CHAPTER 6
TRADER JEROME
Alan and the others hurried through the dark night. The light of the moon cast uncertain shadows on the ground. The slightest misstep could end in a broken leg for the horses and Stormy. Moving fast was out of the question, and they set off at a cautious pace. Alan kept careful watch on their backtrail for any sign of pursuit. He was unsure why there would be pursuit, but the Trader's warning still rang in his ear. He knew Stormy would never trip or fall on the road, so he simple sat in the saddle backwards to maintain his vigil. Tobias gave an amused grin when he saw Alan's antics, but kept his laughter to himself. It was, Alan admitted, a strange feeling to be going backwards in the dark. Things appeared as a blur in his peripheral vision and moved forwards until they became clearer. The dark wall of Crossroads faded into the blackness, although the torches that lined the wall still appeared as pinpricks. They soon moved past the logged clearing and into the shadows of the Great Forest once again.
It was another hour before the Trader called a halt to the convoy. Alan wearily slid off Stormy's back and stretched. Riding backwards like that was hard! Muttering to himself, Alan tried to work a stubborn kink out of his lower back. The Trader, meanwhile, was moving his wagon off the road and into a thick stand of trees. Perplexed, Alan and Tobias followed, unlimbering their bows. Stormy took one last look back the way they had come, and then followed. In the trees, the Trader started going back and erasing the ruts created by the wagons. Alan and Tobias waited as the man worked, filling in the ruts and moving needles back over the traces, rendering the trail invisible. Alan looked at Tobias who simply shrugged. "And you say I'm paranoid." Looking around the camp, Alan decided to light a small cookfire, so he fetched some dry wood he found deeper in the stand. Tobias disappeared into a thicket nearby, looking for game trails. By the time he returned with a pair of rabbits under one arm, Alan had the fire going and the Trader was sitting on the ground nearby. Alan took Tobias's catch and helped him skin them before spitting the carcasses on a pair of long branches he had cut from a tree and whittled. Taking two branches from another tree that had crooks in them, he planted them at the fire and set the spit so that he could cook the rabbits.
When the rabbits were done, Alan proceeded to trim off strips of meat and pass them around. The others took them and ate readily enough. Alan glanced up at the moon. It was already nearly midnight. That meant that they must have left the inn at half-past ten. Which brought back a question he had had about the inn. Finishing off his strip of meat, he looked across the flames at the Trader. "Why did we leave the town in such a dang hurry? I agree the fight was loud, and getting accosted by the footpad made for a bad night, but I don't see why we couldn't have gone to another inn." Tobias looked up from his strip in interest, and Stormy turned her head so that she could see both of them better. If the question had bothered the Trader, he didn't show it. He wiped his mouth with his hand carefully. "That's a good question," he said. "And the answer to that lies in that 'footpad' that attacked you." Tobias frowned at Alan in confusion. The Trader took a deep breath. "That man was Alexander Jones, the local enforcer. He is the man who does the dirty work for the Thieves Guild." Alan looked at the Trader askance. "Why would he be after us? We've never left our village until now!" The Trader looked slightly abashed. "I'm afraid that he was after me." Stormy perked up her ears. "Why was he after you?" she asked. The Trader looked at her. "Now there is quite a tale."
The Trader stared into the fire. His eyes had a slight glaze to them, as if the flames held visions of the past. "I don't think I've ever introduced myself to you lads, or to you Ms. Stormy. My name is Trader Jerome. I was the third son of a minor house in Rivertown. I decided to join the ranks of the Traders when I came of age. I was apprenticed to Trader Markenson. He was a good Trader, and I learned a lot from him. I became a Trader of the First Degree in my twentieth year. In my twenty-first year, I found myself in Crossroads with a load of Centaurian Silk. It's extremely rare as the Centaurs don't often trade with us. That night, I was staying in the Smiling Wench. I had a bit too much to drink and I was a little free with my talk that night. I ended up telling the wrong man what I had in my wagons. When I awoke the next morning, I discovered to my horror that my wagons had been broken into and its cargo of valuable cloth taken. I was crushed, my first cargo run as a Trader First Class, and it had been stolen right from under my nose. It was then I noticed that, in the thief's haste, he had spilled a gourd of dye that I was carrying and had stepped in it. The footprints led me on a merry chase through the town until I was at the far gate from where I had started. I found myself in front of a seedy tavern that called itself The Blind Beggar. I was a bit nervous, to tell you the truth. The tavern seemed to be built like a fortress, with thick hewn logs for walls and a heavy door that was bound in rusty iron. There was a burly man lounging around the door, but I had made up my mind to get my goods back. I strode past him like I owned the bar. When he accosted me, I glared him down and announced that I, Jerome the Trader, had come for what was rightfully mine, and that if he stood in my way, he would incur the wrath of the local Trader guild. That threw him, let me tell you. He was trying to decide whether he should try to stop me anyway when I brushed past him and threw open the tavern door. Inside, I found the place to be dark, lit only by the fire and a single chandelier that was missing most of its candles. The patrons were a seedy and rough bunch. I spotted more daggers, knives and crossbows in five seconds than I had seen in five years. The barkeep simply glanced over at me before turning back to an apish man with the biggest arms I had ever seen. Unfortunately for me, I spotted a crate beside the man that bore my guild's insignia. It was my stolen goods. I realized that I had very few options available to me, but boldness had gotten me in the door, so I decided to continue on. I marched up behind him and loudly proclaimed that I was Trader Jerome, Fourth Degree, and that I wanted my goods back. Well, the man turned to me and told me flat out that he would give me four seconds to leave before he would deal with me. His mate, the man that was waiting for you tonight, laughed. I felt my blood boil and decided to act swiftly. Reaching out I grabbed his collar and pulled him forward while twisting the fabric against his neck. I also pulled out my knife from its holster and pressed it against his neck. He was very surprised at the speed with which I had attacked, but I had badly underestimated his strength. He simply pulled my arm with the knife away from his neck and then grabbed me around my waist and squeezed. He seemed intent on squeezing the life from my body, and I confess that I thought my life was over. His strength was overwhelming and I was running out of air. Fortunately, I still had use of the hand on his collar. Grabbing the knife that was there, I drove it into his neck as hard as I could. His eyes widened in shock, and his grip actually loosened enough for me to suck in a breath. He keeled over on the floor dead. The room was quiet, as everyone seemed too shocked to move. I grabbed my crate of silk and ran for my life. I heard the group surge out after me, as hounds after a hare. I pelted up the street till I came to the Guard's Lodge. There I told my story to the constable, and he and a squad went with me to the bar. When we got there, all we found was the man I had killed. The rest of the building was deserted. I was told that I had killed one of the main enforcers of the Thieves Guild, Sojin 'Long Arms'. I decided that it wouldn't be healthy for me to stick around, so I continued on my Route.
