The wandering inn volume.., p.327
The Wandering Inn: Volume 5, page 327
part #1 of The Wandering Inn Series
The two stood together. Pyrite and Ulvama watched Rags anxiously and stared suspiciously at Garen, but the Redfang Chieftain didn’t offer Rags any harm. He stood, looking blank and tired. Diminished. Rags stood with him, listening as Garen spoke of what had happened.
“So you go to High Passes?”
“Maybe.”
Garen stared past Rags. His Carn Wolf was lapping at some water being poured out of a flask. It was injured, but it had carried Garen all this way. Rags stared at the wolf as well and shook her head. She looked at Garen.
“You lost tribe.”
“Yes.”
He hunched his shoulders. Rags pointed towards Liscor.
“You betrayed team.”
“Yes.”
The Hob bowed his head.
“You betrayed me. And Reiss.”
“Yes. Yes.”
Garen closed his eyes. Rags stared up at him and then sighed.
“You are stupid.”
She saw one crimson eye open a crack and glare indignantly down at Rags. The little Goblin was unperturbed.
“You are. Stupid. And bad traitor. Bad Chieftain. Bad brother. Bad everything.”
“Can’t do anything about it.”
Garen gritted his teeth. Rags kicked him. This time Garen roared and made a fist. The Goblins tensed.
“Do you want fight?”
“No!”
Rags glared up at Garen. He relaxed slightly, but he was still furious.
“Then what?”
“Why are you running away? Why always running?”
Rags stared at Garen. He looked confused.
“Tribe rejected me. Nowhere to go. Halfseekers will kill me.”
“Yes. So why running? Why run?”
“Because nothing to stay for.”
“Except tribe. Except old team.”
Garen opened his mouth. Rags shook her head. She had it now. She looked at Garen.
“You betray. Always betray, you say. But it was you. You betray and betray. And then run away. But that is the problem.”
She pointed back, towards Liscor. Garen followed her finger. Rags spoke quietly.
“When you betray, you should stay.”
“And do what?”
“Fix things. Try. Be loyal. Be good.”
Garen looked back the way Rags was pointing. He looked at her. For a moment he hesitated and she hoped—but then he shook his head.
“Too late. Far too late to make things better.”
He walked towards his Carn Wolf. It whined as it got up. Rags shouted at Garen’s back.
“Not too late to try! Never too late! Otherwise you run forever!”
She saw Garen look back once. And hesitate. But then he got on his Carn Wolf and rode away. North, and west. Towards the High Passes. Rags scuffed at the ground as he rode with the last of his Redfangs.
“Darn.”
She was really hoping he’d give her a ride.
—-
Goblins ran. Humans retreated. Adventurers fled the city, or prepared to. But Drakes didn’t run. That was what they said, anyways. But Relc had been part of more than one withdrawal and it looked like running to him. General Sserys’ iconic line was just that, a line. Drakes ran all the time. Relc Grasstongue just wished that were an option here.
He marched up the stairs to the battlements of Liscor’s western wall. Normally Relc didn’t make the climb unless he had to, but today he was looking for someone. She wasn’t hard to spot. Embria’s red scales stood out, even among the other Drakes. She was beautifully striking. Much like her mother, although her mother had pink scales. Just went to show that Embria got the best of both her parents. Her looks from her mother, and her talent with the spear from her father.
It was all he had to give, really.
Relc walked towards Embria. Normally he avoided his daughter. He had the feeling she was disappointed in him. It was a hunch, made stronger by all the times she said he was a disappointment to his face. Besides, whenever they spoke it always went back to the army. She wanted him to reenlist and Relc wouldn’t. Not again, not ever. He was sick of war. And he wished it hadn’t come to Liscor.
He heard Embria speaking as he approached. She was using a rare artifact, a gem with the ability to communicate her words to a speaker across the world. It was limited in magical power and it broke when it was out—plus the distance mattered, so he guessed this was an important call. No guesses to who it was with. Relc edged over and Embria looked up, glaring at him to be silent. He nodded and she spoke into the stone.
