-2-
A Fork in the Road
Oliver and I walked about another league before we reached a fork in the road. Most of our fellow travelers to the left fork, that was the path I guess would take us toward the Sand Hills. A old wooden sign that had been driven in the middle of the two forks said as much. It also said that the right fork would take you toward a village that was called Thorn. The village of thorn was around two leagues distance down the path or six miles. According to my sources the soothsayer lived near the village Thorn.
“Here.” I said starting down the right path. “We'll go this way.”
“But, the group is going toward the left.” Oliver said pointing toward the line of men moving passed us. It was now well into the morning and news of the movement was spreading as quick as a wildfire from one tiny settlement to the others. Each one it seemed was producing its fair share of men hoping to strike its wish from some ill gotten treasure stored up by the rotten bandits and highway that had haunted the Sand Hills since before the coming of the pretend king.
“I know and that is where we are going. I need to visit the soothsayer and according to my sources she lives in the hamlet of Thorn. Some two leagues travel. Besides, we need more supplies. Fear not Oliver, we are not going to miss a battle. In fact we might just miss the massacre that followed.” I said with an upside down grin.
“Massacre?!” Oliver blinked as he peered toward me. “Jeanette what in the world has gotten into you? You have become grim!”
“Just stating a fact Oliver.” I said, sighing as I moved down the road. “I joined hoping they would give me command. But they said a woman had no part in commanding them. And that I'll be better used in the kitchen tending to the children. I thought my reputation as an adventurer was better than that.” I said, sighing.
“Truth be known. Few people outside a small circle know you. Fewer still know you. To many of the men and women of Sea Breeze you're just that strange woman who plays the fiddle and sings strange songs at the inn.” Oliver said, sighing. “So when you joined the expedition many thought you would take a more supporting role. You know cooking or driving a wagon full of healing potions. Few thought you would volunteer yourself to lead it. Fewer still thought you would be volunteering to fight in the rank and file.”
“I see..” I said, taking a deep breath as I kicked at a few of the loose stones that dotted the path.
“So what about a massacre?” Oliver asked.
“They are heading toward one. The men heading the expedition plan to make camp tonight in the forest that lays at the foot of the Sand Hills. Since they expect the trees to break the wind, and provided shelter since many of them don't have tents. Also they expect the fallen branches to provide fuel for their cooking fires. Their plan is simple, have a hearty meal tonight in the forest. And tomorrow storm into the hills and route from those hidden hollows and glean all bandits and put them to the sword and give them short noises that just come down above the ear.” I said.
“Okay..” Oliver said, blinking as he reached down and removed his belt from a brown water bottle. He unscrewed the top and took a swallow of water.
“You don't expect that to happen do you?” Oliver asked as he peered toward me.
“No.” I said, taking a deep breath. “I'm afraid I've been withholding some information from you Oliver. As you know. I kind of have my own ways of gathering information. And all my sources say the leader of the bandits is a fearsome man by the name of Leo. Many have given Leo the title of 'The ManSlayer' because according to rumors he's killed at least one hundred men.”
Oliver smirked a little and shook his head as he walked beside me. He then handed me the brown water bottle.
“Jeanette. I know you milk the drunken knights, sell swords, miners, woodcutters, field hands, and just about anyone who comes through the doors of the inn for any information you can. And you're way of getting them to talk is through flirting with them and flattering them when their two sheets to the wind. Do you really believe the raving of drunken merchants who claim that all the bandits in the Sand Hills owe their allegiance to a man named Leo who many call call the 'The Man Slayer' and and who has taken the title 'The Bandit King' ?” Oliver asked.
I took the bottle from him and took a swallow of the water. The water was cool and refreshing and quenched my budding thirst. My feet were starting to swell in the leather boots.
“I have heard stories about the man. He's not a run of the mill bandit. I have heard many men swear that the Goddess has gifted this man with an almost supernatural intelligence. Many who have spoken with him say he is a man of culture. And those who have him in action say he is a master tactician.” I said, sighing.
