Goblin Hordes

The Shepherd Boys, Part 10  The glens spread as the sun shines

By a southern glen, amid buttercups and flowers of camomile, there's a small mound where a kiss was left. It's the earthen bed of a shepherdess that knew no home and left behind a love in tears. Tedus and Elly dug it for Edra, their boss and friend, and parted north with the mastiffs, leading Mistress' flock. Days went away quiet, somber, ran only by the unrelenting march of the sun, and for weeks life was gray and cold.

Two weeks after the onset of the spring, they crossed the borders back home. Home, that is, to Elly, for Tedus was a captive trasgrin and couldn't call home to any land ruled by humans. Regardless, Ara and her mules came with the supplies, punctual as always, and received Edra's certificate of death. She'll deliver it to Mistress and, from then on, the boys will be solely responsible for the flock.

Their first task was to lead the sheep to shearing. Shearing was kind for the boys, for their work was much softer, leaving most of it to the professionals of that task. They still had to help leading the sheep in and out of the sheds, and help to load the wool, but even so they found themselves with a bit of free time, which wasn't new, and people to spend it with, which indeed was. None of the boys had a copper to spend at the tavern, but at the village square, trasgrin or not, Tedus, took more than one peasant's servant to a dance to the tunes that flew out of the windows.

As for Elly, well, he was a pure, fool heart and went with Ara wherever she went, helping her with every little thing, but never telling the slave girl one word of his admiration. What could he offer? In days, he'll be back roaming the lands, up and downs the glen. And, besides, Ara was clever, could fill a life with her smile and make the stones dance with her songs; not to mention she was a woman already, and he was a mere boy who knew nothing and could mutter two words together in her presence.

Shearing ended, Mistress Greedix made an appearance, and interviewed all the shepherds in her ownership. As the turn came to Tedus and Elly, she congratulated them for the flock had given a good output of wool. Not a word she said about poor Edra, who had served her family for longer than the slaver could remember. Instead, she told the boys that, if things went as they had gone, she'll grant them a girl to “have fun with.“ To that, the boys had to thank their mistress, who would have the babies to rear up and sell. Tedus had it easier, for he didn't expect to live that long any way. Poor Elly had his soul hurting at the mere idea of doing that service to Mistress. Yet, that was a year away, and many things can happen in a year.

One year had went by. Summer had ended again, the boys had led the flock north, far from any human settlements but the forts who dotted the border, one hundred miles to the East. The day rose up as uneventful as usual, and it would have continued that way, had not Elly shared with Tedus his wonderful ideas.

“I have it, I know how we can make it.”
“Escape?” By then, Tedus could read his friend's heart.
“Yes. It will… we could die or worse.”
“It's ‘worse,’ already.”

"Wait… Remember when I went with to town. The dogs didn't stop me because they knew I was with the flock, still. Why don't we all go, the whole flock, dogs, sheep and all."

Elly received a word he wasn't expecting.

“Where?”
“East, pass the border.”
“Don't play with me. The men at the forts will see us, and we can't run away with the sheep.”
“Through Wraithmoor, at night!”
“At night! When orcs go?”

Wraithoor, usually muddy and crisscrossed by a weft of streams, ponds and woods, had been starved to dust by a dry spring.

“That's the dangerous bit. And that Mistress will send headhunters after us or that the men of the forts have patrols and get us or that…”
“Ah…” Tedus smiled. ”Just tell me you won't let yourself die badly. I want to live before I die, I'm happy if I don't end up like a bohboh.”
”Oh… but… but… I had a great thing to say to sign you up.” “Really? What?”
”Imagine! We survived it all and arrive to your village…”
”It's called Elem, and it's a citadel, with a palace and everything.” Corrected Tedus.

”Whatever, and you are in the lead with a bohboh human behind who looks quite like a slave and all those mastiffs and sheep too and…”

Tedus, the trasgrin boy, jumped and ran like a small kid at the mere thought of it, shouting in joy. He'd be famous! No boy his age had ever been lost to humans and returned with such treasure. Yes, they would try that.

There was a little something to wait for: Ara, for it was better to have a smooth resupply, if Ara didn't find them, she could think something awful had happened and ask for help, eroding their few chances. But then, there was something else Elly wanted to do, of course.

And so, at the hut where they first met, long months ago, eating and singing together by the moonlight, Elly stood up and simply said: "Ara, come with us. We're trying freedom". Tedus dropped his jaw.

Ara chuckled in a sing-song. ”How, my dear wee squire?”

And he taught her all their plans and preparations, while Tedus wanted to kill him for risking the whole thing, but bit his own lips, quite literally.

Then, they had to wait. Ara's face grew worried and restless, and said nothing for minutes, reviving in his mind the sorry fate of those who were caught but also the whispered stories of those who never returned, always believed to be well, happy, in love and, above all, free.

“I'll go with you, and if we survive, we'll try a bit of loving.”

They departed at night. They had to hurry up and get as much of a head start as possible. The mules and the provisions played in their favor. But the other flocks won't receive their supplies and would have to go south to town, and Mistress will know what had happened and send her hunters sooner than ever, rushing in swift horses.

The approach to Wraithmoor was uneventful. The dogs were a little wary of the unfamiliar place, but didn't object to the humans. The flock needed grass and this year it was scarce, the human boys were trying to find better pastures, and that's what human boys were best at.

Wraithmoor was exactly as expected. Again the dogs were wary, the night could bring wolves or monsters, and the place smelled of orcs, who hated everyone and whom nobody loved. But again they did their duty, for the boys, and Ara and themselves belonged to the flock. And that was good.

By dawn, they had reached the river that served as the border between humans and orcs. And there they were, four of those beasts, by the other side of the river: four raiders and a trasgrin slave laden with a heavy sack. Elly and Tedus had to silence the mastiffs who could warn the men at the forts, or, more likely, some other orcs close by.

The orcs, being who they were, set themselves at crossing the river to take the kids and sell them away, if they were that lucky. That dry year the waters went low, so it could be waded, with the poor trasgrin slave leading the expedition. The boys put themselves at hurling stones with their slings and while the orcs got a few of them, none come close to breaking a bone. Yet it hurted enough that, once the river was crossed, the orcs made an offer.

“Run away and you'll live!” “No.” It was Tedus who shouted. For the old goddesses, he wasn't giving his grandiose loot to those sons of a wart.

Elly, being more practical, gave another chance to his sling. And this time a stone fell one of the brutes, and he couldn't stand, for his hip had got smashed. Ara tried as well, but failed, perhaps for lack of practice.

The orcs hesitated. How could those human pups not poop themselves? Stones rained on them, but none of the youth were warriors and they missed.

But the impossible happened. The orcs ran away! What were the chances? All who still could, ran away. Only the trasgrin hid from the orcs and didn't come out until Tedus found him.

And that's when Elly story comes to a closure. For that slave trasgrin knew a safe way to proper trasgrin lands, to Elem, Tedus, birthplace, where he, at the head of some glorious loot, a rescued friend and two human captives, would become a hero and a prince. As for the two captives they were soon pardoned by their prince and they'll all were destined to many other adventures.

The End

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