Dungeon Runner (Book 1 and 2)

Stepping Up, Chapter 101

Something was off with Kragle Rock, but Tibs couldn't figure out what.

There had been no reports of unusual crimes from the Runners patrolling Merchant Row and the surrounding neighborhood Tibs handled. Jackal continued to have a difficult time finding training partners, since him deciding he would do all he could to survive the dungeon had turned into fighting harder during training. Even in the fighting pit, he had problems finding opponents.

The tension between him and Harry's guards was the same as it always was. Each side glaring at one another, daring the other to start something. The townsfolk had finally stopped getting involved. Tibs didn't know what Don had said to either side, but he was grateful. He'd even delighted the sorcerer by telling him that to his face.

The one detail he had noted that seemed out of place was the nobles walking about the town. They weren't causing more problem than the usual demand for everyone to bow to their likes. But having so many of them out of their neighborhood was unusual. The only times any of them left it was to go on their runs or to Merchant Row for one of the few there who catered to their needs.

And the Bazaar. The bazaar always drew everyone outside.

Tibs's wandering led him to the edge of the town opposite the dungeon, where the caravan's trampled path was becoming a full dirt path since it was now used as the main route out of town for those who went to the far woods to hunt, or to simply leave. There were few of those, but once in a while a family set out on the path looking for something closer to what they'd hoped to find in Kragle Rock.

Tibs found Cross standing there, looking into the distance.

"One of your men gone and didn't come back?" He asked. Cross had a lot of men in the town she spent them time with, even if none of them were her special man. Quigly had mopped around for a while after realizing that Cross didn't want a special guy. She just wanted guys to have them time with.

She glanced at him, and the worry there wasn't that of some guy leaving.

"The caravan should have been here by now," she said.

Tibs frowned, looking in the distance. "I thought they came when they could. That it was never the same from one visit to the other."

"It isn't," she replied and fell silent.

"Cross, I don't know what question to ask here. I don't know much about caravans. Why don't you act like I asked the right one and answer it?"

Her lips quirked up before returning to a tight line. "To you, it's like they come whenever they feel like it, but that isn't how it works. They have to make plans, schedule what they will need for their next trip. Merchants know how long those will take to acquire, so once they know what they will bring the next time, they can work out when they should be back. There's a lot of merchants on a caravan, so it's not precise, but they've been doing this for a long time. Even on a new route like this one, they won't be off by more than a few weeks."

"And?" Tibs finally prodded.

"And I talked with them. I go around during each bazaar, and I learn when they expect to be back. It tells me how long I have until I get a new puzzle, or when a caravan guard who likes me is likely to bring me gifts."

"And?" he asked again when she didn't continue.

"The longest one of them expected it to take before they were back had them here almost a month ago."

Tibs looked out again, noticing the people gathering around them and also searching the distance. One looked at him as if expecting Tibs to explain what they were watching for.