By the time Gragensberg came in view that afternoon, I bounced limply, too exhausted to even swear. A huge, ugly castle dominated the city, which looked like a tumble of rocks spilled down the hill.
"They close the gates at sundown," Tayvis said.
He slowed the horse. We joined herds of squalling animals and wagons loaded with vegetables headed to the single gate in the city walls. The breeze stank of unwashed people, animals, and a thousand other things.
Tayvis slid off the horse, leading it to the gate. Two bored guards eyed me before waving him through. Their looks made my teeth itch.
People crowded the narrow streets, shouting at each other over the bawling of animals. The twisting streets were a maze of filth and noise.
Gragensberg was nothing like any city I'd ever been in. Cut stone dominated the buildings, gray and crusted with grime. Tiny windows peered across the narrow streets. Signs, painted with the most incredible pictures I'd ever seen, hung over doorways. Animals and plants and articles of clothing in a variety of glaring colors passed overhead. I looked into an open door underneath a picture of boots but saw nothing inside that resembled shoes.
Tayvis stopped under a sign showing a grotesquely fascinating donkey doing something anatomically impossible with a bunch of grapes.
I slid off the horse. Tayvis untied his gear, carrying it into the building.
Smoke hung in a haze, turning the air blue. Men sat at tables, drinking and smoking. A group in the corner sang drunkenly. A few women flirted with the men as they served drinks.
"This way." Tayvis crossed the room, then climbed a narrow flight of stairs. He opened a door at the top. I followed him inside. The room was barely big enough for a narrow bed.
"One of their larger rooms," Tayvis said. "I'll arrange with the owner to bring you a meal. I'm meeting someone. Don't leave this room until I come back. Do you understand?"
"What if you don't come back?"
"Then you're in no worse shape than you already are. This city is dangerous enough if you know what you're doing. If you get yourself in trouble, I'm not coming to get you out. Lock the door behind me. Don't let anyone else in."
"Except my dinner."
He shut the door in my face.
I crossed to the tiny window at the back. It opened into an alley reeking of sewage. I wrinkled my nose at the stench. I poked the bed, feeling lots of hard lumps. I closed my eyes and wished I were flying my ship somewhere lightyears away.
I remembered Tayvis' warning about locking the door too late. A girl, no more than ten, entered carrying a tray and a candle. She put the tray on the bed, the candle in a holder on the wall, then scurried out.
I wolfed down the greasy unappetizing slop, hungry enough to ignore the odd texture. I set the tray outside the door.
Laughter rose from the common room below. Yellow light filtered up the dim staircase. I hesitated. It was either the stuffy, smelly little room with the lumpy bed or downstairs where people laughed. It was still the same building, I rationalized. How dangerous could it really be? I spoke the language. I might actually prove my usefulness to Tayvis. Maybe he'd trust me if I found information for him. I stepped off the bottom stair into a spreading quiet.
"Will your man mind if I buy you a drink?" one man offered. He slid over on his bench, making room. He looked young and fairly clean.
"I doubt it," I answered, sitting down.
He signaled a bar maid. She flounced across the room, carrying a tray of mugs. She set one in front of me.
The conversation and drunken singing resumed.
The man sipped his drink, his eyes appraising me. "What business brings you here? I heard your owner was a mercenary, looking for work. The Duchess is always looking for new men."
"He isn't my owner." It slipped out before I could think better of it.
"Then you're free for the taking?" The man's eyes grew bolder.
"He'll probably object if you try." Maybe Tayvis was my owner. I picked up the mug. The brown liquid had small bits of wood floating in it. It smelled sour.
"Hari's best ale." The man raised his own mug.
I sipped. It burned when I swallowed. I put the mug aside.
"Not very adventurous," the man said. He drank half his mug.
"Not my taste."
He smiled. "Perhaps wine would suit you better? They don't serve any here. No, I'm afraid you're stuck with Hari's ale. Unless you wouldn't mind accompanying me somewhere classier?"
I'd made a mistake. I pushed to my feet. The man caught my arm, stopping me.
"Caution is good, an admirable trait in a woman. I mean no harm. I'm Acer." He smiled. "Stay, please."
I sat down.
"Your name?" he prompted.
"Dace." I saw no reason not to tell him. Maybe I could get information. "Do you work for the Duchess?" I smiled my most winsome smile. I hadn't had much chance to practice.
"It's only rough the first few sips." He nudged my mug.
