Forgotten Soldiers

by Joshua P. Simon

  Sered went about five and a half feet. However, what he lacked in height Sered made up for elsewhere. His sleeveless, leather apron exposed thick arms, neck and shoulders bulging with rope-like cords of muscles. Shaking his hand felt like trying to squeeze a wooden beam.

  “My apprentice said you’re looking for a sword.” He nodded to the youngest of three boys running around the place, busy with various duties. He stoked the forge and a wave of heat pressed against my face.

  “I am. Two if possible.”

  He gestured to my waist. “Something wrong with the one you have?”

  “No. I’m actually looking to give something to my children. We’re about to do some traveling and it would make sense to give them something for protection. I’m not looking for anything special, something more workmanlike. Needs to be light with good balance since I don’t think either have used one before and I don’t want them hurting themselves.”

  He grunted, still studying the hilt and scabbard of my sword. He gestured to one of my daggers. “Those markings look familiar. Where were your blades made?”

  I frowned. It seemed odd for a business owner to be more concerned with what a potential customer already owned rather than what the person was willing to buy. “Might I ask why?”

  “The markings on the hilt look like something you might see out of Hol.” He grunted. “High quality, but cheap. A common choice among those in the military.” He met my eyes. “You served?”

  I smiled, trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible. I was not ashamed of my time in the army, but it seemed like most people took issue with it. I wanted to come across as friendly as possible in the hopes it would contradict any of the rumors he had heard over the years.

  “I just got back home yesterday, actually. Denu Creek is where I grew up.”

  Sered stared without emotion. My smile faded as he worked his jaw, like he was reaching a conclusion he didn’t like.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he said.

  “What about the swords?”

  “I don’t have any for sale.”

  I glanced over to more than a dozen laid across a table on the right. “And those?”

  “Spoken for.”

  “What about a couple of good daggers?” I asked.

  His brow furrowed. “I can’t do that.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “Can’t. It wouldn’t be good for business if word got out that I helped someone like you.”

  “You mean a soldier?”

  He nodded.

  “And why is that?”

  He paused, fighting with what to tell me. “I can’t get into the details.”

  I scowled, voice rising in frustration. “Why? Tell me, and we can talk through this.”

  Sered shook his head. His hand slowly drifted to the hammer laying across his anvil. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help you, but I can’t. I think you should leave.”

  Despite Sered’s obvious strength, I wasn’t intimidated. Still, that was no reason to get into a fight.

  I walked away without responding, heading for the exit.

  Once outside, Zadok asked, “Did you get what you needed?”

  I shook my head, noticing Myra’s furrowed brow as she stared into the smithy. “What’s wrong?”

  She faced me. “Nothing.”

  I followed her gaze, seeing that the apprentices had been staring back at her with a mix of lust and disdain. They looked away as I met their eyes with a sergeant’s gaze.

  “All right,” I said. “Let’s go. We still have several more places to try before we circle back to Sivan’s.”

  * * *

  “Why in the name of the Molak not?” I yelled at the town physician.

  The bristled old man gave me the stink eye while standing with arms crossed. He jutted his cleanly shaven chin out with arrogance which made it tempting to slap that chin right off. A lesser man might have.

  “This is my business and I can choose to do business with whomever I desire,” the physician said.

  I was in his place seeking some herbs or potions to take on the road in case we got into trouble. I had tried the local apothecary first, but the owner never opened for the day. I learned that he was going through some nasty sickness and couldn’t make it in. Not sure how highly that spoke of the man’s work that he hadn’t known how to cure his own ailments.

  “But you know nothing about me. You haven’t asked me anything.”

  “I don’t need to ask you anything. I can see what you’re about and I don’t want your kind in my town.”

  “This is my town too! I grew up and lived here for over twenty years before being pressed into service. My family ran a farm for three generations just down the road. I’ve got more of a claim to this town than you or half of the other people who are here now!”

  “Maybe you did at one point, but not anymore. This place has changed. This town is no longer yours. It’s ours, and we don’t want your kind here.”

  I kicked a chair across the room in anger. “My kind?”

  “Yes. The kind of person who burns the countryside so families starve. The kind of person who rapes women and kills children.”

  It was the same story once again.

  I wanted to explain all that I had before to the old man, but I knew I’d be wasting my breath. People like him didn’t understand. They liked to believe that if everyone adopted their moral insights the world would be a better place. They would never understand the world just didn’t work that way.

  In fact, it never had.

  The world would be a better place without violence. The problem was that it was hard enough for only two people to agree on all points. Asking an entire population spanning countries, cultures, and religions to find common ground was, in many ways, a fairytale of the highest order.

  I left the physician’s shop, trying to find a positive to take with me from the encounter.

  There wasn’t one.

  Shouting greeted me as I stepped outside. At first I thought they were directed at me. Then I saw they belonged to a handful of young kids a short distance from my children. Myra and Zadok had drifted off down the street, going against my instructions to stay where I left them.

  Zadok said something to the group, acting like he was going to take them all on despite being outmatched and outsized. I admired his guts, but not his thinking. Myra looked visibly upset, but did the right thing in trying to separate herself and Zadok from the others, one eye always watching their movements.

