254. LOOKING FOR TROUBLE: TABITHA
Wiremu is late. I got the Slaver locked in a cage in the covered wagon for our captured animals. Težka snoozed on the other side of the bars so she would not be going anywhere. Our small caravan was two days out of Almaeadin, but that was an overnight ride for Dusk, even carrying an extra person. We had three animal wagons and a supply wagon. I think Težka is already getting lazy and riding in the wagon when he doesn’t need to. Mayakku had enchanted the walls of the wagon, so it was a cool area, so I didn’t really blame him.
I had caught up with the caravan just as it was making a camp for the day. Mbili greeted me and sniffed, smelling the slaver even if he couldn’t see her.
“Do I want to know?” he asked. I shook my head, and he went back to help his siblings raise a tent to shelter them from the sun. Mbili was second in charge of the so-called Famous Five, from what I could gather. His Sister Moja seemed to boss them around the most. Their brother Tatu was helping with the tent, but we barely ever saw the other two as they were out scouting all the time. I have only met their sister, Nne, once at the meet and greet, but the youngest brother, Tano, popped in once.
Modrica, Runa, Astrid, and Mayakku are all driving wagons, so the only strangers in our group are the Famous Five. I deposited my floppy sack in the cage next to Težka and went to catch up with the others.
That evening, we got underway again. It was in the early hours of the morning when Rodion’s dogs heralded his imminent arrival. He and Ruku arrived with three slaves they were sure belonged to the slaver. This was a problem. Without Wiremu, we couldn’t break the bonds, and we couldn’t let them near Barbra as she could give them intrusions that could sabotage us. We had been keeping Barbra in the front wagon, so we kept the slaves in the rear wagon. She seemed to have some realisation they were close and tried yelling to them. Težka’s roar drowned it out, and I went for a chat.
“If you want to ride in comfort, you will need to release your slaves.”
Barbra spat at me, “They are mine. They have been with me for years.”
“We know two of them are new. We would prefer to keep them alive, but we could kill them if necessary.”
“You have already killed one. What do you want with me? You are obviously not planning to collect the bounty.” Barbra said.
“You have lost a slave? You don’t seem upset about it.” This must be the other slave Wiremu went to get. They may not be dead if he broke the bond. She doesn’t need to know that.
“They are only slaves. Why would I be upset?”
“But you are concerned about the ones that have been with you for years,” I prompted.
“They have become very useful, and it would be a waste if they died.”
“So you won't release them from your service?”
“I see no reason to.”
And that is how Barbra ended up spending her time in the cage bound and gaged. She might see a reason now, but she can not communicate through the gag. I know I am happier she is bound and gaged. Her whining was getting to me.
Wiremu didn’t turn up the next night. I expected him to be less than a day behind Ruku and Rodion, even with him being on foot. I approached Mbili to get Nne and Tano to keep a close eye out for him or any pursuit.
“I should go and look for him,” Rodion said. “My pack can spread wide and cover a large area.”
“He has the Mapping Skill. He won’t be lost.” I replied.
“True, but he may not be on the road.” he countered.
“Dusk and I are the fastest,” I said.
“That’s true,” Ruku said, “and Nyx can communicate with the caravan, but if he is this late, it has got to be trouble that has held him up. I think we need fighters. Me and Rodion, you and Modrica. We four should be able to handle most things. I suggest we leave Težka with the caravan as we will be away for several days if we have to go all the way back to the city. Runa, Cōmpēṟi and Težka should be enough to defend the caravan with the others here. Runa can be in charge.”
We armoured up but packed light. I rode Dusk back down the road. The others were on foot. Rodion and Modrica went to the left and Ruku to the right, with most of Rodion's pack. The dogs could tell us if there was trouble. We spread wide and moved fast.
We met at dawn on the road, and Ruku refilled our water bottles. Dusk and Rodion were carrying a larger bladder of water each for her and the dogs. It was also why Modrica was near Rodion. Ruku didn’t need to carry more than a small bottle, which is why he was out on his own. We would carry on during the day and meet again at lunch. As the sun rose, the heat of the desert rose with it. Barely an hour into the day and there was heat shimmer off the road. I was pleased with the loose-flowing garments that were worn in this part of the world. Mid-morning, the wind picked up, which made everything worse. The hot air just seemed to suck the moisture from our bodies, and it brought the dust. I fixed the face mask, which is also a normal part of desert attire. Travelling during the day was not pleasant. We did make good progress despite the frequent stops to give Dusk a drink and the various dogs that came and went.
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At lunchtime, one of Rodion's dogs led me off the road to the leeward side of a hill out of the wind, and we ate and rested for an hour before carrying on. Just after lunch, I passed a camp of merchants resting for the day. Their guards were alert, but they had no news of a lone traveller. They did have news that there was a street fight or riot the night they left the city. Several buildings were ablaze, but they didn’t know why and felt it prudent to hasten their departure. That totally sounded like Wiremu getting into trouble.
