Chapter 6 Into Falkovnia
The next day was spent in preparation for the trip to come. Weamar made sure that he had enough food, rope, arrows, bowstrings, black powder, shot, and anything else that he could think of. Marinae gathered arcane items for her magic, and a little of Rambis’ favorite foods. Lynn and Eliza also collected a few things that they thought that they would need. Lynn could sense that Eliza was fit for travel but she didn't know about how well she'd do in a fight. The cold spot in her had reached some equilibrium, neither growing or shrinking. Eliza continued to put on a strong facade but there was an undercurrent of fear when she did, but whether it was due to the thing inside her or the prospect of where they were about to go, it was hard to tell.“Is there anything that I can do?”, Lynn asked that evening.
"If we're going to get Damon out, we need to do it as soon as possible.”, Eliza said to cover her fear. “Goddess knows what he's being put through right now."
Lynn wanted to say something but she couldn't think of anything. Instead she just held Eliza close.
Marinae had other concerns. There was the issue of what they would do once they were inside Falkovnia. She knew that foreigners were likely to be received poorly by the authorities unless they had standing trade relations with the state and that non-humans were considered government property. Non-humans were generally put to work as slave labor for the military elite, whether as house servants or ditch diggers. Some, including most fertile females, were given to Drakov's researchers. Drakov encouraged intermarriage among his citizens and the non-humans, though it was against local custom to do so. This was allegedly meant to 'breed out the taint of non-human blood' but had the added benefit of providing more slaves.
Weamar had had an idea to have Marinae masquerade as a slave, but there was the chance that the first patrol they came across would take her for themselves. The soldiers weren't known to be respectful of other's property rights. Marinae suggested that they could always hide at the top of her magic rope, but that fell through when they realized that they couldn’t take their horses along. Eventually they decided just to be extra careful, and deal with things as they came up.
The skies were clear when they left Pont-a-Museau, and headed north towards Falkovnia. The good weather gave no hint of the danger they knew that they were riding into. The road was empty and it wasn't long before they reached the border markers. Lynn was tightly bundled. No one could see her face, or her blindfold. She didn't want to go, but she knew that they must. Deep inside she hoped that Eliza’s horse would stop and turn around, but it kept going forward. It felt like it was pulling her to her doom.
Lynn wrapped her arms around Eliza and was comforted by her warmth. Everyone was dressed warmly. Spring was coming, but it hadn’t yet arrived. The day was sunny but the air was cool and brisk. As they came within sight of the city of Silbervas, Marinae saw a group of six horsemen riding up the road towards her.
“Get off the road.”, Marinae whispered loudly. “Before they see us.”
Acting quickly, they all turned their horses off the road and disappeared into the trees. As the patrol passed by unaware of their presence, it was plain to see that the men were soldiers. They were heavily armed and looked like they were out looking for trouble. They shortly passed out of sight to the south, and soon the road into the city was clear again. Weamar took the lead and before long they were in the city. The view that greeted them upon entering the city gates was not a pleasant one. Grim faced sentinels patrolled the ramparts above the gate, briefly noting the hawk brands that the group had painted on their foreheads and paying them no special attention. Silbervas was a stifling and unfriendly place. The buildings were squat and ugly things whose walls were covered in streaks of brown and black. The street was littered with garbage and offal. Marinae tried to appear beaten and slave-like, but even her least fancy robe looked rich among the people of the town.
Lynn took a whiff of the city and covered her face even more. Slack faced peasants shuffled through the streets, clad in drab clothing of dull colors. Few wore shoes or boots, instead having only rags wrapped around their feet to protect them from the unpleasant things that covered the ground. Every man, woman and child bore Drakov's mark burned upon their forehead. Things in Falkovnia were as bad as the rumors about it were, maybe even worse.
As the group made their way through town they heard a commotion a ways up the street. A trio of soldiers had an elderly shopkeeper by what remained of his hair, dragging him out of his store. The lead guard stood before the old man with his hands on his hips. He sternly accused the man loud enough for all to hear.
