other man had used a moment before. Before entering the side door of the tavern, Gully removed his surcoat, turning it inside out so it showed the dark gray color instead of the brown it was when he had been shooed out of the way. He left the hood down as well, and entered the tavern while making sure the driver had not caught sight of him.
Inside, his eyes scanned the room in a second, and confirmed that Lord veBasstrolle and his companion were nowhere to be seen. Gully had assumed they’d take a private room upstairs for their meeting since the visitor wasn’t keen to be noticed and since the Lord was too privileged to bother associating with the commoners below.
He held for a moment, trying to decide how cheap a man the Lord was. A man of nobility should offer a belder coin for the task Gully would claim, but he doubted Lord veBasstrolle was that man. Instead, he pulled two swallowstamps out of one of his pockets, then walked straight out the tavern’s front door and directly up to the back of veBasstrolle’s carriage.
The driver immediately called after him, “Oy! What you think you’re doing, yeh sodden fool? Get away from the carriage there!” The driver threw his wide-brimmed hat on the seat and jumped down to stop Gully. He pulled down on his dirty tunic underneath his vest and straightened up to his full height.
Gully grinned, showing all his teeth minus the one he had lost the day before, and slipped into a country brogue without even thinking about it. He held up the swallowstamps for the driver to see and exclaimed, “Your esteemed Lord, the Noblesir veBasstrolle ’imself, just gave me two spits and bade me a-bring him a few provisions from the cart, sir!” Without waiting for a reply, he began to pull at the cheese to free it from its nest of packages. As he did so, he spotted a jug of fine mead next to it, and wondered if he should press his luck. The mead certainly looked like a good one. He glanced over at the driver, who was looking at him with increasing suspicion and temper. Gully had to think quickly because the two swallowstamps were missing the mark. He added as he freed the cheese from the cart, “I tolds the grand noblesir that two stamps seemed a low price for an honest man like me to risk a beating by the innkeeper if I gets meself caught sneaking the goods up to him!”
Gully put the cheese under one arm and pulled the jug of mead out as well as he continued, “His Lordship kicked me hard and told me to stops me babblin’ away, he did! Said to do as I was told and be thankful!” Underneath where the cheese had been was an empty leather satchel, which was precisely what he needed to complete his thievery. He pulled on the satchel to free it and watched the driver to see how he was reacting to the amended story he had fed him. The driver had relaxed, watching Gully in disgust instead of apoplectic anger now, and Gully knew his extra lie had landed perfectly this time.
Gully put the cheese and the jug into the satchel and continued his explanation, “Ah, yes, can’t forget the very satchel what he described! The Lord would box me ears ’til they bled if I did! He said the victuals in the inn weren’t fit for a starving, one-eyed pig! Can you imagine? Didn’t want the innkeeper to see me a-sneaking these up to him!”
The driver smoothed his leather vest again and spat at him, “Earn yer spits quickly, oaf! And don’t be touching the Lord’s other belongings! Begone!”
Gully bowed towards him with a magnificent grin and said brightly, “Aye, of course! Good day to you, sir! I’ve earned meself two spitcoins today with a good deed! A very good deed! I hope you’ve done as much!”
Gully left the scowling driver and walked back into the tavern, the satchel under an arm and concealed by his surcoat. He strode directly past the perplexed look of the owner of the tavern, nodding to him with a polite “Good day, sir,” and then out the side door.
The instant he was
Inside, his eyes scanned the room in a second, and confirmed that Lord veBasstrolle and his companion were nowhere to be seen. Gully had assumed they’d take a private room upstairs for their meeting since the visitor wasn’t keen to be noticed and since the Lord was too privileged to bother associating with the commoners below.
He held for a moment, trying to decide how cheap a man the Lord was. A man of nobility should offer a belder coin for the task Gully would claim, but he doubted Lord veBasstrolle was that man. Instead, he pulled two swallowstamps out of one of his pockets, then walked straight out the tavern’s front door and directly up to the back of veBasstrolle’s carriage.
The driver immediately called after him, “Oy! What you think you’re doing, yeh sodden fool? Get away from the carriage there!” The driver threw his wide-brimmed hat on the seat and jumped down to stop Gully. He pulled down on his dirty tunic underneath his vest and straightened up to his full height.
Gully grinned, showing all his teeth minus the one he had lost the day before, and slipped into a country brogue without even thinking about it. He held up the swallowstamps for the driver to see and exclaimed, “Your esteemed Lord, the Noblesir veBasstrolle ’imself, just gave me two spits and bade me a-bring him a few provisions from the cart, sir!” Without waiting for a reply, he began to pull at the cheese to free it from its nest of packages. As he did so, he spotted a jug of fine mead next to it, and wondered if he should press his luck. The mead certainly looked like a good one. He glanced over at the driver, who was looking at him with increasing suspicion and temper. Gully had to think quickly because the two swallowstamps were missing the mark. He added as he freed the cheese from the cart, “I tolds the grand noblesir that two stamps seemed a low price for an honest man like me to risk a beating by the innkeeper if I gets meself caught sneaking the goods up to him!”
Gully put the cheese under one arm and pulled the jug of mead out as well as he continued, “His Lordship kicked me hard and told me to stops me babblin’ away, he did! Said to do as I was told and be thankful!” Underneath where the cheese had been was an empty leather satchel, which was precisely what he needed to complete his thievery. He pulled on the satchel to free it and watched the driver to see how he was reacting to the amended story he had fed him. The driver had relaxed, watching Gully in disgust instead of apoplectic anger now, and Gully knew his extra lie had landed perfectly this time.
Gully put the cheese and the jug into the satchel and continued his explanation, “Ah, yes, can’t forget the very satchel what he described! The Lord would box me ears ’til they bled if I did! He said the victuals in the inn weren’t fit for a starving, one-eyed pig! Can you imagine? Didn’t want the innkeeper to see me a-sneaking these up to him!”
The driver smoothed his leather vest again and spat at him, “Earn yer spits quickly, oaf! And don’t be touching the Lord’s other belongings! Begone!”
Gully bowed towards him with a magnificent grin and said brightly, “Aye, of course! Good day to you, sir! I’ve earned meself two spitcoins today with a good deed! A very good deed! I hope you’ve done as much!”
Gully left the scowling driver and walked back into the tavern, the satchel under an arm and concealed by his surcoat. He strode directly past the perplexed look of the owner of the tavern, nodding to him with a polite “Good day, sir,” and then out the side door.
The instant he was
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