Chapter 36
Kyminn dug his fork into his dinner and settled into the warmth of their wagon. This wasn't the same wagon that he and Randen had driven the fall before, although it was built on the same model. He was rather glad it wasn't the same one, this one held no memories.
Like its counterpart, the wagon had high axles and was designed for use on less-travelled roads. This particular wagon included a clever sliding frame that extended over the front bench. The bench, in turn, folded flat to create an extra bed, its mattress stored in a bench beneath the seat. With the back half of the wagon being wooden framed instead of canvas, there was room for a small loft as well as two folding bunks. No one had a great deal of room, but each had his or her own bed.
"This is good Allek, what do you call it?" Randen was clearly enjoying dinner as much as Kyminn was.
"Hunter's pie," Allek replied. "I used yesterday's left over stew and a few of the root vegetables."
"I've had hunter's pie many times before, and none of them tasted like this. I think you even made the turnips taste good, and I've never been a fan of turnips." Nikki paused to savor another bite.
Allek gave a small smile. "Drizzled them with honey and pepper before I roasted them. Then I mashed them in with the potatoes and some spring onions before I used them for the top crust. It takes away that funny funk everyone seems to hate."
"I vote we use Allek's recipe the next time we cook turnips," Kyminn stated. "Which makes me wonder, where'd you learn to cook them like this? It's not a family recipe."
"Something I picked up during my second year or so with the Guard. There are people from all over Valdemar and there's always someone with a new food from their region, or a new way to solve a problem, or even some new gods I've never heard of." Allek shrugged. "You pick up all kinds of new things."
"He's right," Nikki nodded. "It's one of the reason the Guard posts people so far from home. New recruits always think it's so there's nowhere to go if they get homesick," she grinned, but went on seriously, "but it's to make sure that everyone in the Guard thinks of the people around them as their people. If no one ever went more than a few leagues from their home village, it would be easy to not really care about people that are in places they've maybe never heard of – and will certainly never see.
"Once you've spent a season with the fellow in the next bunk who's from the Lake Evendim fisher folk, and the shepherd from the western hills who has never tasted beef, and the merchant's son from down south…well, you don't see just 'our folk' and 'other folk', you just see people. And when you're helping a village rebuild their only bridge after a storm has washed it away, well, they become your folk." Nikki smiled.
Randen took up the conversation. "it's the same way with Heralds. It's one reason field Heralds generally aren't sent back to their own region. It would be easy for the locals to think of him or her as 'our Herald' and think they'd be inclined to favor their district over another. It's equally hard for them to trust that a Herald won't fall prey to the old grudges of village politics." Randen gave a half nod in support of Nikki. "Allek probably won't get back to Oakden for a couple of years at least, if ever. It helps that he's been gone for a while already so folks don't quite consider him a local anymore, but it's something the Circle takes very seriously. Heralds not only have to BE fair, they have to be SEEN to be fair."
"Like not promoting a fellow within the squad and expecting him to still hang about with his old mates. He can't lead if he might seem to have favorites." Allek was clearly familiar with the notion.
"Exactly." Randen agreed. "Which brings up a question, and I hope you don't think its presumptuous Captain, but speaking of how background can form one's perspective…well, you seem to have a…more open perspective than I would have expected from someone with your rank and family."
To everyone's covert relief, the Captain's response was a peal of honest laughter. "Are you asking if it's because I'm of noble birth and don't go about mentioning it with every second breath, or because I'm one of those hide-bound, pig-headed, stubborn-as-stone Ashkevrons?" Her voice gurgled with mirth.
A sheepish smile. "Both, I guess. I encountered your family's court representative once, when I was invited to a meeting focused on issues concerning that region. The gentleman in question was very…certain of his convictions and not shy about sharing them. Robustly."
"You mean he was loud, stubborn and disinclined to listen to reason?" Nikki sighed. "That sounds about right." She paused to sip on her mug of tea. "Our family have been strong supporters of the crown and kingdom since half-past forever. But, being as far from the capital as we are, we don't spend a lot of time at court. We'd have to leave home in mid-winter just to get there for spring. We're not one of those families that can come for 'the season' and then easily pack themselves back home again. When we come, it's because we need to and we don't have a lot of time or energy to waste on small talk or court politics." She held up a hand, "That doesn't mean we're oblivious, it just means we ignore it whenever it's safe to do so." A dry smile. "You'd be surprised how often it's safe to ignore some of that nonsense if you know what you're doing and you ignore the right people."
Kyminn and Allek listened, fascinated. This was an aspect of life in the capital that was completely foreign to them.
"Generally speaking, father sends one of my uncles or cousins as his representative. They tend to stay for about a year, with someone coming about halfway through to update them on how things are going at home. Yes, it means the information is several moons out of date, but that's usually not a tremendous problem. Things don't change quickly up near Forst Reach," she grinned at Randen's snort of understatement, "so it's a long while before a change has any effect anyway."
"So how did you come to join the Guard then?" Kyminn was curious.
