“Yes,” Lorik said, his suspicions rising up again, “since my father died.”
“Would you consider taking on a partner?”
Lorik sat staring at Stone. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing and thought it must have been some sort of joke or con. He looked at the question from every angle, wondering just what the stranger meant.
“Look,” said Stone. “I won’t lie to you. I’ve spent as much time on the wrong side of the King’s law as on the right side. I really only care about two things, a good blade and a fast horse. But I’m not a killer for hire. I don’t rob people, maybe the occasional lord, but that’s neither here nor there. I know horses. I can fight. If you’ll teach me, I’m sure I can learn the paths through these marshes. I just want something new, something I can be proud of.”
“What about the Riders?” Lorik asked.
“What about them?”
“Marsdyn will want you to join them, you know that.”
“Yes, I do. That’s one option, but like I said, I don’t do other people’s dirty work. I’m not a killer, like some of his men. If I stay with Marsdyn I’ll have to kill half of his gang just to keep them from slitting my throat while I sleep. That’s not the kind of life that I’m looking for.”
Lorik sat back, thinking. Vera came out of her rooms and made her way around the room. She knew everyone and they knew her. She poured drinks, winking and smiling at the men who were potential companions for the night. Then she approached Lorik’s table, saw the look of consternation on his face and the stranger sitting across from him, and immediately put her hand on Lorik’s good shoulder.
“Is everything okay?” she asked in a fierce voice.
“Yes,” Lorik said.
“Are you sure?” she said protectively.
“Yes, we were just talking.”
“About what?” she asked.
“About a job,” the stranger said. “I’m called Stone,” he said.
“A job? What kind of job?”
“He wants to partner with me,” Lorik said.
Vera’s hand tightened on his shoulder.
“Everything is okay,” he told her. “We’re just taking about things. Why don’t you bring us some mead?”
“You sure?” she asked.
“Yes, of course I am,” he said, smiling up at her. “I don’t keep secrets from you.”
She seemed a little reassured and went to fetch their drinks.
“Is she your woman?” Stone asked.
“No, just an old friend. We’ve known each other since we were children.”
“Is she a wench? I mean, she looks like a wench, but I don’t mean to offend.”
“No offense taken,” Lorik said, not sure what he wanted to say about Vera.
“She’s very pretty,” Stone said, his voice thick.
Lorik wasn’t sure if the stranger was trying to be nice or if he was as smitten with Vera as he seemed. Usually, the Riders kept to the younger wenches and Vera made her living with the locals, but Stone was watching Vera closely.
“Yes, she is,” Lorik said. “And yes, she’s a wench.”
Stone nodded.
“I’m not sure what to say about your offer. You certainly have skill with those knives, maybe too much skill. Where did you learn to fight like that?”
“Here and there,” Stone said. “I learned a lot from an old sword master when I was young. My father died when I was just a boy and I had to learn to take care of myself.”
“And where did you learn about horses?”
“I worked in a livery stable and even did some animal husbandry for a while. Apprentice work really, but I learned a lot.”
“You ever drive a rig?”
“A little,” Stone said as Vera walked back up to their table. “Never a long haul though.”
Vera poured two mugs of mead and then gave Lorik a look that he recognized. He waited until she sauntered away from their table.
“I’ll need to think about it,” Lorik said. “The main problem is that there isn’t much money. Having a partner won’t make my trips much shorter.”
“But you could eventually haul twice the amount of cargo,” Stone said. “I’ve got coin; I wouldn’t approach you otherwise. I’m guessing you have a wagon that sits idle when you’re gone. I could purchase more horses and once I’ve learned enough, we could both drive wagons.”
“That’s true enough,” Lorik said. “You’ll have to forgive me for being a little suspicious, but I really don’t know you at all.”
“I understand,” said Stone. “Let me show you what I can do.”
“What about Marsdyn?”
“What about him?”
