Earthdaughter

By L D Gerry

Copyright 1992

All Rights Reserved

 

Chapter Four

BRIARWOOD

 

They were up early and on the road soon after devouring heaping bowls of hot, tasty stew and sucking down mugs of hot tea.

 

Merann wanted to get into Briarwood as quickly as possible so she could purchase more supplies and make sure the unfortunate wizard got some warmer clothing than he now wore.  She saw him shivering in the morning's coolness and realized Fitzhugh was too proud to admit to discomfort.  To avoid obvious pity, Merann "accidentally" dropped her blanket and allowed the wizard to pick it up and carry it.  She made no comment as he laid the woolen blanket over his shoulders and covered his head with it.  Merann herself wore a hooded cloak, and utilized the hood this damp, cold morning.

 

The rest of the journey was uneventful, and a week and a half passed quickly as they rode, stopping to rest and eat every so often, and riding till past dusk each night, when they stopped to camp.  

 

It was simple to discern the border of Briarwood.  It was a walled city, walled from the days when it wasn't quite politic to let just anyone into your city.  Now the walls kept the criminals from wandering too far from Briarwood's borders.  A small guardhouse, a relic of days gone by, stood to the left of the great city gate.

 

I'm glad I met up with you, Polysus said.  I can smell great numbers of caged and corralled animals within the city.  I'm sure that had I attempted to travel alone, I would have joined their numbers.  I think I would die if I were ever captured.  Humans are capable of great cruelties.

 

"You know, I think you might be right.  The people of Briarwood fancy themselves to be great riders, and might consider you to be quite the challenge."  The village elders had briefed Merann on everything they knew about Briarwood, and its many dangers.  Merann was certain they had most likely not known one or two important items.  Sweetstream was rather far from other villages, and, as they were most self-sufficient, did not entertain travelers often.

 

"How do they feel about wizards?"  Fizzle asked Merann.

 

"Well, let's just say that you should probably keep that staff of yours out of sight.  Or try to disguise it.  If you want, it just might fit inside my pack,” she suggested.

 

Fizzle agreed and they stopped a moment to conceal the gnarled staff, which was only four and a half feet long or so.  Fizzle had to choose from the literal bottom of the barrel when his class had taken their staffs.  It hadn't been the only staff.  The other two candidates for staffs had been so curved as to be virtually unusable.  Fizzle had "made friends" with his new staff and now it was truly a part of him.  A staff was as spiritually linked to its wielder as a familiar was.  Fizzle had not qualified for his own familiar due to his inability to master all forms of magic. 

 

The staff stretched diagonally from end to end in Merann's pack, and distended it noticeably, but Fizzle muttered a short spell and the pack became almost unnoticeable.  Then they rode on to the gate.

 

A burly guard moved to block their path and raised a pike in front of them.  The guard was unshaven and looked as though he hadn't taken a bath in at least a week, maybe more.

 

"Hold!  Your names, and whither are you bound?"  He demanded.

 

"Merann Earthdaughter, healer, bound for TriRock Fen."

 

"Jon Fitzhugh, scholar, bound for TriRock Fen."

"Your beasts had better be tame, as you are responsible for anything they might do.  The punishment for transgressors is always death, so I suggest you mind them well,” the guard told them curtly. He appeared about to return to the dark, grubby guardhouse.

 

"Please, ser.  You seem like a learned man.  Could you please direct us to some good inn where we might stay the night before journeying on tomorrow?"  Merann asked the guard with a shy smile and earnest eyes.  The unexpected flattery had its intended effect upon the guard, and his expression softened considerably.  He leaned his rusty pike against the guardhouse.

 

"Well, my lady, I might suggest the sign of the Grape and Bed on Rope Street.  Faellas runs a clean place and the slog isn't too watered down.  Too bad I got to work tonight, or I might look you up there,"  he told her, smiling in what he obviously thought was a friendly manner.  It only made him look uglier.  Merann did her best to look regretful.

 

"My thanks to you, ser.  I, too, am sorry we can't share the evening.  Maybe when I pass through again?"  She breathed at him.  The guard looked at what breathed just below her face and nodded dumbly.  Calypsus and Polysus were laughing, though fortunately the guard could not hear their mirth.  It might well have gotten then into trouble.

 

The guard waved them in and stared after Merann until they were lost in the crowd, which infested the city streets.  With some directions from "helpful" citizens, they found their way to Rope Street and the Grape and Bed Inn.  They left the bicorns at the hitching post outside the tavern with token bindings (to which Polysus objected until Merann explained to him that otherwise, people would harass him,) and then went inside.

 

As the guard had said, the Grape and Bed was a decent place.  The main room was clean, and the tankards and bar seemed reasonably clean, considering that this was, after all, a tavern.  There were two dartboards, and two or three gaming tables currently in use, and a heated discussion taking place in one of the well-lighted corners of the tavern.  The innkeeper bustled over to them, a fat man with a wide smile and a stained multi-pocket apron.

 

"Welcome!  Welcome!  I am Faellas, proprietor of the Grape and Bed.  Do you come to drink or to stay?"  He asked them cheerfully.

Merann wondered how the greasy guard could stand coming to such a clean and friendly place.

 

"To stay, ser, and to buy supplies.  Have you a room suitable for traveling companions?"  Merann asked the innkeeper. 

 

"Certainly.  A fine room close to the top of the stairs.  Only three copper spheres a night, in advance,"  he grinned at Merann.

