The Fur Trader (4 page)

William would have asked her to wait, for he would prefer to approach the men himself, but Derigan Burtle took a seat and sat right down next to William.

“An adventurer eh?” he cackled as he stroked his chin with bony fingers. “I used to be an adventurer myself, but then I took an arrow to the knee!” Before William knew what was happening, Derigan Burtle stood up, loosed his belt, and dropped his trousers to his ankle while pointing down at a large, purple scar that covered half of his knobby left knee. Thankfully he was wearing underpants, but his thin, pale legs were a terrible sight to behold.

“See that? Arrow went clean through. Messed up my leg pretty good.”

“Mr. Burtle, put your pants back on!” Jinny shouted from across the tavern.

William was flabbergasted. There was no way he could recover any amount of secrecy now. The entire tavern, including Richard, was doubled over in stitches laughing and pointing at Mr. Burtle.

Derigan shuffled around and hollered back to Jinny, “Don’t be bashful now, this is what you have to look forward to!”

“Don’t make me fetch my husband,” Jinny warned.

Derigan Burtle waved the notion off and slowly pulled his pants back up around his waist. His fingers fumbled with the belt for a few seconds and William did his best to keep his composure. Richard tried to stifle his laughter by taking a sip of his cider, but it was only half working. It took far too long for the old man to shuffle his way out of the tavern, but William was more than happy to see Derigan Burtle exit.

It was several minutes before the last pocket of laughter died down in the tavern.

William concentrated on clearing his plate.

One of the two men near the fireplace came over, a smug grin still plastered across his face as he took the chair Derigan had sat in.

“Jinny tells me the two of you are wishing to go up into the mountains, is that correct?”

William nodded. “It is. You have experience?”

The man nodded. “I’ve gone as far as any of the other trappers. I can take you around, but I wouldn’t advise it at this time of year.” The trapper nodded toward Richard. “The boy will be the first to succumb to the cold. Frostbite isn’t uncommon, and it can be devastating.” The trapper reached up and pulled a leather glove off his left hand. Richard’s eyes went wide at the sight of the trapper’s mangled hand. The index and middle finger were whole, but the ring finger had been severed half way down, and the pinky had been removed entirely. All that remained was a white-colored scar.

“This happened my first winter in the mountains, and I was better prepared than most city folk when I began.” The trapper then slipped his left foot out of his boot and thunked it onto the table.

William could barely choke down the bite he was chewing. The foot before him was terribly discolored. Black and brown spots covered the skin. Three of the smaller toes, as well as a portion of the foot, were missing.

The trapper wiggled his big toe for emphasis. “The mountains ain’t no place for fooling around, especially in the winter time. The cold isn’t even the worst part of it all. If you survive the animals and cold, then you have to worry about Treewalkers.”

“Treewalkers?” Richard echoed questioningly.

The trapper nodded his head and pointed to his foot. “This actually happened while I was inside a cabin I built up in the woods. You see, Treewalkers are like highwaymen, or rogue bandits, but they have adapted to the mountain forests. They wait until you are asleep somewhere, and then ambush you. Half the time you never even know they are there until it’s too late. They walk along the branches, hardly ever coming down to the ground. That’s why we call them Treewalkers.”

“Rubbish,” William scoffed. “No man can walk along the trees.”

“Treewalkers do,” the trapper said as he narrowed his eyes on William. “They came upon me while I was in my cabin one night. Even my dog didn’t hear them creep up to the cabin. They stoppered up my chimney and tried to smoke me out. Of course, I knew they would be waiting in the trees with their bows, so I wasn’t about to give them an easy target. I put out the fire and waited them out. It took eight days before they finally gave up and left, but by then, my toes had already suffered irreparable damage. I left with my life, but I paid a dear price for it.”

William found his resolve. He reached over and shoved the trapper’s foot off the table.

“I am looking for a guide, not a sob story.”

The trapper’s eyes grew cold and his jaw clicked as he clenched it.

“I have not come to see mangled limbs, nor naked old men, so if you will excuse me, I will be finishing my breakfast now.”

The trapper stuck his foot back into his boot and stormed away.

“He looks mad,” Richard whispered.

William nodded. “I think I am acquainted with the dangers of our trip well enough.”

Richard closed his mouth and his eyes dulled with sadness as he looked to his empty plate. The two of them sat quietly for another few minutes before the second man from the fireplace approached. William looked up at the man expectantly.

“Enin doesn’t take kindly to being shut down like that,” the man said.

William didn’t miss a beat. “I prefer not to have gnarled feet on my breakfast table.”

The man smiled and pointed to the chair. “May I sit?”

William nodded.

“I’m Orin. I have been in Cherry Brook almost nine years now, which makes me one of the most experienced trappers in these parts. You can ask anyone you like, they’ll all tell you the same thing.”

“Good to know you aren’t a braggart,” William said as he finished the last bite of food on his plate and washed it down with a bit of coffee. “Have you ever been hired on as a guide before?”

Orin nodded. “Three times, by city folk like yourself. I am one of only two men to ever work in Geberron Pass, and I can make sure you not only have a good time, but return safely.”

William eyed Orin carefully. “You work in Geberron Pass?”

Orin nodded. “I do.”

“Does that mean you have crossed it then?” William asked.

