The Warlock Senator (Book 2) Page 9

  “They won’t let you in the trial,” the third guard stated. He stepped closer to Braun and raised a hunk of jerky to his mouth, taking a big, tough bite while he sized Braun up. “Still, if your nobleman demands you follow him all the way to the gallows, who are we to stop you?”

  The other two guards looked to the third. “Shall I check his sword?” one of them asked.

  “Nah,” the third said just before he swallowed the half-chewed bite. “Just let him in. If he is fool enough to raise trouble, then that’s his problem.”

  Braun smirked and offered a hand. “May I have the pleasure of your name?” he asked.

  The third guard scoffed. “No, you can’t.” He took another bite and walked away.

  “Alright, sign or make your mark here in the log,” the first guard said as he produced a thick book with creaky, breaking binding.

  Braun took the quill from the middle of the book and placed his name at the bottom of a long list of names. “Do I sign upon departure as well?” Braun asked.

  “Yes, you will see a guard house on the inside of the gates. That is where you will stop before departing Drakai Glazei.” The first guard took the log book back, closed it, and walked away.

  The second guard stayed back and looked at Braun’s horse. “Do you need a recommendation for accommodations?” the guard asked.

  “That would be appreciated,” Braun admitted.

  The guard nodded. “What kind of purse has your lord given you for lodging?”

  “I have sufficient for a few days board, but I don’t require anything fancy,” Braun replied.

  The guard nodded again and smiled. “Well, the Black Rose is found on the main road about three blocks inside the gates. It is a bit on the pricey side, but the beds are clean and the food is hot. If you are willing to bunk with others, you can get a shared room at the Hungry Man Inn for only a couple of copper a night. Food costs extra, but you have the choice of eating at the inn or elsewhere.”

  “Where is the Hungry Man Inn?” Braun asked.

  “Go straight for two blocks, then turn right and follow the road for about six blocks. It is a bit off the beaten path, but it will save you a bundle.”

  “I appreciate the advice. Do they have a place for the horse?” Braun asked.

  The guard nodded. “Yep, there is a stable out back and it only costs one extra copper to stable your horse there for the duration of your stay.”

  “Thanks,” Braun offered.

  “Tell them that Jep sent you, they might give you a free meal for tonight.”

  Braun nodded and hopped atop his horse. As he directed his steed to the gates he overheard Jep tell the other two guards that he would be staying at the Hungry Man Inn. He stole a glance in their direction and noted that the third guard directed the others to make a note of it in the log book.

  As he passed under the gates he was amazed with how busy the streets were for this time of day. Great shadows filled the city as the sun had dipped below the level of the walls, but people filled the streets. Some pulled carts, while others simply loitered about on wooden fences or at street corners.

  A barrage of smells mixed in front of his nose. There was the definitive stench of body odor as a group of day laborers passed by, but it was soon carried away by a pleasant evening breeze that funneled through the city. The breeze also brought with it the aroma from a nearby bakery, with its promise of freshly baked rolls and pies.

  Braun stopped when he got to the road he was supposed to turn at. He thought about pushing on and finding his own accommodations. Something about the way the guards seemed so interested in where he was going to lodge made the hairs on the back of his neck tingle. However, it was late, and he had never been in Drakai Glazei before. He figured he could spend at least one night at the Hungry Man, and then move to a new location the next day.

  He turned his horse and eased it through the throngs of people heading in the opposite direction. By the time he passed two blocks of shops and taverns the crowds thinned out considerably. The demographics also shifted noticeably. People in this side of town tended to be middle-aged men, most of them looked native, but many looked as though they had seen more than a few rough years beyond the protection of the great black walls.

  He almost passed the Hungry Man Inn. The sign was faded, and barely legible. The building was nestled between a pair of older taverns so that it blended in as though it were a joining of the two establishments rather than a separate enterprise. An old man, probably in his mid-sixties, sat on the front steps smoking a long, curved wooden pipe.

  The man looked up at Braun with one eye, the other was too lazy to follow where he was looking, but he said nothing. He drew a couple of puffs and then blew them out before turning away from Braun and resting his shoulder against the old, cracked wooden railing.

  Braun dismounted, hitched his horse to the hitching post and walked up the creaking steps to the front door. The knob had lost its brass finish a long time before. Now it was a dark brown lump of metal that stuck slightly at first. A cloud of smoke assaulted Braun once the rickety door squeaked open. Several men inside had pipes, but some of the smoke was very obviously flowing out from a brick chimney that was no longer drawing away the fire’s exhaust properly. The mixture of wood and tobacco was enough to make Braun cough and sneeze a couple of times until he made his way to the back and approached an older, plump lady behind a bar.

  She wore a red kerchief in her hair, a pale, dingy gray dress spotted by visible beer and sweat stains with a tan apron over the front. “What can I get fer ya?” she asked as she swept a mug up from behind the bar.

  Braun placed a pair of coppers down on the bar and slid them to the lady. “I am looking for a room, and some supper.”

  The lady scooped the coins into her apron pocket. “We have some chicken soup coming out of the pot now, traveler. It’s fresh and hot.”

  “Jep said you might include the soup with the price of tonight’s lodging,” Braun said.

