Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [63]
The two lads who will be driving the other wagons stay off by themselves, apparently having brought their own provisions.
During the meal, Delia asks him, “Weren’t we planning on hiring guards?”
Having totally forgotten about it but trying to hide the fact, he says, “We sure are. Roland and I were going to go back into town after dinner and hire some.” He looks over to Roland and asks, “Right?”
With a slightly confused look on his face, Roland says, “Uh, right.”
“How many do you think we’ll need?” Jiron asks.
“Maybe eight or ten,” James guesses, “depends on how much they’ll be.” Finishing his meal, he stands up and says to Roland, “If you’re ready, let’s go.”
Roland gets up, gives Ezra and Arkie a kiss goodbye and then joins James as he walks toward town.
“He forgot didn’t he?” Tinok asks Delia after they’ve moved out of earshot.
“Probably,” she agrees as she watches them walking back to town.
On their way, James asks Roland, “Where do you think would be the best place to hire some?”
“There’s usually a guildhall or some other place where merchants contract for guards,” he explains. “We just have to know where to look, or who to ask.”
After they enter town, they walk down the main thoroughfare until Roland sees one of the city’s guards on patrol. He goes over to him and after a brief discussion, comes back to James and says, “He says that if we continue down the road, we’ll come across the merchant’s guild where we’ll be able to hire guards.”
“Great,” he replies as they hurry down the road.
After several blocks, they see a three story building coming up on their right. It stands a floor taller than any other building near it, and its imposing architecture can only mean this is the merchant’s guild. Stepping up to the door, they open it and enter a room decorated to impress those who enter. Expensive rugs, statues spaced around the room and finely carved furniture all say, money.
Several people are seated in plush chairs, sharing some kind of drink as they converse. One man, whose attire shows him to be a servant, comes over to them after they enter and says something, at which Roland replies. He says something again and then turns to cross the room, exiting through a side door.
James looks to Roland, who explains, “Apparently, only members are allowed within here and only members are allowed to hire guards from here as well.”
“Where did he go?” James asks.
“He went to get his superior,” he replies. “Perhaps we could join the guild in order to hire some guards?”
“Maybe,” says James, dubious at the prospect.
They wait only a moment before the door opens again and a man emerges, dressed similar to the first one except this one’s clothes are of much finer quality. Seeing them standing there, he comes over to them. He addresses Roland again and then they begin a conversation.
Frustrated, James can only stand there and wait for the translation.
The other man pauses while Roland turns to James and says, “It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to join. You must be either a partner of a current member, be referred by a member, or over time be invited to join based on your successes as a merchant.”
“So what do we do?” he asks Roland.
Roland turns back to the man and they exchange several words before he again translates for James. “He says we could try the bars, that there are often mercenaries there who may hire out.”
Not at all liking that idea, he shakes his head.
Roland says a few words to the man and then they each bow to the other before the man turns and leaves through the door he came out of.
“Now what?” Roland asks.
“We go back and explain why we’re returning with no guards,” James says.
As they leave the merchant’s guild, a man is waiting for them outside and approaches as they start walking away from the building. “Excuse me,” the man says, in words heavy with accent.
They pause as James replies, “Yes?