Book 5, Chapter 6: You Have Been Waylaid By Brigands
Cresting another hill, I stopped to take in the view. The ground below sloped down into a valley with a fast-flowing river carving its way to the larger Dernam River off to the east. With the slower, meandering creeks, trees often grew along their waters, sometimes even in them, but this river was fast and apparently overflowed its banks from time to time. The trees kept their distance. Grasses grew along its shore, in between large rocks that must have been pushed into place.
Given how far I was from it, those were big rocks. “Huh,” I said to my fox friends, “we’ll have to find a bridge.”
The little guy’s wide, black eyes looked up at me across his orange snout.
“Yeah. It’s that or ask the ravens to fly us across and I don’t have enough rope for that.”
The young fox wisely set off to the east, along a path winding into the valley. The Ketzillian army had to have come this way the year prior, after defeating us and forcing us to flee into Bechalle’s arms. So, they must have used or built bridges along the way. Probably those would be east, closer to the Dernam River, as our mages tracked their scouts there, keeping close to the river to likewise track us.
As we made our way down the hill, the trees slowly gave way to bushes and tall grasses, shrubs. Not a few hit me in the face before I remembered to duck and weave, freaked out when I walked right into spider webs, and rubbed and rubbed them off my face, checking for errant nasties crawling around me, maybe to whisper in my ear, ‘stop killing us.’
Blue sky above, puffs of white clouds dotting it here and there. A shadow passed over us as one of those slightly and temporarily blocked out the sun. Because I’d now marched under the open sky for weeks, ever since leaving the castle I stole, my skin was pretty dark.
When we got closer to the river, sounds of water rushing into and over rocks greeted us. The air was cooler, felt fresher. It was fast-moving. Lots of boulders spraying the water high. Probably a good place to fish, given the lack of nearby settlements. But there was no crossing it.
Though a thought came to mind: what if I burned bright and hot and attempted to cross? Would it instantly turn into steam? Could I skip across the top like a single drop of water on a hot frying pan? I decided to leave that unanswered. Better to continue east until I came across the bridge the Ketzles used.
The critters and I walked, or flew, for some time before, when the sun was high in the sky or slightly past its zenith, we came to a bridge spanning the river. Brushes grew up it on either side, the bridge was made of stone. Not nearly as large as the other ones, probably made by contemporary people rather than the powerful society that was wiped out in the floods, but it looked sturdy enough for me and a bunch of foxes.
I started off across, but the little foxes didn’t follow. They showed their teeth, fur standing up. Huh. I dropped my hands by my side, getting ready to defy the web’s words and blast arachnids.
A young man stepped out from behind the bushes at the other end of the bridge, carrying a longsword in one hand. “Stop right there, mister.” He looked from me to my entourage of foxes. “Mister?”
I wondered if the ravens were going to eat his eyes. A teen with a pointy piece of iron. This seemed a little below my pay grade. “What do you want?”
An older man stepped out behind him, then three more men from the other side’s bushes, one holding a bow, arrow nocked and ready. “We’ll take whatever coin you have and your food, if you please.”
The largest man to the left of the teen said, “You’re no man.” He grinned, but some of his teeth were missing, “Why are you out here alone, girl? And why are you dressed like a soldier?”
I wasn’t in the mood. I heated up arrowboy’s bowstring first, which snapped with a loud twang, leaving him staring at it, surprised. Then, their weapons, slowly. Didn’t want to cook their hands or anything.
The teen felt it first. “Something’s wrong with my sword. It’s hot. Arg!” he tossed it to the ground.
One by one the rest of them shouted or cursed, dropping their weapons.
“What the hell?” said the guy who correctly identified my gender.
“You will step aside and let me walk through.”
“What?”
Ok, so my Jedi mind-trick didn’t work. I released the magic to burn around my arms, “It’s that or I cook you. Like your weapons.” I made those molecules move faster and faster and their swords turned bright red, orange, then white, bursting the wooden and leather handles into flames, grass blackening and smoldering.
The brigands had to jump away from the heat and steam rising off the ground. Three of them bolted into the forest. The boy stayed still, staring at me, slack jawed. The old guy behind him, his trousers became wet, spreading down his leg. He was trembling, shaking, then fell on the ground, right next to his sword’s molten puddle.
“Shit!” Dropping the energy, I ran over and pulled him away from the hot metal. He was convulsing. I quickly cooled all the puddles of iron around so they wouldn’t burn anyone. My little foxes were wise enough to stay away from them, and they were keeping some distance from me.
“Da!” said the boy, kneeling down. “What’d you do to him!?”
“Nothing. Looks like an epileptic attack or maybe a stroke.”
“What?”
His convulsions were slowing, but there wasn’t anything I could do for the man. I felt a bit guilty.
“Why’d you have to hurt him?”
“Hey, you threatened me. I was just crossing. How many people have you killed and stolen from?”
“No one!”
I gave him a look. “Sure. You’re the nice muggers. That one guy looked like he was into rape on top of theft.”
“Can you undo what you did? Help him?”
“Uh, I’m not a healer.” Nope, I just bring death and destruction wherever I go. “Here, take this.” I passed him my horse packs, “There’s some food in it. Head south, to the castle at Breadamont and look for Reese. She’s the head nurse. She might be able to help.”
“They won’t treat us. Why do you think we’re out here?”
“Oh. Alright, so tell her Princess Cayce said that Maitlan is an ok kisser.” I shook my head, “and probably a virgin.”
“What?”
“That’s the password to your dad getting healing magic.”
He glared at me.
“I’m the princess. Cayce. Nice to meet you. Reese and I, well, we’re on good terms and we gossip. That’s how she’ll know I sent you.”
His father stopped shaking. His features were symmetrical, no drooping. Maybe epilepsy? Maybe shock? I had no idea. His eyes opened, focused on something distant, then looked at his son. “I think he just fainted. Has this happened before?”
“Once when the cow kicked him.”
“You guys have a cow and you’re out here stealing from people?”
“Army stole our cow.”
“Ah.”
The older man pushed himself up on his elbows.
“Ok, good. He’ll be fine.” I stood. “I have to go. Sorry about your dad. Stop robbing people.”
“You destroyed our weapons.”
“Yup.”
“We won’t be able to defend ourselves.”
“Become farmers then. Or fishermen. There’s a huge river here. Probably lots of fish in it.”
He just glared more at me.
“Listen, kid. This is your fault. You and your friends. You raise a weapon to someone and demand their money, you’ve put your life on the line. This is on you and I’m leaving. Sort it out. But if I catch you or your friends doing this again, mugging people, I won’t be so nice next time.”
His eyes widened and tugged on his father’s shirt, trying to get him to stand.
As I walked off along the path, hundreds and hundreds of foxes suddenly raced out from behind the bushes on the other side of the river, rushed across the bridge en masse to follow me, snarling at the kid, who yelped and backed up, and his now semi-recovering father, still watching in a daze.
Above them, the sky blackened as swarms of crows and ravens flew low past the two, then above me, in a circle.
Heading along the road, angry, I wanted those who ran away to jump out at me. Especially the rapist. Probably should have lasered him when he opened his mouth. They didn’t appear. Likely cowering somewhere. Honestly, I’d be cowering if I were them. My hands were suddenly ablaze, the energy circling as I scanned right and left.
Stopped walking. Forced myself to calm down. It took a while, then the energy fizzled out, a last fire rising above my right hand into the air. The birds scattered, heading in different directions.
I took a deep breath. Ok, yeah. I didn’t kill anyone. Calming down now, breathing under control. I was glad that I didn’t kill anyone. Even the guy with the bad intentions and missing teeth.
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