Chapter 10 Carl

Faenella, Eganene

The room was a good one and it had already been cleaned. There was a small table inside the door. He placed the food on the heavy slate, gesturing for the girl to eat. Selecting a few logs from the pile, he tossed them in wood stove, opening the grate wide. They would sleep well tonight and someone else could fetch the wood. Sitting, he put his broad back against the wall. It felt good to be still and they could both do with some warm rest.

Hunting and Bounty work usually kept him to the woods, especially in the warmer months. It was only when the temperature stayed below freezing that he spent the coin to stay at the Inn. As long as the snows weren’t heavy, the forest floor or a cave was a decent enough place to sleep. He had the fire for warmth and anything he wanted for dinner. The forest provided.

Unfortunately, it only had water to drink, but Carl had worked out a solution for that. When he hunted for the Inn, they paid him in lodging and mead. He licked his lips. Faenella’s Inn had decent whisky. The Keep owed him more than a few nights. If he had to stay here with the girl for a few days, he could.

The problem was that he knew next to nothing about children. She needed to find her family. He needed to find her family. But, what was he supposed to do with her in the meantime?

Jamison hadn’t been much help and the folks he knew with children could hardly afford to support their own. Mentally, he ticked through the people in town, ruling out anyone with too many mouths to feed or elderly parents to care for. That left the bachelors and Hunters, and none of them were looking for children.

There was an idea. Charlie and Melody didn’t have any babies. They had a decent home and lived comfortably. Maybe they would take her in for a while, at least until he could figure out where she belonged. They were close, too, not even a day’s walk from Faenella. Carl took a long sip from his mug. William’s ale was brewed with different spices, depending on what he could get in the market. Yet, somehow the surprise was always a good one.

The girl was asleep, her head resting on the slate beside the empty plate. Poor thing needed somewhere warm and safe.This winter wasn’t over yet and the old men had been talking of a helstrom.

Carl couldn’t leave her here, not for long, and he certainly couldn’t take her back out into the woods to Hunt. He had Jasper’s business to attend to and he couldn’t do that with a child. Carl grimaced, his hands balling into fists at his side. If what that man said was true, then something had to be done. He had to leave the child with someone.

Charlie and Melody would keep her. It didn’t have to be for long. Once the girl told them where she was from, they could send word. Carl would take her back to her relatives, he just needed to see about Jasper’s information first.

Draining the beer, he felt his stomach grumble. Kassam was probably downstairs already. He’d eat with him.

Lifting the girl, he brushed the crumbs off the side of her face. The child was grime streaked, her clothes little more than rags. She needed rest and a bath. He thought to ask Nadine for the tub to be brought up, but didn’t know if the girl knew how to clean herself. Perhaps Mae could help her later.

The girl felt like nothing in his arms, less than firewood, just a soft, warm bundle in his padded coat. As soon as he moved her, she cuddled into his side, her face against his chest.

Trying not to disturb her, Carl placed her gently in bed and left her there. If she got too hot, she could take his coat off. He stood watching her, unsure if he should leave her alone. He didn’t think she would wake, not in the next few hours, but he didn’t want her to feel abandoned. He shrugged, leaving his questions. The child needed rest and he needed food.

Locking the door behind him, he stepped out into the hall. This time, he took the stairs sideways. From the noise, the crowd in the hearth room had doubled in size. It was dinnertime and the Inn did a steady business feeding anyone who had the coin for a hot meal. Scanning the place, he found Kassam at a table in the back. Seated across from his friend were two men. Carl knew neither of them, but navigated the tiny walk space and pulled out a chair.

“Carl!” Kassam smiled, his brown eyes pleased. “I was just wondering if you had abandoned me for someone prettier.”

“Not this early,” he replied, sitting. “I haven’t had dinner yet.”

“Mae!” one of the other men yelled, gesturing to the barmaid who made good time reaching them. “We need another round and this man is hungry.”

Carl decided he might like these folk after all. “A round, please, Mae,” he asked, giving the barmaid a smile, “and dinner.”