  I started walking toward them, at first thinking the situation stemmed from kids just being kids.

  “Better watch out for him,” one said, mocking Zadok. “Father’s a baby-killer they say. Gods know what that makes him.”

  “He’s not a baby-killer,” said Zadok. “He’s a hero!”

  They laughed.

  “Look at them. They’re both trash, just like their ma,” said another. Spit flew from his mouth with the insult.

  “Hey!” I boomed, picking up my pace as I stormed toward them.

  They wheeled, didn’t like what they saw in my eyes, and spouted curses as they took off—all before I could add anything. It was probably for the best. I was so hot I would have either made a fool of myself or done something I would have later regretted.

  I turned to Myra. “What happened? Why weren’t you by the door where I asked you to stay?”

  She turned away without answering.

  “It was my fault, Pa,” said Zadok, jumping into my line of sight. “They asked me if I wanted to play a game of dice. But it was a joke. Myra was trying to bring me back when you came out.”

  I tilted my head in the direction the kids ran off. “Does that sort of stuff happen a lot?”

  “Well, we hardly ever come to town anymore since Ma died.”

  “But when you do?”

  “Yeah, mostly.”

  “And what do you normally do when that happens?”

  He shrugged. “Walk away
if we can. But sometimes we can’t. So, I talk back.”

  “And you fight too?”

  “I try, but I’m not very good at it. I haven’t won one yet.”

  I thought about those five boys, all older and stronger. “Against those odds I’m not surprised.” I looked to Myra. “Is this all true?”

  “What?” she snapped. “That everyone treats us like dogs? Of course it is. The choices you and Ma made aren’t exactly ones people would approve of. Why do you think I don’t want to stay here? Even for another day.”

  I noticed she had dodged my question, but given the venom spat at me, I decided to ignore it. It really didn’t matter what had caused the confrontation with the boys anyway.

  I scanned the town, three quarters of it unlike anything I remembered and most of it populated by individuals I didn’t know and had no love for. Most of the people I knew in my youth had either joined the army and died, gotten old and died, or just moved away. Even then, they weren’t without fault. Ava’s complaints of her childhood came to mind.

  “You’re right. And considering the luck I’ve had in getting what we need to travel, maybe we should have gone straight to Tamra as you suggested.”

  “We did get some food from the feed store though,” said Zadok as he tried to look on the bright side.

  I snorted. “We did. And we’re already here now so we might as well continue on while we wait for your clothes to be ready. C’mon. We still have a couple places left to try.”

  “And if they act the same as most others?” asked Myra.

  I tried to make light of the situation. “Then we won’t have to worry too much about our burden as we travel, right?”

  She scowled. She wasn’t buying the joke.

  I sighed. I hoped Ira and Dekar were having it better than me.

  * * *

  The pungent smell of limed cowhide permeated my nostrils as we neared the tanner. A blacksmith was always far from any inns due to the noise generated there. But a tanner was kept far away from just about anyone because of its reek. Strong winds would move some of the stench toward the town center, but at least it would have a chance to dissipate by then.

  I stepped from the wooden sidewalk to the dry earth. The kids were a step behind. With a glance down the side of the building I saw large hides hanging on hooks, drying like laundry on a line. Except in this case, lines were replaced by thick dowels of wood to handle the extra weight. Big barrels sat nearby—some empty, some filled with water, some filled with lime. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what filled others.

  After crossing the fifty feet separating the last building to the tanner, I stepped up to the small porch preceding the door. Unlike many businesses in town enticing customers with the latest fashion, potion, or tool, there was no window to lure shoppers. Anyone who went to the tanner did so out of necessity.

  I grunted to myself, eyeing the exterior. Not even a sign. The stink announced the business on its own.

  The door abruptly swung inward causing me to jump. The slender man I had recognized when I entered town with Ira and Dekar stared back at me. Nason looked unsettled and frustrated, different than the man I had seen the day before.

  “It’s about time,” he said.

  “Huh?” A befuddled look was the most I could manage.

  “Quit gaping,” Nason said sharply, “and get inside.”

  I entered, not sure what else to do. Myra and Zadok followed. Nason closed the door quickly.

  “Gods, it took you long enough to get here,” he said, as he locked up.

  I gathered myself. “Well, the way you ignored me when I came into town, I didn’t think I would be welcome.”

  “So you didn’t come because you thought I was mad at you?” he asked, turning. “That’s ridiculous. We were best friends when we were kids.”

  “I thought so too. But most everyone else is ignoring me or berating me because of my time in the army. It seems like doing business with me drives customers away. I figured I’d wait to see you until less people were around so not to make you more angry with me.”

  He smiled. “I appreciate you considering me like that. I really do. And I’m sad to say there is a bit of truth to what you said. I’m not mad at you by any means, but I do need to be careful with how I talk to you. Showing kindness to you is a sure way to bring trouble. Jareb has been the most vocal in his opposition to the war and those who served. He’s the most powerful person around here now. I’m sorry, but I can’t afford that trouble. I got a family now,” he said, nodding to Myra and Zadok. “I have to think of their safety first.” He paused. “You know, some people have started going around warning others you might stop by just so they’d have a time to think of how to turn down your business.”

