Casus Belli Ch. 06: Darkness Falls

"The road went uphill for a while, out of the river valley, but the timber we had loaded wasn't as heavy as the casks with fireborg had been, and the horses easily managed the ascent. Once we were out of the valley the road started to descend slowly, and as the road surface was pretty smooth my father gave the horses free reign. Soon we were going really fast, but not for very long, before my father reigned the horses in again, because going so fast in a wagon was also a little dangerous. The road gradually became more level, but we kept making good progress."

"Late in the afternoon, shortly after we had halted for a short rest, we were overtaken by two fast coaches. The coaches slowed down before passing, and the coachmen confirmed we would make the 'Last Chance' inn before nightfall, and so we did. The inn proved fortified, as it was relatively close to the Mercandon border, and it had a very large inner court, roomy enough to park dozens of wagons." It wasn't that busy though, there were just half a dozen wagons and three coaches, including the two that had overtaken us a couple of hours earlier."

"Inside the inn we met the owners of those two coaches, a well-off family from Bulness, who had been visiting relatives in Rogin and were now on their way home again. We had a nice dinner, and went to bed early, because my father wanted to get underway again at dawn. The stretch from the inn to Bulness was longer than the one from Rogin to the inn, and he hoped that leaving that early would provide enough time to still make Bulness before darkness."

The door to the private hallway opened, and in came Polly and Denora, interrupting Leavy's tale. Both maidens were carrying a large tray, Polly's filled with wine glasses and bottles, and Denora's filled with foaming beer mugs and two large pitchers of beer. Cassandra watched as they put everything down on the dinner table, and then Denora served out the mugs of beer. "We'd better start with the stuff that should be served cold," her senior maiden said with a wink and a smile as she placed a mug on the low table in front of her.

The dark amber fluid was topped with a thick cream colored head, and the heavy glass mug was covered in a thin sheen of condensation. Cassandra couldn't help licking her lips, "Oooh," she moaned, "am I a beer addict already?" Her maidens all chuckled, and then they all proceeded to acquire foam mustaches.

***

Shall I continue with my story?" Leavy asked between sips of beer.

Cassandra nodded, and so did the maidens that had been present for the earlier part. "What story?" Polly asked.

"Leavy has been telling us about a wagon trip she made with her father before she became a maiden," Moiga replied.

"It was the time I nearly got captured by the Mercandon," Leavy added. Denora and Polly sat themselves down among them, their interest clearly sparked, and Leavy continued her story.

"So we got underway at sunrise, and as the road went slightly downhill again we made good progress. Around noon the road leveled out, slowing us a little, and an hour or so later we were overtaken by two coaches again, which turned out to be the same coaches that had passed us the day before. This time though the coachmen told us that we probably wouldn't be able to make Bulness before darkness."

"I wasn't upset by it, as we had spent the night beneath the stars a couple of times before already, but my dad wasn't happy. As close to the Mercandon border as we now were he didn't want to spend the night by the road. He explained that we were more than halfway already, that the horses were still pretty fit due to the light going earlier on, and that the last ten leagues or so of the route was slightly downhill again. So as far as he could tell we still had a good chance of making Bulness before darkness. The following hours he didn't drive the horses any faster, but he did shorten the rests a little."

"Some three hours before nightfall we passed a side road, and while he was explaining to me it led to the Mercandon border, just eight leagues to the west from us, I noticed movement next to it in the distance. I pointed it out to my father, but he didn't see it." She grinned, "I have very sharp eyesight. Anyway, he told me to keep an eye on it, and warn him should anything seem to be coming after us. We made maybe another three hundred yards or so, and then I noticed the men I had seen had mounted up and were following the side road towards the main road we were on. I warned my father, who cursed softly, and then asked me how many there were, what they were riding, and how fast they were going."