If I played his game, maybe he'd let something slip. I forced another swallow. Tingling numbness rippled over my tongue. I avoided intoxicants as a rule. I never had the pleasant side effects, only unpleasant ones.
Acer laughed at my grimace. "A slave of refinement and quality. I wouldn't have guessed from your dress."
"I keep the nice dresses for when I'm not traveling."
"And a sharp tongue." Acer drained his mug. "So, tell me about your owner. Who is he? Where do you come from?"
I pasted a smile on my face while I racked my brain for answers. Ameli's information contained all sorts of trivia about social classes but precious little about geography. I hazarded a guess. "South, far south."
"Tribidia, perhaps? Or maybe the Duchy of Keris?"
"Something like that. Where do you come from?"
"Gragensberg is my home, always has been. It's a pleasant enough city. The Duchess keeps things fair. Some say she gives women too much freedom, but I say it only makes life more challenging. I like a good challenge." He ran his finger around the rim of his mug. "What is your business in Gragensberg?"
"I really don't know. You'll have to ask my owner."
"I will." Acer planted his elbows on the table. "I'll make you a wager. I ask you a question and you either answer or take a drink of Hari's ale. In return, you ask me any question you like."
"And you'll drink the ale. I don't see any advantage here."
Acer grinned, winking. "I pay for the drinks. If you really don't care for ale, what's the harm in answering a few simple questions?"
"I think I'm done. Thanks for the drink."
Acer reached across the table, grabbing my arms. "I can have you arrested on suspicion of spying on Her Grace. Her sorceress will pry the answers from you fast enough. Or you can play my little game."
"Drink or answer."
Acer nodded. "My turn first. What is your business in Gragensberg?"
"I don't know."
Acer shook his head. "Not an answer. You'll have to drink twice."
I picked up the mug. Maybe I could still find a way to twist this to my advantage. I drank. "What business are you in?"
"Guard duty when needed. What does your owner do?"
"He's a mercenary."
"What kind?"
"I don't know."
"Penalty for you."
We went back and forth with questions and vague answers. I didn't have enough background to know what to ask. I probed any opening Acer gave. I took the smallest sips Acer allowed. Hari's ale was deceptively strong.
"Your turn." Acer didn't look drunk in the least.
My thoughts spun hazily. I couldn't remember what I'd already asked. Acer glanced over my shoulder. I twisted around, sliding off the bench. I caught myself on the edge of the table.
"I told you to stay in the room," Tayvis said.
I pushed to my feet, feeling like a chastised cadet. Acer saluted me with my mug before draining it.
I climbed the stairs to our room. Tayvis dogged my heels. He shut the door firmly when we were both inside. The stale stench of the mattress, combined with the greasy dinner and Hari's ale, sent me diving for the porcelain pot under the bed. I was noisily sick into it.
Tayvis dropped on the bed, tucking his hands behind his head. "I'll have to bust you a rank for disobeying orders."
"I'm already a slave, how far can you bust me below that?" I got to my feet to dump the pot out the window. "I did learn something useful; at least I think it's important."
"Are you sober enough to tell me?"
I sat on the floor next to the pot. "I don't get drunk, just sick. The Duchess works with a sorceress. They say she came from the sky and brings magic with her."
"Shomies Pardui. She's a noted anthropologist. I've already told you about her."
"She is rumored to be selling shara to the unbelievers." I leaned against the wall.
Tayvis rose to rummage through his pack. He pulled his waterskin out, tossing it to me. I drank a mouthful. It was better than Hari's ale, but not by much.
"What you did was still stupid, although you learned more than I did. Feeling better yet?"
"No."
"Then you sleep on the floor. Right next to the chamber pot in case you need it again." He lay down on the bed.
I stoppered the waterskin, then wiped my face on my skirt.
"I'm meeting someone else in the morning. Are you going to stay in the room this time?"
"Yes, sir."
He closed his eyes.
"What are lice?"
"Go to sleep," he ordered.
"You said I had them, I want to know what they are."
"You'll probably have them before you leave this planet, especially if you spend time drinking with strange men."
"What are they?"
"Bugs."
"Oh."
"Go to sleep."
"The floor's hard."
"Do you like complaining?"
"I'm not complaining."
He sighed heavily before shifting to the side, making room. He spread the blanket over us both. "If you throw up on me, you're sleeping on the floor."
I snuggled next to him. I didn't care if he didn't like me. It didn't matter that he was a Patrol Enforcer and would probably arrest me sometime in the future. I finally felt safe.