Rough hands grabbed Josiah and shoved him behind Elkan. Sar fought as the bandits dragged him in the opposite direction. Josiah and Elkan were hustled to a tent at the outskirts of the camp and pushed inside. Teried bound their ankles, jerking the ropes viciously tight.
The tent was crowded with crates, baskets and bags. As soon as the bandits left, Josiah used his teeth to tug at the rope binding his wrists, but the knots were hard and resisted his efforts. “Don’t bother,” Elkan advised him. “Even if you succeed, there’s nowhere for you to go. Are you hurt?”
“No. You?”
“Nothing to speak of.” Elkan batted futilely at the crusted blood on his face.
“What about Sar?”
“I can’t hear him. They must have taken him out of range.” Worry clouded the wizard’s eyes.
“Elkan, what are we going to do?” Josiah was ashamed of the panic in his voice.
“Right now we’re going to stay calm and wait. If a chance comes to escape, we’ll take it. If not… I don’t think Ozor plans to kill us. You heard him; he knows that would bring the wrath of the Wizards’ Guild down on him. If they sell us for ransom we’ll be safe.”
“But no one will miss us for months, maybe, until you don’t show up in Elathir like you’re supposed to. And they’ve got Sar. Who knows what they’ll do to him.”
“You’ve seen and heard the same things about these bandits I have. Their business is theft. They kill when it’s necessary to accomplish their goals, not for the joy of it. We’re more valuable to Ozor alive than dead. Sar can take care of himself until we get a chance to free him.”
Elkan’s calm tone and reasonable words infuriated Josiah even as they comforted him. How could Elkan remain so composed? Josiah breathed deeply, trying to believe the wizard was right.
“Remember, I sent a message to the Guildmaster more than two weeks ago, recommending she authorize cooperation between the Watch and the Wizards’ Guild. It’s not done often, because both guilds are careful to maintain separate jurisdictions, but I was very insistent that this case warrants it. I’m sure Master Dabiel took my warning seriously.” Elkan rolled to the ground and pillowed his head on his bound arms. “There’s probably already a party of watchers and wizards on their way. Get some sleep, if you can. We’ll need all our energy in the morning.”
Sleep? Josiah was sure he couldn’t possibly sleep, but Elkan closed his eyes. Josiah flopped to the ground and wiggled around, trying to find a spot clear of sticks and rocks. He lay awake a long time, listening to Elkan’s even breathing and trying to decide how much of what he’d said Elkan actually believed, and how much was just for Josiah’s comfort.
At some point he must have fallen into a fitful doze, for he jerked awake. Soft dawn light showed a figure pushing the tent flap open. Josiah lurched to his knees, heart pounding, ready to fight if he had to.
“Don’t worry. I’m just bringing you breakfast.” A young man, three or four years older than Josiah, with a pimply face and lanky hair, held out bowls to Josiah and Elkan. Josiah took his. There was no spoon, but he wouldn’t have been able to use it with his bound hands, anyway. He lifted the bowl to his face and tried to tip the thick, hot porridge into his mouth without burning himself or spilling it. He eyed the young man warily.
“I hope it’s all right.” The bandit spoke with earnest friendliness. “Tereid told me to bring you whatever scraps I could find, but there was plenty of porridge in the kettle, so I took some of that. I’m to take you to the privy trench, and I got him to say I could unbind your legs so you could walk.”
Suiting actions to words, he cut the ropes around Elkan’s ankles. “My name’s Gan. Come on.” He helped Elkan to his feet.
“Thank you, Gan, for your consideration,” Elkan told him, stretching.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Gan hesitated. “Here, let me cut your hands loose, as well, so it’ll be easier for you to manage. You won’t try to run away, will you?”
Elkan assured him he wouldn’t. Gan led him from the tent.
When they returned, Gan and Elkan were chatting amiably about the unseasonably wet weather, and if the soft grey haze obscuring the sunrise meant there would be storms later in the day. Josiah appreciated Elkan’s tactic, and knew it could be invaluable to have one among the bandits who was kindly disposed to them, but he still eyed Gan with suspicion.
Apologetically, Gan bent to tie Elkan’s ankles again, much looser this time. He cut Josiah’s bonds and led him from the tent.
