The Mysterious Coin Read online

  The Mysterious Coin

  The Dragonspire Chronicles Book 2

  James E Wisher

  Sand Hill Publishing

  Copyright © 2019 by James E Wisher

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by: Janie Linn Dullard

  Cover art by: Paganus

  061020191.2

  ISBN: 978-1-945763-50-2

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Author Note

  Also by James E Wisher

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Eighteen days after leaving Dragonspire Village, Yaz, Brigid, and Silas reached the outskirts of The City of Bells. Their mercenary disguises had held up so far, sparing them from any more fights with bounty hunters. It also spared them any unnecessary conversations. People took one look at their rough exterior and went the other way.

  Though he regretted it, Yaz and Brigid had left their ironwood staves in the village armory in exchange for spears. Not an ideal swap, but the best they could manage. They had also left Rum behind. There was plenty of game and water so the dog should be fine. Brigid had cried a little but accepted the necessity.

  Yaz had never visited a city. Even from a distance it was clear the place dwarfed Dragonspire Village. Dense forest surrounded the city on three sides, but it had been cut back far enough to give archers a clear shot at any approaching force. Not that anyone would be approaching from the north or east, a sheer cliff protected the city on those sides. It would take a highly skilled climber to make it up that face then over the wall above.

  Smoke filled the sky and a handful of buildings rose high enough to look over the massive stone wall. Silas didn’t look especially impressed, but he’d been here before. A helm with a full-face mask hid Brigid’s expression, but he assumed it was as amazed as Yaz’s own.

  A slum of shacks and hovels constructed out of little more than sticks and torn canvas had been built outside the walls. Figures in rags lined the road to beg passing visitors for a spare scale. Yaz clenched his jaw and kept a tight grip on his coin pouch. They had plenty of money now, but he didn’t know how long it would have to last so he ignored the beggars’ pitiful cries for alms.

  Noon was fast approaching and under his battered leather armor sweat drenched Yaz, sticking his underclothes to his body and making him itch. As he guided his horse through the hovels it took no great effort to twist his expression into a savage snarl to dissuade the beggars.

  They hadn’t stopped at an inn or village once during their travels and the smell wafting off the three of them made his eyes water. Fugitives or not, they were getting rooms and taking baths tonight. No way could they show up on the coin merchant’s step looking like this.

  Silas assured them that a glimpse of the rare coin he found would get them through the door and maybe it would, but Yaz feared Brigid might kill them both in their sleep if she didn’t get cleaned up soon. He might have even welcomed it after a couple more days.

  The slum ran eight rows deep, but they finally made it to the city gate. The doors were wide open and the portcullis raised. A squad of six guards inspected each group and collected coins from them before stepping aside to let them through.

  “I’ll handle the guards,” Silas said.

  Neither Yaz nor Brigid argued. There were three parties ahead of them, a group of eight travelers, a pair of traders leading laden mules, and a farmer’s wagon filled with early vegetables.

  Each group paid and was allowed to enter. When Yaz and the others stopped beside the lead guard, a grizzled veteran with a droopy mustache and tired green eyes, Silas said, “Good day, Sergeant.”

  The sergeant grunted and looked them all over, including pawing at the supplies on Thunder’s back. Wicked, Silas’s undead familiar, hid in the bottom of one of the panniers. If the guard found a hatchling dragon’s skull with glowing red eyes, Yaz figured the questioning would be a sight tougher.

  Fortunately, the search was only cursory, then the sergeant said, “A silver scale apiece and welcome to the City of Bells.”

  As welcomes went, it wasn’t the most enthusiastic, but Yaz kept his opinions to himself as he urged his mount through the gate. They’d barely entered the city when scores of bells rang all around announcing the arrival of high sun. The cacophony set Yaz’s teeth on edge, but it ended soon enough.

  “I hope they don’t do that at midnight as well,” Brigid said, just a little too loud.

  “Don’t worry,” Silas said. “The bells are silent after sunset. I’m not certain why the city became obsessed with bells, but it’s been like this for years.”

  Silas and Brigid both looked at Yaz who shrugged. There weren’t any books about the modern city in the tower library, only an old atlas that talked about it in imperial times, so he had nothing to add.

  When they were out of earshot from the gate Silas asked, “Do we want to go directly to Carnack’s place or find an inn?”

  “An inn.” Brigid and Yaz spoke in unison.

  “Okay. I know a place that isn’t too expensive and more to the point the owner has a complete lack of curiosity about his guests.”

  “Sounds perfect for us,” Yaz said. “Lead on.”

  The buildings weren’t that much different from the ones at home, but Yaz had never seen a cobblestone street before, except for drawings in books of course. It seemed like upkeep would be a nuisance, but it made for smooth traveling.

  Silas kept well away from the city center, instead turning toward a crowded part of the city filled with two- and three-story buildings jammed in so tightly Yaz figured you could climb to the roof with your feet planted against one and your back against its neighbor. Not that he had any desire to attempt that feat.

