Topal

  After leaving Lovu by the creek, Topal hopped onto one of the hunting trails and worked her way toward Kamvor. To her surprise, she didn’t run into any Scars or hunters on the way. Even without the famine forcing people to rely more on hunting, she still would have expected to see a handful of people in the half hour it took her to reach the city.

  It made her wary, so she returned to sneaking through the trees until she could actually see the outermost buildings of the city where she watched the lazy meanderings of Kamvor’s citizens. There were far fewer people out than expected, but they looked relaxed and seemed to be moving freely. At the very least, they didn’t look like they were in immediate peril.

  That did nothing to release the clenched knot in her chest, but it did mean she was probably fine to approach. Skirting her way around the edge of the city, she snuck toward where the Vor Highway entered the city then kept going far enough away that the guards wouldn’t see her step out onto the road. It wasn’t paved, but it was heavily worn and the dirt was packed tight.

  Kamvor was built around the Vor estate – a walled castle built into the slope overlooking the city. You could only access it through a gate at the bottom of the slope inside Kamvor’s old-city, which was surrounded by the walls once marked the edges of the city when it was built. That was centuries ago, since then its citizens had overflowed to cover the rest of the valley. Much like the Lords Residence in Lavote, the old-city was mostly where the nobility and wealthy merchants lived, so it was difficult to enter, but the rest of the city was completely open.

  A free-standing gate marked where the Highway merged into Kamvor’s central boulevard. Merchant caravans were legally required to register at the gates whenever they entered a city from a Highway, so she had plenty of experience with the procedure. Normally, she would have avoided it while travelling on her own, but her goal was collecting information and this was the first litmus test.

  A pair of Honors in silver armor flagged her down as she approached. Normally, commoner Honors were left in charge of watching Highways, but those two had the Vor emblem sewn into their capes.

  “Name and purpose in Kamvor?” one of them asked. She was a stern sounding woman with a full helmet hiding her face instead of the open face design usually used by noble Honors.

  “Topal,” she said plainly. Most Scars didn’t have last names. “You heard about the shit going down in Lavote?”

  “We have,” the woman said, scanning her up and down. “You here to enlist?”

  Enlist? Are they recruiting Scars to fight? It’s not unheard of, but usually they’re less direct about it.

  “Thinking about it,” Topal said, choosing her words carefully. “Mostly wanted to get out of the capital until things settle down. Planning on seeing what kind of work is available here first.”

  “Hmm…” the Honor said, her glare clear even with her face covered. “I doubt you’ll find anything of worth. The Voice is offering top dollar for experienced fighters, regardless of background. Swing by the barracks over there when you change your mind.” As she said that, she jerked her head toward the barracks in question.

  “Will do,” Topal said, lying through her teeth. As she tried to walk past, the Honor stepped into her path.

  “And I don’t know if you heard on the road, but just in case, Lord Vor has declared that the bounties spread among the Scars in Lavote are null and void in his fief,” she said. “Anyone attempting to deliver on them shall be put to death. However, he has offered his own reward to anyone who brings the targets to his estate, alive and well.”

  “Thanks for the heads up,” Topal said, trying to sound as casual as possible. “I’ll make sure to report to y’all if I see anything.”

  “Good. Now, on your way.”

  Once inside the city, she was able to confirm what she had seen from the outside looking in. The commoners seemed as relaxed as possible under the circumstances. While the local gossips exchanged faint whispers of what happened in Lavote around the wells and wash pits set up along the river, nobody was on immediate alert.

  Off of the central boulevard, she sought out a familiar building: the Waterwheel Tap. In a city the size of Kamvor, there were a handful of dives where Scars gathered and whenever Topal visited somewhere new, she made sure to find one to set down roots in. The inside was barren, with only two people inside - an old drunkard passed out on the bar with mug still in hand and the barkeep standing over him. As soon as she entered, the barkeep turned her attention to Topal.

  “Hafu,” Topal said, as she took a seat at the opposite end of the bar from the drunk. “Long time no see.”

  “Topal,” the barkeep said in return, coming over to meet her. “I’d ask what brings you through, but I got a pretty good feeling I know.”

  She had visited the Taphouse about a dozen times over the years and made sure to leave an impression every time. A few years back, she volunteered for a big monghek hunt and did more than her fair share to earn Hafu’s favor. Monghek were huge, territorial beasts that usually stuck to the wildlands, but occasionally ventured too close to human settlements. In that case, it had killed off a hunter and a couple of his kids on the border of Kamvor’s hunting grounds, so they needed to kill it before anyone else got hurt.

  While she mostly kept her plans for the future close to the chest, she knew it’d be easier to build good contacts with other Scars before she got her merchant’s license. Once she did, new Scars would view her as an outsider. So, a part of her routine when visiting a new city was to make sure someone important knew her intentions. Most laughed or scoffed when she told them, but either way, they all vividly remembered the aspiring Scar merchant.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Looking to get an idea of how things are playing out here,” Topal said, sliding a couple fuvre across the bar. Hafu quickly poured her a drink from one of the kegs on the wall.

  “I’m game,” she said, sliding the drink across. “Whispers for whispers. Were you in Lavote when it went down?”

  “I was. Some kind of attack went down in the Merchants’ Quarter and Lords’ Residence. Even before that, merchants were handing out handbills for bounties on noble heads in secret. Seemed like some kind of inside job…” Topal gave a general rundown of what she had seen and heard in the lead up to the attack, being careful to leave out information about actually meeting Lovu. Hafu asked questions as they went and by the end she seemed satisfied with the information Topal gave her.

  “That fills in a lot of blanks,” Hafu said as she leaned back against the counter. “What do you wanna know for it?”

