Dragon Clan #6: Anna's Story

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Anna placed the copper coins on the table to pay for the room and food at the Anchor Inn, also leaving a thin copper for the woman who served them, and said to Thief, “We need to get to sleep. Big day tomorrow.”

Thief had mostly recovered from the attack in the alley and reached for his backpack. Anna took hers, and they went through the door at the back of the room and up the stairs. At the top, doors lined one side of the narrow hallway. The doors had no handles, only wooden latches.

In their room were four beds, one in each corner with a clear space in the center for changing and a chest for storage. Remembering what she had been told to do, she immediately shoved one bed to block the door and motioned for Thief to sleep in it. A table under a small window held a vase and a single red flower of a kind she didn’t’ recognize. It looked forlorn, although she suspected it was intended to dress up the room.

The table also held a pitcher of water, a bowl for washing, one candle, and holder, and under it stood a covered chamber pot on a small shelf. She moved the flower aside and peeked outside. People moved about on the street, but not as many as she expected. With the darkness came few reasons to be out. Stores were closed, all but the Inn and saloons serving sailors closer to the ships. Beyond that, she saw no reason to roam the streets of a quiet small town.

She shifted to the other side of the window and looked out at the street in the other direction. A woman paced at a corner and called to any men passing. Two sailors stumbled past her but kept on walking. A man carried a package and hurried as if he wanted to get off the street as fast as possible, but she did not see the warrior who had been at the window of the inn.

Thief stood in the center of the room, watching her. When she noticed him, she said, “Get into your bed.”

The beds were homemade cots, frames of hardwood with canvas stretched between rails. He removed the belt with his knife and unrolled his blanket. He removed the knife from the sheath and pulled his blanket over himself, his hand holding the knife, then he turned his face away, which was looking at the door.

Anna glanced at her pack and remembered she’d cut her blanket into strips to wash the wounds of the dragons, as well as them. Tomorrow she would find where to buy another, and a ground sheet. The damp had seeped into her blanket one time too many. Inside her pack, she found a heavy wool shirt that she used as a coat. Folded, it made an acceptable pillow, but before laying on the cot she looked outside again, searching for the man who lifted Thief’s shirt.

The good thing about the incident was that Thief was not Dragon Clan and that inspection seemed to have been the sole reason for the attack. Perhaps it had convinced someone they were not Dragon Clan and wouldn’t watch them again. It might work to their benefit.

Anna closed her eyes to think about it more, and when she opened them again, light streamed into the room from the window. Thief lay on his cot, eyes watching her. “How long have you been awake?”

“Dawn,” he said in his usual manner, not wasting a single word.

She sat up and looked out the window. Wagons rumbled by, men hustled to wherever they were going, couples strolled, and children played a game chasing one another and squealing. She had slept a very long time. Normally an early riser, today, nearly everyone was out and about before she opened her eyes.

“Let’s get something to eat and then take a walk.”

At the mention of food Thief’s eyes lit up as if she’d offered him a gold coin. He was out of bed and pushing the cot aside before Anna could protest. He’s always hungry, she realized, but teasing him was fun, too. “Maybe we should skip eating and just go for that walk.”

His face fell. She was joking and didn’t mean to be cruel, so she quickly tried to cover it up. “Actually, I guess I’m hungry, too. If you don’t mind, maybe we can take the time to eat?”

“Eat first. Yes.”

In the common room, there was a man working instead of the woman from the evening before. He saw them come through the doorway to the rooms upstairs and called from the door to the kitchen, “You must be our new guests.”

“Your hungry guests,” Anna said.

A plate of sliced cheeses, meats, and rounds of thin pan bread freshly cooked with edges so brown they were almost black, appeared in front of them. Anna reached for the bread first, “These are just like my Grandma Emma makes them. I love the edges like this.”

“She must be a first-rate cook because that’s how they’re supposed to be. You’d never guess how many people want me to make more and undercook them.”

The compliment had pleased the waiter. He tied the strings of his apron and asked, “Like milk?”

“Fresh?” Anna asked.

“Fresh at daybreak, maybe a little long for you?”

She laughed, “Two mugs. And butter.”

