Wayward Soldiers Read online

Out the corner of my eye, Damaris tensed.

  “Yeah,” said another. “Do we wait until the bandits are right on top of us before we make a decision about what to do? By the time that comes, the only decision we’ll be making is what to hand over to them first, the last of our possessions or our wives and daughters.”

  The crowd went eerily silent. People looked longingly at their loved ones, likely thinking about what a group of raiders would do to them. I doubted anyone expected a nice peck on the cheek and a dance in the streets.

  Dozens of voices erupted once more, and this time the townspeople surged forward in an effort to force Rezub into a more concrete solution. The sheriff’s surviving deputies surrounded the mayor and tried to reason with the people, but it was obvious that reasoning would not work with a group of men thinking about their wives and children being raped and abused.

  “Pa, do something!” said Zadok, tugging my arm.

  “I don’t know what you want him to do,” Myra said, finally speaking up.

  He ignored his sister. “Talk to them. They’ll listen to you.”

  I shook my head. “We don’t need to get involved. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. We shouldn’t have a say in the lives of the people who remain. They need to figure that out themselves.”

  “Nason’s involved.”

  “That’s because Nason’s an idiot,” said Ava. Her tone held more bite than I would have expected. But then again, her temper could flare at odd times.

  “You should talk to them,” said Damaris. “You don’t have to tell them what to do. Just help them see their options. They might decide to leave town like we are tomorrow.”

  Our conversation stopped at that.

  “We?” asked Myra in surprise.

  “Tyrus invited me and my father to leave with you tomorrow,” said Damaris.

  “By the gods, Ty. I didn’t think we left you out there that long,” Ira cut in.

  Dekar cuffed him hard, and the younger brother staggered. He was smart enough not to say anything more with the daggers Dekar and I glared at him.

  Myra’s eyes flicked between me, Damaris, and Ira with the speed of a humming bird’s wings. “What’s going on?”

  The tone suggested that she knew what Ira had meant. It didn’t matter if none of it was true. I couldn’t exactly explain myself with Damaris beside me unless I wanted to put everything out in the open. Which I didn’t.

  I opened and closed my hands in anger. I’d have to remember to kill Ira later.

  Call me a coward for ducking the issue, but I’ve been called worse and for things of far less importance than upsetting two females that I just so happened to be standing between. Especially since one of those was my daughter. I was a coward all the way if it meant avoiding that discussion until a more opportune time.

  I cleared my throat. “Damaris and Sivan did right by us. They’d be an asset to us on the road and are good people besides.”

  Myra stared at me unblinking. She turned away after a moment, but not before sizing Damaris up.

  I held in a couple of swears as I tried to keep my cool. As if I needed one more chasm to cross in narrowing the distance between me and my daughter. It sure wouldn’t help matters if my daughter thought I was trying to replace her Ma with someone else.

  “Pa, it’s getting worse,” said Zadok. Thankfully, it didn’t appear he had picked up on Ira’s comment. “You need to talk to them.”

  “Let’s get in the inn and get some rest,” I said. I looked at Damaris while turning to the door. “You should probably do the same. Worrying won’t do your father any good.”

  “Tyrus! There you are,” said Rezub. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Look folks, our own agent of the gods himself. And what is he doing? Looks like he’s bedding down for the night. That’s the sign of a man who trusts his mayor as you should all be doing. Isn’t that right, Tyrus?”

  I let out a sigh.

  “You should have listened to Zadok. Then you could have done this your way,” said Damaris carefully.

  “No,” I grumbled while turning. “I should have just gone inside sooner.”

  The crowd had gone quiet as eyes and ears waited patiently for what I’d do or say next. “I don’t think it’s my place to get involved in town matters,” I said raising my voice.

  “Why not? You are a citizen of Denu Creek, aren’t you?”

  “No,” I said quickly. That answer surprised even me.

  “No?” asked Rezub, obviously confused.