“Yes, sir. Absolutely. We will do our part. I swear it by the walls…yes, sir. Wing Commander Embria, out.”
She lowered the mana stone. Relc noticed it was beginning to disintegrate. It was nearly out of mana. He coughed as Embria lowered the stone.
“You talked to High Command?”
“I just had a conversation with them, yes.”
Embria turned to face her father, her posture straight, her face severe. She stood tall, as if to make up for the lack in height. Relc slouched to accommodate her, which only made things worse.
“So what’s the plan? Are they sending a huge army to rescue us? Come charging up north with the others?”
“Don’t be stupid. They’re on contract. They can’t move if they wanted to. And they were too far away to get here no matter if they’d started right when we learned what was going on.”
Embria shook her head. Her tail angrily lashed the ground and Relc avoided it. He followed her as she marched down the walls.
“Right, right. Well, it was worth a shot. So what did they tell you?”
“To do my duty.”
“Which is?”
“Classified. If you were part of the army, I could tell you.”
Embria shot a glance at Relc and he sighed.
“I’ll pass. It’s probably just ‘hold the walls’. ‘Drakes don’t run’. ‘Liscor stands in the face of adversity.’ How’s that?”
She hesitated, which made Relc think he’d gotten it close. There wasn’t really much that High Command could tell her, anyways. Embria turned away.
“I’m going to do my duty, father. I wish you’d do yours.”
That stung. Relc glared at his daughter’s back.
“I’m a [Guardsman]. When the time comes, I’ll be up on the walls, same as you.”
Zevara would see to that. Relc imagined fighting with the damn trebuchets throwing rocks. Humans with siege weapons! It was bad enough that they knew how to throw magic. Now they could toss rocks? It was the end of the world.
“You should be a [Soldier].”
“Kid, let’s not do this—”
“No. You should be!”
Embria spun and poked a claw into Relc’s chest. He paused, and saw a [Guardswoman] patrolling towards him swing around smartly and walk the other way. Embria stared up at Relc, and he remembered a little Drake begging for war stories and asking about her mother. When had that look of admiration turned to contempt? Right before she’d enlisted in the army, that was when. All those years ago. Embria glared up at Relc and he tried to meet her eyes.
“You were a hero, dad. You were one of the greatest [Sergeants] we had. Everyone told me that you were the one they called on to hunt down enemy commanders. You were so good they awarded you a weapon worthy of a commander and gave you a name!”
“Yeah, well, it’s an okay spear. And the name’s not that great—it’s actually sort of an insult—”
Embria ignored Relc’s mumbling.
“Why don’t you want to join the army? Is it because you’re afraid?”
“Of dying? Sure.”
“What about your fellow soldiers?”
Relc shook his head.
“Those guys? They’re great. But what’s the point of fighting, kid? To win a war? To earn Liscor money and make the High Command proud? For what? I fought in the Second Antinium War because the Goblin King was about to destroy everything. I fought the Antinium for the same reason. But fighting other Drakes? What’s the point?”
“What about Humans?”
“What about them?”
Embria ground her teeth together. She hissed at Relc.
“Don’t play dumb! They’re coming to destroy Liscor.”
He folded his arms.
“Right. And where’s our army? Down south around Oteslia, that’s where. Who’s defending the city? A hundred of our soldiers and thousands of the Watch. Including—guess who?”
He jabbed a thumb at his chest. Embria flushed.
“If they’d known—”
“You said it. They didn’t. The army’s not a glorious defender of the Drakes, kid. It never was, even when old Sserys was in charge. It was a mercenary army. One of the best, sure, but just mercenaries. I don’t regret leaving it. And I’m not going back, so can we drop it? Just tell me why you wanted to see me, and I’ll get out of your spines.”
Embria stared at Relc. Then she turned away.
“Fine. It’s just a matter of courtesy. Here.”
She fished in her belt pouch and pulled something out. Relc blinked as a folded envelope appeared in front of him. He accepted it gingerly.
“What’s this?”
