by LeRoy Clary
But Bender and Tyler were not paying attention to them. The men could do better without constant supervision. Bender went back to the front edge of the roof and called, “Warn your friends! Those are soldiers down there on the street walking in pairs! They are pretending not to be, but they are. Danger! Get your families safe before the battle.”
Tyler looked down finding far fewer people than had been on the street earlier. Nearly half of those walking below were now men in pairs. Rumors of a battle always spread quickly, and the civilians were fearful of being caught up in them. One of the people that hear the warning would tell ten, who would each tell ten more, and in a short span of time, hundreds would be spreading the news. Then thousands.
Tyler called down to them, “The Cabots are trying to overthrow your king.”
“Really?” Bender said, “That’s the best you can do?”
“Let’s hear you do better.”
Bender leaned over and called, “The Cabots are seizing the property deeds for buildings they don’t own, like this one! What about your building? Your home? Go to your magistrate and make sure they are not stealing yours.”
“Better, but not great,” Tyler conceded.
“I can do better,” Bender said, upping the stakes.
Before he could act on that, Tyler leaned over the side and shouted, “Hey, The Cabots are stealing children to work as slaves in their gold mines. That’s how they got so rich.”
Bender said, “I suppose that was good. Look at how few people are down there, now. I believe you and your terrible lies ran them off. Now we only have enemies below.”
“But when you look a few streets away there are plenty of citizens. I think we’re having an effect, but it’s still too local. We need to expand,” Tyler said.
Bender said, “A few flaming arrows in that direction might draw attention. Claim the Cabots fired them.”
“I like that. They don’t even have to strike anyone. The word to avoid this area will spread faster, and then people will begin asking what’s happening.” Tyler paced the rooftop, thinking of ways to spread more lies.
It was easy to lose sight of the main goal, which was not to defend the building, but to topple the Cabot empire and perhaps see to the deaths of a few at the top of the family, those who knew and encouraged what had happened, especially Lord Cabot and his evil brother. If Tyler had things his way, he’d capture them alive and turn them over to the families of those people they had enslaved and killed.
The idea held substance. If people knew the truth, they would react. A glimmer of an idea formed. Almost all families on the river had tales of missing relatives. Some were killed by bears, or had fallen off cliffs, or drowned. But, some were captured by the Cabots, and nobody knew who was who. The families struggled to find word of their missing sons, uncles, and nieces, to find closure. Any word was welcome.
How would the average family react if they thought the Cabots had captured their relative and used him or her as a slave? That was a good question. Instead of hundreds of miners, what if the tales said thousands were taken? The evil side of his mind took over. Spreading a rumor effectively was an art.
“Hey, Bender, I have another idea.”
After outlining his idea, Tyler crossed his arms over his chest and watched the soldiers build the brick foundation by pushing the bricks close together, two layers deep, then a third. He waited.
Bender snapped his fingers. “Got it. Us telling them the story will cause a few to question the Cabots, but more of them will question us. Suppose the Cabots tell them?”
“Now, why in the world would they do that?”
Bender also wore a sly smile. “Remember what we were told about the bounty hunters across the river?”
“I do. It was too dangerous for us to travel there.”
“Did you ever see a bounty hunter?”
“I saw their campfires.”
“That you assumed belonged to the bounty hunters. But, you never actually saw one, and they may or may not have existed, but you believed they did. So, you didn’t cross the river.”
Tyler said, “It made sense at the time. It was an inexpensive and efficient way to patrol the river and prevent people from escaping.”
“We should do the same. We should use rumors to our advantage. Convince the people of the city to hate the Cabots by spreading the right rumor. For instance, if we can reach Jenkins, we could pay his scribes and have them print fake reward posters for turning over people to the Cabots to use as slaves to work their mines.”
Tyler instantly saw the value in the idea. “Post them all over the city. Say, three large silver coins for any person healthy enough to work the Cabot gold mines.”
“No questions asked,” Bender added.
Tyler said, “But we don’t post them. That is obviously a fake story, and people will know. We spread them around, telling people the rewards are supposed to be posted in other towns and cities. Have been for years.”
“And we start asking the citizens if they’re missing friends or relatives. If so, are they prisoners of the Cabots? Are they working as slaves in a mine to make the Cabots richer?” Bender said.
“The odd thing is, while people go missing for other reasons, all those missing will be blamed on the Cabots. The slaves, we freed will return home; some here, I’d think. As they return, the rumors will spread even more. The first of them should begin arriving within a day or two, and verifying the rumors.”
Both chuckled at the anticipation of the havoc they were about to unleash. Girt climbed up to the roof and walked in their direction. “You two seem extremely happy when you consider the circumstances of us being penned in this building and perhaps attacked at any time.”
“Do you have any idea of where Jenkins is hiding?”
“There is a safe house. Actually, two. He’s in one of them, I believe. Why?”
“We have a plan,” Tyler said, then continued with the outline.
