Forgotten Soldiers

by Joshua P. Simon

  I reached for my money pouch. “I know. I’ll buy them out. Zadok told me the amounts.”

  “The buyout in their contract isn’t an option for another five years.”

  My voice went low. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that I can’t just let them leave at that price. It would set a bad precedent. If I allow this for Myra and Zadok, who’s to say one of my other servants might not try the same thing.”

  “What is it going to take for me to buy out their contracts, Jareb?”

  He appeared thoughtful, then sighed. “The best I can do is give you Zadok for double his buyout amount. But Myra will need to stay. She’s too important for me to part with.”

  My jaw clenched. “Are you crazy? You want me to pay twice the amount of Zadok’s buyout and then leave Myra here?” I opened my money pouch, counted out the amount of their original buyouts, added ten percent, and shoved it into his hand. “This is more than fair.” I held my hand out to Myra and Zadok. “C’mon, let’s go.”

  “No!” Jareb snapped. “Myra stay where you are.”

  Neither she nor Zadok moved. Both looked confused.

  “I’m not leaving here without both of my children.”

  “Kush. Amalek.” Jareb called over his shoulder.

  I cursed inwardly recalling the names of Jareb’s childhood friends.

  The two men stepped out of the house where they had obviously been hiding on the other side of the entranceway. In the last ten years, they had put on quite a bit of size. Some fat. Some muscle. Either way, they occupied a lot of space. Swords hung at their waists.

  At our last run-in, they had both held me down while Jareb worked me over. That was when Ava’s powers first manifested. Both Kush and Amalek still bore the faint scars on their arms and neck from my little sister’s wrath.

  I fought off a snicker.

  “Don’t do anything stupid, Tyrus. Your sister isn’t here to watch over you this time.”

  Was that supposed to scare me? I was pretty good fighter before I joined the army. I more than knew what I was doing now. I had faced both people and things scarier than the three of them. The three of them put together didn’t elicit the response the sight a single D’engiti brought.

  “A good thing she isn’t,” I said. “Her temper has only gotten worse over the years. You’d probably be dead if she was here watching you prevent me from taking her niece and nephew away.”

  “Take your son and leave.”

  “Why is it so important that Myra stays?”

  Jareb eyed each of his friends who had moved up beside him, hands on the hilts of their swords. A dumb move since there now wasn’t space to easily draw the weapons. The thin smile from Jareb grew wider.

  “Well, it’s because she reminds me so much of her mother. I still think about Lasha, you know. Best piece of tail the Soiled Dove had. But I’m sure you know that already. Gods, I never saw a whore who enjoyed what she did as much as her.” He chuckled, gesturing to Myra. “I’m hoping what they say about the apple not falling far from the tree holds true.”

  My right fist came up so fast, it snapped Jareb’s head back, mid-laugh. He fell backward into the open doorway.

  Both Kush and Amalek started to draw their swords, each realizing too late that quarters were too close. Kush stepped back to make more room, so I turned my attention to Amalek while throwing Myra and Zadok back with a sweep of my arm. My heel slammed into Amalek’s instep. I followed it with a kick to the inside of his knee. He tumbled forward in a screeching heap.

  Kush had managed to get his sword loose and swung it wildly at my head. I ducked under the sweeping blade. It thudded into the side of the house. I stepped into him and pushed his still extended arm against his body, pinning it before he had a chance to recover. Both hands locked on his shoulders and I yanked him down as my knee came up. He expelled a gust of air and dropped the sword. My elbow connected with his nose. Blood sprayed as he fell. He rolled into a ball on the porch.

  I turned around quickly as Amalek tried to stand. A boot to the head knocked him out cold.

  I walked over to Jareb and looked down at his splayed form. That pretty face looked a mess. Blood oozed from nose and busted lips. The defined jaw crooked. His unconscious body lying in a heap only upset me more. I had wanted him to get up if only to knock him down again. Doing anything more to him while he was out just didn’t sit well with me.

