Winter.
The afternoon here in the city of Kuradum is cold. Though not as cold as it was first thing this morning up in the northeast of the city-state.
Zam the ex mercenary still can't believe he's experiencing things like this.
Early morning in freezing, snowy conditions a couple hundred miles away to the northeast.
Where he took part in battle against the enemy in the war for control of the city-state of Kuradum.
Now this afternoon he's in the relative safety of the capital city. To be exact, in the south of the city of Kuradum. In the neighbourhoods where he grew up. And up until a little over a year and a half ago. Where he still lived.
The ex mercenary is with Tovis the war engineer, and Lisell Maera the scout.
Along with Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy, who is a little bit out infront of the other three.
On what's a cold, but clear and sunny afternoon here in the city of Kuradum.
Zam doesn't know why. But lord Farque gave Dalinvardèl Tanith an order earlier when they were at the barracks of the Kuradian army. During the meeting with the local army commander Tracklen, and his staff.
Now the four of them are in the south of the city, heading towards one of the bridges that crosses the river that runs along the south of the capital city.
"Use to hang out around that square a lot when i was younger" quietly says Zam the ex mercenary pointing away to their left as the walk along a street.
The young man from here in the city of Kuradum, who is walking to the left of Tovis the war engineer and Lisell Maera the scout, continues with "The local city guard garrison i joined is in that direction too".
Both the war engineer and the scout in the armies of Farque nod, as they've heard about how Zam was briefly in the city guards of Kuradum.
Until he was asked to leave for misbehaviour. Theft of weapons being the misbehaviour.
The only reason he wasn't more severely punished was because he had a forgiving sergeant. Not to mention a pretty lackadaisical garrison commander who missed a lot of infarctions amongst his guards.
The ex mercenary who grew up here on the poor side of the city, spots the spy Tanith up ahead, talking to a couple of stall holders.
Street side stalls are more common here in the southern quarter of the city than elsewhere.
Stalls and markets tend to be in squares and courtyards in other parts of the capital city.
Not here in the poorer areas, where stalls go up pretty much anywhere people can put them up.
Usually carts or old farm wagons, that can be moved around to various locations throughout the poor quarter of the city.
"Hold up for a bit" quietly says Lisell Maera the scout after spotting a subtle hand gesture from the elven spy up ahead.
The scout Maera, along with the war engineer and the ex mercenary stop out infront of a chandlers.
One of the more prosperous businesses in this neighbourhood in the poor quarter if the amount of people going in and out of it is anything to go by.
"Busy place" quietly says Tovis the war engineer in the elven language, who repeats it in the common language as Zam is still learning the basics of elvish.
"That's because there's a gambling den out back" quietly says the ex mercenary.
The scout Maera lifts an eyebrow in surprise, then she quietly says "Gambling isn't illegal here in Kuradum".
"The stuff they gamble on is" quietly says Zam in barely more than a murmur.
The young man, who at seventeen is the youngest member of the group who travels with lord Farque, continues with "Knife fights, sometimes to the death, those sort of things".
The scout and the war engineer nod as a couple more people enter the chandlers.
Then Lisell Maera, who grew up in similar neighbourhoods in the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, quietly says "Let's go".
As up ahead, Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy is on the move again. Heading towards one of the bridges that crosses the river along the south of the city.
As they make their way through the streets of the south quarter of the city, Lisell Maera quietly says to the war engineer and the ex mercenary "Gauge the mood of the people".
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who is a scout in the armies of Farque quietly adds "See what they think of the war".
Then in elven, the scout Maera quietly says to the young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic "You get to babysit the newbie".
Though he rolls his eyes, the war engineer who is a captain in the armies of Farque, does nod his head in reply to that from Lisell Maera.
"Come on Zam" says Tovis the war engineer, who gestures to the otherside of the street, and adds "We'll go over to that side and see what the people think".
The ex mercenary nods, then follows the Druvician war engineer across the street.
While Lisell Maera, or Lis as she's more commonly called by the others in the group continues along this side of the street. Keeping an eye on Dalinvardèl Tanith who is up ahead of them.
Tovis and Zam stop infront of street side stall holder. And as the war engineer starts speaking to the stall holder.
The ex mercenary who is silent, recognises the man on the otherside of the cart.
Zam doesn't know his name, but over the years, when he's been able to afford it. He's bought the stall holders stuffed flat bread on a number of occasions.
The ex mercenary recognises him. The same can't be said for the stall holder in relation to him.
The man gives him a single look, before going back to speaking with Tovis. Who is asking him about how business is going and how the war is effecting him and his trade.
After a little while, as the war engineer and the ex mercenary walk away.
Zam realises the stall holder doesn't recognise him because all he sees is another black clad foreign soldier, in armour, with weapons.
And not the young man who grew up here on these streets, who on occasion would buy his wares.
The ex mercenary runs across this a few times, when he and the captain in the armies of Farque stop to talk to people.
Whether it's stall holders, shop keepers, or just people on the street.
Zam recognises quite a few of them, even a couple he knows quite well, who he knows by name, and they know him and his name.
But none of them even acknowledge him, as all they see is another soldier from a foreign land, who has been hired by the ruling council, in the war against the rebel councilman, Hirrye.
True, Zam has grown his hair out since he lived here in the poor quarter of the city of Kuradum.
But even so, his appearance hasn't changed that dramatically since he last lived here a little over a year and a half ago.
