Читать книгу The Complete Conclave of Shadows Trilogy: Talon of the Silver Hawk, King of Foxes, Exile’s Return - Raymond E. Feist - Страница 17

TALON GAWKED.

He had remained silent as they had approached the city, reaching one of the western gates an hour before nightfall. He had been astonished at the size of Latagore as they had drawn near, but as they reached the outer boundaries of the city, he was dumbfounded.

Nothing in his experience had prepared him for the sight of so many people living so close to one another. The bustle and noise threatened to overwhelm him at first, then he began to drink in the sights and sounds.

Peddlers hovered near the gates of the city, hawking a variety of wares to any within the sound of their voices – trinkets, good luck tokens, items whose nature was unknown to Talon. Many who approached were ragged beggars, offering blessings to those who would aide them and curses to those who ignored them.

Caleb glanced over at the speechless lad and said, ‘Better close your mouth before a bird builds a nest in it.’

‘So many people,’ Talon gasped.

Dustin Webanks looked over his shoulder at the boy. ‘Never been to a city before?’

‘No, sir.’

The prisoner, who’d been content to ride along in sullen silence, except for an occasional grunt of pain when the wagon bounced especially hard, said, ‘This is nothing, boy. If you ever get down to Opardum or Kalesh’kaar, then you’d be seeing something. Latagore here is hardly big enough to rightly be called a city. More like an oversized town.’

Caleb grunted. ‘Big enough city to have a guard and plenty of rope.’ To Talon he said, ‘This gate’s the one you want when coming into the city. Most of the locals use it, because the other gates are used by travellers and caravans, so getting through takes time. That’s why it’s called the Locals’ Gate.’

‘How many gates are there?’ asked Talon, thinking of the simple stockade around his village with its single gate.

‘I believe this city has twenty … four? Yes, twenty-four gates.’

They pulled into a queue of people waiting to be admitted to the city before night fell and the gates were closed. Only two wagons and a band of men on horseback were in front of them, so they quickly reached the portal.

‘Ho, Roderick!’ shouted Caleb as he reined in.

‘Caleb!’ cried a soldier in the deep forest green uniform of the city. ‘You here to sell or buy?’

‘Buying,’ said Caleb. ‘We’re empty coming in.’

The soldier motioned him through.

Caleb said, ‘Can we drop off a bandit?’

A quick discussion with the soldier resulted in their prisoner being taken away. Dustin Webanks left them as well, to press charges with the magistrate, promising them a reward should they seek him out the next day at the Sign of the Running Footman.

Caleb drove the wagon through the city, heading to an inn where those from Kendrick’s stayed when they were in the city. As darkness fell, they reached a cheery-looking building with a large stabling yard on the right. The sign hung outside it showed a man throwing balls into the air while blindfolded. A young man of roughly the same age as Talon appeared at the sound of the wagon’s arrival.

‘Ho, Caleb!’ he shouted, upon seeing who was driving the wagon.

‘Jacob!’ Caleb returned.

The young man had sandy hair and a raw-boned, rangy look. He wore a simple cotton shirt and leather trousers, with heavy work boots. He took the horses in hand and said, ‘Who’s your friend?’

‘Talon, this is Jacob.’

Talon nodded and jumped down from the wagon.

‘Father will be glad to see you,’ said Jacob. ‘He’s got some more hunting stories for you.’

‘He found time to go hunting?’ asked Caleb.

With a grin, Jacob answered, ‘No, but he’s got some new stories.’

Caleb smiled. ‘’Tis ever thus.’

They left the wagon to Jacob’s care and entered the inn. A plump woman brightened as she saw Caleb. She hurried around from behind the long bar and threw her arms around him. ‘Caleb, you rascal! It’s been too long between visits! We haven’t seen you since last summer!’

If the usually taciturn hunter was discomfited by the overwhelming embrace, he bore up with good grace, and when at last she released him, he said, ‘Hello, Angelica.’ Then he indicated his companion. ‘Talon here is helping me on this trip.’

Suddenly, the boy found himself engulfed in a fragrant bearhug.

‘Welcome to the Blind Juggler, Talon.’ To Caleb she said with a wink, ‘Ella’s in the kitchen.’

