Blackwood Marauders

by K. S. Villoso

  “Uh—”

  “You see?” Landor scribbled something on the paper in front of him. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

  “I can’t be the only village lad looking for fame and fortune.”

  “Village lads know better,” Landor said. “There’s fame and fortune to be had elsewhere. But this? For what Blackwood is asking you to do?”

  Luc scratched his chin dubiously. “It’s almost like you don’t want me to go and help your lord…”

  Master Landor snorted. “I’d rather you don’t piss your trousers and abandon those villagers when push comes to shove. Not that I expect any better from everyone else. I’ll tell you what I’ve told everyone else—if your inclination is to go and loot those villages, do remember you still fall under Duke Blackwood’s laws. Any complaint will be dealt with appropriately. On the other hand, if you fulfill your end of the bargain and manage to find the cause of these attacks, you’ll be amply rewarded.”

  “Wait,” Luc said. “Only if we find out the cause?”

  “As I said. Anyone can claim they were there and saw nothing. No. We expect you to stay several days and investigate these attacks to the best of your abilities. And then, given the opportunity, we’d like you to liberate the villages.”

  “So you do want us to go into the wood.”

  Landor cocked his head. “That was part of the deal. You’re a local lad, aren’t you? The way you speak.”

  “Well, yes.”

  A small smile flitted across Landor’s lips. “There’s a reason you don’t see any other local lads around. They’ve been raised under the shadow of those woods—they know better than to go rushing into it. Where exactly are you from?”

  “Small village near Crossfingers…”

  “Ah. Close enough for you to know better, it seems like.”

  “I wasn’t sure—I mean, I only came here to help these guys out.” He looked at the piece of paper in his hands, where the names of the mercenaries had been scribbled down. He had to take a pause when he saw that Demon’s real name was Sam.

  “And now you’re responsible for them,” Landor said with a chuckle. “They do anything and you’ll have to answer to Duke Iorwin himself. I saw these people you were with…I hope you know what you’re doing. Fine folk, you at Crossfingers. Past Duke Blackwood’s lands, but I hear they treat you all right. Directly under King Elrend, aren’t you? Yes—that’s where Skellcilan Academy stands. Why did you just go straight to the army in Tilarthan if this kind of life appealed to you? As a direct subject of the king, you could’ve been first in line.”

  “Thank you, Master Landor,” Luc said.

  Landor pressed his lips together. “If you’re criminals, running from the law…”

  “We’re not.”

  “Because we have received reports.” He tapped his fingers along his desk, which led Luc to suspect that he probably knew more than he let on. Luc felt cold sweat trickle down his back. But Landor pulled away and began to sign the paper on his desk. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t overly important, anyway,” he said. “A big misunderstanding. Cleared up with Crossfingers’ guards already. But what happens from here on out…it’s extremely important you understand that you are now working under Duke Blackwood’s name.”

  “I understand, Master Landor.”

  “His daughter just got engaged. Perhaps you’ll be back in time for the celebrations. Try to bring him some good news, eh?”

  The mercenaries were waiting for him right outside the castle gates. Luc took a moment to adjust his sword-belt and take a good look at each one. He was only just starting to get used to Tasha and her group—had barely even wrapped his head around the idea of talking to them without wanting to run the other way. But these new men had him on the edge. He placed his hand on his sword handle as he walked, which made the mercenary named Caiso turn to him with a smile.

  “You’re warming up to this, aren’t you?” Caiso asked.

  He ignored him, handing the paper over to Tasha. Jona immediately snatched it out of her grasp. “Seems like we’re headed north,” Jona said, after a moment. “Village called Toskthar.”

  “Three missing children last spring,” Luc continued for him. “They went off to swim in the waterfalls and never came back.”

  “Did he pay you?” Jona snorted.

  “He said we get paid when we come back with information,” Luc said.

  Jona reached out to grab his arm. “Why didn’t you insist?”

  Luc tried to pull away. “Those were Duke Iorwin’s orders.”

