(Leif Blackstone)
Me and Kimi jump off the wagon again. We immediately duck down so no arrows can hit us. The bandits should be coming around the corner at any second. My nose isn’t picking up any smell this time. The second tick by without any bandits attacking, so I poke my head out waiting for an attack. No bandits this time. He’s back. Standing ten feet from where I took out the first bandit is the dark knight. He is resting his gloved hands on his sword, which is struck in the ground. My eyes immediately go to check on Kimi. He’s lying in a pool of his own blood with his head two feet from him.
“You cannot run from me, little whelp. I am coming for you.”
There's a sharp blow to my face. It’s so sudden it wakes me up. Dulf is standing over me.
“You were yelling in your sleep again.” I run my hand through my hair and come back with a lot of sweat.
“Are you still dreaming about your past?”
“Yeah, I can't outrun it no matter how much I try.” He gives me a concerned look.
“Not so long ago I had two good friends.” I start to explain.
“They were killed right in front of me. Whatever happened that night, it messed me up. Killing should affect me more; I notice I’m a lot quicker to anger. You really had to rile me up to get any anger out of me, but now it's just so easy. If an enemy is in front of me, I can cut them down without a second thought. In my head I know it's okay to defend myself, and these people wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to me, but it isn't the way I grew up, Dulf. We never saw much death. Most just died of old age. Here, it's just different.
“Hey, it's not like we went around the village challenging everyone to a fight to the death. You have to understand something, Leif. Life is hard. People don't have a lot." He takes a big breath and shakes his head.
He starts again like he has finally gathered his thoughts. “People don't have very much. Then there are those who wish to take the easy route and steal from those who do not have anything. Thus, desperate people strive to take from the already poor. It only makes the poor more desperate and more likely to resort to previously unthinkable means of survival. It is a never-ending circle, Leif. The rich sit in their comfy towers getting richer. The poor cannot steal from them. With money comes power. They are too well guarded in their golden towers. So if I have to kill someone to safeguard what's mine, I won't lose much sleep over it. I don't think you're in the wrong for protecting what's yours.
It's a hard world, Leif, and it's only going to get harder. We need to harden up to go with it. Now I am sorry about what happened to your friends. If they have not found the one who did it and you need help getting revenge, you come find me day or night, and we will set off right then to go hunt his ass down.”
I snicker. Imagining Dulf trying to fight that huge knight. If only he knew. “Thanks, Dulf, when did you get so wise?”
“The elder of the village was always spouting nonsense to me. I guess some of it finally stuck."
The killing was actually starting to weigh on me a little bit. It was getting harder and harder to fall asleep at night, not including the nightmares. Now, it feels like something lightened my heart a little bit.
“The guy that killed my friends. I see him in my dreams. He's always there hunting me.” I finally admit
“Hmmm,” Dulf says. “Maybe he put a curse on you because you got away.”
“I don’t think he has that power, Dulf.” But Dulf doesn’t know I am cursed in a different way. That might have something to do with it.
We see the sun starting to come up over the horizon.
“Thanks, Dulf. I think I needed that.”
“No problem, Leif.” He gives me a look that I have come to know; he is thinking about something. “Are you really going to marry Tila?”
Of course that's still what's on his mind. "No, Dulf, I was just messing with you.” I decided to throw him a bone since he helped me out.
He gets a goofy look on his face and looks towards the wagon she is probably sleeping in. “So what did you guys talk about yesterday?”
Kimi's wife, Aya, wants to teach me how to make remedies with various herbs. She must need an assistant or something.
Dulf scans me up and down. “You're a pretty big guy to have as an assistant. Well, whatever, as long as you're not trying to steal my girl or anything now.” Since when was she his? Is all that comes to mind.
We get up and try to clear the sleep from our eyes.
My gaze looks to the south. I didn't tell Dulf about him. He might be haunting me more than the Black Knight. He's always in the back of my mind. I can always tell where he is, for some reason. Why do I have to kill him, and if I don't, what will happen?
Felix meets us along the creek. He's standing by another man who's about my age. We haven't had the pleasure of speaking to each other yet.
“Hi, I'm Leif. This is Dulf.” I say to the new guy.
His eyes look over at Felix with venom in them. “Why am I training with the babies? I have been doing this work for two seasons now. I'm a trained warrior.”
Felix just gives him a look and takes a deep and calming breath. “Mihail, you've only been with us for a month. You were taken completely off guard when the bandits showed up. You just stood there with your thumb up your ass. Doing nothing. Therefore, it is beneficial to acquire more training.”
“Besides,” he points to me. “Does he look like a baby to you? I saw him bash a man's head in when those bandits attacked last.” Felix sends a wink my way.
Mihail pauses. "Even though he is stronger, I still have more experience than him."
Felix forces me to take a side seat. He tells me I am not allowed to participate until my wounds are healed, which he says will be another ten to twelve days. With my recovery time, I think it will be half that.
