NOBLEMAN ADVENTURER

Fugitive

The riders were most likely knights under Lord Crohn's orders to look for me. I hoped they didn't spot me earlier. The riders halted right in front of where I hid and they looked around. I held my breath.

"Please," I thought to myself, "Don't see me."

After investigating the area for a moment, the leader called them to leave. Even after they left, I decided not to travel on the road again. Therefore, I traveled in the brush, hoping to hide away from those knights. It makes me shudder just thinking about having to return to the capital.

When twilight fell, I had a raging bonfire with meat skewers potted in the soil near the flames. I drank a mouthful of water from a water skein I purchased from the tradeshop and filled up with well water from the village. I had my cloak hood on, to prevent the bugs from bothering me and to keep warm.

Not too long after I finished eating, I heard horse hooves. I thought the horses would pass by, but counter to my hopeful expectations, the horses stopped. And then, a knight appeared from the brush.

"Good night," he greeted me.

"Good night to you sire," I answered.

"My calvary and I would like to join you around the fire. How thinkst you?"

"Come, the more the merrier," I responded to avoid suspicion.

The night smiled and then called to his comrades. The group took some time to tie up their horses to nearby trees. When they were all settled around the fire, they took out some dry food to eat.

"If you don't mind waiting for grilled meat, I have some here," I offered.

"Would we mind? By gad, we'd be glad to wait till morning for a morsel of meat." The one who responded was the team leader.

I handed him a few pieces of meat, enough to let each of their team have several mouthfuls. One knight, perhaps the youngest, went to pick twigs and then he used his dagger to craft sharp pointed skewers. Each knight held their meat skewers over the fire, laughing as they conversed with me and amongst themselves.

If not for the fear that they were hunting me, I would have enjoyed the company.

The knight leader said, "I've heard they recently demolished an entire village."

The other knights stopped mid-bite and perked up their ears.

The knight leader continued, "Apparently, while Lord Crohn and the royal knights were seeking the missing noble one, they chased to this village. It was a villainous place. Everyone of them were brigands, robbing any travelers."

Was this the village I had encountered earlier?

Then the knight leader turned to me and asked, "Have you heard of this village among your merchant guild?"

His sudden question directed at me, knocked me out of my thoughts.

A merchant's guild? I wasn't part of it, but I knew that there were several merchant guilds with different missions in the nation. Some guilds were about helping novice merchants so they could collect membership fees, while others were about maximizing profit and still there were those who were in it to promote their religion.

"I don't know," I answered. "I only started being a merchant and have not made any connections with any merchant guild."

Nodding his head in understanding, the knight leader advised me, "My mother's father was a merchant and he hated the merchant guilds. They all have their own agenda and they don't care about their members. They treat their members as limbs they can cut off."

"Thank you," I replied. "I haven't met any merchant guild members, but if I do, I will be sure to keep my distance."

Then the conversation turned to something else.

By the late evening, I curled up beside a tall tree and fell asleep.

In the mid-morning, when I woke up, I found their team had vanished. They must have been early risers. Near my body, I saw a small satchel of dry food. Most likely, it was payment for the meat I had offered them.

I rinsed my mouth out with fresh water and washed my face to wake myself up more. Then I hurried on my way. I looked at the horse tracks and realized the knights had left in the direction I was intending to take. Therefore, I slowed my steps and when I reached a fork in the road, I simply took the road within hoofprints. This proved to be a good strategy.