Fire Dragon - Katharine Kerr [122]
“Well, my lady, all we truly have to do is follow this road, but as to how far, I wouldn't know, truly. I did walk this road only once in my life. But not far, that I do know.”
With the sun hanging low in the west they set off again at a brisk walk. They'd not gone more than a mile or so when Dallandra smelled rot—manure from a cow pasture, she assumed. As they rode on, though, the smell grew stronger and fouler. If it was a pasture, it had to be hip deep in filth to smell so bad. Jahdo, riding beside her, noticed it too.
“Oh my lady, what can be making that stench? It be worse than the privies in Dun Cengarn.”
“A thousand privies wouldn't be as bad, I'd say.”
Dallandra glanced back to find that Dar was holding his reins in one hand and a scrap of cloth, of the sort that normally wrapped spare arrowheads, with the other. He kept flicking it in front of Elessi's face to try to waft the stench away. Dallandra doubted that it was doing much good. The farther they rode, the worse the smell became— it had a rich warmth to it, Dallandra decided, as if the filth were being stewed over a slow fire.
“The lake!” she said abruptly. “Jahdo, didn't you tell me that your town's on a lake fed by hot springs? Do your people just toss their garbage and suchlike into it?”
“They do not, but in the river that leads out to the south. I lived there, and never did it smell like this to me.”
“That's because you lived there. When we get used to somewhat, be it a smell or a sight, we stop noticing it.”
“My town would never—” Jahdo hovered on the edge of indignation. “Although—well, my lady, there be a sudden fear on me, that you be right, especially after the long winter and all.”
Sure enough, by the time they saw the towering stone walls of Cerr Cawnen, they could tell that the stench was coming from nowhere else but the city. Enough garbage got into the lake, Dallandra supposed, to add strength to the reek that went out with the warm river. All of the Westfolk men began muttering among themselves, and Dallandra was very glad that Jahdo knew no Elvish to understand their remarks about pigs and carrion crows.
It was close to sunset by the time they reached the east gates. Above them on the wall stood a handful of men wearing chain-mail hauberks—the town watch, Dallandra assumed. When they saw the travellers they began to call out.
“A caravan! Merchants, mayhap! Leave the gates stand open a bit longer there!”
Jahdo tipped his head back and squinted.
“Kiel!” he sang out. “Kiel, it's me!”
Up on the wall a tall guardsman yelled in wordless triumph.
“My brother,” Jahdo said, and his voice was trembling.
By the time everyone had ridden through the gates, Kiel was down on the ground and waiting to greet them. Jahdo dismounted and raced to his brother's open arms with his mule and packhorse trailing after him. Dallandra turned in the saddle and waved the prince over.
“We'd best dismount, don't you think?” she said. “I've no idea where to go now.”
“It would be polite,” Dar said. “Well, if you think Carra will be safe? There's quite a mob gathering.”
So there was—maybe a dozen men of the town watch had climbed down from the wall; everyone in earshot was hurrying their way; farther off, townsfolk were yelling out the news to those farther still. Dogs barked and came running, tails wagging, to join the excitement. Daralanteriel had his men dismount, but he handed the baby up to Carra and told her to stay on horseback. His men kept firm hands on the bridles of their horses. The pack mules, held loosely, began to bray and pull at their ropes every time a dog came near them.
Dallandra was just thinking that they were going to lose stock and supplies both when militiamen trotted over to lend a hand. In a flurry of quick greetings they took over the pack animals and allowed the elven men to settle their horses down. From the back of the crowd, Dallandra heard a determined sort of shouting that swept forward from person to person until she could finally understand the words.
“Let the councilmen through! Here, step aside for the councilmen!