Forsaken At The Crossroads

by Joe Sniezek

  “But how did you know I’d go through the gateway?” he asked, confused.

  “I didn’t. I thought you’d stay put for a while. Nobody knew Eniyan was there. You were supposed to be alone for a while,” Zumi said, “but we kept an eye on you. We sent a big cat to see what you were up to.”

  “Yes. I saw that one. How do you get a cat to be a spy, anyway?” Wilfer said

  “Really?” Zumi said with a frown, “Most people never see it. But never mind that, you’re getting distracted again. The idea was for you to be stuck all alone and we were going to rescue you. You would have bonded with us. Unfortunately, Eniyan was a very bad influence on you, as I said.”

  Wilfer, trying to be agreeable said, “Tell me about San La. What would I do there? What’s really going on?”

  “Whatever you want,” Zumi shrugged. “I’m serious. You will find some way to be useful. Maybe you can be an advisor. What did you do back in Jorden?”

  “Not much of anything really,” Wilfer admitted.

  “We will find something for you to do. Something to make you happy. Maybe that’s your problem, you’re just bored,” Zumi said.

  Wilfer wasn’t aware that he had a problem, but he let that slide. He did not respond right away. He made it seem like he was slowly being convinced, but in his mind, there was little chance of him ever going to San La.

  After a while, he asked, “Why me though?”

  “Because I like you,” she said giving him a little punch to the leg.”

  Wilfer chuckled, “I mean why did they want to get rid of me? What did I do?”

  “They’re getting rid of everybody. Your home is no longer the same place you remember. We used whatever influence we have to bring you here. We tried to save you but most weren’t so lucky.”

  “What do you mean, no longer the same? What’s going on?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I’m sure it wouldn’t mean much to me if I did. It’s an internal matter. I know it’s politics as usual though. One man losing his power, another man gaining. Conflict and intrigue,” she said.

  “I have always tried to stay out of that stuff,” Wilfer said bitterly.

  “Not enough, I guess,” she said with pity, “But the fact that you don’t get too involved in that stuff is the reason why I think you’ll do well in San La. You’re smart and capable but not ambitious. Ambition can be a terrible thing, sometimes.”

  There were a few surprises in her information, but not many. He could have guessed much of that on his own. He was hoping for some concrete details. He was hoping for a name. He did believe that Zumi truly did not know, however.

  Zumi gave Wilfer a few minutes to think about his situation, then she said, “So you’ll come with me? They will escort us to the gateway,” she indicated the soldiers around them, “Or they will drag you all the way home. There is no third option.”

  Wilfer thought it over for a while and said, “I feel like it will be a prison either way.”

  They had arrived at the side road that leads to San La. This was Wilfer’s last chance. Should he go with Zumi, or allow her to return home and leave him in a cage?

  She dismounted from their horse. As she prepared to return to her home, she looked up at him and said with a smile, “Not a prison. Maybe exile, but not a prison. And you’ll be with me.”

  “That would brighten any prison,” Wilfer said, “but I’m afraid I just wouldn’t be able to let go. My mind would always be with my homeland. So for good or bad, I have to see this through.”

  “What if the exile isn’t permanent? And even if you can never return home, that doesn’t mean you can’t have any connection at all. You can have influence and affect change from afar,” Zumi said.

  “I’m sorry,” Wilfer said, slowly shaking his head.

  After a moment of standing there, her eyes welling up, Zumi walked up the road towards her home with the parting words of, “Stay safe.”

  Seventeen

  Wilfer was expecting rough treatment from the guards now that Zumi has left. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. He was still tightly bound to the horse but he rode in peaceful silence. Wilfer didn’t know if their goodwill would last, but he enjoyed it while he could.

  The silence gave him nothing to do but think. He was not convinced that Zumi was telling him the whole truth, but he knew this road would end poorly for him. He did not expect to be executed once he returned home. They wouldn’t have wasted time exiling him, capturing him, and bringing him back safely only to kill him at the end. However, he did expect a prison cell. Wilfer found it amusing that part of him was actually eager to finally figure out what is happening, to put faces to the forces behind his current woes. Was that foolish? Yes, and it was also foolish that he missed Zumi. He was very fond of that girl.

