Ties of Blood (5 page)

Eloen smiled back trying to keep the stench coming off the men from making her vomit. “No my companions went off to see if they could find a suitable crossing, they should return shortly. So I am not currently in need of any help, but I thank you for your offer.”

“What kind of companions leaves a lady such as yourself alone and defenseless. You should come with us. I give you my word you won’t be left on your own.” One of other men said. He a slightly taller man with greasy brown hair and facial hair that held bits of food that had been tangled in it for who knows how long.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t, but as I said my companions will be returning shortly.”

“Sadly I must insist that you accompany us.” The thin man said reaching to grab hold of her.

Eloen jumped up from where she sat bringing her sword around and holding it out toward the nearest of the men. “I would suggest you get back on your horses and find someone else to harass.”

“Now why don’t you put that down? We can’t have any fun if you get yourself killed.” The man in front of her said taking a step toward her laughing.

“I know what kind of fun your thinking of and I would much rather be dead than to touch one of your flea ridden bodies.” Eloen said taking a tentative step back.

“If that’s the way you want it, but dead or alive were going to have some fun my dear.”

Eloen had heard enough. These men were nothing short of animals that looked like they were human. Stepping forward she caught the surprised man right in the throat almost serving his head. The other men cursed her as they unsheathed their own weapons. She tried no to laugh at the condition their swords were in. Nicked and battered and looking as dull as the men’s wits in front of her she wasn’t even sure they could cut a piece of hot bread.

Even three against one it was easy to parry their sloppy attacks. She knew she shouldn’t play with them but it was something to entertain her while she waited for her friends to return. Each time one of the men made an attack she punished them buy only making a small cut. Before long the men were dripping blood from a series of small wounds. They knew they were outmatched but something in their minds kept them attacking, as if they believed she would simply throw down her sword and surrender.

While she played with the men she heard another horse in the distance. She was sure it was a lone horse but couldn’t risk that it was anyone other than one of her friends. It didn’t take long to finish off the three unskilled brigands. When the last one fell to her blade she quickly cleaned off her blade and returned it to its hidden place underneath her bedroll. She tried to move the bodies but the stench they gave off turned her stomach, she hated to see what they would smell like once they started to bloat.

A few moments later riding hard Darryl reigned in next to the small camp she had made. “I head the ring of steel. What happened?” He asked looking around at the bloody carnage that littered the ground.

“The men wanted me to entertain them, so I did, just not in the manner they were expecting.” Eloen said kicking the dead body of the nearest brigand.

“I see, sounds fair enough to me.” Darryl said swinging down from his horse. “I found a place to cross. It’s only a little over an hour away. I think we can reach the town tonight as long as Ballard returns soon. Honestly even if he doesn’t get back until after dark I would still rather head for town. I never did enjoy sleeping near the dead. It’s just kind of creepy.”

Eloen could understand what he meant. Not to mention more than a little blood had sprayed across her bedroll. She could try to wash it but there was no way it would dry before the sun set without a large fire. Just in case she had Darryl carry the bodies off a way as she began to try and get the blood off of her belongings without having to emerge them completely underwater.

Ballard returned a short time before the sun reached the base of the horizon. A disapproving frown spread across his face as he stared at the camp. “What happened while I was gone? You didn’t finally cut off Darryl’s manhood did you?”

“No just had some trouble with some brigands that wanted more than I was willing to give. If you didn’t find anything closer Darryl found a crossing about an hour away.” Eloen said laughing.

“I found one but it’s a little over two hours, give or take. You want to go ahead and head to town? We could get a good sleep and reach it in the morning without having to worry about having to ride in the dark in unfamiliar territory.”

“I would prefer to have a hot meal and some walls around me.”

“Fair enough, well then we better get going if we want to have a chance to get to town before the sun sets.”

It didn’t take long for the three to get mounted and on their way. The ride was peaceful but the sun was setting quickly. When they reached the small bridge only half the sun still peeked over the mountains in the distances, outlining them in a mix of dark orange laced with red. It was a majestic view but it was also a warning that what little light they had left was beginning to wane.

Quickening their pace the three rode hard in the direction of the village. Their race to outrun the darkness was a harsh battle that left Eloen more than a little sore in the saddle. She had ridden since she had been a small child but she had always wore riding leathers and without them she was beginning to chafe in uncomfortable areas.

They reached the town right as the last bit of light was swallowed by the darkness. The village was small with muddy roads and empty streets. The village’s only inn had a painted sign of a stag. When they walked in the scent of wine and cooked lamb hung in the air. The smell of the food wasn’t the most appetizing but after the ride all she really wanted to do was sit down.

As soon as they sat at a table a young waitress with a ragged look took their order. It didn’t take long before a bowl of what she assumed was mutton stew was placed in front of her. While there was plenty of meat in the bowl there were few vegetables not to mention it was heavily spiced burning her throat as it went down. Taking a drink from her glass of ale she found it much more flavorful than she had expected. It had a bold flavor that went down smooth. She had to give the Ablaians credit they knew how to brew a tasteful ale.

After the meal the three retired to their rooms. They were small and it didn’t look like they had been cleaned after their last visitors. They were far from the best accommodations she had seen but neither were they the worst. Slipping on her battle leathers so she would have a layer between her and the sheets she crawled into bed. The stress from the past few days crashed down on her as she closed her eyes carrying her into a deep sleep.

