Sorry this took me so long! Here is the long awaited chapter 9. Enjoy! And leave us lots of comments! ;)
C
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Brynn woke with a start. He was leaning against the clay wall of the cellar. Across from him, stairs rose up to the door. The creaking of hinges had awakened him, he realized. He watched the thin line of light around the doorframe slowly expand into a full rectangle. The door was open, he thought, slowly. His sleep-befuddled brain made him drowsily unconcerned. At that moment in time, he just wanted to go back to sleep.
“All right, get him down there! We’ll deal with this in the morning,” a male voice said from above. “Two Wolves,” the man muttered to himself. A second later, he pushed a tall, dark figure in a hooded cape toward the stairs. The figure wasn’t resisting at all, he walked down the stairs slowly and precisely. Brynn finally woke up, as the figure neared him. Through the pale moonlight, Brynn could distinguish a smile on the man’s face.
“Well, what have we got here? Let me see, you’re a little short; hair’s a little darker than mine, and you have a scar the only place I don’t have one. Right above the eyebrow. Oh, don’t worry, it makes you look rather dashing,” the other man said.
“Excuse me?” Brynn said, confused. The man chuckled comfortably.
“You could pass as the Wolf, I suppose, but really we are quite different.” He pulled back the hood of his cape. Brynn thought his face interesting. Determined, yet laughing eyes, a firm mouth, and overall appearance of confidence hung about the man. Brynn could see the vague resemblance to himself, which was slightly disconcerting.
“So are you saying that you are the real Wolf?” Brynn asked, finally.
“Ah, and so light begins to dawn. You have guessed correctly, good friend. I thought it was unfortunate for you to get arrested in my name, so I decided to help you out. Fair enough? I do apologize for the inconvenience, Brynn.”
“How do you know my name, Zasur?”
“I make it my business to know everyone’s name. How do you know mine?”
Brynn laughed shortly. “Who does not know your name? ‘Friend of the meek and enemy of the tyrant.’ Also known as a major threat to the government. I think it is self-explanatory,” he replied.
Zasur laughed for a moment. “True—I suppose I am rather well-known.” He turned his face to the window and surveyed the moon for a moment. “We have time before the plan goes into action. Tell me more of yourself.”
“I was traveling to Ketsya with my companion, Iathan, when I was arrested in your name,” Brynn told him.
“Ah, that’s what it was, Iathan. I couldn’t remember the boy’s name. I spoke with him a little while ago. He didn’t know he was talking to the Wolf,” Zasur said, chuckling at the memory. “What will you do when we get out?”
“Continue traveling to Ketsya and visit my family,” Brynn replied, steadily. “And find Iathan, if I can.” Zasur thought for a moment. A low, soft whistle came through the window, and he stood up, looking out.
“Travis? Good. Meet you up around front. Thank you,” Zasur said. He caught two clubs as they were pushed between the bars of the window. Turning back to Brynn, who was watching him, he smiled brightly.
“It’s terrible how horribly insecure these jails are. This is the third one I’ve seen in the past few weeks that was indescribably easy to break out of!” he finished indignantly. He tossed a club to Brynn. “Our aim is to knock our dear guards senseless for a few hours. Keep killing to a minimum, if you don’t mind. I have my reputation to think of,” he added. “Let’s go.”
Brynn followed him up the stairs, breathing silently. The same whistle was heard, then Zasur and Brynn jointly rammed the door. The second time, the door creaked unhappily, as a commotion came from the room beyond. They rammed the door once more, and it fell through, with a loud crack.
“Good work,” Zasur commented. A blond haired man was dueling one of the four guards, and Zasur and Brynn quickly jumped in. The club was a handy weapon; Brynn found he could easily knock a guard unconscious without undue exertion. It was but a few moments before the four guards lay sprawled about the room, senseless. Zasur led the way outside where three horses were waiting.
“Someone will have heard the noise. Let’s be on our way, shall we?” Brynn, Zasur, and Travis mounted and rode quickly out of the town.
ʊʊʊʊʊ
They rode for an hour in the darkness. Brynn wondered vaguely where Zasur was leading them, but followed without hesitation. Finally, they entered the forest bordering the roadside. They had to move more slowly, but it was a relief from the hard riding. Another fifteen minutes, and they came in sight of a campfire and the group of men surrounding it.
“Ho there, Wolf, what have you brought?” asked a thin young man with dark hair.
