Rise of the Citadel (The Search for the Brights Book 2) (10 page)

“I can make
Cresent arrows if needed.” Bowie was hoping the shopkeeper would catch his hint
but his eyes glazed over it. “Don’t you think that six silver is a bit steep
for a bow? I bought a horse at the last town for that much.”

The man laughed
and slapped his belly, “Lad, it would be steep if it was that town. You see,
this is
my
town and I control the prices. Besides, that is the
sale
price,
and you're going to give me that fine hat of yours as trade to keep it the sale
price.” Two of the guardsman chuckled behind Bowie. He had to admit that he was
not as good of a businessman as this fellow, but he still needed supplies. With
the prices at this shop, his coin wouldn’t last a day. Bowie carefully placed
his hat back on his head.

Bowie smiled, “I
think I will be keeping the hat. You know my name and I’ll guarantee that I can
make you more Crescent arrows in exchange for a better sale price. I am sure we
could work out a deal here. I will be needing a large amount of supplies if you
are looking to unload quite a bit of your shelves and fill your pockets.” He
would have to make the arrows to exchange himself, but it would hopefully give
him an advantage to getting the supplies needed.

The man chuckled
still looking at Bowie’s hat, “My boy, I’m surprised you have never heard of
me. My name is Ramos. I have spent a great deal of time building up my
reputation and my business. I set the prices, I control the inventory, and I
keep the town running. If you want to get supplies you will pay what I ask and
not a copper less. I promise you that you won’t find the supplies you will be
needing for leagues, because I already bought out the next town over. You see,
I also own the next two towns in any direction this side of the river.” The big
man reached up to rub his chin and smiled, “Let me try on the hat and see if it
is my size.”

“Good day, sir.”
Bowie said and walked out the door. He hoped the man would stop him from
leaving, but Ramos held his ground and didn't offer any additional sales.

Outside, Bowie
saw Auburn standing by a window looking in. She walked slowly past Bowie and
into the shop he had just left. She had a mischievous look in her eye and gave
Bowie a smirk before she disappeared through the door.

He had come up
empty handed in his scheme to get the supplies he needed. He was thinking on an
empty stomach and was tired of meals on the road. Bowie knew the local inn
would have a decent meal cooking. He straightened his hat and started looking
for the closest one.

**********

Auburn strolled
through the door as the two thugs stared at her. She wasn’t sure if they were
trying to make sure she didn't swipe something or if they wanted to court her.
She did her best to ignore their eyes as she lightly ran her fingers over some
of the cooking utensils. A man with a thick beard and large belly came out from
around a shelf carrying a piece of parchment and charcoal. She knew he must be
taking inventory, her father use to do the same thing.

“Hello, young
lady. Are you in the market for a new cook pot?” He said looking at her
strangely.

“Not for my
self, no. The man in the hat is in charge of all the money. I was just trying
to make sure he bought the right items. What is it he purchased?” She asked in
the sweetest voice she could muster.

The large man
chuckled, “The young lordling didn’t purchase anything. I tried to offer him
the sale price for his hat but he refused to take it. He wouldn’t know a good
bow if it was used to shoot him.” He smiled a big smile while still eyeing her
strangely. “Do I know you?”

“I don’t think
so, my father lives in Cambridge. He’s the fletcher there. I’ve lived my life
there, but the king enlisted me to supply his army with arrows. I am now under
the command of Master Crescent, the “lordling”, as you call him. He is in
charge of the king's archers. Which is strange that he didn't buy anything. He
bought as much as he could in my town.”

The man chuckled
again, this time so hard his belly shook. “I am sorry, I was trying to figure
out who your parents were. Now I see it. Your father refused to sell me his
wares years ago. It makes no difference. The lordling didn’t buy anything, but
if he really is the master fletcher, why would he? I offered him the bows for
six silver a piece. If he was Master Crescent he could just make his own.”

“Master Crescent
doesn’t make bows. He makes arrows and strings. It’s a shame you didn’t sell
him anything, after all the king is off to war.”

“What does the
king going to war have to do with me?”

She smiled,
“Well, I didn’t see it at first but the lordling saved my town by buying
everything he could. He arrived a few days before the king’s army and bought
supplies for his troop. He scooped up every item his men could use, from bows
and armor to cook pots and spices. He left town just as the king arrived. As
soon as the king arrived he demanded everything left in in the name of the
commonwealth. He took every able bodied man and every bit of supplies he needed
for his army. He said it was to protect the country from the Fire Realm.”

