Caravan to Kittikin

by Brian S. Pratt

  “Sparring, is that what you call it?”

  A whack sounded and Jaikus turned to find Rene’s Waster flying through the air and the point of Larko’s at his sternum.

  “Again,” Larko said.

  Reneeke collected his Waster. When he was ready, Jaikus said, “Begin.”

  “I’m going to step it up a bit,” Larko said.

  “Give me your best,” Reneeke replied.

  Sweat beaded his forehead and he tried every trick that Master Swordsman Leari had taught him. But it seemed as soon as he set in motion a series of attacks designed to deceive and beguile, Larko was already moving to block them. He couldn’t get close.

  In even less time, his Waster was knocked from his hand and it sailed through the air to embed point first in the ground and Jaikus’ feet.

  “That’s two,” Midden said.

  Larko tossed the Waster to Jaikus who dodged out of the way rather than catch it.

  “You have some skill, Reneeke,” Larko praised.

  “I thought I had.”

  Laughing, Larko clapped him on the back. “Is Leari still teaching at the Guild?” When Reneeke nodded, Larko said, “I thought I recognized his handiwork.”

  “Are you a Guild member too?”

  “Used to be.”

  “He was quite the fighter before he joined with Master Tuppin,” Midden said.

  “Why would he want to drive a wagon instead of reaping glory and wealth?” Jaikus simply couldn’t fathom such a change.

  “That’s his story, lad,” Midden said. “He’ll tell you if he will.”

  Larko came to Jaikus and held out his hand. “My copper if you will.” He grinned when Jaikus handed it over. “There are two things you should never do.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Argue with the cook and take another man’s wager. Both will lead to unhappy ends.” He laughed again. Even Midden cracked a smile.

  Jaikus couldn’t quite put his mind around that. For it had been his wager Larko had accepted; not the other way around. “Okay,” he finally said uncertainly.

  Reneeke was just as happy to lose than win. “There is no shame in losing to a superior swordsman.”

  “Truer words were never spoken,” Larko said. “Only way to improve your skill.” He glanced to Jaikus. “So, how long have you two been part of the Guild?”

  “Two weeks,” Jaik said proudly.

  “Two weeks?”

  Reneeke nodded, “That’s right.”

  Larko glanced over to where Master Tuppin busied himself checking his cargo. “Don’t let him hear you say that. Two weeks may as well be none at all should bandits hit.”

  Jaikus bristled. “We are not without skill.”

  “My granther could sweep you off his porch with a broom if he had half a mind to.”

  “I would have you know that Reneeke and I just came back from an Adventure…”

  “By the gods, lad,” Midden exclaimed, “give it a rest. One Adventure does not an Adventurer make.”

  Jaikus flashed Midden a look of pure irritation that bordered on anger.

  “So you think you can handle yourself?” Larko asked.

  Nodding, Jaikus said, “Of course.”

  Larko went to Reneeke and held out his hand. “Can I borrow that?”

  Reneeke handed his Waster to him.

  Turning to Jaikus, Larko said, “Pick yours up. If you can last until a count of five against me, I’ll take it all back and give you the honor due a true Adventurer of the Guild.”

  Jaikus went to get his where it laid on the ground. He returned and faced off against Larko. “To a count of five?”

  “A count of five. Midden, if you would.”

  “Places,” Midden said.

  Larko took his stance and Jaikus faced off against him.

  A count of five… Jaikus thought.

  “Ready.”

  “Good luck, Jaik,” Reneeke said.

  I can last at least to a count of…

  “Begin.”

  Whack-whack-whack

  ...five, he finished as his Waster was knocked from his hand and sailed no less than fifteen feet away before it came to land. Jaikus stood there stunned.

  Larko returned Reneeke’s Waster to him. “Would love to spar with you again, but I think dinner is about ready.”

  “Perhaps tomorrow night after we stop?” Reneeke suggested.

  “Sounds good.” He looked to Jaikus. “You need to hold your sword better or it will never remain in your hand for long.” Not waiting for a reply, he turned about and returned to the wagons.

