~Thorben~

The next day passed quickly. Wilson’s wife, Judith, had been helpful, and they found their supply packs and saddle bags well supplied. Unfortunately, this came at the expense of their coin purse being lighter. They knew it had been a more than fair deal, though. After another good night’s rest, they awoke early the next morning and began their journey to Eleytol.

Harold had got them a good deal on a couple of quarter horses. Tanrin had selected the shorter of the two, claiming that dwarfs don’t enjoy being too far off the ground. The gelding had a deep brown coat, with a slim white strip running down its forehead to its muzzle. He’d named it Chester.

Thorben felt a deep sense of satisfaction that he had gotten the taller of the two, a sleek black mare. She was a truly beautiful beast. She stood calm yet alert, a bit standoffish even. They had taken to each other almost immediately. The apple he’d given her as an introduction present probably helped. He had gone with the name Night Storm.

The first couple of days of travel had gone as well as expected for two novice riders. Luckily, the road was in decent shape. They could tell that at one point not too long ago, the road had been wider and well used. Now it was little more than an average worn path through the grass. The dirt had become well packed through time. Doubly lucky, Judith had foreseen this and included a balm to use when they stopped for the night. It helped with the saddle soreness. They hadn’t needed horses back home. Hell, they wouldn’t have fit in the tunnels. The few lessons their mother had provided were more combat focused. How to fight from horseback, both mounted and unmounted foes, and how to fight a mounted foe from the ground. They knew the basics but still struggled to bounce with the horse from time to time and, being inexperienced, they found themselves sore.

The weather was fair, with moments of cloud coverage that provided a reprieve from the sun’s heat. There weren’t many people on the road. A couple of wagons had passed them with armed mercenaries that eyed them warily, but each time was without incident. They had yet to run into any lone travelers, which had Thorben worried. There would always be those restless souls who preferred a nomadic existence. Nomadic souls instinctually knew how to avoid danger and places where they wouldn’t receive a warm welcome. He had seen no large groups of travelers during the past couple of days. This was not a good sign. It was like the sounds of animals disappearing when an alpha predator made itself known.

“What was the name of that contact Harold gave you, again?” Tanrin already knew the answer to the question, but the surrounding scenery had grown monotonous, and he was craving the comfort of a good cavern. Words helped to keep his mind off of this.

Thorben knew better than to point this out. “Alfred Miller. He owns and operates a roadside inn about half the distance from Andovale to Eleytol. A half moon of travel or so, maybe a bit more, from the way Harold described it.”

Despite the sense of peace that being in nature provided, the initial excitement of adventure was fading, and being replaced by the more realistic monotony of traveling. As the dark of night took over the world around them, they began searching for a place to make camp. During their journey farther inland, trees and various other greenery had become increasingly common. They saw a small pond with a flat grassy area next to it, not too far off the road, and spent the night there.

They each tied their horses near the water’s edge and fed them a handful of grains. As the horses ate, they inspected their hooves and gave them a brushing. As soon as they settled the animals, Tanrin cleared a patch of land for a fire, while Tanrin gathered dry wood. In no time, the boys were sitting around a roaring fire eating.

“Do you want first watch?” Tanrin asked.

“No, you can have it. I’ll take the second and fourth. Wake me when the night is a quarter through.” Thorben said and lay on his bedroll.

Tanrin moved away from the fire to improve his night vision. “Rest well, brother.”

~Mia~

Mia was keeping pace with the men, barely. The old nag she made off with, from the stables near the gate, was slower moving. She hadn’t been able to saddle it and had ridden bareback. Luckily, she had snagged the rest of the horse tack.

How would I have steered this thing without that? I’ll be lucky to walk after this. She thought.

She had decided that it was far too dangerous for her to travel alone all the way to Eleytol with something as valuable as trialium, and allowed the men to guard her future treasure for her. Her plan was to infiltrate the duo, posing as a battered woman trying to escape from her husband.

Am I an evil person for using this tactic? Will they see a weak woman and take advantage? I hope the gods will forgive and protect me.

She offered a silent prayer to any god that was listening and prepared to enact her plan as she saw the light from a fire in the distance. After the first day of tailing the men traveling, she had spent the evening self inflicting bruises, welts using the reigns, and even gave herself a decent looking black eye without damaging her vision. She had gone without sleep the last two nights to make it believable. She was going to wait until halfway through the night to make her move. Now she just had to wait.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

~Thorben~

The low whistle pattern tone that their mother had used since they were kids gently awakened Thorben. It was only when they were older, and their training intensified, that they realized it was a way to avoid injury when you needed to awaken a warrior. Apparently, shaking a sleeping warrior was a good way to add to a person’s scar collection, or worse.

He grabbed his axes from his bedroll and re-holstered them, strapped his Katana to his waist, and grabbed his sharpening stone. Might as well make use of the time while I keep watch.

“Night, brother. I’ll wake you when the moon is halfway.”

Tanrin grunted. His general indication of understanding and went to bed.