After. We set out on our designated wagons. Mine is in the rear wagon where Lady Aya is chasing off Tila and Kara.
“Yes, but we also want to stay and study, Mother. You wouldn't deny your own daughter the opportunity to learn, would you?” My ears catch the end of the conversation.
"Kara, help her learn her numbers, please." She gestures at the cart ahead of ours.
Kara also pauses. "Well, aunty, I believed we could also be of great assistance. He may be a little intimidated by you because he is not accustomed to our ways.
“Tell me, Kara, do you find me intimidating?” She walked right into that one. Most likely knowing it's a trap. What a funny little family scene I seem to have stumbled into.
“Go,” Aya points again with a stern look. They both go towards the cart with their heads down the whole way. Which makes me get a grin on my face.
"Now, Mr. Blackstone, what's causing that large, silly smile? Has Dulf, your amusing little pal, fallen into the river once more?”
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She wipes my smile away with one comment.
"Come on, let's get started, young man."
What follows is similar to a day in high school, except with less comfy seating. When she repeats herself twice, the yelling starts. This woman was clearly trained in Sparta, and we go over several pieces of information about herbs and different plants. If I cannot identify it on the spot, I get smacked upside the head. Kimi was waiting near the wagon with some fruit for lunch.
“But I'm supposed to go train with Felix. He told me to report to him when we stop the wagons.” Even to me, I almost sound a little whiny.
“Why, so you can stand around and watch Dulf get thrown around?”
She figured out my plan. It’s like she can see through everything.
"At this moment, all you can do is watch." She gestures to the woodlands behind me. "So instead of watching. Find me ten of these.” She displays a flower. It features white petals and a lovely yellow center. If you had asked me before today what it was, I would have said a weed.
“What is it?” Aya asks.
“Chamomile,” I say hesitantly.
“What's it used for?”
“Morning sickness and sleeping trouble.”
There's a smack upside my head. “Owwwe.” It doesn’t hurt; it's more of a shock to the system.
"It's for cramps and sleeping issues; now go find me ten of them," she points towards the woods.
I notice Kimi as I am getting out of the wagon. He can clearly see in my face that I need help.
He notices my look and glances away like he didn't see anything.
Before entering the woods, a thought flickers through my head. For such a tiny woman, Aya can be scary at times.
As the days go by, I discover the various uses for plants. It was only three days before Felix let me resume my training with the guys. Mihail never does warm up to us. Dulf and I spend our nights chatting half the night away while watching the moon and stars. My dark knight keeps visiting my dreams. My sense of smell gets stronger, or I am just able to pick out the different scents easier. It ended up saving us when some bandits decided to get brave and attack us on the trail. It happens again the week after. It was a much scarier situation the second time because Dulf took a bad blow to the head. He got pretty loopy and didn’t know he had left his village. After making him a sleeping draught, Aya and I applied some ointment to his head wound to reduce swelling. I'll be the first to admit I didn't think too much of these home remedies. They really seem to work, though. Suddenly, over two months have gone by, and Dulf and I must choose whether or not to remain with the caravan.
"We have a good thing going here, and the Romans and the bandits aren't that big of an issue, so I say we stay." Dulf whispers.
“Says the guy who almost got his head knocked off a month ago.”
I eventually got around to explaining the difference between hours, days, months, and years to Dulf. However, he still calls years 'seasons.' In any case, I suppose he now understands what I am trying to say.
“You're making it sound worse than what it was. Also, we get paid pretty good to protect the caravan. Moby even agreed to increase our wages if we agreed to stay on.” Dulf’s voice gets louder.
“Dulf, you couldn’t even remember where we were for a whole day.”
“You are getting pretty decent at making tonics.” He mumbles, trying a different strategy.
I doubt that he is even paying attention to my responses. "Hey, it's great that we are both learning new things. I also don't really want to go, either. That’s not what I’m saying, Dulf. This work is very high-risk. If we make a single error, one of us could end up killed.”
What I mean is you can end up dead, but I don't say that part to him.
"A guard's life is typically not a long one. If you make a mistake, it only takes a moment, and it’s over. Lights out. Now, I’m not saying it's a no."
A pause is taken. I look into his eyes and see if he is hearing what I am saying.
"Let's just discuss it more, and we'll extend our contract if we both wish to continue. In any case, we have to ask Moby if the route has changed or not."
He gives me a shake yes, in agreement.
The caravan will complete the delivery of the remaining goods tomorrow. Once they have replenished their supplies for the upcoming week, they will head south to Rome. The caravan stops in Roman lands along the way to sell to certain cities; it does not make its way all the way down to Rome. After, it resupplies and ascends again. They are gradually establishing an empire. The Rivas group invests all their money into the banking system. One I was unaware of; they had at this time. Kimi has also told me that they have almost reached their goal of opening a headquarters. They will be able to employ others that handle the travel side of it while they form a base of operations. The night air is starting to get colder. Winter is almost upon us. Moby is hoping to do the resupply in three to four days instead of the full week. He doesn’t want us getting trapped here up north and losing out on traveling time.
