He drank the next one more slowly, at least giving his tongue a chance to register the flavors. He thoughtfully stroked his stubbled chin.
“I'm glad to hear all this good news… but there is something you still haven’t told me, and it’s rather vital. How do you defend yourselves?”
As if he had been waiting for the question all along, Hobb straightened up proudly.
“We take defense very seriously. We do everything we can to make sure no soul is ever left without help in trouble. I say it’s better to stay uneasy forever than to be frightened just once. We’ve seen enough suffering already. That’s why there are two watchtowers at every border, two stories high—one on each side of the road—manned by strapping lads with needle-sharp arrows and keen blades, ready for whatever danger might come.”
He spoke of the towers with the animated gestures and relish of a grandfather telling old stories to his grandchildren.
“They take shifts day and night; we’re never left unguarded. Everyone who arrives is carefully inspected.”
His fingers began tracing lines on the counter.
“Between the towers there’s a gate, and beside it—and encircling the entire passage in a wide ring—there’s a wall, with sharpened stakes carved along the outside. Or the inside, depending on how you look at it. It would take a proper siege to force your way through, and even then no more than two wagons could squeeze in at once. And if someone were foolish enough to arrive with a drawn sword, archers would be waiting from every side.”
“Only the eastern road is wider, but Belor lies that way, with its full garrison—and the Order’s mourning-coats besides. Even an army would struggle to fight its way through them. There won’t be trouble here, unless some flying abomination decides to feast on us—and even then they’d bring it down before it ever reached this far. They go after such things like crows after worms.”
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He spread his hands.
“If for no other reason, it’s good they’re close by in that regard. In short, we could never have built all this without trade and newcomers. We wouldn’t have had the weapons, nor the skill.”
He gestured toward the window.
“We leave the wilderness alone—and thankfully it leaves us alone as well. Still, there are patrols of two or three men along the edges of the fields. Bright torches, eyes on the forest—just in case. We can’t guard the entire region, of course, but at least if there’s trouble somewhere, they’ll see it or hear it and get there quickly. Every patrol and every village now has its own horn, so they can signal one another easily. The villagers are watchful too. There’s always a lad or two keeping an eye on their surroundings, especially at night.”
He tapped the counter with a fingertip.
“Nothing gets in here without us knowing about it.”
Mest nodded appreciatively.
“That’s admirable. No small feat. Watchtowers, walls… my compliments. I suspect this is largely your doing.”
Hobb dipped his head, satisfied.
“I won’t deny it—my hand’s in it. Many thought it excessive caution, unnecessary trouble, but now they’re grateful for it. There’s peace. There’s safety. But why do you look so surprised? Surely you noticed when you arrived that there’s wall everywhere around you—no way through.”
“I didn’t come that way,” Mest said. “I came through the forest.”
The smile slowly, uncertainly faded from Hobb’s face. He leaned closer.
“There’s a road through the forest?” he asked quietly.
“So it seems. I didn’t know about it either—found it by accident.” He took a slow puff.
“But don’t worry. I’m convinced there’s no danger coming from that direction.”
“You’re absolutely sure?”
“Absolutely. At most, a bird could make its way through.”
Hobb let out a relieved breath.
“ That’s a relief…… birds don’t worry us yet,” he smiled. “And if you say so, I believe you. But still—you must have run into a patrol at least… somewhere around the town…?”
Mest smiled faintly, inscrutably.
“Of course.
They just didn’t run into me.”
