The mountains were as good a place as any to wait out the end or a hopeful new beginning.
Manu headed out to the abandoned cabin in the mountains north of Marash as soon as he knew with certainty that he had been betrayed. For all he knew, Rogoz could have been acting as a tiny part of a larger conspiracy to get him killed, so it was better to be as far away from any potential enemies as possible. Besides, there were quite a few angry lenders that were looking to get their coin back. Why anyone would want to bring him to all of this was hard to speculate on; he had always done his best to treat business partners with respect.
So he had ridden out to this place with his Mira, Bogdi, and Danil, and enough food to last them through the winter if things if worst came to worse. “Hopefully, this whole thing will blow over by spring,” he explained.
Mira, however, had her doubts when they left, and maintained them now, almost three weeks later. The secluded cabin with its stench of rotting wood and spider-webbed ceilings did not appeal to her, nor did the inimical view of the endless stretch of vertical nothingness outside: there were only dull grey peaks in the distance, and a long slope of rock and shale that led downwards to the path they had come up on. Not a tree, not a spring, not a thing green—not even a puddle or a solitary speck of moss to look at. “And how do you know it’s going to blow over?” Her tone was pointed—accusatory, really.
The doubts that gnawed at her were understandable. More than that, she was angry, and believed firmly it was his fault, an assessment which was not entirely incorrect. Even if Manu hadn’t deserved betrayal, he should have been better prepared to meet it. He had put all his eggs in one basket and now there was nothing. “I promise it will,” he said. “We just need to be patient.”
Holding herself by her growing belly, she sat down by the crackling fireplace and glanced out the dusty windowpane at the thunderheads in the distance. “Why couldn’t I just stay at camp?”
Manu clicked his tongue. “Are you going to ask me these kinds of dumb questions every day now? You know why.”
“Because you screwed up.”
“I screwed up, yes; but I screwed no one over. They did this because they think a gypsy shouldn’t be treated the same as a geese.”
“But you’re not one.” Her voice was cutting and bleak. “You never will be.”
“I’ll make it out of this. You’ll see.”
“We’re gypsies, Manu. We’re not—whatever it is you wanna be, I don’t know.” Mira took up some wood and tossed it hopelessly into the fire. It blackened as the flames consumed it. “Your father kept this clan going for years.”
Yes, he could still remember those days. The endless walking. The vagrant life of not knowing whether there would be food to eat the coming week when whatever little they scrounged up that week would run out. “Your nostalgia is blinding you to the facts.”
“You wanna be one of those fancy geese with the shiny boots and the feather caps that people bow their heads to. But you’re never ever gonna be. And that’s not because you’re bad or stupid. It’s just not our way of life. And they don’t want us.”
“You know, for a person that has so much to say at present, you sure were quiet up till now,” he said. “Suddenly there are complaints, but for years you’ve just been enjoying the gold, the dresses, the jewelry—”
“Because that’s all we had! I’ve tried to talk to you. But then most of the time you’re gone. Or when you’re there, you’re busy talking to Bogdi or someone hatching up some new harebrained scheme.”
The startlingly blue eyes glowed balefully out of his brown face. “Harebrained, huh?”
If she wanted to live by the real gypsy way, then he could’ve gone over there, beaten her into submission, ripped her dress off, and then belted her until she wouldn’t dare say another word to him without addressing him as her lord and master. The gypsy way. Everybody suddenly loved the gypsy way when things failed to work out. But so long as the gold flowed their way, they loved that a lot more, traditions be damned.
All they wanted now was a person to blame.
And since Manu had, in fact, fucked things up with his lack of judgment and trust of Rogoz, he decided to keep his mouth shut rather than defend himself. He poured a little more vodka into his glass, tossed it down his throat, then grabbed the rifle he had brought home as a gift for Mira a few years month and headed out on the porch.
