*
The village ofPool was a fairly large town nestled in the mid-Marches on the border between England and Wales. The party from Wybren entered from the north, along an avenue called Old Salop Road, and it dumped them into the end of a long, very busy avenue.
The Silver Fish.
That was the first sign they came to, a two-storied establishment that had black smoke belching out of its rear yard. There was a river that ran through the town, right next to this stretch of road, and the smell of cooking fish was heavy. But the people coming in and out of the business were looking at Kevin and his men as if the devil himself had just made an appearance, so Juliandra pushed to the front where Kevin and Bannon were in conversation about how to proceed.
“Please, my lords,” she said. “I fear that it will only bring trouble if you take the entire escort through town. It should only be just a few men, so as not to attract too much attention. Already, you are frightening people.”
She had a point; people were scattering. Kevin and Bannon looked at her.
“How far is your father’s shop?” Kevin asked.
She pointed down the street. “There is a town square with a common well,” she said. “My father’s shop is on the square.”
“Very well,” he said, turning to Bannon. “You take the escort back to the road and find someplace to conceal them. Tell Cal to accompany me.”
Bannon nodded, heading back to the men and quietly issuing orders. Immediately, the escort turned about and headed back out onto the road. As this was being accomplished, Kevin dismounted his horse and removed his belt and scabbard. As Juliandra watched curiously, he removed as much as he had to in order to remove his tunic, which he tucked into his saddlebag. Wisely, he was concealing the sapphire dragon of de Lara so he wouldn’t make himself a target. The belt, the helm, and the scabbard went back on again just as Cal came riding up.
“Where are we going?” Cal asked eagerly. “Looks as if we have the entire village already on the run.”
There was something gleeful in the way he said it and Kevin shot him a quelling look.
“We are going to the lady’s father’s shop,” he said steadily. “Remove your tunic. The villagers are already spooked and I do not wish to exacerbate the situation.”
Cal made an unhappy face but dutifully removed a few things so that he could pull off his tunic. With the escort moving out to the road to wait under Bannon’s command, Kevin and Juliandra proceeded into the village with Cal bringing up the rear.
For being a town in the wilds of Wales, Pool had more than its share of businesses. There were bakers, market stalls, fish mongers, butchers, and more, and by the time they reached the town center with its big well and even larger trough of fresh water for the villagers to use, most of the businesses were merchants. There was even an artist displaying his colorful paintings on wood panels in front of his shop.
Juliandra led them straight to a two-storied wattle and daub building, whitewashed with big, wooden crossbeams. Carved above the door was a name–Garreg– and nothing else. Evidently, it didn’t need anything else, for it was the largest building on the square and when Juliandra opened the door, it was full of customers.
Juliandra charged in and Kevin followed, leaving Cal outside to watch the door. The shop was so packed with items that it was difficult to move without bumping into something. With Kevin’s size, he was having a difficult time trying to keep pace with Juliandra.
A few of her father’s servants called out to her as she made her way inside, greeting her, and she waved to them quickly before disappearing into a back chamber. Kevin was right behind her, nearly plowing into the back of her because she had come to a sudden halt just inside the door. A small man withlong, gray hair tied at the back of his head greeted her amiably, but when he saw Kevin, he visibly recoiled.
“Do not be afraid, Kymbal,” Juliandra said. “This is simply my escort, Sir Kevin. Papa is… well, he has business elsewhere at the moment, so you must take good care of the store for now.”
The old man was still looking fearfully between Kevin and Juliandra. “Business?” he repeated. “What business? I did not know of this.”
He spoke in Welsh. Since Kevin had grown up on the Marches, he understood the language, but Juliandra didn’t know that. She answered in English.
“It came up swiftly,” she said, looking at Kevin. “This is Kymbal ap Rhos. He has tended the accounting for this store for two generations, for my father and his father before him. I think he will be around long after I am dead because he does not seem to age.”
She was smiling as she said it, a clever move, because she’d meant to put the old man at ease. It worked. Kymbal tore his fearful gaze from Kevin, looking at Juliandra with humor in his expression.
“Silly girl,” he said in English, but the warmth in his eyes quickly faded. “Your father was supposed to come here a few days ago because his men had brought items from France. He was to inspect them before we sold them. Have you come to look them over?”
Juliandra pondered that question for a moment. There was no telling when Kevin was going to release her father, or let her out of Wybren for that matter, so she needed to take care of as much of her father’s business as she could while she was here. Without asking Kevin’s approval, she nodded.
“Aye,” she said. “Show me.”
Kymbal headed into the yard behind the shop and she followed without a glance to Kevin. The area behind the shopwas open, with a big yew tree in the middle, and it was heavily secured with a wooden fence and Gethin’s personal guards. As Juliandra emerged into the yard, the soldiers were startled to see Kevin behind her, who was heavily armed. Swords began to come out, including Kevin’s, and Juliandra threw up her hands.
“Nay!” she cried to her father’s men. “Put your weapons away. This knight is my escort. He has not come to wreak havoc.”
Kevin was standing in the doorway, his enormous broadsword out and at the ready. There were six of Gethin’s men, prepared to protect the goods that were in the yard beneath a large oiled piece of canvas, as Juliandra waved her hands furiously and tried to avoid a bloodbath. She demanded that her father’s men sheathe their swords, and they did… but very slowly. Kevin held his until the very last man had put his weapon away. Then, andonlythen, did he sheathe his broadsword.
But he didn’t move from the door.