“Sounds like somebody has a crush.” Oliver said, grinning from one ear to the other.
“Don't be silly!” I said barking. As I handed back his water battle. “I don't have time for crushes! That utter nonsense!” I said as I turned my head around quickly. The last thing I wanted Oliver to see was me blushing. I had left out one vital piece of information. Many of the women who I'd interviewed who had been held up by him said the man had acted like a gentleman and even apologized for having to rob them. They even said he had flirted with them and his manners were far above that of a bandit.
“It sounds like you have a crush.” Oliver said again as he stuck out his tongue and pulled his eyelid down.
“Keep making faces like that. And One day your face is going to get stuck like that.” I said, sighing as I overtook him. “Come on now, we're already behind and we still have a good piece of travel before we reach Thorn and once we reach Thorn we need to find out where that soothsayer lives.”
“How about some breakfast?” Oliver asked as he peered toward me. “We've been up before dawn and last night we only had a few pieces of dried bread to supper upon. In fact since leaving Sea Breeze we've had nothing but hardtack and water.”
“I'm sure they have a tavern and an inn in Thorn.” I called out. “And a supply shop and a smithy too. We'll spend the night there tonight.” I called out.
And with that we quicken our pace.
-3-
The Village of Thorn
The village of Thorn was a simple collection of stone cottages with thatched roofs. The streets of the village were dirt. Hard packed yellow dirt. It was around mid-morning when Oliver and I finally reached the outskirts of the village and it was then the truth hit me like a ton of bricks. This was a real backwater village. Dozens of stray chickens and dogs roamed about. Barefooted children rushed about, yelling and screaming as they chased each other.
“Oh Goddess.” I said, taking a deep breath as I moved into the center of town. Or what I'm going to assume was the center of town. The center of town was this wide open space. An old wooden well was located in the center. Surrounding the well were dozens of villagers. All of the villagers seemed to wear the same thing, formless blouses and wide skirts with leather belts for the women and tight leather trousers and long sleeve tunics for the men. The ringing of the smithy hammer could be heard over the bedlam of noises.
“Good afternoon!” I called as I reached the center of the town. “I was wondering if anybody could help me?” I asked as I looked around me. It seemed the town was preparing for war. The village smithy was busy hammering away at what appeared to a sword. And every man and even some of the boys seemed to be carrying around some kind of weapon.
Most of those weapons were nothing more than old farm tools. Most of them were armed with poleaxe or pikes. Some even had sling blades and hatches. Most of the weapons seemed like they had seen better days. No doubt leftover weapons from the last war. A few of the men were armed with bows, those who had bows had a quiver full of arrows attached to a leather belt they wore around their waist.
“Speak to a stranger!” Called one of the men. An old looking farmer with a thick, gray beard and two black eyes. His gnawed fingers were wrapped tightly around the pole of a billhook. “We have little time for questions as we are soon to depart for the front. We have heard the men of Sea Breeze mean to make war on the bandits of the Sand Hills. We have often been preyed upon by the men who dwell in the Sand Hills.”
I took a deep breath and heaved a heavy sigh.
“I have come to speak with the village wisdom. I have heard she can foretell the future and read the wind.” I called out. As I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. Oliver just peered at me. His hand was resting upon the hilt of his sword. His eyes were darting around.
“Aye and who would you be?” The old man called out.
“Jeanette Katherine Hood. And this young man here.” I reached down and pulled Oliver a little closer to me. “Is my apprentice Oliver. We are adventures. I'm also part of the force that was raised two days ago in Sea Breeze. They are about half a day's march from here. If you will wait till the morning. I will guide you to their encampment.” I added.
“Well Lady Hood.” The old man said. “We do not have time to waste, you will understand that word just reached us this morning. We are scrambling to put together a force to put into the field.” He said as he shifted his weight. “And if you are who you say you are, then why are you not in the field with the others? I have heard you are the woman who slew the fable Goblin King. Or was that just a rumor we heard.”
