Chapter 4

Word spread through the city, of the caravan’s attack over the next few days. People who saw us in the marketplace would point at us murmuring to themselves. Some would ask how we were offering help of any kind but that was few and far between. A few mercenaries stopped to offer their services which Lauren turned down.

The stall was busy for the first few day’s people wanting to hear what happened felt obligated to buy something.

Kat and I stood over two boxes that held the formal wear of our caravan. Two ornate uniforms could be found in these boxes, each of their components kept pristine. They had been hand made for us by the elders. My hand traced the box that held my uniform as I watched Kat as she stared at the unopened box a look of nervous excitement gracing her features.

This trip will be the first time Kat is able to wear her new uniform and I could feel the nervousness radiating off her as she opened the box. Her eyes lit up with joy as she pulled out the long black skirt. Kat got changed as soon as she could, dancing around the room to the music outside. We watched as the light fabric floated behind her swooshing in what breeze got in from the cracks in the wood. I laughed with her as she flowed around the room eventually grabbing my arms to dance with her. We danced for a while the music outside changing over time until it eventually stopped and so did, we.

Once we had finished changing, we headed out to grab breakfast, we sat with Raine on one of the laid out blankets a basket of local fruits. The fruit was all fresh having been picked the day after we arrived. We sat and ate together discussing the past few days and Raine took the time to check how my arm was healing. Kat and I discussed the plan for the day deciding that Kat would do most of the talking once we get to the manor.

We were sent on our way just after breakfast the sun having fully risen giving us plenty of daylight for the trip. The cart we were taking had already been loaded and all we needed to do was secure the horses for the trip. Kat went to go speak to Dr Allen while got the horses situated, they easily followed instructions only taking a few minutes to sort out. I gave them both pets while I waited for Kat and went on our way.

We passed many people as we headed to the lord’s manor some of which we knew from previous visits to the city. I waved to most of them however we couldn’t stop to talk fir long those who we did speak to offered food and drink. We got many apologies and caring glances from those who had heard of the attack from other members of the caravan.

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The manor was a large building in the centre of four large pieces of land, the sandstone walls towered over any nearby buildings casting a shadow over the grounds. The building had hundreds of massive open windows all of which were coated in a black paint. A small stable was located not far from the main gates and about a hundred yards back from that was the manor. 

Our cargo was searched by the guards when we got to the gate and we ended up being stopped for a while, “Is there anything in here we need to know about?” One of the guards asked as he started searching the back of the cart.

“Just a lot of booze, sir.” Kat replied, resting back on her seat. She was used to this by now having helped her parents with it since she was 10.

“Why so much? I can’t imagine the countess would order this.” The other guard asked prodding at one of the crates with a sheathed sword, “I haven’t heard of any event.”

“I’m not really sure Ma’am I don’t believe it’s our business.” I replied, hopping off the cart to talk to them, “We’re simply traders, we deliver what people buy.” My body was tense and I was worried they would find something wrong. Something to say we did wrong, it had happened before yet we continued trade. 

“All clear!” The first guard yelled, appearing from the back of the cart the woman I was talking to seeming a bit shocked. That shock turned to a look of soured anger as she began to walk away. The man just laughed scratching the back of his neck as he waved us on.

We followed close behind the woman until we got to the stables where a young stable hand helped us to secure the horses. He went to go grab some feed for them as we were led away by the guard towards the manor.

The walk from there to the manor wasn’t very long however seemed to take forever as we crossed the rough gravel path. As we got closer, we saw a lot of the manor staff running around with a myriad of items from laundry to brooms to vases and other ornaments. I looked up at the manor trying to get an idea of the place while the guard spoke to someone at the door. For a moment it seemed like someone had been watching us however as quickly as they had come, they were gone.

We were ushered into the foyer distracting me from the questions I had for just a moment as we stood there waiting for the next instruction. However we were told to wait and someone would come and get us. The guard left us to return to her station and we were left to wait.

