Unspoken

Chapter 6 Broken Trail

The dog crawled to his feet and barked loudly.
By the fire, the men looked up. “Here Ruv,” Laszlo ordered, “it’s only Vali and Marius.”
The two men jumped off the wagon and unloaded the goods.
“Was there trouble?” Milosh stood up and walked up to them. Vali put down the crate he had lifted from the wagon and looked at him. “The gadje* would not allow us to set foot in town, but they took our coin and gave us what we needed.”
Milosh nodded. “This is good. We can repair the wagon on the morrow.” He looked at the dark sky. “We should rest for the night.”
They downed the fire and made for their wagons when Ruv suddenly lowered his head and started growling.
The men turned to stare at the bushes, but they could not see a thing in the darkness.
“Who goes there?” Milosh called, but there was no answer.
Ruv growled again and crawled towards the greenery. 
Laszlo placed a hand on the dog’s head. “Down Ruv.”
Milosh gestured for Cezar and Marius to investigate. The two men searched the bushes and part of the forest, but returned soon after.
“Gadjo,” Marius said, “they probably followed us from the village.”
“They have gone now,” Cezar said.
“They will come back,” Milosh said with a grim face, “we will guard tonight.”
The others nodded. “I will take first watch with Vali,” Cezar said.
Vali nodded at him.
Milosh nodded too. His expression was serious. He glanced at the sky and sighed. This was definitely not a good place to stop. 
A gust of wind tugged at his clothes and he shook his head. “Prikasa*,” he muttered and he vanished into his wagon.

***

“They are not far from the village,” George informed the others, “just at the forest edge.”
“They’ve made camp,” Thomas added, “and they have dogs.”
George nodded. “They almost set one on us, but we managed to get away.”
William’s face was grim. “We should post guards for the night to make sure that thieving scum doesn’t go anywhere near our houses.” He narrowed his eyes. “We have to make sure they leave in the morning.” The others nodded in agreement. “And if they won’t leave nicely,” William continued, “we’ll just have to make them.”

***

Aishe shook her head as she looked at the sky in concern. The ominous feeling from a few days earlier had returned. Perhaps it was the encounter with the villagers earlier, perhaps it was something else, but she could not shake off the thought that something terrible was about to happen. ‘We should not have stopped here.’
The storm had been a sign. And now Ersan’s wagon had broken.
She had heard the men speak around the fire and it frightened her. 
Gajde had never liked them much. So why did it worry her now? 
Aishe let out a deep sigh. The night was too long. She turned her back on the window to return to her bed when a sound in the night made her blood turn cold.
In the distance was the cry of an owl.#

***

Dawn had yet to come when Petsha stepped out of his family’s wagon. He was greeted by Ramiro who was tending to the horses.
“You’re up early,” Ramiro said.
Petsha nodded. “So are you, brother.”
Ramiro let out a scornful laugh. “I could not sleep. I had many things to think about.”
“Would Lenka be one of those things?” Petsha gave him a sad smile. “Ramiro,” he said kindly, “you need to speak to your father.”
“I know this,” Ramiro sighed, “I did speak with him.”
“I did not mean argue. I meant speak.” He lifted a now empty bucket and patted the horse on the neck. “He will hear reason, Ramiro.”
“He has not shown much reason up til now.” Ramiro sighed. “Perhaps I should take up on Nikolai’s offer. If they steal her for me, it would solve the problem.”
Petsha grabbed Ramiro’s shoulder and shook him. “Will you listen to yourself? Ramiro think! Do you really want a life of shame?”
“I want a life with Lenka,” Ramiro said frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair.
“Then tell your father.”
“I did tell him!”
“No,” Petsha spoke, “tell him like you have just told me. Dorin has his eye on her. He will speak to Milosh about it if you do not act soon. He has already spoken to Lenka.”
“I know this,” Ramiro growled.
“She will say yes if you do not act. She will not have a choice. If she thinks you will choose Ihrin…” 
“I do not want Ihrin.” Ramiro paced around. Things had become so complicated. 
His head went up when the girl he loved stepped out of his aunt’s wagon. She did not look like she’d had much sleep either. 
He thought back on yesterday. The villagers’ behavior had frightened her. And with good reason. She was not unfamiliar with their cruelty.
Ramiro straightened his back and determination filled his eyes. “I will speak with Cezar as soon as he wakes up.”