“Just when I believed you know good cooking you go and ask for butter. Not for your pan bread, I hope.” He was already heading for the kitchen.

“Yup,” she snickered and raised her eyes to the others eating at their tables. Most were familiar, and all avoided greeting her or even making eye contact. By insulting the old man called Tom, she had managed to set herself apart from them all. She knew where he lived and considered passing by his house and trying to set things right between them, but realized that was so obviously a ploy he’d reject her.

Thief ate with relish, but she noticed he’d slowed down and used his fingers less. He placed a slice of meat, maybe lamb, on top of a similar size slice of pale yellow cheese and took a bite instead of stuffing it all in his mouth. If nothing else, he not only learned fast but acted on it.

The milk came in two mugs, a pitcher for refilling them, along with a small bowl of butter. After watching them both empty the mugs, and refill them, the waiter asked, “Big plans today?”

“Going walking,” Anna said around a mouthful of pan bread coated with butter. “We have not seen anything of the city, so far.”

He said, “Most call it a town or village. I don’t think of Racine as a city, but the interesting parts you might want to see are the stores on Hill Street, and the ships and boats. You can watch all the action on the docks from a table at Front Street while you sip a cup of cider and eat cookies. Just make sure you get a table in the shade or you’ll burn in the sun.”

The comment about sunburn made her wince. Her skin was brown as a nut from the Drylands, but she couldn’t detect any hidden meaning from him. “Is watching ships and boats, that interesting?”

He said, “Most think so. Maybe it’s just that they get to sit and watch others work. You get the same thing when they’re putting up a building, too. Lots of people watching and telling others how it should be done. More pan bread?”

She shook her head. “More milk would nice.”

As they finished, he came by again and said, “You can leave your backpacks in your room. They’ll be safe enough.”

Not wishing to draw attention to the valuable coins sewn into the lining and straps, she said, “Thanks, but I keep some private things, you know, for women, in there.”

He rapidly excused himself and darted away, as all men do at the mere mention of certain subjects. However, she decided to go back to the room and remove a few coins so she wouldn’t have to do it in public later. Her purse was light, and she needed to buy a blanket. She also needed replacement arrows. And hard crackers because she was almost out.

It only took a short time to locate copper coins and two small silver. When leaving, she wished there was another way out of the Inn to avoid the eyes of men wishing nothing to do with her, but in the end, she held her head up and walked past them, holding her tongue. She had decided to let matters lie unless one of them sent a rude remark in her direction. They would be sorry if they did.

Thief seemed oblivious to the harsh looks and sour expressions. Once in the bright sunlight of mid-morning they paused. Which way to go? She chose to turn left because she’d noticed a weapons shop as they arrived.

Inside, she found a small, thin man with a mustache that drooped so much at the sides Anna restrained herself from grabbing her knife and cutting it. While hardly taller than her, the man was putting an edge on a short sword at a wheel. He let the wheel spin to a stop and asked how he could help them.

She pulled her single remaining arrow and said, “Do you have any like this?”

The man accepted the arrow, hefted it for weight, and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. “Very nice workmanship. Arrows like this are expensive. Have you the coin?”

“How much are they?”

“Only two arrows for a full copper, I’m afraid. I have others that are for short bows that are cheaper . . .”

“I want the good ones. What is a poorly made arrow worth when a boar is charging?”

He lifted his eyes from the arrow, reappraising the little girl who had entered. She could see the change in his attitude. “You are right to spend your coin on good weapons. Nothing is worse than to be let down by poor ones. How many do you desire?”

“Twenty. And I’d like you to take a look at my knife. It’s just come to me. I tell you that because I would not have you think I’d care for it so badly.”

He accepted the knife and wrinkled his nose. He raised it up and hit it firmly on the edge of an anvil, then examined it again, as well as the damage he’d done. “Brittle. Poor quality iron and improperly tempered. Don’t pay me to sharpen it, just throw it away.”

Anna liked the answer because he came to the same conclusion she had when she tried to sharpen it. But what can you expect when you steal from a highwayman who is not too good at his job? “Thief, hand me your knife.”

