Trail of the Gods: The Morcyth Saga Book Four (7 page)

Before the door closes, it opens back up
quickly and the mayor stands there. “You come on in, James,” he
tells him. To the other guy, he says, “James here never needs an
appointment to see me.”

“Yes, sir,” the man replies.

Within the room, he sees seven other men,
Corbin being one, sitting around a large table. He gives James a
nod as he enters. The mayor takes his seat at the head of the table
and the man who answered the door pulls two more chairs over for
James and Jiron.

“Gentlemen,” the mayor announces, “for those
of you who have yet to meet him, this is James.” A murmur begins
which the mayor quickly silences.

“Now, you know Corbin here,” the mayor says.
“Next to him is Polin, and then Berill, Monn, Durik, Aarron, Igren.
This is the City Council of Trendle.”

“Good day to you all,” says James. He
receives an answering salutation from the council members.

“We were just talking about you,” Corbin
says.

“Yes,” John, the mayor jumps in. “It seems
your notoriety had attracted many people to the area.”

“I’m sorry about that,” apologizes James. “I
hadn’t planned on that.”

“No, don’t be sorry young man,” Polin says.
A man of middle years, dark hair and dressed well, Polin gives off
an air of friendliness. “In fact, we were just talking about how we
could increase it.”

Getting a dark look, James asks, “What
for?”

“All these people are going to need a place
to rest and food to eat,” Monn replies with a grin. Monn being a
fat man with slightly stained clothes, James figures him as some
kind of innkeeper or possibly someone in the service business.

“There’s a profit to be made here,” adds
Aarron, an older man who is all but grey.

“But at my expense!” James exclaims. His
outburst takes the council aback.

“You’re not having to pay for anything,”
Berill interjects. A younger man with a slight attitude, he looks
at James like he shouldn’t have to state the obvious.

Corbin jumps in and says, “I think what
James means is that he’ll be paying with his privacy. Isn’t that
right James?”

“Yes, Corbin,” he replies. “Exactly. Already
I’ve had people out at my place who are disturbing me. I’ve even
set up guards to keep them off my lands.”

“Do you think you should do that?” Durik
asks. Another middle aged man, he fits in with what Corbin had said
a long time ago about John’s drinking buddies. “If word gets around
that you turn people away, they may not come.”

“Good!” he exclaims. “I don’t want them to
come, and I certainly don’t want to become a tourist attraction
just so you all can fatten your purses.”

“Now James,” the mayor says as he gets to
his feet. “There’s no need to get upset.”

Jiron laughs and everyone’s attention is
drawn to him. Even James glances to him wondering why he’s
laughing.

“What’s so funny?” asks Igren, a small man
with a keen eye that seems to take in everything.

Standing up, Jiron says, “He’s not upset,
gentlemen. I’d say he’s merely annoyed. He’s the last person you’d
ever want to see ‘upset’.” He glances around the table, his mood
slowly turning serious as he makes eye contact with each councilman
before continuing. “While you’re here deciding upon the best way to
exploit this situation, things are going on that you’re not even
aware of. Last night, a mage from the Empire with twelve soldiers
attacked us and we nearly lost the battle. This is just the first
one, you can be sure there will be more.”

“The notoriety that you are counting on to
draw the people here to put money in your pockets will also draw
those of an unsavory nature as well. And I’m not talking just of
those from the Empire. With people, come thieves and all that goes
with them, think about that.”

James stands up and says, “I ask you not to
go forth with any plans that will draw people to me. Aside from
being irritating, it could very well put them in jeopardy.” To
Jiron he says, “We’ve said all that needs to be said, let’s
go.”

As they leave the council chamber, Corbin
gets up and follows them out into the hallway, closing the door
behind him. “Is everyone okay?” he asks, concern evident on his
face.

“Everyone’s fine,” Jiron replies. “Yern has
a nasty cut, nothing else major.”

“I’m glad,” he says. “Sorry about that in
there, I remember how much you like your quiet.”

