Emeralds and Enemies

Chapter Thirty-two

They were half-way to the Go's country estates when the way the carriage, supply wagon and company of guards were lazily strung out along the road twigged something for Junseo. He urged Min Yan and San Jin to catch up to the main party even though this meant some uncomfortable transitions to trotting and then cantering.

Junseo kept reminding himself to keep his shoulders back and his heels down as they jogged along. The rear guards they had been forced to dressed like had no choice but to also close ranks. The advance guards were out of sight around the bend when Junseo sensed something coming.

"Duck," he shouted as he pushed San Jin off his saddle. The bolt from a cross-bow thudded into the supply wagon ahead of them. The man riding beside the carriage driver lifted his bow and shot directly at the tree-line while yelling for everyone to take cover. A couple more arrows came toward their position on the road. A thump followed by a strangled yell told them their archer had found his mark.

A riderless horse came careened down the road toward them but veered off to the side at the last moment. Its livery matched the squad of house guards who should have been just ahead of the carriage. San Jin made a move to go catch the horse but Junseo held him back. They heard clanks and scuffles just ahead so they dug their swords out of the supply wagon.

Junseo also strung a bow and put some arrows at the ready in the ground beside him. He scanned the area as best he could and tried to imagine what their position would look like if were marked out in the tiles on the table Knight-Master Lie used to explain strategy. Me Yan looked closed to panic so Junseo inched closer to him.

"What does the road past the curve up ahead do? Does it climb out of this dip?" Junseo was trying to assess where there might be high ground to hold.

"No, it goes down a bit more then around another corner before we start climbing," Me Yan's voice cracked.

"So, if we worked our way over to the left, we would be on the higher ground?" Junseo asked. The senior guard looked at Junseo and then at the terrain.

"No way to get the carriage and wagon over there" the man said with a frown.

"Your right. But a couple of archers in the right position?" Junseo nodded to the man on top of the carriage. He did not need to say anything else to put his plan into action.

San Jin wanted to go with him but Junseo told him the family would be stronger and safer if they stayed together. The cart driver and the guards re-positioned the vehicles to improve their defense.

"Let's go hunting, lad." The archer grinned at Junseo and then led the way up a hidden deer track. They moved carefully so as not to alert any scouts the bandits may have in place. When they came up behind a lone man who was absorbed but the skirmish on the road the archer made quick and silent use of his large hunting knife.

Once they were in place was easy to distinguish the scattered members of the home guard in their polished armor and their rough attackers draped in ragged furs. Junseo drew a deep breath and steadied his bow. He focused on one target after the next. After four of the bandits were down the others took flight. San Jin came forward with another guard and the ones involved in the skirmish looked ready to chase after the bandits. San Jin called for them to halt.

"Who are you to give an order?" one of the guards asked.

"I'd say he helped saved you arses, so maybe you might want to listen to him," the archer said.

"Are you sure the bandits don't have another trap set for you up ahead? Even if they don't have others lying in wait, how long do you think it will take that lot to regroup? So, tell me just who you will be protecting if you go running off after those men?" San Jin asked with exasperation ringing his voice. His guard put a hand on his shoulder and nodded.

"You shouldn't need reasons to listen to the young master but he is right and you know it." He barely finished speaking when one of the bandits they thought was finished jumped up to attack the guard. With a quick sweep of his sword San Jin hobbled the man. The remaining guards were jolted into action violently subduing the bandit and then checking the field was clear.

San Jin leaned against Junseo. What had just happened starting to sink in and his hand started to shake. Junseo nodded to the archer then slowly gathered up the remaining arrows before accompanying San Jin back to the main party.

Minister Go and his driver were discussing what their next steps should be when a regular guard patrol came on the scene. A messenger was sent for additional troops to escort the family the rest of the way while the other guards searched for the remaining bandits. The wounded rode on the supply wagon where Junseo worked to splint and bandage what he could.

He was relieved to see there was another healer waiting for them at the estate. The servants were scandalized at the notion of a guest staying to help in the infirmary so Junseo just made quick notes about the condition of the men and the treatment he had applied. A servant led him to the family sitting room where he was ushered into a chair by the fire, handed a warm drink and a sweet bun.

"San Jin says you saved his life. My master-at-arms tells me you may have saved us all." Minister Go nodded toward the archer.

"What made you want to close up before the corner?" The master-at-arms asked.

"I am not sure. I just felt uneasy. Maybe something twigged from my strategy lessons." Junseo shrugged.

"But how did you know an arrow was coming?" San Jin asked.

"I didn't know it was an arrow. Just that something was coming fast." Junseo could tell his answer was not quite enough. "I guess none of you have spent much time training at a Temple. You always have to be alert to things flying at you whether you are in a set, or sparing, or just doing regular devotions."

"Or trying not to fall off your horse?" Me Yan tried to lighten the mood a bit.

"That too, but so far I haven't seen anyone trying to ride a horse up the sun terraces." It brought such a ridiculous image to mind that Junseo could not help grinning into his mug.

From her seat on the opposite side of the fireplace Madam Go smiled at him through her tears and said, "And you helped the injured."

"No more than I helped to injure others," Junseo's mood shifted under his guilt.

"Others who were out to kill us. Don't ever forget that, boy." the man-at-arms said firmly before excusing himself to go help the local investigators. Before he left, he asked them to make their own notes about what they saw and heard but not to discuss it amongst themselves. "I know it would ease the burden to share but we need separate points of view if we are going to put things into perspective.

The group soon found they did not have the energy to come up with other topics of conversation. "We had to give up the guest suite as an infirmary so I hope you don't mind bunking in with our boys," Madam Go said to Junseo.

"Not at all. I honestly think it is better not to be on my own." This statement was as close as Junseo could come to admitting just how upsetting the day's events had been.