Homeward (Ch. 26)
[Serial] Aust remembers something important, history repeats, and the bonds of brotherhood pay off.
Table of Contents
Part 1: The Grove’s Bounty: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11
Part 2: A Mayor’s Ransom: Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24
Part 3: Armageddon: Chapter 25
Bandits invaded town in search of a mysterious crystal. Ryld challenged their commander to a fight to the death—which he lost only to be saved by Abaddon’s unsportsmanlike intervention. The bandit lord decided to spare the brothers to interrogate them regarding the crystal’s whereabouts. Now, the boys find themselves unarmed in bandit captivity.
Aust marched until his feet bled. It was difficult keeping pace with the stallion to which the bandits had tied them. With Abbadon dragging his feet and Ryld staggering from his broken knee, sometimes it felt like Aust was working as hard as the horse to pull them along.
The Half-Elf bandit riding it hardly paid them mind. He only ever turned around to smirk when his horse relieved itself on the road and then dragged the three of them through the droppings.
Eventually, they arrived at a familiar barn with Abaddon’s name seared into the side. Their previous journey here lasted until sunset. Now, they’d arrived before noonday.
Aust sighed. This was already the worst day of his life, and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.
“Here we are, boys.” The Half-Elf grinned as he brought his horse to a stop. “Our investigation tracked your little adventure this far. We’ll keep you here until you’re ready to lead us to the crystal.”
Ryld grimaced. “And why would we do that?”
“I’m so glad you asked. See, we’re going to kill one villager every day until we find what we’re looking for. The boss is preoccupied now, but we’ll return soon. Whether that’s for a chat or an execution is your call. Understand?”
“Y-yes, Sir,” Aust said sheepishly.
Abbadon shrugged.
Ryld spat on the ground.
“Goodie. Let’s get you boys settled.” The Half-Elf dismounted and dragged them into the barn, whereupon he tied them all to a post.
“In case you three get any notions about escaping, we’ve got some tough customers standing guard. Not folk you’d want to tangle with unarmed.”
With that, he left. The quiet ushered in by his fading footsteps revealed soft snoring coming from somewhere inside the barn.
“There’s something else here,” Aust whispered.
Abbadon elbowed Ryld’s ribs. “Maybe it’s one of that farmer’s dogs.”
His brother just sat in silence with his head lowered.
Afternoon light seeped through the crooked ceiling boards, offering the only illumination. The ambience reminded Aust of the contemplation rooms back at the temple. Though he doubted he would contemplate much in his current state of mind.
Atrabaxis had sent him back home to perform good deeds in penance for saving the life of that baby. But Aust’s arrival had only brought death to this sleepy little village, including the person who mattered most to him.
Oh, what he’d give to go back in time to his last visit here. Back when his biggest worry was paying Alysha back for the money he’d given that farmer.
His eyes widened. Alysha!
“Guys, I just remembered something. Do you know how we got out of that temple with those wraiths?”
Abbadon shrugged. “Maybe Dad pulled us out after they left.”
“I don’t think so. Until just now, I hadn’t remembered what had happened. Just before I passed out, I saw Alysha! She warded away the wraiths with a platinum holy symbol—-the kind only senior temple mothers carry.”
“That makes no sense,” Abbadon said. “When would Alysha have joined the temple?”
“I’m not sure, but I definitely saw her use holy magic.”
“You were dreaming, Aust.” Ryld spoke in a bitter, throaty whisper.
“What? No, I wasn’t.”
“You always do this when you’re scared. Get on your knees and pray for someone to save you, whether it’s the innkeep, the dragons, or Alysha. You saw what you wanted to see. But this time, no one’s going to save us. We’re all going to die. Thanks to the sorcerer, I can’t even die on my own terms.”
Abbadon groaned. “Are you still mad at me for saving your life?”
“I agreed to that duel knowing the consequences of losing. You had no right to interfere.”
“What about living to fight another day?”
“Eventually, your days run out. I was a dragonslayer. I faced Tobias Grimtooth in single combat and drew first blood. Mercenaries spend their entire careers earning that kind of reputation. But now, I’ll just be remembered as the guy who got saved by some circus freak.”
“We’re all grieving, Ryld, but you’re being really mean,” Aust said.
