Now rested enough that he won’t immediately succumb to sleep, he props himself up on one elbow and gives the pile of saddlebags and pouches a once over. Then he notices the crossbow in Miko’s hand and asks, “What are you going to do with that?”
“I don’t know,” Miko replies, “but it may come in handy.”
“Maybe it will,” agrees James. “Just don’t shoot your eye out,” he adds, then begins to giggle.
Miko doesn’t understand why James should find him shooting his eye out to be so incredibly funny.
Calming down, James sits up further and returns his attention to the bags and pouches on the ground before him. The pounding in his head has diminished to a tolerable level.
While James begins going through them, Miko takes out some of the food that Miss Gilena had given them before they left. When both have food and drink, he sits down next to James and begins to eat while he watches as James inspects the pouches.
As James goes through pouch after pouch, he begins dividing their contents into three piles. One contains coins, gems and jewelry, another useless junk, and still another is a pile of papers. He places a stone on top of the papers to keep the wind from blowing them away.
When he finishes with the last pouch, he says, “Take the money and put it in with ours alright, Miko?”
“Okay James,” Miko replies, getting up to do it.
While Miko is busy with putting away the valuables, James begins to read through the papers. All but one he crumbles up and tosses into the fire.
Seeing the one he has kept, Miko asks, “Why did you keep that one?”
“This one is an order from someone called Korgan to someone named Vorim. I can only assume that this Vorim lies dead out there somewhere,” he says, gesturing to the dead bodies surrounding the hill. “It’s basically an order to capture and interrogate us, that a person named ‘Cytok’ is interested in finding out who we are working for. They were also to find out the names of any other agents that we may be in contact with.”
“Why did they come after us?” Miko asks.
“Who knows?” replies James. “When I rescued Perrilin, one of his captors managed to escape on horseback. I guess they found out that I helped him escape. So, since they didn’t get Perrilin, they went after me, probably assuming that I work with him. It seems our friend is more than the simple bard he claims to be.”
“Wonder who this Korgan is and why he’s after Perrilin?” wonders Miko.
“We’ll have to ask Perrilin about that when we see him next,” James says. “First Lord Colerain, and now this Korgan. Wonder if they are working together?” Sighing at the fact that though he has been in this world such a short time, he has acquired some rather deadly enemies, he folds the paper and puts it in with his other papers. He starts to yawn and once he has finished dinner, lies down in his makeshift bed. Miko gives him another blanket and soon he’s off to sleep.
Miko sits up awhile unable to sleep. He lays a couple more sticks of wood on the fire, keeping it going while he thinks about everything that has happened to him since he first met James. James told him that it may be safer not to travel with him, and that has definitely turned out to be true. But James is the only person who has ever treated him nice, and as more of an equal, well mostly, than anyone. He decides that no matter what, he will stay with him as long as James will let him. He sets several more sticks on the fire then lies down and finally falls asleep.
Chapter Sixteen
_______________________
With a city guard hot on his trail, he raced through the streets of Bearn. Clutched tightly to his chest is a loaf of bread that had until just recently, sat on display in front of a baker’s shop. Still warm and emitting a most mouthwatering aroma, it would likely be the only meal he will have this day. Unless of course he was caught.
Usually he took more care when purloining food, those in his situation had to keep under the radar of the authorities. For once they became known as thieves, life became all the harder.
Miko never wished to be a thief. His life being what it is, he was forced to from time to time merely to survive. The odd job that came along never paid much and as often as not, afterward was forced to relinquish his coins to the older kids or suffer a beating. Life on the street was not easy.
“Stop!” the guard yelled. “Thief!”
A glance over his shoulder revealed the guard had closed some distance and was gaining fast. Up ahead loomed the dark mouth of an alley and he bolted toward it. Dodging around a servant girl with a basket full of fruit, he reached the alley and shot inside.
A form emerged out of the shadows before him. Unable to stop in time, he struck the emerging shadow dead center.
“What the hell?” a voice cried as a boy several years Miko’s senior was knocked to the ground only to have Miko land atop him.
“Miko!” another boy shouted.
Before he knew what was happening, Miko was pulled off the older boy, his hard won bounty ripped from his hands, and a poorly shod foot kicked him in the side.
Just then, the guard appeared at the mouth of the alley. “Stay right there!” he commanded. Drawing his sword, he was about to step into the alley when the group of older boys took off. As they disappeared into the shadows, one of them cried, “Thanks Miko!” to the laughter of his fellows.
“Stop!” the guard ordered but the boys were gone. Then he turned his attention to Miko. “It’s the axe man for you boy,” the guard said.
Miko knew what ‘axe man’ the guard meant. Anyone caught in the act of stealing would lose a hand, even if it was a loaf of bread. For not yet being of age to shave, he would most likely lose his left as a lesson while leaving him his right in order that he may still be a productive member of society after having seen the error of his ways. Unable to face such a future, he bolted.