Girt remained stone-faced, but when Tyler finished, he said, “You two have cruel streaks as wide as my shoulders. No Cabot will be safe in the city if you do this. The people of Aston will remember, and spit on their name.”
“So?” Bender asked.
“All Cabots are not guilty,” Girt said. “They didn’t go out and capture people or send them to the mines. That was probably a small portion of the family, and your plan will make all suffer.”
Tyler took a step closer and growled, “If they knew what was happening, if they enjoyed the gold that prisoners mined and died for, they are guilty. Every member of the Cabot family is aware of where the gold came from, and how. They may not have asked their family leaders for specifics, but they knew. To me that makes them as guilty as Lord Cabot himself.”
Girt was taken back by the anger and forcefulness of Tyler. He listened and gave a single curt nod of agreement. “If they didn’t ask about the wealth, they should have. I see your point.”
Bender said, “Closing your eyes to something does not make it go away or mean you are innocent. Spreading the news of the fake rewards will do more to bring down the Cabots than a thousand soldiers.”
The expression on Girt’s face told of his disbelief.
Tyler said, “Wait and see. How do we get a message to Jenkins?”
Girt hesitated, then relented. He pointed to a building across the street, and an open window close enough to throw a rock at. Any archer that could hit the outside ring of a target could hit the window with ease. “A woman in our employ lives there. She knows never to cross in front of the window because of arrows, and she understands where to take the messages we send on the shaft.”
Bender snapped, “Why wasn’t I told of this?”
In a calm, but dignified answer, Girt said, “Jenkins does not reveal his business secrets to customers.”
Tyler stepped between them. “Get a message sent. I want hundreds of reward posters made and circulated. The cover story is that they were found on a dead messenger who was taking them
to nearby cities.”
“There are no nearby cities,” Girt said.
“That doesn’t matter,” Tyler said, losing almost as much patience with the stoic giant as Bender. “Reality is what we make it.”
Girt didn’t respond.
Bender’s face reddened. “Did your boss give you specific orders about us?”
“He did.”
“Does what we’re asking violate any of those orders?” Bender continued in a softer tone.
“No.”
Bender drew a huge breath and shouted, “Then get your ass busy before I kick it every step of the way.”
Girt spun and headed for the hatch, his shoulders hunched, his neck as red as Bender’s face had been. But, he went. Tyler decided to give him a while before checking on him, however, if he didn’t do as Bender said, Tyler would handle it his way. He would put Girt in the escape tunnel and banish him, even if he had to use the dragons to accomplish it.
That thought drew him up short. Already, he was thinking of using the dragons like the Dragon Masters in the army, as weapons. Franklin would train them, but he and Bender were the mothers. They would forever recognize them as family members. If the rumors were true, if they found each other after ten years of absence, the dragons would instantly know them.
Tyler leaned on the parapet and watched the few passersby. More were walking past the building than earlier, but only in pairs. The number of men had doubled while the plans on the rooftop were completed. All of them wore swords; none looked up at the building. Very few were civilians were in sight.
An archer climbed from the hatch and strode to Tyler’s side. Without as much as a hello, he slipped the bow off his back and set the string with practiced ease. He pulled, aimed, and released in a single motion. The arrow with parchment wrapped around the shaft flew across the street into the open window, too quick for the eye to follow.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Tyler left the roof with the intention of going to the second floor where the dragons and Lucky were confined. However, as he reached the third floor, he found only a few soldiers watching the street. A quick glance revealed most were sleeping, a few eating, and all were quiet. They had the same concentration and demeanor as Unity soldiers before a battle.
The shadows streaked into the room through the windows, long and slanted. Tyler realized the day had passed and evening would soon arrive. The soldiers were doing what all good soldiers did; they were resting while they had the opportunity.
Girt spoke quietly with a few, probably giving them instructions or watch lists for the night. He glanced at Tyler long enough to give a brief nod of recognition. Tyler reached for a carrot lying on a table and headed down the next flight of stairs, feeling as if he had intruded.
Franklin was asleep in a corner, Prim sat in another corner playing with Lucky, and the dragons were tearing a piece of soft wood to slivers. As he climbed over the barricade, both dragons paused in their tussle and locked their eyes on him. One rushed forward, squealing and hopping with excitement. It leaped to his chest, knocking him back.
“Take it easy.”
The dragon sniffed his armpit and closed its eyes as if it had smelled the sweetest scent on the planet. Tyler placed an arm around the neck of the beast, providing comfort as well as a method to restrain it.
Prim said, “It loves you.”
“Look how big it’s grown.”
“I thought it was my imagination. They really have grown in the last few days?”
“We carried them in our backpacks ten days ago,” he said.
Her eyes darted from the dragon to the pack on his back and said nothing.
“Really, Prim. They were that small.”
“Ten days ago?”
Tyler paused. “Have you ever seen a dragon before?”
She shook her head.
He searched his mind for common ground. “Remember that cooking tent where you worked in the Cabot compound? A full-grown dragon wouldn’t fit inside.”
Her disbelief was obvious.