“I doubt he’d just let you walk away. That’s not really his style.”
“He doesn’t own me,” Stone said. “He helped me out in a pinch last night, but this is my call, not his.”
Lorik nodded. He appreciated Stone’s honesty and his level head about the Riders. Still, Lorik didn’t trust that this wasn’t some elaborate scheme to get him to drop his guard. Reason told him that Stone didn’t need to con him if he was going to murder him. Stone was a skillful fighter, and while Lorik could hold his own against most men, he knew that Stone wouldn’t have much trouble killing him. Of course, Lorik didn’t put torture past the Riders; they might be setting him up so that they could take him alive to make his death slow and painful. But Lorik didn’t sense any dishonesty in Stone. He seemed completely sincere.
“Why don’t you drop by my place in the morning? You can help me with the horses and we can talk about it more then.”
“Fair enough,” Stone said, sipping his mead.
“I’ll pay for the drinks,” Lorik said. “See you in the morning.”
Stone nodded and watched him walk away. Lorik paid Quaid a few coins for the drinks and then went to find Vera. She was waiting for him in the kitchen, a look of worry on her face.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Just talking.”
“To that guy? Why? You don’t really believe he wants to partner with you, do you? He’s a Rider, Lorik. You killed Grayson last night. It’s probably some scheme to pay you back.”
“I know all of that, but he seems sincere.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No, I’m not kidding. He was polite and honest, as far as I could tell. He wants to earn an honest living. What’s so hard to believe about that?”
“Maybe it’s the fact that he killed half a dozen people last night. Did you think I wouldn’t hear about that?”
“No, I figured you knew when you showed up at the house this morning.”
“Yeah, I heard about it. I heard he killed as many as all the other Riders put together. You saw what he did to those two thugs in here yesterday. Why would you even consider it?”
“I don’t know, Vera. A lot is changing around here. I didn’t make any promises, but I’m not getting any younger. It might be a good fit. He would certainly be handy in a pinch.”
“Well, you be careful,” she hissed. “You’re the one good thing in this hateful place. I don’t think I could take it if something happened to you.”
“I’ll be careful, I promise,” he said.
“All right. I’ll see what I can find out about him.”
“You be careful,” Lorik said, imitating her tone.
“I’m always careful. Now get out of here. I can’t work with you around.”
Lorik smiled. He didn’t like to think about Vera being with other men, and it made him feel good to know that she had trouble doing it when he was watching. The truth was, he didn’t like to watch her flirting with the other patrons, either, and was glad for an excuse to leave.
“I’ll be at Chancy’s if you need me,” he said.
She kissed his cheek and he left. Stone gave him a little wave as Lorik walked out of the tavern, but then the young warrior’s attention turned completely to Vera.
Chapter 5
When Lorik opened the door to Chancy’s Inn, he immediately saw a welcome face. Yulver was captain of a small trading ship. His vessel was fast and light, so he was able to outrun most of the pirate ships, and he made a living navigating the Sailor’s Boneyard, a long section of the eastern coast of Ortis that was filled with large rocks. Most of the rocks were hidden just beneath the surface of the water, but their jagged edges could rip enormous holes in the stoutest ship’s hull. Most sailors gave the Boneyard a wide berth, but Yulver was known for being able to navigate the dangerous waters.
Yulver had been born in Hassell Point, and although he was only in harbor once or twice a year, he always stayed with Chancy. The two older men had been friends since childhood, and they both enjoyed Lorik’s company. Lorik shook the small sailor’s hand. Yulver was built like most of the inhabitants of the Marshlands: short, with a thin, almost fragile build. But he was a strong, determined man and a savvy sea captain. He only took on legitimate loads and had only been boarded by pirates twice. Both times Yulver had fought so ferociously that his vessel wasn’t considered worth the price in manpower for the pirates anymore. They preferred the larger merchant ships that surrendered without a fight.
“What are you doing here?” Lorik said as he sat down next to Yulver.
