Deniably Dead (Arucadi Series Book 4) Read online

  “But you can’t say what business, eh?” the man said with a chuckle.

  “Never mind, we’ll find an inn on our own,” Renni shouted down before Lore could speak. She flicked the reins to set the horses back in motion.

  “Might try Duncan’s, next street over and two squares further on,” the man shouted after them as the horses moved forward. “It’s a fine inn.”

  They’d gone barely far enough to be out of range of the man’s hearing when Renni lit into Lore. “Why’d you answer all his questions? You don’t know why he wanted so much information.”

  “Oh, gods, Renni, the guy was just curious,” Lore said. “They probably don’t get many strangers coming through town.”

  “Don’t be absurd. Marquez is the provincial capital. It can’t be the hick town it looks like. Who knows what he was after?”

  “I figure he was just trying to find out what kind of inn we could afford without coming right out and asking. Shall we take a look at Duncan’s?”

  “No. I don’t trust that fellow’s recommendation.”

  Lore shook his head and gave a snort of disgust. “First Zauna gets an attack of nerves in the middle of the night, and now you’re seeing sinister motives in what’s just simple curiosity.”

  “I hope it was only simple curiosity, but I didn’t like his looks or his questions. And I don’t think we should go to Duncan’s.”

  “I think you’re overreacting, but all right so long as we find a place soon. I’m starving, and the horses are tired and hungry and need care.” Lore gave the reins an angry flick, prompting the horses to increase their pace.

  §

  Zauna refrained from complaining about the amount of time Renni and Lore spent going up one street and down the next until they must surely have traversed the entire city. She itched to get out of the wagon and walk around before nightfall. Like the others she looked forward to a good meal and a comfortable bed. But she had a goal the others did not share.

  Having been informed while still in Port-of-Lords that in Marquez she would find shops and vendors catering to fortunetellers, self-proclaimed witches, mystics, and speakers to or for the dead, she was eager to explore the city and try to find and purchase a new crystal ball. She waited with growing impatience as either Lore or Renni found fault with each inn they stopped at.

  The wagon stopped for at least the tenth time, and Zauna braced herself for the call from Renni or Lore telling her and Camsen not to get out yet. She could hear the two young people arguing, and then the call came—but not the one she had dreaded hearing.

  “Zauna, Camsen,” Lore shouted, “We’re staying here. You can come out and go inside.”

  Camsen quickly hopped from the wagon and helped Zauna down. She thanked him and hurried around the wagon to see where they were. Renni stood facing the building they’d stopped in front of, glaring at it as though it had somehow offended her. Lore prepared to guide horses and wagon around the side. A young boy had come out to help him.

  “I still think this is a mistake, Lore,” Renni said, hands on her hips.

  “You have to admit it’s better than any of the other places we saw. I’d say the fellow who directed us here gave us his honest opinion and nothing more. We should be grateful.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Her tone clearly said she thought he was wrong.

  “It looks like a nice, clean place,” Camsen said, returning to them after going to the door and peering inside. “And the smell of food is most appetizing.”

  At those words, Zauna’s stomach growled loudly. Much as she regretted having to wait, her empty stomach begged for food. She’d do no exploring before morning.

  “I’ll arrange for our rooms,” Camsen said and headed back inside.

  Zauna glanced up at the sign over the door before following. “The place for a comfortable stay and the best food in town,” the sign announced in a fancy scroll above large red letters proclaiming the inn’s name: Duncan’s.

  §

  Renni sat up in bed and gazed toward the ceiling. Not that she could see it; the room was in total darkness. Some sound had roused her, though it was quiet now except for Zauna’s snores. Those would not have wakened her. She’d grown used to them during their week en route. Here in the inn she had a soft, comfortable bed all to herself, with Zauna sleeping soundly, judging by the steady snores, in a second bed a good distance away, compared to the cramped quarters they’d endured in the wagon. Warm and snug for the first time since they’d left Port-of-Lords¸ why was she lying here wide-awake in the middle of the night?

