Lorcan: Dragonquest

Chapter 17

In the morning, when they arrived at the village damp, tired, and aching all over, they found the raiders gone and the inn tidied up. The villagers had returned to their homes, and the innkeeper gladly assisted with arranging baths for Lorcan and Cokelli, who were pleased to find that a hearty breakfast was part of the deal.

Beso, Henorm, and Heshbon came to join them.

"Now will you tell us what happen?" asked Beso. "You say nothing when you come back to us last night."

"We were destroyed from the fighting," said Lorcan, through a mouthful of bread. "And wet through. There were so many of them!"

"While we were approaching the village we saw a big house on fire, and found an old hovel to hide our horses in. We crept up to the inn and found a warlord called Baldassar inside with a crowd of his men. It was dark in here at the time, probably because the workers were too distracted to trim and refill the lamps. Anyway, they were all so intent on what they were doing, they didn't notice us creep in and hide under the tables, which they'd pushed to one side. We tripped them up and pushed them into each other. They fought with each other, and we helped from the shadows. When they'd thinned themselves out a bit, we joined in till they gave up and fled."

Beso shot him a sideways glance.

"The storm helped," added Cokelli.

"The people, they tell me a Jinn was there," said Beso.

Lorcan sipped from a flagon of small beer. "Well, you know how superstitious people can be. I am sure there's a perfectly rational explanation for it."

"Whatever it was," added Cokelli.

Henorm raised an eyebrow at Heshbon, who regarded Lorcan and Cokelli through narrowed eyes, though the clerk said nothing.

Beso shook his bald head. "Pah!" he said. "You are right. The people, with their shrines and their Patrons, afraid of the dark and the thunder and lightning. But something happen here last night, and they will not forget it."

At the end of the meal Lorcan, per his usual habit, took the remains of the breakfast and wrapped it in a piece of cloth to give to the gnomes later on.

Heshbon watched him closely, his brown eyes fastened on Lorcan's hands.

Lorcan smiled and put the parcel in his pocket. Breakfast continued quietly, though he noticed that the villagers were sneaking furtive glances at himself and Cokelli and whispering among themselves.

Afterwards, they went back to their horses and rode on with the caravan.

Summer was growing old; the fields of wheat were turning yellow and the sun beat down mercilessly on the travelers as they moved along the ancient road. As they lumbered down the road they found that the shrines of Boni had been restored and the pieces of her images neatly arranged lying down where they could not be repaired. Fresh flowers had been picked and laid around them. The other travelers noticed this and were rubbing their oak leaf pendants, their expressions anxious. The weather continued to be hot and sunny, and when evening came at last and they made camp, Lorcan and Cokelli went over to Beso's campfire as they usually did.

"Do you know about this?" asked Beso. "Always there is payment to be made for..."

Lorcan did not understand the words that followed but when he saw the shapes the merchant's hands made, he realized what it meant.

"Boni's..."

"Shrine," supplied Beso.

The pieces fell into place in Lorcan's mind. "There's a price to pay for desecrating Boni's shrine."