Chapter 2 — Survival

Drained by everything that had happened, Ria’s sobbing eventually gave way to a quiet sniffling, but after a time, even that was intruded upon by a growing insistence that she was hungry… and thirsty.

The men had come just before mid-day, so she had missed lunch and dinner. At the time, she had been too terrified to feel hungry, but now, if she was going to survive, she would have to find food. And if her house was any indication, most of the village’s food supplies had been looted and carted off.

Ria rubbed her eyes and cleared the snot from her nose.

Fortunately, Jeni’s parents always kept a stock of preserved foods in the secret room. Looking around, she saw hams and other salted meats, cheese and hard bread, sacks of grains.

She had no idea how long any of it would keep without spoiling, but suspected that it wouldn’t last the winter. That everyone had been taken away not long after the summer harvest… left her with an uncomfortable feeling.

There was the possibility that the villagers were relocated because of a coming danger, but the timing seemed too convenient. Gathering peasants for forced labor would make more sense, but why take the women, children, and old people?

Maybe the village did something to displease the baron or the duke? Or even the king? Maybe that was why everyone was taken? If the villagers were sent to work in the mines, would they eventually be allowed to return? Even if that were so, with all the food taken, returning families to face the winter unprepared… seemed unlikely.

Ria wondered if she should leave the village, then remembered what the man said about ‘five more villages’. If all the people from at least six villages were rounded up… would there be anywhere to go? And if she went to a town, would she be arrested because she was from one of those villages? After what happened, was there anywhere in this kingdom that would be safe for her?

Probably no one would come to round up villagers at an already empty village, and at least if she stayed here, water wouldn’t be a problem. She already knew how to draw water from the well near her house.

Honestly, she was scared to go anywhere on her own, and her best bet was probably to try to survive the autumn and winter in the village and see if anyone returned in the spring.

A growl from her stomach interrupted her thoughts.

Sighing, Ria found a strip of dried jerky and chewed on the end.

Ugh! Salty!

The meat was almost unbearably salty. Eating it directly was a bit… maybe she could make a soup with it?

She had higher hopes for the hams and cheese wheels, but she would need a knife to cut off bite sized portions. The bread, on the other hand, was likely hard enough to break her teeth, and her mouth was dry enough already from the salt-jerky.

While not exactly knives, there were items on the back wall that would likely be able to provide for her cutting needs. Jeni’s grandparents had been adventurers, and their weapons and armor were still proudly displayed in the back of the room.

Even if she hadn’t heard the stories from Jeni, it was obvious that one was a warrior and the other was a mage. In fact, Jeni was really excited about the grimoire that her grandmother had left for her.

Ria ran her hand along the grimoire and wondered if Jeni would ever return to use it.

A more insistent stomach grumble refocused Ria on the problem at hand, and she removed the shortest of the sheathed swords from the weapon pegs, strapping the sheath’s belt around her waist. Hopefully Jeni’s family wouldn’t mind if she borrowed it for a bit.

Drawing the blade that was longer than her forearm from its sheath, she used it to cut a sliver of ham and cheese. Ria was surprised at how easily the fancy-looking blade cut things, but getting the food into her stomach was the priority, and only afterward did she notice the faint glow coming from the dagger’s blade.

Ria froze for a second, wondering if borrowing a magic dagger was really okay.

Eventually, she just shrugged and put the dagger back in its sheath. Nothing bad had happened when she used it, and she could always apologize later if they came back. As things were, surviving the winter would likely require borrowing the crossbow as well.

A great many things would likely need to be borrowed from her neighbors if she was to survive the coming winter.

For now, Ria decided to head home. She borrowed a travel pack and brought some of the food back with her.

After filling her mom’s stew pot with water from the well, Ria made a fire to heat the water. In the process of gathering root vegetables from the cellar, she began to worry about the risk of smoke from the cooking fire being seen.

Just as she was about to put the fire out, a peal of thunder sounded in the distance and a quick check of the sky showed the weather turning overcast. She decided to risk having the fire for now. The large pot of soup would easily last her a week and gain her time to figure some things out.

One thing she was already learning was that cutting vegetables with a magic dagger was dangerous. The blade sliced through easily enough that she kept cutting into the cutting board. Losing a finger was a real risk if she got careless. Not to mention, repeated cutting with something the size of a small sword was both mentally and physically tiring.

Even so, having a task to focus on helped keep her from thinking about the current situation too much.

By the time she had finished adding ingredients to the soup, a summer rain was beginning to fall. Whether the rain would turn into a full-blown storm or not, she didn’t know, but as she was anxiously closing the window shutters, the sky flashed and more thunder rumbled in the distance.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ria put an extra log on the fire before setting about determining what exactly had been left behind in her house.

A quick search of the kitchen confirmed that, in addition to the food, the knives and metal utensils were gone. Ria was surprised that the stew pot was left behind if they were after metal.

Almost all of the clothing and linens had been left behind. The sack of coins kept hidden in her dad’s clothes drawer was gone, but their savings hidden behind the drawer was still there.

Fortunately, her mom’s scissors and sewing needles were still where she left them. That meant she would at least be able to make herself new clothes, if necessary. With her mom being one of the village's seamstresses and a well-respected dressmaker, Ria had already started learning how to sew clothing.

Her dad was a tanner and worked with leathers. Since the tanning process smelled bad, her dad’s work was mostly done outside or in his workshop. With the rain not looking like stopping any time soon, she would check on that tomorrow. Her father had taught her the basics of tanning, but she really didn’t have the strength for it.

Returning to check on the soup, she added a few more logs to the fire and extended it to the side to make room for the kettle. If she could only make fires on rainy days, then she might as well heat some water for washing while she had the chance.

To Ria's relief, the soup made using the jerky was tasty enough and would give her an acceptable way to make use of the meat most likely to keep through the winter. She felt a sense of pride growing in her chest at her success in cooking the soup without her mom helping.

Though the thought was bittersweet. All the times complaining that she could make dinner on her own, and now, she certainly would rather have her mom beside her helping and giving guidance.

Trying her best to stay strong, she prepared a bowl of hot water and toweled off her sweat. The towel bath helped her untangle some of the knotted emotions she was feeling, and she decided to settle in for the night, surrendering to the vague thought that tomorrow might provide her with a bit more clarity about what she should do.

Of course, such wishful thinking was too naïve, as being alone with the sounds of thunder and rain was still very scary for her, and even after curling up into a ball under her covers, she didn’t fall asleep until several hours later.