Enchanter's End Game Part 3

"Never mind," Belgarath told him pointedly. "Try to keep your predatory instincts under control."

"I wasn't even considering anything," Silk protested.

"Really? Aren't you feeling well?"

Silk loftily ignored that.

"Wouldn't it be safer to go around it?" Garion asked as they rode across the broad meadow.

Belgarath shook his head. "I want to know what's going on ahead of us, and the quickest way to find out is to talk to people who've been there. We'll drift in, circulate for an hour or so and then drift on out again. Just keep your ears open. If anyone asks, we're on our way toward the north range to look for gold."

There were differences between the hunters and trappers who roamed the streets of this settlement and the miners they had met in the last village. They were more open for one thing - less surly and distinctly less belligerent. Garion surmised that the enforced solitude of their occupation made them appreciate companionship all the more during their infrequent visits to the fur-trading centers. Although they drank probably as much as the miners, their drinking seemed to lead more often to singing and laughter than to fighting.

A large tavern stood near the center of the village, and they rode slowly along a dirt street toward it. "Side door," Belgarath said tersely as they dismounted in front of the tavern, and they led their horses around the building and tied them at the porch railing.

The interior of the tavern was cleaner, less crowded, and somewhat lighter than the miners' tavern had been, and it smelled of woods and open air instead of damp, musty earth. The three of them sat at a table not far from the door and ordered cups of ale from a polite servingman. The ale was a rich, dark brown, well chilled, and surprisingly inexpensive.

"The fur buyers own the place," Silk explained, wiping foam from his upper lip. "They've discovered that a trapper is easier to bargain with if he's a little drunk, so they make the ale cheap and plentiful."

"I suppose that makes sense," Garion admitted, "but don't the trappers know that?"

"Of course they do."

"Why do they drink before they do business, then?"

Silk shrugged. "They like to drink."

The two trappers seated at the next table were renewing an acquaintanceship that obviously stretched back a dozen years or more. Their beards were both touched with gray, but they spoke lightheartedly in the manner of much younger men.

"You have any trouble with Morindim while you were up there?" one was asking the other.

The second shook his head. "I put pestilence-markers on both ends of the valley where I set out my traps," he replied. "A Morind will go a dozen leagues out of his way to avoid a spot that's got pestilence."

The first nodded his agreement. "That's usually the best way. Gredder always claimed that curse-markers worked better; but as it turned out, he was wrong."

"I haven't seen him in the last few seasons."

"I'd be surprised if you had. The Morindim got him about three years ago. I buried him myself - what was left of him anyway."

"Didn't know that. Spent a winter with him once over on the head waters of the Cordu. He was a mean-tempered sort of a man. I'm surprised that the Morindim would cross a curse-marker, though."

"As near as I could judge, some magician came along and uncursed his markers. I found a dried weasel foot hung from one of them with three stems of gra.s.s tied around each toe."

"That's a potent spell. They must have wanted him pretty badly for a magician to take that much trouble."

"You know how he was. He could irritate people ten leagues away just walking by."

"That's the truth."

"Not any more, though. His skull's decorating some Morind magician's quest-staff now."

Garion leaned toward his grandfather. "What do they mean when they talk about markers?" he whispered.

"They're warnings," Belgarath replied. "Usually sticks poked into the ground and decorated with bones or feathers. The Morindim can't read, so you can't just put up a signboard for them."

A stooped old trapper, his leather clothing patched and shiny from wear, shuffled toward the center of the tavern. His lined, bearded face had a slightly apologetic expression on it. Following after him came a young Nadrak woman in a heavy, red felt dress belted about the waist with a glittering chain. There was a leash about her neck, and the old trapper held the end of the tether firmly in his fist. Despite the leash, the young woman's face had a proud, disdainful look, and she stared at the men in the tavern with barely concealed contempt. When the old trapper reached the center of the room, he cleared his throat to get the attention of the crowd. "I've got a woman I want to sell," he announced loudly.

Without changing expression the woman spat upon him.

"Now you know that's just going to lower your price, Vella," the old man told her in a placating tone of voice.

"You're an idiot, Tashor," she retorted. "No one here can afford me - you know that. Why didn't you do what I told you to and offer me to the fur buyers?"

