Along the Forest Road: Chapter 8
So I ended up splitting Chapter 8 as I originally planned it into three parts. Some of the parts make for fairly short chapters -- as this story goes, anyway -- but it makes more sense this way and will be less of a monster to read all at once.
Two days later I was running pike drills when the eagle descended to alight on the inn’s signboard and gave out a harsh cry. I don’t know what Kit was doing right then, but he came running as fast as only he could. For a short while he stared it in the eye.
“Crispian! We have news! And I need some meat!”
Crispian hurried out bearing a large chunk of raw pork on a platter. To his surprise the eagle swooped down and seized it in its talons before soaring away. He shook his head and then turned to Kit. “So what is it? They’re coming?”
“No,” Kit replied. “There’s one rider headed this way along the road, but she says he looks a lot like what I told her to watch for. Probably is one of them. What do you think?”
Crispian pondered for a moment. “I guess they finally missed their man. Must be looking for him.”
“So let’s help him,” I said.
“Yeah. It’s about time we provoked something,” said Crispian. “They’ll be here sooner or later, but I’d rather it was sooner. I don’t think we can keep this readiness up much longer. Folk have crops to harvest.
“Can I ask you two to take care of it? Bring him in. Blindfolded. Bad enough they’ll know we’re expecting them. If he spots what we’re up to, we’ll have a problem.”
Kit and I left our weapons behind, but I grabbed a hank of rope from the stables before we set off up the road. It re-entered the woods a couple of hundred yards outside the village, and soon the trees were thick around us. We were maybe three miles out when we spotted a lone rider headed toward us. The road wasn’t any better traveled on this side of the village than where I worked, so we had little doubt about who it was. Sure enough, when he got closer the jerkin he wore gave away his membership in the band.
We walked casually along, paying no obvious attention to him. He reined in when we came near.
“You two, stop there,” he ordered. “Don’t even think of running, or I’ll chase you down and make you regret it.”
We did as he said, and he eased his mount forward to look us over closely. I put on an expression of puzzled apprehension. It was almost spoiled when I made the mistake of glancing at Kit. His eyes were about twice as sparkly as usual, and he had assumed a look of such innocent naivety that I wanted to laugh out loud.
“You two from North Bend?” the rider demanded.
“Y...yes,” I stammered.
“When did a man on a horse with gear like mine show up?”
“Um... You mean this year?”
“Yes, this year! Idiot!”
I shook my head and turned to Kit. “I don’t remember anyone like that, bud. Do you?”
Kit screwed his face up as if he was thinking hard, and then brightened. “Oh, yeah!” I had to stifle a laugh again. He’d pushed his voice up an octave. “That guy who busted up the market! He looked just like this, only not as ugly.”
The rider grimaced, but let it go by. “So where’d he go, kid?”
“Nowhere.”
He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Why do I always find the simpletons?” he said to himself. Then more loudly, “He’s not still in that shithole of a village now, is he? Where’d he go?”
“But he is still there,” chirped Kit. “What’s left of him, anyway.”
“What!”
“I’m sorry, sir,” I said. “The boy here isn’t too sensible most days. What he’s trying to say is that your friend had an accident. Sad business and all, but there wasn’t anything to be done for him.”
“What. Happened.” said the rider through gritted teeth. His hand moved to the hilts of his sword.
“He got a blade stuck in him,” said Kit. “Mine.”
With that last word, his voice dropped back to its usual baritone and his innocent air abruptly vanished. The change was so sudden it surprised even me, but the rider was startled into action. Out came his sword and he brought it down upon Kit’s head. Kit dodged so quickly I didn’t see him move, but the sword missed him by a foot. As the rider overbalanced, Kit seized his arm and tugged. He crashed to the ground. I was on him in an instant with the rope and had him trussed up before he could move.
“That was easy,” said Kit.
“I didn’t think it’d be hard,” I said. “But how in the dozen hells did you do that?”
