Fragments Gallery
Mercenaries: Contracts
It was autumn. The golden leaves swirled down from the nearby trees to gently kiss the surface of the clear unblemished river. With winter coming soon the world seemed to move slower and the river was no exception. The river flowed sluggishly now, the leaves creeping along its surface as they placidly drifted downstream. Eventually they passed under a bridge and were lost from sight.
Seated atop the bridge was a young woman; her eyes were fastened to the water's surface. Her lips occasionally moved although she didn’t speak a word aloud. A braid of black hair lay across her back, the braid kept her wavy hair clear of her intelligent brown eyes.
Kali took a breath as she stared down into the water below. One dark hand caressed the worn wood of the bridge while the other hovered near the hilt of the sword which rested on her crossed legs. Her armour, hardened and studded black leather, creaked softly as she shifted. She paid it no mind; instead she kept her eyes on the smooth water before her. She found it fascinating.
Sunlight filtered through the trees lining the river to paint a gleaming tapestry on the water’s surface. The wind picked up for a moment before dying down again, however that brief moment caused ripples to race across the surface. The lights twirled in these ripples. They swirled, spun and glittered just as dancer would move in a ballroom. The frenzied movements of the lights in those ripples were worthy of admiration. Something about them also reminded her of someone.
Kali thought on the matter for a while. She tried to figure out who was there on the edges of her mind, but after several moments she gave it up as a lost cause. The person was lost somewhere in her memories and she didn’t know where to look.
She took a deep breath and began to clear her mind. As she relaxed she focused on her senses and her eyes fluttered shut. The first things she noticed were how warm the air was on her skin and the gentle sound of the flowing river. She listened to the river trickle by for a brief time, a ghost of a smile hovering at her lips. Eventually she reached out further, listening and feeling beyond that which she first noticed. She could hear the wind in the trees and the gentle roar of a waterfall far, far away. Several minutes passed but she waited patiently as she listened for the sounds of someone approaching. He would come eventually.
The air grew warmer around her as she waited. Once or twice she thought that she had heard something in the distance but the noises had faded away quickly. He would come when he came she told herself. But still she felt uneasy. Had she been betrayed? Was this time a trap? Her patience had begun to grow thin when she finally heard something moving towards her.
Behind her twigs and dried leaves faintly crunched beneath the heel of a boot. Someone was coming.
Smoothly she rose and turned, her blade held casually at her side. The footsteps continued closer. Her eyes opened and sought the source of the sound amidst the trees. Within moments he emerged from the undergrowth onto the path before her.
"Commander Kali," he said with a nod towards her. She returned the nod cautiously; this was not the man she was expecting to meet.
"Who are you?" she asked, "I have told the Baron that I will only deal with one contact."
"My name is Rolf," the man said smoothly with a smile which sent shivers of unease through her body, "My Lord has asked me to take Sebastian's place as your contact. He has suffered an accident I am afraid."
The very way this man spoke made her uneasy.
"Very well," She said reluctantly after a moment, "What are his orders?"
"You and your mercenaries," began Rolf silkily, "Are ordered to stop caravans before they reach Fort Midran. The fort must not be permitted to receive any supplies. We will pay you the same as we have before. Also as before my Lord’s involvement in these attacks must remain between us, no one can hear of this."
"The Empire has a sizable garrison in that Fort," Kali stated bluntly, "They will make this tougher. I cannot guarantee that all the caravans will be stopped. We will also double our price to reflect the increased danger. I will lose men and to remain effective I will have to replace them."
"No," said Rolf sharply, "The pay is the same as before, if you can't work with that then maybe I should-"
"Should what?" interrupted Kali coolly, "Take the job to someone else? Even if you can find other sell-swords, which I doubt, they will tell you that your current offer is not high enough. Besides if I am not in your employ I may just let slip that you have been behind these attacks. I'm sure someone would pay dearly for that information."
"You dare threaten us?" Rolf sneered, "My Lord could bury you should he choose to."
"Could he?" asked Kali, her eyes twinkling dangerously.
"Maybe a new leader of your soldiers-"
Kali's blade flicked up as she sprang forwards. By the time Rolf had got a hand on the pommel of his dagger she had already placed her blade against his throat.
"You wouldn't dare," growled Rolf as he continued to unsheathe the dagger.
Kali responded by drawing a thin line of blood across his throat.
His expression was sour and slightly fearful as he removed his hand from the dagger.
"There will be no new leader of my soldiers. Don't threaten me again." Kali said softly, "Return to your master and present my terms to him. Tomorrow you can return with his answer. If we must we can continue to... negotiate. Do you understand?"
"Yes," he croaked.
She shoved him away.
"Good. Get out of my sight."
Rolf fled without looking back. Kali stared after him shaking her head.
"Stupid," she muttered, "So stupid."