Benjamin Ashwood

by AC Cobble

  The crowd quickly shuffled back a few steps. They may be drunk and blood thirsty, but no one wanted to be too close when Fredrick started swinging that broad sword.

  When the General stepped out of the way, Fredrick howled a battle cry and charged. Rhys was barely paying attention and staggered out of the way. Fredrick’s first wild swing whistled by where Rhys’ head had been a second before.

  “Wanda, Wanda. I can’t believe he hit you. I told you he was wrong for you!”

  With a start, Ben realized that Rhys was talking to Fredrick’s wife. A man next to Ben started laughing. “That drunk is about to get his head cut off and doesn’t even realize it.”

  The man was right, Fredrick was slowly approaching this time and there wouldn’t be another wild swing that missed the mark. He walked up right behind Rhys who was still imploring the Lady Wanda. Fredrick raised the heavy sword above his head. This was certain to be a fatal blow and Rhys didn’t even realize the fight had started.

  “Damnit man!” shouted the General.

  Fredrick started his downward blow and Rhys spun towards the sound of the General’s voice. Each heartbeat stretched into a minute as Ben watched in horror. Fredrick’s face was strained into a gleefully wicked mockery of a grin and Rhys looked confused when his gaze caught the man preparing to chop him in two. But as Rhys turned, seemingly almost by accident, the thin blade of the rapier rose in his hand. Ben could barely see the glint of torch light on the narrow steel as Rhys looked from Fredrick to the General.

  Fredrick was halfway through his stroke when the rapier pierced his chest. Rhys wasn’t even looking at the man but the motion of his turn had enough force to stick the razor sharp blade deep into Fredrick’s chest and the crowd gasped in unison when they saw the bloody tip slide out of his back.

  Fredrick’s broadsword clattered harmlessly to the ground and his body slumped onto Rhys’ shoulder. Rhys pushed the man away, eyes darting around the suddenly silent circle. He blurted, “what the hell! I think that man was trying to kill me!”

  The Road II

  The next morning the Citadel was a beehive of activity for the start of the Conclave. Ben, Rhys and Renfro departed Whitehall in the confusion. Dueling was legal in the eyes of the King and the law when proper procedure was followed. Rhys’ duel with Lord Fredrick had been presided over by one of the Citadel’s most esteemed Generals and had been witnessed by half of the upper class in Whitehall. There was no doubt about the legality. That didn’t mean it was smart to hang around town after publicly killing a high born. There were worse consequences than prison time when a commoner mixed in the business of Lords.

  The only road out of Whitehall started from an imposing stone arched steel gate on the mountain side of the Citadel. The bulky fortifications made more sense when viewed from the mountain. Though it would be nearly impossible to mount an attack from that side, Ben supposed it was better than fighting your way up through the entire city.

  Just outside of the heavy gates, there was a soaring stone bridge that passed over a river gorge. The water plummeted down an impressive waterfall into the city below. The bridge was sturdy and blissfully short but Ben shuddered when he glanced over the side. He guessed it was 20 stories below where the waterfall ended violently in a rocky basin which flowed into the manmade reservoir that supplied the city with fresh water.

  Beyond the waterfall, the road was wide and well maintained. In places though it was covered in a heavy mist from the turbulent White River crashing down over boulders and bends in the gorge. The morning was spent in constant shade and coupled with the mist, it was a damp and chilly way to wake up.

  They travelled nearly a full day deeper into the mountains behind Whitehall until they found a clearing near the road and adjacent to a large pool in the river. The country was heavily wooded and mountainous so there was little development. It didn’t have the same series of small towns that led up to Fabrizo.

  Rhys explained that once the others joined them they would move up to the top of the mountain range and go through the Snowmar Pass. On the other side was the Sineook Valley which supplied the agricultural needs of Whitehall and many other cities on the Blood Bay. The Lords of the Sineook Valley were traditionally allegiant to Whitehall as all commerce to the East, most of what the Valley produced and purchased, passed through Whitehall’s ports.

