"… we don't have that much farther and Gutfish really isn't that convincing," Ceridwen said. Her voice had just come back into earshot after she dropped back to speak to Jonas. "And you know that she's going to be cranky if she doesn't get some time to run."
Rhian could hear a low rumble of assent from Jonas as the two of them got closer. They got closer as they spoke, with Jonas holding the rope that had previously bound Gutfish to Donna. He rode up close on Rhian's side and Ceridwen flanked them on the other.
"We can't protect you from every harm forever," Ceridwen said to Rhian. "So we're going to do our best to get you ready for them. He's going to be travelling behind you and he's going to try to talk to you, but you don't have to listen to him. And it's best if you don't engage at all. Just ignore him as much as possible and everything will be okay, we only have about another 30 minutes before we're back in town and can hand him over."
Jonas tied Gutfish off to the pommel of Muffin's saddle, and then he looked at Ceridwen, the barest whisper of a question present in his stone face. Donna, a much less subtle creature, had her head cocked to the side and mouth open staring at Ceridwen in barely-veiled anticipation.
She looked at both of them and rolled her eyes and looked at Rhian, who could see them crinkle at the corners with a contained smile. "Well, go ahead," she said with a shooing motion. Jonas barely had time to get seated correctly as Donna burst into a headlong sprint into what little forest was left. They were gone in an instant, the only evidence they were ever there coming from the occasional percussive bark emanating from the trees.
"Men." Ceridwen said with the mix of love and derision that only a married woman could muster. "He'll catch up with us before we get to the town, and if luck's on our side he'll have killed something by that time."
Rhian's mouth began to water at the prospect. Jonas was the camp cook and he refused to use any meat that he didn't kill himself. They had been on mostly vegetarian camp meals for the last couple days due to Jonas' hunting tactics being louder than usual.
"You know I could really go for something to eat too," Gutfish said to no one in particular. Rhian decided to ignore him.
"So why gutfish?" Gaith inquired loudly while dropping back on The Contraption. "Seems like an awful fish to study but I've only ever eaten them."
"Well, first it was mostly because I was working at a gutfish cannery." Gutfish spoke animatedly, gesticulating with his tied up hands, clearly happy to have some sort of interaction. "But then I started recognizing something weird. The gutfish population only grew, it never shrank. We didn't just maintain the amount of cans we were filling with gutfish, we grew! And every other cannery around us grew! I didn't know what to think of it until later, when we realized that fewer and fewer . . . "
Rhian allowed the conversation to fade from their mind as they lost themselves in the beauty of the ride. Gaith would let them know if anyone tried anything, so it was easy to just let go of the current situation and drift.
They were aware of a few things. Eyes closed, they felt the wind on their skin and the late evening sun still shedding some small amount of warmth over them. They could still hear Donna's distant bark but still couldn't tell the difference between a play bark and a fight bark. The sounds of the town reached them before the town hove into view.
The town they were traveling to was currently a raucous affair. The main reason for their bandit removal job had been the festival that was starting tonight, which drew all sorts from all around - especially merchants. It was a spring festival, which Rhian hated. All spring festivals were about birth and sexuality and breeding and consumption, which Rhian didn't have a terrible dislike of but it wasn't for them. So frequently any friends that they had forced them out to the festival, thinking that exposure would change their mind about their stances on those topics. Unfortunately for Rhian's old friends, it never worked. They didn't make Rhian like sexuality any more, they just made Rhian like the friends a little less.
They reflected on their time with the party. None of them had forced Rhian to do anything they didn't want to, except Ceridwen. But she usually was doing it for good reasons, like learning how to ignore a bounty. That was a good reason.
Rhian cleared their mind as they heard Donna and Jonas come crashing back up to the party. Donna ran around undirected by Jonas for a little while before finally stopping in front of Ceridwen and dropping a deer carcass in front of her, excitement and pride barely contained as she waited for Ceridwen to acknowledge her.
"She got into something while we were out. Don't let her breathe on you." Jonas said, looking at Ceridwen.
"Noted, thank you. Now, who's a good girl yes who got us some good fooooood yes she did a very good job." Ceridwen set about scratching Donna's head all over, speaking in the voice that all sentient beings use when speaking to a cute dog. This prompted no small amount of wiggling from the giant dog. Ceridwen avoided being near Donna's mouth like she was an angry dragon ready to blow fire at any moment. Rhian imagined that they could smell it themselves. Jonas, stone faced as ever, held onto the dogs saddle while she thrashed around.
Donna finally calmed after a moment and picked the deer carcass back up while they walked. The party continued in relative silence until they were just about to enter the town proper.
