Chapter Eighteen #7
Maxi rummaged in the saddlebag for something to eat. Riftan nudged her aside so he could fish out a small bundle. He unwrapped a loaf of stale bread and a cured sausage. “I was in a hurry, so I was unable to bring anything else.”
Maxi thought she could manage the bread with enough chewing, but the sausage looked rock hard.
She was so hungry that it still looked appetizing, and she gazed at it wistfully.
As if reading his wife’s mind, Riftan began slicing the sausage into small pieces.
He tossed them into an empty canteen. The next thing Maxi knew, Riftan had constructed a cooking rig over the fire, and soon the cave filled with the sound of sizzling oil.
“Hand me the herb pouch.”
Maxi jumped to give it to him. After placing the herbs, mandrago root, and breadcrumbs into the canteen, Riftan shook the container to mix the ingredients with the oil that oozed from the sausage. He poured some water in and let it boil into a soup. The savory smell made Maxi’s mouth water.
He filled the cap of the canteen and handed it to her. “We don’t have spoons, so use the bread to scoop up the chunks.”
Maxi blew on the steam and carefully took a sip.
The salt from the sausage gave the meager meal flavor.
Using the flat piece of bread as a spoon, Maxi scooped up the steeped sausages.
With the hot soup warming her stomach, Maxi quickly finished off the big loaf of bread.
It did not compare to the dishes she had enjoyed at the castle, but Maxi was amazed that they could enjoy a decent meal in the middle of the mountains.
“I did not know…th-that you knew how to cook, Riftan.”
“I would not call it cooking. Just making something edible from what I have. I only know a few dishes from when I was a mercenary.”
Maxi looked at him quizzically. “How old were you when you joined the mercenary group?”
Riftan arched an eyebrow as if to ask her why she was inquiring about such a thing.
“You told me…that you j-joined the mercenary group when you were young…b-but you never told m-me your exact age.”
“I was twelve.”
“T-Twelve?” said Maxi, surprised.
Riftan shoved a piece of bread into his mouth and silently nodded. Studying his face, it was clear that this was not a topic he wished to discuss in detail, but Maxi was itching to know how a twelve-year-old boy had become a mercenary, and her curiosity won out.
“A-And before then?”
Riftan said nothing as he poked the fire with a twig.
Maxi resolutely pressed him. “I-If I recall, you told me that…you moved to Livadon once you joined the mercenary group. Where did you live…before then?”
“In Wedon.”
Maxi furrowed her brow at his terse response. “Where in Wedon?”
“In the eastern part of the kingdom,” he answered after a while.
Although Maxi wanted to keep prying, he looked visibly uncomfortable talking about his childhood. Cold silence briefly fell over them, but she could not hold back her desire to know everything about the man she had married.
“Wh-What…did your parents do?”
“And why would you want to know that?” he replied, his voice barbed. He let out a sigh when he saw her face flush in embarrassment. “The woman who gave birth to me was a maidservant from the Southern Continent, and my birth father was probably a knight.”
“B-Birth father?”
“I was a bastard,” he said flatly, looking away from her.
“I never saw my real father. When he found out that the maidservant he had amused himself with during one of the wars was pregnant, he left after giving her a small dowry. He even found a husband for her. Then he apparently died after getting himself into some kind of dispute.” A faint sneer briefly tugged at his lips.
“I guess he was not an exceptional knight.”
“Wh-What about…your mother?”
“She died when I was twelve.” The chill in his voice made Maxi pause, but Riftan continued dryly. “After that woman died, I lived with my stepfather for a while until I ran away and became a mercenary.”
“Was your…r-relationship with your stepfather strained?”
“It was neither good nor bad.”
“B-But…if he made you run away from home at twelve—”
“Maxi,” Riftan said, cutting her off coldly, “we have to climb down the mountain as soon as day breaks, so no more interrogations. Go to sleep if you are done eating.”
Maxi pressed her lips together. While his blatant refusal to share himself upset her, she could not exactly judge him for something she was unwilling to do herself. How many things in her own past would she rather never disclose to him?
Schooling her features into an indifferent mask, Maxi ate the rest of her soup and bread, then lay down by the fire swaddled in the blanket.
Although she was so exhausted it felt like a miracle that she was conscious, sleep still seemed to evade her.
