Endless Flight

by A. C. Cobble

  Bartholomew’s eye popped open wide in shock. Ben witnessed the life drain out of it before the man slumped backward, sliding off the sharp blade of Ben’s longsword.

  “You’re getting good at that,” announced Amelie in a shaky voice.

  “Maybe,” replied Ben. “He was over confident, and I used that. Thinking you are good doesn’t help you in a sword fight.”

  “Do you think he really did what he said, killed scores of people?” asked Amelie. “He acted like he was a famous pirate.”

  “I don’t know,” replied Ben with a shrug. “I’ve never heard of him.”

  They quickly packed the rest of their gear, rifled through Bartholomew’s pack, then left the clearing. The dead pirate lay on his back in the pale morning sun.

  Blood and Ashes

  Getting around Kirksbane proved easy. The terrain was flat, and there were enough people about that the two of them did not stand out. Ben was worried there would be Sanctuary watchers, but they passed unmolested.

  North of Kirksbane, they found a small track that steered away from the river. It continued north as far as they could tell. Thinking that was less likely to be watched than the river road, they started down it.

  “This journey isn’t going as smoothly as I hoped it would,” muttered Amelie as they walked.

  “I know,” agreed Ben. “Including the soldier at the Plowman’s Rest, that is three times now we’ve run into people who recognized us and were trying to capture or kill us. We lost Mathias already. It’s only a matter of time before someone else sees us and we aren’t able to defend ourselves.”

  “I wish we had Mathias with us now,” said Amelie. “I didn’t know him well, but from what I saw, he was a practical man. There has to be a practical solution to this. Stumbling around and hoping for the best isn’t working.”

  “I miss him too.” Ben sighed. His friend always had a way of cutting to the heart of a problem and finding an elegant, easy solution.

  “Let’s think about it like he would,” Ben started. “Let’s lay out the facts. We need to get to Northport, time is a factor, we don’t know the way, we’re almost out of food, and we don’t have much money. There could be watchers from the Sanctuary or the Coalition ready to kill us at any turn.”

  “That’s pretty depressing.” Amelie frowned. She plucked a tall blade of grass from the side of the track and swished it at low-hanging braches they passed. Slapping grass against branches didn’t do much to alleviate her frustration, but it was better than nothing.

  Despite the somber topic, Ben grinned. “It is. Instead of thinking about all of it, let’s focus which of those problems we can solve and which ones we can’t solve.”

  Amelie shrugged. “Worth a try, I guess. I don’t have anything better to do.” She hit a branch and broke her grass blade in two. She grunted then threw the grass into the woods.

  “We’ve decided Northport is the only answer already, so let’s not change that. We can’t change the time factor because the Coalition isn’t going to wait on us, and we can’t change the fact that both them and the Sanctuary want to kill us. That leaves direction, food, and money,” summarized Ben.

  “Are you planning to apply for a job?” asked Amelie mirthlessly.

  “Direction and food then,” he answered. “I think we can agree those are problems that need to be solved.”

  Amelie was down, but as she said weeks ago, they only had one choice now. That was to continue. He had to keep her spirits up. He thought a plan was the first step.

  “I’ll give you that,” she answered. “Direction and food. What do you suggest?”

  “Well, I said we don’t know the way to Northport, but we do know a little. The Venmoor River originates near there. I remember last time we talked about it being used for trade.”

  Amelie nodded. “You are right about that.”

  “Then the first thing we need to do is stop following this track and head back to the river,” he decided. “If that is the only way we know for sure gets us to Northport, then that is the way we need to go.”

  “But there’s more risk of being found by the river,” argued Amelie.

  “Remember,” suggested Ben, “we solve only the problems we can. We can’t stop them looking for us, but we can stop ourselves from going the wrong way. We don’t know where this track goes or how far out of the way it will lead us. For all we know, they could have a troop of guards and a mage waiting around the next bend.”

  Amelie stayed silent. She didn’t have an answer for that.

