- This topic has 717 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 1 week, 2 days ago by
.
-
Posts
-
If one of the guys’ minds went in the same direction as mine and said something like ‘Yes, mom’ to Julian.
lol
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
@linus-smallprint @Liberty @Hybridlore @Koshka @elishavet-pidyon @Keilah-h
NEXT SECTION!!!
“So, what do you think we’ll encounter in Clonabay?” Rolf asked.
“Sin and darkness,” Leon replied in a low voice.
Rolf glanced over his shoulder. “I hope Roland’s alright. I’ve seen him get hurt plenty of times, and this is about the worst I’ve seen him react. He’s never been laid up like this.”
“It makes me wonder if his ankle really is sprained or if it’s actually broken,” Leon mused. “Either way, it defiantly changes things a little.”
Rolf paused and shielded his eyes against the setting sun. “We’ve covered a lot of ground today. Shouldn’t we look for a place to camp?”
Leon eyed the path ahead. “Let’s push on a little farther.”
They continued on in the dwindling light of the setting sun. They came to a place where the path narrowed, and large rocks were scattered about. Leon paused and squinted in the uncertain twilight. “Maybe we can camp here.”
“What about that rock form––” Rolf broke off with a gasp of alarm.
Leon spun and a shock jolted through him.
A man had Rolf in a tight grip, the point of a knife to his back. “Don’t move,” he growled at Leon.
“What do you want?” Leon asked, evenly.
“You to shut up and stay still,” the man snapped, kicking Rolf in the back of the leg. Rolf fell to his knees and the man moved to reposition the knife blade across his throat. Leon held out his hands up his hands in a calming gesture. “Careful there, no need to hurt him,” he said quietly.
“I’ll do what I want,” the man shot back.
Leon’s quick eyes had picked out the man’s disheveled appearance and torn clothing. “Would you like some food?” he asked.
“Yes,” the brigand hissed in reply.
Leon backed slowly away; his hands still raised. Carefully he slid his pack off his shoulder and set it on the ground. Without taking his eyes off the man, he slowly crouched down and flipped open the bag. His fingers found a packet of dried meat.
“Water?” he asked.
The man nodded eagerly.
Leon picked up one of the canteens along with the food and slowly moved toward the man. God, keep Rolf safe, he pleaded silently.
Leon came within an arm’s length of Rolf and the bandit. He held out the food and the man lunged, his blade slipping and opening a shallow cut across Rolf’s collarbone. Rolf sucked in a breath and Leon held out his hand toward the man as if to a wild animal he was trying to tame. “Careful there,” he said soothingly.
“Give me the water,” the man demanded.
Leon moved ever so much closer and began to reach out his hand with the water. As he did so, he caught Rolf’s eye. As the man reached for the canteen, his attention wholly fixed on it, Leon lunged and caught his knife hand, twisting his wrist as Rolf ducked and lunged away. The man howled as Leon wrestled the knife from his grip. At that moment, something slammed into Leon and arms wrapped about him. he hit the ground hard, and the knife was twisted from his hand.
Leon tried to fight back, but strong hands pinned him down. He was able to turn his head enough to catch sight of Rolf being pinned down by a man bandit while the one that had originally caught them was sitting on the ground holding his wrist.
Leon’s arms were wrenched behind his back and bound, and he was yanked into a sitting position. Rolf was dragged over and thrown down beside Leon. Leon checked to see that he was alright. Besides the blood from the knife cut, Rolf looked uninjured.
Leon could feel his lip was bleeding, and he wiped his mouth against his shoulder. He looked at the men who had caught them. There were five of them, and they looked rough and mean. One of them, obviously the leader, was talking to the first bandit. “What were you doing slinking around out here on your own?”
“We was all hungry so I thought I’d find us somethin’ to eat,” the bandit replied.
“Did you?” the leader demanded.
“Yes sir, they gots lotsa’ food.”
“And they also got your knife,” the leader replied. “You’re as dull witted as they come.”
“Now that ain’t fair! It were two against one!”
“You needn’t rough us up just for something to eat, we’ll gladly give it to you,” Leon put in.
The leader kicked him. “Easy to say now. Be quiet.”
Leon shook his head and glanced at Rolf. God, please help us. I don’t know what to do and I don’t see a way out.
“You two, search the packs,” the leader ordered.
Two of his men dumped the contents of the rucksacks on the ground and began rifling through it. They set aside the food and began quarreling over the two cloaks until the leader threatened to knock them on the heads. Then one of them discovered the money. He picked up the bag and the leader’s head snapped up at the sound of jingling coins. He snatched the bag before his men knew what it was.
“Hey, what’s in it?” one asked.
