Into the Wastelands: Book Four of the Restoration Series (13 page)

The words brought
Eugene
back to the moment. “What? I thought you said he was definitely coming here.”

“No. What I said is that I am looking for somewhere for him to hunt. It can’t just be anywhere, though. There has to be something to get him interested.” He paused briefly and then casually added, “
So
what can you tell me of the surrounding area.”

“The area?”
Eugene
repeated, considering, “
n
ot
much, I’m afraid. I don’t get out of the town much.”

Aaron’s mood sank. He had done a lot of lying and he desperately wanted more than that. “Well, do you know anyone who could describe the area to me?”

Brightening immediately,
Eugene
n
odded. “I know just the man. Ol’
Clem travels far and wide. His duty and all.”

“Duty?” Aaron asked. He was intrigued so far.

“Yeah, Clem is the constable. He lives here in Emtown, but he travels every direction but south.”
Eugene
slapped Aaron on the bac
k, “I
t’d be fairly hard for him to travel south, unless he took a boat.” The old man laughed like he just said the funniest thing ever.

Aaron smiled and tried to look amused.
“Does Clem stay busy as the constable?”

“Oh, Gods yes! Emtown is constantly being visited by hunters, vagrants,
and sometimes even the miners come down from the mountains. Every week or so, some ornery hunter will stab some other ornery hunter over a woman, or a drink, or just because. Then Clem steps in and does his duty. He also travels to the mines, although they normally handle their own problems. He also visits four or five small villages between here and the
Silver
River
.”

Aaron was liking this more and more. “Is Clem currently in town?”

Eugene
grinned and leaned close, “
H
e sure is. Want to meet him?”

The first thought that surged into Aaron’s mind was
trap
, but he pushed it away. It was true that the Guardians had seen more than their share of betrayal and traps, but that wasn’t any reason to be paranoid. Careful, maybe, but not paranoid. He raised his glass to his lips and drained the last of the ale, “I would very much like to meet this Clem of yours.”

Eugene and Aaron rose from the table and Enton stood to follow. Several people in the crowd called out for them to stay and Aaron nodded to where Atock stood in the middle of a crowd of people near the bar. “Wait with Atock and I’ll return shortly.”

Enton’s face darkened and for just a moment Aaron feared the big man would refuse, but instead he took a deep breath and nodded.

A light mist was falling as
Eugene
led Aaron through the main part of town. There wasn’t much, although it was probably the largest town for nearly a thousand miles. The main thoroughfares were little more than mud and the two men squashed along in the muck.

In some walled towns, buildings were practically being built on top of one another, but not here. Even though the town was walled, it felt roomy. The walls had been built with enough space for the houses and buildings to have reasonable yards.

All the buildings and houses were simple one story buildings made from logs. Some were nice and had porches, like the pub had, but others looked like the first decent puff of wind would blow them over.

Aaron considered making a joke about the poorly built shacks, but thought better of it.
Eugene
was the mayor of this hovel after all, and any jokes might offend him. Besides, one of those shacks might be his.

They walked south from the pub and turned west just short of the docks. Several lanes of mud over, they stopped in front of the worst looking shack Aaron had seen yet. It looked like it had been made with wood that no one else wanted and the cracks between the logs were not even filled in. Light shone through the cracks
and smoke flowed from the chimney. Well, in truth the smoke flowed from the chimney and a good ten to twenty gaps in the roof, it gave the shack the appearance of being on fire.

Eugene
stopped just short of the door. “Clem? Are you in there? It’s me, Eugene.”

“No need to shout,” a voice said from just behind them. It nearly caused Aaron to jump out of his skin.

They both turned to see a hulking outline of a man. It was hard to make out any features in the poor light, but the man was tall and broad. His hands were full with wood for the fire.

Eugene
put his hand to his heart, “
Y
ou nearly scared the life out of me.”

There was a soft chuckle from the hulking shadow. “Sorry, but you did come looking for me.” Clem moved past the two men and stopped at the rickety door. “Well, come on inside and at least get out of the rain.”

Clem kicked the door open and in the light from the fire, Aaron got his first good look at the man’s features. He was tall, not Enton tall, but over six feet. He was broad and muscled. His hair was long and black with just the first touches of gray at the temples. His beard was also just going gray, but it was cut short. He wore deerskin clothes and he had a long knife strapped to his waist.

Aaron stooped to get through the door and then straightened up, bumping his head on a support rafter.

Clem dropped his firewood and turned back to his guests. “How can I be of service?”

Eugene
waved his hand in
Aaron’s direction
, “
T
his young man is seeking information on the countryside.”

Clem looked surprised. “Are you looking for something in particular?”
h
e asked motioning towards a small bench.
Eugene
sat down, but Aaron remained standing.

Aaron quickly began telling the same story that he had told to
Eugene
. All the while Clem watched him. There was something in
the man’s
gaze, it was like he was weighing and measuring every word that came out of Aaron’s mouth.

It didn’t take long for Aaron to finish his story and he was relieved when it was done. The intensity of Clem’s gaze began to make him feel nervous. The constable was much smarter than the mayor
and Aaron hoped he had kept the story straight.

At the end of the story, silence hung in the air for several moments. Finally Clem spoke, “
S
o some foreign lord wants to come here to hunt?”
His tone was rather incredulous.

