His Captive Sorceress

Chapter 50: Tarsis

We stick with the caravan the next morning. I briefly speak with each man and woman throughout the day, but none can interpret the script in Asarus's book. It appears that the old tongue is only studied in Versillia by Nomier's priests and devout nobles.

Night falls again, but Joshua, the old man leading the caravan, encourages us to push on, as our destination is not much further.

"Tarsis ahead!" a man at the front calls.

Trevus rushes forward, leading Gid and I between the carts as we join the head of the group.

My heart sinks at the sight of the town. It's large, nearly comparable to Zaybeth. Huge interlocking wooden cylinders form the town's outer wall, and the buildings within resemble large cones. The circular structures aren't as tall as Zaybeth's towers and spires, but they are no less numerous. Finding Asarus in there won't be easy.

Trevus thanks Joshua, and he forges ahead of the others. I wave goodbye from my mount on Gid.

Soon we reach the town gates – large wooden semicircles that fold into the walls on either side. A handful of soldiers, clad in black jolcans and armed with javelins, stand on top of the wall cylinders. A few glance down at us as we pass. Considering how Joshua reacted to Trevus's Versillian accent, I'm glad we're not wearing obans.

We reach the stable master, and he agrees to watch over Gid. Trevus helps me down and passes me a walking stick. While it fit well in his hands, it appears a little oversized in mine.

With some practice, I'm able to walk with it as a crutch, keeping most of my weight off my bruised leg.

Trevus hitches Gid and takes the saddle bag. We leave the stables, which is just a large thatch roof raised on a series of wooden poles. I'm eager to escape the smell of manure, but stepping onto the long curvy streets frames the daunting scale of the task ahead.

"How will we find Asarus in such a big town?" I ask.

"Asarus did not travel only to Tarsis, instead making detours to adjacent settlements on the way. He is recruiting," Trevus says. "Now ponder – where would one head to collect combative men eager for gold?"

"The largest, loudest tavern he could find," I say.

Trevus gestures to a large circular building on the main road. Shouting and laughter echo from inside. A few men step out the door, appearing unsteady on their feet.

We approach the building. Short horizontal logs lie on top of one another like bricks, each overlapping to form the circular frame of the structure, with the straight ends sticking out to create a jagged finish.

Asarus must already have men at his command, and he's eager to get hold of me. We need to be careful.

Trevus and I step inside, and we're met with a noisy crowd. The dirt floor is covered by at least fifty tables arranged in segmented concentric circles, with a dense gathering of men and women in the center. There must be over a hundred people in this room, and judging by the strong scent of fermented barley, each one has their own mug of ale.

"Is his face identifiable?" Trevus asks.

I scan the room, covering as many faces as I can. Nothing jumps out, but that doesn't mean Asarus isn't here. With the help of my crutch, I walk a circular path around the room, keeping my eyes wide.

Trevus keeps pace, occasionally raising an arm to guard me when a drunken patron looks like they might trip.

Soon we're back at the door we came through, having circled the room and found nothing. The sight of Asarus's portrait in Lady Norah's mansion made my whole body react. "If he was here, I'd have noticed," I say.