Free Child Of A Guardian And Of The Free (Book 3) by Dan O'Sullivan Page A

propelling it powerfully and came to a halt in the waves washing up on the beach.
    ‘ That was surprising,’ Elena murmured, pleased to have remained dry. She had been certain the boat would capsize in the waves and they would need to swim for the shore. Those going ashore leapt from the boat and grabbed their packs. Without comment or delay the two sailors began rowing back towards the ship. They disappeared into the darkness in seconds.
    ‘ Right, before we go into Qinel I want to reiterate a few things,’ said Kelian. Everyone moved closer and Elena took his hand. ‘We’ll remain here in Qinel tonight, and then we’ll set out for Numher tomorrow. I don’t want any unnecessary talk once we leave this beach. Borg, you will go ahead and find us somewhere suitably abandoned where we can rest for the night. Once we’re settled somewhere, Gilgarry and I will take the first watch, before we get some sleep.’ Kelian raised his hand as Timbul opened his mouth to speak. ‘Not this time, Tim. This time we do it my way. You and Mil will then keep guard and I want Callian and Araas to sneak around Qinel a bit. I’d prefer we seemed to be up to no good. It’s probably best if the wonderful citizens of this town get the wrong idea about who we are. Once Callian and Araas return, they can keep watch whilst Tim and Mil wander around for a while. Originally I wanted to do this without drawing any attention to ourselves, but I think that’s unrealistic. Let’s just try not to get into too much trouble. At no time are Elena, Immosey and Louisa to be left unguarded. Gil, if something goes badly wrong you will take your sisters and Administrator Tappy and get them back to Alkira by whatever means you can manage. Tappy, you will get as much sleep as you can. I know it’s unlikely in this town that we’ll be challenged by authorities, but we’ll need every bit of your considerable intellect if this does happen. Is everything clear?’ Everyone nodded. ‘Are there any questions?’ No one replied. ‘Good. We’ll wait here until you return, Borg.’ Borgulnay turned and made his way across the sand towards the town.
    Even in the darkness, he could see that Qinel was a neglected settlement. The unpaved streets were filled with rubbish that had been thoughtlessly flung from doors and windows and there seemed no dearth of rats. Along the edges of the street there were small deposits of human and animal refuse and a repulsive stench saturated the air. A large number of buildings had been made with stone but were crumbling with age and exposure to the elements, and there were many abandoned huts on the outskirts of the town. One large, flat roofed building close to the center of the settlement was undamaged and it was surrounded by a stone wall. Borgulnay passed by what had been a tannery, turned a corner and entered a small doorway. Thinking to get high enough to see over the settlement, he climbed a set of stone stairs in a building that had once belonged to a cordwainer. The room at the top of the stairs no longer had a roof. Scraps of rough, faded leather littered the corners of the room. A small, high bench was the only standing piece of furniture. On the bench was an old wooden last and the handle of what Borgulnay supposed had been the cordwainer’s half-moon knife. He moved across the room to a window overlooking the walled building. From this height he could see that a number of rooms in the building were lit with wall lamps, but he could see no-one moving about inside. His gaze fell to the grounds around the building. Several men carrying crossbows appeared to be guarding the premises and a few large dogs were loose in the area between the wall and the building. As Borgulnay watched, a door at the front of the building opened and a man walked towards the gates which led onto the street. He spoke to one of the guards. The guard gave a sharp whistle, and the dogs sprang across the ground and followed him into the shadows.