"Okay, who's doing what?" Ceridwen asked the group as a whole.
"Going back to the inn we stayed before we left. I'll take the mounts and get dinner ready," Jonas said flatly.
"I'm going with him, unless you need any help?" Gaith asked.
"No, I'll take Laia with me and we'll turn these in," Ceridwen said, gesturing at the bounties. "We'll meet you back up at the inn. Rhian, what would you like to do? You can go with the boys and rest, or come with us and learn about turning in bounties and negotiating prices."
Rhian thought about it a little before pointing at Gaith and Jonas. "I'll go with the boys. I think I've had enough learning experiences for today."
Ceridwen looked like she was about to say something before a look and a very slight shake of the head from Jonas stopped her. Rhian would find a way to thank him for that later.
The group split up, Laia taking the leads for all the bounties and Jonas taking the reins of Princess and Muffin while Donna followed behind with the deer in her mouth.
Rhian knew something was going to happen when she looked up at Gutfish and he winked at her. They looked from Gutfish to Jonas and then to Laia, and realization dawned that Gutfish didn't know about Laia. So Rhian just smiled at Gutfish and let what was going to happen, happen.
Laia was a paladin of The Blood. That meant that one of the greater Elementals had seen fit to bless her with certain powers, like Jonas had been with The Green. But where Jonas had been given the ability to speak with nature and broker deals with it, Laia had been blessed slightly differently.
Laia was STRONG.
She was stronger than Jonas, and stronger than most men that outweighed her by hundreds of pounds. She wore plate mail like it was cloth and carried a war hammer that most people would consider "overkill" in a single hand. Rhian had once seen her throw a man through a wall. So they were unconcerned with whatever was about to happen.
The moment the rope was transferred from Jonas to Laia, Gutfish decided to yank on it in a bid to get away. Bracing himself and throwing both hands and his whole body into the effort, he jerked backwards.
The rope strained taut in Laia's grip, but her hand refused to move. That is until she decided to jerk the rope back.
Straining as he was, it took a second for the brain to register the sudden change in orientation. Rhian watched as the man's body flipped over, the panic only just beginning to spread over his face as it was mere inches from the ground. The crack of his melon against the pavement made several people near them briefly stop their merrymaking to look at what had happened.
"Oh hon, I'm sorry," Laia said in a voice that radiated genuine concern. "But I can't let you get all uppity on me without repercussion or I'll have to hurt you and every one of your friends too. Why don't you just take it easy for the rest of the walk and we can part real cordial like." She picked him up off the ground by his collar, as though he were a puppy that she had to discipline. He flinched slightly as she got him stood back up and dusted off his clothes.
Gaith clapped him on the back and then moved to check his head. "There's always one!" He said as he laughed. "His head looks fine, but you might ask the warder to make sure he gets checked out. I think Rhian said they had to knock him out and he was unconscious for just under a minute, so he might have some lasting damage."
"I'll make sure of that babe, thanks." Laia said, tying the rest of the bounties ropes around her arm. All of them eyed her with the caution that said more about them than it did about her. Rhian was sure that they weren't going to be a problem, and watched as Ceridwen stared at each of the bounties in turn evaluating if they were going to cause issue. She seemed satisfied by whatever she saw and began to walk off into the town with a wave. "We'll see you soon!" Ceridwen and Laia called over their shoulders at the same time, prompting a laugh from both of them.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Gaith settled into a steady stream of chatter with Jonas, who replied back rarely but with good nature. Rhian was only slightly in the conversation, having dropped back to look around as much as they could before getting back to the inn. They were sure that the moment they saw a bed, it'd be over for them tonight.
Jonas noticed this and dropped back to walk next to Rhian for a moment, his face still placid as a lake but with a certain set of the jaw that seemed to communicate that he was trying to find the right words to say.
"If you're thinking of going out, don't cause too much trouble." He said as he reached down to a pouch on his belt. "Take this. Don't sniff it. If someone harasses you, just pour some out into your hand and throw it in their face. Do not blow on it, you might breathe it in."
Rhian looked down at the pouch with wide eyes. "Poison?"
"Might as well be." Jonas said in a rumble that Rhian felt in their chest more than heard with their ears. "Snow Peppers from the Frostspine mountains up north. Always meant to find something to do with them."
Rhian hadn't ever heard about them, and opened their mouth to talk more but Jonas had already moved away. They looked down at the pouch and gingerly tied it off to their belt, before getting some inspiration as to how to repay Jonas.