“Possibly,” Aaron answered, “but only if there’s something
interesting
to hunt.
What can you tell me about the wilds around Emtown?
”

Clem didn’t answer immediately, instead he stood there thinking. His eyes never left Aaron. Finally, he nodded at the bench again and then he moved over and sat down on an old wooden chair. He waited until Aaron sat down next to
Eugene
on the bench before he spoke. “Well, to the east of us is forest. The half nearest us is pretty tame. Nothing extraordinary that would interest a lord.”

“And the second half?” Aaron asked. He asked the question to keep up appearances. They were not travelling that way and he really didn’t care about the forest but he needed to pretend that he did.

“That gets a little more interesting. The forest goes all the way to the
White Mountains
, and there’s goblins and such in the mountains. They occasionally come into the forest to hunt. I have heard stories of trappers having to fight for their lives.”

Trying to look interested, Aaron nodded. “Still, Lord Montgomery is not interested in hunting goblins. Is there anything of interest to the west?”

Clem smiled, “N
ot unless his lordship wants to hunt farmers.”

“Nothing but farms, huh?” Aaron asked.

“Well, they are few and far between, but it’s mainly grasslands until you reach the
Silver
River
. There are some farms that take advantage of the rich soil.” Clem paused briefly, “
H
onestly, I don’t travel west very much. The farmers tend to be quieter and handle their own problems.”

“And to the north,” Aaron asked, trying to keep his voice steady. This was what he really wanted to know about.

Clem shrugged, “N
ot much to say. To the north are hills covered with scattered trees. Same to the northeast, all the way to the mountains.”

“So, just tree covered hills. No animals?”

“I didn’t say that, but I doubt there would be anything that this lord of yours would find interesting.”

The Mayor seemed to think his riches were sliding away. “What about in the mountains, up near where all those mines are located?”

“The mines are to the east and northeast and they’re well-guarded. Have to be with all the mangy goblins running around.
” He considered for a moment, “N
o, I don’t think there’s anything up there that would interest any lord.”

Eugene
was looking sick, but Aaron ignored him. “And what about farther north, maybe even north of the
Silver
River
?”

The question made
Eugene
look even more sick and he regarded Aaron with wide eyes.

Clem also looked surprised, although he disguised it better than did
Eugene
. “North of the
Silver
River
would put you into the old Faerum lands. No one goes there.” The constable leaned closer and put extra weight on his words, “
N
o one.”

“No one ever goes there?” Aaron asked
, surprised
. “Not even hunters or treasure seekers.” People were always drawn to ruins. Whether it was hoping to find gold, or just to explore. He found it hard to believe that everyone avoided the Faerum lands.

Clem shook his head. “I’ve never heard of anyone going there and coming back anyway. I’ve tracked a couple of men accused of murder that went that way. Once they crossed the
Silver
River
, they were on their own. Nobody ever saw them again.”

“At least nobody in these parts,” Aaron said. If he was accused of murder, the last place he would want to return to was where the murder took place. “Perhaps those men crossed the river, travelled west, and then disappeared.”

Shrugging, Clem leaned back in his chair. “Anything’s possible, but I’ve never heard of anyone entering those lands and then returning. I daresay your Lord won’t want to go there.”

Aaron didn’t answer right away but considered how best to proceed.
Eugene
looked fearfully from
one to the other and it was obvious he was afraid of
Clem’s brutal honesty might cost him a lot of gold. “Actually, that sounds like just the thing to interest his lordship. He has grown rather bored as of late and the promise of exploring a place that no one has visited in millennia might be just the thing.”

“Not if he values his life,” Clem said, shaking his head. “It would be foolish. The mountains are overrun with goblins, trolls, and things
even
nastier. Supposedly, the Faerum ruins are cursed. Only a fool would even consider it.”

Cursed?
, that had the sound of superstition. He doubted whether anyone had ever died from the “curse” of the Faerum lands.
Probably the fear of some imaginary curse kept them away. “So there isn’t anything definitive that you can tell me about that area?”

“No, but just think about how much enjoyment Lord Montgomery will get in being the first human to set eyes on the Faerum ruins,” Eugene said hopefully.

Aaron grinned, unable to stop himself. The Mayor was like a bloodhound with the scent of blood in its nose. “Yes, indeed. However, I think I shall need to take a quick trip north and have a look for myself.”

“You’re, you’re not going to go there. Are you?”
Eugene
asked, stammering.

“Just a quick look,” Aaron answered. “Unless I’m mistaken, it’s due north. Is that correct?”

There was silence for several moments and then Clem nodded.

“Good,” Aaron said, starting to rise from the bench.

“Wait!”
Eugene
called out.

Surprised, Aaron stopped halfway out of his chair. “Yes?”

Eugene
took a moment and collected himself. “I was thinking that perhaps Clem might be induced to show you the way.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Aaron said quickly, shaking his head. “All I have to do is travel north and stop when I get to the river. How hard is that?” he asked. Neither man answered and he began to feel a little nervous. “Is there something else? Brigands along the way?”

Clem shook his head, “N
o. Most of that sort are to the northeast, between here and the mine
s. Even they know to avoid the W
astes.”