KINGDOM OF THE STONE -- a Wattpad featured novel

Chapter Seven

Spring had passed and the season of verd, the greening, was well on its way. The young goats were nearly old enough to begin the long slow migration to the alpine pastures for the summer, but first the tribe would visit the market towns along the river to trade some of their cheeses, wooly goat pelts, baskets, textiles and culls that hadn't already been roasted and eaten for tools, clothes and food they couldn't grow themselves.

Most of the older boys had already started herds of their own and many had goods to take and trade. Unwilling to wait for their slower parents, they packed up a few donkeys early and began herding their goats to the river markets. They had traveled those paths for years, so they weren't paying a lot of attention when a large group of farm boys suddenly stepped out across the path blocking them.

"Where do you think you're taking those animals?" The leader was nearly a foot taller than Somek, the tallest of the boys present. He had a square head with small close-set eyes peering from under a heavy brow. His high hairline made his forehead look like a wall of skin. He gestured at the surrounding farmland on either side of the path. "You do know this is our land, don't you?"

Pronos shrugged. "We're just going to N'shia-Potoma like we've always done."

"Well that could be a problem. You see, we feel like you've been taking advantage of us, using our land without paying us."

"Paying you?"

The guy to his left with a wide toad-like face replied with dripping sarcasm, "Payment. It's what you give someone when they generously let you use their stuff. But then I don't suppose you hillbillies know about that sort of thing."

The other boys lined up next to Somek, their herdsman staves held low and at the ready. "Sorry," Garick smirked. "A contract can only be changed if both parties are agreed, and we don't agree." Bazma frowned at his brother, expressing at a glance what Karux suspected they all felt. How did he know this kind of trade talk?

During this exchange, a tall skinny farm boy had slipped over near one of their goats as the herd piled up around them. He reached for the goat and Theris brought his staff down on the farmer's wrist. The skinny fellow recoiled, rubbing his wrist, then launched himself at Theris with an outraged roar. Theris reacted instantly with rapid blows to the left and right side of his head. The farm boy collapsed and Theris followed up with a thrust to his stomach. Had a spearhead been attached to his staff, the skinny boy would have been pinned to the ground. As it was, he'd had the wind knocked out of him and lay gasping.

The other farmers roared and charged forward.

Garick tripped the forehead and placed his staff on the farmer's neck, leaning on it to let him know that it would be better if he didn't move.

Somek and Pronos flanked him in defensive positions. When the farmers came the pair laughed as they crushed noses, knocked out teeth, broke bones and flung flecks of blood in all directions.

The farmers fell back gaping. Even Karux was stunned at their ferocity.

Amantis looked around at the fallen and smirked. "Hey, you left your crap littering our path. Come back here and pick it up!"

The Forehead rolled away and scrambled to his feet, looking around frantically as if counting his losses. The farmers still outnumbered the herdsmen, but the herdsmen seemed more than ready for them. "We'll get them, but you have to back up first."

"Very well," Amantis said magnanimously.

The goats had scattered a bit and the herdsmen began rounding them up further back on the path. The farmers helped their friends back up on their feet, dragging a few off across the fields.