It was mid-afternoon, and the wind had really picked up. Seeing any distance was difficult, and I had tied a light cloth over Dusk’s eyes and nose to help keep out the dust. Then one of Rodion’s dogs ran up barking, wanting me to follow. I turned Dusk off the road and followed. Five minutes later, a figure stumbled out of the dust. They were staggering and not clothed for the desert. He was dragging a sword behind him but otherwise seemed unarmed. When he came within my spatial Awareness, I could tell it was an Orc, and he was thin, like he had been starved and was clearly dehydrated and perhaps delusional. He was mumbling a phrase over and over, and even with my Hearing Aid, I couldn’t work it out. He was mumbling, and the wind was blowing.
“Hello, friend,” I yelled, getting his attention. “I have water if you need it.” and I raised my canteen so he could see it. It is like the words washed over him, and he couldn’t understand them. He was past thinking straight with hunger and dehydration, so I repeated the greeting in orcish, thinking that might get through.
Boy, that did get through. He straightened up and locked onto me like I was a target. I continued to speak orcish and said, “Water,” and tossed the canteen at his feet. He reached down and picked it up, and took a long drink. “Easy, take it slow.” I said, although orcs generally have a stronger constitution than humans.
He mumbled something again. It was like a mantra he was repeating to keep him going. I almost caught it. He took another drink from the canteen and then mumbled his mantra again. This time I did catch it and it was clear why I didn’t before. He was speaking orcish and he was mumbling something totally unexpected.
“Kill enemies. Find Modrica.”
“Get everybody here,” I said to the dogs and sent Nyx directly to summon Modrica. I turned back to the orc, “I can take you to Modrica. You can call me Black.” I introduced myself.
“Black, with black horse. Trust.” he said.
He sounded like he might be a bit on the simple side, or maybe there is brain damage. “I need to find the person who sent you. He is probably called Quinn with a snake bond.” I can’t describe Wiremu as he changes what he looks like so often.
“Quinn master. Trust Modrica. Trust Black, Trust Ruku.”
It hit me like a troll fist. This is the missing slave. Modrica is going to go murdering rage over this. Maybe I shouldn’t have called her. I dismounted, grabbed the second canteen and a bag of nuts and dates and approached the orc.
“I need to find Quinn. Why is he not with you?” I handed the canteen and bag of food to him. Dusk moved to shelter us from the wind with her body. He dug a handful of nuts from the bag and started eating.
“Told to run. Go west. Swam river.”
A river in the desert? Maybe he is delusional. “Is your bond still active?” He nodded. That means Wiremu is alive. If it wasn’t active, it doesn’t mean he died, just that he released the orc. Which reminds me, “What is your name?”
“Umreti.”
That wasn’t a regular orc name. It is more like a phrase meaning “to die”. My Spatial Awareness picked up Ruku running in with several dogs. Umreti seemed to be coming back more to his normal self with some water and food.
“Umreti, this is Ruku.” I introduced them.
“Ruku trust. Salamander.” Umreti stated.
“Yes, Wai is a salamander,” and Wai crawled out of Ruku’s jacket to show himself. Then Ruku had to repeat himself in Orcish as Umreti seemed not to understand any other language.
“Can you lead us back to Quinn?” I asked. Umreti nodded. The dogs all perked up, and shortly after that, Rodion and Modrica entered my senses range.
I turned to the newcomers, “This is the fourth slave,” I said straight up. Modrica let out a very low, menacing growl. “His name is Umreti, and Quinn took charge of him and sent him to find Modrica. He can lead us back to Quinn. That's all I know so far.”
Umreti had heard Modrica’s rumble and queried, “Modrica?”
She stepped toward him and grunted. “Who?” it was more a statement than a question.
“Master Quinn.”
“And?”
“Slaver Barbra,” Modrica grunted him to continue, “Slaver Jives, City Lord, Mentalist Zikr.” he paused, knowing he was listing soon to be dead people, “Guard Captain Hussain.”
I assume this was Modrica’s kill list, hopefully except for Wiremu. Barbra may not live long enough for us to learn from. The addition of a mentalist was a worry.
“But first to find Quinn.” Modrica nodded.
We let Umreti ride Dusk as we backtracked his path to a tiny muddy pond. It was the only thing that grew anything around here, and on the edge of the pond were two tents and a number of bodies.
I asked Umreti, “Did you do this?”
He said, “Enemies attack, kill enemies.”
Ruku looked at the pond, “You swam out of that?” Umreti nodded. Ruku knelt down, and I saw Wai skitter across the mud and disappear into the deepest part of the pond. People tend to forget Ruku’s salamander bond, and they both have water affinities. Ruku looked ready to follow him.
“Wai says the water tastes of Wiri… Quinn and Tāoke. They are upstream. I will go and help guide them out. We might be a couple of hours.” Ruku stripped off his clothes, waded through the mud and dived into the hole. I actually think he just wanted an excuse to go for a swim.
“We might as well make use of the tent and see if they left anything of value,” I said as we walked over. There were half a dozen camels tied behind the tents, so at least we could ride back to the caravan. If Modrica wants to go on a murder spree back in the city first, I will go with her. That is what a Krvne Sestre is for.