Chapter 17
Wolf and Innocent Blood
We know take ourselves to the present time to where Holo and Ranger were last left off, on a path heading north from Cross Iron in the thicket of darkness falls. Below the firmament was a forrest and betwixt it's fast collection of pines and maples was Ranger setting sparks to a nest of kindling. Near him were a set of large wolf tracks that led away from his position that turned into a set of human imprints the further from view they became.
Alas Ranger was able to flicker a few embers to life then fueled it's need to consume until a sizable fire had emerged in a pit he had dug. He arose and winced slightly as the injury in his left clavicle painfully reminded him of it's presence. It may have been the only time he was thankful to have encountered Fabian and Bjorn for the meeting of which gave him the leather vest which blunted the attack enough to prevent the laceration of the hatchet to be internal.
Gallavaun could be seen hitched to a nearby trunk not too afar off while Kaytaff lay in the wagon who perched his head up when hearing a disturbance in the shrubbery. Holo had united herself with the scene fully clothed in her human self.
She saw that Ranger at this point had mostly broken out camp. She took sit upon a rock that was conveniently placed by the fire then noticed Ranger looking at her rather annoyed. He then left and returned with a boulder of the same size in his arms and set it opposite of her. She then realized she must have taken his seat.
She put her hand on her stomach to quell the vibrations of hunger that gurgled within and asked with a near awkwardness, "Have we anything to eat?"
The masked man nodded artlessly and began to open the side compartments of the wagon. He pulled out a few sacks and presented a few apples which caught Holo's excitement. He tossed one to her who caught then took a generous bite into it.
Ranger went to put the apples away until he noticed she was not noisily chewing as she normally would. He looked back to see her cast if off to the side showing tormented fruit in the bite mark while she spat it out. The apples had spoiled in which he disposed of them.
Concluding to himself that she would most likely desire something else and would most likely not hear the end of it if he did not find an alternative, he took hold of another sack but this time sat by the fire with it. From there he retrieved an onion which seemed to be edible. He parted with this bounty to her who soon just put it aside. Instead she decided to untuck her tail and groom it.
While doing so she noticed that Kaytaff was licking his paws unceasingly and Ranger had begun to sharpen his sword. She found this to be a rather amusing irony as though all creatures were in need of some sort of habit or another.
The charred ends of her tail were beginning to annoy her to where she attempted to groom them harder until she moaned quickly in slight agony. Ranger looked up to see she was grasping her left shoulder. He arose and approached her and solemnly looked over her condition before stating, "Let me see."
Reluctantly she removed the jacket and there was the laceration given her the hour prior still fresh. Ranger kneeled down to have a better look then said the words that filled Holo with dread, "It will have to be bound."
Timidly she watched him take a lit lantern and retrieve a few provisions from the side compartments of his wagon. A bottle of Alcohol, a bowl, wash cloth and thread and needle. Her body language made a partial retreat upon his approach who said, "I believe a bandage will do just fine."
Ranger was calm yet showed more adamancy, "The wound is too deep and you will risk infection, it must be bound."
He set the bowl on the ground beside her and filled it marginally with the alcohol and doused the rag in it. "Brace yourself." said he.
The rag was then applied to incision in which Holo's whole frame stiffened. She tensed and gritted her teeth as the alcohol cleansed the wound and made it burn in tandem. Once he was finished her heart began to pound as she witnessed him tie the thread to the needle and submerge it.
He put his hand on his shoulder to stabilize her however as soon she felt the sharp prick of the cold metal she jumped in anticipation.
"You must keep still." he scolded.
"I am sorry!' she protested, 'I am much more delicate than you!"
The masked man then simply responded, "Breathe deeply, it will be over soon."
She covered her eyes and turned her head away, "Just get it over with!"
Ranger pressed the wound into itself and began to let the needle penetrate the delicate flesh while dragging it's thread through the small punctures they made. He felt her whole body go rigid and trembling while he heard her delicately whimpering and trying to hide tears while her tail was fully erect with each hair jutting outwards. It was a painful process that in the moment could hardly be considering a life saving remedy.
"Relax,' he coaxed, 'endure it well.
Alas after two passes, the wound was stitched and the thread was tied off and cut. The time for relief did not feel wholly at hand for the after effects still lingered in her arm. After an examination of his handy work, the man then said, "There was that so terrible?"
Throwing her head back she declared, "That was excruciating!"
Ranger retrieved the bowl and supplies and said with a hint of disregard, "Wait until a child passes through your loins."
