Escana (17 page)

It
was something of a tradition for him to gaze up at the Chipped Flagon
after wandering down the path towards Escana. He considered himself
very lucky to call one of the most remarkable buildings in all the
land his home. Its size served as a beacon for miles around, as if
indelibly etched into the surrounding landscape.

The
winding path that snaked off the main road had seen signs of recent
repair, he caught himself subconsciously stepping over potholes that
no longer existed. Rich arable pastures lay on either side and the
fresh wagon tracks had just started to cut familiar grooves. He waved
amiably at the farmers and broke into a brisker pace, casting away
his mournful façade to soak up the morning sun. He took much
joy from revelling in the simple freedoms that his life brought him.

The
farmland gave way to basic thatched housing in a short distance, at
the epicentre of the hamlet was the small well that children played
around as their mothers fetched fresh water, gossiping freely about
any number of well-worn topics. He always felt a pang of sadness at
never having known his mother in his days of frolicking there, it
seemed to him that the only thing he had missed in life was the most
important of all. Not that his father was a bad man, he just seemed
distant at times when a maternal touch was required.

The
smithy and Warden's house lay in close proximity to the well, small
living spaces with larger attachments. He was reminded sharply of his
recent encounter with Garth, apparently his walk wasn't going to be a
pleasant one after all.

Upon
approaching the Warden's house, he peered into the window, no sign of
Thom or Jakob. He went to the larger section and knocked respectfully
on the door.

'Come
in,' a voice that wasn't Thom's said.

Jimmy
sighed in relief. 'I'm looking for Jakob, has he been around?'

The
young deputy shook his head and returned to his game of chess with
the drunk in the cell. Jimmy wasn't surprised, Jakob spent as little
time as possible with his estranged father, he really couldn't see
the Warden enlisting his son's help with anything either. If Thom
were to be believed about his son's wanderings, that left the falls.

He set out south-west, carefully
avoiding the smithy and letting his feet guide him. He travelled down
the winding path as it dwindled into a barely marked trail through
the forest. He had always found the trees in the deeper parts of the
woods ominous, as if the large shapes were closing in on him to
curtail his movement. The whole forest seemed untamed and secretive
to him, he couldn't seem to stifle that feeling.

Jimmy had been walking for
several miles when the familiar rushing sound started to seep into
the background. He quickened his pace, feeling oddly out of sorts for
no reason he could think of, the pounding water that grew louder in
his ears seemed to perpetuate the sense of urgency he felt.

He cut off the path a little too
early and nearly fell down a rocky slope. Settling himself, he called
Jakob's name several times to no avail. For reasons he couldn't quite
fathom, a gnawing unease started to grip him. His new friend's
absence kept tugging at him, especially in light of Solomon's death.
Now was not a time for anyone to be absent with a killer loose. A
killer. Yes, that would be why he was uneasy. Jimmy cursed his
stupidity but pressed on, it seemed everyone was on edge today.

He
was used to the volatile nature of Garth, but his recent outburst had
a menace that he had never seen before. The smith was quick to anger
but more often than not was slow to meter out punishment in his
wrath. Great strength could force a man to abuse or restrain and he
had seen Garth's vast restraint sorely tested by a few ignorantly
misplaced words on his part. He feared testing him again yet the idea
of the smith being motivated by fear was something he couldn't
comprehend.

He
frowned at himself, it wasn't Garth he should be worried about, the
smith would no doubt take care of his own affairs.

Then it came to him. Jakob had
been with Ella and had escaped Solomon's wrath, Ella had long wanted
Solomon out of her life. Jakob was also the one who according to Thom
spent all his time by the falls, the place the murder happened.

Jimmy's
heart
missed
a
beat,
what
if
Jakob
was
missing
for
a
reason?
What
if
Ella
had
planned
this
all
along?

I
t
was the first person they'd seen on foot since setting off from
Urial, not that he made an awful lot of sense when they hailed him.

'Greetings
stranger, I am Harkin of the Urian Town Watch. Justice Kelgrimm has
sent us looking for a group of men that set out recently with
questionable intentions. Have you been subjected to any robbery or
seen such travellers pass by?'

Harkin
heard the faint chuckles from the men behind him. He knew they
thought him a pompous windbag but he prided on doing things by the
book, he needed answers about these bandits sooner rather than later
or his superiors would be most displeased.

'I
have to go home,' the stranger said in an oddly flat voice.

'Certainly,
we'd all like to head home and you may do so after answering my
questions.'

'I
have to go home and be with my family,' the stranger said, trying to
push past Harkin and continue walking down the path.

'Now
look here,' Harkin said, standing firm and clamping an arm down on
the small man. 'We want you to answer a few questions and then you
can be on your way.'

'I
have to go home,' the stranger said, shrugging off Harkin's arm and
walking straight toward the rest of the guard.

While
the men had found the entire encounter amusing at first, when the
stranger made a move toward them with unclear intention they quickly
drew their weapons and demanded that he halt.

'I
have to go home and be with my family,' he told the rest of the
guards, regarding them with dead eyes and advancing toward an
out-thrust spear.

'Stay
your weapons!' Harkin shouted, watching the man walk straight toward
the assortment of steel without fear.

The
guard with the spear brought the butt end up and shoved it into the
man's nose with a resounding crunch.

'I
said stay your weapons!' Harkin repeated, watching the unarmed man
slump to the ground.

