SWNOVELS Chapter Over odds, seek salvation
Torn by so many choices on whether I should really go to not go, with or without him. Though I have gone this far in my life, without even a sighting nor worry about how my family is doing, from the day I left behind so many stormy nights, eight years in fact. “Wow, has it been that long” I thought to myself, when I saw him walk away, once he reached the front entrance.
Slightly pressing his right hand against the door, when he glances back toward me, I then shortly looked back at him in return. Until he exited the tavern, which at that time Keith then cleared his throat a before either one of us said anything, there was a commotion outside the tavern, followed by the sound of pistols being fired. That all the patrons inside the tavern were baffled at what was happening outside in the middle of the town.
Who it was, why is it happening, and what was going to proceed afterwards, with such a turn of the events can hardly be explained. Everyone that was there in the tavern was pretty much asking themselves those questions, let alone who’s going to be the brave one to investigate the conclusion of what just went on out there. When suddenly, as it hardly took three soft clicks of a second hand of a pocket watch.
Therefore, I found myself wondering closer and closer to the front door of the tavern, as if I was not in control of my feet or somehow summoned to investigate freely of what just went on moments ago, speculations did arise among the patrons inside the tavern, growing whispers of hypothetical gossip soon became acquitted when a voice came from behind the bar in a sarcastic tone “HAY, mister where did your girl-friend go, I thought you two were joined at the hip”, which. Looking around the room in a frantic pace Keith quickly found out what the overzealous bartender was talking about, that his friend and a leader but not a caption to him, since he was willing to watch her, was nowhere to be seen inside, so I then made my way toward the front door. To see, if I can see if she might be out there and hope that she was not hurt, upon hearing the brief sound of shoots being fired just a few moments ago, with deep sigh of not quite worried, I saw only the few people that slowly took their time shaking off what just happened.
Looking to my left then followed by looking to my right, for now it only has been half an hour past the fifth hour of the day, for being mid to late April. With the sun still shined bright, even streaming through the thick dark storm clouds that started to appear, drawing out many dark shadows on the uneven rocky ground. For comes to those who made their way up and down the center of town, walking along the side of buildings and across the inner lone street, I with even my dimmed sight I for one did see nor hear from her any longer that very day even up till through that long, ongoing night. Breathing heavily, smelling other than a heavy mixture of a strong aroma of meat and rum, with a hint of corn and potatoes. Emanating from just around my face, even feeling the rough material of a burly sack over my head, as I could only see nothing but the texture of the sack and how light barley penetrated it.
Many would have panicked, not knowing to even understanding what to even why this would be happening to them, in this case it was happening to her. Keeping my cool under these audacious circumstances, where I just so happened to walk into a disputing argument ensued with a quick burst of pistol fire whizzing past my ears, for me it was the right time wrong moment scenario.
Where I soon realized when my vision was soon covered by someone putting this old sack over my head making clearly difficult to see anything that was going on, where by force, my hands were wrapped and bounded together by a thick rope, tied tightly by someone I do not know as he, the stranger then lead me away into a horse drawn carriage.
I than was told very affirmatively, that I should sit down and be quiet, as he tugged on the rope that he lengthened having a sort of leash like control, which he had a strong intention to take full control, in such a way that I didn’t put up any struggle to promote more unwanted force of his hand.
Despite having a full year of rough days at sea, I had no trouble what so ever, where I guess as I ponder to myself that maybe today is the day my luck runs out.
Though I did asked of him in a friendly tone “can you please tell me where are we going”, which I did figure that he answered with a strong “No!, now sit down and be quiet like a good little pirate caption that you are”, where at that time in the foreground was someone soon shouted “alright, now let’s get a move on before it gets any darker”, with the sound of a loud whistle, and a crackle of a whip, the carriage started to move forward with a stern rocking motion we were off like the wind.
Off to where I do not know, why they were doing this, who are these gentlemen I had no such clue was given. Even when I tried to get some answers they would only say “just do as you are told, for once an, one other thing” he then added “no heroin stuff this time he has not been in the best of moods of late”. Which then led me to start to become more skeptical based on the tone of what was just said, as if I, for one personally would know the person that we are going to meet.
