“I’m Edwin, as you’ve heard. I’m the caravan’s guard captain.”

The tension had completely fallen, and the three men were discussing in a relaxed manner, even though they had been fighting mere seconds ago.

“I’m Mahon, and this is Jorik.”

Edwin nodded. “Good. Have you ever been a caravan's guard before?”

The duo shook their heads.

“Ok, it’s nothing really complicated. Fighting and physical condition are the two main qualities, and you possess both of them. And given your little act, I guess you have at least half a brain too, which places you ahead of most of the others. I’ve a unit of four trusted men, the Frontaliers, and we’re the brain of the security of this caravan while you’re the muscles. You don’t need to think, just obey and be there to fight any problem. In exchange, you’ll be fed and have a place to live. And then there are primes depending on what you kill and how many. Any questions?”

Mahon didn’t even have to look back to Jorik to shake his head. “No, sir. It’s perfect.”

“Just call me Edwin.” The captain waved him off. “The caravan leaves in the afternoon, and the town is safe, so you’re not needed until after lunch where I’ll brief you on the journey. If you’re looking for some pocket coins, you can help the merchants pack their things and load their cart, they usually give some tips.”

“Thanks.” Jorik bowed slightly.

Edwin shrugged, as if it wasn’t really worth anything. “Come with me now, I’ll give you your badges, and then you’re free ‘til lunch.”

He started walking towards the tents, but stopped after just a few steps.

“Please, stop it. You’ll put my men on edge.” He said to Mahon and Jorik who switched their motion yet again to a less aggressive one.

Any ounce of nobility in Jorik’s behavior was gone, and now he looked like any warrior aware of his surroundings. Mahon walked like he used to, and also dropped his smooth, dangerous-looking footsteps. Satisfied, Edwin started moving again, and he led the duo to one of the first tents, where a burly man was pacing around.

“This is Hagre, one of the other guards.”

The patrolling man nodded to them before they entered the large tent after Edwin. The inside wasn’t unlike Ravatoris commander’s tent back in Ratho, but smaller. A simple foldable table stood in the middle with maps, notes, books and other stuff. Edwin went to another part of the tent, though, and from a little chest, he took out two badges and handed them to the duo.

Mahon took his own and observed it while Edwin spoke. It was nicely polished, but the years had already taken its toll, and the colors were starting to fade. A simple forest seen from above with a line delimiting clearly its edge was pictured over a light red background.

“That’s the Frontaliers guest’s badge. It shows that we hired you to help us guard this caravan. Always keep it on you, and show it to anyone if there is a problem. It’ll help the merchants know you’re really working with them until they get to know you better, and it’ll also help the locals assert your position in every town we go to.”

Mahon pocketed the badge with a nod, and Edwin sat at this table before waving them off.

“I’ll present you to the rest of the crew when we leave. We’ll see each other at lunch. In the meantime, finish any business you have here before we leave, because you’re not gonna come back to Barcombe before months. And don’t stir any trouble.”

The duo walked out of the tent and naturally went towards the still busy, improvised market. There were close to seventy carts, lined side by side, with a merchant behind each cart selling his stuff to the people of Barcombe.

Mahon walked into the closest improvised street and eyed curiously the goods displayed on the different stands. There were clothes, weapons, everyday objects, cereals, seeds, animals, foods and much more. No two stands were similar, and each step to another stand brought its share of new things to see.

Most things Mahon knew about, but here and there, there were objects he couldn’t even guess what they were used for. He continued to walk leisurely for a bit until he reached a music stall, and he stopped in front without even realizing. Compared to Ash’s shop there weren’t that many instruments on display, but all the classics were present.

He approached closer and instinctively touched his harmonica hidden inside his clothes. He had brought Zac’s gift with him as he went to scout the Amentiae, but in the long pursuit, the harmonica had been hit, and a dent now prevented him from playing most of the notes. He had tried while in the forest, but the thing was too bent to play more than two tuned notes.

“I need to check something here.” He said to Jorik while pointing at the nearby stall with his thumb.

Jorik nodded. “No problem. Do your thing. I’ll continue to check the market and see if I meet interesting people. We’ll be spending the next two months with these people anyway, so let’s try to get to know them better and collect some info. Let’s meet back at lunch.”

Mahon acquiesced and Jorik waved at him while he continued forward through the carts. Mahon watched him move away before he turned back to the stall. He searched the instruments with his eyes as he approached the cart, but he couldn’t see any harmonica.

“Hello! May I help you? You’re looking for something specific?”

The merchant greeted him, and as Mahon raised his head, he was faced with a chiseled, warm face and a radiant smile. The merchant has brown, short hair, and a tattoo of a 12 was proudly displayed on the right side of his neck. The look on his expressive hazel eyes didn’t dupe Mahon about the real nature of the man as he was watching fondly over his instruments.

