McCloud was still looking at the young woman, who was still shaking her head as if she very much didn’t want to feast with an old friend of her father’s. But before McCloud could reply, sounds of a great swordfight came from within the tavern and Val unsheathed his broadsword, running towards the tavern only to be met by a fight spilling out into the street. Men with swords were battling the men he’d sent in to roust the tavern and there was no sign of Mayne.
Very quickly, the situation turned very dangerous.
Val didn’t stop to ask questions. He and the men who had remained outside now jumped into the fight that had turned into a nasty brawl. The sounds of swords engaged, metal hitting metal, filled the morning air as men strained against their opponents.
Val plowed into the group, using his big right fist when he wasn’t using the sword in his left hand. If one wasn’t flying, the other one was. He wasn’t exactly sure why there was such a big fight going on when they were only searching for one man, so he made his way through the crowd until he came to one of his sergeants.
“What is happening?” he demanded, ducking when one man took a swing at his head. He retaliated by kicking the man in the gut only to punch him in the face when he doubled over. “Who are all of these men?”
The sergeant had a nick on his shoulder, bleeding through his mail and tunic. “There was a contingent of soldiers inside, breaking their fast,” he said. “They did not take kindly to the fact that we burst in from the rear and threatened them.”
So it was a group of men unrelated to their fugitive. “Damnation,” Val hissed. This was a complication they hadn’t needed and he had to get the situation under control. “Try to calm everyone down. Spread the word amongst the men to try and calm these men down rather than fight them. Is that clear?”
The sergeant nodded, avoiding a sword that was aiming for him and trying to talk to the man rather than respond. As Val pushed his way back through the fight, he caught sight of Mayne just inside the door of the tavern, tossing a limp body outside. Val didn’t know what happened and he didn’t ask, but he was heading in Mayne’s direction when he caught a glimpse of someone on the road, running for the livery. A second glance showed a man heavily armed, in well-worn mail and a tattered tunic. It was just another soldier until Val caught a glimpse of the man’s red hair peeking out from his helm.
Red hair!
Val veered away from Mayne and the roiling mass of fighting men, pushing his way through and bursting free, heading in the direction of the livery. With his men tied up fighting a group of unhappy soldiers, Val realized he would be the only one to confront the knight who had just dashed into the livery. He was running so fast that he didn’t even notice McCloud and the young woman, still standing where he had left them at the mouth of the livery. Val burst into the stable and nearly crashed into the knight who had just claimed his blue roan warmblood.
“Hold,” Val said steadily, his broadsword poised but not raised, at least not yet. “I have a question before I permit you to leave, if you will indulge me.”
The knight turned to him, his pale face flushed. Noting Val’s broadsword, he immediately unsheathed his weapon.
“Get out of my way,” the knight growled.
Val remained cool. “Give me your name and I will consider it.”
“Get out of my way!”
Val didn’t budge. He could see the man was vastly nervous, for his upper lip had beads of sweat on it and his breathing was coming in heavy pants. He could see the man’s facial hair,reddish-blonde in color, and the red curls were spilling over his shoulders from beneath his helm.
But it was the eyes… something in the eyes bespoke of rage and fear. Val knew he had to treat this situation very carefully if he wanted to accomplish his goal. The punishment of this man, this murderer, was Lord Horsham’s right, but if the knight moved against him, Val would be forced to defend himself. He didn’t want to kill him. Therefore, he had to be smart about the situation.
He took a deep breath, his mind working quickly.
Be clever!
“Alas, I cannot,” he said, more calmly. “My name is de Nerra. I am the Itinerant Justice in this area and I am hunting for a man who is due a fortune. I am told he had red hair and a blue roan horse. I only wish to give this man the money, so could this man I seek possibly be you?”
It was a manipulative way to not only lower the knight’s guard, but to, perhaps, even cause him to give his name. Val was brilliant in that sense. As he watched, the fear in the man’s eyes flickered with confusion.
“A fortune?” he repeated. Then, he shook his head firmly, struggling with his horse’s saddle in order to cinch it up. “Nay, I am due no money.”
“But you fit the description,” Val insisted, lowering his sword so he could prove he wasn’t a threat. “Your red hair and your horse’s color fit the description perfectly. I received an edict from a lord to the north, in Alton I believe, who swore that his nephew was due money. His name was de Wyck.”
The knight came to a halt, looking at Val with wide eyes. He was torn between suspicion and glee; Val could see it in his eyes. The knight knew very well that he wasn’t due any money but the mention of his name had him questioning that knowledge. Didhe, in fact, have an uncle he knew nothing about? Arichuncle? Seeing the indecision, Val sought to press his point.
“Will you please come with me to see if we can settle this matter?” he asked. “I am told it is a great deal of money. If it were me, I would certainly want to find out if I had a fortune coming. But mayhap you are wealthy enough that you do not need any more money?”
That was a ridiculous question considering the state of the knight’s clothing. The horse, as fine as it was, was even wearing well-repaired tack, tatters of once-fine regalia. It was, therefore, clear that the knight had no money. Val was counting on that fact, with the lure of money being enough to force the knight to trust him.
“De Wyck,” the knight finally mumbled. “Whois this lord?”
Val shook his head. “I do not recall,” he said. “The name is on the edict but I do not recall. All I know is that the lord is north, towards Alton. Do you have relatives up there?”
“I do not.”
“Is your name de Wyck?”
