Chapter 5

It only took three days on the road for Sid and Barson to work out a division of camp duties that each found acceptable. Their days started early with a cold breakfast. The cold breakfast allowed them to hit the trail only minutes after sunrise. After four hours of riding, they would break for a short lunch. After lunch, they'd ride until an hour before sunset while taking turns napping in the saddle. After Sid gathered wood and started a fire, Barson prepared a hot meal. While the dinner cooked, they would spar. Each night they used a different weapon. After dinner it would be dark.

They'd clean up camp and then each man would take a half night shift as lookout.

It was the afternoon of the fourth day when Barson, in a low voice, said, "We've got trouble heading our way."

Sid snapped awake with his hand going directly to his sword while his eyes sought out the threat. They were on a hill overlooking a herd of cattle and six men were riding hard in their direction.

Rather than draw the sword, he kept his hand on it so that he could react without presenting an immediate threat. He said, "I see six, are there more?"

Barson had been so focused on the six men approaching that he hadn't thought to check for a trap. He looked around to check that no one was approaching from the rear. The visibility was good and he could not see anyone coming up behind them. He answered,

"No."

Sid pulled on the reigns and brought his horse to a stop. He said,

"Let's make them come to us."

"Good idea," Barson said as he came to a stop. He waited while Sid brought his horse to his side. Sid left enough room between them so that their swords would not interfere with each other.

The approaching riders slowed down and approached at walk.

When they were close enough to make out individual features, Barson said, "Relax, I know them."

The oldest rider and a young rider who appeared to be his son took the center. Two riders split off to the sides in a move intended to flank Sid and Barson. Watching the action, Barson shouted, "Hello Gustov. Hello Olaf."

The oldest rider made a gesture and the other four riders dropped back behind him. He shouted back, "Ah, Barson. What are you doing out here?"

"I'm going to the Jones Citadel."

The riders stopped about ten feet away. Gustov, the oldest man, looked over a Sid with narrowed eyes. He saw that Sid had not taken his hand off his sword. Watching Sid, he asked, "Who's your intense looking friend?"

"I'm Sid Jones."

All of the men sat back on their horses with looks of surprise. In a manner that straddled being a question and a statement, Gustov said, "You are the nephew of Gerald."

"Yes."

"I can see that you are of a similar manner. He's a good man, your Uncle."

Nodding, Sid said, "Yes, he was."

Gustov didn't react to the use of the past tense. He said, "I take it you're going to the citadel to claim your holding."

"Yes, I am."

Wondering if Sid was the kind of man that would sit back and live off the legacy of his uncle, Gustov asked, "Then what?"

Barson answered, "We are heading south to see what's going on down there."

Surprised, Olaf asked, "Your father gave you permission to take on the slavers?"

"Yes he did."

"Lucky guy." Olaf's comment earned him a quick glare from his father.

"Yeah. It was his idea," Barson said.

Gustov looked at Sid taking the measure of the man with his eyes.

Deciding that he liked what he saw, he asked, "How long will you be at the citadel?"

"A month," Sid answered.

"Olaf will come by and ask if he can join you. If you choose to take him, he has my permission to go," Gustov said. As Olaf stared at his father, the older man turned his horse and said, "Let's get back to the cattle men."

Olaf stared at his father's back in shock. The look on his strong featured face broadcast his disbelief. Turning to Barson, he asked,

"Did he just say I could join you?"

"More or less," Sid answered with a curt nod of his head. It struck him odd that so many men were willing to send their sons on an adventure with him. He asked, "Did your father, Chuck, and Gerald ride together?"

Olaf nodded and said, "Yes. They were at the siege of Robert's Keep."

"That's where my dad lost his leg," Barson said.

Gesturing in Gustov's direction, Sid said, "I think he's getting tired of waiting for you."

Olaf grinned and turned his horse. As he rode away, he shouted,

"I'll be at the citadel as soon as possible."

"We'll be looking for you," Sid shouted back. He settled in his saddle and, turning to Barson, said, "Looks like we're collecting a troop."

"It sure does. You'll like Olaf. He's a cheerful fellow and always ready with a joke. He loves the ladies and they love him. Nobody is better at setting up a camp than him."

It was a couple of days later when the two young men approached the gates of the citadel. A guard at the gate stopped them by holding up his hand in the universal gesture to stop. Sid and Barson reigned in their horses and waited for the guard. The man walked over and asked, "What is your business here?"

Sid looked at the walls of the citadel. Two guards were in gate houses watching the exchange. Another two men were on the wall watching over the gate. He answered, "I'm here to meet with Bixby."

