Bard: Chapter 12

“No way we’re letting some baby bard come along,” the guard captain declared when Trista approached the table. She’d put on her travelling dress, but the outer robe of her uniform was the warmest clothing she owned. Between that and the violin case slung across her back it had to be fairly clear what she was.

“I do believe the recruiters said ‘anyone’,” Laura pointed out blithely, draping her arm over Trista’s shoulder. “This is a city full of bards. You had to expect at least one to show up.”

The captain rolled his eyes, fixing a hard gaze on Trista.

“You’re liable to die,’ he stated.

“I’ll do my best not to,” Trista replied, and Laura stifled a laugh. The captain begrudgingly pushed the enlistment forward and Trista added her name. Laura followed right behind, and then Liam, who slowly scrawled his own name on the list.

It was a motley crew that gathered at the north gate. Laura wondered if the city council had sent all their best scouts with the first crew and saved no one back. Aside from the guard captain there were only two or three others in a city uniform. The rest were hired hands, mercenaries, and sell-swords like herself. Trista was the only one who looked like they’d come from the bard colleges, which Laura found surprising. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for someone to write a ballad or some nonsense like that.

“Why aren’t there more of your lot around?” she asked, while they waited outside the gate.

“My lot?” Trista asked, her eyebrows going up.

“Bards.”

“Oh, I’m not sure.”

“No one was talking about charging into the unknown for fame and glory?”

Trista snorted. “Not in the first-year music program.”

The wind picked up, and they ducked closer together. Laura clasped a hand to her own warmed dagger, but it barely keep the frost off of her. Trista radiated warmth, even outside, and they stayed huddled close to her.

“Thought you’d show up.” A big man with a sword strapped to his back approached them, clapping Liam on the shoulder. He was a head and shoulders taller than any of them, wrapped in a coat, a cloak, and a wool blanket. He had dark hair and a rugged beard. “Who’s this you’re with?”

“This is my sister, Laura, and our friend Trista,” Liam said, gesturing to each of them. “Ladies, this is Travis, we work together at the warehouse.”

“Pleasure,” Laura said, giving him a nod. He had nice eyes too.

“Hello,” Trista said quietly.

“You the nice note writer?” he asked, and Trista hunched her shoulders a bit.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “That’s me.”

“Whole family’s going out, huh?” Travis said.

“Seems so,” Laura responded. “You here on your own?”

“Not anymore,” he said, flashing her a smile.

She decided to like him.

“Alright everyone, gather ‘round!” the captain called from across the yard, beckoning them all to gather closer. “It’s a day’s journey to the hills, but I suspect it’s going to take us a bit longer than that. We’ve provisions for a week-long excursion provided how many of your kind volunteers have shown up!”

“It just now occurs to me that if we’re volunteers, we’re not getting paid,” Laura said dryly, and Liam snorted.

“I’m never getting paid again if the docks stay like that,” he said. Laura shrugged.

“Our objective is to determine the cause of the winds, and locate the first excursion team!” the captain went on, shouting so as to be heard by everyone. In the end, there really weren’t that many of them that had shown up. “This expedition is likely to be dangerous, so if you’re not prepared for that, I’d advise you to step out now.”

“Staying here will be dangerous soon enough,” Laura muttered, and Travis raised his eyebrows.

“Especially with that nasty ice climbing up out of the water,” he added.

“If you require a weapon, we have enough to provide basic equipment of a sword, shield, and knife,” the captain, concluded pointing to one of the wagons ready to roll out. “See the armorer before we leave. We’ll be getting started within the hour, may the gods be with us.”

There was a smattering of applause before those clapping thought better of it, and the captain stepped off the box he was standing on to make final preparations.

“You want something from the cart?” Travis asked Laura, as if a weapons distributor was a lunch wagon.

“I’m quite armed, thank you,” she said, cocking an eyebrow at him. She might not have a sword on each hip like Liam did, but she carried half her weight in knives and daggers. Travis gave her a once over, looked mildly impressed, then turned to Trista. “How about you?”

“I-uh…” Trista hesistated. “I wouldn’t—I wouldn’t know what to—what to do with it. Thank you though.”

