Chapter One

“We should reach our destination tomorrow,” Haisa said to his sister as he got down from his bairan, the small, swift, three-eyed horses used in many lands as a primary means of travel. A bairan’s shoulder is only slightly higher than a standing man’s but they are amazingly sturdy and can easily carry an adult for a full day and need only a few hours of rest before continuing on.
“I can’t help but wonder what kind of reception we will receive when we finally get there,” Ahe replied as they led their mounts into the barn and removed their riding gear.
“Just remember not to let anyone know who we are until we have had an opportunity to see what kind of people they are and how they treat strangers.”
“I’m trying to keep an open mind, but it will not be easy knowing how they treated our parents.”
Ahe took her time rubbing down her bairan and making certain there was fresh straw and an ample amount of feed. She always enjoyed the smells and quiet of a barn. It gave her time to think and just enjoy the animals within. Once they had taken care of their mounts and put up their riding equipment, they headed back outside, but not before she gave a small sweet treat to each of the bairan.
“You spoil those animals,” Haisa scolded as he pushed the heavy door of the barn shut.
“They need to know we appreciate them,” she retorted with a grin.
Haisa was the tallest, and the youngest, of her three brothers. Like them, he was blonde haired and muscular and girls always seemed to notice when he entered a room. As they walked toward the inn their thick leather knee high moccasins crunched the thin layer of freshly fallen snow. Drawing their dark blue cloaks tighter against the coldness of the coming night, they quickened their pace to the inn and the warmth the smoke coming from the chimney promised.
Haisa opened the door and, upon entering, Ahe moved to the left and he moved to the right as everyone looked up to see who had allowed cold air into the room. Needing a few moments to allow their eyes to adjust to the dim light of the room, they took time to stomp the snow off their footwear. In reality they were each surveying the room for possible trouble. It was a low ceilinged building with the only light coming from a central fire pit and torches spaced about every twenty feet around the perimeter of the room. There were a dozen long wooden tables with wide benches arranged around the fireplace in such a way as to allow each table a small amount of privacy. Directly opposite the door by which they had entered there was a food preparation area which allowed anyone working there to have a good view of the entire room. The smell of food was mixed with that of many unwashed bodies and, for a moment, Ahe considered returning to the barn and sleeping there.
No one seemed to be paying much attention to them as they headed toward an empty table and bench on the outer perimeter of the warmth from the fireplace. Although most newcomers tried to find a seat close to the source of heat, long developed habits led them to a table which would allow them to watch most of the room while keeping their backs to the wall. Sitting in a chair by the fireplace was a heavyset, man with a sparse head of hair, bushy eyebrows, and a full white beard. He appeared to be sleeping yet, as soon as Haisa removed his hat and Ahe removed the hood of her cloak and allowed her long blonde hair to fall loose, he was up and making his way toward them with a speed which was surprising for his size. This man might be big, but he is also agile, Haisa thought, bet he can hold his own if things start to get out of hand.
“The name’s Narises,” he informed them when he reached their table. “This is my place and it’ll cost you three rilev coins each for a meal and lodging for the night. I provide blankets, but you sleep on the benches.”
Rilev coins were the only currency accepted in every country because they were made from that precious metal and, although different countries shaped the coins differently, the weight of a rilev coin was always the same.
“Does the price include the feed we gave our bairan?” Haisa asked.
“Course it does,” Narises replied gruffly. “People need to take good care of their animals in this weather.”
Haisa reached into a leather bag that was carried by a strap which went over one shoulder and across his large chest. As he placed the coins into the innkeeper’s large waiting palm he said, “I do hope the food portions are adequate to feed a hungry traveler.”
Accepting the implied challenge, the innkeeper replied with a grin, “I’ve never had a man leave here hungry,” and was on his way to the cooking area.
Haisa and Ahe finished taking off their cloaks and set them on the bench room side of the table to discourage anyone from joining them. Ahe set her bow and quiver on top of the cloaks, yet still within easy reach. As they sat down they both began a more thorough survey of the room. Hans, their father, had always taught them to watch for signs of possible danger. As they were growing up, he would often make a game of asking them what they had observed about a room after they had left it. He would ask who they thought were the possible trouble makers and who would need to be dealt with first if trouble were to break out. He taught them that there were always “key” players in a group.