'He
was looking at me all funny, sent a shiver down my spine,' the
spear-holder said, followed by noises of assent from his comrades.

Harkin
puffed his cheeks out and blew air. 'Go on then, check for a pulse.'

The
stranger lay face-down on the road but was still breathing in spite
of bleeding heavily from the nose.

'You
lads just saved yourself a lot of effort,' Harkin muttered. 'He must
be short a few in the head, see if he can stand then send him on his
way.'

The
cloaked figure appeared in his periphery. 'Is this truly the extent
of your concern for your fellow man?'

Much
to his surprise, Harkin's men turned their weapons on this newcomer.
He struggled to remain as nonplussed as they seemed and realised he
was the one who had to deal with the intrusion. For some reason this
didn't feel like a sudden shock and his fear lingered uncomfortably
as he sought for words.

It
was the figure that spoke first. 'Your misgivings over the potential
danger of a single unarmed traveller is disproportionate to the
extreme, as is your reaction to my appearance. Am I not simply
another soul venturing down this beaten path for you to ask
assistance from?'

Harkin
took a deep breath, he didn't like the tone of this stranger one bit.
'The fool wandered right into my man's spear, he seemed as if a babe,
uncomprehending and repetitive.'

The
hooded figure stared at him silently for the longest time then, as if
deep in thought. The men shuffled nervously, weapons still drawn but
uncertainty growing.

'A
query for you dear Captain of the guard, if this man was as if a
babe, what harm could possibly befall you that your men needed to
intercede in such a manner?' it asked.

Harkin
took a step forward, his anger starting to get the better of him.
He'd had more than enough shocks today and as well spoken as this
traveller was he was getting impatient with the attitude. 'Listen
here stranger, what gives you the right to question us in such a
fashion?'

Harkin
heard a cry from behind him and watched a blur of steel shoot past
his head and straight into the stranger's outstretched hand, the
bloody butt pointing at him indicated that it was the same spear used
to mash the face of the previous traveller.

'The
same jurisdiction that Justice Kelgrimm himself empowered your group
with,' the figure said, hefting the spear. 'You have strength through
arms and now you have met your better. Let me gaze upon you all now
and see if I have been sadly mistaken.'

It
was the strangest sensation, as if his soul had been peeled out from
under his eyes and put on display. He gazed soundlessly at each of
them in turn, Harkin's lips seemed sealed shut as he observed.

The
cloaked figure shook his head. 'Most disappointing, not a single one
of you worth saving. Your weapons may give you power over the man you
have struck down but his soul shines brighter than any of you.'

With
a shuffle of feet, the men were drawn against their will into a line.

The
stranger hefted the spear and Harkin screamed.

'
Y
ou
still haven't answered my question,' he said as he walked alongside
her, constantly peering into the shadows as if they conspired to
smother
them both.

'You're
really not that good at this, are you?' It was rhetorical, and served
only to infuriate him further.

He
came to a complete stop. 'Good at what?'

'At
talking to women, at understanding anything for that matter.' She
walked back to where he stood and planted herself in front of him.
'It's not that difficult to get. You saved my life, I wasn't going to
go back to the farm covered in blood so I followed you. Had I done
anything else you would have been implicated.'

'How
did you track me all the way back to the cave?' Jakob asked.

Ella
frowned. 'In case you've forgotten, you weren't exactly stealthy in
your departure.' She spotted the surprise on his face. 'Thanks to the
state you were in you misjudged the distance, I could hear you
dashing off and even if I couldn't keep up I only needed to follow
your heavy breathing and fresh footprints.'

That
flustered him as intended. 'You... lay beside me as I slept.'

She
nodded as if addressing a child. 'Yes.'

'Why?'

This
brought a frown. 'Isn't that how it works with men? You killed the
last one so now you get to take his place. Claim his prize.' She let
acid drip off every word, resentment that echoed years.

Let's
see how he responds to that.

'We
need to keep walking,' he said, clearly not rising to the bait.

The
questions and belittlements she had constructed must still be roiling
inside him but he appeared to have forced them down. Answers would
have to wait, in spite of what seemed to be a burning frustration to
press her further. 'We need to cut across country at first light, if
what you suspect has happened is true and my father has started
searching with yours then we can't rely on the night wagons to
confuse the scent.'

She
nodded at him, encouraging these more practical thoughts.

'The
old tracks will be gone but your father's dogs are trained too well
for us to rely on that. We have to assume the worst and cross water
before tomorrow is out if we want to escape.'

Jakob
set a brisk pace, one that Ella had no problems matching. They both
knew that they'd have to continue on the main road at night if they
were to reach the river tomorrow, periodically avoiding the trade
wagons that blazed through in rush of hooves and lights. Ella's
familiarity with the route to Urial was mostly from infrequent trips
with Jimmy on supply deliveries to The Chipped Flagon. She pondered
in silence for a long time about how Jimmy would take it when he
discovered Jakob was a murderer.

She
watched as he cut through the increasing undergrowth with a large
branch. She followed behind him, cursing every scrape and bite, the
flies seemed to have a taste for her.

After
a time, Jakob stopped and held up his hand. 'Can you hear that?'

Ella
looked at him quizzically. 'What?'

'Can
you not hear it?'

'Hear
what?' frustration crept into the edges of her tone. 'All I hear is
birdsong and time being wasted.'