by Aaron Thomas
John’s camp could be seen only by the front riders in the column, where Bowie rode. Bowie saw a commotion in John’s camp start as they had appeared with in view. Bowie sped up to meet John.
“Sergeant Crescent, I am glad to see you. I was just assembling a few men to ride out to check on you.”
“I am glad we were able to make it before you did that. We ran into a bit of trouble,” Bowie replied
John cleared his throat, “How much is a bit?”
“Ten.” Bowie said nothing other than that. His mind was still going over his near-death experience. He still couldn’t believe he had come so close to dying. Bowie snapped out of his vacant stare to see John still looking at him wanting details. “We came upon at least ten men around sunset. I took a large cut to my waist and Palvey died. One other was injured and is in the cart. Bobby and Ria have been seeing to him.”
“You were able to stop all ten?” John asked.
“Ten of them we killed. We are not sure how many there were altogether. A few of my troops chased two into the forest and lost them. By the time we had returned to the area the armor and weapons were all gone from the men they had killed. Not one piece of armor was left.”
John must have noticed something in Bowie’s voice, “You took on an enemy force of more than ten men and only came out with one death and two injuries. I would say you did rather well. Besides, we may have caught up to those men that lost you in the forest.”
Bowie perked up in his saddle, ready to get justice for Palvey.
“Early morning yesterday we saw some men moving through the forest near our camp and were able to chase the soldiers into a farm house.”
“Did you kill them?” Bowie asked.
“When we approached the house, a farmer said we had no right to her belongings. She said we couldn’t enter her house. We have it surrounded and were waiting for you,” John replied, beaming.
Bowie gave an evil grin, “Show me.”
Together they rode to Ria’s wagon and had her come with them, explaining where they were going on the way. Auburn insisted on coming along. Still dressed in her hunting outfit covered in dirt and blood, she clammered on a horse and used the saddle to string her bow. Bowie pushed Charger into a trot and winced at every bounce from the horse, he needed to have Bobby re-sew the wound.
On a small road they came upon a house that was surrounded by his soldiers. The cottage was made of stone walls and a thatched roof. The walls were almost completely covered by moss like most of the ground in the open area surrounding the house. The wooden shutters on the windows were closed and a tendril of smoke rose out of the chimney. A small garden extended out of the front of the house and a gray-haired woman wearing a brown apron retreated inside upon their approach.
“We haven’t gone any closer since you were last here, Corporal Curtain,” said a soldier coming out of the tree’s.
“Has anyone else gone inside?” Bowie asked the boy.
“No, but a wagon did come down the road, see us, then promptly turned around without saying anything. The wagon left in quite a hurry.”
Bowie nodded to the boy.
Ria had been too silent, listening to John and Bowie update them on everything that had been discussed. “Well, shall we go say hello and introduce our selves? I am sure this is just a small misunderstanding,” Ria dismounted and walked towards the house expecting the others to follow.
Auburn didn’t hesitate to follow the wizard. Bowie and John shrugged their shoulders and dismounted. The archer that spoke from out of the bushes took control of the horses and the four walked up to the front door.
“I will talk and you two will remain silent,” Ria said looking them in the eyes.
They both nodded their heads as if they had already become mutes.
With a lantern in hand, Ria knocked on the door three times. “Good morning, may I trouble you for a moment to rest my traveled legs?”
One of the shutters on a window opened to reveal one nervous looking eye.
A woman’s voice called out from the crack in the window, “You may come in but the soldiers will stay outside.”
“Excuse me mad’am, I have come to talk. I will need you to allow me and the commander of this troop to enter to help discuss what is going on here. He will be unarmed, of course.”
Bowie stepped up to Ria, “What are you saying?! We can’t go-” He was cut off by a whip like vine hit him on the back of his leg.
Ria cleared her throat, “I will need my handmaid to come along as well. It has been awhile since we have had a properly brewed cup of tea. I did bring my own if you wish to use it.” Ria’s words sounded as if the tea was the hardest part to commit to.
