Chapters Versus Parts

So I have realized that I have starting writing this with no real purpose in mind other than to tell a story. What I was orriginally going to write in parts has now seemed to turn into a chapter selection. I like better how it is being written,though I seem to stop at odd points (more like when I fall asleep...). Perhaps I will go back to parts soon. Still I hope you all like it. Here is the next part I wrote:

“I’m Landris. My cousin sent word to me that a man would be coming. I suppose that you are that man?” Luc didn’t even bother to ask how the message had gotten there before him. He just simply nodded and Landris grabbed him by the arm. He dragged him to the back of the shop where he pushed aside a curtain and stepped into a room, which was lit by a candle.

“It’s a good thing I got the message and saw you in my window.” Luc smiled to himself, finally able to realize how Landris knew that he was at the door of the shop. Landris continued on as if nothing had happened. “Those guards were here earlier on tonight too. I don’t suppose that you are the white haired person they are looking for are you?” Landris was straight to the point; he didn’t call for tact in anyway shape or form. It also seemed as if he didn’t care.

“No, I am not the white haired person they are looking for, but none the less I am with that person. We are trying to get out of the city…”

Landris put up a hand. “Say no more master…” He trailed off so that Luc would provide for a name.

“Lukkis, simple isn’t it?”

Landris smiled and then said, “Well then, Lukkis it is I guess then.” Luc had a feeling that Landris knew that Lukkis wasn’t his real name, but the man didn’t press him. He seemed just fine to know that he had a name in the first place. “Well, come on back. Don’t just stand on the other side of the curtain.” Landris pushed aside the rest of the curtain and then directed Luc to come back into the room with him.

They entered a small room where a table had been laid with provisions. The walls were simple and so was the table. A doorway at the other side of the room also held a curtain and it was from there that Luc was surprised by a woman entering the room with a large wedge of yellow cheese in her hands.

“Don’t worry about her,” Landris spoke as she entered. “She’s my wife; Helen She was the one who intercepted Anyankis’ message. She won’t bother us any more for the rest of the night, but I would prefer for her to stay in case I need to get you anything.” Landris rubbed his hands looking over the stuff on the table. Helen looked at Luc with peering eyes, trying to see into his hood. He smiled even though he knew that she would not be able to see it.

Landris looked at Luc. “These will most likely be all that you need. Now, you have three people with you?”

“That would be correct. But you had better pack for one more, just in case.” Landris nodded and said, “Wise man, never know what you might get into. You have horses I presume?”

“Not yet, your cousin Anyankis told me to try Ildis, she said that she was good.”

Landris gave a hearty chuckle and Helen smiled broadly. “Ildis eh? Well, I can see why she is the best. Not only is she the only stable master who is open all the time, but she is also another one of our cousins.”

Luc was surprised. “Is everybody in this town related then?”

Helen shook her head. “Not everybody, just most of them.” Her voice was pleasant. Not the sensual grating that marked Anyankis own voice. “Most of us set up in this town because there was nowhere else. You’ll find a lot of us are related, though, if we aren’t related, we’re most likely good friends.” Helen shot him another smile. “You’re in the mountain towns hon. If life wasn’t like this, the towns would most likely fall apart!” Luc made an appreciative nod.

Landris chuckled and then pointed to the table. “We’ll need more supplies as if another person is traveling with them my dear.” Helen nodded and then was trough the curtain once more. As she left, Landris turned to Luc.

“Back to the business at hand; I have for you plenty of travel rations, yellow and white cheese; the white you’ll want to eat a little faster as it doesn’t keep for very long. There are some bags of travel biscuits as well as a few loaves of brown bread my wife bakes specially to sell in this store. She’s famous for it. Good on the road and for breakfast.” Landris smiled at Luc and gave him a wink.

“There’s also some butter to go with it, careful with it though. I have placed some water skins in the bag and a few extra empty ones as well. There’s exactly three cloaks in there in case it suddenly gets really rainy. However, it will also help you in the snow. I suppose that you are headed down through the Pass that is to the south?”

“Do you mean the Arrow Pass?”

“None other than that one.”

“I wasn’t quite sure. We might travel a little to the east towards Luxin and take Bottleneck Pass. I’m not quite sure…”

Landris pulled up another hand as if to say that he no longer wished to press. “Don’t worry Master Lukkis, I will take care of you. Just in case, I have placed two more pairs of boots in the supplies. There are also some bags of grain to help you. I assume that you will be taking about, say… four to five horses?”

“That is about right.”

“Well, we’ve put some sacks of grain for feed as well. There isn’t too much grazing grass in Bottleneck, but you should be able to get though without too much trouble which ever way you plan to go.”

“Thank you Master Landris. How much will I owe you?”

Landris gave Luc a price and then settled to haggle over it for a few minutes. They struck up upon a bargain about the same time Helen came back with another cloak and some more rations. She had also brought backpacks to place all the supplies in. Landris then went behind the curtain and came back a few moments later with a tall black staff.

As to what it was made out of, one could not tell, but it had a sheen to it that seemed uncanny for mere polished wood. The top and bottom of the staff had been fitted with metal tops; although as to what the metal was Luc did not know. It gleamed in the lamplight of the candles and then Landris passed it to Luc.

“Sir this staff never did belong to us. We just found it one day upon our doorstep, back when my father owned this shop. He always held onto it for someone to come and claim. No one ever did, so we kept it. Sir, I think that the staff should go with you. I don’t know why, I just believe that it would be better off with you.”

Luc nodded, although mystified as to what the staff could possibly be for, and took it from Landris’ hands. He then paid Landris in full and then began to pick up one of the backpacks. Helen’s hand came over his white ones and she shook her head. “Don’t you worry about it Master Lukkis, we will have it sent over to Ildis’ stables immediately. We know that you came here without a horse, so you need not worry at all about carrying it there.”

Luc nodded and then spoke. “Thank you Mistress Helen...”

“Oh, just Helen to you Master Lukkis, no need to honor me.”

“… Just Helen then, thanks to you. And you too Mas…” Landris held up a finger as if to warn Luc and he smiled under his hood. “… Landris; thank you too.” Landris smiled and nodded his approval.

“I better be going to Ildis’ now; if you could just direct me in her direction?”

The couple nodded and then gave Luc instructions. They opened the back door so that he could leave unmolested by the guards, just in case they were still out on the main street. He bid the couple farewell and then sneaked off down the back alleyway. As he looked out into the main street from the way, he realized that he had been hiding here before he tried to get up the street. He cursed his bad luck again and when he saw that there was no one else on the street, he moved on.