Chapter 4

Damn it has been over five months since I have arrived here at Riverbend and I am no closer to figuring out how to get home then since the day I arrived. How do I know it has been five months? My watch, it keeps track of the days and dates. I just put a notched in a piece of wood for the month. If I keep the watch charged up with sunlight, it will keep working.

We have had a couple of other incidents with bandits, but my deputies and I took care of the problem. It seemed that our town was beginning to get a reputation not to be messed with. And for me it seemed like I am the sheriff, justice of the peace, and big game hunter all wrapped up in one.

I was getting itchy feet and it was time to take a journey to see what other towns were like. I packed my saddle bag with provisions. I filled up my water bag. I had the tanner make me a backpack and I put in some clothes in it. I loaded up my horse and headed west. I told my deputies to watch over the town and I would be back in a couple of months.

I have been on the road for a couple of weeks and so far, the trip has been without incident. I have been through a couple of towns. I would spend the night at the local inn and I would share information with the innkeeper. Innkeepers were a little suspicious at first, but they were always hungry for new information on what was happening around the countryside. Finally, the third town that I came to, the people were on edge. The innkeeper seemed like he wished I would leave, rather than rent me a room. He showed me a room and took my two pinches.

“Dinner should be ready anytime now.” He said.

“What’s the matter with everyone in this town? Why are you and the rest of them so jumpy?”

He had a scared look in his eyes and his mouth worked a couple of time without any sound coming out.

“Come on down to the bar, I need to be there to run my business and I will tell our problem.”

So, I followed him down to the bar. The place was almost empty with only a couple of tables occupied. I bellied up to the bar and he set some of that god awful tasting watered-down wine in front of me and a plate of stew.

“Outside of town there are three brothers that took over a farm. They are a bunch of lazy no good for nothing bums. They come into town every so often to take whatever supplies they need and come to drink and eat, but never pay. We are afraid of them. I have a hard time keeping serving girls. When they come in they take the girl and force themselves on her.” He said.

“How did the brothers get the farm? I asked.

“When they first got here they picked a fight with old Jake and killed him. The rules of possession they get Jake’s farm. Jake and his misses never had any children and when she seen that Jake was killed by them three brothers, she upped and killed herself, rather than be their property.”

“Can’t the townspeople stand up to them?”

“A couple men tried after their women were raped and all it done was got them killed.”

“What about the whole town standing up to them?”

“No, we’re all scared of them. Anyway, they were gone for a few weeks and just got back. They stopped for supplies and came here for drinks and food. Of course, they never paid for nothing. They had this beautiful woman with them. She looked so sad. They called her a cock burner. I don’t have any idea what that means, do you?

“No, I don’t.”

Just then some other customers entered the inn and he left to take care of them. I finished my dinner and went outside to look around. I tried to talk with some of the townspeople, but when I started to ask questions about the three brothers, they all got that scared look in their faces and walked away. I stopped at the stable to check on my horse and try to talk with the kid about the brothers, but he just shook his head and walked away.

I left the stable and walked back to the inn. There was a horse tied to the hitching post just outside of the inn. I walked through the door and stopped to survey the situation. The place was deserted except for one big guy groping the serving girl. The inn keeper kept nodding his head in that direction. I loaded my hand crossbow and walked toward the big guy’s table.

“Hey, let go of the girl!”

“Get out of here runt, the girl’s mine.”

“She’s my sister and I don’t like what you’re doing to her.”

With a roar he pushed her down and leaped to his feet with a long knife in his hand. He stood almost a head taller than me, but I didn’t give him a chance. I brought up my hand crossbow and shot him right in his eye. He was dead by the time he hit the floor.

While I helped the serving girl to her feet, the innkeeper came running up to me all excited with his arms flapping around

“Now you done it. The other two brothers will want revenge for the brother’s death. You have brought disaster to this town.” He said animatedly.

I stripped the body of anything useful. He had a few pinches, a quid, and a shell on him, which I took. I took his long knife and the other knifes on his body. I stripped the clothes off him and recovered my bolt. I went out and checked his horse over and he had a nice sword attached to his saddle, which I took. I took all his possessions up to my room and stored them there. I went back down and took the horse to the stable.

“Stable boy would you brush this horse and give it some water and grain?” I asked as I handed him a couple of pinches.

“Yes sir.” He replied.

All this time the townspeople just kept out of my way and nobody had said a word to me. I walked back into the bar and had a drink of that delicious watered-down wine. I laid two pinches on the bar.

“Have someone take the body and get rid of it. Don’t worry about the other two brothers, it’s getting dark out, and they will probably figure he stayed in town with one of your serving girls for a night of fun. They will show up sometime tomorrow to check up on him when he doesn’t show up to the farm. Then the trouble will start.” I said.

I turned and walked up the stairs to my room to get some sleep. Something told me that tomorrow was going to be a long day. The brothers did finally show up later in the afternoon. They came charging into the Inn dragging a woman behind them.

“Innkeeper which room is our brother in? We know he is here we stopped at the stable and his horse was there. Which room innkeeper, which room? One hollered in an intimidating manner.

“Uh I uh I uh.” The innkeeper babbled.

“Come on innkeeper speak up.”

“He’s dead.” I said.

I was sitting at a table facing the bar watching the two brothers.

“What did you say?” One asked me.

“I said he’s dead. I killed him.”

They charged my table knocking it over to get at me. Just as they hit the table, I stood up and fired my crossbow at one striking one in the middle of his chest. I had the long knife in my other hand and I stabbed the other brother in his chest. They were both dead as they hit the floor. It happened so fast that the innkeeper’s mouth was still open trying to answer their questions.

I leaned down to make sure they were dead and proceed to search their bodies. They had about the amount of some coin on them: a hand full of pinches, five quids, and a couple of shells between them. They each had a sword and knife. I stripped the clothes and boots off them.