A Tale of Time: The Malice of Men

Chapter 33: Bitterness

Bitter is the medicine laid out for me.

Bitter is the medicine laid out by me.

Bitter is the path laid out for me.

Bitter is the path laid out by me.

 A minute later and he would have been gone.

The man in black led them along at a terrifying pace. It wasn't like Robert had any choice. He just stood there, petrified, as Baldr picked him up and tied him to a horse. By nightfall, Robert couldn't feel his back. His face felt hot and itchy, he could barely breathe, but still there was no respite. He could see green blurs, but they were getting darker and darker till they were almost indistinguishable from the backdrop. He heard an occasional hoot. Night had fallen. He screamed, of course, but they were not sticking to the road, and that meant no rescuers. He screamed at his kidnapper to let him go too, but he wouldn't.

"Why do you want me?" Still no answer.

"I'm sorry!" The only sound was the horse galloping.

When they finally stopped, the sky was getting lighter. He was set free and a wave of relief swept over him. "Get up. Boy!" This was the first time he saw the harsh side of his personality. He treated Rayenna like a delicate flower.

Robert found his feet and got up. "Do you know how to get a fire going?" He asked. There was a wild look in his eyes. Robert nodded. He could do it since he was six. He was the son of a blacksmith for crying out loud!

"Do it. Find some food. I will return shortly. If you try run away, I will hunt you down." With that, he left on foot. The horse was still there, with its saddle on. Robert tried to unbuckle it, but it turned out he was no good at such sort of work, so he left the poor creature as it was. He found some pears and a couple of custard apples. He didn't have anything to hunt with and even if he did, he didn't know how to hunt. Father never let him near such stuff.

He found some dry wood and got a fire going. The sun was up by then anyways, so he saw no point in the fire. Still, he did not dare put it out. When the man in black finally came, he was on another horse and another man was tied to it. He was bleeding profusely. His captor got of the horse and untied the stranger. "Help me boy!"

Against his will, Robert found himself helping him prop the injured stranger against a tree. Robert noticed that the stranger was conscious. He was moaning quietly, audible to no one but him. The man in black turned around and held a knife over the fire. "What are you doing? He's alive!" Robert screamed at him. The sheer brutality!

"Is he awake?"

"Yes."

"Take this cloth and make him bite it hard." It was easier said than done. For a conscious man, he was strangely unresponsive. By the time that was done, the man approached him with the knife in his hand. Carefully, he unbuttoned the stranger.

Then he placed the knife on his wounds.

Nothing in the world could have prepared Robert for that noise. He screamed as well, tears in his eyes. All he could say was "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." It seemed to last for hours.

When he was finally done, Robert's captor stood up. "Look after him. I will return soon. If you need help, shout out to me."

"What is your name?"

"Baldr." And just like that, he was gone again.

The stranger was breathing heavily. His eyes were half open and he was muttering something so faint Robert couldn't make it out even when he placed his ears against his lips. When he looked into his eyes again, they were closed. For a heartbeat, Robert was afraid he died, but his chest was still moving. The wound was raw and bloody. Baldr washed his wound, but that didn't make it look any better.

Robert took the time to study him. He looked like a young man. Certainly much younger than father. He had long, brown hair and muscles like his father's. Was he a blacksmith too? His face was set in great pain, but other than that, it was fair to see. He wore an expensive dress and one, Robert realized with surprise, with the King's coat of arms on it. Was Baldr kidnapping soldiers? Then why did he kidnap him? He wasn't a soldier! Maybe his father was! Maybe that's what he did before he was born. Father never told me anything about the time before I was born. So that was settled then. It was all clear to him. But first, he had to escape. He got up to put out the fire, but before he could get any closer to it, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around him.

"Bal-"

"Now, now! No noises kid!" A sour voice said.

"What have we got here?" Robert liked this voice even less. "Tie up his mouth, won't ya? Don't want the kid to scream out."

"Who is this, kid?" It was still the second voice. Robert had enough sense in him to understand he was referring to the stranger. "Is he your father?"

That was when they noticed his wound.

"Oy! What have you done to him? Take a look at the poor fellar will you Chip?"

Chip, who was holding Robert, inched his way to take a better look. The shock of the sight made him temporarily lose his grip. Robert bolted.

"After him Stew! He'll bring hell down on us if he tells!"

Robert looked back. They were closing in fast. The trees were a blur only just visible from the corner of his eyes. His head was throbbing and his heart was racing, but there was no way he could escape. He tripped on a root and hit the ground hard.

"Ah!" Chip grabbed him by the hair. It was easy to say who. Chip was the smellier one. For the first time, Stew came into view. He had crooked, yellow teeth and was missing an eye. He wore dirty clothes and was dirty himself. There was a hungry and rather dangerous look in his eyes. "Aye, he'll tell on us awright. There's nothing we can do to stop him. Let's take him back."

So they dragged him back to the fire. The stranger was still unconscious, but he was moaning again. He seemed to be in great pain, but Chip and Stew didn't notice. Chip held him tight and Stew drew out a knife.

"What are you doing?" Chip asked.

"Only one way the kid'll be quiet. "

"But... you can't kill him! The Gods don't like that too much."

"Gods don't like thieving either, but they're not poor lads like us." Stew replied. "Now man up and hold him tight, will you?"

Robert could feel Chip's grip tighten. "Listen to me, kid." Stew looked him in the eye. "I'll make this simple. The lesser you struggle, the less painful it's going to be."

Robert closed his eyes. His muscles tightened, bracing themselves for cold steel.

The blow never came.

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I spent a lot of time thinking how to get this chapter right. In the end, this is what I thought was best. A lot of thrill right now! (at least for me) What do you think happened? Did Baldr come to the rescue? Did the knife get stuck somewhere? Is there a new character in the mix? What's your prediction? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you liked the chapter, don't forget to vote by clicking the little star-shaped icon on the top right corner of your screen. Thanks!

P.S: I'm going to college!