The Legacy of Mount Drood

Chapter 10

Without another word, the couple followed the old man inside, thanked him for his aid and settled down for the night on a heap of soiled rags in one corner of the shack.

******

A gentle poke woke William from a deep sleep. He sat with a start, rubbing his eyes and focusing on the figure before him. In the pale light of dawn, the old man didn't appear quite as menacing; the soft brown eyes framed by a spider web of wrinkles seemed friendlier. He nodded at the man's gesture for silence and wakened Mary with a gentle shake, placing his hand near her mouth in case she cried out.

"Shhh, it's time to leave. Gather your things and follow me." The old man pushed aside a pile of damp, dirty hay exposing a rotting wooden wall. "Slide that board aside and you can slip through there. You'll be on the south side of the town but don't go out to the road; Bully Bill will be on the lookout you can bet. The main gates will be opening soon so you'd better hurry."

William moved the board aside and helped Mary through then before slipping out himself, he turned and patted the old man's arm, thanking him for all his help. "Thank you," the brown eyes twinkled, "I can't wait to see the mess of Bill's face."

******

Nygard was a magical city to newcomers. Clean, bright streets wound gently among well kept dwellings; flowers and trees proliferated the town, their smells a delicious treat to the nose. Buildings decorated with bright colours housed the town's merchants who conducted business noisily on the street in front of their shops.

The streets were crowded with shoppers, horses and carts, children darting in and out of stalls and women haggling over the rainbow of materials draped across the stands. The sun was warm on the shoulders and the streets; people smiled, and the air was filled with chatter and laughter. Jep pushed his way through the crowds to the town square and found a seat along the edge of the stone wall that formed the town well.

Two burly men, with sweat stained shirts, continually cranked the pulley that raised and lowered several large buckets from which people filled their containers. As relaxing and comfortable he felt in town, Jep had absolutely no idea where to start looking for Gwendolise. He decided that his best chance was to go to the council office, as he had in Dyst, and begin his search there. The next step was to find the council office.

A pleasant woman dressed in colourful shawls, which she was hawking from a large woven basket, directed Jep to his destination for the price of one purchase. He stuffed the shawl in his pack and followed the directions she had given him. The building was far grander than the decrepit structure in Dyst. Here there were colourful flags blowing from stanchions arrayed across the façade.

Fancy, hand written lettering announced the offices of the Nygard town council and merchant's guild. Jep stepped into the cool shade of the exceptionally clean foyer, halted by the impact of the stunning artwork that adorned the walls. Across the room at a small desk, a young woman busily wrote in a large ledger, and when she saw Jep, she smiled and beckoned him over.

"Good day, sir. What might I do for you?" Her voice was soft and melodious, and Jep felt himself smiling from ear to ear.

"I'm trying to find information on the whereabouts of a young woman." Her look caused him to blush and he fumbled through a short explanation of why he was searching for this particular person.

"Our town prides itself on the quality and detail of our records. We have records for everything from the cradle to the grave."

Jep's smile waned slightly at the intensity of the woman's zealousness. "I uh- I'm impressed M'lady. Could I impose upon you to see if the person I seek is among those records?"

She closed the ledger with a thunk, placing her quill in the glass jar on the corner of the table, and immediately stood, walking to a cabinet and withdrawing a sheaf of papers. "If you will just complete these papers, sir, I will forward them to our councilmen."

Jep looked with dismay at the sheet of questions. "What is this for?"

"It's an application, sir. We don't just give out information without examining an application first. It's all part of our fine record keeping system."

"Well, how long will this all take?"

"Two weeks, after you've filled out the papers and paid the twenty silver pieces."

"TWENTY SILver pieces!" Jep exploded incredulously. "All I want to know is if she is still around, I don't want anything personal."

The woman placed her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look. "Those are the rules sir, and if you don't care for them, there is the door." The pleasant voice that had greeted him now sounded hard and shrewish as she pointed haughtily and returned to her work.

Back on the street, Jep counted to ten and let himself calm down. He would just have to find someone else to ask. He wandered over to a crowded stall where people were haggling over the cost of large wooden baskets of produce. A young man stood to one side, putting the agreed upon purchases into small sacks. Jep greeted the young man and asked if he new of someone in the town who might be a good source for gossip and information.

"Only if you are willing to pay," he answered. "In Nygard, nothing is free."

"I'm just looking for a young woman who passed through here some time ago, or maybe even stayed."

"Have you purchased anything since you arrived?"

"No- yes, a shawl from an old woman. Why?"

The young man set down his sack and led Jep by the arm to a private corner of the stall. "Before you can leave the city, you must go before the Grand Duke with your purchase and pay whatever tax he imposes. If you had purchased nothing, you would have been charged for just visiting, but it's too late for that now."

Jep gawked at him, wondering if it was a jest. "What if I just say I bought nothing?"

"The Duke's men will search you and confiscate all your possessions. If you show them that you bought something, they won't bother, even if you don't show them everything. The Grand Duke gets his payment anyway."

Jep certainly didn't want the Duke getting his hands on the Key. He began to worry about what he had gotten himself in to. "What if I can't pay?"

The young man shrugged. "Then you have to work it off like most of us are trying to do. It takes a long time," he added ruefully.

Jep considered his predicament, concluding that his priority was still to find Gwendolise. He would worry about taxes later. He pressed the young man for information, surrendering two of the few coins he owned when he learned that a young maid named Gwenbo worked in an inn called the Iron Staff.

"Take care my friend. That is where most of the Duke's men spend their free time."

Jep thanked him, and following his directions, set out for the Iron Staff; the name Gwenbo sounded promising indeed.