"I'll meet y'all at the Inn!" Rhian said as both Gaith and Jonas waved to indicate they'd heard. They continued to walk on, Gaith talking at Jonas and pushing The Contraption while Jonas led Muffin and Perfection and Donna brought up the rear.
Rhian looked about, knowing that what they were looking for had to be here. The magical street lights had been replaced with torchlight, casting deep shadows between buildings and in corners. Spring festivities were always torchlit, allowing for young couples to have some modicum of privacy in the dark corners for when the Spirit of Spring took them. Rhian had no doubt that they had already unknowingly walked by several copulating couples, grateful for both the towns discretion and the couple's own discretion in keeping their activities silent. Rhian bore them no umbrage, but also didn't want to secondhand participate in their celebration voyeuristically.
The smell of cooking meat hit Rhian like a train, throwing any thoughts of recompense out the window for a moment. "Surely Jonas would understand, it's just a small appetizer before dinner," they thought to themselves. "And the cook should know where I can get what I need. This is practically reconnaissance." Feeling fully justified, they approached a vendor selling grilled sunhog on a skewer. They bought some and causally asked where to find some spices around here.
"Hwellll," the vendor started in a southern Arcadia drawl. "I don't know if there's a shop still open, bhut I heard from Ephraym that a stall had been setup a street thataway," he pointed further east. "They should have hwhat you're looking for."
Rhian thanked him and walked away, meandering slowly through the street and walking quickly through a break in the torchlight, keeping their eyes on the sunhog skewer they were eating in case anything was going on in the dark.
Eventually the heady smell of mixed spices pulled them in the direction of an open cart.
"Ah, I was just about to close down, but I'm more than happy to stay open for a new customer!" A voice cried out as Rhian approached the cart. "You look as a person who enjoys good food, and I am happy to provide you the vehicle by which to make your food good!"
The vendor was small for a man, but made up for it with a moustache that would put a walrus to shame. It was a glorious thing, Long and full and straight. Rhian saw his hands moving at speed making the preparations to close up shop while he spoke.
Rhian was about to speak when a symbol caught their eye. Branded onto the back of the stall was a traders cant symbol, one that they had picked up from their parents before leaving the farm.
Dropping into tradespeech, Rhian spoke to the vendor. "Good evening. I'm looking for some spices for a friend. He's did me a favor and is going to cook some venison, so I'd like to gift him something to make the venison taste nice."
"Ah, a wonderful motive for you to visit my humble stand. Let me get together some good options!" His hands moved ever more quickly as he assembled three small baggies of spice.
"Here we have Desert Rose, a fine spice for any meat so bland as venison. A gift from the deep desert only just beginning to see more widespread cultivation and trade, it's a bit sweet and a bit spicy. Perfect for tea, but good when paired with a bland meat like venison or chicken."
"Sunburst, harvested from the bark of trees that grow in the desert. Some say the very heat of the desert sun is present in the spice, a think that changes depending on what time you consume it. Very interesting spice and a good entry point for anyone unaccustomed to the flavors from my homeland, Zafirah."
"Finally, my favorite, Mirage. It's a spice blend that you'll find everywhere in Zafirah, and every family will argue that theirs is the best. Well, I can tell you after having been everywhere in Zafirah and elsewhere, that my wife makes it the best. Please, have a smell."
Rhian politely sniffed and was greeted with something warm and peppery, with an herbaceous bite. "That's the one. The right thing for venison," they said to the merchant. "Compliments to your wife."
"Aha! I knew it would be right for you! And don't you go getting any ideas," the merchant said with a wiggle of the eyebrows. "She's a handsome and talented woman, and I won't be having any young buck pry her away from me! Now, what shall you trade for it?"
Rhian allowed the comment to slip by. He was a jovial man and they wouldn't be speaking long enough for the mistake to matter. "I have coin," Rhian said.
"phsay," the merchant said. "You speak in tradespeech, you trade. No coin will be coming from you to Old Rahit. Now what do you have to offer."
Rhian put their hand against their chin, thinking. "I have news and a warning," Rhian said. "Stay off the Old Roads. Bandits are getting wise to the fact that they're faster and well kept, and only merchants travel along them. My party and I just cleared some off the road to Thistlewood."
Rahit looked askance at Rhian. "News only trades for news, you should know that. But you have also done me a service as I intend to take that road back. I shall give you a discount on your wares. As now I owe you news, I shall give you some." Rahit mirrored the same thinking posture that Rhian had taken and then said "aha, I know what would serve an enterprising youth. You know of Sunflower Fields, to the west, yes?"
Rhian nodded.
