[Shadowed Path 01] - A Woman Worth Ten Coppers Read Online Free PDF Page B

approach my father’s lands. I’m a count’s son. I mean no disrespect…”
    “I won’t travel encumbered,” said Honus. “You pledged an oath.”
    “Yet I need not bear your burden to fulfill it,” Yaun replied. He drew a purse from his pocket and emptied its coins into his palm. “We’re close to Durkin.”
    “And its thieves’ market,” said Honus. “So?”
    “We could go there tomorrow,” said Yaun, seemingly unaware of the disdain in Honus’s voice. “This is enough to buy a slave.”
    Honus glanced at the coppers in Yaun’s hand. “But not enough for a horse.”
    “It’s all I have.”
    “What times are these,” mused Honus, “when people are cheaper than horses?”
    “It’s been that way for a long time.”
    “That doesn’t mean it should be so.”
    “Such sentiments remind me of your master,” replied Yaun. “Yet his holiness couldn’t save him.”
    A shadow crossed Honus’s face. “The Balance is indeed askew.”
    Yaun noisily dropped the coins back into the purse. “So…What say you, Honus?”
    “You’re likely to discover your father’s lands are no safer than Lurwic was.” Honus shook his head. “But then, perhaps nowhere’s safe.”
    “I’ll take my chances. I’ll get by.”
    Honus shot Yaun a penetrating look, and the young man grew tense under the scrutiny. Honus saw more than ordinary men, and in Yaun, he disliked what he saw. It was what he didn’t see that bothered him most. How can he be untroubled by what we’ve witnessed? Yet Honus found only self-concern in Yaun’s face. The Sarf released him from his gaze. “All right,” he said. “We’ll go to Durkin. A slave will do.”
    The tenseness left Yaun’s face. He bowed his head. “Thank you, Karmamatus.”
    The term meant “Karm’s beloved,” and Honus had often used it to address his master. Thus it sounded wrong coming from Yaun’s lips. “Don’t mock me with flattery,” replied Honus. “I’m not worthy of Karm’s love.”

 
    FIVE
    H ONUS AND Yaun left the forest the next morning to travel through abandoned farmlands that were rank with weeds and tangled scrub. It was a melancholy landscape, even in springtime. Well before noon, the smoke of Durkin was visible in the distance. Yaun halted by a copse of trees to remove his helm and his boots. Then he hid them in the pack. Afterward, he wrapped a rag around his sword hilt to cover its jewels.
    The marks on Honus’s face exaggerated his look of contempt. “I see you’re no stranger to Durkin.”
    “It’s a lawless place,” replied Yaun, “but goods are cheap there.”
    “If you don’t mind their source.”
    “Few men wish to live as you do. A good price matters to them.”
    “Other things should matter also. The Balance, for example.”
    “Oh yes, Karm’s holy Balance,” said Yaun. “What does that mean? What does she weigh on her divine scales?”
    “Everything,” replied Honus. “What a man gives and what he takes. Both sides of a dispute. The worth of a soul.”
    “And to what end?”
    “Harmony. Peace. Justice.”
    “After what we’ve seen, how can you say that?” asked Yaun. “Small wonder men look elsewhere for strength. What has your faith gained you?”
    Honus didn’t immediately reply. “That’s my concern,” he said at last. “Durkin is corrupt, regardless.”
    “That’s because it’s not in some divine realm, but in the living world, where folks weigh contentment by the heft of their purses and the fullness of their bellies.”
    “You grow bold, now that we approach your father’s domain,” said Honus. “Shoulder my pack one last time. I’m eager to finish this business.”
    When the travelers reached the crest of a rise, they saw Durkin for the first time. Even from a distance, the place’s appearance reflected its reputation. The surrounding fields were haphazardly marked and rank with last year’s weeds. The town’s neglected walls seemed to signal that there were as many dangers within as