“I bring strange news, my friend,” Yulver said. “Perhaps it won’t have an adverse effect on your trade, but I’m glad I caught you in town.”
Chancy arrived just then with two heaping plates of food. He had roasted a small pig and saved the back ribs just for them. He set the plates down and hurried off to fetch Lorik a flagon of mead and a loaf of fresh bread.
“What news?” Lorik asked.
“War, or so it seems.”
“War? What are you talking about?”
“King Oveer is marching west,” Yulver said. “Rumor has it that the Council of Kings declared war on Yelsia. Apparently, the rumor of dragons was just the beginning. Now, there’s stories of a wizard in Yelsia, and people are saying that the Prince was spying on the other kings. It seems bad.”
“That’s hard to believe,” Lorik said, surprised by the news.
“They say armies from Osla and Felxis are sailing north, and King Oveer is to sail north on the Great Sea and meet with the army from Baskla, to invade Yelsia from the west.”
“That can’t be,” said Lorik. “What about the treaty of peace among the Five Kingdoms?”
“They say that Yelsia broke the peace by recruiting a wizard. My guess is, if the rumors of dragons are true, that wizard had something to do with it.”
Just then Chancy returned. He set the mead and bread in front of Lorik and took a seat beside Yulver. He smiled at Lorik.
“How’s the shoulder?” the innkeeper asked.
“It’s okay,” Lorik said. “Vera cleaned the wound and gave me some salve that seems to be helping.”
“What happened to your shoulder?” Yulver asked.
“He was attacked by one of Marsdyn’s men,” Chancy said proudly. “They fought it out right here. The outlaw was a sneaky bastard, but Lorik showed him what Marshlanders are made of.”
“So what happened to your shoulder?” Yulver asked again.
“The outlaw tried to stab him,” Chancy said, warming to his tale as Lorik tore off one of the ribs on his plate and began eating. “He had a long dagger, but it was obvious he was used to stabbing men in the back with it. He dove at our young teamster here, thrusting the blade out as quick as viper’s strike. Lorik twisted out of the way and the dagger cut into his shoulder. I tell you I was sick with worry and considered rushing to his aid.”
Lorik had to look down and fight the wave of laughter that threatened to overcome him. He knew Chancy wasn’t a fighter, and as much as he would have liked to, the innkeeper would not have rushed to his aid, even if it meant Lorik’s death.
“But then Lorik took the fight to the silver-haired assassin. That’s what I called the man. I think his real name was Grayson. He had silver hair even though he was younger than Lorik. Anyway, Lorik threw a shoulder into him and sent the outlaw flailing off balance, then he drew that deadly axe of his. When Grayson leveled a savage blow at Lorik’s head, he ducked under the slash and nearly cut the assassin’s leg off. The outlaw dropped to the floor, screaming for mercy.”
Chancy finished his story with a smile of pride, but Lorik just looked at his plate. The truth was he wasn’t proud of what he’d done. He had no intention of letting Grayson or anyone else hurt him or those he cared about. He didn’t regret standing up for Vera or even fighting when he had to, but the memory of the pain he’d caused made him feel ill. His blow with the axe hadn’t been all that strong, but it was enough to cripple Grayson for the rest of his life. He could still hear the crunch of bone and the way the ligaments popped as they severed. The blood had poured out of Grayson, and the thought of it made Lorik queasy.
“Why do you look green?” Yulver said in a teasing voice.
“It wasn’t as glorious as Chancy made it seem.”
“What?” cried the innkeeper. “It was an amazing feat of strength and skill. Don’t sell yourself short, Lorik. Very few of us would stand up to the Riders.”
“It cost that man his life,” Lorik said. “And to be honest, I’m now sleeping with one eye open.”
“That’s a good trait no matter what,” said Yulver. “You can’t be too careful nowadays.”
“So what does all this talk of war mean?” Lorik asked.