My mind soon began to swirl in wondering of the possibilities of who it could be, followed by a hypothetical reason why they would send for me in this crude manner, which they, or now whoever he, this person that they are admitting having sent them, this man didn’t have the dissent to of come along himself to do this abrupt retrieval.
The long hours went on as if time slowed down to a standstill for Sara, but for others the hours seem like minuets as the mere seconds ticked on by like the sand slowly drizzling, drizzling down to the bottom of an hour glass. Tall wheat fields grew as plentiful, as there were barrels and barrels of rolled up hay scattered, and being collected by field hands with mule pulled wagons.
They were getting ready for the frigid winter months, harvesting as much of the fresh harvest for the next round. Once separated, from what goes to the market to be sold from what goes to the household to be stored for later then used for meals.
On a somewhat cool sunny evening, driving a pitch fork into one of the rolls of hay, then lifting it up and placing it on top of the flat-bed wooden wagon, as he shortly whistled while he went along doing what he was hired to do on the farm that he tilled, that was surrounded by tall trees, that too were surrounded by more land slowly evolved in high rolling hills of green.
Which by close to three acres away from where the farmer’s land ended, lies the small town of Sara lane named after the common towns folk, who voted to have the name changed from Teardrop cove to Sara Lane Cove, when a lot of them felt still saddened after a well-known farmer’s youngest of two daughters was lost at sea. On this one day coming from out of the deep tree line of the forest and ridding on horseback over the rolling hills was a small group of elves, four of them who surrounded, and guarded one individual.
Dressed in light skinned armor as one of them held up a banner that had a symbol of the family crest which was a white outline of a winter owl carrying a withering rose in its beak on a dark blackberry purple fabric.
For the one who was in the middle, having a look as if this was not what he wanted to do, where at the time of his departure he as one of the three princesses who are the decadence of the royal house of Rose McFerrin thanks to a young prince, just wanted to go for a long outing by himself.
Per-instructed by his father, who had been a deep and passionate man, who not only cares for the wellbeing of his people, but most vigilant of his family’s wellbeing, especially for his three sons, which didn’t become the reason why he, the father Tari Quietus McFerrin, was strongly against disobeying any order or law given by him, which that in turn lead up to the four guards to be accompany him all the way and back safe and sound.
Where ever I go, they go, where ever I sleep, they stand guard, over the years of my young life I gotten used to having someone watching me as I haven’t yet experience a day, when I could only have my thoughts accompany me and nothing else.
Every day since the age of my teen years I so pondered the view of my daily chores, and simply wonder will there ever be a time that I could just be alone, “though” I started to think of how it could be which I then continued with any possibilities of being alone, where it can in a way, be much of a dreamed-up word where in a mythical sense you are never alone. Soon before long our horses started to become tired, as we soon saw another sun, setting on the horizon as it sat on the steady rolling hills.
Till by now, we five came to another winding trail through a thick and dense of a mildly dark forest, coming across a suitable rest area, to camp for the night, we, one by one dismounted our horses, then one of my guards/ babysitters start to patrol out on foot, combing over the area until each of them were satisfied that nothing is out there to harm us or me for that matter.
Which they promptly, gathered our equipment off the horses. It wasn’t long after that the tents were soon up, a fire was made as we burned all the twigs and fallen logs that we found, followed by cooking up some rations for dinner, while I sat beside my single-person tent, sitting up against a fallen tree stump, as I hold onto a hot bowl of beef and bean stew (stroganoff) with a side of beggar’s bread (which is like Italian bread).
Hearing the crackling sound of the warm fire, bits and pieces of ash soon roughs upward into the night sky like little fire fly’s being set free.
Going in every direction, as if they didn’t have a care in the world where they go, let alone be told where to go and who to go with.
Later that same night before I even got to blow out the small lantern that was hanging inside my tent, when it was just ready to get to my cot and go to sleep, with one of the guards made his last round to check on me and give me the latest scavenger report, which I figured knowing that there wasn’t out there to harm me, that, that there wouldn’t be much change from the last several reports.