A fear touches my heart. The Mementos. In this shaky state of mistrust, anything could happen. If this keeps going the way it is, someone might make a grab for them. I can’t allow that to happen. More than that, this group might fall apart. The only other person who isn’t in the middle of this is Maris, who watches little interest. What am I supposed to do? There’s no point in asking that. I only have one choice, and if I don’t try now, it might end up being too late.
“Stop,” I scream. This is a feeble attempt, but to my surprise, everyone stops. They all turn their eyes to me, heat radiating from most. Someone has to try and bring everyone back to the problem. This won’t solve anything. Beneath their glares, I hope that my nerve will hold. I cough, clearing my throat. “We don’t have time for this. We have more important matters right now. How are we supposed to get out? Or are we stuck here with no hope?”
A tense silence wraps around the group. We look everywhere but at each other. In a matter of moments, the comradery that we built on for so long fell apart. How could we bear to face our own faults? “No,” G. says at last. His voice is level, as he clears his mind to focus on a solution. “There is a way out. Though I lack experience with enchanted forests, I know we need a guide.”
“A guide?” Queen asks.
“That’s what the drivers in the caravan were,” Aurora explains. As she says this, I hear the regret in her voice, which reflects in G.’s face. They could’ve avoided this situation, but they didn’t take the right precautions. “They have the charms and skills necessary to pass any magical barriers as if they weren’t there. Though they didn’t explain it, that was one of the key reasons everyone traveled in a caravan. If everyone struck out on their own, who knows how many would end up trapped?”
Queen crosses her arms. “Great, we had someone that could help us, and we let him go. Now, we’re stuck here.” She pauses. “Why didn’t we just grab a charm as we went?”
“We couldn’t use them,” G. replies. “Only certain people can use those items. Forget the caravan. We don’t need the drivers. There are other people capable of navigating through forests,” G. says, a sudden spark igniting in his eyes. “And you can always find them among bandits.”
CHAPTER NINE
Bandits
9
“Are you sure about this?” Aurora asks in a low voice.
“What?” I ask in return, surprised at her sudden question.
“Capturing someone and forcing him to help us,” her voice is thick with doubt. “Is that the right thing to do?”
“Well,” I begin, but that’s as far as I go. This is the first time I considered it. I haven’t had time to think about if this is right or wrong. It is an interesting question. Wish I had my memories to know if my old self would approve of this.
She shakes her head. “Back in the palace, whenever we wanted a favor from someone, we paid them. No one would dream of forcing anyone to do something against their will.”
“But what could we offer them?” I reply.
“We could think of something. Everyone needs something. You just have to figure it out.”
I like her thinking. It would be great if this could be handled in a peaceful way, but I have a lingering doubt. “What’s to stop them from attacking us and taking everything we have?”
She looks at me and smiles. “Queen really rubbed off on you.”
Chuckling, I agree, “Yeah, but I can’t argue with that logic. After all, if the bandits aren’t dangerous, we wouldn’t have avoided them for so long.”
“What are you talking about?” Harva asks, hurrying to our side.
“Oh, nothing,” Aurora replies, with a flustered smile. A frown stretches across the child’s face. That little ploy wasn’t going to work. Flustered, she tells me, “I’ll go along with it, but I don’t think that it’s right.”
“Is something wrong?” Harva asks as Aurora walks away.
“I don’t think so,” I reply. “Just wish I could understand her. Don’t think you can help me understand how women think.”
At this, the girl giggles. “Don’t think so. I’m not grown up yet.” I laugh with her, but this moment of brevity is cut short. Suddenly, everyone comes to a stop. Ahead of us, G. squats down, pausing for the fifteenth time in the last two hours.
“What is it, G.?” Queen calls.