  I had no reason to hold back now. “My land is now someone else’s. I’ve chosen to make my new home somewhere else.”

  “He’s leaving us!” shouted someone in the crowd.

  “The gods have decided to curse us,” said another.

  Other shouts—some begging, some angry—from the townspeople intermingled with each other so quickly that I couldn’t make out what else was said. Given some of the glares, that was probably for the best.

  One voice rose above the rest. “I say let the coward go!”

  Jareb stepped into view.

  It was the first time I’d seen him since he and his friends had tried to stop me from leaving Denu Creek. I knew he had been around after the first eruption, but he wisely stayed clear of me, retreating to his land with those loyal to him.

  He had also been conspicuously absent after the second eruption when everyone tried to save the lives of those trapped in the destruction. The only hint we had of his survival was the occasional glimpse of one of the men under his employ sneaking around town. Apparently, Jareb had been gathering information in order to pick his spot to reappear and sow seeds of discord.

  He took a position next to Rezub. I was glad to see that he at least nursed a few injuries, a slight limp, and a bandage over his forehead, though nowhere near enough for my tastes.

  “How can you all be so blind? Don’t you see what’s going on?” I noticed his voice had grown nasally from the still swollen nose I had broken. “Some of you call this man an agent of the gods. Even a god himself. Why? Because he healed a few of you? So what! Don’t act like he did so unselfishly. How long did he hole himself up in that suite of his before helping? How many more could he have saved if he had helped right away? He helped only when he needed to. First to save his friends and family. Then Boaz in order to have a place to stay. He only helped all of you because he knew if he didn’t, there’d be hell to pay afterward.” His eyes met mine. “Tell me I’m wrong, Tyrus.”

  Of course he wasn’t wrong. It had all been true. At least, initially. I couldn’t tell the town that though. They wouldn’t understand, regardless of how valid my reasons were. Just like they wouldn’t understand that despite the mess they had inflicted on me and mine, I’d changed my mind and truly tried to help them afterward.

  “Talking out of your rear again, Jareb?” I asked to avoid lying.

  He wore a smug grin. He knew I had dodged his challenge. His grin widened in a way that sent a shiver down my spine as it resurrected the reoccurring nightmare of him and Lasha. I dug my nails into my palms, hoping the pain might distract me from those imaginations.

  “I have not been fooled by any of your ‘good deeds.’ I know the kind of person you really are.” He turned away from me and gestured to the crowd. “Have you all forgotten the horrors we heard for years about the atrocities our army committed during the Geneshan War? Is this the man you truly want to take advice from? The sort of man you want to emulate? By the gods, I hope not. You heard the stories of Damanhur. Those people had the right of it and chased people like him out of town. I tried to do the same until that first eruption. I would have done it again had the rest of you not been so blinded and enamored by him when he finally got around to help you. Do you really want to ask advice from a man who probably knows the raiders? What’s to stop Tyrus and his friends from joining up with them if they do come?”

  Eyes widened. To my surprise, some even took a small step back from me as Jareb’s words sank in, almost as if th
ey were afraid. Some of the hate I saw upon my return home reared its ugly head again, though more subtle than before. I was speechless. What in the name of Molak did I have to do to prove to these people what kind of person I was? Though some still thought I was an agent of the gods, others apparently wondered if I was worth a copper chit even after saving their lives. How could there be so much disparity among one group with all the same information and experiences?

  Yeah, I did likely know some of the people doing the raiding, but I didn’t approve of the behavior. I may have done some cold and dirty things in my life by other people’s standards, but to mine they were necessary and always against people who’d either done me or mine wrong first.

  Some might have argued that two wrongs don’t make a right, but math was never a strength I counted.

  Regardless, raping, pillaging, and abusing children was a low I never entertained in the army or anywhere else.

  I opened my mouth, ready to defend myself, but Nason cut me off.

