5. The Festival, part 2 – The importance of keeping promises

Dedicated to "AIOfanNCRM", partly for one of the names, but mostly for everything else. You are awesome.

Lieutenant Tranur was at the edge of a clearing, leaning against a tree. The other three members of the recovery team were spread out in front of him, sitting around a small campfire. If they were aware of what was going to happen tomorrow, they made no sign.

They were lucky to be alive. No one had bothered to point this out, but they were all aware of it. They could've drowned, any of them. The fact they'd all survived was nothing short of miraculous. But the Lieutenant wasn't thinking about that. He was thinking of his children.

"Papa, will you come with us this year?"

Felix had sprung this question on him two days ago, after they'd had their supper. The Lieutenant had been sitting with his son in his lap, absent-mindedly watching Agatha practising her guitar and listening to Felix babble on about the lanterns they were making at nursery school. He was only six, and it was his first time making his own lantern.

"You don't need me, Felix," Tranur had said. "Just stick with your mother and sister and you'll be alright."
"But I wish you were there, Papa," insisted the boy. "You're never with us."

Behind him, Agatha had stopped practising. She was staring at him expectantly, fiddling with one of her plaits. The girl was looking more like her mother every day.

Felix noticed her, too. "See, Agatha wants you to come. So does Mama. Can't you come to see the lanterns with us? Just once?"

Well, that was a good question. At the time, nothing much had been happening; there hadn't been any serious crime for awhile. Maybe Tranur could get a day off for once. He certainly had enough authority to ask for one.

"Alright, son," he said, ruffling Felix's dark hair. "I will."

The boy was obviously thrilled; it was Agatha who doubted him.

"You alright, honey?"

"Do you promise to come with us, Papa?" asked his daughter.

"Of course."

"Swear on it?"
"Alright, I swear on it." The Lieutenant reached towards his daughter, pulling her into an embrace. "I promise I'll come with you to the festival."

Lieutenant Tranur considered himself an honest man. He never broke the law even before he became a guard, never got into fights unless he had to and always tried to see the best in everything. He was not a man who broke his promises, especially when they were made to his own children. And, to be fair, he'd expected to keep it; even when the Captain had chosen him to accompany him on his search for Rider and the Stabbingtons, the Lieutenant hadn't expected it to last for more than one day. Now he was stuck out here in the forest, and the festival was tomorrow. He'd never be able to get back in time... would he?

Go ask the Captain. Go on. Ask if you can leave.

The Lieutenant shook his head firmly. No; he couldn't do that. He couldn't abandon his post, especially now. They'd already lost Conli back at the pub.

He scanned the group again. His commanding officer was staring at the campfire. Nathan Fisher was sitting close by, making sure the Captain's armour wouldn't rust. He was a good lad, Nathan; devoted to his job and extremely loyal to the Captain. But he was also a scrawny lad. He could follow orders and remember messages, but he wouldn't stand a chance in a brawl. Michael Sanders, who was currently playing with his fingers, was an even worse choice. The boy was bigger than Nathan and he was good with a sword, but he was dumb as a post. How could he deal with a thief as cunning as Rider?

(It never occurred to the Lieutenant to wonder why the Captain had picked these men. It wasn't his place to say.)

But even as he realised this, he was walking towards Captain Rusthaven. The larger man heard him coming, and the moment Tranur saw his face, he was sorely tempted to just turn around again.

Captain Rusthaven was particularly irked by the day's events. All the men were struggling with their brush with death, but the Captain had another problem to add to the list; he was humiliated. Rider had been within his grasp, and he'd lost him again. How hard could it be to catch one criminal? He'd never had this problem before; never! What was it about Rider? How could he be so vexing? Oh, and to top it all off, he'd lost Maximus, too. In some way, that was even worse. Criminals were a dime a dozen. Maximus was one of a kind.

As he sat by the fire, dealing with the shame and the appalling headache he'd had since his encounter with Rider's frying pan, Rusthaven was in no mood to talk to anyone. But Lieutenant Tranur wasn't a man who gave up easily.

"Captain," he began, sitting down next to him. "You know I'm not a man who would abandon my post under normal circumstances."

The Captain didn't reply.

"You've known me for many years. You know I'm a man of my word, and I would never do anything to-"

"What are you getting at, Lieutenant?"

"I would like to return to Corona, sir; for the festival."

The look Rusthaven gave him would have sent some men running in the opposite direction.

"Oh," he hissed, "so you are abandoning your post?"

"Of course not, sir. But I made a promise to my children -"

"And you think that's a good excuse, do you? You think you can use your kids to get out of doing your job?"

"Absolutely not. But I promised them I would take them to the festival. I-"

He shut his mouth. The Captain wouldn't understand the importance of "swearing on it".

"What made you think I'd even consider letting you do that?" asked Rusthaven.

"Well, sir, I thought you'd understand. You have a son."
"My son can't even talk yet."

"Yes, but you know what I mean. If he wanted you to take him somewhere, you would, right?"

"Not if it stops me from doing my job," the Captain replied almost immediately. "Not if it means I'd have to let scum like Rider go free. Your job has to come first, Tranur. Remember that before you start making promises you can't keep."

The Lieutenant sighed. The argument was over, and he knew it. He slumped forward, defeated, while his commanding officer stood up.

"We rise at dawn," he barked. "We'll head back to the dam; try to find their trail. No one is leaving this forest until Rider is caught!" He glanced pointedly at Tranur. "No one!"