Danil sat in his rocking chair and kept watch, looking dumbly at the overcast sky. “Boss,” he said with a respectful nod, continuing his soporific motion. He had a pistol in his lap, a sword at his side, and a few more knives hidden beneath the layers of clothing. But all the weapons were really just there to make Manu feel better, and he knew that, too. If they really came after him up here, then it would be pretty much over. Let’s just hope no one figures out where it is or thinks the ride is worth it.
They had entrusted what little coin there was left to Bogdi, and tasked him with finding out where Rogoz was holed up. It was a slim chance that they would discover his so quickly. But it was worth a shot.
And if Bogdi did find out where that snake was wasting his days…
Then I’m going to skin you slowly, thought Manu, no longer sensing any sort of sympathy for the rogue that had brought him to this. Forcing him to hide out like some rat. Was there anything more ignoble?
If not for Mira, then he might have been out there already, camping under the night sky and taking his chances. Of course, it wasn’t her fault that he loved her. And truth be told, Manu was hoping all the angry words said now wouldn’t lead to any permanent poison afflicting the lifeblood of their relationship. She was a good wife. And he thought himself a good husband. But situations like these could wear out the best of people and bring them to enmity.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
I couldn’t be without her, he reminded himself. And he would have gladly died to protect her and their child if that was what was necessary by the end of this. He just needed to make sure she knew that.
“I’ll be goddamned,” said Danil, suddenly rising from his seat. “It’s Bogdi, boss! Look!”
At first, Manu thought Danil may have been going mad out of boredom, but once he peered down into the valley, he could see him as well. “He’s back!” said Danil, and clapped his hands happily. “You son of a bitch! Bogdi, you hear me? Come up here you stupid bastard! Faster. There’s a storm coming!”
The news of his arrival should have been perceived as a blessing; but Manu got a bad feeling. Could he really have found Rogoz’s location so quickly? It’s only been a little over a week since he left…
As he considered the worst possibility of what this meant, his heart began to pound violently in his chest. A prickling sensation crawled up his spine to the back of his head. He headed back into the house and saw Mira staring at him expectantly. “Bogdi’s back,” he said.
“Should I warm up some grub?”
“I guess so.”
He watched her walk into the kitchen and followed after her. As Mira went over to the stove to start the fire, Manu got behind her and put his hands around across her small, growing belly. There was life inside of there. Their life. “You know I love you, don’t you?” He moved the hair from her neck and gently kissed it. “You know that for real, right?”
Mira caressed his hand and sighed. “I know. This is going to be alright, won’t it?”
“It will.”
“You promise?”
“I do.” At least for you. I’ll make sure it ends well for you.
It took another two hours for Bogdi to get up to the cabin, by which point the rain drizzled from the sky. The world was getting dark.
Bogdi had ridden up on his mare, and both man and animal were exhausted. “Damn long way up here, boss,” he said, and dismounted with a groan. “Brought you all a little something.” He unhooked the small bag dangling from the horse’s saddle and threw it over to Manu: fresh red apples were shining inside.
Manu smiled. “This will be a nice change from sausages and sunflower seeds. Come on. Mira’s warming up some food.”
As he guided Bogdi into the cabin, he took one last look down into the valley, making sure no one was coming up after him. Surely no one would dare sell him out. You better not have tried anything stupid…
Mira set the table for the three men and put beans and sausages in each one of the wooden plates. “No bread, sorry to say.”
Bogdi grinned. “No worries, Ms Mira. I’d be eating the beans raw right about now. I forgot how long it takes to get back up here. Suppose time passes faster when you’re talking. I ate out of boredom and been riding on an empty stomach this whole day.”
Manu let him take a spoonful of beans and chew a hefty bite out of the sausage. After the big man finished chewing, he asked, “So, what’s the news?”
“Well, boss, I think I know where he is.”
“Is that right?”
Bogdi nodded along heartily. “Strangest way to come about the information too. It was one of those Virgins from town that I’ve been trying to, uh, acquaint myself with. I was talking to her, saying this and that—I think she’s warming up to me, you see—but she’s a playful sort, and told me I smelled like an orc one morning. Well, I guess I asked her if she ever saw one and then said she did, a couple of times. That people keep seeing an orc up where her grandma lives in Reitza. And I checked the map, and what do you know, there’s a river that goes through that place. A little tributary that connects to the same one going through Marash.”