  I didn’t believe for one moment that Lasha had enjoyed what she had to do at the Soiled Dove, but that didn’t keep the image of him on top of her from my mind.

  “Gods be cursed,” I muttered.

  Looking up, Zadok and Myra stared at me wide-eyed and wide-mouthed just off the porch.

  “That was amazing!” yelled Zadok.

  I cleared my throat, suddenly self-conscious. “We need to get moving before some of the workers come by to see what’s been going on.”

  “If they do, I doubt it would be to help,” said Zadok.

  “Even still. Let’s go.”

  Zadok grabbed Myra’s hand, pulling her forward as I stepped around the bodies and joined them on the lawn.

  “What about the money?” he asked.

  “Leave it,” I said. “I think it was wrong how he treated you and your sister, but there were contracts in place. As much as I hate giving Jareb anything more than his life, I won’t be called a thief for reuniting my family. The mayor’s a good man. He’ll see things from my perspective if I leave the money. If I just take you two and run, we’ll have more trouble to deal with.”

  “I don’t know, Pa. There’s a different mayor than when you were here last, and he’s close to Jareb.”

  I paused, reconsidering. “We leave the money anyway.”

  We started off the porch as a few curious field hands appeared around the side of the house. They took in the damage and gave me a nod as if saying they approved.

  Same old Jareb.

  “There’s money lying around for Jareb.” I said. “It’s the money to pay for my children. See that he gets it. If not, I’ll be angry. Understand?”

  One of the workers, a big man, nodded.

  “Good.” I tossed him one of my few remaining coins. That might have seemed like a dumb move, but since I thought to take care of him he might be more inclined to leave what still lay on the porch alone.

  We hurried toward the main road. Myra and Zadok were complete opposites. She walked in a daze. He wore a smile and dragged her along by the hand.

  A bright crescent moon hung in the clear night sky interlaced with countless stars. It was the sort of night Lasha and I used to admire on our porch after the children went down for the night. The memory began to calm me until another image of her and Jareb took over. I cursed and picked up my pace.

  “Where are we going, Tyrus?” Myra asked in a huff.

  “Tyrus?” That jarred me.

  “That is your name.”

  I looked back at her. “Did you call your mother ‘Lasha?’”

  “No. She earned the right to be our Ma.”

  Ouch. That might be the worst thing anyone had ever said to me.

  Zadok shoved Myra. “Stop it. He just saved us from Jareb.”

  “Appearing after ten years and beating on a few people doesn’t make up for all the time he’s been gone,” said Myra.

  “Shut up! You’re going to make him angry. He’ll leave us again.”

  “No,” I said. “The first time I left, it wasn’t my choice. It was the king’s. But that doesn’t matter. Regardless of what either of you say or do, I’m not leaving you again. Ever.”

  “You never answered my question,” said Myra. “Have you been away so long, you’ve forgotten where town is?”

  “I know where town is,” I said, trying to mask my frustration with her. “I thought it might be wise to keep to ourselves tonight since it will be late when we would get there.” That was only part of the truth. The rest was that I was barely thinking straight after everything that
I learned in the last few hours and the last place I wanted to be was around more people who might try to do me harm. Gods, I hoped Dekar and Ira would have a better go of things in Tamra.

  I continued. “Don’t worry, I know a spot in the woods that will give us what we need.”

  “Do we have to?” asked Zadok, voice shaky.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  “He’s scared,” said Myra. “The woods don’t hold good memories for us.”

  I thought of Zadok’s story about how Lasha had them living there for a few months.

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “It’s just for tonight, and I’ll be with you. All right?”

  He nodded.

  CHAPTER 13

  We managed our way through thick undergrowth and low hanging oaks thanks to the starry night. It took less time than I thought it would to find the place Ava and I used to spend our free time as children. Surprisingly, it looked undisturbed after all the years away.

