"Do you have any more of that sweet bread, Asger?" Gary asks.
"Sorry sir, it is all gone. Maybe I should have bought more."
"It is alright, I just really enjoyed it."
They have been riding for the whole morning. Siv's back is killing her, her derriere and her legs are numb, and she is ready to collapse from weariness.
"Let's take a break by the water." Gary points to the river nearby.
'Oh, thank you baby Jesus.'
They all dismount their horses. Gary and Asger seem to be fine, Siv on the other hand can't even use her numbed legs properly. She hurries to one the trees and leans on it for balance.
"Are you alright, Miss Gene?"
"Yes, I just need to stretch my legs for a bit." Siv takes a few steps back and forth while stretching her body.
"Asger, can you please fill the canteens with water?"
"Yes, sir." The boy hurries to do as told while Gary sits on the grass and leans his back on one of the large trunks. Siv sits next to him after a couple of minutes.
"How far is the town where we are staying for the night?" Siv asks.
"About five or six hours."
'Oh man, death by ass numbness.'
"And how many days to reach Bodo, Mister Gary?"
"Probably four days."
"It would be nice if we could use a portal."
"Yes, it would be nice." Gary has thought about using force to use the portal to Bodo, but that was before his face was plastered on every wall in the capital.
'I hope Siv is hiding in a safe place away from the capital.'
"Miss Gene, are you sure lady Siv is in a safe place?" He turns toward her when she does not answer. "Miss Gene?"
Siv had fallen asleep. As her body relaxes more, her head slides and flops on Gary's shoulder. He stares at her for a bit.
'Why does she remind me so much of Siv? Is it because they are friends? Or maybe because they are from the same city?'
When Gary looks back up, he finds Asger holding three canteens, lost for what he should do. Gary puts an index on his lips and the boy nods. He turns back and walks away. The duke closes his eyes and decides to rest a bit while Gene gets some much needed sleep.
***
"Mmmmh." Siv moans in comfort. She squeezes the 'pillow' closer to her.
"Miss Gene." Gary calls, but she only squeezes his arm more. "Miss Gene?" He repeats.
"Five more minutes, please mom."
"Mom?" Gary looks at her in shock. "Miss Gene, I am not your mother."
Siv slowly opens her eyes and finds herself hugging Gary's arm and drooling on it a bit. She immediately lets go.
'Oh Gosh, kill me… kill me now!'
"Umm… I am sorry." She starts, pushing to her feet. "I guess I was more tired than I thought." She wipes her face with her palms and tries to fix her hair. "How long was I out for?"
"About an hour and a half." Gary stands next to her.
"I'm sorry, you should have woken me."
"It's alright, the horses needed a break too." Gary starts walking toward Asger and the animals. "We need to be on our way if we want to make it to Vanimi before nightfall." Siv nods and follows him.
'Ugh, why do I keep embarrassing myself?'
Siv is silent the whole way there. Except for a food and water break, they don't stop again until they reach the town of Vanimi. They make it in late afternoon, about an hour or so before sunset. They ride to a public stable and pay for the horses to be kept there for the night.
"Miss Gene, an acquaintance is waiting for me inside." Gary points to what looks like a tavern, a rundown tavern that probably only serves warm beer.
"I will wait for you out here." Siv doesn't even want to imagine how the inside of the building looks like.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I might just check the market or something." Gary eyes her for a moment.
"Please keep a low profile, we don't want to draw any attention."
"Of course." Siv nods and walks away before Gary and Asger enter the tavern.
The town is pretty small, so Siv finds herself in the middle of the market place only after a few turns. It looks nothing like the one from the capital, or even the one in Kemi. Way less shops and people around. Even the quality of the produce looks relatively lower. The people seem poor and most stores are selling essentials. Unlike the capital, with many jewelry and dress shops, it is mostly food here.
'It feels like this town has seen better days.'
Siv continues her walk around but suddenly she hears a woman scream. She rushes to the source of the sound.
"Please, he's only twelve." A woman begs on her knees while holding a Lion officer's leg. Tears are running down her desperate face. Another officer is holding a teenage boy who is as pale as a sheet.
"If he can hold a sword, then he is old enough." The officer sneers.
'Are they… recruiting children?'
"Now let go." The officer orders the woman, but she does not budge.
"Please, please… He is but a child."
"I said, let go." He pushes her with such violence, she hits her head against the ground.
Siv immediately takes a step toward them but then stops. Gary's words about not attracting attention ring in her head. She bite her lower lip while looking at the woman with a bloody eyebrow.
'Just stay down… stay down…'
"Please." The woman grabs the officer's cape, almost making him fall back.
"This bloody…" The man turns back and kicks the mother in the shoulder, she yelps in pain. He lifts his leg to hit her again.
"Hey, asshole!" Siv calls as she approaches them.
"Ass… hole?" The violent officer repeats slowly, then he turns to his companion. "Is that an insult?"
"I have never heard it before." The other man answers.
"Oh, it is an insult." Siv says with a grin.
"It seems you are not from around here." The officer faces her. "We are the Lions, the King's Army." He folds his arms and holds his head high in pride. "You should walk away, woman."
"It is a shame that the 'Lions' are snatching children from their mothers to use as human shields in battles. Sounds to me that you should be called 'Cubs' instead, man." Both officers draw their weapons.
"How dare you slander the King's Army?"
"Oh is that what I just did?"
'Sorry, Gary. So much for keeping a low profile.'