Ossendar: Book Two of the Resoration Series (30 page)

Derek smiled, “Flare's and Heather's groups. We're going to hide for a couple of hours until after the sun is up, then we will ride back to Telur and pass right through the middle of it.”

Kara and Trestus smiled, but Enstorion seemed uninterested. “Then what?” Trestus asked.

Derek shrugged, “East.”

“East? Not south?” Kara asked, as she spoke, she adjusted a small silver bracelet on her left wrist.

Derek nodded, “East for a while, and then south.” Kara and Trestus seemed unsure, so he added “Trust me.”

It didn't take long to find a decent size clump of trees off to the north of the road. They led their horses to the far side and tethered them there and returned to see if any of the other guardians would pass by.

Trestus and Derek lay down on the ground looking around a tree; Enstorion had remained with the horses.

“Do you really think that there is any reason for all this hiding and skulking about?” Kara asked sitting down in the middle of the trees. She was wearing a wool dress that was split for riding and completely different from what she normally wore.

Derek shrugged, and then realizing that nobody could see him in the dark, he added “Don't know, but that's the way Flare wants it.”

Anything else they had to say was cut off by a “Shh!” from Trestus. He had spotted a small group of riders coming along the road. “Down,” he added, although unnecessary, as Derek and Kara were already getting as low to the ground as they could. Three riders and a packhorse were moving steadily up the road.

Trestus and Derek both watched as their fellow guardians passed by on the road. For a moment, Derek could have sworn that the rider in the front had stared up at the trees, but it was impossible for anyone on the road to have spotted them. It must have just been his imagination.

They watched until the riders were out of sight, and then Trestus rolled over on his back, “What now?”

Derek also rolled over, “I suggest we take a quick nap. Once we get moving, I'm not going to want to stop until nightfall.”

After a brief nap, the four of them ate a quick and cold breakfast and then mounted their horses and headed east. It was a little cool in the early morning air, but not yet cold. That wouldn't last long, winter should be arriving any time now.

They rode quietly and at a leisurely walking pace, each lost in their own thoughts. Derek didn't want to tire the horses too quickly, and they didn't want to seem to be in too much of a hurry.

As they neared the city, more and more people were on the road. The sun was up and the markets of Telur were already open. Most of the travelers were on foot and looked bedraggled, but some were on horseback, and others rode on wagons. Most of the wagons were part of caravans, but here and there was a farmer or merchant by himself. The wagons that were alone and not part of a caravan seemed to be from nearby, as they didn't have the look of someone who had been on a long journey.

As the throng of people neared the gate of the city, they were all funneled together so that they could enter through the western gates. Guards stood to the side of the road and watched the mass of people pushing through, even if the guards had wanted to stop someone, Derek wasn't sure they could have. There were just too many people entering the city. Much to the frustration of those travelers around him, several times Derek had to stop his horse and wait on the others. 'Get lost in this crowd, and it would take a week to find them,' he thought. Finally, they all made it through the crowded gates and moved a little ways into the city. Derek was very familiar with Telur and chose roads that would keep them moving smoothly, but he also made sure that they didn't get too near to the center of the city. The four of them had a better chance of getting recognized the closer they got to the castle.

It took several hours to wind through the city. They kept an eye out for anyone watching or following them, but their fears were not realized and they approached the eastern gates without incident.

Derek rode in front, Trestus and Kara rode side by side just behind Derek, and Enstorion brought up the rear with the pack horse. Trestus had offered to lead the animal, but Enstorion had refused.

“What's the matter?” Trestus asked Kara, noting the look on her face.

“I don't want to fight through all those people again. The western gates were enough for me,” she answered.

Much to Kara's delight, however, the eastern gate was not as packed. People and animals were still streaming in, but it almost appeared orderly.

Trestus nodded toward the gates, “Most people want to get to the markets in the morning and they stay until at least the afternoon. This is a good time to leave.”

Derek was a little disappointed that there weren't more people about, but as he kept glancing at the guards, none of them seemed to notice or care. A small group of men to the left were throwing dice, and another group to the right of the gate were leaning against the wall and talking. Neither group so much as glanced at the guardians as they rode through the gates. Nudging his horse forward, Derek led them through the gates and onto the Eastern road.

They rode their horses against the flow of people and wagons headed towards Telur. The amount of people didn't compare to this morning, but it was still frustrating. They rode toward the right of the road, with most of the travelers passing them on their left, although some traveled on the side of the road to their right. They slowly made their way away from the city, and the stream of people began to thin out.

On the right side of the road were farms and some small shops that were doing a good business, and on the left of the road was the forest. They rode along in silence, each in his or her own thoughts.

They stopped late in the afternoon at a village that was little more than a stopping place for caravans. Numerous caravans were already setup for the evening, with the wagons parked on empty fields and the horses tethered nearby. Caravan guards watched them warily as they rode by, but they passed without incident.

“Let's stay at an inn, tonight,” Kara said. It was the first thing that any of them had said in a long time.

Derek glanced back over his shoulder just in time to catch Trestus cracking his jaws in a wide yawn. “Here? We still have another hour of daylight.”

Trestus shrugged, “If we don't stay here, then we will have to pitch camp, and we won't get to ride the full hour anyway.”

“Besides,” Kara added, “My butt hurts.”

Derek grinned, “Well, that settles it; Kara's butt needs a bed.” Trestus smiled back, but Kara just scowled at him. “Kara, I have been thinking about this and we need a story about who we are and why we are traveling. I was thinking that you and Trestus should say that you are married.”

