Chapter 6: The First Test

Their journey continued for many days more, with Yevish continually critiquing Kload. Though Kload got annoyed with the continual nitpicking, she knew that it would keep her and Yevish alive. There had been a time when Kload had taught herself how to be as a man, but that was when she had needed to just to survive. Yet, now that she thought about it, it was the same situation. In order to survive in this land of her childhood she would have to re-adapt the ways of her childhood.
Kload looked up at the large fortressed city before them. The land had collected a green pallor now, though the sky had not cleared much. The wastelands created great clouds that filled the sky, blocking out the sun and choking out the air. Kload hated this land, and for the first time since she started her journey she wondered why she had believed they could find help here. A small ray of light suddenly broke through the continual clouds and highlighted the dust particles which filled the air. Kload remembered these rare events from her childhood. It was the only time when this horrid atmosphere looked gorgeous. The dust particles reflected the sun and brightened the world for a moment. Then the clouds shifted again and the ray of light disappeared.
Kload sighed, she mentally focused on her savior, 'Okay God, you've blessed my journey, you've given me a companion. For some reason you want me here. Help me, guide me. Thank you father.'
Kload finished her prayer and focused back on the city. She knew that Yevish had been watching her. She also knew that Yevish had already learned to tell when she was praying. It was strange to her. She prayed often when she was going about her day, and she didn't think that she acted differently at all. However, Yevish had noticed a slight change in her behavior when she was praying. She seemed more concentrated he had said. It almost scared her sometimes how quickly this child picked up on things, and how much he understood. It was good though, for he was easy to train, and learned fast, which was especially crucial in this land.
They stopped a ways out from the gates. Kload looked up at Yevish, her rough, black mask hiding all of her face save her eyes. "Alright Yevish, remember what I told you." She said this as more of a statement than a question. She knew that he did, but she just wanted to be sure he was ready.
Yevish nodded "There will be lots of people, so keep my head about me. If I get separated from you, meet you outside the city near to the gate closest to the direction we're going in. As far as anyone else is concerned I'm your son, and you're a traveling warrior and no you're not for hire. Try my darnedest to stay out of fights or unnecessary arguments. Listen to everything I can that might find us a good warrior or soldier. If anyone asks what we're doing were looking for the best warrior in the land to deliver a petition to him and no they can't hear the petition. You buy all supplies unless I get separated from you for too long, and other than that, just plain be smart and use my head." Yevish looked down at Kload for approval.
Kload nodded, she was amazed how much he'd grown since she'd picked him up. His speech had improved drastically. His mannerisms, his self-confidence, his strength and stamina had all improved. It was like he had magically grown several years older within the course of a few weeks.
"Good job son." Kload had been talking with her voice roughened ever since Yevish had started teaching her to be a man. She had to get used to doing so. According to Yevish even the most observant people wouldn't easily be able to tell that she was a woman. Kload grasped the saddle horn and swung herself onto the saddle behind Yevish. She had needed little direction on how to ride a horse like a man, being as that was quite honestly how she had learned to ride a horse. Not to mention that one couldn't exactly ride Darkstar without having good, strong riding form.
Yevish and Kload looked towards the city. The large gate in its high wall was open, though not wide open, none of the cities in the land opened their gates wide. A few caravans and lone riders made a semi-continual string in and out of the gates. This was still one of the outer cities so there weren't as many people here.
Kload leaned forward and whispered to Yevish, "Alright, here we go. In for the real test of how well we've done. Keep your dagger close but hidden."
Kload hadn't had time to teach Yevish how to use a sword, not to mention that he wasn't hardly strong or large enough to even use one of her half-lengths. However he was very handy with a dagger both in close combat and ranged combat.
Yevish looked up at Kload and smiled, "Yes father."
Kload smiled, knowing that Yevish could see it. Then she spurred Darkstar on. Darkstar trotted forward and joined the slim traffic entering the city gates. The city was called Sandgrass, being as it was one of the first cities which was surrounded by the scraggily waste grasses. Kload had never complemented the people of this land on their creativity, especially considering that Sandgrass’s sister city was called GrassSands. The gate guards regarded the pair of travelers with contempt and suspicion, but let them pass. Kload’s garb and appearance were quite common in this land, as were Yevish’s.
Kload leaned forward, “Tell me if you spot a bread merchant. I don’t really trust them, and I’d prefer to make our own, but we haven’t got time.” Yevish nodded.
A few minutes later Yevish was buying bread at a lower price, due to his bargaining skills. Such skills were one thing the inn master had taught him. Kload was two merchants over bargaining for a small quantity of salted meat. It would be lizard meat no matter what the merchant said it was. That was all there was for meat out in the desert. Peace would have preferred to hunt their own lizards except that the merchant’s hunters had gotten them all already. Peace knew they needed the meat to provide much needed protein in their diet. Kload would have tried to buy some vegetables save that there weren’t any to be bought, not to mention that most vegetables that they could have bought wouldn’t travel well.
