*
The windlass creaked protestingly and the heavy chain dropped slowlyinto the river. The barge steered to the center of the channel,gathering speed as it passed over the lowered chain.
When the barge had cleared, serfs inside the tower strained at thewindlass in obedience to the commands of their overseer, and the chainrose jerkily, to regain its former position across the stream.
Gerda watched for a moment, then strode toward the guard house. He wentinside, to look at the bags of coin on the counting table.
"Cattle," he growled, "to think they could cheat the Baron Bel Menstalof his just tax."
He stepped back out for a moment, to watch the merchant barge enter therapids beyond the chain. Then, he swung about and re-entered the tower.
Inside, he sat down at his counting table. He opened the bags, spillingtheir contents out on the boards, and checked their count.
There were forty-eight over.
He turned to his clerk.
"What was your count, Lor?"
"Two thousand, one hundred, sir, and forty-eight."
"Very good." Gerda smiled a little. "For once in his thieving life, themerchant was anxious to give full weight."
Lor spread his hands. "He'll get it back, and more, at Orieano, sir."
"Oh, to be sure." Gerda shrugged indifferently as he scooped the coinsback into the bags. He chose three small scraps of wood, scrawled tallymarks on them, and went over to a heavy chest.
Taking a key from his belt, he unlocked the chest and raised its lid. Helooked at the bags lying within, then tossed the new ones on top ofthem. As he locked the chest again, he saw Lor go to his account board,to enter the new collection.
The Officer of the Guard straightened, stretched for a moment, thenglanced critically in at the windlass room. The serfs had secured thewindlass and racked their poles. Now, they were sitting, hunched againstthe wall, staring vacantly, in the manner of serfs. The guardroom, itscommander noted, was properly clean. He shrugged and walked out again tothe wharf. Once more, he looked at the iron cliffs opposite him, thenglanced downriver. The merchant barge had disappeared.
* * * * *
Beyond Menstal, the cliffs closed in still farther, to become morerugged and to form a narrow gorge. Between them, the Nalen took atortuous course, turbulently fighting its way over the rocks.Eventually, it would drop into the lowlands, to become a broad, placidriver, lowing quietly under the sunshine to water the fields of Orolies.But during its passage through the mountains, it would remain a dark,brawling torrent.
The merchant barge swept through the rapids just beyond Menstal, herpolemen deftly preventing disaster against the rocks. At last, as thegorge became a little wider, the steersman guided his course toward asmall beach beneath the cliffs. With his free hand, he thoughtfullyrubbed his injured cheek.
As the boat's keel grated against gravel, he shook his head and steppedforward. For a moment, he fumbled under a thwart, then he brought out asmall case.
"Konar," he called, "fix this thing up for me, will you?" He opened thecase and laid it on the thwart.
One of the polemen laid his stick down and came aft.
"Pretty nasty clip, wasn't it, sir?"
Meinora grinned. "Guy's got a heavy hand, all right," he admitted. "Mademe dizzy for a second. Almost got mad at him."
Konar raised an eyebrow. "I felt it," he said. "Good thing Ciernar and Ibacked you up a little. Wouldn't help us much to knock out the baron'sriver detachment right now, would it?" He reached into the case.
"Looks as though the merchants weren't exaggerating, if you ask me," headded. He approached Meinora, a small swab in his hand.
"Hold still, sir," he instructed. "This'll sting for a few seconds." Hedabbed at the cut cheek, then reached back into the case for aninstrument.
"Ouch!" Meinora winced. "Did you have to use that stuff full strength?After all, I can wait a couple of hours for it to heal." He shook hishead as his companion turned back toward him, then dashed involuntarytears from his eyes and blinked a few times to clear his vision.
"No," he added, "the merchants aren't exaggerating a bit on this one.Bel Menstal's a pretty rough customer, and he keeps rough boys. Now,we'll see whether he's the guy we've been looking for, the guy with ourequipment."
Konar focused the small instrument on his superior's face, passing italong the line of the jagged cut. "You didn't explain that part."
"Simple enough." Meinora grinned wolfishly. "Those coins were aVadris-Kendar alloy. Now that they're out of their force field, they'llstart to sublimate. In a couple of hours or so, they'll be gone, andsomeone will be asking a lot of questions. Set up the detectors. If thebaron is the boy we think he is, we should be getting a fairly strongreading shortly after that guard's relieved."
* * * * *
From somewhere atop the cliff, a bell tolled. The hoarse voice of thelookout drifted down to the wharf.
"Relieve the guard."
Nal Gerda looked up. A line of men were coming down the steep path,stepping cautiously as they wound about the sharp turns. Gerda noddedand walked back into the guard room.
"Draw up your guard," he ordered.
He beckoned to two of the serfs.
"Take the chest," he directed, "and stay close in front of me."
Herding the bearers before him, he went out to the wharf. His guard wasdrawn up in their proper station, facing upstream, so that they couldview both the steps from the cliff and the river. No traffic was insight in the long gorge.
The new guard came slowly down the trail, formed at the foot of thesteps, and marched to the tower portal. Their commander dressed theirranks, motioned to his clerk, and came forward, saluting as heapproached Gerda.
"Anything unusual?"
"Nothing," Gerda told him. "Seven barges, this watch. Traders aregathering for the fair at Orieano."
"I know," the other agreed. "We'll have rich collections for the rest ofthe summer, what with fairs all down the valley. You'll be going to theOrieano Fair?"
"Got my permission yesterday. I'm to ride with the Baron. Have to givethe merchants back part of their money, you know."
"Yes, I suppose so." The other grinned, then sobered. "I'll relieve you,sir."
"Very good." Gerda saluted, then turned.
"March off the old guard," he ordered.
The men started up the steps. Gerda followed the serfs with the moneychest, bringing up to the rear.
Slowly, they toiled their way up the trail, halting at the halfway pointfor a brief rest. At last, they were at the top of the cliff. Beforethem, the castle gate opened. Within the tunnellike passage through thewall, two sentries grounded their pikes.
Gerda nodded to his clerk, accepted the account tablet, and followed hisserfs, who still bore the money chest, into the castle.
Inside the main counting room, his bearers set the chest on a largetable. The castle steward came toward them.
"And how were collections?"
"Reasonably good, sir. Seven barges came through during the night, withgood cargoes." Gerda held out the tablet.
The steward looked at it, checking off the entries. "Meron, ofVandor--Yes, he would have about that. And Borowa? A thousand?" Henodded thoughtfully. "That seems about right for him." He tapped thetablet a few times, squinting at the last name on the list. "But who isthis Teron? I never heard of him. Must have had a rich cargo, too."
Gerda laughed shortly. "He's a new one to me. He tried to get away witha tenth, then protested the valuation. I fined him an extra fivehundred."
"Oho!" The steward smiled thinly. "What then?"
Gerda shook his head. "Oh, he was suddenly so anxious to pay the rightamount, he gave me forty-eight teloa overweight. I'll know him next timeI see him, I'm sure. I marked him well for receipt."
He inspected his knuckles reflectively, then took the key from his beltand opened the chest.
"You'll want to verify my count, of course?"
"Oh, yes. Yes, to be sure. Have to be certain, you know. And there'syour share of the fine and overpayment to be taken care of." The stewardreached into the chest, removing bags which clinked as they were droppedto the table. He stopped, to look into the chest with a puzzledexpression on his face.
"And what are these?" He reached in, to withdraw three obviously emptybags. He looked curiously at the thongs which tied their mouths, thenshook them and looked questioningly at Gerda.
"Why, I ... I don't know." Gerda looked incredulously at the bags."Certainly, I had no extra money bags."
"I should think not." The