  His reverie was brought to an abrupt end by a jolt from his horse. It had been bitten on the flank by some nasty fly. The horse squealed and bucked. Better the horse than me, Wilfer thought. He noticed one of the other horses react similarly; they must have walked into a cloud of the flies. Two more horses were bitten as the Captain spurred the troop into a trot to spare the horses any more pain before they spook out of control.

  Wilfer spotted one of the bugs. It wasn’t a fly; it was a wasp. They must have been nearing a wasp nest. His earlier relief was short-lived because the wasps were no longer focusing on the horses. They harassed the riders as well, getting into eyes, noses, and mouths.

  The wasps were too numerous to count. The horses were losing control. They shook their heads and manes, swished their tails and bucked frequently. One soldier dismounted to light a torch. The smoke did help to drive away the insects but it was too late. The horses tossed their riders and bolted. All horses except Wilfer’s, he was tied to his horse. Wilfer had no choice but to hold on tight and go along for the ride. The horses ran in a zig-zag path along the road and then across the adjacent field. They were almost completely out of sight by the time they calmed down. Whatever initially roused the insects must have subsided because the wasps did not chase very far after the horses.

  Wilfer was able to regain control of his horse once it had calmed down. Control over his horse gave Wilfer indirect control over the other horses, as well. He guided them to the sparse grass of the clearing so that they could graze. Wilfer looked back at the horseless troops. They were still fighting with the wasps and had set fire to a pile of grass and leaves. The smoke was driving off the wasps because Wilfer could see some of the soldiers switch from fighting to nursing their stings.

  With only moments of rest, all the men simultaneously jumped up to a standing defensive posture. They turned around to face the road behind them and drew their swords. Whatever was approaching, the wasp attack was no coincidence. Wilfer remembered that he had seen this scenario play out before.

  Three giants approached the soldiers. They stopped just out of range of the archers. Wilfer could not hear if there was a conversation or if it was just a pause before the charge. Perhaps the giants were wondering how to overcome the soldiers’ arrows.

  While his captors were distracted with an imminent battle, Wilfer examined his ropes. All knots were hopelessly out of reach. If he had a knife or anything sharp he could try to cut them. But with only bare fingers, he couldn’t even begin to fray the ropes.

  At this point, Wilfer was not sure what to do. If he stayed and watched, the winner of the battle would eventually turn their attention to him and the horses. If the soldiers won, they would just continue on their journey. Since he did not attempt to flee, they might untie him. On the other hand, if the giants won, Wilfer did not know their intentions. They may ignore him and the horses, or they may kill him and take the horses. Would he be able to explain that he was a friend? Surely the fact that he was tied up supported that argument. It was a dangerous and tricky situation. Giants and wasps were an unusual pairing. That suggested either Ikvig was there or at least his friends were. With the odds in his favor, Wilfer decided to stay and watch. Besides, w
here else would he go?

  The two opposing sides of the battle reached some sort of stalemate. Wilfer guessed they were either negotiating or stalling for time. As they waited opposite of each other, Wilfer saw a lone figure break away. The figure headed towards him. It was a human, based on the size. The figure continued to approach him and the horses. The horses were wary but Wilfer kept his horse still, and that seemed to calm the others.

  As the robed figure came close enough to for Wilfer to make out his features, he smiled at the person and raised an arm in greeting. “Eniyan. So you did come back,” Wilfer said as his old friend arrived.

  Eniyan drew close to Wilfer’s horse, looked at his ropes and pulled out a small knife to cut them. It was a poor quality knife. Eniyan had to saw at the ropes to cut all the way through but he soon freed Wilfer.

  “Ah. If I never see another horse…” Wilfer said as he dismounted and stretched his back and legs.