"I wondered what he meant with 'what they were riding', and then I noticed that what I had first taken for horses weren't horses at all. They had much longer legs, were much taller in general, and also had these weird long necks. Another thing I noticed when trying to gauge their speed was their strange heaving gait. There were about a dozen of them, and they were moving at what looked like a fast trot, a little faster than we were going. When I informed my father he explained to me that he suspected the men were Mercandon slavers, and that their mounts were probably camels, strange riding beasts hailing from the southern deserts. I kept an eye on them, and then, when they were about halfway to the junction with the main road, they turned off the road, cutting the corner, and coming straight at us."

"I warned my father and he slowly increased our own speed, until we were going about as fast as the camels were going. For a couple of minute or so nothing changed, but then our chasers visibly sped up. I warned my father again, and we sped up too, while the slavers chasing us got onto the road maybe half a league behind us. We were going really fast now, even faster than we had been going during the descent the day before. I was well aware of the Mercandons' reputation of course, so I was really happy to see they were no longer gaining on us. My dad was still looking mighty worried though, and when I asked him about it he told me that while camels weren't as fast as horses they were well known for their stamina."

"He was right, and soon the camels started to slowly gain on us again. I asked my father if we should ditch our cargo, and he said we should, but only once the slavers were really close behind us, to try and take out at least some of them with it. I was familiar with the horror stories regarding Mercandon slavery, and as such I was about to piss my panties. Another couple of leagues passed, with the slavers closing ever faster on us. When they were less than fifty yards behind us, and we could already hear their excited screams, my father gave me his knife, and told me to move back and cut the ropes securing the cargo in place."

I was just crawling on top of the timber when our pursuers started shooting their bows at us, most of the arrows went wide, but one didn't." Leavy rolled up the left sleeve of her dress, and pointed at the horizontal white stripe on her otherwise flawless skin. "Luckily it was just a scratch. I yelped though, and as I did the shooting stopped."

"I always wondered how you got that scar," Vala remarked.

***

Leavy nodded, "I got scared and scurried back to the front of the wagon. My father saw what happened and told me to try again, assuring me that the Mercandon wouldn't shoot at me again, because they had just noticed that I was a young woman. As you will no doubt understand that bit of information both reassured and frightened me. I started moving back towards the ropes again, and the slavers didn't start shooting again indeed. I got near the ropes, and was just going to cut the first one when my father yelled not to cut them and to hold on tight instead. I felt the wagon accelerate, and when I looked forward again I noticed colorful banners floating above what seemed to be the end of the road, maybe half a league in front of us."

"It took me a moment, but then I grasped I wasn't looking at the end of the road but only at the point where it dropped out of sight. The banners floated higher, and I realized they belonged to something ascending the road towards us. I looked behind us again, and with the extra speed my father had coerced out of the horses the slavers weren't gaining on us anymore. My father cheered, and as I turned back to the front again I noticed helmeted heads had appeared. There was some loud shouting behind us, and as I looked over my shoulder the slavers were steering their camels off the road towards the west. I started cheering too then, to proclaim my relief, and soon the slavers were nothing more than a retreating dust cloud."

"As I turned towards the front again the road was filled with cavalrymen, closing fast. My father slowly reined in the horses, until we were moving at a slow trot again, and I became aware the poor animals were covered in foam. The cavalry unit closed fast, and then it split in front of us, and started to pass on both sides of us. There were a lot of them, at least a company I think. As the last one passed I turned and watched them leave the road where the slavers had left it before them. About two thirds of them gave chase while the other third turned around and started to come after us. My father didn't stop, he just let the horses walk, to let them cool down."

"The part of the cavalry unit that had turned around quickly caught up with us, and the officer leading it introduced himself. I've forgotten his name, but he was a captain. My father then introduced the two of us, and told our rescuers he was a former cavalryman himself. I then asked him, the captain, if they were going to apprehend the slavers. He shook his head, and told me probably not, because the camels were at an advantage on the soft ground, and their own horses were tired. That was when I first noticed their horses were covered in foam too."

