Kerric the Mercenary: Episode 10, Aring
Kerric decides to wait instead of taking his prize.
With the sun still having two fists above the western mountains, Kerric knelt and examined the hard packed road in the lengthening shadows. It was doubtful that anyone here in the south could tell that since the last rain yesterday, two large groups had passed, both heading away from Aring, like he and his men could. But since no large group had passed headed south, Corman could not be in Aring ahead of his men. Nor could Corman reach the city from this far or further out this late in the day. Not with chain people on foot.
Satisfied, he stood. Though tempted to get off the road and just camp here, Aring had one of the best noncapital inns in the country, utterly unlike anything at home. He stood there looking north, considering camp, an inn, or just find and take Corman when he camped. But there were many factors against moving after him this close to dark. For one, they were upwind and would need to move too far off the road.
That decided, he turned Akrus south and the luxuries that one of the finest inns could supply.
“Run.”
***
From downwind, suddenly sixteen Warcats stood outside the corral to the inn, and panic ensued.
Six tolars screamed and jumped the fence. The fourteen meric broke through the back of it. People rushed from the inn, as panicked as the animals. Seeing Kerric’s people on their warcats, most rushed right back in, but a few brave souls kept their heads and ran past them after the fleeing livestock.
Kerric’s men, sitting there on their Warcats, prevented all complaints. They hadn’t had to make an example of someone bold enough to protest in years. But that wasn’t the only thing that kept complaints down. The innkeeper would add the cost of every one of the stampeded animals to Kerric’s bill. Kerric, nor his men, ever complained about it and paid as long as the price was just. These high-class inns had very mixed feelings about Kerric’s band showing up. His men spent big, but most other guest vacated the place when they arrived.
He tossed Ownar a small gem, “Large meals this time. I want the Warcats to sleep the night away.” Then he had Akrus jump the gate into the now empty corral.
All but the selected Ownar, who turned his Warcat toward the public market, followed him over that fence and into the corral. In contrast to their last stop, this time it was large enough that all the Warcats had room to stretch out, and it looked to have been cleaned recently.
As he walked to the entrance, a short, well-dressed man met him at the door. “Sir, if you would make your way to the private banquet hall, fully catered meals are being brought. We have already set out two cask of our best wine there, one sweet one tart. We will have our eight best rooms ready for you soon. You have but to ask any of our servers and any amenity we offer will be made ready.”
“Each of my men will require a hot bath followed by a massage right after dinner.” Two men to a room was excellent for a place like this.
The man bowed. “As expected. We are starting those fires to heat the water now.”
The man was good. Only someone with a trained ear would have detected how much he loathed Kerric and his men. It was a skill most possessed who catered to the nobility, and the powerful needed in this kingdom, though not nearly as bad as it was back home.
