Chapter 16

My back was sore.

That was the very first thing I noticed the next morning. I groaned and opened my eyes, realizing immediately why. I was on the floor, but wasn't the reason, that was ok, I had slept on the floor in the forest, and I had laid down on the floor the night before. So I hadn't fallen off a bed or anything. But it wasn't just that I was on the floor.

I was on a very very hard wooden floor and that was not nearly as comfortable as the soft pine needle/moss covered forest I had been sleeping on.

The night before I had been a gentleman and had of course given Perceval the bed.

No, I take that back. I didn't give Perceval the bed. I gave Minerva the bed. I would have never given a teenage boy the only bed in the room when it had looked extremely comfortable to myself.

Why is good repaid with evil? First Ares and now Perceval, er...Minerva.

She was still asleep on the bed when I slowly arose from the treacherous ground. The sun was not yet up and it was rather cold. I opened the window and the early early morning light filled the room. I thought this would have waken her up, or my groaning, or my loud cursing and crash when I bumped into something and tripped to the floor, but it didn't.

Reluctantly and I went over to her and was surprised to see her cheeks were tear stained. I wondered if she had been crying in her sleep, or crying during the night when I was asleep. Though I saw no cause either way. I didn't want to wake her up in such a state so I went down to eat breakfast.

I confess seeing her in such vunerable way made me feel kind of bad. I had treated her like an insignificant, annoying, teenage cousin. Not very good treatment I assure you. I resolved to treat her like a Prince of Adelfos should treat a girl, no matter the rank or age. That made me feel somewhat better as I settled down with some eggs the sleepy tavern maid had given me.

Perceval came down not long after and sat heavily on the stool next to me. The maid gave her a plate and she picked up her fork.

A sudden idea flashed in my head and I said, "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," she grunted, jabbing into the ham.

"Wait.Want to race and see who can eat the most?"

She stared at me as if I had grown two heads, the same look Conrad often gave me. I say crazy things that I am immediately ashamed and sheepish of. But I never turn back, which often get me into trouble.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to see who can eat the most?"

"But you are twice as big as me!" she squawked. "And if you are starving then I have no chance."

"I'm not starving," I huffed. "Just hungry. Come on it'll be fun, if you win I'll give you five gold coins."

That lighted her face. "All right."

I had been silently hoping she'd refuse.

"What will you give me?" I challenged.

"You won't have to give up five coins," she said smugly.

I glowered and she said, "Fine I'll let you use and carry my bow and arrows for one day."

My eyes widened. "The one that the elf gave you? The arrows that are dipped in poison and never miss a shot?"

She chuckled. "I don't have any other, L...Jesse."

I had been admiring her weapons ever since she had told me their history while we had been tracking the wild men. She had said that once while practicing her archery an elf friend of her father's had been impressed and given her a tall strong bow made from them. Also a sheath of poisoned arrows. Ever since then I had wanted to try them out.

"It's a deal," I said and the race was on.

I was too busy stuffing my face to count how many plates she had emptied. After the disgusted tavern maid shoved a third plate in front of me I turned to Perceval and asked, "What are you on?"

"Finishing my three," she mumbled through her food and gave me a sheepish smile.

I laughed and growled at the same time and dug in. She certainly acted like a teenage boy as she crammed the muffin half way into her mouth and crumbs fell away. I could hardly imagine her crying for any reason and almost forgot my resolusion as I tried to keep up with her and eat more.

A few minutes later I sat groaning over my empty plate. Ugh. I didn't like stuffing myself, and right now my stomach felt like bursting.

Perceval daintily wiped up the last of her egg and shoved it into her mouth.

"That was plate five," she smirked.

I had only gotten up to four and had had a hard time finishing even that.

I rolled my eyes. "Thank you for proving my point that all teenage boys are pigs."

"Just because you are one year past the teen years doesn't mean you are a pig as well," she huffed.

"Enough," I said and placed five coins in her palm. She smiled smugly, gloating over her victory.

I really hadn't thought I would win, considering I wasn't even that hungry when I started and that she had practically been starving. I had only wanted to lighten her spirits and make sure she was all right from what ever had happened last night. Besides, it had been fun, something Conrad and I would have done. Actually Conrad and I often had eating races, and it was pretty even on who was the ultimate winner.

