The falcon's daughters

Chapter 6

After a few days of sailing, they were finally able to see the port city of Tykori's skyline on the horizon. Lace took the sail down and let the waves bring them to the dock where they tied the boat. The dust from the paved streets swirled around their feet and Kit looked around in wonder when they walked into the city. It wasn't as much of a city as it was a village but it was the biggest place that she had ever seen and with so many people walking around everywhere. They walked up to an inn that had a black rooster painted on a sign above the door. The chatter inside the inn turned into silence when they walked in and they felt the watchful gaze of their movements as they walked to the bar. The powerful man behind the counter looked at them, eyeing them down and up before speaking.

- Ceud mile failte. What can I do for you?

- Ceud taing. We would like a couple of rooms for the night. And preferably some food and beer.

- No problem.

He pulled out a couple of keys and put them on the counter before glancing at Dorcha and nodded at her.

- I trust you can control the animal.

- She won't pose any problems. Maybe we can get a bowl of water for her.

- Sure. The first two rooms upstairs are vacant. You can take them. Have a seat and the food will be coming right away.

The chatter was resumed when they found a vacant table and sat down. A young girl approached their table. She put down two bowls of a warm, fragrant meat stew in front of them. When her eyes dubiously fled between the large panther that lay at Kit's feet and the bowl of water on the tray, Kit smiled and got up.

- I can take it for you.

The maid smiled gratefully as she left the bowl and put down two dark beer pints on the table before heading towards the kitchen. Kit stuffed a spoonful of stew into her mouth and looked around the inn. It was full of people and the sounds of all the conversations and laughter were mixed together in a huge cacophony. It was almost impossible to discern who was talking to who in all the noise.

- Are all the cities this big?

- Big!

Lace laughed amused at her question.

- Tykori is just a small town my girl.

- There are bigger ones?

Kits voice was full of excitement and he smiled at her way to view the world as it was all new to her.

- I must have missed some important parts of your education. There are some cities that are almost as large as the islands.

- All the islands together! Is that even possible. How many cities?

- Only two. Adirat in Tamarin and Laniro in Carlan.

She put the half-full bowl on the floor in front of Dorcha, who immediately started eating. Kit stretched her body with her arms above her head and covered a yawn before she tiredly put her arms on the table and rested her head on them.

- I would like to see those cities Lace. Can't we go there after we've been to the mountains?

- Maybe we can do that.

His voice became absent when a conversation between two men a few tables away caught his attention. Suddenly one man got up and slammed his palms against the table.

- I'm telling you it was them!

- But why would they attack your village? They have always been a quiet race and they almost never leave their forest.

- They have not always been peaceful.

- What are you talking about?

He sighed and slowly sat down again.

- I've heard rumors. Long ago, the gords were a wild race. No one ventured into the Lookit Forest for those who did it never came out again. About three hundred years ago, their current leader Aarkon took power when his father died and he changed the gords way of life. They became peaceful and human-friendly. Aarkon swore that they would never harm a living being again and that they would never resume their former wild life.

- So why did they attack your village?

- How would I know.

The conversation fell silent as the men got up and left the inn. Lace glanced at Kit who was half asleep and rested her head against her arms. He smiled tenderly at her and gently shook her one shoulder. She murmured lowly in response, slowly opening an eye and looked tiredly at him.

- Why don't you get up and go to bed?

She hid a yawn behind her hand and sat up.

- I think I will do that.

She took the key that Lace gave her, and together with Dorcha she left the salon. Lace walked to the bar where the innkeeper stood and polished glasses.

- Was everything to your satisfaction?

Lace nodded in response to the man's question.

- It was delicious. I wonder if you can help me with one thing?

- Maybe. What is it about?

- I happened to hear some talk of an attack on a nearby village. What happened there?

- It was the Gords. They burned down the village until there was only ashes left. And that's not the only village.

- Have they attacked others?

The man lowered his voice and leaned over the bench.

- It started a few months ago. Some of the gords left Lookit forest and began to attack the travelers on the roads. After a while their number just kept growing. Finally, they began to attack the villages nearby. Now there is not a single gord left in the forest. They are spreading like a plague across the world. They move in small groups with about ten individuals. They are far too big and strong for us to defend ourselves against them. After the latest attack, Queen Genevie dispatched a platoon of dragon warriors. They found a group of gords and attacked. Two hundred of Derian's elite warriors against ten of them. A few days later, a scout found what was left of the warriors. They had been completely destroyed by the gords. If the Queen's elite troops can’t defeat them, I don't know what we can do. An advice if you should see them, hide or flee as soon as you can and pray to the gods that they didn't see you.

- But why would the gords even attack anyone? After all, they have been peaceful for centuries.

The innkeeper sighed and shrugged.

- Now that's a good question old man. If you find the answer, let me know.

Reflections on what he had heard in the salon was spinning in his head as he went up to his room and sat down on the bed. He got up again and began to pace back and forth across the worn wooden floor. He couldn't get a grip on his thoughts and sighed with a yawn.

- It might make sense if I sleep on it.

He undressed and hung his clothes over the back on the only chair in the room, and then got into bed. The soft bed was like heaven for his sore body and it made him drift off and soon he was asleep.