Читать книгу The Great Horror: Discovery - Patrick Mew - Страница 9

Chapter 9

The next day the two awoke to the sounds of armor, gear, and rattling dinnerware. Each groggily tried to close their ears to the din around them but for each, that effort was countered by being shaken awake by someone.

“Get up, you two!” Kunya demanded, shaking the kitsu's shoulder. “It is time to get moving; the caravan we were hired to protect is leaving in a half-hour.” A few more violent shakes and Kida was sitting up, though groggy.

“It's too early, ngh...” she protested, rubbing her eyes and trying to adjust to the noise. “What time is it?”

“Nearly midday. The sun has been up a long time already so half of our daylight is gone.”

“Oh, my... sorry!” She stumbled out of the chair she had been snoozing in and bolted across the room to get what breakfast remained. Xron looked over her with distaste at such sluggishness.

“You've got to be kidding me. This child knows magic?” the dark elf said in disbelief.

“Remember, not everyone is the same, nor does everyone practice the same way.” Kunya tried to justify Kida sleeping in but that was difficult even for her. “Even if she is a bit... scatterbrained, it doesn't make her incapable of the art. Your way is different from mine, as hers is from both of us.”

“Hmph. I hope you're right for our sake. We don't need another piece of meat on this trip.” Kida's eyes and heart sank; was she really such a nuisance? She hadn't meant to sleep in, after all. It was an aftereffect of the snowball war she'd been through the previous night.

Hopefully Rusga is doing better, she thought as she quietly prepared her equipment and wolfed down the cold eggs and sausage.

In the next room, Rusga didn't have long to get ready either. Kunya had already been over to inform the warriors of their imminent departure and the catfolk awoke rather roughly. Not content to wait for someone, the pair worked together to ensure they could leave on time. Algan sorted through Rusga's belongings and packed them for the day, finishing by preparing a plate for him, and Riun did the waking by picking the catfolk up by the ankles and hanging him upside down for a minute. When he didn't wake, Riun then shook him by the feet until his eyes opened.

“Oh god what's happening?!” Rusga cried as he was suddenly shaken to his senses. “Put me down!” He clawed ineffectively at whatever was holding him only to realize a minute later that it was one of his companions.

“Good, you're awake. Get ready. Algan packed your things.” the tribesman said, pointing to a corner of the room and setting Rusga down on the chair roughly. Not being fully coherent, Rusga landed half on the chair and half on the floor.

“Urgh… did you need to be so rough? I'm delicate and grumpy and hungry.” He was displeased until he spotted the tray of breakfast on the table nearby. “Did you two save that for me?” The pair nodded and snickered.

“Took you long enough. Your bag is ready so all you have to do is eat and we can go. The caravan that's paying us to tag along is leaving soon so don't take forever,” Algan said, resting against the far wall and watching the door expectantly. As if on cue, the three from the next room entered and stood near the doorway.

“We are ready now,” Kunya said, observing the interior. Rusga had just finished and was grooming the fur around his mouth for crumbs. “It seems that you are as well, good. Let us be off.” The six left the inn together, Kunya depositing a gold coin on the service counter along the way, and hustled outside. The snow forts from the previous night were still there and the two animalfolk eyed each other before looking away in a hurry. The market district was some ways away and the walk there took about two minutes up a straight street.

The caravan employed both elves and humans because of the connection between the nations. The wagons, some two meters tall and beautifully weathered from countless treks through the sun, were made of cedar wood and still held onto a hint of their fragrance. There were no fewer than a half dozen of them lined up in the marketplace, a few still being loaded with crates of goods and supplies for the journey. One of them, a human wearing a full suit of plate mail, noticed the group approaching.

“Hail! What is your business with the Silver Flyer?” he said, holding a hand out to stop them.

“The Silver Flyer?” Kunya asked, mildly puzzled.

“That’s the name of this caravan. We are the fastest march in the kingdom and the most reliable purveyor of trade between the nations of Darminia, the human lands, and Lorethwyn, the elven stronghold. I am its chief officer, Darwin Farstride.”

