Child of Fate (22 page)

William let out a sigh beside them, and then
blushed when he drew the attention of the others.

“Even our archer here knows the truth of
it!”

William grinned and nodded. “I’ve known a few
in my time.”

“You’ve paid for a few in your time, you
mean,” Tristam jibed.

William shrugged. “Far cheaper to pay up
front than the rest of your life!”

Tankards were raised in salute to the man’s
advice. They drank, Alto finally finishing his first cup, and were
making ready to refill them when several Kelgryn filed into the
hall, one at a time. One of the last Alto had to glance at twice
and then stare openly before he could be certain it was Trina.

The Lady Patrina looked like deserving of her
title. The dirt and blood was gone, as was her torn and dirty
clothing. She wore a pale blue dress with lace stitched onto it.
Her blond hair was pulled back by a gold circlet. It fell down her
back and was tied in cords every six to nine inches until it fell
to the small of her back. Alto hadn’t realized how long her hair
was before.

“Close your mouth before you start drooling,”
William whispered. Kar snickered off to the side.

The gathering Kelgryn faced the Blades of
Leander. Everyone was on their feet by that point but the Kelgryn
outnumbered the Blades two to one. Alto noted that three of the
Kelgryn were women, though they bore weapons and wore helms much as
the men did. Some of them were dressed in mail shirts like the
guards while others wore leathers and hides.

“I’m Ayerl, the chief of this village,” a man
with a helm adorned with chain links to protect his neck said. “I
thank you for returning Lady Patrina to us. I’ve heard her tale and
welcome you to our lands. What more thanks can be given is up to
the jarl, but he has sounded the call to arms and prepares for
war.”

Tristam scowled. “That’s our next trek. Do
you have any horses we could borrow?”

He shook his head. “We’ve nothing to spare.
Our warriors have taken all that we have and joined the jarl.”

Tristam’s scowl deepened.

Patrina stepped forward and walked up to
Namitus. She stared into his face. Her chin quivered until she
stiffened and blinked away moisture in her eyes. “For your
deception, you are banned from Kelgryn lands. This is my gift to
you.” She stared at him until he nodded and offered her a small
smile. She returned it, and then turned to look at the others. “My
time with you has been exciting. I would continue it if I could,
but my fate lies elsewhere. Those of you who may are welcome in our
lands and seas anytime. It would brighten my heart to see you
again.”

Alto strained his back trying to draw
Patrina’s attention. She seemed to be looking at everyone except
him. Her eyes even passed over Namitus a time or two, but she
refused to acknowledge Alto.

“The day has grown long with our travels.
Rest tonight and leave in the morning. I know you seek to put to
right the troubles between our {kingdoms/lands}. Enjoy our
hospitality, what little we have left.”

“You make a good princess,” Tristam offered
with a smile.

A flash of irritation passed over her face.
Ayerl stepped forward. “Do you mock the lady?”

Patrina held up her hand. “No, it’s a private
joke we shared on the road. He meant no offense.”

Ayerl nodded and relaxed. Alto felt his own
shoulders droop as the immediate threat lessened.

“I could stand a little hospitality,” William
said.

“Aye, a bed not made of rock would be nice,”
Karthor seconded. The others followed suit and before Alto knew it,
he’d been suckered into a small but lively party.

The Kelgryn were able hosts, telling tales
and adding in song and music. Namitus used his pipes to join in
with them and added his own voice to their songs. As time passed,
fresh food was placed in front of them and Alto found himself
drinking more and more of the ale. He kept looking for Trina but
she was either absent or talking to someone else.

Alto found himself whisked away at one point
by a Kelgryn woman. He spilled his ale, drawing a laugh from
William, and then found himself being spun around as the strong
armed and spirited woman forced him into an awkward dance. The
spinning left him dizzy and out of breath. He collapsed back on the
bench and found himself next to Namitus.

“This is wonderful!” Alto grinned. He sat up
straight and reached for what was left of his ale.

Namitus smiled but the gesture didn’t reach
his eyes.

“Oh, that’s right, you’ve been banished,”
Alto said. He frowned, and then burst out laughing. “Sorry, I don’t
mean anything by it. I’m just,” Alto hesitated, trying to
understand what he was saying and why. He shrugged. “This ale is
really good!”

