Chance Encounter
Taban was sitting beside a small fire alone. He was twenty, strong, fit and his dark brown eyes gleamed with an intelligent glow. He was curious about life outside the Braye valley so he enjoyed the watch on the west gate. He had caught a partridge and was cooking it on a spit, his camp was behind some large rocks and out of sight from the main road which led between Rom and Marr. The Elders wanted to know who came and went. Especially soldiers, but most of the travellers were people trying to escape Marr, but lately they had been hearing tales of that the kingdom or Rom was in trouble too. His job was to help protect the Braye valley. Most nights he saw nothing, buy occasionally he saw riders, all of them heading towards Rom. But tonight he had a premonition, he could feel it, tonight wasn’t going to be a normal quiet night. One that is wise and observant, he thought, will seize an opportunity.
It was dark and quiet, the moon was bright enough to light the path, the night was clear, and the stars overhead watched sleepily. Suddenly he sat upright. He heard noises approaching. He gripped his sword and pulling it from the sheath, moved his bow and quiver closer. He listened intently, focusing on his hearing to amply the sound. He heard riders, more than two, maybe three or four, it sounded like they were riding fast. He was 100 feet or so off the trail, behind some boulders, he climbed closer so that he could see the riders approach. Why would they be riding at night at that speed he wondered unless they were being chased? Four riders would be safe during the day. There was a full moon, keeping his head down close to the rock, he peered forward, and he kept his sword close to him. They were coming from Rom, not Marr.
He closed his eyes, expanding his range of hearing, cutting out everything else. Bas’quee! He heard the distinctive bleating sound and he heard the sounds of battle. If someone was running from the Bas’quee, and there chances of getting away would be slim. The Bas’quee were half human half goat, they walked on their rear legs like humans, they were covered in goat fur, their rear legs were cloven, and their heads were those of a ram. They spoke but their voices were goat like. They were very fast runners and very nimble, but their eyesight was poor. Then he heard the howl of the trackers, savage wolf like animals the Bas’quee used to track their prey.
He had heard that they were the King of Rom had brought the Bas’quee in from Marr as a way to terrorize the villagers. If the Bas’quee were after these four they must have done something to anger the king. But it seemed that everyone angered the king, and these days, people took risks they may not have done in the past to protect each other.
Taban climbed to the top of rocks next to the road, getting a view down the trail. Four riders came into view, they looked exhausted, the riders slowed slightly as they approached, then stopped in front of the rocks. He thought he saw three males and one female, or a youth, by the size and shape. The riders looked like they were very tired. They had packs on their horses and the horses looked like they had been pushed without stopping. The two males and the female had swords drawn. Two more riders, swords drawn, raced to a stop, turning and facing back up the trail.
A minute later four trackers raced in, they leapt at the first horse’s neck, digging their sharp teeth in and dragging the horse to the ground. The first rider jumped back, lashing out with his sword, but they surrounded him.
Taban instinctively had his bow ready; he set four arrow on it at once. In his mind he saw each arrow going into the neck of each of the trackers. He drew and fired, the four arrows split, following the movements of the beasts, embedding in the necks of the animals and bringing them to the ground. The soldier had little time, eight Bas’quee rounded the corner, swords drawn, three attacked him the other five ran towards the second rider. The riders hacked air, the Bas’quee were too fast. The rider blocked the Bas’quee’s blows, then one took a blade to his arm. The next through his heart, and he fell from his horse. The five Bas’quee engaged the other three riders, the forth rider stayed back out of trouble.