"That is not funny!" she caromed at his questionable humor.
Ignoring her complaint, he instructed, "Be sure not to do anything too rigorous or anything that could cause them to pull. They should be ready to be pulled in a few days."
After setting the medical supplies besides his own rock, he began to undo his vest. Holo reached down and retrieved the onion and with a sour smell took a bite into it. The overpowering effects of the vegetable was something she never fully adjusted to. She whiffed out the nose and wiped her eyes, but chose to still consume it for there was nothing else to have.
She looked up to see that after the man disposed of his vest he was now undoing the nape of his collar and unbuttoning his shirt.
"Ah!' she exclaimed with alarm, 'What are you doing?"
"You are not the only who needs binding." said he as he turned around and pulled the shirt off, yet still keeping the hood piece applied.
With his back turned Holo then saw that the man's ink work was not just limited to his chest and arms, but found that the tattoo of the dragon, birdlike creature was applied to his back as well with a slightly different design. Interestingly enough, their wings were conjoined at the ribs making it one complete piece. She then saw an additional description that she recalled the count Laterniuex detailing about the man's physical condition a few nights prior, scars. Though the the majority of his back was mostly used as a canvas of unique and slightly grim artwork, there were many lines and streaks of damaged flesh that were numerous and scattered about.
His head turned back and he noticed her observance, who quickly readjusted herself and continued to work on the onion. When he turned about she saw his frontal region and paused. Aside from his newly cut laceration, there were other freshly done lesions and bruises that were all compiled by the few incursions he had engaged in the days and hours prior that polluted his finely tuned physique.
He sat down and did likewise unto himself as he had with Holo. As he was treating his injuries Holo motioned to him and asked, "Those markings, what do they mean?"
Ranger kept his face affixed on his stitches and replied as he was threading, "Stories, myths and legends."
"Of where you came from?"
He was silent for a long moment before simply responding, "There are few who would know where I come from."
"But they are the stories of your people?" she asked with an innocently persisting demeanor.
"They are not my people….not anymore."
Holo then chose to detour the conversations slightly by asking, "Those other markings, your scars, I am sure they have stories of their own as well, true?"
"Indeed." said the masked man who then stopped and placed his finger below a circular distortion on the right side of his chest then said, "This one, was when I intervened in a certain affair and it nearly cost me my life."
He then trailed his hand down to an older one just above his naval, "This one…' he had an unusual silence before continuing, '…This one was the day I learned how quickly a bonding brotherhood could turn into a bitter rivalry."
Holo motioned for what was abaft and asked, "Those ones upon your back, what are they to you?"
His eyes went slightly more perturbed then softened as though they were the eyes of a man who had stumbled around in unending darkness only to find the light in the end. "Those remind me that despite how terrible a circumstance or unfavorable a situation, one can recover and be made stronger."
Holo then made a very bold inquiry, "Did your people do that to you?"
She cringed at the possible ways he would repay that violation, however he was calm and collected and answered simply and with a notable cross of silent rage and understandable despair, "…Yes…"
He then continued to bind his wound.
Holo then could not help herself but to ask, "How have you survived any of that?"
She was correct to ponder for some of the placement of where the scars could be found would have been fatal for the average man. But Holo knew by manifestation that he was above average.
"I have seen my fair share of war and battle,' said she, 'an arrow or a blade to the right spot would drop even the mightiest of men. And then there is you, were do you fit in in this world?"
Upon coming to the final passes with the needle, Ranger simply said, "Even in the days of our glory, the most prudent could not understand."
It was his own way of telling her that he did not feel obligated to answer the mysteries that surrounded his existence. It only sufficed to let her conclude that he was durable in any given circumstance and that was enough.
Holo looked down at her shoulder and said with a giggle, "Should this become a scar it will forever be the story of how I heroically saved a warrior when greatly outnumbered."
Ranger, neither seeming as amused or unamused, cut and tied off the thread and said something likewise, "And this one will be a reminder to me of how I was forced to offer a partnership when I had no other alternative."
She slanted her head with disbelief, "Oh please! Surely you cannot believe that I have been nothing but a burden to you. If you felt that I would have been so terrible then why were you the first one to offer your hand?"
Ranger said nothing, he only began to wrap up his bottom torso in linen cloth which only enabled Holo to continue her teasing ridicule, "Oh I see why, you were desperate! You needed money and an alias to go by but had not the means nor knowledge to pull it off unless I were involved. That mark will forever be a reminder to you when you had no other choice but to ask for my help!"
