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Tor stared up at the stars shining above him. He was tired, more tired than he had ever felt in his life. He had been the first of his brothers to obtain the second clue, but it felt like a hollow victory. He had no idea what ‘search high and low for those you seek’ meant, nor where he would find a water maiden.
Knowing he would find it hard to sleep with his mind whirling in a million different directions he had volunteered to take first watch. Now Patrick and Seth had taken over, but sleep was still eluding him.
The journey up the mountain and down the other side had been physically draining for them all. On top of that, Tor felt responsible for all members of his party and the constant worry was beginning to have adverse effects on him.
Ellen, who had offered to stay up with Tor, was also unable to sleep. She was watching him carefully as he lay on his back, unmoving. She knew he was not sleeping and was concerned for him.
Eventually she stood up and walked over to him.
“What is troubling you?” she asked in hushed tones, so as not to wake those sleeping nearby.
“Everything,” he replied. “Am I doing the right thing by continuing with this quest? Hurst almost died.”
“But he didn’t,” she tried to reassure him, but her words had no effect.
“And I have no idea how to solve the latest clue.”
Ellen sighed. “Stop trying to solve it on your own. We are all here for you. Let us discuss it over breakfast in the morning. One of us is bound to have some good ideas.”
Tor knew she was right, but that did not ease his troubled mind. He thanked her for her advice and rolled over, turning his back on her in an attempt to convince her he was going to sleep. He did not hear the spell she was softly singing as she continued to sit beside him and was surprised when he opened his eyes to find the sun had risen.
Everyone else was awake and moving about the camp when he rose from his slumber. The smell of frying bacon assaulted his nose and his bladder told him he needed to excuse himself from the group as soon as he could.
“What did you do to me?” he accused Ellen when he returned. He always woke before sunrise so he knew his sleep had not been natural.
Ellen smiled at him. “I just sang an enchantment to help ease your mind. Sleep came naturally once you let it.” She then blushed a little. “I may have had Nosmas put a mild sleeping spell on you part way through the night to make sure you did not wake up too early,” she admitted.
Tor was not angry. He felt better than he had since the quest was first announced. He had not been sleeping properly for a long while and knew she had only done what she did for his benefit. Also, the fact that he had overslept did not matter as there was no need to rush their departure when they had no idea where to go.
The latest clue was discussed while everyone ate. They all agreed that the water maiden was obvious; they needed a female water sprite. Finding one would be easy; finding one who would be willing to go with them would be much more difficult. They were a notoriously shy people and it was very rare that their females would travel without male chaperones.
However, before heading off east, it was unanimous that they should try to solve the rest of the puzzle. The last thing they wanted to do was backtrack if they did not need to.
Hurst could remember hearing of a legend involving a Lord called Ballid. It was said that he lost his love when a ship she was travelling on crashed onto rocks. He then melted down all of his gold to create a horn which, when blown, would warn passing ships to turn around.
This rang a bell for Patrick, who vaguely remembered the tale originating from the south west coast of Remeny, close to the border with Gitwerc.
“That is it,” Nosmas suddenly exclaimed. “Gitwerc. Where the dwarves live. Search high and low. We need a dwarf and a giant.”
“You could be right,” Tor said thoughtfully. “But I wonder if a tayman would do instead of a giant. They are closely related and I happen to know a friendly one who lives not far from here, just the other side of the border into Mercia.”
“It sounds like it would be worth a try,” Patrick agreed. “Go to Mercia, grab your friend, then head down to Gitwerc to find a dwarf, collecting a water Sprite along the way.”
Nobody disagreed with the suggestion, so they quickly packed up their things and remounted their horses.
––––––––
The journey out of Dannavon was uneventful. They crossed the border with no issues and headed northward into the heart of Mercia. Tor promised them that it would only take a few days to reach his friend’s home so their pace slowed noticeably once they had entered a more peaceful country.
Mid-afternoon they reached a fair sized town and Tor decided to book rooms at some of the inns instead of making his team sleep rough again. They had to be spread over 3 different establishments, but nobody minded. They were looking forward to sleeping in beds once more and the ladies wanted to bathe in proper baths instead of rivers or streams.
Once she had finished washing and was dressed in clean clothes, Ellen asked Tor if he would escort her around the shops. Some of her medical supplies were getting low and it was the ideal opportunity to restock.
She quickly found all she needed and on the way back to the inn she was staying at with Marie, Tor and Patrick, she noticed a poster had been pasted to a number of walls.
“A circus is playing this evening in one of the fields just outside the town,” she told Tor as she read. “We should consider going. It will be a good diversion from the quest.”
Tor surprised her by agreeing. Once he had seen her safely back to her room, he visited the other two inns his friends were staying in and left messages for them, notifying them of his plans and stating that they were free to join him if they wished.
