Red Leaves and the Living Token (14 page)

“No.” Rinacht answered.

Off to the right, several of the distant tree trunks, far enough that they were still grey silhouettes in the fog, grew in size faster than the others. As though they were moving forward towards them.

“Wait.” Hander signaled in the direction of the subtle movement.

The trunks appeared to be growing darker and larger as though they were coming towards them out of the fog.

“Are those trees moving?” Rinacht asked.

“Look.” Handers signaled to the other side of the wagon. More thick trunks moved towards them, clearly separating themselves from the rest of the trees.

Rinach turned to look behind them. Handers followed. Sure enough another handful of grey silhouettes slid towards them without making a sound.

“I think we have company.”

The silhouettes took on more and more detail as they got closer. The tall, slender trunks seemed to be made up of smaller appendages. At the base of the appendages, Handers could start to make out the features of a face.

“Botann Soldiers!” Handers yelled. “Bears defend!”

The Bears stood up on their hind legs with a series of ear rattling ROARS then quickly formed a perimeter around the wagon.

Without warning, thick vine like cords shot out of the grey mist and whipped around the necks of the Bears. Before they could react, another volley came at them from another direction, whipping with a snap around their legs and arms.

The Bears pulled against the cords fiercely, breaking all but the thickest. With any free arm, they ripped and tore with their massive claws.

Another volley of the cords came in a wild flurry, whipping and snapping. Then another and another until the bears were overwhelmed and immobilized. The cords tightened further, lifting the massive beasts into the air over the water.

Handers watched in horror as his buffer of safety vanished. He’d never seen anything like this before. Completely unprovoked. What could they have possibly done to warrant such an attack?

Another slurry of cords shot out of the fog, this time ensnaring Rinacht and Handers.

“Ah!” Handers cried as the rough vines ripped at his skin.

With a loud crack, the cords tightened and yanked them off the wagon. Handers sucked in a deep breath as he watched the surface of the water spinning up towards him. He felt the splash and immediate shock of cold. His mouth opened instinctively for air but got nothing but water. He opened his eyes in alarm, trying to find the surface.

He could see light above him. But as he tried to kick and swim his legs didn’t move. He was bound too tightly. Alarm turned to panic. He couldn’t move and couldn’t breath.

Then with a jolt something else moved him. The cords dragged him underwater towards something. He had no idea to what until his feet lifted up onto ground followed at last by his head. He was above water, spitting and gasping. Who was doing this? Why?

After he cleared his lungs enough to breath, he looked over for Rinacht. He was lying next to him a few feet away wrapped in vines like a cocoon. From what he could see they had been pulled up onto a small island of dry earth in the middle of the swamp.

He felt strong hands pulling at him, then his body rolled and he was on his back with a violent thump. A ring of Botann soldiers stood above him. One, who was standing in front of the rest, signaled to the other as he said something in a language Handers didn’t understand. Then he knelt down close to Hander’s face.

“I suggest you help us find what we're looking for.” The Botan said quietly in Zo.

The vine covering Handers mouth slithered back enough to let him speak.

“Take it! What ever it is, take it.” Handers exclaimed.

A loud crash erupted beside them. Handers craned his neck in the direction of the noise.

The Botann Soldiers had tipped his wagon, splitting it in half, and spilling his provision onto another small, elevated dry spot a few feet away. Two soldiers stood on top of the pile of provisions holding up a crate before tossing it down and smashing it open, it’s contents spilling into the swamp.

The Botan who had knelt beside him suddenly grabbed the vines around Hander’s chest and lifted him up into the air as he stood. He pushed his face nose to nose with handers.

“Tell me where it is before I lose my patience.” He snarled.

The vines tightened all over Handers' body, cutting into his skin and causing excruciating pain. He gasped, the air knocked out of him. The pain was so intense he couldn’t think. He couldn’t think of an answer to the demand.

A short distance behind the soldier, another who was standing guard turned from something he was watching and glanced back at the soldier holding handers.

“Captain!” He called in alarm.