  “First off, why’re there so few Scars out? I heard about the Voice recruiting, but have that many people really enlisted?”

  “Afraid so. The Honors started asking around about four days ago. At first, no one bit, but after a handful went to get more information people started flooding to the barracks. Turns out, they’re offering a 300 fuvre salary for as long as the fighting lasts and a 50 fuvre bonus to anyone who enlists this week.”

  Suddenly, the Honor’s words made sense. If she had gotten that offer years ago, she would have taken it in a heartbeat. The only reason she wasn’t considering it now was because of Lovu.

  “Why are they offering that much? There’s gotta be a catch.”

  “You’re probably right,” Hafu said with a shrug. “Unfortunately, I have no clue what it is. Everyone who enlists gets an order to sortie at different places. About half are sent to Lavote while the rest are split between Kimov and Hakivwap. They usually leave soon after getting their assignment, but most of them told as many people as possible to sign up too, saying it’s definitely worth it but refusing to elaborate.”

  Kimov and Hakivwap were the fiefdoms directly west and south of Vor, respectively. It seemed like they weren’t worried about keeping a fighting force in Vor and expected more combat to break out elsewhere. That much made sense, but the second part put her on edge.

  “Were any of the Scars that took the offer acting different from normal? That sounds like…”

  “As far as any of us can tell, it ain’t magic making them act that way,” Hafu said, picking up the same thought. “They were all completely themselves. It seems like they were just really happy with what they found out when they enlisted. The only thing that sticks out is that none of them are willing to say what they found out. If anything, they might be using a soarstone, but I can’t even confirm that.”

  Soarstones were magic tools used to swear people to secrecy. It made them physically incapable of sharing information spoken in their presence. Scars weren’t naturally inclined to protect Honor secrets, so if absolutely nobody who enlisted was willing to talk about it, a soarstone was probably the best explanation. But again, that only raised more red flags.

  “You said they started recruiting four days ago. Did anything else happen around then? How soon after hearing about Lavote did they start?”

  “We got word of the attack two days after it happened,” Hafu said. “A messenger rode through the night to let Lord Vor know as soon as possible. He sortied his Honors and marched north toward Ngop, leaving the bare minimum behind. The next day, one of his sons came into town from Lavote with a new host of Honors and holed up in the estate. The day after that was when word of recruitment started to spread.”

  “Was it the same son that had a bounty on his head?” Topal asked, recalling the most wanted target – Akil Vor, the Guillotine. If it was, it would make sense for him to put a stop to the bounties.

  Did he also realize just how many Scars had bought into the reward? Maybe that’s why he started recruiting them too.

  “Dunno,” Hafu said with a shrug. “He rode into town in a carriage and didn’t come out until he was safely inside the estate’s walls. Nobody’s seen which son it was, and they’ve been very secretive about his identity. Then again, I would be too with so many people after my head. Could also be one of his brothers trying to draw heat. Trust me, I’ve been puzzling over it ever since he showed up. Sorry I don’t have a better answer.”

  “Nah… that tells me enough,” she said, downing the majority of the drink. “The only other thing I need to know is what the attitude is around the estate. I’ve got some info they might pay for, but I ain’t gonna risk going in if they’re on high alert.”

  “Hard to say. They’re definitely prickly right now, but at the same time, they’re more open to Scars coming and going than any time I can remember. If you’re that convinced it’s something the Lord’ll wanna hear… I can introduce a contact.”

  As greedy as merchants could be, Scars were no saints on that front either. If they tasted a score, they’d always try to find their own way to cut in. It was annoying, but it was how things worked. She might be able to find someone to vouch for her on her own, but they’d just as likely attack her and take Lovu themselves. If they come with a recommendation though…

  “15 fuvre if they get me in and out unscathed,” Topal said, finishing off her drink and sliding the empty mug back across the bar to her.

  “Make it 25, and you’ve got a deal,” Hafu said, refilling the mug quickly and passing it back. “On the house.”

  “Cheers,” Topal said, taking a sip to seal the deal. It was a bit steep for an introduction, but she couldn’t really complain under the circumstances. “How soon can they get here?”

  “Oh, you don’t gotta wait long,” Hafu said, walking toward the opposite end of the bar and pulling the mug from the sleeping drunkard’s hand. She dipped it behind the bar, scooping water from the wash basin she kept there for dirty dishes and dumping it on his head. “The bigger problem is waiting for him to sober up.”

  The man was completely still for a couple of seconds before snapping upward, gasping and sputtering like a fish out of water. He flailed about wildly, wiping at his face and hair until he slowly realized that whatever he thought was happening… wasn’t.

  “Closin’ time?” he slurred, looking at Hafu.

  “Nope, not yet. Sun’s still up.”

  “Umgh,” the drunk grunted. “‘Nother round.”

  “Also not yet. Need you to make an introduction at the estate. If you do, you drink on the house tonight. That sound good.”

  Topal realized now why the fee was so high. At least this way, she wouldn’t also have to pay the man directly.

  “Aegh,” he grunted again, although it sounded more like he was clearing his throat than speaking. “Fuck the estate.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Little late to be sayin’ that. C’mon. Do it quick and I’ll cover your tab tomorrow too,” Hafu said, dangling the mug in front of him. His face didn’t seem to register what she was saying, but at least he grunted and stood.

  “Fine,” he said, hanging onto the single syllable for as long as he could. “Who’sit?”

  “That girl over there,” Hafu said, gesturing toward Topal. As the man turned to face her, there was still no look of recognition on his face, but she certainly picked up on one thing about him.

  Pinned to his chest was a silver badge depicting Yol’s Ember.