“Can he see?” Benington asked, squinting at the man’s face.
“Better than you, but he does not speak. You will direct any questions to me,” the masked sorceress said.
“Very well. Will you be traveling with us or…?” Dracen said, still fixed on the outlandish wizard’s eyes.
“We will ride with you if need be. Otherwise, no, we will travel along but you will not see us. You can tell your men anything you like about us, it matters not to me. It is your secret to keep.”
Benington clasped his hands behind his back. “My men can be trusted to keep their mouths shut, in spite of what the Holy Father may think, but we will tell them nothing. Let them draw their own conclusions.”
The woman nodded her agreement and the two casters vanished from sight.
“Filthy pagans,” Dracen said, not trying to hide the contempt in his voice. The lord justice’s brows drew together in concern and he looked at his counterpart. “How many did you bring, Alfred?”
“Fifty of my best, It will be more than enough to hunt down one half-breed. Besides, we have the wizards. The man is as good as dead.”
The lord justice pulled himself into the saddle. “Do not make the mistake of thinking we are hunting a man, my Lord Fist. If you do, you will die.”
They picked up the boy Caleb at the crossroads a day after they had left K’xarr and the others. Endra guessed the boy to be twelve or thirteen years old. He told them that he had been sent out by the elders of his village, along with several other young men, to find anyone that could help them with the bandits who raided their small farming community.
He told them he was not sure of the exact number of raiders that plagued his village, only that when they came, the raiders took their food and the settlement's young women. Endra had asked him why his people hadn’t sought help from the local noble or magistrate in the area.
Caleb had told her that the elders had asked for aid from a baron that controlled the lands of his village. The noble had told them he would send soldiers to investigate the raids, but none had ever come.
Endra had found the story odd, but Caleb was just a boy. He could only tell them what he knew and his understanding of it.
It was no surprise that Kian had readily agreed to help Caleb when the boy had told him about his village’s plight.
This was far from the first time the warrior had gone to the aid of a peasant village. It was his way and nothing anyone said could change his mind. Kian could not let injustices go unchallenged or allow the weak to be intimidated or terrorized by the villains and outlaws of the world. He would go to their aid without hesitation or thought for his own safety. She had seen him help people like Caleb and the people of his village many times over the last two years. Most times without even receiving a thank you in return.
She loved Kian for his kindness and overly developed sense of justice, but sometimes she thought K’xarr was right. The people he helped cared nothing for him. They took his help and when the danger had passed, they quickly turned their backs and shooed him away. Endra knew it troubled Kian, but she had never heard him complain.
She looked down at little Vadin nursing at her breast. The child was beautiful. Her little boy favored her people, he was strong and fine with dark brown hair and the deepest blue eyes, and he was human, at least as close as any child she would ever have.
She had tied her horse to the wagon and gotten inside the smelly cart to feed the child. Nick drove a little slower for her and the baby, missing as many ruts and bumps as he could. Endra was proud of the son she had given Kian and she knew he was pleased as well. He knew the boy would never have to suffer the scorn Kian had endured his entire life.
The man she loved had come a long way in the last two years. He had come to accept what his brother had done to him and realized that she and his friends thought no less of him for it.
There were still times he could be a little scary, but Kian had managed to control the monster inside him and Endra was glad for it. They had grown even closer over the last two years. He had trained her daily in the ways of the sword and at night, they made love under the stars.
Vadin’s birth had been a joyous time for both of them. They had often talked of finding a place to settle down, somewhere the Church could not find them, and raise their little family in peace. She knew it was a dream, just a fine thought in Kian’s head. His heart belonged to the sword. He was a warrior and always would be, but it was fun to pretend that someday it might happen.
They did plan to leave the mercenary company, though. Kian and K’xarr had different ideas of what their swords should be used for. Kian treasured his friend and would give his life for K’xarr without hesitation, but he just couldn't bring himself to sell his loyalty for gold.
They had agreed they should stay with K’xarr and his mercenaries for a little longer. It was still too dangerous for all of them to be traveling alone. The Church had not given up on seeing them captured or killed. They had all kept each other alive over the last couple of years, and until the Church found someone else to hound, it was best they all stayed together.
The truth was, she was a little nervous about going to help Caleb and his village without the others. This would be the first time they had split the group since they had left Bandara.
She didn’t worry for herself or Kian, it was the children she feared for. Now they would only have Nick Nock to watch over them when she and Kian dealt with the bandits. Nick was a goodhearted and kind man, but he was just a cook. If something happened, she didn’t think he would be able to protect her little ones. All she could do was hope everything would go well and they would be headed back south to rejoin K’xarr and Cromwell as soon as Caleb’s village was safe again.
***
Nick looked over at the boy sitting beside him on the wagon seat. He hadn’t said much since they had picked him up at the crossroads. Kian had introduced him to him and Endra and the children. Caleb had been polite and thanked them for coming to help his village.
Since then, Caleb had not said a word. The boy sat on the wagon seat, rubbing his hands together; the cook thought the lad might be a little nervous. The antics of the little family could take some getting used to. It had taken him some time as well to get use to their ways.
