The Dark Path (10 page)

"I think the sun is getting to me," Meeka confessed after a time, "Can we find somewhere to sit and get something cool to drink?"

"This place seems as good as any," Gen stated after looking around the plaza and seeing no better place in sight. "The Broken Mug, interesting name," Gen commented as they walked under the faded sign. The old wood had been poorly painted. It pictured an ale mug with a large crack in it. Ale spilled out the crack and pooled around the mug. Gen shook his head and held the door open for Meeka.

They walked in and sat at a table. For a moment the room was silent as everyone looked to see who the newcomers were. Gen wasn't really worried about Meeka's safety. The robe she wore alone would fend off any thieves, but Gen looked around anyway. The two of them found a table close to the door and after a while, a serving girl approached to take their order. What she wore hardly covered her body. A shirt that was perhaps two sizes too small was laced together over an abundance of cleavage. What cover she had on her bottom half didn't hide much and nothing at all when she bent over. Embarrassed about staring, he stole a quick glance at Meeka and was glad to note that she hadn't seen him gaping at the serving girl.

"What can I get for you two Wearers of the Robe?"

"Two glasses of red wine, please," Gen answered. The waitress went into the back and returned with two overflowing glasses. Setting them down at their table, she then went to serve another customer.

"Ack! These are warm," Meeka said with disgust after tasting her wine.

"Here, let me fix it," Gen said and, incanting softly under his breath, wrapped his hands around the glass. After a few seconds, there was a thin layer of frost around the rim of the glass. "Now try it."

"Much better," Meeka replied as a pleasant shiver ran through her body from the cold drink.

They finished their drinks, left some coppers on the table, then returned to the heat of the day.

"I wonder how Aaron and Thomas are doing."

"They're probably just fine," said Meeka with a giggle. "Don't worry about them. I want you to show me what else there is in this town while there is still daylight left.”

"A round on me!" shouted Aaron from the bar.

"Are you sure this is a wise thing to do, Aaron?" Thomas whispered in caution.

"Don't worry. I've got enough money," Aaron replied.

"But we don't have time for this. We've got to get some horses," Thomas persuaded his far from sober classmate.

"Nonsense, Thomas, it's barely even noon."

Thomas took a look outside at the setting sun and sighed. It looked like he had screwed up again.
I should never have let him in here
, thought Thomas as he put a few coins on the table and started to haul Aaron out of the bar.

As they left through the door, they were about ran over by a man coming in.

"Hey! Watch where you’re going. You about trampled me," Aaron yelled at the incoming person.

The man stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to address the insulting drunkard.

At that moment, Thomas recognized the man to whom Aaron had addressed so rudely.

"By the Gods! It's the Green Knight," Thomas was, at first, stunned at this unusual sight. He was soon brought out of it from concern for Aaron's life. He certainly didn't like Aaron all that much but he had heard many stories of those that got in the way of the man in green armor.

"Milord, please forgive my friend's outburst. He is a little drunk and knows not what he does," Thomas said, addressing the knight as he gave him a low bow.

"Take the fool home. I should lop off his head for his insolence. You are lucky that I'm in a good mood," The Green Knight stated then turned around and walked back into the bar.

"You damned fool. You almost got yourself killed! You were lucky I was there to save your unworthy ass. Now come, let's go get some horses before you spend all our money in a bar."

XI

Duncan

“It was hot. No, it was sweltering. No, it was more like the abyssal fires of hell,” Duncan laughed. “I guess it doesn’t help to argue with myself about the heat. It won't change anything.”

Duncan panted as he drew water from the deep well.

"Hurry up with that water, or you’ll have no supper,” Duncan’s mother leaned out the door. “You’re not finished yet!”

Duncan smiled. He knew she was only joking about the absence of supper, but he didn’t want to take the small chance that she wasn’t.

“I’ll be there in a minute, Ma,” Duncan shouted back as he put the worn, wooden bar across his shoulders and walked easily back home, this time without spilling a drop from either of the buckets that he carried. Duncan emptied one of the bucket’s contents into the horse trough and carried the other inside. The table was filled with bowls of steaming food that made his mouth water.

“Dump half of that in the pitcher then go clean up for supper,” She watched him leave and wondered, not for the first time, whose child he was. Duncan had been found on their doorstep when he was just an infant. She and her husband had raised him the best they could on what money the meager amount of land that they owned produced. She had never told him that he was an orphan, though she had been tempted many times. She also wondered why he hadn’t suspected anything about it. He definitely didn’t resemble his foster father. Though a farmer, her husband had never been a big man. Duncan was a full head taller than her husband and was built like a bear. She suddenly banished those thoughts from her mind. What did it matter where he came from? The gods had given her this boy to raise instead of one of her own. It was a blessing.

A grinning, half clean face, topped with messy, short blond hair, appeared in the doorway followed by the rest of his body. “How’s this?” Duncan asked.

“Still dirty. Go back and do it right,” she told him, and almost laughed at the fake dejected look her son wore.

“I’m home!” Paul walked in his house and smelled the air. “Something smells good. I hope it’s for me.”

“You know it is. It always is,” Gwen said to her husband as she embraced him. “Go wash up with your son, and make sure he’s doing a good job of it this time.”

After a while, two clean faces came in the kitchen and sat down to eat.

“How was your day, Dear?” Gwen asked her husband as she passed the mashed potatoes.

“It was hot for one thing, and then one of the horses threw a shoe. We had to plow by hand and then...”