It’s been a week since we realized that we are caught in a barrier. At the end of our heated discussion, we decided that the best course of action is to find a guide. To find that guide, we need to find a group of bandits. According to G., they travel between the borders of Raka and Sorin often. Since neither country approaches the border to prevent war, bandits are free to pass through without opposition. It’s almost funny that we’re trying to track down the dangerous men we avoided for so long. What is more unexpected is that they would be so difficult to find.
Everyone waits in silence as G. sits hunched in the middle of the woods, staring at the ground. “Found the tracks again,” he says at last. No one breathes a word as we wait for him to reveal more. At first, he doesn’t elaborate to our chagrin. Ever since we found the tracks the first time, I feel as if the enemy could attack at any moment. I keep my staff in a tight grip, ready for anything.
Today, I am practicing one of Zero’s skills, the Mind Map. Unlike David, I don’t need a real map. According to my mentor, I can form one within my mind, along with an internal compass to guide me wherever I go. Focusing my mind and closing my eyes, I open the map. My mind views it as if I’m looking down on the land. It’s still crude, but it will work. Without opening my eyes, I can see the surrounding forest and in the middle are seven circles, representing us. In the distance, another circle darts around. Wonder who that is? I smile to myself. Zero’s lessons are paying off. If only he could explain something without a rambling speech.
Putting away the map, I focus on the situation at hand. “They’re human,” he confirms. “A few horses too. They took great care to hide them.”
All at once, David’s smile stretches across his face. “Which direction?” he asks, crouching next to his friend.
G. places his hand on his chin and rubs his beard for a long minute. He points northeast. “We need to be careful,” he warns, taking a seriousness that is so strange for him. “They’re taking great care to hide their numbers.”
“Of course they are,” David agrees. “Do you think you can follow it?”
G. turns to his friend and cracks his shoulders with a smile. “Without a doubt,” he bellows.
Springing to his feet, David orders, “C’mon, everyone. Let’s go.” He turns to find cold eyes gazing back at him. The adolescent man’s face flushes, and he looks down at his feet. “Never mind. Do what you want.” He turns away with his hands in his pockets. Since lying about being lost, not too many of the party have been the most trusting of David. Despite being his closest friend, G. chastised no one for their behavior. Everyone knows that what David did was wrong, and he shook the entire trust of the group.
The lad forgot himself, thinking he could take charge again. It says a lot that no one will play along, not even Harva. “C’mon,” G. repeats. “Now that we have a trail, this shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Are you sure that they’ll be inside the barrier?” Queen asks. “You know that it’s possible that they only passed through.”
“No, they’ll be here,” G. answers. “This is the safest place in the world for them. Think about it. The perfect hiding place.” He looks around, seeing if anyone else wanted to argue. With no further discussion needed, he guides us through the forest.
“Did Zero hear what he thought he did?” Our newest member springs down from his perch, walking amongst us. He wears a wide smile filled with hope as he walks beside me. He’s staying closer to us more each day. Does he want to watch his new pupil, or is there some other purpose? I nod in answer. “Wonderful,” he cries. “Zero needs to hone his skills with a good brawl. The more, the merrier.” He slides up nex
t to me. “It’s the perfect time for you to practice.”
I have to admit that he’s right, but I’d rather not fight them. Not since the Collector have I had an actual fight with another person. My mind flashes back to the caravan. How many would die on the battlefield if there were two opposing sides? The very thought leaves me feeling sick. I want to avoid that at all costs, but here I am, going to fight bandits.
“So, tell me,” Queen says to Aurora. “What is a guide?”
“Anyone,” she replies. Queen shoots her a look, showing that such a simple answer wouldn’t work. “Monk, nun, priest, forester, anyone has the potential to be a guide, but only those that have a magical affinity.”
“Why can’t you guide us out?” Harva asks in a quiet voice. Except to me, she hasn’t said too much since the fight. David’s harsh behavior has made her clam up around the others. It hurts me to see her like this. She finally got used to talking with everyone.
“In my travels,” Aurora answers. “I haven’t needed such a skill.”
