Conan of Venarium

When Granth went back to Fort Venarium with a message from Captain Treviranus, he was amazed to see how much the place had changed. A lot more of the forest around the encampment had gone down under the axes of the soldiers still stationed there. The tents had been replaced by barracks halls. A real keep, even if made of wood, was going up in the center of the encampment. A bridge of boats and boards linked Fort Venarium with the way south, the way down to Aquilonia.

Cimmeria was not so safe as to let Aquilonians travel alone with any confidence they would get where they were going. Along with Granth tramped Vulth and the two Bossonian archers, Daverio and Benno. Pointing to a string of wagons coming toward Venarium from the south, Vulth said, "Look. Some of the first settlers."

"Good to see 'em," said Granth. "They may not be soldiers, but the men will know how to fight. Anybody who can draw a bow or swing a sword against these damned barbarians is welcome."

"Pot hunters," said Benno scornfully. "Half of those poor fools can't hit the side of a barn."

"Well, at least they'll be aiming at the Cimmerians," said Vulth. "I'm with my cousin on this." He clapped Granth on the back.

"And they'll be building houses and barns," added Granth. "If we're going to settle this land, we'll have to make it our own."

The horses and oxen that drew the settlers' wagons would soon plow fields in what had been forest. More cattle, along with sheep and goats, traveled behind the wains. They would graze in meadows and crop tender shoots. If the new arrivals also had dogs and cats and swine and hens and ducks, they carried them inside the wagons.

Daverio did not seem very happy to see the settlers coming up toward Fort Venarium. When Granth asked the Bossonian why, he answered, "Because the Cimmerians will want to murder them even more than they want to murder us. We don't take the land itself away from them. These fellows do."

"Too bad," said Vulth. "This is why we came up into Cimmeria, after all: to make it a place where Aquilonians can live and to drive back the barbarians."

"Yes, that's why we came, all right," agreed Daverio. "Now we get to find out whether we've done it."

Sentries at the gate of the encampment gave Granth and his comrades a careful once-over before standing aside and letting them go in. That only irritated the Gundermen and Bossonians. Granth wondered if the gate guards feared they were Cimmerians in disguise. He laughed at the idea. Even with their hair dyed blond, the northern barbarians would have a hard time passing for men of Aquilonian blood.

He had to ask several times before finding out that Captain Nario, the officer to whom Captain Treviranus had written his letter, stayed in a barracks hall not far from what would soon be the keep. The hall had its own guards, which struck Granth as excessive. His disgust must have shown on his face, for one of the guardsmen said, "You'd better wipe off that frown, soldier. We're here on account of this is where Count Stercus makes his headquarters."

Another guard snickered. "That's not all he makes here."

"You shut your fool mouth, Torm," hissed the first guard. "The count heard you make a crack like that, there'd be hell to pay, and you know it."

"He wouldn't hear if you didn't have a big mouth," said Torm angrily. While the guards bickered. Granth and his comrades went inside.

After the daylight from which he had come, Granth blinked a few times to help his eyes adjust to the gloom within. This was plainly a hall for officers. They had more room than ordinary soldiers, and real beds rather than just blankets in which to roll themselves. Some of the officers had body servants, whose bedrolls rested beside their beds. Granth asked for Captain Nario.

"I am Nario," called a man sitting on a bed not far from a guarded door at the far end of the barracks hall. Granth would have bet Count Stercus lived in the chamber beyond that door. He had no time to dwell on that, though, for Nario asked, "What do you wish of me?"

"Sir, I have a letter for you from my commander, Captain Treviranus, up at the place called Duthil," answered Granth.

"Do you indeed?" Nario's smile showed even, very white teeth. "Give it to me, then. I shall be pleased to read it, and I shall write an answer on the spot."

"Yes, sir." Granth handed the officer the rolled-up parchment, meanwhile concealing his own annoyance. He had hoped to deliver the message and be on his way. Now he would have to wait around until Captain Nario not only read what his own commander had to say but came up with a reply.

And then, quite suddenly, he did not mind waiting any more. A very pretty Cimmerian girl carrying a pitcher of wine and two goblets on a tray came into the barracks. She could not have been above sixteen, and wore little enough that she would have had a hard time sneaking anything lethal into the room at the end of the hall. The guards there did not try to search her, but let her in unchallenged.