Chapter 2: Home Sweet Home

“My Lord, it is time to wake up.”

Bah.

Chandra’s hair was already brushed with a freshly washed face, my student bubbled with anticipation for today’s journey, “Did you order breakfast for us?” She was ready to go home.

“Yes, My Lord, we are all waiting on you.” She gave me a devilish smile. It seemed that one of us had a very good night’s sleep.

“Fine, let me wash and I’ll meet you down stairs.” I took the puzzle box with me, I wasn’t about to let it disappear during my ablutions or breakfast.

As reported by Little Miss Sunshine, everyone else had eaten or was finishing eating breakfast. I handed off the chest to Armand and chose lighter fare for today, the lard fried eggs did not look appealing. The bread and cheese were good and I ordered extra loaves of each for the road.

Again, the innkeeper overcharged but he did deserve extra since we did play hell with his usual customer base. Although thinking about it later, he had to have made out very well since the soldiers couldn’t have packed their rations before they left on this trip.

“Chandra, would you make sure that our escorts have enough to eat and drink for a two day journey?” I asked while lashing down the chest in the carriage so that it would not slide and damage anything.

“They look to be provisioned for a longer trip, My Lord. What did Lady Megan say to you last night?”

“Wait until we are on the road.” I did ask to be off before dawn. If I remembered correctly the journey to Silverdale was longer than a normal day’s travel. We were also traveling in the rain last time which slowed us down.

Chandra bubbled, she and her horse were all over the place, the soldiers with us just followed me and learned to leave her be. She would return of her own accord.

“What has you in such a good mood today?” She just grinned at me in reply. “What did she say to you?”

“Megan banished me from her lands. She made up her mind before even talking to me, that I was guilty of assaulting her father.” I shrugged, “There was nothing that I could have said that would have changed her mind. I think that the only reason that I am still alive is that she owes me for returning her home.”

“Oh,” it was obvious to me that Chandra did not expect that. Her speechlessness spoke volumes about what she thought of Megan’s actions. Unfortunately I didn’t have a clue what they said to Chandra.

“Yes. ‘Oh’, sums it up pretty well for me too. Yolanda said that she tried to talk to her earlier about her father and Megan wouldn’t listen to her either.” There was nothing that I could do about her being a closed minded bitch. I just didn’t want to have to return if they pressed the war through the mountains into my new home. Kalabar’s ambassador made me fear for the upcoming invasion. If he represented the norm of the commanders and soldiers, then death or glory might be their only options. That scared me for the wellbeing of the local populous.

“What can you tell me about Kalabar?”

“Kalabar, My Lord? Not much, we don’t have much communication or trade with them.” She thought it over and parsed out bits of information while riding beside me.

“They are a large county to our northwest. They don’t speak our language, they’re barbarians. They have their own War God, they live primarily in large groups of hunters. Personal honor is important to them and so is individual skill at arms. Each tribe is led by the strongest man. They went to war with us about 40 years ago and it lasted 2 years. We are still trying to recover from it. According to father, we lost too many farmers and that caused a famine. According to Lady Janice, the only reason that they stopped was that they were attacked on their western border. They killed the men and took the women and children as slaves.

“They brought in their shamans to guide them in their battles.” She added if remembering something distasteful.

“What’s a shaman?” This was sounding worse and worse.

“I’m not completely sure, but from the way that Mother Browynn described them, I think they are wizards that talk to their gods. She calls them Earth Wizards.” Chandra’s voice quieted when she was speculating.

They sounded like priests to me.

“Do you know anything about these Earth Wizards?”

“Not really.” Our talk of Kalabar and war dampened her spirits. Whatever put her in such a good mood earlier didn’t completely disappear but she took Megan’s actions toward me hard.

Hmm, they sound like they will be trouble. Snort like teeming hordes of barbarians with hand and a half swords won’t be anything else but.

The rest of the journey to Silverdale went smoothly. Our escort set a reasonable pace and we arrived before dusk, it helped that it hadn’t rained since the typhoon on the trek to Fairview.

“So, do you think that Grant will put us up for the night?”

“Only if you promise not to attack his garden again.” Responded my mischievous Postulant with a giggle. Referring to the last time that we stayed over and I used his garden’s trees for target practice.

“Heh, no guarantees there.” I half grinned. My heart was not in a bantering mood. As much as Megan and I were a non-item anymore, it still hurt and I hated parting on such lousy terms.

