Chapter 8

Andrew

The light hurt. Andrew slammed his eyes shut. The sounds from outside hurt. His head was throbbing. He looked over, and instant panic set in. Brena was not beside him. He felt the blankets; they were cold, so she had not slept in them. He opened the flap and looked out. The morning light made him groan as his eyes tried to crawl back into his head. He crawled out and looked around but didn’t see her. He managed to stand and made his way to the privy spot. He looked down and saw where the brush had been pulled by something being dragged through it. Andrew noted the direction and began closing the camp. He packed both of their gear and struggled to carry both sets. Finally finding a spot where the packs could be secure, Andrew hid Brena’s pack. He pulled his bow free from the straps and strung it. He fixed the quiver on his back, then secured his sword at his side. Andrew had seen many men wearing the sheath under their left arm if they were right-handed. This made it easier to draw the blade and swing it as it came free.

He returned to where he thought Brena had been taken and followed the crushed brush. ‘These guys are not good at woodcraft, that’s for certain,’ he thought. Andrew blazed a tree, marking the way back to camp. He did this every few minutes to find his way back with Brena later. Andrew walked, hoping they were not good fighters. After an hour, he could smell fresh water in the breeze. Just before he broke free of the brush, he could hear the river flowing over some rocks. This river turned out to be broad, over two hundred feet across. He could see it was deep at this location. The tracks turned and went downstream from here. He followed the trail of crushed brush until he spotted the first sign of civilization. It was an abandoned, water-driven mill. Andrew pulled back into the tree line to stay out of sight. He also worked at being as quiet as possible. Aston had worked with him, but he wasn’t quite able to be as quiet as he needed to be.

Andrew drew abreast of the structure and peered around from a tree near the water’s edge. What he saw did not give him any good feelings. The building was worn and damaged. It was a wood and stone structure. The first-floor walls were made of stone. The upper floors were made of wood slats and planks. It was fifty feet wide, but he couldn’t tell how deep it went from his current view. The water wheel was missing many of the paddle boards that drove it. Rather than a sluiceway that ran water in from above, this mill used the river to move the wheel from below. The wheel was barely in the water from what he could see. The summer had not been as wet as the spring. The water level was down. The roof was a typical-looking A-frame structure.

Andrew could see several holes in the side facing him. The downstream end had a flat section rather than a peak. There, he could see one man on guard. The watcher was sitting on what might be a stool. Andrew couldn’t tell at this distance if the man was actually looking around or sleeping on the job. Moving upstream, Andrew began looking for a safe place to cross the small river. It only took five minutes or so for him to spot what looked to be a shallow that ran across the river. He probed the water with a long stick he had picked up. It seemed to be knee-deep in this section. He removed his boots and under socks, then rolled up his leggings as far as they would go. As soon as his feet entered the water, he knew he must hurry. The water was freezing cold. Probing carefully ahead for drop-offs, he made his way across. He had to step carefully because the bottom, while firm, was slippery. Just as he reached the mid-point, the stick went deep. He could tell it would be up to his neck if he went on this way. Andrew probed up and downstream until he found a spot that allowed him to continue crossing without getting dunked. The next problem was the high bank on that side of the river. The ground rose in a steep incline six feet over his head. When he tried to climb, the soil broke away in his hands. None of the tree roots would hold his weight either.

Working his way back downstream in the freezing water, Andrew finally found a climbable low bank. Once on dry land, he pushed as much water off his legs and feet as possible. He used a towel from his pack to finish drying. Andrew knew he risked a fungal infection if he put the socks and boots on while wet. When dressed, he began the trek back to the mill. Since he was upstream, the guard on the roof could not see him right away. As he came into sight of the building, he could see it was only thirty feet deep as viewed from across the river. On this side of the mill, there was one opening, a window. The glass was broken, and the shutters hung loosely, looking ready to fall off at the first breeze.