Orin blanched and leaned back in his chair. “Well, ain’t nobody ever
crossed
Geberron Pass. I work the lower half, before Topaz Point. That’s about as far as anyone will ever try to go. If you are looking for adventure, I can take you north into the mountains, but crossing Geberron Pass is out of the question, especially at this time of year. Blizzards and frost trolls will make short work of most anybody out there. Believe me, only one other trapper has ever survived working Geberron Pass.”

“You don’t mean Enin, do you?” William prodded.

Orin shook his head and scoffed. “Most certainly not. Enin is a good trapper, but he sticks to the foothills and doesn’t venture into the larger mountains. He’d be a ghost if he even set foot at the base of Geberron Pass.”

William leaned forward and motioned for Orin to come in closer.

“Would you be willing to attempt a crossing?”

Orin started laughing. “You’re joking, right? You want to venture up there?” Orin shook his head and slapped the table. “In all honesty, if you want to go up north, meaning directly north, I can take you and my prices are reasonable. However, if you want me to take you to Geberron Pass, through the most treacherous parts of Dryden Range out to the northwest, well I’m afraid there isn’t enough gold in the world to convince me to do that.”

“Money is not an object,” William pressed. “I can make this worth your while, I promise.”

Orin shook his head and rose from the table. “I can’t spend coin in Hammenfein, friend, so the answer is no. I don’t have a death wish. You’ll have to find someone else.”

The large man walked back to rejoin Enin near the fireplace. William watched as the two of them glanced his way and Orin whispered something into Enin’s ear. The two of them then burst into laughter. William drew in a steadying breath as he watched Enin look straight at him and draw a finger across his neck before waving goodbye.

“Let’s go,” William said flatly.

“Where?” Richard asked.

“If everyone here is too cowardly to take us, then we’ll go to the general store and get what we need and leave.”

Richard glanced back to the two trappers who were now pantomiming shivering in the cold and freezing to death.

“Let’s go,” William said, his words much harsher than before.

The two of them hurried through town to the general store, asking once for directions after turning down a road that nearly led them out of Cherry Brook. They entered the store and found a man sitting upon a stool behind a counter, reading a well-worn book.

He looked up as the door rang the bell and greeted them.

“Welcome folks, what can I do for you?”

William walked in briskly, determined to conclude his business and leave as soon as possible.

“We are going into the mountains, and we will need supplies,” he said.

The man pouted his lower lip and took his silver-rimmed spectacles down to wipe the lenses.

“How long is your trip?” he asked. The clerk put his glasses back on and eyed William carefully. “I have heavier coats for sale too,” he added.

William nodded. “Yes, we’ll each take two coats, a fresh pair of boots, gloves, hats, and we’ll need food and a tent as well.”

“Do you have horses?” the clerk asked.

William nodded. “We have two.”

“Well, if you are planning on staying out there, you’ll need blankets for the horses as well. Have you any weapons or tools?”

William hesitated at that question. He thought of his rapier hidden within a long cylinder hanging on the side of his saddle, and the pair of daggers he had concealed on his person.

“No, no weapons,” he replied.

“Well, you’ll need something out there.”

“Where are you going?” a soft voice called from around an aisle of goods.

William turned his head to see a reddish-brown haired woman come into view. She wore a well-tailored, red dress with a floral pattern along the bottom of the skirt that climbed up her left side, hugging her curves until it ended in a purple blossom of silk on her left shoulder. William knew instantly that she was not a native of Cherry Brook.

“Just out for a camping trip,” William said. “We are going north along the foothills and then back,” he lied.

“Poor season for such an excursion,” she said. “Have you a guide?”

William nodded. Better to be friendly with them rather than cut off their line of questions, to do otherwise might raise more suspicions.

“We spoke with Orin, do you know him?”

“Orin is an excellent choice,” the woman said with an approving nod. “If he is going with you, then you will have a wonderful time.”

“Still,” the clerk began, “I am surprised he would agree to go out so late in the year. However, I am not one to judge. Here,” the clerk set a piece of paper on the counter. “Make a mark next to each item you want. If you want more than one of something, then be sure to denote the quantity desired. Then you can sit over there and have a smoke while we fill the order.” The clerk turned to the woman. “Belinda, be a dear and take the young man over to the sitting area. I have some chocolates here as well.”

Belinda nodded. “Of course, Jacop.” Richard went with Belinda while William filled out the list.

The clerk remained close by, watching the marks William put on the list and unnerving the man. Finally, William looked up and handed the list to the clerk. The bespectacled man wrinkled his nose as he perused the list. Then, he looked up and set the list on the counter.

“I’ll fill the order,” he said. “It will take a few minutes. You can take a seat over there with your…”

“Nephew,” William filled in for the clerk.

Jacop nodded. “With your nephew. However, I should tell you this is going to be expensive.”

William nodded once. “I understand.”

Jacop stroked his chin. “I might also tell you that Orin is a fine guide, but there is one who is better.”

William perked up at that and leaned in. “Who is that?”

Jacop smiled wisely. “I can tell by your list that Orin isn’t going to be taking you anywhere. Now, what you want to do off in the mountains is your own business, but I can’t have it said that Jacop sent any customer off into the forest unprepared. Therefore, go and find a man named Garrin. I’ll draw a map to his house on the back of the list. However, I should caution you, if Garrin refuses to take you, then you should reconsider your trek.”