  “Fuck his orders. Oswyn would’ve squeezed a coin or two out of him. Useless whelp—” Jona twisted him.

  “Leave him be,” Tasha broke in. “We’ve argued enough about this already.”

  “No, we haven’t,” Jona snorted. “I think if he’s representing us then he ought to do a better fucking job. Caiso. Why don’t you march over there now and fucking demand something? What kind of a job doesn’t pay upfront?”

  “If it’s all the same to you, Jona, I’d really rather not,” Caiso said. “No sense stirring up trouble if we can help it. You see all the guards around?”

  Jona took a step back and dropped Luc’s arm. “Fucking idiot,” he hissed.

  “Toskthar is a good day’s walk from here, maybe two. Perhaps we should get started so we can cover as much ground as we can before it gets dark,” Caiso suggested.

  There was only a minor amount of grumbling before they went on their way. Luc fell back, rubbing his wrist. He looked up to see Hana striding beside him.

  “I know what Tasha told you last night,” Hana murmured.

  “She called me many names, if I recall correctly,” Luc replied in a low voice.

  Hana smiled. “She does that. I keep telling her it doesn’t really endear her to people, but what’re you going to do? I wanted to say that I appreciate you sticking your neck out for us. Tasha would never admit it, but last night would’ve ended very differently if you hadn’t been there. You’re doing a good job of distracting them from tearing each other apart.”

  “I’m not sure I know what to feel about that.”

  “Well, I’d be unsettled, if I was you,” she giggled.

  “Still not helping.”

