GoCorral

Chapter 4 – Meeting in Shalerton (Continued)

As the conversation flowed Galandir and the others realized they had the same goal. They’d all heard the call from Shalerton and were responding. Naturally they decided to travel together. There was always safety in numbers on the road.

Galandir bed down for the night with his feet towards the fire. His smooth bedroll was warm and he liked watching the stars before falling asleep. He couldn’t see as many of them with his head by the fire.

While he slept Tokint and the twins came to check on him a few times. He thanked them for their concern. So nice to meet folks who made sure their guests were snug and comfortable, even in such rough circumstances.

Shalerton was a small but growing village. A few wooden buildings were laid out on a street. At one end of the street was a wooden shrine to the Olympians. Behind the temple was an olive orchard. All around Shalerton were sheep. They seemed to be as common as birds.

The village inn, the Pot of Comfort, was the center of activity. All the beds were taken, so as more adventurers arrived they sent up tents and camps around the back of the Pot of Comfort. More and more groups of people arrived from surrounding towns and cities to help. Galandir’s group was one of the last.

Galandir looked across the crowd. They were all humans. This was a human village and a human problem, but he was a little surprised to be the only member of another Conclave race. Had humans fallen so low after the dissolution of the Conclave that no one else would help them?

Godrick’s group set up camp behind the Pot of Comfort with the others. Galandir joined them. A mousy man with a wispy mustache told them, “There’ll be an announcement at noon. Go to the front of the inn then.”

Galandir smiled. His first adventure was truly starting! How exciting!

Blendegad left Densmith in the late morning. He’d had trouble sleeping as he’d already slept all day before. He tried regardless, needing as much rest as he could get before taking to the road. His mother packed him the satchel of herbs and potions. He borrowed a sturdy backpack from Topher, Cheery Goma’s son. In the backpack he’d put bread along with some nuts and dried fruits. A large, thick blanket rested on top to keep him warm at night. He attached a waterskin to the side of the pack. Blendegad would wear his leather armor and sword while traveling.

Everyone had known he was leaving. Apparently Cheery Goma had been spreading some accurate rumors after Blendegad left the stumps and benches. The whole village turned up as Blendegad set out on his quest. They had a collection of coins to give him for aid on his journey. Blendegad took the small pouch and thanked his people. He waved and said goodbye to them all.

Claudia was not with the others. She was waiting about a half mile out of town.

She said, “Hello Blendegad.”

He answered, “Hello Claudia.”

“Did you think you could leave without saying goodbye?”

“I did to everyone in town. You weren’t there.”

“Well… I’m here now.”

Blendegad took her hands in his as he approached. He looked down at her face. She stared into his eyes. He met her gaze but found her forehead more comfortable after a few seconds of locked eyes.

“You are coming back?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said.

“And… when you do…”

“Yes?”

“Will we be together?”

He stroked her hair and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I think so.”

Claudia gripped his collar and pulled him down to kiss her on the lips. “I love you,” she said.

“You too,” he said.

They kissed and pressed their bodies against each other for a few more minutes. Their instincts longed for more but the standards of society prevented it. A hawk cry to the west broke their reverie and Blendegad extracted himself from Claudia’s embrace. He felt that what was inevitable would finally happen when he returned.

Blendegad traveled to Dalleer first on his journey. Entering the city might result in a tax of some kind, so he skirted the edge to reach the river road on the north side of town. Following the path led to the northern ford. Along the way he passed carts, wagons, and herds of animals being brought to town. Dalleer was disgustingly big and every day was market day in the city.

The northern ford had an odd landmark on the upriver side of the western bank. A recently burned horse skeleton minus its head. Blendegad stared at it and asked one of the travelers what it was.

The answer, “That was a Thracian Mare. Killed a man a few days ago. The town guard handled it. The head’s on display at the gallows.”

Blendegad thanked the man who walked on towards town. Blendegad held his satchel and pack over his head as he crossed the ford.

As night came on Blendegad reached a road inn. The sign said, “The Pig and Anvil.” He had the coin pouch from the Densmith villagers. Why not have a hot meal and sleep in a bed for the night?

Blendegad entered and found a noisy room lit brightly with torches and two blazing fireplaces, one at each end of the common room. Around each of the fireplaces were two tiers of benches and stools arranged in half-circles. Between the two fireplaces stood close to a dozen circular tables with stools. Opposite the door Blendegad had entered from was a long counter. Behind the counter was a kitchen preparing delicious smelling stew and another door. The room was filled with people sitting by the fires and enjoying bowls of stew. Behind the counter, people were working frantically to ladle out more bowls, pour drinks of ale, and prepare more batches of food.

Blendegad noticed the left side of the inn was more quiet while the right side had a pair of men singing in front of the fire. He preferred the merrier right side. After retrieving his coin pouch he approached the counter.

“How much for some food and a room tonight?” Blendegad asked the large woman who seemed to be running the kitchen.

She turned to him and said brusquely, “We don’t have rooms, only the floor in here once it calms down. Stew and ale are two coppers each. Stew comes with a slice of bread. Floor’s free if you’re buying.”

Blendegad nodded, “Stew and ale then.” He laid out four copper coins on the counter. The woman scooped them into a large pouch tied to her apron.

“You got your own bowl and mug?”

“Oh. Yes,” Blendegad said. He took off his pack and removed the bowl and mug from within. He wasn’t used to traveling and had forgotten that outsiders needed to bring their own implements. He got out his spoon as well.

Blendegad handed his bowl and mug to the woman who he know presumed was the owner of the Pig and Anvil. She gave his containers to the staff behind her and they were quickly returned to him filled with the desired liquids. It was a carrot and rabbit stew with a few onions. Blendegad gathered his pack and his purchases before heading over to the fire to eat and listen to the song.

Tereman left the day after returning to the barracks. He wouldn’t call it home. It wasn’t anymore. Captain Logain gifted Tereman with his weapons and armor, but reclaimed the striped sash that marked him as a guard of Dalleer. What did it matter? Tereman hardly wore it while on patrol outside of the city.

Tereman passed by the burned Thracian Mare on his way north. Logain had sent a couple of guards with some goblins to dispose of the corpse. The laborers took the deer as edible payment.

With a few hours until dusk, Tereman came up on the Pig and Anvil. Not wanting to strain himself, Tereman stopped at the road inn to rest for the night. He got a bowl of stew from the innkeeper. He ate it close to the fire for once and felt rich. As he ate next to the other people on the stools, one of them brought out a lyre and took up a skolion.

“As I wandered through the world,
I came upon a girl,”

The man passed the lyre to someone else to continue, “She was as pretty and fine, as a lovely cup of wine,”

And so the song passed from person to person. Each strumming on the lyre to the best of their ability. Each adding to the song.

“I asked her what to call her,
She said ‘Alia’ without a bother,
I asked her to dance with me,
But she said I hadn’t a chance with she,”

Tereman added his verse,

“Unless I slayed the monsters,
That hurt the sheep of Shaler,
I found the monsters’ cave,
And told myself to be brave,”

A man with dark hair and orange eyes came in next,

“I stepped in without spear or shield,
And told the monster to yield,
It resigned to its fate,
And shriveled like a date,”

The orange-eyed man passed the lyre back to Tereman. Tereman took up the song again,

“But the monster’s brother was a challenge,
for it was deeply deranged,
I tried with it to reason,
But it barely knew the seasons,

Tereman passed the lyre back to the orange-eyed man and a contest began.