Chapter 1

The town was a quaint fishing village of a couple thousand. This road was the only land route by which visitors came, although visitors by boat were slightly more common. It had been many years since he had been here.

Back then he had been on a ship that had stopped briefly for supplies. It had been a quiet overnight stop. It had struck him as such a peaceful and relaxing place. He knew that this time, unfortunately, would not be the same. He adjusted a strap on the heavy pack he carried, and continued down the road.

He had to admit, despite the pebbles accumulating in his boots, and the overall ache in his feet from walking for so long, that he still preferred to travel by land. The sea, he had found, upset his stomach with all the swaying to and fro that boats tended to do in the waves. He had never liked that feeling that the floor beneath him wasn't quiet stable. He'd also found that most boat crews were superstitious. It was apparently almost as bad to be carrying a wizard as it was to have a woman aboard most ships, and almost every boat he'd traveled on had seemed anxious to be rid of him. The only one where they didn't seem to mind, had had a crew of mostly women. That trip had certainly been easy on his eyes, despite his stomach's complaints.

The village itself was nestled into the steep slope that led down towards the shoreline. The open sea beyond it seemed to sparkle in the afternoon sun, as ships and small boats both bobbed up and down in its waters. Most of the small boats, he knew, would belong to the fishermen coming back with the day's catch, and he wondered idly if the fishing was good this time of year.

To the north and south of the village were trees, and he thought that perhaps the village had grown some, pushing the trees back as it expanded. Smoke drifted from chimneys, and there were more warehouses past the distinctive rooflines of the fishmarkets at the south end of town.

About half the population were fishers, with most of the rest farmers, lumberers, and the like. If they had the financial support to build more extensive boat repair facilities, they would grow quickly into a city. At least he could see that he was not yet too late.

As he drew nearer, he could see that they'd built a low fence around the bulk of the central town, although it was more designed to keep animals from running off than to keep intruders away. No one manned the "gate", which was little more than a break in the fence, allowing the road to pass through it. He wondered what state, if any, the town guard was in, having the feeling that they'd never stand a chance if something ordinary were to happen. And what was coming would seem far from ordinary to their lives.

A few people glanced up at him and smiled politely as he passed down the main street, looking for the inns. He knew the town had held two inns at his last visit, but his memory on where to find them was muddled by the layouts of all the towns he'd been to between then and now. He headed down towards the docks, figuring he could get the information from someone there, who'd be accustomed to giving directions to strangers. He was in no mood to try and decipher local directions, which could often involve such advice as "turn at Bob's house". He just wanted a hot meal and a good night's sleep before he tried to find whomever was in charge of this town. He ought to warn them of what was coming.

The docks were busy with fishermen bringing in their catches. There were heavy clouds edging closer from the south, so the boats were in a little early today. From what he could see, they were not suffering from stopping an hour early.

He saw a man pointing towards parts of town to a small cluster of people. If there was a man here to get directions from, it was probably that man. Agmar headed towards him.

Closer up, he could hear the man reminding them to get documents signed when they were done, with whatever it was they were doing. Loading or unloading something, likely. Agmar stood outside the group a moment, wishing he had a staff to lean on. He supposed that was why all the other wizards always carried a staff.

Agmar never bothered with those affectations. No staff, no long beard, no pointy hat, not even a wand. None of that even helped, it just made it easier for others to look at one and realize, hey, that guy must be a wizard or something. In three days no one would need those clues to figure that out.

The group dispersed, most of them heading back towards one of the ships docked in the harbor. Agmar waited a moment more, as the man scribbled something into a large book he held, encased in a wooden cover. He closed the book, snapping a small latch into place before he turned and smiled at Agmar.

"Good day, traveler. What can I help you with?"

"Well, actually," Agmar said, returning the smile, "I'd be most obliged if you could point me towards any inns this town has to offer."

"Certainly! There's technically three inns in town. The Surf and Sleep, is back up the road a bit, and off to your right down the first crossroad. Lloyd's Beds is just off the docks, down there." He said, pointing. "They're a bit cheaper than The Surf, but they also don't offer food. Just the rooms. Then there's Lady Mary's, but um, most of her rooms are rented by the hour if you catch my meaning. Though I've heard she'll include meals for an extra charge." The man chuckled, giving Agmar a wink.