“How did that
save your village?”

“Everyone was
paid a fair price for their items instead of it being taken from them. The king
didn’t have any idea that they had just sold their items off. The army still
got what they needed, but so did the village. At least they will be able to buy
food in the winter instead of being left with no supplies or money. After all,
when the king was finished, he started gathering all the people that had skills
to help with the army. My father isn’t in good health so I offered to come in
his place. Most of the people in town were able to buy their way out of the
king's service by offering him gold instead. I was the only one that had to
leave the town. We were low on supplies from Springfest. Master Crescent didn’t
purchase much from us because his arrows are of much better quality, so I had
to come to help. So you see, Master Crescent saved my town.”

The large man
considered her words and scratched his hairy chin, “I see.”

“Well, I have
heard great things about your store here. I just wanted to see if for myself.
Thank you so much for keeping me company. You have some fine wares here.” She
curtsied and gave a wave of fingers to the burly guards. She ran her fingers
over a purple dress by the front window as she walked out the door. Before the
door closed she looked over her shoulder watching the big man still scratching
his beard where she had left him.

She wondered
where Bowie had gone. She was glad to see he didn’t give away all the troop’s
pay for his own whims. She stopped a pair of kids playing with sticks, “Have
you seen a lord in a fancy coat and a black hat?” They both pointed across the
road to an inn. She thanked them and went into the front room of the inn. He
was there sitting at a table, hat sitting on the back of the chair as he ate a
plate of food. “May I sit?”

“Are you going
to yell at me?”

She smiled,
”No.” Bowie didn’t look up from his plate to see it so she sat down. “You look
troubled.”

Bowie’s plate
was half gone and he didn’t seem to care to eat the rest of it. “I thought if I
got far enough away from the king I might be able to make this rabble into
something. I thought that I could give them a fighting chance. I can’t afford
to eat the food on this plate, let alone get supplies for my troop for the rest
of the night.” He dropped the spoon onto the plate and a bit of gravy splashed
off.

“It’s not your
fault, at least you use that thing between your ears for something besides
trying to find the next fight and ale. You should be proud of that. Besides,
you never know what will happen that might change our luck for the better.”

“Or for the
worse.” She now saw him looking directly back into her eyes. They didn’t say
anything to each other as she was brought a plate of roast. He ate in silence
as she complained about the speed at which they had traveled and how
uncomfortable it had been. She complained that the fletchers on the ride had no
talent in making arrows, bows, or strings. She wondered how much Bowie actually
heard of her ramblings as he pushed around the meat and potatoes on his plate.

Finally he
spoke, “I must be going. I have a troop arriving that will need direction.
Thanks for sitting with me.” He wiped his face with a napkin and snatched up
his hat while she was still mid-sentence of her ramblings. She wondered how
many different places his mind had wandered in the few moments they shared.

She had been
sure he was out to get glory and honor. After all, that is what all young
lordlings seemed to be after. Then he gathered the troop’s money and yet he
surprised her by not spending it until he could get what he needed for a good
price. Now she knew he was truly worried about his troops. She smiled to
herself, she would have to be nicer to him.

**********

Bowie turned his
problem over and over in his mind. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it to
the next town without the supplies he needed. Bowie tried to think about what
his father would do.

His dad always
said ‘Problems are like cows. You can’t cut the whole cow at once. You have to
cut away one piece at a time.’ So that is what he started to do. His first
problem was he needed to feed his men. He tried to figure out the best way to
get them something to eat. By the time he arrived back at the now forming camp,
he had a plan.

“Tyler, gather
everyone in. I need to talk to them.”

Bowie found a
cart and got up on top. He matched Tyler’s callings and tried to gather
everyone to him. Everyone stopped putting up tents and forming fire pits and
moved to him with tools still in hand. Even Ria came out of her wagon and came
to see what all the commotion was about.

“Everyone, give
me a second to speak. unfortunately there is one person in town that is making
sure all supplies are saved for the king himself. He seeks to make a big profit
off of his supplies and wanted to sell me a bow for six silver.” The mention of
the price caused most of the men to start cursing and talking amongst
themselves.

“I was unable to
even get supplies to help feed you. I chose not to spend all our money to get
us through the night. Which means we are going to have to fend for ourselves
out here. Is there anyone with tracking experience?”

A few raised
their hands.