Caleb said nothing, just smiled slightly. ‘We’ll need a room for two, perhaps three, days.’

‘You have it,’ said the woman. ‘Now, get yourselves a good table by the fireplace. The porters and teamsters will be filling the place up as soon as it’s dark, and then it’ll be every man for himself.’

Caleb pointed to a small table in the corner near the fireplace, and Talon went over and sat down. ‘We’ll wash one at a time,’ Caleb said. ‘She’s right. In a few minutes there’ll hardly be room to turn around in here.’

Angelica appeared a moment later with two large mugs of ale. Handing a key to Caleb, she said, ‘First room, top of the stairs. It’s the best.’

‘Thanks,’ said Caleb.

Talon sipped at the brew and found it strong and flavourful.

‘Watch how you drink that, Talon. It’ll sneak up on you if you’re not careful.’ Leaning forward he continued, ‘Learn to sip and look as if you’re drinking more than you are.’

‘How do I do that?’

Caleb demonstrated. He picked up the mug and appeared to take a hearty draught, but when he put the mug under Talon’s chin for inspection, the boy saw only a drop of the ale was gone. ‘You spill some on the floor or let it drip down your chin if you’re with rough company. If you’re dining with quality folk, you motion for the server to bring you a fresh goblet from time to time. No one except the servant, will notice he’s carrying away a half-filled cup, and he’ll not speak to anyone – most likely he’ll drink it himself before he reaches the pantry.’

‘Why?’

‘Why will he drink it?’

Talon shook his head and grinned. ‘No, I get that part of it. No, why do I want to appear to be drinking more than I am?’

‘Make it a habit. Men in their cups are fools, more often than not. And it can be wise to look the fool at times.’ Caleb stood. ‘I’m going to have a wash.’

Talon nodded and sat back. Caleb headed out through a door next to the bar, which Talon assumed led to the kitchen. Like most of his people, Talon had swum in the rivers and lakes in the mountains in all but the coldest months. He had cleaned his skin in the sweat lodge of his village; sitting with the men and women as they scraped the day’s dirt off their skins with gracefully curved sticks, then rinsed off with a bucket of tepid water kept next to the stones to make steam. Using soap and water – cold most of the time – had seemed a strange ritual, but Talon had learned to make it a habit. Most people, he noticed, including the nobility, seemed to bathe or wash their hands and face at whim, yet those at Kendrick’s spent a significant amount of time bathing and washing. Talon had asked Lela about that, and she had said that it had been the habit there when she arrived and she didn’t mind too much.

Talon thought of Lela now and his stomach tightened. He missed her, despite the excitement of the journey. He had never known a woman before her; as was the custom of his people, he would have remained untouched by a woman until the night of his wedding. The practice was not always observed, especially among those who had no mate chosen during the year they reached manhood or womanhood, but it was a tradition, and most Orosini followed tradition. Talon’s thoughts occasionally wandered to Eye of the Blue-Winged Teal and the other girls of his village; he wondered if they would have been as joyous in their lovemaking as Lela, who laughed and was playful as often as she was ardent. He pushed aside thoughts of his village and the girls he had grown up with, for it was still a painful subject for him if he dwelt upon it; Robert had taught him to keep his thoughts in the presence or near future, for as Robert had told him, ‘To dwell in the past is to live in regret’.

As was becoming his habit, Talon studied his environment. The room hosted a dozen tables, so perhaps as many as fifty guests could comfortably fit in; more, if they didn’t mind standing at the bar. Talon recalled the exterior of the building, compared it to Kendrick’s and decided there must be six or eight rooms upstairs. Like most inns of the region, some guests would sleep here in the common room, under the tables for a few copper coins. While the floor might seem unwelcoming, with a heavy cloak to lay upon it, it was definitely better than trying to sleep in the open. The banked fire in the hearth would provide warmth throughout the night and there would be a hot meal available upon waking.

