Glimmer Vale Chronicles

5. The Oarlock

5

The Oarlock

The Oarlock turned out to be a fair-sized Inn a block and a half away from the docks. Two stories tall, it was a simple building, and far from new, but it had obviously been well-maintained over the years by a very conscientious owner. A simple sign, showing a bearded man in foul weather gear pulling on the oars of a rowboat in rough seas with the Inn's name written in the waves, hung from a wrought-iron stanchion on the street.

Raedrick needed no directions to find it. He led Julian to the Inn's stables as quickly as if he had been going between the Constable's office and the Inn every day for his whole life. Julian thought he knew what made Raedrick tick after all the time they had spent together at the front, but his familiarity with the Vale and its inhabitants had come as a surprise. He reminded himself to ask about it after they were settled and nursing a tankard.

The interior was not very much different from any other Inn Julian had visited. A long wooden bar rested along the wall to his right as he walked inside. Tables with chairs for four lay scattered around the room, and there were a half dozen booths built into the wall to his left. A set of swinging doors in the back no doubt led into the kitchen and a stairwell in the left rear corner led upstairs. Two fireplaces, one in each of the front corners, provided warmth and some light. About two dozen customers sat around the various tables or on stools at the bar. One table in particular, in the right rear corner of the taproom, was particularly popular. Seven men and a lone woman clustered around it. A dice game, unless Julian missed his guess. Two powerfully built men sat on stools at either end of the bar. The fact that they were facing away from the taps and toward the rest of the room screamed that they were bouncers.

Raedrick made a beeline for the bar. Julian followed more slowly.

The bartender was a balding man in his early middle years. He had the bland look of a man who had listened to enough drunkards to no longer pay any mind to what they have to say. Raedrick waved at him, but he took his time in coming over. When he finally arrived, the bartender looked Raedrick, then Julian, up and down and sniffed.

"Looking for a room, eh boys?"

Raedrick looked around the room again before answering. "Is Molli here tonight?"

The bartender nodded. "She is. She's dealing with something right now, though, but I can set you up."

Raedrick shook his head. "We'll wait for her, thanks."

The bartender shrugged and turned away. That wouldn't do at all. Julian spoke up. "We'll take a drink while we wait."

"Yeah? What'll it be?" The bartender sounded annoyed. His expression as he looked back at them over his shoulder confirmed it.

Julian said, "Mulled wine." He glanced at Raedrick and added, "Two of them."

The bartender nodded and moved away to the center of the bar, where several tapped casks sat on their sides. He returned a short time later with two steaming tankards and sat them down on the bar in front of Raedrick. "Two pennies," he said.

Raedrick fished a couple coins from his pouch and paid the man, then handed one of the tankards to Julian. The aroma of the mulling spices combined with the wine's natural nose made Julian's mouth water, and he suddenly realized how hungry he was. Not surprising considering their small, hurried lunch earlier. "Probably ought to get some dinner, too," he said before taking a drink. The wine was just as good as he anticipated, bringing a smile to his lips.

"Yes, definitely. But first I'd like to..."

Raedrick broke off as a portly woman with grey hair tied in a bun atop her head stepped into the room from the kitchens. She wore a simple dress with a bright white apron over top and took a moment to survey the taproom before heading over to the bar. She conferred with the bartender for a moment. He gestured down the bar toward Julian and Raedrick and she looked over at them, her expression one of curiosity. Then she said something else, which the bartender acknowledged with a nod, and made her way toward them. She stopped along the way to exchange pleasantries with a group of customers and was still chuckling from something they said when she reached Julian and Raedrick. Wiping her hands on her apron, she looked them up and down for a moment before speaking.

"I'm Molli. What can I do for you?"

"We're looking for a room..." Julian began, but Raedrick cut him off.

"You may not remember, but you used to do business with my father. Roland Baletier?"

"Baletier." Molli repeated the name slowly, as though she was tasting every syllable. Then her eyes widened. "Woodworker who traveled with Crispin Thunderly." She smiled, a broad grin that changed her expression from severe and businesslike to warm and inviting. "Why, you wouldn't be little Raedrick would you?" At his nod, she laughed and clapped him on his arms then pulled him in for a hug. "Well look at you, boy. All grown up! What brings you back through these parts?"

"Heading home from the front."

Molli's mirth faded. "Well. I'm glad you're able to. I've heard it's brutal out on the front lines."

She had no idea, Julian though. If she knew half of what had happened out there... Well, she didn't, and he had no intention of describing it. Neither did Raedrick, apparently, as he simply shrugged and looked away. Julian knew him well enough to recognize the guarded expression that hinted at emotion ready to burst out in a torrent.

Clearing his throat, Julian said, "Mistress Millens, I'm Julian Hinderbrook," and offered her his hand.