“You have to know what it is. You haven’t been away from the army long enough to—you can’t have forgotten. We’re about to go to war. Get it?”
Embria glared at him. Relc just looked blank. His daughter ground her teeth together.
“It’s a will.”
“A—”
Relc’s stomach dropped. He stared down at the letter and saw it as addressed to him. Embria nodded curtly.
“It details my possessions go to you in the event of my death. I—had to update it. The other soldiers have filed their wills as well. It’s standard practice to send them back on the eve of a big battle.”
“I know.”
Relc spoke mechanically. He stared down at the letter, recognizing the neat handwriting. He began to open the letter and Embria snatched it back.
“Don’t open it! It’s in the event of my death!”
“Oh, right. Sorry, kid. I won’t open it unless you uh, die.”
She handed him the letter back. Relc stared at Embria. She looked at him and then threw a salute.
“I have to get back to my duty, Sergeant Relc. Until we meet again.”
“Sure. I mean, yes, Wing Commander.”
Relc threw a salute of his own. He watched Embria turn and march away. Her back straight, her posture proud and unwavering as she snapped at a slouching [Guardswoman] to stand up. For a second Relc wished she’d turn around, if only to insult him some more. Then he looked down at the letter and opened it. He read what was inside and looked up.
—-
Erin Solstice was polishing the counter of her bar. She did it mechanically, noting how quiet the inn was. The adventurers had followed Ilvriss, Zevara, and the others out of the inn in the morning. They’d been assigned to defend the walls or parts of the city and had decided to check out the spots while continuing to move the door further south. Just in case.
In case of what wasn’t said, but the implication was Liscor falling and everyone dying. Erin tried to imagine it. She looked around her inn and then down at the clean counter. What was she doing? What was the point? If this inn would be rubble—and it would be if the Humans starting lobbing rocks at the city or the Goblin Lord’s army came this way—what was the point?
She should run. Run, and get Lyonette and Mrsha. And Krshia, only, the Gnoll had said she was going to stay and fight. So was Selys. The [Receptionist] had told Erin she wasn’t leaving.
“Grandma’s not budging, and if she’s staying, I’d better stay with her to make sure she doesn’t fall asleep. Besides, reinforcements are on the way, right?”
Reinforcements are on the way. Liscor will hold. Everyone Erin had talked to said something like that. The city wouldn’t fall and the Goblins and Humans wouldn’t take it. Because…well, because it couldn’t happen. They didn’t talk about numbers or the odds. In fact, they quite deliberately avoided mentioning those crucial details. But Erin had heard Olesm talking and she knew what the score was.
It was quiet. So quiet, that Erin could hear the voices outside. It was just a few voices, but they were loud. Shouting, even. She recognized a few of them and went over to the window.
Numbtongue was standing on a hill next to Headscratcher and Shorthilt. He was speaking loudly to one of the new Goblins. Redscar? Yeah. They were debating something. The Goblins were talking, all of the leaders. The five Redfangs were part of that group, as were Noears, Poisonbite, Spiderslicer, and Redscar. And they were deciding something. Every Goblin in the Floodplains was gathered around them. Erin was sure, fairly sure, that they were deciding what to do now.
Run or stay. Or hide in the dungeon, maybe. It wasn’t an easy choice. There was a limited amount of space for an army this large, but they were outnumbered by the Goblin Lord’s force and the Humans. The Drakes were heading north, and the dungeon was…the dungeon. No good answers. Erin saw Numbtongue finish speaking and then Redscar reply. The Goblins outside hung on every word.
“What’re you going do, huh?”
She looked out the window and then heard a sound. Erin turned and saw Mrsha staring at her. The little Gnoll had come through the door from Liscor before it had been carried off. She’d leapt through, not wanting to be apart from Lyonette despite the Goblins. And now she was stuck in the inn, until Erin went into Liscor. She stared up at Erin. And so did a little Goblin with a big hat.