Thorben moved away from the fire and waited for his vision to acclimate. In a few moments, he completed a circuit around the campsite. It was quiet, and nothing seemed amiss. He found a rock to sit on near the animals and started sharpening his weapons. At random intervals, he would make a circuit and find a new place to sharpen his weapons.

Predictability means death. People can decode patterns, whether in fighting techniques or in life. He recalled his mother’s lesson, and did his best to be random, but intentional.

The night continued like this, and by the end of his shift, he was ready for sleep. He whistled to awake his brother.

“I’m coming,” Tanrin said, “I’m pretty sure the moon is in the same spot as when I went to bed.” He gathered his weapons, and a bit of travel rations, and began walking out away from the fire. “You’re not pulling a fast one on me, like when we were kids, are you?”

“If you’ll remember, it was not a trick I pulled. You woke me early during training and claimed you were confused.” Thorben corrected. “If I remember correctly, you did so with a grin on your face, looking like you felt refreshed.”

“Ah, that’s right. My memory must be foggy from sleep. Goodnight, brother.” Tanrin said with another slight grin, pulling at his cheeks.

Thorben was drifting off into a peaceful sleep when his brother’s whistle sounded. “Now, who is trying to pull a fast one?” Tanrin’s whistle sounded again.

Shit, not a joke.

Thorben drew his Katana and made his way towards his brother, softly repeating the whistle. “What do you see?” Thorben whispered as he reached his brother’s side. The campfire had ruined his night vision.

“Looks like a single rider, slouched over. Possibly a scout trying to not to be seen. Heading in a winding path in our direction. Chances are they will see us. What do you want to do?” Tanrin responded.

“Let’s wait and see what they do before we act. We ride immediately if they turn or loop back. If they approach threateningly, we attack. If they approach peacefully, we see what they want and respond appropriately.”

As Tanrin watched the rider, Thorben scanned the other directions to make sure they weren’t being flanked. They had put enough distance between them it would force an attacker to choose a target. Enough room that they could use weapons, but not enough to hinder communication. A few tense moments later, a horse walked into the campsite and a girl fell off the saddle, next to the boys.

“Help me,” she whispered.

~Mia~

As Mia hit the ground, she said, “help me.” This would be the genuine test of her skills. Could she play the damsel in distress, or would they see right through it? She feigned struggling to maintain consciousness. The men didn’t move.

Oh shit! They aren’t buying it.

“Help me… water…” She didn’t want to beg, but the role demanded it. After a moment’s hesitation, the taller boy said, “Tanrin, grab some water.” The shorter one, the one called Tanrin, rushed to grab a water flagon.

The taller one sheathed his Katana, but rested his hand on the handle of a throwing axe.

He’s a smart one, not rushing to trust. I’ll have to be careful around him.

The one called Tanrin handed her a water flagon. “Here, drink, small sips for now.” She savored the water.

The taller one said, “My name is Thorben, and that is my brother Tanrin. We mean you no harm. I am going to search you for weapons, and then get you comfortable near our fire. Is that okay?”

Brother? How could an elf and dwarf call themselves brothers? Brothers in arms,? Are they mercenaries?

She nodded. She had neglected to bring any form of weapon and limited supplies, as if she had grabbed what she could and ran. The more she could do to make her story believable, the better her chances of success. The best cover stories are the true ones, the next best are the ones that you try your hardest to make true.

“Yes, food?” She asked in a quaking voice.

“When we get to the fire, I will get you something.” Thorben said.

He patted her down, and searching thoroughly, yet respectfully. When he had decided that she had no weapons, he relaxed his demeanor. He bent over and picked her up with surprising ease, and carried her fireside. Placing her on the ground, he began inspecting her wounds. She continued to drink water. He cleaned her wounds and bandaged a nasty one on the right of her forehead.

“Here, eat slowly.” Tanrin handed her a hunk of cheese, dried meat, and a couple of travel biscuits. “Keep the flagon for now. I will use a backup.” He moved away from the fire into the darkness.

Thorben stayed with her and waited for her to eat. There was no tapping of his foot or clearing of his throat. His patience was on full display. When she had finished, she looked at him and said, “Thank you.”

“It looks like you’ve had a bit of a rough time.” He said.

“Yes.” she looked down meekly, in feigned embarrassment. “My husband… he…” She broke off into tears.

“I see. Rest. We will talk more in the morning.” Thorben said. He moved away so she could rest.

Mia laid down and closed her eyes. Despite arranging for all of this, she had to admit that she desperately needed sleep.

In the distance, she could hear them whispering. “Look at her, Thorben,” Tanrin hissed. “She needs help. What would mom say?”

Mom? Are they really claiming they are siblings?! There must be more to this, but what?

“I know, brother. I believe her, just tread carefully, we don’t know her.”

“It doesn’t matter. If I ever meet the dog who did this to her, I’ll rip him apart with my bare hands.” Tanrin said with such anger, even she flinched.

As she drifted off to sleep, one thought was all she needed to relax. It worked… It worked.