The foyer area of the manor was full of paintings and different plants; a large banner holding the family crest hung above the grand staircase. The room was decorated with a deep red carpet and dark mahogany covered the walls. The foyer also seemed to be a lot calmer than the outside with only one guard standing in the room watching us. 

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After around ten minutes one of the servants of the house appeared to escort us to the countess’ office. They led us quickly through the halls of the manor answering every question Kat asked with diligence and grace. Even stopping to answer questions about a series of portraits in one of the halls that showed all the past counts of Ilamont.

The Office was relatively empty; a bookshelf was pushed again the back wall and a cushion was leant of the arm off a small sofa. A few books were left out around the room and a desk sat in the centre a small potted plant on it. The servant told us to sit down and the countess would join us soon before excusing himself with a small nod.

When the countess walked into the room, I was quite surprised at her appearance. Unlike many of the nobles we had worked with before she didn’t wear the usual overly accentuated clothing. There were no expensive purples and reds in her clothes, instead she wore off-white Shirt and black trousers. Her hair was allowed to hang freely down her back and across her shoulders.  We stood as she entered and waited for her to sit before returning to our seats she sat for a moment as if pondering what to say.

“My apologies for the mess I didn’t expect you here so early.” She said a guard joining her side standing slightly behind her as we spoke.

“Don’t worry about it, Lady Zemfire.” Kat responded with her voice softer than usual. The countess smiled at us before grabbing something out the drawer next to her. 

“You brought Twelve crates of wine, correct?” Lady Zemifire asked, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. 

“Yes Ma’am. Is there anything else you would like us to do?” Kat responded, resting back in her seat.

“No that is all, thank you.” She said, sliding an envelope across the table with her free hand, “I believe this should cover the cost of your cargo and time.” Kat opened the envelope giving me a nod before standing up.

“Yes this should be enough, do you wish for us to unload the stock?” Kat asked as she folded the envelope and put it under her cloak. 

Upon getting confirmation to her question Kat excused herself leaving me to deal with the rest of the trade. The lady had someone bring tea in and we sat and discussed at length the trade and any future deals we may make. We agreed that in future the guards would be given more warning after I explained the demeanor at the gates and then went through documents that needed signing.

Countess Zemfire pulled another document from her desk, placing it in front of me with a pen. It was a document just telling that she had received the goods and we had received adequate payment. It was a customary part of trade from what I was taught. We both signed it in silence before she put it away making sure not to crease the paper. 

Once all was said and done she stood up thanking me for my time and saying she will be back in contact. Without another word she left the guard following her as another guard came in to escort me out. The new guard talked to me as we walked, and I found out that he was a big fan of our groups history and traditions. “If I could have gone into a historical scholarship, I would have but we didn’t have the money” He had told me as we walked. When we had arrived at the carts, I’d let him know that we would answer any of his questions at the camp. He seemed appreciative and said he would probably come down within the next few days to fact check some stuff.

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We returned to camp as the sun was setting a mural of orange and reds covered the sky. The air was filled with clouds of smoke and the smell of food spread through the market. The camp was filled with people all working together to cook supper. Children ran through the camp narrowly avoiding fires and people, injured adults sat to the side watching as their peers tried to keep the kids from injury. 

As we returned the kart to the back of the camp Dr Allen called us over to where he was sitting. A couple feet away from him Lauren and Raine were working on something I couldn’t quite see. They were all covered in an orange glow from the nearby fire. They were further back in the camp than everyone else having the space mostly to themselves. 

Sitting down I noticed that Lauren and Raine had plated some food. Kat sat next to the doctor leaning on him slightly as she wrapped her cloak tight around herself. “How’d the trip go?” He asked, wrapping an arm around her. 

“Good enough.” I replied as Raine passed me a plate of food. 

“Good enough?” He questioned moving his arm, so Kat could sit up and eat. Lauren and Raine had joined us at this point and were just sitting quietly. 

“She seemed happy enough, although she was nothing like I had expected.” I replied before picking up a piece of meat from my plate. 

