Chapter 14

The road up the Rampart Range was well graded and maintained. Even still, it took a month to reach to uppermost pass and begin heading back down. Aston was glad he had picked up extra pads for the brakes. He was still worried he wouldn’t have enough to make it down as it was. This side of the Range the roads appeared to be also well kept. Teams came up to fill breaks and holes that the weather would cut into the surface. Aston could also tell this was a cut from the ancient times. More than once he could make out bits of the ancient roadway where the packed gravel and dirt had been worn down. Andrew rode in front, keeping an eye on the road and directing Aston which way to turn if a bad spot turned up. He was also the early warning alarm should they come under attack.

This did happen on five separate occasions. Between Andrew, Ledger, and Brena, all the bandits had been driven off. To say the least, Bloodrend was no longer grousing about deer’s blood. Aston had also been making the effort to contact Tara and her folks. He had been able to warn her of the trouble they would be running into and about the downed bridges. She thanked him and thereafter refused further contact. He understood why and did his best to keep his own mind shielded from the Blood Queen and her Master.

At each campsite, Ledger had been busy. He would gather boulders and set them around the large clearings. He would set them to produce enough heat to keep the clearing warm year-round. He also set up lighting around each camp and as they had started to climb, began enchanting stones to permanently produce a steady white light along the road. He hoped this would help travelers in the future. He was reproducing as well as he could something he had seen in the message he had received from the past, as well as what he learned from the ancient floating globe. He set up a continuous line of road lights so that travelers would be able to see at all hours as they traveled up and down the high road.

Brena was the cook and caretaker for this part of the journey. It was the best she could do for the time being. From the top of the pass, they could see hundreds of miles. They could see the far coast and a faint smog of what must have been a very large city. They hoped they were, at last, seeing Fairham’s Cove. She cut her dose of Tanis to almost nothing before they reached to lower roads. She was running low and her feet had begun to take on the warning signs she was taking to much for too long. She knew she would soon have to stop taking it altogether if she ever wanted to have children, and before they reached the plains, she did. When she told Andrew about this, he agreed with her when she insisted they not sleep together any longer. She had no wish to start a baby at this phase of her life.

They knew when they had finally left the Rampart Range. There was a big sign telling folks they were now leaving or entering the range depending on which way you were headed. Ledger couldn’t resist some enchanting fun here. He attached glow stones to the sign so it could be read at night. He continued his practice of glowing stones at regular intervals. He hoped the locals wouldn’t mind.

A day after leaving the Rampart, they encountered their first travelers heading towards another town to the north. Both groups were wary at first but soon were trading information on road conditions. The folks loved what Ledger was doing and told him to send a bill to the castle for each light he installed. They would grumble, but having a real Enchanter in town again would be welcomed. Andrew wanted to know about and bandits or other problems they might encounter before they reached the Cove. “Some here and there. Mostly small bands that will run if they see a sword wielder on guard.” Both wished the other well and continued on they separate ways.

Ledger was sitting back and relaxed for the time being. He finally asked Andrew, “Will you go straight to the Broken Sword?”

“That is where I need to go to get started, so I don’t see a reason why not. Your mother told you to do the same thing as did Brena’s and Aston’s fathers. We will find those that will be able to assist in advancing our training.”

“You maybe, but who can train me, Andrew? Even my own mother said she couldn’t train me and she was the most powerful of her time.”

“I have no idea Ledger, but something will be worked out.” Andrew rode ahead and kept out a watch for trouble.

That night they were able to see the Rampart behind them through the trees and got a surprise. They could see the trail of light all the way down from the top. Ledger had made his mark on the world that anybody could see on a clear night. This proved to be the case four days later when a patrol claiming to be from Fairhams Cove rode into sight ahead of them. Ledger was setting a stone when they arrived and they saw it glowing as he carefully lowered it into the place he wanted it. The leader of the group reined in and waited for Ledger to finish. He dismounted and walked up to Andrew and said, “Identify yourselves.”

“Andrew Markenin, out from Southern Plains,” he pointed to Brena next. “Brena Sizemoore from Planesguard. In the back is Ledger Fireham from the Northern Guard, and Aston Grey out of the Ice Spine High Guard.”

The leader looked at them, “You, in the back, you made the stones glow?”

Ledger got up and jumped down from the wagon and walked up to the man. Ledger didn’t know a person in full Chain and Gambeson could jump back so fast. The rest of the mounted troops had their weapons drawn now and several lances were aimed at each of them. “Stay back demon,” he said. “Your unclean kind will not touch a man of the blood.”