I flushed a little and walked toward the old man. I looked him in the eye and took a deep, deep breath. “Listen! Women of this village.” I called out. And all eyes turned toward me. “You are sending your men to war with no hope of victory. Your husbands, brothers, sons, and fathers are going to war with neither a chance or a prayer. The force that left Sea Breeze two days ago was an ill equipped group of men. Not one professional soldier among them. For the Lord Commander of Sea Breeze has kept his men within the town.”
A mummer rang through the crowd.
“Men of this village!” I called out even louder. “If you march away, you will all be killed. And killed a man. Then this village will be left defenseless and the bandits enraged that you dare attack them. Will descended upon this village, that would be defenseless because you all died in a useless battle. And then, after carting away your women to be sold as whores in the brothel houses. And castrating your sons, and brothers who are too young to yield a sword to be sold as eunuchs to guard the same brothel houses, and killing all the men who are too old to defend themselves and too old to become eunuchs. And likewise killing all the women who are too old to become whores who's beauty has faded and whose breasts sag.” I took a deep breath.
I could tell the truth was starting to dawn on them. This was indeed a fools mission, and the look of shock on the faces of men who had so poorly armed themselves with what every they could lay their hands upon was a sign that my words were finding their mark and the look of trembling fear upon the faces of the village women told me they too would lend their voices to keep their men folks at home.
“After they have done all that. They will burn this village to the ground, salt the earth and cart off any treasure.” I added. “So take my advice. Stay and guard your village. Arm yourself yes for the defense of your own hearths and homes.”
“And what if the bandits attack Sea Breeze?” Another man called out. “We depend upon Sea Breeze, it is the only port in the region.”
“Sea Breeze has two hundred well trained, well armed, soldiers to defend her. Plus she can call upon a thousand well armed militia if need be. I would advise you to stand down until you are needed. The force you are going out to join is nothing more than a collection of adventure seekers who are already melting away like the spring snow. They are heading toward a slaughter.” I cried out.
“Then why have you come here?” Cried another man.
“To seek the help of the village wisdom.” I cried out.
At this point many of the men started to shift their weight around as they peered toward each other. Many nodded their heads as if coming to an understanding. As the minutes ticked by many of the men who had gathered in the square started to melt away. Many if not all seemed to return to their homes.
“Very well.” The old man said, taking a deep breath. “We will take your advice. You are right in our haste to get rid of the bandits. We did not consider the fact that the royal governor and the mayor did not send a royal messenger with the orders to muster.”
“Defend your own village. Dig trenches around it, build a wooden wall, the bandits will be seeking revenge for this attack on what they consider their homeland. Prepare for the coming storm.” I called out.
“Finally, somebody is talking a little sense around here. I've been trying my best to talk sense into these men all morning.” A voice said from behind me. I quickly spun around and behind me stood a woman around my age. She had fiery red hair and a slender frame. She held a wooden oak staff in her hand and a leather pouch on her hips.
“...”
“I'm Bridgette Croft and I'm the Wisdom you seek. I'm also your new traveling buddy. The voice of the Goddess told me you were coming today and that I should follow you.” She said, taking a deep breath. “I'm skilled in herbal craft. And use the staff. So.. Shall we make our way to the inn.”
“She's cute.” Oliver said.
I blinked and blinked again.
“Traveling buddy?” I said, raising an eyebrow as I peered toward her. “What do you mean traveling buddy?” I asked as I peered toward her. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. As she peered toward me.
“Did I shutter? Or do you have wax in your ears? I was told in my dreams that you would come to this village and that I should follow you. That the fate of this country is tied to you and that you have been sent here to shift the balance. Already you have, you have defeated the Goblin King, and that has opened the mountains to be mined again and has scattered the Goblins of the mountains. That has caused the woodsmen to pick them off, allowing more wood to be harvested.” She said with a sigh.