Pebblesnatch was in Erin’s inn, peeking out from the kitchen. She’d recovered her prized hat, which had somehow ended up on Garry’s head last night. Unlike the others, she hadn’t gone outside. She was…afraid. She’d stayed in Erin’s warm kitchen and the young woman had let her. She could understand Pebblesnatch’s fear. The Goblin and Gnoll looked at each other warily, and Erin saw Apista buzzing around the flowers.
No Lyonette. She was in Liscor getting some food since the Goblins had cleaned Erin out of everything. It was expensive; food was at a premium due to the impending siege. Still, Erin had money to burn. There were no Horns or Halfseekers. They were in the city. It was just Erin, and an army of Goblins outside.
“What’s going to happen?”
Erin asked the question out loud, but no one responded. She heard a sound from outside and turned. The door opened. To Erin’s surprise, Relc ducked into the inn. He grinned at her and waved.
“Hey! Lots of Goblins out there, am I right? Scary bastards. Whoops, there’s one here too. Hey, I’m not here to pick a fight.”
He raised his claws as Pebblesnatch backed up. Erin stared at Relc. Why was he here?
“Why are you here, Relc? I thought you hated Goblins.”
“Yeah, I’m still not keen on them. But I uh, was in the neighborhood. On a walk, y’know, and I thought I’d come by.”
The [Guardsman] grinned at Erin unconvincingly. She raised an eyebrow.
“A walk, huh? Well, can I get you a drink?”
“Ooh, yeah! I forgot you have drinks! I’ll have—”
“Here.”
Erin poured him an ale. Relc blinked at it but drank it down willingly. He sighed.
“That hits the spot. Remember when you didn’t have any alcohol? Instead you had that blue, sweet stuff. Those were the days.”
“They were.”
Erin leaned over the counter. Relc grinned at her and waved at Mrsha. The little Gnoll didn’t know him well enough to come over. He relaxed, the picture of sloth, but Erin detected something else from Relc today. She looked casually at him.
“So why did you come here?”
“Me? Well, like I said, I was in the area…”
Relc avoided Erin’s gaze. He was playing with something. A letter, opened and folded up again. Erin eyed it.
“Okay. Well, can I help you with anything else? Food?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
Now that was surprising. Erin blinked at Relc. He just smiled at her. He stared out the window.
“Lots of Goblins. That reminds me of old times too, right? Except there’s more of them.”
“Yeah.”
Erin said the word with finality. Relc’s grin slipped.
“Right. I’ve uh—look, it’s not that I think this is your fault.”
“Glad to hear it.”
The young woman picked up the dust rag and swabbed the counter. Relc coughed.
“It’s just that you tend to do weird things—and I was thinking—well, it’s sort of like the Face-Eater Moth attack. Or Skinner. Or that time you rescued Ceria from the dungeon and then we all got our tails kicked by that jerk, Gazi. And you poked her in the eye. A Named Adventurer. I mean, it’s sort of like that, right?”
“I guess?”
Erin looked blankly at Relc. Why was he bringing up the past? The painful past, come to that. Relc hesitated.
“So the Goblin Lord’s coming here. And the Humans. Damn Humans. Hate them. Ugly fleshbags, am I right?”
He grinned at Erin. She frowned.
“Yeah? Well, I don’t like the fact that they’re coming to Liscor either. Or the Goblin Lord. He sounds like a jerk.”
“Exactly! So…can you do anything?”
“About what?”
“This.”
Relc waved a hand in the air. He looked at Erin.
“You know. Something. Do your Erin thing. Make things work out right. Can you…can you help?”
He looked at Erin and lost the air of false cheer he’d come in with. Erin stared at Relc and slowly shook her head.
“I can’t—I mean, there’s nothing I can think of. That’s an army. I don’t—I don’t know what anyone can do.”
Relc’s face fell.
“Right. Of course not. It’s just that I thought—well, hey, it’ll work out, right? Drakes don’t run. The walls stand and all that. You’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. You should come into the city, though. No telling what’ll happen when…when…”
He lapsed into silence. Erin nodded. The two stood there for a while. Relc finished one mug, and then another. Erin listened to the Goblins arguing outside.
