War Bow

by P. S. Power

“I can find it and collect it quickly enough. I’m not going ten miles out of my way for it, but I could, possibly, get some extra in. If you provide the barrel and carry it... You can have ten percent of it.” That was probably too generous, but there might not be any at all.

  If he was doing business with the man, that gave him an excuse to keep an eye on him. Not that Anders actually needed anything of the sort. After all, he’d found the man’s thoughts while looking for real threats to himself or those around him. It wasn’t as if he’d been prying into the man’s private fantasies. If that had been the case, if the man had dreamed of using the ladies with them by force, but had no plans to do so, then he wouldn’t have registered in the first place. Not given what had been being looked for at the time.

  The other fellow snorted at him.

  “Fifty percent. I’ll do the work, selling it and handle the funds for it. You said you wanted trade goods for clothing and such? Fine cloth only or... What do you want that way?”

  The man was acting as if they were finished in their bargaining. That wasn’t the case at all, so Anders smiled. Then he laughed a bit.

  “I can work with most cloth, at a guess, and change it into whatever is needed... Now, I understand, you look at me and see a child, that you can win over with force of will and pretend that having me do all the hard work is worth you getting half of the value. Fifteen percent of the honey, to do with as you like, and you handle the trade goods. I’ll trust you not to cheat me, since I’m going to be right here. Watching you. Using magic.” Anders sighed then, since the man didn’t seem that convinced, even holding the frozen piece of meat, as they walked back toward their places in line.

  Mary nearly growled at him then, hitting him on the arm firmly enough that he staggered to the left a bit.

  “You can hear peoples very thoughts? No one here is going to like that, very much.” She seemed to mean it, as if he were now suddenly suspect.

  Instead of lying he simply nodded.

  “I can. I know that one isn’t very popular, but it’s part of the wizard skills I’ve been learning. I can also get a good look at what weather is coming and what’s going on at a distance. It was how I found those bandits, earlier. I was looking for threats to our people last night and came across that. Some other things as well. Most people here won’t have to worry at all. I mean, I won’t register you trying to make a bit extra coin on the side, Mary. Or if you want to hire one of the girls for some fun later, Rofer. Now, if you had ill intent, say, theft or murder... Or, I don’t know, taking a woman by force, thinking she couldn’t tell anyone and be believed, let’s say? Then I’d know about it.” He shrugged, then a bit idly, turned, held his fist toward a full-sized tree and open his fingers rapidly. Holding the correct sense of magic and energy.

  Really, he held a lot more than that, and while the tree managed to stay upright and not fall on them, being huge, as it was, a chunk twice the size of his own head and at least that deep exploded outward, making half the horses in the area stir and even some of the oxen try to shimmy to the side in a fashion that showed more energy and grace than they normally seemed to hold.

  Rofer went still then, and gulped, audibly, even over the animals making the racket they were. Mary gave him a confused look then frowned at him.

  “Stop scaring the horses, Andy. You don’t fool me with your clever magics. I know that you’re a nice boy. Good and kind.” She didn’t seem too certain of that for the moment, when he looked at her and nodded. Then, being slightly daring, he winked.

  “You’re right to scold me, Mary. Forgive me for being imprudent as I just was. I don’t know what I was thinking, to be truthful. There’s no benefit in being so overt in my abilities. Anyway, Rofer... Twenty percent of the honey? After that little display, and again, everyone, forgive me for it, I don’t want you to think that I’m threatening you for a better bargain.”

  The man, clearly frightened and most likely understanding what the real issue was, shook his head.

  “A full third. We can call the rest of it, to a half, as my gift to those poor children, dragged off to the war like they’re being. It’s no place for a child.” He glared at Anders then, and turned his bearded face and dark eyes back toward the tree that had been damaged. “Well, most children.”

  Anders nodded, then winced and lied a bit.