  “It’s funny you should start questioning the motives and character of others. How many people have you mistreated as they toiled in the fields of your plantation, Jareb? How many have you intimidated in town when they dared disagree with you? You speak out now because you feel the power you had over Denu Creek slipping away. And how do you get it back? By attacking the one who people are looking to for help. Oddly enough, the same person who has been digging through rubble and looking for survivors while you’ve been relaxing in that big plantation of yours. You only returned to stir things up. How noble of you.”

  Jareb tensed at Nason’s rebuttal, but only for a moment. “I’ll freely admit I’ve made mistakes in the past, though nowhere near what you’re insinuating. Remember, the money I generate from my land, and the laws I pushed for are largely responsible for Denu Creek’s growth. No one can deny that.” Some nodded in agreement. “Even now, I’m trying to talk some sense into you. Trying to make you see that any decision we reach should be made without the input from Tyrus or anyone else in his little group.” He wheeled on Nason. “That includes you. Someone who, oddly enough, only found their voice the day before he skips out of town with his friends,” he gestured toward us, “leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves. I know Sered sold them horses for their wagon. How noble of you, Nason. How noble of all of you,” he spat in my direction.

  I exchanged a look with Ava. We both knew Jareb well enough to see his angle. A smart man would just let us leave and get his competition out of the way. However, by taking that approach, I would leave as a savior and Jareb would remain in Denu Creek labeled as a coward. The only way for him to save face, and thereby ensure his power over the people remained, would be to discredit me before I left, and, if possible, raise himself back up in the eyes of those on my side.

  Nason didn’t respond immediately to Jareb and the mayor stepped in, chuckling lightly as he tried to take some of the tension out of the confrontation.

  “Surely Jareb, you must be mistaken. Isn’t that right, Tyrus?” Rezub asked. “You’re not leaving that soon.”

  Rezub had that look someone gets when they think they know something others don’t. Likely, he recalled our conversation before the second eruption and felt confident I saw things his way. He was wrong.

  “No. He’s right about that at least. We are leaving tomorrow,” I said.

  “It’s true, then. You don’t want to fight your friends,” someone shouted.

  “I might know some of the men, but I wouldn’t consider any of them friends. If they’re raiding, I sure don’t approve of what they’re doing. Its men like that who gave the rest of us in the military a bad name. Those few fed the stories about the war everyone is hanging onto now. Most of the men and women I fought beside didn’t enjoy what they had to do. They just followed orders. Orders that came from the king, mind you. The man we were all sworn to obey. Yet, how many of you gave him the blame? Truthfully, I don’t want to fight anyone. For close to a decade all I did was fight. I’m tired of it.”

  “So, you’re a coward,” said Jareb.

  “You’d think someone with a swollen face would watch what they call the man who bashed it in twice already,” Ira called.

  Jareb scowled at that. A few snorts followed, the loudest of which came from Ava.

  I continued. “I came back home to raise my family, but in light of what’s happened since my return and how my family and I were treated before the eruptions, I can’t ever imagine this being my home again.”

  Several heads bowed at my pronouncement.

  I scanned the town again. Steaming cracks in the earth. Piles of wood, stone, and dirt strewn about, many residing where buildings once stood. Gaping holes from falling rocks. Blood streaks on the ground from dragging animal and human bodies away to the funeral pyre on the town’s outskirts. All of it covered in a light haze where even at dusk, hints of orange pierced the sky.

  “Look around,” I continued. “Why should we stay? Why would any of you want to stay?”

  “Because this is all we know,” someone said.

  “You’re all welcome to come with us,” blurted Zadok as he came up beside me.

  I swore inwardly. My son’s heart would get him in trouble one day if he didn’t watch himself. It would also give me an ulcer.

  Conversations roared again at the offer. My heart sank.

  “What are you doing?” snapped Myra.

  I bent down and whispered. “Zadok, we can’t take all these people with us.”

  “Why not?” he pleaded.

  “Because, they’ll slow us down. We’re trying to leave as soon as possible before that artifact goes off again.”

  “Then maybe you should tell them about the artifact. Then they’ll realize the seriousness of the situation.”

