Free Escana by J. R. Karlsson Page A

saving an Empire, not dabbling in gossip, for some inexplicable
reason the gossip felt important.
    Jimmy
sighed. 'I'll speak to her, see if I can make her understand your
side. No promises.'
    He
really shouldn't have cared at that point, this Ella girl was nothing
to him. Yet he felt oddly drawn toward her, was he mistaking
attraction for one of the threads that the stranger spoke of? He
needed more time to separate the feeling of potential prophecy from
that of his own reactions.
    He
found Jimmy's hand on his shoulder, patting him in a comradely
gesture. 'Let's not worry about that tonight, you and I shall go out
and have fun and get you acquainted with the locals. We can't have
you being the city boy forever.'
    Jakob
didn't feel enthused about it but he didn't see any other direction
he could be headed. He followed Jimmy back through the inn in the
direction of Harvester's plantation again.
    It
was an uneventful walk, Jimmy explained that he had tried to wrangle
a carriage out of Gooseman but that he wasn't biting. He then
detailed how his previous attempts to steal the carriage may have
influenced the decision.
    Jakob
listened to him chatter on about Escana and various people that would
probably be at the plantation and how it was the biggest event at the
hamlet each year. None of the names or places evoked anything within
Jakob and he found himself tuning Jimmy out into a lively if
irritating buzz.
    The
previous distrust that Harvester had shown during the day seemed to
have disappeared with the setting of the sun, probably due to the
safety in numbers approach to such a gathering. The large gate had
been flung open and the dogs were conspicuous in their absence, not
that Jakob minded at all.
    Large,
expensive-looking lamps mounted on wooden stakes planted in the soil
lit the way up the path towards the homestead and bathed the
surrounding fields in a warm glow. As they grew closer the familiar
signs of life filtered through the air to greet them. It almost felt
like they had come full circle somehow and were returning to the
Chipped Flagon again.
    As
they entered the large converted barn Jakob could already notice the
difference in the atmosphere. There was a great joviality in the air,
all of the days labours were completed and everyone was welcoming the
spectacle and diversion.
    A
large barn door that had previously comprised the far wall of the
room he had breakfast in had been opened up to a field behind it,
beyond it stood a pavilion that must have been erected after Jakob's
departure. Harvester sat at a long table with a tankard of ale in his
hand, chatting to a grizzled looking farmer about local matters in a
loud voice. He was surrounded by farmhands and what Jakob assumed was
his extended family, all of them tucking into a fine spread on the
table.
    The
entire pavilion was full of provender and people chatting and
laughing between mouthfuls, others were crowded around open kegs
making even more noise.
    Jakob
wasn't a big fan of noise or social gatherings, people were
unpredictable at best and large crowds made him nervous. Still, he
was here to mingle, or at least that's what he'd been forced into at
the behest of Jimmy. It was another case of feeling like this was the
right thing to do without knowing why.
    The
night dragged on from that point, it was a dull repetition of meeting
and greeting various people that Jimmy knew. This was punctuated by
bouts of eating, which Jakob certainly didn't mind as it broke up
conversation and gave him a brief respite. He had to take meals where
he could given his circumstances and the fare on display proved to be
excellent.
    He
gradually settled into the routine as the hours rolled in, he wasn't
sure if it was Jimmy's expert navigation or his own instincts but he
managed to avoid both Ella and Solomon. Unfortunately he failed to
escape the attentions of another unwanted guest.
    Gooseman
strode up to them with a smile on his face, entirely unconcerned and
acting as if the