“Ah, then you are who we are seeking.” She opened a scroll case, pulling a sheet of parchment from within and presenting it to the human. “One of my party sought employment with a Mr. Farstride and brought me this slip as proof of contract.” The sheet bore a sigil of an eagle in silver ink that matched a similar, if faded, emblem on the sides of the wagons. Additionally were signatures, those of Mr. Farstride and of Kunya, near the bottom. In the middle were explained the terms of employment with the caravan: that the employed party would guard the trade goods from potential raiders, that the term of employment would last from the time the caravan left Taft until its arrival in Deswern – the elven town – that food and drink would be rationed and provided along the way, and that payment would be provided at the end of the travel. The wizard passed off the contract to Mr. Farstride and waited. A nod confirmed the deal.

“Very well, Kunya. This contract is binding and in effect from this moment forward until arrival in Deswern. If you’ve any supplies you need to gather do so now; the loading of our goods will take only a few more minutes. Make haste.” The man turned about and rejoined his caravan, directing where to place goods.

None of the group felt unprepared, though Kida did take a few minutes to examine her handiwork from the night before. It held up fairly well thanks to the cold air and lack of wind, and was mostly intact save where it appeared that some children had used it for their own wintry battles. She smirked, glad that someone else had made use of it. Algan, Riun, and Rusga sharpened their blades and examined them for imperfections or damage, waving Kunya over when a pockmark or dent in the edge was spotted so that the wizard could repair it. She did so willingly as she was bored and felt it a good exercise while waiting for the last of the cargo to be loaded. Mr. Farstride marched over after not more than five minutes, waving the party to stand.

“We’re ready to leave now,” he stated, moving past them toward the front of the line. “Move out! Let’s make some good time today!” he added in a projected voice as reins snapped and horses began to move the wagons toward the town gates. The sun was high in the eastern sky and the air crisp, a perfect start to the day for the Silver Flyer.

The cobblestone road made for a relatively smooth ride since the kingdom’s maintenance crews were paid well to keep them level. The steady hoofbeats against the stones made Kida and Xron drowsy since they were unaccustomed to travel by horse. Algan and Riun, not comfortable with sitting for such an extended period, regularly walked alongside the wagons and sat down on them every hour or so. Rusga felt more at home in the brush surrounding the road and stayed in the shrubs and undergrowth some distance away. Midday approached swiftly and some five kilometers away from the town, well out of its sight, the wagons circled around each other and came to a halt.

“Ready the lunch! You six, keep an eye out while it’s prepared. We don’t want any unwelcome guests coming after us,” Farstride barked. His underlings, mostly human, moved about the encampment and fetched supplies to fix the meal. The remainder, elves, climbed atop the wagons to keep a lookout. Kida joined Rusga in the nearby woods and the pair climbed a tall tree to watch from there. The aroma of fire-roasted meats and fresh vegetables coaxed them from their perch however, and they were soon close to the cook and waiting for the meal to come. Fortunately, Xron also favored a tree to keep the sun from his sensitive eyes, and kept watch in their place.

“Do you see anything up there?” Kunya asked from the base of the dark elf’s post. “I doubt we will have any trouble this close to town but you never know.”

“No. It’s also better here than on the ground. Less sunlight,” he replied tersely. Clearly he wasn’t the sociable type of elf, and he continued to keep himself completely covered to conceal his identity. While the humans might not care, the elves certainly would object due to their blood feud. Kunya got the hint and moved back toward the camp.

“What’s up with him?” Algan questioned as he sharpened a couple of daggers with a whetstone. The grinding of metal was a somewhat pleasant sound to the wizard as she’d never used blades beyond the simplest of training as a girl.

“I am not certain. Perhaps the elves bother him, since he is what he is,” Kunya replied in a whisper. “Dark elves do not usually get along with surface elves, and the two races are at best suspicious of each other. There also seems to be more shade under the cover of the pine branches than there is down here and sunlight bothers him.”

