by Billy Wong
That night, Major Jax found her at the dinner table and asked her to come see him in his office after. She didn't know what was going on, and feared she might be under suspicion of having killed those boys unjustifiably after all. She headed through the halls reluctantly, knocked on his door. "It's me, Kath," she said when he didn't answer right away.
"Come on in."
She stepped inside, sweat already moistening the back of her neck. "What did you want to speak with me about?"
The burly old man, who looked even larger sitting in the plush chair behind his small desk, gestured at the smaller chair in front of it. He gave the hint of a smile like to reassure her, but she still felt more than a bit nervous. She sat as requested and he asked, "Do you intend to continue on a career in the military after your schooling?
It relieved Kath that at least she probably wouldn't be accused of a crime, but she wondered why she was being asked now. Were all the students already being interviewed about this? But she hadn't noticed any being approached in the manner she had been. "I'm still not sure yet."
Major Jax looked into her eyes, his gaze intense, like he willed her towards giving the answers he wanted. "The fine way you handled that unexpected danger with little experience shows you have a rare keen mind. Such gifts would be wasted not being put to use where they are most needed, such as to guide folks through perilous circumstances."
As a military officer, he meant. "Thank you for flattering me, but I don't know about that. It was just one incident, I'm hardly proven, and I'm not sure I could react as well if I was responsible for others too."
"You were responsible for your friend Zack in this case, were you not?"
"Technically, I suppose. But it's not like I was sending him into danger with the outcome being on my hands. That would be tougher on me, especially to direct men into battle knowing some will not make it."
He nodded. "I understand why you'd feel that way. But in my experience, the qualities that would make a person great in one situation can often be observed in another. I'll let you go now, for it would be unrealistic to expect to convince you in a few minutes. But I'd like for you to think about what I said, and ask yourself if you really couldn't picture yourself excelling in our field."
The word "field" made her envision herself yelling on a roaring, smoky battlefield, watching soldiers she ordered run past her and fall cut in half by great axes wielded by huge men in triangular metal masks. What? Must be something from a book she'd read. "I'll think about it. I promise I won't dismiss it offhand, at least. Part of why I came was to learn about the future paths possible for me in life, since I don't imagine myself being content with staying at home and being an average housewife." Not that there was anything wrong with that, but she just wanted to be more active. She'd always liked to be on the move; as a little girl, she had stolen from stores just for the thrill of the run from angry shopkeepers. Even though her mother slapped her and made her haul water after, it had been worth it. "Thank you again for the compliment."
"The truth is hardly much of a compliment. And I'd appreciate your thanks more if it came in the form of considering what I said thoroughly."
"All right," she said, a little irritated now. She left the office, and their talk was soon pushed to the back of her mind as she rejoined her friends.
Nothing happened for a few days. Halfway through the week, Kath awakened in the morning to the gong of the great bell and stretched with a yawn before rolling herself out of bed. All around her boys dressed as usual, but she couldn't see the one who should have been the closest by. Zack probably felt tired and reluctant to get up again. She turned back towards the bunk, but he wasn't there.
She asked the nearest student, a chubby but rapidly shrinking boy named Tim, "Have you seen Zack?"
"Not since last night. Is he missing?"
Kath's heart quickened as panic rose with the last words, but she forced it back down. Calm down, just because he's missing from your bunk doesn't mean he's missing in general. Probably just woke up early and went to socialize with the others. But when she checked with Leroy, Marty and Quinn, she found he wasn't with any of them. Her fears felt more and more justified as she looked around. "I don't see him in the room. I'm afraid he might have been..."
The four of them went around asking everyone whether they'd seen Zack. The answer, sometimes muffled by clothes being pulled on or off over heads, was always no. "Maybe he went to relieve himself?" Marty said.
A normal reaction would have been to wait and see if he came back, but Kath had a bad feeling. She hurried down the hall and pulled hard on the restroom door. A voice shouted from within, "What's going on?! I'm in here!" Definitely not Zack.
Kath held her head as her spirits fell. "Shit."
Chapter 3
Kath ran to Lieutenant Harris' office and reported Zack's disappearance. After coming to the dorm and questioning the students, he promised the premises would be searched and Zack found. His belongings were gone from his closet, which the Lieutenant claimed might indicate he'd left under his own will rather than being taken. Kath didn't really buy it. Where would he go? He wasn't a great fighter or outdoorsman to be braving the wilds alone. It turned out nobody had been seen leaving the school, making it seem like he should still be here. Leroy suggested Zack might just be in a bad mood and hiding. She wasn't sure if he really believed that or just tried to reassure her.
In any case, Kath didn't want to leave finding him solely in the hands of the staff. So when the students were instructed to go eat breakfast, she grabbed her sword and snuck off to search on her own instead. A few guards asked what she was doing walking around with a weapon, but she said in her whiniest, most pathetic tone that she was scared due to Zack being missing and they let her be. Yet though she looked everywhere she could think to, she found no trace of him. There were a few locked doors that piqued her curiosity, but she didn't quite dare to force her way in.
