by B. T. Narro
“That’s right, I do,” said the guard. “I can’t stomach it any longer. I don’t understand how any man can choose not to act after he saw what our own soldiers did to our people. Let me be the first to volunteer. I will never again choose my sworn duties over what I know to be right.”
“You are dead, both of you,” the lord brazenly announced from the stoop of his mansion. “Whoever else does not cooperate will be killed as well.”
His wife was trying to silence him, but the lord seemed to think he wasn’t in danger of further attack. His confidence abated, however, as Ray glared at him while clutching the dagger with the lord’s blood still dripping from it.
The wife got the door open and practically dragged her husband in as she called for their child to come. No one pursued them as they retreated into their mansion and audibly locked the door from the inside.
The boy showed up behind the nearby window. He pointed at Ray with a sniveling face. “You’re only doing this because you were a coward before, and now your father’s dead because of it.”
I was certain Ray heard, but he pretended not to as he looked over the crowd with a spark of fury in his eyes. “We need more people to volunteer, otherwise they won’t turn back when they see us.”
That was the plan Ray and I had discussed before I left to retrieve Michael. The soldiers who came here tomorrow would have to be afraid to engage us without their officer and leave to fetch him. That’s when I would get word to Byron. We should have time to set up a trap of archers to take down the powerful metal mage.
A man with graying hair stood up. “I want to say two things. I will fight, even though I have never used a sword in my life. The other thing is, Lesla.” He looked pointedly at a woman in her forties who showed a pained expression throughout most of the ordeal. “I must thank you publicly for what you did for my daughter. She was being accosted by two men before you stepped in. Now it’s up to me to do something, me and the rest of us. If all we have to do is hold a sword to scare them off, then I don’t see why more of us aren’t volunteering. We should all be more like Lesla.”
I heard mutterings—people asking what Lesla could possibly do to stop two soldiers. Then an answer buzzed around that she had volunteered herself. I distinctly heard a woman’s voice say, “The whore probably enjoyed it.”
Lesla grabbed the older woman by her hair and started thrashing. The woman screamed as she was dragged around, people in the crowd falling over as some tried to interfere while others wanted to get out of the way.
“Stop!” Ray announced. “Lesla, even though we all know Connie’s a bitch, you have to let her go. There isn’t much daylight left.”
Lesla pushed the woman’s head away. “Enjoyed it?” She spat on the woman. “You think I enjoyed it? Next time I’ll send them to your house and see how much you enjoy it. Better you than an innocent girl. The lord knows you aren’t.”
“Everyone calm down,” Ray said. “We need more volunteers, and those who don’t step forward need to promise that they will not inform the army of our plans. I’ll kill you myself if I find out any of you betrayed us. Now who’s with me?”
Michael and I shared another look. This group was sorely in need of a leader, and although Ray had the enthusiasm, I didn’t think he was the right person. Unfortunately, Michael and I weren’t either. Half of these people still looked at us like we might be enemy soldiers here for selfish reasons.
I supposed we were. As much as I wanted to help these people, our priority was killing the metal mage. I didn’t know how this was going to end, but it wasn’t like we were going to stay here and protect these people until the end of the war. Perhaps many were realizing that and that’s why no one volunteered, the silence drawing on.
“Come on!” Ray said with a crack of his voice. “We need volunteers or I’m going to choose some of you myself!”
“Ray,” I said in hopes of pacifying him. “We can’t make anyone volunteer, or it’s not going to work.” I sure wasn’t going to risk my neck standing beside people who were only there because of a threat.
“Then come on, volunteer!” Ray pleaded.
The crowd seemed uneasy as they glanced at each other. I could see there was hope, but no one wanted to take up the responsibility.
Michael cleared his throat. “Listen, all of you. We know you’re afraid. In this moment, it might seem easier to let Rohaer’s soldiers do whatever they want with your town. You might think that your fear will go away if you cooperate with them. Let me explain what’s really going to happen. As they take more of your crops, you’re going to start fighting each other to ensure your neighbor starves before you do. Then the soldiers are going to snatch up a couple of your girls and take them off with them. They might come back for others, or they might not. They might leave you with just enough food for you to survive, or they might let you die. You won’t know, and you will be terrified waiting to find out. You will want to stand against them then, but you will be too weak and divided. Now, Jon and I can turn around and leave you all to fend for yourselves, but this terror will only get worse after we go. I’m talking about months of suffering. The lucky ones will make it through this war, but even they will have lost nearly everything. You only have one chance to save yourselves from this fate. This is it, with Jon and me. Stand up to these people now or cower in fear as you hope they don’t destroy your lives.”
Slowly, men started to volunteer. Most of them were older, many winters past their prime, but then some of the younger men joined in. It didn’t take long before we had fifteen people volunteering, and that was more than enough for all the swords I had brought.
“Good,” I said. “I will pass out a sword to each of you. Now we need someone who can ride well to act as a scout. We need to know when they’re coming so we can organize.”
