Robbed Blind

1. Fresh Arrivals

1

Fresh Arrivals

The sun lay just shy of its zenith as Julian Hinderbrook turned right onto Main Street. A gust of cold wind flapped at his cloak and set his teeth to chattering, and he pulled the garment closed quickly, being careful not to upset the box he carried in his left hand. The rich smell of stewed beef and potatoes wafted from the box as he dipped his head closer, and even though he had just eaten his stomach growled in appreciation.

Main Street, the only paved street in Lydelton, was mostly clear, a sure sign that winter was on the wane and Spring soon to come, but from the biting chill of this day you sure would not know it. All the same, the last week had brought a welcome relief from the normally frigid conditions of a Glimmer Vale winter, and the townsfolk had taken to dressing down: only a heavy cloak and two layers.

Practically summer-wear in these parts.

Julian snorted at that thought and hunkered down against the wind, then pressed on. He set his feet carefully, lest his boots slip out from under him on the ice that still coated portions of the street, and for a moment wished he had thought to put his crampons on before leaving his office for the mid-day meal. But in truth the crampons would have done more harm than good, as little actual snow remained on the street.

He was approaching the turn to the side street where his and Raedrick's office sat when he spied a procession entering town from the eastern end of Main Street. He paused, blinked, surprise making him wonder for a moment if he were seeing things. But no, sure enough, that was a small but richly furbished carriage leading a column of four wagons, stuffed to the gunwales with boxes and crates, each drawn by a team of four horses and flanked by two out-riders

A trading caravan.

Julian glanced up at the crystal-clear sky, then around at the still large snowdrifts on either side of the street and the canyon-like walking paths that had been dug through them so people could access the various buildings. He shook his head. That was one determined group of traders, there. He would not have thought the passes through the Saddleback Mountains would be clear yet. Shows what he knew.

He stepped to the side of the street and watched as the caravan trundled past, exchanging nods with the riders and drivers as they went by. Finally, following the last of the wagons, a team of four riders reigned in in front of him.

"Ho there, Constable," said the leader of the bunch, a burly man in thick blue wool and a rabbit-fur hat, with a shaggy yellow-brown beard and flashing blue eyes. He had the look of a fighting man, and the grip of the longsword that hung from his saddle horn was well-worn from use. But the grin he flashed Julian's way was congenial.

Julian recognized him at once. "Marshall Leminster," he said, unable to keep the surprise from his voice. "We didn't expect to see you for several more weeks, at the earliest."

The Marshall rolled his shoulders in an easy shrug. "Thaw came early this year." He glanced around and chuckled softly, then added, "Though I see you didn't get the message on that up here." His smile faded as he looked back at Julian, and he became all business. "Got your pigeon, and I figured we'd best get up here to fetch your prisoner sooner rather than later."

Julian looked past Leminster to his companions. He recognized Job from the Marshall's last visit, early last fall, a tall whip of a man with dark hair and darker eyes who could spin a sword around like few people Julian had ever seen. He had a ready wit as well, and always seemed to be able to make the ladies smile.

The other two fellows were new. The first was a chubby dark-skinned fellow who despite his girth seemed natural-born on the saddle. The last man was…average. That was all Julian could think to say about him. The kind of average that could pass through a crowd and have no one recollect him. That could be convenient in his line of work.

All three men were bundled up for the weather, and had unstrung bows tucked into their saddlebags in addition to the swords that hung from their saddle horns.

They were all Royal Marshalls. Law men, but not the same as Julian and Raedrick. While he and his partner had authority over local law and order, the Marshalls dealt with Kindgom-wide issues of Law. Treason, conspiracy, smuggling, that sort of thing. And desertion from the Army. Julian hoped fervently that never became an issue, though it seemed unlikely he and Raedrick could keep their status a secret forever. The more they interacted with the law outside of Glimmer Vale, the more their names flowed around, sooner or later someone would see them on a list, and the gig would be up.

Someday.

But that would not happen this time, at least. The other thing the Marshalls did was oversee prisoner transfers, and Julian certainly did not envy them that. But he would be just as happy to hand them the man he had been nurse-maiding for the last few months.