“Tch. Maybe he should open up to us,” the warrior retorted, waiting for his meal. “There's no reason for him to be suspicious or distrustful.”

“It is difficult to understand his position since we are human. Dark elves are usually evil by nature and for him to have overcome that and escaped his former homeland deep in the earth has probably made him cynical at best. Give him time and I am sure he will come to like us.”

“I'll go talk to him!” Kida said excitedly, listening from behind the two humans with wide ears. They turned to face Kida, almost as if to ask how long the kitsu had been there. “He seems lonely a lot of the time, you know? Maybe he's waiting for someone to come to him instead.” The kitsu hurried off toward the trees once again and scrambled up the pine that Xron was sitting in. Kida was given a questioning look as she sat down on an opposing branch. “What are ya doing up here all by yourself?”

“Why is it any of your business?” the dark elf retorted, turning his gaze away to the forest again. He hoped the disinterest would send her away.

“Because you're always going off by yourself and you look lonesome, like a dog taken from its home and put among strangers.” Kida wasn't buying into being thrown off like that.

“You couldn't understand why. You've been sociable your entire life and have traveled, trusting in strange people to watch your back. I doubt you've been through anything like myself.”

“Then help us understand why you're like this, and maybe we can bring you into our group properly!” The kitsu smiled widely, offering her hands out toward Xron. “Come on, at least explain it to me, and I'll keep it to myself if you want the secrecy. Having someone you can confide in is one of the best feelings there is. That's why I tag along with Rusga so much. He's stuck by me since I was a child and has always watched my back. You can’t put a price on something like that.”

“I don't suppose there's any way to dissuade you,” he stated, turning his eyes back toward Kida. The kitsu shook her head. “Fine. You keep it to yourself, then. Where I come from is much different. My former society is as a whole a sinister, cruel, and awful lot, always plotting to dominate others and slaughter those who don't comply or keep their place. They forcibly take slaves for labor, slay innocents for fun, and commit heinous acts of depravity and violence against other creatures – they rape, torture, and perform dark rituals that twist a person into things akin to beasts. They even do this to their own should one fail in their mission.”

“That's awful. Why do they do that?” She was taken aback by the explanation, her brow furrowed in confusion and sadness that such things existed.

“That I don't know how to answer. Perhaps because they're raised to think such things are okay, or because they enjoy it. The Iron Hand, the patron of those evil ones of my race, is demanding and malicious. He does not tolerate insubordination and encourages backstabbing, battles of power, and horrendous acts of violence. Trying and failing to escape from there is rewarded with death if you're a nobody like myself. If you're a noble or someone of status, they might let you live. You might wish they killed you instead after they're done with you.”

“Come here,” Kida said softly, holding her arms out. Xron didn't move. “Come here, please.” Again, he didn't move. Instead of asking again Kida moved toward the dark elf and embraced him. “I had no idea that it would be so hard on you to escape that. I guess now it's obvious why you're distrustful of others. Running away from all of that and being chased the whole time would make anyone nervous.”

Xron wasn't sure how to react to being hugged and so sat there motionless for a minute before speaking again. “It's what I wanted to do. I wasn't going to be part of their sick games, so I ran. I'd rather have died than stayed there but I was fortunate enough to live, too.” Kida didn't let go for several minutes, until she heard someone below calling that lunch was ready.

“Lunch! Get your behinds down here and eat!” a human voice called, though neither knew who it was. The pair exchanged glances; Xron gave Kida one of uncertainty and Kida returned one of hunger and wonder.

“I agree. Let's go eat!” the kitsu said, letting go and hurrying down the tree. About halfway she looked up to make sure Xron was following but he hadn't moved. “Come on, it's going to get cold!”

“Oh... right,” Xron answered, thinking about what he'd been told by Kida. Nobody had done something like that for him before. The crazy fox is naïve as hell, he thought. But, maybe in that naïvete she's right about me needing to open up to them. Maybe in time...