A Man of His Word 2 - Faery Lands Forlorn by Duncan Dave

Author:Duncan, Dave [Duncan, Dave]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780759239531
Publisher: e-reads.com
Published: 1991-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

2

Although the sun had departed from Zark, it still beat down upon the sugarcane fields of Faerie, where Rap and his companions had been striding brazenly along a red-dirt track for what felt like a long and unmemorable lifetime. Now and then they passed scattered bands of peddlers, herders, and farmhands.

The view was restricted on both sides by high walls of greenery, but Rap could see that it contained nothing more dangerous than rats. He scanned the faces of the people, also, seeking some sign that the goblin had attracted attention, or that his own absurd tattoos had been noticed, but he detected nothing more than mild curiosity, soon to be forgotten in the press of the day’s business. Once the three castaways took refuge on the verge with everyone else as a troop of cavalry went cantering by, and the legionaries paid them no more heed than they did the genuine peasants.

Most of the natives seemed to be imps, but Rap identified a few trolls and troll half-breeds, and once a troop of dwarvesshort men, thick and broad, with rough, grayish skin. They carried picks and rolled as they walked. Rap had never seen dwarves before, but one brief glance was enough to convince him that they probably deserved their reputation for meanness.

Now it was almost noon; Milflor had been much farther away than Rap had expected. Swaggering along the dusty track, Thinal chattered disparagingly about the town, drawing on memories of Sagorn’s visit long ago. Even though it was the largest settlement on Faerie, he said, it was tiny by mainland standards-a quaint, rambling little place sprawled aimlessly around a fine natural harbor. The beach was one of the finest in all Pandemia, so the shore was lined by great mansions belonging to rich aristocrats, most of them retired Imperial officials enjoying the fruits of a lifetime’s corruption.

The harbor was famous for its beauty, he said, a bay sheltered by a high and rocky headland. The water there was deep even close to shore, making for good mooring. The proconsul’s palace stood on the crest of the ridge. Then he chuckled.

“Now, just a minute!” Rap said. “What has the proconsul’s palace got to do with us?”

Thinal shrugged. “You don’t think wed be welcome? Sagorn might be. And Andor certainly would. He’d be dancing with His Nibs’ daughter before sundown. Sleeping with her by dawn, if she was worth it. “

Rap caught a frowning glance from Little Chicken, walking on Tbinal’s far side. Obviously the goblin felt the same uneasiness. For a moment all three fell silent, being cautious as they overtook a shambling knot of elderly farm workers. A family of very small people went by in the opposite direction, hauling a cart: a man, two women, and about eight assorted children, all of them sour-faced and grubby. Thinal wrinkled his nose and said “Filthy gnomes!” with disgust, and quite loudly. The gnomes paid no attention, and soon the squeaking of their cart died away behind.

“I thought we were partners,” Rap said.

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