Darkstar, whose reigns were hooked to Kload’s belt, stamped his foot impatiently. He hated the smell of this city, they all did. The busyness and desperation of the marketplace also bothered them. Yevish walked up to Kload, whom had just finished her bargaining, and showed her the bread. “10 decs and a barth(1/2).” He stated as he smiled smugly up at Kload.
She held out the small package of meat, “7 decs and a dep(1/4).” She smiled back at him. In any honest or reasonable land both prices would have seemed rather outrageous, but here they were an incredible bargain.
Kload gently placed the food in the saddle bags and helped Yevish up onto the horse, then followed him up. Darkstar started to carefully walk through the crowds of his own accord, he couldn’t wait to leave this place.
Kload looked down and around at all the people. She felt pangs of pain and sorrow, mingled with hatred. She hated this land, always had, for everything it had done to her, and taken from her. She felt her own pain and the pain of a thousand other suffering souls of this land. Their pain was the same as hers. She also felt sorrow, sorrow for this people who had not had a chance at a better life like she had. Suddenly a new feeling flooded over her, one of compassion. She knew that this came from God. It was his compassion for the people, for His people, that He had created and that he loved. Compassion for their suffering and their blindness, their blindness to Him. Kload had not learned of Christ till she had gone to what she now called her homelands, to Arthea. He was not known here, at least not to more than a handful. Peace wanted to help them, to heal them, but there were so many. God could heal them all, but she could only touch a few. Suddenly she realized that was what she was supposed to do, help those that she could and leave the rest to God.
“Father.” Kload felt the gentle nudge of Yevish’s elbow and gathered the hint of worry in his vice. She followed his pointing finger with her eyes. Up ahead were the gates out of Sandgrass. A dozen soldiers ran around them franticall, trying to hurry in the last few caravans and stop the others form leaving.
“Sandstrom! Sandstorm approaching!” came the cry from the lookout.
Kload reigned Darkstar to a halt. “Looks like we’ll have to stay here for tonight, its close enough to dark that they won’t open the gates till morning.” Kload turned Darkstar back and headed towards an inn they had passed earlier. She was not happy, but they didn’t have much choice. Even if they could’ve gotten out of the city they would have been sitting ducks for the sandstorm. They had no form of protective coverings, no outer coats, no tent, and their meager bedrolls wouldn’t provide the covering they needed. Peace remembered now why this section of the outer country was more hated than the wastes. It was a desert, and a sandy enough one to have constant and harsh sandstorms. The walls around these cities weren’t just to keep out invaders. The wastes were less deadly simply because they were just dry and hot. The desert could conjure all sorts of tricks and storms which could kill a man in an instant. Kload reigned Darkstar up in front of the inn. She deftly jumped down then helped Yevish down. “Use those extra decs and get Darkstar a spot in the stables, I’ll wait for you in the common room.”
Yevish looked up at her almost questioningly. He had been with her almost a month now, but they had never stayed in an inn yet. “You mean… I get to… to stay in the room with you?” He hesitated, afraid of the repercussions his words would have. He would have received a whipping for just suggesting such a thing to his old master. He knew Kload was very different from anyone he’d met, but he still wasn’t sure.
Kload kneeled down, gently but firmly grasped his shoulders and looked into his little bright eyes. She could see the fear and it sorrowed her that he had been so abused formerly. “Yes Yevish, my son. When I took you from that inn I made a choice, a commitment. A commitment to treat you as you should be treated. A commitment to love you and to show you God’s love. And a commitment to never abandon or abuse you. That’s a promise Yevish, a warrior’s promise.” She spoke the words quietly so as to not arouse others suspicions, but she knew that Yevish heard every word.
Yevish’s eyes widened, a warriors promise meant more than the world to him. It was invincible, unbreakable. For the first time he could remember, Yevish had no words, and it was okay. In fact if was more than okay, it was wonderful. Yevish jumped forward and hugged Kload tightly. Kload hugged him back then they both released each other.
“Alright now, go along, I’ll be waiting.” Kload struggled to keep her man’s voice as she spoke. Yevish nodded and led Darkstar around the inn. Though Darkstar still didn’t like being led he was okay with it as long as it was Yevish or Peace doing the leading. Kload smiled as Yevish walked off, then turned and went into the inn. She paid for the room, after carefully picking the cheapest one that still had walls. She surveyed the common room, one good thing she could gain from staying at this inn was information about local heroes. She picked an empty table next to a table manned by five partly drunk soldiers. Such men normally had plenty of stories about mighty warriors of the land, or of its available armies.