I thought no more of the Thieves Guild for some time. I successfully completed six more runs in just three years. Then, chance led me back to Crossroads, for there were rumors that the Gleed had been acting strangely for some time. Trade was being impacted greatly, and I needed one more successful run this year to pay off my debts. I quickly gathered as much of my goods as I could and hired some guards. When we got to Crossroads, the guards heard that bandit activity had risen considerably since we had set off. They demanded more money as compensation for the increased danger unless I hired more guards. I had to refuse because I had no more money to spend. They set off, while I found myself without guards. I had made the run before, so I was confident that I could do it again with no problems. I went to the Wild Drummer tonight to find a nice bed to stay in. You gentleman accosted me inside, and I was more than happy to oblige you because I had just spotted Jones lounging near the fire. . He was watching me very closely, so when you said you had jewels to pay for a Gleed healer, I used you to distract him by having you pull out the jewels. I made sure to make a big deal out of them, so he would know that they were valuable. Fortunately, his greed got the better of his desire for revenge. He started that brawl to smoke you out of your rooms. He figured that he could knock you unconscious or kill you and his crime would be covered up in the confusion. Unfortunately for him, he forgot his main quarry, and I was able to turn the tables. I knew then that we would have to leave immediately. I was sure that he would have some help with him that night, so I encouraged you to follow me out of Crossroads to prevent them from attacking. I know that we were followed as far as the gate, however, there was no further sign of pursuit, so I think that our shadow went up on the wall to watch which direction we went, in order to collect Jones and give chase."
Jones looked up from the fire as he finished. His level eyes gazed at the boys across from the fire. "I put you boys in a great deal of danger tonight, and I am sorry about that. I'll take you as far as Hell's Gate Outpost, at the Great Wall and introduce you to a friend of mine who trades regularly with representatives of the Gleed. He'll be able to get you that interview you want."
Alan thought about what Jerome had said. He didn't believe the Trader was lying about his life, and the offer seemed generous enough. It was exactly what he wanted it, wasn't it? A chance to meet with a Gleed. A thought came unbidden to the back of his mind. "If a deal sounds too good to be true, it most likely isn't". The saying was an old one in the village, but it lasted because it was true, especially when dealing with outsiders. Alan tried thinking of what Jerome's ulterior motive could be, came up blank. He owed them, so it was likely that he would stick with the agreement. However, how he used them to save his own skin rankled, and the fact that they were likely to be pursued was worrisome, but Alan thought it would be a good risk to take. There was use for another person to guard their back, especially if a fight seemed likely, and Jerome had connections he desperately needed. Out loud he said, "We'll take that offer. Hell's Gate is as good a place as any, especially if it is very close." Jerome nodded. "No more than three days ride away." He responded. Alan glanced up at the moon. "If we're likely to be pursued, we had better set a guard for the remainder of the night and set out early tomorrow." Jerome nodded and pulled out a knife and began sharpening it. "I'll stay up." He offered. Alan had an uneasy feeling about that, but then Stormy spoke up and offered to stand watch up with him. Alan spoke up, "Won't you be tired tomorrow, I mean, you are going to be walking all day." Stormy replied "Yes, but I can sleep as I walk as long as I have someone to guide me along the road."
Alan was still feeling uneasy, but he knew that Stormy would be able to handle any trouble that came up, so with a mental shrug, he went to his saddlebag and grabbed his bedroll. Stretching out on the ground, he used the saddle as a pillow and spread his blanket over him. He slowly drifted, though he was aware of Stormy standing nearby, her spear slanted so that it didn't catch the firelight. Jerome had choked it down, so that it didn't give off so much light or smoke. He was standing near the fire, idly flipping his knife into the air and catching it. Catching Alan's look, he made it disappear up his sleeve. Soon Alan knew nothing more as sleep finally overtook him.