"It said to be one of the most powerful bondstones this year, so straight to the Council it goes."
"You know no one from here will bond with it."
"Not for lack of skilled people! It's the northerners, all them fine people too good to do anything else, so they line up their fine sons and daughters and decide which one looks the best in the Council blues." Gales of laughter filled the dinning hall effecting the thought of large crowds, but only a handful were there, gossiping about the band of guards for the Council messenger. A new bondstone was found and was being transported under guard to the Council of Sorcerers two days north.
"You're all just jealous! To bed with the lot of you. You know I can't til you do, now off!" Hana playfully shooed the rowdy crew from the dinning hall off to their rooms. Brown House was a modest Inn, usually filled with regular boarders from merchants to common laborers to the occasional diplomat. It was part of the 'Kings Route', a list of nicer Inns and establishments, that drew the mid to higher class guests.
Hanna's family had run this inn for generations, since she was young she wiped tables stocked and cleaned rooms, even served guests in the dinning hall. She was well known and loved always busy about her work. But if they knew of her night adventures they might not think too well of her, though some might find it humorous, she took no risks.
Hanna was a thief, a very good thief. She never stole anything from the guests or the Inn, she only gathered information. Travel weary guests are a treasure of information and walking back and forth cleaning and serving gave Hanna many opportunities to learn of the latest and best new thing passing through town.
This night all the talk was of the bond stone and she wanted it.
Why do they parade around something so valuable, talk of all its wonder and glory, and wonder why it takes so many armed guards to protect it?
With the dinning hall closed and the guests in their rooms Hana headed towards her own rooms. She would not take the stone this night , not here. It had been two days since the last stop so she estimated the caravan would not stop again until it reached the capital...unless the messenger himself suddenly became ill. And drinking large amounts of ethilweed in your tea is sure to cause one to get very sick.
~~~~~
Four men still sat on their horses, two were on the side of the barn and still two more stood in the front yard of the modest farm house, the glow of light spilling around them. Not able to travel any further they stopped here with the sickly messenger, choosing to stay the night and move on in the morning, he was already feeling some better. Little did they know the bondstone in the small pouch tucked neatly in a jacket pocket that the farmers eldest daughter held, had been swapped for a normal rock moments after they first stopped. It would be days before they would bother to question that farmer, only to learn he didn't even have a daughter.
"You know no one from here will bond with it."
"Not for lack of skilled people! It's the northerners, all them fine people too good to do anything else, so they line up their fine sons and daughters and decide which one looks the best in the Council blues." Gales of laughter filled the dinning hall effecting the thought of large crowds, but only a handful were there, gossiping about the band of guards for the Council messenger. A new bondstone was found and was being transported under guard to the Council of Sorcerers two days north.
"You're all just jealous! To bed with the lot of you. You know I can't til you do, now off!" Hana playfully shooed the rowdy crew from the dinning hall off to their rooms. Brown House was a modest Inn, usually filled with regular boarders from merchants to common laborers to the occasional diplomat. It was part of the 'Kings Route', a list of nicer Inns and establishments, that drew the mid to higher class guests.
Hanna's family had run this inn for generations, since she was young she wiped tables stocked and cleaned rooms, even served guests in the dinning hall. She was well known and loved always busy about her work. But if they knew of her night adventures they might not think too well of her, though some might find it humorous, she took no risks.
Hanna was a thief, a very good thief. She never stole anything from the guests or the Inn, she only gathered information. Travel weary guests are a treasure of information and walking back and forth cleaning and serving gave Hanna many opportunities to learn of the latest and best new thing passing through town.
This night all the talk was of the bond stone and she wanted it.
Why do they parade around something so valuable, talk of all its wonder and glory, and wonder why it takes so many armed guards to protect it?
With the dinning hall closed and the guests in their rooms Hana headed towards her own rooms. She would not take the stone this night , not here. It had been two days since the last stop so she estimated the caravan would not stop again until it reached the capital...unless the messenger himself suddenly became ill. And drinking large amounts of ethilweed in your tea is sure to cause one to get very sick.
~~~~~
Four men still sat on their horses, two were on the side of the barn and still two more stood in the front yard of the modest farm house, the glow of light spilling around them. Not able to travel any further they stopped here with the sickly messenger, choosing to stay the night and move on in the morning, he was already feeling some better. Little did they know the bondstone in the small pouch tucked neatly in a jacket pocket that the farmers eldest daughter held, had been swapped for a normal rock moments after they first stopped. It would be days before they would bother to question that farmer, only to learn he didn't even have a daughter.