Ossendar: Book Two of the Resoration Series (42 page)

Several times, Trestus and Kara caught Derek's eye, and a couple of times, Derek was actually afraid that they were about to speak. Once, Trestus opened his mouth, but Derek quickly shook his head and Trestus lapsed back into silence. Kara, too kept her mouth shut, but judging by the look on her face, he was going to pay double when she got him alone.

Several minutes later, Ragon stopped next to a sprawling two story building made out of white stone. It was unmistakably an inn, and the sign that hung over the door, proclaimed it 'The General's Repose'. Dismounting, Ragon waited patiently for the four guardians to dismount and tie their horses to the hitching post. He glanced over at one of the soldiers, who was still sitting on his horse. “Go get Garrick and Orval. Send them to the private dining room.” He pointed to the two soldiers, “You two. Come with me.” Then he turned and silently led them through the door.

The door opened onto a large open common room. The room was clean and furnished with several chairs and a couch for the occupants of the inn. At the far end of the room was a fireplace, white coals the only remains of the morning's fire. Through a couple of open doors to their right they could see a long room that was full of tables with a small stage at the far end. Along the left wall, was a desk and cabinets for the inn keeper. At the far end of the left hand wall, a spiral staircase led up to the second floor. Another open door, right next to the staircase, afforded them a view of a long empty hallway with many doors off of it.

An old balding man sat at the desk, although he rose shakily to his feet the minute they entered. What little hair he had left was completely grey, and his face was deeply lined and his nose seemed way too big for his face. He smiled at them, which did little to help his appearance, but it did make him seem nicer. “Hello, Captain. Are these nice people looking for a room?”

Captain Ragon barely slowed his walk, and didn't even glance over at the inn keeper. “No. I need to use your private dining room for a while,” He said walking past the desk.

The four guardians were walking behind the Captain, and they noticed the sullen grumpy look that came over the old man. Evidently, he didn't like Captain Ragon's use of his rooms. However, the inn keeper kept silent, and returned to his seat.

Ragon led them to the open door that was next to the spiral staircase, and into the long hallway. He walked without looking to either side, as if he knew the way well enough. He stopped next to first door on the right and turned to face them. “Go on in and have a seat.” Derek looked questioningly at him, and the Captain added, “I am going to see that the inn keeper provides some proper refreshment.” The Captain motioned for the two soldiers to stand along the wall opposite the door, and then he walked back the way he had come.

Derek hurriedly motioned the other three into the small dining room. It was a plain room, with a small fireplace and a large square table. Six wooden chairs sat here and there around the room, and a seventh chair covered in padding sat at the head of the table. The bottom half of the walls were covered in a cherry wood paneling, and the top half was the same drab grey plaster as the hallway. There was not, however, a window.

“What is going on?” Kara burst out as soon as the door was closed. “Why did you agree to let soldiers come along with us?”

“I didn't have much choice. Now did I?” Derek barked right back; his brashness seemed to catch Kara off guard. “If I would have refused, then we would either be under arrest, or saddled with ten or more soldiers. As it is, he's only sending two. If it comes down to it, then we make a run for it. If they try to stop us,” he paused for a moment, “Well, then we defend ourselves.”

“Derek, why would he agree to only send two soldiers? That seems wrong.” Trestus said, moving over to the table and sitting down. Enstorion had sat down as soon as they entered.

Derek frowned, “I thought that too, but maybe he's underestimating us.”

“Why did he hit me?” Kara asked, “All I did was ask a question.” She too had taken a seat at the table.

“Exactly,” Derek responded. “Don't you know anything about Delamar?” Kara just shook her head. Derek sighed, “You really should have paid attention in training. In Delamar, women are property. They are bought and sold just like cows.” Kara scowled at the comparison. “However, the nobility in this wonderful little country has a fondness for foreign ladies. In fact, they quiet often buy wives for their children.” Kara looked horrified at these words, but Derek kept right on talking. “I told him that we were escorting you to Baron Ludon, so that Ragon wouldn't hold us for days until we could see a judge.”