She soon grew disheartened, and wondered what the punishment for being late to class would be. She had begun to consider giving up when she passed by a window and happened to look out. A wagon was parked in front of the school with barrels loaded onto it. Were those the supply barrels she and the others had heard would periodically be taken to the nearest town and refilled? Hmm... She wavered between doing what she thought to or not, but the driver and whoever else would accompany him being nowhere in sight made it too tempting. Kath opened the window, climbed down the wall—it was a bit unsettling to descend from such a height with no safety measures—and hopped onto the wagon.
She grasped each barrel and lifted it off the floor. Light, light, light... the fourth one felt like it weighed maybe one hundred fifty pounds more than it should have, give or take a few. "Um, aren't you a bit heavy for an empty barrel?" she asked.
Zack's voice issued from within. "Kath?! What are you doing, put me down, get out of here before you're spotted!"
"So my intuition proves correct," she said with a roll of her eyes. "What are you doing? Let me guess, you're going to steal a ride to town, sneak away, and try to make your way home by yourself? Even beyond that outpost there's still plenty of dangerous land to get through. You'll most likely be killed and eaten by monsters." She glanced back at the school. Please don't let anybody come out while they had this discussion... she decided to put down the barrel, walk around and hide behind it to avoid being spotted immediately if someone did.
"Yeah maybe, but if I stay I'll just be waiting for disaster. I know you're doubtful of my suspicions towards the staff, but it's not just a feeling now! Yesterday when I went to Lieutenant Harris' office to ask how the investigation was going, I overheard him talking to somebody about 'almost being ready to give you the boy.' You get it, Kath? After they were done speaking, I thought to wait and see what the other man looked like when he came out, but then I lost my nerve and left... you have to believe me, they're in on it!"
If he expected her to be convinced by his terrified voice, he misjudged her. "Do
n't you know what context is? He could have been talking about any boy, for any reason. Like what if whoever was talking wanted one of the injured boys for special training after he recovered, or even a boy who's been discovered to be gifted like we were talking about before?" She stood up, opened the barrel lid and reached in to pull Zack out. He flailed with his arms for a bit, then punched her—a harmless blow that barely made her flinch back, but enough for her to fix a hard look on him that made him freeze in his tracks.
"Come on Kath, please, let me go! Don't you always talk about wanting to choose your own path? So what gives you the right to choose my path for me and deny me that freedom? Because you're stronger, have big powerful arms and can push me around? Doesn't that just make you a bully, and how would you feel if someone stronger than you forced their desires on you?"
She stopped. "I don't want to be a bully, I don't want to force you to do things you don't want. But... I don't think you're thinking clearly and if I don't stop you, you might end up regretting it or worse, being killed!"
"You sound like one of the older people you complain about not giving you enough respect and acting like they always know better. Well, where's your respect for me? Just because I'm not as strong, or good at fighting, that makes you right?"
"It's not that. I just feel like... you aren't right! What do you even plan to do after getting to town? You're a damn long way from home, if you meet a group of bandits, or monsters..."
He bared his teeth furiously. "See, it is about that! If you wanted to run home you wouldn't listen to anyone using this argument. You'd be all 'I can take care of myself, I would handle those monsters or bandits.'"
She turned away in frustration. "It's not about me being proud of my strength, it's about reality! If there's a great chance you wouldn't be able to survive out there all alone, it's less practical to try than if you'd have a better chance... isn't that just the truth? Gods, you're being so unreasonable!"
Zack's voice softened. "Okay, I guess I am being a little too hard on you. But don't I have the choice to decide for myself? I would rather risk whatever dangers I might find in leaving than stay and face the ones here."
Kath felt so indecisive. On one hand she agreed with him in principle, but she really didn't want to hear in the future that he had been found dead somewhere. She heard voices from the gate. Shit, time was running out. "Are you truly, absolutely sure you want to do this?"
"Yes!"
Even though it was hard, especially since she needed to do it so quick, she made her choice. "Then I'm going with you." She opened another barrel and climbed inside.
Zack peeked out from under his lid, staring at her. "Are you crazy? What about your future? You don't have to do this for me, I never asked you to. Just stay here with our friends, hone your potential and wish me luck."
"What kind of friend would I be if I let you go and get yourself killed? You keep saying you have the right to make your own choices, fine, but so do I. I choose to help you." Besides, she was kind of hoping he would change his mind.
"Dammit Kath, why do you have to be so hero-y, it can be annoying..."
She giggled at that, but then saw two guards exit the school and whispered, "Quiet if you don't want to get caught. Last chance to change your mind."
He pulled his lid down and stayed silent in his barrel. She thought about jumping out of hers and getting them caught, but restrained herself from doing so. If only she could be more firm. She'd probably make too lenient an officer. As the guards boarded the wagon, one in the driver's seat and the other relaxing in a corner, she sighed. She still held hope that Zack would change his mind at some point, but doubted they could come back without significant punishment. Well, this was going to be an adventure if he didn't lose his resolve soon.