“Move over there
and start a rank please.” The men moved over and stood side by side. “Tyler, I
want you to find the best archers we have and split them evenly between the
trackers, at least two archers each. I want one of the fletchers in each of the
groups. Give each one a direction and send them out to get us some meat.
Trackers, if you find berries or any other wild plant that we can eat, have the
fletchers pick them and send them back to camp. The rest of you get started
helping each other set up tents. I want sleeping arrangements made for the next
bunch off the ferry. Everyone do your best, the others should arrive by
morning.”

Bowie jumped
down and the men doubled their efforts as they went about their assigned tasks.
Tyler moved through the camp as trackers lead their group into the trees. Ria
approached Bowie with a smile.

“What can I do
to help, Sargeant?”

Bowie had
completely forgotten about her, not that he would have asked her to help at
all. He was perfectly fine with her doing whatever it was that she did in her
cart.

“No ma’am, I
wouldn’t ask you to burden yourself. I will see if we can get some food to you
as soon as our men return with the hunt.”

“Master
Crescent, I am part of this troop now and I can do my share. What is it you
prefer, fruit or flour?”

He took a second
to think of her question. “Whichever takes less effort to feed the amount of
people we have.”

Ria moved to an
empty space in the camp where a fire circle was being put together. She
searched around in a pouch on her waist and examined a few small seeds. After
finding the one she was searching for she pushed the seed into the moist soil
and uncorked her water skin. As she began pouring the water, a small plant
stretched out of the finger-sized hole. It grew to shoulder height before it
stopped.

“Wake me when
the food arrives, I’ll be resting in my wagon. See that I’m not disturbed until
then.”

“Wait. What type
of plant is this?” Bowie asked.

She smiled at
him with a motherly smile, “Apple.”

Bowie started to cheer up a bit.
Soon he would have meat and apples for his troops. Things were starting to look
up.

  Chit was
beginning to think that being sliced up was better being hit with training
swords. He was beaten and left bruised by the splintering wood. When he was
training with Captain Lorusk he was cut and healed each time. The end of the
day had come and he could barely move.

Now he had to
stand or sit outside the king’s tent and be put on display for any who wished
to challenge Atmos. He had to admit, this was the first time in his life that
being so large was an annoyance. He was always being put on display for nobles
and mayors as they traveled.

   The camp they
were in hadn’t moved for three days. The king’s tent stayed in place as troops
passed each day. The King and his retinue would be traveling to the front as
soon as they met the end of the long line of troops. The troops would move off
to the side as they made their way down the worn path. It would be another day
before they began to make their way to the front of the army again. At least he
wouldn’t have to walk the whole way. Traveling with a king had its perks: a new
horse and food three times a day as they traveled up the line.

Captain Lorusk
approached the king’s tent followed by a few nobles. Chit slowly stood for his
superior officer. Lorusk waved him to follow into the tent. Chit put his sword
back into the sheath on his back as the nobles and captain disappeared inside.
When he stepped inside there was the usual bunch of wizards and nobles sitting
around the king, looking over maps and scrolls with supplies and troop counts.

  “My lord, I
present Sir Fulstom,” said Captain Lorusk.

  Chit had sat
on in enough of the king’s meetings to know this particular noble. He was a bit
of a leader amongst the nobles. King Atmos had made special arrangements on
occasions to keep Fulstom happy. Chit could see why he was getting special
favor, he had promised to bring ten thousand of his own men to the battlefield.
Chit still despised the man for the way he had help Kilen graduate his training
and keep his sword.

“Thank you,
captain. Lord Fulstom, welcome. Are your troops joining the march?”

“I see, right
down to business then,” the puffed up nobleman said as he pulled up a chair
next to the table.

“Yes, my troops
have joined the march. Ten thousand, as I promised. Where is the weapon bearer?
I was hoping he would accompany my men.”

Allen Fulstom
was one of the wealthiest and most powerful nobles of the Earth Realm. His
grandfather, father and uncle were all wielders for previous kings. He
inherited these pieces of armor but built his wealth off of the land he
controlled. He had many orchards and farms that surrounded Deuterium and
supplied most of the food for the city.

“Allen, the
newly raised weapon bearer is on a mission of the utmost importance. I am
hopeful he will be returning with the Elder Wizards to assist in the battle. He
will not be able to lead your men into battle or on the march. I offer my
Champion to lead your men if you would like.”