Josiah considered trying to knock Gan out and make a break for it, but he hated the idea of repaying Gan’s kindness with treachery, and besides, several of the other bandits were nearby. He’d never be able to get away without being recaptured. So he followed Gan docilely to the smelly trench.
“I’m supposed to watch, but you won’t run, will you? I’ll wait right here until you’re done.” Gan took up his post, looking deliberately off to the side.
Very glad of the use of his hands, Josiah took care of business. Gan led him back toward the tent.
From behind a clump of bushes, Josiah heard a gasp. “It is you!”
Gan looked toward the voice, puzzled. “Nirel, what—”
“Bring him over here, Gan. I can’t risk letting my father see me talking to him.”
“All right. Come on.” Gan grabbed Josiah’s arm and pulled him around the bushes.
Josiah stared at Nirel. He shouldn’t have been surprised. If he’d stopped to think, he’d have known she must be among the bandits somewhere. He wouldn’t have thought she’d seek him out, though. “Nirel, I…” He had no idea what to say.
“Shush. I don’t dare keep you here more than a minute; if anyone sees us they’ll tell Father, and he’ll be angry. But when I heard the wizard was captured, I had to see. I figured you’d be with him.”
Josiah gulped. She must still be furious with him. Had she come to taunt him, to gloat over his helplessness? Maybe he deserved her scorn.
But Nirel looked almost as uncomfortable as he felt. “I just wanted to say… when that mountain cat attacked us—I froze, I couldn’t move, I wouldn’t have been able to run, or fight it, or… But you jumped right in front of me and pushed me away. I just… thank you.” She stared at him defiantly. “That’s all. Gan, quick, take him back to the tent.”
“Wait!” Josiah held up his hand. Gan hesitated. “Nirel, it wasn’t what we thought. She wouldn’t have hurt either of us. Tobi’s Mother-touched, she’s going to be a wizard’s familiar. She wasn’t trying to attack us, she was just hungry. I’m glad you aren’t mad at me, but really, it wasn’t that big a deal.” He wasn’t sure why he felt so compelled to be honest with her, rather than take the credit she wanted to give him. “Listen, I’m sorry for… well, for making Elkan go after your father. I thought I was helping you.”
She glared at him for a moment, then relented. “I know you did.”
“Are you all right here? I mean, the bandits, they haven’t hurt you or anything?” Not that Kabos would let them, but…
“Of course not.” She looked indignant. “I’m fine. This is much better than the farm ever was. They’re teaching me how to fight with a knife and shoot a bow. We all work together. They don’t think of me as a child, or even an apprentice. I’m a full member of the band. I go hunting; I’ve even gone on raids. At that storehouse in Remethera, I was the only one small enough to get through—”
She broke off at Josiah’s look of horror. “Look, I’ll talk to Father. He’s never forgiven either of you, especially the wizard. He was humiliated, and wants to hurt him back, but he’s not—I mean, he wouldn’t want Ozor to do anything too bad to you.”
Josiah, flustered, could make no reply. Nirel looked around. “I’ve got to go. I’m supposed to be feeding the horses, and Shonika will miss me if I stay gone much longer.”
Hope flared in Josiah. “Please, Nirel, can you find out where they took Sar and see if he’s all right? He’s so far away Elkan can’t talk with him. Tell
him Elkan wants us to cooperate for now. And make sure he’s got enough to eat. Not oats, though, they make him sick.”
“I know how to take care of a donkey,” she answered haughtily. But a frown creased her forehead. “Shonika said we’d have to break his spirit. She underfeeds horses that fight her. Don’t worry, I’ll slip him extra if she tries it. Go on. I’ll try to sneak by the tent later to let you know how he’s doing.”
She hurried off. Josiah let Gan escort him back to the tent.
As Gan tied his feet, Josiah whispered to Elkan. “I talked to Nirel. She’s going to check on Sar.” He filled Elkan in on all the details of their conversation.
Elkan closed his eyes briefly and a subtle tension went out of him. “I wonder if Ozor knows that I can’t speak to Sar if he’s more than a mile away. I’m guessing he does. Ozor seems to know more than I would expect about wizards. He’s obviously thought a lot about how to defeat our abilities.”