  “I’m probably going to be in trouble for damaging that tree like that. Well, no help for it but to take my beating sooner, before Sir Humphrey or Sir Daniel decide to be truly angry over it. Maybe they’ll let me go with only some extra chores?” He tried to sound hopeful. There was a tone of misery to the whole thing, mainly because they’d had several plans which included him and he’d let himself make a hash of all of them.

  His abilities weren’t secret at all, any longer and now, he’d gone out of his way to threaten an adult man. One that Sir Humphrey had plans to handle on his own. It had seemed like the right thing at the time, to him. The trouble with that was that nothing in his experience had prepared him for the task of the moment. He’d let himself get ahead of the person he knew that could take charge of the situation, with some certainty. Sir Humphrey.

  Anders wondered if he was in for a real beating, for doing that. The man wouldn’t be upset that Anders set the other fellow off his plans, if he had at all. No, it would be about him having jumped ahead and pushing the other fellow out of his rightful place. That kind of thing could cause real duels, in certain cases.

  True, the other man wouldn’t do that with him. No, if he got that angry, he’d simply beat him. If that wasn’t allowed, or thought to be prudent, he was well within his rights to make Anders do tasks or chores, even forgoing sleep, as a punishment. If that happened, he honestly doubted that anyone there would, or possibly could, naysay the fellow.

  Prince Robarts could, of course. So might Prince Erold. The problem there was that neither of them were there. Sir Rob was under the other knight, and Squire Ery was assigned as Anders’ temporary assistant. Just because he’d failed to hold his secrets in didn’t mean that they would fail in the same way.

  As they walked, he finally recalled the conversation, shook his head then sighed.

  “A third of the honey then, to do with as you like. Now I just have to find it. It might take some days.” He shrugged, since the truth was that he might not find any at all, or it could be right along the route they were taking. Bees lived all over the place, after all.

  Rofer made a noise in his throat, his weathered face, what was visible around his eyes, seeming kind enough. Friendly, even. Which could have been the man not getting that the threat had been meant for him, or the fellow taking it as Anders giving him fair warning not to do it. He hadn’t for at least ten years, after all. It could be easier to part with some of that honey in trade to one of the girls than to go with his more violent plan.

  Betha was walking behind them, by about ten feet. Anders was nearly certain that she was afraid of him now, after making that tree explode like he had. He winced and looked at her, a bit sadly. They hadn’t been fast friends, perhaps, and she wasn’t a fine and lovely court lady, but he’d known very few women in his life, just to talk to. Especially ones that had treated him as if he might be a man, instead of a child whom they used to help tend to, some years back.

  When Rofer headed to his drivers, having three well loaded and heavy wagons, as he’d mentioned, Betha moved in closer to Mary, both women looking at each other meaningfully, for some time. Finally, at her own wagon, Betha and Mary both moved in, holding their share of meat for the evening already. It was, interestingly, Betha who spoke, her voice low.

  “That man... Keen... He intends to rape some of us? Maybe all?”

  Mary tightened her jaw, but nodded at the words.

  “I’ve seen the type. You basically told him that if he does, you might accidently drop a tree on him. That or blast him apart directly. That could be dangerous. He swallowed it, for now, but he might not hold to that, if he gets too driven to
take one of us.” She went hard then, and fingered something inside of the band of her skirt, at the waist, from the shape of it, that would be a blade of some sort.

  He nodded at it and took a deep breath.

  “I’ll check that portion of things directly. He doesn’t seem the type to be truly driven to such things, from his thoughts. He hasn’t done it in ten years. Still, this situation is too much like that one before, so we need to be watchful. Put the word out to your friends? Not just for him, but in general. I noticed you only traveling in groups, already. Hold to that. Also, come by later and collect things, plus, get me some helpers, for cooking? We might not need as much that way, if we’re allowed to freeze things directly, but there will be tasks and what not. I can clean any dresses or clothing you have, for instance. I can change the colors and materials as well, if you want. Let me know.” He could also clean their bodies, but there was nearly no way to say that without being either insulting or suggesting something far more intimate than he had in mind.