After a minute of quiet reflection, Talon saw the front door open and half a dozen burly men enter. They were all dusty and wore rough homespun. From the heavy boots (many with double reinforced toes) and uniformly massive builds, Talon assumed these men to be porters, those who unloaded the trading wagons and carried crates to shops and warehouses throughout the city. They all walked quickly to the bar and one shouted, ‘Angelica! Ella! Someone! We perish from thirst!’

A couple of the men chuckled but they all waited quietly for a moment, until Angelica appeared through the kitchen door. She greeted the porters by name and drew their drinks without asking their pleasure; obviously they were regular customers.

Over the next few minutes another dozen or so men entered the inn, all of them workers, either porters like the first group or wagon drivers and teamsters.

Caleb returned and sat down. ‘What have you learned?’

Talon glanced at his companion. For a moment he didn’t understand the question, as he had been sitting alone, then he realized that Caleb was asking him what he had deduced from his observations. He told him about his guess as to the size of the inn, then added, ‘The stabling yard to the rear must be spacious, because it took our wagon with ease, and we will use only one of the rooms. I assume it can house as many as a dozen horses, perhaps more.’

‘More,’ said Caleb as a pretty girl entered from the kitchen and brought over a tray of food. ‘Talon, this is Ella.’

Talon glanced at the girl, who was slender as a reed, yet he instantly saw the resemblance to Angelica. She was perhaps a few years older than Talon, with blue eyes and very dark hair, made dramatic by a very pale complexion and pinkly rosy cheeks. She wore a plain dress of blue linen and a white apron, but the belt around her waist revealed a pleasing proportion and ample curves despite her being so slender.

‘Hello,’ he said.

She smiled and instantly Talon was struck by how pretty she was. She put down the tray and glanced at Caleb with an open warmth and then said, ‘I’ll be back if you need anything.’

As she hurried back to the kitchen, more workers entered the inn. When she reached the bar, one of the arriving porters called out, ‘Ella!’

She paused for a moment and her expression darkened. ‘Hello, Forney,’ she said, then without another word she walked quickly into the kitchen.

Talon studied the newcomer. He was a young man, perhaps Caleb’s age, sturdily built with a thick thatch of black hair. His clothing was rough, but relatively clean. He moved to the bar with his companions.

Jacob came into the bar from the kitchen, greeted a few of the regular patrons of the inn and came over to the table. Caleb pushed out a chair for him and the young man sat down. ‘Your horses are bedded and fed. The bay mare was favouring her left front hoof, so I had a look at it. Picked up a small stone. Could be forming an abscess.’

Talon had picked out the hooves every night and when resting at noon, so the animal must have picked up the stone along the last leg of the journey.

Jacob continued. ‘I’ll keep an eye on it.’ He leaned forward and lowered his voice. With an evil grin, he said, ‘So, has Forney seen Ella talking to you yet?’ Caleb didn’t look amused. Jacob turned to Talon. ‘My sister has set her cap at our friend here, but young Forney over there is determined to marry her.’

Talon was still vague as to the marriage customs of these people, but he was beginning to sense things were nowhere near as formal among the city people – as he thought of everyone who wasn’t Orosini – as they had been at home. Not quite knowing what to say, Talon said nothing.

Caleb glanced over at Forney then said to Jacob, ‘I’ve told your sister I like her, but you know as well as I do I’m a long way from marriage.’ He got a distant look, then added softly, ‘If I ever do wed.’ He gave them a slight smile. ‘Besides, if I read things right, Forney would have his work cut out for him even if I’d never set foot in Latagore.’

Jacob laughed. ‘He does get on Ella’s bad side more than most, for some reason. But then it’s all of a piece, isn’t it? You want what you can’t have.’

Talon looked puzzled. Jacob noticed and said, ‘Ella wants Caleb here, but can’t have him, and Forney wants Ella, and can’t have her. It’s the same, see?’

Talon didn’t, entirely, but he nodded as if he did. After a moment, he said, ‘Who is he?’

‘Forney?’ asked Jacob with a shrug. ‘He’s a good enough sort, but nothing special.’

Caleb raised an eyebrow and gave Jacob a sardonic half-smile.

‘All right, so his father is the wealthiest shipper in the region.’

Talon didn’t know much about people of wealth, save those who visited Kendrick’s, so he said, ‘He dresses much like the others.’