"The fur buyers aren't interested in women, Vella," Tashor replied in that same mild tone. "The price will be better here, believe me."

"I wouldn't believe you if you said the sun was going to rise tomorrow, you old fool."

"The woman, as you can see, is quite spirited," Tashor announced rather lamely.

"Is he trying to sell his wife?" Garion demanded, choking on his ale.

"She isn't his wife," Silk corrected. "He owns her, that's all."

Garion clenched his fists and half rose, his face mottled with anger, but Belgarath's hand closed firmly about his wrist. "Sit down," the old man ordered.

"But "

"I said sit down, Garion. This is none of your business."

"Unless you want to buy the woman, of course," Silk suggested lightly.

"Is she healthy?" a lean-faced trapper with a scar across one cheek called to Tashor.

"She is," Tashor declared, "and she's got all her teeth, too. Show them your teeth, Vella."

"They aren't looking at my teeth, idiot," she told him, looking directly at the scar-faced trapper with a sultry challenge in her black eyes.

"She's an excellent cook," Tashor continued quickly, "and she knows remedies for rheumatism and ague. She can dress and tan hides and she doesn't eat too much. Her breath doesn't smell too bad - unless she eats onions - and she almost never snores, except when she's drunk."

"If she's such a good woman, why do you want to sell her?" the leanfaced trapper wanted to know.

"I'm getting older," Tashor replied, "and I'd like a little peace and quiet. Vella's exciting to be around, but I've had all the excitement I need. I think I'd like to settle down someplace - maybe raise some chickens or goats." The bent old trapper's voice sounded a trifle plaintive.

"Oh, this is impossible," Vella burst out. "Do I have to do everything myself? Get out of the way, Tashor." Rudely, she pushed the old trapper aside and glared at the crowd, her black eyes flashing. "All right," she announced firmly, "let's get down to business. Tashor wants to sell me. I'm strong and healthy. I can cook, cure hides and skins, tend to common illnesses, bargain closely when I buy supplies, and I can brew good beer." Her eyes narrowed grimly. "I have not gone to any man's bed, and I keep my daggers sharp enough to persuade strangers not to try to force me. I can play the wood-flute and I know many old stories. I can make curse-markers and pestilence-markers and dream-markers to frighten off the Morindim and once I killed a bear at thirty paces with a bow."

"Twenty paces," Tashor corrected mildly.

"It was closer to thirty," she insisted.

"Can you dance?" the lean trapper with the scarred face asked.

She looked directly at him. "Only if you're seriously interested in buying me," she replied.

"We can talk about that after I see you dance," he said.

"Can you hold a beat?" she demanded.

"I can."

"Very well." Her hands went to the chain about her waist, and it jingled as she unfastened it. She opened the heavy red dress, stepped out of it, and handed it to Tashor. Then she carefully untied the leash from about her neck and bound a ribbon of red silk about her head to hold back her wealth of l.u.s.trous, blue-black hair. Beneath the red felt dress, she wore a filmy rose-colored gown of Mallorean silk that whispered and clung to her as she moved. The silk gown reached to midcalf, and she wore soft leather boots on her feet. Protruding from the top of each boot was the jeweled hilt of a dagger, and a third dagger rode on the leather belt about her waist. Her gown was caught in a tight collar about her throat, but it left her arms bare to the shoulder. She wore a half dozen narrow gold bracelets about each wrist. With a conscious grace, she bent and fastened a string of small bells to each ankle. Then she lifted her smoothly rounded arms until her hands were beside her face. "This is the beat, scar-face," she told the trapper. "Try to hold it." And she began to clap her hands together. The beat was three measured claps followed by four staccato ones. Vella began her dance slowly with a kind of insolent strut. Her gown whispered as she moved, its hem sighing about her lush calves.

The lean trapper took up her beat, his callused hands clapping together loudly in the sudden silence as Vella danced.

Garion began to blush. Vella's movements were subtle and fluid. The bells at her ankles and the bracelets about her wrists played a tinkling counterpoint to the trapper's beat. Her feet seemed almost to flicker in the intricate steps of her dance, and her arms wove patterns in the air. Other, even more interesting, things were going on inside the rosecolored, gossamer gown. Garion swallowed hard and discovered that he had almost stopped breathing.