“Nothing,” the leader retorted. “Nothing you would use. I’ll keep it to use for all our good.”
“But I want to know what’s in it,” the other insisted.
“It’s nothin’ you would be interested in. Shut your mouth and do what you’re good at.”
“Which is what?” the man asked.
“Making supper.”
Leon observed that none of the men seemed very bright except for their leader. It was probably how he had taken control in the first place. He watched the man secret away the coins inside his tunic and he wondered how on earth they were going to buy a horse for Roland without them.
A moment later, he had something else to worry about.
“What are we going to do with them?” one of the bandits asked, smacking Rolf across the back of the head.
“We’ll talk about it after supper. I have a few ideas,” the leader replied, smirking at the two captives.
Leon suppressed a shudder. That didn’t sound good.
The men were soon sitting around a fire eating, and Leon and Rolf were left to themselves, though well within sight of the men and with no possible rout of escape.
Leon looked at his friend. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” Rolf whispered. “And you?”
“I’m fine. I just wonder how we’re going to get out of this mess.”
Rolf glanced over at the men. “I don’t know. I can’t help wondering what they plan to do with us.”
Leon nodded. “All we can do is pray.”
After they had eaten, the bandits sat about the fire and began to discuss what to do with the two.
“I’m thinking we could make them join us,” the leader said. “They look strong, and like good fighters.”
“An’ what if they refuse?” one asked.
“We cut their throats.”
Leon glanced at Rolf and saw he had paled slightly. The leader glanced over their way. “Well boys?”
Leon shook his head and then gathered his courage and spoke. “No, we’re not joining you.”
“Come now, it isn’t all that bad. We’ll share with you; you’ll get some of whatever we plunder, and you’ll be family with us. We could use you, and I won’t kill you unless you disrespect me,” the leader said.
“We can’t join you. It’s wrong,” Rolf replied.
“Wrong? Who says? The gods steel from each other and men, why shouldn’t we?” came the retort.
Rolf glanced at Leon and then back at the bandits. “We serve a God who says, “You shall not steal.” We must obey Him, and we cannot do what would be evil in His sight.”
The men all laughed except for the leader. His eyes narrowed and he looked at the two. “You are very strange,” he said. “Are you not afraid of the curse of the gods?”
“We fear no curse, because there is none,” Leon replied.
“Well then, fear what is real,” the leader replied, rising and walking toward them. “I am real, and this knife his real,” he said, brandishing the blade.
Leon felt Rolf’s back go ridged against his own and he tensed. The leader snarled and grabbed the collar of Rolf’s shirt, bringing his knife back to strike. Rolf braced, clenching his teeth and waiting for the blow.
It never came.
“Hey! Look here!” one of the bandits shouted.
The leader turned, and Rolf dared to snatch a breath.
Leon followed the leader’s gaze to one of the bandits on lookout.
“Someone’s coming!” called the bandit.
“Then shut up you dim wit!” the leader snarled. He let go of Rolf and walked swiftly to join his man.
Leon looked at Rolf, who was pale and shaken. Death had been avoided… for the moment. Both knew it would come as soon as this new threat was taken care of. God help us. Be with us both. Give us strength.
“It looks like a lot of somebodies,” the leader snarled.
“They have us outnumbered,” his man said.
“I can see that.”
“Who are they?”
“How should I know.” The leader spun. “Men, ready your weapons and drag the prisoners into the shadows. We’ll deal with them in a moment. One of you guard them. Kill them if they make a sound.”
The men did as they were told. Two grabbed Rolf and Leon and dragged them out of the firelight behind an outcropping of rocks. They threw the two young men down and one drew a dagger and stood over them.
Leon and Rolf lay where they had been thrown, listening and praying silently.
There was the sound of tramping boots and horses’ hooves, and then the bandit leader hailed the travelers. They stopped and a voice with a slight foreign accent spoke. “Could we prevail upon you to let some weary travelers rest at your fire a spell?”
“Come, come,” the leader replied.
Leon grimaced, knowing these travelers would end up robbed and maybe dead.
There was indistinct talking and the sound of saddles creaking and bridles jingling. Leon could see part of the fire from where he lay, and he caught sight of one of the men sitting down beside the bandit leader. The two shook hands and the bandit seemed to be introducing himself. The other said something in reply.
The strangers began to eat, talking and laughing with the bandits. They were dressed in the clothing of traders from the east, though Leon couldn’t tell much with the way the shadows hit them. All at once, Leon detected a slight movement of the foreign leader’s hand. The man bent to set down his bowl, and the next moment he had the bandit leader by the collar with a curved knife poised above him.
Leon started in surprise. The robbers were being robbed!