  During the early morning travel Ben had been afraid to broach the subject of the duel with Rhys. He didn’t know how the man would be effected by killing another person. He was expecting Rhys to bring it up himself. He had been very drunk the night before and Ben found it hard to believe he had a clear memory of everything that happened. Surely he had his own questions he wanted answered.

  But as their journey progressed, he realized Rhys did not seem effected at all and was actually in a pretty jovial mood. When they took their first rest Renfro ended up being the one to break the ice. He collapsed onto a mossy log by the side of the road.

  “Oh man. How much more of this do we have until we see a proper city again?” groaned Renfro.

  Ben felt bad for the young thief. He’d never been far out of Fabrizo and it was flat as a pancake. The entire journey for him so far had been aboard the ship.

  “Just four more days of this until we reach Snowmar Station. All uphill by the way.” Rhys had a wicked grin as he observed Renfro’s crestfallen expression. “A little exercise is healthy for you. It will feel good once you get used to it.”

  Ben couldn’t resist, “Rhys, I’m surprised you’re feeling so well. It was a bit of a rough night, wasn’t it?”

  “Just go ahead and ask me,” smirked Rhys. “I know you’ve been stewing on it all morning. Let’s get it over with.”

  “Ok, I guess I do want to know what happened last night.”

  “You know what happened Ben. The man called me out and he ended up dead. If I recall, you were there to watch it.”

  “I was there,” bristled Ben, “which is why I’m a little surprised you recall anything at all about last night.”

  “Ah yes. Well, I wasn’t quite as bad as it seemed. Word of advice, if you’re truly in a state where you can’t see straight, then the best course of action is generally to just apologize and worry about fighting later. It’s not a good idea to bare steel when you’ve had too many cups. Better to make friends and have another cup.”

  “So it was an act. Why?”

  Rhys unstopped his water skin and took a long drink. “It wasn’t entirely an act. I had to drink enough to make it look real. As to why, it needed to look accidental. Bad luck for poor Lord Fredrick that his wife’s drunken lover just happened to turn at the wrong moment. There were plenty of witnesses and not a one of them will think it was anything other than a crazy, tragic end to one of Wanda’s many affairs.”

  “Hold on. I don’t understand. Are you saying you really killed Lord Fredrick for his Lady Wanda?”

  “No Ben,” Rhys answered with a sigh. “I killed Fredrick for you.”

  Ben could only stare back confused.

  Rhys took another sip of water and frowned before continuing, “Fredrick apparently got himself into a bit of a pickle with the Thieves Guild in Fabrizo. Something about a missed payment and needing to make an example. You can explain how that goes, right?” He looked towards Renfro before continuing. “You two had a blood debt to the Guild. Takes more money than I have to get out of that kind of debt. Blood though, that is easy enough to spill. The Guild and I both had things we wanted and came to an agreement that satisfied both of our needs.”

  “I, I had no idea,” stammered Ben. A friend had risked his life and an innocent man had died because of him. Ben slumped down next to Renfro on the log and stared at the ground. “But, why? Why you? I mean, don’t they have people who do that kind of thing? Casper…”

  Rhys picked up a rock and tossed it into the river. “Aye, anyone can cut a throat in the night. And you’re probably right, I suspect Casper has cut his share. But sometimes these things need a
little more finesse. Lord Fredrick got into some things he shouldn’t have been involved in. But he also had a lot of powerful friends – King Argren for one. The Thieves may live outside the law, but they aren’t stupid. If Argren set his mind to it he could crush them and everyone in Fabrizo who tried to stand with them – not that anyone would. They needed to get a message across without anyone in power being able to tie it back to them.”

  “Why you though? What if you hadn’t come along right when they needed it. And how did they know you could do it?”

  Rhys hung the water skin back on his belt and studied Ben. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been involved in something like this. The thieves had some suggestions and we spoke about options. They are aware of me and must have thought it was worth the risk to let you two go. They were very concerned others might see Fredrick get away then start having their own ideas. If I hadn’t come along I’m sure they would have found someone else.”