Aston was standing now, whip drawn, Brena had daggers out, spinning them so that they made a faint whistling as they whirled. Andrew had Bloodrend out and his old buckler had slid down to his wrist, ready for action. Ledger had pulled a wand out and readied it to fire with a word. If the patrol noticed that the four horses pulling the wagon had sidestepped to be out of the line of fire, they gave no indication. Andrew knew he had to defuse this fast or he would have to explain why a Kingdom patrol had gone missing.

“Patrol leader, stand your men down. One: Ledger is not a demon. Two: we are the escort for Miss Sizemore, a messenger for the Brotherhood and Thieves Guilds. And Three, we are all going to the Cove and are tired of being interfered with.” He looked hard at the man and repeated, “Stand down.” He noted that Brena now held the marked cylinder in her hands so that the leader could see it. He saw the marking on it and blanched.

“Stand down men.” He walked to Brena, “My apology’s my lady. Word reached us a few weeks ago that a messenger was expected and she is of the High Blood. We are to escort you and your party to the Cove as quickly as possible.” He started to return to his horse and paused, turned back towards Ledger, “My apologies to you as well Sire. I did not know you would be an Enchanter. It has been so long that we have been without one, it was forgotten what one could do. Might I ask how far the lighted road goes now?”

Ledger was taken aback at the sudden change until he saw the look of hard concentration on Aston’s face. “All the way to the other end of the Rampart. The entire route is lit and many of the camp areas are now heated year-round.”

He saw Aston mouthing something and the leader said, “Sounds good, carry on, and safe travels.” He looked at his men that all had looks that said, ‘What the hell?’ He mounted his horse and took off up the road at a gallop, his men quickly stowing their weapons to follow him.

Once they had moved out of sight, Aston sat down hard, holding his head in his hands, rubbing his temples. “That was hard, he was going to kill all of us except Brena and sell her to a local house. His thoughts were clear to me, and his men all were part of the deal.”

“The King’s Guards are running as bandits and slavers?” asked Andrew.

“I don’t think the King has much authority outside the walls anymore. I got the impression this had been going on for nearly twenty years,” said Aston.

Brena spoke now, “They thought they could sell me to a whore house? Are they insane?”

“Not insane, very uncivilized, and greedy, but not insane.” He looked at Ledger, who was still looking back the way the riders had gone, holding the wand at the ready. Is something wrong Ledger,” asked Aston?

“I’m not sure. I think they have already turned around and are coming back.”

“Are you sure?” asked Andrew.

“Well, one of the things I’ve learned, I can sense what is happening around anything I have enchanted if I focus on it. I am keeping an eye on the lights back that way and they only passed one of them,” said Ledger.

“Then we need to get moving,” said Brena. “Get back up with Aston Ledger. No slowing to put more road lights down.”

Ledger slipped the wand into the quiver on his back and climbed up with Aston. He could tell the man was still hurting so offered to take the reins for a while. Aston handed them over and Ledger had them moving at a rapid pace in short order. Aston, despite the headache, was listening with his mind to the woodlands behind. He found the horses that the riders were using easily enough. They had turned around and were following the party now. They didn’t want to close after what had happened to the group leader. “They are following us, Andrew. I can try to stop them if you want.”

“How will you do that?” he asked.

Aston looked back and squinted. They suddenly heard horses screaming in terror and men cursing. “Like that.” He turned back to the front and took a hard pull on a water-bag.

“If it will keep them off our backs, good job. I really wish we didn’t have to do things like that though.”

“So do I,” said Aston. “The headache is hardly worth it.”

“Better a headache than no head,” said Ledger. This made everybody laugh at the silliness of the statement and situation.

Several hours later, the woods thinned and more houses and mills began to be visible. They had been following a fair-sized stream and now it was working for the locals in powering the water wheels that ground the grains and cut the timber. As the evening approached, they came to the outskirts of a town that seemed busy for the time of year and the lateness of the hour. Brena asked about traveler accommodations and was directed to a large Inn on the west side of town.

The Inn was the largest they had ever seen in their lives. It was tall, at least seven stories in the front. The stables looked to be able to handle up to a hundred horses with spaces for as many wagons set to the side. Aston and Ledger set about getting the wagon parked and all the horses put away for the night. Andrew and Brena went inside to see about several rooms. They received a shock at what they saw when they went inside. The entry was a large lobby that was as large as some of the Inns they had stayed at along the way. One set of doors, when they opened and let out sounds of musicians and singers, along with dozens of conversations taking place.