She accepted it, then handed it to the little man. He hefted it, held it by the blade and flipped it in the air, catching it by the blade again. After feeling the edge, he said, “Rather ugly and plain, but well-made of good metal. This will last your lifetime if cared for.”

He handed it back to Thief, who was smiling at the assessment. Thief said, “Yes, sir.”

Anna asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have any quality knives, would you?”

A wave of his arm directed her to another table. At least fifty knives lay beside each other. One had a ruby, real or not, at the end of the handle. Another a handle made of smooth bone. One had no crosspiece to prevent the user from slicing his hand if he slipped from sweat or blood. Another displayed gold filled scrolls in the blade. Beautiful, but not what she wanted.

The small man had moved to the other side of the table. “Do you see anything you like?”

“No.”

He pulled back as if insulted. Then, flashed a grin and said, “Perhaps you’d like to look at my others, the good ones. He pointed to three heavy drawers built into the wall below a display shelf. Pulling the top drawer out revealed five knives that all appeared similar to one he’d told her to throw away.

She reached for one with a handle wrapped in leather. It was slightly smaller than the others, but so was her hand. The grip felt right, the guard solid, and the edge even and sharp. She touched it gently with her thumb.

“Careful,” he warned. “I sharpened that myself.”

“Have you a scabbard for it?” she asked.

“Whoa, that knife is my best. Steel like that is uncommon and will cost two full silver coins, and not the thin ones. I appreciate that you selected my best, but let me show you something more affordable.”

She pulled two silver coins from her purse and said, “I am not much for bargaining, but suspect you may have given me your hopeful price, not the lowest. Will you accept these two silvers for twenty of your best arrows, this knife, and a scabbard, and sharpen the blade of my brother’s knife? I will also leave you my old knife.”

“Deal,” he said after only a slight hesitation. “I have a man who may be able to temper your old knife enough to sell for a copper or two to someone gutting fish on the docks.”

He carried Thief’s knife to the wheel and sat, kicking the heavy stone into motion. Sparks flew and in time he paused and examined the blade. He picked up a stone of fine grain, a well-oiled stone she noticed, and made several slow, careful swipes. A last touch of his thumb and he passed it to Thief, who also tested the blade and nodded his acceptance.

Anna said, “I also need a new blanket for sleeping outside and a ground sheet. Can you direct me to a shop?”

“Down on Front Street, that’s the one overlooking the harbor. You’ll find an outfitter named Molly. Ask anyone.”

While walking down the street, Anna felt better. She again wore a quality, functional knife, had arrows in her quiver, and a smiling Thief at her side. She watched again for the man from last night but didn’t see him, or Tanner, or Raymer.

Front Street was easy enough to recognize. It was in front of the docks of ships and boats, and it was lined on both sides of the street with shops catering to the sailors, and a large sign fastened to the wall of one building declared it to be Front Street. As a woman passed, Anna asked for directions to Molly’s, the outfitter.

Perhaps ten stores away stood Molly’s. Inside, she explained what she wanted and a clerk looking no older than herself rushed to the back and returned with a blanket of tight weave that would roll into a small cylinder, yet keep her warm. She also held two folded ground sheets of thin material that had been coated, and she claimed it waterproof. She poured water on it, and the water beaded and rolled off.

Thief was fascinated by the ground sheets. He’d slept with the moisture soaking into his blanket his whole life. At other times, Anna would have asked for a sheet large enough to make a tent, but the ground sheets would do for now. Back on the street, her shopping done, she stood and wondered what else she could find to buy. Food. She’d forgotten that she wanted more biscuits.

Wonderful smells drifted from a bakery. Upon entering, she found it was what she wanted. Besides baked goods of every sort, there was a room at the rear filled with small tables that looked out over the ships. The bakery was almost in front of The Rose.

Anna told the woman what she wanted, and soon forty hard, thin biscuits were stacked on the counter. “We also would like tea and sweet rolls. Can we select what we’d like?”

“Of course, dear. And the tea, also?”

Anna turned to Thief, suspecting he’s never eaten bakery sweets. “Point to two that look good.”