As he walks alongside Tovis the war engineer, Zam is surprised at how people just look at the perceived outside impressions of others. And not the finer details, with which would come recognition.
"Cross back over" quietly says the young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic after they round a corner, and find Lisell Maera waiting at the edge of a small square.
"Well?" quietly asks the attractive young woman in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
"Most people aren't too effected by the war" is the quiet reply of Tovis, who follows that with "Apart from a few shortages of foodstuffs that aren't coming in from the countryside".
The Druvician who is a captain of one of the engineering corps in the armies of Farque continues with "Though a number of people did mention it's no worse than most winters".
Zam nods his head in agreement with the war engineer, who previously served a baron Harkonin in his homeland, the kingdom of Druvic.
"And their thoughts on the war?" quietly asks the scout Maera, who is looking at a shop a bit further down the street.
A street that leads straight to one of the bridges that crosses the river which flows along the south of the city.
"I get the feeling most people in this part of the city don't actually care who rules them" is the quiet reply of Tovis, who continues with "Most couldn't care if the ruling council, or that upstart Hirrye is victorious".
"I agree" quietly says Zam, who follows that with "Just as long as they can live their lives like they already do, they don't care who rules Kuradum".
"They'll bloody well care if that Hirrye comes in here from the south and his army starts killing them all" sourly says the scout Maera, who continues with "I'll guarantee you that they'll start fucking caring about who rules them then".
Both Zam the ex mercenary and Tovis the war engineer nod in agreement to that.
Then they follow the lean, athletic, attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury.
Whose mother was a street prostitute, and whose father. A man she never knew, or for that matter, even met. Was a sailor who plied his trade upon the Great Western Ocean.
Lis has seen Dalinvardèl Tanith walk from the shop she had an eye on. And the elven spy originally from the principality of Alínlae. Gives a subtle signal by way of a hand gesture that the scout Maera recognises.
When they get to the spy Tanith, Lisell Maera lifts a questioning eyebrow, and he responds with a slight nod of his grey hooded head.
Then Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy points down the street, and says "Why don't we go down to the bridge and check things out before we head back".
The elf who is a company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque, then adds "See how the traffic is, and who is coming and going".
They head off, and Zam finds himself walking next to the spy Tanith, while Lisell Maera the scout and Tovis the war engineer, move off infront of them.
Getting about twenty yards infront of the elven spy from the principality of Alínlae, and the ex mercenary who grew up in this part of the city of Kuradum.
As they walk down the street, Dalinvardèl Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, quietly asks Zam "Find out the mood of the people in this part of the city?".
"We did" replies the Kuradian ex mercenary as he watches Lisell Maera and Tovis the war engineer up ahead of them.
Zam then quietly goes onto explain what they found out by talking to some of the locals, here in the southern quarter of the city.
"Nothing out of the ordinary then" quietly says the spy who previously served in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland, the elven principality of Alínlae.
As they near the bridge that crosses the river that runs along the south of the city, the spy Tanith glances sideways at the teenager who grew up here in this part of the city of Kuradum.
The elven spy who is a company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
Sees that ex mercenary is watching the pair up ahead infront of them, more than their surroundings, and the others on the street.
Dalin slightly nods his hooded head in understanding before they come to a stop just to the side of the bridge, where Lis and Tovis are waiting for them.
They stay by the bridge for a little bit, occasionally chatting with someone either entering the city, or leaving it.
After maybe half a turn of a sand glass, Dalinvardèl Tanith quietly tells the other three "Let's head back".
Once again, Zam the ex mercenary finds himself walking with the elven spy from the principality of Alínlae.
While up ahead, leading the way back through the southern quarter of the city.
Is the war engineer from the kingdom of Druvic and the scout who hails from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury.
Knowing it's best to hit the subject head on, the spy Tanith quietly says to the human teenager walking beside him "You probably best to forget about it Zam".
The ex mercenary looks sharply at the tall elf in the grey hooded cloak walking beside him, then quietly asks "What do you mean?".
Nodding his hooded head to the pair up ahead of them, Dalin quietly says "Lis" followed by "She's not interested".
Zam's cheeks instantly go red with embarrassment, and he says a little defensively "What do you mean?".
Barely avoiding rolling his eyes, as he doesn't want to embarrass the ex mercenary too much, the elven spy tells him "You're a young man, she's an attractive young woman, you figure it out".
The teenage Kuradian goes to speak, but the company commander in the armies of Farque quietly tells him "Tovis felt the same way as you, and was rejected by the scout" followed by "Now there's an understanding between the two, and they're better off because of it".
Zam is silent as Dalinvardèl Tanith continues with "Trust me, you don't want to be rejected by her infront of the others" followed by "You'll never hear the end of it".
The elven spy then quietly says "And by whatever gods you believe in, don't do anything untowards to her, because she'll kill you if you do".
Dalin briefly pauses before adding "And if she doesn't, lord Farque will" the spy Tanith then adds "Trust me, you do not want that to happen, you won't just be killed, but your soul will be in peril if that happens".
Zam will admit it, he's physically attracted to Lisell Maera, pretty much has been since just after joining the group back in the autumn.
And as he walks beside Dalinvardèl Tanith through the poor quarter of the city of Kuradum.
He takes to heart the warning from the elven spy as they follow Tovis the war engineer and Lisell Maera the scout back to where the rest of the group are.
On this cold, but sunny winter's day here in the capital of the city-state of Kuradum . . . . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment