A War Of Traitors( ARTK, Book 2)

Chapter 158

Ocono 18th, 3329 A.G

With the sun already set, the giant Ceaw and just a few soldiers at her back- Nara arrived at the mining village's edge. Because it were so late, most of the village slept-but Haveron had forgotten to tell them where exactly his brother lived, so Nara set off for the man she knew would know everyone there. The things she did out of boredom.

  Jesper Roget's home, closer to the mine's entrance than any other- didn't appear to have changed much, other than the dying garden beside it. Nara shook her head. Whoever'd planted it should've known better. These were vegetables meant for Bracari or Libera, not a place that got so cold in the freezing period one's eyelashes iced. She knocked a few times, stepped back and expected to wait a few moments- but Jesper unlocked the door not a moment later. He looked nothing like himself. His beard were more groomed than Nara remembered- though she had far more important things to think about. He'd cut his hair, and he generally smelled nicer- even though it hadn't been horrible before.

  Something in the way he stood made him seem happier too- and despite his shock at seeing the queen and a giant so suddenly he did not hesitate to invite her in. "My queen.... Would you like to come sit by my fire? It is dwindling because we....weren't expecting company but....I can put more wood on-"

  "That won't  be neccesary." Nara shook her head. "We?"

"Mary and I." He smiled, his eyes lighting up at the name. "She is sleeping now but... I could not tell you or anyone else how much I love this woman...because there isn't a word that describes that feeling."

  "Enamored, maybe?" Nara shrugged. "I am happy for you. You deserve this but... I do have a reason for being here. Do you know where a man named Han lives?"

  "Of course." Jesper looked back in the house, checking if the woman he called Mary was still asleep. He could be back before she knew he'd gone, and then he could go right back to looking at her while she slept. "Should I show you?"

  Nara nodded. Jesper stepped out, into the cold in just his thinner night tunic and breeches. He wouldn't be out long, he reasoned. As the door lock was for his own peace of mind, he also left that unlocked- but it would only take moments.

  "Can I ask what this is about?" Jesper asked. "As I was trusted to watch over the running of Kroba's biggest trade industry........I do like to know everything that goes on in this village.....my queen."

  "I don't see how you could've missed this one then." Nara mumbled. "A man named Haveron- House Tomhend's most talented woodworker, claims Han is his brother and has been stealing coin from the crown. He also says Han murdered his daughter, but that there's no proof so he'll take him down for the coin instead."

  Jesper Roget, for the first time in days- laughed. He laughed loudly, and he did not bother to stifle it- as the whole lie was ridiculous. Han was not a good man, but he was no murderer- and Jesper told Nara that. He would never steal anything, but Haveron did have every right to be angry with his brother-and he told Nara that too.

  "What do you mean?" Nara raised an eyebrow just as they stopped at the cottage two down from Jesper's. It was smaller, but not the smallest in the village- and it were clear someone kept up with the home. Even the outside walls were clean. The path connecting it to the main one was free of snow and iron- something very few in the village could say. The door was only decorated with iron, and there were just two windows- but both were covered with cloths.

   She knocked on a second door that night, though she were looking at the three soldiers she'd brought along. "If he does not willingly hand over the box or...bag he kept his payment in for inspection, you know what to."