Nick reached over and ruffled the boy's mousy brown hair. “Don’t fret, Caleb. We will be at your village soon and I promise you, Kian will stop the men from raiding your people. He is very good at that kind of thing.”
Caleb gave the cook a courteous smile. “I’m sure he will. I’m just afraid for my mother and little sister. I hope nothing’s happened since I’ve been gone.”
“Everything will work out, don’t worry. You said your village is near the mountains?” Nick asked, trying to get the boy’s mind on something else.
The boy nodded. “Yes, it sits on a high cliff that overlooks the sea. The Scar Mountains are to the east and the sea is to the south, my village is a very beautiful place. At least it was till those men came.”
“My friends will take care of that.”
“Nick, let’s stop. I’m sure the other children are hungry. Vadin is finished, so let's feed the rest of them,” Endra called out from the back of the wagon.
“Are you hungry, Caleb?” Nick asked the boy.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s eat.”
***
A small fire had been built and Nick was laboring over a pot of delicious-smelling stew. The Slayer and his woman sat on the back of the wagon as their children played near the little stand of trees where they had stopped. The area was well-shaded and had a small pond nearby. Caleb leaned against a tree apart from the others. He had no interest in playing with the strange children, and the adults had not included him in their conversation.
He watched the children as they headed towards the pond. It was not more than a couple of feet deep, but the water had drawn their interest. “Mother, can we get in the water?” Vinsant shouted hopefully.
Endra looked at Kian. The swordsman shrugged.
“Yes, Vinsant, you may. Make sure you watch out for Brigitte and Sabra and when I say it’s time to leave, we must leave.”
“Yes, Mother,” the boy said as he ran back to the others.
“You should go with them, Caleb. It will be a little longer before the food is ready,” Endra suggested.
He didn’t want to go, but he didn’t want to give offense either, so he slowly followed Vinsant towards the pond.
The sun reflected off the pond, causing Caleb to raise his hand to shield his eyes. The day was warm, more like summer than early spring. His nose wrinkled at the smell of the hot mud around the little pool of dirty water. Bugs swam all around in the brown liquid and he was sure there would be snakes lurking somewhere along its uneven banks. There was no way he was getting in that foul-smelling pond.
The other children didn’t seem to mind the filth. Vinsant and Payton were wrestling in the middle of the pond, splashing and yelling. It was no deeper than their knees, but both were soaking wet and covered with mud.
Tressa and Sabra chased a large frog around the water’s edge. They carried their shoes to keep the mud from caking on them like it had their feet.
Brigitte was the only one that seemed to have little interest in the muddy water. She stood at the edge of the pond, grinning at the others as they amused themselves.
They had called to him to get in and join them, but he turned down their invitation with a wave. He had his own idea for some fun.
He looked over his shoulder towards the wagon where the adults sat lounging in the shade. It was too far for them to really see what was happening at the pond. He smiled at the thought of what he was about to do.
Caleb slowly walked towards the pond like he was coming to join in the fun. Without warning, he ran at the strange little girl standing on the pond’s bank with his arms outstretched.
His plan was to push Brigitte into the water from behind. He had seen her reluctance to get near the pond and thought it would be funny to see what she would do if she got wet. As he reached her, Brigitte dropped and rolled into his legs. Caleb tripped over the tiny girl and went face first into the muddy water. The other children laughed when they heard the splash and saw what had happened.
Caleb stood up from the mud with his fists clenched. He stormed out of the water and went right for Brigitte. “You little freak.” He drew his hand back to strike her. The girl jumped back with amazing speed and bared her tiny fangs.
“If you hit her, I will kill you.” Caleb turned to find Payton behind him. Mud and water dripped down the young boy’s face. He was smaller than Caleb, but the murderous look in younger boy’s dark eyes made him lower his arm.
“She tripped me,” he said, trying to justify his actions.
“I don’t care what she did. If you strike my sister, you die.”
Caleb was beginning to get angry. This boy wasn’t going to speak to him like that, and besides, the adults were just a shout away. “You better shut up or I will tell your mother how you’re talking to me. Besides, you’re littler than me, it might be a mistake for you to threaten someone bigger than you.”
Payton walked out of the pond and stood only a hand’s-breadth away from Caleb. The boy was a head shorter than him but Caleb took a step back. The way the boy looked at him was unnerving. “Look, you better stop. I'm not kidding you, I will tell your mother.”
“Vinsant,” Payton said casually.
Caleb turned to see Payton’s brother standing behind him. Vinsant was only an inch or two shorter than Caleb and was built much heavier than his shorter brother.
He grabbed Caleb and locked his arms behind his back. He struggled but could not break free of Vinsant’s grip. The boy was strong and was twisting his arm till he thought it might break. “Wait, I’m sorry, I meant no harm. I was just playing with her,” he began to plead.
“I am going to tell Mother,” Tressa said, running towards the wagon. Payton ignored his sister’s threat.
“You’re a liar. You were going to hurt her,” the dark-haired boy said as he walked forward.
