The next morning they begin rolling with the rising of the sun, everyone is anxious to leave Korazan and the slave market behind.
With Jiron riding lead, the rest of the guards space themselves along the caravan with Potbelly at the rear. Getting them into the saddle that morning brought back the time when he first started riding back in Trendle. Smiling at the memory, he watches as Jiron and Tinok attempt to show them the proper way to mount a horse.
After several attempts, which remind James of an old Three Stooges’ episode, they manage to get everyone one into the saddle. The first couple of miles are the worse as the novice riders begin to get the hang of commanding their horses, as well as staying upon them. By the end of the first day, they’re all sore and stiff; oh the complaining that was heard around the campfire that night. You would’ve thought they had just fought a hard and long campaign and suffered grievous wounds.
“You poor little babies,” Tinok says mockingly as they sit and moan about their sore posteriors. “Do you want me to rub your bum bums for you?”
“Shut up!” Scar says to him.
“Yeah, or we’ll beat your head in,” adds Potbelly as he gingerly sits down near the campfire.
Tinok just laughs and says, “By this time tomorrow, you should be really stiff and sore.”
They just give him an ugly look and say nothing.
“It takes a few days for you to get use to sitting on a horse,” Jiron assures them. “It does get better, once your muscles become accustomed to it.”
“I hope so,” says Qynn, the quarterstaffer.
Delia sees James sitting a little ways off by himself and goes over to him. “You okay?” she asks him.
“Just worried about Miko is all,” he tells her.
“Did you check the mirror again?” she asks when she sees it lying next to him.
“Yeah, it just shows him still traveling,” he replies. “I think they’re making better time than we are.”
“Not too surprising since they don’t have wagons slowing them down,” she reasons.
“It just seems like we’re getting further and further behind,” he says despondently. “Sometimes I feel like I’ll never be able to catch up with him.”
“They’ve got to stop some time,” she assures him.
Sighing, he says, “I know, it just gets to me once in a while.”
“Come on over to the camp and join the rest of us,” she suggests. “It’ll take your mind off your worries for a time.”
Nodding his head, he gets up and comes back over to the campfire, where Scar and Potbelly are regaling everyone with their exploits at the fall of the City of Light.
“…and then when the last one fell,” Scar is saying, “we ran, trying to find a way out of the City.”
“Yeah,” Potbelly joins in, “by that time there was only four of us left. We didn’t get far before Hinck and Olin bought it.”
“A squad of soldiers had come upon us and the fighting was fierce. Me and Potbelly stood back to back, Hinck and Olin did the same. After the last of the soldiers we were facing fell was when we saw them lying dead,” Scar says. “From the stack of bodies surrounding them, they must’ve taken out over a dozen before being overpowered.”
“Those of the Pits are hard fighters,” Jiron says.
Tinok nods his head and adds, “The best.”
“Then what happened?” Cassie asks from where she’s sitting next to Tinok, eyes wide at their account.
“They took us the only way you can take a pit fighter,” Scar explains. “We rounded a corner and came face to face with half a dozen crossbowmen and that was that.”
“Yeah,” Potbelly adds. “They bound us and before we knew it, we’re tied in the slave lines outside the City with the rest of them that were took.”
Jiron holds up his water bottle and says, “Not much to toast with, but here’s to the pit fighters who didn’t make it through the last battle.”
The others hold up theirs, pausing in a silent toast, and then take a drink.
Suddenly Arkie begins to cry and Roland and Ezra make their goodnights as they take Arkie to the wagon where they bed down for the night.
Shortly after they’ve left, the rest begin to turn in, until the only one still up is Stig who managed to draw first watch. He begins walking a perimeter in the dark around their camp. The sound of the crackling of the fire and his footsteps as he walks around the camp are the only sounds James hears as he tries to fall asleep. Worry about Miko’s fate, as well as those traveling with him, weigh heavily upon him. Eventually though, sleep wins out.
The next morning, Tinok takes great pleasure in watching as his friends get up and begin to work the stiffness and aches out of their legs.
“You all look like a bunch of old ladies the way you’re hobbling around like that,” he informs them, smiling at their misery.
“Leave ‘em alone, Tinok” Jiron tells him.
“Alright,” he agrees when he sees how serious Jiron is, “I’ll leave ‘em alone.”
They’re able to get back in their saddles, but not without groans of pain. “You wouldn’t think they had spent years in the pits to hear them carry on so,” Jiron whispers to James.
“This is different,” he replies. “Besides it may not be just the pain, but an outlet for the fear and humiliation they’ve endured while they were slaves.”