“I’d rather be a circus freak than a corpse,” Abbadon said. “What’s the point of being famous if you’re not alive to enjoy it?”
“There’s more to life than enjoying yourself,” Ryld said. “Not that you would know.”
A hush fell over them. The soft snoring in the barn had paused.
“Oh, ye’ve got to be kidding me,” a groggy voice with a Deep-City brogue grumbled. “You two again? I’m like a ruddy mountain goat tied to a millstone, livin’ me life walking in circles.”
“Is that…Mr. Dwarf?” Abbadon asked.
“No. I told ye before; it’s Mr.—”
“Stop,” Ryld screamed. “If you two start this again, I swear I will bite my tongue until I drown in my blood.”
“I see the Dark Elf is cheery as ever,” the stranger grumbled.
“Uhm—who is this guy?” Aust asked.
“Bah! There’s three of ye now? Just me rotten luck.”
“We met him in jail,” Abbadon explained, then turned back to the Dwarf. “Hey, how did you end up in here anyway? I thought you were heading back home.”
“I was. Then some ruffians knocked over me wagon. They dragged me in here to ask me about some crystal. These bloody humans, assuming I know about minerals just because I’m a Dwarf.”
“No, they’re asking everyone about that crystal,” Abbadon said.
Ryld made a contemplative grumble. “Strange. They kept you alive. Did they ask anything else?”
“Eh...mostly about the Dwarven roads around here.”
“I wonder why they’re interested in those,” Aust said. “We found the crystal in an Elven temple.”
“Beats me. But our tunnel roads are convoluted. Unless ye have a map, yer sure to get lost without a Dwarf’s stone sense guiding yer path. Probably wanted to keep their options open.”
“Yeah, maybe that’s it.” A pit welled in Aust’s stomach as another possibility occurred to him. “Hey, didn’t that bandit say he was going to execute someone when he returned?”
“Wait, what do ye mean ex—”
The door swung open with the sound of dropping gallows. Heavy footsteps filled the air. The shadow of a massive figure approached, so tall that his lantern’s glow didn’t reach his face.
Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. He strode right over to him.
The figure raised the lantern, revealing a wide smile parted with tusks. “There he is! I found Brother Ryld!”
Ryld winced at the light. “The Orcs? How did you two get in here?”
“The bandits still think we work for them,” Hrothgar said. “We told them we found the ale in the mayor’s basement.”
Ryld clicked his tongue. “That…was actually pretty smart.”
“It was Brother Bruteclaw’s idea. He’s a genius.”
“Listen, do you know how many guards are posted outside?”
Hrothgar scratched his prodigious chin. “More than five.”
“That’s not so bad. We might—” Ryld stopped himself and examined the Orc. “Wait, did you say more than five because there’s around five or because five is the highest you can count?”
“Uhm, the second one.”
Ryld sighed. “Do you know when the guards change shifts?”
“At sunset,” Bruteclaw replied.
“Okay. Come back then. Bring as many weapons as you can carry. Also, if you find anyone else with a grudge against your bosses, bring them along too. We need all the allies we can get. Don’t mess this up. Our lives depend on it.”
“You got it, Brother Ryld,” Hrothgar said. “You can count on us.”
“Yeah, boss. We won’t let you down,” Bruteclaw added.
Aust allowed himself a soft smile as the Orcs marched out of the barn. It was nice having the old Ryld back for a moment. The one who always had a plan and never backed down from a fight. Right now, they really needed him.
“Far be it from me to look a fortuitous rescue in the mouth,” the Dwarf said. “But did that Orc just call ye his brother?”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Ryld replied. “We’re not close. He just started calling me that after I gave him that bottle of ale.”
“What!? Ye gave me fine dwarven ale to a bloody—?” His face grew so red, it practically glowed. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Actually, yer reckless generosity may have saved our hindquarters. Among Orcs, booze is thicker than blood. If ye gave them a drink that fine, they’ll do anything to set you free.”
“Yeah.” Ryld sighed. “With those two, that’s exactly what worries me.”
I liked to get a look at Aust's perspective. He's usually kinda quiet so he can disappear a little bit between his brothers' bickering. Nce to see his moment in the sun, even if he had the worst day of his life.