"What choice did I have? I was not about to leave a sobbing woman alone, no matter how pitiful she looked."
To Holo this was a game, in which she responded, "Ah so you do have a soft spot under all that muscle and conviction for women who are weak and vulnerable. I do not blame you, for very few men can resist my charm and beauty!"
Ranger then garbed himself back into his shirt (yet withheld re-buttoning it) and replied, "How grateful I am to be in the minority."
That last jab in Holo's mind was a violation to how this game was to be played, "I have seen your compassionate side, which was out of practice at best. How long has it been since you were so kind? Was I ever the first woman you have ever shown any affect-"
Suddenly the voice of the masked man cut hers off, "Perhaps It Would Be Best,' came his loud vocation which became more subtle, 'if we forego the probing of our individual history and leave the past were it is and in it's place discuss our next destination."
Clearly the man, if ever in the mood to play the games Holo mused over, had a strict set of rules in which she was to abide by. The violation of which would bring an immediate end to the sport. Though this only made her all the more curious as to why such talk of romance and potential past relationships made him so meticulous, she knew better than to pursue this avenue.
She could only assume that he did at some point in his life have a mate, for no other explanation for his hostility could be justified. It was in that moment that she attempted to picture him having an embrace with a female, possibly pressing his face to hers and more absurdly taking her to bed. Though nothing tangible in this world was impossible, when considering the Ranger's personality the impossible seemed less likely of a barrier. More questions arose in her mind such as; Did he ever love another? If so, who? How did it end?
Alas it was a trivial pursuit in which she adjusted herself and said, "Yes, if what Evgeny said is true then we must go deeper into Yoites, seeing how we are practically there."
"He said that there was a mansion among one of it's many rivers, beyond the old village. Do you know what he means by that?"
Holo shook her head in the negative, "It has been so long since I have been there I have nearly forgotten it's layout. The old village, I wonder if he means the village in where some of us had lived before it was destroyed."
"Would there be any landmark that you would know to perhaps guide us there?"
"The only thing I do know was how to get to Yoites from Lenos; northeast towards the mountains of Roeff a twenty day journey by foot. Also there is the town of Lesko which sits on its very borders."
Ranger let out a slight sigh, "To reach Lenos would be weeks of backtracking which would involve passing by Nyohhira. Jurgen still has an agent within the city guard there which would be futile. To reach Lesko would take the same amount of time, time we do not have."
"Then we must find a way to get there from where we are at."
He saluted his head pettily then stated, "Yoites, for the most part, is virtually uncharted. However there are a few hunters who seek game out there they have an outpost for trading and lodging not too afar off. The man who runs it may have run into a few cartographers, perhaps we will have some form of map."
"Let me guess,' said Holo lightheartedly, 'another contact for the rangers?"
"Not under official employ, however he knows of the count and myself."
"Friend of yours?"
"Acquaintances." corrected the hood.
"Of course,' said Holo dully, 'but you do believe he may know the layout?"
"That, or he will know of someone who does."
Suddenly and in unison, Holo's ears and eyes brightened, "I do know of someone who would!"
Ranger took hold of his sword and continued to sharpen it, "Oh?"
"The Myuri mercenary guild. I am on good terms with their leader and second in command. They have taken refuge and settled in Yoites last I checked. We can solicit their help as well."
Ranger continued to whet his blade leaving Holo to hear the gliding shrills as the only response to her suggestion. If one did not know better it could be assumed that he had no interest in her input, however she was beginning to decipher his silences astonishingly enough. She began to scratch the inside of her left ear and inquired with a sizable surety to what impeded his tongue, "You know of the Myuri mercenary guild do you not?"
A faint outline of his eye became visible as he stated with coolness, "When on an assignment for the count I had encountered Luward and Max Moizi, yes."
"What happened." came her question in a sigh of disapproving despicableness in the attitude of already knowing this tale would have an undesirable outcome.
Taking up his sword and pointing it towards the sky to examine the edges he replied with grim simplicity, "We did not see eye to eye."
"Honestly,' replied a frustrated Holo, 'have you ever made friends?"
Sheathing his weapon the masked man said, "I make more effort to not allow myself to become attached. Angelo, Jabari, Franz we all had a mutual enough relationship however they were all short lived."
"So you distance yourself from others just to avoid the burden of emotion should they be killed?"
"My area of expertise is war Holo. The men who fight beside you are most likely the men who will die in your arms. Armies rise, armies fall, that is the way of things."