"Family tradition," the glint in her eye was downright wicked. "Fortunately, my family has a strong sense of tradition. So, when every generation or so, the family line produces a Bard, or a Herald, or a daughter who doesn't want to spend the rest of her life breeding horses and raising sheep, well…there's a strong family tradition of setting such folk free to find their own way. It's been happening long enough now that it's become a curious tradition, not the near-scandal that it used to be back in Vanyel's time."
It was Allek's turn to nod in understanding. "So that's how you got into the Guard, and with your background, it's logical you'd end up in the cavalry. Is that how you got hurt?" He gestured at her canes, used now only for public appearances of the 'disabled former cavalry trooper.'
"No such luck," she grimaced. "I was posted at the training camp that's three days out of Haven. A bunch of us had some Midwinter leave and decided to do some sightseeing. There was a dramatic ice-falls nearby and we thought we'd take a look. As it turned out, we weren't the only ones with the same idea and there were actually locals who you could hire to take you on a climb of the ice. We were very careful to pick the one with the best gear and one of the fellows in our group had some experience with ice climbing. He vouched that the fellow wasn't just talking through his hat and knew what he was doing.
"But, like anything, there's a risk. It wasn't the guide's fault, nor did the equipment fail. A chunk of ice broke off as we were climbing. We were roped in so we didn't fall all the way, but I was pinned by the falling ice. That's how I broke my legs. I don't remember much aside from falling, pain, someone swearing a lot and waking up a fortnight later at Healers."
The other three winced in sympathy, Randen with grim appreciation for what she had endured. There seemed little to add at that point, so they finished their meal in companionable silence and turned in.
SCENE BREAK
During that first fortnight or so of travel, things settled into a routine. Kyminn, for his part, found it interesting to watch the shifting dynamics of the group emerge as each settled into his or her own niche in the group.
Both Nikki and Randen had joined the group as persons used to wearing the mantle of leader. The city dweller in Randen deferred somewhat to the high born Ashkevron, while the cavalry captain deferred to the Herald – sometimes. Allek, accustomed to the role of subordinate as a Guardsman, was easing his way into his new role as Herald-to-be. As for Kyminn, he was in most ways the undisputed subordinate of the group, aside from the fact that he had the final say in almost all matters concerning animals they were considering purchasing.
It quickly became clear though that Talamir, Jadus and the others had chosen the group with just this situation in mind. The four of them settled into their roles with surprisingly little conflict or misunderstanding. It was understood that in public, Nikki would be the spokesperson of the group, letting her natural leadership abilities come to the fore.
Randen, for his part, found that if he spoke little, people tended to see only his disability and tended to dismiss him. A part of him was deeply angered at the realization that – had he been wearing his whites – the reception would have been completely different and that at present, all people saw was his injury, not the man behind it. It was a profoundly unsettling realization to go from "respected leader" to "overlooked cripple" by dint of whether or not he was wearing his whites. For a time, he spent a lot of time alone with Derris after these encounters, struggling to adjust to this unpalatable reality.
Allek slid easily into his role of "hired hand and bodyguard" at Nikki's right hand. It gave him an opportunity sit in on her encounters and act as a discreet messenger when folks wanted to feel her out before formally approaching her.
Kyminn found he enjoyed the role of "fella what has fits and talks to hisself". It allowed him to sit quietly in a lot of corners and simply absorb the talk that was flowing around him. It also meant that he could be perched on the wagon or a horse, interrogating the local animals and wildlife, his distracted demeanor attributed to his 'fits'.
SCENE BREAK
Within a moon and a bit, the team was making distinct progress. They had purchased nine promising animals for the guard, along with collecting some eclectic bits of information. A trader from Rethwellen had mentioned that mercenary companies were being quietly warned by their guild to actively avoid Karse. That wasn't surprising, since Karse had long since damaged relations with that guild beyond hope of repair. This wasn't, the trader had averred, the usual reminder that the guild would not support or provide bond for any contract with Karse, but rather an active notification to avoid the region altogether, along with a strongly worded 'suggestion' that any company might want to think twice about taking a private guard contract with any noble whose lands bordered Karse or Valdemar.
In spite of the warning, the trader himself was buying up stocks of leather, ostensibly for import back to Rethwellen. Kyminn, however, spent three days in a trance in the back of the wagon, using a crow to follow the trader. That worthy spent only one day on the road towards Rethwellen, before inexplicably bending south, directly for Karse.
That wasn't illegal, a trader was free to trade with whomever he or she pleased, provided he or she wasn't selling stolen or illicit goods and paid all appropriate fees and taxes. The fact that the trader had lied about the destination and was willing to risk trading with Karse argued that there was apparently an oddly strong market in Karse for simple cured leather hides.
Randen shrugged and added the information to the latest coded message going back to Talamir. It was possible that there was a perfectly innocent reason why Karse had a sudden need to buy leather. But since leather was also used for armor, bridles, saddles and a thousand other things an army used…well, it seemed odd that Karse needed quite so much of it.
