“That sounds too complicated.”
“Then how about this? The ships arrive in Shrewsbury, but instead of being empty, they hold troops. An elite army land and marches to the monastery where their weapons and armor is waiting. They quickly march north, away from Ember’s troops and march right into the palace because half the King’s army is waiting in that forest to the south. They take King Ember and force him to surrender his crown.”
Tanner drew in a sharp breath as he understood. “By the time Ember’s army arrives at the castle in Princeton the war is already over without a battle.”
“Our king is dead or deposed, replaced by another.”
“It’s crazy to move half of your troops to the furthest point in the kingdom. Is King Ember really that stupid?”
“Remember last year? His ‘secret’ assault on the Northlands? A single dragon defeated his entire army and made a mortal enemy of the Earl.” Carrion shrugged as if to say that his king was a poor planner when it came to military operations.
They settled down and each reviewed his own thoughts as the sun sank. Tanner said, “If we stay here we need more to eat. The next ship might not arrive for a ten-day or more. Let’s sneak into town and steal enough food from the store.”
“I have the required coin to pay. We’ll take what we want, but leave enough copper so the owner is not at a loss.” Carrion again wore his wicked grin and seemed distracted.
Tanner said, “That’s what I meant.” Then he remembered they planned to burn the entire town. The store, contents, and all around it would be gone. What value is in a coin or two that might not even survive the fire? Very funny.
Carrion said, his voice now gruff and demanding, “Give me a while before we go down there. The red is getting near to Princeton, and I’ll need to guide him to the castle and tell him when to drop the packing crate planks with the writing and the weapons.”
“Hopefully, someone at the castle is smart enough to figure out our warning and tell the king. Go ahead and I’ll keep watch for you. How’s your back feeling?”
“Sore, but not like earlier.” Carrion settled down, closed his eyes.
Tanner’s back also felt better. He watched for a time, but there was nothing to see but an older man lying on the ground with his eyes closed as the day ended. The ship was too far from the point of land to watch, even if they were not so far away. He reached to slice more of the rabbit, but decided on an egg, instead. His eyes went back to the sea. Were there ships filled with troops just out of sight just over the horizon? Had they departed from a land across the sea to invade his homeland?
That line of thinking made him review the entire conversation he and Carrion shared. He did his best to find a flaw that would discredit the idea of an invasion. Instead, he found himself believing more and more of the story. War is coming. Shrewsbury needs to be burned.
While they had discussed burning the city earlier, it had seemed unreal. Something in a fictional future. Now it was real. He waited until Carrion stirred again, well after dark.
Carrion nodded in his direction. “It’s done. Let’s head for town.”
They moved quickly, skirting the low-roofed buildings near the breakwater for taking up positions near the rear of the town where the forest grew to within a few steps of many buildings.
They moved to a vantage where they could watch much of the main street. Carrion touched Tanner’s arm and pointed. Behind a building was movement. Someone darted to the rear door of a building and knocked. The door opened, and he was pulled inside.
Tanner whispered, “There’s another in the woods. I think it’s the Dragon Clan.”
The door reopened, and the figure slipped back into the edge of the forest. Carrion said, “something is going on down at the pier, too. Let’s wait here until things calm down.”
Later the rear door opened again, and two figures slipped out of the forest and then across the road. Tanner said, “I want a look in the window of that building.”
Carrion nodded and took them back into the trees, then brought them to where the others had waited. Two large objects were blocking the path. He lifted one, and said, “Their backpacks. It was the pair we’re following.”
“They’re coming back? We have to hide.”
Carrion placed the backpack down and said, “Let’s cross the road and get to the store. I’ll feel better when we’re out of here.”
“Too much going on tonight. I can feel it in the air.” Tanner took the lead. They went to the front edge of a building that didn’t show any lights and ran together across to another dark building. Circling it took them to the rear of the store, and a window that opened as his knife slipped the thumb-lock.
They climbed inside and quietly gathered, dried fruit, smoked goat, and nuts from a barrel. All went into flour sacks that had their contents spilled onto the floor. When each had two bags full, they climbed out the window and huddled in the nearby shrubs.
A commotion on the pier drew their attention. A group of sailors was shouting, shoving and pushing. They were near the shore. Four more men raced to break up the fight, none wearing the blue uniforms of the sailors. Meanwhile, four others darted onto the pier and moved quickly to the ship, unseen by the dozen or so on the other side of the pier.
“Let’s get back to the other side of the road,” Carrion hissed.
They went the way they’d come and ended up at the edge of the forest where the backpacks were. Carrion paused. “The four running to the ship were ones from our Dragon Clan, or, at least, two of them were. They’re safely on the ship.”
“They’re not coming back for their packs.”
“So we take them. There might be things we can make use of,” he handed the first to Tanner, then said, “They left their bows, too. Take what we can and let’s get out of here.”
Loaded down, they returned to the headland and deposited their booty beside their fire pit. It was too dark to examine the backpacks, but the pier and the ship were lighted by torches. There appeared to be more active on the ship than would be expected in the middle of the night, but Tanner fell asleep.
He woke once, finding Carrion sitting with his knees to his chin, eyes on the ship. “Anything?”
“No, just keeping a watch on it and thinking about what to do next.”
Tanner closed his eyes again, and only opened them when the sun struck his face. Carrion was already spreading out the contents of the backpacks on his blanket. There was more food, a purse containing more coins, including one gold piece. The bows looked serviceable. There was nothing to indicate the pair were Dragon Clan, but finding that would have meant the man and the girl were too careless. In one of the backpacks were two small books.
Carrion looked at one, then the other. “Travel books about the Marlstone Islands.”
“We can use those.”
Carrion said, “We can also use the packs for ourselves. Take a few arrows, the blankets, and food. But that gold coin gives me an idea.”
“We have silver and copper.”
“And we have a few small gold, but that gold coin is much bigger. Did you know you can buy a farm with a gold coin that size?”
Tanner shook his head. He had never seen a gold coin, and few others in his lifetime. Living with a large family in a remote area didn’t require coins, or if it did, one of the elders usually traveled to a town or city to purchase what was needed.
“With a coin like that, I wonder if we could buy our own ship,” Carrion said, a smile touching the corners of his mouth.
CHAPTER FIVE