  Wild blackberry bushes lined the clearing between tall pines. A lean-to that Ava and I had built out of old logs still stood in as good of condition as it had when we were younger. Later when Ava’s sorcery manifested, she managed to figure out some minor spell that added strength to the logs, preventing rot and repelling bugs.

  I recalled that a quarter mile north stood a giant walnut tree and another half mile past that ran a small creek. At the low point, the water was only a foot deep. When younger, I remember snatching fish right out of the water while they maneuvered through the rocks.

  Shelter, food, and water all within easy walking distance. Had I thought about it, I would have shown Lasha the spot long ago. Such resources might have stayed her decision to work at the Soiled Dove.

  Maybe a part of me had just wanted to keep it a secret between me and Ava. As children, it was our refuge from the world when we decided we had enough of it. We had built plenty of good memories in our little hideout.

  But with what Lasha and the children had gone through . . . those memories seemed unimportant.

  It took me less than ten minutes to pull away the vines and brush that had grown around the lean-to. Next I cleared out the leaves littering the ground inside, replacing them with tall grass for Myra and Zadok to sleep on. In the meantime, I had Zadok and Myra gather firewood.

  By the time they returned with their fourth load, I had gotten the area squared away for the night. I started a fire in an old pit Ava and I had lined with river rock. It too had stayed intact.

  We said very little while we worked. Myra’s sour mood hung over us, dampening the easy conversation Zadok and I instantly had.

  Once I had the fire going well enough, I stepped away.

  Myra and Zadok sat inside the lean-to.

  “Do you both know how to keep this going?” I asked.

  Myra rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

  “All right. Good.” I started rummaging in my pack which I had set off to the side earlier.

  “Why?” she asked.

  I pulled out a couple of hard biscuits and my last apple. “Because, I’m going to go work on getting us some supper.” I handed the food over to them. “This should hold you over until I get back.” I also handed Myra a knife. She gave me a look. “So you and Zadok can share the apple.”

  She hesitated before taking it, looking nervous. “If this is all you have, we can split it with you.”

  “No, that’s yours. I’ve actually got some jerky, oats, and a few more biscuits in the bag in case I don’t come back with anything. I just thought it might be nice to have something fresher.” Her eyes darted about, searching the dark woods like a monster might run out of it at any moment. I realized I was leaving them, even if it was only for a little while. “If you’re more comfortable with me staying, I will.”

  The frightened look vanished, replaced by a mask of hardness. “No. It’s fine. Go,” she said.

  “Can I come, Pa?” asked Zadok through a mouthful of biscuit.

  A bit of that worried look returned to Myra.

  “Well, you could, but I really need you to protect your sister for me.”

  His eyes widened. “Oh, of course.” He paused. “But how am I supposed to do that?”

  Good point. The boy was skinny as a whip and without a weapon. I couldn’t do much about the former and I doubted he’d be much use with anything fitting the latter. Still, just holding a weapon can bring as much comfort to a person as being able to actually use it. I unstrapped one of the daggers I kept on my body and gave it to him sheathe and all.

  “Here you go.”

  His eyes got even larger. “Is this mine?”

  “Sure, a boy your age should have one. I’ll start teaching you how to use it soon. But for now, only pull it out if you have to. And no play fighting with that, especially around your sister. If she tells me you have, I’ll take it back.”

  “He’ll be fine, Tyrus. He’s knows what not to do with a dagger. He’s not five,” said Myra.

  “No. He’s not,” was all I could say. Neither one of my children were quite adults, but they were also so far from what I remember them being, I didn’t really know how to talk to them. “No one knows about this place or that we’re out here,” I added. “Besides, I won’t be far off.”

  “You can go whenever you want,” said Myra, cutting into the apple.

  I realized that I had been just standing there, not sure how to part. I took her cue as the hint I needed. I grabbed some twine out of my bag, waved awkwardly over my shoulder and disappeared into the woods.

  The sudden lack of anxiety I had from not being in my daughter’s presence brought on a burden of guilt I had not expected. I paused, inhaled a few deep breaths to calm myself, then drifted deeper into the trees.

