The Broken Ones

Chapter 9:1 -Crossing the plains

The mood was considerably better at the end of the breakfast. More food had been brought in to the two brothers and while they ate they pleasantly questioned about their visit. Most of the conversation went through Ard who answered any of the questions with a bright smile and an honest expression. His eyes had the same shade of blue as Haz’s but they were a lot warmer. Jagger, who sat directly beside him, soon found out why.
-You have spots of gold in your eyes, she said.
Embarrassed, Ard tried to turn away his head but Jagger put her hands around his cheeks so she could study them closely. Ard swallowed and tried to remain unshaken by her touch and intense gaze.
-No, they’re not spots. It’s more like…
-Sparkles, Ard said under his breath.
-Yes, like sparkles.
Jagger widened her eyesight and took in all of Ard’s face. She quickly let go of his cheeks and realized they were all staring at the two.
-Jagger, what are you doing, Ana reprimanded, showing a bit of her recently acquired older age.
-I just… I wanted to see more… never mind, I should get going, Mack’s probably wondering…
She rose from her chair and run up the stairs.
-Get back? Ard asked absentminded. –Wasn’t she a part of your group?
-She guided us across the mountain. I don’t usually have to cross the mountains, I walk around them, Ana explained. –I don’t usually have a guard either.
-Oh, Haz noted and observed Soi in the corner of his eye.
-He survived, by accident, Nibbles whispered, very apparent to all of them, least of all Soi who sat closest to him.
Ana rolled her eyes.
-It wasn’t by accident, he’s simply better than the other guards.
-Maybe it’s fate, Ard said out of the blue.
He had kept his eyes on the stairs leading to the first floor and the others hadn’t exactly involved him in the conversation. All four of them, Ana, Nibbles, Soi and Haz looked doubtful at him.
-Little brother, you are obviously too young if you still believe in fate, Haz grinned malicious.
Ard didn’t hear his brother as Jagger flew down the stairs two steps at a time. It didn’t matter if she was died tired or clear awake, it was just how she walked down stairs in general.
-I’ll be going then, she said with a little wave and headed for the door, without stopping to say good bye.
-Tell Mack thanks from me, Ana called after her before the door closed behind her.
There was a moment of strange silence when nobody wanted to talk. At last Soi took the word to his mouth.
-Ana, we need to plan our journey.
-Yes, you’re right.
They both rose simultaneous from the table.
-Well, thank you for… your company, Ana bowed her head and they left for their room.

Around lunchtime Soi and Ana were out in the village to find a horse. It had become clear that their journey across the plains would go smoother and faster if they had a horse. Now they just needed to find a horse that could carry two, run long distances without stopping for rest, had a stable mind (they couldn’t have a horse that died of fear when the monsters came running after them) and, on top of that, would fit Soi’s strange saddle.
Of course, there was no horse that would match all of the points. But stranger was that it wasn’t Soi saddle that was the biggest problem. It was Ana. She didn’t like the look of the horse;
-Stupid horse, Ana said.
The colour of the horse was wrong;
-Ana, a horse can’t decide what colour its fur have, be realistic, Soi pleaded.
-Then it’s stupid.
Soi sighed.
It had too long legs, it had too short neck, it was too big, or the eyes had the wrong colour.
-Ana!
-What?
-This is crazy. We need a horse, otherwise we’ll have to walk across the plains.
-I rather walk than ride any of those, she answered with a snort and walked away.
It seemed like they didn’t have a choice but to walk the plains. They returned to their inn. Outside the inns stables, Nibbles stood brushing his roan stallion.
-So how did it go? Did you find any horse?
Ana gave him a sour look.
-You’re showing your cards, she said and Nibbles immediately straightened his back and looked serious.
-I’m sorry.
-Oh, don’t mind me, it’s you who’s going to be in trouble if he finds out.
Ana pointed back to Soi, he had an equally bitter face. Ana slipped inside the inn before Soi got to ask what she meant with that. Instead he turned to Nibbles. He was going to ask about their strange conversation but it was another question that escaped his mouth.
-How did you get your horse across the mountain? He asked with honest surprise and suspicion. Why had he managed to get his stallion across the mountain when Soi couldn’t? Had Nibbles led his stallion through the passage? But that was only possible if he had crossed it before they did, before someone had destroyed it. Was it Nibbles who had…
-I didn’t, Nibbles interrupted his line of thoughts. -I didn’t cross the mountains.
-Then how?
-I went around them, like I usually do.
-But that must have taken…
-It took me around two and a half week. I arrived the same day you arrived, he smiled.
-Why did you leave?
Nibbles stopped smiling and his face darkened.
-I can’t tell you why.
He turned his back on Soi and brushed the stallion with a brusque efficiency. There didn’t seem like any idea to ask any more questions so Soi walked away.
-She has changed, you know.
Nibbles met Soi’s eyes and Soi frowned.
-I know.
She betrayed my trust, he thought grimly and walked inside the inn.
Dinner that night was held under an awkward mood. Soi didn’t talk, Ana didn’t talk, Haz didn’t usually talk and he didn’t this night either. Ard kept glancing at the front door and all of them could guess where his thoughts were. So Nibbles was left to keep up the conversation but he didn’t know what to say for once and the dinner was eaten in silence.