  Then she heard it—the sound that must have awakened her. Their third-floor room had only the inn’s sloping roof above it, yet Renni distinctly heard a scraping sound followed by steps. Not human footsteps but a clicking that moved across the roof above her as though some great bird were pacing there.

  She slipped out of bed and groped her way to Zauna’s bed, found the woman’s shoulder and shook it, whispering, “Zauna, wake up. Something’s on the roof right above us. Wake up, please.”

  Zauna grunted and turned over, away from Renni. Renni shook her shoulder again. “Wake up, Zauna. I’m worried.”

  “Huh? Wha—what’s wrong?”

  “I keep hearing a scraping sound on the roof. Listen! There it is again.”

  The bed creaked as Zauna sat up. “It’s too dark to see anything,” she complained.

  “There’s nothing to see, anyway,” Renni said impatiently. “It’s not inside here. It’s on the roof right above us. Don’t you hear it?”

  “I don’t hear anything. You were probably just having a bad dream.” The bed creaked again as Zauna lay back down.

  “No, the sound woke me. I heard it again when I was fully awake. Just wait a bit. It’ll probably happen again.” Almost immediately the sound repeated, even louder than before. “There it is! Doesn’t it sound like something’s walking across the roof?”

  Zauna listened and laughed. “I’ll tell you what it sounds like,” she said. “It sounds like a big tree branch scraping against the roof tiles when the wind blows. Didn’t you notice the huge tree on this side of the inn, close to our room?”

  “Oh,” Renni said in a small voice. “I did see it when I went out to check on Kyla, but I’d forgotten about it.”

  “Went to check on Kyla? Why? Did you think she might have woken up?”

  “Of course not. I wanted to be certain the coffin hadn’t been disturbed. I feel uneasy about this place.”

  “Uneasy? Why? It’s a fine inn, the equal of the better inns in Port-of-Lords. It’s comfortable, the staff is pleasant, and the food is wonderful.”

  “I suppose so,” Renni conceded. “I don’t have any complaints about it. It’s just a feeling. Like you had last night about someone snooping around outside the wagon.”

  “And you know how that turned out,” Zauna said. “No one was there. Now let me get back to sleep, and you go back to bed and try to sleep too.”

  “All right. I’m sorry I woke you.” Renni headed back to bed. As she reached it and climbed in, Zauna let out a snore.

  I guess I did overreact. Renni pulled the covers up around her neck. This is a clean, comfortable place. I don’t know why I’m so jumpy. Ever since that man asked all those questions …

  She closed her eyes, but it was a long time before she drifted back to sleep.

  §

  Zauna woke early, rose quietly, and dressed, ready to start her search for a crystal ball. Wanting to look the part of a crystal gazer, she put on her gaudy fortuneteller gown and headed downstairs for a quick breakfast in the inn’s restaurant. She ate a sweet roll, drank a cup of coffee, and headed out to start her search while her three companions still slept.

  Her Port-of-Lords informant had given her good information. Most stores had not yet opened, but she spotted shops selling materials for the practitioners of mystical and magical arts scattered along every street she walked. Just as she looked for a place to rest while she waited for
the stores to open, she spied an open notice in a shop with a sign identifying it as The Brave Bear. The name gave no indication of the kind of store it was, but the front window displayed a spell book, wands, fortune-telling cards, and, at the rear of the display, on a brass pedestal—a crystal ball!

  She pushed open the door. A bell clanged loudly as she entered, startling her, but no shopkeeper appeared. A large orange tabby cat sat curled on the counter. It regarded her with some disdain. Ignoring the cat, she turned toward the shelves lining the walls of the small shop. They were stocked with all kinds of goods in no particular order or logical arrangement, and she searched in vain for a crystal ball.

  She turned to leave in disgust and disappointment, when a raspy voice said, “I only have the one in the window.”

  She whirled around and stared at the figure standing in a doorway at the back of the shop, a being so bent and wizened that she couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman. Whatever its gender, it looked hundreds of years old.