The crackling of the fire and the chirping of the insects were the only sounds floating softly in the darkness.
Lying on her side, Maxi watched the flickering shadows on the cave wall before turning her head once more.
Riftan had removed his breastplate and stretched out his long legs toward the entrance.
“Are you…n-not going to sleep, Riftan?”
“I will when I can. Stop worrying about me and go to sleep,” he replied brusquely. He had one hand on his sword hilt, clearly on alert for another possible monster attack.
When Maxi gazed up at him, the worry evident on her face, Riftan softened and brushed the tangled hair from her forehead.
“I will keep you safe. Don’t be scared. Get some rest.”
He thought it was fear that kept her awake. Maxi looked back out at the dark forest. Yes, the pitch darkness had filled her with fear, but with Riftan next to her, that fear had melted away.
Maxi placed a hand on Riftan’s lap. He shifted his legs as though he were uncomfortable, and Maxi thought he would pull away, but then he clasped her hand in his.
Relieved, Maxi closed her eyes. Though it did not sit well with her for him to keep watch while she slept, it was not as if she could volunteer to do the job instead.
If she did, she would be completely drained by morning, and he would have to lug her down the mountain on his back.
Her priority was to replenish as much energy as possible so as not to become an even bigger hindrance to him than she already had been.
Shaking off her prickling conscience, Maxi fell fitfully asleep.
—
Maxi woke as the blue light of dawn peeked faintly through the trees. She glanced around, looking for Riftan. He was already in full armor and saddling the horses.
Maxi slowly sat up and started when she felt the cold air on her bare skin. Quickly, she pulled the blanket up again. Riftan’s eyes flicked to her for a moment before turning away with his lips pressed together.
“If you are awake, get dressed. We have to get moving.”
Maxi stood and gathered her tunic and trousers, wearable now, albeit a little damp, after lying out to dry on a rock all night. Her boots were a different story, and she grimaced as she slipped them on, knowing there was no other option than to have wet feet all day.
Riftan helped her mount Rem. “Don’t let your eyes wander, no matter what. Keep close to me at all times. Do you understand?”
Trailing behind him as he and Talon led the way, Maxi still snuck glances at her surroundings.
The forest gradually brightened as the sun rose.
All was quiet. The peaceful surroundings almost seemed to mock her current state of paranoia, twitching with every snap of a branch as if it were another goblin attack.
They found a spring halfway down the mountain and let Rem and Talon quench their thirst before pushing down the rest of the mountainside without another rest. They reached the foot of the mountain before the sun had reached its zenith and were welcomed by the sight of a village settled just below the foothills.
Maxi smiled brightly at the sight; soon she would be able to bathe with soap, eat at a table, and catch up on rest in a soft bed. Spurring Rem into a gallop, she sped down the hill like the wind itself, Riftan at her side.
A high rampart of stacked logs secured the border of the village. Riftan approached the gate and rapped on the door. A village sentry peered at them through the gap.
“Who’s there?”
Riftan took out his identification papers. “I am Riftan Calypse, commander of the Remdragon Knights. I am on my way to Livadon by order of the king, but I was separated from my party. Did the Remdragon Knights arrive here last night?”
The sentry immediately threw open the gate.
“R-Rosem Wigrew d’Calypse! It is an honor! The knights are currently lodging at Hanoa Inn. Please, allow me to show you the way.”
They followed the sentry through the village.
It was bigger than Maxi had anticipated, and she took in the bustling street as they rode down the unpaved path.
Modest wooden cottages flanked the road, and Maxi noticed laborers and armed mercenaries raising a number of new houses from stacks of fresh lumber.
Goats, pigs, and donkeys grazed freely, their manure dotting the road and filling the air with the stench of livestock.
Merchant stalls lined the road, creating a makeshift market thronged with people.
Riftan furrowed his brow as he pushed his way through the crowds. “It is busier than I thought.”
“It is the monsters, my lord,” the sentry replied. “Not only do we have to worry about drakes, but red goblin and kobold populations are now on the rise, too. They have caused heavy damage to the nearby villages. With so many folks seeking refuge, the town is overflowing.”
“Do you have enough provisions?”
“We’re better off than most. Merchants frequently drop by on their way to Livadon.” The sentry stopped before a three-story wooden building at the end of a narrow road. “And here we are. Your knights should be lodged inside, my lord.”