The Troven (Kingdom of Denall Book 1) (12 page)

After bouncing along on the back of the horses for some time, the party reached the road and turned right toward Hillside.

“How far are we from Hillside?” Garin asked his rider.

“It’s just up over that hill, maybe a mile. Why do you ask?”

“This is where we met the coach. They told us we were hours from Hillside.”

“If you'd known the distance, it wouldn't have made any difference. They would have just forced you into their trap,” the man said. Then he paused for a moment and continued. “It actually might have been worse if you had resisted. You might not have survived.”

The horses crested the hill and Farin saw the welcome sight of Hillside. Hope was restored as he realized that they had finished the first part of their journey. Then hope began to be replaced with an inkling of dread as the reality of what they'd been through sank in. If it almost killed them to get to Hillside, what would the rest of the journey be like? What were they going to do with no supplies? How long would they need to stay here for Kaz to walk again? Was the third stash undisturbed? How could they finish their journey? Did they want to finish the journey? With so many unanswered questions he remained silent as they approached the village
.

Chapter 10

The group passed over a bridge that spanned the Hillside River, then entered the village. It was Kaz’s first time in the larger town, and its location, on the side of a rather large, rolling hill, made the name make sense.

Farin and Garin had been to Hillside on occasion, so while they were looking around at all the buildings, Kaz just stared in disbelief at the size of this place. He had never seen so many people, buildings, or horses all in one place. They continued down the main street and off to first one side street, and then a second.

“Did you see that?” Kaz asked as he pointed to a building that was four stories high. “I didn't know they could make buildings that tall. Even the largest homes in Dungan only have two stories and a small attic.”

“I told you,” Farin reminded Kaz. “After my first trip here I tried to tell you the buildings were tall, but you said I needed to have my vision checked, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, close your mouth for a minute, and let me enjoy this.” Under his breath Kaz wondered aloud. “Why would you need a house so tall?”

In answer, Garin responded. “Dad told us that because of the population of the town, they need to build up when they run out of space to build out. It’s a common thing to happen in populated areas.”

Kaz stopped looking at the buildings, and scowled at the twins. “Between your analysis and Farin's sarcasm, this moment is officially ruined. Just keep quiet and let me enjoy this.” The style of homes were similar to those in Dungan, only closer together. They were a mix of stone, brick and mortar, as well as some wooden houses of log cabin type construction. Most buildings had small shops on the main level with living quarters in the upper floors. The roofs were made with split cedar shingles or hardened clay tiles.

Just as Kaz thought he was getting used to the feel of the town, he was shocked by a new sight. Within the village limits there was a small pasture for horses. Only two or three horses were walking in the inadequate pasture while the rest were tied up in their stalls looking very restless. Kaz was used to seeing acres and acres of space for horses. When a Dungan horse was not being used for work in the fields or ridden, it was generally free to roam and graze. The pastures were enclosed by fieldstone walls or thick, thorny hedges to keep the horses from getting into gardens or crops, but they were never locked up like this. When they passed the small pasture, Commander Aldis pulled the reins.

“Here we are,” he said as they stopped in front of the Hillside Inn.

“How can we ever repay you?” Kaz asked as he was gently placed on his feet to lean on his friends for support.

“There is no need,” replied Commander Aldis. “Omer wants a peaceful realm; that's all the reward we need. Perhaps I can ask a couple of questions?”

“Absolutely!” Farin replied quickly.

“What did the bandits take from you?”

“Everything we had,” Kaz replied quickly. He didn’t think the officer needed to know about Garin’s picture of Fenn.

“Can you be a bit more specific,” he inquired further, “in case we find them we’ll know what to return to you.”

Kaz looked to the twins for help. He had packed some supplies, but mostly they had gotten things ready that morning.

“We had two packs filled mainly with food, two longbows, two gold coins, a hunting knife,” Garin began.

“My sword,” Farin cut in. “We also had some water skins and two quivers of arrows.”

Commander Aldis nodded. “Are you sure there wasn’t anything else, any jewelry or valuables?”

Garin laughed out loud. “There was one more thing,” he said with a grin. “Kaz’s necklace.”

