Future Glories - Part 2
If so, it likely didn't count for much. Even though he'd been accepted into their fold, it was in name only, he was still a relative outsider. If two of them decided to fight him at once, with such a small distance between their levels, it would be a tough fight.
He looked around in his saddle, stealing quiet glances at them as they rode, the snow buffering his face in the night. The men were in good spirits, laughing with their loot on their shoulders. They'd been walking for over an hour, yet they showed no signs of complaint. They were fit, battle-ready men.
They all had that same roguish air to them. Vol had played at the same game as they, of taking what he wanted when he needed it. But these people were the real deal. They lived the raider's lifestyle all the way through. They were ruthless.
He shuddered to think how easily he could be overcome if they turned on him, especially wounded as he was. He needed those injuries to heal up quickly, and he needed to get stronger.
After another hour of marching, Blackbeard called a sudden halt. Vol could see no reason for stopping. They were in a narrow valley, with high rocky walls. It would have been a perfect place for an archer's ambush, but with the snow and the dark, he could see no fitting place to rest among them.
Yet as he shuffled forward with the rest, he saw an opening in the rocky wall, just big enough for a large man to duck to get through, and for a fat mule in its width. The men were already ducking inside without hesitation by the time Vol caught up with the front runners.
He couldn't believe that such a small opening would offer enough space for so many, but they just kept heading inside, until over twenty men had disappeared already. Cautiously, he looked into the opening, as he slid off the back of his mule.
Inside, by the light of the torches, he could make out a particularly vast space, perfect for a party of their size. It could have even housed a hundred men comfortably.
"One of our little trade secrets," Blackbeard said from the side of him, as he saw Vol paused at the entryway, hesitant to go inside. "Go on in, it's cold stone, but there's gaps in the roof for fire smoke. It gets cosy once the fire's been on for a while. Go on, you can take your mule in."
Vol did as he was told. Others were gathering up behind him, so he was all but forced to go forward. And it was late. He dreaded to think what time it was, but it had been dark for several long hours.
There was a short corridor of rock before it opened up into the full cave beyond. Several natural rocky pillars kept the high ceiling stable. Vol could even see a stream frozen in the corner. He wondered if that was fresh – if it was, that made this little rest spot all the more amazing. Come summer, that sort of thing would be a lifesaver.
The others were already making places for themselves in various corners of the room. A large fire had already been prebuilt in the centre, likely by the last people who rested here, as Vol hadn't seen any of Blackbeard's men building it. With a few strikes of flint, it was roaring to life.
Vol copied what the other mule owners had done, and he brought the mule to his area of the room. He didn't know exactly what to do beyond that. He had no feed for the beast, nor would he have known what he should be feeding it even if he did. He stared dumbly at it for a few moments, wondering what to do with it.
"Lost, newcomer?" A voice came from behind him. Vol recognized Moesh, who Blackbeard had asked advice of, when it came to determining Vol's test. "You wondering what to do with the animal, eh? The other boys are too. Tell ya what, I'll sell you a good length of rope to tether it with, and a nice bag of oats to feed it with, what do you think?"
"You've got those with you?" Vol asked, surprised. "How much oats do you have?"
"A whole packfull," Moesch said, indicating a large backpack that he'd left leaning against the wall. Was gonna be my grub, keep me going whilst we're marching. But it seems to me like I don't need to be worrying about that no more. We'll be coming to a fence in a couple of days, I'll be able to restock there. But you don't have that opportunity, ya see, so I'm here looking to profit off it."
"That whole pack?" Vol repeated. It was a lot of oats. "And the rope too. How much?"
"Two silvers," Moesh said calmly. To Vol, it sounded more like a spit in the face.
"Two silvers?" It took all he had not to shout that and club the man down. The man grinned a crooked smile when he saw Vol's outrage.
"We're raiders, boy, in case you haven't noticed. Raid each other's coin pouches when we get the chance to. See, this is me taking advantage of an opportunity. You've come by a mule, but ain't got the means to feed it, nor take care of the beast, so 'course you're gonna be willing to pay a hefty bit, if you want to keep it," Moesh said.
Vol looked at the animal. It was starting to seem more like a burden than it was a boon. He heavily considered just selling it to Moesh there and then, which he supposed was likely what the senior man was getting him to do. But the benefits of acquiring skills was incalculable at the moment. When else would he get the opportunity to train on a horse? Perhaps never. And never on such a well-mannered beast.