A loud thud stopped Paul mid-sentence.

“What?” That was all Paul had time to say before he noticed Duncan lying unconscious on the floor.

“Gwen! Hurry get the salts and a wet rag,” Paul yelled at Gwen as he got up and started around the table. “Damn these spells.”

“O Gods! What’s happening? He, He’s shaking all over! Help me, Gwen!”

The convulsions were strong. Paul could barely hold him still.

“Put a rag in his mouth before he bites his tongue off!”

Gwen shoved a rag in his mouth and barely got her hand away before he would have bitten it.

“He’s getting worse. Quick! Get the amulet,” Paul said to Gwen as he struggled to keep his son from hurting himself. Gwen rushed off to the bedroom and returned quickly.

“Here, take it.”

“I can’t. I can barely hold him back as it is. Just tie it around his neck.”

Gwen did as told then stepped back in shock.

“Paul, the amulet. Look at it. I’ve never seen it act this way before.”

The amulet, usually a deep blue color, turned bright red. Great pulses of white energy flowed from Duncan's prone body into it. With each pulse it grew brighter and brighter until the flow stopped. The amulet was glowing an evil red so bright it almost hurt to look at it. Paul had an odd feeling as if it was somehow looking back at him.

“Look! Duncan’s stopped shaking, “Gwen said to her husband as he slowly released the boy.

“I know. What are we going to do now?” Paul asked his equally puzzled wife.

The amulet had changed yet again. It was black, but not for long. Paul bent over, picked it up, and laid it on the stone floor then he brought his heel down hard against it. There was a cracking noise followed by the sound of grinding glass. Then suddenly it exploded, knocking Paul off his feet and against the wall. A deafening scream burst forth seeming to go on and on before it finally faded away. There was a smoldering black patch where the amulet had been. The merchant had been thorough in his directions. Paul didn’t know why he had to do it, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. The merchant had said nothing of an explosion or a shrieking that left his ears ringing.

“Take that rag out of his mouth and try to wake him up,” Paul said to his wife as he sat again at the supper table and began eating. This matter wasn’t going to change from his going hungry.

“Paul, I think he’s too worn out to wake up. Why don’t you take him to bed?” Gwen said after receiving nothing but moans from Duncan.

Paul didn’t say anything. He just got up and carried Duncan to bed. There would be time enough to talk about this tomorrow when Duncan could hear what had happened.

“Good night, my son,” Paul said as he put his son to bed, his hard eyes glistened with unshed tears.

XII

New Friends

"Son, wake up and get dressed. We're going to town," Paul yelled to his drowsy son from the kitchen.

"Right away Pa!" Duncan sat up, fully awake, a trip to town was rare and was not to be missed. Dressing quickly, he ran outside and started helping his dad load the wagon.

"Go see if your Ma has some breakfast for us," Paul told his son after Duncan had loaded the last of the supplies.

"Hey Ma! You got us some food?" Duncan yelled as he entered the house.

"Stop your shouting or you won't get nothing," Gwen said jokingly to her son. "Here take this. You can eat on the way." She handed her son a lunch basket.

"Thanks Ma," Duncan said as he hugged his mother.

"Wait, I have something else for you," Gwen said stopping her son. "I've been saving this for you. It's not much, but it's something." She walked back into her room and returned with something in her hand. She placed the item gently in Duncan's large calloused hand.

"No, this is too much. A whole silver? I can't take this," Duncan said. Trying to return the coin to her hand.

"Take it! Buy yourself some new clothes."

“I won't spend all of it."

"Yes you will. Now get going, before your father leaves without you."

"Goodbye, Ma."

"Goodbye, Son."

As Duncan shut the door he thought he heard a faint sob and was about to open the door when his father yelled for him.

"Hurry up, Son. It's a long way to town and I want to get there before dark," Paul yelled when he saw him hesitate at the door.

"Coming Dad," Duncan turned and headed toward the wagon. Paul looked back at their small house and a sadness touched his eyes. Then, firmly setting his jaw, he turned back around and clicked at the horses to get them moving.

The journey to town was uneventful and Duncan spent most of his time talking to his father. The hours seemed to fly by and before he knew it Duncan was staring at the town as they came over their last hill.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing this place," Duncan said to his dad. "It's so big, and all the people!" Duncan was so enraptured by the sight that he didn't notice his father shaking his head.

"This is nothing, Son. You just wait. Some day you'll get to see the capital. Now there's a big town."

"Have you seen the capital, Dad?"

"Yes."

"Well, what is it like?"

"The buildings tower over you. The streets are filled with a river of people, and the shops last for miles."

"I want to see it so bad! When were you there?"

"A long time ago. There are bad sides to the capital too. Thieves rule the alleys. The town guards are nothing but drunken louts, paid off by the thieves to do nothing."

The rest of the trip was silent as Duncan thought of the future and his father thought of the past.

“That’ll be one copper for a night,” the stable boy said to Duncan.

“Here you go,” replied Duncan as he handed him the copper. “Take good care of them, please.”

“Rest assured, Sir. I will.”

Duncan turned to leave, but as he turned around, he ran into a boy about his age who was heavily drunk and was just able to grab hold of his robes to keep him from hitting the floor.

“I’m terribly sorry. My friend here is a little drunk, and I can’t keep him balanced very well. By the way, my name is Thomas,” Thomas said to a very surprised Duncan as he extended his hand in greeting.

“I’m D-Duncan,” Duncan managed to stutter as he held out his big hand, easily holding Aaron up with the other.