  “How do you know what I’m looking for?” Zauna asked after recovering from her shock.

  “Ah, we seers recognize one another, don’t we? I’ve been expecting you. That’s why I opened early this morning. Hard on these old bones, getting up early. But it’s worth it to greet one of my kind.”

  Having no idea how to respond to this odd creature, Zauna remained silent.

  After a time, the self-proclaimed seer continued, “Yes, I said to myself, Allie, I says, that’s who that crystal’s been waiting for all this time. Wouldn’t sell it to these fake seers. No, it’s been put away for years where none of ’em would see it. Then yesterday I got the urge to put it in the window. It was time, you see. I knew the seer it was meant for had come to town. Like I said, I’ve been expecting you.”

  Allie. Most likely a woman, then. “So you’re gifted,” Zauna said, impressed by the woman’s foreknowledge.

  “Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Allie shook her head. “Back in my day, they just called it having the sight. Me they called a witch or a sorceress. Now, well, I’m just a shopkeeper. Not that I’ve lost my powers, you know, but I don’t flaunt ’em. You’re the first one I’ve revealed what I am to in many a year. Now let’s get you that crystal.”

  “I’m honored, uh, Allie. Is it all right to call you that?”

  “Why not? It’s my name.” She hobbled toward the back of the show window.

  Zauna noted that the cat was no longer on the counter. She looked around the shop but didn’t see it.

  “He’s gone into the back room where he generally stays,” Allie said. “He did his work for today, watching out for you and letting me know when you arrived.”

  “You’re a mind reader,” Zauna said, positive she hadn’t wondered aloud about the cat.

  “Sometimes,” Allie said with a cackle. “Comes in handy at times. I don’t pry, though. Only read surface thoughts.” She unlatched a small door giving access to the show window, reached in, and pulled out the crystal ball with its stand. As she placed it on the counter, she said, “There now, isn’t it beautiful? You’ll see more than you can imagine with this.”

  Indeed, “beautiful” was inadequate to describe it. Zauna admired the ornate brass stand, the way the stand clasped the crystal, the crystal’s magnificent clarity. It was perfect.

  And undoubtedly expensive. The allowance Marchion Blandry had provided her had to last throughout their long journey. How much did she dare spend on this single item? She lifted her gaze to Allie’s face. The old woman’s gap-toothed smile showed she knew Zauna would not leave here without the crystal ball, regardless of the cost.

  “If I charged you what it’s worth, you wouldn’t be able to afford it,” Allie said. “But it is meant for you, so I can’t keep it from you. For you the price is one trium.”

  Relieved, Zauna smiled. That single silver coin would have been far more than she could have afforded back in Port-of-Lords, but thanks to Marchion’s generosity she could pay it and not be left destitute. She fished around in her bag, pulled out the small purse that held mostly copper coins, and extracted one of just three silver triums.

  Allie nodded and reached out a clawlike hand. Her gnarled fingers closed around the coin.

  “I know it’s worth far more,” Zauna said. “I’m grateful to you.” She watched the ancient crone step behind the counter and pull out a straw-filled wooden box.

  “No need to be. You’ll soon have a great need for this, and because you have it, lives will be saved.” As she spoke, Allie made a nest in the straw and placed the crystal ball with its stand into the nest, then packed more straw around it.

  “That beautiful brass stand comes with it?” Zauna asked in amazement, while continuing to process Allie’s prediction about saving lives. “For only one trium?”

  “’Course it does. The stand was made for it and it for the stand. Oh, and I’m putting an extra something into the box as well. You may find it useful.”

  Zauna craned her neck trying to see what Allie placed inside. It looked like a small book, but before she could see anything more, Allie closed the box and tied it shut with string wrapped tightly around it several times.

  “I’m more than grateful,” Zauna said. “I’m forever in your debt.”

  “Careful,” Allie replied, “Don’t say that unless you really mean it.”

  “Oh, I do!”