 

Careful not to expose her funds, Merann had put a few copper spheres and one or two silver spheres into a secondary purse that she wore about her waist.  She delved into this for the three copper spheres, making sure the innkeeper saw "all" that she had.  She saw a flicker of disappointment on his face, but he hid it quickly.

 

"Here, good Master Faellas.  What is on the fire tonight?"  Faellas looked down at the copper spheres in his hand and then pocketed them before answering.

 

"A roast quarter, tubers, and berry pie.  Half a copper sphere each.  Shall I fix you a plate?"  he asked, smiling greedily.  He obviously planned to own as much of her coin as he could before they left.

 

"Certainly.  We'll be down after we get our things settled upstairs.  Oh, I forgot.  We need to stable our beasts."  Here the innkeeper's eyes began to gleam.  Merann prepared for the worst.

 

"Five copper spheres for them both, and I guarantee them the best grain, hay and care in the city,” Merann suppressed a sigh of resignation and handed over one of her silver spheres.  The innkeeper pulled five copper spheres change from one of his rather copious apron pockets and gave them to Merann.

 

Faellas directed Merann and Fizzle to the stable and then went to order up their meals.  Merann and Fizzle went outside to the bicorns, who had attracted a crowd of fascinated people.

 

"How much you want for the paint-splotched beast?" said an unwashed and stinking man who stood next to the hitching post, but well out of the way of Polysus' bared teeth.  Merann sent him silent thanks for minding his manners.  They all knew what a bite or kick to a passerby from one of the bicorns would cause.

 

"I'm sorry, but he's not for sale.  I wouldn't feel right selling such a problem as him to anyone.  Last poor fool lost a hand,” Fizzle said mournfully.  Fizzle made an act of carefully staying out of reach of Polysus' mouth as he "untied" him from the post.  Polysus pretended to nip viciously at Fizzle.

 

The crowd backed quickly away as the companions made their way to the stable.  Polysus screamed, reared and pawed the air viciously (but harmlessly) at Fizzle.  With silent apologies to the play-acting bicorn, Fizzle jerked Polysus' head down to "keep" him from rearing.

 

Thought you might have a little trouble there.  The human was considering stealing me from the stable tonight.  Polysus said to Fizzle.  It was apparent that the paint beast was not offended by the wizard's jerking his head.  Fizzle had to work to keep a smile off his face.  He made plans on how to disturb the ugly little man's plans for the night.

 

"I'll put a stay-away spell around you.  That'll keep anyone but us from you.  You'll still be able to eat and all that, though,” Fizzle suggested mentally.

 

Sounds good to me.  I'm working very hard to keep us from getting into trouble.  I heard what that human at the gate said.  I'm becoming rather fond of you, and I don't want to lose my pet wizard.

 

Fizzle stifled a retort, but knew Polysus could hear his mind.  Polysus' mental mirth was a strange thing to experience, and Fizzle was not used to it, yet.  Actually, he rather liked the bicorn's sense of humor.  It was contagious.

 

The stable was, indeed, a clean place.  They examined the hay and grain and found it excellent.  The stable's chuffa were apparently doing a very good job despite what must be overwhelming numbers in the ratio of chuffa to rodents.  Clearly, people in Briarwood treated their beasts well.  Who knew when one might need a quick getaway, and a malnourished animal wouldn't get you very far from whatever trouble you had stirred up.

 

They left the stable with an admonition to the stable boy not to crowd the bicorns.  He was a simple-minded mute boy, but seemed to get the gist of their words and nodded vigorously in response.  When they left, Calypsus was instructing the lad on the best place to scratch a bicorn, and Polysus was monopolizing the lad's other hand.

 

After they had returned to their tiny room to use a large bowl of tepid water to clean some of the worst of the road dust from their hands and faces, Merann and Fizzle went downstairs to the main room, where the innkeeper placed two plates with enormous portions of meat and vegetables before them.  Merann handed a copper sphere to the innkeeper without a second glance.  Merann dove into her meal.  It was excellent.

 

There was no conversation between Merann and Fizzle for a few minutes as they got acquainted with their food, but then Fizzle broke the comparative silence.

 

"You know, this is quite possibly the best roast I have ever eaten, Mistress Merann,” The wizard said around his meat.  Merann made an affirmative noise in her throat and swallowed a mouthful before she spoke.

 

"You know, I think you're right.  I think he's spiked it with garlic and peppers.  I'll try to get his recipe.  I always like to gather new recipes." 

 

"After supper I need to go into the city to resupply myself.  If you're planning to stay with me, you should probably come along,"  she ventured, hoping she didn't offend the man.

 

Actually, Fizzle looked relieved.

 

"I'll go along with you, if you don't mind.  I don't think Briarwood is the place to settle, if you get what I mean.  I can sell some of my things, too, so you won't have to keep paying my way,” Fizzle offered.  Merann quickly shook her head.  The man already had little enough, as it was.

 

"No!  No.  I've plenty, Doctor.  You can repay me by making sure we get where we're going." 

 

"You know, it's not safe to depend on my so-called talents, Merann,” he warned.

 

"I'm sure you'll do just fine, Dr. Fitzhugh.  Have a little faith in yourself, okay?"

 

Merann returned to her meal, polishing off the roast and tubers.  She didn't know when she would have another chance to eat so well again.  The pie was not long in arriving.