The captain shifted his attention away from Handers and looked back at the guard. Immediately the vines around Handers loosened allowing him to gasp for air. The soldier standing guard gestures toward a ring of lights in the distance, glowing through the fog. The lights were bobbing up and down slightly as they grew closer, brighter.

“It’s an Attack!” Screamed the captain.

The Botann soldiers jumped down from the wagon debris and swooped into a formation around the captain.

One of the soldiers jumped towards the closest tree and wrapped his body around its trunk, slowly melding with it, conforming his body to its shape. The tree shook violently, then cords shot out from its branches, dropping down like rain towards the approaching ring of fire.

With a quiet swish, a single arrow with a burning tip cut through the air arcing down towards the soldier wrapped up with the tree. A burst of flame exploded with a loud crack as the arrow knocked the soldier down into the water.

The remaining soldiers tightened their ring formation around their captain.

“Hold your position!” He yelled.

In a sudden burst of speed, the ring of lights erupted out of the fog revealing a mob of horse men galloping wildly with crossbows, tips lit a fire, held out in front of them. In a blur of splashing water, they circled in around the tight pack of Botan soldier and stopped with their cross bows locked on their close targets.

Another horseman emerged from the thick fog and rode up behind them. The furthest horses parted quickly, allowing him to approach the Botans. He splashed his large horse through the muddy water up to the Captain, splashing mud on him. Handers recognized him immediately. It was the man from the black carriage that offered them help.

“These men are my guests on this property! Why have you attacked?” The man shouted with authority.

The Botan captain pushed his men out of the way and approached the man on the horse. “All Zo are guests in this land! We are acting under order to search and seize any Zo traveling off main roads in this jurisdiction. You would be wise to do as we instruct.”

“Who's orders?” The horseman asked.

The Captain laughed. “We don't answer questions of the Zo.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“I know what you are.” The captain answered with indignation.

The Zoen man on the horse signaled his men to move in.

“You are trespassing and will now be escorted off the property of the Manea Trading Guild.”

The Captain's eyes widened. He stammered, “Wha.. Ah... Lord Valance? I'm so sorry. I wasn't aware.”

He turned to his men and yelled, “Stand Down! Stand Down.”

Lord Valance put his hand up to signal his men to lower their crossbows.

“Again, who gave you your orders?” Valance demanded. “I would hate to think you were here of your own accord.”

“We're under the command of the Holy Cleric's Private Guard. They'll verify.” The Captain squirmed as he answered.

“Let’s hope they do.” Valance grunted as he dropped down off his horse and splashed towards the little island where Handers was still being held up in the vines.

“Put this man down immediately.” He demanded.

“Of course.” The Captain hurried behind Valance and grabbed one of the large vines holding Handers. Immediately the cocoon holding Handers lowered to the ground. The vines loosened but were still so intertwined the shell around him remained intact.

Valance knelt down beside him.

“I'm sorry for your troubles Mr. Handers. It pains me to see any Zo treated this way.”

He opened his palm near the vines causing those close to his hand to blacken, wither and drop away.

The Captain turned to the soldier next him. “Release the prisoners.”

The vines slithered back, unraveling Handers completely. Valance reached down and helped him to his feet.

“Thank you.” Handers whispered, his lungs still not fully recovered.

“Once more I'm here to offer you assistance. This time I insist.” Valance said with a smile.

Handers glanced over at Rinacht who stared back at him with a look of disgust.

“What? He didn't offer clean sheets or a bath.” Hander said with a laugh interrupted with a cough.

He turned back to Lord Valance. “I accept. We are humbly in your debt.”

“We'll keep some men here to salvage what they can from your wagon and see to your wounded animals. In the meantime, I suggest we move quickly least we find ourselves out numbered. I’ll have someone look over your injuries as soon as we’re out of this area. Can you ride?”

Handers nodded.

-

Raj’s heart jumped with excitement. Unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, just visible through the fog a line stretched across the horizon. It looked like grass and smaller shrubbery. Dry land! The edge of the swamp!
 
He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it until he saw it in front of him. The freedom to run away if he needed.