  Still, practicing his magic on a regular basis wasn’t a poor idea and at home doing things such as tending to clothing or even working with armor had been popular options for him. Cleaning in general had been, even though it wasn’t really needed. Now, out on the road, it was. He had some skills that way, if he bothered to use them.

  Mary hugged him, in a way that indicated to anyone looking that they were, at the very least, on friendly terms. Possibly not the ones which Anders would have wanted, from the reaction of his body, but even the boy didn’t let that get out of hand. No, he focused his mind well enough that Farad felt himself blink, physically, in response to what the youngster was doing. Anders had, rather decently, gone into a trance state.

  Without Farad doing all the work, or, as it turned out, any of it at all. He smiled then, as the woman called out to her friends, who were mainly up on the wagon.

  “Andy here offered to see to our clothing for us. Cleaning and repairing, I think? That’s sweet of him. He can do that, using magic.” She spoke the words casually, as if they might not be a thing to inspire fear in the masses at all. Even if most of the women turned to stare at him, turning different colors. Both white and red were popular options that day.

  Betha noticed that and waved her right hand, as if saying that it truly didn’t matter at all.

  “Don’t worry, Andy here is a good Mage. For one thing, he got more food for us. All of us. I mean, the entire caravan. That’s just being shared out, too. Except for the sweets. If you want those, you need to work for them, or barter things.”

  One of the ladies up on the wagon, who was wearing very practical drab gray clothing, with brown trousers, and who had short cropped hair and a leather belt, snickered a bit.

  “I bet we can find something to trade. You’re what, fourteen? Fifteen, maybe? Men that age have needs, don’t they? Still, even without that, we get a part of the food? Just like anyone else? That’s rare on a trip like this.” She shrugged then and looked at the other, more fearful ladies, who were riding in the back. “Even better, you’re good looking. Clean and in expensive clothing. You could probably get what you want from us without any trading at all.” She was teasing him, clearly.

  He could tell since the rest of the ladies, even the ones who might feel ill at ease with magic, laughed, if only a little.

  Mary put a possessive hand over his shoulder.

  “Andy here is mine, thank you very much, ladies. Now, we meet at your camp, tonight, for some cooking chores and to get in on the free things? Mainly that last part, of course.”

  He could see that one, so nodded.

  “Like I mentioned. I’ll do my portion, but...” He didn’t want to shout about potential crimes, but didn’t know what else he could say to actually get things to arrange themselves in the best fashion.

  Mary narrowed her eyes.

  “We’ll do ours, as well, Andy. Thank you. See you later.” She didn’t truly dismiss him, but both of the walking women had to pass off the large hunks of meat they had, so they could awkwardly scramble up into place. Betha nearly fell off, twice, and had to be pulled up, even though the slight woman was moving quickly enough. It was mainly that the skirts got in the way of the physical activity.

  Waving, Anders walked back to his own wagon, which was being followed by Chestnut and Brownie, with the lighter colored horse still seeming a bit put upon to be pulling the small cart. It was pretty heavy, if only half full and the girl, while doing her part, wasn’t working all that hard to keep up. She was tied off to the back of the wagon, so had to keep walking, but the oxen were so slow that she was in no danger of being dragged along by brute force.

  Hopping up, fairly lightly, into the driver’s seat had the reins passed to him directly. Sir Daniel laughed a bit.

  “I need to go into the woods for a moment. I’ve been waiting for you to come back with some unease.” Then the man, seeming a little stiff, got down and headed for the side of the road, where he’d be hidden by the trees.

  When he came back, jogging a little to get into place, he settled on the front bench again, then glanced back at the little cart.

  “So, we have a feast planned tonight, in celebration of the work the squires did today?” It was idle chatter and not happening. Not past a normal meal, which might be well rounded enough for everyone to be more or less pleased with it.

  Anders shook his head.

