Contents
2. Goats and Other Lovers
Overview
Seeking a guide over the Thrall Mountains, the narrator and Galva choose a wary, armed Wostran over a crude local after a language test. The slighted local provokes tension. Haunted by last night’s treachery, the narrator looks to buy a bear trap, signaling ongoing mistrust and preparations for further dangers.
Summary
At dawn in Hredlangessfir, the narrator returns from a walk disturbed by witnessing a local man having sex with a goat. He tells Galva during her rigorous Calar Bajat exercises, sparking her irritation at his trivial focus amid imminent mountain dangers.
They visit a ramshackle provisioner’s to hire a guide over the Thrall Mountains. Two candidates appear: Gredjyk, an Oustrim one-eyed local who reeks and speaks no Holtish, and a small, mustachioed Wostran who looks criminal, is heavily armed, and missing a few fingers. The narrator weighs risks, mindful of his own Debtor’s Hand tattoo and the Takers Guild, and notes the Wostran at least speaks a little Holtish.
Choosing pragmatism and communication, the narrator hires the Wostran, despite Galva’s skepticism. Gredjyk grows agitated, nearly coming to blows, and the narrator defuses with a biting goat joke that further alienates the local.
Remembering the wall’s treacherous mouth from the night before, the narrator, still on edge, scans the shelves and asks the provisioner the price of a bear trap, signaling a plan to counter future ambushes as they prepare to attempt the Thralls.
Who Appears
- NarratorChooses a guide, mocks the angry local, and seeks a bear trap after last night’s betrayal.
- GalvaTrains relentlessly, urges focus, and defers to the narrator’s practical choice of guide.
- Wostran guideSmall, armed, terse, speaks limited Holtish; hired to lead them over the Thrall Mountains.
- Gredjyk (One-Eye)Local Oustrim guide candidate; crude and illiterate; loses the job and grows hostile.
- ProvisionerShop owner who summons guides and is asked about the price of a bear trap.
- Inn landladyBriefly seen scolding a boy; underscores the village’s harshness.