He pointed, and so did she. Anna left the type of tea up to the woman who served them at the small tables. She sat where she had a view of The Rose, thinking she might catch a glimpse of Tanner. She also watched Thief as he took his first bite. His eyes melted, and she could see him restraining himself from stuffing it all into his mouth. The roll had a white frosting, and the dough was soft and warm. He returned it to his plate, tasted the hot tea and found it to his liking.

Anna saw the telltale red spot on the other roll on his plate where they had folded the dough in half over the red preserves. Thief expected bread, possibly sweet or with a sprinkle of sugar, but he had no idea of what was going into his mouth, and she was not about to spoil his surprise. He lifted it and took a great bite. Red squirted from the side and more ran red from the corners of his mouth.

If Thief was to die young, this was the way he’d choose to go. She found herself laughing and tasting her selections. One roll was topped and filled with soft cheese. The other a glaze of sweetness like nothing she’d ever tasted. They traded small pieces, but Anna was convinced hers was the best.

They sipped tea, watching the activity below. A wagon arrived at The Rose and kegs were unloaded from the wagon, tossed over strong shoulders, and carried aboard. A man climbed the mast of the ship and routed a new rope through a pulley. Another sat and sewed patches on canvas. Men carried, lifted, scrubbed, and ran on errands. The activity was mesmerizing.

Thief was on his third cup of tea with he paused and said, “Tanner.”

She found him walking with another man, in the direction of the ship. They were talking as if old friends. Tanner said something. The other shook his head. Tanner said something else and again the man shook his head. Tanner placed his hands on his hips and leaned closer as he spoke. The other finally nodded slowly. Tanner had convinced him of something.

“More tea?” The woman asked, clearing the plates from their table.

“Do you also serve lunch?” Anna asked.

“No, honey. That takes too much effort on my part, but there is a good place to eat only a few doors away. It’s where I eat.”

Anna decided to go back to the Anchor Inn and make arrangements for another night. Both Raymer and Tanner had told her to stay close. When they walked in, the woman was back on duty. She came to them and said, “You’re welcome to eat, I guess, but we’ve had other guests arrive and we didn’t know if you’d return so we rented out your room.”

Glancing around at the main room, Anna noticed there were fewer people than the day before. There were six doors at the top of the stairs, each leading to a room, and yesterday all were empty but the one they rented. She had been happy to rent the room to them. The sea captains slept on their ships, so they didn’t stay at the inn.

She’s lying, Anna decided. The men probably told her they didn’t want Anna at the Inn, and that offended her. She could leave, but decided not to.

Anna smiled, “Oh, that’s not a problem. Please bring us watered wine.” Instead of sitting at a distance from the men, she sat at a table very near the three she recognized. “Beautiful day,” she muttered loud enough for them to hear.

Being pushed around not only offended her, but she wanted to fight back. Just one of the gold coins sewed into the straps of her backpack would purchase the Inn. If she wanted, she could buy the whole damn place and refuse to serve the men who complained about her. Her temptation grew as they refused to talk with her in earshot, let alone wish her a good morning.

Again, not to be taken lightly, or pushed away, she leaned close to Thief and said, in a voice sure to be heard across the room, “Do you know that sailors are liars and thieves? All of them?”

Thief shook his head. His eyes were on the men at the table, while her back was to them.

His expression told her all she needed to know. She continued, “That’s what they say. I heard some women talking today, and they said sailors think bathing peels away protection for the skin. So they don’t bathe, and that is why they all stink.”

“Anna,” Thief started to speak, then withheld whatever he was going to say.

She sipped her wine and got angrier as she considered their silent rebuke. “Ever see an outhouse on a ship?”

Thief shook his head.

“That’s because there are not any. Another reason why they have to pay to have a woman close to them, but it’s hard to find women with noses that don’t work.”

One man growled, “That’s enough, little lady.”

She stood and sauntered to his side. “You’d better not be talking to me.”

A grizzled man of average height, but wider than most stood. “I am talking to you. I believe it is time for you to leave. I’ll escort you to the door.”

Thief slowly stood and shook his head at the man.

Looking at Thief, and back at her, he said, “Your boy fights when you run your mouth too much? Well, I will not take that kind of talk without a fight.” He tossed back his coat and his hand emerged with a dagger.