7
Tariel and her men spent the rest of the day following the tug of her bond with Riann. She was convinced they were taking the long way to get there, but without knowing exactly which routes and shortcuts the bandits had used, it was impossible to replicate the path. More than once, they’d been forced to find their way around chasms and rivers, and twice they’d come to dead ends and had to retrace theirsteps.
By the time nightfall came, they found themselves back on the main road between Carliss and Fjordland. There was an inn right along the road, and Calrain and Yarim agreed that they should stop there for the night to get a good meal and see what gossip they might overhear. They had a feeling that this close to the border, the inhabitants might not be so heavily influenced by thebandits.
“Good evening,” the man at the desk said cheerfully to Yarim as they walked in. Tariel had used her magic to change their looks, and the three of them had decided to pose as husband and wife, with Calrain as their servant. “Would the three of you be wanting roomstonight?”
“Yes,” Yarim said, pulling a coin from his purse. “One for us to share, and we would also like a bath sent up in about an hour,please.”
“Of course,” the man said. He gave them a strange look, and Tariel imagined that he was wondering why a rich man like Yarim would only pay for one room when they had a servant. But they did not have enough coin to waste money on what would only be keeping up appearances, as Tariel meant to sleep with themtogether.
They made their way into the inn’s pub, where they enjoyed a hearty meal of steak and kidney pie, washed down with ale. The place was filled with travelers from both Fjordland and the Empire, and though Tariel was nervous to see Fjordland men, no one paid them anymind.
“Where are the three of you headed?” a merchant with a thick, tobacco-stained silver beard asked from the table next tothem.
“The capital,” Yarim lied. “My sister lives there, and she just recently had achild.”
“Oh, that is wonderful news,” the merchant said. He eyed Yarim’s sword with an approving glint in his eye. “It is good that you are traveling with arms, but I would make sure to be extra careful in these parts. It has become quite dangerous to cross at this part of theborder.”
“Because of the bandits?” Yarim asked. “We have heard rumors about them, but I found it hard to believe that the king would allow criminals to run about unchecked on hislands.”
The merchant huffed. “The king is weak and spends too much of his attention on the machinations at court to pay attention to what is going on out here. The best thing to do is find a caravan that already has an arrangement with the bandits, and ask to travel with them. Otherwise, there is no telling whether or not you will be able to pass through this regionunmolested.”
“Is that what you do?” Yarim asked. “Do you pay some kind oftithe?”
“We all do,” the merchant said in a low voice. “But if you ask anyone that, they’ll deny it. I know a few caravan leaders I might be able to ask on your behalf, if you have the necessarycoin.”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” Yarim said. “We will find our ownway.”
The merchant sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Just as well. The tithes are not always a guarantee. I heard a rumor recently that Lord Raffis Harcan has been taken hostage. He is the richest merchant in Carliss,” he explained, noticing their nonplussed looks, “and well-connected, if you know what I mean. If the bandits are willing to go after a man like him, is anyone trulysafe?”
They tried talking to a few more travelers, but didn’t glean much more. Theydidlearn that rumor was spreading about a witch that was traveling through the countryside and killing off bandits, which the travelers seemed quite pleased about. To Tariel’s amazement, no one seemed to know that Lord Traize was the man behind the bandit operation, even though it seemed so obvious to them that he was thevillain.
“It’s incredible how he has managed to cow all the natives,” Calrain said as they headed upstairs to their room. “They have to all know that Lord Traize is behind everything, and yet none of these merchants who travel through here regularly are any thewiser.”
“It is almost unbelievable,” Yarim agreed. “I have to wonder if some of these men are lying tous.”
“It doesn’t matter either way,” Tariel said with a shrug. “Our objective remains thesame.”
Yarim and Calrain exchangedglances.
“Are you all right?” Calrain asked gently as they entered the modest room. Concern was etched into the lines of his beautiful face, and in the reflection in his silver eyes, Tariel saw how dull and listless her own expressionwas.
“I’m fine,” she said, scrubbing a hand over her face. “Just tired. I think a night of rest in a real bed may do me somegood.”
“And a bath,” Yarim said, his eyes brightening as he beheld the steaming tub in the middle of the room. “Why don’t you go first? The hot water will help relaxyou.”
“Oh, all right,” Tariel relented. She slipped out of her dress and got into the tub. The moment the hot water slid around her body, some of the tension began to bleedaway.
“Does that feel better?” Yarim asked, coming around behind her. He began to massage Tariel’s shoulders, and she groaned in relief as his strong fingers dug into the knottedmuscles.
“It’s starting to,” she said. She smiled when Calrain plucked one of her feet out of the water, and leaned her head against the lip of the tub as the two massaged hersimultaneously.
A woman could get used to this, she thought, and with that she let go of her worries and gave herself over to their capablehands.
The next morning,Tariel slipped out of the room to use the outhouse. As she stepped through the back door of the inn, the early morning sun washing over her and the frosted grass teasing the hem of her skirt, her mood was considerably higher than it had been yesterday. Her skin still glowed with renewed magic, and energy sizzled in her veins, keeping the melancholy atbay.
It is strange how integral sex is to my health and happiness,she thought as she used the outhouse. Back in Fjordland, she had been taught that sex was for the pleasure of her husband and to create children. The thought that there were benefits beyond procreation was a foreign concept, and one that many Fjordland women scoffed at. Tariel wondered if that meant Fjordland men were terrible at pleasuring their wives, or if everyone was simply in denial about female pleasure. Even without the magical aspect, Tariel believed the boost to her mood, and the relaxing after-effect, could be nothing but beneficial to anywoman.
