Rocalla's Saga: Arrival

10: The Happy Pilgrim —

1054 Riika 17

The next morning, I wake up late after a difficult night’s sleep. The room is cool; the weather has finally turned cold. Large snowflakes fall silently outside my window.

When I descend the stairs, the dining hall is more crowded than it has been in recent weeks. I get a bowl of hot cereal and a mug of tea, then go sit at a small table with Dierdra.

“I was wondering whether you were going to come down this morning,” Dierdra says.

“I had trouble falling asleep last night, so I ended up sleeping late this morning,” I say. “You didn’t think that I was going to abandon you, did you?”

“Well, I didn’t know,” Dierdra says with a smile.

“No, I’m not going to desert you,” I say, then take a sip of tea. “Although after last night, I wouldn’t be surprised if you decided to ignore me.”

“Why?” Dierdra asks.

“I mistreated you. I made assumptions that I had no right to make.”

“It’s okay. You’re forgiven.”

“I’m happy to hear that, because your friendship means a lot to me. I wouldn’t want to lose it.”

“Rocalla, I value your friendship just as much. Until you arrived in Mandelbroggen, no one paid any attention to me.”

“Then they missed a chance to know a wonderful woman.” I take another sip of tea. “This place is rather full this morning.”

“It’s snowing and cold, so no one wants to go out. You’re looking at the beginning of the dreary North Plessian winter.”

“So what do people in Mandelbroggen do during the winter?”

“If it’s like the rest of North Plessia, they eat, sleep, drink ale, and not a whole lot else,” says Dierdra.

“Except stare at foreigners in the inn,” I say.

“Well, yeah, I suppose there is that.”

We sit together and talk about the city and the weather as I eat my breakfast and drink three mugs of tea. We pass much of the day that way, sitting, talking, and sipping at tea or ale. The smell of food, drink, and wet bodies warming by the fire fills the room. Despite the crowd, the ground floor of the inn is no noisier than usual. There is no music or entertainment of any kind, just the constant drone of conversation in muted voices.

A couple of hours after lunch, a man enters the inn from outside. Wearing a long coat and heavy boots, he is carrying a pack. His dark and curly hair cascades down onto his shoulders, adorned with flakes of snow. When he enters the inn, he pauses as his deep brown eyes scan the room. Then he walks to one of the nearest tables and begins speaking in Gallish.

I lean over and whisper to Dierdra. “I recognize him. He was on the ship that brought me to Mandelbroggen.”

“What is his name?”

“I don’t remember. We didn’t speak much on the ship. He carries an air of haughtiness, wallowing in his self-importance.”

“It figures. The better the looks, the worse the attitude. Do you know anything about him?”

“He’s a Pyrusian naturalist who was coming to Mandelbroggen to mount an expedition. I forgot what he was looking for, gems maybe.”

“Why do you think he’s here?” she asks.

“I don’t know, but I think we’ll find out soon. He’s working his way over to us.”

The man is going from table to table, speaking at each one. At most of his stops, the inn patrons simply shake their heads and he moves on. Occasionally, the men or women engage him in a brief conversation first.

When he steps next to our table, he stops and regards us, seemingly unsure of whether to bother talking at all. I look up at him as he stands there, staring at my forehead. Then he takes a deep breath and begins. “Greetings, ladies, perhaps you can help me. I am seeking to organize an expedition.”

“Why don’t you sit down?” I ask, indicating an empty chair at our table. He glances from side to side at the others in the room, then takes the indicated seat. “Tell us about yourself,” I say.

“Perhaps you should tell me about yourself first. You can start with why you’re a marked woman.”

“If you want to encourage people to associate with you, that’s not the best way to begin a conversation,” I say.

“I generally don’t associate with thieves and trash,” he says. “But I’m willing to listen if you have information that I could use.”

“The tattoo marks me as a Zariinyeida priestess, not a convicted criminal. Now if you want to talk, I suggest you start over and introduce yourself.”

The stranger looks around the room, watching the other patrons of the inn stare back at us. Then he takes another deep breath and begins again, “Greetings, ladies, my name is Xerxes Zaradora, and I am a naturalist. I am organizing an expedition into the wilderness, and I am seeking people to join me. Would you know anyone who is interested?”

“That would depend on a number of things, like the purpose of your expedition, your destination…”

“And what you’re paying,” adds Dierdra.

“Well, I intend to search for gem-bearing alluvial deposits and prospect for precious metals and jewels. And I will pay those who assist me with a share of the wealth we find.”

“How big of a share?” asks Dierdra.

“Everything will be divided into a number of shares equal to the total number in the party plus two. Everyone will receive one share, and I receive a triple share as organizer and expert leader of the endeavor.”

“What if we find something especially valuable that isn’t divisible?” I ask.

“I receive first choice on exceptional items; additional exceptional items would be chosen by drawing lots.”