  “Oh, I know. I know. Still, you’re a braver man than you look, Lucky. We’re all very grateful. Try to remember that when Jona murders you in your sleep.”

  ~~~

  The only time that Luc felt the fleeting desire to turn tail was when he realized that his grandmother and uncle were somewhere in the city behind him. Aunt Aislinn’s family lived in Blackwood, and one of the reasons they had left Port Bluetree in the first place was to visit her ailing father and offer what help they could before he passed on. The longing for what was familiar, for the warm comfort of love and family and home, became—for a moment—overwhelmingly difficult to resist. To be allowed to crawl back into their arms, to be told, Ah, Lucky, none of it matters, you are forgiven, you are loved…did a man need anything more, really?

  But it all passed before he could even get a measure of comfort from it. He watched the fire sputter in front of him, the embers dancing as they popped into the cold air, before glancing at the men. Most of them were spread out in the clearing, hovering around their own fires while they talked amongst themselves. Even from where he sat cross-legged, his hands tucked under his cloak, he could smell the filth from their unwashed bodies. Tromping around for days in the woods did that to you. Luc realized he would probably smell the same way in a day or two. Here, there was no pump to wash you with, and no father to pick you up by the scruff of your neck and dump you in a tub against your will. Even in the winter, their father insisted they wash themselves every day. “Better to die of the cold than your own stench,” an old Jinsein saying went.

  He chose this. Chose this because he couldn’t face his own failures, didn’t know how to rise from them or twist them into something remotely resembling a step forward. A man didn’t sit and wallow in
his problems. His father taught him that, too. Your tail, yours to drag. So even though he was surrounded by these men who were talking about things that would’ve horrified his grandmother into a stupor, he kept his mouth shut and pretended he was all right with it. He had to learn to deal with it sooner or later.

  “Hey Lucky,” Treda called out from where he shared a fire with Demon. “Come and join us.”

  He got to his feet and slowly ambled towards them. “You’re looking well,” Luc offered. “Tom really knows his stuff, doesn’t he?”

  Treda patted his belly. “That he does. That salve from Blackwood came in handy, too.”

  “You’re from these parts,” Demon said, turning a rabbit haunch on a spit near the fire. He blew on his fingers. “Tell us about what we’re to face.”

  Luc glanced at the darkness beyond almost automatically. “What for?”

  “Cause I fucking want to know whether these are animals or apparitions,” Demon said.

  Treda sniggered. “In other words, he wants to find out if they’re scarier than he is.”

  Luc rubbed his hands together. “They’re neither,” he finally breathed. “We don’t know what they are.”

  “I mean, some of the men from the Boarshind have taken jobs all the way out here before, and they were always scared shitless,” Demon said. “These things can be killed, can they?”

  “The books say so. But usually, no body remains. And there hasn’t been anyone who could say they’ve seen one for…for years.” Luc gave a small smile. “Of course, that’s because most folks are wise enough to stay away from those woods in the first place. Blackwood’s castle is about as far east as most will go.”

  “Do you children want your nursemaids?” one of the other mercenaries called out into the night. “Think you’re missing their tits.” They started laughing amongst themselves.

  “Fuck off,” Demon snorted.

  “Boarshind cunts,” the mercenary sneered. “No wonder they threw you out.”

  “The Boarshind—that’s the group you left?” Luc asked.

  Demon snorted and looked away with a scowl. It was Treda who answered. “Can’t believe you haven’t heard of it.”

  Luc shook his head.

  “It’s a large mercenary company up near Cairntown in Kago. Does about half the jobs in those parts, and beyond. These fuckers are just jealous because they couldn’t get in.”

  The other mercenary spat, hearing it. “Like we wanted anything to do with you pansies and your bidding and your rules.”

  “See, the Boarshind is what you would call an elite force compared to these asshats,” Treda said, raising his voice. “Trained fighters, not brawlers. Professionals. And they get paid properly, without having to sniff around and beg for jobs like these ones.”

  “Speak a little louder and everyone will think you were paid to suck Baeddan’s cock,” Demon snarled.

  “I was proud of what we did there,” Treda snorted. “Not my problem if other people don’t see it that way.”

  Demon laughed. “And yet look how easily they turned on us.” He wiggled a finger at Luc, gesturing for him to draw closer. “You want to know what really happened? I’ll tell you. This little fucker—this Gorenten, actually—botched a job a few weeks ago.”

  “Months, now,” Treda mused.

  “Months. Fucking idiot. He got his companion killed, and do you know what he does, first thing? He runs up to our officer, accuses him of giving him a bad job, and then kills him right there in front of everyone.” Demon drew back with another laugh. “I was there. I could hardly believe it. I raised the alarm just in time and nearly got the fucker, too.”

  “He smashed Demon’s nose on the way out,” Treda sneered.

  “At least I didn’t get my guts nearly spilled out on the street by a drunk farmhand,” Demon replied. “He was stronger than he looked, that one. By the time the others got around to it, he had already escaped. And Big Boss Baeddan suddenly thinks it was his life the fucker meant to take and that there was this big conspiracy to overthrow him and that it all revolved around this dead officer. I always knew he was a suspicious son of a bitch, but I didn’t think he’d take it as far as he did. Everyone under the officer’s command was put to the sword.”