Theo was waiting patiently at the front door when Perceval and I got over our gluttony and laziness. His brothers were there and we were quickly introduced to the Ten Brothers of Terif, the town we were staying in.

(Ok let me see if I can remember them all in order...) The oldest was Tyler (30) and was already starting another generation of the brothers with two sons and a third on the way. Then there was Trent(29), Tanner(28), Terry(27), the twins, Tim and Tom(26), Thian(24), Tristam (21), Theo (20), and Troy was the youngest at seventeen and was hopping around with excitement.

Thankfully the twins were the only ones who looked the same in the mix of red heads, brunetts, blacks, blondes, shorts, skinnies, talls and fats. I breathed a sigh of relief when Theo told me he didn't expect me to remember them all.

"Only remember Tyler, Thian, and I."

"And me!" said Troy.

The brothers scoffed and one of the twins playfully boxed the boy's ears.

"Really," he said to me. "I am very important. Last year it was me who set everyone on the right track while Tyler, Tim,Tom and Tristam were picking flowers for their wives and girlfriends and Tanner was trying to copy the birds and Terry was..."

"That's enough, Troy," said Tyler ruffling the boy's hair with a sheepish grin. "It's not good to spread gossip."

"Well, it's true," he huffed, but said no more.

"Can we go now?" asked Thian. He was abroody looking young man several years older than myself. For some reason his sun brown face and black hair looked oddly familiar. "The sun is approaching and the wild men will be harder to catch once they are on the run."

As we led our horses out Troy explained quietly, "He wants to get back home and work in his shop. He's always stowed away in his shops looking over maps and books. He's not like us others because his Ma is the last of Pa's wives."

Ah, so that's why their father was able to have ten extremely different sons. He had several wives too. I really had to do something about it, no one should have to remember ten boys' names that all begin with T.

And so the hunt of the wild men began.

It really just consisted of all of us trotting lesuirely along while the twins ran ahead in the direction Thian directed them. We talked and badgered one another and we were all surprised when Perceval easily momorized every single brother's name. Including the twins. They also admired Ares, which was expected. It wasn't long until the breathless twins came back.

"They are not far ahead!" said one T.

"But we lost the trail and Thian will have to find it again," confessed the other.

Thian grumbled.

"I can find the trail again," said Perceval suddenly.

Immediately eleven pairs of eyes were looking at her and she added a little more feebly, "I've tracked before."

"Yeah, sh...he's really good," I said, reminding myself that Perceval was a boy but I was to treat her as a girl, but not to call her a girl.

Tyler shrugged. "Go ahead. Tim, Tom, show him where you fumbled. We will follow more quickly and quietly."

"Can't I go on ahead?" asked Troy excitedly.

"No. This is only your second hunt and if you fall into one of the traps or get your head chopped off, Ma will never forgive me."

Troy huffed but urged his horse like the rest of us as the two T's and Perceval slipped ahead. Tyler quietly explained their annual way of finding and rescuing the captive.

"It's really quite simple," he said. "The wild men place no guard around him, believing that he wants to be the sacrifice and therefore will not try and run away. Anyhow, Trent takes Tristam, Terry and the twins on the opposite side of camp and make a big hubbub. Most of the wild men will run in that direction. Tanner and Troy will pretend to be wild men and will help make even more noise and keep everyone away from the prisoner, giving Thian, Theo and I a safe passage to him. Once we untie him Tanner will cry like a female woodpecker and we will all run for our lives."

"What about the lamb?" asked Troy who had been listening carefully.

"Theo will tie the lamb in the prisoner's place," said Tyler.

And for the first time I saw that Theo had a small lamb attached to his saddle. It was ugly looking, but it was big and plump.

"Sounds simple enough," I said. "Will Percy and I go with you, Theo and Thian?"

"Yes, since the captive is your friend, you may do the honors of untying him."

Just then the twins popped up out of nowhere and Ares jumped.

"We have found their encampment!" said one of the identical twins.

"Where, Tom?" asked Tyler.

"We'll lead the way, Percy is guarding it," said the other twin which I guess was Tim.

"All right, brothers," said Tyler, his eyes begining to dance. "You know your positions, everyone go. And hurry, you know the longer we're gone the more worry the lady folk back at home have, and the harder the scolding is."

Troy rolled his eyes and we grinned at each other.