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FELIX JOINED HIS FATHER at the manor and watched the wagons roll down the glen. He glanced at Lord Garion’s grim expression before he stomped his boots clean and opened the door to the house.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked.
“We never heard back from the last merchants,” Lord Garion muttered, still staring as Gingham’s wagons vanished into the woods. “Granted, they paid for the wine upfront, but I lost six barrels. I can’t keep losing inventory like that. Too many people are picking up the trade without knowing what they’re doing. This is the second caravan without trained scouts or mercenaries and Gingham owes me for the wine.”
Felix studied his father. Lord Garion never assumed anything, nor did he speak without giving weight to his words. If he suspected something, he would have just cause to do so.
“Those first men would have returned for more wine if something hadn’t happened. It’s late spring. The river’s done flooding. There should be a steady stream of waggoneers arriving. There were plenty of people we’ve dealt with in the past who’d return for more. Trustworthy men. Yet Gingham and his family are the only ones we’ve seen for weeks. Why?”
“What do you suppose?” Felix asked.
“I don’t know. Unless there’s a road washed away but we would have received word of that. Highwaymen, maybe. Still, rarely do we not hear of thieves on the road along the mountain pass.” Lord Garion sighed. “Puzzles me, Felix. Rumors abound. I don’t want to suspect magic, however, I don’t want to discount it either.”
“Rumors? You mean the ones from Fairmistle?”
“Stormy’s song last night had me thinking,” Lord Garion answered.
Felix chuckled quietly. He rarely believed the tales of a bard, but Stormy was a friend, spent more time listening to travelers in the pub than Felix, and had a certain knack at picking out truth from tall tales.
“Stormy’s gathered himself a reputation as someone to listen to,” Lord Garion replied. “His yarns have been more accurate than not.” Lord Garion faced Felix; his eyes stern.
The steady hoofbeat of Gingham’s mules and oxen, along with the smell of the animals lingered. Was that the last they would see of these travelers too? Did Lord Garion just hand off more of his products to the elements? What if there was unexplainable misfortune awaiting Gingham?
“I could follow the wagons,” Felix suggested. “At least until they reach Tuluva Road.”
“It’s pruning time, Felix. I need you in the fields, supervising those new farmhands.” Lord Garion took his hat off, wiped the sweat from his brow and regarded his vineyard.
“I’m thinking we could arm Stormy and some of the other Fairmistle boys. They could follow the wagons or better yet, ride ahead and stay out of sight of traffic. That way we’d know if it’s bandits we’re up against and could send some men out that way to counter them. If it’s robbers, I can send word to the king requesting soldier escorts for the summer, or at least until the threat is over. I’d hate for something to happen to Gingham’s family and yet I need to get this wine sold. A secure passage would encourage other merchants to make the trip west.”
“Stormy would much rather ride than prune, I’m guessing,” Felix said, nodding toward the redheaded young man in the vineyard.
“Let’s ask him, then,” Lord Garion said.
Felix removed his hat and waved it at Stormy. The young man stood, stretched, and waved back. When Felix signaled him to come, Stormy set down his tools and jogged from the vineyard. He was panting by the time he reached Felix and Lord Garion.
“I might be younger than you all, but that prunin’s rough on my body,” he grinned, rubbing his shoulders. “What do you need?”
“You only just started!” Felix laughed and glanced at his father. “But you might be relieved to know we have something else for you to do.”
Stormy took off his cap and wiped his forehead with his arm. Sweat trickled down his freckled face, but his grin remained cheerful. “Can’t be worse than crawling in the ditch lopping branches. What d’ya have for me?”
“How about a ride?”
“Got the fastest horse this side of the mountains, you know that, sir, and I’d be in the saddle as soon as you said the word go.”
“Fast isn’t exactly what we need,” Lord Garion interrupted. “Your horse might get impatient trailing behind three wagons and some oxen and a mule or two.”
“I’ve a love affair with the saddle, sir. Fast or slow don’t bother me or my horse.”
“Good. Do you have a few men that might want to ride with you?”
“How many can I take?” Stormy looked back at the fields where his friends were pruning.
“Four.”
“I can name them now if you like.”
Lord Garion patted the young man on his shoulder. “Saddle up. I need you to follow those wagons that just left here. If you can move ahead of them without being noticed that’d be even better. They refused our help, and it would be an insult to have them think I don’t trust them, because I do. But I also sense danger and I want to make sure the road is safe for them.”
Stormy’s expression darkened and he glanced at both Felix and Lord Garion.
“You hear the ballad last night? More truth in those lyrics than fish in the creek. Magic’s been seeping from the mountain again. Sure as I see stars at night, there’s mystery going on in these hills.”
Felix exchanged a look with his father.
“We heard the song. What are your sources?”
“Eyewitnesses, sir. I’m not the only one singin’. A bard from the west came through Fairmistle just the other day. Said there’s strange currents moving in the Nisi Sea, storms that turn green, dust devils where there were never whirlwinds before. Things like that. And....” He looked over his shoulder at his friends working in the field. “There’s talk of noises no one on this green earth have ever heard before.”
“What kind of noises?”
“Grinding, screeching. Just like in the ballad.” Stormy broke into song, a melody clean and velvet.
“Would that the wind would settle
That the raging clouds turned white
But over the ocean grinds a battle
Like a millstone gnashing life.
Tis not just a storm that furies
Nor rain that would nourish our fields
Tis a sorcerer’s vengeance agin’ the kingdom
To plunder, to pillage and steal.”
“Vengeance?” Felix asked.
After a moment of silence, Lord Garion exhaled and put a hand on Stormy’s shoulder. “You find out for us. Follow that family and make sure they’re safe from predators, strange whirlwinds, or any other suspicious phenomena. If you see anything, send a rider back here to tell us.”
“Yes sir, we’ll return like lightning to let you know.”