The guard’s foot lashed out and tripped him before he could take two steps. “Oh no you don’t,” said the guard as Miko’s head slammed into the alley’s wall. Landing in a pile of refuse, he squirmed away but the guard placed his foot against his back, pinioning him to the ground.
“No use struggling,” the guard said, laughing. “You ain’t getting away.”
Noooooooooo!
Coming awake in a cold sweat, heart beating fast, Miko sits up and is about to bolt when realization of where he was sank in. It had only been a dream. The familiar sight of their horses and mule, as well as James lying still asleep nearby gave validity to that assumption.
Glancing over to the sleeping form of James, he worked to calm himself as he thought, And you think coming with you is dangerous! What he has gone through so far in his travels with James was nowhere near as bad as his previous life had been. At least with James, he is treated as an equal of sorts.
The caw of a bird draws his attention upward where several are fighting over something small. No sooner does one steal the prize from another, than that bird loses it in turn. Rubbing the sweat from his forehead the dream had produced, he freaks out when he removes his hand and finds it smeared with blood.
“James!” he shouts. “I’m bleeding!”
Startled out of a deep sleep, James raises his head and looks over to Miko. All vestiges of sleep vanish where he finds a scene that sends chills down his spine. Forehead darkened with blood and a hand to match, Miko sits not far away with wide and frantic eyes, staring at his blood smeared hand. Alarmed, James hurries over.
As he kneels down to better inspect Miko’s forehead, he says, “Now just calm down, it doesn’t look like it is still bleeding.” He puts his hand on the ground for balance and squishes something soft and a little bit nasty beneath his palm. Quickly lifting his hand, he discovers a small, bloody mass mixed in with the dirt.
“Miko, look!” he says as he picks up a stick.
As he bends over to look at it more closely, James uses the stick to first poke at it then turn it over. Miko watches, and when the object turns and is revealed to be a human eye, loses it. Bending over,
he loses what little his stomach holds upon on the ground. Disgusted, James flips the eye out of camp.
A dark form swoops out of the sky, and in a deft aerial maneuver, snatches the eye before it hits the ground. James throws the stick at the bird who adroitly avoids the missile. As it flies away, two other black birds give chase.
“It hit me in the head!” Miko says when he’s finally able to stop vomiting.
“Relax,” James says as he heads over to the nearest horse. “You’ll live.” After removing the water bottle from behind the saddle, he rinses the blood off his hand then hands it to Miko. While Miko cleans himself, James gazes around the immediate vicinity. Groups of the black birds are massed upon the dead men and horses, feasting. His gorge rising, he quickly gets ready to travel so they can leave this place behind.
Miko helps him while both do their best to ignore what is going on around them. When they are finally ready to ride, Miko is the first in the saddle and races past the clumps of feasting birds with eyes closed, not stopping until they are no more than black specks on the horizon.
“Are you going to be okay?” asks James once he’s caught up with him.
“I’m better now that we left that behind us,” he replies, still a little pale.
“I know what you mean,” James agrees. “Better them than us, eh?”
“Yeah, I suppose so.” Miko still feels a bit green, but after a few minutes begins feeling better.
The rest of the day goes by without incident and they arrive at the outskirts of Willimet shortly before sunset. The first building they come to boasts a sign depicting a man sleeping on a bed. Figuring this to be an inn, they stop out front where James leaves Miko with the horses as he walks to the front door. Just before he draws near, it unexpectedly opens.
From within emerges a man reeking of some unknown unpleasantness. His hair is matted and the original color of his clothes is lost beneath an accumulation of stains and grime. The odor emanating from the man is such that James is forced to hold his breath until the man passes to avoid breathing in the nauseating stench. Once the man has moved some distance away, he takes a hesitant breath. Though the man’s stench is still present, it is no longer so overpowering.
Stepping through the doorway, he again is forced to hold his breath as the inside of the inn reeked just as bad as the man who had just left. Nasty was the word that came to mind when he glanced around the inn and toward the common room. Some tables still had yet to be cleared of the remnants of the noon meal though it has been over for many hours. Smoke from the kitchen creates an unpleasant haze that only heightens James distaste for the place.
A skinny man of average height with greasy black hair spies him standing in the foyer. Wiping his hands on an apron that possibly had never been washed, he crosses over to greet him. “Need a room tonight?” he asks, and James can almost see the green, putrefied odor coming from the man as he talks.
James turns his head slightly to try to get away from the sickening smell. “No,” he quickly replies all the while trying not to breathe. “Just seeing if my friend was here,” he lies. “Thanks though.” He then turns and makes a hasty exit through the front door, taking a deep breath once outside. He informs Miko that they will not be staying there tonight.
“What was wrong with it?” Miko asks.
Getting back on his horse he replies, “It was filthy and nasty. The one person I saw stank and I fear may have been the cook.” The thought of eating anything produced in a place of such disregard for cleanliness made his gorge rise.
“I’m sure there are others here, it’s a fair sized town,” comments Miko.