“Absolutely not!” Trestus said, interrupting Derek in mid-sentence. Then noticing Kara's raised eyebrows, he quickly amended, “Uh, not that any man wouldn't be honored to have you.” This didn't seem to help either, in fact her eyebrows couldn't go any higher. “Derek, what I meant to say is that you're the leader and I think it would be better if you posed as the husband.”

Derek grinned in spite of himself, “But you see, I am the leader. I get to make the decision on who is Kara's husband.”

Kara was now glaring at Derek, “You make that sound like a punishment.”

Derek blinked at her, all trace of a smile gone from his face. “I surely didn't mean to.” He assured her.

“Good. In that case, you can be my husband.”

Derek desperately wanted to argue, but judging by the look on Kara's face, that would only make things worse. He noticed Trestus smiling, and made a silent promise to himself to pay him back double for this.

Kara glanced back at Enstorion who was sitting on his horse just behind the other three. “Enstorion can be our advisor, and Trestus will be our escort.”

“Now hold on.” Derek interjected quickly. “I am the leader of this group, Kara, not you. I will make the decisions.”

After a moment, Kara nodded her head, “As you say, Derek. I should not have been so bold.”

Derek smiled at her, “Thank you.” Then without even pausing, he added, “Now, Trestus, you will be our escort, and Enstorion you will be our advisor.” With that he turned his horse and headed toward the nearest inn, but not before he had noticed the ear to ear grin on Trestus' face and the growing scowl on Kara's.

The nearest inn looked a little run down on the outside, but Derek still passed his reins over to the stable boy and headed inside.

The Wagoneer's Seat wasn't that bad looking on the inside, and some truly wonderful smells were coming from the kitchen. Derek's stomach growled and he realized that he hadn't eaten since morning.

The front door opened into the common room, and it was already full of people, rough looking men for the most part. In fact, the only women that he saw were the serving maids who were running back and forth looking thoroughly disheveled. The noise was almost overwhelming, as everyone seemed to be talking at once. A man stood at the far end of the common room, and seemed to be telling a story, although Derek couldn't hear a word of it. The people sitting right next to the story-teller probably couldn't hear his story. There were two doorways opposite the main entrance. The door to the right was the door that the serving maids kept running through, and presumably led to the kitchens. He led them through the door on the left, and was grateful when the swinging door closed behind them, cutting off most of the sound.

A middle-aged man sat behind a desk on the right side of the small room, and a stairwell led up at the end of the room. “Greetings, I'm Harold and I own the place. What can I do for you?” The man asked. He was a round man with a long white apron that just covered his swelling belly. His dark black hair was going gray in his sideburns, but his thick mustache was still jet black.

Derek smiled, “We would like two rooms for the night. One with two beds, and,” He didn't get to finish the sentence, because Harold interrupted him.

“Don't have two rooms left, only got one left, and it has a small bed.”

“Oh, I see.” Derek said, trying not to be grouchy with the man, “Could you recommend another inn that might have more rooms?”

Harold shook his head, “A lot of caravans coming through lately and all the rooms fill up fast. You're lucky that I still have one.”

Glancing at the others, and sighing, Derek asked how much.

“Two scepters,” Harold answered, and then noticing Derek's mouth hanging open, he added, “It's either that or sleep in a field.”

Derek closed his mouth with a snap and paid the inn keeper. He then added some more to get dinner brought to the room.

Harold led them up the stairs and down the hallway to the end. Their bedroom was the last one on the right and was pitifully small. Between the four of them and their packs, there wasn't much room left over. It was built against the roof, so the ceiling was sloped at a weird angle and Derek hit his head several times. The floor was bare wood, and the small window looked out over the stable yard.

Kara quickly laid claim to the bed, and the three men sat down on the floor. Trestus stretched and then laid down using his pack as a pillow. He was about to fall asleep, when a soft knock on the door turned out to be one of the serving maids bringing food and ale. They all fell on the food, even Kara paid little heed for manners as they devoured the hard bread, cheese, and roast.

With a reproving feeling settling on him, Derek realized that his first day in command had not been a total success. He had not stopped them to eat during the day and it was obvious. It was fortunate that they had not been attacked this afternoon, as their strength may have been affected by their lack of food. He fully intended not to make this mistake again, if he could help it.

The next morning Derek was wakened by Trestus moving around in the small room. “Sorry,” Trestus said quietly, seeing that Derek was awake.

Derek glanced to the window, the sun would be up soon and he should have already been out of bed. “I must be more tired that I thought to sleep so late.” He stood up to stretch, and bumped his head on the low ceiling. Cursing, he grabbed his pack and headed out of the room, with Trestus following behind.

The common room was already full; they took some food and headed outside. There wasn't much to choose from, but the bread was fresh, and the ham was still warm. It was probably the best breakfast that they would have for a long time.

Tucking an apple into his pack, Derek stepped out onto the porch that ran the length of the front of the inn. He glanced up and down the street, pausing only a moment on the men that were standing next to a corral. His heart seemed to skip a beat, but he tried not to show it. He moved on down to the edge of the porch, and sat down with his feet in the dirt of the street. Trestus followed and sat down beside Derek, all the while chewing on the bread and ham.

“Trestus. Don't look, but there is a group of men at the corral down the street that were standing and talking at the Eastern gate of Telur.” Derek kept his eyes on Trestus the whole time that he spoke.

To Trestus' credit, he did as he had been told, and did not look at the men. The only outward sign that he had even heard Derek, was that he paused briefly in chewing. “How many?”