Lord Fulstom
looked Chit up and down and let his gaze return to the king. “The name is Lord
Fulstom and that won’t be necessary. I’m sure he is needed with your men. How
else can I help the cause, my lord?”

“Your presence
here alone will ensure more nobles will support the army. Make yourself at home
while in the camp.”

“I was refering
to help you need in planning the defense of this kingdom. If you think I will
blindly commit my men, you are mistaken. I will be included in all discussions
from this point on or I will take my men and leave.” Allen reached out and took
a blackberry off the king’s plate and threw it in his mouth.

The king’s jaw
became tight but he said nothing as he stared at the confident noble. Finally,
the king tried to choose the most diplomatic answer for the man.

“I’m sure the
wizard’s council can fill you in on all of the reports and plans that we have
so far.”

The noble nodded
and narrowed his eyes to the king. Chit assumed the noble knew it was probably
the best he could get from Atmos. The man stood to join the wizards at a map
table in the back.

The king spoke
to Lorusk next, “Any word from the archer?”

“My lord, scouts
report that he has some men already crossing the river by ferry. Some follow a
little slower but the main portion of his forces are across. He passed our
scouts a day and a half ago. Corporal Curtain brings up the rear of his troops.
They are supposed to amass on the far side of the river for supplies.”

“Good, see that
the scouts keep in touch with the archers. I don’t want them getting too
ambitious and arriving a month before us. Captain, I also want current numbers
on all supplies.”

Lorusk put his
fist to his chest and Chit and Lorusk departed. Chit was growing tired of being
sent to do a store keeper’s job. It seemed like every day he became more and
more like the stock boy his father had turned him into.

**********

  The hunt went
better than Bowie expected; two of the four hunting parties had turned up with
deer. Bowie had taken off his jacket and hat to help put up tents for more of
his men’s arrival. He gave them an opportunity to get some rest as soon as they
came into the camp. The newly arrived men were enjoying some of the freshly
prepared deer stew. Andrew reported that Corporal Curtain would be over on the
next ferry with the last of his troops. They had only taken roughly a day
longer than Bowie to arrive. He was surprised at the speed his troops had made
the journey. He imagined John following his men with a whip and cracking it
over their heads to drive them forward.

  Ria had eaten
and was attempting her second growth on the apple tree, now sprouting apples.
Ria walked away carrying a small sack full for herself and an escort held her
other arm to steady her. Bowie was starting to enjoy having the wizard along.

  Retrieving his
jacket and hat from where he had put it, he finally sat down to eat some of the
stew himself. He wasn’t sure if his appetite had returned from the good news of
the hunt or from the hard work he’d put in pitching tents. He dished a bowl and
sat down on a stump.

Tyler didn't
wait long before he brought up another problem. “Sargeant, can I introduce
Scout Benson?”

  Bowie finished
chewing the spoon full of tough deer meat and stood to shake the scout’s hand.
“Pleasure. You have word from the king?”

  “Actually, no.
I tried to acquire a room in town but it was a bit more costly than I thought
it would be. Since your camp is on my way, I was wondering if I could borrow
one of these tents to rest in?”

  “Yes, of
course. We don’t have a lot to offer for food. Wizard Ria is trying to grow out
this apple tree a little to help. I have a few men out looking for food but you
can have any extra. If you need anything else please let me know.”

  The scout held
out his hand to thank Bowie. “I have heard of you and your troops. The truth is
there will be a lot of scouts coming back and forth on this road. If you
continue to have a place for them to sleep and possibly eat, I’m sure we could
trade valuable information with you.”

  Bowie perked
up a bit at the word ‘valuable’. “What kind of information can you provide us?”

  “Camping
locations, animal trails, road conditions, and more when you get closer to the
enemy. Like locations of scouts to avoid any deaths to your men.”

  “Well, I would
say that’s valuable information. How will I know which men are real scouts to
the king and not just someone wanting to camp with the army for the night?”
Bowie sat down and started eating again.

  Tyler handed
the scout a bowl of soup and the tired man sat down next to Bowie. “Each scout
is a wielder. I would ask to see their imbuement. Other than that, we do not
carry anything that would distinguish us from any other man.”

  “Which
imbuement do you carry, Scout Benson?”

  The scout
reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace with a pendant made to look
like the earth symbol. “Earth, of course; is there any other?”

  “Good. Perhaps
you could earn the food that you eat by aiding that apple tree’s growth. It
would certainly help out my troops, as we will be here for the next few days.”

