Garden of Heroes
By Tonguello
Seeds
Part One
They had orders to take the River Road but they were days late. The men and their cargo were supposed to be at the improvised Royal Port 2 days ago, but a broken wheel and a night of gambling in a near town, were now making them very behind in schedule.
Someone at the town’s pub last night, at their poker table, had casually mentioned a shortcut through the Blackwood forest. A dark and concealed path, but a fast way right back into the River Road, at the outskirts of Coghlan City. It would make them gain a day journey so they could be on time before the ship leaves. Those were safe days, and peace had reigned for years so they didn’t think it could be dangerous. They were just reluctant to disobey orders, but anyway they should not be in that town either…..
The stranger explained them how to get there and where to take the curve back to the River Road. They discussed it for a while and agreed to take that path and when they turned to thank the stranger all they could see was a glimpse of his black cloak going out of the door, and into the night. They took his winnings and a bottle of Roseenth (1) he had left behind; and kept gambling, quickly forgetting about him.
Their journey had been planned to be easy, and fast, and the cargo was no treasure, so only two guards were assigned to the protection of the lot. The River Road was used often by the King and King’s officers so it was the safest road in the Kingdom.
“Well…. I think most men would say this whole wagon IS a treasure. They should have sent more people with us. Just to keep us from drinking all this! Ha, ha, ha!” Said the driver.
The wagon was full of bottles of the best scotch and the finest grappa; and one huge barrel with the royal seal. A barrel of the most wonderful beer in the whole Kingdom. A beer only the Royal Family could drink. But this barrel had no Royal gut destination.
“One bottle was enough, Jack. We’ll say it broke when the wheel fell apart from the crashing. Where did that rock come from, by the way? You should have been watching the road, not letting the horses do your job. You still have that Roseenth, you can continue with that, after we deliver the rest! Besides, you shouldn’t be drinking and driving. You could start believing huge rocks appear out of thin air again ha ha ha!”
“Hey! I wasn’t drunk….. then….! I had had only two pints!”
“Well how much have you drunk so far today? No pink elephants ahead yet? Ha ha ha!”
“Not yet! He said. “Seriously Velcar, I wish I could taste that golden beauty. What do you think? Should we give it a go? We could do it real quickly, just a bit, no one would know!! There’s plenty of it in that barrel!! One hundred litres maybe?”
“NO! Get a grip, will you? You can drink that pink thing, a sissy drink if you ask me” he said in a mocking way. But then his look turned more serious and solemn.
“We HAVE orders” he continued. “This beer is meant to be drunk at sea. Winterhaven is very far away. I heard the journey might take three months! They will need something like this to bare that long in that damn ship! So let’s hurry, this is your entire fault! Watch the road, you @#%$^*&!!!!!
“OK! Chill out! Why don’t you go in front and watch the road yourself?!” he said under his breath.
They continued in silence for a long while. In the early afternoon they noticed that the vegetation began to look greener, darker, and the light began to dim. Very few sunbeams made it through the dens branches.
“I’m starting to think this was not a good idea”. Said Velcar worried. “I don’t like this, this silence is unnatural and I could SWEAR I’ve seen a couple of eyes looking at us from behind those bushes there, over that rock”
“And I could SWEAR I‘ve just seen Little Red Riding Hood! I must be drunk!” he said surprised.
“Keep your eyes open Jack! I don’t want anymore problems, and WATCH THE ROAD!
“I AM watching the road Velcar, but I’m not sure of what I’m seeing ahead. What the hell is that?” he asked with fear in his voice.
A black figure was standing a few meters ahead, blocking their pass. No recognisable features, Or just no features at all? A black human shape, face and body hidden behind a cloak, no breeze to stir the clothes, no sign of life in it. It was hard to tell what it was.
And then, when they were nearer, a deep, low, almost silent whisper broke the quietness. The ground slightly trembled. A far away thunder was heard, muffled by the forest.
“STOP!” They heard! They weren’t sure if it was a word or a noise but they understood. The horses stopped at once, and stood up on the hind legs in terror, shaking, trying to break free from the harness. Did they understand the command?
The guards had to fight to control them. When the party had fully stopped, three armed men jumped out of a group of bushes nearby and took the guards prisoners. Half shocked, half confused, they couldn’t believe what was happening. They were becoming prisoners, and their precious cargo was being stolen.
Reality hit them like a bucket of iced water thrown right on the face. They looked at each other looking for explanations, asking themselves mute questions. And reality settled. Or so it seemed.
There was no man in black robes, and the noises of the forest had been restored.
(1) Roseenth: Pink coloured alcoholic drink, supposedly made by fairies, obtained by the distillation of rosebuds and honeysuckle. Similar to Absinth…. but pink.
End of part one Gaston
Author's note: please imagine there are no grammatical nor orthographic mistakes