Holo slouched her head in her hand in the art of depression and said, "I am glad to know that should I die on this venture my passing will be met with minimal mourning at best."
Ranger casually changed his attitude as he inclined himself further, "You interpret my choice not to feel as a choice not to care."
Holo alleviated her head from off her hand and concentrated on what he was about to say next.
"Yesterday you had asked me why it was that I do what I do. It is because I do in fact care about the injustices of this world. Death and violence is not a sport to me but a means."
Becoming entranced with the idea that more of this man's character was about to be revealed she asked of him, "A means to what?"
"That every man, woman and child can live a life free of fear and tyranny. Should a child be kidnapped and sold into slavery or if a merchant be fearful of his life whenever he is on the road….' he then put more of his focus on Holo who listened intently, '….or when an unsuspecting inn keeper and his wife who is with child fall prey to a faceless coward who works in the shadows, I will be there. Do you know why?"
"Because it is the right thing to do?" she said with some insecurity if that was the answer he desired.
"Because he who has the ability to take action has the responsibility to take action."
"So you do it for more than just for profit or to simply follow orders."
Ranger erected his sword on the ground and said, "I am not a tool who follows blindly the commands of other men or can be coaxed into a task at the mere idea of obtaining gold. I do what I do because there are few who can, leaving the rest of society vulnerable."
Holo continued to scratch her ear, "Have you ever considered there may be another way to obtain this goal of yours?"
Ranger looked upon the hilt of his sword, "We are all differently abled. Some can conduct policy or rely on ingenuity for the betterment of man. I am versed in no such things, only in combat. Fighting may be the one thing I am most proficient in, however I have always fought for what I believed in."
Holo shook her head in a canine fashion, "Tis' a noble cause it is. However in my centuries of existence I have noticed that no one can really purge evil from the earth. Evil men are like weeds, cut them down, uproot them from the earth and in time more will take their place."
"And that is why the gardener must continue to cut them back." returned the hood, "He must preserve the good and the beauty the plants and flowers strive to create, it is when he allows the weeds to grow and take over due to his own slothfulness is when he has committed the greatest evil of all. That is giving in to the foul and the corrupt things of this world and letting it spread until the garden has become unrecognizable and full of unsightly things, all for his own comfort."
The metaphor struck a cord with Holo, she was finally beginning to understand the warrior better and his role in society. For a gardener's job was important but was always hard work. Each day would begin early in which the weeds were pulled and the shrubberies were cut back and the yard bushes trimmed. The day would end with the gardner having soil and green stains desecrating his outfit all while his joints and muscles suffered from aches while his hands and feet would blister only to become callus in time. The duty would be relatively thankless by both the master of the house and visitor alike. But what drove the gardener was not the thanks or praises of men, it was to simply see either those who passed by the garden or walked within it, to look upon it and smile and see nothing but the good things nature had to offer.
Ranger and those like him, were the gardeners of life and society. And there will be times that the only thing that stands between the murderers and the evil doers from the weak and innocent, was simply a man or woman with a sword. Evil was powerless if the good was unafraid, however fear can compel even the most righteous of saints to look to the horizon when terror is being inflicted at their doorstep. When this happens it then falls upon the shoulders of another to ward off the evil and do for many what they cannot do for themselves. Another who when encountering and felling the wicked ones will face the stem of lying tongues, shame and scorn. Who will hear as much criticism from the few but loud voices as he will praises from the grand yet stiller voices. Another who will endanger his life for the ignorant and ungrateful, who will recollect the lives he has taken so that others may live. It falls upon the shoulders of one who when society faces annihilation will collect his arms and go to the front lines without hesitation to defend it to the end. The most needed guardian of both past and present times, the warrior.
Holo, seeming content when considering all this asked, "Where these once the merits of your people?"
Ranger was about to answer until both he, Holo and Kaytaff were suddenly put on alarm and immediately arose for a stranger was coming through the bushes towards them. The hood unclasped his sword while Holo withdrew wheat from her pouch as Kaytaff began to growl.
Holo immediately assumed it to be a potential scout who was out looking for those who had abducted Evgeny. If this were true then the possibility of a small strike team being in league was more than likely.
The stranger, who must have been attracted by the fire while walking around at night, came through into full view. He stopped and gapped at Holo, whose ears and tail were in full view who went still when seeing the man in return. The wanderer then looked over at Ranger whose bandaged torso was seen through his unbuttoned shirt and sword at the ready and immediately began to come to terms the exact relationship these two had.