“You saved Oliver, who in a different timeline was killed by the monsters of the forest by his uncle who abandoned him. In that timeline, the mayor fell into a dark depression and ended his own life. Allowing his twisted brother to assume the role of mayor. In that timeline, he used the power of Sea Breeze to tax the surrounding villages and nearly drove them into starvation with the taxes being imposed. That shattered the Confederation of Villages and Towns of Storm Bay and made this region ripe picking for other powers to swoop in and rob the people of their freedom.”
I blinked and blinked again.
“And finally you saved this time. By making the men of the village see the folly of marching off to war. Had they marched off to war. The bandits of Sand Hills would have indeed swept down from the hills, and burned and looted and carted off the whole population. By talking some common sense into them you stopped that from taking place.” She said,
I blinked and blinked again. And with that Bridgette marched past me. “Come on you guys. We gotta go. We gotta find the other.” She said as she paused and turned toward us.
“Hey!” I cried out as I peered toward Bridgette. “I thought you were the village wisdom?”
“Yes and no. I'm one of two girls apprenticed to the current wisdom. But I've learned all I can from her. Now in order to perfect my craft I need to go with you. The goddess told me to go with you and guide you two. You are the chosen one to find the three jewels. You've already found one of the jewels. You found one last autumn when you slew the Goblin King.” She said as she sighed.
“I'm confused..” I said, turning toward Oliver.
“She's cute.” Oliver said.
“...” I sighed again.
“Can't we rest tonight here?” I said toward Bridgette. “I could use a warm bath, and something beside trail food.”
Bridgette blinked and blinked again as she peered toward me and then toward Oliver. After a few moments she sighed a little and shook her head. “I guess it can not be helped. Fine, we can spend the night here.. I need to get some supplies together too.”
And so that is how another chapter comes to an end.
On a barren hill in Glenwood Cemetery there stood a single solitary tombstone that was set apart from a collection of tombstones. The name engraved upon the granite surface read. “James Thomas Sharbrough” below it were the dates “September 6, 1989 – September 9, 2009.” Standing in front of the grave was a lean man with short white hair. He was dressed in all black and wore a white clerical collar around his neck.
“Hello James.” He said as he peered down at the tombstone. “I've decided to visit you. It's almost Halloween. Your favorite holiday. You know I've missed our talks. You were a breath of fresh air. You were also the most devout Acolyte St. George ever knew. I enjoyed serving with you.” The man paused and looked down.
“I have been doing some thinking. The last sermon I preached. Was very wrong. I said that marriage was only supposed to be between a man and a woman and that it is. That final. Close the book on that. And that God only made two genders and that changing genders was wrong. And those who did so were to be shunned and if you thought otherwise you needed to leave the parish.” The man looked down. “I was wrong...two friends of mine Fr. Bell and Fr. John helped me see how much harm I did.”
The priest stuffed his hands into his pocket and peered down at the grave. “You had the courage to leave after I said that. You were serving at the time, you walked down from the alter. Bowed before the elements and left without saying a word. I had no idea how much harm I had inflicted on your soul at that moment. Please forgive me, priest are people too, and like people do, we often cause harm without knowing it.” He said as he reached over and touched the grave.
“I know you often talked about becoming a priest. And I think you would have been a good one. When word reached me you had been killed. It was like somebody had taken a hammer to my soul. My soul was shattered. As you know, I only had daughters and I'd come to think of you as something of a son. The son I never had.”
“We both shared a love for the many works of J.R.R. Tolkien and his friend C.S Lewis. And I think at one time you wanted to become the next American Tolkien.” The priest then stood up and took a deep breath.
“Anyway it was nice visiting you James. I hope wherever you are in the next life. You have found a measure of peace. I know your family considered you something of the black sheep of the family. And it seems by being apart from the others they still consider you such even in death. Please do pray for me, and keep me in your prayers.”
And with that the man left that lonely grave.
