Fifthwind by Ken Kiser Read Free Book Online

known
nothing but hatred and death for most of their lives."
    "Men
like you?" Ben jabbed.
    Mason
stuck out his lower lip in his best impression of a pouting child.
"I've never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it." He winked at Ben.
"And you should know that better than anyone."
    Ben
nodded. He had been through much with Mason and it was an honor to
call the old soldier friend. "It must feel good to be back," he
said. "I mean among these men, the kind of people you can relate
to."
    Mason
downed a tankard of ale in two short gulps and wiped his mouth with
the back of his sleeve. "I wouldn't hold the rough-housing against
them. They're just restless. In the morning they won't even remember
it."
    "The
merchants are wound up too, willing to pay just about any price if it
will ease their passage on these roads. Fear and superstition are
running high."
    "There's
definitely something going on around here," Mason agreed. "Rumors
are running rampant with the men."
    "What
did you learn outside?"
    "There's
been too much death. Too many teams are failing to get safely through
the pass to the Western Realm." Mason reached for some bread. "Do
you think it might have something to do with what Gordo's man
encountered? Or maybe whatever it was that you saw out in the
meadow..."
    It
was clear that Mason had not seen the same shadowy figure that had
confronted Ben, but the old soldier would never show doubt. Ben
appreciated Mason's complete trust and loyalty. For the moment,
however, Ben dodged the question. "We already know that thieves are
patrolling the trade routes around here. The men should know that,
it's why most of them are here to begin with. They make good money
protecting the caravans, so some risk is to be expected."
    Mason
nodded. "But this is different. It's not brigands. They say they
don't even take the wagons or the goods. They just kill for the sake
of killing. What kind of thief would kill a dozen men, only to leave
the goods in the wagons untouched on the roadside?"
    "Any
suspects?" Ben asked.
    "The
leading rumor among the men is that the Empire is behind it. Some
think they're trying to soften the area before attacking. Others say
it's a haunting by the angry ghosts of those who died protecting
these lands. And then there's the local lore monger out there
preaching about monsters."
    "What
does your gut tell you?"
    "One
thing's for sure. It's not the Empire. Those Tanian dogs are as tired
of war as we are. It's got to be more localized than that. If I had
to make a guess right now, I'd say someone's not playing fair,
probably trying to get an upper hand on the trade routes. I bet
there's at least one merchant that gets through untouched every time.
Find that man, and you've likely found who's behind it all."
    "What
if it's not thieves at all. What if it's something... else." Ben
didn't see a need to go into any detail about what he had heard from
the merchant. He couldn't even imagine himself repeating such
foolishness. It would be a sad day if he ever lowered himself to
believing in demons.
    Mason
leaned back in his chair, satisfied with his own reasoning. "As far
as the other explanations go, I don't believe in children's stories."
    "The
ghosts or the monsters?" Ben jabbed.
    "There's
no such thing as monsters."
    Ben
kept his humor hidden. Like most soldiers, Mason was very
superstitious. Ghosts were a very real thing to his kind, and given
the recent events, Ben was beginning to question even his own beliefs
on the matter.
    He
weighed the thought for a moment, then shrugged it off and said,
"Maybe Tad will know something."
    "What
about what you saw in the meadow?" Mason tried again.
    Ben
pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as if the thought
gave him a headache. "Just do me a favor and be careful. Something
doesn't feel right. Keep your eyes and ears open."
    Mason
nodded and took the opportunity to change the mood with a lighter
subject. "It's been a long time since we last saw the Captain.
It'll be good to see