A caring musician over a merchant.

Relieved about the man’s skills, Mahon didn’t hesitate further and took out his dented harmonica.

“Can you fix this?”

“Oh, poor thing! Let me see...” The merchant leaned forward and reached out with his two hands cupped together as if he was looking for an injured bird instead of a broken instrument.

Mahon carefully dropped the harmonica into the merchant’s hands and watched as the man observed the instrument for a long minute. He moved it in a delicate way to examine it under every angle, before he placed it on a piece of cloth on his counter. There he resumed his inspection, probing the instrument skillfully with a light hammer and listening attentively to the resulting sounds.

“May I?” He finally said to Mahon while pointing at the instrument.

Mahon nodded, and the man grabbed the harmonica with careful motion and brought it to his mouth. He tried to play a few notes, but they all came distorted and unpleasant. With a sigh and a slight grimace, the merchant placed back the instrument over the cloth and turned to Mahon.

“I’m afraid most of the strips are completely broken and need to be switched. For the rest, I can probably bend it back to its initial position, and it will be like it was new.”

Mahon heaved a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t be forced to throw Zac’s gift away. “Thanks for the information. I don’t think I have enough right now, but out of curiosity, how much would it cost to repair it?”

“I’m not completely sure, but I think it shouldn’t be more than two silvers. And anyway, the caravan is leaving just after lunch, I wouldn’t have time to repair it right now. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m a caravan’s guard, so I’m leaving with you. It’s just I don’t have any money right now.”

“Oh, you’re a caravan’s guard?” The merchant seemed surprised, and Mahon reached in his pocket for his badge and showed it to the man. “Indeed, you’re one.” He threw a worried look at Mahon before placing his hand protectively over the harmonica. “How did you find this harmonica?”

“It’s mine.” Mahon answered with a sad smile. “A dear friend gifted it to me some time ago, but I got in… trouble, and the harmonica suffered a hit. I thought it was completely broken, and I’m glad to hear it’s not.”

The merchant observed Mahon for a few more seconds before he smiled back. “Interesting. I’ve very rarely seen men like you dabble into music, especially with such a fragile and delicate instrument. Unfortunately, I don’t have any other harmonica with me. They don’t like to travel much. I’ll have to wait until I fix this one before I can hear you play.”

Mahon flashed a large smile. “That’d be my pleasure. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough money right now, so it’ll have to wait.”

“Nonsense.” The merchant refuted. “I can’t let this harmonica in this state any longer. If you agree to pay me as soon as you can during this trip, I don’t see any problem with me fixing it in advance.”

Mahon started to like this merchant more and more with any passing minute. The man was speaking with a calm assurance, but his voice showed how caring and attentive he really was.

“What if I helped you with packing and installing your cart every time you needed until I’ve reimbursed you? Edwin mentioned most merchants were looking for such help…”

The merchant took some time to think before he came to a decision. “Why not? I admit I’ve not had many experiences with guards, but every time I did, they were too rough to handle delicate instruments and brought more trouble than solution. But since you mentioned you were a musician as well… I can agree to give this a try, but it’ll be at my discretion to revoke your help if I judge it inadequate, and you’ll have to bring money instead.”

Mahon acquiesced without hesitation. “We have a deal then.” He said while extending his hand.

The merchant grabbed it and shook it with a firmness his previous gentle attitude didn’t betray.

“My name is Mahon, by the way.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Mahon. I’m Reptar. Meet me here after lunch, and I’ll show you what needs to be done.”

“Ok, see you later, Reptar.”

“See you later, boy.” The merchant waved him off.

Mahon threw him a weird look. Reptar barely looked to be in his fourth century, and even though Mahon was probably two centuries younger, it wasn’t a reason to call him boy. He shrugged it off, as most of the older people he had seen around there tended to call them like that.

Maybe it’s a custom around here?

He pursued his leisure walk through the market, but as lunch approached, most of the merchants started closing their shops by throwing sheets over their stalls. They put a stone or two to prevent the wind from blowing it away and left towards the tents.

Mahon followed the flow of people, and soon he arrived inside the actual camp of the caravan. If the market part of this community was all clean with a serious atmosphere, the living part of the camp was much more jovial and natural. Here the people weren’t merchants, but travelers that spent time together.

There were children running around, as some of the merchant’s family accompanied them on their trip. Mahon also spotted a few dogs and cats, either running after the children, or watching them leisurely from a comfortable spot in the shadows. His attention was brought back to his empty stomach at the sound of a ladle clattering against a cauldron.

He wasn’t the only one interested, and the people started to form a neat line towards the tent where the food was being served. Mahon looked around, and he quickly noticed Jorik walking to him. With a simple communicative gesture, they met each other and joined the queue.