Blood and Shadows
Page 6
Boris, Veronica and the band of mercenaries, along with their cargo, had finally arrived in Henry's Crossing. They had stayed away from towns as best they could, passing through quickly and preferring to sleep in the woods. The only exception had been the small town of Selma.
In Selma, a band of men loyal to Lord Garik had held sway. They had given them a room for the evening in one of the taverns, where a terrified innkeeper and his family waited upon them. Some of the mercenaries had forced themselves upon one of the innkeeper's older daughters, which had disgusted Boris, but he did not have the ability to stop it.
Rather than go into the city of Henry's Crossing, the company headed east toward the Harren Woods. “All right, unchain the package,” Boris commanded as they arrived at a clearing that he gauged was far enough into the woods.
One of the mercenaries, Derek, drew a key from the pouch at his belt and slipped it into the keyhole. Twisting the key, the lock popped open and fell to the ground. Derek withdrew quickly and moments later, the box began to shake. Boris frowned. He had not been told what was in the box, only that it was precious cargo. He had assumed it was some heavy object, but seeing the package shaking, as if something living were within, made him doubt his previous analysis.
Derek turned to Boris. “We are leaving. You will too, if you know what's good for you. You do not want to stay around for when that thing wakes up and gets free.”
“What do you mean, a thing?” Boris demanded. “Are you saying a living creature is in that box?”
“Not just any living creature. A monster. Killed twenty of Black Captain Rogerio's men while we were trying to capture it. So take my advice, and run.”
Boris and Veronica, heeding the mercenary's words, grabbed their travel supplies and followed him and his men out of the woods.
Chapter 6: A Bear