“It just makes me mad,” he says. “They’re
planning on making a profit off of me at my expense. I like
Trendle, but it isn’t the only town on the map. If it gets too bad,
I’ll move.”

“I know and I’d hate to see that happen,”
Corbin says. “I’d better get back in before they go and pass a
ruling without me.”

“Thanks Corbin,” he says, holding out his
hand.

Taking the hand, Corbin says, “Come out for
dinner sometime, Mary and the kids would love to see you
again.”

“I may, just really busy right now,” James
tells him.

Corbin opens the door to the council chamber
and then goes back inside. James can hear them talking, about what
he can’t quite make out through the door.

As they move down the hallway and begin
descending the stairs, Jiron asks, “Were you serious about
moving?”

“Not for a while and only if it gets bad
around here,” he replies.

Outside, they find Miko still standing by
their horses. At their approach, he glances back at them and then
turns to face them. “No one’s bothered us,” he says as he pats his
horse.

“That’s good news,” James says as he mounts.
As they ride through the streets, he again hears the whispers and
catches people pointing at him. Ears burning slightly from the
attention, he kicks his horse into more of a canter and they
quickly leave the town behind.

“I think I may not come back here for
awhile,” he announces once they’ve ridden a ways out of town.

“Don’t blame you,” Miko says. “I find it
unnerving and it’s not even directed at me.”

Before reaching the lane to the Ranch, they
see three men walking away from Jorry who’s still on guard duty
there. As they ride past the men, one looks like he’s about to say
something to them. James hurries on past before he has a chance to
get it out.

At the lane entrance, Jorry says, “So far,
those guys are the only ones to show up today.”

“What did they want?” asks James.

“Just asked if you were here,” he explains.
“When I told them you had gone into town, they turned around and
started back.”

James looks back and sees the three men
paused there in the road, as if they’re deciding whether or not to
come back now that he’s there. Finally, they turn and continue down
the road back to town.

“Irritating,” he says as he starts down the
lane to the main house. Out back he can see where the hole in the
ground from the crystals exploding last night has already been
filled back in and Sean has begun laying out a new framework for
another coop. Jiron rides to the barn while he goes over to talk
with him.

“Well master builder,” James says as he
rides over to him, “got tired of working on the house?”

Grinning, he says, “No, but they’ve gotten
it under control for the moment so I thought I’d put together
another coop for you before nightfall. Your cook asked me if I
could. You don’t mind do you?”

“It’s fine,” he replies. “Do you have
everything you need?”

“All but the chicken wire and I understand
one of your men has gone into town to get that.”

“Good,” he says. He turns his horse toward
the barn and soon has him settled in. Around the back of the house,
he finds Roland chopping wood. When he sees James approaching, he
puts the axe down.

“Ezra has borrowed your builder for the
day,” he tells him.

“Yeah, I saw that,” he replies.

“You don’t mind do you?” he asks. When James
shakes his head, he continues, “It’s just that she’s arranged for
three dozen chickens to arrive here tomorrow and wanted a place
ready for them.”

“That’s fine,” he assures him. “Where did
she get that many?”

“From several of the neighboring farms, from
what she tells me,” he explains.

“I’ll be out in the workshop if anyone needs
me,” he says.

“Okay,” says Roland as he picks up his axe
again and commences splitting logs into firewood.

Rather than going directly to his workshop,
he heads for the crystals that were left out in the forest from the
day before. He goes to the one off by itself to see if the glow
still remains after being deactivated all night.

When he at last finds it, he can still see
the glow within and it looks to be just as strong as it had the day
before. It hadn’t been exactly full to begin with. Maybe the more
power it has, the more it will lose and once it reaches a certain
level it doesn’t lose anymore? Going to have to see if that theory
is sound or not.

Feeling really good about the whole thing,
he replaces the crystal back down where it had been. May as well
leave it to see how it behaves over the next couple days. Now to
the other ones.

He can easily tell where the other two
crystals were left. Before he even gets close, he can see where the
withered area has grown much greater than it was the day before.
Where there were two distinct areas, now there is but one. The two
areas surrounding the crystals have grown together and expanded
further out.