Caleb tried to back up, but Vinsant held him tight. Payton reached behind his back and drew a short but wide dagger from a sheath inside the back of his pants.
“No one hurts my sister or anyone else in my family.” Caleb shut his eyes as Payton put the knife to his throat.
“Payton, by the gods, stop it right now,” Endra screamed.
He lowered the knife but didn’t take his eyes off Caleb. “If you try to hurt any of them again, I will kill you while you sleep,” the boy whispered just loud enough for Caleb to hear.
“Vinsant, let go of him this instant.” The boy complied, looking sheepishly at his mother. “Caleb, are you alright?”
He was shaking all over and thought he was going to throw up. “Yes,” was all he could get out of his tight throat.
Endra turned her attention to Payton. “Just what do you think you were doing?”
Payton raised his chin and look his mother straight in the eyes. “I was going to kill him.”
Endra’s mouth dropped open. “Why?”
“He was going to slap Brigitte for tripping him into the pond.”
“That is no reason to kill someone, son. I’m sure Caleb wouldn’t have hurt Brigitte. Would you, Caleb?”
Caleb shook his head vigorously. “No, I was just playing. They misunderstood what was happening.”
Endra looked at her sons. “Everyone, clean up. Nick has lunch ready. Vinsant, Payton, come here.” Endra grabbed her two boys by the shoulders and stood them in front of Caleb. “Apologize.”
“Sorry,” Vinsant said halfheartedly.
Payton sneered and spit on the ground near Caleb’s feet.
“Caleb, Vinsant, run along and eat. I have to talk to Payton.”
“I very sorry this happened, Miss Endra. I meant no harm.”
“I know, Caleb, now go on and eat,” Endra said without taking her eyes off her son.
Vinsant and Caleb slowly trotted off towards the wagon.
“Payton, give me that dagger.” The boy reluctantly handed it to his mother.
“Where did you get this?”
“Cromwell gave it to me.”
“By the gods, I should have known.” Endra led Payton back to the wagon by the arm. She shooed the other children away and pulled a green switch from a large maple tree. “Payton, you must apologize to Caleb or I will have no choice but to punish you.”
The boy looked at his mother sternly then bent over without a word. Endra was caught off-guard. Most times, the threat of a whipping was all it took for the boys to obey her. “Last chance, will you apologize?”
“Never,” Payton answered flatly.
Endra gave Payton five hard licks with the switch then sent the boy to eat. He hadn’t shed a tear or made a sound. She threw the switch on the ground and went to rejoin the others, wondering what would ever become of her son.
Caleb tried to keep from smiling but it was hard, he was very pleased that Payton had gotten what he deserved.
***
After lunch, Vinsant and Payton were made to clean the crockery and Nick’s cooking pot for their earlier behavior.
Kian had a talk with them about restraint and when and how to come to someone’s defense. As the three talked, Endra sat on the wagon bouncing Vadin gently on her knee. Brigitte sat beside her watching Caleb closely as the boy spoke with Nick about his village. “Brigitte, did Caleb try to hit you?” The girl nodded once.
“Do you like him?”
The girl shook her head no. It was strange, since Brigitte liked most people, though she could be very shy at times. “Well, I don’t think you will have to worry about him. Payton and Vinsant have scared any mischief out of him. He won’t bother you again.”
“He doesn’t like us,” the girl whispered.
Endra’s mouth fell open and she stopped bouncing the baby. It was the first time she h
ad heard Brigitte really speak. Endra tried to carry on the conversation without making a fuss over hearing her daughter’s voice for the first time.
Maybe Brigitte would continue speaking to her if she didn’t press the shy child.
“Caleb has asked us for our help. I don’t think he would do that if he didn’t like us.”
Brigitte shrugged and held her palms up; her youngest daughter jumped down from the wagon and went to play.
Endra hurried to Kian to tell him about Brigitte speaking. As she did, she looked over at the boy again. He was watching the smaller children playing and he was smiling. Caleb seemed to be fine now.
Brigitte had not been around children other than her brothers and sisters. Caleb being angry with her had most likely hurt the girl’s feelings. Brigitte could be oversensitive sometimes. By the time they got to the boy’s village, the incident at the pond would be forgotten. Children would be children after all.
***
K’xarr and his mercenaries moved much faster without having to keep pace with the wagon. They would hit the Gold Road soon and once they did, it would only be a short time before they were in Gallio.
King Malric had sent word out from Masaria that he was hiring companies of sellswords to bolster the ranks of his army. K’xarr had been told that the King of Masaria feared an attack from one of the papal armies. The pope had decided that he and God wanted retribution for Malric usurping the throne of Masaria and murdering the royal family.
Malric’s reign had gone on for five years. K’xarr found it odd that the pope planned to oust the usurper so long after the deed was done. Whatever the pope’s reasons were, K’xarr was pleased the pontiff had seen fit to wage war on Masaria. He had been fighting the Church and its priests for the last few years, so it would be good to finally get paid for killing them.
Song Of Fury (Gods Of Blood And Fire Book 2) Page 6
