Free Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains by Jeff Inlo

to allow for brief glances through windows, but
then pressed forward as if stopping would be a mistake.
    Their glimpses into each tavern
and pub yielded little more information than they gained on the streets. The
patrons appeared tense, almost frustrated, as if they hoped a glass of wine or
mug of ale would alleviate their concerns, but found only failure in the
attempt. There was little talk and absolutely no cheer. Depression had set into
Huntston.
    "Pretty bleak," Ryson
whispered.
    "Indeed."
    "No wonder they're leaving
the valleys. I wouldn't stay here, either."
    "But some are choosing to
stay."
    "Maybe they can't
leave."
    Holli considered the assertion.
    "Do you think that is why
dark creatures watch the passes out of the valley?"
    "Maybe."
    "But then why are so many
allowed to leave at Pride Gap? Humans have been crossing the plains in droves
and many have entered Connel. Why were they allowed to leave and others
not?"
    It was an inconsistency Ryson
could not explain and he just shrugged.
    "Have you sensed anything
more in the magic?" the delver asked.
    "The anomaly in the energy
remains. It bends into the town, but it is quickly released. I cannot pinpoint
an exact location or focal point of the disturbance. It is as if the magic is
being drawn into the entire town as opposed to one specific area, and then it
is disbursed back into the air."
    "This all just keeps getting
stranger and stranger," Ryson admitted. "I still can't pinpoint the
goblins, either. I know they're around. I just couldn't begin to tell you
where."
    They turned a corner and Ryson
immediately sensed a wave of danger flush through his senses.
    "Something's wrong," he
whispered, but in a harsh tone.
    "I hear it as well,"
Holli acknowledged.
    Ryson looked down at markings on
the road and then down several alleys. He then looked up to the rooftops of
several stores and warehouses.
    "We're being
surrounded."
    "So much for remaining
inconspicuous," the elf acknowledged. She quickly gauged her surroundings.
Although she lacked the keen senses of a delver, she was still a trained elf
guard and she knew how to assess danger. As she reviewed the events that
brought them there, their current circumstances, and the options before her,
even more questions developed in her mind. What she was lacking was answers,
and it began to irritate her.
    Ryson had placed his attention on
the more immediate problem. He knew several guards were taking positions all
around them. He focused on finding an escape route.
    "I think we should..."
    Holli cut him off before he could
complete his suggestion. She knew he was planning to make a dash forward or a sudden
retreat, but she had another alternative in mind.
    "No, we will let them take
us," she said with more than a simple hint of determination.
    "Are you sure?"
    "We need information."
    "But do we want to be
captured?"
    "Yes, I think we do."

 
 

Chapter
6

 
    "Are you sure you don't want
to get out of here?" Ryson whispered, as he and Holli stood still upon the
streets of Huntston.
    "I am sure. We need
information. They can provide it to us... if we approach this properly."
    "I don't know about this.
They're pretty sloppy for town guards. I see a lot of ways that we can escape
without really trying."
    "I am taking that into
account. I do not believe we are in any real danger. If they considered us a
true threat, they would have shown more care in their preparations."
    "Maybe they're just
incompetent."
    Holli couldn't accept that
possibility. Yes, she had seen deficiencies in the town defenses, but she had
also witnessed bizarre behavior that could not be explained by simple
incompetence. The town guard secured bridges entering the town, but allowed
goblins to enter Huntston freely. Despite that fact, the town remained under
human control and had not been overrun. That had to stand for something.
    She might not have understood it,
but goblins simply did not subdue their loathsome behavior for the sake of good
manners. The