  A babble of voices filled the air from hundreds of open windows. A few haggard women sat on stoops, sweating and bouncing little kids on their knees. Everyone gave Yaz and his friends a long look, but when they made no aggressive moves the locals dismissed them.

  At last they reached a two-story inn sporting clapboard siding, a wrap-around porch, and cloudy glass windows. There was no attached stable so Yaz wasn’t sure where they’d keep their mounts.

  When he mentioned it to Silas, the wizard said, “Once we check in, we’ll have to take them down the street to the stable. Most people don’t ride in the city, so it’ll be less conspicuous if we don’t either.”

  Yaz didn’t care much for leaving his horse behind. If they needed to get away fast, a good horse would be an advantage. On the other hand, given the narrowness of some of the alleys they’d passed, a mount might be more hindrance than help.

  They tied their horses to the railing and marched up the steps. Inside, the common room had a good crowd. Two-thirds of the tables were full, keeping the trio of serving girls busy. The only other member of the staff was the bartender.

  Yaz didn’t know why it was always the bartender in charge of the inn, but so far that seemed to be the rule. They worked their way around tables and servers to reach the
polished oak bar. The portly barkeep finished pouring two mugs of ale for a waiting girl then gave them his full attention.

  “Help you?”

  “We need rooms,” Silas said.

  “No problem. A single and a double or three singles?”

  “Three si—”

  “A single and a double,” Brigid said.

  Silas frowned and Yaz shot her a curious look.

  The barkeep waited and Silas finally shrugged. “A single and a double.”

  A pair of keys were produced. “Rooms six and seven. Baths?”

  “Yep,” Silas said.

  “Wise decision,” the barkeep said before waving a hand in front of his face. “Total for the rooms and baths will be twelve silver scales.”

  Silas counted out the money and collected the keys which he gave to Yaz. “I’ll handle the horses and join you two later.”

  “Which one’s the single?” Brigid asked.

  “Room six,” the barkeep said.

  Brigid handed that key to Silas.

  “Sure you don’t need a hand?” Yaz asked.

  Silas looked from Brigid to Yaz then grinned. “Nope, I’ll manage. You two have fun.”

  Yaz watched him hurry out of the inn and shook his head. Silas seemed to have the wrong idea about his and Brigid’s relationship. Oh well, it didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

  Brigid led the way upstairs. When they were out of earshot of anyone that might be listening Yaz said, “We’ve got enough to afford three single rooms.”

  “I know,” Brigid said. “The thing is, I’ve gotten used to having you nearby when I sleep. And after what happened at the inn in Sharpsburg, being alone in a strange place doesn’t appeal to me. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think that you might want a room of your own.”

  Yaz didn’t especially care one way or the other. “It’s fine. At least we won’t have to argue over who gets the bed this time.”

  Dressed, fed, and feeling human again, Yaz and his companions set out at midmorning for the coin collector’s shop. Yaz wanted to get going at first light, but Silas assured him that Carnack wouldn’t be open and if they woke him, he’d be in a worse mood than usual. Though he begrudged the time, Yaz had no choice but to accept the delay. Brigid suggested exploring the city a little so that’s what they did. It really wasn’t that different than home aside from the scale. Each neighborhood was like its own little village with all the businesses you’d expect. Thought of that way it wasn’t so overwhelming.

  They had also ditched their traveling disguises. Yaz would have been delighted to never wear the smelly leathers again, but it was Brigid who insisted on dumping them while they were in the city. She pointed out that they hadn’t seen a single wanted poster on their way to the inn. As a compromise she bought a wide-brimmed hat and tucked her hair up under it. It wasn’t much of a disguise, but Brigid’s long, blond hair was her most distinct feature, if you saw her from a distance. At the same shop she and Yaz bought walking sticks that would make fair quarterstaffs. No one walked around the city carrying spears after all.

  Silas kept Wicked in a pouch at his side rendering his familiar useless as a spy. The wizard had shrugged when Yaz mentioned it. Apparently, he generally kept Wicked out of sight when he was in town since the little undead made people nervous and gave them the wrong idea about the sort of wizard Silas was.

  With midmorning fast approaching they left off exploring and turned toward the market district, a collection of every sort of shop imaginable. As they made their way through the narrow, busy streets Yaz asked, “So what’s this Carnack fellow like, besides greedy?”

  “Actually,” Silas said, “greedy is about the only personality trait he has. Every decision he makes, at least so far as I can tell, revolves around coins and how much he can sell them for. He’s got no family that I know about. It’s not like we’re close friends. I just sell to him now and then.”

  “If he’s so greedy,” Brigid said, “why wouldn’t he turn us in for the reward?”

  Silas smiled. “Simple. He’s weighed my value as a supplier against the reward and decided I’m worth more free and bringing him merchandise. Should that calculation change, he’ll weigh the odds of me getting captured before I kill him for betraying me. I suspect that will come out in my favor as well.”

