Glimmer Vale Chronicles

4. Lydelton

4

Lydelton

As they rode into Lydelton, Julian was surprised to find the road paved. He had expected dirt streets, or at best cobblestones, but the main street into the town was paved with what looked like squares of flagstone.

"How did this happen?" he asked Raedrick.

The other man shrugged. "There's a rock quarry a little ways up in the mountains east of here. Back before I first came here, some folks got the idea to use some of that rock to pave the streets. They only got the main street done before deciding it was too much effort, or something."

Julian chuckled.

But his humor faded quickly as he looked from the paving stones to the people in the town. A dozen, maybe twenty, townsfolk were walking the main street as their horses began clopping down the road. One and all turned toward the sound of the horses' hooves with expressions of dread. A woman nearby clutched her small child and pulled him close as though unwilling to let him come near them. The weight of all those fearful eyes was nerve racking.

"What gives? I thought you said these people were friendly?"

Raedrick shook his head slowly. "I've no idea." Turning his gaze toward a young man, barely old enough to need to shave more than every other day, who had stopped in the street not far from them, he nodded in greeting and smiled. "Hello there. Can you point us toward the Constable's office?"

The young man blinked and for a moment looked as though he was going to bolt. But then he looked from Raedrick's smile to the brigand trailing behind them, and the rope tied around his neck, and he swallowed then answered. "Three blocks down, then make a right. First building on the left." He paused for a moment as though unsure of himself, then spoke again. "You're not with...him...are you." Gesturing toward the bound brigand, his voice sounded almost hopeful.

Julian snorted.

"Him?" Raedrick replied. "He and a few others tried to rob us on the road here. We're taking him to the Constable for justice. His friends weren't so lucky."

The young man's eyes widened and a large grin spread across his face. Looking around, Julian could see the tension leave the other people on the street in a flood. As they spurred their horses forward and moved on down the street, the eyes continued to follow them, but the murmur of hushed discussions sprang up among the townsfolk as well. Julian caught the word "heroes" a few times. What was that all about?

They found the Constable's office right where the young man said it was. Just off the main street, on a side street that was paved, if that was the right word for it, with assorted rocks and gravel, it was a small, functional place. Short stairs led to a porch and a wide set of double doors at the front of the building. A simple sign, reading "Constable", hung over the door.

"Looks like this is it," Raedrick quipped as he dismounted and tied his horse off on a hitching post in front of the building.

"You are a master of the obvious," Julian replied with a grin.

He made quick work tying his horse off. Then he grabbed his baldric from around his saddle horn and, donning it, walked over to the brigand. "Time to face the music, friend," he said as he untied the knot around the brigand's neck.

The rope dropped to the ground and for a second Julian thought the brigand was going to try to make a run for it, no matter how exhausted and beaten-down he was. But with his hands bound and the pair of them ready to chase him down he wouldn't get far. Apparently he knew it, because his shoulders, already slumped from fatigue, drooped further and his gaze lowered to the ground, defeated.

Julian grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward the building. "Let's go."

Raedrick led the way, swinging the doors open to allow Julian and the brigand to follow easily. Inside was a simple office. Two desks, one on either side of the room facing each other, and a pair of benches on either side of the entrance were the only furnishings. Mounted on the wall behind one of the desks was a rack holding a small collection of swords. A similar rack holding several unstrung bows and an equal number of full quivers hung behind the other. A pair of lamps on wall mounts burned merrily, adding light to the room. A door made of iron bars was set in the wall directly across from the entrance. Julian could see a number of other, similar barred doors in the corridor beyond. Holding cells, no doubt.

A slender man of medium height, with a narrow face and unruly hair the color of hay, sat behind the desk on the left, reviewing a leather-bound ledger. He looked up at once, his eyes widening in surprise, as they walked in. He collected himself quickly, closing the ledger and standing up to greet them.

"Gentlemen. What can I do for you?"

"You the Constable?" Raedrick asked.

The man shook his head. "I'm Deputy Fendig. Constable Malory is off dealing with an issue right now."

"Good enough. This man," Julian pushed the brigand forward as Raedrick gestured toward him, "and several others tried to rob us on the road earlier today. We've brought him here for justice."

Fendig did a double-take and looked the brigand up and down. "Is that right," he said quietly.

There was a long silence as Julian and Raedrick looked at each other. Something very odd was going on, Julian thought.

"That's right," Raedrick said slowly as he looked back at Fendig. "About an hour after noon on the road just above Silver Falls. He and five other..."

"Five?"

"Yeah, five," Julian replied.

Fendig looked doubtful, but he nodded. "Alright." Moving back over to his desk, he pulled open one of the drawers and removed a large iron ring hung with a number of keys. As he stepped past them and unlocked the door to the cell block, he said, "Bring him along."

They followed Fendig into the cell block. Once inside, Julian saw it contained eight cells, four on each side of the corridor. They were all unoccupied. Each cell had a pair of cots and a bucket, no doubt to use as a chamber pot. Narrow windows, too small for a man to squeeze through, let in light. It would be paltry even at noon, but now with dusk coming on the light was virtually non-existent. Only a pair of lamps mounted at either end of the corridor provided illumination. Fendig led them to the last cell on the right and opened the door. It squeaked on its hinges, making Julian wonder how long ago it had been used last.

"In here," Fendig said, gesturing toward the cell.

Raedrick, who was bringing up the rear, stepped forward and pulled out his knife. A quick cut removed the rope that bound the brigand's hands. Then Julian shoved him forward.

He stumbled into the cell and fell over onto a cot. For a moment, he just lay there. Then he turned over and sat up. Rubbing his wrists to help restore circulation, the man looked up at Fendig.

"If I were you, I'd think hard about letting me go, Deputy," he said. "I'm with Farzal."

Fendig went pale, and he swallowed audibly. But his voice was steady when he spoke. "That'll be up to the Constable," he said, and he shut the door and locked it. The brigand chuckled softly, a laugh of sadistic amusement.

As Fendig walked back to the front office, Julian lingered for a moment to study the prisoner. He did not look half as defeated as he had outside, when he was in Julian and Raedrick's custody.

Back in the front office, Fendig pulled out another ledger and dipped his quill into an inkwell on his desk.

"I'll need your names and where you're staying in town. The..."

"Who or what is Farzal?" Julian asked.

Fendig paused, his quill poised over the paper. Then he sighed and looked up at the two of them. "A band of outlaws has been making trouble in these parts for the last month or so. From their look, they're mostly deserters from the army. Small wonder they turned to thieving, right? Men like that will do anything. Farzal's their leader."

"You're afraid of them," Raedrick said, his tone flat with disapproval.

"Of course not. He's all bluster, that's all." Even if his body language and expression hadn't screamed that he was lying, the speed of Fendig's reply made it plain as day. "Now then, as I said I'll need your names and where you're staying in town. Constable Malory will want to talk to you about this incident."

"Does Molli Millens still run The Oarlock down by the docks?" asked Raedrick.

Fendig looked surprised again, but he nodded. "Yes. Has been for years."

"We'll be staying there."

Raedrick and Julian gave their names, and Fendig thanked them and showed them out with promises that the Constable would contact them first thing in the morning to take their statements.

As the office doors swung shut behind them, Julian shook his head. "Three to one that guy releases our boy before dawn. I'm amazed he even locked him up. Probably wouldn't have if we weren't there."

"I don't know," replied Raedrick. He looked as troubled as Julian felt. "Nothing we can do about it though. Let's go get settled and warm up."

It was hard to argue with that idea.