#
Some hours of traveling over grassland later, the vehicle passed through the gate of a tall wooden wall and came to a stop. They waited for the guards to get off and enter the weathered sandy-colored warehouse they had halted before, then hurried out of their barrels and behind the nearest shabby cabin. Kath's knees cracked and ached after all that time folded up inside the cramped vessel. Thankfully, nobody seemed to have spotted them in the tiny, dry-looking settlement that passed for a town. She would've taken it for a mining village, if she didn't know it to be a traders' outpost.
"So, you did at least bring a map to show us which way to go, right?" she asked as she stretched her legs leaning against the wall.
"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't be that unprepared. Ripped it out of a library book."
She supposed there might not have been a better option, for stealing one from a person would probably be riskier. They waited until the guards had finished refilling the barrels and departed—they had to switch position to behind another house once upon hearing someone approach, but nothing too difficult—before pulling it out. "So where you're from is to the north and west. Should we just take the most direct route, northwest across the plains?"
Zack frowned. "I don't think that's such a good idea. That would probably be the way they expect us to go, and since it's open ground, if they caught up to us..."
"That's pretty much what I was thinking. The other way we could go is north through this forest, continue north and west through the mountains, and then back down south, but..."
"But?"
She bit her lip. "But I've heard the Soullit Forest is easy to get lost in and home to deadly creatures, and the mountains are even more dangerous."
He turned pale, but tried to play it off with a smile. "Well, it still beats getting caught on open ground. We'll just have to be brave and hope we don't run into too much trouble."
"Yeah. Good thing we brought our weapons."
"Have anything longer range than a sword?"
"Aside from the couple of daggers I could throw, unfortunately no."
"Maybe we could try to buy a bow or something from the people here. I have some money."
Kath shook her head. "We should probably just go and try not to draw too much attention to ourselves." They set off for the northern exit of town, getting some stares from residents who didn't know where the hell they'd come from. It couldn't be helped.
Just before they reached the gate, Zack stopped. "Wait. Shouldn't we buy food before heading out? We don't know how long we'll be away from civilization, and we haven't learned that much about finding food in the wild yet."
"I know a little more than what's been covered in class. I've gone hunting before." Granted, only a few times... "Though that would be easier with a bow. I suppose we should stock up on food." And maybe get a bow too depending on how things went. She hoped the townspeople wouldn't try to capture them figuring they were student deserters. "I wish we'd brought some clothes other than our uniforms, but too late for that."
Looking around, Kath soon detected the unmistakable smell of meats and bread coming from a shop. They stepped inside, where a hefty woman in her forties clad in a stained apron greeted them from behind the counter. "Good morning. How are you today, and what I can do for you?"
"We're fine." She hesitated to answer the second question. "We're looking to buy some things to eat."
"I see. So you are trying to flee from the Iron Sword school."
Darn it, that had been quick. "What makes you say that?"
"It's not too unusual for us to have students sneak over here to drink or meet women. But rarely do they try to buy food they can carry with them, unless we'll soon hear of the school looking for them."
Zack stood tensely, looking ready to bolt. "So..."
"We'll hardly refuse your coin," the woman said with a grin. "It's not on us to judge who is on the run and who's just visiting, or to detain possibly dangerous fugitives."
"Er, thanks?"
"What he means is, we're very grateful for your understanding," Kath added. The two picked out a good amount of buns, dried meat and nuts that would hopefully last them a while on their journey. "Would it be possible for us to purchase a
bow as well? We don't know how long exactly we'll be traveling, and might need to do some hunting." Plus, being able to shoot monsters or kidnappers could prove helpful too.
"This is a food store, not an armory." The shopkeeper paused. "But since I doubt I'll have a pressing need for the crossbow I keep to defend against burglars all that soon, I am willing to part with it for four gold."
Zack whispered to Kath, "Four gold for a simple crossbow? That sounds a bit much."
"Yeah, but I doubt it'd be a good idea to waste time searching for a better deal among the villagers." To the woman, "How many bolts would that come with?"
"I have ten."
That few? But she supposed they could make more, or buy them when they reached another town. "Well, Zack? I think we should take it, better safe than sorry."
"Can't we split the cost? Four gold for the bow and ten bolts, I'd feel better if it wasn't all on me."
"Sorry, but I didn't think to bring money. I wasn't planning on escaping with you, you know."
"Oh, fine!" He placed the heavy coins on the counter. "You owe me."
"I owe you?" Kath asked as the woman handed the items to her, probably recognizing her to be more the fighter among them. "Depends on how many times you save me later, I guess."
"That's not a nice joke." They started for the door, and he looked back. "Thanks for doing business with us."
The shopkeeper happily squeezed the coins in her hand. "You're very welcome."
With their new supplies safely put away, they walked through the northern gate. "It wasn't that bad," Kath said as she noticed Zack still looking a bit upset. "At least nobody tried to stop us."
"Easy for you to say when you didn't get hit in the wallet."