Everything within a foot of each crystal is
completely dead. Both have a deep crimson glow and look to be
filled to capacity. Canceling the spells, he bends down and picks
them up. They don’t feel any different, still hard and feels like
their weight hasn’t changed. He puts one back in his pocket and the
other he takes over to where the first one lies. He sets the
crystal down next to it, figuring to come back the next day and
compare the two to see if the one with more power will lose it
faster.

Going back to the workshop, he takes several
crystals out and casts the leeching spells upon them, the ones that
will only draw minute quantities at a time so as not to kill the
vegetation. He also adds the signature spell to each to make sure
they won’t leech from each other. Unless there are special
circumstances, he’ll always incorporate the signature spell.

He prepares four separate crystals and then
takes them out to the forest, placing them in different areas. In
the morning he’ll see what kind of effect they leave on their
surroundings. If he’s done this right, there should be very little
in the way of noticeable withering of the surrounding
vegetation.

When he returns from the forest he goes over
and helps Sean with the chicken coop. Miko and Fifer are already
there helping him. They’ve finished the initial framework and were
starting the roof when he joins them. By the time the evening meal
is ready, they’ve nailed the last of the roosting boxes securely to
the walls.

Ezra steps out to call them in for dinner
and notices that the new chicken coop is finished. Coming over, she
nods her head and says, “Very nice. Yes, very nice indeed. Thank
you.”

“You’re welcome,” Sean says to her. Then to
James he says, “I better get over there and see how they’re doing
on the house.”

“Shouldn’t have messed it up too much,”
James says with a grin.

“They’d better not have messed it up at all
if they expect to go home tonight,” he tells him as he heads on
over.

Fifer just laughs as he and Miko go and get
cleaned up. James follows them and they’re soon sitting at the
table having their dinner.

James tells everyone about the meeting with
the town council and he hears angry muttering from the ones who’ve
been standing out at the road keeping everyone away. “It’s bad
enough now,” Jorry says. “Today alone I had to turn away at least
seven people, some took it okay. Others got downright angry at not
being able to talk to you.”

“What do they want?” he asks.

“Most won’t tell me, others are just stupid
things,” he replies. “One woman wanted you to remove a wart and
another is sure that someone has put a curse on him.”

“A curse?” asks Illan, amused.

“Yes, a curse,” replies Jorry. “He claims
that his continued losing at cards is due to a curse. I told him
it’s probably just that he’s no good. He didn’t like that and told
me so in not very friendly words.”

“I’m sorry you guys have to put up with
that,” he says. “Maybe when the word spreads that I don’t see
anyone, then they’ll go away.”

“I hope so,” Jorry sighs. “If not, I’d like
a shack or something out there we can relax in. Now’s not too bad,
but in the winter, it could get bad out there.”

They eat in silence for a while, each
digesting what’s been said. Suddenly from outside, they hear the
sound of wagons rolling toward the house. Uther gets up and goes
out to the front room and shortly his voice can be heard as he
says, “Delia’s back.”

Jiron gets up and hurries out, Tersa right
behind.

James finishes another bite and then says to
Ezra as he indicates his plate, “I’m not finished yet.” Then he
gets up and goes out to meet them as well. He finds Delia and Tersa
giving each other a hug in welcome. Shorty is getting down from
where he’d been driving the wagon and Scar, Potbelly and Stig are
dismounting from their horses.

“I told you we’d make it here by dark!” he
can hear Potbelly say to Scar.

“Alright, here,” Scar says as he hands over
several coins.

“How’s the trading business?” James asks
Delia when he approaches.

“Not as good as I’d hoped,” she tells him.
“But I’m just starting out and have no contacts. Few will trust me
with their loads, but give me time and I’ll win them over.”

“I’m sure you will,” he says. “We’ve just
sat down to dinner. You’re welcome to share with us.”

“That’s okay,” she says. “I doubt if Ezra
had planned on so many, we’ll just eat our own food tonight. Though
tomorrow morning we’ll take advantage of her cooking before we set
out.”