Jiron nods his head and says, “Perhaps.”
After leaving the caravansary, they pull back onto the road. At the gates of Korazan, they come to where the road splits. They can either continue on through the gates and into Korazan, or turn left to follow the road around the walls rather than trying to forge their way through the crowded streets.
Jiron leads them to the left and around the walls. On the far side of the city, they rejoin the main road and follow it as it follows the shoreline of the lake. Before they reach the southern shore of the lake, the road splits. One branch continues following alongside the lake while the other takes a more southeasterly direction.
James hollers to Jiron to continue following the road by the lake. He glances back and nods as he turns his horse to follow it. Not too long after that, they come to the southern shore of the lake and begin to follow the river flowing out of it to the south.
The road is quite busy with many people, both walking and riding, passing them on their way to Korazan. At one point, a long caravan passes them going north, James counts twenty five wagons and almost thirty guards.
A couple of hours past midday they come across a man on the side of the road who’s standing by a wagon with a broken wheel. When Jiron comes abreast of him, the man says something but he’s unable to understand what.
“Can’t understand you,” he says to the man.
Looking frustrated, the man starts speaking to Jiron again, and this time talking real slow. He takes extra care to pronounce his words more carefully and clearly, as if that would enable Jiron to understand better.
By this time, Roland rolls up in his wagon and begins conversing with the man. With a look of relief, the man begins talking rapidly and when he pauses, Roland says to everyone gathered around, “He’s asking if we can take him and his cargo on to the next town, a place called Inziala. Apparently, there’s some kind of celebration going on there and he’s been contracted to supply wine.”
James looks at the poor man for a second before Roland says, “He’s willing to pay us five golds just to transport him a few miles down the road.”
“Sure,” James agrees, “we’ve got the room.” Turning to Stig and Scar he says, “Could you please help this gentleman transfer his barrels into the water wagon? There should be enough room for them.”
They get down from their horses and proceed transferring the barrels from his wagon to theirs. The man starts speaking again and Roland tells them he’s thanking them for their help. He then removes his horses from their traces and ties them to the rear of Roland’s wagon. Once his horses are secured, he climbs up and sits on the seat next to Roland as he waits for his cargo to be transferred.
James can hear Stig mumbling, “Lazy merchant…”
“Yeah, he could’ve at least helped…” Scar says to Stig.
When all the barrels have been transferred, they get back into the saddle and their caravan continues on down the road. Roland talks with the merchant and then says to James in the next wagon, “It seems the celebration is a yearly festival where people come from far and wide to just have fun.”
“Kind of like a county fair,” states James.
“What’s that?” Roland asks.
“It’s a festival where I come from that happens every year,” he replies.
“Oh,” he says.
“Maybe we could stop for the night there?” Delia asks him. When he looks at her, she says, “It wouldn’t take much time away from traveling, especially since we will need to stop for the night anyway. Also, I have a couple deliveries to drop off there as well.”
“You guys can go have fun,” he tells her, “but I don’t think I’ll be in much of a mood.”
Three hours later they come to Inziala, a large city sitting at a crossroads. To the north of the city along the river is a large area with hundreds of tents spread out. A crowd of people are moving in and around the tents. That must be the festival.
To the east of town is an area where the caravans have all gathered while they’re enjoying the fun. Finding a good spot near the other caravans, they set up camp while Delia takes the merchant with his wine over to the festival. She takes Scar and Potbelly along for protection.
After they’re settled in, Tinok, Cassie, Jiron and Tersa along with Roland, Ezra and Arkie deicide to go and enjoy the festival. “Do you want to come along?” Cassie asks James.
Shaking his head, he says, “No thank you. Someone needs to stay here and look after things. Besides, I’m not really in the mood for fun.”
“Miko?” she asks.
He just nods his head yes.
“I’m sorry,” she says and then giggles as Tinok takes her by the hand as they head over to the festival. Over her shoulder she says, “Goodbye!”
“Have fun!” James hollers after them.
The four guards remaining see them walk over toward the festival and say, “When do we get to go?”
“I’ll need four of you here at any one time to discourage any thieves,” he replies. “When Scar and Potbelly get back with Delia, you can draw lots and then two at a time can go.”
“Alright,” Yorn says.
An hour later, they see Delia trundling her way back to their camp with Scar and Potbelly riding along beside.
“Everything okay?’ he asks as she pulls up.
“Everything’s fine,” she assures him. “Got the five golds and another thirty for the packages I delivered.”
“Great,” he says.
Looking around, she says, “Just where is everyone?”
James indicates the festival and replies, “They left shortly after you did.”