One of the men who volunteered earlier was looking around. “I could do that if no one else will.”
“He’s a good rider,” Ray told me.
“Then it’s settled,” I announced.
“What about the lord and his family?” Ray asked, many of us turning to the window where the boy was still watching. “I say we rope them for the night.”
“I can watch them,” said the guard. “I’ll make sure they don’t leave or send any messengers.”
“Are you sure you can do that?” I asked. It was a large mansion with seemingly many ways one might be able to get out.
“The lord’s not going anywhere, and his wife is too much of a coward. I’m sure I can convince the rest of the lord’s staff to cooperate and keep an eye on the boy.”
“Then there’s just one other matter,” Michael said a little shyly. “We need a place to sleep and hopefully some supper.”
Most of the crowd was dispersing, but a large woman seemed to overhear as she approached us. Not only did she have the girth of a barrel, she was as tall as I was. She seemed to have a son with her, a giant of a young man. He was the kind of large that could defeat most opponents just by falling on them. With his clean-shaven face, it was difficult to place his age. I figured he was only a couple years older than I was.
“You’ve come all this way to help us,” said the lady. “I’d be happy to take you in.”
“I’m sorry to trouble you, Bertha,” Ray said with a bowed head. “But could I—?”
“Of course you’ll eat with us,” she interrupted. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Thank you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Michael and I, with a bag of swords, walked with the large lady and her huge son to their house near the river. Ray looked as though the day had caught up to him, as he dragged his feet behind us. Or perhaps the death of his father was finally overwhelming his thoughts.
“Do you two know each other?” Michael asked as he gestured at the two young men.
“Graham and I used to wrestle before he got so big,” Ray said. “Now I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
I wondered if Ray was hinting at
how Graham had not volunteered to fight with the others.
“I’m very sorry about your father,” Bertha said.
Ray looked at the ground. “Thank you.”
Bertha told us, “Many people came to Ray’s father for help. He was kind through and through. Drayer will feel his loss.”
“I appreciate those words, ma’am.”
“Take off your shoes,” she said as we arrived at her house. “There’s still some soup and bread. I assume all of you are too hungry to mind the taste.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” I said. “Thank you.”
Michael and Ray echoed my gratitude. Soon the three of us were seated around an old table. Graham stood near the large pot of soup as his mother filled three bowls. He glanced inside when she was done.
“I could have another serving, mother.”
“Then I’ll have one, too, just to make our company feel better about eating.”
Although these people were kind, I could tell Michael felt the same awkwardness that I did as we ate in silence. These were people of Rohaer, and we were from Lycast. I couldn’t imagine anywhere else between the two kingdoms where soldiers in one country were dining with the denizens of the other.
“You really were a good wrestler,” Ray told Graham. “Do you remember? Even when I was bigger than you I had a tough time.”
“I remember.”
“I’m sure you’d be good with a sword, too.”
Bertha stopped eating for a moment and looked as if she would say something, but her son spoke up first.
“I’ve been thinking about it.”
“You have?” she asked worriedly.
“I’m bigger than most men,” said Graham. “I should take advantage of that. Isn’t that what father’s doing?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“They’re paying him well in the army even though he’s never had training before.” The young man’s voice was picking up.
I didn’t like the thought of having to face Graham’s father in combat. Not only must he be huge, but I couldn’t imagine killing the family of these kind people who’d invited us into their home.
Bertha’s face had lost some color. “You can’t mean to fight, Graham.”
“I’m almost as big as father, so why shouldn’t I?”
“Because you’re only thirteen!”
Michael spat out his drink and started coughing. I gave his back a few slaps, but I was in shock as well.
“I’m sorry,” Michael wheezed out. “I thought he was at least twenty.”
But the two members of possibly the largest family I had ever met hardly noticed Michael as they argued.
“You may be big, but there’s a reason boys your age are never recruited to the army.”
“I’m going to fight. I’ve decided,” Graham told his mother. “Father would do the same if he hadn’t already been roped into joining Rohaer.”
“I will not allow it!”
“There might not be any fighting,” Ray said. “Not by us, anyway. Remember the plan, ma’am?”
“Anyone who stands in the way of the army will have a bounty on their heads,” Bertha said. “There will be fighting at some point, I’m sure of it.”
“Then I will be part of it.” Her son crossed his arms and sat with a mulish expression.
“Graham—”
“Mother, didn’t you hear the screams of the girls?”
“I…”
“Didn’t you see what they did to Ray’s father and the others who were brave enough to try to stop them?”
Bertha seemed to be speechless as she stared at her son in surprise.
“And didn’t you hear the speech of this sorcerer? Forgive me, sir, but I don’t know your name.”
“Michael.”
“This sorcerer, Michael. He said we are going to have to live with this fear unless we do something about it. But he left out one thing. We are also going to have to live with our guilt. Is that really what you want for me, Mother?”