The inn which was accommodating Bellak and his family, as well as Torrick and Liselle, offered the largest dining room, so most of the company met there for an early meal before heading out to the circus.
Only Patrick was missing and when Tor enquired if anyone knew where he was, William informed him that he had seen him walking with a young lady. Tor rolled his eyes. He doubted he would see any more of Patrick that night and vowed that they would leave in the morning, with or without him.
After a very filling meal of pies and vegetables with fresh bread on the side, washed down with descent ale and wine that had not been watered down, the group headed off toward the field where the circus was to be held.
They followed a stream of locals and found the field bustling with people when they arrived. They had to pay a small fee for entry, which Tor was more than happy to provide for his entire team; well those that were present, anyway. A baker had set up a table at the back and was selling sweet buns and cakes and the landlords of each inn were selling beer from barrels.
It was a very relaxed atmosphere and Tor purchased a mug of ale, found a clear space and sat down to happily enjoy his drink and the show.
Looking around, he noticed a number of wagons at the far end of the field, most of which had built up sides and covered tops and were, he assumed, living quarters for the performers.
A short while later a tall thin man exited one of the wagons and approached the crowd. He was dressed in black trousers, a white shirt and a bright red jacket with long tails. A hush fell over the field as everyone found somewhere to sit and gave the man their full attention.
He announced that he was the ringmaster and promised his audience an evening of fun and entertainment. He had a booming voice that could easily be heard, even by those at the back of the field.
“Time for some music,” he called out and a group of musicians appeared, all dressed in comical costumes. They struck up a cheerful tune and a group of ladies appeared in long flowing dresses, which they lifted high as they walked, exposing a lot of leg.
They danced well, with lots of intricate movements and multiple tempo changes, but were nothing special. While Tor found that he was not bored, he was far from entertained.
The rest of the crowd seemed to be enjoying it, clapping in time to the music and some of the men, obviously already drunk, were yelling out lewd comments whenever one of the dancers kicked high enough to expose her undergarments.
The ladies were replaced by some talented jugglers who managed to keep a fair number of balls in the air while throwing them to each other. The onlookers clapped loudly, but not overly enthusiastically until the balls were replaced with swords.
Before throwing any, one of the jugglers demonstrated their sharpness by cutting through cloth held up by his partner.
The pair started off tossing the swords into the air, making them cartwheel before catching them again by the hilt. Then they increased the speed and the audience gasped as the blades came closer and closer to outstretched hands.
When they began to throw them to each other, catching them over their heads or behind their backs, some of the more faint hearted closed their eyes. They finally finished their routine and took a bow, causing most of the audience to spring to their feet while clapping so hard their hands hurt.
The jugglers left and a thin waif rode forward on the back of a large grey stallion. Dressed in clothes that barely covered her modesty and with her feet bare, she expertly guided the horse around the field a few times before standing up on its back. It continued to canter around in circles while the girl went into different poses with one leg outstretched, then high in the air, then out behind her.
She was very graceful and her sense of balance was astonishing. Then she flipped over into a handstand, her hands firmly planted in the middle of the horse’s back.
While still in that position, she instructed her mount to increase his speed and soon he was galloping. The girl slowly curved herself backward until her feet touched horseflesh, then she straightened herself up and waved to the crowd. She rode off to the deafening sound of applause.
Next a pair of horses approached, pulling two wagons. Each contained a ladder, held upright. Once the wagons were in position next to each other about twenty paces apart, the horses were unhitched and sent away.
Acrobats then ran into sight, jumping and tumbling as they went. Two nimbly climbed the ladders and each end of a long rope was thrown up to them. They securely tied the two ladders together by the top rungs, the rope stretched taut between them, then they slid back down.
Ignoring the wagons, ladder and rope behind them, the group proceeded with a tricky balancing routine, climbing over each other and throwing themselves into the air when they needed to. They were very skilled and performed well, but Tor found his attention wandering. It crossed his mind that having one of them on his team might be a good idea, but soon dismissed the thought; he was travelling with enough people as it was.
One of the performers was far better than the rest and Tor found himself watching her closely. As she moved her lithe body around, her long blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, swung about her hypnotically.
He watched, transfixed, as one man climbed on another’s shoulders, then a third swung the young lady high, the top man catching her outstretched hands and assisting her as she climbed up him.
People around him gasped as, once she was up on the man’s shoulders, she dived to the ground, only to be caught at the last moment by those below.
Then four of the performers walked over to the wagons, which until now had been ignored. Two took hold of the bottom of each ladder, making sure they were secure, and the young lady climbed up, stepping over the last rung and onto the rope.
The crowd stared at her as she then walked across the rope to the other side, using nothing but her arms for balance. When she reached the far end, instead of stepping onto the ladder, she back-flipped, making the rope wobble as she landed. For a moment it looked like she would overbalance and fall to her death. Someone near Tor screamed, but the acrobat kept her knees bent until the rope stopped moving, then straightened her legs.