“It was just timing. Right when he extended himself farthest, all I had to do was pull―”
“No, I mean that act you put on. You really did look like a boy. Did you get that from your old master too?”
“Nah. I once knew a spy. He showed me a few things. Disguises, poisons... that kind of stuff. It’s a matter of attitude, that’s all.”
“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“I make a point of it. You’re not such a bad actor yourself, though.”
Meanwhile, the rider was straining against his bonds. “You bastards!” he raged. “I’ll pluck out your eyeballs for this!”
“Shut it,” I told him. “You’re going to be blindfolded next. Don’t make me gag you too.”
His mouth snapped shut and he looked daggers at me. I ignored it as I heaved him up and slung him across his horse’s back.
We removed his blindfold once we had him securely tied to a chair in the root cellar of The Beaten Horse. Crispian sat before him. I stood behind, to keep him under control if needed. Kit lounged against the far wall.
“You sons of bitches! Do you know who I am?”
“Not by name,” said Kit. “But we know you’re with the brigands who call themselves a Free Company camped a day and a half away, that there are about fifty of you or maybe a few more, and that you’re not going to be plundering this village or the farms around it ever again, even if any of you survive.”
The brigand’s mouth twisted into a smug grin. “Fifty, huh? Guess again, runt. If―”
I placed my hands on his neck and gave a little squeeze. He stopped talking. “If you’re thinking of your friends who were robbing traders east of here, they won’t be around to help you,” said Crispian. “These two have already seen to that.” He gaped as Crispian went on, “You’re here for one reason only. Tell your captain that the village of North Bend isn’t going to put up with your thievery anymore, and if you ever come back you’ll get more than just a bloody nose for it. Understand?”
“And who’s going to give it?” he sneered. “You three all by yourselves?”
“That’s no one’s business but ours,” said Crispian.
“You stupid old man. You have no idea what you’ve just done.”
Crispian made no reply. At his signal I replaced the blindfold. Kit and I brought him back to where we found him and sent him on his way, hands tied in front of him, and watched as he vanished into the distance.
“That’s it,” I said. “We’re for it now.”
“We’d better be,” said Kit.
Two days later I was running pike drills when the eagle descended to alight on the inn’s signboard and gave out a harsh cry. I don’t know what Kit was doing right then, but he came running as fast as only he could. For a short while he stared it in the eye.
“Crispian! We have news! And I need some meat!”
Crispian hurried out bearing a large chunk of raw pork on a platter. To his surprise the eagle swooped down and seized it in its talons before soaring away. He shook his head and then turned to Kit. “So what is it? They’re coming?”
“No,” Kit replied. “There’s one rider headed this way along the road, but she says he looks a lot like what I told her to watch for. Probably is one of them. What do you think?”
Crispian pondered for a moment. “I guess they finally missed their man. Must be looking for him.”
“So let’s help him,” I said.
“Yeah. It’s about time we provoked something,” said Crispian. “They’ll be here sooner or later, but I’d rather it was sooner. I don’t think we can keep this readiness up much longer. Folk have crops to harvest.
“Can I ask you two to take care of it? Bring him in. Blindfolded. Bad enough they’ll know we’re expecting them. If he spots what we’re up to, we’ll have a problem.”
Kit and I left our weapons behind, but I grabbed a hank of rope from the stables before we set off up the road. It re-entered the woods a couple of hundred yards outside the village, and soon the trees were thick around us. We were maybe three miles out when we spotted a lone rider headed toward us. The road wasn’t any better traveled on this side of the village than where I worked, so we had little doubt about who it was. Sure enough, when he got closer the jerkin he wore gave away his membership in the band.
We walked casually along, paying no obvious attention to him. He reined in when we came near.
“You two, stop there,” he ordered. “Don’t even think of running, or I’ll chase you down and make you regret it.”
We did as he said, and he eased his mount forward to look us over closely. I put on an expression of puzzled apprehension. It was almost spoiled when I made the mistake of glancing at Kit. His eyes were about twice as sparkly as usual, and he had assumed a look of such innocent naivety that I wanted to laugh out loud.