  I somehow managed to spot a set of fresh rabbit tracks thanks to the bright moonlight. I narrowed the well-used path by jamming sticks into the ground on either side of it. At the end of the narrowing, I set up a noose with the twine the rabbit would have to pass through. The other end was tied at the base of a nearby bush.

  At best, the noose would tighten around a passing rabbit’s neck, killing it. At worst, the noose would tighten around the body. The rabbit wouldn’t die from that, but it would be stuck where I could finish the job later.

  After the first trap, I discovered several other paths. With that sort of traffic, I was probably near a den. Either that or a very active rabbit. I made four more snares, optimistic I’d catch something.

  Next I set a couple of squirrel traps using slip nooses around large tree branches resting against tall pines. The idea was that the squirrel would run itself up the branch like it would the base of the tree, not see the loop, and . . . dead squirrel.

  I probably spent about an hour setting the traps up. Under normal circumstances, my mind would have been unfocused with that much time to myself. However, the past few hours had just been too much to handle and my mind took a break, emptying itself. I thought about nothing but the task at hand.

  It wasn’t until I finished setting traps and sat on a fallen tree to wait that I truly began to recover from the day’s shock. Unfortunately, the first thing that clouded my thoughts was Lasha working the Soiled Dove. Angry tears formed in my eyes.

  I decided to check the traps. I knew I should wait longer, but I couldn’t face those images yet. Gods be cursed, I doubted I’d ever be able to face them.

  My impatience was rewarded with two rabbits. My hunch of there being a nearby den seemed likely. I pulled both free, and reset the traps in hopes of catching breakfast in the morning.

  Despite the number of squirrel traps I set, I only managed to kill one. Not surprising since they are rarely seen moving around at night. Still, between the three kills, I had enough for a good meal.

  I re-entered the clearing with animals in hand, hoping that fresh meat might endear me to Myra who could stand to gain a few pounds.

  “Get some spits ready, I got—”

  I froze, words cutting off at the em
pty clearing before me. The fire had been allowed to burn down. Myra and Zadok were not where I left them. I dropped the animals and withdrew my sword. The only sound that reached my ears was that of the crackling wood in the small flames. The only smell foreign to the woods itself was the smoke it produced.

  Scanning the clearing, I saw no sign of a visible struggle which was good. However, that meant nothing. Armed or not, anyone in my unit would have been able to snatch Myra and Zadok away without disturbing anything.

  My pack looked as it had when I left. Thieves would have gone through it looking for money. I felt like I could eliminate the possibility of someone taking them. That meant the alternative, which in some ways was worse.

  I sighed long and hard. The first chance they had, they used it to rid themselves of the man who had abandoned them.

  Sheathing my sword, I walked over to the lean-to, examining their tracks. I might not be as good of a scout as Hamath, but I was better than most, and definitely could track a couple of children.

  “You won’t get rid of me that easily, Myra,” I said under my breath. I figured the idea to run off had been hers. Zadok had given no indication that he would do anything like that on his own.

  I heard some shuffling in the woods and rose to my feet, unsheathing my sword out of habit as I did. Myra and Zadok entered the clearing. She carried more firewood while Zadok had an armful of wild potatoes.

  Myra paused, gaze immediately going to my sword. She looked up to my face and then walked past me to dump the armload of wood next to the rest. “You can put that away. We’re back.”

  I blinked, sheathed the sword, then said. “I didn’t know where you were.”

  “I thought that would be obvious. I didn’t think we had enough wood for the night,” she said throwing a stick on the fire and stoking the flames.

  “And I saw these while we were out,” said Zadok about the potatoes. He pulled out his dagger and began peeling them.

  “Be careful while you’re doing that,” I said.

  “Don’t worry, Pa. Ma showed us how to do this. Do you have a pot to put them in?”

  “In my bag.” I was still trying to recover from the shock of them returning to camp. I had been so sure they ran away.