Everyone stops as G. looks at the tracks again. “The bandits aren’t far,” G. reports. “There could be anywhere from ten to forty in all with enough horses to make a speedy getaway.” G. rubs his hands together in nervous anticipation. “The key to this will be surprise.” Queen perks up at this.
“Zero will deal with it.”
“What?” G. exclaims.
Leaning against a tree, Zero watches us with intense interest, perhaps for the first time since meeting him. “Zero said that he will deal with the bandits. The rest can set the trap while he lures them in.”
“You can’t be serious,” Queen retorts. “Like we could trust you.”
“Then,” he says, striding forward. “Felix will watch him.” He swings his arm around me like we were the best of friends. “What’s the problem?”
“Why am I in this?” I interject.
“Forget it,” G. insists. “You don’t have a place on this team to carry out that part of the plan.”
“Perhaps that’s an excuse because you know Zero can, and his actions will threaten your leadership.”
G.’s body tenses. Once again, we find the two facing off. Fearing the worst, I agree, “All right. I’ll go with him, if that’ll settle this.”
“It won’t,” G. says. For a long minute, no one breathes a word. “Okay, Zero,” G. compromises. “You take on the bandits. I’ll let Felix help you, but you’re not going without me.”
Zero folds his arms and runs his tongue along his lower lip in thought. “Sure,” he agrees.
“Good,” G. replies, but his tone gives away that he isn’t the happiest about this. “We need to have a strategy about this. The point isn’t to defeat the bandits.” He looks at everyone and repeats, “Our goal isn’t to defeat the bandits. All we need is the one that could get us across the border. Capture him and escape. That’s all.” With a stern stare at Zero, he emphasizes, “We cannot afford a long fight.”
“Will the guide come with us willingly?” Aurora asks. “Or will he put up a fight?”
“That’s hard to say,” G. replies. “Depends on what kind of man he is.”
“And if he fights us, what should we do?”
“He’s coming with us whether he wants to or not.” Aurora winces at this, but doesn’t argue.
“What if they leave the forest before we can catch him?” I ask.
David turns to glare at me. “That won’t happen,” he declares. “I won’t let it happen.” Queen rolls her eyes at this. Still, he wants to try; that means something.
“We’ll go ahead of you,” G. instructs, moving the conversation along, “causing them to run south.” He points in the opposite direction of his destination. “When they reach you here, have your trap set. You’ll have around ten minutes to prepare. David, be sure everything is in place.”
“But,” Queen starts.
“Sorry. I understand your mistrust, but we don’t have time for any more arguments. And Queen, I want you to lead the ambush team.” To my surprise, she doesn’t argue with him. Looking at Aurora and Maris, he adds, “Whip up something they won’t expect.”
Zero interrupts. “How is Zero supposed to lure them away?”
“You mean how are we?” G. emphasizes, his tone harsh. Gulping, I’m not sure if this is going to work or not.
“Just be yourself,” Maris interjects.
Zero stares at her for a moment. The tension between the pair is so high that it is almost terrifying. It breaks as he smiles, saying, “You’re right.” He places his hands behind his head and saunters off.
“Enough talk,” G. announces. “Let’s make this quick.” He walks off one way while Queen heads in the opposite direction. As the others follow, I see Harva turn around and cross her fingers for good luck. I offer back the same gesture, but we’re gonna need more than luck to make this plan work.
I follow G. in silence. A whirling mess of anticipation and apprehension fills my stomach. This is the day that I’m going to test my new skills in battle. Despite my training with Zero, I can’t help but wonder if I’m ready or not. At least Zero and G. are here. They can make up for my shortcomings. “Do we have an attack plan?” I ask.
He doesn’t reply at first, continuing to walk in silence. Glancing over his shoulder, he asks, “Where did Zero go?” It takes a moment for the words to connect. Spinning around, I freeze as I process what I’m seeing. I moan. He’s gone. This shouldn’t surprise me, but still, after what he said, I didn’t expect him to vanish so fast. “I knew this would happen.”