Before the onlookers could react, she jumped, catching the rope with her outstretched hand and swinging herself back onto it.
She performed many tricks on the rope before finally jumping into the outstretched arms of one of her colleagues. Tor was mesmerised the entire time. Only when she was safely on the ground did he look around him and found that all those near him were as amazed with her abilities as he was.
The acrobats took their bows and were soon replaced with the dancers once more, this time dancing to a slow, sorrowful tune.
Despite the fact that the sun had not yet set, Tor felt tired, so he stood up and left the field, making his way back to the inn he was staying at. A number of men in uniform were in the taproom when he entered and, overhearing their conversation, he identified them as members of the Queen’s guard. As the Queen was born in a nearby city, she visited regularly and a garrison of her guards were stationed there.
They were quietly playing a dice game and ignored Tor, so he continued on through the room to the stairs at the back and climbed them two at a time.
Despite his tiredness, Tor found himself unable to sleep. There was no sign of Patrick and Tor was not expecting to see him before the morning, assuming he had managed to talk a lady into letting him stay the night in her bed.
Lying awake, staring through the open window at the clear sky, Tor heard the ladies return, but still sleep eluded him. He could not get comfortable and every time he closed his eyes his mind began to go through the latest clue in the quest once more.
Eventually he gave up and got dressed. Thinking a walk would do him good, he left the inn and headed toward the field where the circus had performed.
He had no idea why he went in that direction, but that was where he ended up. The crowd had dispersed and all was quiet. Other than a few lamps near the performers’ wagons, the field was in darkness. He heard a horse whinny, then another one reply.
Smiling to himself, he moved closer. When he got near enough that he could make out the shape of the animals in a makeshift pen, he suddenly felt self-conscious, as though he was prying on these people by invading their space.
He turned around and was about to move away when his ears picked up the sound of someone speaking. The words were slurred and almost incoherent, as if the speaker had drunk more than a few too many mugs of ale, but what Tor did manage to make out led him to believe something bad was about to happen.
Without thinking about whether he was intruding or not, he headed toward the nearest wagon. It was here the voice had come from, through the open door.
He glanced in and spotted the ringmaster climbing on top of the young lady inside and telling her that it was about time she showed him her appreciation.
Before he had time to enter the wagon and restrain the man, the lady kneed the ringmaster in the groin, making him double up in pain.
Tor rushed in, intent on saving the damsel in distress, but he was only halfway to the bed when she grabbed her would-be-rapist around the neck with her legs and twisted around, squeezing them together as she did so.
Tor stopped dead, unwilling to move forward in case he did anything to make the situation worse.
“That is not a good idea,” he said calmly, watching the ringmaster’s face turn from red to purple as he struggled to breathe. “Members of the Queen’s guards are in the town and, even if I testify that you acted in self-defence, they will arrest you and hang you. Release him now if you want to remain free.”
“Free,” she spat and it was only then that Tor recognised her. She was the acrobat that had had him transfixed earlier in the evening. “Free so this bastard can try again another night. I do not think so.”
The man in question had stopped struggling and appeared to have lost consciousness, though the slight movement in his chest told Tor that he was still alive.
The acrobat relaxed her grip slightly, but not enough for the man to escape, had he been in any condition to do so.
“There is an alternative,” Tor said, thinking quickly. He believed the ringmaster deserved everything he was getting for trying to force himself on a young lady, but he did not want this particular one to have to pay the price. “Come with me. I am Prince Tor of Remeny. You have probably heard about the quest I am on.”
She didn’t contradict him, so he continued. “My team are staying in the town. We will leave first thing in the morning. Come with us. I watched you tonight and your skills may be of use.”
Tor had no idea what the rest of the group would say about him recruiting the young woman, but all that was going through his mind at that moment was stopping her doing something that she would regret for the rest of her short life.
“Why should I trust you?” she asked harshly.
“What is the worst that could happen?” Tor countered. “You have already proven that you are more than able to take care of yourself. Surely taking the risk of coming with me is better than staying here and facing the consequences in the morning.”
The lady could find no argument against what Tor had said and slowly relaxed her leg muscles. The ringmaster slid to the bottom of the wagon, hitting the wooden slats with a thump. He showed no sign of regaining consciousness, but she gave him a sharp kick to the head just to make sure.
“Did that make you feel better Miss?” Tor asked in amusement.
“Ria,” the young woman introduced herself, “not Miss. Now get out of my wagon while I get dressed.”
Tor bowed to her and retreated. He had no idea if she was going to kill her attacker as soon as he had left, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt.
