the eigen gran hills separated the mountainous northern span of the great osser forest and the nifenhas bay lowlying and sandy. the ilnwing road would take them south through the hills before swinging back up north once it reached the ayismir coast. north to nifen. but they wouldnt make it out of the hills before noon.
there werent may villages on the lowlying coast, the dirt was too loose and silty for any real farming, and everything was salinated. but in the eigen gran there were plenty. they passed nearby one every couple hours as they traveled. this was goat country. the small farms that accompanied every house produced only enough to support the family. only the largest, best situated villages had a communal farm but almost all of them had a communal herd. none however received any pity from the bandits.
it did not rain and as noon approached the clouds dispersed allowing the suns warmth through. but the sun was small in the sky and could not do much against the embedded cold. what a terrible time to arrive in nifen, arede thought, just before the onset of winter. but it was better to arrive for winter than not to arrive at all. besides, arede would need until spring to get his affairs in order. he wouldnt be traveling the coast once the snow started, that much was at least sure.
it was some time after noon when they came across the village split by the road. arede looked to the caravan master, who nodded, then said "we have come to inl iyrat, we are nearly out of the hills. so we will rest for two and one third hours and then be at nifen before nightfall." the wagons halted and the merchants prepared to do business with the villagers who had already begun to crowd around taking aredes announcement as directed at them as well. they had two and one third hours to trade with what would likely be the last caravan before winter.
arede and ainswif exchanged glances as thrane took the cover off the wagon, then ainswif proceeded forward to conduct his business. arede took his meaning and slipped between the wagons to his left. there was a steep incline, down a hill towards the village proper. arede turned around. he could see two of the men were going off to hunt. velgas, and one other who had already traveled too far down the road for arede to tell who. they were fools for thinking they could catch something in a couple hours, but arede didint think anyone had seen him so he slid down the hill holding his feet in such a position as to keep him perpendicular to the level ground he was leaving. and as he went down he held on to the hilt of his sword.
there was a row of stone houses in front of him along a roughly beaten footpath. further past was a large field, but it had already been harvested and laid bare. arede imagined he could hear their herd further down the road, down another hill even steeper, so steep the road had to wind down it. but for now he approached the houses before him.
he ran his hand along the stone of one as he passed between two of them, and then went up a short step to the path. further down the path, towards the field, was a bakers fire dug into a pit under a ceramic oven. the fire was still smoldering but arede knew that such fires would burn for a long time. so he thought the baker had perhaps heard the wagons and ran off towards the road. that seemed most likely but still.
arede approached one of the doors. it had a large slab of wood propped in the doorway and a cloth draped over the other side. arede leaned close to the frame. he heard nothing, as hed expected. he took a step back from the door frame and looked around. there were nine houses made of stone and clay mortar. they were planted along the footpath that surrounded and intersected the fields. the same path lead up the slope back to the ilnwing road. the cottages were modest and arede didnt see much to distinguish them other than quality of construction. he took another step towards the path and then heard something. the laughter of children. he turned back towards the road and there was a group of them walking down the path. maybe six or seven of various ages. he smiled relief and made his way back to ainswif to report that there were no bandits.
velgas and the other came back empty handed. it was eik who had been so eager to run off ahead, unannounced. they didnt get back until a third of an hour before the caravan was set to get moving again. as they rode up ainswif glanced meaningfully at arede. and arede understood his meaning. only fools would go hunting on such a short schedule. they had gone to do something else. arede met them at the rear wagons before they rode up. they dismounted and started to walk by as if nothing were wrong, when arede put his hand on velgas chest.
"where were you?"
velgas smiled halftoothed. "we were out trying to catch some hare. no luck." and he again moved to pass by. so this time arede punched him hard in the jaw, for which he was unprepared. then arede grabbed him by the jacket and pushed him to the ground with his left hand while simultaneously drawing his sword with his right and pointing it at eik before he could draw his own.