He held his thumbs and forefingers to make an oval. “They were in eggs this size before that.”
She still didn’t believe him. “Rage doesn’t like you.”
“Thunder doesn’t like Bender. They have only one mother.”
“They like Franklin and me.”
“Not really, they permit you to live, but in another few days or weeks, that won’t hold true. At least, I don’t think it will.” Tyler spoke without rancor or anger, just the facts.
She twisted her face as she formulated her next question. “Are we going to live that long?”
“Yes.”
“Will I get to fight the Cabots?”
Tyler shrugged. “Maybe not in the way you wish, but Bender and I are working on a few ideas.”
“From inside here, you’re fighting them? What are you doing?” She asked, excitement clear in her tone.
She deserved to know. Her family had died while digging Cabot gold. She had served as a Cabot slave. If any of the three of them deserved revenge, it was her. Yet, she was young and innocent in many ways, and subjecting her to battle was something he was not willing to do. He remembered his first battle in the Unity Army, especially the part where two opponents had attacked him at the same time. The feeling of helplessness still woke him on dark nights. The horror of seeing the sword lifted high, ready to slash down and end his own life often appeared in those dreams.
Only Bender had saved him that day. He’d risked his life by attacking when common sense said he should have remained and defended his own life, not risk it on an insane charge to help a friend.
There was that, but there was also the stench of battle-fear, the blood, guts, and death all around. His innocence had died on that battlefield. The rest of the time he’d served in the Unity army had been spent avoiding combat. He and Bender saw what the officers wanted and provided it, in return they depended on the officers to protect the pair from fighting in battles.
He should have felt guilty at others taking their place on the front lines, but no, he did not. They too, could have manipulated their positions if they had the desire and ability. However, he would forever regret it if he sent or allowed Prim to enter into similar horrors of battle. Seeing the life of another end always scarred a person, but causing that life to end changed him more. Prim didn’t deserve that.
“This is what we’re doing.” He sat across from her and pushed Thunder away so he could speak. The dragon attempted to snuggle next to him again, and he relented, giving the dragon a few pats on the front shoulder as he told Prim their plan.
She listened raptly to his words, a grin growing as she understood. “So, we will take their property, and if that does not hurt them enough, you’ll turn the entire city against them.”
“Everyone in Aston seems to know someone who disappeared. We’re just laying the blame on the Cabot’s feet by spreading rumors.”
“Even if the woman who disappeared ran off with a new man, or fell into the river and drowned, or was eaten by a dragon, the Cabots will be blamed. They’ll be blamed for all disappearances. I’ll be satisfied if all that happens, I guess.” Prim said as she sat cross-legged and rocked as she thought. “Those men down on the street plan to attack us, you know.”
“I’m not sure how, but I agree. They’re up to something,” Tyler said.
“They cannot attack directly, or the city will object, no matter what the king says. An attack on us will make the city rise up, but that may be too late for us.”
Tyler said, “Perhaps not. We have the escape tunnel to use if needed. The Cabots are smart, and I have no doubt they are spreading rumors of their own. Rumors about us.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, but if the situation was reversed, I’d spread rumors that we are carrying sickness, or maybe that we owned the gold mines instead of them. Or, perhaps that we came here to topple the king and set one of us on his throne. Anything is possible if spun righ
t.”
“Will those men attack tonight?”
“We don’t know.”
Prim said, “Well, if it happens, we’d better get some rest, first.”
Instead of sleeping, Tyler went back to the rooftop and settled near the copper pot where he could keep an eye on the men below. He’d grabbed a blanket on the third floor. Now he placed it over his shoulders and walked, his eyes on the Cabot men below as he tried to figure out the future.
Nearly all the people in sight were soldiers wearing weapons. He raised his eyes to the foot traffic a few streets away, noticing a commotion where people gathered. A row of men carried an object in the failing light, shouting at people in the way. They moved up the hillside in a neat and orderly line. What?
He scanned the other streets and found a similar commotion on another street, but closer. Again, men were lined up in a row, men proceeding at the same pace remaining the same distance apart. They were carrying something.
Ladders. Of course, they would bring ladders. He almost smiled at the absurdity of not thinking of it sooner. The Cabots were planning to attack after dark, thinking the local population wouldn’t see them if they overtook the building quickly, or they could explain away their attack by spreading a rumor to account for it. The ladders only had to reach the third floor to be successful. The windows there were large, open, and plentiful. But they didn’t expect the bonfire on the roof that would light their actions for all to see, or that Girt had a squad of formidable soldiers positioned inside, men that had all arrived via the tunnel, unseen. The Cabots expected to find a few hapless people who were asleep.
A waving arm on a side street drew his attention. He picked out the figure of Judge standing in the shadows. Beside him were others he recognized from the village upriver, all men who had accompanied them to the raid on the Cabot holdings. They were loyal and owed Bender and Tyler, a combination that more than made up for any lack of fighting skills. They were also unknown to the Cabots and the men planning the attack but would be positioned to help in any fight.