“I agree with Anton,” Kipen said. Kipen was a skinny man with thinning hair. “This thing poses an obvious danger to the village.”
“That seems the safest option,” Yary said.
“I am in agreement,” Luna said. “Harold, what say you?”
Harold shifted uncomfortably in his chair, unsure how to respond.
A trickle of doubt began creeping through Svald’s mind. What if his decision had no bearing on his daughter’s safety? What if she was safe regardless of his choices? In which case, he was allowing someone to be killed essentially because they did a good thing for another person. That didn’t seem like justice. That was him letting fear drive his judgment. His daughter would never forgive him for that and frankly he would have a hard time living with himself. The guilt would never leave him and a part of himself, probably the best part of him, would wither and die. Just because he couldn’t bring himself to tell the whole story. He would never be the same and what would it have all been for? No, he was making the wrong choice. If Hyroc had any evil intentions, he would’ve simply stood by and let his daughter be mauled.
And what was he worried about? Every one of the elders knew his daughter. They would never exile her from the village simply because of her involvement in all of this. They were all good, understanding people. He didn’t have to worry about them making a decision to harm her. They would see the truth in all of this. She was safe. It wouldn’t harm anyone to tell them. If he did that, no matter what they decided, his conscious would be clear. He took a long drought from his pint.
“Why does he deserve to die,” Svald said, just as Harold opened his mouth to answer the question of the elders. “What has he done to deserve that?” Everyone in the room fixed their eyes on him in a mixture of odd expressions.
“Have you gone mad?” Anton said in bewilderment. “You’ve seen firsthand what that thing looks like, it is clearly something unnatural. Who knows what kind of depraved and sinister thoughts go through its mind? You’re not seriously suggesting we let it stay are you?”
“Svald does have a point,” Harold said. “Yes I agree his appearance is startling, but what has he done that is deserving of death?”
Luna turned to Svald. “You have spent the most time with the creature. When you captured it, did you find anything about the creature’s actions when you captured it dangerous?”
“I can’t say I wouldn’t have reacted the same way as he, but when I talked to him he acted no different than you or I.”
“How do you know it’s not faking it?” Yary said. “What if that’s just an act to get you to let it go free and as soon as you do it’ll turn on you.”
“I honestly don’t think he’ll do that.”
“What makes you think you know what it may or may not do?” Anton said. “How can any of us know that?”
“What proof do you have to support your claim?” Luna said.
Svald took a deep breath. “There was more to that dead wolf than what I told you.” Harold sighed. Everyone gave him a surprised look. “Our goat got out of its pen and wandered off into the woods. Elsa went after her and while getting the goat, she was attacked by a wolf. But before the wolf could hurt her, the creature killed it.”
“The creature killed it?” Luna said, taken aback. “Why did you not bring this up sooner?”
Svald shrugged. “I was afraid for my little girl. I didn’t want anything to happen to her because of this.” Everyone nodded their understanding.
“It was obviously a trick,” Anton said. “She got lucky, that’s all.”
“How can that possibly be a trick,” Harold said. “I know firsthand these things never do that under any circumstances. The result is usually something grievous and often times, fatal. I’ve gone over the situation several times in my head already, and I can find no other reason for the creature’s actions other than to protect her.”
“Wait, are you saying it knows right from wrong?” Kipen said.
“There seems no other explanation.”
“Are you now saying it isn’t dangerous?” Anton said skeptically.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Svald said. “But he seems no more dangerous than any one hunter in the village.”
“Okay, hold on, let’s just say for a moment we let the creature stay,” Kipen said. “What good will that do for any of us?”
“Well, when I talked with him, he said he was here for the pelts.”
Anton made a disbelieving cough sound.
“Do you believe what he said to be the truth?” Luna said.
“I do; everything it said seems to fit.” Luna nodded. “Anton, you’re always running out of pelts to work with. And the way he killed that wolf, he could very well solve that problem for you. Would that not be worth him staying?”
Anton stabbed his index finger down on the table. “Perhaps, but I would not jeopardize the safety of my fellow villagers just to earn some extra coin,” Anton said. “And if that were truly its intentions why hasn’t it come into town to sell any of them?”
Svald gave him a flat look. He had thought the answer seemed pretty obvious. “Because he knew this was how we would react,” he said, indicating everyone with his hand. “And now that I see it, I don’t much blame him.”
“What about the disappearing livestock? Surely you haven’t forgotten about those.”
“He arrived after those started up if I’m not mistaken,” Svald said.
“Besides,” Harold interrupted. “If he were responsible for those, why hasn’t any of Svald’s chickens gone missing? Or better yet, why didn’t he try to steal their goat when it got out. His family is the closest home to him.”
“What about the fact he lives in the very same cabin as the necromancer?”
“I found nothing of a dark nature in that cabin before we boarded it up,” Harold said. “But disregarding who the past owner was, it makes perfect sense the creature would move into it. It’s abandoned for one, it’s on a fairly secluded part of the mountain and close to some decent hunting grounds. That sounds like a pretty good spot to go if you have no home.”