‘That’s his father’s doing. The old man wants the son to learn the business from the wagon-hubs up. As I said, he’s not a bad sort.’ Then he added, ‘Nothing like our mysterious travelling man, here.’ He patted Caleb on the shoulder. ‘Ella’s had her cap set at him since she was … what? Fifteen?’

‘That was four years ago, Jacob.’

Jacob nodded. ‘I keep telling her that if she got to know you, she’d change her mind, but you know how sisters are.’

‘Not really,’ said Caleb. ‘I have a brother, remember?’

A strange expression passed over Jacob’s face. It was only for a bare instant, but Talon noticed it. Then, forcing lightness into his voice, Jacob said, ‘Magnus is hard to forget.’ He pushed his chair back noisily and stood up. ‘Well, I have other duties to attend to. If you need anything, just ask.’

‘We’ll be fine,’ said Caleb.

Talon waited for a moment for Jacob to leave, then said to Caleb, ‘There are so many things I don’t understand about you people.’

‘You people?’ repeated Caleb.

‘You and Jacob, and those back at Kendrick’s.’ He struggled with the concept. ‘People who are not Orosini.’

Caleb glanced around the room. ‘It’s better that you forget you’re Orosini, at least when you’re within hearing range of strangers.’

‘Why?’

‘Someone went to a lot of trouble to see the Orosini dead, Talon. While you, alone, pose no threat to those people, the fact that you witnessed the calculated genocide of an entire nation makes you a potential … embarrassment.’ He raised his voice. ‘Now, back to what you said; you don’t understand what?’

Talon looked away as if unwilling to meet Caleb’s gaze. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet and flat. ‘The … banter, I think is the word. The … joking, but not joking speech.’

‘The teasing.’

‘Yes, that’s the word. Lela does it with me sometimes, and there are moments when I don’t know if she’s serious about what she’s saying or not.’

Caleb shrugged. ‘That hardly makes you unique among young men, Talon.’

‘Perhaps, but you’re older than I am and I thought—’

Caleb cut him off with a rare laugh. ‘I can be of no help to you, my young friend.’ He leaned forward and looked into his mug of ale. ‘Some day, perhaps, you’ll meet the rest of my family and see where I was raised. But even if you never do, you should know that my upbringing was anything but ordinary.’ He glanced up and smiled. ‘I grew up as a blind man would among the sighted.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘One day I’ll explain that, but suffice it to say I was not a happy child. My parents are exceptional people, talented beyond imagining, but they had no means to heal what I saw as a flaw in my nature.’

Talon sat back, his expression one of open astonishment. ‘I perceive no flaw in you, Caleb. I judge you to be the best hunter I have known, and my people are renowned for hunting. I have studied enough with Kendrick with the sword to see you’re as gifted with the blade as with the bow. You’re plain speaking, yet thoughtful. You have patience and look deeply into things. What is lacking?’

Caleb smiled and sat back. ‘Becoming a student of human nature, aren’t you? Robert will do that to a man, given enough time. It’s one of his gifts. What is lacking,’ he said softly, ‘is magic. My brother is not the only practitioner of magic in my family; rather I am the only one who does not have the gift. I grew up on an island where I was virtually alone in this.’

Talon said, ‘So Robert and your brother are both magicians?’ He kept his voice low.

‘You didn’t know?’

‘I never saw either of them practice, although …’ He paused. ‘The lessons your brother teaches are all about using the mind, more …’ He groped for a concept. ‘Stranger than the lessons in logic which Robert gives me. Magnus shows me how to do things –’ he tapped his head, ‘– in here, that I didn’t imagine were possible. Yet I have no talent for magic.’

‘You know this for certain?’ asked Caleb, as if making light of the subject.

‘Among my people we have very few who are called to be … shaman, a magic priest. Each baby is tested, and those who have the talent leave their villages as children to study with the shamans. Among my people, there are a handful, and they …’ Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, Talon said, ‘It doesn’t matter. They are all dead.’ He felt moisture gathering in his eyes and blinked. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve felt that.’