Kara opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again as the door opened and Captain Ragon entered. He moved straight to the head of the table and sat down in the padded chair. “Don't worry, refreshments are on the way, or at least they had better be.” He studied the four guardians for a moment. “Now, when were you planning on leaving town?”

Derek frowned, “Actually, we didn't plan on stopping.”

“After that long ride you didn't plan to spend a night in an inn?” Ragon looked slightly surprised, or perhaps it was just for show. “No matter. My men will be here momentarily, and then you can be on your way.”

Once again, that nagging feeling of worry seemed to rise up within Derek. It seemed too easy.

Just then, there was a quick knock on the door. Without waiting for an invitation, the door opened and the old inn keeper ushered several serving girls through. Three of the girls carried food, while the fourth carried a tray of glasses and a pitcher of wine. The serving girls never took their eyes from the floor, but quickly hurried in, placed the food and drink on the table, and then quickly hurried back out.

Captain Ragon leaned forward and ripped a chicken leg free and began to eat noisily. Derek and Trestus both picked at the chicken and Enstorion had a glass of wine, only Kara did not try any of the food or drink.

They sat in silence for several minutes, except for the sounds of eating, until finally a knock came at the door. This time it did not open, not until Captain Ragon called out, “Enter.”

The door opened and two men entered. The first one looked like a typical Delamar man. He was short, with dark hair and a dark complexion. His eyes seemed to dart from one side of the room to the other, quickly locating everything and everyone in the room.

Derek thought that the second man seemed as different from the first as possible. He was tall with blond hair and blue eyes. 'If he's from Delamar, then so am I,' thought Derek. Neither man wore the uniform of the army of Delamar, but they did both wear swords at their hip.

The two men moved from the open door into the room. Panic burst into bloom in the pit of Derek's stomach at the way they moved. They had an almost indefinable grace about them, each of their movements seemed to flow into the next. He had seen men move like this before, the sword masters who had trained them when they entered the guardians. Derek cursed himself quietly; he now knew why the Captain had been so willing to let the four guardians travel with only two guards. Those guards were both sword masters.

After a moment, Derek pulled his eyes off of the swordsmen, back to Captain Ragon. The Captain had been watching him, and was now smiling.

“Yes, I thought that you might sense the, ah, special abilities of these men.” Ragon said, “I hoped that you would anyway. It saves me having to explain what happens if you are lying to me.” Captain Ragon turned his attention to the two new arrivals, “This is Orval.” At the mention of his name, the shorter of the swordsmen, the one with black hair, nodded, although he still looked sour. Captain Ragon motioned to the blond swordsman, “And this is Garrick.” The big man smiled jovially at them.

Derek was confused. All that they had needed to do was to travel south and stay out of trouble. How could things have gone so wrong for a second time?

Several hours later, their group departed the small town, now numbering six members. As it was now mid-afternoon, it perhaps would have been better to spend the night at the inn, but Derek wanted to get as far from Captain Ragon as he could, and the other guardians seemed to agree. Derek and Garrick rode in the front, followed by Trestus riding beside Kara. Enstorion was next, leading the pack horse, and Orval brought up the rear.

Orval had hardly said two words to anyone since being introduced. He seemed to be a withdrawn and sullen man, but his eyes were always moving. His body could be completely still, but his eyes would be darting around. He kept a close watch on people and things near him. Perhaps that's why he was so eager to be last in line.

Derek wished that some of Orval's sullenness would rub off on Garrick. The man would not shut up. He was constantly talking, telling stories of his past, or maybe just stories that he had heard. The others quickly began to ignore him, but then they would jump when his deep booming laugh would ring out.

Derek's head was starting to hurt, as he searched for a way out of this mess. Maybe, they could bribe Garrick. He seemed to be a friendly enough sort of guy, and unlike Orval, Garrick was not from Delamar. As far as Derek knew, there wasn't any reason for the big man to stay here. Perhaps, just perhaps, they could work something out.

