I was jerked wide awake by the sound of horns being blown. Several of them at full volume. Then some bells started clanging and I could hear people yelling but I couldn’t make out the words. Vone rose from his stool and I jumped up off my crate. “Those must be the gate guards! We need to wake everybody up!” Vone turned to me. “Do you want to go get everyone or stay and guard the horses?”

I thought it over for a moment. “I’ll go. I need to grab my things. Do you want me to grab yours, too?”

“Please do.” He said. “And hurry, it wouldn’t surprise me if horses become very desirable all of a sudden.”

I nodded and took off at a run. Not a very fast run because I knew I had stairs to climb, but at least I didn’t need a lantern. The inside of the inn was a madhouse with people, mostly the staff of the inn, running this way and that. A young boy ran right into me as I turned to start up the stairs and he was coming down.

“I’m so sorry, my lord!” he yelled as he stood back up, fear in his eyes.

“Not to worry, lad, just be about your business.” I hurried up the stairs two at a time. Whoever had been on guard duty for our quarters had already started waking everybody up so I just grabbed my things, and Vone’s stuff and then joined the line of our people heading to the stables. When I went through the back door again, right behind Kralnik, I saw Vone towering over a merchant and pointing down with his empty left hand at the merchant’s guard, who was flat on his back, unconscious. Vone’s right hand was waving his mace around as he yelled at the merchant, who flinched at every word. “You dare order your man to dispatch me so you can get to your horse quicker? I ought to…” He paused, apparently trying to figure out what exactly he ought to do. I hurried over.

“What’s going on here?” I demanded as haughtily as I could.

Vone took a deep breath to calm himself. “This man here,” he pointed at the merchant with his mace, “wanted his horses, and ordered his guard to dispatch me when I started asking questions.”

The merchant turned to me and gave me a quick once over. “My good sir-“

Delik Slin had stepped up to stand beside me and interrupted the flustered man. “I think you mean ‘my lord.’

That shocked him, and I understood. My travelling clothes definitely don’t scream out lordship. “I apologize, my lord. I merely heard the horns and bells and panicked. I wanted to get out of town as quickly as possible. I am on my way home to Ansdron.”

“There is a contingent of Ansdron calvary on its way here to escort anyone who wants to go to Ansdron. They’ll probably be leaving tomorrow morning. We all just need to stay put until they get here.” I started to turn away before remembering something. “I almost forgot. For threatening the life of this priest of Kefnak, a stupid plan if I ever heard one, the price shall be your two best horses.”

“My lord!”

“Never fear, you will receive the standard reimbursement from Lord Tarin once you reach Ansdron.” I had no idea if there was such a thing but I wished him well trying to convince anyone at the palace compound to give him any money.

“Give me your name and where I can reach you and I will make certain you receive your due.” Delik Slin said, but I couldn’t tell if it was a threat or a promise to help him get his money. My assistant always keeps me guessing. Good man.

“Venzik!” I shouted and he appeared before me. “Assign half the men to guard the stable and the rest of us will make our way to the main gates and find out what’s happening.”

He nodded. “I have heard something about what’s going on, sir.”

“Drants?” I asked. I mean, what else could it be? Dragons? An army of giant badgers?

He nodded. “Well, I’m still heading to the gates. We need to know what we’re facing.” As I spoke he nodded again and then started calling out the names of those he was assigning to stay at the stables. The moment he finished I started for the gates. The street was in chaos. A lot of screaming and running and the drants hadn’t even made it inside yet, if they were even going to. Venzik formed our little party into small circle with me and Imprid in the center. Venzik had left nine of our group to guard the stable with Vone and Sir Aryoss in charge and Stegen assisting, leaving fourteen of us making our way to the gate. Some guards were parking a wagon in front of the gates and others were moving barrels and rocks and pretty much anything else either onto or around the wagon. It did not seem to be a very strong barricade. I leaned over to Imprid. “That barricade doesn’t make me feel very confident.” I whispered.

“Me either.” She whispered back.

“Who’s in charge here?” I called out when we were almost to the gate.

“I am.” An older guard said as he rolled another barrel up to the gate. “But I’m pretty busy at the moment.”

“I’m Lord S’Vig from Ansdron.” I told him.

He set the barrel on it’s end, right up against the gate and grunted. “Please to meet you, my lord, but I’m preparing for the drants, if you don’t mind. Unless you’re here to help.”

I laughed. “We are most definitely here to help but I think we’d be more helpful if we knew what we’re facing. How many drants are out there?”

“The best I can tell somewhere between two hundred and two hundred fifty.”

“I see.” I said. “That’s not too bad. How many men are in the town guard?”

“Hurry up there with those arrows!” He yelled at two men pushing wheelbarrows before turning back to me. “We have eighty-three men in the guard.”

“Only eighty-three?”

He chuckled. “My lord, we only have so many because of how wealthy the town is. I’ve never heard of any other town with a guard even half as big.”