CHAPTER SEVEN: Riders in the Dark
There was a slightly overgrown path right outside the cave entrance. Carter remembered the gang using it when they brought him here from deep within the forest. Going in the opposite direction while following the path would most likely get him to the town the bandits had talked about, which would be his destination. Hopefully, he wouldn’t run into any of the bandits on their way back.
Carter looked up and saw the dark night sky past the branches and leaves above him. Thankfully, the treeline wasn’t as thick as it was when he had first arrived, so he was able to clearly see the stars in the black sky above. Just as he had thought, he didn’t recognize any of the constellations. The countless twinkling lights encompassing the night were breathtakingly beautiful, unpolluted by the bright artificial lights of a modern city. But they were unfamiliar to him, thus making the beauty beyond him feel cold. He was nowhere near home, in a place that was completely and utterly alien.
An errant thought suddenly came to him. If he was in a strange alien world, then why did everyone here speak English? Not just the usual American English he was used to, but British English. The bandits spoke with almost stereotypical fantasy-British accents, ones that movies and television shows often gave to the lower class characters like street urchins and carriage drivers of the 19th Century. The only explanation had to be magic. After all, according to the bandits, magic was real here. And he had been transported from Earth to this world somehow; that had to have been done with magic, too.
These thoughts and a dozen others filled Carter’s head as he made his way through the tall grass and other plant life that had grown to cover the forest path. It was obvious that this route was barely traveled nowadays due to it being overrun with vegetation. Thankfully, the trodden dirt below was still visible so he made sure to follow it in hopes of reaching civilization.
Without his watch, Carter didn’t know what the time was. Hell, he didn’t even know if Earth time would translate well here since he had no idea how many hours this world’s day had. He estimated that around nine hours had passed since Ugly and his gang had left the cave. Did they reach town already? How far was this town, called Culvert’s Rock if he had heard correctly, from here? There was no way for Carter to know, so in the end he just kept walking.
Eventually, the small path lead him to a break in the trees which then connected to an actual road. It was composed of packed dirt and gravel; from the numerous tracks and marks on the dirt, it was obviously well-traveled. The roadway was wide and looked as if it could accommodate two lanes of cars quite easily.
His view of the sky, finally clear of trees, was now open to him. He glanced up to see the moon for the first time. It hung low in the starry sky near the horizon and looked much smaller than Earth’s moon. It was just as bright, thankfully, so Carter wasn’t in complete darkness.
Carter faced a new dilemma now that he had found the road. Which way should he go? From what he had heard from the bandits, Culvert’s Rock was a large city, one with a port so it was near the sea or a riverway. Sadly, Carter couldn’t smell the salt of the ocean on the wind, nor could he hear the sound of flowing water. Thus he had no idea in which direction to head on the road.
In the end, the dark-haired man decided to follow the light of the moon and head toward its direction, which meant taking a left on the road. He had no idea which direction on the compass he was headed and only hoped that it would lead him to Culvert’s Rock.
And so, Carter walked. The road was dark and lonely as he followed the bright moon toward an uncertain destination. The wind blew against him, cool but not chilly. The only sounds that reached his ears were the chirpings of strange insects as well as the crunching of the gravel below his shoes. The unfamiliar stars continued to twinkle above him, solid anchors in the black ocean of the night sky.
He had perhaps been walking tirelessly for an hour when the sound of hoofbeats reached his ears. Although he had never been near a horse in his life, Carter had watched enough Westerns to know the sound a group of horses made when galloping towards you. He quickly dashed into the treeline just as he spotted the light of numerous torches in the distance. He ducked behind a tree and hid in the shadows as he watched a large group of riders gallop down the road. Carter observed the group, counting about twelve men on horseback, all of whom were coming from the direction he had been heading towards. The men were all clothed in similar garb, wearing what looked like yellow and green tabards over leather armor. Several of them wielded long spears while the others carried torches to light their way. This group looked to be put together a lot better than Ugly’s gang, which probably meant they were a lot more dangerous. To Carter’s dismay, as the group neared his location they quickly slowed to a stop.
The two leading riders he saw were dressed differently from the rest. The man in front was in his late thirties, with a trim beard and dark, shoulder-length hair. He wore finer clothing than the others, with a ruby and emerald-colored tabard worn over a set of mail armor. His companion was an older man with graying hair who wore pale beige robes with the hood up and half-covering his face. It was he who held Carter’s attention since the old man was looking directly toward him. He saw the man point a finger at him, and the one in the lead followed his direction, turning a stern gaze his way.
“We know you’re there!” shouted the lead rider. At his words, several of his retinue drew swords and leveled hostile gazes at his hiding place. “Come out at once! Do not make me send someone in there after you!”
“Damn,” muttered Carter as he slowly stepped out of cover. “How’d they know I was here?”
As Carter emerged from the trees and into the light of the cadre’s torches, two of the riders broke off from the group to surround him. The leader and the man in beige moved their horses closer. Carter saw the lead rider take in his clothing and appearance before a look of confusion appeared on his bearded face.
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“What is a Gentleman of Lacotia doing out on the road alone at this hour?” The man asked.