  “Well, I’m glad to know that your reaction wasn’t because you wanted nothing to do with me.”

  “C’mon Tyrus. Like you said, we were best friends growing up. Gods, I had a crush on your sister.”

  That staggered me. “What? I didn’t know that. Why didn’t you say something? Ava would have—”

  “—likely thought I was lying. Besides, I wasn’t about to confide in you about her. You were too much of the overprotective big brother.” He paused, finally taking a breath. “Where is Ava anyway? She didn’t . . .”

  I shook my head. “She chose not to return.”

  He nodded. “I understand.” Finally, a small smile formed on Nason’s face. He came in and embraced me tightly. “It’s good to see you, Tyrus. The stories were that you died.”

  “So, I heard.”

  I embraced him back. It felt good to connect with an old friend, someone familiar from my past. It also felt good knowing that not everyone in town held an awful view of those in the military. They just simply did not have the guts to stand against the popular opinion and Jareb.

  He pulled away, looking at the kids. “Apparently, you haven’t heard everything,” he said, walking away. He began digging in drawers. “Otherwise, you’d be gone by now.”

  “Huh?”

  “That thing you pulled with Jareb just reached town a couple minutes ago. If anyone was feeling sympathetic toward you, it’s going to be harder to show it with what you did to get your children back. Not that I can blame you. But you shouldn’t be here. The sheriff is at Jareb’s farm now talking to him about you stealing his servants.”

  “I stole nothing. I paid him more than what was called for in the contracts.”

  “But he claims you broke them early.”

  “Details. I did what I had to do to get my children back.”

  “Like I said, I don’t blame you. In your position, I’d like to think I would have done the same.” Nason grunted. “Also, Jareb and his friends were pretty bad off according to what I heard.” He shook his head, grinning. “Same old Tyrus.”

  He continued. “Listen to me. I’m sure you can see that Denu Creek is a shadow of what you remember.” He closed the drawer he had been searching, carried a small bag over to me. “You need to get out of town. When the sheriff gets back, Jareb will likely be with him. You don’t want to be around.” He thrust the bag into my hand. “Since you paid so much to Jareb, I figured you could use some coin. That’s all I can afford. It should help you along your way though, wherever that is.”

  Nason spun me around and pushed me toward the door. “Now, I hate to push you out so quickly, but what I said earlier still holds true. I love you like a brother, Tyrus, but I can’t have you here if Jareb shows. Only the gods know what he’ll do to make me or my family miserable.”

  “I understand.”

  He unlocked and opened the door with one hand while pushing me through it with the other. “Good.” He paused, then sighed. “You take care.”

  “You too, Nason.”

  He nodded, then closed the door, leaving me standing on his porch, dumbfounded, staring at the small pouch of money in my hand.

  I looked at my kids staring back at me with uncertainty. “Let’s get our stuff from the cobbler
and tailor, and get out of here.”

  I looked back once at Nason’s place as we walked off, thankful at least one thing in Denu Creek hadn’t changed after all.

  CHAPTER 16

  It was evening. The streets and sidewalks were slowly filling with people. After my conversation with Nason, we kept our head down and did our best to keep to the shadows as we walked.

  Zadok hurried up beside me. “So, you were good friends with Nason, Pa?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hmm, that explains a lot.”

  I cocked my head. “What does it explain?”

  Myra cleared her throat. “When things got bad for us, Nason tried to help Ma and Uncle Uriah out as best as he could. After a while, Uncle got resentful though and ran Nason off. Even still, when the rest of the town wanted nothing to do with us, he’d somehow find us and give us a bit of food or a couple of coins when he could spare it.”

  I squeezed the money pouch in my hand again while feeling a tug in my chest. “I wish I’d had known that.”

  Nason pushed us out in such a rush, I never had a chance to even thank him for his help, let alone for looking out as best as he could for Myra and Zadok.

  Maybe one day I’d be able to repay him.

  With still half the town to cover, we started to draw notice from passersby. I guided the kids into an alley, then had them jog behind the buildings to the cobbler’s shop. I looked around quickly to make sure no one was following us, then rapped my knuckles on the door.

  Nothing.

  I knocked again, louder and with a greater sense of urgency. Footsteps from inside followed.

  The door cracked open. “You’re early. It’s not sunset.”

  He was right. The sun was dropping quickly, but had not yet fallen out of sight. “I know. But we’re in a hurry.”

  He mumbled. “I figured you might be. I was just finishing up when you knocked. Wait here. I’ll be back.”

  He went back inside, returning after a few moments. The man thrust a pair of boots out the door. I noticed a pair of socks stuffed inside them. “I almost didn’t open the door after what I heard you did to Jareb. He’ll come down hard on anyone helping you.”

  I looked up. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t. I only did the job because the shoes weren’t for you. It isn’t your son’s fault who his Pa is.”