“Another Wolf, Ivan,” Zasur called, dismounting and handing the reins to a man nearby.
“Another? Come, tell us all about it! Gerard has outdone himself with the cooking this evening and I’m sure your friend is hungry,” Ivan said, smiling. Brynn dismounted, grateful for the many hours of labor that had strengthened and toned his muscles. A few years earlier, a ride like that would have left him crippled. Zasur turned to him.
“Brynn, forgive me for presenting my brother, Ivan,” he said, grinning. Ivan ignored him and shook Brynn’s hand.
“I’m glad to meet you, friend. Have a seat, here, round the fire. Gerard, bring Brynn something to eat,” Ivan commanded. Around them, the men were talking and laughing. Zasur sat by the fire and joked with his men as food was brought for him, Brynn, and Travis.
“Tell us about your conquest, Zasur,” Ivan urged.
“Not much to tell. Everything went according to plan,” Zasur replied. “Travis and I managed to stage a little incident that made me look like the Wolf, got me arrested, and broke out.”
“Why didn’t you just enter the jail and break him out?” someone asked. “Why go to the trouble of getting arrested?”
“Because then Brynn could help us break out,” Zasur explained. “It was much more fun that way, too. I assure you, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”
Watching Zasur and Ivan interact, loneliness tugged at Brynn. He was beginning to realize how much he depended on and enjoyed Rylan’s company. And now, surrounded by people, he felt more alone than ever. It was strange; suddenly being in the midst of so many had reminded him of his brother’s companionship. He shrugged it off, however, refusing to allow it to spoil the evening. You’ll have to come to terms with it, he told himself, wryly. In the mean time, he enjoyed talking with Zasur’s band of followers. They were a merry group, always poking fun at each other and telling stories of their past raids with Zasur. Brynn listened eagerly, enthralled by the daring escapes and risks Zasur orchestrated frequently.
“If that guard had been six inches nearer—” one man finished, leaving the sentence ominously hanging. The others knew what he meant. Brynn turned to Zasur, who had been quiet after their return, listening to the tales the men told. He was smiling slightly, as he poked at the fire absentmindedly.
“Don’t you ever get tired of being chased? Of being constantly in danger? Is it what you wanted for your life?” Brynn asked, finally. Zasur’s black eyes flashed up to meet Brynn’s blue ones.
“Does one get tired of doing his duty?” he asked, quietly. “It has never been a question of whether I want to or not. It is whether I need to or not. And the answer has always been that I need to,” he said, simply. Brynn gazed into the fire, thinking.
“You are a strange man, Zasur. Not many men would be willing to do what you do,” he said. “Standing up for the needy and pressing back on those who would oppress the people. Thank you for getting me out of the jail,” he added. Amusement glinted in Zasur’s eyes.
“That,” he said, “was a good time. We’ll have to do it again, eh?” He glanced around as his followers began to gather their bedding, still joking and breaking into bursts of laughter. Brynn rose, picking up his bedroll, which he had taken with him from the jail.
“Brynn,” Zasur stopped him.
“Yes?” he answered, turning back to look at him.
“I think there are more people willing to stand for justice than you think. Just because a man is a farmer or a merchant doesn’t mean he can’t fight for what he believes is right. If the test comes, I think they will stand firm. Farmers and fathers are braver than they look.”
Brynn nodded. “I’ll remember that.”
ʊʊʊʊʊ
It was morning, and Brynn was ready to start on his journey, once again. Zasur and Ivan walked with him to the road, to send him off. They paused there, as if unsure what to say. Finally Zasur spoke up.
“Brynn, you’re welcome to join us, if you like. We can always use people to fight for justice.”
Brynn considered the offer.
“Thank you, but I must find my family, first. Perhaps, if life in the city doesn’t work out …” He grinned. “I’ll be keeping an eye out for you.”
Zasur nodded in understanding.
“Well, then, it’s farewell. So long, Brynn. I hope your journey is safe, but not too dull,” he said, grinning back.
“So long, Wolf.” Brynn shook Zasur and Ivan’s hands. “Until we meet again.” He turned and started down the road. The brothers watched until he disappeared into the fog, then they too, went along their own road.
ʊʊʊʊʊ
It was nearly night when Brynn reached Ketsya. He made it inside before the city gates closed, and he was grateful, for shortly before it had begun to rain. Despite his heavy traveling cloak, Brynn was soaked by the time he found his family’s house. He was surprised to see the dark front windows, and alarm began to build within him as he knocked repeatedly on the door. There was no answer. Turning away, he spied a nearby house and decided to see if the neighbors knew anything. A short, round lady with graying hair answered the door.
