Serenity Valley (17 page)

“Well, that would certainly give
someone a surprise,” I said. “Thank you very much, my lady. It is a
work of art.”

“You’re welcome, Gamel. You are all
worthy of the best that can be provided. I believe Master Ox wants
to give the men an introduction to spears in the training area.
Basilea and I have other plans. We will meet back at Sirates for
evening meal, if that is agreeable?”

We all agreed, and Lady Bella and
Basilea took their leave, while we headed for the training
area.

The training area was vast and covered
with dense grass and spotted with trees. Obvious courses were set
up in the ground combat area, and more subtle objectives could be
seen if one looked closely. A tree might have a straw dummy in the
limbs. A wood target might be placed flat on the ground and would
spring up when a secret mechanism is stepped on. It contained a
maze of surprises. As we walked deeper in, I noticed Mildred off to
the right. She grazed on the bright green grass under cover of an
ancient tree. I asked, “Do you see Demon anywhere,
Fulk?”

“No; oh, wait, there he is messing
with that straw dummy over there.”

I looked in the direction Fulk was
pointing and spotted Demon sniffing and snorting at the dummy,
biting and squealing. He soon went up on his hind legs and pawed it
to the ground. He then trotted around it at attention, squealing
and shaking his head back and forth. He was very proud of himself.
He then bent down and tore a shirt-sleeved arm from the torso.
Trotting away with the arm held firmly, he squealed and shook his
head up and down. Demon trotted to where Mildred was having a
peaceful meal under a tree and started shaking the arm in front of
her. Raising her head, she looked at the pathetic thing,
unimpressed, and resumed her eating. Finding her reaction
unacceptable, he started banging the straw arm against her neck.
Raising her head, Mildred let out a bloodcurdling squeal and
stomped her foot on the ground, hard. Demon jumped back and stared
for a moment, not believing such an outburst, then trotted away.
Soon he located us and came cantering over. Stopping in front of
me, he shook the limp arm up and down.

“What you got there, Demon?” I asked.
“Did you kill it and take its arm?” He nickered and stood in his
proud pose. I went to him. “Good boy, got that nasty old soldier,
didn’t you?” I reached up and scratched behind his ear. He promptly
tilted his head and leaned into the scratching. “You like this,
don’t you, young man? We need to have a lesson with Master Ox now.
Go find more soldiers, Demon.” Satisfied with my praise, Demon went
off to find more mischief, and we continued toward the
range.

Ox said, “That be a right smart horse
ya gots there. I thinkin' he understands ya likes a
human.”

“He thinks Gamel is his parent,” Fulk
said. “Got imprinted at birth when his mum died.”

“Ahh, I heard me da story 'bouts da
Sirates colt. So it be true, then?”

“True enough. Gamel is part horse, and
Demon part human. It’s a mess really.”

We all got a chuckle out of Fulk’s
opinion. “Well, here’s we are then, lets me tell ya 'bout spears,
then we practice some, aye?” And so our first of countless training
days proceeded.

Days usually started with a two-hour
run after breaking fast in the morning. The main house turnout
actually had paths worn in it from our efforts. Demon had started
to join our runs, and like us, he was packing on lean muscle and
growing taller. After our run, we would go to our assigned training
stations and receive instruction from Lady Bella, Ox, or one of his
instructors. Lady Bella decided that anyone capable of bearing
light weapons were to receive instruction and be prepared to defend
themselves. In essence, anyone in the hold capable of holding a
short sword had one of their own. Lady Bella moved some of her
clothing to the spare cabinet in Fulk’s quarters. She stayed at
Sirates House when Lord Goodwin traveled. In fact, she slept there
more often than the main house. Lord Goodwin traveled extensively,
picking up brood mares, men-at-arms, materials, and craftsmen to
fill various positions. The lady felt guilty about her personal
guard spending their nights outside Sirates House, so she had a
small guardhouse built with table and chairs. One of her
pear-shaped stoves sat in the corner for heat. Although available
to them, no more than one guard at a time could be seen in it. They
preferred to post themselves in various locations in the woods
around the house. Whenever the lady stayed with us, Basilea and
Bells made extra bread for the guards. The guards were heard to
state a preference to guard Sirates House because of the bread at
night and great biscuits in the morning. Basilea saw to Roesia’s
training in the bakery, and within a few weeks, she was no longer
required to report to the kitchen, although she often stopped by to
lend a hand. After the first night, Basilea never left Sirates
house. She moved her clothing and belongings into the spare cabinet
in my quarters and used the extra bed, although every so often, I
would wake to find her curled up next to me. She would say, “Well,
I got cold.” It was always her excuse for sharing my bed. It was
our little game.

