Roland: Reluctant Paladin

by N. C. Reed

  “Sort of whittle them down, is that it?” he asked.

  “Or get rid of them completely,” Roland nodded. “Would you be interested in something like that? I need someone to watch my back, and I need someone who won’t have a problem shooting. Is that you?”

  “Sure is,” James replied at once. “When do we leave?”

  “This isn’t a game, James,” Roland emphasized. “You could get hurt, or killed. You have to do what I say, when I say, or we could both get killed. Are you sure?”

  “I’ll do whatever you tell me to, Roland,” James said seriously. “And us orphans, we gotta stick together, right?”

  “Right,” Roland grinned. He spread a map before them.

  “All right. This is where they’re supposedly laid up...”

  -

  “When do we leave?” James asked, as Roland finished.

  “Tonight, right after dark,” Roland informed him. “We can’t wait any longer. If they decide to move, then we’ll be away from here when they strike, and we can’t have that. We can’t take the Hummer, either. One, they might need it here. Two, this bunch may see it or hear it coming. We’ll have to go on foot. Or we might find some bikes or something along the way.”

  “Long way,” James noted.

  “That’s why we’re leaving early,” Roland nodded. “If this outfit is like most others, then they’ll be up late, which means they’ll sleep late. I want to be in place long before daylight, if we can.”

  “We’ll have trouble seeing,” James rubbed his neck. “Using a light won’t be much good, we want to stay hid.”

  “I got that covered,” Roland smiled. “Nice shiny NVGs. One apiece.”

  “Well then,” James stood. “I think I’ll get some rest, and get my bag packed.”

  “I’ll call you when it’s time.”

  -

  “Where are you going, Roland?”

  Roland turned at the question and saw Maria looking at him, eyes slightly narrowed, arms crossed beneath her breasts, and hips shot out to one side. That was a look that could only mean trouble.

  “I’m taking a little walk, that’s all,” he said calmly, hoisting his pack onto his shoulder.

  “In the middle of all this, you want to go for a walk?” she asked, clearly suspicious.

  “Yep,” Roland nodded. “Be gone a day or two, I’d say. Just gonna take a look about, that’s all. See what’s what, and where.”

  “And you were just going to leave, and tell no one?” Maria pressed.

  “Jess,” was his only reply.

  “Is ‘Jess’ the only one deserving enough to be allowed to know what you’re doing?” Her calm, steady questions were starting to get on his nerves.

  “Maria, what are you getting at, exactly?” he asked. “Think I’m running out on you?”

  “Of course not!” Maria stomped her foot on the floor. “I think you’re about to do something incredibly stupid. There’s no other reason for you to have to sneak away alone in the dark of night!”

  “I’m not sneaking away, and for your...”

  “Yo, Roland, I’m ready to go!” James’ voice preceded him into the room. Maria’s eyes narrowed further. James realized at once that he had walked into an ‘issue’, and tried to extricate himself at once.

  “Hold it right there!” Maria’s voice cracked across the room. “So it’s a conspiracy, is it?” she demanded.

  “A what?” James asked, trying, and failing, to act innocent.

  “It’s not a conspiracy, Maria,” Roland rolled his eyes. “It’s a recon. That’s all. James and I are going to try and find this bunch, and maybe slow them down. That’s all.”

  “So, the two of you are going to just go out and find them, all by yourselves, and take care of things? Is that it?”

  “Right!” James nodded firmly.

  “Not at all!” Roland said at the same time, then glared at his apprentice.

  “So, which is it?” Maria demanded.

  “Uh, what Roland said,” James replied. “I’ll just. . .uh. . .yeah, that. I’ll go and do that,” he nodded again. “Be right outside, Roland.” Without another word, and before either could stop him, James was gone.

  “Pansy,” Roland muttered under his breath.

  “Roland, I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Maria said softly.

  “It needs to be done,” Roland shrugged.

  “I mean taking James!” she all but shouted. “He’s just a -”

  “He’s a grown man, as far as I’m concerned,” Roland’s flat voice cut across her’s. “You need to realize that he’s the future, just like you are. And that means he has to know what. . .he has to learn to...” Roland sighed, trailing off.

  “Learn to be like you?” Maria asked quietly.

  “Yes,” Roland agreed. “He’s already more like me than you know. But he has to learn what that means. He has to be ready. Prepared.”

  “For what?”

  “For when I’m not around, anymore,” Roland said simply. “Like I said, he’s the future. Now as much as I’d love to keep debating this with you, I got to go. We got a long ways to go.”

  “Please don’t,” she asked.

  “Got to. Can’t be helped.”

  “There has to be another way.”

  “There may be, but I can’t find it.”

  “Have you looked?” Maria asked, a demanding tone easing into her voice again.

  “Yes, I have,” Roland assured her. “This is what we’ve got. I don’t like it, but that’s how it is.”

  “You’re a liar,” Maria sighed. “You not only like it, you live for it. Please, don’t deny it,” she held her hand up to silence his objection. “I’m not a fool.”

  “Never said you were,” Roland nodded. Maria took the three steps that separated them before Roland could react, and grabbed his face with both hands. Without a word she pulled his face to hers, and kissed him on the lips. Hard.