Travis looked concerned.

“She’s alright,” Liam said, nudging Trista’s shoulder with his own. Travis looked skeptical, but didn’t push the matter any further.

The horn sounded to get moving, and they started the long trudge north.

It was miserable immediately, with them walking into the winds and the road being open and cleared of trees for easy travel. Even the horses pulling the wagons protested, trying to veer into the green stands on the sides of the road if they weren’t being led directly by their handlers. Laura wrapped her scarf more securely around her head and stuffed her hands into her coat, clutching her warming dagger while keeping her hands close to her body. Liam followed a similar method, pulling the hood of his cloak up over his head and using his scarf to wrap it securely in place. Even Trista pulled her collar up and ducked further down into her heavy quilted robes.

Despite the miserable weather, they made good time for the first part of the day, and reached the first slopes of the hills by early afternoon. It was there though, that the winds started to bite.

Where it had been bitter cold before, now the air felt full of knives. The men at the front cried out in pain as the cutting winds descended on them, and several fell to the back, taking cover behind the wagons. The horses screamed in protest, digging in and refusing to move forward.

The pace nearly ground to halt, which was almost worse than pushing forward. Spare blankets and tarps were thrown over the horses and the drivers of the carts. Those walking turned their backs to the wind and guided themselves with a hand on a cart or the person next to them. Trista was the only person not leading a horse who kept their eyes forward, squinting into the wind, one hand on Liam’s arm and the other on Laura’s.

“Aren’t you freezing?” Travis asked, watching her in disbelief.

“It is very uncomfortable,” Trista admitted, shrugging her shoulders and tucking her nose into her collar. “I’m alright though.”

They barely made it to the village at the base of the hills by dark, and were flatly turned away at the inn there.

“We’re barely holding up as is,” the innkeep declared, blocking the door. “This is the last building in town can hold any warmth, and that’s just because of the hot spring. Everyone left is in here. There’s no more room!”

“We can pay,” the captain offered. “Well beyond your usual rates.”

“You can pay me in diamonds and gold bars, that won’t save anyone from this!” the innkeep snapped, waving his arm upwind. “You’re welcome to hole up anywhere in town you can find. We’re full.”

“We’re trying to put an end to this!” the captain argued, but the innkeep was unmoved. The door was slammed in their faces.

They ended up in what must have been a brewery. A fire was built up in the boiler with whatever they could find and everyone found a place to huddle amongst the bags of grain for the night. Laura shivered violently as the spots nearest the boiler were snatched up, and they found themselves closer to the outer wall. The stones all but radiated cold.

Bricks heated in the boiler were distributed to the members of the expedition to help warm sleeping spaces, but the innkeeper had been right. Nothing in the building seemed capable of holding warmth. Even just a few paces away from the boiler the heat of the fire dissipated entirely.

Trista tugged on her arm, and Laura looked up.

“If you’re not uncomfortable with the idea,” she began tentatively. “You know I run warm. If it’s all of us, and all the blankets, I could keep you warm.”

“Oh I’m comfortable with that,” Laura responded, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Me too,” Liam breathed.

“How about him?” Laura asked, nodding towards Travis, he stood facing the boiler as if trying to absorb the fire into himself.

Trista hesitated.

“If one of you stays between us, it should be fine,” she said.

Laura bundled up her brick and laid her bedroll on top of it, then snuggled up next to Trista, Liam curled against her other side, and Travis nudged up against him.

“Gods,” Laura breathed, winding her arms around Trista’s waist and resting her head on her shoulder. “You’re warm as a hearthstone.”

“Is it helping?” she asked quietly.

“Yes,” Liam said, sighing heavily on her other side.

“You all had the right idea,” Travis agreed. “This is nice.”

“Thanks,” Laura said softly.

“I’m glad it’s working,” Trista replied. Laura tugged the blanket up over her head, trapping the heat. It wasn’t perfectly cozy, the way she remembered being snuggled into the covers was on a cold winter morning, but she was more comfortable that she had been in weeks, and was able to relax quickly into sleep.