CHAPTER V

Eloen woke as the first vestiges of lights streamed into her room though the small window. Yawning as she stretched her stiff muscles, wincing as her legs began to cramp. It had been years she had felt so bad after a day of riding. She knew her legs would be sore from standing in the stirrups all day to keep from rubbing her bare skin against the saddle would cause some soreness but she wasn’t ready for this. She slowly rose letting the pain trickle away as she stared out the window at the row of slate roofs of the small village. She could see people beginning to fill the streets below, wandering about on their business. It wasn’t a bustling town by any means but there were a lot more than she had initially expected.

Pulling on the plain dress her stomach began to growl in complaint of the meal the night before. She was slightly hungry but she wasn’t sure if she could stand too much more of the rich Ablaian cuisine. Deciding to skip the meal Eloen stopped by the men’s room and knocked loudly. It took a while for Ballard to answer and when he did, it looked as if he had revisited the common room after she had went to bed for a few more rounds of drinks. Ballard tried to hide it but Eloen knew he enjoyed a good drink when it was available. She tried not to rib him about it unless it interfered with his performance and he seldom let it come to that.

“I’m going into the market and see if I can’t pick up a few things. Need to me to grab anything while I’m there.” Eloen asked keeping her voice low, but Ballard still winched with the utterance of each word.

“Not unless you can find a way to take some of that ale with us. I haven’t had something that good in years.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but you need to take it easy. You look as if someone tied you to a pack of mules and let them drag you through the village square.” Eloen said laughing.

“They might have, I can’t really remember. I didn’t expect the ale to hold as much of a punch as it did. Started with just one mug but before I knew what happened I woke with what feels like a small army fighting in my skull. Not the first time in my life I had one too many drinks.” Ballard said holding his head with his hand as if he was trying to keep it from falling off.

Leaving Ballard to his misery Eloen went down to the common room to inquire about the location of the shops. She was surprised to learn the town only had one store and that it was located only a few doors down from the inn. Even the poorest of the villages in Farlan had two or three shops to cater to the needs of the residents and passing merchants.

It didn’t take long for Eloen to find the store. It was rather large but given that it sold everything from clothes to weapons. Once inside she was greeted by the shopkeeper, an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair. “Can I help you?”

“
Yes I need a few new dresses and if you have them I could use some leather shorts to wear when I’m riding.”

The old man let out a short laugh. “I’m sure we have a few things that will fit you. If I have to I can always take them in a bit, most the ladies around here tend to be a tad thicker than you are dear. When was the last time you had a good meal?”

Eloen gave the old man a kind smile. “I eat well enough, but my family keeps me busy, hard to put on any weight when you constantly moving about.”

“Well tell them to let you settle down a bit. You aren’t ever going to catch a man with that skinny frame, they’ll all think you’re sick of something. At the very least, you got a very pretty smile on you. Don’t give up lass I’m sure you can find you a good man if you keep trying, and my dresses can only help.” The man said giving her a knowing wink.

Eloen was able to find what she needed, though as the man had said they were a little big for her. The only thing she had trouble finding was riding shorts for underneath her dress but the man assured her he could simply alter some of the leather pants he had in stock. While she waited for him to take them in a little she browsed the other objects in the store. There was a large assortment of items that she had never seen before. There were plenty of rings expertly made worth much more than what was being asked. One ring caught her eye, it looked like the grass rings she used to make as a kid. She had the urge to buy all the jewelry the man had to offer but held herself back. They only had a limited amount of funds and it would be selfish for her to spend it on fripperies.

After a short wait she had two packages wrapped in a dark brown paper. All of the dresses she had picked out were plain but still looked good on her. She tried to go with an understated look in hopes that it would draw less attention. Once she was back in her room she quickly put on a pair of the leather riding shorts she had bought then slipped on one of the new dresses. It was a sky blue but it rode almost uncomfortably close to her neck. She wasn’t sure why the ladies in Abla liked to feel like they were being strangled but she was sure she would get used to it in time. The dress was heavy and had pockets like she wanted allowing her to cut slits in it without it being obvious or exposing herself when she moved wrong.

Shortly after she was dressed she met Darryl and Ballard in the common room. Darryl looked well rested but Ballard looked as if he hadn’t slept at all. She thought about giving him a hard time but decided against it, as it looked like he was receiving enough punishment having to listen to Darryl who was talking absurdly loud right into the man’s ear.

“Can I get your order?” the young waitress form the night before asked doing her best to shove her breasts into Darryl’s face. “Yes we will have whatever is hot and ready but please not as spicy as last night I don’t think our stomachs can handle that this early in the morning. Also is there any way we can get some of that ale from last night to take with us.”

The girl looked at Ballard the tried to stifle her laughter. “Oh yes, that’s Lucas’s special brew. He had miniature kegs of it, though it’s fairly expensive. Six silvers a barrel but it’s extremely popular.”

Digging out a small hand full of coins Eloen counted them out to the young girl. “Have them bring us four of the small kegs please, and make sure they’re sealed tight. I don’t want to have them break open when were on the back of our horses.”

“Yes my lady.” The waitress said before disappearing into the back.

The waitress brought out their meal which consisted of two eggs and a slightly spiced piece of thin slices of lightly spiced ham. It was tasty and didn’t set too heavily on her already delicate stomach. Before they finished their meal the four kegs were brought out. They were slightly larger than she had envisioned about the size of a large pail. She was sure she would be able to fit them in her travel pack, but barely.