Rocalla's Saga: Arrival
24: The Prancing Pig

24: The Prancing Pig —

1054 Kyabalaka 6

I wake up in a cold sweat. The darkness is complete; it must be very early in the morning. A minute passes before I remember that we are in Mariyiybha’s loft. The slow steady sound of Dierdra’s breathing whispers nearby.

Lying there in the total absence of light, I think about the events of the preceding day and wonder if I am making the right choices. I also wonder if I am capable of carrying them out. My heart is racing as I contemplate everything that could go wrong. I try to clear my mind and go to sleep, but the terror continues to haunt me for what seems like hours. Eventually, I lose consciousness to sheer exhaustion.

When I wake again, it is past dawn. Dierdra and Mariyiybha are talking down below. Sitting up, I stretch and descend from the loft to join them.

“Good morning,” I say.

“Good morning,” says Mariyiybha. “There’s some spiced barley here for you, and some tea.”

“Thank you.”

Mariyiybha looks directly into my face and smiles. Thankfully, she does not ask how my night was. I think she can see it, hidden behind my visage.

“My journals from the Duradh Plateau are gathered on the table,” she says. “I hope that you will replace them useful.”

“I really appreciate this, although I feel bad about taking them away from you. I wish that I had time to study them here and take my own notes.”

“Well, you don’t. I want you to take them. They will be more useful to you where you’re going than they will be to me here.”

“You are such a friend,” I say.

“It’s nice to see you smile,” says Dierdra, as she sits down next to me.

We spend a few hours talking about ourselves and our lives. Soon it is time to leave.

“Mariyiybha,” I say. “I don’t know if we’ll have a chance to stop by again before we leave Mandelbroggen.”

“I understand,” she says.

“We have to meet someone at the Prancing Pig, pick up our packs, and talk to the Circle Cultists.”

“Do you know where you’ll spend the night?”

“No, we’ll just see what happens.”

“Wherever your travels may take you, remember that you are always welcome here.”

“I know. I’m going to miss you, Mariyiybha.”

“When you first left the Bhayanna Archipelago, you went alone and didn’t know what you would replace. This time you’ll be traveling with a friend.” She looks at Dierdra, walks over and gives her a hug. “Take care of Rocalla, Dierdra, and take care of yourself.”

“I will,” says Dierdra.

Giving Mariyiybha one last hug, I wish her well, and then follow Dierdra out the door.

It is overcast again, and a cold wind blows through the city. I wrap myself up tightly in my cloak in an effort to keep the weather out. It takes us twenty minutes to walk to the Prancing Pig, and I am shivering violently by the time we get there.

When we enter the tavern, Xerxes is already there, seated near the front of the room, not far from the door. Leaning over to whisper in Dierdra’s ear, I say, “Keep watch.” I will myself to stop shivering, and then walk over to him.

“Good afternoon, Xerxes,” I say. “Thank you for coming.”

“Good afternoon, ladies,” he says. “Have a seat and tell me what you have to offer.”

Once Dierdra and I have seated ourselves, I begin. “We are putting together an expedition, and in very short order we will be leaving the city for an extended trip. We would like to invite you to join our group.”

Xerxes leans back. “Interesting. How large of a group will this be?”

“Probably six or seven people,” I say.

“Who will be making up the group?”

“I am a priestess, Dierdra is an archer, and our third member is a swordsman. We are also expecting about two others to join us later today.”

“What are their skills?”

I glance toward Dierdra, who is scanning the room. “Let’s just say they have other talents.”

Xerxes raises his eyebrows, then continues, “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning at dawn.”

“That’s not a lot of time to prepare.”

“Winter is close upon us. If we delay too long, we may get snowed in.”

“Who is leading this expedition?” he asks.

“We are,” I say.

“And what share am I offered?”

“Each member of the expedition will receive an equal share of whatever wealth we may replace.”

“No double or triple shares?”

“None,” Dierdra says.

“I think, that with my experience, I should rate a higher share,” he says.

“Equal shares, period,” Dierdra says.

He pauses for a moment before continuing. “Where are you leading us?”

“When we reach the mountains, we’ll head to the south and southwest,” I say.

“Exactly which mountains?”

“Look, I don’t have time for this. Either you can join our expedition and travel with our group into the wilderness, or you can sit here in Mandelbroggen and hibernate through the winter. I really don’t care.”

“You’re not giving me much information on which to base a decision. And I replace it difficult to believe that you would travel the wilds without a naturalist.”

“Rocalla,” Dierdra says, nudging me. I glance over to see a woman intently watching us from the far side of the room. She gets up and walks to the door.

“Xerxes, we would be honored to have you join us. But we are leaving tomorrow at dawn, with or without you. And now we have to go.”

“If I decide to join, where are we going to meet?”

I give him directions to our meeting place near the South Gate. Xerxes continues to probe for details about our destination and ask questions about the group.

“Rocalla, now,” Dierdra says. The woman has returned with a town guardsman.

“Okay,” I say, getting up and moving quickly toward the door. I throw my cloak over my head and stuff my hands into its sleeves. Dierdra follows close behind.

The guardsman reaches out and grabs my arm, addressing me as I attempt to walk past him. “I want to talk to you,” he says.

“Sure,” I say. “Outside.” I continue walking and he follows me out. Once Dierdra and I step away from the door to the Prancing Pig, I turn and face him. “How can we help you?” I ask. My voice is surprisingly calm.

“I’d like you to come with me, to answer some questions,” he says.

