Chapter 11

Binding Chains

 

The sun was halfway to the west, and the weather had turned pleasant. More travelers began to appear in the cheap inns around Pozna village after a day's journey. However, the more affluent society members headed straight to the crossroad where a well-known inn, The Swan, was located.

While most inns offered only a communal hall for sleeping, The Swan boasted cleanliness, separate cabins, and lavish meals. At the moment, the atmosphere in the hall was perfect for winding down. Comfortable chairs, excellent ales, and the cool, airy hall—made possible by the inn's high ceilings and multitude of windows—invited relaxation.

Whiffs of rich aromas from the grill wafted through the hall. However, for Lansius, they merely served to highlight his dilemma. An old man in fancy clothes and his guard had flanked him for reasons unknown. With nowhere to hide, and Felis unwittingly revealing his identity, Lansius felt cornered.

"God-damnit, it's really you, Lansius," the old man said, attempting to get chummy with him.

Lansius felt cornered, certain that some sort of trickery was at play.

"My Lady, please excuse us," said Anci, the tall and muscular guard. Despite his brawny appearance, his manner revealed his education.

Can I talk myself out of this?

Before Lansius could react, the old man persisted. "Lans, it's me. How could you not recognize me?"

"Apologies, but I don't know you," Lansius replied, as politely as he could manage.

The old man chuckled. "It's me, dammit. It's Thomas."

The name struck Lansius. He did a double-take; the clean-shaven and neatly combed man before him looked so different. Only now did he notice the resemblance. His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened involuntarily.

Thomas laughed, watching Lansius' reaction, and slapped the man's back.

"Ouch, what was that for?" Lansius winced but couldn't resist grinning. He felt relieved to see Thomas and was glad that nobody was trying to scam him.

Felis and Anci chuckled softly.

Adopting a more formal demeanor, Thomas turned towards Felis. "Please forgive our behavior, My Lady."

Felis shook her head gently. "No need to apologize; I'm not of noble birth. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression."

Overhearing the discussion, the second guard approached. "Mademoiselle, your blond hair and blue eyes would make any high-born noble envious."

Felis smiled at the compliment. "Please, call me Felis."

Anci elbowed the second guard, who gasped in pain before retaliating with a solid punch to Anci's gut.

Shaking his head, Thomas told the young men, "Guys, knock it off."

They quickly stopped, allowing Thomas to extend an invitation. "Mademoiselle, Lans, if you don't mind, care to join my table for a chat?"

Lansius shot a questioning glance at Felis, who nodded. The two then followed Thomas to a larger table.

"I should introduce us. I'm Thomas; these are Anci and Hugo, squires to Sir Peter," Thomas said, then turned to the squires. "Boys, this is Lansius, the clerk I befriended in Riverstead."

Though he hadn't been formally introduced, Anci bowed his head to Felis before offering a firm handshake to Lansius.

Hugo, the lean squire, followed suit. "Nice to meet another Arvenian."

As they sat, Lansius asked, "Thomas, how did you get here? Isn't Arvena occupied?"

"We took the long way around through Tiberia and Elandia," Thomas explained. "So, what happened at the river crossing?"

The mood turned solemn. Lansius recounted the details, sparing none, including the fates of Theo and Max.

As his story concluded, Felis patted Lansius' arm in consolation.

Thomas looked visibly older, his face lined and eyes dimmed. He sighed deeply and said to Lansius, "Don't blame yourself."

"Clearly, the Margrave intended to massacre the entire House of Arvena. They even killed children based on rumors," Hugo said bluntly.

"If only the High Court wasn't so spineless," Anci grumbled.

"Is it true that the young Lord is missing?" Lansius asked, recalling gossip he'd heard on the road.

Thomas nodded reluctantly. Their discussion was interrupted by a servant who brought over a pudding that resembled a tart cake to Lansius.

Without objection, Anci took the first slice, followed by the others. Lansius took a small portion, wary of any milk content, while Felis grabbed a larger piece and ate merrily by hand.

Erm… Well, who am I to judge?

The sweet treat lifted everyone's spirits. All ate with visible enjoyment.

Thomas cleaned his knife and sheathed it. "You're fortunate to have made it this far safely. The roads and cities are far from as secure as in Arvena."