  Midden chuckled and shook his head as he said, “Adventurer…” then went with Larko.

  “Hey,” Reneeke said, “don’t worry about it. We’re just learning.”

  “Yeah,” Jaikus said.

  “Besides, Larko is a master swordsman.”

  “He is?” he asked, grabbing hold of the glimmer of hope that would salvage his pride.

  “That’s what he told me earlier,” Reneeke explained. “Has a real knack for it. We would be well advised to seek his instruction while we can.”

  When Jaikus grew stubborn, he added, “And it won’t cost us a copper.”

  Jaikus nodded. “You might be right.”

  Slapping him on the back, Reneeke said, “I bet you could use something in your stomach.”

  As if in answer, his gut let out a growl.

  Reneeke chuckled as they headed back to the others.

  Chapter 5

  Dinner was beans with some hard tack. Peter, the third teamster had dinner duty and scooped each a hearty helping.

  “So what’s it like in Kittikin?” Reneeke asked.

  “Not very different than what you find here,” Master Tuppin said.

  “Except they are meaner,” Midden added.

  Larko nodded. “Tread carefully when you deal with them. They’ll see you as an outsider and it doesn’t take much to get on their bad side.”

  “Is Kith part of Kittikin?” Jaikus asked.

  “I believe so,” Master Tuppin replied.

  “Just be careful,” Peter said, “and you should be fine.”

  “They won’t want to hear tales of bravado from someone of such tender years, either,” Midden said. He saw how his words got under Jaikus’ skin. But there was just something about the boy that brought out the worst in him; or at least the mischievousness.

  “Yes, we are called to an Adventure in Kith,” Jaikus announced. He was about to launch into detail when Reneeke laid a restraining hand on his arm.

  “I’m sure our patrons would not want their plight passed from one to the next.”

  “True words,” Master Tuppin nodded. “Very few indeed can tolerate a loose tongue.”

  Jaikus looked genuinely offended. “I had no such intentions of telling of their hardships.”

  “Good,” Midden grunted.

  Jaikus flashed him an annoyed look.

  Looking to change the subject, Reneeke said, “So, two more days until we hit the foothills?”

  “That’s right,” Peter said. “When we do, keep an eye out until we see the other side of Hermit’s Pass and leave the hills behind. It is along that stretch when we run the greatest risk of encountering bandits.”

  “Why don’t those in Kittikin do something about it?” Reneeke asked.

  “Now, I don’t know this for certain, boys,” Master Tuppin said, “but it is my belief that the bandits are in cahoots with the constables up there.”

  “So be careful,” Larko warned.

  “We shall, and thank you,” Reneeke said.

  “We’ll take care of them,” Jaikus said. “That’s why Rene and I are here.”

  Larko sighed and shook his head.

  Soon after dinner, they turned in for Master Tuppin enjoyed early starts when on the road.

  The next day, Jaikus rode with Peter as Midden begged off saying he had much to think about and would prefer being alone. It was all the same to the young Guild me
mber. Peter had yet to be regaled with his exploits and it was a long day on the road.

  Reneeke rode again with Larko and spent the better part of the morning discussing swordsmanship and tactics. Larko turned out to be a wealth of information and Reneeke was an apt pupil; willing to learn and one who realized that he didn’t know hardly anything when it came to swordplay.

  Noon came and they pulled off the road at a small spring where they spent an hour watering the horses and letting them rest.

  When asked, Peter told Jaikus that until they reached the Pass, Master Tuppin allowed his teams periods of rest. For once in the mountains, their job would be ten times more difficult and places to stop few and far between.

  Once in the mountains, it was a matter of safety for them to get through as quickly as possible. Every day spent in the higher elevations, even among the hills below was one more day they ran the risk of bandits.

  The afternoon was much like the morning except Peter spent much time on his exploits though Jaikus found discussions about horses, tending to horses and driving a wagon to be tedious at best.