He was not waiting outside the wagon long before she appeared, a bag slung over her shoulder. Now that she was out in the moonlight filled night, Tor was able to see her better. She had tied her long blonde hair with a bow at the back of her head and her piercing green eyes were filled with questions. She was very pretty, but there was a hardness to her features that prevented her from being beautiful. Tor could understand why the ringmaster had been attracted to her.
“So where do we go now?” she asked.
As Tor escorted her back to the inn he was staying at, she told him a little about herself, how she had grown up on the streets of Auxland and had turned to thievery in order to survive. The ringmaster had seen her in action and persuaded her to give up her life of crime in order to join his circus.
She had been travelling with them for nearly a year and, until now, her life had been quite good. Now she would have to return to being a thief.
Tor, in return, told her about himself, the quest and his reasons for joining it. He told her, once more, that instead of turning to a life of crime, she could travel with him and his companions. He assured her that there was no catch, but she did not believe him and only agreed to stay with him until they were well away from the town and the ringmaster.
The streets of the town were deserted and, much to Tor’s chagrin, the doors to the inn were locked when they arrived. He stared at them with such a look of dismay that Ria could not stop herself from laughing.
“Some knight in shining armour you are,” she teased. “Which room are you in?”
Tor took her around the back and pointed to an open window on the second floor.
“That is easy,” she told him and before he could stop her she leaped up the wall, grabbing onto the bottom of the sill. She pulled herself upward and dropped through the open window.
Then her head appeared and she signalled for him to return to the front of the inn. By the time he got there, she was holding the door open for him and grinning like the cat who had just drunk all the cream.
“I told you you would come in handy,” was all Tor said as he brushed past her and led her back to his room.
Once inside, he pointed to Patrick’s empty bed. “You can sleep there,” he told her. “I would be very surprised if its occupant returns before sunrise.”
Ria did not bother to ask who Tor was talking about, or where he was, choosing instead to drop her bag on the foot of the bed, take off her boots and snuggle in under the covers.
It was not the most comfortable of beds, but was better than anything she had slept in for a long time, so she was soon asleep. Tor waited until he was sure she was comfortable before getting into his own bed. He knew he was taking a risk. She had admitted to him that she was a thief and he could well wake up in the morning to find both Ria and all his possessions gone, but he felt it was a risk worth taking.
He was awoken a few hours later by the sound of someone exclaiming, followed by a loud thud on the floor. He sprang out of bed, reaching for his sword as he did so, only for his eyes to focus on Patrick laying on the rug between the two beds, his arm twisted up painfully and Ria’s foot on his neck.
He replaced his sword, suppressing a chuckle as he did so. “Ria, meet Patrick,” he said, his voice still full of amusement. “Patrick, this is Ria. She will be travelling with us, at least for a while. I was not expecting you back so soon, so I offered her the use of your bed.”
Patrick tried to say something, but the pressure of Ria’s bare foot on his throat prevented him from speaking.
“Let him up,” Tor instructed when he noticed his friend could not move.
“My apologies,” she said to Patrick as she placed her foot back onto the floor. She held her hand out to him to help him raise and he cautiously accepted it.
He looked Ria up and down, admiring her pretty face and good figure. “Tor, my friend,” he finally said. “You are the only man I know who could get such a lovely young lady into your room and not have her sleep in your bed.”
He grabbed his bag, which he had stowed under his bed, and moved toward the door. “It is almost dawn,” he announced. “I am going to find the wash house then grab some breakfast. Hopefully you will be up and about by the time I get back.”
“Have I offended him?” Ria asked, still staring at the door, which Patrick quietly closed behind him.
“No,” Tor assured her. “Patrick is surprisingly hard to offend. He is, however, right about it being almost dawn. We should pack our things and see if the inn keeper is serving food yet. It will be a good idea to depart before your ringmaster regains consciousness just in case he tries to cause any trouble.”
Predictably, Patrick was the last to arrive at the designated meeting place, but only by a few minutes. Tor had already performed the introductions for Ria and gave her one of the spare horses to ride. She had never ridden before, but jumped nimbly onto its back as though she had been on horseback all her life.
“Does anyone need to do anything before we depart?” Tor asked. He did not mention that he was eager to put some distance between them and the circus, or the reasons why. Nobody spoke, so the caravan of people moved off, following behind Seth in the wagon.
Tor watched them leaving, counting as they passed him. He was still shaking his head as he rode out of the inn’s courtyard. Ellen steered her horse toward him.
“What is wrong?” she asked.
“I cannot believe I have become responsible for so many people. I wanted only a few to travel with me, now look at them all.” He gestured forward as he spoke.
Ellen laughed lightly. “They are all responsible for themselves and I am sure they will all prove their worth at some point, if they have not already done so.” Then she gave him a cheeky grin. “Besides, you are going to pick up more along the way.”
Knowing she was right, Tor groaned.