  “Get back on, we’re riding into battle,” Eniyan said as he mounted a second horse.

  “With what?” Wilfer asked, holding out his empty hands.

  “We won’t be doing the fighting. They are at an impasse at the moment,” Eniyan said as they trotted back towards the action. They approached slowly to avoid causing alarm.

  “What’s going on? Are they making demands?”

  “More stalling, really. The giants aren’t used to so much walking and the men have a lot of venom in their blood at the moment. Neither side is quite ready for hand to hand combat just yet.”

  “What do the giants want?”

  “Revenge. They’ve negotiated down to having the men hand over the one soldier who shot Ikvig. And the men, of course, refuse. As I said, they’re stalling. Nobody expected any of that to work,” Eniyan explained.

  “Ikvig!” Wilfer said with joy, “So he is alright?”

  “The arrow only grazed a rib, so it’s just a shallow flesh wound. I guess you could say he’s alright,” Eniyan said.

  “He still had his pendant, I see.”

  “Yes. I guess he’s been practicing with it. He has gotten the hang of it,”

  As they arrived at the standoff, Wilfer’s reluctance grew. He said to Eniyan, “To tell the truth, I was hoping to stay out of it. If I remain neutral, I can go with whichever side wins.” He flashed a sheepish smile.

  “Good,” Eniyan said, “I know I’m not a very good teacher but I’m glad to see that you’ve learned something. Just standing here and watching won’t work, unfortunately. You need both sides to think you’re on their side, not both sides to think you’re on nobody’s side. See the difference?”

  “Yes,” Wilfer said thoughtfully, “I need to play both sides, not remain neutral.”

  “I just told you what the giants want. At the very minimum, the one who shot Ikvig will need to be sacrificed. They feel they need to send a message to protect their homeland. It’s not just about revenge but also national security. They need to project an image of strength to the outside world. If you can find another way to give that to them, they may be satisfied,” Eniyan said, trying to teach Wilfer international politics in the few short moments they had.

  Wilfer trotted up to the soldiers. The Captain said to him, “Get in the back, we’re not giving you a weapon. And we can’t have you wandering off while we’re busy fighting.”

  “If I was trying to escape, I wouldn’t have come back. I can help negotiate peace. We can get out of this without any blood being spilled.”

  “Well speak your peace then,” the Captain said, clearly doubting Wilfer’s abilities.

  “The giants see an attack on their homeland. You entered uninvited and shot someone. In their minds, if this goes unanswered they’d be welcoming an invasion. You’d do the same,” Wilfer explained.

  “They killed five of our men,” the Captain protested.

  “Couldn’t it have been someone else? You didn’t see the actual killing.”

  The Captain was quiet for a while. He was thinking and calculating his options. Wilfer was sure they would try to negotiate the lowest cost possible. Would an arrow to the thigh of the archer suffice? But sadly, the Captain chose a different path. He straightened up, looked Wilfer right in the eye and said, “There’s only three of them and seven of us. We will continue on our way and they are going to let us.”

  “They’re not going to leave empty-handed. They are probably hoping you will resist,” Wilfer said.

  “They are very patient for such confidence and bravery. No, I think we will call their bluff,” the Captain said. Then over his shoulder to his men, “Fire a warning shot.”

  A soldier aimed his bow directly at the center giant and let an arrow fly. It flew straight and true. The giants did not flinch but the arrow fell two paces short and sunk into the ground at their feet.

  Wilfer sighed and said, “It didn’t strike them. It was a warning shot. It’s not too late. Let me see if I can convince them to back down.”

  Wilfer trotted over to the giants and when he reached them, he said, “We are at an impasse. They wish to continue on their way in peace but are prepared to defend themselves. That’s why they fired the warning shot.”

  “That was no warning shot,” Eniyan said, “Distances are not stable here.”

  Wilfer ignored Eniyan and waited for the giants to form a response. However, they were done talking and did not respond. They had recovered their energy and were ready for battle. The center giant grabbed the spear strapped to his back. He balanced it in his grip, and taking two large steps, launched the spear towards the men. It flew strong and true and impaled one of the men, travelling almost all the way through him and knocking him to the ground, dead.