From the group of guards, he hears several curses and a cry for joy as they draw lots to see who gets to go. Stig and Shorty walk over to James with happy expressions on their faces, “So you guys get to go first?”
“That’s right,” Shorty says.
“Could we perhaps have a few coins to spend?” Stig asks.
“Sure,” James says as he gets up and goes over to the money box. He takes out four silvers for each of the guards and hands them over.
“Can I come with you two?” Delia asks when she learns they are going over to the festival.
“Sure, milady,” Stig says as he offers her his arm. His shield is slung across his back and his mace hangs at his hip.
Taking his arm, she says to James, “I’ll be back later.”
“Just send your escorts back in a couple of hours so the others can have their turn,” he tells her.
“Okay,” she replies. Then she turns to her escorts and says “You heard that, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Shorty affirms.
They quickly make their way over to the festival. She feels bad about leaving James back at the wagons, but understands how he feels.
Many minstrels roam the grounds providing music and atmosphere to the festival. There are tents and booths set up throughout the area where festival goers can purchase a multitude of various items. She pauses in front of one that is selling small, wooden carvings of horses and admires the intricate workmanship that went into them. When the merchant asks if she would want to purchase one, he’s disappointed when she shakes her head no and moves on.
They make their way further into the sea of tents and come across Roland and his family. Arkie is holding one of the wooden horses from the display she examined earlier, happily sucking on its head.
“Where are Tinok and Cassie?” she asks him.
“Don’t know,” he replies. “They went off with Jiron and Tersa shortly after we arrived.”
“If you should run into them, tell ‘em I’m here,” she says.
“Sure, no problem,” he replies. “James didn’t come?”
Shaking her head, she says, “He didn’t feel like it, still worried about his friend Miko.”
Roland nods his head in understanding. “Want to stay with us?” he asks.
“Thanks, but I want to find Tinok and Cassie,” she says as she glances around at the crowd of people, “somehow.”
“Good luck,” he says as they move further on, stopping at another booth selling colored bottles.
Delia and her escorts wind their way through the people, occasionally stopping at booths to browse the items on display.
They come to an open area where a man is trying to entice passersby to test their skill. He has a target set up over a hundred feet away and in front of him are several throwing knives. It looks like you throw one of the knives and try to hit the bull’s eye in the center of the target.
Intrigued, Shorty comes up and takes one of the knives testing it for balanced. The man starts speaking to him but no one understands him. “Do you understand the common tongue?” Shorty asks him as he continues examining the knives before him.
“Yes sir,” the man replies. “For just two coppers, you may try your skill and if you hit the bull’s eye, you get one of these.” He indicates a selection of jewelry and bracers.
“Alright,” he says as he hands over one of the silvers James had given him. The man takes it and gives him his change. By this time a few onlookers have stopped to see how he’ll do.
He selects the first knife he examined and then stands with his feet a foot apart so he’s well balanced. Taking careful aim at the target, he takes a couple deep breaths and then throws the knife. It sails through the air and to the amazement of the crowd, strikes the target dead center. The onlookers cheer and the man says, “We have a winner, see how easy it is.” To Shorty he says, “Please take your choice.”
Selecting a necklace, he turns and offers it to Delia, saying, “I would be honored if you would accept this from me.”
When she hesitates, he says, “You needn’t feel it’s a commitment, I would just like you to have it.”
Taking the necklace, she puts it around her neck saying, “Thank you Shorty.”
He smiles and blushes slightly.
As they move on, another person tries their luck but the knife flies wide, missing the target.
“Only one of the knives is balanced properly,” he tells them. “If you were to use the others, you’d be in danger of hitting yourself,” he continues, laughing.
They move along and eventually find the others sitting at a table enjoying a meal as they listen to a group of musicians. There’s an open area in front of where the musicians play where people can go and dance if they like, a few couples are already out there.
As Delia approaches them, she catches Tinok’s eye and asks, “Why aren’t you out there dancing?”
Blushing slightly, he says, “I don’t know any of the dances they’re doing.”
Taking a seat next to Cassie, she asks, “Need any help getting him out there?”
“Yes I do!” she says, acting as if she’s put out. A smile on her lips tells her that she’s not really.
The musicians finish their song to a smattering of applause and then begin another one, this time a fast paced song.
“Okay,” Delia says to Tinok, “now’s your chance, get moving.”
Cassie gets up and practically drags him over to the dancing area.
“I never thought she would get him out there,” Jiron says as he watches Tinok doing his best.
“For someone who’s graceful in battle, he’s sure clumsy out there,” Tersa adds.
