The Beacon: Excursion (2)
Episode 16: "Investigation"
Genubah. Adon growled in disgust, slapping his hat against his leg. He did this to get our attention. He wanted us to see it—discover it—to get back at us. Has he been trailing us? Somehow, he knew we had started back and did this just in time for us to stumble upon it, fresh and gruesome and shocking. Does he think he can intimidate us?
He turned to Ren and Bandrick, who were standing nearby, trying to make sense of what they were seeing. “Ren, take Mat with you and sweep the area. Make sure no Leitani are still around. And keep your weapons at hand. I have no doubt they would like to add us to their kill tally. Take no chances. Fly back here immediately if they outnumber you. Bandrick, read the ground for me. Let me know what it tells you.” The three men left, Ren and Mat on horseback and Bandrick on foot.
The crew’s two wagons, led by Mia on Thorn, came into view then, and Adon waved them to hurry in. When she drew near enough to see details, the girl’s eyes widened as she took in the scene, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. Frantically, she looked around for her brother and visibly relaxed when she spied him through the smoke, riding away with Ren. The more experienced Mast wore a grim mask, wheeling his wagon around to the side of the station house, and a pale, worried Artema followed him, pulling up beside the larger wagon.
The three newcomers hurried to Adon’s side. He quickly explained what he knew, pointing to the door where Genubah had painted his name in blood and to the third body closer to the still-burning stable. He told them what the others were doing.
“Ladies,” he said finally, “check the station house for me. None of us has searched it yet. There should be a back door. Mast, keep them safe.”
“Aye, captain,” Mast said, drawing his long knife and leading them away.
Adon paced, occasionally sweeping the horizon for riders, but the prairie was empty except for the tall, waving grass as far as he could see. Two hours remained until dark. He supposed it would be more than enough time to gather what evidence they could find, but he had little hope of discovering much.
Bandrick returned after about a quarter-hour, his eyes looking as furious as Adon felt. He stood silently next to the captain for a long moment, hands on his hips. While collecting his thoughts, he removed his hat and wiped his forehead with a shirtsleeve before finally speaking.
“The sign is as confused as you would expect with so many horses passing through this place all the time. But from what I can tell, several horses came out of the west over the prairie. I figure a small war party—I’d guess eight or nine horses. But I would wager that there were only six warriors ’cause several of the prints were pretty shallow like they were unridden mounts.”
He cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, I found a fourth body, another station hand, beyond the farthest paddock. The poor fellow appears to have been running toward the stable to warn the others when he was shot in the back, like the other hand by the door there. He shows signs of being trampled.
“Anyway, once past the paddock, they split up, probably to find targets for their spears and arrows. Once the four station workers were down, they went to the stables, took all the riding horses and their tack, and set their stable ablaze. They left the other stable alone. The draft horses are still in their stalls, shuddering and rolling their eyes a bit, but they’ll be fine after a while. The tracks show the Leitani left in a long string to the north, going fast.”
Adon took the information in with his arms crossed, growing angrier with each new revelation. “Do you think they’ll be back?” he asked in a gruff voice.
Bandrick scratched his beard. “Hard to say, captain. My guess would be, no, they won’t because they got the horses they wanted, killed some Margonni, and sent their blasted message. A good day’s work, from their point of view. I wouldn’t doubt they’re planning to repeat this kind of raid somewhere else, maybe at another station.”
“I agree,” Adon said, nodding. “Which would mean our first job is to get word to the next station and on to Palisade as soon as we can. We’ll also have to bury those men and defend and man the station until we are relieved. Do you agree?”
The younger man nodded. “It’s our duty. We’re not army, but we are the king’s representatives. We must work in the king’s best interests.”
“Right. So, Ren or you?” the captain asked.
“Me, I think,” Bandrick said wearily. “I’m a better rider, and he’s a better fighter. We will be serving to our strengths.”
“Let Sugar rest till at least dark, perhaps even till midnight,” Adon suggested. “You can use the time to rest, too. We’ve all had a long day.”
Mia ran toward them from around the side of the house, her face covered with a broad smile. “We found survivors!” she cried, now shedding tears of joy. “The stationmaster’s wife and daughters are safe!”
“Thank the Shepherd!” Bandrick exclaimed, smiling back at her. “At least something good happened here.”
Adon also smiled, but his held sorrow. “Yes, I’m glad they’re safe, but they lost the stationmaster and other relatives or friends. I’m sure they are thankful they’re alive, but they are devastated by their losses.”
“They are,” Mia said, sobered. “The ladies are wailing in there. Artema is trying to console them. The wife told us the stationmaster ran things with his two sons and a hired hand. I think this young man by the door is a son. He tried to reach the house to protect his family and never made it.”
“Makes sense,” Bandrick said with a duck of his head. “Where did they hide?”
