nods a reply as she goes and gets a satchel which she begins to fill with clothes and other things.
Turning back to Tinok, who still has his knife to Hassin’s throat and his knee on his chest, he asks, “What are we going to do with him?”
“You know him better than I do,” replies Tinok, never taking his eyes off his captive. “Should we kill him or not?”
At that, Hassin’s eyes widen slightly but gives no other response to what is being said.
“I hate to kill someone who’s helpless to resist,” Roland replies. “Even one who tried to kill me.”
“I have no such qualms about this piece of trash,” Tinok says seriously. “Take your family outside and wait for me.” He looks intently at Roland then turns his attention back to Hassin.
Roland takes the satchel from his wife and then ushers her out the front door, closing it behind them.
Once the door is shut, Tinok turns his attention back to Hassin and says, “Since your people destroyed my city, I have been waiting for my revenge and the time has come for a part of it.” Looking into eyes now filled with fear where contempt and hate had been, he continues, “This is for my little brother.”
With a quick motion of his hand, he slits Hassin’s throat and stares into his eyes as the life slowly leaves them. Choking and gasping from the blood filling his lungs and spreading across the floor, Hassin tries to stop the bleeding with his hands, but is unsuccessful. Tinok gets up and stands back as he jerks in his death throes until finally becoming still.
Wiping his blade on the dead man’s shirt, he says to the now lifeless body, “Thus begins my revenge for the destruction your people has brought unto mine.” Turning his back to the room filled with death, he goes to the door and leaves, joining Roland and his family outside.
Roland leads them around back where there’s a stable with two horses inside. Roland saddles them while Tinok keeps an eye out for anyone coming. When he’s done, he helps his wife up onto the horse and then hands their baby up to her. Swinging up onto the other horse, he takes her horse’s reins and leads them out to where Tinok is waiting at the front of the house.
Moving as quickly as they can, they make it back to where James is waiting.
“Any trouble?” he asks Tinok.
“None worth mentioning,” he replies as he mounts his horse.
Roland just glances over to Tinok but says nothing.
The baby starts crying and his mother bares a breast and begins to feed it as they ride through the town. Riding as quickly as they can, they clear the edge of town, which by now is completely deserted. Everyone has either fled or is in their homes with the door barred.
Moving quickly along the road for a couple hours, they come to where Delia and Cassie wait with the wagons. James is relieved when he sees the wagons and girls are fine and undisturbed, he had been worried about them. The girls have a fire going, and Cassie is awake as they approach. When she sees who it is, she wakes up Delia, saying excitedly, “They’re back!”
Delia wakes up, happy at seeing them back unharmed, but surprised at the appearance of his wife and son.
“We couldn’t leave his wife and child there,” Tinok explains, “so we brought them with us.”
Cassie comes over to help his wife down from her horse and coos when she sees the baby. “Can I hold him?” she asks.
His wife, understanding her request, nods her head and hands the baby over to her. Cassie takes the baby and holds it close going “Gootchi, gootchi, goo!” and other inane child noises. The baby laughs, obviously they’ll be getting along.
Once they have all the horses settled for the night, they gather around the fire and Roland asks, “I appreciate you rescuing me and all, but why did you do it?”
They look at each other and leave it to James to answer. “We did it because we didn’t feel it justified for you to be sacrificed in vain.”
“How do you know it would’ve been in vain?” he asks.
James looks at the others and says, “Well, you never know for sure of course, but we just felt that it was wrong this time. After all, even your own clerics were talking against it.”
“True,” Roland admits.
“Now what do you plan to do?” Delia asks. “Is there elsewhere you can go? Family?”
Shaking his head, he says, “I have no family, at least not around here and Ezra, my wife here, all her family is back there.” He points back to the town they just rescued him from. At the sound of her name, she smiles at him.
“Does she understand what we’re saying?” Cassie asks.
“A little,” he replies. “She’s been picking it up from me over the last year, ever since we got married. She doesn’t speak it too well, but is able to understand most of the words being said.” He looks over to her and she just smiles and nods her head in agreement.
Sighing, he says, “I really don’t know what we’re going to do, I just know we can’t go back home, not with the dead bodies there.” He puts his arm around Ezra and continues, “Hassin has many powerful friends and they would cause no end of trouble for us, maybe even kill us.”
“Well, you’re welcome to come along with us,” James offers. All the others nod their agreement for the idea.
“We don’t want to be a burden,” he says, “but we don’t have any other choice. Thank you.”
A small laugh erupts from the baby where Cassie has him in her lap, playing with him. Ezra smiles fondly at the sight.
“Just where are you heading?” Roland asks. “Are you traders?” He glances over to James, not really believing that they are, what with the display back at the oasis.
“Not exactly,” James replies. Then he smiles and says, “Now just where are my manners. My name is James and Tinok here you’ve already met.” Tinok nods his head, Roland returns the gesture. “Here is Delia,” who gives him a smile, “and the one who’s taken over your son is Cassie.” Cassie gives him a big smile and says, “Hi.”
“My name is Roland,” he says to the group. “I am originally from Cardri but for one reason or another wound up here where I met Ezra, the light of my life.” He gives her a kiss which causes her to blush slightly. “That little wiggle worm that your Cassie is holding is Arkhan, Arkie for short.”
“Arkie,” coos Cassie to the little baby, “what a cute name.”
“We’re currently heading south,” James tells him, “going by way of Korazan. We have some packages to drop off there, and then we’ll see.”
“Then I think we’ll come along,” he says to them. He goes over to Ezra and begins talking to her in their language as they get Arkie settled down for the night.
Everyone is pretty tired and begins to get ready for sleep. Delia draws James away from everyone else and asks, “With what we’re heading to, do you think it’s wise to have them along?”
“Probably not,” he replies. “But they’re better off than they were. Besides, we’ll have more of a chance of not standing out if we have others with us.”
“Maybe,” she says. “I’ve also been going over the items we’re carrying as well as the delivery orders and it turns out we’re carrying some very high priced items.” She looks at him and continues, “The person who actually owns this may come looking for it.”
“If so,” James says, after contemplating what she just said, “he’ll have to find us first.”
“Maybe we should hire some guards?” she suggests.
“We’ll look into that when we get to the next big town,” he replies.
“That may be wise,” she agrees as they make their way back to the group. Ezra and little Arkie have already lain down near the fire and the rest have bedded down as well. James and Delia join them, the last thought going though his mind before sleep takes him is what’s going on with Jiron.
Chapter Ten
Before they head out in the morning, they transfer as much cargo as possible from one wagon to the other,
