Midnight Quest (25 page)

The scene was so familiar a one, reminding him of his own family, that he smiled without intending to.

“Rialt,” Jewel greeted happily. “Ah, Chizeld’s with you too. Good. We found the perfect thing!”

“Wait,” Torilee interrupted with an incredulous look at her. “How did you know it was them?”

“They have a very distinctive walk,” Jewel explained easily before turning her attention back to the hat in her hands. “This is the latest fashion from Zarraga. It’s a new woman’s traveling hat. The veil comes down over the eyes like this,” she put it on her head in demonstration.

Rialt stepped in closer for a better look. The hat was more of a slim fitting cap that fit snuggly over the crown of the head, but had a rim that went out over the forehead. From the rim a black swatch of almost transparent cloth was draped so that it covered her eyes. “I can barely see your eyes.”

“It’s marvelous, isn’t it?” she asked, face lit up in childlike glee. “Apparently, someone designed it for traveling so that the sun doesn’t glare into your eyes all day.”

He nearly nodded in approval afore he remembered she could no see such a gesture. “It be a good finding, that. You will need your hair pulled back to wear the cap, though, it seems.”

“But you can do that,” she responded airily, as if this was already taken for granted.

Both Pursa and Torilee paused and gave her odd looks. “He can?” Pursa inquired with a dubious look at Rialt, as if she could no imagine him doing anything without a battle-axe involved.

Rialt could no help but grin at their unconvinced expressions. “Four sisters.”

“Ah,” Torilee nodded wisely, as if all were now explained.

“So how does this contraption work?” Rialt came around the chair to peer over Pursa’s shoulder. “Ah, it clamps into the hair.”

“I’m so glad you understand that thing,” Sarvell stated as he walked into the room. “I was there for the sales pitch and I
still
don’t see how it manages to stay on her head. We bought clothes that match the latest style so that it doesn’t seem out of place. But that means that she looks like a wealthy young lady.”

“Which makes us her guards?” Rialt responded thoughtfully.

“Idea a sound one,” Chizeld approved. “But more believable if Jewel has own horse.”

“At the very least her own horse,” Sarvell agreed on a long sigh. “It’d actually be better with a carriage or something along those lines, but…that’s too cumbersome if we have to make a run for it. Pop tells me that there are Thornock soldiers and bounty hunters all over the place. Even with this disguise we’re bound to run afoul of them eventually.”

Rialt wished he could disagree, but past experience said Sarvell was likely right. “So horse it be. Jewel, if we throw you on top of one, can you stay on?”

“Oh certainly,” she assured them. “But someone’s going to have to take a lead rein.”

“That can be done easily.” Chizeld nodded in satisfaction. “Sarvell, where’s a good place to buy a horse?”

“I was actually going to step out and do that right now,” Sarvell said with an inviting gesture towards the door. “If you want to come along?”

Chizeld gave a nod and headed after Sarvell. Rialt stepped out into the hallway long enough to call after them, “A short mare!”

Both men laughed and Sarvell responded, “We know what we’re doing, worrywart!”

Eh, well, he would see about that. If they did no bring back something perfect, he was sending them straight back. When he turned back to the room, Pursa caught his eye and gestured him to go out into the hallway.

“I’ll be back in a moment, dears,” she said to the girls before heading straight for him.

Rialt knew that look well. He had seen it many a time on his own mam’s face. She had the look of a woman who was no pleased, and he would be shortly hearing
all
about it. He shambled into the hallway as ordered and watched in resignation when she pulled the door shut behind them.

“Sarvell filled me in on some of the nitty details you left out of the story last night,” she started without preamble. “I am not at all pleased with Elahandra for making a young, sweet,
blind
girl take on such a dangerous mission. I saw just how difficult it is for her to move in areas she’s not accustomed to today. Now, I realize that none of this is your idea, but I don’t like the idea of her traveling around with only three men and a dog. Isn’t there some other way for the crystals to be moved?”

He set himself into a patient stance and answered her calmly. “I wish there were. Mind, I had no hand in forging this mission. We would no be scrambling about like we are if I had. But Jewel’s task be more than just unearthing lost crystals and hauling them back in place. She needs to meet and train the new high priestesses as well, or all might well be lost. I will help in every way I can.”