“What do we do?”
“Hurry,” G. urges, rushing forward. “I don’t know what he’s got planned, but he might blow our entire plan.” I stay behind G., allowing him to guide me through the woods. With so much at stake, I don’t need to waste any of my energy trying to practice my map skills. We stop sooner than I expected. I grind my heels to a halt, stopping just at the edge of a clearing. To my disappointment, we’re too late. Beyond where we hid, the bandits camp, and Zero is sauntering into the view of the thieves as if he were walking into a group of friends.
“Get back here,” G. orders in a hushed voice, but Zero pays no attention.
“Come back,” I plead to no effect. It’s too late.
“You better have a plan,” G. barks at him.
The bandits sit around several fires, eating and drinking their fill. Their horses wait at the far end, tied to the trees. One by one, all of the bandits abandon their conversations, narrowing their eyes at this unwelcome newcomer. Zero doesn’t give the faintest sign that he understands the problem he is walking into. He removes his bo from its sling, stopping. The end of it slams against the ground, sending a commanding thud through the silence.
“Look on your death, ye monumental fools,” Zero taunts in a loud voice. He takes his bo and spins it around his body. “You have made a great enemy this day. Pray to whatever god you deem worthy of your fealty because the last name you will say will be the name of Zero Sakanoue.” At the end of his declaration, he throws his head back and starts laughing. It’s unbelievable how little he thinks of these men.
The thieves cannot make any sense of what he just said. To be honest, neither can I. All I know is that all of their eyes are on him, and that’s not good. I guess he caught their attention, but there has to be a better way of doing this. G. crouches beside me, breathing heavily, struggling to remain calm. Near the back of the bandits, one man stands up. A thick beard covers his face. I spy a large scar across his eye. Large furs, not too unlike G.’s own, give the man a taller, intimidating appearance. A slender blade rests across his back.
When he stands, the thieves turn in his direction, waiting to hear what he had to say. His eyes were as slender and cold as the sword he wore. “Since you gave us the courtesy of your name,” he says, in a voice smooth as a river’s stream. “We’ll permit you to live long enough to go back the way you came.” His arm reaches up to the blade. “However, if you persist in this madnes
s, I might forget my hospitality.”
My companion greets this with utter, jovial disdain. He laughs. “Is only one of you brave enough to stand against the mighty Zero?” His head cocks to the side, curious of this one man.
“I am Arsene, the mighty leader of this band of ruffians.” His name appears in front of him, replacing his title of bandit. “The one who stands before you, as you like to put it, is the only one keeping you from being ripped apart limb by limb. If you are lucky enough to survive this encounter, you can tell your friends that the Coyotes allowed you to escape with your head.” At this, a murmur of laughter trickles through the thieves.
Spinning his bo again, Zero says, “Then you should release these mad dogs. Zero’ll take pleasure in making them run with their tails between their legs.” My jaw drops open a little at this. How can he face these men down without the slightest hint of fear? There’s no way that I could remain calm and deliver such threats. G.’s shoulders quiver in rage at Zero’s behavior.
“This Zero must be an impressive person,” Arsene muses. “If he is willing to challenge a band of thieves by himself. Tell me. Just who are you?”
“Who is Zero?” He blinks, a smile coming to his face. “Allow Zero to tell you the Great Legend of Zero,” he exclaims, springing up into the air. He lands in a tree, hanging off a branch. Despite his feet dangling in midair, he begins his tale. “He was once a pitiful man, a mere weakling. No one expected anything of him.” I couldn’t believe this. How can he just tell a story as if it were no big deal? Did he not understand the situation he was in? G.’s fists clench until his dark knuckles pale.
Mind's Journey 2: Of Monsters and Men (A Gamelit Fantasy Adventure - Book 2) Page 10
