Chapter 13: It only seems like an eternity

We left the Citadel in stages. Rogard would have his sneaks in front and behind as we traveled. It was hard to believe that our group now consisted of fifteen. There would be the seven of us traveling in the main body and two sets of two sneaks ahead and the same behind.

The King of Thieves had his stronghold in the southern mountains; he kept it there because it was nearly impossible to attack with a standing army. Thieves, being the counterpart of sneaks, simply melted away when they needed to. A large force could be seen for miles before it arrived, and this eliminated any chance of surprise by an approaching army. Our problem was that a small force had to be truly gifted if it was to succeed at this point. We were small and skilled, but could we overcome the odds? That was the question that none of us could answer.

Rogard had taken me under his wing and was discussing the ways that sneaks did their business. Every once in a while, Calvin would chime in about something and a small debate would erupt about the benefits or drawbacks of doing some particular task this way or that. You simply had to take it for what it was worth and let it go, or they would try to rally support for their respective positions.

Rogard had me looking for messages that the sneaks ahead of us had left as they traveled. When he started doing that I could not see anything out of the ordinary. Jasmine would giggle after we had passed something, so I knew that I missed it. The third day out I thought I spotted a twig that was twisted the wrong direction.

I mention it to Rogard, and he thanked me for the information and asked if I noticed the pile of road apples next to it, so much for learning the ways of the sneaks on my own. Calvin took pity on his blood brother, and began teaching me how to read signs. After a while, I was finding the signs left most of the time and actually was getting Rogard’s approval.

We would usually stop early in the afternoon to make camp. I learned that my movements while I was wearing my boots were much too loud, and once I had my boots off, I would learn to be much quieter. Jasmine, bless her soul, had brought me a pair of moccasins for the trip. If I was going to learn to move quieter it would be best done with something covering my tender feet.

We didn’t go anywhere far away from the others in camp. Rogard had me practicing walking quietly around in the camp. Then he had me change how I did and had me doing something different. Repeatedly, he had me doing it for over an hour until I stopped and ate dinner. There had to be something to this because I saw Tyler and Jane looking at each other and smiling. He would continue to drill me in the in the way to walk each day for the rest of the time before we got to the mountains. He never gave his approval easily, but he would give it when one had earned it.

The area we were traveling through was still in the relatively safe places. Nowhere on Chaos was completely safe, but these areas were Citadel controlled and protected lands. As we got farther out on the plains we would have less and less protection afforded to us. Everyone stood a watch; we needed to be doing that every night anyway, so it was good practice. I kept awake by practicing my quiet movements that I was learning.

The days were uneventful and drawn out as we traveled over wide open places. I thought I saw a horse one time, but it was such a quick glance that I wasn’t sure. Our travels shouldn’t have been boring doing what we were doing, but it simply was. Travel was simply slow and monotonous; your rear paid the price for that, but it was much better than walking.

So, we made our way into the last town in Citadel’s sphere of influence and found an inn there. We had been too long on the road and needed a bath and a night in a soft bed. The farther we had gone from the Citadel, the more we were discovering the smells that Chaos was so well known for.

No one much cared about the odor in the streets and the decay; we simply had to endure the smell.

The baths refreshed us, and the stew was a welcome break from the food we had been eating as we traveled. The eight sneaks didn’t stay the night with us, but I was certain that somewhere along the way they would get a warm meal if not a warm bed.

We decided to stay an extra day at the inn for additional rest and a chance to resupply. The road ahead would be tough enough and might cost more than one, if not all of us, our lives. I took some time to just walk around and talk with James. He and I had grown apart. It wasn’t what we wished for, but with circumstances being what they were, it simply happened. He assured me that while we had not been together, he was happy, and he had actually had more time to be with Kathy as we traveled. I asked where he saw himself fitting into the grand scheme of things once we had accomplished our mission. He replied that he was just a simple farmer and didn’t think about more that the farm and he turned and left to avoid discussing the subject further. It was not the answer I expected but with him leaving so suddenly I couldn’t explore it more.

Our day passed quickly and before I knew it Jasmine and I were in bed. As I held her, I thought of Beth and missed her. It seemed so long ago since I had last held her in my arms. I was living a life she could imagine, but her not being able to watch me gave me pause. I would tell her about it when I returned, but it wouldn’t be the same. Sleep finally overtook me, and we slept until the break of dawn.

Before we left the inn the next morning, we added some additional horses for the journey, and we started off towards the foothills of the great southern mountains. Calvin came over when we were about an hour out of town.

“I have not been this far south since the thieves sold me,” he said.

“How do you feel about going back?” I asked.

“It’s difficult for me. So much of what I learned about the Society was in those years I spent there. In some ways the life they took me from might have been worse. I barely remember my family at all.”

“How did they take you?”

“I was out in the woods behind my parents’ home, not far from it; then a man grabbed me, and covered my mouth. Then I was thrown over a horse; my captor was all I had to survive.”

“When we have completed this campaign, that will never happen to another child again.”

“I know, but when I look back at what I have experienced, I am here today with you because of it. It’s difficult to think what I might have been if I had not been taken.”

“If you had chosen to remain, you might be stealing children yourself now instead.”

“That was the other fork of the road,” he agreed.

Rogard eased his horse up then. “You know, another two or three years and everyone within a mile won’t hear you coming,” Tyler and Jane gave a small snicker.

“What’s so funny?”

“That is the same thing he tells everyone when they are starting to get better,” Tyler said.

“Now, you have ruined it for him, and he will think he is already there,” Rogard scolded.

“He was starting to get there three days ago, but we let him live soft for those two nights,” Calvin chirped in.

“I’ll show you soft living!” Calvin had been distracted and was looking away when I nudged my horse a little closer and caught him off guard. I poked two fingers into a soft underarm and twisted the skin in between them. He let go of the reins; however, I gave him a shoulder before he could grab them back. He was airborne for a second before he hit the ground with a thud.

He rolled over, jumped up and took off at a full speed towards me. I had been laughing at his antics of falling, and wasn’t prepared when he hit me with his flying body. We went ass over tea kettle onto the ground. He fell on top of me, damn that hurt. Our conflict rapidly became a rolling match on the ground, as I was not letting him get away. By the time it was over, Jasmine was just looking at us with disdain.

“Are you boys done yet?” Giving a tone that showed she was thoroughly disgusted with us.

“I was just thinking of taking a break; so, I might include you, my companion. I do remember how you enjoy a good roll on the ground,” I said in all seriousness.

“That I might, my Hero, but with the horses that are coming this way, we might want to wait until another time,” she snickered.

Calvin did not even stop to look; he was immediately back on his horse. I followed after him getting back on mine, and a patrol rode up a couple of minutes later. They stopped and met James who was in front now.