She had her hand over her chest. Slowly, a smile grew on her lips. “Oh, my boy. You are right.” But a tear fell from her eyes. “I can’t force you to stay out of the fight. Just please be careful. And you, Michael, and Jon, is it? Please protect my boy.”
“He will be safe with us,” I said, and I would do everything in my power to make it true.
*****
I felt bad when later we had to lie to these kind people. They had asked what kind of sorcerers Michael and I were, and we had both said that we knew some fire but we were mostly here for our skill with sword. To turn attention away from ourselves while we were helping Bertha and Graham Craw clean up supper, I asked about the two sorcerers Ray had mentioned earlier at the fort.
“One’s a wind mage,” Ray said. “I don’t think she can do much with it. The other’s a fire mage who sounds a lot like the two of you. She doesn’t have good control over the fire, so she doesn’t like to use it. She’s the only woman who volunteered to stand with us tomorrow.”
“Is her name Lesla?” I asked.
“That’s the one. When the army men were on the prowl, she took the attention of two of them by saying she wouldn’t fight their advances. You saw the kind of thanks she got for it.” Ray clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Some of the people in this town. Fuck ’em. It’s only the good ones who are dying and getting…well, you know.”
“There isn’t going to be any more of that,” I said.
“I should’ve stabbed the lord’s boy as well,” Ray muttered as he glanced at me sideways. “It’s not too late. He’s a risk, you know.”
“I know,” I agreed, “but someone’s more likely to wind up dead if you try to break in there and get to that boy.”
“No one’s stabbing anyone else,” Bertha lectured as if reproaching young boys. “That’s enough talk for tonight. I have a bed made up for you two soldiers. It should be big enough so you’re not bumping knees. I hope you don’t mind sharing.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” I answered for us.
“I’ll come by early in the morning,” Ray said, “to help you distribute those swords.”
His assistance wasn’t necessary because everyone should be gathered before Rohaer’s soldiers showed up, but I nodded. There was no harm in letting him help.
As Michael and I were preparing to sleep later, I noticed that he had been much quieter than usual. I couldn’t tell if he was nervous about tomorrow or if something else was on his mind.
He sat on the other side of the bed and put on his coif. “Never thought I would get used to sharing a bed with another man,” he said with a chuckle.
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
He looked at me over his shoulder. “What about?”
“It sounded like you were speaking from experience when you were talking about fear.”
“I was.” He lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling.
I lay beside him and did the same.
“I was worried you would ask about that.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I said.
“No, it’s fine. It was after my father died.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” he grumbled. “Something happened to me. You see, Jon, I wasn’t always this brave man lying here in his heroic coif.”
“My father’s death also did something to me.”
“I’m sure it did, but I can’t imagine your experience was the same as mine. Yours died from a sickness, right?”
“Yes. I remember you told me your father was killed by a thief at night.”
“Yeah, on the street. They never found who did it or even why it happened. It wasn’t as if my father had a lot of money on him.” Michael paused. “Afterward, I could barely leave my house.”
“Why not?”
“I wish I could say I had a good reason, but I didn’t. Often when I walked alone, I would find myself starting to panic when it seemed like someone was headed toward me. I guess I thought they
could be the person who killed my father and now they were after me. My father and I looked a lot alike. I thought maybe there was something about the murder that was going to fall onto my lap.”
He fell silent for a little while.
“I know it’s an odd thing to be afraid of,” he continued. “But the truth is, I was a coward for a long time, and it was the most difficult period of my life. I had to avoid certain streets that spooked me. I couldn’t stay out when it started to get dark. I lived with this fear for months until I eventually told myself that I couldn’t spend the rest of my life like that. It took a while of forcing myself to be brave, but I eventually got over it.”
“I know how you feel. I had a different kind of fear, but I understand yours.”
“What was yours like?”
“I was terrified I was going to spend my whole life in Bhode, lonely and hurting. I had to get out of there, even if it killed me.”
He turned to me. “Let’s not let that happen.”
“I will get us out of here if this all goes wrong.”
“Even if it means abandoning the people here?”
“Yes, as difficult as that would be.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He sighed as if tired.
“But you’re ready to fight if needed?”
“I’m ready, Jon. If needed,” he added reluctantly.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
As Michael and I ate breakfast with Graham and Bertha, Ray opened the door to the house and stepped right into the kitchen. “Seymour’s back, and he says thirty of them are coming.”
“Who’s Seymour?” Michael asked.
Having just woken up, I was also a little confused. Thirty sounded like a lot, but Ray didn’t appear too alarmed. His blond hair was combed back. His blue eyes were sharp, attentive. He seemed to be waiting for something, but I didn’t know what.
“Seymour’s the rider who’s acting as our scout. He’s come back, and there’s thirty of them. Jon, the officer is with them, and so is the lord’s son. We were betrayed.”
Michael and I jumped up from our chairs. “Why the hell didn’t you say so earlier?” Michael yelled.