Caleb nodded. ‘It never goes away, completely. But you’ll discover other things in life.’ His manner brightened. ‘My point was that while I’ve long since recovered from the imagined slights of my birth and upbringing, one thing I was never good at was understanding women. And like you, I was an “outsider” when I first came to this part of the world, with no bearings to go on.’ He took a drink of ale then said, ‘On the other hand, learning can be very pleasant at times.’

Talon grinned. ‘It can be. Lela is …’

Caleb finished for him. ‘Lela. She’s a lively lass, I’ll grant you that.’

‘How do I …’

‘What?’

Talon attempted to frame his thoughts. After a long silence, in which the two young men sat looking at one another while the porters engaged in a loud discussion in the background, Talon leaned forward and said, ‘Among the Orosini our mates are selected for us by our parents. I have no parents, and I do not know about Lela’s parents—’

Caleb interrupted. ‘You’re thinking about marriage?’

Talon blinked as if surprised to hear it put that way, but at last he nodded. ‘I don’t know what to do.’

Caleb said softly, ‘Talk to Robert.’

Talon nodded.

Caleb then said, ‘But I must warn you, I don’t think it’s going to happen, even should Lela be willing, which I don’t think she is.’

‘But she loves me!’ Talon said, just loud enough to cause two of the porters to turn and regard him. With a laugh and a rude remark, they returned to their own conversation.

‘As I said, I am no expert on women, Talon. But this you must know. You are not the first lad to warm Lela’s bed.’

‘I knew that,’ said Talon.

Caleb sat back as if considering his words. After a moment, he said, ‘What passes between a man and a woman is their own business. But I will tell you this. You know men who have been in Lela’s arms.’

Talon blinked, as if he hadn’t considered this. ‘Gibbs?’ Caleb nodded. ‘Lars?’ Again Caleb nodded.

Talon said, ‘But Lars is with Meggie.’

‘Now, but they fall out as often as not; Meggie is no one’s idea of a summer festival. She has qualities, but she can be a difficult woman.’

‘But that’s not right,’ said Talon.

‘Talon, it’s not a question of right or wrong. It’s the way it is. Among your people, your mates are selected and you can go through life knowing only one woman, but here …’ He sighed. ‘It’s different.’

Talon appeared distressed.

Caleb said, ‘You should know that I have been with Lela.’

Talon looked shocked. ‘You!’

‘Last Midsummer, on the day Pasko and Robert found you, she and I drank too much ale and ended up spending the night together. And she has done the same with a few handsome travellers, as well.’

Talon looked as if his world was falling in on him. ‘Is she … what is that word?’

‘What word?’

‘A woman who lies with men for money.’

‘A whore,’ supplied Caleb. ‘No, my young friend, she is not. But she is a healthy girl who likes men, and she’s from a land where people don’t think twice about lying with one another for amusement.’

Talon felt an empty pit form in his stomach. ‘It’s not right,’ he muttered.

Caleb said, ‘Go and wash your hands.’ He waved towards the door into the kitchen. ‘The food will be here in a moment. Just remember that in most things, right or wrong depends on where you’re standing at the moment. My father’s people would have thought having your life’s mate picked out for you by your parents to be … well, barbaric.’ As Talon’s expression started to darken, Caleb added, ‘No offence intended, but I’m pointing out that things look the way they do because that is how you were taught as a child. And the rest of the world is vastly different to what a child can imagine. Now, go and wash.’

Talon stood up and made his way past the bar and into the kitchen. There he discovered familiar sights. Angelica and Ella were working alongside two others: a man who must be Jacob’s father, given their resemblance, and another man, who was obviously the cook. Talon found a bucket and soap and had a wash. When he looked up, he found that Ella was giving him a sidelong glance of appraisal.

He ventured a tentative smile and wiped his hands upon a cloth hung next to the bucket. Although she had affection for Caleb, she seemed to be looking at him in a disquieting way. He left the kitchen and returned to where Caleb was waiting. He sat down and looked at the man he had considered to be a friend; yet he had been with the woman Talon loved! How was he supposed to feel now?

Finally, Talon let out a long sigh and said, ‘I will never understand women.’

Caleb laughed and said, ‘Welcome to the brotherhood, my friend.’