Lansius nodded. "Indeed. Just today, we had a brush with a kidnapping."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

This revelation didn't seem to surprise anyone. "Midlandia may appear prosperous, but many have been impoverished by the growing industries. It's good that you have a sword," Thomas noted.

"I feel safer with it, but I haven’t trained—" He stopped abruptly. "Thomas, have you seen Stefi?" he blurted out.

Thomas recalled the female squire and shook his head. "I'm sorry, lad. We found a few remnants and survivors, but..."

Felis jumped to the conclusion that Stefi was either Lansius' sister or lover, and patted his arm again. Unintentionally, her grubby finger left a smear of pudding on his clean blue tunic.

W-what is she doing? My clothes! The pudding- it's made from fat.

Lansius almost wept; he appreciated Felis' good intentions, but not the stain on his only clean clothes.

“Boss, there’s still some light outside.” Hugo carried a serious tone.

Thomas nodded. “Mademoiselle, may we ask Lansius out for a bit for a chat?”

The pudding was gone, but they had yet to finish their supper as roasting meat in the fire pit was a lengthy process. Lansius felt something was off, but he trusted Thomas.

Felis cleaned her hands on the yellowing table cloth and declared, “I’m coming too.”

 

***

 

The five of them went into a small wooded area. Anci stood guard at a distance against eavesdropping. Felis seemed to read the situation and stuck with Anci.

Hugo ventured further, but he too kept a enough distance from Thomas and Lansius.

“It’s far enough.” Thomas stopped and turned himself to face Lansius. “Lad, you got something from Miranda.”

Lansius’ heart raced. He knew this would happen. “Can I say a few words beforehand?”

Thomas looked at him sharply. “Speak up.”

“I’m going to use it to free Stefi if the slavers got her. If I can't find her, then I’ll return everything.”

“No, no...” Thomas shook his head in disbelief. “You’re entrusted with it. It’s not yours to use.”

Thomas’ flat out rejection surprised him. “Give me a chance. I’ll pay it back. I carried it this long. You can’t just appear and grab it away.”

“Lans, it’s not given to you.” Thomas refused to listen.

"I almost lost my life in that forest. It was me who saved this money, so whoever owns it, they owe me that much. I didn't go this far for nothing," Lansius exclaimed, unintentionally raising his voice. He knew there wasn't much logic to his argument, but he was at his wit's end.

The outburst forced Thomas to gesture Lansius to quiet down. “Are you out of your mind? Those guys are Sir Peter’s!”

“What this got to do with Sir Peter?”

Thomas exhaled. “Sir Peter is Sir Ian’s son.”

Lansius took a step back. Only now he realized how Thomas had got his fancy clothing and two squires. “Are you here to help the escaping Arvenians or to hunt me down?”

“It’s not like that...” Thomas knitted his brows. “Sir Peter is making a warband, and it needs money.”

Lansius became conflicted, but said stubbornly, “I can’t go to Feodosia empty handed.”

“Lans, the squires will cut you down if you run with the money,” Thomas warned.

Lansius exhaled sharply and glanced around. The wooded area was sparse and had the markings of men: pathways, cut down trees, and no old branches on the ground. He hated the forest, but he knew this was far from that ancient forest. He could survive here easily.

“Don’t do it,” Thomas read him. “You may outrun me, but not the squires.”

Lansius hesitated. His eyes reddened from all the suppressed emotions.

Thomas said nothing, giving Lansius time to rethink. After losing Theo and Max, the last thing he wanted was to lose Lansius.

“Help me,” Lansius pleaded. “There must be another way...”

Thomas sighed as if giving up. “Even if I let you- even if I help you. The two of us can’t take them. Maybe I could stall Hugo, but not Anci. That lad is a monster.”

Lansius’ shoulder slumped. Since the first time he saw Anci, his instinct had screamed not to mess with him.

“Look, I understand your cause. But there’s no other way.” Thomas’ voice was tired and sore.

The thought that he would find Stefi and Jan but unable to free them tormented him. He couldn’t think of another way. His friend’s safety depended on the money he had hid. His muscles tensed, but his mind didn’t know what to do.