The longer Manu listened, the less he liked what he was hearing. First he worried this was a plot to get him killed and that Bogdi was working against him, only here to lure him out. Now he had to wonder if his man was just a moron of some sort. “So you’re telling me you don’t actually know anything?”
Bogdi, hardly expecting the vicious reaction, stared at him open-mouthed. “Well, I fig—”
“Did you go and check this place?”
“No, boss. I mean it’s at least—”
“So what you did was waste time, then came all the way up here risking you were followed, to tell me nothing. You’re fucking unbelievable. This is the man whose fate I’ve put my hands in.”
When they had first picked up Bogdi a year back, Manu saw potential in the fact that he was not a gypsy and hadn’t been raised as one. He could appreciate aiming a little higher than just making enough to survive and living out of a wagon like some snail content with its shell. But now Manu was starting to wonder if he had overestimated this geese-turned-gypsy meathead.
“I think my reasoning here is solid, boss,” Danil said quietly, afraid to offend.
“But your reasoning is decidedly not fucking definitive, now is it?”
Mira gulped and grabbed him by the hand. “Dear—”
“You’re going there.” Manu bumped his fist against the table to keep from exploding, but it was hard to keep in all the negative energy. How could they all be so damn stupid? “Tonight. You’re going there right now! Get the fuck up.”
“At least let the man finish eating…” said Mira under her breath, but went quiet as soon as her husband looked her way. One of these days, maybe she did need to get a beating. Just to remind her of what the gypsy life she yearned after so much was like.
Bogdi gulped and pushed his chair back slowly, scraping against the wooden floor. He seemed to be going as slow as possible, waiting, trying to give his boss the time to change his mind. But that only made Manu feel more decisive about it. This is a matter of life and death, he thought. Why can’t they see that?
At length, Bogdi stood up and kept his eyes to the ground in shame. “Well, I’ll be going then.”
Mira’s head snapped towards the doorway as they heard the roaring thunder in the distance. “Come on, there’s a storm out. Manu, honey…”
Seeing the pleading look in his wife’s eyes made him soften somewhat. Bogdi did deserve this. But then, what if that stupid horse got spooked on the path down and bolted off the beaten track and got them both killed? Maybe it was a terrible idea to send them out like this—for his own sake, if nothing else.
“Fine. Sit down. Finish eating. You leave in the morning.”
No one said another word during dinner. At the end, everyone thanked Mira and stood up. Danil headed back out on the porch with his pistol and sword. Bogdi looked at the unwashed dishes. “Let me help you with those.”
Manu got up and went into the bedroom, lit up the candle by the bedside, and lay down in the unhappy little bed, listening to the patter of the rain and the crackling thunder above, unable to slow the maddened beating of his heart. What god had he ever offended to deserve to be born a gypsy? And surrounded by such idiots, too. None of them had any real dreams or any real vision. None of them wanted anything out of life more than to stick their dick in some ugly mutt a few times a year, drink themselves to oblivion, and forever get mistreated by geese. They not only accepted their supposed inferiority, they went out of their way to live up to it. Idiots, he concluded.
Mira joined him in the room but said nothing for a long time. Only when she changed into her nightgown and got in bed did she finally say, “I want to go back to camp with Bogdi.”
“Well, you can’t.”
“Alright.”
Manu turned to gaze at her and saw the dark look on her face. “Alright? That’s it? You aren’t going to fight me or anything? Why even bring it up?”
“Just to make sure you know.”
“Know what?”
“That you’re holding me here against my will.”
“Is it against your better judgment? Can you guarantee your safety down there? You’re pregnant.”
She shrugged.
Manu sighed and dropped back down. “You’re not going anywhere. This will be over soon. Let’s hope he’s not wrong and that he has the right place. Then I’ll kill that bastard.”
“And then what?”
Then I get my gold back.