“The house has a cellar, and they hid behind some stacked barrels,” she replied. “But none of the raiders entered the house.”
“Genubah probably didn’t consider them a threat,” Adon said. He shrugged. “Perhaps he’s not a woman killer. He needed horses, and he wanted to get in and out quick, so he killed the men who could keep him from taking them and left everyone else be. I’m certain he wanted to be gone before we could help defend the station or avenge the deaths. Besides, if he leaves terrified survivors behind, fear spreads, and his raid becomes more effective.”
“How terrible!” Mia cried, her eyes large with horror. “That’s simply dastardly!”
Her use of the final word forced a grin onto the captain’s somber face. “Indeed, what they did here was wicked and cruel. Your reading does you credit, Mia.”
She blushed at his praise. “Mother taught us to work on our vocabulary.”
“Excellent advice,” Adon said. “But you’ll need to use simple words around Bandrick. He mostly knows animal sounds.” He winked, and she laughed.
“I’m offended, captain,” Bandrick said, pulling a shocked face. “I’ll have you know I recently mastered my three hundredth word, and I’m eager to learn more!”
“And I’m sure you know as many animal sounds, too,” Mia said, still laughing. “Artema told me you know everything about animals.”
“A slight exaggeration,” Bandrick answered with a mock bow, “but I do pride myself on my vast knowledge and experience with our four-legged friends.”
They heard rapid hoofbeats from the east and turned to see Ren and Mat cantering toward them. Reining in their horses a few yards away, they dismounted and walked the remaining distance, Mat showing signs of soreness. He smiled at his sister, happy that she had arrived and was laughing despite the raid's atrocity.
“Did you see anything interesting?” Adon asked.
“We saw a bunch of hoof prints heading north and veering toward the east about a mile from here,” Ren answered. “Other than that, the plain is empty. My guess is that they have shadowed us from north of the road since the Spruce Hills and will do the same when we leave here—probably to as far as the thirty-mile station. It would be bold if they attacked there.”
“I agree,” Bandrick said, nodding. “There’s a growing town springing up around it. Too many people to go up against with just a handful of warriors.”
Adon also nodded, stroking his beard, which felt long to him, having left it untrimmed over the last week. “Ren, we need your skills here overnight, so I’m sending Bandrick to ride to the next station to sound the alarm and get us some help. Set up a watch schedule and include the Oldhams. They are crew for the journey.”
“Yes, captain,” Ren said. “They are capable. Are Artema and Mast inside?”
Adon nodded. “With survivors, the stationmaster’s wife and daughters. And Bandrick found another victim. If this place doesn’t have a burial ground, we’ll have to find a spot and dig some graves.”
“Nasty, dirty, sweaty work,” Bandrick muttered. “My least favorite part of this job.”
“Do you have to bury people often?” Mia asked him with alarm.
He gritted his teeth. “Often enough to despise it. But rarely this many.”
Adon cleared his throat. “Let’s find some tarps and lay the bodies out behind the house. Bandrick, find picks and shovels and gloves. And a wheelbarrow or two. Mia, find out where the stationmaster’s wife would like them buried, please. And ask Mast to join us out here. We can use all the muscle we can get. Ren and Mat, fetch the body from beyond the far paddock. Take a wheelbarrow if one is about, or you could take Artema’s wagon. Just make sure you use a tarp. You know how she feels about stains, especially blood. Bandrick said the body was trampled, so it may be a bit gruesome.”
The others scattered to do as he ordered, leaving him alone. He would strip down to his undershirt and pitch in when the others tired. Right now, he wanted to think, to wrap his mind around what had happened and decide on a course of action. Events were happening in swift succession, and he had a royal commission to fulfill. He had to get the Oldhams to Palisade, along with a report on this Leitani massacre led by a rogue cavalry sergeant. But his crew could easily be attacked on the road to the next station. Should we risk the journey when Bandrick returns, taking the stationmaster’s family with us? Or should we wait until the army sends troops to man and defend the station, which might delay us a few days?
By chance, Adon turned and looked down the road to the east. A faint cloud of dust rose into the evening sky. Riders were coming—many riders. He shouted, “Ren! Bandrick! Mast! Mat! To me! To arms!”
A note:
During Lorens III’s reign, very few Leitani lived on the plains of Margonne, and it had been so for generations. The Leitani who remained in the kingdom after the Conquest either migrated to the cities or fled into small communities in the hills and mountains. Their traditional way of life, following the vast herds of bison that roamed the plains, was gone forever, and few of them were farmers or approved of the concept of ranching. Many Leitani men found jobs as stable hands, couriers, and drivers, all dealing with horses, which they had extensive experience handling. A small percentage joined the kingdom’s army when it opened to them. Later, once Margonni ranches were established, some few returned to the plains, but they found themselves greatly outnumbered.
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Gruesome business to clean up after the attack.