  Reneeke learned two new techniques in dealing with multiple opponents. Also was given a rudimentary introduction to the crossbow. By the time it came time to stop for the night, he knew how to crank it, set the bolt and fire. He took target practice on passing trees; afterward hopping down from the wagon to retrieve the bolt.

  “Crossbows are fairly simple to operate,” Larko instructed. “Completely unlike bows in that you just point and shoot.”

  “That’s why most bandits have crossbows?” Reneeke surmised.

  “Would stand to reason.”

  When Reneeke again took aim, this time at an oak growing fifty feet from the road, he did as Larko said. He sighted along the crossbow, took a calming breath, then pulled the release. The hardest thing for him to master was keeping the crossbow still when the bow was released. It had a tendency to jerk upward ever so slightly, but it was enough to continuously send the bolt wide of the mark.

  “You’ll get it,” Larko said when Reneeke returned with the bolt.

  Larko pointed to a rabbit off in the grass just beneath the shelter of a bush. “See if you can hit that.”

  Reneeke nodded and took aim. He willed the crossbow not to jerk, but when he pulled the release, it popped up slightly. The bolt shot into the body of the bush some eight inches above the rabbit startling it to flee.

  Patting Reneeke on the back, Larko chuckled.

  That evening when they stopped at the edge of a lake, Reneeke grabbed the Wasters and he and Jaikus again performed their evening drills. After a bout of sparring, Larko arrived.

  “Who’s first?”

  Jaikus, swallowing his pride, stepped forward. “I am.”

  “Very good. Show me your stance.”

  Jaikus separated his feet as Master Swordsman Leari had instructed. Then he moved his sword to the ready and held it there.

  Larko stepped forward and used his foot to widen Jaikus’ stance. Then he adjusted the way he held the Waster. He picked up two sticks and held them out with a gap of less than two inches between them.

  “Strike between them without touching either.”

  Concentrating on aim, he swung his Waster and practically knocked the stick from Larko’s left hand.

  Instead of yelling or denigrating, Larko gave him specific advice on how to improve. Then retaking up the two sticks, he held them as before but a little to Jaikus’ right. “Now, again. But this time don’t look at me or the sticks. Concentrate on the space between and will the sword to pass through.” As Jaikus was about to do as instructed, Larko added, “You do not have to be fast. First, learn to be precise, then work on speed. A hundred fast strikes that miss won’t do you any good if your opponent can take you down in one good blow. Now, slowly.”

  Jaikus brought the sword down and as it neared the sticks, he slowed down even more. He held it tight and thought of nothing else but passing the wooden blade between the two sticks. Then it passed through without touching.

  “Excellent,” Larko praised. “Now, again.”

  For a half hour they worked on nothing more than passing the Waster between the two sticks. Over time, Jaikus grew surer of himself and the speed of the blade picked up. Then Larko began changing the position of the sticks. Sometimes to Jaikus’ left, sometimes to his right, in front high, in front low and more times than not, Jaikus either made it through unscathed, or barely touched a stick.

  “I think you may be getting it.”

  Jaikus grinned. “I see what you mean. Think where you want the blade to go and it will get there.”

  “That’s a start, but by no means all of it. Now, it’s Reneeke’s turn.”

  They exchanged Wasters and they faced off.

  “Remember what we talked about?”

  Reneeke nodded. “Whenever you are ready.”

  Larko launched into an attack. There wasn’t anything special about it, simply the same three maneuvers over and over.

  At first Reneeke had a difficult time in countering them, but came to understand what Larko had said while they rode in the wagon. He altered his defense accordingly and Larko nodded. In three passes of those maneuvers, Larko’s Waster had moved further to the side. When he saw his chance, he stepped to the side and thrust.

  The tip caught Larko between the fourth and fifth rib, knocking him back a step.

  “I did it!” Reneeke exclaimed.

  Rubbing what was sure to be a bruise in the morning, Larko grinned. “You sure did. That simple response to what I was doing will invariably cause your opponent to open his guard and allow you in.”

  “Try it again?”

