Chapter 57

Year 163 – Fall – Quintus Mensis – 29th days

Avem, town of House Kalator, land of the Vale

After four days of convalescence, Vatra’s fever had finally gone down. She looked around, but the room seemed empty. Few bowls had been piled up on the table. A kettle of tea was warming up near the fire. An aroma of mint and tea leaves was filling her lungs like a fresh breeze of summer. She could hear footsteps upstairs and outside the house, but none that would come to entangle her serenity. Vatra’s sight reached the crackling flame of the fire keeping her company.

Vatra – “Wouldn’t you last longer if you weren’t burning with such delight?”

Vatra grabbed an iron poker nearby and stirred the ember, thinning the flame.

Vatra – “See? Now you’ll last for two more hours.”

Vatra turned on her belly and laid her chin on her crossed arms.

They are all fighters. They should be able to stay alive this time. I’m sorry Ethen, but even if they were our enemy, they don’t seem that different from you and me. Besides, I’ve got to stay with them until summer, so I might as well try to befriend them.

The sound of the opening door suddenly woke Vatra from her drowsiness. She turned her head to the other side and saw the first snowflakes of winter quietly falling to the ground and turning into a white carpet. Nelis, Jurren, Leo, and Elgan were carrying a few bags on their backs.

Nelis – “Oh, you’re finally awake!”

Vatra – “How long have I slept?”

Nelis – “Four days!”

Four days . . .

Jurren – “Do you feel better?”

Vatra – “I do. Thank you!”

Jurren – “Good! I was thinking of doing two birds with one stone.”

Nelis – “Elgan, go wake Jowrik and Petra.”

Vatra – “About what?”

Elgan – “Alright!”

Jurren – “I don’t really know who you are, but I would be in no place to ask if I didn’t present myself in the first place.”

Nelis – “Leo, Jurren, cut the potatoes. I’ll cook the eggs first.”

Jurren – “Will do!”

Leo – “What do you mean by two birds with one stone?”

Jurren – “Well, I don’t think I’ve told you much about me either since we’ve recruited you.”

Leo – “I’ve heard you were the greatest fighter beside Lanaya.”

Jurren – “It’s technically true, but I don’t think any of us can compare ourselves to her.”

Elgan – “They’re awake. They’ll come downstairs soon.”

Nelis – “Good! Is the tea ready?”

Vatra – “It is, I think.”

Elgan – “Is it our tea or the one from the Vale?”

Vatra – “Are they different?”

Elgan – “Ours is a little greener, I think . . .”

Nelis – “It’s the one from Avem, but I have some mint.”

Vatra – “So . . . You were about to tell your story, or?”

Jurren – “Give me a second.”

Nelis – “Leo, once you have finished cutting your potatoes, fill the pot halfway with water and place it on the fire.”

Leo – “Understood.”

Elgan grabbed the kettle using a thick glove and served it in seven wooden cups. Jurren placed his potato slices in a cooking pot, hooked it above the fire, and sat on a chair near Vatra. Vatra sat against the wall and looked at him.

Jurren – “So, where do I begin?”

Vatra – “You’re all mercenaries, right?”

Nelis – “Correct.”

Vatra – “Alright so, where do you come from?”

Jurren – “I was born in Bosc in the South of the Union.”

Vatra – “Then start there. What made you leave?”

Jurren – “Oh, it’s going to be a long story then.”

Vatra – “Can’t be worse than talking about the weather.”

Jurren – “True, true. My family owned a small sloop. Well, I say small, but it was larger than our house. My father was a man of the sea. He was a fisherman and a traveller. He’d stay home for winter, and each summer, he’d leave with his crew and follow the sea, deep to the northwest to fish larger and larger beasts. My father was working for the nobles doing these crazy requests. I remember one of the larger fish had so many large teeth that my father made himself a necklace out of them.”

Vatra looked at him, captivated by the story. Elgan passed her a cup of tea and sat further away.

Vatra – “Thank you.”

Jurren – “He was like a hero to me, and I thought he was invincible . . . But when I was nine, he didn’t come back for the winter. I wanted to find what had happened to him, so I joined the Bosc militia and years later, I became a mercenary. I had barely left to travel the world for a few months when I heard about the Eastern invasion.”

Leo – “Wait, how old are you then?”

Jowrik – “He’s 28.”

Nelis – “Good morning!”

Petra – “Good morning.”

Vatra – “So, what did you do when you heard about the invasion?”

Jurren – “By the time I went back home, my family’s land had been ravaged. I realised I should have been protecting my future instead of seeking the past. I had lost those I cared for, but I still had a future within my own so I joined ranks with the Union to put an end to the war and protect what remained of that future.”

Nelis – “Is my crutch working this time?”

Petra – “It’s well-adjusted this time around! Thank you. I’m sorry for the last time . . .”

Nelis – “Glad to hear.”

Jurren – “Four years later, we had won the war, but each soldier was so mad at the Eastern empire that we engaged in a conquest instead of ending the slaughter. I went to the East and killed tens of men. Forcing any town in our way to surrender and give us their supplies.”

Vatra – “I remember it differently . . .”

Jurren – “We did many horrible and unforgiving things, so most of us ended up deserting. I don’t know how much worse it got during the last two years of the war. I had become a fisherman by then and was trying to forget. It was peaceful, but I wasn’t as good as my father. I saw my economy disappear within a few years. I was broke and didn’t know what to do, so I did the only thing I was good at and became a mercenary once again.“

Jowrik – “Have we gone through all of our apples?”