“That’s for sure,” Gan offered. “He tells us all the time we have to always be careful of wizards. Whenever we’re on a raid, even if there’s nobody for miles around, we have to sneak like folk are standing right beside us, watching and listening. And we never hit towns with their own wizards.” He rose and moved to the tent flap. “Now, be quiet. I’m going to be sitting just outside, and I’m supposed to make sure you don’t cause any trouble.”
As soon as he ducked out of the tent, Josiah went after the ropes around his wrists again. This time he worried the knot free easily. He turned to Elkan, and saw the wizard had loosened his own bonds. “See if you can tie them back, but loose enough to slip out of,” Elkan suggested. “They need to think we’re still bound, or they’ll just tie us tighter and take Gan off guard duty.”
Josiah busied himself making the bonds on his ankles and wrists look as strong and untampered-with as he could manage, and practiced whipping them off at a moment’s notice. But after he perfected that to his satisfaction, he found himself without anything to occupy his mind except worry and fear, and increasingly morbid imaginings of what lay in store for them.
“Elkan…” His voice wavered embarrassingly. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Elkan, how long do you think they’ll hold us?”
Elkan was gazing off into the distance. He shook his head and focused on Josiah. “Probably not more than a few days, but it might be weeks.”
Weeks? Josiah thought he might go crazy, tied up in this tent for weeks, unable to do anything.
His horror must have shown on his face, because Elkan quickly reassured him. “There’s little chance it will be that long. Here, let’s talk to pass the time. Tell me more about your family. You mentioned your brother tricked you into jumping in the river in the middle of winter once, but I never heard the whole story.”
Grateful for the distraction, Josiah launched into the tale. When he’d finished, Elkan questioned him further, drawing out lengthy accounts of incidents Josiah had almost forgotten. He would have liked to ask Elkan more about himself, but somehow the conversation never turned that way. Instead, they spent a good hour playing a word game that had been popular among Josiah’s friends three summers before. By the time that grew old, Gan came with their midday meal.
Once his belly was full, the previous night’s lack of sleep caught up with Josiah, and he dozed much of the afternoon. He woke with a start in the gold-tinged light of early evening as Ozor, flanked by Tereid, pushed into the tent.
“Wizard,” Ozor barked. Elkan sat with his back propped against a large bag of potatoes. He nodded in acknowledgment but made no effort to rise. Josiah shifted, trying to make his insecure bonds as inconspicuous as possible.
Ozor dragged a crate over and sat. Tereid remained standing behind him, eyes roaming between Elkan and Josiah.
“I’ve got a proposal for you.” Ozor studied Elkan, frowning. “Hear me out. There will be advantages for both of us if you agree. First let me introduce myself. My name’s Ozor.”
“Master Ozor Sailorkin Trader,” Elkan said. “I’ve heard of you.”
Ozor waved that away. “We don’t set store by rank or kin-name out here. I judge folk by what they can contribute, not by which guild lists them on their rolls. I’m not surprised you’ve heard gossip. Much as we try to keep to ourselves, people talk.”
“Yes, they do. Particularly about theft and murder,” Elkan pointed out dryly.
Tereid shifted, but Ozor waved him still. “You can’t believe everything you hear. Folk set on slander can twist any action to make it seem vile. We’ve only ever done what’s necessary. I have a responsibility to my people. We’ve all tried to live under the rule of the guilds and the wizards, but for one reason or another they cast us out. One day soon we hope to establish our own community, self-sufficient and self-governing, but until then, we have to survive.”
Josiah blinked at the bandit leader. He sounded so calm and reasonable, as if he truly believed what he was saying. He opened his mouth to protest, but Elkan quelled him with a small shake of his head. “What’s your proposal?”
“It’s simple.” Ozor leaned forward. “Your wizard powers could be of great use to us. We’d grant you an honored place in our band. We’ve all sworn loyalty to each other; we’d ask the same of you, and offer it. Your beast would be returned, and together you could work with us—heal us when we’re sick or injured, help us see and hear, all manner of things. We offer you freedom, the chance to use your skills as you choose, not as your guild dictates. Your boy could find a place among us, too; he seems a strong lad.”