“That makes a lot of sense to me if you put it that way,” Yary said.
“Harold,” Luna said. “You know more about these matters than any of us here. Do you honestly think it safe to allow this creature to stay?”
“I cannot say with absolute surety, but I believe so.”
“And what of The Ministry?” Kipen said.
“We’re too far from their power center for there to be much of a chance of their coming here.” He gave Anton a suspicious look. “So long as no one tells them it’s here.”
“I trust your judgment, but what say the rest of you? Should we allow the creature to stay?” There was a long pause.
“I trust Svald and Harold,” Yary said. “If they think it’s a good idea I believe them.”
“As do I,” Kipen said.
Everyone turned their attention to Anton. “If that’s what everyone wishes, I will not object,” he said, a note of angered reluctance in his voice.
“Then it is settled, for the time being at least, the creature will be allowed to stay,” Luna said.
Svald breathed a silent sigh of relief.
“But I’m sure everyone will agree with me when I say, this arrangement only stands if the creature does not become dangerous and if no objects of a dark nature are discovered in its possession.”
“When we release the creature I will examine it, its belongings, and the cabin for any of those traces,” Harold said.
“And I will leave it up to you and Svald to explain to our guest what will and will not be tolerated in this village.”
“Agreed,” Svald and Harold said.
“There is one more thing? Since the two of you vouched for the creature, should it turn dangerous both of you will be held accountable. Do the two of you accept this burden?”
Svald and Harold gave each other a quick uncertain glance, before saying, “I do.”
&n
bsp; “Very well. Does anyone have anything else they would like to say regarding this matter?” Luna paused, looking through the faces of all in attendance. “Then I now leave this matter to Svald and Harold. We’re done here.” With that, the rest of the town elders began filing out of the room.
Harold leaned over toward Svald with a smirk on his face. “Well we got what we wanted, or at least what your wife and daughter wanted.” he said smugly. “Now what the hell do we do?”
• • •
CHAPTER 29
Crow nests
Hyroc focused on the tiny shape of a black spider crawling across the ground in front of him. Other than the families’ hound coming over to growl at him, the tiny creature was the most interesting thing he had seen for a while. Shortly after Elsa’s father had disappeared into the cabin, he found enough slack in the rope tying his wrists together for him to press the side of one claw into it and begin cutting through his restraints. He knew it would still take him an incredible length of time to cut through, but what choice did he have? They were going to kill him. The presence of guards clearly indicated they thought he was dangerous and there was only one way they would deal with something dangerous. It was just fortunate they were taking so long to decide what to do. Their indecision would give him the time he needed to cut his restraints. Then once he did that, he just had to wait for an opening and make a break for the tree line. He was confident he could out run those guarding him, but the dog was a problem. Outpacing the beast on open ground would be impossible. He had scared it off before by hitting it in the head with a rock so maybe that was all he needed to do. Sweeping his eyes across the ground, he found several stones that would work. He could snatch one up as he made for the tree line. The only thing wrong with his plan was it required him to leave behind his, bow, sword and knife. Save for the sword, the other two were of vital importance, but he saw no way to recover them without dying. And being dead seemed a considerable step backwards. Maybe in a few days after his escape, he could come back and get them.
When he got away from the men and the dog, he would make his way back up to the mountain and salvage as many of his traps as he could on his way to the cabin. Then he should have just enough time to get Kit, pack up his things and sneak off north toward the mountain. The wilderness would become his home. He was stupid for believing he could ever stay around people. They simply didn’t want him anywhere near them no matter how honest his intentions were. The only exception had been Elsa. He felt no animosity toward her, he had actually liked her, though he wondered if that might have been because she was nice to him. His encounter with her made him think this whole thing could work out after all. Then reality came crashing down on him, shattering his deluded hope. He now knew it would never work. He couldn’t trust anyone, not even his so-called guardian Ursa. Her inaction was proof of that. Why else would she leave him in such a dire predicament? For now on, he would rely only on himself and no one else. He just had to get out of his restraints.
The spider disappeared into a clump of grass. Hyroc searched for it a moment, before resuming staring absentmindedly at the ground, hoping some other creature would come along for him to look at.
Back and forth…
Back and forth…
The families’ hound rose to its feet from where it lay on the cabin’s porch and broke into a run, barking excitedly as it went. Following the dogs with his eyes, Hyroc felt a thrill of apprehension when he saw Elsa’s father and the other man – Harold might have been his name – walking down the trail leading to the cabin. It was too soon! He needed more time to cut through the rope.
Chiding himself for not working faster when he had plenty of time, he desperately began cutting as fast as he could. The two men continued their approach, almost seeming to fly toward him. The three guards turned to greet the returning men. Everyone exchanged a few words, indicating Hyroc once or twice as they spoke.
Then to his relief, Else’s father and the other man disappeared inside the cabin. He had a little more time. In a frighteningly short amount of time, they emerged through the door, making their way toward him. Dread engulfed him as he realized he wasn’t going to make it. His plan had failed before he even had a chance to attempt it.