"My father then told the captain how lucky we were that the cavalry had turned up just in time. The captain smiled at that, and answered that luck had nothing to do with it. He then went on to explain that the slavers had tried to intercept a pair of coaches on their way from the Last Chance inn to Bulness earlier, but had narrowly failed to catch them. Upon their arrival at the city the coachmen had informed the guards at the gate about what had happened, and had warned them that there was also a lonely wagon on its way from the inn to the city, and that it had a young woman aboard. So the captain and his unit had been scrambled, and sent on a rescue mission to save our butts. They had known time was of the essence, which was why they had driven their horses so hard."

"Phew," Polly said, "You guys got pretty lucky there..."

Leavy nodded again, and then she locked eyes with Cassandra, "It taught me you should never despair," she grinned, "and it also taught me to avoid getting close to the Mercandon border ever again of course." The girls all chuckled, and Leavy smiled, "Once the horses had cooled down the cavalry captain told us our horses were way too tired to still make Bulness before darkness. So we stopped for the night and set up camp next to the road, together with the soldiers. The unit's medic came over and he cleaned and disinfected the cut on my arm before closing and bandaging it, and by the time he was finished, the remainder of the unit, the men that had gone chasing after the slavers, were returning too."

"The sun was setting by then, and as it did the temperature started to drop fast. The soldiers made a big campfire, and as we sat down around it they shared their rations with us." Leavy giggled again, "I never got so much male attention before in my life... Anyway, the next day the cavalry unit escorted us to Bulness and we arrived at the city in the morning. We thanked the captain and his men and this time I accompanied my father to the warehouse where he had to deliver the timber. Once the wagon was empty we looked for a good stables, to park the wagon and have the horses rested for a couple of days."

***

All the glass mugs were empty by now, and Denora served a second round of beer. "Once the horses were cared for we went looking for a nice inn to stay at, and Bulness soon proved to have plenty of them," Leavy continued. "With accommodation arranged, I was basically free to do some sightseeing for a couple of days, while my father went looking for a profitable cargo to haul back to Breza. The narrow escape the previous day had left me a bit shaken though, and I told him that once you had seen one city you had seen them all, and that I was going to accompany him to the markets instead. My father just chuckled, I got this big hug, and then, between visiting markets, we did some sightseeing together."

Leavy sighed, "Bulness was a nice city, with very hospitable people, and there was much to see. The only downside was the presence of Mercandon merchants, and their henchmen, at and around the markets. Their strange garb aside they looked just like normal people, only much more tanned, but their behavior towards women was, well, unsettling. They never spoke to you - they completely ignored you, except for leering at you that is, as if you were just a piece of meat. Their behavior was so bad that their access to the city was restricted. They needed permits to get within the city walls, and were then only allowed in the southwestern quarter, between the southern and western gates, where the spice and tea markets were."

"The keeper of the inn we stayed at told us that whenever one of their caravan's left the city, headed for Dernak usually, it was thoroughly searched by the city guard, to prevent them from smuggling kidnapped women out of the city. The problem though was that the spices and tea we needed were cheapest to buy directly from the Mercandon merchants, so we couldn't just avoid them." The platinum blonde blushed, "The first one my father tried to do business with, because he offered first rate produce, tried to include my 'services' into the deal. I barely managed to keep my father from lopping his head off. The second one then tried to lure my father into picking up a cargo in Dernak, at his premises, for obvious reasons. And the third one only wanted to conclude the deal at the room in the inn he was staying at."

"We later learned the only inns in the city that catered for Mercandons were located around the main spice market, that these inns were permanently watched by the city guards, and that you'd better stay far away from them. So the next day I stayed at the inn when my father went to the markets again, and that way he did secure a nice cargo of tea and spices for a good price. He went to load it up alone the next morning, and then he returned to the inn to pick me up. We left the city through the north eastern gate, towards Rovan. The horses were well rested, and the road made for smooth travel, so we easily made Perna before nightfall. Perna was a beautiful small town, and we stayed there for a day, to make sure the horses were well rested for the second leg to Rovan."