“Fine. The commander, your handmaid, and yourself. No one else comes closer to my house.”
“Very well,” Ria said happily. “My backside needs a cushioned seat after all that riding.”
The door opened and Ria stepped inside showing no fear, followed by Bowie and finally Auburn. John was left to wait outside.
As soon as Auburn cleared the door a commotion inside erupted with Fire Realm men pulling blades out of their sheaths and yelling at each other. The door was shut and barred into place with a wood beam. Bowie noticed Auburn had knocked an arrow and was now pointing it around the room at each of the enemy soldiers.
The gray-haired woman was doing her best to put herself in front of the soldiers so Auburn wouldn’t have a clear shot. Ria calmly walked over to the table and made herself at home, having a seat amongst the commotion. She waved Bowie over and he sat in the chair next to her. Ria nodded at Bowie and looked up at his hat, which he quickly snatched from his head.
The woman staring defiantly at Auburn finally spoke to Ria, “Tell her to put her weapon outside!”
“I am sorry, that is not what we agreed to. I told you the commander would be unarmed and he is. Besides, it is not my maid you have to worry about. After all, I am a wizard. If I wanted to kill them, believe me when I say they would already be six feet under.” Ria pulled a small canister from her handbag and held it over her shoulder. “Auburn, if you would see to making us some tea.”
Auburn slowly released the tension on her bow and put the arrow in her quiver on her hip. She moved across the room to a table with a tea kettle and made sure it was full of water. She cleared her throat while approaching the men that now stood in front of the small fire in the hearth.
When none moved Ria spoke again. “You can tell those men to put away their swords and step aside. We are only here to talk.”
One of the men cautiously returned his sword to his sheath and was followed by the other men. Bowie counted six men as they moved away from the hearth and now stood beside the windows, peering outside. One even moved to stand directly behind Bowie, making him feel very uncomfortable.
The old woman sat down across from Ria and was nervously glancing around at her men. The man behind Bowie put his hand back on his blade’s hilt. The ground trembled and dust fell from the rafters. A couple stones shook loose from the wall and rolled across the floor to a stop. Ria turned to look at the man who promptly removed his hand from his sword. She turned back and reached a hand across the table.
“My name is Ria. I usually don’t get caught up in these sort of matters, but since the king stumbled apon me using magic, I’m here. The boy’s name is Bowie Crescent, he is the master fletcher from the Water Realm and commander of these troops.”
“Now the king is recruiting children from other realms to die for his selfish causes,” She retorted. “My name is Cathy Hill, and this is my home.”
“Cathy, it is a pleasure. I must say I thought that you would be a bit more joyous about our wanting to enter your home when it contains the soldiers of an enemy land.” Ria was very calm with her statement.
“These men are no enemy of mine. These men choose to fight for King Rekkan because Atmos chooses not to keep his promises. It’s a wonder that Atmos thinks we will follow him at all,” Cathy said fussi
ng with a lace doily.
“What promises are you talking about?” Bowie asked.
Both women looked at him, Ria did so with a bit of a scowl for defying her instructions not to speak. The other, he was sure, was from his lack of knowledge. Bowie never did have a knack for staying out of a conversation.
“You command men in his army and you don’t know why you are riding to war?” Cathy asked as she shook her head.
Bowie sat a bit straighter in his chair, “I am trying to keep my men from dying in a war that we are ordered to participate in whether we like it or not. Furthermore, I was told they invaded this land and were taking from the kingdom’s people.”
Cathy scoffed, “The people in this area of the Earth Realm do not recognize Atmos’ authority. The previous King Atmos and his son on the throne have taken more from us in the last month than the Fire Realm could take from us in a year. We gladly help the Fire Realm, as they have proper manners and are willing to pay for what they require. Why, my husband has even chosen to work for them in their new settlement.”
