THE THORIAN SAGAS: 1. THE TRADER. (Completed).

Learning more.

"No. The scars on my legs are from other animals."

The dog came over to him and leaned against his legs.

She caught the careful nuance of what he was saying... 'the scars on my legs'.

What about the other scars? Those on his body?

She would not dare to ask. Yet.

"Is it allowed that you can tell us of that?"

He found their sudden curiosity interesting, but he'd counted on it; invited it even.

"I can tell you of these scars."

He could open up a little more.

"The only things I am forbidden to speak about are Thorians... at least, not in any detail... nor am I permitted to say anything about the other cities of women."

Did he know something of the other cities? How could that be, if he traded solely with Fenn, and lived in Saltash? Though he also rubbed shoulders with Thorians. They, would have told him.

"I... and those like me, are not just, 'traders', which we do for two or three days each week. We are also farmers, cultivators; as well as having other skills."

He didn't go into those. That would invite even more questions.

"We are often called upon to defend our fields from the large animals that come out of the inland sea; those that come up the river, and others that follow the river down out of the Mountains, through Saltash."

No one had ever spoken to them of those things before, but they had a crude map of the layout of where they lived and its position relative to the other three cities around the sea.

They knew about the inland sea, of course, as it lapped their own lands and watered them. They had learned much more from Stoker on each of his visits as he'd let slip bits and pieces that they would not otherwise know.

Monique knew that Saltash, his home, was the second waystation between their city of Fenn, and next city of Silden.

Brough, was the third waystation, but she had not known that Thorians also frequented Saltash until he'd hinted at it.

So, he personally knew, Thorians.

She could scarce believe it, but she knew one thing about Stoker in all of his dealings with them; he did not lie or try to mislead them. They also knew that if they showed him some hospitality; more than they were supposed to show, that he could be encouraged to tell them things when the wine got to his tongue.

If they asked a direct question, he would answer it, directly... if he could.

This was not the first time that the name, 'Thorian', had entered their conversation that evening.

"The animals from the mountains and the forested lands beyond the wasteland, are mostly wild pigs in small herds, and those animals that hunt them; drive them down from the mountains in difficult times, and follow them.

"They would destroy all of our labor, so we defend our crops by hunting them when they break our fences and invade our fields. I brought several of their carcasses in that shipment of meat."

She knew about them.

"They have sharp tusks, and we hunt them mostly at night.

"They are vicious animals that move fast, and have tusks that can open a man up, from leg to chin (he indicated, with a motion of his hand) if he falls, but they are easily killed by those who know what they are doing."