Nothing stirs up unrest like the threat of war. Then again, nothing brings people together like the promise of war. Humans are never satisfied, but they are bloodthirsty.

-Excerpt from ‘Trawling the Sunken Histories’ by various contributors

What bad news could the man possibly have for her? Other than their contract to ferry her here and the promise of further transport, they had barely spoken.

Rose had already dealt with enough crap, but it was always better to start with the tough conversation. “Let’s hear the bad news,” she told the old captain.

“I wasn’t able to find my friend after a whole day of looking for the salt-licked bastard. Eventually I tracked down one of his old mistresses and she told me he’d gone missing a couple weeks back. Supposedly said something he wasn’t supposed to while drinking in a bar and was never heard of again…” he whispered.

That tale sounded awfully similar to the one she’d just heard the two men arguing about. If she didn’t know any better she’d think something odd was happening on this boring little island.

“Well, that’s a little frustrating. I guess I can make the trip by land but I really wanted to sail around the coast. Thanks for your help, Captain,” she replied with a sigh.

“Aye, I feel you lass. Doesn’t feel right hiking across these rocky hills after spending a life at sea. If you’re willing to wait another few days I could try to find someone else to take you?” he offered.

“No, I’d rather walk. I don’t want to delay getting home any longer. Thank you though,” she refused with grace. “You mentioned good news?”

“Well, I figured you might say something like that, so I’ve got a solution. One of the guys I sell my merchandise to is taking his caravan to Greengate and they’re leaving in an hour. If you hurry you could hitch a ride. It’s a nicer trip than walking all alone.”

“That is a great idea. Thank you very much, I’ll take you up on that offer. Just let me finish this,” she said, waving at her plate of scrambled eggs, sausages, and toast.

He chuckled and waved over the innkeeper. “Can I get a steaming mug of tea, Billy?”

“Sure thing old friend, just make sure to pay your tab at some point,” the man replied with a booming laugh.

***

It didn’t take them long to find the merchants after leaving the inn. Rose had gathered her belongings and followed the captain through the town.

“Aye, Danny, this is the girl I was telling you about. She’s real peaceful. I barely noticed she was there while we sailed back from Clissolt. Just find her some space in one of the empty caravans,” said the captain.

“No problem mate,” he replied, shaking the captain’s hand.

The man waved goodbye to Rose before heading back to the docks. He was supposed to return to Zoria that evening with his new cargo. The merchant turned to her, a toothpick clamped between his teeth.

“So, are you happy sleeping on sacks of wheat? It’s the comfiest bed I can offer. Far better than what these bastards will get,” he chuckled, pointing at the rest of the group behind him.

She nodded. “Anything’s fine, honestly. As long as we make good time.”

“That we will. I heard you’re handy in a fight? We might encounter some bandits along the way. Things have been getting restless around here recently and there’s been more and more reports of them on the road to the capital.”

“Just give me a shout if you need help. I’ll be ready,” she replied with a nod.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Attagirl! Shouldn’t take us much longer to finish loading and getting the doori ready. Feel free to make yourself at home,” he said, waving at one cart halfway down the line.

***

As it turned out, the merchant had undersold the danger of this particular journey. Just two days after leaving Albumott, when they were halfway to Greengate, she heard a cacophony of yelling and the clang of steel from outside the cart.

She rushed towards the exit and reached for her pistol, but fell on her arse when a body flew through the flap and almost smacked into her chest. A dainty pivot let her avoid it.

It wasn’t someone she recognised. A man in dirty clothes and a few tattered pieces of leather armour.

He had an arrow poking out of his chest and blood leaking from his mouth. He mumbled something and then fell still. Bandits, she realised.

Sunsplitter was in her hands before her feet touched the dirt. Hopping off the cart, she looked around and saw carnage.

The caravan guards were locked in a brutal struggle with the bandits, neither side having the upper hand but both dishing out serious violence. An arrow from the bandit archers would pierce a guard, followed by another pouncing for the kill.

In retaliation, another guard would usually catch that bandit unawares and slaughter them in revenge. However, Rose saw that it was only a matter of time before the bandits won.

They had the numbers. Alongside the guard captain, a guy who’d introduced himself as Daniel with a grunt, there were just six other guards left fighting.

On the other hand, the bandits still had about fifteen men left standing. The merchants were hiding, gathered in one of the carts. They’d equipped themselves with whatever they could find to use as weapons, but the way their hands were shaking told Rose they’d likely never had to fight in their lives.

Emerlan Isle was supposed to be a peaceful island…

What had happened to her home while she was gone? It had only been a few months and yet it seemed like chaos had descended. The signs were everywhere.

Suddenly she heard a yell to her right and turned to see a bandit charging towards her with an axe raised above his head. His clothes were dirty and torn, his grip shoddy.

She parried his opening blow with ease, sending his arm swinging. His eyes widened as he saw the crystal cutlass blade descending and soon his head was flying, eyes frozen permanently in shock.

Even these bandits don’t know how to wield a weapon? What the hell is going on… They seem more like farmers gone rogue to me, Rose thought to herself as she entered the fray.

Another bandit rushed at her and right before he reached her she heard the whistle of an arrow. Dodging it was simple, but left her right side exposed to the charging enemy.

However, the man’s swing was clumsy. It took him a few moments to react to the easy strike that lay before him. She pivoted her hips, the edge of Sunsplitter meeting his sword with a clang.

She expected more force, but instead the bandit was blown backwards, stumbling and trying to stay upright. She darted forwards and plunged the cutlass into his chest, killing him instantly.

As he collapsed she looked at his hands. The sword fell to the grassy dirt. His knuckles and palms were heavily calloused, but it couldn’t be from training with a blade. He’d barely known how to swing it.

Rose’s suspicions were confirmed. These men were definitely farmers, but why had they left the mountain pastures to raid merchant caravans?

The weather hadn’t seemed so bad. Even in good seasons, Emerlan Isle’s rocky soil wasn’t ideal for growing crops, but there were plenty of plants that could not only grow, but thrive here.

Despite knowing that, she couldn’t just spare the bandits. They were out for blood and from the crazed looks in their eyes she doubted they would stop the battle just because she asked to talk.

Another man charged at her and after a brief exchange she carved through his chest, two halves of his body falling to the ground. She heard the twang of a bow and ducked under the arrow.

Glancing towards the back line she saw the two archers. They’d picked off two more guards while she’d fought her way towards them, but thanks to her efforts the numbers were far more even now.

But if she didn’t deal with the archers they might not have any guards left for the rest of the journey. And she didn’t particularly want to take that job for herself.

Leaning heavily on her Athletics skill, Rose pumped her legs and dashed between a break in the line of bandits. They began shouting and roaring as she darted at the archers and the male and female archer swung their bows to face her.

However, when she’d crossed half the distance she suddenly heard a scream and the tearing of fabric. Sparing a glance backwards she saw the bandits had managed to reach the cart where the merchants were hiding and slashed the cover open.

Turning back to the archers she saw their bows fully drawn, preparing to fill her with arrows. She couldn’t just leave the merchants to their fate, but neither could she abandon her targets…