We are finally at our first big city, which is called Augusta Trevor. The lights from town can already be seen by the caravan. Everyone is getting excited about being in a big city. Dulf has yet to see one. He has been disappearing the past couple of nights before we sleep to sneak off with Tila. He has been keeping most of what's happening between the two under wraps. Which, considering how big of a blabbermouth he is, makes it very surprising.
While sleeping, I feel someone shaking me. “It's your turn.” Felix says as I rub sleep from my eyes. I drag Dulf's ass over, and we keep a little fire going. The western edge is ours. Each of the four perimeters is watched by two guards.
“We really did have it easy when we first started working.” I say to a dozing Dulf. My body doesn’t need much rest these days. I’m sure it's tied into my healing and endurance. As long as I do not exert myself too much, I can go without sleep for a few days. While testing it out, I once went six days without sleep. So, I have turned into the perfect night guard. More often than not, I let Dulf doze while I watch the stars. If Felix or Moby heads our way, I push him over so he wakes up. Dulf wakes up earlier than he usually does. Tonight is different. There's an electricity in the air. We are all excited about being in town tomorrow.
“So, Dulf, what do you want to do first?”
“I heard that the taverns in the cities hire musicians and minstrels to play in their bars.”
More than likely he just wants to get drunk and party. “Yeah, yeah, I hear you, but we need to make sure we get Kimi and them checked in first.” Since when have I turned into the grown-up in the situation?
We finish our guard for the night, and we report to Moby. “When we get into town, I want you guys to be extra vigilant and watch for pickpockets. Youngsters in this town have been known to steal anything you don't have tied down. Dulf, you will be in the back watching everything.”
He then points to me. This time it will be Bimi and not Kimi leading the wagons inside the city. We are employing the five-foot rule. You do not let him get five feet from you at any time. Consider yourself his personal bodyguard. You are also to be in full armor, with helmet, and axe out at all times while out in the city. I want you to appear as the most vicious person who has ever walked through those streets.
My hands give him a double thumbs-up. It would seem everyone in the caravan has, for the most part, gotten used to my strange customs.
“As far as I'm aware, neither of you has made up your mind about staying. We would be pleased to keep you both, but there is no pressure. Tell me as soon as possible. We are aiming for a bigger recruit this time around. I’m not taking any chances. After we unload the stuff at the stores, we shall return to the inn. Your guy's room is already paid up for the next five days. Felix claims to already know some men who will join us for the return trip.
Dulf holds up a hand. "Is that the reason Felix hasn't been seen in the past two days?"
“Indeed, we sent him ahead of schedule to notify the other merchants and to meet up with his companions who will be joining us. He'll be waiting for us at the check-in gate. Do you have any other questions?”
While Dulf is shaking his head no. “Yes, I have a question. Has the plan for the caravan changed at all, or is it the same as it has always been?
Mody gives me a smile like he has already talked us into joining. “There has been no change to the overall plans. As long as all goes smoothly, we are selling food and silks to two different groups here in Augusta."
"We are turning into a transporting expedition rather than purchasing more supplies to trade in the South, which is still new to us. We have arranged with the Romans to ship a significant quantity of silver to the town of Vestonia in the south. For transportation, they are giving us a substantial amount of money."
"After Vestonia, we travel further south to restock our supplies and stay warm for the winter. It shouldn’t take more than forty nights to get to Vestonia from Augusta. It may take a couple more because of all the weight we will be pulling. We resupply, head back up north, and begin the adventure anew once the passes open for the spring.”
Me and Dulf give each other a look. “We will sign up again, Moby.”
He gets a huge grin on his face. “I thought you boys might. There's good money in this. It was decided we will double your salaries as long as you stay with us until springtime. Felix and I already have your guard duties worked out while in town.”
He poked me in the chest. “You will be Bimi’s guard while in town. The five-feet rule goes into effect again when you are on guard duty. Do not take your helmet off at any time while on duty. If Bimi goes into a room, you follow him.”
He grabs my shirt and pulls me closer so our noses are almost touching. “You are being paid by me. Not Bimi. You do not let him out of your sight for anything!” He stresses each word, driving it home. He keeps looking me in the eye until I give him a head shake that says I understand.
"You," he says, gesturing to Dulf. "Are to remain with the carts at all times during the day. No one approaches that you do not know. You're allowed to give one warning, then shoot them with an arrow.”
"Consider your shift ends when daylight runs out. Whatever you guys do at dark is up to you. Just make sure you are ready bright and early the next morning."
“Yes, sir.” We both tell Moby.
“Dismissed.”
We both leave. My gaze goes to Dulfs. "Did we make the correct decision?"
He gives me a shrug of the shoulder. “At least we have a plan and are making good money. We can always re-sign up with them in the spring and be right where we are next year with more money in our pockets.”
