The Road After

1

"Patrons preserve us." Haavo muttered under his breath, "The man has no sense of decency. Have you finished now? Can we go? Walking among the dead, it's just not right."

Breena, gentle, moved the boy's clawed hand aside and with care removed the letter. Then, as gentle, returned the boy's hand to his chest. She took one last, lingering look at the boy she had killed, one of the many that had felt the bite of her sword that day, before standing up and stuffing the letter under her breastplate, tucking it into the jack underneath.

"Aye, I'm finished." Breena heard the sigh of relief from her Kannai friend. "Let's go find Indri and Chisi. I've had enough of death for one day."

ii. Indri of Camerton.

Things were moving fast in the camp. With the war over, the Three Kings (or, most likely, they're stewards) were eager to demobilise the army and send them home as soon as possible. Not due to any sense of sympathy for their circumstances or a sense of well-earned rest, but because they didn't want to pay the army anymore than they needed to.

The Kings'man at the desk, flanked by a scribe and an accountant, acted like a well-oiled machine at this point. Hundreds had already passed through the process and thousands more were still to go through that same process.

Indri shuffled forward as the next in line moved up. At least she had managed to be among the first few hundred. She wouldn't want to be stood in the back of these lines. She only wished she'd managed to drag Chisi along, but Chisi was Chisi and she was apt to wander around in her own little world. Patrons damn that girl!

"Mages to the left, warriors to the right." The Kings'man repeated himself to the next in line, "Leave your armour, weapons and wands at the first tent, pick up your wages at the second tent. Next! Name?"

"Indri of Camerton." She watched as the scribe checked from his list, a large stack of papers.

"Indri of Camerton. Full service. Honours. Full entitlement." The scribe didn't even look up.

On the other side of the Kings'man, the accountant scribbled numbers on to his sheet of papers, then scribbled again on another sheet of paper before thrusting it towards Indri. Again, without even looking at her. It felt anti-climactic.

"Mages to the left, warriors to the right." The Kings'man shooed her away, "Leave your armour, weapons and wands at the first tent, pick up your wages at the second tent. Next! Name?"

Indri felt herself shoved out of the way by the next in line and she followed the momentum, turning to the right and starting to unbuckle her armour as she moved. She wouldn't miss the armour. It was poor quality and had never quite fitted well enough. She always swore that it skewed to the left. The sword, though, she would miss. Even though it's quality was as poor as the armour, she had become used to it. It had seen her through the entire three years of the war and always took well to sharpening.

She dropped off her armour and sword at the first tent, giving a little sigh as she released the blade for the last time. At the second tent, the paper she had received disappeared from her hand, grabbed by yet another accountant and, within seconds, a pouch of money landed on the table before her.

It was a hefty pouch. Satisfying in its heaviness, but she didn't count it. There was no point. She had earned what she had earned and it would be enough or it wouldn't. Either way, there'd be no arguing about it.

She followed the others leaving the area, circling around behind the tents. There she saw yet another Kings'man. This time taking the job of merchant trying to sell them the weapons and armour they had had taken from them. Many more than happy taking advantage of the offer.