The Patrols are all bones - Chapter 2

"What is it?" - Lentor Maginus offers to Eron of the Horse while he, in mimicry of direction tries to see and thus know why Eron will not continue down the Fiek way and down back home to the citadel of their master Difenitor, who no doubt waits for their return.  Lentor doubts and wonders at Eron's diffidence, confidence, but the full belly and the loins slaked in the women of Fiek win, and he reins up, stops, is quiet and he waits.

Down below smoke rises, and with good eyes you could see an army, the horse, the peoples gathered, but neither have good eyes, and all Eron has is his dislike of his boss and his disposition, or luck, or intuition or any of it, and he waits longer, silently, watching, listening, then he turns back to see the rest of his cadre; beside Lentor Maginus, Oron has ridden up and has spoken little.  behind them both, drunk on the wagon is the Red Bath Priest, happy to be stopped as the wagon is not a luxury.  In it two girls, Hoffar and Eras, tribute, ready for their new life in the citadel of Difenitor.  Behind it with hands tied follows Holut, who fought Eron in the headman's house and is being punished.  behind him Arubus, Kretta and the new man Jor.  Enough to collect the tribut, and yet not too much to terrify the people of Fiek.  Kretta is a great fighter.  Holut is too, and would have dashed Erons head against the hearth had Jor not threw him onto his back first.  Eron turns again and looks at Jor and nods for him to ride up and he does, slowly.  

"You come from Urik" - Eron asks him in just above a whisper.

Jor understands him preternaturally and nods almost imperceptibly.  Eron continues "you've stood the watch at Urik tower?" - Eron asks and Jor nods again.

"what do you see there now?" and both men move their heads verry slowly to look south and for the tower Difenitor made the people of Urik build and man.  It is hard to see with good eyes, but where it should have been, or even where they though it would be, where they were looking to find it, grey smoke rose almost simply.

"Whats happeing?" Lentor raises again, and again is ignored by Eron of the Horse. 

To Jor, "Go untie Holut and get him on his horse.  Send the tributes back to Fike with the Red Bath Priest."  and to Lentor he says "go back to Fiek with the Priest and the tribute and guard Difenitor's Property, take one of the riders with you." he says to him with a less cautious voice.  the rest of you come with me, ready to fight.  Our destination is changed.  Difentor will send riders to escort the wagon in 3 days.  Do not kill more of the townspeople than you have to.  Do not consume more of the tribute than you have to." this last part he adds like salt to meat, and Lentor Magnus, with a searing eye, sees as though he might actually be making out here, and that to complain, to to force more from the Horse, might get him on a squewer or with a blade in him, and he is eager to settle for some guard duty and some more spoiling, and turns Oron and gestures to him to lead the wagon back as he takes up a rear guard postion.  The Red Bath Priest turns the wagon as directed by Oron, and in the time it takes them to be a throw away, the rest of the men are off their horses and gathered around Eron.  

"trouble has come and with it, maybe our day.  We may have to fight.  I do not want it, but we may have to.  If I am right, the Citadel is fallen, and the Horde with it."  he pauses and waits, but none speak.  he has sent the weakest fo them away.  His cadre is able.  "We will die if we babysit that wagon.  Soon, who ever it is that has taken the Citadel, will be coming up here to look for the Tribute, and then they will raid and burn Fiek.  I have our Justra on me and have more to the north.  That is where we are headed.  I will find us work but for now we must cross over the Tubulus, and that means getting to the Wall. that or crossing at the Citadel, which is quite obviosuly burning now.  If you want to take your chances on your own now tell me and I will give you your share of the justra."  more silence.  We need to go unoticed, and when noticed, we need to go fast.  Do any of you know of the Wallvale?  Good.  Get rid of eveything that you cannot fight with, eat or spend.  Helmets.  okay lets do do it." and in silence they led their horses down the path a bit more then led by Eron, they cut into the heavy pines north, almost directly up but following some kind of path, up, up the ridge, and after more than a few moments Eron sends Jor back to hide their passing off the trail.   

The way though the high hills is known to runners like Eron the Horse, for he was one in his youth.  A way over the stony ridges separating the Fike and the Valley of the Wall.  It is on that foot path they lead the horses and also where Eron makes the second decision that saves their lives that morning, when he stops them, has his men hobble their horses and crouches and then crawls up the last throw to the top of the ridge, where below them rides a force of men, 7, armed heavily, unlike their scout group.  A leader in robes, no weapon, a Seer or Zoraster?  and laying the men watch my team bedazled by the great fissur and the Maw of the Blue Tubulus like some unkowable reach, magnificent and captivating and then they watch tiracles's horse fall from a rock breaking its chest.  then Arlice thrown from his horse and then thrown by the great Telemakus, away from the fight, and into the bushes and rocks.  More slapping and throwing as the Great Tele Makus kills our horse where they reared and made no contest of our bodies with concussive strikes knocking us wild off the path and then watched us drug away as spoil or food, my cowering, and telemakus's restraint.