Namitus chuckled. “Enjoy it, my friend. They
have strong brews here. Everything about these people is strong;
never underestimate them.”

“I’m sorry you got in trouble,” Alto offered.
“Why’d she say that it was a gift? I don’t understand.”

Namitus sighed and pulled out his pipes. He
ran his fingers over them. “She gave me this, long ago. The gift of
a pretty girl who didn’t understand the world.”

Alto watched him. He wanted to ask him to get
on with it, but he suspected Namitus was trying to tell him
something important. He kept his silence by taking another
drink.

“Today’s gift is banishment. Had her father
or even Ayerl had their way, I’d be killed.”

“For lying to stay alive? I thought you were
their friend?” Alto slammed the table with his hand. “That’s
terrible!”

“For ingratiating myself into the royal
family? They consider it a betrayal, treasonous even. What if I
were a spy?”

“But you’re not!”

“But I might be,” Namitus said.

Alto blinked at him, confused. He took
another drink to ease his mind.

“Celebrate tonight, Alto. Tomorrow is another
day full of worries and hardship. And headaches, I dare to
guess!”

Alto nodded. He raised his cup. “To
headaches!”

Namitus laughed and put his pipes to his
lips. He began another lively tune and soon had inspired more
dancing and storytelling. Alto found himself spinning with another
Kelgryn woman, his fourth or fifth of the evening, and then ended
up stumbling out through the open doors of the hall.

Alto picked himself up from where he fell.
The sun had dropped and only the lights of lanterns and houses
showed the small village. He turned about, ready to head back
inside when he heard something.

He turned toward it and staggered a few steps
in its direction. “Who’s there?” Alto babbled. He rounded the
corner of the hall and reached for the knife at his hip when a dark
shape lunged toward him.

Alto found himself lying on the ground, his
knife forgotten. The shape sat on top of him, knees pressing into
his arms to keep him still. He started to struggle and then stopped
when he realized the entrapment seemed all too familiar to him.

“Alto!”

Alto stared up, confirming it was Patrina on
top of him. He grinned and started to sit up. She pushed forward,
proving that leverage was sometimes more important than
strength.

“Promise me you’ll keep Namitus safe,” she
hissed at him.

“Namitus?” Alto slurred. He frowned. She
didn’t want him; she wanted Namitus. This had nothing to do with
him. “He said the same thing to me about you.”

“What? When, tonight?” She pressed against
him.

“The bridge, when he fought the trolls. He
made me leave because he had the sword to fight them. I need a
sword, and then I can fight, too.”

Trina sat on top of him without saying a
word. Alto stared at her, and then felt something wet fall on him.
He glanced up and saw the stars above. How could it rain without
any clouds? He heard a sniffle from Trina and realized he was an
idiot. A drunken idiot, most likely.

“You like him?” Alto asked her.

He saw her nodding above him. Alto let out
his breath. It was disappointing. No, it was more than that; it
left a hollow in his belly that even more ale wouldn’t fill. He
liked her. He liked Namitus, too, but not the same way. Namitus had
known her longer and the man was his friend. Namitus didn’t deserve
him getting in the way. Especially when Trina liked him back.
“Okay.”

“Okay?” Trina asked. She slammed her hands
into his chest, making him grunt. She grabbed his shirt in her
hands and squeezed. “Men are so dumb,” she hissed at him.

Alto was heating up in spite of the cool
night air. He felt his face flushing and he struggled underneath
her. “Why am I dumb?” he asked when his struggling didn’t do him
any good.

“Well, I’m out here with you,” she said. She
pulled on his shirt and leaned down toward him. Alto fell back when
she pressed her lips against his. “See if you can figure it
out.”

Alto stared at Patrina as she rose up and
walked away from him. He rolled onto his side to follow her with
his eyes but she turned a corner around a building and disappeared.
He’d only made it to his knees when Tristam found him on the ground
and laughed.

“First ale?”

Alto looked at the man’s boots and then tried
to pick his head up to follow them. Failing to do that, he twisted
his head and lost his balance. Tristam laughed again as Alto rolled
onto his back again and stared up at him.

