The Compassion of a Warlord, Part IV
"Matty?"
"Yes?" asked Matthius Cole, straining to hold Pander's foot as the seven year old was propped six feet up against an oak tree.
"...nothing", said Pander, giving up on questioning his position. He couldn't very well lift Matthius.
Matthius kept hold, pushing Pander up by the foot until he could manage to grab one of the lower branches. Pander awkwardly swung himself onto the limb, and Matthius tossed him the fireplace poker he had smuggled out of the house when Sera and Alistair weren't looking. Poker in hand, Pander inched across the branch towards his objective. When he drew near enough, he took a weak, ill-aimed swing at the beehive.
"Uh, Matt...I really think we should get Sera." said Pander, rapidly reevaluating his precarious situation.
"Come on, Pander. Do you want to be a man or a little kid?"
"Where does alive fit in?" muttered Pander.
Matthius shook his head. "Look, if we get Sera, she's going to bring Adun."
"So?" asked Pander. "What's wrong with Adun?"
Matt heaved an impatient sigh. "If she brings Adun along, we can kiss that honey goodbye. We've got to treat this stuff like gold, Pander. We keep it hidden and don't tell anyone!"
"Got it!" cried a suddenly much more enthusiastic Pander, who smote the sleepy beehive a terrible blow with the fireplace poker. With a wet thud, Pander was engulfed in a cloud of soot, honeycomb, and very angry bees.
"MATTY!" shrieked the frightened seven year old, flailing wildly with the poker. He lost control and fell off the branch, landing hard on his side. Matthius threw his cloak over the short Pander to provide some rudimentary cover against the swarm of stinging insects, and then ran full tilt back to the village.
"SEEERAAA!!"
__________
Adunaphel grumbled quietly to himself under his breath as he pinned the wet clothes to the line. A town full of Paladins prepping Cove for the impending invasion, and his mother had him hanging up the laundry. He could have been out at the fieldworks with the rest of the men actually doing something useful, but no. Fresh tunics apparently trumped keeping the bloodthirsty orcish hordes at bay as far as his mother was concerned. Bored as he was, he practically jumped for joy when Matthius burst through the town gate screaming that Pander was being murdered by honeybees.
"Finally, something interesting around here!" he muttered, abandoning his chores to follow the ten year old.
When he arrived at the Cole household, Serafina was already outside with an armful of cloaks, hauling the puffing Matthius by the collar back towards the forest.
"I can't believe you just left him there!" she shrieked, practically strangling her younger brother as she dragged him along side her. She was so busy screaming at Matthius that she didn't notice Adunaphel until she practically walked into him.
Adun dodged to the side before the infuriated Serafina plowed straight through him. "What's going on?" he interjected. "Pander's in trouble?"
"Yes Pander is in trouble!" she screamed. "My fool brother convinced him to knock a bloody beehive out of a tree and then ran off instead of helping him! Now stop wasting time and take one of these cloaks!"
"Oh." said Adun lamely, nearly taking a cloak in the face. "Yeah...that does sound like something those two would do..."
They had nearly made it past the abandoned laundry when the door to Adunaphel's house flew open. His mother stood in the doorway.
"And just where do you think you're going?" she scolded. "You're not even halfway done hanging the clothes! For the love of the Virtues, Dunny, it's almost lunchtime!"
Adun nearly swore. He had almost made it.
"Sorry Mom, it's an emergency. Pander's being killed by bees. I'll finish up when I get back, I promise!"
"You still have to bring your father his lunch! He's been out at the fieldworks all morning!" She was waving a loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese at him.
Adun had to think fast. "Well, he can have some of the honey to go with it when I get back! Bye!"
His mother sighed and started walking towards the fieldworks with his father's lunch.
"Yes?" asked Matthius Cole, straining to hold Pander's foot as the seven year old was propped six feet up against an oak tree.
"...nothing", said Pander, giving up on questioning his position. He couldn't very well lift Matthius.
Matthius kept hold, pushing Pander up by the foot until he could manage to grab one of the lower branches. Pander awkwardly swung himself onto the limb, and Matthius tossed him the fireplace poker he had smuggled out of the house when Sera and Alistair weren't looking. Poker in hand, Pander inched across the branch towards his objective. When he drew near enough, he took a weak, ill-aimed swing at the beehive.
"Uh, Matt...I really think we should get Sera." said Pander, rapidly reevaluating his precarious situation.
"Come on, Pander. Do you want to be a man or a little kid?"
"Where does alive fit in?" muttered Pander.
Matthius shook his head. "Look, if we get Sera, she's going to bring Adun."
"So?" asked Pander. "What's wrong with Adun?"
Matt heaved an impatient sigh. "If she brings Adun along, we can kiss that honey goodbye. We've got to treat this stuff like gold, Pander. We keep it hidden and don't tell anyone!"
"Got it!" cried a suddenly much more enthusiastic Pander, who smote the sleepy beehive a terrible blow with the fireplace poker. With a wet thud, Pander was engulfed in a cloud of soot, honeycomb, and very angry bees.
"MATTY!" shrieked the frightened seven year old, flailing wildly with the poker. He lost control and fell off the branch, landing hard on his side. Matthius threw his cloak over the short Pander to provide some rudimentary cover against the swarm of stinging insects, and then ran full tilt back to the village.
"SEEERAAA!!"
__________
Adunaphel grumbled quietly to himself under his breath as he pinned the wet clothes to the line. A town full of Paladins prepping Cove for the impending invasion, and his mother had him hanging up the laundry. He could have been out at the fieldworks with the rest of the men actually doing something useful, but no. Fresh tunics apparently trumped keeping the bloodthirsty orcish hordes at bay as far as his mother was concerned. Bored as he was, he practically jumped for joy when Matthius burst through the town gate screaming that Pander was being murdered by honeybees.
"Finally, something interesting around here!" he muttered, abandoning his chores to follow the ten year old.
When he arrived at the Cole household, Serafina was already outside with an armful of cloaks, hauling the puffing Matthius by the collar back towards the forest.
"I can't believe you just left him there!" she shrieked, practically strangling her younger brother as she dragged him along side her. She was so busy screaming at Matthius that she didn't notice Adunaphel until she practically walked into him.
Adun dodged to the side before the infuriated Serafina plowed straight through him. "What's going on?" he interjected. "Pander's in trouble?"
"Yes Pander is in trouble!" she screamed. "My fool brother convinced him to knock a bloody beehive out of a tree and then ran off instead of helping him! Now stop wasting time and take one of these cloaks!"
"Oh." said Adun lamely, nearly taking a cloak in the face. "Yeah...that does sound like something those two would do..."
They had nearly made it past the abandoned laundry when the door to Adunaphel's house flew open. His mother stood in the doorway.
"And just where do you think you're going?" she scolded. "You're not even halfway done hanging the clothes! For the love of the Virtues, Dunny, it's almost lunchtime!"
Adun nearly swore. He had almost made it.
"Sorry Mom, it's an emergency. Pander's being killed by bees. I'll finish up when I get back, I promise!"
"You still have to bring your father his lunch! He's been out at the fieldworks all morning!" She was waving a loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese at him.
Adun had to think fast. "Well, he can have some of the honey to go with it when I get back! Bye!"
His mother sighed and started walking towards the fieldworks with his father's lunch.