  “I just…” Ben couldn’t summon the words to express his thoughts.

  “Give it some time lad. I know you feel guilty, but that’s the way the world works sometimes. You or them. If it makes you feel better, Fredrick was a bad man. He got in with the Guild and then he betrayed them. He constantly cheated on and beat his wife. He made his choices and he was going to pay for them, whether or not we got involved.”

  “Well, I for one am thankful,” broke in Renfro. “You saved my life to and I owe you. Whatever you need, just ask.”

  Rhys rolled his eyes. “I’ll remember that. If I ever need a pocket picked or someone to make me look good on a hike, you’re the one I’ll ask for. Come on, let’s get moving, we’re wasting daylight.”

  The rest of the day was spent in silence except the constant huffing and puffing from Renfro and the occasional bird call. There were few other travelers out because people had either come into Whitehall for the Conclave already or weren’t leaving town while all of the excitement was going on. The terrain reminded Ben of home and for the first time since he had left Farview, he felt a pang of homesickness. He was still excited for what lay ahead, but the real world was turning out to be a much uglier and more dangerous place than he had anticipated. In the stories, the dangers were always clear and everyone knew what was right and what was wrong.

  By the time they spotted the clearing, Ben and Renfro were both ready to stop. Rhys seemed just as cheerful as he had been that morning and acted like he could hike all night. But even for Rhys with his boundless energy, the clearing was a good spot to stop and wait for the others. It was within a stones throw of the road so they wouldn’t miss their companions and the White River tumbled over a short rapid into a broad, calm pool which promised an easy water source and the potential for fish.

  It was spring in the foothills of the mountains so while it wasn’t hot, it would still be warm enough to camp in the open. Setting up camp just involved unloading their packs and gathering firewood to stack next to a well-used fire pit that must have been dug out decades or even centuries earlier.

  They had sausage, cheese and biscuits they’d brought from Whitehall and shortly after they ate, Renfro rolled up in his bedroll and fell asleep. Rhys packed a pipe full of tobacco and wandered the outskirts of the clearing while he smoked. Ben stared into the fire and thought.

  It seemed his world was getting more complicated and deadly. First, there was the encounter with the wagon driver at Murdoch’s. Protecting Meghan was clearly the right thing to do and at worst he would have taken a beating and been cut up a little. In Fabrizo, helping Renfro had been a more difficult decision because he didn’t know him and the little thief had just tried to rob him, but it had nearly resulted in Ben’s death as well as Renfro’s. At the time, he thought it had been wrong to leave Renfro to die. He was glad he hadn’t, but would he make the same decision again? And he still wasn’t sure how he felt about Rhys killing Lord Fredrick. Rhys said Lord Fredrick was a bad man, but even if he was an evil man, would Ben have made the decision to trade Fredrick’s life for his? Casper the thief would have argued for that choice, but Ben didn’t want to be the kind of man who passed life and death judgment on others.

  In the stories, the hero always saved the day and never had to face these types of decisions. You saw the monster, you fought the monster and you saved the innocent damsel. But what if the person you were trying to save was a bad person – a thief? What if the monster was really your friend and was actually saving you?

  Ben was still lost in his own thoughts when Rhys settled down across from him and tapped out his pipe into the fire.

  “Still thinking about it?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I can’t stop thinking about it. I just keep going over it in my mind. You said this isn’t the first time you’ve done something like this?”

  “Like this? If you mean saved someone, it might be,” Rhys answered with a snort.

  Ben sat up and looked at his friend, “you know what I meant.”

  “No Ben, that wasn’t the first time. I haven’t always been a good person and I’ve done a lot of things that maybe I shouldn’t have. Things I’ve learned over the years to regret. But saving you at the expense of a man like Fredrick? I don’t regret that.”

  “I’m glad I’m alive, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate you taking a risk to save me and I owe you. But… I don’t know if I could have made the same choice. Even to save my own life.”