They stopped to make camp several hours later, as the sun was about to set. They quickly began to set up camp, and Derek sent Trestus to gather firewood, and Orval went with him. Derek watched the two of them go, as he brushed down his horse, feeling the first tinges of possibility. “Garrick?” Garrick, who had been trying to tell Kara how to start a fire, never mind the fact that she seemed to be doing fine without his help, turned and grinned over at Derek. He motioned the big man to come closer.

“Yeah?” Garrick asked, walking over to where Derek stood.

Derek kept brushing the horse, but glanced up at the big man. “I was just curious where you're from.”

“Oh, I'm from Dalar.” Garrick said, smiling as dumbly as ever. “It's to the west.” He added, and Derek had to pretend to cough, to cover his snort. Of course he knew where Dalar was located.

“Why did you leave Dalar and come to this backwards country?” Derek asked, trying to sound indifferent. He wanted to get information from Garrick, but he didn't want to be obvious about it. Not that the dumb oaf could have figured out what he was doing anyway.

“I like it here.” Garrick answered, that ridiculous grin covering his face. “The pay is good, and I don't have to do much.” It seemed to Derek that the grin slipped just a little, “That is, unless someone challenges Captain Ragon.”

“Oh, and how often does that happen?” Derek asked, still sounding casual, but excitement starting to build within him. It sounded like Garrick enjoyed Delamar, but not fighting for Captain Ragon.

“Not as much as it once did,” Garrick said gravely. “I'm glad. I like not having to do much.”

“Ever think of going home to Dalar?” Derek asked. Perhaps, this might work out for them after all.

“Oh no. I couldn't go back to Dalar, even if I wanted to.” Garrick said, all traces of the grin were now gone.

Derek paused, and looked up; something in the big man's tone had changed. “Why is that?”

Garrick was frowning now, and it was the first time since they had met. “I was trained in the use of the sword in Dalar, but I had an argument with my teacher.”

Derek went back to rubbing down his horse, “That doesn't sound so bad. I bet he doesn't even remember the argument.”

“There's a price on my head.” Garrick's voice had gotten a lot quieter, which was unusual, for his voice always seemed to project. “If I go back, then I would probably be arrested.”

“Oh, I doubt that.” He laughed, “I don't imagine they would arrest you for arguing with your old teacher.”

“Well, it was a little more than an argument. I sort of killed him.”

The words took a moment to register with Derek, but when they did, he stopped rubbing down the horse and looked up. “What did you say? You killed him?”

“Yeah, the crazy old man was going to disown me.” The glee was back, but it was different now. Earlier, he seemed jovial, but now he seemed to be maniacal.

Derek stood up straight, “I don't understand. You're teacher was going to disown you?”

Garrick looked sheepish for a moment, “Did I mention that he was also my father?”

Derek was speechless for a moment, “Garrick.” He finally managed, “Are you telling me that you killed your father?”

Garrick nodded, the huge grin now firmly back on his face. “I killed some farmer's brat, and my father was going to disown me, and what's more, he wanted to turn me over to the authorities. Can you believe that?”

Derek didn't answer; he just stared at the big man, all hope of reasoning with him draining away.

The silence lasted for a moment or two, and then Garrick spoke again. “It was interesting though. That man who taught me to fight but who always told me that I was doing things wrong, he died on his knees begging for his life.” His eyes were glassy. After a few moments, he came back to himself, and punched Derek jovially on the shoulder, “Well, he died begging and screaming, now didn't he?”

Derek didn't answer; he wouldn't have known where to begin. He had gone cold all over, and his mouth was dry. This man was one to be feared. A fighter, who had to be insane.

Garrick looked around, “Oh good, here they come with the firewood.” He then walked over and helped Trestus and Orval stack some branches near the fire.