Leavy smiled, "Perna is well known for its sugar waffles, and I can confirm they're excellent, especially with a nice cup of tea. From Perna we drove to Rovan, where we stayed at a wagoner's inn for the night. We didn't stay a day over at Rovan to rest the horses, because the next stop by the road back home, an inn named the Fat Goose, was too far to reach in a single day anyway. So the next day we just took it easy, and halfway to the inn we put up camp next to the road, at a clearing where three other wagons were parked already. Of the other wagon drivers two were alone, but the third one had his young wife with him."

"We cooked together, me and the wife, and then we had a pleasant evening by the campfire, with everyone talking about where they were from and what they had all experienced on the road. When we told them about what had almost happened to us on the road from Rogin to Bulness recently, the young wife scolded her husband. Apparently they had had a little argument concerning taking that road a couple of weeks earlier, and he had accused her of being a wimp for not wanting to go there. The next morning, after breakfast, the two lone wagon men headed south towards Rovan while the husband and wife team joined us in the direction of the Fat Goose."

"We arrived at the inn before dusk and had dinner with the couple from the other wagon. The next morning we set of together again, and put up camp halfway to Breza. And then we were on the final leg home. We reached the crossing at The Forks late in the afternoon, and while our companions headed further north we turned east for Breza. The couple was planning to set up camp at the Neva Bridge, under the protection of its defenses, which were always manned. They were headed for Koban, which was another four days travel. We arrived back at our home just before nightfall, and were greeted by my mother, who was clearly relieved her oldest daughter had returned without any vital parts missing."

***

The beer had evaporated again, and with the pitchers now empty Moiga served everyone wine while Polly organized some bread and cheese from the small kitchen to go with it. Leavy then finished her story by telling how she and her father had never told her mother about what had nearly happened on the road along the Mercandon border, because they were sure that if her mother knew she would never let Leavy join her father on a trip again. They all agreed that had been a smart move, and then the Mercandon became the subject of the conversation, and the girls all had their horror stories to tell.

In Mercandon women, in general, were second rate citizens at best, and slavery was condoned by law. The power and importance of a Mercandon man was measured by the number of female slaves in his harem, and these female slaves had nothing to laugh about. The cruelty of the Mercandon towards their slaves, both male and female, was legendary. Male slaves were neutered, and then they were worked to death. Female slaves were used for breeding and for satisfying their master's every perverse desire, and once they had served their purpose they were 'expended' in the torture chamber.

"Anything is better than ending up in a Mercandon harem," the platinum blonde said, "even ending up in a..."

Leavy stopped abruptly, and her eyes widened while Cassandra felt Denora move next to her. She placed a hand on her senior maiden's upper arm, "It's okay." She then smiled at Leavy, who looked embarrassed, "You're right," she comforted the platinum blonde, "even ending up in an orcish brothel can't be as bad as ending up in a Mercandon harem."

"I'm sorry," the girl answered, biting her lower lip, "first I tell this whole story to get your mind of the orcs, and then I fuck up like this."

Cassandra patted the empty seat next to her, "Come here," she said with a soft smile. Leavy got up and moved towards her, then sat down on the indicated spot, looking sad. She put an arm around her maiden's shoulders and pulled her close, "You just made me realize this isn't only about me, that if this ends badly we might all end up in an orcish brothel." She looked around the table, "Please forgive my selfishness," and their faces told her they already had.

Denora cleared her throat, "For the moment, let's not dwell on it, let's just hope for the best, and revisit the topic should it become necessary."

"Yes," Cassandra said, "and the orcs aren't our only problem." Her maidens looked surprised. "If everything goes to plan," she explained, "and we defeat the orcs, we will still end up with a severely weakened army. At some point our nice southerly neighbors will find out, if they don't know already, and then we might find ourselves in yet another war, with the Lorasians or the Mercandon this time." The girls all looked a bit shocked at first, and then a bit depressed as the truth in her words sunk in. She sighed, "But let's not dwell on that either, just keep in mind that defeating the orcs might not be the end of our troubles."