Tumsley met us there as well, leading a saddled horse. The odd man was grinning as he removed an oversized backpack. “These should be of use in your travels.” He handed Hana and then me our own newly polished saddles.
I stared at the gift in shock a moment, then glanced over to Tejón. And though I still wasn’t sure he could understand me, I tried another mental message. This is so that I can ride on your back. Is that okay with you? And will you be able to carry my big butt?
Tejón looked at me and chuffed as if annoyed, then pawed at the ground. I amended my thought, hoping he was hearing my words. Of course you are. You are the strongest creature I’ve ever known.
Alysand gave Tumsley a pouch of coins and turned to me. “Don’t worry, Madi. I’ll let you repay me at your leisure. A hundred gold dragons is nothing for such intrepid adventurers as yourselves.”
Hana’s eyes went wide for a second, but then she considered the saddle in her arms and thanked Tumsley and Alysand both. I just grinned at the men.
Tumsley also gave us a satchel full of dried venison. “For the bear,” he said. “Ain’t no beast in this world that should be forced to eat his own.”
I thanked him personally and watched as the small man gave something else to Hana and whispered in her ear, his eyes twinkling.
The mayor came running up as we were about to leave. He was out of breath, and his eyes were wild, as if he’d just had a fright. “Alysand, my old friend! You heading to the mines, then?”
The bard looked at the ruffled mayor, his eyes squinting slightly as if to penetrate the man’s defenses. “The mine is cleared out. I’ve commissioned Garren to outfit the town with armor and weapons enough to defend itself, should further incursions happen. There are a good handful of strapping young men who’d take to a sword as quickly as they would a pickaxe.”
“Cleared out? But, but how? You said—I thought you’d said that…”
Alysand lifted his hand to cut off his words. “I made a deliberate attempt to deceive you, Sherman. It is my great hope that I am wrong about you, but something is not right. If I find that you know more than you are letting on, or if you are in any way dealing with this Rat King, I will personally depose you.”
“That is ridiculous!”
“As I said,” Alysand continued, cutting the man short again. “I hope I am wrong. Good day, Sherman.”
“Would you hear my news, then? I have news from Gilsby.”
“I have had news from the coast as well. We leave to Port Vaya this day. But any knowledge you might add could help my cause. What is it?” His patience was obviously running thin.
“Port Vaya? Oh, well. Gilsby, though. There is trouble at hand. I’ve heard that a man is there who has done much harm, though I do not know his name. I just wanted to warn you.” The mayor’s eyes gleamed with emphasis. His face was yellowing somewhat, and he seemed thinner than before. A bead of sweat ran from his brow and off the tip of his nose.
“Well, thank you,” Alysand said. “Consider me warned. I have a trade with a special collector in Port Vaya. Perhaps I will stop by Gilsby on the way back.”
The mayor excused himself and shuffled away. Alysand watched his retreat with the same piercing scrutiny.
It took nearly half an hour getting the saddles fixed and adjusted to Tejón and Pachi, and when we were done, the beasts stood proud, nearly sauntering as they walked around with their new trappings. Tumsley took Pachi’s old harness, as it was useless now. Barely big enough to accommodate her size, and the bags that it held were no longer needed. She could carry as much as she wanted now, in light of the two new saddlebags that balanced over her ribs.
Tejón’s saddle had even more storage space, and the seat was large enough for my considerable barbarian’s butt.
Hana jumped up on Pachi’s back gracefully, and immediately put her hands against the enfield. They conversed mentally for a while, and Pachi lifted her head proudly. Hana finished their conversation audibly. “I never said you weren’t strong. I was just checking. No need to get moody.”
I laughed and sent another mental nudge to my friend. Tejón, I am going to jump up on your back now, okay? Just let me know if you don’t want me to.
He gave no reply, so I jumped up myself, a bit embarrassed as I struggled to gain my seat. When I finally found myself seated on the mighty bear, I was startled at my new viewpoint. It was a lot like riding a horse, though my legs were wedged even further apart. I wasn’t sure what I’d do when he got even bigger—maybe just ride on my knees. The saddle had a small hump on it, but the underside was flat, not contoured like Pachi’s had been. Perhaps that was to allow him to grow to his full size without having to make a new saddle.
Alysand mounted up and led us out of town toward the road to Gilsby. Hana rode to his side and struck up a conversation once we were out of town. “Why did you lie to the mayor? You distrust him that much?”
“Sherman Hesperine used to be a good friend of mine. But he has an ill look to him. He is lying about something. That much I know. Did you notice anything odd about the man?”
As Hana answered, and their conversation droned on, I used the distraction to make a decision I’d put off for days. I’d gained my Berserker class rank awhile back, but hadn’t selected