“Sure,” she answered, twirling her skirts as she left.

“My thanks,” Carl grinned, addressing the two men. “I don’t think I’ve had such fast service here in all my life.”

“It’s nothing,” said the man on the left. He was a handsome fellow, his hair dark and curly. He had a large tooth through his left ear, which was an odd ornament for the area. “And my thanks for the drinks you’ve purchased us.”

“Carl,” Kassam volunteered, “this is Agni, I met him out west, along with his friend, Mukta.”

“Well met,” Carl replied, noticing that both their hands were on the table. He pulled his own hand from his side and let his arms rest as theirs did. He didn’t want to insult Kassam’s friends. Besides, the way he was sitting, he wouldn’t have been able to draw his knife, anyway.

“Kassam has told us about you,” Agni ventured, his words tight and crisp. “You have always hunted this area?”

Carl nodded, “I was born here. I know these woods.” He glanced at his friend, “I don’t seem to have the wanderlust that Kassam does.”

“You are right, of course,” Agni replied. “He has traveled far. Our own village is almost passed the furthest reaches of Eganene. We have mountains, rivers and plains that no man here, besides our friend Kassam of course, has ever seen. It is as if we were not part of this country at all.”

“Please!” Kassam hissed. “Do we need politics already? Carl, how did it go with Jamison? I saw you come in with the girl. Was he no help to you?”

“Unfortunately, not,” he replied.

“What is the problem?” Agni asked.

Mae returned with drinks and food, a lamb steak and potatoes. Carl grasped the mug by the wooden handle and held it up. “To a warm fire, a warm meal and good mead,” he cheered.

“May the gods grant your wishes,” the three men replied.

“You brought a girl with you, but you have a problem?” Mukta inquired.

Carl shook his head. “A child, friend. A girl child.”

“Ah, I see. Why does she travel with you? I do not care to travel with children.”

He gave the man a solemn look. “Her family was killed. Bad business. She won’t tell me where she’s from, so I can’t return her to her relatives.”

“Why is this your issue?” Agni asked. “Won’t the women in this village take her?”

Carl shook his head, “No, I don’t think so. The women here, they have their own children...”

“It is not their way,” Kassam interjected.

“So what will become of her?” Mukta asked.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Carl shrugged, “I’m not sure. I’m hoping some friends of mine will take her until I can figure out where she belongs.”

The man looked like he wanted to ask another question, but Carl spoke quickly, “What brings you this way?”

Mukta frowned, “Kassam has told you of the sickness?”

“Only that it is claiming one in five.”

“Perhaps more,” Agni sighed, taking a long drink. “We search for a cure. For your doctors and healers.”

Carl looked at Kassam’s face, “But surely you told them?”

Kassam nodded, “I did. They know of the Purge. They had it in their lands as well.”

“I don’t understand,” Carl admitted. “Kassam spoke highly of your medicine women. And there are less…” He let his words trail away, concerned that he had already said too much. He should have been more careful. It wasn’t like him to run at the mouth.

“Speak freely, friend,” Agni assured him, touching the tooth in his ear.

Carl finished his beer and set it down. He waved at Mae while the men waited and ordered another round. He was taking a risk. He knew that. But after what he had seen in the woods, after what those xia had done to the child’s family, he didn’t know if he had a choice. He had to tell someone, to warn people. And Kassam traveled a lot. He could spread the word.

They had been friends for most of life and though they had never spoken of the Family outright, they had certainly danced about the subject enough times. And he was committed, now. Meeting Austin in the woods, handing over those weapons, they were crimes punishable by death. As Mae left, he met Kassam’s eyes. “I saw something when I found the girl. Something I can’t explain.”

The other men bent closer, curiosity blooming in their eyes.

“Your trust is well founded,” Kassam said quietly. “My friends are your friends. We will not betray your confidence.”

“I…”

“I told you I go south. They likely will accompany me.”

The Inn was packed, but their table was in the back corner. There was no one close enough to hear. Carl took another long drink. “There has been a lot of Family in the woods these few months, at least doubling the numbers from seasons past.”

