Free Fifthwind by Ken Kiser Page B

the Royal
Kreggorian Guard. He owed it all to the kind eye of a bad-tempered
Sergeant and a Captain who put his men above himself.
    Caught
up in good memories, Ben had to remind himself of his shameful
discharge from that elite corps. The Royal Guard was a burning wound
in his heart. A past he would thankfully forget if he were able.
    A
slight movement in the corner of the small room caught Ben's eye. He
turned and saw a man in a gray robe standing casually in the corner.
So casually, in fact, that Ben almost thought nothing of it and
turned his attention back to his friends only to think twice and
quickly look back. The corner was empty; the three men were alone.
Ben scanned the room to confirm that there was no one else present.
    "Did
either of you see that?" Ben said half to himself.
    "What?"
asked Tad, looking around the room.
    Ben
pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Nothing, I'm
probably just tired."
    Ben
sat silently and listened as Mason and Tad reminisced. The two men
were fond of each other's company and almost forgot about Ben
altogether. He did not mind at all and excused himself from the table
to let the men catch up. The stories would continue all night and he
would not deny Mason the opportunity to relive those memories with
the man he admired most in all the world. He quietly made his way to
the door and stepped outside.
    It
was now dusk and the rain was coming down light but steady. A weak
yellow glow over the hill signaled that the watch-fires had been lit
and an evening of chaos had begun once more. Ben moved to the edge of
the house and stood close to the wall under the eaves to keep dry.
The woods behind the house seemed alive with the rhythmic tapping of
rain on leaves, and the creaking of limbs bending in the increasing
wind.
    He
was almost enjoying the evening shower, when he suddenly felt that he
was being watched. In the gloomy darkness of the forest, just beyond
the limits of his vision, he was sure a pair of unseen eyes
penetrated him. He strained his sight into the shadows and for a
fleeting moment thought he saw the outline of a man standing in the
midst of the trees. The loose, gray cloak of the figure moved gently
in the breeze, no face could be seen beneath the watcher's sagging
hood. Ben could hear his pulse in his own ears as he backed away
toward the door and in a near panic, he fell backward through it.
Finding himself back inside, he got to his feet and latched the door,
then slid the brace into place.
    His
entrance had gone unnoticed. Mason and Tad were still talking, only
it was now evident that they had moved on to stronger drink. Each man
held a frothy brew and laughed loudly about some story of days gone
by. Ben moved to the fire and warmed his hands over the flames,
taking the time to calm himself. Perhaps it was only his nerves from
so many weeks on the road, surely there was no reason to be alarmed.
Even if there was a man standing in the trees, there was likely a
simple explanation. After all, night had only just fallen, and there
were others who lived in the area.
    He
didn't want to interrupt, but he was getting a little impatient,
there were too many urgent questions that needed answering. He waited
for an opening in the conversation and decided it was time to get
down to business.
    "How
has the operation been going? It looks like the roads around here are
as dangerous as ever. Any progress yet?"
    Tad
said, "Not too bad, I've had a few setbacks, but things are going
well. When I set out to toll the merchants in exchange for guaranteed
safe passage on the east-west road, I had no idea what I was getting
myself into."
    "We've
heard that you've experienced a lot of losses," said Mason.
"Nothing that more time and more men can't handle."
    Tad
stood and shrugged his shoulders, "I've lost a few. Any loss is
unfortunate, but you can't keep them from leaving if they want to
go."
    Ben
pressed, "Left? We heard they've been killed."
    Tad
nodded, "There were those who