  She broke the kiss as abruptly as she began it, and then spun on her heels, walking quickly away. Before she’d taken five steps she whirled again, facing a stunned Roland.

  “Please come back safely,” she said simply.

  And then she was gone.

  Roland stared after her for several seconds, no words coming to mind. Then he slung his pack, and headed outside.

  He had work to do.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  The two men walked quietly, constantly scanning their surroundings. It had taken James a few minutes to adjust to using the night vision, but once he had he didn’t slow Roland down. If anything, James was doing better than Roland on the road.

  The two covered ground quickly in spite of the dark and the fact they were walking. Roland estimated they had covered almost eight miles by the time dawn approached. He indicated for James to halt and the two moved off to the side of the road.

  “We’re pretty close, I think,” he whispered harshly in the still dark of the morning, unfolding a map. He pointed to a spot circled in red.

  “This is where they’re supposed to be,” he told the teen, “and this,” he stabbed another spot close by, “is about where we are. There’s a ridge that runs from here to right up overlooking the place they’ve taken up in. We should be there not long after full light, I think, but we’re leaving the road here. Too much chance of being spotted.” He put the map away and looked closely at James.

  “From here on out, we’re in enemy territory, kid. Be silent. Think like the bushes, the trees, even the ground. When you go to ground, mimic the movement of the wind in the bush, see what I mean? Never move against the wind, it’s a dead giveaway to a trained spotter or good woodsman. Understand?”

  “Got it,” James whispered. Roland nodded.

  “We need to get into position as soon as we can,” Roland continued. “We want to be able to observe them for a while, take a look at their actions. We want to get a good head count too. We gotta know what we’re up against. Keep an eye on their weapons. If we know how
they’re armed, then we’ll know what kind of resistance they can put up. And what kind of attack they can unleash on the school. Get me?”

  “Got you,” James nodded.

  “Let’s go.”

  The two moved cautiously up the hillside, angling for their objective.

  Today might be a long day.

  -

  Maria was sitting outside, watching the road in the direction that Roland and James had taken. She wouldn’t admit to anyone how worried she was.

  “Watching won’t help,” Jesse said from behind her, causing her to start slightly.

  “It won’t hurt anything, either,” she shrugged.

  “That’s true enough,” he admitted, taking a seat beside her. “You really like Ro’ don’t you?” he asked. She turned then to look at him.

  “What?”

  “You got a serious case on Roland,” Jesse grinned slightly. “Ain’t no point it denying it, girl. And I ain’t makin’ no fun, either. Ro’s a good man, best there is. You couldn’t do much better in the world we’re livin’ in nowadays.”

  “What’s that mean?” Maria asked, not quite as sharply as she once might have.

  “Roland’s a warrior, Maria,” Jesse said quietly. “Not just a soldier. He’s a good soldier, don’t get me wrong, but a soldier has to be able to take orders, act in a group. Roland’s good at that, but he don’t like it.”

  “He prefers to go out and work alone. No one to depend on but himself.”

  “He’s not alone. James is with him,” Maria pointed out.

  “And that says a lot about James,” Jesse nodded. “Roland just ain’t the trusting sort, ya know? Takes a while to get to know him, and longer for him to trust you. James must be pretty good or Roland wouldn’t of taken him along.” He frowned.

  “You ain’t pining for James are you?” he asked suddenly, unwilling to believe he’d read the situation that wrong.

  “I’m not pining, as you put it, for anyone,” Maria almost huffed. “I’m simply concerned that two of our best men are away at a time when we may need them to help defend this place.”

  “So it is Roland, then,” Jesse smiled. It wasn’t an ugly smile in any way, just a friendly one, like someone who was tickled.

  “No!” Maria snapped, turning away.

  “Like I said, Maria, it’s okay if it is. Roland’s one of a kind. Just don’t expect that you can tame him, that’s all. He’s as wild as the wind, and has been ever since I've known him. Just accept him like he is, and work with it, ya know?”

  “I’m not. . .I don’t. . .It’s not like that,” Maria sputtered slightly.

  “Well, I never said I was perfect, so sometimes I guess wrong,” Jesse shrugged lightly. “Anyway, you ain’t got to worry about Roland, one way or another. And if he trusted James enough to take him along, then you probably ain’t got to worry ‘bout him, neither.”

  “Why didn’t he take you, instead?” Maria asked suddenly. “Does he not trust you?”

  “Trusts me enough to leave me here to look after you,” Jesse grinned. “Which, according to Roland, is more important than what James is doing.” Maria’s face went red at that, and she could feel the heat emanating from her blush.

  “Anyway, I got work to do,” Jesse stood. “See you later.”

  Maria watched him go, but then returned her attention to the road.

  -

  “Well, I’d say we found it,” Roland said softly as the two pulled the sage and bushes apart enough to look down into the valley. A large two story house sat there, surrounded by motorcycles and other vehicles. Two barns lay in view, with other vehicles around them as well.

  There was no movement around the house except for one man who appeared to be on guard. There was movement around the barns, however, as several figures appeared to be doing chores. Roland had no idea if they were prisoners or belonged to the gang. That was one reason they were going to be watching.