There was a moment of silence as Auburn set the table of tea cups and poured the tea. She offered each person a scoop of sugar as she rounded the table. After serving, she finally settled herself into place.
Ria then continued, “We know all too well the things that King Atmos takes from this land, but it’s nothing that no other king takes.”
Cathy took a sip of tea, followed by Ria and Auburn as it was the woman’s home and was customary she drink first. She then continued, “We haven’t seen a soldier or guard in our town for more than the time it took to stock up on food and drink himself to sleep in the inn that he doesn’t pay for. The king then demands taxes, our children to fight, and any available supplies for his wars. When he arrives this time there will be nothing left for his men to take. Bandits, thieves, and murderers travel this part of the realm, unchecked by his so-called majesty.”
The men in the room nodded their heads while she ranted.
Bowie spoke out of turn, “I’ve paid for everything that we have taken. I was ordered to make due with what I had. Perhaps those soldiers did this on their own and should be punished accordingly.”
Cathy scoffed, “There is a decree in the town hall by our mayor that we have followed. We are to avoid the king’s men and to do our best to hide and stay out of their sight to stop them from intruding even more upon our town. Auburn is it? There is a bit of bread and butter in the cupboard there. It isn’t much but it will go nicely with the tea.”
Ria reached across the table and placed a comforting hand on Cathy’s, “Thank you for your hospitality. I will repay you as we leave. I have a knack with plants and your’s seem to be a bit sparse of fruit.” Cathy raised her eyebrow, seeming unsure of what she was talking about. “Is this love for the Fire Realm’s men shared with many of the towns here?”
“It’s shared with some even farther north of here, and all to the south, east, and west. Most of the towns have sent men by night to fight at their side. These men are all native to this land.” She held her hands up to the men in the room.
Ria looked around the room, “Is this true?”
Each nodded his head in turn. One even spoke up, “This is my grandmother.”
Bowie was more than surprised, he was confused by the leather Fire Realm clothing that the boy wore. He hated to ask but he did. “The men we found in the forest a couple nights ago, were they also from the Earth Realm?”
Ria shook her head at the archer’s commander, “Master Crescent, we will not go down that road. They attacked you and I will not having you regret protecting Auburn’s or your own life for something you did not know.”
Bowie already had his answer. He was angry. Angry at the men for choosing to fight him instead of just refusing to fight for the king. He was angry at the king for not telling his men the true reasons they fought. He was mad that he had put Auburn in a place to kill those from her own homeland. His face reflected that anger as the blood filled his cheeks. He pulled at his collar and clenched his jaw as she continued.
“There is nothing to do about it now, Master Crescent, except do our best to change the future,” Ria said trying to calm him.
Bowie looked across the table at Auburn who had stopped buttering bread. Her naturally green eyes, now bloodshot as tears ran down her face between the tendrils of hair that had come loose from her braid. She had killed two of them.
Bowie did not allow them time to offer excuses as he sure they would. “So a foreign king comes to town and you just decide to give him all the supplies that King Atmos would have taken, and then you join his army and try and kill your fellow country men?” Bowie asked.
Cathy’s grandson took a step forward and spoke up. “No. He asked for tools and bought supplies. When we gave it to Rekkan we knew he was different, so we joined his force. Both his realm and our people have not had our promises fulfilled by King Atmos. Besides, King Rekkan wouldn’t let us fight with him, we decided to fight for ourselves,” the boy said.
“So an enemy king rejected you and still you decide to be traitors to the Earth Realm?!” Bowie and the boy were now shouting at each other in the small home.
“You forced our hand in killing our countrymen! You get what you deserve for forgetting where your loyalties lie. You are nothing but cowards!” Bowie screamed.
“Us Cowards!?! You and your men are the ones who won’t stand up to him and his wizard gang. We are tired of being ruled, taxed, and given unjust laws just so wizards can be put into power and manipulate all of us. Down with Atmos and down with wielders!” Cathy’s nephew cried.