Molli turned to him and shook his hand with a warm smile. "My pleasure, Julian. Call me Molli. You and Raedrick know each other from the Army, I assume?"

"Yes, ma'am. We finished with the Army at the same time, and he told me so many good things about Mol Teribor that I decided to come along to see what the fuss was about."

"Is that where your father keeps himself these days?" she asked, looking back at Raedrick. "I haven't heard from him in...ten years? Fifteen? I hope he's well."

Raedrick had his emotions under control again. He smiled and made a dismissive gesture. "He always finds a way to do well. I haven't heard from him in six months or so, but last I heard he was on the verge of making a killing in some business deal or other."

Shaking her head, Molli laughed merrily. "That sounds like him." Stepping back, she looked them over again. "Well. Looks like you two could use a bath, a meal, and a bed. You're in luck: I have one more room empty. Follow me."

Molli led them up the staircase at the back of the taproom. It was a tough climb, with every step painfully straining the stitches in Julian's thigh. He took his time, but even still he wasn't at all certain he hadn't pulled some of the stitches out by the time he reached the top. Molli eyed him askance as he stepped, breathing hard from the pain, off the landing.

"A strapping young man like you shouldn't have so much trouble with one flight of stairs," she quipped. "What's wrong with your leg?"

"Brigands on the road," he replied through gritted teeth. "Got me in the thigh."

Molli's eyes narrowed as she looked down at Julian's leg. "Where did this happen?"

"Just above the falls," Raedrick replied. "We brought one of them in to the Constable before we came here."

Molli mumbled something under her breath. Julian was not really surprised to hear a few salty curses in there, ladylike or not. She did run a tavern, after all. More loudly, she said, "Farzal's bunch?" They nodded. "Figures. Well, you're safe now. Come on."

She set off down the hall, leaving Julian and Raedrick to look quizzically at each other.

"That was awfully fatalistic," Julian said.

Raedrick nodded. "The Molli I remember was no-nonsense. Wouldn't tolerate trouble from anyone." His eyes moved to follow Molli as she moved down the hall. "First the deputy and now Molli. Who is this Farzal fellow?"

"Dunno. But it's not our problem, is it?" Julian limped down the hall after Molli. He glanced over his shoulder several paces on. Raedrick hadn't moved from an inch, and he wore a very troubled expression.

Their room was all the way at the end of the hall on the left, just before the hall made a turn to the right. It was about the same as every other room Julian had ever rented out. It had two narrow beds against the wall on opposite sides of the room, a locking chest at the foot of each bed, a chest of drawers beneath the window, a hanging wardrobe in one corner, and a washbasin and mirror in the other. The window was curtained and constructed so the lower half could be opened outward. All in all, not too bad.

Molli smiled apologetically as she showed them the room. "I wish my premium rooms were available for you boys," she said, "but they were rented out two days ago. I hope this will be ok?"

"It's perfect, ma'am," Julian said. Raedrick echoed him, and Molli smiled a bit more broadly.

"The baths are across the hall, and the privy is around the corner," she said. "When you've cleaned up, come downstairs and I'll have dinner ready for you."

"Thank you, Molli," Raedrick said.

"It's great to see you again," she replied. She turned to leave, but before closing the door behind her, she looked over her shoulder and gave Raedrick a conspiratorial look. "Don't be too long. Lani should be back soon, and I know she'll want to catch up."

Molli pulled the door shut. The click of the latch sounded solid and, for some reason, comforting.

Julian tossed his saddlebag onto his bed and began removing his belongings from the pouches. "Who's Lani?" he asked.

Raedrick was still looking at the door. At Julian's words, he gave a start then, smiling abashedly, set about unpacking. "She's Molli's daughter. We used to play together when my father and I came through here. She used to say I was her best friend." He paused for a moment. "I always liked her, but..." Raedrick looked over at Julian and shrugged. "She was also a bit odd. I didn't understand how I could be her best friend, since we came through so infrequently."

Julian shrugged. "Girls are hard to understand sometimes."

"That's an understatement."

"I thought you said your father owned a ranch in the hills above Mol Teribor. How did you come to pass through here so often?"

Raedrick paused again. "He does now. For a long time, though, he made his living as a woodworker. He made high quality tools, furniture, and toys that his friend Crispin sold from city to city. After my mother died, he couldn't bear to stay in our town anymore. So he convinced Crispin that they could make more money if he joined the caravan and made his products continually on the road. And he was right. The money flowed like never before. But more than money, we made many great friends, like Molli and Lani. Of course, we eventually got tired of traveling all the time. In truth, I think he tired of it before I did." Chuckling softly, Raedrick looked back at Julian and grinned. "But that might be because he met a lovely young widow whose late husband was a big-time rancher."

Julian chuckled as well. "I can understand that. Glad to hear it all worked out."

Raedrick nodded. "It did."