he is… excitable. We planfor that. As his brother no doubt must, all the time.”

Eddis looked back toward the inn and laughed. “Poor Blorys,he probably does.” She turned to her two confidants. “So then, we’re in. Let’ssplit up and go learn what we can.”

She returned to the tavern just as the sun was setting. Ruddylight moved quickly off the highest towers, and a chill wind swept across the courtyard, blowing dust and fine spray from the fountain. Eddis shivered and lengthened her stride.

It was warm inside the tavern and much busier than it had been earlier. People crowded the near trestles. She waited just inside the doorway for her eyes to adjust, her mind full of useless bits of information gathered over the past hour. The innkeeper claimed to be too busy to know about anything outside his own walls, but the man’s son had heard there was to be ascouting party to look for the bandit camp. Following his suggestion, she’dtalked to Khalidd the trader, but Khalidd was no help. He’d merely had the talefrom Mebros. Ghor the smith was busy shoeing horses, so Eddis had had no opportunity to ask him anything.