Outside the wagon, Nikki, Allek and Kyminn were drilling. Every evening, they spent time training both the horses and themselves. They were very careful about these sessions. It was public knowledge that the group was hoping to broker horses for the Guard. The team took great care to make sure anyone thinking about helping themselves to the team's bank roll knew that everyone in the group was more than able with a weapon. Always having one of the mastiffs up beside the driver and growling at anyone who approached didn't hurt either.
That didn't mean they wanted prying eyes and ears to overhear any of their discussions, or be quite aware of how well and how quickly the horses were learning war skills. Every evening Kyminn would check with the local wild life and have one of the dogs circle the perimeter of the camp. Between Kyminn, the dogs, the Companions and the Herald's mindspeech, the camp was as secure as it could possibly get for the conditions. Given that they did carry some coin, as well having a number of valuable beasts, the group didn't stint on night watches either.
SCENE BREAK
:Brother. We have company.: Derris' voice sounded more annoyed than concerned.
"What kind of company?" Randen reached for his bow.
:Some young men from that town we passed through this morning. I believe they mean to rob us. There are nine of them.:
"And six of us. Nine if we count the dogs." Randen gave Allek a nudge with mindspeech and told him to wake the others.
:Doesn't seem fair.: Derris offered helpfully.
"They are trying to rob us. I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of being fair," Randen growled. "Where are they now?"
:They are walking in the woods along the road. The plan is to come at you in a semi-circle. They think there is enough moon that they can shoot the dogs first. After that, they plan to fire the wagon and drive off the horses. They don't plan to hurt anyone, they just want the money.: Derris paused. :I don't think they're very good at this.:
"Good or not, they are planning on setting fire to a wagon with people sleeping in it. That makes them both stupid and dangerous in my book." Randen looked at the others, silent shadows slipping up beside him. In low tones – he knew that whispers carry – he explained the situation and his plan for dealing with it.
"I'll give you a few minutes to get into position. Nikki, do you think Hugo will cooperate?"
She nodded. "He'll follow me, he trusts me. He wouldn't want to be ridden through the woods at night, but he'll follow me if I stick to open areas."
"Good. Kyminn will check with Hugo to see when you're in position. Kyminn, you're the person who can communicate with most of us involved. Derris and Jareth will 'listen' for you. Everyone set?" Three nods, a gesture and the group slipped into the woods.
In spite of their size, it turned out that a mastiff could be an astonishingly quiet creature. It helped too that human eyes were guiding the animal, carefully selecting a protected spot just a few feet behind where the leader of the attackers crouched.
It also turned out that when 150 pounds of mastiff produces an ugly, basso growl at a person from bare feet away in the darkness, it has a withering effect on a person's nerve. Combine that with other growls nearby, the squeal and crash of angry warhorses and arrows thunking uncannily into the tree one is lurking behind…the effect was to shatter the nerve of the would-be thieves. To a man, they broke and ran, more than one of them having soiled his breeks at the first growl.
The Companions, playing the part of "angry warhorse" to the hilt, remained out of view, carefully screened lest one of the thieves have a sudden fit of courage and attempt to shoot their attackers. The dogs bayed and howled, herding the group and driving them through the forest. The group, instead of gloating over their ill-gotten gold, found themselves, exhausted and terrified, up to their waists in a swamp. At a word from Randen, their remaining weapons dropped in unison, most having already been abandoned in their flight through the woods.
Most of the rest of the night was spent in waiting. Allek and Jareth escorted Nikki and Hugo back to the village, the horse being more willing to attempt the night time road under the direction of a Companion than solely a rider. As they approached the village, Jareth peeled away, it being rather hard to hide Jareth's nature when he glowed in the dark.
The grim constable and two deputized locals took charge of the soggy miscreants. They had been allowed to withdraw from the swamp, Kyminn having been concerned they would suffer hypothermia in the frigid water. The disconsolate group, now cold and sober, sat huddled on the shoreline, flinching whenever one of the dogs twitched or sniffed. The constable, along with the deputies and two other witnesses from the village were shown where the group had entered the woods, where they had hidden, and their weapons. The nine youths didn't bother to dissemble and resignedly provided statements in front of the witnesses. Randen produced written statements from himself, Allek and Kyminn, each of them swearing in front of the witnesses as to the veracity of what they had written. Given the confessions, it was decided there was enough evidence to present when the magistrate arrived the next day and the group was allowed to depart.
"What will happen to them?" Kyminn asked from the wagon seat.
"There is more than enough evidence, along with their witnessed word, to convict them all. This isn't a matter that would be held over until the next time a Herald visits. They're lucky no one got hurt, but what they tried to do was dangerous and stupid. I would expect they will spend the next two or three moons at hard labour, at the very minimum. It's really our approach to justice in this kingdom – try to make the punishment fit the crime and have the criminal do something to benefit society instead of harming it."
And Kyminn had to be content with that.