The foreigner said something in a low voice and the leader looked to where the other foreigners had risen in a moment and held curved swords in hand.
They completely outnumbered his men.
He reluctantly handed over the bag of money and the others emptied their pockets. Then the foreign leader spoke in a voice the two captives could hear. “Call the rest of your men over here.”
“Get over here,” the leader barked, and Leon and Rolf’s guard stepped into the firelight. Rolf moved to sit up, but Leon shook his head, knowing the movement might catch the eye of the foreigners. From what they had seen, he wasn’t to be trusted any more than the bandits.
The foreign leader looked up as the bandit guard approached. “What were you doing?”
The man glanced uneasily at the scene and then over his shoulder. “Just guardin’ the––”
“Collecting wood,” the bandit leader cut in. “He was collecting wood.”
His man looked at him for several long moments. “Yeah…” he said slowly.
The foreign leader turned to four of his men. “Go see what they’re hiding.”
Several of the men moved into the darkness past the bandit guard. Rolf and Leon lay still, praying they wouldn’t be found. These men didn’t seem like the type who would just let them go.
In the darkness, one of the men tripped over Leon’s leg. He called to his companions, and the two captives knew it was all up. They were dragged to their feet and hauled back into the circle of firelight.
The foreign leader started up with a low exclamation of surprise. He walked toward the two, his knife still in his hand. Leon braced and silently prayed for protection and strength.
The man looked from one to the other. He studied Leon a moment and then turned his back on them.
The next moment he whipped around, a fist raised. The next thing Leon knew he was on the ground, his mouth bleeding from the vicious blow.
The man shoved Leon onto his back with a thrust of his boot. “I know you,” he said. He looked up at Rolf. “I know you both. You are the ones who ruined my life, and my livelihood, all because of some God you claim is the one true God. A God of love,” he added mockingly.
“I… I don’t understand,” Rolf said.
“I was the most powerful slave trader in this country! I was very, very wealthy back in my own land, and I was feared far and wide in other lands. I could have been the most powerful trader of them all, but you took that all away from me when you convinced that weakling boy of a governor to abolish the slave trade and the games in Wiedlisbourg!” He backhanded Rolf across the face.
Leon had struggled to a sitting position, and the slave trader pointed his knife at him. “I should kill you both for this.”
“Oh what? We were gonna do that!” one of the complained bandits.
“Silence, dog,” the slave trader snapped.
He motioned to two of his men, and they dragged Leon to his feet. “I will kill you both,” the slave trader snarled. He glared at them and fingered the blade of his knife. He made a slashing motion at Rolf, who flinched slightly but stayed silent, watching the man.
The slave trader looked from one to the other. “Why do you look at me? Why do you not plead for your lives?” he snapped. “Why are you not afraid? Answer me!”
“‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell.’” Leon said calmly.
The man lunged, grabbing Leon’s collar and pressing the blade against the side of his neck. “Then you had better fear me, for I will create hell for you,” he hissed. He let go and turned to the bandits, who were cowering about the fire, watching fearfully. “Be gone you dogs,” he ordered them. They scrambled up and took to their heals as fast as they could.
The slave trader turned to his men. “Bind the prisoners to that tree and then prepare for the night.”
Leon and Rolf were roughly brought to the tree. One of the men grabbed Leon and cut the rope that the bandits had bound him with. He slammed Leon’s back against the young tree and then yanked his arms up and apart, tying his wrists tightly to the two lowest branches that forked apart. Rolf was dragged to the other side of the tree and likewise bound. Then the two were left there on the fringes of the firelight, and the men walked back to help prepare camp.
Rolf hung his head wearily and tried to shift in a position that would take the strain off his shoulders, but it did no good. “Leon?”
“Yeah?” Leon replied, turning his head so that he could see part of Rolf from the corner of his eye.
“What do they plan to do to us?”
Leon hesitated. “I… I don’t know.” He knew Rolf looked up to him not only because he was older, but because he had always fallen into the leadership position–– both with Julian and with the others. He knew he had to say something to encourage the young man, but he too was afraid, and the situation was dark. He tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry. Then, without even trying, he remembered a verse he had read not too long ago. “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed,” he whispered.
Rolf lifted his head and let out a slow breath. “Father God, help us.”
Leon glanced over toward the slave traders. Two of their men were on guard, but the others were rolled in their cloaks and seemed to be dead asleep.
Leon pulled a little on the ropes that bound him, trying to ease the pressure on his shoulders, but it only tightened them about his wrists. One of the guards looked his way and Leon froze. The guard sneered at him and then looked away.