The sun had set earlier in the mountains but the town had people moving about still. More than one person stopped and stared at our group as we entered Silverdale proper. I guided us to Grant’s house and our escort followed. I felt like I headed a parade through the streets.

Grant wasn’t in residence. Cook recognized me and complained that she didn’t have any warning so no dinner would be forthcoming.

“Some of your delicious bread and cheese with any fruit that you can scrounge will be wonderful, thank you.”

“Yes, My Lord, I can do that.”

“Thanks, I’ll wash up.” Chandra and I had a late quiet dinner, I wanted to see Sergeant Vernors or whatever his name is and the chandler before we left in the morning. I’m not sure what I could do if they hadn’t distributed the coins but I had to at least try. The last time that I was here I killed a wizard that had been preying on little girls and after making the local garrison clean his house, a nightmarish task at that, I had to threaten to kill some of them in order to get them to cooperate but they did. I wanted to make them see what looking away from evil cost them and their town. Maybe, just maybe, the soldiers and residents would not be so quick to do so next time. I had found a money pouch and had the senior sergeant and the local goods store owner distribute the coins to the families of the missing children. If it hadn’t been taken care of heads will roll, this I had promised before I departed with Megan and company.

Feeling restless, I went to Grant’s garden. The overcast mostly moonless night hid the damage that my aggravation towards Grant caused to his once beautiful garden. Drawing my sword, I knelt and prayed for Understanding. There were too many things that I had let slide of late. Things like: what exactly is a Wizard Lord, what are my responsibilities associated with it and what bonuses are involved. I have also been called a Sword Saint. What is that? What’s Chandra’s father going to do about me killing one of his dukes? Then there is Steven’s family? How are they reacting to his death? Why did Megan react so strongly to my defending myself against her father, what was the real reason that she banished me? I didn’t kill her father and if she was really mad at me, she would have handled it differently. The Production that she did was for some other reason, one that I didn’t have access to. I prayed that Yolanda could keep her safe from her father and the powers behind the scene.

I had been acting the bull in a china shop, or is that the bully?

This is a society that might makes right and I seemed to have the might. At least more physical might than anyone else that I have met. Does that make me always right? No, but I have been acting as if it were the case. Also ... also ... I believe that my surety convinces others that they should go along with me if there had been any doubt in their mind before I came along.

What am I going to do with Chandra? Not that I think I have much of a choice besides sending her back to Mother Browynn. No. Shit. She’s not going anywhere and we both know that. It’s just a matter of time before she had me wrapped up.

As for Megan’s real reasons behind her actions, I didn’t suspect that I will ever learn and would always bother me. I ended my pondering and drew my sword and started working out the kinks that a long two day ride causes. I made sure that with my enhanced vision that I didn’t do Grant’s garden any further harm. Throughout most of my workout the distraction of my thoughts kept me from much of anything besides exercise.

I was too focused to even notice that a small group watched my shadowy movements until I was finished. To them I bowed as I left to retire for the night. The soldiers saluted me and followed me in. Over the last day, I had become used to none of soldiers speaking to me directly, it was odd they were respectful but they kept their distance. Since I didn’t do anything out of the normal, they seemed to be content on just following my lead.

“Tomorrow, I would like to meet with Sergeant Verner and the chandler’s daughter. If the chandler wants to come too, he is also invited. Would you see to it that those three at his shop before we leave in the morning? I would like to make sure that the families of the missing children have been compensated correctly.” I addressed the two soldiers that followed me up the stairs. The one on the left nodded, feeling better about the situation I wished them a good evening and adjourned to my room for the night.

Morning came early again as Chandra tapped on my door announcing that I had visitors. Hell, the predawn light hadn’t even crested the horizon yet. Assuming that it was the meeting that I set up the previous night, I casually washed and dressed. Surprisingly my assumption was incorrect. In the main room waiting for me stood a Sister and her Postulant, the Sister scowled at my late nonchalant arrival.

The squat young Sister wore her shoulder length muddy-brown hair longer than the normal bob of most Priestesses of Kassandra. Her wrists stood out on her stout frame, they had to be the same thickness as her forearms. I had seen that effect on an old Korean master and on my roommate’s father who was a roofer, but no one else to that extent and certainly not on a woman who wasn’t fat. I would bet that her upper body was sculpted but her white robes hid too much for me to know for sure. They both looked exhausted. That they showed me how tired they actually were, proved that they left after I did and must have rode all night to catch up to me. I bet they didn’t even stop for anything short a minimal rest, whatever they wanted had to be important.