Then he realized just how good Thomas’ clothing really was and found a slim opening. “The prize. Miranda mentioned a prize. You got that nice clothing and certainly more. What would I get?”

Thomas was taken aback. He went into thinking and exclaimed afterward, “Fine, take the silver.”

Lansius wasn't going to give up. “It’s only sixteen silver. I can’t free a slave with just that?”

“Ah, fuck it, Lans. I’m not some charity.” Despite Thomas’ harsh words, he reached out for his inner pocket, pulled a money pouch, and fished some coins. He grabbed some and gave it away.

Lansius counted seven silvers. “Much obliged.” He knew it’s far from enough, but that was probably the best Thomas could do.

“Ready the gold. I’m calling Hugo.”

“Wait-“ Lansius scrambled to open the sewn gold coins in his doublet, blanket, and inner part of the bag.

Thomas watched and marveled at Lansius’ ingenuity.

“Here.” Lansius showed six gold coins. The amount could buy two cottages, or a well built two-story house in a friendly neighborhood.

Thomas didn’t take it, but whistled to signal for Hugo.

The laid-back squire, in a light blue brigandine, approached them. He saw what was on Lansius’ hands and received it politely. “On behalf of Sir Peter, I offer you his gratitude.”

The problem seemed to be resolved for Hugo and Thomas, but Lansius still had one concern. “Umm, can I get a receipt?” he asked.

Hugo and Thomas were dumbfounded by the request, and Thomas couldn't help but be amused. "Well, he's a clerk. What can I say?"

Hugo and Thomas laughed, and Lansius couldn't help but chuckle along.

Hugo offered his right hand to Lansius. "If my signature is good enough, you shall have it."

Lansius gladly clasped hands with Hugo.

 

***

 

The sun turned orange when Lansius, Thomas, and Hugo headed out.

“So, tell me about the warband?” Lansius asked.

Hugo bent a low-hanging branch so they could pass easily. “Not much to tell. We got less than a hundred, but mostly too young and without weapons.”

“I see...” Lansius paused for a bit. “Well, call me crazy, but have you ever consider rescuing slaves?”

“Rescue?” Thomas scoffed. “That’s ballsy, but foolish.”

Watching Lansius’ reaction, Hugo filled him in. “The Lord of Midlandia tolerates our presence, but he’ll kick us out if we try something funny with the slave trade.”

Lansius reluctantly nodded. He had heard rumors that the Imperium sanctioned the slave trade to appease the two Eastern Kingdoms that grew powerful, but only now did he have an indirect proof.

So, not even the Lord of Midlandia dares to go against the slave trade.

“The local lords are especially jittery about the presence of armed men in their regions,” Thomas commented about themselves.

“But I heard that Midlandia is on our side. Can’t they intervene at all?”

Hugo glanced at Lansius. “Only if it benefits them. This means we need the young Lord. As the rightful heir, he could claim Arvena. If we have him, then Midlandia will gladly assist in exchange for a hefty compensation.”

“More likely a debt so large that Arvena could never repay,” Thomas sneered.

“Aye,” Hugo agreed. “This is why we can’t rely on Midlandia too much. With the Imperium like this, certainly Midlandia too wants to carve out pieces of Arvena for themselves.”

“And us as the henchmen.” Thomas swatted an insect that flew too close to his face.

Lansius could taste the hopelessness, but decided to push forward. “If we found the young Lord, will he do something about the Arvenian slaves?”

Hugo spared him some hope. "Well, those are his subjects. I think he’ll try to free them one way or another.”

Lansius nodded, wanting to believe it was true.

They trekked the short distance toward the edge of the wooded area and met with Anci and Felis.

“So, what are you guys talking about?” she asked.

Hugo looked at Lansius. Felis was an outsider.

Lansius nodded, but had another thought. “She’s from here, maybe she could help.”

“Help with what?” Felis was intrigued.

Hugo mulled, but Anci nodded at him. “We’re looking for a noble from Arvena. You might’ve heard about him, young Lord Arte. Light brown-“

“Light brown hair, beautiful jawline, charming, and speaks candidly like a bard? And oh, also a scar on his left eyebrow?” Felis sent rapid questions at Hugo.

The men stopped with eyes opened wide. “Y-you saw him?” Hugo asked.

 

***