  Rhys slipped off his boots and laid down by the fire with his head on his bedroll. “Well Ben, the thing about me doing what I did is that you didn’t have to make the choice. You couldn’t have made that choice. Fredrick’s death is on me Ben, not on you. And I think you’re right, if you had the choice you wouldn’t have taken it. I don’t think you would simply trade another man’s life for you own.” Rhys propped himself up on one elbow and looked at Ben. “I like that about you Ben. That’s why I did what I did, because I didn’t think you would have done it. And this world needs people like you.”

  The next morning, Ben felt better. The world was still a more complicated and dangerous place than he had dreamed back in Farview, but Rhys was right. Ben had not made a decision that cost a man’s life. Lord Fredrick put himself in a situation with the Thieves Guild and Rhys had bartered for Ben’s life. When Ben had been faced with a life or death choice, he had chosen to try and help Renfro. Even though it worked out badly for them both, Ben fell asleep comfortable with where his moral compass steered him.

  Renfro and Rhys were both in good moods too. It was a beautiful day and being back out in nature in a simple camp with a couple of friends was a nice way to spend it.

  That morning, Ben and Rhys tried to show Renfro how to set a rabbit trap and look for game trails. Ben had spent countless hours in the woods around Farview with Serrot catching rabbits and other animals. Rhys was surprisingly adept as well. Renfro was proving to be helpless though. He’d spent his entire life in the docks and back alleys of Fabrizo and didn’t know the first thing about woodcraft.

  After setting some rabbit traps around promising looking locations, they spent the rest of the morning trying their luck with the fish. They hadn’t brought poles or fishing line, but they were able to wade out into the large pool in the river, stick their hands into the chill water and wait for fish to swim close. The fish were slippery and it wasn’t easy, but after a bell they’d caught enough for dinner with plenty left over to smoke and keep for the next few days.

  By mid-day, they had restocked their firewood, gathered a few root vegetables and other edibles in the woods and re-checked the rabbit traps with no luck. It was an active but relaxing morning and Ben felt the stress of the previous two days fading away.

  That afternoon, Rhys continued their instruction on the second Ohm. The first Ohm had been difficult because it was on a moving ship, but once they’d gotten the hang of it they could rotate through the positions quickly. The second Ohm was similar to the first but the poses required a bit more balance and had smoother transitions between the s
teps. It felt more natural to Ben than the first. Rhys explained it was because the first was simply to get your body used to the movements. Each additional Ohm would build upon the others until eventually it was all one fluid movement through a long series of positions. In the end, it was about shifting balance with impeccable control instead of maintaining balance in one static spot.

  “By the time you’ve learned the Thirtieth Ohm, you could do these movements on the mast of a ship, blindfolded and during a storm. The balance, flexibility and strength from these poses can help you in a fight, or more likely in your case, plowing a field when you get back to that country town of your’s,” explained Rhys with a straight face. A glimmer of mirth danced behind his eyes.

  Ben rolled his eyes but didn’t take the bait.

  Renfro rose to the occasion though, “that sounds great Rhys, I’d really like to see you do that. Maybe next time we’re on a ship you’ll show us how you can balance on the mast?”

  “Happy to show you. In fact, maybe the next time your ship Captain friend is sailing out of port with a load of carpets we could catch a ride?” Rhys glanced over Renfro’s shoulder and his eyes grew wide.

  Renfro quickly turned to see what Rhys was looking at, forgetting that his legs were crossed in one of the poses. He pitched backwards with arms flailing and fell onto his back. Ben burst out laughing as Renfro scrambled across the ground searching in vain for what had alarmed Rhys.

  “It’s not my balance you need to worry about,” grinned Rhys.

  They figured the girls wouldn’t leave Whitehall for at least another week. So the next few days were spent roaming the surrounding forest, ranging further and further from the road. The area was sparsely populated and most of the activity was near the road. They did spy some hunter’s retreats and wood cutters shacks but steered clear of those. Most of them would be only occasionally occupied and the rest were likely people who lived there because they didn’t want visitors.