"if you move ill kill you." he said staring at the now unsteady eik, who in response took a step backwards. but arede thrust the sword towards him in warning and he stopped. then he turned to velgas who was still on the ground on his back. "and if you move ill kill him and then ill kill you."
velgas laughed in surrender.
"where were you?"
he was still smiling, but as he spoke his smile began to take on a sadistic tone. "we went to one of the nearby villages to have some fun. we knew youd stop us if we tried it here."
arede wasnt sure whether or not to kill them both right then and there when the dann, who had been driving one of the merchants wagons all day, ran up from behind.
eik, who had grown comfortable under the threat of the blade said, "you stay out of this scalphunter."
at that arede lowered his sword and jumped toward eik. arede leaned forward as he stopped while eik bent backwards in reaction. but not fast enough because arede twisted his torso and then snapped back, jamming his raised right elbow into eiks head. eik collapsed and arede began walking back over to velgas his sword pointed forward.
"kill them." the dann commanded. but instead arede sheathed his sword.
arede looked down at velgas. "both of you, take your horses. though they are your own horses take them as payment because i am letting you keep them. take them and leave because when i see you again you will die."
arede turned around and started walking back to ainswif. he regretted immediately letting the villains run away but he knew that murder was a bad business, especially vengeful murder. one that he wanted no part in. if he could walk away without killing anyone then he would try to. plus he didnt like the idea of having his actions decided by the dann.
when hed reached the front of the caravan he reported to ainswif. "it seems eik and velgas had to leave prematurely. but they agreed they have forfeited their payment by breach of contract."
"very good captain." ainswif said and put his hand on aredes shoulder. you could barely tell but ainswif had to be at least twice aredes age. he didnt look it. his hair was only beginning to go grey and his face only wrinkled in his smile and his brow. otherwise his features were dark and thin, like his mustache.
arede ventured to say "do you think perhaps we should leave early. in light of recent events?"
ainswif smiled wryly, leaned in close, and said "i think recent events have yet to expire, captain." and then he leaned back and shut his eyes. and arede knew that he would say no more on the matter.
in fact arede knew what he meant. he meant the dann. and he also knew he was too late. "im a fool!" he thought and turned around. there were two merchants behind him conversing, obscuring his view. he pushed them out of the way and hurried to the back. he was only in time to see instrom go down. velgas removing his blade from the unarmed danns gut. eik was already on his horse and down the path, but velgas was nowhere near his, standing on the side of the road grass up to his ankles, with his bloody knife brandished. it was clear the dann had given him a struggle, his greasy red cap had been torn from his head and his hair had been disheveled. his nose appeared to be broken and blood was running from his nostrils into his mouth and down his chin.
velgas didnt wait for arede to react and immediately began rushing at him with his knife poised with intent.
arede let him come in and did not draw his blade. instead he waited for velgas to come up and then stepped forward. then, as velgas stabbed, now arcing towards aredes back, he lifted his arm and slammed velgas arm into his hipbone with his elbow. then he twisted his elbow into velgas forearm until velgas dropped the knife. velgas made to strike with his free hand but instead arede headbutted him in his already broken noise and he yelped in pain.
arede released him and as velgas fell to the ground arede picked up the dropped knife. a hunting knife, well taken care of. velgas landed on his ass and had no time to react before arede was upon him. when the twos eyes met velgas did not see a man, but a beast. that was his last sight, because then arede slit his throat, deep through the windpipe, blood surged out immediately covering aredes left hand, which supported the blade. and velgas had blacked out before his head hit the ground.
the dann however had not been so lucky. he lay on the ground, conscious, but convulsing from the pain. even if he could have communicated all he would have done was scream. and arede too leaned over him and slit his throat, mercifully. and then arede stood there, with a man dead in the middle of the road and a man dead in the grass, and blood dripped from his hands and down the knife. a crowd of villagers merchants and guards had gathered. the only one who didnt seem to be there were ainswif and thrane.
arede said simply, "help me bury them."
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Topic: Polar night [Chapter 1; Scene 2] (Read 3628 times)