I would take her head softly in my
hand and kiss her lightly on the cheek. “Well, then, you certainly
did the right thing!” I would say. With Lady Bella an important
part of our group, we became a family bound to one another. By the
time Demon turned three months old, he had shed all of his feathers
and was the inky blue-black everyone expected him to be. In
addition to being color correct, his coat was dappled. In the sun,
diamond shapes reflected perfect geometric shapes. He was very
flashy. One morning, I woke to find twelve gold coins lying on my
bed table, no doubt payment for the erroneous bet on his color.
Work continued on the hold and facilities. It was a bustle of
activity during the daylight hours.

One early fall day, I sought out Sayer
to touch base and give report on Demon’s training. I found him at
the site of the new charger barn, talking to a craftsman on a
ladder. Sayer saw Demon and Mildred and grinned from ear to ear.
“Oye, Gamel, how goes it?” he called out.

“It goes well, Sayer. Demon is growing
well, and for the most part, staying out of trouble.”

Sayer replied, “I’ll say he’s growing.
He looks to be over fifteen hands now, the average size of most
chargers.”

“I do think he is all of that. Just
think, he won’t stop growing until he’s five or six years
old.”

“What are you going to do about
mounting him, Gamel?”

“Lady Bella helped me solve that
problem already. Demon, to me!” I called. Demon came trotting over
to us. “Let’s show Sayer what you have learned, young man. Demon,
down!” Demon put one front hoof forward and bent the other leg. He
bent his rear legs and knelt to lower his chest to the ground. I
said, “Demon, up.” Demon immediately rose up to full
standing.

“Oh my goodness, Gamel, that’s
excellent. This not only teaches him something necessary, but shows
you have good control. He’s listening to you!” Demon was standing
in his stately stance, waiting to receive his accolades. Sayer
moved in front of him. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you, Demon?”
Demon nickered and nodded in the affirmative. Sayer laughed and
started scratching behind his ear. Demon immediately dropped his
head, tilted it, and leaned into the scratch. Sayer said, “You like
that, don’t you, Demon?” Demon’s whole shoulder started to twitch
in rhythm to the scratching. “Good, good boy, Demon!” Sayer stopped
scratching. With a good shake, Demon moved off slowly. “You’ve done
a great job with him, Gamel. He exceeds Lord Goodwin's and my
expectations!”

“Thanks, Sayer. He is really smart!”
About this time, we heard some clatter by the building. A stone
mason was busy working on a ladder that was leaning against a
scaffold.

The mason seemed to be plastering
cracks in the stone wall. Demon was pushing on the ladder with his
nose. “Demon, leave the man alone, he’s trying to work,” I
said.

The man on the ladder found no favor
with Demon’s antics. “You, sir, why is the beast not on a
rope?”

“He will be all right. He’s just
curious about the ladder.”

“All stupid animals should be
tethered!”

I took one look at Demon and knew what
was going to happen. “Sir, quickly step onto the scaffold. You are
going to lose your ladder,” I warned. As Demon went for the ladder,
the man stepped onto the scaffold, dropping his mortar bucket to
the ground. Soon the ladder followed the bucket. The mason cursed.
“Damn it, man! Control your beast!”

“Sir, watch your tone. He is very
sensitive and will think you are challenging him.”