  “If you promise not to skewer me?”

  Reneeke laughed. “I promise.”

  They went through that drill twice more then expanded on it with another maneuver. Reneeke picked them up quickly and Jaikus somehow felt left out.

  “Can I try that?” he asked after Reneeke had successfully done it three times in succession.

  “Certainly,” Larko said. “If you think you are up to it.”

  Jaikus nodded.

  He had watched Reneeke very closely.

  Larko launched into the routine.

  Jaikus was able to defend against it and keep Larko’s Waster from connecting with him. But in getting him to open his guard so he could strike the killing blow; that somehow eluded him.

  They worked on it until they were called in for supper.

  “You were really getting the hang of it.”

  Jaikus looked to his friend. “Do you think so?”

  “Absolutely. Much better than yesterday.”

  As Jaikus walked to the campsite, Reneeke raised an eyebrow questioningly at Larko.

  “He has shown some improvement.”

  “I thought he had,” Reneeke replied.

  “But if you want to do your friend a real favor?”

  “Yes?”

  Larko lowered his voice. “Have him choose another profession. I do not think he will ever have the skills needed to survive long in this business. At least not as a swordsman.”

  “Jaik’s not bad,” Reneeke insisted.

  “Not bad won’t mean anything against someone who knows what they are doing.”

  “I think you’re wrong.”

  “You are entitled to your opinion, of course. I am just advising you to save your friend’s life.”

  Reneeke glanced worriedly to Jaikus.

  “But that is neither here nor there this evening. Let’s eat. I’m starved.”

  The following day the hills below Hermit’s Pass came into view on the horizon.

  “We’ll be in them tomorrow,” Larko told Reneeke.

  “Then things get interesting?”

  Larko glanced to Reneeke. “Let’s hope not.”

  Throughout the rest of the day, the hills grew closer. By mid-afternoon they could see the mountains rising beyond them. Clouds ringed the distant peaks though the day remained
sunny and warm.

  That night they stopped on the shores of a lovely little lake. Trees wreathed the shoreline except for a wide area not far off the road. There were many fire pits dotting the area and it was obvious a popular place for caravans.

  “I take it this is another of Master Tuppin’s regular stops?” Jaikus asked.

  Peter nodded.

  “Ever have any trouble here?”

  “We never have,” Peter replied. “Though Master Carthim who used to travel this route did about five years ago.”

  “What happened?”

  “Oh, Bandits hit the camp during the night.”

  “Wow, that’s bad. Does Master Carthim still caravan through Hermit’s Pass?”

  Peter shook his head. “No.”

  “Why?”

  “The bandits killed him and everyone with him.” He glanced to the young Adventurer who turned a shocked expression to him. “Sometimes, they win.”

  “Not while Reneeke and I are on the job,” Jaikus stated with supreme confidence.

  The teamster grinned. “That’s the spirit.”

  They set up camp with dusk fast approaching.

  “Rojer,” Master Tuppin said to his guard with the ponytail, “take one of our two Guildsmen with you to scout the hills.”

  The guard glanced to Jaikus and Reneeke with lack of enthusiasm. “Shouldn’t I take Somak with me instead?” Somak was Master Tuppin’s other guard, much burlier than Rojer and deadly in a fight.

  “I’d prefer to have him remain.”

  “As you wish.”

  He turned to the two Guild members. Jaikus was nearly chomping at the bit to go. But he turned to Reneeke. “Let’s go.”

  Jaikus’ enthusiasm deflated like a wine bladder passed among sailors.

  “Maybe next time, Jaik,” Reneeke said. “Keep an eye on things here.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Will do that.”

  Somak led his horse to Reneeke. “Take care of her.”

  Reneeke swung up in the saddle. “I’ll treat her good.”

  “Come on,” Rojer said, “before we lose the light.” Turning to the hills he headed out.

  “See you in a bit, Jaik.”

  As Reneeke kicked the sides of the horse to follow, Jaikus said, “Be careful, Rene.”

  The two riders raced for the hills.