"Oh dear…" came the voice of Edmund.
As Holo and Ranger were caught up in their own predicament with their unexpected guest there was another soul who at this time was bedridden on the banks of the Siakluk river, who thanks to the generosity of the old man Radovan Tenbrooke, was recovering from a near death experience. Philip Bourgeois, former guard of Nyohhira and failed sergeant of his detachment lay resting until a set of muffled voices from beyond the door had awoken him.
Whatever the expressions beyond the enclosed pavilion were, they sounded of the most critical and secretive nature. Fearing perhaps his identity may have been compromised, Philip slowly moved out of the bed. His condition was improving over the past few days as he could now have the liberty to move without too much vexation however the pain in his abdomen was just tolerable.
He reached the door and slowly cracked it open and was sure to keep himself concealed behind it.
"It was a miracle we found them when we had."
Philip identified the voice immediately as Radovan's who was communing with another whom he did not know due to his medicinal confinement which prohibited most contact outside the walls of old man Trotter.
"How many were there in total trotter?" asked the foreign voice in return.
"There were about eight and each of them were injured in some way or another." came the gravely reply.
"How so?"
"A good number of them are needing broken bones to be mended, one had his foot split open…and the last…dear God…."
"What was it?"
"We found him half starved on his knees next to a tree stump, his hand was fastened to it by a knife. And most astonishing is the fact that these men were the lucky ones."
"Pray tell that conclusion!" said he whom Radovan was conversing with.
The old man stroked his beard, "When getting these poor souls onto the wagons they asked of us to go out and look for another caravan that was deeper in. After an hour we found it, much to our dismay. Every single man was dead, and their deaths were quite brutal in nature."
"How so?"
"Heads were split or missing, knives plunged in faces, necks gashed open, throats slit. It was a massacre. However it may be grim of me to say, but I am not one to be in total mourning of their loss."
"Why do you say that?"
Tenbrooke sighed with more poignancy than anger, "The men were slave traders. One of the wagons had built in shackles designed for the confinement for human beings. Though no slaves could be found, it is only assumed that whoever had done this most likely was attempting to rescue one or all."
"But Radovan, the slave trade is not illegal, in fact it is encouraged."
"That may be true, however the means by which slaves are produced are damning in every sense. Kidnapped as children, or sold off by bandits who pillaged their homes. And then there are the ones who were born into it. It is money obtained by theft of life and liberty and I have never wanted to so much as a touch coin that was ever exchanged for such services!"
Attempting to cool the situation the man asked of Trotter, "So do you believe that perhaps this culprit was only wishing to see the slaves freed?"
"It could be, personally considering the scales of profit and morality concerning the slave trade it would have to come down to war to abolish it. Perhaps this fellow had the same idea."
"Is there any idea who this fellow could be?"
Radovan looked the man in the eyes and replied controversially, "Yes and I believe he was in this very house."
"Say what?"
"The more cooperative of the victims, a man by the name of Fabian, told me very reluctantly that it was just one individual whose face he did not see for he wore a hood and mask."
Philip felt his heart jump and nearly gave away his position due to his excitement. He listened more earnestly for the next series of information was bound to be crucial.
"This masked man was here?"
"Yes only a few nights ago, he came by here off the ferry with Fabian and this pretty, young girl who my heart went out to for she barely had decent enough clothing on at the time. I encountered this masked man when asking all the passengers who were disembarking for some coin to fetch for the doctor when we had found Philip downstream. The hooded fellow agreed to help by first examining him then giving me three silver pieces to run for the doctor."
Bourgeois held his wounded gut with a buzz of undetermined emotions. It was only days when he and Ranger had their blades turned on each other and now the man was his savior. Making the determination if he was friend or foe exceptionally difficult.
"That is odd, why would he make attempt to save a life if to quickly turn around and destroy it the next moment?"
"This man had to have been provoked to violence, though Fabian will not admit it, I believe they were trying to steal that little lady and the masked man would have none of it."
"That aside, what will become of our guests now?"
"For now I have them in the barn with the doctor treating them all."
"How are we going to afford that?"
"We are not affording anything, these men had a caravan stock full with money, they can pay for there own lodgings and treatment as far as I'm concerned."
At this point Philip shut the door and awaited on the bed for the correct moment to begin a plan he was constructing in his head.
Radovan then saw his guest out of his house and sat down at his own personal desk and there pulled out a journal and began to record the days events.