  “As for food,” declared Ben. “We can solve that once we get to the river.”

  ***

  They sat and watched the water flow by silently. The crackle and pop of a small campfire was the only sound. Around them, a curtain of willow branches hung motionlessly in the still night air.

  The fire was an indulgence after many nights of cold camps, but Ben figured the risk was mitigated now because there would be plenty of other travelers on the river road. A campfire wouldn’t draw any extra scrutiny.

  The campsite he’d chosen was secluded. They were tucked away in a small willow grove on the land side of the road. It would be difficult for anyone to get a good look at them without stepping beneath the trees.

  In the morning, they would take the broad flat road beside the river and hope for the best, but already, Ben doubted his plan. They would be incredibly exposed on the road. He realized it was almost certain watchers would be placed between Kirksbane and Northport. He didn’t want to tell Amelie that.

  She had agreed to his plan simply because she didn’t have a better one. Amelie was determined to make Northport and try to help her family. She would risk anything to do it. He couldn’t let her do that. Getting captured would only make it worse.

  In the still air, Ben detected a low sound and peered around curiously. In minutes, the sound grew clearer. He realized it was coming from up river and headed toward them.

  In the distance, he spotted a dim light bobbing closer and he could detect faint words drifting across the water. The sound was a man singing on one of the river barges. He had a deep, sonorous voice. He filled the night with a humble melody. Ben saw the man reclining at the rear of the empty barge, leaning sleepily against the tiller. He must be singing to keep himself awake, thought Ben.

  While the barge floated past, they listened to the singing, and Ben had an idea.

  When the first shards of daylight sliced through the curtain of willow branches, Ben sat up. Today, they would find a river barge to ride north on.

  Much like to the south of Kirksbane, the barges were floated downstream but were pulled upstream by a team of horses. The difference was, north of Kirksbane, the loaded barges headed up river and empty barges floating downriver—the opposite of what happened south of the town. The river traffic was primarily agricultural goods coming from the Sineook Valley and going to Northport, Venmoor, or even the City.

  Pulling a loaded barge up river was hard work. A team of horses would walk along the bank with a stout rope tied to the barge. Men were needed to tend to the horses and also man the tiller. Occasionally, they used long poles to push off from the river bank.

  Ben guessed it was difficult to get manpower to work the barges up river. It was seasonal work, and it looked hard. More men were needed going up than coming down.

  “We don’t have coin to pay for passage,” argued a still sleepy Amelie when Ben told her the plan.

  “That’s the thing, we don’t offer to pay. We offer to work,” explained Ben.

  “To work?” she asked, confused.

  “These men don’t own the barges. They are just paid to move them,” he responded. “To them, an offer to help just makes their lives easier.”

  “Won’t they be suspicious?” rejoined Amelie.

  “Not if we spin it right. We have two problems, direction and food, right? We can be honest and tell them it’s about solving our problems. For food, we’ll work the barge and take it to Northport.
”

  “Who would really do something like that?” wondered Amelie.

  “People who look like us,” Ben smiled. He gestured to their road-worn clothing. They hadn’t had a proper bath since Free State and they looked like they were living on the ragged edge. “We say we have friends in Northport who can help us, but we’ve run out of food and money to get there. They get help piloting their barge, and we get food and transportation. It should be safer, too. People are less likely to look for us actually working our way north. It is win-win.”

  “It’s worth a try,” conceded Amelie.

  They hurried along the river road, looking for a suitable barge while the sun was still low in the sky.

  The barges generally tied up on the bank at night because it was too difficult to pilot them in the darkness. At first light, they would push off from the bank and start pulling up stream with the horses. This time of year, every few hundred paces, a barge was tied up. The men were stirring around the campfires making breakfast or pouring steaming black liquid out of tin kettles. Ben recalled Rhys’ favorite hangover beverage, kaf, was popular in the north.

  “Why don’t they just keep the produce in wagons and carry it all the way,” asked Amelie as she skeptically eyed one barge which the crew was struggling to push off the bank. It was embedded deep in thick river mud.

