Shadows over Nothross | Page 2

just a pair of rather miserable-looking horses and without lackeys and all. Staan found these things quite curious. But after a bit of pondering, he guessed that even the elves had their shoddy-looking commoners.
"Could you tell me where I could find... um... Realn, have you seen my notebook?" the apparent elven lord said as he furiously tried to find the book in question from his pockets. "Never mind - what was the man's name?"
The female, who went by name Realn - Staan was sure the name rang bells deep in his memory, but couldn't tell for sure - chuckled lightly and turned to Staan. "We're looking for a specific group of adventurers for hire", she explained, not at all bothered by the man's behaviour. "We were recommended to contact someone called Jenyr Adatel. I believe he works for the City Guard."
"Oh, yes", Staan said. It started to make sense - a couple of elven nobles who need to find someone who stole their jewel-encrusted coach and mystical shiny magic steeds. "Captain's side business, heh heh. Well, I guess Captain hasn't got too far from his friends' home yet - that's on Wilhelmsroad, second street right from this street. He's usually there, or in the guard barracks, which is on Adelev the Great's Avenue, that's, oh, sixth street left. He usually stops by on either place, and in the evening you can probably find him from an inn called the Laughing Fox. That's in the harbour area."
"Thank you, my good guardsman. Goodbye, and may you have an interesting day", the male said. They both bowed a bit with their hands on their hearts, and smiled in a warm way.
"Have a good day, sir and madam", Staan said, smiled in turn to the busy-looking couple as they departed. He returned to watch the traffic and think of things. One day, he thought, he'd write a book about all of these things he had seen and thought about. Promotion meant a raise in pay, and maybe it would be wise to spend the first extra bits of money in one of those evening classes at the academy. To write a book, it might be useful to know how to read and write too...
* * *
In the city, on the lower half of Anchorfall, light mist was wrapping distant buildings in its embrace.
It was a bright morning, and two guards of the city were feeling chipper. They were Jenyr Adatel - a middle-aged, robust-looking, if a bit overweight, dark-haired fellow in a proper city guard attire - and Facyr Tann - a much younger, skinnier but equally battle-capable man with sandy-coloured hair. Jenyr was the kind of man you could easily tell to be a captain of the guard, even if he hadn't had his uniform. Facyr, meanwhile, wasn't in uniform, though he wore a chain mail, carried a sword, and had temporarily taken the kind of a baldric that was usually given to deputy and volunteer guards - but even when volunteers could be seen frequently patrolling the Upper City, few were armed that well, and even fewer carried a lieutenant's badge.
Few people they had met this morning were anything but cheerful today. After all, it was weekend and things went quietly in weekends in general; tomorrow was Dyesday and tonight, it was time for everyone to get partying again. They had still managed to run into a few grumpy people, undoubtedly still doing things they were supposed to get done by midweek, and were just mad that this morning, they couldn't stay in bed for a longer time.
"Does this bring back memories?" Jenyr asked Facyr with a big smile. "Two guardsmen and a quiet street."
"Heh, too many of them", Facyr said. "Which is why I'm here right now. A moment to do old things for old times' sake."
"Yep, here we are, pacing down the streets, just like before the Revolution..."
"...and absolutely nothing interesting is going on."
"Precisely. You'd almost think that the bad old times were back, right?"
"Sure, though even when it's quiet, things sure aren't that boring any more."
The two grinned and turned around the corner. The city really was quite quiet today. Jenyr had had quite an effort to get things this way, especially after the preceding few somewhat chaotic years.
They saluted the other passing guardsmen, Jenyr in a proper military fashion - as much as such could be got from him - and Facyr in a more relaxed way, with a big smile. The guards greeted Jenyr with glee equal to his, and, some of the guards nodded even more cheerful greeting to Facyr. These few guards were of older generation who still remembered the time when Facyr had been Jenyr's second in command.
Two arguing people appeared from behind the next bend of the street. Jenyr grinned as he noted