Carack

Carack Ch11 revised and complete

 Chapter 11 The Bear Auction

Gerent was standing in a dark doorway looking out into a sunny, noisy town square full of market day activities and honking geese. He was tired and sore from lack of sleep and all the hard riding he had just done over the last two days, but the Brownie seemed to be still as cheerful and wide awake as ever.

‘Well, now we are here, what now?’ Brunnstan said and Gerent looked down to see Brunnstan was looking up at him. Gerent stepped back into the dark of the building to avoid being seen and looked around the barn to make sure it was empty.

‘Well you can’t go around looking like that anymore.  Make yourself big at least!’ Gerent hissed.

‘Oh no, I can’t do that.’ Brunnstan replied looking a little hurt.

‘What?’ Gerent almost shouted then checked himself and knelt to face the little Brownie, ‘Why not?’

‘Well, you see, we Brownies are part of the castle, our magic is part of the castle and if we leave it we-’

‘I remember Sancret said you’d leave all your powers behind, what use is that?’ said Gerent in a resigned tone. Brunnstan looked very hurt.

‘Not all,’ he said in a small voice, hanging his head. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come, you obviously don’t want my help, it’s just I thought you liked me, I liked you, even when all the other Brownies hated you because you nearly killed the Mage I said you were honourable and kind.’ He sniffed and Gerent felt bad. The Brownie had just spent two days travelling with him without one word of complaint and had even been a comfort in his quiet solidity, riding alongside Gerent.

‘Sorry Brunnstan, of course I want you to stay, it’s just having a Brownie walking around with me is going to be a little conspicuous.’

‘I could go invisible,’ said Brunnstan somewhat mollified.

‘Great! Do that, that’s good!’ said Gerent as Brunnstan faded away, ‘can you still hear me Brunnstan? Brunnstan?’ The Brownie’s head and shoulders reappeared.

‘Of course I can,’ he said with a slight touch of irritation in his voice, ‘I’m not deaf you know - just invisible! Hadn’t we better get going to rescue Meendhu before he gets sold from under our very noses?’

‘Yes, first we have to find out which one he is and then figure out how to get him out of there, come on.’ Gerent left the barn and could hear the soft padding of Brunnstands feet alongside him, they raised a small amount of dust and Gerent hoped that this would not be noticed. The two of them approached the cage of bears; the four animals were all sat facing each other with their backs against the bars. Gerent knelt and crept around the cage saying, ‘Meendhu?’ to each bear but he got no response from any, on the door at the front of the cage was a notice saying ‘Untrainable Bears, no longer suitable for dancing, would make good bears for baiting. Auction on the afternoon of Widewithenday.’

‘What are you doing boy?’ demanded a burly man who carried a whip in a menacing manner, ‘I’ve watched you creep around those bears, what are you up to?’ He pounced on Gerent, pulled him up by gripping his chin and lifted him until his toes were off the ground, ‘not thinking of letting them go now were you? Not poking them with a stick eh?’

Gerent shook his head as best he could and tried to say:

‘I want to buy one.’ But it came out as ‘guy grun.’

‘You got money boy? Money enough fer a bear?’ The man shoved his face right into Gerent’s, Gerent tried to nod.

‘Gess!’ and he was let to fall. Regaining his feet he said ‘I have enough for one that goes cheap. I thought to buy one of these and then I could try and make it dance.’ The man rocked back and forth with huge bellowing laughter.