Brena pointed out the lighting to Andrew as they looked around. Not a single oil lamp or candle was to be seen. Every lamp was powered by a glowing stone ball. Each was two inches across and they made eyes water if you stared at them too long. “I wonder if Minda made these Andrew?” said Brena.

We could ask, but I think rooms and dinner come first. He approached the desk that was being held by a man in his late forty’s. His once dark hair was shot with grey and he looked tired of the world in general. “How might I assist you this evening lord and lady?” he asked.

Brena was given the job of spokesman this time around, “We need rooms for four, baths and food. Also, we need to restock for the trip to the Cove, so any advice on the best stores price-wise would be appreciated.”

“Singles are a Gold Royal each, baths and food are extra and billed to the room, payable on checkout. He pulled four tags with keys on them from one row high up. These are for room four zero seven to four zero ten. That is on the fourth floor up.” He handed Brena the keys and Andrew passed the coins to the man. “Might I have names for the Sign-in book please?”

Without thinking about it, Brena said, “Andrew Markenin, Aston Grey, Ledger Fireham, and I’m Brena Sizemore.”

The man started to write then stopped and looked up abruptly, “Could you repeat the names please?” he said this in almost a whisper. When she had, he said, “If it pleases My Lady Sizemoore, I will return in but a moment.” He grabbed a rope on the wall behind him and yanked it in a pattern that he knew would have the owners running for the lobby. In less than a minute, an older man accompanied by a woman of the same age and two men walked from another door off to the side.

The older man looked around the scowled at the desk clerk, “I see none of the blood here, just travelers.”

The clerk began whispering names to him and the old man went pale, “Are you sure,” he said.

“Yes sir.”

The older gentleman approached and asked Andrew, “Sir, would your Sire and Dame be Lann and Lorna Markenin?”

Andrew was getting a sinking feeling in his gut that he needed to know one hell of a lot more about his family than he currently did. “Yes sir, those are my parent’s names. I would like to know what is going on though. I have never been told about any history with the royal family.” He could see a look of confusion beginning on the owner’s face. “They went on to be farmers and raised a family.”

Now the man looked at Brena. “My father was Anson Sizemore.” She said that and the man went pale and started shaking.

He cleared his throat, tried to speak, cleared it again. “I ... See.” He was shaking terror now. “He didn’t tell you did he. He didn’t tell you what he really did, did he.”

Now Brena was confused and worried. She knew Andrew and Ledger seemed to have a family history they didn’t know about, now it would seem, so did she. “He headed the intelligence group for Merc’s. Before that ... Before that, he was a high member of the Assassins and Thieves.” This last was said in a faint whisper. “Even the king would avoid crossing him.” The man was starting to relax a little now. “When he left the guilds and the city, many people were very happy, as to cross his rule was to court death.”

“He never told me any of this, nor have I ever even heard a hint about this part of his past.” ‘This is why the Brotherhood wants me,’ she thought. “Be that as it may, we just need rooms for a day or two to rest then we will be on our way,” she said.

He looked at the book and saw where the clerk had put them and frowned, Brena saw the look and knew what he was about to do and stopped him, “The rooms on the fourth floor will be fine for us. We are not our parents and know nothing about this part of their past. To be honest, I don’t think we want anything to do with that past.” She picked up here pack and started towards the stairs, Andrew turned and headed out to the stables to give the others their room keys.

“Guys,” he stated, “It would seem that our families have a history that none of us have been told about.” He told them how the Owner of the Inn had reacted to their names. He also told them what they had just learned about Brena and her family’s past.

“That explains her strange training,” said Ledger. “It also explains a few things I got from my mother’s mind in that brief contact. I need to try and reach her tonight in the weave again. Maybe I can get a little more if I can find her.”

“I bet if I challenge Tara and her crowd in the dream walk, I can get some intel from them as well. She has refused all contact lately, but this might bring her out of her shell,” said Aston.

“Sounds good, just be careful, both of you. This mind talking is dangerous with the Blood Queen watching,” said Andrew.

