Chapter 24: Minner and Gold!
The Fifth of Solentide, D.Y. 500
-----After spending a couple of hours in the tree, Whisper hears a commotion in the direction of the road that runs through the small woods. Curiously, it sounds as if a horse drawn wagon is venturing through heading away from the town of Black Bog.
-----Whisper was tempted to let this one pass. Very tempted.
-----Briskly running his hands over his face, the Wood Elf made his way down and out of the tree, being careful to pick up his quiver of untreated arrows and bow with him.
-----This wagon did not appear to be in a hurry, so Whisper did not run to intercept it as he had the two riders. Again, he chose a course which would allow him to intercept a little further up the road.
-----As Whisper moves closer to the road once more, he hears the sound of horses’ hooves clomping along and the wheels of a wagon turning. He can now also hear the hearty singing of a deep voice:
-----Minner’s got his goods to sell, roll o’ rolly away, away
-----Now we take the wooded road, a’ roll o’ rolly away, away
-----Birds be quiet n’ branches bare, roll o’ rolly away, away
-----Keep ‘em ready n’ have a care, a’ roll o’ rolly away, away
-----Whisper halted mid stride, before continuing on after a heartbeat. The deep baritone merrily singing along did not give him pause... but the singing did. The scar across his throat felt tighter, and his free hand twitched close.
-----His legs wanted to add a whimsical gait to his steps in tune to the rhyme and rhythm. But the lyrics showed that this traveler might be somewhat more aware of his surroundings than two scouts riding the hells for leather.
-----The deep voice also seated a suspicion in the Wood Elf's mind. In combination to the line about being a miner, in any case. Kill one of them... and all of a sudden they popped out of the ground more often than toadstools.
-----Whisper slowed further, preparing to ghost along and stealthily observe this boisterous traveler.
-----As Whisper continues to move stealthily along, he comes in sight of the road. The vehicle is pulled along by two gray mules; husky for their size. The wagon features tall sides that extend over the vehicle making the wagon not only a place where the man’s wares are stored but also a living quarters of sorts.
-----The man sitting on the buckboard is slumped although he matches his mules almost in size. A gray tabard covers his chest and he wears a green farmer’s hat on his head. He watches both sides of the road occasionally steeling a glance toward the woods on each side. His tune has diminished although Whisper can still hear him humming.
-----Well, at least this was not a Dwarf.
-----But the human was far too aware that he was being stalked. And that level of awareness made Whisper uneasy. It spoke of unusual seasoning.
-----The Wood Elf kept to his careful approach, shadowing the wagon, content to observe and see what revelation of character and skill this unusual human revealed despite his more common pose.
-----The driver of the wagon continued humming as he glanced from side to side. Within just a few yards of where Whisper met the two riders, the humming stopped. The man’s nose was tilted upward as if he were trying to catch a smell on the air. As he did this, he pulled on the reins slowing his mules’ pace.
-----Now a suspicious look came within his eyes and he began to sing his tune again:
-----Must a’been a fight near here, roll o’ rolly away, away
-----Bone n’ body n’ blood been burned, a’ roll o’ rolly away, away
-----Say two o’ three lost their lives not long, roll o’ rolly away, away
-----Now them bodies close by been wormed, a’ roll o’ rolly away, away
-----As the wagon continued, the man’s eyes squinted as they looked sharply at the edges of the road and the nearest trees.
-----Figuring that it might be dangerous to try to climb, Whisper hung back to get a glimpse at the back of the wagon. As it passed, he could see an opening in the back revealing the shapes of containers under a large blanket-like covering.
-----Whisper was momentarily nonplussed.
-----And he didn't like this. Either the feeling, or this situation. Time to find out more about this man. And determine if he needed to die...
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