  Roland and James worked swiftly but carefully establishing their observation post. A pup tent frame strung with camo netting gave them a place to work without obstructing their visibility. They crawled slowly around their area removing sticks and rocks and other obstructions that might hurt them or give them away.

  Fishing line created tangle-foot around them, which would hopefully trip up anyone who came near and give them some alarm, as the lines were attached to sticks that would move quietly when they were hit. Finally, Roland took a separate bag with two days of MRE’s, back up weapons, and water, and hid it well about a mile behind them while James started the work of examining the farm itself. Using a small waterproof notebook, he took notes on everyone he saw, what time, and what they were doing.

  He also started a list of descriptions, along with nicknames for each. Lastly, he created a rough sketch of the farm and its outbuilding. By the time Roland returned, James had managed to have their ‘system’ up and running and had already started recording his observations.

  Roland looked it over, nodding his approval, and then settled in beside the teen.

  Now, they would wait and watch.

  -

  “Be dark soon,” James mentioned softly. Roland nodded, gauging the sun.

  “When it gets toward dusk, we’ll slip down to the road,” he said. Road was really a misnomer, as it was the only way in or out of the small valley the farm occupied, making it more of a driveway than anything else.

  “What are we doing?” James asked.

  “We’re gonna leave a nasty little surprise for when our friends start heading for the school,” was all Roland said.

  The two waited in silence until the light began to wane, then silently bellied their way down the hillside. Once there, James took up a lookout position while Roland went to work.

  He carefully removed the Claymore mines from the bag he had used to carry them, and laid them out on the ground, along with their electronic detonation circuits. Working slowly but steadily, he readied each one. Satisfied with his work, he signaled to James, and left his hiding spot.

  One by one he placed the mines, staggering them along each side of the narrow road. It was nearing full dark before he was finished, forcing him to use his night vision. As he placed each mine he attached a tiny piece of reflective tape to the back. In the event they didn’t use them, the mines could be recovered later on.

  Done, he made his way to where James was still keeping watch, now wearing his own night vision gear. Using only hand signals to communicate, the two made their way back to their OP. Settling in once more, James looked at Roland.

  “I can take first watch,” he mouthed. Roland nodded, and settled in to rest.

  James took their scope and began once more to survey the house below. There were lights on, now, which meant the gang using the house had at least one generator, and enough fuel to use it. He checked his watch, and made a notation in their notebook.

  They would stand four hour watches from now on, allowing each man to be at least partially rested at all times. Not knowing when the group would make their move, it was important that the two of them be rested enough to react.

  But for now, there was only the waiting.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  For two days, they watched. It was hot. It was cramped. It was uncomfortable. Neither complained nor commented on it. Roland nodded to himself in approval of James’ actions. He had taken careful notes, used the laser rangefinder to map ranges to various points on the farm, and accounted for many of the descriptions in their book.

  On the morning of the third day Roland awoke to gentle pressure on his shoulder. He was alert and oriented in seconds, turning to look down at the farmhouse.

  “Lotta movement this morning, Roland,” James murmured softly. “Lot more than usual. Way too many people up and about compared to what we been seeing. And they’re fueling the vehicles, too.”

  “All of them?” Roland asked, using the scope to see the action for himself.

  “Most,” James replied. “And all the motorc
ycles, too,” he added. “I think they’re planning on moving out in a big way.”

  “Might just be,” Roland mused. “Any sign of BD?” he asked, their nickname for the one they had decided was the leader.

  “He was out about thirty minutes ago, yelling orders at several people. Went back inside after they all got started working. Ain’t seen him since, though.”

  “What about Foo and Ponytail?” These were the two that seemed to be BD’s main lieutenants.

  “They’re supervising,” James informed him. “Foo is watching over the fueling, Ponytail's making the rounds to the outbuildings and shaking everyone out.”

  “Interesting,” Roland said, more to himself than James, but the teen nodded.

  “We’ll give ‘em a little bit, and see what they do.”

  -

  “Look Roland,” James slowly pointed. Following that point, Roland was able to see movement, and aimed the scope that way. As the scope came into focus, he could see a line of prisoners, mostly women but including a few men and children, being herded toward the larger barn, guarded by four very unsavory men and two equally unsightly women. Everyone was attached to a long chain by a collar. That was how so few guards could watch over thirty prisoners. Well, that and guns.

  Looking back to the vehicles, Roland studied the movement around them. He was certain the group was preparing a sortie. Everyone was armed, and a few were checking over their weapons in a manner that suggested at least these members of the group knew what they were doing. That wasn’t so good.

  What to do, what to do. While Roland didn’t want to leave the prisoners, his first duty was to

  his own people. He and James had counted at least forty-seven people in this group, gang, whatever, that were definitely not prisoners. That was a lot of people. Enough to possibly overwhelm the school, even with the defensive preparations and the heavy weapons they had.

  Roland needed to whittle those numbers down some. At the very least, it might help the defenders of the school hold against the attack. There was also the possibility that if they hurt them bad enough, the ‘gang’ would call off the attack altogether. Roland sighed, rubbing his eyes.