Hope and Darkness

Chapter 2

Suddenly Toby woke up. He touched his head and felt a large sore there. He looked around and found he was in a small room. There were 3 beds around him, and on them were Charlie, Justin and Matthew. He looked at the door and tried to get up, but he suddenly felt a great pain in his chest. He collapsed back on the bed when a young girl came into the room. She looked familiar to Toby. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and her skin was slightly tanned. Of course, most people did in the mountains, being exposed to light reflected from the snow. He looked out the window and saw trees. He became dimly aware that even though he was in a forest and that there was snow outside. The girl gasped when she saw he was awake and moved to gently press him back down on the bed. She hurried out when she was satisfied that he would stay on the bed. A minute later she returned with an old man who looked 45 and a man who looked around 25. The second man quickly checked him over, opening his eyes and checking his tongue. Toby brushed his hand away and looked at the man. “What happened to us?” he asked. The 3 conferred for a moment before the elderly man sat on a chair next to the bed. “You are from the mountains, yes?” Toby nodded, then immediately regretted it as he felt a sharp pain in his head. He touched his sore and felt a trickle of blood slowly begin to slide down his face. The younger man went to a table, pulled out a drawer and plucked a bandage from a box. He cleared the blood away and put it on his head. The elder studied him with clear blue eyes, and Toby thought he saw a flash of contempt mixed with pity. But as soon as it appeared, it disappeared, and the man continued his story. “You and your companions were in a fight against people hunting outlaws? A patrol from a castle?” As Toby saw the studied expression in the man’s eyes, he made a decision to answer truthfully. But only to a point. “Against bandits.” The contempt was back in the man’s eyes as he thought that he was lying. “Oh?” The elder asked. Toby nodded. The elder stared at him. “So you hunt outlaws?” Toby became very conscious of a table in the corner of his eye, which contained 3 quivers of javelins, 4 swords, and a bow and a quiver of arrows. He felt his hidden blade inside his preferred position inside his boot, but decided against using it. He was too weak to fight, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to abandon his companions if he was able to defeat the elder and the young man. He discounted the girl as a threat, having no idea that in the next few weeks his idea would change. “No,” he answered. The elder’s contempt vanished, replaced by confusion. “If you battled bandits but aren’t a man hunter, than what is your profession?” Toby answered, “A bandit.” The elder’s eyes showed understanding. “You are a bandit. And you ran into a rival group?” Toby nodded. This man was smarter than the average villager they encountered. The elder looked at the younger man. “Give him new clothes, show him around the village, and show him to our defences.” The younger man nodded. The elder turned back to Toby. “May I ask, what is your name?” Toby looked at him before answering. “My name is Toby.”