Early the next day, Caleb started his rounds of the city. Five or six times a year, Kendrick had specific goods shipped out to the steading, including wheat flour, rice, sugar and honey, and seasonal items. But twice a year a special list was prepared and someone had to go into the city to purchase those particular items. Often it was Kendrick himself, but this time Caleb had elected to go.

After the third shop had been visited, Talon was beginning to understand why. Caleb seemed to possess a knack for negotiations. He could sense when a merchant was ready to accept a lower price, or when he was at his limit. As they walked down the street to the next shop, Talon asked, ‘How do you know?’

‘How do I know what?’

‘When to stop arguing over the price?’

Caleb dodged aside as a small band of urchins came racing down the street towards them, followed a moment later by an angry merchant. ‘There are things to watch for. It’s the same when you gamble or if you’re trying to see if a man is lying.’

‘What things?’

Caleb said, ‘Many things, but let’s start with the more obvious ones. The expression. The spice trader, this morning, for example, was pleased to see a customer. His face mirrored genuine delight at our arrival.’

‘How could you tell?’

‘The moment you enter a shop, watch the man’s face. Most merchants will pause for a brief instant to see who calls upon them. In that moment, you’ll see a truth. It takes a while to learn, but you’ll soon discover for yourself the difference between a man who’s genuinely pleased to see a customer and one who is feigning pleasure. The first needs to sell you something, while the second may or may not.

‘There are many other truths buried behind a false smile, a proffered wish for good health or a claim that a price is too low or too high. For the time being, just watch the men with whom I deal, not me, and see what you see.’

Talon watched throughout the day and after each bargaining session, he would ask questions. Slowly, he began to understand a little of what Caleb meant, that there were telltale signs to be seen if one had the patience to look for them.

A little after midday they reached a small market near the eastern wall of the city and wended their way through the stalls of merchants offering food, clothing, live poultry, jewellery, tools, weapons, even a broker for mercenary guards. The shoppers looked different to the people who populated the rest of the city and Talon felt a stab of recognition. For a brief instant he thought he was among his own people! The men wore tattoos upon their faces, although the markings were unfamiliar. They wore fur over-jackets, not unlike those worn by the Orosini, and they travelled in groups that included children and the elderly.

He heard speech that was tantalizingly familiar, peppered here and there with words that he recognized. He put out his hand and halted Caleb, who turned to see what was wrong. Noting the expression of concentration upon Talon’s face, Caleb said nothing but waited as Talon strained to make sense of what he heard.

After a few moments of listening to a man speaking with a woman whom Talon took to be his wife, he realized he understood the speech, even though it was heavily accented and contained several strange words and phrases. Leaning close to Caleb he asked in low tones, ‘Who are these people?’

Caleb motioned for Talon to follow him and as he moved away from the couple of strangers, he replied, ‘These are the Orodon. They live on the other side of a mountain range to the north. They are distant kin to the Orosini, though they are plainsmen and fishermen of the deep oceans, not mountain people. They have villages, but no cities, so each winter many of them journey south and in the early spring come here to the market in Latagore. There are traders who also put in at coastal villages up and down the land of the Orodon regularly.’

‘Why have I not heard of them?’

Caleb shrugged. ‘You would have to ask someone who is now dead – your father or grandfather. Once all these lands belonged to your ancestors, Talon. Men from the south, city men, moved northwards and pushed your people up into the mountains, and the Orodon to the north. The nations to the south are all related to the nation of Roldem, which is why that language is spoken throughout these kingdoms.’

Talon glanced over his shoulder as they left the open market and walked down another street. ‘I would like to know more of these people.’

‘Magnus will be thrilled,’ Caleb said. ‘He has a particular bent for history and will be happy to teach you. It bores me, I’m afraid.’

They reached an inn, the sign of which showed a man in footman’s livery running after a departing coach. ‘The Running Footman,’ said Caleb. ‘In which we’ll find our friend Dustin Webanks.’

They entered the relative darkness of the common room of the inn and stood blinking for a moment as their eyes adjusted to the darkness. Then with an inarticulate shout of rage, Talon drew the sword at his side and charged straight at a man who was standing at the bar.