Days of Blood and Fire - Katharine Kerr [128]
“Bats?” he said.
“Just so,” Garin said. “Er, hope you don’t mind.”
“Not in the least. Rather tasty, they are.”
“Good. You never know how guests will take to them, like. And, speaking of guests and all, the council says it’ll allow you the run of the main cavern though that’s about all. My apologies, but I couldn’t get them to give you a look at the high city. No one goes into the deep city, of course, who wasn’t born here, not even other dwarves.”
“Well, that’s that, then.”
“But you can go out into the basin all you want,” Mic broke in. “And over to the old watchtower. It’s kind of interesting. The doorkeeper’s been told to let you in and out.”
“Just don’t go wandering too far, with that Alshandra creature lurking about. There’s enough iron in the city that I think you’ll be safe outside if you stick close to the cliff walls in daylight.”
“Probably so,” Rhodry said. “How long do you think we’ll be here?”
Garin looked disgusted and raised his hands to the heavens.
“If Otho would mind his nasty tongue, I’ve no doubt we’d be on our way to Haen Marn in a bare two days. If.”
“I see. We could be here a fortnight, then.”
“Well, I hope not that long. I’ll keep a watch over him, like, and his brother will, too.”
“That reminds me,” Mic chimed in. “He said I can go. My father, I mean. He said I could go on with you to Haen Marn, at least, and maybe beyond if Garin here thinks it safe.”
“It’s never going to be safe, lad,” Garin said. “Hunting dragons. But I’ll assess the risk, like, when we get there. It would be a good thing for you to spend some time with Enj, if it looks like you’ve got a chance of living through this little adventure.” He glanced Rhodry’s way. “I’ve been thinking it’s time I took an apprentice, like, and Mic here seems to get along well on the outside.”
“Ah. May I ask just what your craft is, then?”
“I never did explain.” Garin paused for a grin. “I’m an envoy, and among us, that’s not such an easy thing to be, a man who goes back and forth between different cities, to say naught of going down among your people. You have heralds and emissaries and even warleaders, and in a way, I’m a bit of all of those. Not that I could captain a troop in a battle, I mean, but when we go outside, we need someone who can make himself listened to, like, and obeyed if the situation demands it.”
“It’s dangerous, outside,” Mic said. “We all know that. I don’t know why, but it’s fascinating as well.”
“And the very fact you think so, Mic lad, is the reason I’m considering taking you on. Well, we’ll see what Enj has to say about it, too, but if naught else, you’ll travel to Haen Marn and see what you can see. And I’ll see how it affects you, being outside for so long.”
“It’s a fair ways to Haen Marn, then?” Rhodry said.
“It is. It lies to the north and the west, and it’s not so easy to find, even for a man who’s been there before.” Garin paused, looking away in some abstraction. “If they don’t want you to find it you never will, and even if you find it, you may or may not be welcome there. But that’s a worry for another day. First we’ve got to get the judges to let Otho go, so he can oversee the paying of the debt we owe you before they take up the matter of his old debt.”
“If they want to hold the trial first, how long?”
“Months.” Garin made a sound halfway between a growl and a groan. “It’ll be deep winter by then, and we’ll never survive up in the high mountains.” He glanced at Mic. “Your father and I are just going to have to make your uncle mind his manners, and that’s that.”
Garin summoned the servants by the expedient method of sticking his head out the door and shouting. Once the meal was cleared away, Garin and Mic retired for the night as well, leaving behind them a silver flask of a murky dark liquor that tasted stronger than Bardek wine and a small glass goblet to drink it out of. Rhodry poured himself a moderate