They nodded and continued wiping down the horses. Andrew went inside, then up to his room. It was small but neat. The bedding seemed clean and didn’t smell. The mattress was firm, but not rock hard. He couldn’t tell what was inside by the feel, but it wasn’t grass nor feather. The door had a lock and the key was on a hook next to it. The door was heavy planks with strong cross members holding it together. The furniture was all jointed and pegged, no nails used that he could find. ‘Saved on cost there,’ he thought. The light was a sealed bulb in the ceiling with a glowstone sphere in it. “Light off,” he said and the light went out. “Light on,” he said and it came back on. ‘Fancy,’ he thought. The room check finished, he placed his pack behind the bed in a small alcove that seemed to be there for that very purpose. He collected the key and locked the door when he was out in the hall. He tried the door but it was solid and didn’t budge even a little when he pushed on it. Downstairs in the lobby, he inquired about a laundry they could use to clean long overdue traveling clothes and a bathhouse.

“Sir, all you and your party need to do is place the clothing to be cleaned in the laundry bag next to the door and hang it on the hook on the door in the hall. The bathing facilities are through the door on the left there and are open all night.” The clerk pointed to the door.

“Thank you. I will tell the rest of my people. By the way, how late is the kitchen open?” asked Andrew.

“The kitchen is open all night as well sir. The tavern closes one hour after midnight bell.”

Andrew smiled and thanked the man. He started towards the door leading to the stables when Aston and Ledger came in. He told them what they could do and said he would meet them in the tavern as it was not yet quite sundown. He went back up to get with Brena and let her know about the laundry and bathing. When she answered the door, she was in a fresh tunic and skirt. She was wearing sandals rather than her riding boots.

“I came back up to let you know about the in house laundry service and the baths. I intend to get cleaned up so I am fresh when we head out in the morning.”

Brena smiled at the news and began stuffing all her dirty road clothes in the bag next to the door. She took the time to make sure all the pockets were empty as she did this. Andrew opened his door and did the same thing. Some of the tunics were stiff from his sweating in them for so long. Brena had her key in hand, door locked, and some personal hygiene supplies with her. He decided that now was as good a time as any to get cleaned up and gathered his cleaning soap and several small towels

They entered the baths together and found them to be warm welcoming. The lighting was all glow stones like everywhere else in the building. Andrew suspected they had a large water heating plate in a tank to produce the amount of hot water this place seemed to have. Andrew had seen facilities like this before and knew what he had to do. The attendant gave them bags to store their clothing and keys in. He sealed them and gave them a small ceramic tag that went to the seal on the bad. The tag was on a cord that could be worn around the neck so it wouldn’t be lost. Once stripped, he and Brena began washing in private stalls in the first room. Each stall had a shower head on a hose made of a material that was flexible but strong so they could wash and rinse thoroughly before entering the soaks. Brena asked Andrew to help her with her hair. She had not been able to keep it as short as she preferred and it had become slightly matted and tangled from not being able to wash and care for it properly while in the road every day.

Andrew quickly discovered the soap she had wasn’t strong enough to get her hair properly clean. He stepped out and asked the attendant if they had any heavy-duty hair soap for someone long on the road. She handed a small glass bottle to him and she gave him a smile as she looked him up and down, with her eyes settling on the down. He laughed and she blushed, turning away at having been caught staring. He made sure Brena’s hair was soaked through, then slowly worked the slightly caustic solution into her hair. The oils, sweat, and salt began to dissolve and break up as he massaged her scalp. Brena moaned quietly at the feeling of his hands working her hair and stroking her scalp. She leaned back into him without thinking about it until she felt him start to rise to the occasion. She leaned away from him because they were in a public place rather than private. Had they been in a closed room, she would have ridden him into the ground.

Andrew knew why she had pulled away so he wasn’t worried. He had pulled most of the tangles out and began rinsing her hair. The soap rinsed away and her hair was dark from the water. He could tell it would shine now once it was dry and brushed out.

Brena whispered, “I have some other hair that could use a good washing if you want.”

“I want,” he whispered back. He used a small amount of the fluid because he didn’t want to risk burning the sensitive skin where he would be cleaning next. He carefully cleaned her pubic hair then slowly worked the hair covering her folds. She groaned as some of the diluted soap worked its way into the folds and touched her clitoris. Andrew knew what was happening and began spraying clean water up between her legs to rinse the soap away before it could do any harm to the sensitive tissues. As he rubbed the sensitive nub, Brena groaned and shuddered as an orgasm ripped through her body. As it passed, she sagged a little then turned around to face him. She pulled his lips to hers in a hot kiss that promised much later.

“I don’t know about you, but I am ready for a hot soaking,” she said.