All of the young soldiers were continuously chanting, “Down with Atmos and down with wielders!”
Ria let a sigh fall on ears that could not hear her sadness for their own ignorance. The small home shook and dust fell from the rafters. The men all stopped shouting and reached for parts of the wall to steady themselves.
Changing the subject, Ria looked at Cathy, “If your husband cannot join the army, then where did he go?”
“They offered to let any skilled man use his talent in aiding the fortifications of the Fire Realm. When it comes to the time for battle these workers were promised to be returned to their families. My husband is good at cutting through these large trees. He’s there to help build the defenses before Atmos arrives.” Cathy took another sip of her tea and Ria did the same.
Bowie understood there was nothing that could be done or said to change the minds of these people. They’d been lost to their hatred of wielders, just as they were lost to their hate of a king who offered no protection. Living in the Water Realm he knew all too well the needs of the people in this part of the realm. The Water Realm did not get any aid from Atmos but still had to pay taxes and supply provisions to passing soldiers and guards for other cities, while they had none permanently assigned in Humbridge. He stood and pushed in his chair. Auburn and Ria both finished their last sip of tea and stood by the door.
Bowie straightened his hat and spoke to Cathy, “I will tell my men not to attack your men so long as they leave south bound. They must leave this house and take no weapons or armor with them. All of your men here will be gone before sundown. If I come back, it will be to capture traitors of the Earth Realm and take them to King Atmos. Please, do not be here when I come back.”
Auburn picked up her bow and carried it outside and was followed closely by Ria. Bowie met each men eye to eye before shutting the door behind himself. Fruits turned to bright colors and filled with life as Ria walked through the garden. Bowie watched as potatoes poked themselves from the earth and melons turned the colors of ripening fruit before his eyes. Bowie resisted the urge to take one of the strawberries as he passed by.
**********
The veterans had finally started to come around and spar with Chit after watching the beating he took from Captain Lorusk. His large mule-headed hilt of a sword swung at each contender with a reckless force. He had dented many of the vetera
ns armor as they trained against the newcomer to their ranks. He was supposed to be the King’s Champion but they took it upon themselves to make sure he knew just how useless with the sword he really was.
One of the veterans decided to show Chit how to fight with the sword in a way the Captain hadn’t tried before. “He said fighting with the sword was like dancing with a woman. Keep two hands on the sword; one on the handle and the other with hand open and palm against the blade.”
Chit watched and finally a fighting style had taken hold. The hand slid up and down the blade, guiding it, making the sword graceful and mystic. The new style would not use Chit’s strength, but bring out his more graceful side.
Chit found the fighting style easy. Keeping his hand on the blade forced him to make careful motions to not cut himself. He felt more restrained, more in control. Each movement caused him to think how to move his hand along the blade or how to turn it to avoid its edge. Lorusk watched as Chit used his new sword style to take turns fighting four different men, each with their own fighting style. Chit was learning to combat each one quicker than he had against Lorusk. The captain knew that very soon Chit would be a superior fighter to Kilen. He hoped it was enough for Chit to complete his mission to kill the weapon bearer. If the training wasn’t enough, it meant the king would send Lorusk chasing after the weapon bearer to finish what Chit failed to do.
Chit was now pivoting on the balls of his feet to meet his opponent's sword from an overhead strike. The vibration ran down the open palm hand supporting the blade and into his arms. The strike was powerful and he returned it to the veterans midsection with a kick from his rear leg. The veteran’s blade came free of his hand as his back hit the ground.
A soldier whispered into the captain’s ear, “The king requests you both at once.” Lorusk waved Chit to him and turned to go through the crowd. The large mule headed sword could be heard sliding back into its sheath. Lorusk turned to see Chit following while sliding the leather strap over his shoulder and adjusting the hilt so that it stuck up where he could reach it. The so-called champion was shirtless and still had open wounds bleeding around his body, but it was the boy’s own fault so he pressed on.
