“You got it,” replied Seth. Turning his horse about, he led them back the way he came. A mile further down, the path crested a hill and they saw the three farmsteads laid out in a small valley. The path they were following passed within a hundred yards of the nearest. And it was that one which had the horses.
Two men were in separate fields plowing, readying the ground for the spring’s sowing. Kids were seen working at various chores at two of the farmsteads. The third one looked vacant.
A couple farmers were all they had to deal with, which made Bart happy. With Seth still in the lead, they followed the path until it neared the farmstead with the horses. There, they turned off the path and headed for the horses.
Kevik awoke about that time, still feeling greatly fatigued, but at least no longer was in imminent danger of passing out. Riyan apprised him of their intention to acquire two more horses.
As they approached, two boys quickly took notice of them and one began yelling as he raced toward the nearest man plowing his field. It didn’t take long before the man was made aware of the approaching riders. Disengaging from the plow, he met the boy racing toward him. A second later, the boy took off across the field to where the other man was plowing.
Seth kept his horse at a normal gait while they approached the farmer’s home, as he didn’t want to alarm them. By the time he neared the front of the house, a woman stood in the doorway with the other boy standing next to her. A moment later, the farmer arrived.
“Greetings, good farmer,” Seth said in his most genial manner.
“Greetings,” replied the farmer, uncertainty and a touch a fear in his voice. The fact that he and his family faced six armed men and a magic user was not lost on him. “How can we be of help to you sirs?”
“We need the two horses you have in your corral,” Seth stated.
“No!” cried the boy by his mother. “You can’t have them!”
“Silence!” the farmer yelled. Turning to the boy’s mother, he said, “Take him inside.” When she hesitated, he shouted, “Now!”
With fear and worry for her man etched across her face, the woman took hold of the boy’s arm and dragged him inside. The boy’s objections could be heard even after the door closed behind them.
Turning back to the men before him, the farmer said, “But sirs, we need those horses to survive.”
“Irregardless,” Seth said. “Our need is greater.”
Riyan could see the strength to object leave the man as he knew it wasn’t in his power to oppose them. Reaching into his money pouch, he removed two gold coins. Riding forward, he said, “Here.” Holding out the coins, he crossed to the farmer. “For your trouble.”
The farmer’s eyes lit up at the sight of the gold in Riyan’s hand. “Thank you sir,” he said. Soth added another which did much to assuage his guilt at taking the horses. Three golds were nowhere near an even exchange, but it was better than leaving the man with nothing.
Bart, Chad, and Soth dismounted and went to the corral. “I trust you have saddles for the horses?” Bart asked the farmer.
Nodding, he said, “They’re in the barn.”
Bart indicated for Soth and Chad to retrieve the saddles. From the corner of his eye, he saw a small, tear stained face peering at him from one of the home’s windows. Never had he felt such misgivings about stealing as he did right now.
Once Chad and Soth returned with the saddles and had secured them to the horses, Bart turned to the farmer. “I hope you will not find yourself in too great a need because of us,” he stated.
With nothing else he could say, the farmer replied, “We’ll get by.”
Bart returned to his horse and mounted. Riyan mounted one of the farmer’s horses as did Chad. With everyone now having their own horse, and Kevik having had sufficient rest to be able to remain awake while they rode, Bart turned his horse back to the path and quickly left the farmer behind.
After they had returned to the road and moved down it a ways, Chad asked, “Does it always feel this way?”
“What?” asked Bart.
“Stealing,” he explained. “Does it always make you feel dirty and wrong?”
Bart shook his head. “No. How you feel about taking from others depends in part on who you steal from. A rich merchant or a lord would hardly notice the theft of a few coins and valuables. But to people like that farmer, losing two horses could mean years of hardship before recovering.”
“Of course,” continued Bart, “there are some out there who have no conscious of any kind. They’re the ones who give thieves a bad name.”
“Stealing is wrong,” Soth stated. “No matter how you rationalize it.”
“Is feeding a baby on the verge of starving to death wrong?” asked Bart. “That’s how most people get started, out of necessity. Unfortunately, once you’re in it, there’s a certain allure to easy money and the excitement of fleecing the mark that’s hard to shake.”
“Was that how you got started?” Seth asked.
Bart laughed. “Hardly.” How could he explain that he was raised by a thief, and that everyone he knew growing up was a thief? No, it wasn’t necessity that had brought him into this life.
With thoughts of his younger years running through his mind, he and the others continued putting miles behind them.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Some distance to the north, in the town of Tryn, Captain Jeka paced to and fro. He had arrived with his men shortly after the fugitives fled downriver. Every man he could spare rode in pursuit, half on one side of the river, and half on the other. Had they fled during the spring thaw, he would have counted them dead. But now? There was always a chance one could survive the river in winter.
Messengers were on the way to every town within a day’s ride. Soon, the entire countryside would be alerted to their presence. Lord Kueryn would be most displeased should they make it back to Byrdlon.
He couldn’t believe the devastation wrought in Tryn. An entire block was simply gone. Buildings that had once stood tall were now but shells of their former selves. Of those he was supposed to join with when he arrived, there was no sign. Word had it they perished in the explosions.
“Sir?”
Snapped out of his reverie, Captain Jeka turned to his aide, Lieutenant Ikkeldi. A capable soldier who had served with Captain Jeka for over six years. “Yes?” asked Captain Jeka.
“A rider has returned,” Lieutenant Ikkeldi reported. “They’ve been sighted.”
“Where?” he demanded.
“No more than a day’s ride south of here,” his aide replied. “Just north of the mining town of Puert.”
He summoned a mental picture of the area and nodded. “Have the scout return and maintain visual contact,” he ordered. As his aide was about to leave, he added, “And ready the men.”
“Yes sir,” Lieutenant Ikkeldi replied. Leaving his captain, he hurried to carry out his commands.
“Puert is it?” Captain Jeka mumbled. “How in the world did you get there?”
Night was not very far off, and their pursuers from the stockade had yet to make an appearance. Bart had long since led their group from the rutted path and were now headed northwest through the hills toward Hylith.
“Are you sure he even has it?” asked Chad.
“No,” replied Riyan. “But where else would it be?” He patted his pack wherein their three segments of the key lay and asked, “Who would we entrust with them?”
“I get your point,” replied Chad.
“If I were him, I’d keep it close,” stated Bart. “He may not know what it is, but that it is significant and important would be apparent.”
“I agree,” said Soth. “Something golden, placed on a pedestal in a hidden room? Only an idiot would disregard it.”