  “These barges are twenty times the size of a wagon,” answered Ben, “and they use the same number of horses. It’s cost efficient.”

  “That seems like something a lady should know.” Amelie sighed. “That kind of thing used to be important to me. I’m not sure it matters now. If Issen falls, then what is left for me? Am I even a lady if I have no city?”

  “You’re still a lady to me, no matter what happens,” consoled Ben. “Rhys once told me it’s the perception that is reality. If our actions show the world we are noble, isn’t that more important than a birthright?”

  Amelie laughed. “For someone who is a completely unapologetic rogue, Rhys certainly gets philosophical from time to time.”

  “I think it’s the old age,” joked Ben. “Old folks have a lot of time to sit around and think about things.”

  Her mood brightened, Amelie tapped Ben’s arm and pointed to a barge ahead of them. “Want to try that one?” she asked.

  Ben shrugged. “Why not?”

  It did look promising. They were searching for a small crew that needed help. There were only three men clustered around the morning campfire and their barge was piled high with cabbages, beans, potatoes, and carrots. Friendly faces didn’t hurt either.

  “Ho the barge,” called Ben.

  The men looked up and one of them stood and put his hands on his hips. “What can I help you folks with?”

  Ben told him honestly, “We want to work our way up river.”

  “We can’t pay you,” blurted the man.

  “Understood,” replied Ben. “All we ask is to be fed during the trip.”

  The man glanced back at his companions. One of them laughed and remarked, “Food is something we have more than enough of.”

  The first man turned back to Ben. “Our master wouldn’t like us taking on strangers, but if you work hard, we can feed you.” Before Ben could answer, he continued, “And it will be hard work. Half my crew quit a few days back when they saw how high this barge is loaded. Damn Hoff tries to squeeze every copper out of these trips.”

  Ben stuck out his hand for the man to shake and replied, “I’m not afraid of hard work. I’ve never been on a barge before, but if you tell us what to do, you won’t be sorry.”

  The man took Ben’s hand firmly. “Welcome aboard. The name is Harry.”

  Ben hoped Harry wouldn’t regret it. They solved their direction and food problems, but the Sanctuary and Coalition were still out there. These men didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.

  There wasn’t another way, though. If they couldn’t reach Northport, then Amelie’s family wouldn’t get help, the members of the Alliance would never hear about the betrayal by the Sanctuary, and countless lives could be lost before Argren, Rhymer, and the other lords were able to react.

  Harry was a quiet and efficient man. Because they were unfamiliar with the large work horses the crew used, he directed Ben and Amelie to barge duty. They climbed aboard and took turns with another crew member to hold the tiller in place and constantly steer away from the bank. Periodically, when they approached a shallow part of the river or debris caught on the bank, they would grab long poles and push themselves out into deeper water.

  They were part of a steady stream of barges using the same tactics. All were bringing goods north to Northport and other towns.

  Jonas, the other crew member who was stationed on the barge with them, was also quiet and introspective. He took time to instruct them on proper barge handling, but it was not a difficult activity, and the discussion was quick. After the brief tutorial, he let them take the first shifts and climbed over the mountain of produce to settle down at the front of the barge. Ben and Amelie were left at the rear, manning the tiller. Jonas said he would be watching to make sure they didn’t get too close to the river bank, but Ben suspected the man would be napping before long.

  Harry and the third man, Lawrence, were on the bank, guiding the slow-moving draft horses. Simple and efficient, thought Ben. They were pulled effortlessly upriver.

  The first night, they found a pair of ancient tree stumps and tied wrist thick ropes to them. The river bank was regularly cleared of trees now for the barge lines, but years before, they must have grown tall. The stumps were almost a man height across.

  From the barge, Jonas picked out a handful of potatoes, carrots, and onions then tossed them to his companions on shore.

  “How was your first day as a barge man?” asked Harry when Ben and Amelie hopped off onto solid ground.