When Tinok looks over to them, with an expression bordering on fear, they all give him encouragement. After a few minutes he begins to get the hang of it and begins to flow with the music.
“Your turn dear brother,” Tersa says as she drags him out there as well.
Delia sits and watches as Jiron and Tinok both fumble and misstep as they dance. Shaking her head and silently amused, she just sits back and enjoys herself.
Long after the sun has gone down, James finally sees them returning. “Have a good time?” he asks them.
Cassie comes straight to him and says, “Tinok and I are to be married!”
“What?” he exclaims, looking over to Tinok who’s looking both happy and scared out of his mind.
“He proposed to me while we were dancing,” she tells him.
“Congratulations,” he says to them both, shaking Tinok’s hand. “When will you be getting married?”
“We want to wait until we’re back home or maybe in Cardri,” Tinok says with his arm around her waist.
“That’s right,” adds Cassie. “We didn’t want to be married in the Empire.”
“I’m happy for both of you,” he asserts warmly.
Cassie gives Tinok a big hug as they settle down around the fire and then leans her head on his shoulder. Tinok just sits there with a happy and contented look on his face as he holds her tight. Putting their heads together, they talk together quietly.
James awakens the next morning to find Tinok and Cassie sleeping together, wrapped up in each others arms. He begins to get the horses in their traces as everyone wakes up. Shortly, they’re on the road again, making the best time they can.
He pushes them the entire day, anxious to get to Miko before something happens to him, only allowing a few short breaks before pressing on again. The miles quickly pass and by nightfall they’ve made it to a town called Jihara.
A small town, barely more than a village really but it has an inn where they can find some decent food. James offers to spring for a room for the two love birds but Cassie turns him down, saying it wouldn’t be right for them to have one when no one else does. Much to the disappointment of her betrothed.
So they spend another night together wrapped up in a blanket on the ground. Everyone can see that the two of them are deeply in love and belong together.
The following morning, they get an early start. Before the sun has risen much above the horizon, they’re already a mile down the road. A little before noon they begin to enter rolling hills, which James can see stretches a long way ahead of them. The road continues to follow the river as it winds its way through the hills.
Ever since Jihara, the other traffic on the road has dropped off to almost nothing, only the occasional rider or caravan is encountered. At sunset when they set up camp, they find an area adjacent to the river where they can have ready access to water. James even wades out into the river and does his fisherman routine and bags several large reddish orange fish.
“Neat trick,” Roland says when James brings back his third fish.
“It comes in handy,” he replies.
Everyone enjoys the fish and after dinner, they take turns telling stories or singing songs. Most of them seem to be love songs or stories about those in love. Stig begins recalling his first amorous encounter but Cassie begins to blush a deep red, causing him to cut it short. Tinok gives him a stern look before someone else breaks in and begins another song, this one a fast paced silly song for Arkie.
“Better get to sleep,” James announces when the song is finally over. “I’d like to get an early start tomorrow.” Some grumble about having to turn in, but most take it in stride. The only ones who don’t seem to mind are Cassie and Tinok, who readily lay down together. Cassie lays her head on his chest and quickly falls asleep.
James looks over and sees Tinok’s head up and he’s looking around.
“What’s the matter?” James asks him.
He gestures to Cassie sleeping on his chest and then whispers, “I gotta go pee!”
James tries to hide his amusement but fails as he just shrugs his shoulders at Tinok’s predicament.
He starts to get up and Cassie wakes up. “I’ll be right back,” he assures her.
She lays her head down on the ground and says, “Hurry up.”
In no time at all, he’s back and she lays her head down on his chest again.
James lies down and continues to chuckle as he begins to fall asleep.
Ahhhh!
A cry in the night startles James awake just in time to see Qynn fall into the fire with an arrow piercing his chest. Without thought, he causes a great burst of light to explode over the camp and in that brief instance, sees a dozen or more attackers approaching from all directions.
Everyone comes awake when the light bursts overhead.
“We’re under attack!” he yells as he gets up, trying to find the bowman.
Everyone bursts into action, the girls hiding under a wagon while the guys all grab their weapons and move to engage the enemy. With light to see by, the surprise the attackers held in the dark is now gone. The pit fighters rush to engage the attackers, wreaking havoc with skills honed by years in the pits.
James locates two bowmen who each get an arrow off before James has a chance to take them out. An attacker is rushing him and is almost upon him when a knife flies out from the camp, imbedding itself through the man’s left eye. He turns and sees Shorty standing atop a wagon as he lets fly another knife at an approaching attacker.