“You answered my question,” Tristam said with
a grin.

“She kissed me,” Alto slurred.

“Aye,” Tristam chuckled as he moved to a
shadow to relieve himself. “In the morning, you’ll realize she
shield-bashed you in the head!”

“Bashinz!” Alto cried out. He erupted into
laughter, remembering Thork.

Tristam’s chuckle turned into a curse when he
realized Alto had passed out.

“Shouldn’t we be doing something?” Alto
asked. He sat with two of his companions, Karthor and Namitus, and
pushed the plate of uneaten mutton away. “It took us almost two
weeks to get back to Portland and now we’re just drinking our
reward? What about Highpeak? What about the Kelgryn?”

“Eager to leave so soon?” Aleena walked up
behind Alto and asked. She slid her hand lightly along his shoulder
as she passed him, and then took the empty tankards in front of
Karthor and Namitus to refill them.

“What? No, that’s not it,” Alto stammered.
Namitus smirked at the young man’s red face.

Aleena paused by Karthor and said, “I’ve
heard of the wanderlust in young men’s hearts. Do the teachings of
Leander teach a man to appreciate the hearth?”

Karthor smiled up at her. “Indeed they do,”
he said. Alto gaped as Aleena turned away with a promise to bring
fresh ale. Namitus laughed.

“She’s got you wound up,” Namitus said.

Alto clamped his mouth shut and scowled.
“It’s not that,” he muttered. “I’m just worried about, well,
things!”

“What can we do that an army can’t?” Karthor
asked. He popped the last bite of mutton into his mouth and chewed
it before adding, “We’ve done well this time around. The reward for
the goblins was reason enough to do it, but the information we
returned and the thanks we received has placed us in good favor.
Just wait and see; Tristam will have something for us soon.”

“Just seems wrong to leave things as they are
in the north. It’s not that far from my father’s land. I’m worried
the fighting will spread that way.”

“It already did; that’s why you’re with us
now,” Karthor reminded him.

Alto dropped his fist to the table. “You’re
right! It could happen again!”

“We thinned the goblins out a bit, might take
them a few years to recover,” Namitus suggested.

“That’s not what I mean. What about all the
other monsters we saw? The trolls and the ogres? And the men
working with them. There’s a plot afoot and it won’t end well!”

“You sound like my father,” Karthor said.

“He’s a smart man that can read the signs of
things to come,” Alto defended the wizard.

Aleena returned with more ale before Alto
could respond. She walked around, placing one next to Karthor and
then she bent over to slide the other across the table to Namitus.
Her position put her, and the drooping neckline on her peasant’s
blouse, next to Karthor and directly in line with Alto.

“Still trying to leave?” she asked
innocently.

Alto managed a grunt as he stumbled over his
own tongue. Namitus laughed again, causing Aleena to straighten and
a blush to come to her own face. She was spared by the door to the
tavern opening and Tristam walking in with Kar and William behind
him. Aleena escaped before the more seasoned Blades could join the
others.

“Pull up a chair,” Karthor offered.

“We’ve got a job,” Tristam said. He leaned
over and snatched some mutton from Alto’s plate. He tore a chunk
off with his teeth and said through a mouthful of meat, “No
time.”

Alto all but leapt to his feet. “Where to,
the north?”

Tristam nodded and took another bite. Kar
sighed for effect and explained, “The duke is upset by what we’ve
learned. He wants to know more, but his forces have to retake
Highpeak. We’re to head north and scour the mountains for more
information on what’s going on.”

“That didn’t go so well last time,” Karthor
opined.

Kar scowled at him. “We’re better prepared
this time!”

“Better prepared for fighting trolls?”
Karthor challenged his father.

“I’ve the right spells prepared and this
time, we know what we’re up against. We’ve got new steeds and our
anxious new recruits have new equipment.”

Tristam turned and glared at Kar, but the
wizard ignored him. Alto watched them with his eyebrows drawn
together in confusion. He had another broadsword waiting for him at
their home, but against a mountain troll, anything smaller than a
siege weapon was as good as a stiff breeze.