Kassam nodded. “When we crossed the Endless River, we noticed the same thing. The closer we got, the more men we saw. Do you know why?”

Carl lowered his voice further, “No. Not exactly. But I think it has to do with the Resistance.”

Kassam grabbed his wrist, his face finally twisting out of its perpetual smile. “I need to know.”

The grip didn’t hurt, but Carl had to fight the urge to pull away. He wasn’t used to people touching him and the warmth of his friend’s hand was disconcerting. It reminded him of his brother, of his kin long dead.

Both Agni and Mukta expressions darkened. All three of the men were on the edge of their seats. Carl wondered if he hadn’t made a mistake. What he was saying now was treason, plain and simple. If Kassam and his friends were informants, if Carl had misjudged them, then tonight would be his last.

Too late. “From what I understand,” Carl said, “there is some type of timeline. Friends of mine travel south when the weather breaks. They travel to Orlenia.”

“As do we,” Agni said.

Mukta nodded. “As do many others.”

Carl wiped his hand across his brow. He was hot, not from the fire but from the conversation. Charlie had told him bits and pieces, but Carl didn’t know any details. From what Kassam and his friends were saying, it sounded like Lie’s trip south was more than just a passing fancy. It sounded like a well-planned invasion.

He would find out more about that later. Carl would be leaving with the girl in the morning and Charlie could fill in the missing gaps. Right now, Kassam and his friends needed to hear his news. Carl took another look around the Inn, focusing on each man’s face in turn. He recognized most of the men. The ones he didn’t were not Family. There was no way to know if they were informants, but the noise in the room had grown to a dull roar. No one was going to overhear them tonight. “They have something new, something I have never seen before,” Carl admitted.

“Tell us what you saw,” Kassam said, releasing his arm.

“It was a weapon, I believe,” Carl said, the gore-splattered woods flashing in his memory. “I didn’t see it, only its aftermath.” He scratched at his beard, unsure where to start. “I met some Dogs and they admitted to killing a caravan of travelers.”

“Xia,” Mukta growled.

Carl kept going. Now that he had started his story, he couldn’t stopped himself. “I went to investigate, to see if any of the travelers were still alive. Most of the men and women were cut down by swords, but there was a part of the clearing that was…it was like nothing I’ve ever seen. I made a pyre for the bodies, burned the ones I could. But there was a part of the woods that was covered in blood, the pieces of the people so small that I could not gather them.”

“God save us,” Kassam muttered. “Was it an explosion? What kind of weapon could do that?”

Agni asked, “A gun blast? Some kind of large caliber rifle?”

Carl shuddered. “I don’t think so. Bullets would make a hole, would have left a body.” He looked at Kassam, searching his friend’s face. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Never in my life, not even in the Purge. There was nothing left of these people but blood.”

“Horrible,” Agni breathed. “I thank the gods, I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“No one has,” Mukta agreed. “Although I heard stories from the Revolt.”

Kassam shook his head, “Those are stories. From when majic still lived. This was witnessed.”

“The men did not tell me what they had done,” Carl continued. “I overheard part of their conversation.”

“They are dead?” Mukta asked, in a low growl.

Carl nodded.

Mukta’s white teeth flashed, “Good.” He took a drink of his beer and touched his forehead. “It is a good thing you found them. The child’s people were all dead, then?”

“Yes. But after I saw what the Dog’s did, I regretted killing them both. Had I brought one with me, I could have asked him about the weapon.”

Kassam shrugged. “There was no way you could have known. And those men needed to die.”

Agni waved in another round and they were quiet until Mae left. Carl could tell she was surprised with the silence, but she knew better than to say anything.

“What about the girl?” Kassam asked. “Did you ask her?”

“Not yet. The child hardly speaks as it is. I don’t think she is going to recount her parent’s murder.”

“But we must know,” Mukta whispered.

“I will ask her,” Carl agreed. “But we’ll get nothing from her now.”