Leon hung his head, gritting his teeth against the pain in his shoulders and wrists. He was so, so tired, but if he slept in this position, he could only imagine the pain he would wake to. “Rolf are you still awake?” he whispered.
“Yes… I think so,” Rolf murmured.
“Try not to sleep,” Leon said.
“I’m trying,” Rolf whispered back. “It’s so hard though.”
“Think about something else,” Leon suggested under his breath.
“Leon, all I can think about is my family,” Rolf replied, a catch in his voice. “I would rather not think.”
Leon winced, knowing how hard it must be for his friend. He could only guess what Rolf was thinking and how much the loss of his family would hurt him.
Leon wondered if Julian, Aelic, and Roland were safe. He prayed they were. If these men came upon them with Roland injured, there would almost certainly be violence, most likely resulting in their capture or death.
He tried to look up at the stars, but he was too tired to lift his head. Oh Father, You know the plans You have for me. They are plans for good, and not for evil. Plans for a future and a hope. I trust You God. I trust you with my life. Just help me to endure whatever comes.
No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.
A man had Rolf in a tight grip, the point of a knife to his back. “Don’t move,” he growled at Leon.
Oh…!
Leon started in surprise. The robbers were being robbed!
There’s always a bigger fish.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
He motioned to two of his men, and they dragged Leon to his feet. “I will kill you both,” the slave trader snarled. He glared at them and fingered the blade of his knife. He made a slashing motion at Rolf, who flinched slightly but stayed silent, watching the man.
I thought his reaction would be to make them his own slaves or something, but maybe that will occur to him later.
I’m kind of hoping that it will take a lot of time for Leon and Rolf to escape. So, in a weird way, I was glad to see the newcomers didn’t end up being friends, but enemies with a personal grudge against the heroes. I know there have been other dangers and we’ve heard about some awful things the Empire does, but this made the threat struggle more real for this book. Getting through it quickly might take away from this again.
It will also be interesting to see the impact of this on Julian if his friends just disappear.
Sometimes it is necessary to paint the sky black in order to see the stars.
Oh…!
*gleeful laughter* does that mean this caught you off guard?
I’m kind of hoping that it will take a lot of time for Leon and Rolf to escape. So, in a weird way, I was glad to see the newcomers didn’t end up being friends, but enemies with a personal grudge against the heroes. I know there have been other dangers and we’ve heard about some awful things the Empire does, but this made the threat struggle more real for this book. Getting through it quickly might take away from this again.
Nice to know. I’m happy to inform you that the results will be more then satisfactory.
It will also be interesting to see the impact of this on Julian if his friends just disappear.
Aha. You have hit on an interesting section to come.
Things are about to get bad.
No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.
Things are about to get bad.
Ooooh
Sometimes it is necessary to paint the sky black in order to see the stars.
@ellette-giselle wow, not even at the town yet and they’ve already gotten into a tangle!
I agree with Linus, drawing this out rather than having them immediately get rescued or escape or something makes it more interesting.
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
lolol.
Yup.
Oh don’t worry. Things will be bad.
No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.
Oh don’t worry. Things will be bad.
It’s crazy how this kind of sentence excites us.
Writers are nuts.
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
Lolololol.
No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.
@ellette-giselle ikr??
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
Did you see the new section?
Thought I’d re-tag you in case it messed up again.
No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.
Uh oh, looks like tags aren’t workin again. But yay, thanks! I’ll check it out!
"Don't shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him." ~ C. S.
Wow. That escalated quickly!
Seems like things are about to get rough for Leon and Rolf… 🥺
Why wouldn’t the slave trader just kill them instead of tying them up and everything?
"Don't shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him." ~ C. S.
Roland smiled and nodded.
Rolf leaned forward in excitement. “What did you say?”
Roland flushed again. “Well, a few things. The important thing is, I asked her to wait for me.”
Rolf’s eyes widened slightly. “And?”
“And she said she would.”
I feel like at least one of the other characters should be saying something here. I just listened to N.D.Wilson on dialogue…and it felt to me that the other people weren’t even there as just those two kept talking.
Where did those slaves come from? Are they people of the Empire?
Julian stepped quickly to it and grabbed the quill. He quickly scribbled an entry.
From what I’ve seen and experienced, writing with a quill always needs an inkstand…
"He who never quotes will never be quoted." ~Charles Spurgeon
Julian rifled about in his pack for their cooking pot and handed it to Aelic. “Go and get some then, but for goodness’ sake don’t you fall and sprain your ankle.”
Aelic’s probably used to running around the forests…I could just see him bare-footed, dashing among the trees with his hair flying about!
"He who never quotes will never be quoted." ~Charles Spurgeon
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.