"The days when winter shall soon cover these lands are vastly on us. Yet the worries of cold and famine are not what concerns me this day. Today many injured and slain men have been found near our small village. The man believed to have done it very well could have only been acting in the best interests of society seeing how the victims were slave traders. Should my little Hanna be taken from me and attempted to be sold off, I do feel I would be inclined to bloodshed as the only means to get her back.
More importantly, the masked man was here and now I begin to wonder of his true identity. When coming back from fur peddling I had stopped in Nyohhira and there enjoyed the services and hospitality of the 'Spice and Wolf Inn and Bathhouse.' While there I engaged in a conversation of two men, whose names I do not recall at this moment, speaking of bandits, mercenaries and other frontier plagues being found slain in a most savage manner. The way they described the deaths of these men seemed to coincide with what I have come across today. Could this masked man have been the very same man suspected of those other killings that have been happening these past few years?
The old lifted up his head and looked out the window and could see the darkened wilderness through his translucent reflection. "I wonder…." he pondered.
While he continued to write, Bourgeois had dressed himself in more appropriate outdoor ware, took his blanket and managed to climb out the window, which was by no means a small feet for one whose torso was being held together by thread and cloth. He limped around while favoring his left side by keeping the pressure on his stomach until he found the barn that was mentioned.
Within the structure were an octuple of men each laying in straw beds with assorted means of therapeutic treatment applied to wherever their injuries could be found. One such was a familiar looking fair merchant with light red hair and thin beard. Who lay on his back with his arm in a sling for a dislocated shoulder.
While he was sleeping a hand came down and covered his mouth in which his eyes shot open and attempted to move but made a muffled moan as agony overtook him.
"Shhh!" demanded a voice, "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm only going to ask a few questions and be on my way. Nod if you understand."
The man's chin moved up and down to give his consent.
The hand lifted off his mouth and was asked, "Are you Fabian?"
The fair merchant nodded with some trepidation for he knew well the guilt of his fraud.
"The man who attacked you, and the girl he was with, what were their names?"
In a very delicate whisper that was combined with fear and weakness of pain, Fabian responded, "Holo and Alden."
The voice in the darkness was briefly silent before asking, "Where were they headed when you met them?"
"The town of Valenfurt."
"Did they say why?"
"Holo is a nun who was simply being escorted back to her home by the assailant."
The figure in the veil of shadows began to retreat, "Rest for now, and if I were you, I would choose more noble line of work."
The interrogator was then seen no more and to where he was going, only Bourgeois knew for it was he who had interacted with Fabian. The next ten minutes involved him navigating through the small homestead for he knew not its layout. Alas he found the stables and went inside after checking to see if he was being followed or observed by any resident who happened to be out and about in the late night hours. Once within the stables he lit a lantern that was hung on nail by the door and began to inspect the horses. There were very few and Philip knew well that taking one would greatly disadvantage the original owner.
However he knew what was at stake and the closer he was to Nyohhira the greater the risk of him being discovered. He found a steed that was suitable enough for his departure, doubled up the blanket he had with him and laid it upon the horse's back before hoisting a saddle over it. He grunted in terrible anguish as he bent down and attempted to fasten the cinches.
Just then a kindly old voice spoke from behind, "You know son, if you had to be somewhere all you needed to do was ask."
Bourgeois looked up in shame at Radovan who had most of his head concealed in shadow with only his bottom beard showing in the moonlight. Bowing his head he responded, "I would, however it would be best if people did not know where I was going."
With the patience and understanding that his long life experiences had allotted him, old man trotter replied, "Wherever you are going, you are not in a sound enough condition to get there."
Philip held his side, "I have to try."
"That you could,' said the old man, 'however I don't see what good you're dead body would do for anyone."
Bourgeois glanced up at him curiously.
"The roads out here can be perilous, be it bandits, wild beasts or the weather. Your body is still recovering and is too weak to pull through should such trials come upon you. Is it really something worth dying for, this venture of yours?"
The former sergeant smirked with a hint of defeat, "Well it is something worth stealing your horse over."
Radovan stepped forward, "You know what I mean."
Bourgeois looked upon the ground that was riddled with hay, "The masked man who saved my life and attacked the slave traders, plus the girl, I know them."
"Friends of yours then?"
"It's complicated, I wish I could tell you more but there is so much at stake if my worries are deemed true."
"Try me." said the old man with a soft smile that telegraphed he was on Philip's side.
He looked back upon Radovan and said, "You love your granddaughter correct?"
"There is nothing I love more than the fruit of my loins."