Pursa lost some of her indignation and her shoulders slumped slightly. “I know. I’ve seen how protective all three of you are of her, it’s just…this is so incredibly difficult for her.”

“Eh, it be that. But afore you feel pity for her, mind this: Jewel chose to take on this task. She did no have to. As difficult as the road ahead be, she knew it would be, and chose to go anyway. Everything we do be to protect her—but every action she takes be to protect
us
as well.”

Pursa gazed up at him for a long, wondering moment. “You don’t pity her at all, do you?”

“Pity?” He snorted at the very idea. “She be no weak child, that one. I have seen her take on ministers, businessmen, and thrawn townsfolk—and win. The lass has the heart of a warrior. There be nothing to pity.”

Pursa’s tight expression finally melted into a soft smile. “It’s true. Even when I dragged her from one end of the market to the other, she never once complained.”

“Bad habit of hers, no complaining,” Rialt commiserated. “I have done my best to break her of it, but, well…”

The matron stared at him oddly for a moment before breaking out into a soft laugh. “Rialt, I do feel better after speaking with you, I must admit. I do have one more thing I’m worried about, though. Are you sure it’s safe for her to live in Ramath?”

“Eh, it be the safest place for her,” he assured her, glad to see her worries eased. “The Daath will no be a threat with the crystals fully up, and she will see to that. When we passed through, and my people met her and heard her story, they took her in as kith and kin. Quite upset they were, too, that I took her away again. I have no doubt that if any dastard raised a hand to her, he would get quite the drubbing for his efforts. When she does return and lives among them, the whole clan will look out for her. Do you ken?”

“I ken,” she answered with a dimpled smile. “But if living in Ramath doesn’t work for her, for whatever reason, I want you to promise me that you’ll bring her down here. We’ll gladly have her.”

Rialt frowned down at her suspiciously. “Sarvell put a bug in your hair, did he?”

“He didn’t need to,” she responded primly.

The door abruptly opened and Jewel stuck her head out in the hallway. “If you two are done talking about me, I’d like to have Rialt try on his new clothes. We need time to make alterations if need be.”

Rialt blinked at her in astonishment. “You bought clothes for me?”

“Well, of course! You only had two changes of clothes too. Besides, you’re going to need them. After you try everything on, you’re going to help me give Bortonor a bath. You’re going to need a fresh change of clothing after we get done wrestling with him.”

Eh, likely he would. Dogs and baths were no generally friends. “Alright then, lass, lead on.”

As he re-entered the room, he spied Bortonor lying flat on the wooden floor, dozing. If the dog knew what he did, he would make a quick exit out farrest door. He considered prodding the dog and giving him a warning…and then realized that he would be the one chasing Bortonor down.

Well, a bath would no kill him.

~*~*~*~

Sarvell found his father in his study, which was typically where the man chose to be at this time of the day. Pop had a very nice office in the Sorpan Trade building, but the older he got, the more he preferred to work from home. Everyone had adjusted to the boss’s preferences and simply sent runners several times a day with paperwork that needed to be assigned or with a list of goods to be checked.

Maybe it was because of this that the office looked even more cluttered than before. Ever since Sarvell could walk, it had been a hodge-podge of maps tacked to the walls (and ceiling), stacks of reports covering half the desk, and trial goods dominating every corner of the room in a haphazard jumble. Only one chair had been kept clear, directly across from Stalton’s own, so that any visitor that stopped by would have a place to sit. Pop referred to his office joking as “organized chaos.” His mother called it a pig-sty.

But to Sarvell, he didn’t really feel like he was home until he’d sat in his father’s office for a space. So while he had a very important question to ask, and information to gather, a smile broke out as he slung himself into that empty chair.

“Have a minute, Pop?”

“Sure, son.” Stalton tossed down the pen he’d been scribbling with and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. “I can use a break from these lists. I swear, every year these thrice-cursed merchants are trying to peddle me the same products that are just called a different name.”

Sarvell tried not to smile. His father had been saying that ever since he was knee high.

