---Indigo---
Lucian, Rachel, and I slowly made our way toward the Northern Mountains. We ambled from village to village, sometimes camping out at the side of the road when two villages were too far apart. Earlier today, we had found a merchant who was looking to hire some people to help him transport his fabrics to a town two villages over. Because the town was on the way to the Northern Mountains, we did our best to persuade the merchant to hire us.
At first, he thought we were just random teenagers looking to make some money, but after hearing our sob story about our sick grandmother and seeing that we were good with swords, he hired us as guards for half of what he was paying his other hired hands. Our job, he told us, was to protect him and his precious cargo.
The other three hired hands were all young men. John and Sam were brothers and the sons of a farmer, looking to earn some extra money to support the family. Keith was the son of small shopkeeper, and he wanted to try his luck outside of his small village.
The merchant, whom everyone called Nathan, was kind enough to lend us horses. While Lucian trotted ahead every now and then to scout the road ahead, Rachel and I shared a horse and rode on the side of the horse cart that was full of expensive fabrics. Nathan was riding in front of the horse cart, but he doubled back often to make sure the rest of us weren't slacking off.
Sam sat at the front of the cart, with the reins in hand. His brother and Keith shared another horse, also keeping an eye on the cargo. We followed the wide dirt road north towards the town called Casewick. While John, Sam, and Keith often talked amongst themselves, Lucian, Rachel, and I kept to ourselves. Nathan was quite jumpy; he often looked around as if someone was going to emerge and steal his fabrics.
"Are you sure he's a good person?" Rachel whispered to me. "What if he stole those fabrics or cheated someone out of their money? Why else would he be so jumpy all the time?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure if he's to be trusted, but we need to get to the Northern Mountains. As soon as we get to Casewick, we'll collect our pay and leave," I replied quietly. "Whatever his history may be, we're not going to get tangled up in it."
We passed one village and then stopped in the second for the night. Early next morning, Nathan roused us to continue the journey. "We're almost there," he stated. "Just about thirty more miles, and then we'll be at Casewick." He even promised us an extra gold coin each if we get there before sunset.
Even though we didn't understand what all the rush was about, we obliged with Nathan's orders. He probably has to deliver his cargo before sunset, I thought. We made good time, and we were within five miles of the town when the road cut through a forest.
"Be careful everyone," Nathan called back from his position at the very front. "I've heard of bandits on this road. We must be alert at all times."
Everyone stuck closer to the horse cart. As guards, Rachel, Lucian, and I kept searching the forest for signs of movement. The road narrowed as the forest got denser. I had a sudden flashback to when we were attacked by Evils in the Desederium Forest, and anxiety washed over me like a tsunami.
"Sam, go faster," I said to the young man quietly. Sam nodded and shook the reins, urging the horses on. All was quiet in the forest, save for the chirping of birds and the clip-clop of the horses.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air. A group of bandits poured out of the forest, all dressed in black and with cloth tied over their noses and mouths. Nathan yelled for us to run, but the bandits had us surrounded in seconds. There must have been about twenty or thirty of them, and most were holding weapons. Sam, Keith, and John froze, fear showing on their faces. Nathan paled.
"Leave us your cargo, and we'll let y'all live," one of the bandits stated gruffly. He seemed to be the leader. "Otherwise, this stretch of road is gonna be stained red today."
Sam gulped visibly. Keith trembled as he surveyed the bandits. Nathan tried to mask the fear written across his face. "Let us go, you filthy scum! Or you'll be sorry!"
The leader of the bandits snorted. "Or we'll be sorry? You're so funny, Nathan, thinking you could get away from me. They don't call me Sneaky Joe for nothing."
Ah. So Nathan and Sneaky Joe had met before, and Nathan escaped. No wonder Nathan wanted to hire guards. "Guards! I didn't hire you for nothing!" Nathan shouted back towards Lucian, Rachel, and me.
Sneaky Joe glanced at us. "Those are your guards? Nathan, they're just kids. Having swords doesn't make them knights." He smirked at his henchmen. "Looks like this cargo is as good as ours. Boys, let's get it!"
At his command, the bandits roared and surged towards the cart. Nathan tried to shout orders, but his voice was lost in the din of the raid. Sam whipped the horses, trying to trample a way out, but two bandits jumped onto the cart and tried to grab the reins from Sam. Keith and John attempted to defend the horsecart, but there were too many bandits, and they all wielded weapons whereas Keith and John only had their bare fists. It was clearly a losing battle.
While Sneaky Joe watched gleefully from the sidelines, Nathan's eyes were red with anger. As Sneaky Joe was distracted, Nathan jumped off his horse, ran towards the bandit leader and tackled him. The two of them fell onto the dirt floor, wrestling and throwing punches at each other.
Rachel, Lucian, and I jumped into action at the same time: Lucian charged towards the bandits from the left, brandishing his sword; Rachel leapt off the horse and headed towards the other hired hands to try to get them to safety. I remained seated on the horse and charged towards the bandits from the right.
A man with an axe stood in my way, hefting the weapon in his hands and grinning maliciously. I charged right at him, unafraid, with my sword flashing in the sunlight. A split second later, he was lying on the dirt ground, his right arm bleeding and rendered useless. Seeing that their comrade was hurt, several other bandits abandoned the horsecart to surround me. Although they were more in numbers, I was more experienced. After a few clashes, no one was standing in my way. On the other side of the horsecart, I saw that Lucian had driven the bandits back as well.
"Back away! Let us pass, or you will regret it!" I shouted, my horse pacing on one side of the horse-cart. Lucian protected the other side, while Keith and John grabbed abandoned weapons and guarded the rear with Rachel. Sam regained his spot at the reins, prepared to depart at any moment. The battered and bruised bandits formed a loose circle around us, but none dared to come closer.
Sneaky Joe shoved Nathan away and stood up from the ground, a large bruise on his face. On the floor, Nathan was bleeding from the corner of his lip, but his eyes still glared daggers at Sneaky Joe.
"Looks like these kids actually know a thing or two about fighting." Sneaky Joe spat on the floor. "Why are you so intent on protecting this cargo, little girl?"
"I am not a little girl!" I said through gritted teeth. I hated it when people called me little. I brandished my sword, the blade glittering in the sunlight. "Unlike some people, I am a just person who will not allow innocents to be hurt!"
"Innocent?" Sneaky Joe laughed mirthlessly. "Would you still be inclined to protect Nathan if I told you he is a dishonest merchant who cheated local people out of their money? Would you still be willing to fight for him if I told you he's the reason why all these people are bandits?"