Vella began to whirl, and her long black hair flared out, almost perfectly matching the flare of her gown. Then she slowed and once again dropped back into that proud, sensual strut that challenged every man in the room.

They cheered when she stopped, and she smiled a slow, mysterious little smile.

"You dance very well," the scar-faced trapper observed in a neutral voice.

"Naturally," she replied. "I do everything very well."

"Are you in love with anyone?" The question was bluntly put.

"No man has won my heart," Vella declared flatly. "I haven't seen a man yet who was worthy of me."

"That may change," the trapper suggested. "One goldmark." It was a firm offer.

"You're not serious," she snorted. "Five goldmarks."

"One and a half," he countered.

"This is just too insulting." Vella raised both hands up in the air, and her face took on a tragic expression. "Not a copper less than four."

"Two goldmarks," the trapper offered.

"Unbelievable!" she exclaimed, spreading both arms. "Why don't you just cut my heart out and have done with it? I couldn't consider anything less than three and a half."

"To save time, why don't we just say three?" He said it firmly. "With intention that the arrangement become permanent," he added, almost as an afterthought.

"Permanent?" Vella's eyes widened.

"I like you," he replied. "Well, what do you say?"

"Stand up and let me have a look at you," she ordered him. Slowly he unwound himself from the chair in which he had lounged. His tall body was as lean as his scarred face, and there was a hardmuscled quality about him. Vella pursed her lips and looked him over. "Not bad, is he?" she murmured to Tashor.

"You could do worse, Vella," her owner answered encouragingly. "I'll consider your offer of three with intentions," Vella declared. "Have you got a name?"

"Tekk," the tall trapper introduced himself with a slight bow.

"Well then, Tekk," Vella told him, "don't go away. Tashor and I need to talk over your offer." She gave him an almost shy look. "I think I like you, too," she added in a much less challenging tone. Then she took hold of the leash that was still wrapped around Tashor's fist and led him out of the tavern, glancing back over her shoulder once or twice at the lean-faced Tekk.

"That is a lot of woman," Silk murmured with a note of profound respect.

Garion found that he was able to breathe again, though his ears still felt very hot. "What did they mean by intention?" he quietly asked Silk.

"Tekk offered an arrangement that usually leads to marriage," Silk explained.

That baffled Garion. "I don't understand at all," he confessed.

"Just because someone owns her doesn't give him any special rights to her person," Silk told him, "and those daggers of hers enforce that. One does not approach a Nadrak woman unless one's tired of living. She makes that decision. The wedding customarily takes place after the birth of her first child."

"Why was she so interested in the price?"

"Because she gets half," Silk shrugged.

"She gets half of the money every time she's sold?" Garion was incredulous.

"Of course. It'd hardly be fair otherwise, would it?"

The servingman who was bringing them three more cups of ale had stopped and was staring openly at Silk.

"Is something wrong, friend?" Silk asked him mildly.

The servingman lowered his eyes quickly. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I just thought - you reminded me of somebody, that's all. Now that I see you closer, I realize that I was mistaken." He put down the cups quickly, turned, and left without picking up the coins Silk had laid on the table.

"I think we'd better leave," Silk said quietly.

"What's the matter?" Garion asked him.

"He knows who I am - and there's that reward notice that's being circulated."

"Maybe you're right," Belgarath agreed, rising to his feet.

"He's talking with those men over there," Garion said, watching the servingman, who was in urgent conversation with a group of hunters on the far side of the room and was casting frequent looks in their direction.

"We've got about a half a minute to get outside," Silk said tensely. "Let's go."

The three of them moved quickly toward the door.

"You there!" someone behind them shouted. "Wait a minute!"

"Run!" Belgarath barked, and they bolted outside and hurled themselves into their saddles just as a half dozen leather-garbed men burst out through the tavern door.

The shout, "Stop those men!" went largely unheeded as they galloped off down the street. Trappers and hunters as a breed were seldom inclined to mix themselves in other men's affairs, and Garion, Silk, and Belgarath had pa.s.sed through the village and were splashing across a ford before any kind of pursuit could be organized.

Silk was swearing as they entered the forest on the far side of the river, spitting out oaths like melon seeds. His profanity was colorful arid wide-ranging, reflecting on the birth, parentage, and uncleanly habits of not only those pursuing them, but of those responsible for circulating the reward notice as well.