The commander did not smile, and Garin coughed to clear his throat and regain his composure a little. “Kaz had an old necklace that his Gran gave him. That was taken as well.”

Kaz’s face burned red as the soldier looked questioningly at the young man.

“We will continue to look for the thieves and let you know when we catch them. Stay at the inn so we’ll know where to find you.”

The three boys nodded their heads.

After a moment looking at the small band of young men, and as if reading their minds, the patrol leader tossed a small coin to Farin. “This will get you a warm meal and a roof over your heads for one night. Take care of your friend, and try to stay out of trouble,” he said as he pointed at the entrance of the inn.

Kaz looked up and saw Bendar limping out to meet them. Bendar’s lip was split open and his cheek was a dark purple color.

With that, the patrol officer turned and led his men back in the direction they had come. The thunder of the horses' hooves drowned out the calls of appreciation and thanks that the boys repeated until the horses were out of sight.

“How is everyone?” Garin asked as he looked at the other boys. Bendar nodded his head, and Kaz just grinned from ear to ear, happy to be safe, and finally in Hillside.

“Bendar, are you all right?” Garin asked.

Bendar moved his lips painstakingly, “I am just happy that you made it safely. I am so sorry I was not able to get back. It looks like you also met up with some trouble.”

“I think we'll live,” Farin answered. “Let’s not spend too much time talking about what we lost. The first thing we need to do is find out what we do have.”

“We'll get to that in short order, first we need to secure lodging and get Kaz off his feet.”

Kaz was thrilled when Garin's suggestion was met with unanimous approval. Garin and Farin helped Kaz up the steps and into the tavern of the Hillside Inn.

Bendar pointed to a table near the back stairs. “Over there,” he gestured as he moved ahead to pull out a chair for his friend. Kaz looked around the empty dining room that had nothing interesting except a small stage in front of the fireplace at the far end of an open room. It was not a room made for comfort and beauty, but a simple place for people to gather and meet with friends after a long day. It was still an hour until sunset, and the place was relatively empty.

“Can I help you?” the inn keeper said as they boys made their way to a table.

“It looks like we will be staying for a while,” Bendar responded.

Farin pulled out the coin from Commander Aldis and handed it to the inn keeper. The large man looked down at the four boys.

“You’ll be very cramped if this is all you can give me,” he said pointing at the coin.

“Commander Aldis said it would be enough for a meal and a night here,” Kaz responded as he took a seat at the table. “We were robbed on our way here, and they’re going to find the robbers, then we can pay you some more. He told us to stay here for a while.”

The man took the coin and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It’ll pay for one night with dinner, or two nights without any food. Your choice.”

“Thank you,” Kaz responded. “Two nights will be great.” He saw the look of despair on the twins’ faces, but they also relented and began to nod.

The innkeeper pointed to the stairs. “Third door to the right,” he said offhandedly, then he returned to polishing tables and preparing the room for other patrons.

When the inn keeper was gone, Kaz slumped down in his chair.

“When you came here with your dad did you meet anyone who might be able to help us out?” he asked Farin.

“You know we're not supposed to ask for handouts, and if we ask people Dad knows, it will definitely get back to him,” Garin responded. He put his hands to his temples as if trying to massage away his problems.

“I wasn't talking about a handout. Do they need any workers?” Kaz clarified.

“I don't know, but I'm sure we can find out,” Farin cut in enthusiastically. “When we came two summers back, the man who runs the coal mine was complaining about how hard it was to find good workers.”

Kaz made a serious and disheartened face. “So they need
good
workers? We might be in trouble.” With that said Kaz forced a smile and painstakingly shifted his weight in his chair.

“There have to be people needing help in their fields planting, clearing, or even harvesting wood,” Garin added. “And I'm sure there are some housewives in town that could use some socks darned,” he finished with a smile directed at Kaz.

“If only the town were in need of a smart mouth, then we'd have all the money we could carry.” Kaz's comeback was ignored when Bendar quietly added some more bad news.

“We no longer have a horse here.” He hung his head and took a deep breath before continuing. “I have convinced the stable owner to rent me one horse for a day so that I could go and get you, and recover what we left behind. He said that he is willing to accept some of the surplus materials as payment. It is a good thing his wife enjoys the taste of dried dram meat,” he concluded with a half-smile.

“What we really need is some long-term work,” Garin concluded. “Something that will pay for us staying here and eating.”

Kaz raised his hand up and waved for the innkeeper. “Excuse me,” he called out.

The man slowly made his way over to their table, while polishing a mug on his apron. “How can I help you?”

Kaz looked up at the man and tried to give a friendly smile.

“We’re trying to find some work,” Kaz began. The innkeeper didn’t look very friendly, so he quickly added, “so we can get money to stay here, and eat the wonderful food we’re smelling,” the man seemed to soften slightly so Kaz continued. “Do you know of anyone looking for workers? Is Omer hiring anyone for the vineyards?” Kaz added as the thought came to him.

The portly man looked down at Kaz. “Omer never hires anyone for the vineyards, I think he has private gardeners or something,” he said with a shrug. “As for work here in Hillside, there is a group digging a ditch over on the east side of town, I think the project is almost done, but you could look into that. Any other work is posted in the town square. Just check it every morning and you might find ways to keep busy.”

“Thanks,” Kaz said, extending his hand. “My name is Kaz, it’s nice to meet you.”

The innkeeper shook his head slowly from side to side, but reached out and returned the friendly gesture.

“I’m Braden.” He turned and left the group and returned to the counter to polish some other dishes.

“We’ve got some time to look for work before the sun goes down,” Farin added. “Let’s go see what we can find.”

Bendar nodded his head.

“I will ask if Cam needs help in the stables. He seemed willing to help out with renting us the horse. Maybe there is work we can do for him.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Garin cut in. “Your limp is pretty bad. You two stay here, we’ll go look for work. We’ll let you know what we find.” The twins stood up from the table, and left the inn.

“No point in staying down here,” Kaz concluded, as he stood up and leaned heavily on the hand rail. He didn’t like the idea of sitting in a small room, but the smell of food was making his stomach growl, and the thought of lying down was very enticing.

Despite his limp, Bendar put his shoulder under Kaz and helped him up the stairs. When they came to the door of their room and pushed it open, they looked at each other before stepping into the cramped space. The room had two cots and a small desk with a ladder-back chair. There was barely enough room for the four boys to fit in this space, let alone comfortably sleep. “Hopefully Farin’s snoring tones down a little,” Kaz said optimistically.

“And Garin’s gas,” Bendar added with a scrunched up nose.

Kaz laughed and patted Bendar on the back. “You’re a funny guy.”

“I was not trying to make a joke,” Bendar protested.

“I know,” Kaz said as he lowered himself down onto one of the cots. “That’s why you’re so funny.”

Bendar scrunched his eyebrows together, but did not respond to Kaz’s remark. “Let me have a look at your leg,” Bendar offered. Kaz turned over slowly and let out a small moan. Bendar removed the bandage, “Well,” he began, “it could be worse.”

“That’s not comforting,” Kaz said half into the rough straw pillow, while he strained his neck to see his leg.

“Just hold still,” Bendar pushed Kaz back. “The scrapes are looking better, but the large cut bled some more today. In the morning I will need to go back for the supplies. We have to keep this wrapped and clean, and you need to rest.”

Kaz covered his leg, then turned toward his friend. “You can’t go back alone, what if they are on the road again?”

Bendar made a determined face, but Kaz could tell there was an underlying fear in his features. “Commander Aldis said he was going after them, so they will probably be in hiding for a while.”

“What if they’re not?” Kaz argued. “We can’t risk you getting mugged again, and if you lose the supplies and the horse…”

Bendar held up his hand to stop Kaz, “They only caught us because it was a surprise attack. If I have a horse, I can outrun them and get back into town. Besides, with the supplies they took from us, they will need to sell them somewhere outside of Hillside or Dungan. Groups of bandits like that often move around to keep from getting caught. It is highly improbable that they will return for at least a couple of weeks, perhaps longer.”

Kaz rested his head back on the pillow and looked up at the rough sawn roof boards. “I can’t argue with your logic, Bendar, I never could. But if you want someone to go with you, we would all understand.” From the corner of his eye, Kaz could see Bendar shaking his head from side to side. “That’s up to you,” Kaz relented. “I’m going to get some sleep.”