Rahit dropped his voice "Well, I come from there recently and the word is that there's a dragon in the area. The locals hear the roaring coming from a forest nearby and worry that it has awoken after a long sleep, voracious and angry. An enterprising group of do-gooders could find work figuring out what the sound is and preventing any harm from coming to the people there," Rahit said, stroking his moustache and winking.
Rhian thanked him and then said "I do have something to trade, but it's going to be a steep price to get what I have."
Rahit's eyebrows shot up in interest. "Ah, you must have something very interesting then! Show us and we will decide." His eyes took on a shrewd cast, and his stance became less friendly and slightly more confrontational, like a duelist readying their weapon. Rhian had seen this before when their father had bartered, knowing that Rahit was getting ready to haggle.
Rhian held up the baggie that Jonas had given them. "Snow Pepper from the Frostspines. Don't smell it, you might hurt yourself."
Rahit's eyes widened further, then drew back together in good-natured suspicion. "ah but what guarantee do I have from you that this is what you say? It could simply be a pouch full of dust for all I know!"
Rhian considered and then brushed their finger lightly across the inner rim of the pouch, then lightly touched the sunhog. Their finger began to tingle where it had touched the Snow Pepper, sending no small amount of dread through them.
"Care to find out yourself?" Rhian asked, proffering the skewer.
The smell had already suffused the small stall space and set both their eyes to watering.
"No no, my friend, I can tell you have what you claim," he said, wiping his eyes on a kerchief. "I tell you what. I will take two pinches of the snow pepper, no more, and you will get a pouch full of my wife's Mirage, as well as a quarter-pouch of Sunburst and Desert Rose."
Rhian knew very little about the spice trade and knew they were getting the short end of the deal, but the two pinches would be less than a tenth of what was in the bag, so they decided that the haggling wasn't worth it.
"A bargain," Rhian said in a tone that conveyed they knew it wasn't a bargain. Rahit laughed at them and prepared the baggies, including just slightly over a half pouch where he said he would make it a quarter and handing the three over with a wink.
"A bargain at twice the price!" He said, indicating that he knew he was getting the better end of the deal. They shook hands and parted ways, Rhian rushing towards the inn and hoping that they got there before Jonas started cooking.
They got to the inn just as Jonas was carrying a skinned and gutted carcass into the kitchen. They didn't know how he always managed to get the innkeepers to agree to letting him cook, but he always did. Rhian walked into the kitchen after him and presented the Snow Pepper pouch.
"No trouble?" He said, managing to make a sound like a concerned rockslide. He grabbed the Snow Pepper pouch and seemed to weigh it. "Seems a little light."
Rhian looked at him and presented the other two pouches. "No, used just a little bit to trade for some Zafirah spices."
Jonas looked appreciatively at the pouches and opened each one, sniffing from it deeply. "Desert Rose, Mirage, and . . . What's this one?"
"Sunburst. The merchant said it changes spice level with the heat of the day."
"Interesting. We'll use the Mirage for now." Jonas looked down at Rhian and nodded his head in a way that Rhian took to mean 'good job.' They allowed themselves a moment of pride.
Jonas shooed them away and turned to get to work on the deer, unrolling a sheaf of knives and testing their edge.
It was another 30 minutes before Laia and Ceridwen got back, and another hour before dinner was served. The others stomachs were growling and they were hollering into the kitchen by the time that Jonas had a small appetizer of Sunburst Venison with Stargourd slices on the table, saying that the meal would be another 20 minutes. They all groaned but the appetizer was delicious.
"There's a dragon out near Sunflower Fields" Rhian said over the food when it was finally set on the table. "Heard it from a merchant that came here from that way. At least, the locals think it's a dragon, lots of roaring. It's good info, got it on trade for the news about the bandits on the old Empire roads."
All the heads at the table snapped up when they heard "Dragon." It was no secret that Jonas had wanted to fight and cook one for a long time, and that Gaith still thought they didn't exist. The table looked to Ceridwen for a decision.
"Well, we were probably going to go that way anyway, it's the closest town that's big enough to have some work. At least now we know that there is work there, unless someone's already gotten there ahead of us. But that's a tomorrow problem," she said, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head.
"Yeah, and Spring is calling." Jonas said while standing up, a rare gleam in his eye. Ceridwen stared at him with a scandalized look plastered across her face as he lifted her out of the chair and slung her over his shoulder, prompting a delighted scream. Gaith and Laia threw back their heads in laughter as he kicked the door open and carried her outside, and they could hear her yelling about her hair and her clothes until the door slammed shut behind them.