  Brigid blanched as his casual comment and fell silent.

  They rounded a corner and crossed the street, stopping in front of a two-story shop featuring a sign with the picture of a coin on it and “buy and sell” written underneath. The building had been painted white at some point, but years of accumulated grime had turned it gray. Two narrow steps led to the front door.

  Silas led the way up and pushed through the entrance. A chime tinkled, announcing their arrival. The interior was dimly lit and featured glass cases filled with coins on display. You’d think the guy would invest in a few bright lamps to better show off his wares. Maybe he begrudged the cost of oil.

  Behind a glass-top counter waited a gaunt, hunched-over man dressed all in black. He was bald except for a long, greasy fringe of hair hanging down to his shoulders. Carnack, for he could be no one else from Silas’s description, looked only slightly more alive than Wicked.

  Carnack quickly dismissed Yaz and Brigid with a glance before settling his gaze on Silas. “What trash have you brought me today?”

  “That’s no way to welcome your best supplier, Carnack,” Silas said. “Maybe I should take my latest find down the road to Toole’s.”

  “That fat fool wouldn’t know a valuable coin if it fell out of the sky and split his skull. Now show me what you’ve got.”

  Silas slapped the coin on the counter and removed his hand. “Have a look. I’ve never seen one of this design.”

  “Your ignorance hardly counts for much.” Carnack pulled a monocle out of his shirt pocket and stuck it in his right eye. He studied one side of the coin then the other before looking up. “Where did you find this?”

  Silas glanced at Yaz who nodded. If they were going to find out anything, they’d have to tell someone eventually.

  “A little town called Dragonspire Village. Heard of it?”

  Carnack’s pale skin turned chalk white. “Who hasn’t heard of the town protected by dragons? Did you buy it there? I’d have guessed you found this in one of the ruins you so enjoy looting.”

  “I found it lying on the ground. Someone must have dropped it without realizing. So tell me about it.”

  “The coin comes from the Kingdom of Terra. I’ve never seen one of this design. All earth kingdom coins have a mountain on one side, but I don’t recognize the king on the other. I’ll have to consult my books, but my guess is that it’s very old indeed. May I keep it for further study?”

  Silas laughed. “Hardly. Can you tell us anything else about it?”

  “As I said, I’ve never seen this striking before.” His upper lip curled and he said as if it pained him, “If you wish to know more you might ask at Graywalk Academy. Their history department is extensive.”

  “We’ll do that,” Silas said.

  “If you truly wish to study the coin,” Yaz said. “You may take a rubbing for reference.”

  “Thank you.” The words seemed to stick in Carnack’s throat. “Excuse me while I get paper and charcoal.”

  Carnack disappeared into the back of the shop.

  “He seems nice,” Brigid said.

  “I warned you,” Silas said. “We didn’t even get any useful information.”

  “Sure we did.” Yaz picked up the coin. “We got another lead. Perhaps the scholars at the academy will be of some help.”

  Carnack returned with a scrap of paper and short length of charcoal. Yaz returned the coin and the collector quickly made rubbings of both sides. When he’d finished, Yaz reclaimed the coin.

  “Come back tomorrow afternoon and I’ll have a price for you.”

  “Can you give us an estimate?” Silas asked.

  “I’d say one
hundred and fifty gold scales, but that’s a guess only. I can’t make a firm offer until my research is complete.”

  Yaz bit his lip to keep from gasping. That was fifty times what he’d imagined the old silver coin bringing.

  “Fair enough,” Silas said. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  When they were outside Brigid said, “Gods above! A hundred and fifty gold scales for that coin. That’s…I don’t even know what it is.”

  “Crazy?” Yaz offered.

  “It might be crazy to you,” Silas said. “But you can be sure if Carnack is offering one fifty then the coin’s true value is about four hundred.”

  “That is crazy,” Brigid said. “We’re going to be rich.”

  “Maybe,” Yaz said. No way was he going to count the scale until it was in his hands. “How about we head over to the academy and find out why it’s worth so much?”

  Chapter 2

  Carnack gave Silas and his unknown companions ten minutes to make themselves scarce before turning to a dark corner of his shop. “I need to step out for a few minutes.”

  A figure shifted into the light of his single window revealing a scarred face and dark leather breastplate. Gald was his guard and the big man was the prime reason Carnack had no fear of thieves. That and the fee he paid to the Thieves Guild every month to keep his place secure.

  “Are they going to be trouble?” Gald asked. “I thought you might faint in the middle of your negotiations.”

  “That was the rarest coin to ever walk into my shop,” Carnack said.

  “But that wasn’t what surprised you.”

  Carnack narrowed his eyes. Gald was perceptive, he wouldn’t be much of a guard otherwise, but too perceptive wasn’t valuable either. If Carnack hadn’t trusted him totally – Gald was the only person he trusted totally in the world – he would have seriously considered replacing the man.