The mason replied, “You make it sound
like he understands. He’s a crazy damn beast is what he is!” I just
put up my hands in surrender as Demon headed for the scaffold.
Demon placed his shoulder against the scaffold and began pushing.
The man scurried to get hold of the wall as the scaffold toppled
over on the ground. Demon bellowed and trotted around, shaking his
head from side to side as if he had defeated something. The man had
made it to the top of the wall and blustered, “Bastard son of a
bitch!”

“I really wish you hadn’t said that,”
I told him. Demon stopped trotting around and looked up at the man
on top of the wall. I said, “It’s okay, Demon. He didn’t mean
anything.” Demon snorted loudly as he positioned himself in front
of the man’s fallen mortar bucket. “Oh no, Demon, don’t do it!
Don’t do it!” Demon promptly raised his tail and crapped in the
mortar bucket. I looked at Sayer and saw that his face was turning
purple. “I’m really sorry, Sayer. Sorry, so sorry!”

As I finished my apology, Sayer
started roaring. He laughed so hard that he grabbed hold of me to
steady himself. He laughed so hard he cried. Feeling embarrassed, I
offered, “Okay, then, my work here is done. I’ll be taking off now.
Come on, Demon. Mildred, come.” Mildred came trotting over, and we
made a hasty departure. Looking back, I could see Sayer bent over
with his hands on his knees, trying to gather his wits. I wondered
how long it had been since Sayer had laughed. He had so much
pressure on him. Perhaps this release would be good for
him.

Work continued on the hold defenses
and the great wall around the main house complex. Work also
continued on our training.

For the first time in weeks, Meeks
started to relax and let his guard down. On instruction from Master
Strom in Port Veronies, he had set out some three weeks ago with a
wagonload of wine casks destined for De Ferrier Hold. The prized
Roschale wine shipment was but a cover for his true mission, to map
all details of the hold’s structures and defenses. Although the
wagonload of wine was good cover, he was still stopped and
questioned four times by De Ferrier range riders and lookouts
before reaching the hold. Once he reached the hold, the kitchen
manager proved to be another obstacle. The lady questioned him
extensively about the origin, quality, and age of his load. She
even inquired as to the whereabouts of the usual hauler. It took a
lot of good talking to convince Fina to accept the load. Even then,
he had to open and sample every single cask with her before he was
paid. Once his business was concluded, he was allowed to layover
two days to rest his beasts in the hold’s private pasture. This
time gave him good opportunity to wander about and collect
information. Camped next to his wagon at the stable, he spent his
nights drawing maps of the hold. One map was of the buildings and
grounds surrounding the main hall. The other was of the entire
valley, with locations of lookout posts and patrol
areas.

With the barge of middle crossing some
five hours behind him, he was now almost nine miles past the
Sedgwick River, which marks De Ferrier Hold’s southern border.
Meeks enjoyed the rhythm of the mule team’s steady clomp against
the tingling of the trace chains. Normally, he despised the beasts,
finding them dull and wanting. At best, he tolerated beasts of
burden, which was enough to get them to perform their tasks. After
all, that was all he wanted of them. A subdued sense of joy made
the corners of his mouth turn up as he spied a rider closing the
distance with him. This was the appointed time and place to meet
his contact and receive payment for his efforts. This mission would
allow him a comfortable retirement away from stupid beasts, and
preferably, off the island completely. When the rider closed the
distance, Meeks reined in his mules and set the wagon’s
brake.

The rider raised his right hand and
said, “Master Meeks you are being?”

Although the stranger was dressed in
clothing typical for locals, he could tell immediately that the
stranger was foreign by his accent and facial features. He guessed
the man to be of Arabic origin, and with a most disturbing
demeanor. His once-joyful mood immediately turned to one of fear
and caution. Meeks had met many ruthless killers in his time. As he
looked into this man’s lifeless black eyes, the hair on the back of
his neck stood tingling as his body was washed with internal heat.
This was a reaper of men.

Meeks said, “Aye, I be Strom’s
man.”

The stranger replied, “Good, business
we be having this day. I would like examine maps before payment
being made.”

“Yes, of course. I will meet you at da
back a da wagon wit' them for viewing.”