  “I have nothing like that planned. Really, we can’t make a big deal out of every fight or minor scuffle on the road. If we do, they’ll get used to being heaped with praise, and then feel too good to help me manage all the food. No, best we simply have some of you knights go over everything they did wrong and then get them prepared for the next such event.” He grinned then, since Ery was close enough to the side of the wagon to have overheard him. “Plus, it was only six bandits. Anyone could handle that few...”

  He laughed when the Prince rode over, then pushed him on the shoulder. The boy pretended to look sour faced and gloomy, for about half a moment, then suddenly smiled.

  “I know, I know... There’s truth to that, isn’t there? We’re heading to the front, in a real war. We need to be ready for anything. Lauding ourselves too much for such a small matter might turn our minds away from that fact.”

  The words got a pleasant look from Sir Daniel.

  “That’s not a bad thought. Still, I bet we eat well enough to still call it a feast. Why, this trip has been so easy and the food so plentiful that I bet I’m ready to ride again in... Oh, a day or two?” The man tried to play that off, as if it weren’t important to him.

  Thinking about it, Anders nodded.

  “That’s a bit early, to my thinking, but if you feel up to it, then you are. I can drive the wagon now. I’ll have to hunt in the early mornings. That or get someone else to take over driving for a while, in case things come up.” He glanced at Ery, who also had been taking some lessons in wagon management skills, which got a long-suffering sigh from the boy.

  “Fine. No taking all day though. I’d rather ride, and play at being a guard, than sit and play at being a wagoner.”

  Sir Daniel nodded at the words, but Anders didn’t. Instead he glared at the Prince.

  “This isn’t a game or play, Ery. If you drive a wagon here, you aren’t pretending to the role of wagoner, you’re actually doing it. Right now, you aren’t playing at being a guard, people are counting on you to actually do the task and do it well.” He softened then. “Which you are. I should check on things. Both here and back at the castle.”

  He wasn’t doing that and driving at the same time, even if the oxen would follow the wagon in front of them, most of the time. A thing that had already happened earlier in the day. Rather than push Sir Daniel to take up the reins, which he’d done for hours already, Anders simply waited, hoping he wasn’t missing anything important, like an incoming storm or an attack.

  That or something taking place at the castle, which needed him to pass a message about it. Then
again, after he rode on the hard bench for a while, Anders worked out that nothing would be taking place that quickly. The only matter that might have changed would be the one with Rofer Keen.

  That issue, along with everything else he could imagine, tried to fill his head for a while. He simply schooled himself to be calm and wait, paying attention to the driving that needed to be done. That meant Anders jumped a bit when a call came back from the front of the line. Then he blinked again when he realized what was being said.

  “Emergency at the front! Emergency at the front!”

  Anders held his ground, or his seat, since reality required that of him. Everyone else around his wagon left. Sir Daniel, the people from the wagon behind his and two of the three men from the wagon one up the line. Each set of horses and oxen had to have a watcher, which everyone seemed to understand. They came to a standstill, meaning that he was able to close his eyes and cast his mind forward. It took him a few moments to calm down, after all the yelling, but when that happened, he understood the nature of the issue.

  The road was blocked off. The work was fresh, from the feel of it. Trees had been placed across it, six and in one place, seven, deep. They’d been cut, sawed off in a fashion that meant it was a trap. Probably for them. Anders had to chase the idea of who had done it down, which seemed to take hours. That wasn’t the truth, of course. Just his perception of what was going on, as he watched the world as intensely as he was.

  After about an hour of men, a lot of them, working to move the giant things out of their path, Sir Humphrey rode back to him, with Faine in tow.

  “Brolly... We have a bit of a problem up front.”

  He nodded, having something to finally report.

  “Half a dozen men tried to shut the road down, using trees. They aren’t attacking, thankfully. They rode off early in the morning and are about ten miles ahead of us, right now. I didn’t get it before, since they don’t really show any kind of real danger to us. Still, this is annoying. How long will it take to clear?”

  The muscular Knight shook his head.