“You two from North Bend?” the rider demanded.
“Y...yes,” I stammered.
“When did a man on a horse with gear like mine show up?”
“Um... You mean this year?”
“Yes, this year! Idiot!”
I shook my head and turned to Kit. “I don’t remember anyone like that, bud. Do you?”
Kit screwed his face up as if he was thinking hard, and then brightened. “Oh, yeah!” I had to stifle a laugh again. He’d pushed his voice up an octave. “That guy who busted up the market! He looked just like this, only not as ugly.”
The rider grimaced, but let it go by. “So where’d he go, kid?”
“Nowhere.”
He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Why do I always find the simpletons?” he said to himself. Then more loudly, “He’s not still in that shithole of a village now, is he? Where’d he go?”
“But he is still there,” chirped Kit. “What’s left of him, anyway.”
“What!”
“I’m sorry, sir,” I said. “The boy here isn’t too sensible most days. What he’s trying to say is that your friend had an accident. Sad business and all, but there wasn’t anything to be done for him.”
“What. Happened.” said the rider through gritted teeth. His hand moved to the hilts of his sword.
“He got a blade stuck in him,” said Kit. “Mine.”
With that last word, his voice dropped back to its usual baritone and his innocent air abruptly vanished. The change was so sudden it surprised even me, but the rider was startled into action. Out came his sword and he brought it down upon Kit’s head. Kit dodged so quickly I didn’t see him move, but the sword missed him by a foot. As the rider overbalanced, Kit seized his arm and tugged. He crashed to the ground. I was on him in an instant with the rope and had him trussed up before he could move.
“That was easy,” said Kit.
“I didn’t think it’d be hard,” I said. “But how in the dozen hells did you do that?”
“It was just timing. Right when he extended himself farthest, all I had to do was pull―”
“No, I mean that act you put on. You really did look like a boy. Did you get that from your old master too?”
“Nah. I once knew a spy. He showed me a few things. Disguises, poisons... that kind of stuff. It’s a matter of attitude, that’s all.”
“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“I make a point of it. You’re not such a bad actor yourself, though.”
Meanwhile, the rider was straining against his bonds. “You bastards!” he raged. “I’ll pluck out your eyeballs for this!”
“Shut it,” I told him. “You’re going to be blindfolded next. Don’t make me gag you too.”
His mouth snapped shut and he looked daggers at me. I ignored it as I heaved him up and slung him across his horse’s back.
We removed his blindfold once we had him securely tied to a chair in the root cellar of The Beaten Horse. Crispian sat before him. I stood behind, to keep him under control if needed. Kit lounged against the far wall.
“You sons of bitches! Do you know who I am?”
“Not by name,” said Kit. “But we know you’re with the brigands who call themselves a Free Company camped a day and a half away, that there are about fifty of you or maybe a few more, and that you’re not going to be plundering this village or the farms around it ever again, even if any of you survive.”
The brigand’s mouth twisted into a smug grin. “Fifty, huh? Guess again, runt. If―”
I placed my hands on his neck and gave a little squeeze. He stopped talking. “If you’re thinking of your friends who were robbing traders east of here, they won’t be around to help you,” said Crispian. “These two have already seen to that.” He gaped as Crispian went on, “You’re here for one reason only. Tell your captain that the village of North Bend isn’t going to put up with your thievery anymore, and if you ever come back you’ll get more than just a bloody nose for it. Understand?”
“And who’s going to give it?” he sneered. “You three all by yourselves?”
“That’s no one’s business but ours,” said Crispian.
“You stupid old man. You have no idea what you’ve just done.”
Crispian made no reply. At his signal I replaced the blindfold. Kit and I brought him back to where we found him and sent him on his way, hands tied in front of him, and watched as he vanished into the distance.
“That’s it,” I said. “We’re for it now.”
“We’d better be,” said Kit.