“Two coppers, then,” said Hunter.
“Three coppers for a room with two beds and a bar on the door,” said the innkeeper. “On the ground floor near the back door to the latrine.”
“Very well,” said Hunter. He dropped three copper coins into the man’s open palm.
“Welcome, friends. Come inside.” The innkeeper stepped aside and swung his arm toward the door.
Hunter accepted. Harriet and Steve followed him back inside. Some of the men drinking at the tables glanced up again, but without much interest.
The innkeeper picked up a stub of candle on a small dish and led them down a narrow hallway. He opened the door to a small room and swung it back. Then he stepped out again.
Steve glanced around. The two beds nearly filled the room, leaving only a small space between them. A long, narrow shelf ran along the wall from the doorway. This room was intended for sleeping, no more.
“It is acceptable,” said Hunter. “In the morning, I expect bowls of water for washing.”
“As you wish. Sleep well, friends.” The innkeeper handed him the candle dish and left.
Steve drew back the covers to one bed. “Well, it looks clean enough.” He pushed on the pallet. “Straw, not feathers. It’ll be scratchy.”
Harriet laughed lightly. “I trust we’ll survive the night somehow.”
“I will spend the night by the door, on guard,” said Hunter. “Do you need anything outside the room before I bar it for the night?”
“Yeah,” said Steve, with a grin. “A quick trip out to the latrine. And don’t bar it before I get back, either.”
“Of course I will not.” Hunter sounded puzzled.
“That was a joke, Hunter.”
When Steve returned, Hunter barred the door and touched the candlewick lightly with one finger to put it out. As the humans got into bed, he listened for any sounds suggesting danger and heard none. He remained alert throughout the night, motionless to conserve his energy.
Morning arrived without incident. When Hunter heard footsteps elsewhere in the inn, he went out and repeated his request for bowls of water from the innkeeper for Harriet and Steve. By the time the innkeeper fetched water from the cistern and Hunter returned to the room, both Harriet and Steve were up and dressed.
Soon they went to the dining area in the front. Steve brought the team’s bag with him, since they had not paid for a second night in the room. The men from the night before were not there, but two other men in woolen tunics sat hunched over bowls of hot cereal. The fire in the fireplace had gone out.
“Remember to speak British,” Hunter whispered in that language. “We will be overheard and we want to sound as though we belong.”
“As you wish.” Harriet drew in a deep breath. “Ah, feel that brisk spring air again. I love it.”
“I’m hungry,” said Steve, moving to an empty table. “This one okay?”
“Of course,” said Hunter.
The innkeeper hurried out to greet them and offered breakfast. In the daylight, he took a second glance at Steve in surprise, but said nothing. For breakfast, he served wooden bowls of hot oatmeal and herbal tea. He also brought out a small dish of honey for flavoring.
“It’s quite familiar,” said Harriet, inhaling the steam rising from the oatmeal. “I suppose oatmeal and honey haven’t changed a great deal over the years.”
“It’s good,” said Steve. “Not that I like oatmeal much. Good enough, though.”
“I reviewed my conversation with the sentries at the outer gate,” said Hunter. “While my claim to be a horse breeder and trader got us inside the tor, I now believe that Steve is correct that this will not bring us to an audience with Artorius. Without horses to show a prospective buyer, the pose will no longer be useful.”
“At least we’re inside.” Steve shrugged. “Maybe we can just hang around here in the village and ask for people of Jane’s and MC 6’s descriptions.”
“I prefer to act more aggressively,” said Hunter. “Harriet, we discussed some other possible social roles before we left. Would you suggest another?”
“Well, you didn’t want to be soldiers because that might be more dangerous to Steve,” said Harriet. “But without other supplies to bring Artorius-food, armor, or weapons, mainly-that’s the best way to get the attention of a military commander. You could start by joining up and then look for an opportunity to meet him.”
“Hold it.” Steve swallowed and put down his spoon. “I have another problem with this. I learned the hard way in the Caribbean that I’m no fighter.”
“Really?” Harriet turned to him. “What happened, may I ask?”
“I tried fighting a couple of times.” Grinning, Steve shook his head. “One guy almost carved me up with a rapier, but someone interrupted us. Running around on deck during a boarding was even crazier. And what kind of soldier can Hunter be? He’s not allowed to harm humans.”
“Our goal does not require fighting,” said Hunter. “We simply want to be involved in life around Artorius, where MC 6 will probably appear. Harriet, how soon will Artorius go to war again?”
“That’s hard to say,” she said slowly. “In a sense, despite short-term truces and treaties, Britain is more or less in a state of ongoing war between Britons and Saxons.”
“Can you make any sort of calculated estimate about when the next campaign will begin?” Hunter asked.
“Let me think out loud for a moment. The earliest chronicles don’t give the years in which battles took place, let alone months and days. The odds are, however, that none ever took place here at Artorius’s capital, or that fact would have been mentioned.”
“If he has to march somewhere else for battle, we’ll have plenty of warning,” said Steve.
“Most of the battle sites were vague,” said Harriet. “Some are completely unknown, but Artorius will certainly have to go out on campaign to reach them.”
“Hunter.” Steve switched to English and spoke in a whisper. “For this subject, we can’t risk being understood by anyone else. If Artorius goes out on campaign while we’re here, are you going to let us desert from his cavalry to avoid getting into a battle?”
“We must always remember that MC 6 is our first goal, but of course I cannot put either of you into more danger than necessary under the First Law.”
“I think you just dodged my question.” Steve grinned wryly. “Can we desert or not?”
“If necessary, I will certainly take you out of danger,” said Hunter.
“That hasn’t always worked out as we’ve planned,” said Steve. “But I’ll go along with this if you really want to.”
“I suggest we also expand on our personal story.” Harriet whispered in English also.
“What do you have in mind?” Hunter asked.
“We should maintain our claim to have traveled from Gaul recently, or we will be branded liars. But in order to explain your desire to fight for Artorius, we should explain that we are Britons.”