"If you ever had the opportunity to ensure she lived in a world where she could be free of tyrants and have a carefree life, would you take it?"
"Without hesitation."
Bourgeois then spoke more sternly in his pleading tone, "Such an opportunity is standing in front of you in the form of a decision. Whether or not to let a stranger depart here."
Radovan breathed heavily out of his nostrils and was silent for a good portion as he contemplated this opportunity. Alas he spoke, "Where is it you need to be?"
Bourgeois finally arose from the ground, "Valenfurt."
The old man walked up to the horse and began to pat his mien, "This has always been a good horse. He is old and wise and has yet some more adventures in him."
Philip would have assumed that he was granted permission to leave with the animal until Radovan pulled the saddle off of him and handed the blanket back to Bourgeois.
"If I have to walk the entire way I will." said Philip coldly.
"You're not walking anywhere you crazy fool.' started the codger, 'I'm hitching him to the wagon."
Philip was outside the boundaries of astonishment, "You would be willing to part with a horse and wagon?"
Radovan began to slide the bit into the horse's mouth and led him out of the stable, while he did so caromed back with the ornery tone of an average senescent man, "I'm not parting with anything, I'm taking you there!"
Bourgeois was speechless, he went to mumble a protest but was immediately cut off by the old man's voice, "Careful son, I may not know all that has been happening but I do know I earned the right to be stubborn for living this long! Now I'm going to hitch up the wagon, you're going to lay in the back until that wound heals while I take you to Valenfurt with no objection! Now come along!"
...
The campground that Ranger and Holo had thus established was silent yet was far from tranquil. Edmund was found sitting on his hands atop one of the large rocks they had set prior while Ranger vehemently paced to and fro only to stop at times to fold his arms and decipher the possible conclusions on which they were reunited. Kaytaff, when sensing his master's predicaments sat next to the missionary and watched closely for any motion that could be taken as hostile to subdue the man.
Holo stood by the wagon while clutching her wheat pouch with the understandable agitation that the situation would allow. Though upon first greetings he seemed a peaceful enough man, however he had stumbled across a few inconvenient truths. He most likely was there when the town of Cross Iron was laid in distress and concluded by simple observance of Ranger's rugged appearance that he had a role to play in it. He also knew what Holo was, a pagan god whom the church condemned.
She was not worried by Edmund's judgments for he claimed to have no bias against the creatures, large or small, who were created and purposed by our eternal head. However his coming upon them at such a late hour so far off the road could not realistically be considered coincidental given the circumstances. Thus dictated Ranger's demeanor.
"Are there any others with you?" came the icy inquiry of the masked man.
"No." replied the astute missionary with a tone of heavy emphasis on the truth if he wished his life to be spared.
Ranger looked to Holo as if to question the man's truthfulness. But he quickly turned about and sharply spoke, "By what means then, did you come this way?"
Edmund took a deep breath and said, "I can assure you that I did not know that you were here."
The tone of the masked man became that of one who was becoming annoyed, "We were parked well off the beaten path, you mean to say that by chance you detoured off the road and so happened to find us? No man would blindly make it this way unless he was looking for something or someone. Now I ask for a true accounting of how your presence came to be, or you will be considered an enemy and dealt with as such."
With a deep respire of a man who knew that this testimony could either be the making breaking of him, Edmund accounted, "When I was finished with my proselyting I had decided to rest from my labors and sustain myself at a nearby tavern. No sooner had I sat down than it was heavily impressed upon my mind that I must take my leave of this town. I could only interoperate it as nothing else than the promptings of the Holy Spirit which, should my well being continue, I should heed."
"I departed and began my journey once more on the road side. It was then that I heard a clatter happening within the walls I was walking away from. When the dust had settled I then heard the cries of men as an unusual entity was barreling towards me. Frightened, I quickly removed myself from the road and watched a great, four legged beast swiftly move past from where I was standing. It sounded as though a helpless man was clutched in it's jaws therefore I followed the direction of it's retreat as best I could."
Ranger haunched down and glared daringly into his face, "And now here you are, by happenstance."
"Not quite, eventually I found a most grievous scene, a poor couple who were both injured with the man crawling along the road side with his woman attempting to keep him up but failed on many attempts. Her arm was injured you see."
"What happened when they saw you?" came the aggressive recourse of the masked man.