  “Which includes all of us,” Treda whistled. “I didn’t even know what was happening until Oswyn grabbed me from the outhouse. I was having such a good shit, too. I still think if we had stopped to explain everything, Baeddan would’ve understood. But I suppose it’s too late now.”

  “They fucking gutted Rokarsh right where I could see it,” Demon said. “I wasn’t going to stick around to talk to anyone after that. Oswyn thought the same thing.”

  “And so here we are,” Treda breathed. “Couple of sorry bastards waiting around for a scrap with these fucks. Funny how life does you a turn.”

  “Funny how one man can whine so much,” another piped up.

  “Fuck you,” Treda grumbled. He bent over to pick up one of the roasted pieces of rabbit and handed one to Luc.

  Luc grumbled his thanks and bit into the tough meat. He had barely swallowed it when he saw movement at the edge of the clearing. Tasha appeared, snorting steam into the cold air. “Fucking bitches wouldn’t talk to us,” Tasha said, stomping towards Luc. “We need you.”

  “Me?” Luc asked.

  “Yes, you. Am I pointing at anyone else? Agartes, I have never met anyone so—”

  “Why me?”

  “I’m guessing it’s because Tasha lacks manners and the villagers have now locked themselves inside their houses,” Treda said with a grin.

  Tasha only scowled. “Are you going to come or do I have to carry you on my back like a little girl?”

  “You fellows have the watch,” Luc said, getting up to follow her. Treda saluted him.

  “You’re getting along with everyone, I see,” Tasha said as they sauntered up the path.

  “Thank you, I guess.”

  She paused near a row of bushes, where they could see the huts clustered together in the distance. She thumped him on the chest. “I need you to speak up more. Act less a boy.”

  “I—what?”

  She shook her head. “I know you’re young. Not much I can do about that. But I’ve seen you act tough when you need to. I need you to do it more often. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s five of us and five of them, and the five of us includes you and a man who had his guts hanging out of his body just a few days ago. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  She rubbed her head in exasperation. “When this job is done and we get the reward money, chances are these idiots will knife us in the back. Or—no, they’ll knife some of us, and maybe rape you and Hana first. I was counting on our patron’s protection, but all he’s done is send me a message back in Blackwood telling me to continue with this charade, the bastard.” She spat. “Act less like a bumbling fool. Our lives depend on it.”

  They came up to one of the larger hovels, one with a little garden lit with lanterns. Despite the fact that someone must’ve set them out for a reason, there was no villager in sight. Only Jona, Caiso, and Hana stood on the path. Jona’s face was twisted into a grimace, one that seemed more menacing than usual.

  “Don’t know how much good he’ll be when the fuckers wouldn’t even look at us,” Jona said as they came around the fences.

  Luc ignored him. He went straight up to the door, shaking his boots by the steps as he did so. A small placard near the window confirmed that this was the village elder’s home. He knocked on the door.

  There was a moment of silence.

  “We told you,” a voice called out from the other side. “We can’t help you.”

  “With all due respect, sir,” Luc said. “I believe there may have been a misunderstanding. We’re here to help you.”

  The softness in his voice must’ve done it. There was a brief pause, and then he saw the curtains from the window part. He caught the glimpse
of an eye looking back at him. “We’re not foolish enough to fall for your tricks,” the elder said. “Don’t you think we can see what you are?”

  “My companions may not have explained things very well,” Luc replied. “We were sent by Duke Blackwood. You must’ve heard that he hired mercenaries to help the villages with your unique set of problems.”

  The elder coughed. “We’ve not heard of such a thing.”

  “You’re a day’s walk from Blackwood. A few hours’ ride on horseback, even.”

  “No one comes through here,” the elder said. “You’re wasting your time.”

  “Duke Iorwin’s reports say you’ve lost three children before winter,” Luc pressed on. “More, before that. Surely you—”

  The door opened. Luc found himself face-to-face with an seething old man, one whose wrinkled skin looked like an orange peel that had been left under the sun too long. “You should leave,” the old man hissed. “We don’t need people like you here.”

  Without another word, he stepped back indoors and slammed the door shut.

  “So much for your plan,” Jona breathed as Luc returned to them in the garden.

  “He’s hiding something,” Luc said.

  Hana blinked. “You don’t say.”

  “How long did you talk to him?”

  “Tasha barely got a few words in, and then Jona started swearing at him,” Hana said with the barest shadow of a grin.

  Jona gritted his teeth. “If the fucker hadn’t been so rude in the first place—”

  “I think that, er, Lucky, is correct,” Caiso said. “The elder never got a chance to talk to the other villagers, and yet they all disappeared as soon as we arrived. Quite odd.”

  “And to say that no one comes through here?” Luc asked. “Perhaps it’s an hour’s walk to the main road, but that main road goes straight to Sein Canal. That’s a big port city, and there’s quite a few towns along the way. You saw all the wagons that passed us by this morning.” He glanced at the silent houses and felt himself shiver.

  “We should try in the daytime,” Caiso said. “No sense trying to frighten them anymore than we already have.”