Sure enough, it was only a few moments before the hoofs of the horse he and Rinacht were riding splashed water and mud up onto the dry earth. Their horse snorted as it struggled to climbed up the steep embankment, forcing Hander and Rinacht to grab onto the saddle to keep from sliding off.

The Botann soldiers glided effortlessly through the water in front of their armed horsemen escort. Lord Valance had felt it necessary for everyone’s security to require the Botann soldiers to accompany them to Shishkameen.
 

Raj had no idea this kind of thing happened. They’d been on peaceful terms with the Botan for 50 years. People came and went across the borders without any problems that he was aware of.

Yet out here, without anyone else watching, they could be attacked and almost killed by Botan soldiers? And then take the same soldiers prisoner? Seemed like acts of war to him.
 

“Please tell me this is the end of the swamp!” Rinacht proclaimed with excitement.

“What? I thought you liked rocks and mud.” Raj said with a smile.

Rinacht's rigid stone like skin furrowed into a scowl. “Funny.”

Raj turned back to the front. Faintly, through the trees he could see a patterned arrangement of shapes.

“Uh oh.” Rinacht said.

Handers strained to make out a few wagons and carriages, then what looked like rows of tents weaving in and out between the trees.

“More company.” Raj said quietly, fear creeping back into his voice.

There were several rows of wagons. All angled to form a semi circle. And the tents filled in the center. He could even see smoke billowing up from several camp fires and Zo men in uniform rushing around. At least they were Zo.

“No, my friends, this is our logging for the evening.”

“You know them?” Hander’s asked.

Lord Valance laughed. “They work for me. We're establishing
 
a new trade route along this side of the swamp to service the local growers.”

Handers let out a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted right now was trouble. A bed and a hot meal sounded like heaven. So much so he didn’t dare let himself get too excited. Not until they were actually sitting in front of a fire with food in hand.

“What do you do, Lord Valance, if you don't mind my asking?” He asked timidly.

“I grow Manea.” Valance answered with a smile.

-

Handers carried a tin plate of food with his freshly bandage arm over to a small table and sat down on a cot. They’d been given a tent for the evening, small but clean and private. Two cots, a table with an oil lamp and a few boxes.

“Should be comfortable enough.” Handers said plainly as he tested the firmness of his cot.

“Enough? As opposed to what?” Rinacht asked. “Lying in the mud under the trees? It'll be more than comfortable."

Handers pushed on his cot, testing the firmness, then gave it a good bounce. It let out a low creak as it absorbed his weight.

“What's wrong with the muddy ground?” He asked.

Rinacht rolled his eyes as he pushed a big spoonful of food in his mouth.

Handers pushed himself to his feet and carried his plate over to the folded entry flap of the tent.

“I'm gonna go ask Valance how far we are from the Shishkameen. And you know... see how nice his tent is.”

“Have a delightful time.” Rinacht said with a wave and a fake smile.

-

Handers wandered past several orderly rows of tents and stopped as a group of uniformed men carried an open crate of equipment past him. The equipment looked strange, nothing he recognized. What had Lord Valence said he was doing here? He tried to remember. Ah yes, something about a new trade route. Manea. So they were here to build a road? Shouldn’t they be cutting down trees and hauling in dirt? But then, what did he know?

None of the tents looked any bigger than any of the others. Nothing to indicate where Lord Valance might be. Perhaps there was more of the camp on the other side of the ring of wagons that formed a perimeter around them. He turned down the next row headed for the outer circle of carts, carriages and wagons. They were pushed in together tightly except for a few places where they had left a large gap, as a sort of gate way through the ring. But the gateways were crowded, and he didn’t want to have to explain where he was trying to go and what he was doing in the camp in the first place. Best to keep low, he thought.

So he found a relatively deserted section of the ring and squeezed between the back of a wagon and a fancy looking buggy, popping out on the other side. His leg caught on the wagon’s hitch causing him to stumble and catch himself awkwardly. He looked about to see if anyone saw, hoping he hadn’t made a scene.