"I immediately went to tend to them but was rather rudely denied as the man proclaimed defiantly that he didn't need my help. I had noticed from there that further down the road hwere the shrubbery rested were great disturbances of what looked as though a large animal had passed through recently. I simply followed the path of flattened tall grass and stomped bushes until I saw the fire and that led me to you."
Ranger then arose and looked to Holo, "If he was able to find us in the thick of night, that means if any will come to avenge Evgeny may find the same path, we cannot stay here."
She bowed her head and mumbled, "What of him?"
"He is a liability."
Holo dropped her arms and protested, "I did not sense at all that he was lying!"
"He has seen too much and we cannot risk the consequence should he be found and questioned."
Edmund closed his eyes and meditated as he began to prepare himself for his end. Holo, however being the more reasonable one in this instance advanced between the two men and said with a hardened desire that no innocent man should be slain on her account, "Before we do anything too rash, let us perhaps talk about this in private."
The intent eyes of the brooding warrior creased who then addressed the hound sitting ore, "Kaytaff, guard."
Before Holo could internalize that the man was willing to be more civil than what he was displaying, he turned about and began to walk deeper into woods in which she followed. Edmund was left intact a bit while longer but durst not move while the black and gold shepherd dog was watching.
They went roughly about forty and a half feet into the live timber in which Ranger turned about and confronted her, "I want you to consider what I have said about letting him go."
"The man is not dangerous." said she.
"However the information he now holds can be if delivered into the wrong hands."
"His life is not rightfully up for anyone to decide."
Ranger then said, "He knows what you are and now knows that the story we first had given him was false. I understand that the two of you had an enlightening conversation earlier this day however do not let that stand in the way of what is really at stake."
"I know what is at stake!' the she wolf snapped back, 'it is that we do not even know if he will even be questioned or will tell anyone what he has seen here tonight."
"My experience has taught me that if there is so much as a margin of chance that a liability can undo what we strive for it must be taken as a certainty."
"This is more than a liability this is a human life." said she.
"See the grander picture,' replied the Ranger who was becoming more impatient, 'do you think that you are the first victim of Jurgen's agenda? Countless lives have most likely been destroyed by his hand and more are sure to follow unless we can put a stop to it. However if we become hindered in our quest due to one act that could expose us then it is only more innocent blood on our hands."
"These things are known to me,' gritted Holo, 'yet if we condescend to killing a man who has done no wrong or torturing a defenseless woman in order to get some information, then we are no better than the ones we hunt."
That last remark took Ranger off guard in which we responded darkly, "You worry about providing for us the income, I will decide how this campaign will be operated. As is our agreement."
"I will also have a say on how we operate as well for we are partners are we not?"
Ranger stepped in and gave her a hardened glance, "Partners, not equals."
He then walked away from her leaving the fair woman grinding her teeth and clutching her fists in insubordinate anger. She paced behind him in serious temptation to take upon herself her wolf form and save the missionary and abandon the warrior, yet even that would have a heavy cost. Just as Ranger made it to the borders of the camp, Holo called out to him in a last attempt for them to exercise mercy, "Whatever you decide, do not do to Edmund what your people had done to you."
Immediately the footfalls of Ranger stopped dead in there place. Holo held her stride as well as they both seemed to be locked in this predicament. She could only see his backside and had no way of determining what thoughts were now running through his head. Alas after a long intermission he began walking again.
Edmund shuffled as Ranger quickly approached him, took him by the shoulders and ordered, "Stand up."
Holo watched in horrid anticipation as the masked man pulled the missionary over tot he wagon.
"Am I to walk away a free man or am I to be sent to my death?" asked Edmund with a calm yet disapproving tone.
Ranger looked over at Holo who said nothing but slowly shook her head. He then looked back at Edmund.
"You are coming with us."
Holo put her hand over her mouth and let out a silent gasp through her nose in great relief. Ranger then had Edmund sit in the wagon and soon had his hands bound with rope and was told not to move from where he was placed. Kaytaff was then ordered to jump in and watch the man as Ranger began to break down camp.
As the warrior was unhitching Gallavaun Holo approached him and said, "Thank you, I know that this will be…"
Ranger stopped, turned to her and cut her off, "Do not make me regret this or you will."
Meaning that if this one act of mercy should bring about the consequences that Ranger feared then it would put Holo in a position that she would have wished she had listened.
She nodded then said, "Surely he must be confused as to why this is happening to him."
Ranger got the shire free then said with irked apathy, "He is your hostage, perhaps you can explain the situation to him."
Soon after the horse was hitched, the fire doused, Holo seated next to Ranger and the wagon was set in motion.
