Some food came for them. It certainly was not a posh meal but a meal none the less. Just a simple stew made from rabbit and some vegetables, very thick. Dustin was glad to eat something it had been a couple of days since he ate. The last time he ate anything was in Maldor at the saloon. There was no beer here to wash the meal down with, just some slightly murky water from the well in the centre square.
It was unusual that they would be kept out of the town hall while Draven was telling the news from Pespid. In most cases the news from other towns was shared with other travelling messengers, something was a little off. Thankfully the stew was not.
An old man walked into the small saloon style room, “Draven will see you in the morning.” He stated.
The sun was still high in the sky, why would they have to wait so long to see their counter part? “Why the wait, we should not have to wait, there is urgent business that the three of us need to discuss.” Galen spoke up. “This is not custom to make messengers wait!”
“I’m sorry sir, but you will have to wait, we have Draven under guard right now and he will not be able to meet with you until the morning.” The old man replied.
“This is highly unusual, do you doubt our credentials?” Dustin chimed in.
“No we don’t doubt your credentials sir; there have been some changes in this village. We now have a different structure to abide by.”
“That is no excuse to keep a messenger waiting! The three of us are expected in Pespid in two days, time is of the essence. We will speak with Draven with or with out your blessings.” Galen retorted. His hand moved to the hilt of his sword.
Just as Galen stood up, the old man was pushed aside by Draven. “Sit down old man; did you forget who keeps this town safe?” Draven said. “I’m sorry about my friend here but things are changing in this town. Dustin it’s good to see you again.” He said sitting down at the table with Galen and Dustin.
“It hasn’t been that long my friend.” Dustin chimed in, “So what kind of changes are happening in this town?”
“Well since this place has grown since I first got into the messenger business, they want a leader who will be here all the time instead of us messengers who are almost always away on business.” Draven replied.
“So what news did you bring from Pespid?” Galen asked eager to hear the news from the next town.
“Well things have been changing there too.” Draven started, “people are very uneasy in Pespid. There have been more news from other towns and Pespid has started a small militia. Similar to what is going on here in Norfolk.
“With more news about the growing anarchy in the outer circle, people have become paranoid. There are rumours of cities in the outer circle aligning themselves with cities from the inner circle. Everything is a mess. The larger inner cities are building armies but nobody has a clear idea why, just rabid rumours that are spreading like wildfire.”
“Armies, outer and inner circle cities” Dustin questioned. “How large are these cities? I’ve heard rumours of large cities before, but I never thought they existed. How far away are they from here?”
“Quite a few days journey, but we can’t start in the morning. We have to help with some training. There are some new recruits and the three of us will help them train for a few days. We are not expected in Pespid for several days, this will give us a chance to create a game plan.” Draven explained.
To Be Continued...
Next installment: February 9, 2008
