Shadowmen

Chapter 1

1

The inn was packed, loud and boisterous.

Perfect… Drake thought to himself, stepping out of the drizzle, holding the door for Scalworth.

He pushed his way through the sweaty crowd to the bar. Scalworth followed close behind, trying to trip Drake up by kicking his boots.

Drake quickly grabbed the last stool and leant over the bar. There were three bar-tenders, two male and one woman.

'Jack!' exclaimed Drake, shaking the bar-man's hand, 'It's brilliant to see you!'

'I think it's the setting you're seeing me in that's pleasing to you, Drake! If we were meeting on the street, I'm not sure you'd be so thrilled!'

Drake laughed.

'For some reason I always associate you with drink, Jack.'

'The fact that I'm a bar-tender might have something to do with it,' said Jack, laughing.

Jack was quite small, but he was tough. And as a bar-man, he had to be really. He frequently had to wrestle rowdy customers from the bar when they got dangerous. He rubbed his thinning gray hair back and frowned slightly.

'I hope you're not planning to get arrested again, Drake?'

'Me? Honestly Jack, those soldiers were completely mistaken. A huge mix-up!'

'You're saying that you didn't punch that man in the face, inadvertently starting a riot in my pub?'

'Well, I did hit him on purpose, but I didn't hit him thathard!'

'You knocked him unconscious, Drake,' said Scalworth in a matter-of-fact but mocking tone, his posh voice attracting attention in the backstreet tavern.

'Shut up, Scalworth,' muttered Drake, scratching his stubble.

'Two Valley-stouts please, Jack,' said Scalworth, his eyes flashing eagerly as he asked for the stout.

Jack turned to get the drink.

Drake surveyed the bar, and then sniggered as he looked down at his and Scalworth's clothes. The contrast between theirs and the others in the bar never ceased to amaze him. Virtually everyone else in the bar wore tattered clothes, faded colours were prevalent, and Drake knew there probably wasn't one man with clean clothes in the entire inn. Apart from him and Scalworth, that is. The first time he'd stepped into Jack's pub, he'd felt completely out of place, but he was used to it now, and the looks of annoyance from the local patrons no longer bothered him.

Drake was wearing black, like he often did, and his clothes were, as usual, spotless. He had good quality trousers, boots, and a shirt under a black jumper. He also was wearing a black cloak with a hood he used to hide from people he didn't want to talk to.

Scalworth was wearing a similar style of clothes, but they were a lighter shade. They stuck out like sore thumbs, and were always a target for drunken idiots looking for a fight. Usually, the drunken idiots regretted it.

'Two Valley-stouts!' announced Jack, sliding the drinks over to them, the froth spilling over the rim of the glasses. Scalworth shoved Drake out of the way, grabbing the one that hadn't been spilled and looking around for a stool.

'So, any stories to tell me, Jack?' asked Drake, leaning back in his chair.

'Well,' Jack stroked his beard, 'There was word of King Hamish going to visit one of the other cities. Cantin I think.'

'Boring,' droned Scalworth, 'Any news about those knights that were sent to guard the border?'

'Not much. The fendrels seem to be staying in the forests, and if they're not bothering us, we're not bothering them. There's nothing we want in that blasted forest anyways.'

'Maybe they've finally learnt their lesson,' declared Scalworth.

'I doubt it,' said Jack, 'more likely they're amassing a huge army to come and wipeIslen out!'

'They'll never take Pallor!' shouted Scalworth, which was met with a cheer from a few drunken soldiers in the corner.

'Oh, and the sea trade routes are clear again,' said Jack.

'From what?' asked Scalworth, a confused expression crossing his face.

Drake rolled his eyes at Scalworth's ignorance. The trade routes with Teion had been blocked by harsh storms at sea for weeks, and the trade ships had to wait in the harbour at Cantin, the main trade city in the kingdom of Islen.

'Well that's good. More Teionian wine on the way then!' said Drake, grinning.

'Exactly!' said Jack, winking.

'So, looking out for girls tonight?'

Drake drained his glass and shrugged.

'Not really. Women complicate things, and I really could do without any more complications at the moment,' he said, frowning.

'Suit yourself Drake. But one day you'll realise you don't want to be alone anymore,'

'Okay, you're scaring me now Jack,' said Drake, laughing.

'And what do you mean more complications?' asked Jack,

'Are you in some sort of trouble?' he asked, his eyes flashing at the prospect of a good story.

Drake coughed.

'Just my father trying to force me to join the army again. We were at each other's throats last night, I tell you. Haven't spoken to him since.'

'Parents,' spat Jack, 'I remember when my father disowned me for giving up my apprenticeship with a smithy to come and work here. Ah, but if he could see me now, owning the place and all.'

Drake laughed and took a swig of his stout.

He turned in his chair, to find Scalworth and saw that he'd gotten into a chat with the bar-maid.

'So, can you enlighten me on any more goings-on in Islen?'

Jack scratched his beard again, like he always did when he was thinking, then he took Drake's glass and filled it again.

'Well there was one thing that a soldier blurted about after he'd had a few. But I thought it best not to tell anyone,'

'You can tell me, Jack,' said Drake, grinning lopsidedly, showing straight, clean teeth, a rare sight in the Allos. Jack raised an eye-brow.

'Can I?'

'I promise I won't tell anyone,' said Drake, 'except Scalworth.'

'Right,' Jack rolled his eyes, 'He started talking about a story he'd heard about a messenger arriving at Pallor castle from Dereg, with news that the city had been attacked by a creature.'

'Another one?'

'The same one I'd say. Mor-tia,'

Drake shivered.

'How bad was the attack?'

'Bad. The soldier could have been exaggerating, but he claimed that almost twenty soldiers died.'

Drake swore. How could one creature kill so many men?

'The soldier said it was a hush-hush, that not many people in Pallor knew, and that the king was preparing for an attack.'

'But we never get attacked here in the middle of the kingdom,' said Drake.

'Well maybe Mor-tia is in fact as powerful as people say, and has realised that it can do just about anything it wants.' Drake sighed.

'Woe to us all, then,' he said, then laughed.

'Woe indeed,' muttered Jack.