  “They won’t believe me. That sort of thing is beyond most of these people. It’s why I haven’t mentioned it before. They actually think you and I are agents of the gods.”

  “Which is why they’ll believe you.”

  I sighed. If it was anyone else, I’d tell them they were a fool and not bat an eye as I stuck to my position. But Molak-be-damned, I didn’t want to disappoint my son. Not after he had already seen so much disappointment before.

  “I see that look you got, Ty. Don’t do it. Your boy will understand when he gets older. He’ll forgive you then,” whispered Ira.

  Jareb’s voice rose up above the shouting. “See, he’s doing it again. Causing more problems than needed. Trying to get us to leave our homes. There’s a lot of work to be done, yes. But we can rebuild Denu Creek. Better than ever. Besides, we don’t even know if there really are raiders, definitely not as many as that traveler said. The last thing I want to do is go running off into the unknown simply because I’m afraid of my own shadow.”

  A man shouted in the crowd. “Jareb’s right. We should wait and see what Sivan comes back with first.”

  “Hey, that looks like Sivan now!” shouted another.

  As if on cue, Sivan came galloping into sight like a demon possessed. Leaning down and slapping reins to either side, rider and horse moved as one.

  By the gods, that old man could ride.

  He pulled up quickly and hopped down like someone half his age. The horse had not been trained for that sort of abuse and looked like it would have collapsed keeping up that pace for much longer.

  People started to crowd around Sivan, but Rezub pushed them aside to give him room. Damaris darted from the porch and threw her arms around her father. He whispered something in her ear, and she relaxed.

  “Well,” started Jareb. “Were these bandits real?”

  “Real in every since of the word,” said Sivan. “I counted ninety-one so the traveler’s story was pretty close. I would have been back sooner but the land has changed so much. I had to make sure my mount didn’t break a leg or pitch me off.”

  “Where are they?” someone called.

  “Their camp is a few miles north of here, near a newly formed rock
that looks like a domed temple for Molak. Most are pretty drunk and enjoying their previous spoils.”

  “Only a few miles away!” Rezub yelled. “What are we going to do? They can be here at any moment.” He wheeled in my direction. “Does your offer still stand about leaving?”

  I squeezed my hands tight into fists, nails digging into my palms once more. The pain only helped a little. By the gods, I wished Molak would appear before me just once. I’d love to pay him back for putting me through so much.

  “No.”

  “Pa!”

  I ignored Zadok. “Leaving now would be suicide. If the land has changed that much we’d not only be slowed by new obstacles, but also from having so many travel with us. Easy targets for the raiders.”

  “So, we just stay put and be easier targets here?” asked the mayor.

  “No, you fool,” said Sivan, adding some grit to his voice. The man’s former military life seemed to be pouring out now that the situation called for it. “We fight. Right, Tyrus?”

  “If you’re all up for it.”

  No one disagreed.

  “You said they were drinking, right?” I asked Sivan.

  “Yes.”

  “So, it’s likely they won’t come our way until morning, if they come at all. That means we have the rest of the evening and all night to get ready for them, maybe even part of the morning if they really drink it up. That’s not a lot of time, but much better than what we could have had. If you want to get ready in time, then you need to do what I say without any questions. I don’t have time to explain myself. I’m not going to sugar coat anything. Many of you are going to die if we fight, but I promise a lot more will die if we don’t, and that’s after the raiders have their fun.”

  Pale faces and hollow eyes stared back at me. Everyone had a look of disbelief and bewilderment. I probably had the same look as I realized these were the people I was going to have to send against seasoned soldiers.

  Leave it to Jareb to break the tension. “Who in the name of Prax died and made you leader? We still don’t know for sure if you won’t just join in with them when they get here and—”

  Jareb’s head went sideways in an awful way as Ira’s fist connected with the side of his jaw. Jareb struck the ground hard. I didn’t fail to note that no one had made an attempt to catch him.