Peace wasn’t expecting to be able to find a whole army to help, but a bond of well trained warriors would help. Her idea was to find a band of warriors seeking to get their names out, hence being more willing to do something without pay. Then with their approval and help she and her home armies could create a plan which would allow these warriors into the enemy’s camp where they could destroy the enemy leadership. The enemy would allow these men in since they were foreign and not associated with her homeland people. Her only worry was that the group she would find would decide sticking with the enemy would gain them more money and fame and betray her and her people. She would just have to trust God to lead her to the right people.
“Did ya hear about the Firenight man?” A large soldier questioned his fellow in a low excited tone.
“Yeah,” His fellow replied excitedly.
Kload listened while studying the rest of the room. She didn’t need them knowing that she was listening to their conversation.
The second soldier continued. “I heard he killed a thousand men by himself.”
Stories got so exaggerated that the main job for Peace was to decipher what was true from what was false.
A third soldier, a thin wiry fellow, spoke up. “ I heard he used to be chief commander of Lord Clarest’s armies.”
“But I hear he’s an outlaw now.” A fourth soldier spoke up.
A fifth soldier leaned forward, “So how’d he go from chief commander to outlaw?”
“He ain’t an outlaw.” The wiry soldier stated as he glared at the fourth soldier. The other soldiers leaned in, ready to hear a good story. “The way I heard it he plain quit.” The wiry soldier continued, his voice filling with excitement at having a new story to tell to an eager crowd. “ They say he’s the best fighter in the land. That’s why Clarest hired him. Firenight served Clarest for many years, becoming more notorious every day. He was already famous having been a high commander in the king’s army already. After a good many years of being in the kings service, the king allowed him to retire, giving him a large payment for his services. After that Firenight got restless. When Clarest heard he was looking for work he couldn’t resist, and snatched him up right away. Firenight served Clarest for a while, but then something strange happened. For as long as anyone had known Firenight he’d been an amazing strategist with an iron will. He was also extremely loyal. But one day Clarest ordered Firenight to force a small village into submission. Firenight had been acting strangely after a recent battle, and Clarest wanted to make sure this change hadn’t affected his loyalty. The village was a small one in Clarest’s lands that was protesting the lack of protection they’d been receiving. They’d decided to raise a militia and prove that they could defend themselves. Clarest had promised them protection if they would settle down, but the townsfolk refused.”
“So what did Firenight do?” The first large soldier interrupted.
“Shut yer trap, I was just getting there.” The wiry man glared at the other soldier.
The inn door opened and Yevish entered carrying the saddle bags. Kload waved him over, and he ran over happily and sat down next to Kload. She pushed a mug of water towards him, which the barkeep had brought earlier, then signaled him to be quiet.
“Well, as the story goes, Firenight had become quite fond of the folk in that particular village. Some say he fell in love with a maiden there. Some say that some of the boys there had saved his life. Whatever way, Firenight knew that the village wouldn’t submit without a fight, and he didn’t want to injure them. So he told Clarest he’d do it. But then,” The soldiers voice lowered excitedly, “Then he smuggled all the villagers out to a safe place under cover of night. Such kindness was said to have never come from Firenight before. The next morning Firenight walked right up to Clarest and told him he was done, then he left and rode off, without even getting his last payment. Right after he’d disappeared into the rising sun, a messenger came to Clarest telling him that the village was completely empty, and no one knew where they went. Clarest knew what’d happened though, he’s a smart one. Clarest could’ve gone into a rage and sent his whole armies out, but he didn’t. They say he just shook his head and went about finding new workers to populate the empty village. As for Firenight, no one’s seen him since, save here and there, riding through the night.”
There was a moment of awed silence as all the soldier soaked in the tale. These tales were the things that kept their lives interesting and their deadened imaginations flickering.
Suddenly the fourth soldier perked up. “I knew he was an outlaw!”
The second soldier spoke up. “Saving a village don’t make ‘im and outlaw you idiot. It makes ‘im a common mans ‘ero.”
The soldiers continued talking but Peace had heard what she wanted. She would keep the tales of this Firenight in mind. She turned and looked at Yevish, he had drank the water quickly. She couldn’t blame him, this place was dry, the days were hot, and the nights were cold.
“Let’s get some sleep my son.” Kload stood and Yevish followed suit and they walked out of the common room and into the hall which led to the rooms. Though Kload acted as if she didn’t notice anything, she could sense someone watching her and Yevish. She just hoped they were doing so out of curiosity and did not have some other plan in mind. There were many slavers in the land, and Yevish was a very fine looking lad, as well as a healthy one. She would have to be careful, though she was committed to Yevish, his presence brought her more enemies.