“You’re pretty familiar with the area then?” I asked him as I led my mount off of the boat. He’d be picking up horses here at the local barracks, one of the advantages of being in the guard I guessed.
“Yes, I grew up here. My parents’ farm is a two-day ride to the south,” he pointed off into the distance, “off that a‘ways.”
I thought I’d find myself a room at one of the local inns, but apparently the captain from Riverhead had written a note to his counterpart here in Portsmouth and I found myself invited to dinner with the guard captain here. I accepted of course and found I was offered a room for the night as well and accepted that too.
Dinner was a nice affair; I ate with the captain and his officers. This included the senior non-coms, which meant there were quite a few sergeants there as well. I learned of the weather between here and Kingstown, and after dinner the captain even showed me a map of the king’s highway from here to there. The trip would take a month, Hillshire was a rather large country apparently and caravans did not travel very fast.
We ended up being held over an extra day. Apparently the local lord, Duke Finias, had somehow heard about my bows from the duke in charge of Riverhead and wanted to not only buy one, but entertain me that evening. The other members of the caravan were upset at first, but he threw a large enough feast that the leaders from the different contingents in the caravan were invited as well.
Duke Finias was a nice enough man, but I could see he enjoyed his position and power a fair bit. He didn’t have to hold us over, I had made him a gift of the bow as soon as I found out he wanted one; I didn’t really need the money to be honest. But I guess he felt he had to return that favor in kind and show me how gracious a host he could be, and how much power he truly exercised.
To be fair though, it was a really good party, he even supplied a woman to keep me company that night, as well as one for the sergeant traveling with me who had been invited to dine as well.
I chatted a little with the duke who confided in me that the cost of this party was less than the cost of the bow, so as I had suspected he really had felt obliged to thank me for the gift. The food was very good; the company was fine, and the conversation rather interesting. Duke Finias was curious about my trip and even took the time to ask about it.
“So what takes you to Kingstown, especially this early in the year?”
“Well Your Lordship, part of it is trade, part of it is curiosity, and I wish to visit the main temple of Aryanna there.”
“Really? I didn’t know foreigners worshipped our Lady.”
“I don’t really,” I smiled, “but she has been helpful to me on more than one occasion, so I felt I really should drop in and pay my respects.”
The duke chuckled, “You make it sound like you’re dropping in on a visit with a friend, not pay your respects at a temple to our goddess.”
I shrugged and thought about my words for a moment, “I suppose you might think me mad, but I do feel as if she’s a friend of mine.”
“Some might find that an insult to her, calling her a friend. You might not want to share that opinion,” he warned me.
I smiled, “I am not so stupid as to ever insult the Goddess. She’s done fair by me and I would be not only rude, but a fool to invoke her wrath.”
“A rather sound philosophy,” he said nodding in agreement. “Do you plan to seek an audience at the royal court while you are there?”
I shook my head, “Probably not. I don’t really have anything to offer the king, I’d just be wasting his time. I’m sure he has much more important people to deal with than a poor trader.”
“Oh you’re not so poor. Duke Lias was kind enough to pass his recommendation on about you as well as your bows. I suspect you will one day be one of our leading citizens,” the Duke said with an easy smile.
I laughed, “You are both too kind to me. I’ve just had a turn of exceptionally good luck in my trades is all. But I do thank you for the compliment.”
We chatted some more after that, he told me some about the city and its history, before his duties led him to deal with his other guests. Other than my bidding him good night when the party broke up, I did not get to speak with him again.
“I think I could get used to this kind of treatment,” Sergeant Habe said to me laughing later that night as we walked down the hall to go to bed with our respective entertainments. “Think you might want a partner in this business of yours?”
I shook my head and just grinned back at him.
Traveling with the caravan was interesting. There were twenty-three wagons in all, which I learned was a bit on the small side; however it was the first caravan of the season which meant not all of the traders had good enough weather yet to sail into Riverhead. There were two teamsters with each wagon, the wagons themselves belonged to Merchant groups, only two of the groups had a single wagon, most had three or four. So there were eight groups making up the caravan. There were a handful of merchants with each group, and each group had an average of six others who were helpers or guards I guessed.
The only down side of the trip was the weather. On the boats we’d gotten lucky, and while cold, it hadn’t rained. But now it seemed rather determined to make up for that, alternating between cold and drizzly, and cold and pouring down hard. And when the wind got going staying dry was pretty much impossible.
Of course on top of that the ground was thawing, so while the road itself wasn’t bad with the rock pushed down into it from the many decades of travel, anything off the road would quickly sink up to an axle or your knee if you weren’t careful.
But what made it even worse was after a week of this miserable suffering I discovered I could dry my clothes rather simply by using a spell. I discovered this when Fel asked me in a dream why I was so miserable.
I could still hear his laughter. Apparently Fel had a rather low sense of humor when his champion’s comfort was involved. It turned out I could have cleaned the mud off as well, but thought that might look a little suspicious. Obviously looks were important with champions, so there was a whole set of minor spells, or cantrips, to keep them looking good. I resolved to discover all of them over the next several weeks.