  The lady eyed him carefully and then shrugged. “If that is what Jep said, then that’s what I’ll do. Just fer tonight though,” she said. “If you have a horse to stable, that will cost you another copper.”

  Braun nodded and produced another copper coin. “Do you have a key to the room?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No key, just up the stairs and pick a bed that ain’t already claimed. None of the rooms have any doors on ‘em.”

  Braun shrugged and dug another copper out of his purse. “Would this be enough to cover an early breakfast in the morning?”

  The lady nodded. “Wait here, I’ll send the soup out shortly and then you can take your horse around back and put him in stall number four. I’ll have some biscuits and gravy ready by the time the cock crows in the morning.”

  “Thank you,” Braun offered. The lady winked half-heartedly and turned away. Braun watched her go, waddling from side to side as her bulbous hips and posterior bounced between the bar and the wall. It was a wonder she could fit through the door that led to the kitchen. She reemerged a couple of minutes later with a crusty wooden bowl full of yellow steaming broth. She set the bowl down hurriedly, sloshing some of the soup over the side and onto the counter. Then she bent over, placing one hand on the counter while she dug around behind the bar with her other.

  “Everything alright?” Braun asked.

  The woman stuck her tongue out to the left corner of her mouth, revealing a couple of missing bottom teeth, and nodded her head. “Just lookin fer a spoon,” she answered. “Aha!” The woman straightened up with a bright smile and tossed a wooden spoon down next to the bowl. “Enjoy, honey,” she said. Then she waddled off to serve others.

  Braun picked up the wooden spoon and plunged it into his bowl, deciding it was better not to inspect the spoon first. As he brought a mouthful of soup up, a fairly steady stream leaked out through a minor crack in the middle of the spoon’s bowl. Braun shrugged and just moved faster as he shoveled the chicken soup to his mout
h.

  The soup was simple. Just chicken, a bit of salt, and water. But that was all he needed. In the morning he could afford to spend some time looking for more suitable accommodations and food. For now, he was happy to be in Drakai Glazei. He just hoped that Al was faring well in his part of the plan to get Lepkin.

  He rushed through the soup, lifting the bowl to drink the rest rather than wasting time with the cracked spoon. This wasn’t a place requiring manners anyway, he figured.

  After taking his horse to the stable and offering the stable boy an extra copper piece to take special care of his horse he went upstairs and found an empty bed.

  The first room was packed full of people. Many of them were already snoring upon their beds, while others gambled and drank from open bottles. The second and third rooms were the same. In the fourth room, he saw an open bed near the far corner. He went straight for it and tucked his pack and purse under the flat pillow. He sat down on the straw mattress, testing the bed’s strength by pushing on it with his palms before turning and swinging a leg up onto it.

  A pair of bearded men eyed him from a nearby card table. They leaned close to each other as if to whisper, but they said nothing. Whatever they were waiting for, Braun didn’t care. He knew he could handle himself if needed. He made a point of ignoring them and laid himself back on the bed placing one arm over his eyes and the other across his stomach, with the palm of his hand resting strategically over the handle of his hunting knife.

  He positioned his elbow just so he could peek out from under his arm without drawing attention to himself. He could see the bearded men talking to each other and glancing back at him occasionally. After a couple of minutes, they turned their backs to him and began playing cards.

  Braun settled into his surroundings. Listening to the muffled conversations around him to discover what kind of men he was spending the night with. He heard them swap tales of women, adventure, gold, and intrigue, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary given the kind of inn he had chosen for himself. As the lamps burned low, many of the men turned themselves in and started to sleep. Braun stayed awake. Even after almost everyone was asleep, he couldn’t convince himself that he was safe nor force his body to sleep. Something was amiss.

  After a couple more hours, there were only three men left awake in the room besides Braun. The two bearded men that had watched him earlier now played cards with a third man. Braun only caught a couple of fleeting glimpses of the third, but it seemed he was not saying much of anything other than what was required for betting and throwing down his cards.

  Then another figure entered through the doorway.

  “Long live the king,” the man said.

  The three at the card table stopped abruptly and pushed back from the table. None of them returned the greeting. The newcomer stalked into the room. He pulled his hood back to reveal a full, red beard underneath a thick head of matted red hair. He pointed to the table.

  “Room for a fourth?”

  The other three threw down their cards.

  “What brings you out here, Desmon?” one of the bearded men asked.

  “I heard we might have a newcomer, is this him?” he asked, pointing to Braun.

  Braun’s breathing caught in his chest for a moment. Newcomer? Newcomer to what?

  “Don’t know about that, we didn’t talk to him. He just came up here and went to sleep.”

  “I doubt that,” the red-head told them. “You probably can’t sleep in a place like this can you?” The man said as he shifted his gaze to look at Braun.

  Braun wondered whether he should sit up and confront them, or pretend to be asleep and let things unfold.

  The redhead strode over and kicked the bedpost. “You can come out from under your arm, Braun Gerble,” the man instructed. “I know you are awake.”

  Braun slowly pulled his arm away from his eyes and met Desmon’s green eyes. “Who are you and what do you want?” Braun asked.