“So, you’re here about the bounty.” Dropping his hand, Stalton leaned forward, bracing both forearms against the desk. “I’ve still got a few feelers out, but here’s the gist of it: the bounty’s a generous one. That’s going to attract a lot of attention from every two-bit scunner that wants to try a bit of bounty hunting.”

He nodded sourly. “Yes, I thought as much. Do they have more than that basic description I gave you?”

“A bit more, yes. They know that the other man with her is Brynian. They know that she was placed in the dungeon by Thornock’s ministers, hence why they want her back so badly. But no one knows your names or has much of a better description.”

Well, at least that was going in their favor.

“Your main problem is going to be the Thornock Guard,” Stalton added with a troubled frown. “They’re being dispatched as we speak, going to every corner of Evard. Those men have actually seen Jewel before, after all. They don’t
need
some half-witted description to recognize her.”

“True enough.” Sarvell had no idea how to get around that, either. “How far have they come?”

“Oh, they’re in every major city by now.” Stalton sounded quite confident about that. “And for some reason, they’re hanging about the temples. Especially Elahandra’s?”

Sarvell grimaced and answered his sire’s unspoken question. “In order for Jewel to be able to do any work in a clan’s territory, she has to first get the permission of that clan’s god and she also has to make a formal visit to the nearest Temple of Elahandra to report what she’s doing.”

Stalton stared at him in dismay. “That’s like painting a target on your back!”

“I know,” Sarvell groaned. “But there’s no way around it. Both Chizeld and Jewel insist that this has to be done.”

“Under the circumstances, I think protocol can go hang, don’t you?” Stalton responded in exasperation.

“I really wish it was just that. But if Jewel doesn’t gain the permission of that clan’s god, she literally
cannot do anything
. And because she is not a worshipper of that god, the only way she can contact him is by going to his temple. Maybe she could skip the visit to Elahandra’s temple, but the problem is we don’t know where the crystals are. We have to visit the temple anyway and check their records just to get an idea of where to start looking. She can sense them, but only when she’s about twenty miles away from them.  So far we’ve been lucky that the crystals have been easy finds, not needing to do research for them.”

Stalton’s eyed closed in resigned understanding. “So visiting the temples are not an option. Dross and dreck, no wonder they’re just hanging about the temples! It’s a sure thing that you’ll show.”

“We’ve managed to trick the watchers so far, but I don’t expect our luck to hold forever.” Sarvell added plaintively, “Pop, I came to you for good news!”

“Well, son, I wish I had some to give you.”

There was a quick knock on the door before Sarvell’s mother strode inside. “Oh good, Sarvell, you’re here.” She didn’t look surprised to find him sitting there, which indicated she’d had a good notion of where he’d be to begin with. “You did tell your father that we had to dodge some Thornock soldiers today, didn’t you?”

Sarvell rubbed at his chin. “Actually, I forgot to mention it.” To his father he added, “We ran into a few of them while shopping today. With their uniforms they’re fairly easy to spot. We were able to take Jewel out of sight quickly each time, so I don’t think they saw her.”

“I’m not sure if Jewel even realized they were there,” Pursa added thoughtfully. “You re-directed her so smoothly each time, as if it were just normal to be pulled this way and that.”

“I didn’t want to worry her,” Sarvell admitted. Especially after last night, he didn’t want to place another worry on those thin shoulders.

Pursa’s mouth was in a flat, worried line. “Sweetie, I don’t like the idea of just having you three to protect her. Those soldiers are running around in groups of six or more. What happens when they see her and a fight breaks out? You’ll be outnumbered!”

“We’re heading straight for Rounsefell from here,” Sarvell answered soothingly. “Chizeld tells me that the Center for the Red Guard is in that city. We’ll be able to get reinforcements there, don’t worry.”

“Well, that does make me feel a little better,” Pursa agreed although the worry didn’t leave her face. “But that’s such a long ways away!”

No choice. They had to go anyway. “That new disguise we picked up today will throw them further off our trail, I think. With a little caution and some quick traveling, we’ll make it safely to Rounsefell.”
I hope.
 

Chapter Seventeen