“Mercy! What are you doing here, in all this rain?” she asked, surveying Brynn’s wet and disheveled appearance.
“I’m looking for my family. They live in that house, next door. Do you know where they are?” Brynn asked.
The lady looked out into the street for a moment, nervously, then grabbed Brynn’s cloak and pulled him inside the house, swiftly shutting the door. Before he could process what was happening, the woman had seated him in the kitchen and gone “to fetch Thomas, for he would know what to do.” Brynn warmed his hands at the fire, glancing around the warm, brightly lit kitchen. It was a comfortable little room, he decided, reminiscent of his old home. At the moment, he wasn’t quite sure what to think of his family’s disappearance, but he didn’t want to get worked up about nothing. They could simply be away and planning to return soon.
The woman returned quickly, with Thomas behind her. She whispered loudly.
“There, you see, Thomas. Sitting there, in our kitchen. What do you think of that?” Thomas stepped forward, straightening his glasses and peering at Brynn.
“I’m sorry to intrude,” Brynn said, wondering why the two of them continued to stare at him. “I am just looking for my family. If you could tell me where they are, I’d be most grateful.”
The woman breathed in sharply. “That’s just the thing of it. No one knows where they are. They left, oh, two months ago, and we haven’t seen ‘em since. Just up and left, in the middle of the night.”
“There, there, now, Melinda,” Thomas said, running a hand through his gray hair. “They have to be somewhere. And,” he added, turning to Brynn, “we have no reason to think that they aren’t well.” Brynn felt his stomach clench, as uncertainty took over.
“Why would they leave?” he asked, in disbelief.
Melinda shook her head. “No one knows.”
Brynn rubbed his hand across his eyes. Where could his family have gone, leaving no word for him or Rylan? And why? It was too strange. “Well, thank you for your help,” he said finally, rising. “I’d better be on my way.”
“You are welcome to stay here for the night,” Thomas offered, kindly. Melinda nodded. Brynn smiled, half-heartedly.
“Thank you, you are very kind, but I’d really better go. I’ll let you know if I find anything,” he added. They nodded, still staring at him oddly, he thought. “Oh, is there a good inn nearby?” he asked, as an afterthought.
“The Ram’s Head is down the street. Take a left at the corner and walk straight until you reach it. Can’t miss it,” Thomas answered. Brynn nodded.
“Thanks. Goodbye.”
The Ram’s Head proved to be a popular place, not just for travelers, but also for the locals, who came to drink a cup of ale and swap stories with their mates. Brynn found the proprietor with some difficulty, in the crowded dining room.
“Do you have any rooms?” Brynn asked, trying to be heard above the clatter of dishware and rowdy laughter.
“Sure, sure!” The bald innkeeper answered, slamming plates onto the tables with vigor. He was a rotund, red-faced man, swathed in a huge apron.
“Well, can I rent one?” Brynn went on, following the man as he weaved his way between the tables. The innkeeper handed him one of the heavy trays he was carrying, and began to serve another table. Brynn waited patiently, holding the steaming food. Finally, his host turned back to him, looking surprised.
“Did I hire you?” he asked, puzzled.
“No, sir. You just handed it to me,” Brynn answered, as the proprietor took the tray from him.
“Mm. Well, what do you want, sonny?” He was on the move again. Brynn was surprised at how agile the man proved to be.
“I want to rent a room,” Brynn repeated, as the innkeeper paused in front of a door.
“Well, do me a favor, will ya? Wait until this crowd clears out. I’m jam-packed and trying to keep up with all the orders. Thanks, sonny.” The man disappeared into the kitchen, shouting, “Luciano! Come help me!” Brynn sighed, but was resigned. He decided to wait in one of the little corner booths until the place had cleared out some. He began making his way through the mass of people, all the while having elbows jabbed into his stomach, and people stepping on his feet. An impatient woman behind him kept urging him to hurry up, and Brynn did his best to get out of her way. Unexpectedly, a girl and boy appeared in front of him, carrying plates of hot food in the opposite direction. Brynn stopped to let them pass but the impatient lady had no such notion. She pushed Brynn forward, right into the plate of the red-haired girl. Collision was unavoidable. Hot gravy and mashed potatoes spattered Brynn’s clothing and hair as the woman shoved him. The girl let out a shriek, followed by an indignant exclamation Brynn didn’t quite catch. The impatient lady disappeared into the crowd, and after the initial moment of silence, when the girl’s shriek and Brynn’s cry of warning had interrupted the chatter, the people went back to their own food and conversation. Brynn was face to face with the indignant redhead and her dark-haired counterpart.