“About what? Maybe I can answer them right here and save us all a trip.”

“No, I’m not the one with the questions,” he says.

“Then who is?” I ask. I look at Dierdra, and catching her gaze, I toss my head slightly to the left.

“Enough talk. Come with me,” he says.

“No,” I say and take off sprinting down the street. Dierdra reacts instantly, and is running beside me within seconds.

“Stop! Hejrte trajm!” the guard screams. I can hear his feet hitting the pavement behind us.

Dierdra and I run, not paying any attention to the direction that we are going. We stick to side streets and alleys, turning left, then right, then left. Unburdened by packs, we manage to put some distance between ourselves and the guard. Running down narrow passages that resemble murky tunnels due to the overhanging buildings, we continue several more blocks, then duck into a narrow alley between two cottages.

I am breathing heavily, and the cold air is burning my lungs. Crouching down, I bend over and pull my hood down to trap the air next to my face. Every breath is painful, and I break into a coughing spell.

“Shhh,” says Dierdra.

I stifle the last couple of coughs, and gradually my chest stops heaving in and out. The fetid stench of garbage and animal manure is strong in the enclosed space; no air moves between the closely packed dwellings. “Any sign of pursuit?” I ask.

“No, I think we lost him,” she says.

“Okay, good,” I say, struggling to my feet. “Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Inside the nearest shop or tavern we can replace. They’ll be searching the streets for us.”

“At least it will be better than sitting in this filthy squalor.”

We walk to the end of the narrow alley and peek around the corner. Seeing no one in either direction, we step into the street and proceed half a block until we come to a bakery.

“The streets are deserted. Where do you suppose everyone is?” Dierdra asks.

“I don’t know. Bishop Narvaan Kel’s memorial services, perhaps?”

“Yeah, I hope the rest of the guardsmen are there, too.”

Stepping inside the bakery, the warm moist air caresses my face. I delight in the delicious aromas that fill the small shop, sharply contrasting with the foul-smelling streets of the inner city. Taking a deep breath, I pull back my hood, shake out my dirty blonde hair, and smooth the wrinkles from the front of my dress. We buy a fresh loaf of bread, still warm from the oven, and split it. Standing inside, we eat and watch out the window.

“Do you think that Xerxes will join us?” Dierdra asks.

“I have no idea,” I say. “If he shows up, all the better. If not, …”

When we finish the bread, I walk over and buy three more loaves. The woman behind the counter says almost nothing, but her gaze never leaves my face. I look down as I fumble through my purse to replace the proper coins. When I look up again, she is still staring at me, displeasure evident in her expression. My voice trembles as I hand her the coins and thank her. Dierdra is still looking out the window when I join her.

“Now what?”

“Come on,” I say, opening the door and stepping outside. Carefully looking around, I start walking in the direction I think is east. “We’ll have to get our packs later. With all the commotion, I don’t expect that we’ll get through the gates tonight.”

“So where are we going?”

“We’ll camp out at the underground meeting place and wait for Elanor there.”

It takes us nearly two hours to pick our way through the city to the eastern corner of town. Much of the time is wasted hiding in alleys or sheds, waiting for patrolling guardsmen to pass by. Unable to use the main streets, it is difficult to replace our way through the inner city, and every time I startle a passing dog or stray cat, I nearly panic. We finally locate the entrance to the sewers and walk inside. The stairway candle is not lit, leaving the path down wrapped in impenetrable shadow.

“We don’t have our lantern,” Dierdra says.

“Unfortunately, you’re correct. Do you remember the way?”

“Yes, but …”

“But what?”

“One wrong step and we could be swimming in the sewer,” Dierdra says. “And I can’t swim.”

“Stick close to me and keep your hand on the wall,” I say.

I lead the way down the left side of the stairs. Our left hands are on the rough stone wall. Dierdra’s right hand is holding mine. At first, we are able to see our way using fragments of light that leak through holes in the shed and roof above. But before we even reach the bottom of the stairs, we are in complete darkness.

Not being able to see the way, I concentrate on the texture of the wall, the sound of flowing water, and the tight grip of Dierdra’s hand. We inch forward, as I feel our way with my booted foot. The air is cold and foul-smelling, but not overpowering.

“The first corner,” I say.

We creep around the corner, edging our way along. Soon the sound of the water is joined by small squeaks and tiny pattering footsteps.

“Is that what I think it is?” Dierdra asks.

“Rats.”

“I’d like it better if I could see them.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Time seems to drag as we inch our way along the passage. About halfway to the next corner, Dierdra jumps. “What?” I ask.

“Nothing, just a rat. I think.”

Eventually, we turn left into the side passage. After rounding the corner, I stop.

“What are you doing?” Dierdra asks as I let go of her hand.

“I’m going to put one the loaves of bread on the floor here.”

“Um, why?”

“To keep the rats busy.”

“Won’t that just attract them?”

“It’s not like they can’t smell the bread we’re carrying. Hopefully, this will keep them happy for a while.”

When I’m done, I grasp for Dierdra’s hand again and we move on. When we get to the platform, we sink down to the floor, resting in the corner. We sit close, touching, so that we are aware of each other’s presence in the utter darkness.

We have a second loaf of bread for an early dinner. “When do you think we’ll get to sit down and enjoy a real evening meal again?” Dierdra asks.

“I don’t know,” I say.

After we finish the bread, we sit there in silence, listening to the water dripping and flowing and the rats eating nearby.