“Efficient,” Eddis said. She stopped short as they came up to the tavern doors. Sitting outside, basking in the early sun, were two dwarves. Both wore sleeveless leather tunics, heavy pants, and thick boots, but they were otherwise unclad and unarmed. Eddis could see bruises and half-healed cuts on their bare forearms, and the older-looking of the two was missing most of his right ear. They looked up as the swordswoman drew near and respectfully inclined her head.
“I’m Eddis,” she said. The younger of the two cleared his throat with a deep cough.
“Know who you are,” he said evenly. “And that’s M’Baddah. Everyone in the Keep, even us, knows that.” The older one touched his arm, and he fell silent. “My uncle,” he said with a nod at the older dwarf.
“We were once from the far north,” said the other dwarf. “Most of us got driven out of the mountains though, and some of us went east, but we found little to mine and came back along that road, yonder, a few days ago. Turned out to be a bad choice.” He let his eyes close.
“We’re the last. All our folk—and now just us two,” the younger said bitterly.
“Easy, lad,” the elder said. He looked up at Eddis. “Word has it you and yours may ride out that way soon. Don’t ask us to go. We won’t. Bad that way. Bad luck for us dwarves anyway.”
“You don’t look ready to face it again, and no blame to you,” Eddis said evenly. “But I wouldn’t have asked you to go. If we go, it’s strictly a mission for volunteers.”
“Fools,” the dwarf said.
“Perhaps, but if you could tell us what you saw, show us on the map we have…”
She let the suggestion hang. The younger looked as if he wanted to refuse, but the uncle sighed and nodded.
“Tonight, here?” Eddis asked. Another nod. “We’ll buy—food and ale for you both.”
The dwarf smiled faintly. “Of course you will.” He got carefully to his feet. “Tonight, then.” He let his nephew lead him off in the direction of the barracks. Both dwarves were limping.
Eddis and M’Baddah watched them out of sight. “Should I have offered to pay for the information, M’Baddah?”
“With some dwarves, that would be insult—as if they thought only of coin. If what they tell us is of value, you can offer a small purse, and leave them free to take it or refuse.” He bowed her ahead of him, into the tavern.
There were few people in here at present. The taverner smiled as they passed him, heading for their usual corner. Eddis settled against the far wall, facing the door, and accepted the cup of fresh-squeezed apple and pear juice the barmaid brought her.
“We’ll need lists,” Eddis told M’Baddah as she set her cup aside. “Everyone should be responsible for his own weapons and personal supplies, but we’ll need a central list for some things, and I say we write everything down as we think of it, because there’s going to be too much to remember. Like healing potions—as many as we can get our hands on. And someone besides Mead—if Mead and Willow decide to come—who can use them, or better yet, who can heal more than small wounds. We’ll lose people out there otherwise.”
“You’ve decided to go, then?” her lieutenant asked.
She sighed faintly. “Part of me would rather not. Most of me thinks it’s foolish and dangerous both, and we still don’t even know how much of what we’ve heard is based on fact. Last night, before I fell asleep, I thought I’d find another client, and we’d head back to the realm. But the past days were … some of it was scary, but mostly there wasn’t time for fear. And the bandit camp…” She tugged at her plait. “Planning that, having the plan come out just like we’d hoped… that was exciting. Fighting all those men on rocky, uneven terrain and in the gloom, discovering that I could not only defend myself but really fight. Gods, I sound like Jerdren,” she mumbled.
“No. Like a swordswoman who understands the need to fight, does what she must, and does it well.”
“Maybe.” She shook her head. “But… Blot. Flerys, I mean. If we hadn’t raided that camp, if we hadn’t found her—”
“We did. So there is no use to think on it.”
“No. But I realized just now, when we were talking to those dwarves, there could be prisoners held in the caves. For ransom or—”
“Or by those who like to hurt others. Or for a beasts’ banquet,” her lieutenant finished grimly as she hesitated. “I remind you of this because that is something you must think about Eddis. Can you face such creatures?”
“I… don’t know, but nobody deserves to die like that. I’m afraid right now, but that’s because I don’t know what we’re going to face out there. I’m just not afraid to go looking for it.”
“Hey, that’s great!” Jerdren had come across the room from the direction of the taverner’s counter, a full mug balanced in his hands.
Eddis sighed. Woman, you have got to keep your eyes and ears open, she told herself. This time it was only Jers coming up on your blind side.
“You’re up for it, then?” he asked as he settled across the table from her.
Eddis shrugged. “So far,” she said cautiously. “Keeping in mind what I said last night, about proof of some kind. We need to talk, though.”
“Knew that.” Jerdren took a pull at his ale and smiled. “Why I’m here right now. Same rules as last time, right? You and me giving orders, me not pulling any fast ones on you?”
“Something like that.” She told him about the dwarves. “We need to start writing things down.” She glanced at her lieutenant. M’Baddah had pulled out a flattened tube of paper, a quill missing most of its feather, and a box of dry ink powder. He mixed a little of this with tea from his cup, began stirring it with the quill. “Maps,” she said once the man was ready, “if there are any.”
“There aren’t,” Jerdren said. “I asked everywhere. Best we can do is the one we already have, I guess. I can’t even get a good fix on where the caves are, except somewhere east and near the road. Let’s forget that for the minute, because while we’ve got this corner to ourselves, we need to get it straight about that thief, Kadymus.”
Eddis drew a deep breath, let it out slowly, and brought up a smile. “Fine. We’ll do that. Then we need to talk about the child.”
Jerdren didn’t like it and said as much at some length. “You can’t take some grubby, howling brat into—”
“She howled when we first found her,” Eddis broke in flatly. “Since then, I wager you haven’t heard a sound out of her. She cleans up, same as anyone. We can’t leave her here, though.”
“She will not remain here without us,” M’Baddah said “She will find a way to follow us, if we do leave her.”
“She’s a child!” Jerdren protested. “Children don’t remember things. Leave her here, some nice family, she won’t recall who we are by the time we return. Won’t care, anyway.”
“That’s not so,” Eddis said. “Weren’t you ever a child? Don’t answer that,” she added. “Just… you want this Kadymus? Fine, I’ll agree so long as the girl comes, too.”
“If she insists,” Jerdren said flatly.
“She will, Jers. And if they keep her from following us, she might just throw herself off the walls.”
Jerdren gave her a dubious look, but he finally shrugged and took another drink.
“Maybe Kadymus can teach her things. She might even be useful.”
“Don’t even think about it, Jerdren,” Eddis growled. “That’s another thing. The girl will be our responsibility. That light-fingered creature is all yours.”
Blorys showed up moments later, visibly excited as he strode across the room, which was slowly beginning to fill for midday meal. Blor dropped onto the stool next to his brother, waved away the potboy, and planted his elbows on the table. “There’s a man staying in the chapel, did you know?”