Habe and I usually rode up at the head of the group; there was a lot less mud splatter up there. Along the way, we’d pick up a small contingent of four or five local guards who would ride with us for a day or two, then turn around and ride back the next morning as we picked up another group at that night’s staging point. A nice system all in all, tolls for riding the king’s highway were reasonable when you saw the amount of protection that was given. And while the staging points weren’t always the best, or the driest, the road itself was paved after a fashion, with rocks so that the wagons and horses rarely bogged down.
“Well, you have to remember that a lot of foodstuffs travel the road to Kingstown and points further east,” Habe was explaining to me the reasons for the way things were on the road, the weather hadn’t dimmed his spirits at all, after all, he had grown up here. Also the long ponchos that were a part of the guard’s equipment seemed to be exceptionally good at dealing with the wet weather. Better than my cloak even. “Long ago one of the kings decided to see to it that this road was as safe as he could make it for our Caravans from Portsmouth. After that it just seemed like good business I guess to extend the same protection to foreign Caravan’s as well.”
“Makes sense. I’m surprised however that most just don’t sail around to Kingstown and skip Riverhead completely.”
“Some do, but mainly they’re coming from across the ocean or far to the north. For most of these traders the trip to Riverhead is considerably shorter, and going across the land is faster and safer. We don’t own the lands to the south of here they’d have to sail around, and not only is it a very long trip, but both nasty weather and pirates are not uncommon.”
I looked around at the miles upon miles of open fields that were to either side of the road. We passed many a farmer who was already workin
g to get his fields in order for the coming season, despite the cold wet weather. I could understand why Habe didn’t want to stay on the farm; this was undoubtedly far more pleasant. Habe had told me that the forest would start up again once we got into the foothills up ahead. For all that the weather was still cold and often wet, I was once again enjoying it immensely, after six months of the Ren Faire and sleeping on the ground in the hot sticky wet Catskills, roughing it wasn’t that big a problem. Especially now that I had found that spell that let me dry all my things out instantly.
Being a champion definitely had some perks.
One week later, the caravan was climbing into the small mountain range that separated the eastern half of Hillshire from the western half, and the weather for a change had decided to turn nice, in that it wasn’t raining at all today. Once out of the mountains there would be a straight and fairly easy two-week ride to the capitol.
“Once we’re out of the mountains we’ll ride ahead and leave the caravan behind,” Sergeant Habe told me.
“Why haven’t we done that already?” I asked curiously, “Is the weather here that bad this time of year?”
He shook his head, “No, lone travelers can be set upon by bandits through these passes here. It’s not common,” he said to my surprised look, “But during the winter the garrison along this part of the road isn’t manned. The weather makes supplying it too treacherous; a sudden blizzard can close the pass for months without warning. So traffic usually takes the southern pass until the snows clear, which unfortunately adds an additional two weeks to the trip.
“I don’t know if the garrisons in the mountains here have been reopened yet, but even if they have, the patrols may not have been able to clear out any bandits who may have taken advantage of their absence.”
I nodded, “So it’s not that common?”
“Not really any more. King Andrew has been continuing the aggressive policies of his father on patrolling the road. Most find it better to commit their crimes elsewhere. But it does happen now and again.”
I nodded once more and decided to keep my weapons handy just in case.
We were attacked about an hour later.
The attack was fairly large and well organized. I was surprised that anyone would try it, there were nearly one hundred men in the caravan, and while maybe half of those were fighters, the other half was armed as well.
“Attack! Attack!” Habe screamed the alarm as soon as we saw them. They were on foot, and drawing my sword I spurred my horse towards them ducking my head a bit lower in case there were any archers among them. Oddly enough, I noticed as I closed with them that there weren't any.
The attackers themselves were a burley lot; they were dressed in heavy skins that on closer inspection were really their armor. They wore simple metal caps on their heads and carried swords that I could only best describe as falchions along with small round wooden shields painted with some crude device. They sort of reminded me of Vikings to be honest.
Everything suddenly slowed down as was now normal for me, which gave me time to make these observations, and as I got about half way there I realized two important things: I wasn’t wearing any armor, and neither was my now slow moving (to me at least) horse.
I cursed myself for a fool for not having thought to buy some armor; that was something I would remedy in the very near future. As for the horse, well I jumped off and met the enemy on foot. The idea of being a sitting duck on a dead horse didn’t appeal much to me, and while I didn’t have a shield, I did have a dagger and I drew that into my off hand.
I hit the first one hard, knocking his sword aside and driving my dagger into his eye, then spinning to the side to kill the next one over with a slash to the throat. I wasn’t as strong as I was in my champion body, so I did not know if I could cleave their shields or armor as I had done in the battle there. So I struck for their faces and inside the joint of their elbow or knee. Places where their armor would be thinnest if there was any covering those spots at all.
