AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
We rolledthrough the city and I was finally able to see the huge square I’d glimpsed on the road to Mirum. The open space had dozens of booths lined up in relatively straight lines. People hawked their goods and customers strolled through admiring and sampling the goods. A rich aroma glided into the carriage through the hole and I couldn’t help but inhale.
“We’ll fetch something on the return trip,” Will promised me with a bemused smile. “I only want to find the location of his warehouse. Nothing else should be done before nightfall.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “What should be done after that?”
He folded his arms over his chest and sighed. “I’m not sure. I hope time and inspiration will grant me an idea.”
We rolled around the perimeter of the market and found ourselves traveling down a wide road that followed the flow of the river. The gentle waters were guided by a high wall that wound its way through the neighborhoods until the way opened, but not to another market. The road turned leftward to make way for the widening of the river into a small lake. Docks and boats lined the high stone walls and an especially large pier stretched a quarter of the way out into the waters. A wharf intersected the pier and several of the smaller docks, creatinga bustling area of commerce. Buildings large and small dotted the wide planks of the wharf and created a little water-specked village.
A pair of huge wooden gates at the opposite end were open and allowed the vessels to travel in and out of the artificial lake. Mechanisms on either side of the high defensive walls that surrounded the rest of the city showed the gates could be closed at a moment’s notice. The way revealed the narrowing of the river some half a mile out where a depot awaited shipments.
“Where does all this stuff come from?” I wondered as I beheld stacks of crates and small wooden boxes. Sacks of soft substances were also piled high.
“The fields around the city and the high parts of the valley,” Will told me. “And then there are the traders who come in from the far lands under the control and protection of the city.”
“Do you send stuff here?” I wondered.
He nodded. “The townsfolk send wood products and pelts.”
We rolled to a stop beside a set of stone stairs that led down to the wharf planks. Will stepped out and helped me, and I was immediately struck by the scent of fish and wet logs. My feminine form caught the attention of more than one wharf rat, one of whom whistled at me. Others grinned and a few eyed me with more than appreciation as I walked down the steps.
One look at Will’s bright eyes, however, made their faces grow pale and they whipped their heads away. He kept a tight grip on my arm as he escorted me down the planks and toward the cluster of buildings. Some of them had barn doors that were opened and others were shut tight.
I noticed one in particular nestled between two larger buildings and I pointed at its walls. “Is that a clapboard building?”
Will nodded. “It does appear to be. Let us find out who owns it.”
We moved toward the building but were intercepted by a burly man with a sharp eye and a confident swagger. He stepped in front of our path and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “And what are you doing here?”
Will smiled at him as he nodded at the building. “We merely wish to satisfy our curiosity. Who owns the building there?”
“The city.”
“Then who rents it from the city?”
The man narrowed his eyes at us. “Who’s asking?”
A twinkle slipped into Will’s eyes. “Someone who knows you, young Beck.”
The man tensed. “How do you know my name?”
Will nodded at the waters. “Your mother called it enough times when you were rowing that dingy out to the middle of the lake. If memory serves, you wanted to see if there was a mermaid out there.”
Beck’s face fell faster than a boulder chucked into the lake. “How do you know that?”
Will looked down at himself. “Have I changed that much?”
The stern man’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. “You. . .you’re Lord Thorn?”
Will bowed his head. “At your service, though you are a little too big for me to easily carry you to shore now.”
The men let out a great cry and leapt at us. I was shoved out of the way and Will was engulfed in the man’s girth. A muffled cry of surprise came from the dragon and I spun around to find Will had been swallowed in a big hug courtesy of the man who he had saved.
Beck drew them to arm’s length and looked him up and down with the biggest grin I’d ever seen. “It’s been a ship’s age since you were last here! What brings you to these waters?”
“Merely to inspect the buildings. We’re especially interested in that clapboard one,” Will told him.
