The Foreigner shook his head. ‘Talis woods,’ he said. ‘The Talis is what the Perdii call the Seidh. No-one goes there. They have a legend here that tells of a warrior who entered the Talis woods one morning, and emerged in the afternoon as an old man. We will move on. There is a farm close by. I know the farmer well. He will put us up for the night.’
They arrived at the wooden farmhouse within the hour, to find it cold and deserted, the door hanging on its leather hinges. Banouin dismounted and moved inside, pushing open the shutters. Finding several stubs of candles he lit one, holding it high and examining the main room. It had been stripped of furniture, the shelves cleared. Slowly he walked through the other three rooms. All had been emptied of any items that could be carried away with ease. There was a broken chair in the main room, and several chipped pots and pans were scattered in the wide kitchen area.
Conn joined him. ‘Robbed, do you think?’ asked the younger man. Banouin shook his head.
‘No. He was always fearful of war coming to this part of the country. I think he just moved away. Sad, for he loved this parcel of land.’
There was a stone hearth against the northern wall and Banouin built a fire while Conn tended to the ponies. Later, after they had eaten, they sat on the dirt floor in front of the small blaze.
‘Now will you tell me what is troubling you?’ asked Conn.
Banouin removed his blue hat, running his fingers around the wooden rim. ‘The Perdii are a difficult people, volatile, violent and terribly arrogant. They have dominated this section of the continent for hundreds of years. The Ostro and the Gath pay tribute, and that is why there are few raids now. I made a friend of Alea, the king, some years ago. But I am not popular with his family. Especially his brother, Carac. He bought some goods from me five years ago, then sent men to steal the price money back. They failed. After that he claimed I cheated him. He would have had me killed, but he knew Alea would punish him for it.’
‘And now Alea is dead,’ said Conn. ‘Did he have sons to rule after him?’
‘One son, a nice boy. He should be around seventeen now.’
‘Should be?’
‘I rather doubt he had the strength or the skill to defeat Carac. He’s probably dead. Ritually strangled. It is the Perdii way.’
‘He would strangle his own nephew? What kind of a man is this Carac?’
‘The lives of princes are not like those of ordinary men, Conn. Perdii history is littered with tales of infanticide, patricide, incest and murder. Carac even married his sister, since it would give him a double claim to the throne.’
‘I take it we will not be trading at his capital.’
‘No, we will not trade. However I will have to go in, for I have business to conclude. A merchant there holds capital for me, and I will need that for my new life with Vorna. I shall go in at dusk, and leave with the dawn. It is a large town – almost the size of Goriasa. I should pass unnoticed.’
‘Not wearing that blue hat,’observed Conn.
Banouin chuckled. ‘I will leave it with you.’
‘How soon will we reach the town?’
‘Late tomorrow. Then it is a further four days’ ride east to the border, and the first roads of stone. We will travel more swiftly then.’
The following morning a storm blew in from the north, and heavy rain prevented their departure. They stayed in the farmhouse, and talked of the journey ahead. Banouin was anxious for Conn to see the wonders of Stone, and better understand the threat posed by the people of that city. In the afternoon Conn wandered out onto the porch. There was a rough-cut bench there, protected by an overhanging, slanted roof, and he sat watching the rain and listening to the howling wind. He felt a strange sense of unease he could not pin down. He found himself thinking of Riamfada, and their days together before the coming of the bear. It seemed to him that the period had been golden, though he had not appreciated it at the time. On the day of the last swim Riamfada had but weeks to live, though no-one knew it. Would the swim, he wondered, have been more or less joyous had they known?
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