  Allie gave another of her gap-toothed grins. “That’s good then, and know this: I always collect on my debts. Go now, before your friends worry about you.” She turned and headed toward the door at the back of the store.

  Zauna picked up the box and left, mulling over both the old woman’s prediction and what Allie might require of her. She had no money beyond what Marchion had given her, but she sensed that Allie knew that, and that whatever she might require, it would not be a monetary payment.

  CHAPTER THREE

  A FINE INN

  Renni, Lore, and Camsen had a late breakfast sent to Lore and Camsen’s room while they planned the rest of their day and grumbled a bit about Zauna having gone off on her own, though they knew her errand.

  “I don’t know how I slept on through her getting up and dressing,” Renni said, seated on the room’s single chair, balancing her tray on her lap. “I guess I was even more exhausted than I thought.” She didn’t tell them about having been awake for hours imagining all kinds of things after hearing the noise that turned out to be nothing more than tree branches rubbing across the tiled roof.

  “She should have either wakened us or at least left us a note so we could have met her somewhere. I don’t think it’s wise for her to be wandering around alone in this town,” Camsen said.

  “I think Zauna can take care of herself,” Lore put in. “My concern is that we need her help to do all we need to do to get back on the road tomorrow.”

  Renni grimaced. “Do we have to leave tomorrow?” she asked. “Marquez isn’t a great place, but we could use another day to rest and to clean out the wagon to make room for the supplies we have to buy.” She couldn’t bear the thought of another sleepless night. Now that she knew the cause of the noise that had kept her awake, she felt certain she’d sleep through it if they remained at the inn, but in the wagon she’d again lie sleepless, listening to Zauna’s snores.

  “You were the one who didn’t want to stay at Duncan’s,” Lore reminded her. “I’d think you’d be glad to leave it as soon as we can.”

  “I still think the man who directed us to it asked too many questions,” she said. “I have to admit that the inn is comfortable and clean. We’ll only go through small villages from here on, and even if one has an inn, it won’t be comfortable and safe like this one.”

  “We shouldn’t get too comfortable.” Lore persisted in taking the opposite view. Renni suspected he enjoyed aggravating her. “It’ll only make it harder to go back to sleeping in the wagon and eating dried meat and stale bread,” he added.

  “On the contrary,” Camsen
put in, “I think it would fortify us to have another day to rest and eat well before going back to the hardships of the trip. And I hardly think Kyla will mind the delay.”

  Lore snorted at that, and Renni grinned. “Camsen’s right. And I think the horses will also appreciate another day of rest and pampering.”

  Lore made one last effort. “Look, we have supplies to buy, but that shouldn’t take too long. Then we’ll only have to get the wagon cleaned and the supplies stored properly. If we all pitch in, we can get that done this afternoon.”

  “That sounds like a lot of work,” Renni said, putting her empty plate aside. “We’ll have to really hustle to get it all done today. And when we finish, we’ll be exhausted. Can’t we spread it over two days? We can spare another day. We aren’t on a fixed schedule.”

  “True, but I don’t want to waste time,” Lore said. “Even though I was given indefinite leave from my job, I don’t think they’ll hold my position open very long.”

  Renni stood and stretched. “I doubt one day will make any difference one way or the other. But if we’re in such a hurry, we’d better get going and get our supplies bought. It’s already late morning.”

  Everyone agreed with that. Leaving unsettled the matter of when to go back on the road, they took their breakfast dishes downstairs, left them in the kitchen, and headed for the stores.

  They returned laden with packages with just enough time to freshen up before dinner. They’d missed lunch in the inn, but no one minded, since they’d eaten such a late breakfast. Zauna met them in the inn’s common room. She had returned much earlier, had eaten lunch, rested, and was eager to tell them all about finding her new crystal ball. They set their packages down and sank into chairs. Renni appreciated the chance to rest her tired feet.

  The respite didn’t last long. Zauna had barely begun her tale when Lore interrupted. “Just show it to us,” he demanded impatiently, eyeing the tightly sealed box she held in her lap.