Free Zara the Wolf by C. R. Daems

the general citizens, the merchants as providing him his
luxuries, and the commoners as necessary. Even given those biases, most
consider him fair and reasonable. He's probably the best of the Aesona Dukes."
    "Where is the best place to look for work?" I
asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed by a town with so many people. And I had thought Oberen large . I shook
my head at the thought. Several hours later, we reached the outskirts of Calle
and the road became a dirt street with houses, stalls, and shops on both sides.
As we rode deeper into town, the shops and houses looked sturdier and better maintained.
At one point, we turned toward the ocean and away from the paved road that led
to the walled city and Duke Wetzel's castle.
    Raigosa owned a large warehouse less than a mile from the
merchant's market, the place where bulk sales were conducted. The general
market was closer to the city wall, providing easy access from the city and the
surrounding area. I spent the day helping unload the mules and store the items.
When we finished, Raigosa called the caravan guards together.
    "Payday, Dimas." Raigosa sat behind a small wooden
desk with stacks of coppers, silvers, and golds. Lutz stood behind him. Dimas
walked up to the desk, talked to Raigosa for several minutes, signed a paper,
and walked away smiling at the coins in his hand. I was last.
    "I had my doubts when Lutz recommended I hire you, a
woman with no previous experience. If I hadn’t needed a cook, I don't think I
would've. You worked forty days, that's sixty-silvers. You withdrew twenty silvers
during the trip, so you are due forty, or four golds. I promised you a gold if
you stayed to Calle, so that’s five golds. And I'm adding two golds for saving
the caravan. Here are seven golds and my gratitude. I will offer you a guard’s
job here if you want, but it only pays ten coppers a day."
    "Thank you, Merchant Raigosa. I appreciate the offer,
but I want to travel and see the rest of Aesona."
    "Talking to Lutz, I thought so. You can use my name as
a reference for any position. I have a good reputation in Calle, even with the duke."
He handed me six golds and ten silvers, which was a good idea. Showing golds
could attract the wrong kind of attention.
    "You can give my name as a reference too," Lutz
said. "And I’ll keep an eye open for anything that might interest you. I
recommend you stay at the Lazy Mug. It's clean and reasonably priced, and the
food's good. If you decide not to, let me know where in case I hear something.
You can find me here. I sometimes take part-time jobs, but Raigosa will know
where I am."
    I followed Lutz's directions and found the Lazy Mug easily. It
was about two miles from the merchants’ market and two miles from the gates to
the city, which I planned to visit. The room was small but clean. Carillo, the
owner, charged me five coppers a day, which included the room, one meal, and
stabling my horse. Over the next two days, I visited the general market, where
I had a leather shirt and tights made, along with new sheaths for my sword and
dagger. I talked to a couple of merchants about guard positions, but none
interested me since they were primarily in Calle or the surrounding area.

CHAPTER SIX

 

CALLE: Duke Wetzel
    I woke to a banging on my door. Grabbing my sword, I got out
of bed and approached the door.
    "What do you want?" I asked, in no hurry to open
the door. It didn't bother me that I only had on a nightshirt—warriors
didn't make an issue of nudity.
    "Message from Duke Wetzel," a man shouted in a
deep voice. I opened the door, sword in hand but partially hidden by my leg.
There were three soldiers standing in the hallway, swords in their scabbards,
which I took as a good sign. "Are you Zara, the cook on Merchant Raigosa's
caravan?" asked the older, broad shouldered sergeant, looking me up and
down. The two men behind him were younger, taller, and grinning.
    "I'm that Zara."
    "The duke would like to see you ... now."
    "Can I get dressed