“Yeah, isn’t she like a really high ranking noble? She was wearing common clothing and was just very relaxed.” Katerina had joined in between mouthfuls. 

“It’s like that sometimes the nobles are very laid back but as long as she was happy with the service that’s all that matters.” Lauren Piped up the doctor just nodding along. 

We focused on the food after that the others talking around us as we ate the curry Lauren had prepared for us. The food brought a warmness to the cold that had slowly crept into our bones over the past few days. The sauce was rich in flavour and went well with the meat and rice she had paired it with. Each mouthful made me slowly feel better after days of what seemed like misery. 

After Kat and I had finished our meals Lauren had taken our plates and Dr Allen had started reading some sort of medical journal. Kat was telling Raine about a book she had read when we had first got here, her arms moving around dramatically. Raine was sitting there with a look of pure boredom on his face as he listened to his sister rant. “Are you even listening to me?” Kat had half yelled at one point to which Raine simply responded ‘no’. Eventually the conversation had died down with a bit of argument between the two about Raine needing to read more. 

“Oh yeah before I forget, someone came to visit you earlier.” The doctor said as he was getting up to leave for the night. 

“Did you get a name?” I asked genuinely not knowing who would have come to visit me. 

“No, we just told her to come back tomorrow since you were out.” He responded before leaving arm in arm with Lauren.

The two kissed as they walked away which led to the other two whining about them being gross. I laughed at them laying down on the blanket and staring up at the clouds, soon enough Kat’s head bumped into mine and Raine had situated himself on my stomach to watch the clouds. We laid in silence as the sun set over the horizon a calming

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A couple hours later I was sitting in a tree, eyes trained on a deer as it passed by below. I grabbed an arrow knocking it into place as I drew back the string. The deer strolled over to a stream dipping its head down to drink. Birds quietly sang through the forest, a soft melody humming in my ears. After a moment of relaxation I let the arrow fly, piercing the deer’s neck. I hopped down from the tree as the deer dropped to the ground, grabbing the rope from my waist and tying the arms and legs of the deer together to make it easier to carry. 

I picked up the deer heading further into the woods looking for Kat and Raine. I strolled between the trees the deer held securely on my back as I dodged out the way of hanging branches. I jumped over rocks and narrowly avoided the streams that carved their way into the ground. The moonlight shone through the trees allowing me to see the various obstacles in my way. 

 Following a rustling to my left I found Raine knelt over a deer covered in multiple slash marks. 

“Do you think a bow might have been a better Idea?” I asked, laughing a bit. 

Raine jumped back quickly drawing a knife, “Oh, it’s just you.” He put his knife away, still looking tense as he turned back to the deer.

“Why you so on edge?” I moved over to him, dropping the deer down at his side. 

“We were attacked out here, why wouldn’t I be?” He snapped, beginning to tie the deer up. 

We continued in silence securing the deer before setting off to go find Kat. Neither of us wanted to break the silence that had fallen between us. We fell into a slow walk through the woods. A snap echoed out in the silence as I stepped on a stick making Raine flinch back his knife drawn again. I put my hands up in surrender stifling a laugh as he scowled at me. 

The bushes to our sides rustled, putting me on edge. I grabbed my knife moving towards the rustling. As I moved further into the bushes the strong stench of iron filled my nose. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed in my ears. Dropping the deer, I began to run towards the noise. I drew my sword, cutting branches out of my way. The minutes felt like hours as I ran through the forest hoping to the gods it wasn’t Kat. 

Breaking through the trees I saw blood. Blood covered the ground and trees. The putrid smell made me sick to my stomach. I was dragged back out the clearing by a pair of hands. “don’t get involved Ripley.” Raine muttered as he dragged me back. 

“But what if they get hurt?” I whined struggling to break free of his grip but ultimately failing.

“I don’t care, we have nothing to do with them.” He responded, “We need to go find Kat and get out of here.” Letting me go he walked off giving me no choice but to follow him.