"You have failed to pay the taxes rightly owed to our glorious lord, in spite of having been warned before.”, the guard began. “Lord Drakov defends this land against the savages of the world. All he asks is that we all do our fair share to support that effort. You, however, choose to be selfish and hoard what is not yours to keep. For your crime against he people of Falkovnia, you are sentenced to death. Your property will be seized for the good of the state."
Marinae shrank at the display. She tried even harder to seem unimportant, unarmed, harmless, uninteresting, and nonexistent.
The old man cried out, "But my family!"
The soldier cut him off. "You should have thought of that beforehand.", he said angrily.
The old man fell limp in despair and the two other soldiers bound his hands behind his back. He was led away without another word and the people on the street carried on with their business as though nothing had even happened.
Eliza looked on horrified and shaking but tried to remain composed. With a trembling voice she whispered, "We need to get off the street."
"Where did the letter say to go?", Lynn whispered back.
"Some place called 'The Hunter's Arrow'", Eliza answered.
Lynn felt a tingle at the back of her neck. She got the feeling that someone was watching her. She gasped lightly. "Someone's, I feel, watching us.", she said nervously.
Eliza could feel it too and glanced subtly around. She whispered, "We're being watched. In the alley on the right. Someone's there."
Weamar, and then Marinae both discreetly glanced towards the alley. There was indeed a figure skulking in the shadows between the buildings but it disappeared in a blink. Feeling less and less secure the group headed down the street. Soon they saw a sign hanging in front of one of the buildings. It had a picture of a mug with an arrow through it.
"That must be the place.", Weamar said. Everyone felt a little better having found what they were looking for, but fear still weighed down on them heavily.
They went around the side of the inn to the stables. There Eliza dismounted and helped Lynn down. A lecherous looking stable hand eyed Eliza up and down.
"Four copper per horse.", the man said grinning with smile that was missing a number of teeth. And of the teeth that remained, most were well on their way to being rotted stumps.
Marinae paid for her horse and Eliza’s while Weamar covered his own expense. They tried to give the appearance that they were of modest means. The man accepted the money and led the horses to their stalls. He continued to watch Eliza until the stable walls interceded. Once he was gone Eliza shivered a little and headed inside.
“Lovely town. I like what they've done with the place.”, Marinae muttered under her breath. Her sarcasm was only lightly diminished.
The mood inside the Hunter's Arrow was as sullen as it was outdoors. The people didn't seem to notice as the group entered and they kept their eyes on their drinks. There was an empty table in one corner which a waitress was wiping down with a filthy rag. She succeeded only in moving the grime around, rather than cleaning it off. The food in the inn smelled awful, and it barely smelled like food. Weamar looked down at one of the Falkovnian’s meals, it consisted of a piece old bread and a pale gray slurry that he imagined to be some sort of porridge. Weamar decided that it wasn’t a bad time to go on a diet. The waitress left the table and Eliza sat in one of the chairs, careful not to touch to table's surface.
"I don't want to eat here.", Lynn said quietly.
Eliza wrinkled her nose. "Agreed."
Marinae looked around the room. Her sarcasm was building and it had to be let out.
“I remember a time when I could go anywhere in town and find more than a few good-looking men.”, she whispered to Eliza. “But there are only a couple here, and we brought one of them with us. Bleah.”
Eliza didn’t respond, but Marinae kept going, “Wow, there's one man with most of his teeth. Oh, look! There's one without crossed eyes! What a catch! Where have all the cowboys gone?”
Eliza finally broke a smile, but managed to hold back a laugh.
Weamar noticed a young man leaning over a mug of something foul looking in his direction. Weamar said nothing, staying apparently oblivious but keeping track of the man. The man had a rather nasty scar down the right side of his face and one eye was covered by a patch. His one good eye examined each person at Weamar’s table, noting everyone’s appearance and demeanor. With a well practiced lack of fanfare the one eyed man got up and headed to the bar. As he passed Weamar, he whispered, "The Falcon's eye is ever watchful."