Elsa’s father propped some things against a fence post and drew his knife. A cold shiver ran up Hyroc’s back and every part of his mind screamed for him to run. He watched in horror, transfixed by the dull gray metal of the approaching blade. He closed his eyes; he didn’t want to see what was about to happen. It now almost seemed better if the spider bite had done him in, he had at least been fighting then; instead, he was going to die tied to a fence, helpless as a newborn kitten. He hoped it was going to be quick and wouldn’t hurt.
He felt a hand pull his up. His restraints grew tighter, then their pressure vanished altogether and he felt them being slipped off. Confused, he opened his eyes to see Elsa’s father stand and step over to join the other man. He had an urge to break for the trees but something about the looks on the men’s faces made him stay where he was. He didn’t see fear, they almost seemed glad to see him, almost as if they wished to talk with him. That didn’t make sense, why would they want to speak with him when they were here to kill him? Those witch hunters had shown no interest in any such thing. He wondered if it was a trick, though neither one of them seemed ready to draw a weapon. He rubbed his wrist as he stared at the two men, unsure how to react. Elsa’s father looked at the rope in his hand and frowned at the frayed spot where Hyroc had been trying to cut through. Hyroc stared at the fray, which was barely a quarter of the way through the rope, and was gloomily surprised by his lack of progress
“You’re free to go,” the other man said.
Hyroc gave him a disbelieving look. Why would they simply let him go after going through all the hassle of capturing him? What was going on here? Was this some elaborate trick to get him to reveal something? Maybe if he played along he could use this opportunity to get his things back. It was worth a shot, but that game was really starting to aggravate him. It would be so much easier if people would simply tell him what they wanted.
Using his hand, Elsa’s father indicated the things he had set against the fencepost. “All your things are right here,” he said, in a slightly gentler tone than last he spoke.
Glancing in the indicated direction Hyroc saw his things. They knew he was dangerous, why would they give him his things back? Making him more threatening seemed an odd thing to do. Maybe they really weren’t going to hurt him. He wanted to believe it, but part of him told him to be ready for an attack. At the first sign of trouble he would bolt and never turn back. Cautiously, he got to his feet ready to react, never taking his eyes off the men.
“My name’s Svald, Svald Shackleton.” Elsa’s father said. He indicated the other man with his hand. “And this is Harold.”
Hyroc stared at him puzzled, it almost sounded like they were introducing themselves to him. Why would they waste their time getting to know him if they were going to kill him? Could what they said be genuine?
Tentatively Hyroc said, “My – my name’s Hyroc.”
“Good to meet you, Hyroc,” both men said.
“The town elders have decided to let you stay,” Harold said, after a brief pause. Hyroc gave the two men a baffled look. Had he heard the man correctly, had he said he could stay? Did they really mean that? Would he be able to keep the cabin? What was going on! None of it made any sense. “But we have rules here. Foremost of all don’t murder anyone.” Hyroc raised an eyebrow wondering why they needed to tell him that, didn’t everyone know that rule? “Stealing is another one,” Harold said, affixing a sterner gaze on him. Hyroc smiled uncomfortably. Harold indicated his things. “We know none of those are yours.”
“The bow is,” Hyroc said without thinking. He cringed, realizing he had inadvertently admitted to stealing everything else.
Harold gave him a flat stare. “But so long as it wasn’t from anyone in the village,” he contin
ued. “And since you likely have a use for them, you can keep them, with one exception.” He reached into Hyroc’s quiver, removing the two silver-headed arrows and dropping them on the ground. Hyroc silently sighed, he had meant to sell those, but he would gladly part with them if it meant he could stay. “If you break any of those two rules the deal is off, understood?”
Hyroc nodded. “Does this mean I can come into the village?” he asked hopefully.
“I believe it does, but I wouldn’t expect a friendly welcome, let alone a hello.” Hyroc nodded understandably; he expected nothing less. If he could go into the village without fear of being killed, everything else was nothing.
“I hope I don’t find you sneaking around our home again,” Svald said.
With a sigh Hyroc said, “You won’t,” he would figure out some other way to tan hides.
“Use the door next time.”
Hyroc cocked an eyebrow. Why did they want him to use the door? Were they actually suggesting he could come ask them for things? Not that he really planned on doing so, it was just exciting it was an actual possibility. He had never been invited into someone’s home before.
Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Harold slip something into his hand. Glancing over, he noticed Harold had interlaced his fingers, holding his hands in front of his stomach, as if concealing something. Harold smiled back at him.
“My family dose most of its trapping from here, north to the river and we usually hunt to the East,” Svald continued. “I don’t think of myself as a stickler for trapping or hunting rights, if you accidentally wander into our area it’s not a big deal, just don’t make it into a habit, understood.”
Hyroc nodded his understanding. He saw Harold steal a glance down into his hands. His expression turned to confusion, then it immediately vanished when he noticed Hyroc looking at him.
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