Josiah was sure Ozor was earnest. He looked at Elkan, expecting a quick refusal. But Elkan returned Ozor’s gaze with every sign of serious consideration. “I might be willing to consider your offer. But I have a few reservations. Do you mind if I ask some questions?”
“Not at all.”
“You say you only steal when in need? What do you generally do to support yourselves?”
Ozor nodded. “We hunt, and trade meat and furs, and transport goods. We fill a need, for the mountains are poorly served by the Traders’ Guild, as I learned when I was bound to them. It’s true we take what we need when we must, but those with an excess can easily spare us a portion, and every year we move closer to supplying all our needs ourselves.”
Josiah scrunched up his face, trying to clear his mind. It was hard to remember that this calm, reasonable man was a ruthless killer.
Elkan nodded thoughtfully. “Forgive me, but I’m aware of a few cases where folk have died, allegedly by your hands. I’m sure you must have an explanation?”
Josiah knew Elkan must be playing along with Ozor to get information, but it was still disorienting to hear him speak so dismissively of murder. Ozor shrugged. “We do what we can, but these things happen. People resist, strike out, we fight back… sometimes folk get killed. An unfortunate reality.”
“I suppose that’s what happened with the miner couple outside Darilla.” Elkan’s hands lay quiet in his lap, but Josiah caught a glimpse of his fingers twisting a frayed strand of the rope that bound them.
Ozor frowned, then his face cleared. “Oh, yes, I remember. They would have brought a fine ransom; all they needed to do was cooperate. We couldn’t subdue the man; he forced our hand with his resistance, but we let the woman go once it was clear we couldn’t recapture her without harming her.”
Outrage nearly propelled Josiah to his feet. How dare they blame Meira’s husband for his own death, and count themselves merciful that she had been rescued? But forced himself to remain still.
Even Elkan couldn’t completely hide his reaction. His fingers twitched on the ropes, and he was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice had an odd quality at first, before he mastered it to composure. “And the watchers in Tathorlith—they were guarding Kabos. Was he one of your number even then? You show great loyalty to your people.”
“You do understand!” Ozor’s face lit up, and he leaned toward Elkan. “Loyalty is what binds us together, not law or custom,
but our own sworn oaths to each other. Kabos is my dear friend. He was one of the first who helped us, three years ago when I was forming our band. He allowed us the use of his land, he gave us meat and milk and grain before we learned to take care of ourselves. We would never have made it through that first winter without him. Of course when he was in trouble we had to rescue him. Anyone would have done the same.” Ozor jumped to his feet, and paced the close confines of the tent. “I was angry at first that he brought you here, but now I see what a fortunate chance it was that led you to us. With a wizard among us, imagine what we can accomplish.”
Elkan held up his hands. “I haven’t yet agreed to join you. You’ve given me much I must think about first.”
“Of course.” Ozor deflated a bit. “Take as long as you need.” He hesitated. “I must insist you remain bound until you’ve actually sworn loyalty. Just a precaution, you understand. But we can make you a bit more comfortable. Gan, fetch blankets and stools, and bring them some of our own meal.” He swept from the tent, calling orders as he went.
Tereid followed Ozor, but he paused before leaving. “I strongly suggest you listen to Ozor and take him up on his offer.” He touched the hilt of his knife. “Ozor’s a fine leader. If you join us, you’ll want for nothing and gain loyal friends for the rest of your days. But if you refuse…” He drew the knife and spun it in his fingers. “We who are loyal to him make sure those who oppose him don’t trouble him any more. Think on that.” He sheathed the knife, stepped out, and let the tent flap fall.
Josiah turned to Elkan with a mixture of fear, outrage, and admiration for Elkan’s acting. “Can you believe—”
“Shh!” Elkan hissed. “They’re listening. We have to let them think we’ve been taken in by their persuasion. Keep your voice down.”
Josiah obeyed, dropping to a whisper. “He doesn’t know as much about wizards as he thinks he does, if he believes you might really join them. Or was he lying?”
“No.” Elkan looked thoughtfully after Ozor. “I think he believes what he’s saying, at least while he’s saying it. I’m beginning to understand him. Everything he’s done is completely justified in his mind. He sees himself as righteous, noble, beset by a world of injustice ranged against him.”
The Fuller's Apprentice (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 1) Page 30