  Eniyan said to Wilfer, “I told you distances change.”

  Wilfer’s eyes widened, “Did you do that?” he asked, an Eniyan only winked and said nothing.

  The fight could not be stopped now. The men advanced upon the giants. They did not charge immediately; they marched towards the giants with determination. The giants also advanced. Ikvig, who Wilfer had just now noticed, had obtained more swords and had given them to Ike. With a sword in each tentacle, Ike spread them out from Ikvig as he clung to his back like a deadly, bladed peacock. The soldier’s eyes widened in fear as Ikvig let out a mighty battle cry and charged. The two other giants charged with him. The men, not to be outdone, ran towards the charging giants.

  Wilfer was honestly terrified. He had no idea who would win this battle. Six men, armed with swords and bows against three giants and a squid armed with clubs and swords.

  Immediately, one soldier held back and fired off two arrows. That was all he could manage before the two sides intercepted. Once that happened, there was no clear shot. One of the arrows flew too high over the giants and landed safely behind them. The other arrow pierced the shoulder of the horse Eniyan was riding. Not a fatal wound, but it was enough to provoke the horse into throwing Eniyan and running to safety.

  In the initial clash, the three giants encountered the three foremost men. One man’s head was crushed like an over-ripe melon by a blow from a giant’s club. Ikvig impaled a soldier in the abdomen and another giant punctured another man’s heart. The large difference in arm length mattered more than skill or any other factor in the fight. Wilfer was surprised at the lopsidedness of it all.

  The soldiers in the rear attempted to circle around behind the giants while they were engaged with the first wave of men. However, Ike had no problem keeping them at bay. While Ike was not particularly skilled at swordplay, his many appendages – each able to act independently – made up for any lack. This was enough of a delay for the other two giants to dispatch their first opponents and pivot around to attack the others. As with the first wave, one soldier was brained and the others impaled.

  The Captain had momentarily taken a step back to determine how to best counter the squid. He saw all his men had fallen, so he dropped his sword. The giants stopped but did not lower their weapons.

  All memory of
a conflict between giant and man had faded to myth and legend. Giants had always been seen as formidable, if for no other reason than their size. But not only are giants large, they are fierce fighters, too.

  Wilfer, who had stayed out of the fighting, said to the Captain, “Now what shall we do with you?” The Captain was too stunned by the swiftness of the battle to respond. Wilfer tied the man’s hands behind his back as he stood there passively, letting himself be bound.

  “Let us get some information first,” Eniyan said and sat the man down at the edge of the road.

  “Do we clear the road?” Wilfer said with disgust as he pointed at the dead.

  “We will bury them,” Ikvig said, remembering Wilfer’s insistence with the guards at the gateway. He and the other giants dragged the bodies off the road to the edge of the forest. Not having any shovels, they again build cairns. The giants were dutiful and respectful in building a stone grave for the men and they waited for Wilfer to say a few words. Wilfer again made a few cryptic gestures and mumbled some words.

  Eighteen

  The giants were not interested in talking to their new prisoner. They kept themselves busy sorting through the spoils of war to see if there was anything worth taking. One giant walked over to the horses to round them up and inspect them. Therefore, the task of questioning the prisoner fell to Wilfer and Eniyan.

  The Captain sat calmly and just stared at a point on the ground a few feet ahead of him, neither looking up nor showing any indication of being willing to talk. Eniyan allowed Wilfer to take the lead, as usual. Wilfer had little experience with this sort of thing. He started by attempting to build a rapport before asking for information – just to get him talking.

  Wilfer began, “In some ways, you wouldn’t have encountered the giants in the first place if you weren’t chasing me. So I guess this is partially my fault.” The Captain just stared at him in anger. Wilfer felt that may have been a mistake but at least the prisoner made eye contact. Maybe that was progress.