A trill of music floated over the voices of the crowd and Carl found the musician by the hearth. That was good. It would help to hide their conversation. He felt better having spoken to Kassam. Sharing what he had seen took some of the weight off his own soul. And if Kassam and his friends were headed south they could give the information to those who needed it most.

“Where did you find the men?”

“Baltine.”

“Baltine?” Kassam sounded surprised.

“I wasn’t hunting game,” Carl admitted. “I was handing over something for our friends down south.”

Kassam’s eyes widened, “You are full of surprises.”

“I have another one for you,” Carl said. “But I don’t know the truth of this one.”

“I would hear it anyway.”

“I intend to find out as soon as I can.”

“You sound committed. Are you sure you don’t know the truth?”’

Carl shook his head. “I heard it from one of the men I killed.”

“Even half-truths can be important. Tell us what you heard.”

Carl took a long pull on his drink and cast his eye over the room once again. “The Family have a place in the woods west of here. A remote location a few day’s walk from the Black road.”

“Strange that they are so far from a city,” observed Agni.

“It is what they are doing there,” Carl said, lowering his voice so that the three men leaned closer. “We have had women and children disappear in the months past. More than usual.”

“We have this, too,” Agni admitted. “Although we believe it is the sickness. The people wander from their homes and disappear in the desert.”

“I don’t think so,” Carl said. “If what the Dog told me was true, then the missing women and children are being taken to this place.”

“Why?” Kassam asked.

“But our homes are far from this place,” Mukta said at the same time, pulling on his beard.

Carl tried to answer them both. “The Dog said there are many of these Facilities, spread across Eganene. He said they are experimenting, doing things. He did not know the specifics.”

The men frowned in concern. If what Carl had heard was true, then he and the rest of the Hunters had a serious problem. Once Carl saw to the girl, he would need to bring Jamison in. This wasn’t something he could take care of by himself. And it wasn’t something he could ignore. Jamison would understand.

Thankfully, the conversation moved on to more pleasant and comfortable topics. While Mukta and Kassam discussed the different game in the area, Carl ate in silence, enjoying his dinner and the beer Mae continued to supply. After a few hours, the crowd thinned. Tired, he bid goodnight to the men and mounted the steps. It took him a few tries to open his door, but when he managed it, he saw the wood stove was still burning. The coals were bright through the grate and he didn’t bother to light a candle.

He wasn’t thinking and forgot the girl was on the bed. Fortunately, he missed her when he sat down. As her little body rolled against him, he realized she was still in his jacket. She didn’t wake. Carl put his head on the pillow and fell asleep, comfortable, drunk and warm.

When he woke, light was coming in from the window and the girl was sitting beside him. He blinked stupidly, his thoughts slow to mature. The child had her hands above his head and her eyes were closed, humming tunelessly. She was swaying as she sung, her little mouth scrunched up against her nose.

Realizing what was happening, Carl spluttered and jerked away. His hand missed the side of the bed and he toppled over the side of the cot, his elbow striking the wooden floorboards to send a shock of pain to his fingertips. Confused, he took a moment to pull his thoughts together before he spoke. What had the girl been doing to him? He looked up to see her blue eyes regarding him.

“It’s all right,” she soothed. “I was fixing your pain. It came back.”

Carl’s brow furrowed, “What?”

“Your head,” she explained, her little eyebrows drawn together. “The pain came back, but it’s gone now.”

“What did you do to me?

“The same thing I did before. It is gone now. Your pain is gone. Can you feel it?”

It was the most she had spoken to him. He pushed his long hair out of his face. “You made it go away? How?”

She shook her head, looking sad.

“You won’t tell me?” he asked, sitting back on the bed.

Nothing.

He hadn’t expected her to explain, not really, but his head was clear and for that he was grateful. He consumed enough beer last night to have slept till noon. By the lack of light, it wasn’t yet seven and he could smell the fresh scent of baking bread and frying ham. The cook was working on breakfast. “Don’t be sad, girl,” he said, softly. “You don’t need to tell me. I’m happy enough that my head isn’t pounding.”

She looked at him hopefully.

“Let’s get some breakfast and be off. I have some people I want you to meet.”