I also had to make sure they didn’t surround me, so I quickly found myself giving ground before them as I tried to work to the flank of the group. I had already killed two and disabled another, but they kept charging forward, tripping over the bodies in their zeal.
It was only a few moments later that the others joined in the fight, they at least had armor and apparently knew how to fight from horseback. The enemy parted around us as they continued their charge, our small formation acting like a wedge with me at the point. I killed another and took a shallow cut to my side for my troubles. Even with my speed there were so many of them that the fight was tough for me, I was dealing with two or sometimes even three at once. I killed two or three more and wounded at least six when suddenly there were none left before us and I turned around to see the entire caravan was now engaged with the attackers, most of whom had never stopped charging towards the wagons.
The guardsmen turned their horses and charged. Those that could of course. I saw two horses that were down, and another horse limping; one dead guard and a few struggling on foot to follow their companions back into the fray. I was about to follow when I had a feeling that I should stop and turn back.
“Well greetings there William.”
I stared surprised. He was a man dressed much like the others, only I knew he wasn’t. I could feel it. He moved at the same speed as I was, he was another champion such as myself. But from where? And why was he here?
I held my sword at guard and stood my ground. I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“You’re probably wondering who I am and why I just happen to be here.” He smiled, everyone else was busy with the attackers, and no one was paying us much mind.
“You’re not from this world, or rather, you’re not a champion here.” I said, somehow knowing it to be true.
“Perceptive. No, I’m from Saladin, the same place where you are a champion.”
I started to circle to the left; I didn’t want him in front of me and his group behind me. “Why are you here?”
“I have a proposition of sorts for you, William, a job offer per se.”
“So why not ask me in a bar, why show up with this?”
“To give you a taste of just what can be brought to bear obviously,” he smiled. “We wanted to let you know we take you seriously, that it’s worth ambushing you here, with your comrades. We also wanted you to see that we’re powerful, we can reach you anywhere you go.”
I was getting annoyed at this point. I started moving closer, I could see the fight was still going on and still going hard. There were maybe twenty of the attackers left, but it was still hard fighting, they seemed to all be berserkers. A large number of bodies littered the ground around the fighting.
“Say your piece already, you’re wearing out your welcome,” I almost growled.
“My god and a number of his allies want you either gone, or on our side. Feliogustus has gained far too much power, far too fast, and you are too dangerous. If you leave him and were to take up with another god, say one of ours, we could all profit greatly I’m sure. We have much that I know you’d appreciate, and we’d give you a much freer rein amongst the populace than I’m sure Fel ever would. Slaves, women, estates, whatever you wish. And if you’d rather not join with us, well I’m sure a man of your capabilities would have many offers from other gods. Take it now while you can and we will leave both him and you alone.”
“Or?” I had moved close enough to engage him at this point.
“Or we will go to Hiland and kill not only your wife the Queen, but your children as well.”
I jumped at him then and we crossed swords, I tried to strike him a dozen times but he was good, and I was on the defensive as often as I was on the offensive as we moved back and forth trading blows.
“Listen to me, and listen to me good,” I said as we clashed and struggled. I was a bit taller than him, and apparently a little stronger as well, which was making up for his somewhat better skill, I could use my r
each and greater strength to push him back and bring him up short if he over extended. “If you or your army comes within a hundred miles of my wife, I promise you I will do to your city what I did to the Mulanders’s. When I am done you’ll be as dead as their champion and your god will be forgotten. Even if it takes me a thousand years.”
“All you have to do is leave Feliogustus, join with us, be on our side. We could give you everything you want, William. Like I told you, slaves, hot sexy female slaves by the dozen. Money, wealth beyond your dreams, here, there, even back on your home world, wherever you wanted it. And power, William, lots of power.”
I cinched in tight, tying him up with my arms wrapped around his bringing my face to his and looking down slightly at him. “I already have all the women, money, and power, I want. Fel has been good to me; I will not abandon him so you might move against him!”
“We are more powerful than you think, William, there are many of us, there is but one of him!” He laughed.
“I am not without powerful friends of my own,” I growled and then I pushed in even closer and bit his nose off.
He screamed in shock and unexpected pain and I pushed him clear and ran him straight through the heart with my sword. He looked down surprised at me, his face a bloody mess as I spit out what I’d bitten off.
“I’ll... I’ll....” he gasped dying.
“Aryanna, if you are listening, I would be most indebted if you could teach this cur some manners.”
“It would be my pleasure William, my adopted son. Come, Benjiman, you have been very, very bad....”
From the look on his face, I could see he heard every word of it. And then he was dead. I pulled my sword out and turned to the caravan but I could see the enemy was already in full flight. I ran over anyway and checked on the wounded. Three of the guard were dead, one of them had been one of the ones that had ridden with us from Riverhead. George was his name, I felt bad that I hadn’t known him better. Six more of the caravan were dead as well, and there were about ten seriously wounded.
Portals of Infinity: Book One: Champion for Hire Page 14
