Chapter Two
Contributor
Written by
jackie edwards
February 2013
Contributor
Written by
jackie edwards
February 2013

Quote of the Day

“The human eye is a wonderful device. With a little effort, it can fail to see even the most glaring injustice.” 
― Richard K. MorganAltered Carbon

 

Here is my second chapter, if there is anyone out there who would like to comment about spelling, grammar, content, the characters or the percentage of horse meat contained within , please feel free . lol

CHAPTER TWO

 

The road stretched out in front of her with certain doom waiting for her at the end. Rhian laughed and mentally shook herself. Don’t be so dramatic, she thought. It’s a job, that’s all. What did you expect? You knew that sooner or later you would have to leave home.

She hefted her bag more securely onto her shoulders and picked up her speed. There was a long way to go and she needed to reach the hall before evening. Her instructions from the Factor had been very clear. There would be no entry to the hall after dark. If she had started out  earlier she could have had a lift partway there with Sam the carter, but she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Who knew when she would get time to herself again?

In another half fleck  she would reach the village, hopefully she could stop and eat the wedge of bread and cheese her mother had put in her bag  and wash it down with a  long, cool drink at the pump in the marketplace.

The sun had risen higher in the sky as the day wore on and she was already regretting wearing her  jacket, she stopped and bundled it up,  thrusting it into her pack.

Gradually the village came into view through the shimmering heat haze rising from the road. As she entered the square heading for the pump she passed a trestle table set up outside the inn. Seated behind it was the fattest soldier  she had ever seen. He was wearing sergeant’s stripes and the colours of Duke Marter, a knot of blue and white cloth tied to his upper arm and another hanging from the pike that had been propped against the table. She had heard of Marter’s Rogues of course, who hadn’t? The duke was the impoverished son of Rokval, Duke of Lindain, who had wasted the families assets gambling at court. Even the ancetral home, a castle  in the remote Drakens Mountains had been lost, and now his son and his levy fought for others while he tried to rebuild the family fortune.

Standing a little way away from the table was a small group of village boys, and one or two girls.  There was much good natured pushing and shoving as each of them manoeuvred to get to the head of the queue. 

The sergeant raised his head, took a noisy swig from the mug at his elbow, and with a bored gesture he signed to his corporal to beckon  the first of them forward. Rhian perched on the wooden trough near the pump and watched with interest as they spoke. Although she was not close enough to hear what was said, she knew that they were most likely on a recruitment run. It was no secret that the Rogue’s had lost men last season, fighting Tancred’s army and now that it was time to move out of their winter camp they needed more troops urgently if they were to land a contract.

As she watched the proceedings she saw two people slip around the corner of the inn and head directly for the table. She watched curiously as they hesitated, and then turned towards her. A whispered argument ensued,  the girl snatched her arm free from the others grasp and  they both headed straight  for  the pump.

She nodded at them as they drew water and then returned her attention to the scene at the inn. A tall, skinny boy was arguing with the sergeant. Rhian knew the boy, his name was Walter and he was the youngest son of Black Jack Golos, so named because of his foul temper. It was rumoured that he was hard on his wife and harder still on his children.No wonder Walter wants to enlist,  Rhian thought.  As he raised his voice Rhian could hear what he was complaining about. It seemed that the sergeant had told him that he was too young. As he turned away, shoulders hunched, Rhian could see a fresh black eye marred his youthful face.

Her view was suddenly blocked by the couple who had now finished pumping water. The girl was angrily pointing at the sergeant and the boy was trying to pull her away. 

“Why not? If we enlist then we’ll be safe. Once we have taken our oath to the Duke then no-one can force us to do anything we don’t want to do. I’m going to join up , its up to you whether you come with me or not.” 

The girl was shouting now and attracting the attention of almost everyone in the square. The boy tried in vain to hush her. Rhian stood and moved to one side politely, whatever was going on was no concern of hers and she didn’t want to interfere.

“Kesh, think it through will you? They may well be looking for us, we need to leave now.”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying do Mal. Can you think of a better place to hide than as two of Duke Marter’s Rogues. No-one will think of looking for us there and if they do find us we will still be safe, safer than we are on our own.”

“Safe? We would be soldiers, Kesh, mercenaries. I don’t think that safe is the right way to describe it.” The boy smiled and as he looked around his smile included Rhian, she could not help but return it.

“Please tell my sister here, that it is a mad scheme.”

Rhian looked at them, standing anxiously in front of her. “ I don’t know what you are running, from so perhaps it’s best if I don’t get involved.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack Golos stagger out of the inn, he blinked in the sunshine then caught sight of Walter who was still hanging around the recruiter.

“You little…”

Rhian made her mind up, she couldn’t sit and watch Walter get hurt again. He was one of the few village boys who didn’t mock her about her height, she had always thought of him as  the younger brother she had never had.

Stepping between Jack and his son she addressed the sergeant. “We want to enlist, both of us.”

He looked up at her and squinted. “You, we’ll take, but he’s too young and skinny, come back next year boy, when you’ve put some muscles on them arms of yours.”

She fended off Jack with one arm, his beery breath making back up a step. “He’s old enough now and he’s a good marksman with the bow, both long and cross.”

The sergeant grinned at her, “Your sweetheart is he? Well we shouldn’t  separate you two then” he winked at her.

“No, no, he’s my brother.” Rhian had no idea why she had lied.

Jack tried to reach around Rhian again to get at Walter.

“C’mere boy’”

Exasperated, Rhian shoved his shoulder and he fell, landing on his back, after a few seconds he began to snore.

The sergeant let out a long, low whistle as he looked at Rhian and then at Jack, laying on the ground like a fallen tree.

He produced two copper coins from the leather satchel in front of him, and, giving one each to Rhian and Walter, pointed at the small group standing by the corporal 

“Stand over there with the others.”

As they joined the small group of recruits, Rhian whispered to Walter. 

“What about your mother, don’t you need to see her before we leave?”

“It was ma’s idea, after what da did to me last night,”he muttered. “She thought that it was best I get away. I’m coming back for her though, one day, and m’brothers and sisters too.” As he spoke he gingerly rubbed  his eye from . Rhian had to admire his courage, he was young and afraid but she could see that he was determined to return one day for his family. He would need that inner strength.

Rhian looked back into the square, the arguing couple at the pump had vanished. She shrugged her shoulders and leaning back against the rough stone wall of the inn, she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth from the sunshine on her face and wondered how she was going to explain this to her parents.

 

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