by Dan Decker
Chapter 10
Jorad could hear a chicken clucking as it searched for food and the squeal of a pig coming from somewhere, but other than that Koope farm had become rather silent. The men and women who'd been working had stopped to watch the fight. Many had kept their distance and gathered into groups. Several had approached as if intending to offer aid. Jorad was glad that they'd been smart enough to not get involved. The head of a young girl was peeking out the second story window of the farmhouse. Her mother had come to the front porch and stood with her hands on her hips, she wore an apron covered with flour.
Most of the bystanders wore confused looks. Jorad could relate, he was stumped as well. These men had been trying to kill Adar and he’d spared their lives. Why? The others might have been surprised that Adar had been able to hold his own with these men using a hoe, but that’s what Jorad expected from Adar. In another circumstance, Jorad would have found it comical that Adar’s sword was strapped to his back and his weapon of choice had been a long handled hoe, but he wasn’t in a laughing mood.
Jorad had survived the fight without a scratch. While Adar had blood dripping down his face from his injured ear, that was the worst he’d suffered. He had numerous cuts in other places but stood with vigor and energy. Of the Radim men, the only one that looked like he could continue fighting was the last one to stop. He was a very short man and looked like he was considering an attack even though he'd been ordered by their leader to stand down.
The crunch of gravel from behind indicated that Soret was heading towards them. Her hair was in tangles from their frantic ride and there were streaks of dust on her face. Jorad turned and motioned for her to stop. She did, but she didn't look happy about it.
Couldn’t she see the danger was far from over? The fighting could start again at a moment’s notice and Jorad didn't want to worry about something happening to her. He had just been fighting for his life and despite that, if her frown was any indication, she was still furious with him.
“Tere, we can either come to an arrangement,” Adar said addressing the man that Jorad had almost killed, “or we'll kill you. Your choice.”
Tere snorted and set his jaw. “Returning Jorad to make his claim is paramount to killing you. What are your terms?”
Soret gasped. This wasn’t how Jorad wanted her to find out. He'd dodged Soret's question about what he would do after Zecarani and now he wished that he hadn't. Strangely, the anger had left her face. That wasn't the response he'd been expecting. Well, truth be told, he'd expected that she wouldn't have believed him.
Adar looked at Jorad. “Put your sword away.”
“Not as long as they're trying to kill us.” Did Adar expect Jorad to go with them to Rarbon? He wouldn’t go at the point of a sword.
“Not us, just me,” Adar said. “Do it.” Jorad did as Adar asked. Tere motioned to his men and they put away their swords as well.
Without his sword in hand, the anger left Jorad as if he'd been plunged into cold water. He shivered as he realized how close he’d come to killing another person. What would that have been like? He knew that Adar sometimes had restless nights when memories of the men he killed tormented him. When Jorad joined the Radim and made his claim to become Ghar, it was inevitable that he would kill and be responsible for the deaths of many. Jorad wasn’t sure if he could live with that or not. One night, in a rare moment of openness, Adar had shared with him the visions that haunted him. It hadn't been a comfortable conversation.
“I need to talk with my son.”
Tere nodded. Adar tossed his hoe to the ground, motioning for Jorad to follow. He didn’t have any qualms about turning his back on the three men, or at least if he did, the concern didn’t show.
“Stay on guard, but you have little to worry about,” Adar said when they were out of earshot. “They’d be executed for harming you.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“You attacked Tere and he defended himself. Don’t you think it odd that you fought one of Rarbon's best swordsmen and you survived without a nick?”
“He was trying to kill you.” Jorad had been a little bit proud of the fact he hadn't suffered a scratch. He realized that Adar was correct. Tere had been fighting defensively. Jorad should have figured that out himself.
“I appreciate your help. We should allow them to escort you back to Rarbon. You were already planning to return anyway. This will save time because you won’t have to convince the Council you're a Rahid. Tere and his men can vouch for your heritage. ”
“Let's hope so.” Jorad didn't think he would ever trust Tere to do anything.
“You'll go with them?”
Jorad hated feeling roped into this. True, he'd made the decision already, but there was a big difference between going alone and being escorted by armed men to make sure he went through with it. Adar did have a point about not having to prove who he was. He hesitated. Timing was important and they needed any leg up they could get.
“If it's clear I'm not their prisoner.” Jorad didn't like this decision and it was only because the Hunwei were breathing down their necks that he agreed.
Adar nodded and they returned to where the others were waiting.
“We travel together to Zecarani,” Adar said. “After that, we part ways and Jorad will go with you to Rarbon as your guest. He is free to leave at any time and we enter a truce that lasts until I say goodbye to Jorad and send him with you.”
“Travel with you?” Tere asked, rubbing his face and muttering something that Jorad didn't hear.
“Or we end the conflict.”
Tere wasn't happy about the offer and the struggle was evident on his face. At length, he nodded and held out his hand. Adar took it. There was something exchanged between the two men that Jorad couldn't read and there were a few tense seconds while their eyes were locked on to one another. It looked like it would end in a tussle. Tere released his grip and Jorad found that he'd been holding his breath. He exhaled, glad that it hadn't come to blows again, and wondered how in Melyah's name they would make it to Zecarani without killing each other.