Andrew first avoided the window, then decided to look inside to check for others. He couldn’t imagine a lone man sitting on the roof acting as a guard. Andrew got down and crawled towards the opening, making as little noise as possible on the dusty ground. He kept his eyes on the window, hoping nobody would look out while he was in the open. His luck held, making it to the wall. He rose up and slowly stepped back to the window. From the right side, he couldn’t see much. The room was gloomy to his sun-dazzled eyes. He didn’t see anybody from this angle. The only item he saw was a broken barrel in the far corner.

Andrew ducked down and slipped under the window to see the other side of the room. As he moved closer, he could make out what appeared to be a bed. He could see legs sticking out from a cover as he reached the edge. The ankles were bound with rope and tied to the foot rail, preventing escape. He peaked around the corner and saw a man. He was sitting on an old chair, looking away from the window. Now he could see the hair of the person tied down. It was a copper-red and long. He was able to make out part of the face of Brena, tied down and gagged. Andrew felt his blood boil in rage, but he fought the urge to climb in and attack the lone guard. The man on the roof would surely hear any struggle below him.

Brena saw his movement at the window, carefully looking his way without drawing the guard’s attention to what she was looking at. Andrew motioned for her to remain still. She let her head sink back to the hay-stuffed mattress. Andrew drew back and slowly made his way to the front of the building. He could see a set of closed doors in the center of the wall. Taking note of a hole in the wall a few feet from the doors, he would have to duck under it in case somebody was in the room beyond. He listened, and he could faintly hear two voices inside. One was a man, the other he thought might be a woman. Andrew paused at the opening and listened.

“Damn, you beat me again.” This was the woman. “How is it you always win at cards?” Her voice was a silky contralto. Most men would get hot hearing her speak.

“I am good at these games and lucky, Hara. Time to pay up.” The man’s voice was deep and gruff.

“Ok, ok. Give me a minute. I don’t want my clothes messed up like last time,” Hara said. “How do you want it this time?”

After a moment, he said, “Bend over the table, woman.” There was a pause, “Spread your legs nice and wide,” a pause, “Better.” Andrew heard the woman grunt, and he knew what was happening. He might be able to take them both while they were occupied.

Andrew ducked under the opening to avoid casting a shadow over the gap. He reached the doors and slowly gripped the handle on the far door. Andrew pulled lightly, and he could feel it was loose. Carefully, he let his pack down, then drew his short sword free. After taking a few deep breaths, he pulled the door open and spun as he entered the room. He was facing where he thought the two were. At the sound of the door opening, the man turned his head to look. Startled, he pulled out of Hara just as Andrew struck him.

Andrew wasn’t sure these people were criminals, but they had kidnapped Brena. That was enough for him. His first strike drove up under the man’s left arm, then out just under his neck. Andrew pulled the sword free, and the man dropped on Hara, pinning her to the table. Not wanting to kill her, Andrew smacked her at the base of her skull hard enough to knock her out. The fight had been quick and quiet so far. The guard on the roof had not been alerted. The guard with Brena had heard the two as they began screwing, then the silence. He opened the door and had his weapons, a pair of long, thin daggers. Andrew heard the door open and barely spun away to avoid getting skewered. His counter was blocked by the man’s off-hand. Andrew had to back away as the other dagger was swung at his face.

The guard yelled, “Turuk, get down here now. I could use a hand!” Andrew could hear the roof guard moving, so he had to end this quickly. Of the group, Andrew was the only one who hadn’t exhibited a new ability since the flash. This left him with his hard-won skills and training. Andrew swung low, forcing his opponent to draw back a step. It also caused him to lower his daggers to block the sword. Andrew stepped in, giving the man a fast punch in the face with his left hand, crushing the man’s nose and sending blood flying. He pulled his hands to his face without thinking, forgetting to drop his daggers first. Andrew ended the fight, driving the dagger into the man’s right eye. He staggered back and fell, hitting the door he had come in from, blocking it open.