Nelis – “We did! So now we’ll eat eggs, potatoes, and bread for a few weeks. If we are lucky, I’ll find us some meat as well.”

Jurren – “A few lords of the Union were engaged in a war across the Southern sea. A war over a large gemstone mine in the middle of a desert. My boat got caught in a violent storm, and I thought my days in this world were over, but when I woke up, Lanaya and Nelis were there to save me. Since then, I owe them my life.”

Petra – “And since then, I own them my life. C’mon! He just healed you. If we follow your logic, we’d owe our lives to hundreds of people.”

Jurren – “I wouldn’t have survived without them.”

Elgan – “You’re correct, but if Aberfa and Owen didn’t find food in the forest two years ago, we’d have starved to death and we could go as far as saying that the blacksmith who forged our blade and armour saved our life as well.”

Jurren – “I told them I’d follow them until I could repay my debt, and I’m a man of my word.”

Vatra – “Even if we can’t repay our debt to all of those who helped us through our life, we should at least pray for them or give them a memorial of some kind.”

Elgan – “A memorial would be destroyed either by man or by time.”

Vatra – “You’re wrong! A memorial is a sign of hope from our ancestors and from those who believed in us. It is our duty to show hope for those who come next.”

Elgan – “My ancestors have built no memorial.”

Vatra – “Then what do you think you were to your own parents?”

Nelis – “How about we build a memorial to those who died here?”

Jowrik – “You mean for both sides?”

Nelis – “Yeah, I didn’t have any grudge against them, so I think it’s the least we could do. Besides, we’ve got nothing to do for the whole winter.”

Jurren – “At least until Lanaya comes back. Then things might change.”

Leo – “And how are we going to build a memorial for thousands of people?”

Nelis – “I don’t know. Since most of them used to be her people, how about we let the new one decide?”

Jowrik – “That’s fine by me.”

Elgan – “As long as I don’t need to work, I really don’t care.”

Nelis – “So it’s decided then. Vatra, how do you want to honour those who died here?”

Vatra – “Ehh . . . Well . . . I don’t know. I haven’t thought of it yet, but I’ll think of something . . .”

Leo – “Since we’re doing this, anyone else want to tell us their story?”

Elgan – “I’ve done many things, seen many things, and even more. Are you impressed?”

Jowrik – “I can tell your story for you if you’re too bored to share.”

Elgan – “I’m not bored; I don’t want to. Why don’t you tell them your story instead?”

Petra – “He already told it to the girl. He’ll tell it to Leo later if he’s interested.”

Elgan – “Do as you wish. I’ll go for a walk.”

As soon as Elgan left the house, Jowrik began to talk.

Jowrik – “He used to be a handyman and a vagabond. Arriving in a new town, he’d take on any jobs. May they be shady or honest. He might look like he never wants to work, but he’s not the kind to let people down. He does like gold and ale, though.”

Petra – “You should see him when he’s drunk. He’s like a different person. He goes from being bitter and mean to a really playful guy.”

Jowrik – “If he was drunk, he’d tell you his story himself, that’s for sure!”

Petra – “Too bad Egmond took it all.”

Vatra – “Who’s that?”

Petra – “The king of the North. He’s an asshole, and we don’t like assholes. That’s all you need to know!”

Jowrik – “But we work for him, so we can’t really say that about him.”

Petra – “He doesn’t let anyone get drunk. What would you call that?”

Nelis – “A man who wants to sell it to finance his war.”

Petra – “But what’s the point of a wage if you can’t spend it on booze?”

Vatra – “How did you meet Elgan?”

Jowrik – “One day, he had been hired to kill the rival of a trader. As he killed the man, a child saw his crime. He didn’t want to kill a kid this young, so he knocked him unconscious, thinking he could get away with it. But a few days later, he got arrested by the guard and the man who hired him stayed unpunished. He was supposed to die by hanging, but our band entered a town and proposed to buy the liberty of anyone willing to repent.”

Petra – “So, he joined our rank with the intention of deserting, but he got attached to us and stayed. He’s like Nelis, but dumber . . . And he likes booze. And he’s not super brave even though he’s reliable for the most mundane task, but he’s got funny stories to tell when he’s drunk.”

Jowrik – “In what way is he like Nelis?”

Petra – “Well, he’s rude.”

Jowrik – “Oh, of course!”

Nelis – “That was uncalled for.”

Petra – “But it was funny, wasn’t it?”

Jowrik – “I found it funny!”

Vatra – “And you, Nelis, what’s your story?”

Nelis – “It’s all of you and the rest of the Silver Lining. Before that, it’s the story of another man who left this world.”

Jurren – “Don’t expect anything from him. He doesn’t like to talk about his past.”

Jowrik – “The same goes for Lanaya.”

Vatra – “Wait, you’re telling me you don’t know the story of your leader?”

Nelis – “We don’t know yours either, yet we are taking care of you. What matters is not where you come from but where you’re heading.”

Vatra – “Didn’t you want to know my story a few days ago?”

Nelis – “You don’t need to know my story to know I’m helping you. I have no way of knowing if you’re trustworthy, so yeah, I’d like to know more about you. It doesn’t matter if it’s your story or anything else.”

Jurren – “So, Vatra, what’s your story?”

Vatra – “I don’t see why I’d share mine either then!”

Petra – “Ha! And you thought she’d tell it back by telling your own? Joke’s on you!”

Jurren – “Well . . . Not much I can do about it . . .”