The next day Soi made a trip around town alone, but he couldn’t find any horses that matched his saddle and by lunch he had given up and went back to the inn to repack his belongings, again. He had a quarrel with Ana about how much food they should bring with them. Ana, who had always crossed the plains by walking, thought they should have food for at least two thirds of the journey. Then Soi asked who would carry all that food and they were back at the topic of getting a horse. So the following day, Soi ventured out again to find a horse, but this time for packing purpose alone, and ended up with nothing again. At the dinner he spilled out his concerns to Nibbles and the rest of the company. Ana fired up, saying that this had nothing to with them and that actually this was not a matter of concern for Soi either as he was simply a guard. Their fight ended there as Soi took the few steps up the stair and repacked for the fifth time.
On their fourth morning in the little mountain village, Soi woke up early and wondered around in the outskirts of the village. The trees on this side of the mountain looked battered, not as lush and green as the large forest they have just travelled through. The sun was stronger on this side and there were no humid winds from the ocean swirling around in the air. Soi looked at the grey tops they had recently crossed and between them he could see a wreath of dark smoke find its way up in the sky. It must be coming from a large fire, was Soi’s thought before he headed back to the inn for some lunch. Ana met him in the doorway.
-We’ll leave today.
A few hours later, they were fed and ready to leave, on foot. This was not an appealing thought to Soi. He had to carry his saddle, since he wasn’t willing to sell it or remake it into anything useful and as they hadn’t found a horse to carry it he had become a packhorse.
Apparently Ana wasn’t concerned with the sinking sun and the monsters that would tip around them all night. Soi was surprised with how suddenly the monsters weren’t a problem anymore, since they had done nothing but tried to escape them all the time in the woods.
-Don’t bother about the monsters, I’ll take care of them, she explained for the fifth time as they made it down the stair and out in the yard in front of the inn.
Nibbles waited patiently on his roan stallion and Haz and Ard were mounted on two horses white as snow. Ard had another horse on tail behind him, it was also white and carried all their packing.
-Are you two ready to leave? Nibbles asked with a broad smile and winked with his left eye.
Ana threw all her packing onto the white packhorse and Ard jumped down to help her tie it down. Soi gripped around her elbow and pulled her close.
-Ana, is this wise, he whispered urgently in her ear. –Haz might be a…
She pulled her arm away from his grip and steadily met his eyes.
-You should follow my decisions, not make them, she said before she walked towards Haz.
Haz pulled her up behind him.
Soi had no choice but to tie his things to the packhorse and jump up behind Ard.
-Is that really a saddle? Ard asked and looked suspiciously at Soi’s saddle.
-Yes, but it only fits one horse.-Oh, that’s a shame, it’s really beautiful.

To be continued...
By J.L.Frick