“What are you doing?” the girl sputtered, fuming. The front of her dress had received it’s share of her food, and she rubbed at it with a napkin. “Why can’t you watch where you’re going?” The boy stepped forward quickly.
“Ellyn, stop it!” he said in a fierce whisper. “I’m sorry,” he said, turning honest gray eyes on Brynn. “My sister didn’t mean to be a problem.” Ellyn started to protest, but the boy was quicker.
“Here.” He handed Brynn his napkin. “I’m sorry about your clothes. Let’s get out of the way,” he said, realizing that they were still standing in a main walkway. The boy hustled Ellyn and Brynn over to a table. “Can I buy you some food?” he asked, hoping to make amends for the dinner spattered down Brynn’s front.
“That won’t be necessary, Gavin,” Ellyn said, calmly. “I’m sure this man was going to offer to buy me a new dinner, since he has adorned himself with mine.”
Brynn couldn’t hold the amusement out of his voice. “I’m sorry, young lady, but a very edgy woman happened to think it would improve my looks. She insisted on telling me so very forcefully.” Gavin was staring at Ellyn indignantly, but the stranger didn’t seem to mind her.
“Where are you going?” Brynn asked, surveying their traveling clothes.
“What does is matter to you?” Ellyn asked, her voice challenging. He merely raised his eyebrows and looked at Gavin.
“We’re going to Tiras, to my uncle’s house,” Gavin answered. “Do you know the way? Thanks to someone,” looking significantly at Ellyn, “we seem to be lost.”
“Aye, I’ve been there before. It’s not so far from here, but the road goes through the mountains and it’s not safe to travel alone.”
Gavin glanced a little worriedly at Ellyn. “Why not?”
“Wolves and bandits, mostly. They’re always prepared for defenseless travelers who happen to be passing through,” Brynn answered, frankly.
“Where are you going?” Ellyn asked, turning the conversation on Brynn. His eyes clouded for a moment.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I was planning on staying here, with my family. But I don’t know where they are now. They seem to have gone away without leaving word for anyone.”
“Where would they have gone?” Gavin asked, curious.
Brynn shrugged. “I just don’t know. They could be anywhere. Maybe in Tiras,” he added, as the thought struck him. “My father is a merchant. Tiras is a port town, meaning that lots of trade goes on there. It’s possible,” he said, thinking out loud.
“Quite possible,” Gavin replied. “Do you think you’ll go there?”
“Well, as I’ve no where else to go, most likely. I’m going to check around Ketsya tomorrow and make sure that they really have left. But after that, Tiras seems most likely.”
“If you want, we could travel together,” Gavin offered. Ellyn, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, broke in.
“Gavin,” she said, “I need to talk to you. Over there. Now.” Gavin gave his sister a questioning look, but she just stood up and walked away. He excused himself and followed her to an alcove near the door.
“Gavin! What are you doing? We don’t even know who this person is and you’re inviting him to travel with us!”
“Ellyn, calm down. Does he seem like a bandit to you?” Gavin asked. Ellyn looked over at the empty table where Brynn sat.
“You never can tell. I’ve heard that crooks often are the least suspicious looking people. That’s why they get away with so much.”
“Ellyn, don’t be ridiculous. He’s just a guy looking for his family.”
“Did you see his bow? He looks like he knows how to use it!”
“Well that’s a good thing if the mountains are as dangerous as they seem to be!” Gavin answered impatiently. “Look, Ellyn. If he isn’t a good, law-abiding citizen, then we’ll just leave, alright?”
“If he doesn’t kill us first,” Ellyn muttered. Gavin smiled.
“I’m sure the two of us will be able to take him out, should the need arise.”
Ellyn smiled too. “Alright. You win. But if anything happens, it’s your fault.”
“Fair enough.”
The two finally returned to the table. Brynn had a good idea of what they had been discussing and had watched the conversation with amusement. They made quite a pair. But he already liked Gavin. And Ellyn—well, he’d get used to her. She was a character, but not necessarily a bad one.
“So, will you come with us?” Gavin asked.