Scar and Potbelly are standing back to back as they hold off three attackers while Jiron and Tinok are busy slicing and dicing ones of their own. He looks to see Stig engaged with a large attacker wielding a longsword. Stig deflects the thrust of the man’s sword with his shield and then follows through with his mace, pulping the man’s face. Seeing Scar and Potbelly engaged with three, he runs over to render aid.
Scar, with both swords weaving a pattern of death, takes out one of the ones pressing him and Potbelly. Turning to engage the other, he watches as a hole opens up in the man’s chest, blood and gore spraying out his back. He looks behind him and sees James there with another slug as he prepares to take out another attacker. Between Potbelly and himself, they quickly take out the last of the attackers near them before Stig has a chance to join them.
Scar quickly looks around for another to engage but all he sees are dead bandits lying everywhere. Shorty jumps off the wagon and races over to where Qynn is burning in the fire and pulls him out. The smell of burnt flesh and hair permeates the entire area.
“Tinok!” he hears Delia’s anguished cry. He looks over and sees her cradling Cassie’s head in her lap, blood from where an arrow sticks out of her stomach rapidly spreading across her dress.
“Cassie!” Tinok’s cry echoes across the battlefield as he races over to her.
He drops to his knees, tears falling from his eyes as he looks to Delia. She just shakes her head.
“Tinok,” Cassie says weakly when she sees him there.
“Yes, my dearest,” he says, trying to hold back the sobs.
“I can’t wait to be your wife,” she says, distantly.
“You will be soon,” he says as he takes her into his arms, brushing strands of her golden hair out of her face.
“Don’t leave me!” he cries as he starts to sob.
“Silly boy,” she says as she looks into his eyes. “I’ll never leave you. I love you.”
“I love you too,” he says to her. A tear falls from his face onto hers.
“Maybe tomorrow,” she says as her voice begins to grow faint, “we can dance again.” And then she smiles as he kisses her on the forehead. She closes her eyes as her body relaxes in death.
“Cassie!” Tinok cries as he gently shakes her as if she was just sleeping, “Oh my god, Cassie!” He then holds her tight to his chest as sobs rack his body. He just sits there holding her as he rocks back and forth.
His head snaps up as he looks to James with red, tear filled eyes, “You can save her, can’t you?”
Shaking his head as his own tears fall, he says sadly, “Some things I’m unable to do.”
“But…” and then he starts sobbing all over again.
Everyone leaves Tinok alone in his time of grief. Each in their own way cared for Cassie and her passing has touched each of them deeply. While Tinok mourns the loss of his beloved, the others go through the grisly process of removing the dead from the camp. James and Jiron go through all the dead bodies and collect what money they can.
“I think they were just bandits, out looking to rob us,” Jiron says.
“It looks that way,” agrees James. Then he gestures over to Tinok, “Think he’ll be okay?”
“I don’t know,” Jiron says, “he really cared for her.”
By this time, Yorn and the others have wrapped Qynn in a blanket. As they pick him up, he says to Jiron, “We’re going to go bury him out in the desert.”
Nodding, he replies, “Just a second and I’ll come with you.”
He was about to go over to Tinok when he all of a sudden stands up, holding Cassie in his arms. Without a word, he begins to carry her out to the desert. When he sees Jiron coming toward him, he just shakes his head and then is soon lost in the dark as he takes his beloved out into the desert to bury her.
“Alright,” he says to Yorn as he joins them, “let’s go.”
James watches as they carry Qynn out to be buried, taking a different direction than Tinok so as not to intrude upon him.
James and the rest remain in the camp and wait for the others to return. No one feels like talking, each is lost in their own reflections.
In a little bit, Jiron and the others return from burying Qynn. He looks around and asks, “Tinok hasn’t returned yet?”
“No,” Delia replies.
He turns and looks out toward where he disappeared into the night with Cassie, worried for his friend. An hour later, Tinok comes back to camp. Eyes red and swollen from crying, and covered in dirt from where he dug her grave, he looks a pitiful sight. The necklace he had recently given her hangs around his neck. His knives are caked with dirt, obviously what he used to dig her grave. That above everything else gives Jiron cause to worry for his friend. Nothing has ever before meant more to him than his knives and for him to not have cleaned them cannot bode well.
He sits near the fire and stares vacantly into the flames. They try to engage him in conversation, telling him of their sorrow for his loss, but he doesn’t respond. Eventually he just goes over to his bedroll and falls asleep.
The others stay up for a little longer, discussing their worries for Tinok and the loss of their friends. But soon they all grow tired once again and one by one, drift off to sleep.
In the morning, Tinok is gone.