  “Not too bad,” replied Ben happily. “Once you get the hang of it, there’s really nothing to manning that tiller.”

  Harry cracked his knuckles absentmindedly and began tending to the horses while Lawrence started a fire.

  “It gets a bit more difficult,” admitted Harry while brushing down the big animals.

  “Slow part of the river,” grunted Jonas, who dropped down next to Ben and Amelie on the bank.

  “There are some rapids further up,” explained Harry. “It’s calm enough down here that you could fall asleep and we probably wouldn’t notice for a bell or two. You’ll earn your keep when we get to the rapids.”

  “We’ll do what we need to do,” answered Ben. Rapids or no rapids, it was better than walking.

  The next few days, they traveled along the glass smooth river with no issues. Occasionally, they would see armed men along the banks but they were able to duck down in the back of the barge and avoid anyone spotting them. After the first time it happened, Ben volunteered that he and Amelie would take all of the tiller shifts and Jonas could relax. Ben said they wanted to get practice for the rapids. The barge man had no complaints. He scampered up front and was quickly dozing.

  One time, a squad of twenty soldiers marched past, heading down river. Ben and Amelie were lying low and out of sight. They tried to be subtle so the barge crew didn’t notice they were hiding. It wasn’t difficult. Jonas was content to watch the world from the front and Harry and Lawrence were busy keeping the horses calm while the armored men clanked by.

  “Do you think they’re looking for us?” asked Amelie.

  “I don’t think so,” replied Ben. “That many armed men around here must be Alliance forces. Otherwise, they would draw too much attention.”

  “Then why are we hiding?” groused Amelie.

  “Better safe than sorry,” Ben smirked. “Really, I’m more worried about watchers we don’t notice, individuals or small groups. The Coalition uses soldiers, but the Sanctuary will send hunters or even mages. Those will be tougher to spot. They are more dangerous than soldiers too.”

  “If we can’t hide…” she started.r />
  “Then we just have to hope they aren’t paying close attention to the barges,” responded Ben. “There are hundreds of them on this river. Hopefully, we float by unnoticed.”

  Harry and his crew worked long days, but they indulged at night with hearty meals. They had an entire barge loaded with vegetables. For meat, they packed some salted cuts that would keep for weeks. They also traded with people who set up stands by the road.

  At one stand, Ben saw the proprietor had a large keg rolled up next to his rack of meats. Ben looked at Amelie imploringly. She rolled her eyes and dug out a handful of coppers.

  Ben jumped into the shallow water by the riverbank and strode up to the stand. Harry looked back and nodded appreciatively when he saw what Ben was doing. The barge crew kept moving, but Ben would easily catch them with a few minutes of brisk walking.

  “Good day, sir. Is the ale any good?” inquired Ben.

  “Best you’ll find within a day of here.” The man grinned. “You pull the tap and I start counting. One copper for every number I reach.”

  “Do you have a skin or a jug I can use?” asked Ben. He cursed himself for not thinking to bring one before he jumped off the barge.

  “Ten coppers for a skin,” offered the man.

  Ben grimaced at the price.

  “It’s a big one.”

  “Let me see it.” Ben sighed.

  Later, Amelie looked on in only slight disapproval while Ben and the barge crew enjoyed the purchase. It wasn’t the same quality of ale Ben brewed, but the man was probably right, it was better than anything else they were going to find on the roadside. They were lying sprawled around the campfire and the barge crew was particularly mellow.

  “We get to the first rapid tomorrow,” mentioned Harry.

  “Is it dangerous?” asked Amelie.

  “Not really, just a lot of work,” answered the barge captain before taking another swig of the ale skin and passing it to the next man. “It’s a bit worse this time of year because you have so many other crews out here, but nothing terrible. The only dangerous part is a barge ahead of us getting loose. If that happens, they’ll float downstream. They could get some speed because the current is faster. You’ve got to be quick with the poles to push them off if they’re headed for you.”