"But it does not see all.", Weamar replied.
"Drink?", the man with the patch offered.
"I was just about to get one for myself and one of my friends.", Weamar replied.
The man with the patch motioned to the bartender who produced three mugs of a brownish-black, foamy fluid. He picked up one and nodded towards Weamar’s table. Weamar took the other two ales back to the table and put one in front of Marinae who raised a single, untrusting eyebrow at the foamy stuff before her. Lynn sat in silence. She discretely pulled out a bar of chocolate and broke off two pieces of it. She put one in her mouth and savored it while handing the other to Eliza. Eliza did the same, letting her enjoyment pass through the ring and mingle with Lynn's.
The young man pulled up a chair and sat between Marinae and Weamar. He took a drink from his glass and made conversation.
"What brings you to our lovely city?", he said with a sneer. The sarcasm in his voice was plain.
As the young man spoke the hairs on the back of Lynn’s neck stood on end. She knew his voice, but she couldn’t place it. It was familiar, but she didn’t know from where or when.
"Oh, the landscaping.”, Marinae answered.” It's amazing what one can do with dust and dirt and a little abject terror."
The young fellow was small and thin, though cords of lean muscle showed on his forearms, suggesting some level of strength despite his slight frame. His skin was tanned from outdoor work and his hair brown and curly. His remaining eye was a soft shade of brown. His face was attractive in a peculiar and boyish fashion though it was marred by the severe scarring of the wound that took his right eye.
The man grinned at Marinae, "We do try to keep things lively. I suppose you are in need of certain services?"
"How safe is it to talk publicly, here?”, Marinae asked.
The man glanced around. "Some days are better than others.”, he said. “I know a place where we can speak more privately if you wish."
"It would be for the best.", Marinae answered.
The man nodded. "Meet me around back in ten minutes.”, he whispered. “Try to be discreet."
The man with the patch stood and dropped enough money on the table to cover the cost of the drinks. Then he headed out the front door, still everyone else minded their own business.
Eliza whispered, "Do we follow him?"
"We may as well.”, Marinae answered. “Dammit, I should have done a surface-thoughts read on him."
Marinae turned to her familiar, hiding in her robes. “What did you pick up from our new friend?”, she thought to him.
“Cleaner than most other people here.”, Rambis replied. “Seemed normal to me.”
“Thanks, kittylove.”, Marinae said scratching his head.
Lynn was trying to place the man's voice. She couldn’t. But she felt that he wouldn’t betray them.
"I feel that we can trust him.", Lynn whispered.
Still, Weamar was cautious, not trusting anyone or anything. Behind the inn, the yard was little more than a small tract of dirt and dead grass. Standing against a wooden fence was the young man. Once they’d all assembled he pulled up a loose section of the fence.
"Follow me.", he advised.
The man led them into a maze of hovels, makeshift shelters, and aging fences. The hidden shanty town seemed to go on and on until the one-eyed man turned down a stairwell leading to a basement door on the back of one of the buildings. He performed a rapid complex knock and the door opened. He entered and motioned for his new companions to follow. It was dark inside the building. They couldn't see more than a few feet in front of them. Slowly everyone’s eyes adjusted to the dim light and they saw that they were in what looked like a storage room. There were many barrels and crates stacked around the large room. As they stepped into the room they heard the door close behind them. A rather large man stood before the door they had just entered with his arms folded across his chest. There were other men standing among the stored items watching the new arrivals suspiciously. The one-eyed man sat on one of the crates. He extended his arms to either side.
"Welcome. My name is David.”, the man said with a slight grin. “The others’ names you will learn only if you need to. Who are you?"
"We're searching for my father.", Marinae answered.
"And who might that be?", David replied.
"He came into this land to try to help a friend and got himself into trouble.", Marinae said with a hint of disapproval. "His name is Damon."