“Well, for now I will assume that the terms of your expedition are negotiable,” I say. Xerxes starts to protest, but I keep speaking, “What I would really like to know is where you intend to lead this group.”

“Oh, I can only divulge my plans to those who sign on.”

“I’m not asking for a specific location, just a general direction,” I say.

“Still, I need to protect my interests,” says Xerxes.

“Does that mean that you are worried about us, or that you really don’t know where you are going?” Dierdra asks.

“Well, I can see that you ladies are not going to be of any help,” he says and starts to get up to leave.

“Wait a second,” I say. “You don’t even know who we are.”

“I recognize you from the shipboard voyage to Mandelbroggen,” he says, looking at me.

“Yes, and I recognize you, which means that I know you have been here in Mandelbroggen for a month and a half and still have not mounted a successful expedition.”

“I could have already gone and returned,” he says.

“Yes, you could have. But if you did, and it was successful, you wouldn’t be going from table to table trying to recruit people.”

“I really don’t have time for this.” He makes motions to rise again.

“My name is Rocalla Rastama. I am a Zariinyeida priestess. This is Dierdra Laak, an accomplished archer.”

“Well, I don’t think that I will be needing either one of you.”

“We might have a need for a naturalist at some point in the future,” I say.

“I don’t think so.”

“The long North Plessian winter has begun,” Dierdra says. “Jobs will be scarce until spring. Incidentally, the middle of autumn seems like a strange time to be starting out on an extended trip.”

“The best time for seeking gems is in the early spring, after the thaw. It would be preferable to be near alluvial deposits then.”

“So you’re anticipating a long journey?”

“Perhaps.”

“We will think about it. Where can we reach you should we decide to apply?” I ask.

He hesitates for a minute or so, regarding us critically. “If you need to get in touch with me, ask at Pol the Outfitter, near the central marketplace. The shopkeeper there knows how to find me. But there is no guarantee that I would enlist your services in any case.” With that he gets up and leaves without a further word. He continues going from table to table for close to an hour, then leaves the inn alone.

Once he departs, Dierdra gets us two more mugs of tea. “So, what are our plans for the winter?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” I say. “It sort of depends on what happens in the next few weeks.”

“You’re still interested in our underground discovery?”

“Of course, I think that it may be worth investigating.”

“Perhaps we should find a more private place to talk.”

“Let’s finish our tea and then we can go up to my room.”

Once we get to the privacy of my chamber at the inn, our conversation continues. “So how do you suggest we continue researching our discovery?” Dierdra asks. “Bishop Rul didn’t seem overly eager to include us in his investigation.”

“No, I don’t think that he is. I wasn’t planning to join him. Perhaps we can do some exploration on our own.”

“What could we do?”

“We could find out what was behind that door in the underground passageway.”

“The one that leads into the castle?”

“Presumably.”

“Do you think that would be wise?”

“I don’t think that it is as risky as you might think,” I say. “I doubt that the area gets much traffic. It may have been years since anyone was in that part of the castle. But you’re right, we would need to be careful and discrete.”

“How are we going to get down there in the first place?”

“We know the way; the only question is whether any priests will be down there in the corridor at the time. We could go in the evening, once their vespers have started,” I say.

“But we can’t get on the island after dark. It isn’t even easy to get on the island during the day.”

“There is one day that it is easy to get on the island.”

“Ah,” says Dierdra, “we could go to the worship services at the cathedral, then find a place to hide out until evening.”

“An excellent idea.”

“What do we need to do to get ready?”

“We need to gather a few things, a couple of lanterns and a few simple tools. A small hammer might be useful, for instance.”

“We won’t be able to take much, if we are going to go to the worship services, or we will draw unwanted attention,” Dierdra says.

“I agree, you won’t be able to take your bow. But I intend to take my gyaphla knife, my quarterstaff, and my backpack.”

“It seems a bit much.”

“Well maybe I need the staff to walk with. My knee still isn’t completely healed, you know.”

“I suppose that I can hide my machete under my winter cloak. I certainly can’t take my long sword or bow. I just hope we don’t run into any trouble.”

“We’ll be careful,” I say.

“Anything else we need to get, other than the lanterns?”

“No, but I would like to try to talk to the Circle Cultists before we do this.”

“Why?”

“To see what they might know about magic in Mandelbroggen,” I say.

“Because there could be a connection with Bishop Kel’s murder?”

“Yes.”

“Are you planning to tell them about our discovery as well?” Dierdra asks.

“Not without your assenting to it first. And not until we know what their position is, in any case.”

“Thanks. I think that we should proceed carefully. We’ll have to watch out for Gorla Nen’s guardsmen and spies, and if we get Bishop Rul mad, we’ll have to deal with the church as well. We could run out of friends quickly.”

“You’re right, Dierdra. Now is a time to be careful.”