The scout took
some quick bites that said he hadn’t eaten a warm meal in a couple days. He
said nothing but nodded his head in agreement. Bowie and the scout continued to
eat until they were full. A hunting party returned with two turkeys. They began
plucking the feathers and handing them to Auburn. They would make decent
arrows.

  The scout
found a tent and before he finished getting ready to head in for the evening,
he placed his hand on the apple tree. The leaves shook and the tree grew about
a foot in every direction. No apples grew, but it was certainly larger than
before. Bowie examined the tree as the scout made his way to the tent. The
trunk was getting thick and the branches were starting to lift off the ground.
It was hard to believe it had been grown in less than a day. He really wished
he knew what his wind magic was capable of. He turned the bracer over where the
magic imbuement lay hidden against his skin.

  “Go ahead,
give it a little kiss.” Auburn was always like a shadow creeping up on him in
her soft-soled shoes.

  Bowie took off
his hat as he turned to face her. He wondered what she could want now.

“The big boy
from the store in town wants a word with you. Mr. Ramos is just outside the
town gates waiting,” she said.

  “Probably
wants another try at my hat. Just tell him that I no longer need the supplies,
I’ll get along without them.”

He tried to make
his way to the larger tent the troops had set up for him. The tent was large
enough that they were able to squeeze in a desk. He had no idea where they had
acquired it, let alone transported it with their limited space.

He sat down at
the desk and began going over the money amounts listed and the amount of
supplies they would need to fill all the quivers in the army. He had been told
that the size of the army would continue to grow. The best estimate on final
troop numbers for battle was going to be around one hundred thousand men. He
would probably need to have two dozen arrows per quiver for the archers. The
number of arrows needed was very surprising since the king’s army had just over
ten thousand archers. He would need to make around two hundred fifty thousand
arrows to fulfill the king’s demands.

  Auburn came
into his tent without being welcomed or even asking to enter, saying, “I think
you had better meet the man. While we were in town he had a change of heart I
think.”

Bowie looked at
Auburn with disbelief.

  “It would take
more than a miracle to change the heart of a businessman like him. The Dark
Army would’ve had to have risen and been making his supplies for him to change
his prices.”

  Auburn turned
a shade of red to match her hair. “Perhaps you better run and tell the king the
man has the dark army working for him then. You
have
to go and talk to
him again. What will it hurt? You might just get some of those supplies you
need.”

  “Will you quit
following me when I go into town?” he asked her.

“I doubt you
will want me to quit following you, but if that is what you request.”

Bowie sighed and
put his hat back on. Auburn practically jumped up and down. He felt like he had
been manipulated by the woman. When he came out of his tent he came face to
face with John.

“Just arrive?”
Bowie asked.

  “Yes, all of
the troops are across the river. What do you want me to do now?”

  “Get some
rest, John. You did well, however I was less than successful. There should be
some stew and some apples for any that are hungry. I just saw some turkeys
brought in if you can wait. Otherwise, find a tent and get the men some rest,
we will be here for a few days.”

Bowie tried to
leave but John caught him by the shoulder and asked,“We got some sleep before
the ferry came across. Where are you off to? Perhaps I can accompany you?”

  “I am on my
way to visit with a local price gouging merchant named Ramos. He has tripled
the price on everything in town. I was unable to get supplies because he is
wanting to wait until the king arrives to sell to him.”

  “I am sure the
king will buy all of them without even looking at the quality,” John replied.
“War is good for the economy.”

  Auburn cleared
her throat. “I may have lead him to believe different.”

John and Bowie
looked at her strangely.

“Well, he said
he had offered to sell the bows at six silver a piece. So I told him that the
king had just taken everything he wanted from my town. He’s probably trying to
sell off everything in his store to avoid the king taking it and getting
nothing in return.”

  Bowie looked
at her, confused, asking, “What else did you tell him?”

  “I may have
told him that the king also took anyone along that had a skill unless they were
able to pay to get out of coming along. I told him that I was the only one in
my town unable to pay, so I was forced to come along and work for you. I told
him you had purchased all the town’s goods before the king arrived in order to
save the townspeople from being forced to join the army.”

  Bowie cleared
his throat. “So he thinks if I buy all the supplies, he may have enough to save
all of his workers from going to battle?”

Auburn nodded
and Bowie smiled a wicked smile in response as he said, “I wish I had thought
of it myself. Next time you come up with an idea like that you had better clear
it with me first.”

  “What, no
‘thank you’?”