“I certainly hope so,” says James. “I’ll sleep under the stars again before I stay in a place like that.”
They find another inn further into town, this one looks to have a fresh coat of paint and the grounds are well maintained and orderly. “I think this may do nicely,” he says with satisfaction. It was a stark contrast to the earlier place.
“I hope so,” adds Miko, “it’s starting to get dark.”
Coming to a stop before the steps leading to the front door, James dismounts and says to Miko, “Stay here and I’ll see if they have a room available.”
“Alright,” Miko replies.
After handing Miko his reins, he goes up the stairs and enters the inn. This one, though it has a smoky haze similar to the other inn, but at least it smells of wood smoke and cooking. Overall, the place looks to be better maintained. A man comes over and greets him, “Welcome to the Apple Tree Inn, how may we help you tonight?”
Friendly greeting, neat and clean common area, Yes, he thinks to himself, I think this will do.
“My friend and I require a room for the night,” he says, “and stalls for our animals.”
“How many do you have?” he asks.
“Two horses, and a mule,” James answers.
Nodding, the man says, “Yes, we do have room for you. It will be a silver a night for the room and another four coppers for the stalls.”
When he agrees, the man walks to the counter where James hands over the money and receives a room key in exchange. “It’s off the common room.” He points toward a side hallway, “All the way down and on the left. It’s the quietest room we have.”
“Thank you,” James says, “I appreciate that.” Returning outside, he informs Miko they will be staying there. They then take their horses and mule around back, getting them settled into the stable. Taking their bags with them, they return to the inn and find the room at the end of the hallway. Two beds again, which makes Miko happy. They put their bags next to their respective beds before heading back to the common room for dinner.
They enjoy a quiet dinner of roast fowl, bread and ale. After downing the last of his ale, James says, “I think I’ll go for a walk” Glancing toward Miko he asks, “Like to come with me?”
“Sure, okay,” Miko agrees. “Maybe we could find some more tarts?”
“You never know,” replies James, smiling at his friend.
They leave the inn and stroll through the streets. During their walk they get propositioned by several women, all of which look rather skanky to James.
After turning down the fifth offer of cheap sex, Miko says, “There’s something I’ve noticed about you.”
“What’s that?” asks James.
“You are never with a woman. Don’t you like them?” Miko inquires. “Or is it because you were mutilated?”
“I like women, most definitely,” he replies, then comes to a stop when the last little bit Miko said finally registers. Turning a quizzical look to Miko he asks, “What do you mean ‘because I was mutilated’?”
Looking a little embarrassed, Miko says, “Well, when we took our baths the other night, I couldn’t help but notice that a part of you had been cut off.”
“What are you talking about?” James asks confused. Then it hit him, he was circumcised. He starts laughing and says, “What you are referring to was done when I was born. It’s a custom with my people that when a boy is born, such is done to him.”
Looking aghast, Miko asks “What for?”
“It’s the common belief that if it’s removed then there will be less chance for infection during his life,” answers James. “In fact there is one religion back home that mandates it.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t born there,” Miko states with conviction, unconsciously covering himself.
“There are times when I wish it hadn’t been done to me too, but there’s not a whole lot I can do about it now. But rest assured, it still works as well as anybody else’s and it doesn’t affect my desire for sex.”
“Then why don’t you go after the women?” he asks.
“I was raised to believe sex is not a casual thing,” he explains. “And it’s definitely something you should never pay anyone to do. Also, there are certain diseases that you can get from such activities that really mess you up bad, even kill you.”
“The boys I used to hang around with, w
henever they got hair between their legs, started going after the girls,” says Miko.
“Yeah, I knew guys back home that were like that too,” admits James. “But you should always do what you think is right, no matter what others may think or do.”
James resumes walking and Miko is silent for a while, thinking about what he just said. They eventually arrive at the main marketplace which is still surprisingly busy even though night has already fallen. Several performers scattered around, one is a juggler who has several different objects coursing through the air simultaneously. Next to him sits a chair with a knife sitting half on and half off the seat. At one point the juggler adds the knife to the dance of items in the air with an upward kick of his foot. As it flies up from where it had sat upon the chair, the onlookers ooh and ahhh. When he catches it and incorporates it within the pattern of the other items, they erupt in applause, several tossing coins into a hat resting on the ground before him.
They remain to watch as the juggler continues keeping the items airborne while twice people tossed other objects which he also incorporated into his aerial display. Miko is completely fascinated by the man so they stay there for a little while watching him. By the time they move on, the juggler had seven items in the air and didn’t look like he was going to stop anytime soon. James gave Miko three coppers to drop in the hat.
As they make their way through the marketplace, they momentarily stop to observe other performers, though none are as talented as the juggler. While they pause to watch a fire breather, James notices a small tent almost hidden in a dark corner of the market. Inside is a woman sitting at a table. Before her atop the table rests what looks to be a crystal ball. She looks just like a fortune teller right out of an old movie, he thinks to himself. Curiosity gets the better of him.
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