Free The Aebeling by Michael O'Neill

either, there is a sword in my back’
    Conn smirked; ‘Let’s go to them then.’ And he followed the two boys down to where the Maremmas had two more cornered up a small tree. Conn whistled off the dogs, who returned to their jobs, and he then followed the four into the camp, where Abrekan had the other two, including a girl, sitting around the fire. They were cold and looked hungry.
    Abrekan started the conversation by saying; ‘They are Silekians, and they are a long way from home.’
    Conn remembered Caewyn’s warning. He addressed the girl. ‘Have you eaten?’
    ‘Not properly for days’ she answered, staring at the goat stew still cooking on the fire. She was shivering as well. Conn fetched a blanket for her. She looked cautiously at him as he offered it. She finally took it from him and wrapped it around herself.
    ‘Abrekan, do you think we can spare them some food?’ Abrekan was startled at the request, but soon complied. It seemed to come naturally – following Conn’s ‘orders’. They fed them bowls of bread and stew, as well as a mug of ale. They ate ravenously, but nervously and guiltily.
    ‘Are there any more of you?’ Conn asked curiously.
    The girl responded again, ‘Yes, about a dozen and they haven’t eaten properly for days either…’
    Conn then organized more food to take away – bread, cheese, dried meats, and asked one of the boys to volunteer to take it back to the rest of them. He should then return with the entire group in the morning.
    ‘I’ll do it.’ The young man raised his hand.
    ‘What is your name?’
    ‘Wilgar’.
    ‘Ok, Wilgar, Don’t make me regret this decision.’
    ‘Sir, you will not. We’ll be here at first light.’
    With that he saddled and mounted one of Conn’s ponies and trotted off over the hill. Abrekan was standing at his shoulder. ‘Will he come back?’
    ‘I don’t think he has any reason not to. Why are there Silekians outlawing in Lykia? Surely that is not normal?’
    ‘No, because it’s normally a death sentence; and Octa will certainly have no mercy if they have harmed any of his people, or stolen from them. But as to why they are here, it is a good question. Perhaps we need to find out.’ With that, they both turned back to the fire where the youths were still eating under the careful eyes of the Maremma pups.
    Abrekan addressed the group. ‘I’m sure that you all know that you are in a lot of trouble. Brigands are normally hanged, and when we get to Tabae, you will need to have a very good reason why you are in the Eaorl’s lands without his permission.’
    The girl had settled into to being the spokesperson of the group, and as she started to talk, Conn observed the group observing him. In the moonlight, they thought they saw that he had golden hair, but now they knew he did. They clearly didn’t know what he was – but the other three were normal Trokians.
    Of the four kinds of Priecuman he knew about, it seemed that the Silekians were the least Asian in complexion, and thought they still had the black hair and a deep olive complexion; their eyes were larger and browner.
    ‘My name is Shona and my father is the Burhgerefa for Sighard, Eaorl of Melnik, or at least was. That is Dodi, Rab, Broch and Peig. Their parents were Tilia at Lugia. Two months ago, our keep was attacked by the Rakians. Our keep is close to the border with Rakia, and despite the best effort of the Eaorl and his wiga, it fell. The old were killed, including the Eaorl and his sons except for Wilgar – you met him earlier – he is the Eaorl’s youngest. The men and females were branded as theow’, the boys showed the burn mark on the arms, ‘and, well, you know what else happens to girls…’ She trailed off; the sadness in her voice still there but now hardened by living on the road for two months.
    ‘So how did you get here?’ Conn asked, interrupting, ‘I’m not being insensitive to your plight; I’d just like to get the big picture