  The redhead smiled, clapped his hands and walked back to the table to join the other three. The two bearded men frowned and picked their cards back up. “Braun, won’t you join us here at the table?”

  Braun rose slowly and stood up. He saw there was a wooden chair near the head of his bed so he grabbed it with his left hand and plopped it a few feet away from the table. “Alright, what is it you want from me?”

  “Nothing much,” the redhead said. “I just wanted to talk with you and ask you a couple of questions.”

  Braun eyed the four of them warily, turned his chair around and sat down in the chair backwards so he could rest his hands on the back of it, just in case he needed to improvise a shield “You have the advantage over me,” Braun said. “It seems you know my name, but I do not know yours.”

  “Not to worry, friend,” the redhead said. “Mine is Desmon, as I am sure you overheard while you were pretending to sleep. This here is Craver, and the two bearded brothers are Miles and Sweets.”

  Braun nodded to each of the men as they were introduced. All but Miles kept their eyes on their cards. “Am I correct to assume that Jep sent you?” Braun asked.

  Desmon smiled and touched his finger to his nose. “The bigger question here, my friend, is what your plans are for the near future, in terms of employment.”

  “I am already employed,” Braun said. “I am not interested in new employment.”

  Desmon held a hand in the air. “Hold on a minute there, friend.” Desmon reached down and pulled up a small leather coin purse. “I have a couple reasons you may want to listen.” Desmon set the purse on the table. Braun glanced at the purse and clenched his jaw.

  “Not interested,” Braun said sternly.

  “Just consider it a retainer in case you become available for hire,” Desmon coaxed. He slid the bag farther onto the table.

  Braun shook his head and started to rise from the chair.

  “Maybe it’s time you open your eyes, mate,” Miles said from behind a pair of cards. “Your employer is going to be sleeping with the worms within the week, and you might be out of a job sooner than you think.” Braun stepped over and backhanded Miles across the top of his head. Miles’ head jerked to the side and he flopped his cards down, but Desmon reached out and held Miles in place.

  “My honor is not so cheap as to be bought by a bag of coins in a flea ridden hostel among the company of thieves and mercenaries. You would do well to hold your tongue around me, else you may find it lying on the floor after I sever it from you,” Braun growled.

  Miles fumed and clenched his jaw. His eyes flicked from Sweets to Craver before he looked at Desmon.

  “Easy, friend,” Desmon said. “No one is impugning your honor. To the contrary, we are looking for someone exactly like yourself to join us. Let me explain, and then you can do as you please.”

  “Make it quick,” Braun said.

  Desmon nodded. “Seeing as you serve a noble, we figure you have your finger on the kingdom’s pulse. You and I both know that our king is not much longer for this world. We are forming a band of brothers to help ensure that power transfers to the right heir after his death.”

  “His rightful heir?” Braun scoffed. “The king has no heir.”

  “He has no blood heir, that much is true,” Craver put in.

  Desmon pointed to Craver and nodded. “But, a special council has named an heir.”

  “If this council has named an heir, then why form a band of thugs to ensure the kingdom transfers smoothly?” Braun asked.

  “Don’t play to be dense,” Sweets said. “You know how the nobles work. If there is ever a chance that power can be taken, you know as well as we do that they will do anything to seize that power.”

  “So, we are offering you a spot with us. Help us protect the rightful heir to the throne. You will not be able to save your master from the senate, but you can honor him by ensuring the kingdom does not crumble upon the king’s death.”

  Braun shook his head. “My master serves the king, and the kingdom, that muc
h is true. But I owe my allegiance to House Lokton.”

  “Lord Sarelle has been named as the rightful successor,” Desmon continued. “Several other nobles recognize his right to the throne.”

  “He has no claim to the throne, unless King Mathias names him as heir. A secret council of nobles holds no authority,” Braun answered.

  “Still, it makes more sense that the late queen’s nephew should rule. He is the closest living relative,” Desmon added.

  “Unless you would rather have the senate take over the kingdom upon the king’s death,” Miles put in with an icy stare.

  “I will not hear any more of this,” Braun said.

  “Well,” Desmon said with a shrug. “We tried.”

  “Go and tell Jep to keep his nose out of my business.”

  “Before you sever it from his face?” Miles put in.

  Braun jerked his chair up and slammed it on the floor next to Miles, causing the man to flinch. “Don’t press me,” he warned. Braun turned back to his bed and gathered his things.

  “Oh come now, there is no need to walk out,” Desmon said.

  “I prefer better company,” Braun said.

  “Good luck finding any space tonight,” Craver said. “Most of the inns are full this time of year.”

  “I can find better company in a stable,” Braun replied.

  Desmon chuckled to himself. “I do believe he values his horse higher than us,” Desmon jested.

  Braun smiled. “I would value the soiled hay mucked out of the stable above the likes of you.”

  Desmon’s smile disappeared. “Well then, go and sleep with your horse. I doubt our next meeting shall be so amicable.”

  Braun nodded knowingly and then quickly exited the Hungry Man Inn.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Al and Erik checked the straps on their saddles and nodded to each other when they were ready.

  “I figure we can make it half way to Buktah tonight,” Al said.