David closed his eye and nodded. With a subtle gesture the men amongst the crates relaxed and a few torches were lit. The firelight revealed that they all held light crossbows hidden beneath their cloaks.
"I'm sorry to meet you under these circumstances, Marinae.", David said in a more friendly tone.
Marinae brought her hood down. "Have you any knowledge of him, then?”, she asked. “Is he still alive?"
"We have confirmed that his team was captured.”, David explained. “We believe that he is alive for now, though it may be better if he were not. He is being held in a tower in the forest northeast of the city."
"What information do you have about the tower?", Weamar asked.
"It is where those selected for Lord Drakov's 'Special Programs' are sent.”, David answered gravely. “You read our report on the mass grave we discovered? Those, people, were prisoners of the tower."
A strange thought occurred to Marinae. She wondered if the tower had anything to do with vampires.
"Yes, we read it.”, Weamar confessed. “But do you know anything of the layout, or the strength of the garrison?"
"We do have some information in that regard.”, David answered. “It was obtained earlier in the year when Damon rescued Adederia. The garrison is of moderate size but the structure was not built as a military base and so not the most secure of places. "
"Do you have a better way to counterfeit those awful brands?", Marinae asked.
"Yes. One of our artisans can provide you with a semi-permanent mark that resembles a tattoo. It takes some scrubbing but it can be washed off.", David paused. "Have you encountered any of the soldiers yet?"
"A near miss, that's all.", Weamar answered.
"We saw a group of them on the road.", Marinae added.
"Lucky.", David replied. He looked at Marinae. "If they find out who you are, you will be arrested. I suggest keeping covered up any time you aren't in one of the safe houses."
Marinae nodded, "Not the best place to vacation."
David smirked a little. "What about her?”, he said nodding towards Lynn. “Is she elven as well?"
For a moment Lynn didn’t answer. Then she softly whispered, "No."
When David heard Lynn's voice he seemed to be taken off guard. His mind reeled as he remembered the voice of a woman he loved with all of his heart, if only for one night. He soon regained his composure, convincing himself that the woman under the ragged robe couldn’t be the same one from his past.
"I'll show you to your rooms and get you something to eat.”, he said with a hint of apprehension. “I'm afraid we can't offer much, but it'll be better than what you'll find at the Arrow. When you're ready we can discuss Damon's situation and any other questions you may have."
"That will be fine, thank you.", Marinae replied.
Over his shoulder David asked, "Oh, how is Lady Renier, by the way? That last shipment of medicines really helped a lot of people."
Weamar looked uncomfortable. "Upset with me, but in good health last we saw her.", he admitted.
“Upset with all of us, really.”, Marinae thought to herself. “We sure put some feet into that one.”
David looked a little puzzled but decided not to pry. "Well, this way.", he continued.
On the ground floor, Weamar was shown to what looks to have once been a servant's quarters. The women were placed in another room that was probably a library at one time. Weamar settled in as far as possible but wasn’t completely comfortable with all the men with crossbows standing around in the halls.
"There's bread, cheese, and fresh water in the kitchen.”, David said. “I have some things I need to see to. I'll return this evening."
"The horses.", Lynn said softly.
"Any place you could put them up would have to be better than the stable at the Inn.", Marinae added.
David stopped at the door. "I'll take care of them.", he said smiling. "Anything else?"
Just then a cricket jumped onto David's boot. He shook it off.
"We've had a bit of a bug problem lately.”, he said apologetically. “Better them than the soldiers though. I'll see you tonight."
Eliza sat on the edge of the bed with Lynn. "How are you feeling?", she asked.
Lynn took Eliza's hand. "I miss our cottage."
Eliza reached under Lynn’s hood, brushing her cheek with the back of her fingers. "I know. I do too. We'll be back there soon.", she assured her.
Lynn kissed Eliza's thumb.
Eliza smiled and put her arm around Lynn. "We'll be back in no time at all."