"What is your business with Bixby?"

Frowning at the intrusive question, Sid answered, "That's between Bixby and me."

It was the guard's turn to frown. He turned to the gate and shouted,

"Says he's here to meet with Bixby. Someone get Bixby."

A man from atop the wall left his position. Shaking his head at the sight, Sid couldn't believe that his uncle would let things be run in such a slipshod manner. He said, "One of the men from the guardhouse should have gone."

"Why?" the guard asked while studying Sid intently.

"You've got two of us down here. If we were not friendly, your guards at the gate house would have to deal with us on the ground where we can attack with advantage from horseback. We wouldn't be able to get to the men on the wall without getting through the gate and then climbing the wall. Having two men up there gives you a much greater advantage."

The guard shook his head and said, "You're just like your uncle.

The last time I did that he dressed me down something horrible."

Sid stared at the guard in confusion. With the surprise evident in his voice, he asked, "You know who I am?"

"Olaf showed up last night asking for you."

Upon hearing his name, a blond head appeared at the wall and he waved to Sid and Barson. His wide grin was visible even from the distance. He shouted down, "Hello, Barson. Hello, Sid."

Sid could understand how Olaf had arrived before them. He and Barson had ridden around the citadel checking it out from all sides.

There were two gates, one at each end of the town. Guard towers spaced along the wall and clear fields outside the walls assured that it would be difficult for a force of men to take them by surprise.

From the outside, it appeared to be a well designed fortification.

Sid shook his head and said, "I guess checking the security of the citadel should have taken a backseat to meeting Bixby. I hope the man isn't irritated."

"I'm not. After Olaf told me you were coming, I watched you ride around the citadel this morning. That was the kind of thing your uncle would have done. He'd check things out before people could try to pull the wool over his eyes," Bixby answered with a smile.

When Olaf had told him that Gerald's nephew was coming to claim the citadel, he had been worried. Even in the best of families, sons seldom took the same degree of care of their inheritance as the fathers had taken in acquiring it. He had been relieved to watch Sid circle the city, pausing at places to study the walls from a safe distance.

Barson listened to the exchange with interest. He had recognized Bixby right away and had wondered why the man had behaved in the manner he had. Once he had realized that Bixby was testing Sid, he fought back the urge to let Sid know what was happening.

He hadn't realized that the trip around the citadel was Sid's way of testing Bixby.

Sid leaned forward and offered his hand. He said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bixby. I'm Sid Jones."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sid. Let's go to the town hall and talk," Bixby said as he turned towards the gate. He led the two men to the center of town. Before they had gone a block, Olaf was walking beside them with a grin on his face. He had appreciated the little joke played on Sid.

As he walked beside Bixby leading his horse, Sid studied the city.

A single street connected the two gates. He noticed that giant gates were hung at each intersection. It took him a moment to realize what the intended purpose of the gates was. The buildings along the street were designed as a trap for any kind of force that might get through the main gates. He looked at the shopkeepers and could tell that each was a veteran of some campaign by the scars and missing limbs. He knew those men could fight and would fight with a great ferocity if the citadel were ever attacked. He commented, "It looks to me like each of the men here has campaign experiences."

"Noticed that, did you?"

"I have to say that I'm impressed by the defenses. This street is a killing field. Any army that got in through the gate would find themselves in a rough position."

Bixby shook his head and said, "I hope that we don't need them, but I fear that we may. This slavery thing is looking very ugly. An entire town was taken less than four weeks ride from here."

"That's why I'm here."

Stopping in the middle of the street, Bixby stared at Sid. He asked,

"This wouldn't happen to be the reason why Malcolm Chambers, Colonel Lee, and Danny Sun are sitting around in the Thieves Den?"

"I'm supposed to meet them at the Two Fish Inn."

"The Thieves Den is our nickname for the place," Bixby said.

Turning to Olaf and Barson, he said, "Why don't you two head over to the Two Fish Inn? I'll bring Sid over there when we are done with our discussions."

Turning to Sid, Barson asked, "Is that alright with you?"

"Sure. I don't know how long we'll be. I imagine there is a lot for me to learn about the citadel."

Olaf said, "I'll take your horse over to the stable for you and get your gear into a room at the Two Fish Inn."

Sid handed the reigns over to Olaf and said, "Thanks. I appreciate it. I'll be over there when I'm done talking with Bixby."

After a short walk, Sid found himself at the center of town. This was clearly the public area. The town hall occupied one corner, an open market occupied another corner, a large park with a public well occupied the third corner, and a barracks occupied the last.