Lacotia. This wasn’t the first time Carter had heard the word. The bandits had said it as well, usually when referring to him. He looked around at the men surrounding him and saw that yes, like the bandits, they were all of the Caucasian variety. It didn’t really surprise him; he was obviously in some sort of medieval fantasy Europe. Was Lacotia this world’s version of Asia, then?
Also, the way the rider had said “gentleman” was a bit peculiar. Like Gentleman, with a capital “G.” The way he said enunciated the word made it seem to have more significance than what it usually meant to Carter. As if it were of more import, like a title or an appellation.
Carter looked down at himself. Although slightly dirty from hiking through the woods, his clothing was still in relatively good condition. He silently thanked his luck that he had decided to wear his best suit this morning. It was definitely making things much easier right now. Everyone thought he was some rich big-wig or perhaps even nobility.
Carter looked up at the group’s leader and said, “My, uh, employees and I were attacked by a gang of bandits on the road. My men were killed and I was taken prisoner. I managed to escape, but I’ve been lost ever since. Please, sir. Can you help me?”
The bearded man seemed to mull over what Carter had just told him. “I see. Though flattered that you address me as such, I am afraid that I am no knight.”
Carter blinked in confusion before realizing that the man must have mistaken his simple address of “sir” as a title. He would have to be more careful about that sort of thing here.
“I am Hars Lannok, Reeve of Culvert’s Rock,” continued the man. Carter tried to look impressed, though he had no idea what a Reeve was. “It is quite fortuitous that we ran into you when we did. Tell me, Ser, when you were caught by these brigands were there other prisoners held by them? A woman and a youth, perhaps?”
Carter flinched, his mind flashing to the sight of the dead mother and child he had left in the cave. He shook the image from his mind before responding to the Reeve. “Yes. Unfortunately, they were already dead when I got there.”
Reeve Lannok muttered a curse under his breath while several of his men did the same. The old man in the beige clothes performed some hand gestures, similar to the way a priest from his world would make a mark of the cross.
“This is indeed sad news,” the Reeve responded. “Pray, Ser. Could you please show us the exact location of these criminals’ den?”
Carter nodded. “Of course. There’s a path into the woods maybe a mile or two down the road that leads to a cave. That’s where the bandits kept their things.”
“You have our thanks.” The Reeve motioned at one of his men who moved forwards. He led two riderless horses along with his own. “Please feel free to make use of one, then lead us to the home of these vile miscreants.”
“Right.” Carter looked at the large animals with trepidation. He had never even seen a horse in real life, let alone ridden one. “Of course.”
It took him way too long to mount the animal, almost tripping over himself several times in each attempt. Some of the men around him started to laugh at his pathetic efforts, but a strict glare from Reeve Lannok silenced them. Carter eventually got his butt seated on the saddle, though it took him more time to get his horse calmed and under control.
“Are you perhaps unfamiliar with riding, Ser?” asked the Reeve.
“Uh, yeah,” said Carter. “I usually only ride, um, carriages.” Carriages that moved around without horses, he didn’t say. “Oh, my name is Lee, by the way. Carter Lee.”
“Well met, Ser Lee,” Reeve Lannok greeted him. “I wish our meeting was under more pleasant circumstances. Now, how many men are in this gang of lowlives? How many await our arrival at their den?”
“Oh, well, most of the gang went with their leader into town to ransom me off,” Carter told them. “There were six of them altogether, but four of them left for town. I managed to, uh, kill the two who stayed to guard me.” Carter wasn’t sure if it was wise to admit to slaying the two bandits, but since they were headed back to the cave he figured they would see the bodies eventually so he might as well come clean now.
“Did you?” The Reeve asked. “Well done, then. Two less for us to deal with, then.” He turned to one of his men. “Jokku! Head quickly back to the city and inform the guard there to keep an eye out for four men.” He turned his attention back to Carter. “Ser Lee, could you describe the four who left?”
Carter did his best to give them as detailed a description of Ugly, Teeth, Blondie, and Guff as he could. “Oh, and I think they said that they were headed to a hotel named the Angelissa. They will ask for a woman named Laura in an attempt to ransom me off.”
“Thank you, Ser.” The Reeve turned to Jokku. “Did you get all that?” The man nodded. “Good. Now go! And hurry, we may yet catch these fiends!”
Carter watched the man named Jokku dash off on his horse at breakneck speed. He desperately hoped that he would make it in time to catch Ugly and his gang. Maybe some justice could be done for the mother and her son after all.
“Now then, Ser Lee,” said the Reeve. “If you would please lead us to the bandits’ lair.”
“Yes. Right.” Carter flicked the reigns, thinking it would get the horse to move. It didn’t. After a few moments of silence, Reeve Lannok took the reigns of his horse from his hands.
“Perhaps it would be best if I lead,” he said. “Just… hold on tightly, please.”
With that, the Reeve marched forwards, his horse galloping at a swift but steady pace. He lead Carter’s horse onwards while his men followed, the group of lawmen rushing down the dirt and gravel road towards the cave that Carter had expended so much effort in escaping.