Fifthwind Read Free Page B

officer. Those
men should have hung for their treason."
    "Agreed,"
the Borderman conceded. "Provided any of them had survived to face
the gallows, I'd have noosed them myself. Lucky for them, they fell
instead on enemy pikes."
    "They
got off easy," Mason grumbled.
    The
Borderman stepped forward and offered his hand to Mason. "You can
call me Gordo."
    Ben
relaxed. If there was one thing that would ensure a peaceful
resolution to the standoff, it was common ground. These two soldiers
had fought together in the bloodiest ambush of the war, and that
nearly made them brothers. There would be no fighting between them.
    Gordo
said, "You still have some explaining to do. This isn't the place
to be running up on my column like crazed men. It's a good way to get
yourself killed." He looked at Ben quizzically and asked, "What
were you thinking?"
    It
was Mason who answered, "We just wanted to walk among your numbers
for these last few miles. We're aware of the dangers on these roads,
in fact, you might say it is our very purpose for coming here. We'd
be better equipped, but our horses and supplies were stolen back in
Deagon's Bluff. So, we've come the rest of the way by foot and
cross-country."
    Ben
almost interrupted, feeling that Mason was giving too much
information. Their purpose for coming to Kishell Springs was their
own concern, and the fact that they had owned horses could be cause
for suspicion; only the most wealthy could afford such luxuries. He
trusted Mason's judgment but he did not need to be questioned about
his means by a man who killed for a living.
    "Then
you
are
crazy," Gordo said, apparently uninterested in the
particulars Mason had offered. "What if you were caught alone out
there in the wild? These woods are crawling with thieves and maybe
things worse."
    The
words suddenly reminded Ben of his encounter with the shadowy figure.
He still could not explain what he had seen, but by his estimation,
it clearly fell under the proposed description of 'things worse' and
he wondered if Gordo might know something more. He glanced back
toward the forest almost involuntarily, nervously searching for any
sign of movement in that dark concealment. He decided it was best to
keep his questions to himself, so he shook off the thought and turned
his mind back to the present.
    Ben
said, "It'd be no different than if we were caught alone on the
road. Except that the road is being watched by those we'd like to
avoid." He thumbed back toward the trees, "Out there, we at least
stood a chance."
    Gordo
acknowledged the logic with a nod and turned to leave, motioning for
Mason to follow. "Come with me, I've wasted too much time already.
Horace will want to hear for himself the explanation for your
roadside foolery. You gave his daughter quite a scare and he's not
very forgiving when it comes to her safety and comfort. Then, we need
to get moving if my injured man is to get the attention he needs."
    As
the two men turned to depart, the three caravan guards, who had been
dispatched to the scene, stepped up to receive their instructions.
The men appeared to be both anxious to please and nervous of the
consequences around the hardened Borderman who was obviously not the
most pleasant man to work for.
    Gordo
pointed back at Ben and barked, "Watch him."
    Mason
and Gordo moved away toward the wagons and left Ben to face the three
hired swords. These men were not veterans, in fact, they appeared to
have very little experience even holding weapons. They shuffled their
feet nervously and moved around Ben in a rough circle. They kept
their sword points lifted in Ben's general direction, but they were
constantly looking to one another for reassurance.
    Ben
recognized the type. He had trained more than his share of new
recruits and was always amazed at the low level of proficiency
exhibited by inexperienced men. As a gifted young swordsman himself,
he was almost disgusted by the lack of available talent. But as a
former officer in the King's service, he