He grinned back at Leminster. "I was just bringing him lunch. Want to say hi?"

Leminster pondered for a second, then nodded. "Don't mind if I do." Over his shoulder, he said, "Job, get us set up with rooms. You know the place."

Job said, "Will do, Cap." Then, with a nod toward Julian, he spurred his horse and led the other two toward the street Julian had just turned off of, the street leading to The Oarlock and then down to the docks along Lake Glimmermere. No doubt that was where the Marshall intended to stay; it was the best inn in town.

Leminster dismounted his horse and walked alongside Julian as they proceeded toward his office building.

About a block back from the Main Street, it was a smallish one-story building with front-facing windows and a covered front porch. A small sign reading "Constable" hung over the door, but aside from that you would not know it was a house of the law to look at it.

They paused before the porch while Leminster tied his horse off at the hitching post that lay there—Julian and Raedrick took pains to make sure the post remained free of snow—and took up his sword belt from around his saddle horn. Then Julian led him inside.

"We've got company, Rae," he said as he entered, stomping his feet to get the ice and snow off his boots.

The front room was not exactly spacious, but it served well enough for the two of them. Its furnishings consisted of two desks that faced each other on either side of the room, a small cluster of chairs along the front wall, a rack of swords behind the desk to the right and one of bows behind the desk to the left, a wood stove in the back rear corner, and a shelf of books and papers near the cage-like iron door that led back into the holding cells.

Raedrick Baletier, Julian's partner, sat behind the desk to the right, going over some paperwork. He wore a black doublet that was lined with grey thread at the hems. His black hair hung to shoulder-length, and he kept it tied in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. The last several weeks, he had taken to wearing a goatee to conceal a nasty scar he had obtained on his chin, and it mostly did the job. It also seemed to please Lani, Raedrick's special lady, very much. Julian would not have given odds as to which was the reason Raedrick kept the silly-looking thing.

Raedrick glanced up, an eyebrow rising on his forehead. "Eh?" He saw Leminster then, and surprise flashed across his face, replaced quickly by a professional smile of greeting as he rose from his chair and stepped around the desk. "Marshall Leminster! It's good to see you again."

"And you, Constable."

The two men clasped hands while Julian set the box down on his desk, unclasped his cloak and gave it a shake, then hung it on a peg near the door. The Marshall leaned his sword against the wall and removed his own cloak, and Julian took it for him, earning himself a nod of thanks.

"As I was saying to your partner," Leminster said to Raedrick, "I'm here to take custody of your prisoner."

"You're welcome to him. How long will you be in town?"

"Just long enough to warm up a bit and check on a few things. Two, maybe three days."

Raedrick nodded. "Let us know if there's anything you need while you're here."

Julian went back to his desk and opened the box. Within were two covered tins and a pair of spoons. He pulled one out and removed the cover, then brought it and a spoon over to Raedrick. "Here's lunch, Rae."

"Thanks." Raedrick sniffed at the stew and grinned. His grin faded a bit as he regarded Leminster again. "Have you eaten?"

The Marshall nodded. "A late breakfast, on the road." He raised a placating hand. "Don't deprive yourself on my account."

"Can we offer you some cider at least? It's been mulling all morning."

Leminster glanced over to the wood stove, where a steaming pot rested, and licked his lips. "Can't say no to that."

Julian said, "I'll get it, Rae. You eat."

Raedrick nodded and, sitting back down, set to his meal. Julian went over to the bookshelf, and from the top shelf pulled down three of the tankards that he and Raedrick kept there for this purpose. Then he filled them with cider from the pot and distributed them all around.

Leminster raised his tankard in a quick salute and took a big swallow. "Ah," he sighed, smacking his lips together. "That'll warm a man up."

Julian nodded agreement. "I don't want to think about how your trip through the pass went."

"Cold," Leminster said. "Bloody cold." He took another swallow, and his eyes turned toward the door leading to the cell block. "Well," he said, straightening his back a tad, "let's have a look at this bandit of yours."