“No, sir. I could probably use the time to stretch my legs out anyway.”
That wasn’t entirely true. I still had quite a bit more time on the wagon before I’d have to trade spots with someone walking. We rotated spots in order to be fair. However, since several still nursed injuries, those who had healed up took longer shifts walking than others.
We drifted to the rear of the wagons until well out of earshot.
“You know our next stopping point, Sergeant?”
“No, sir.”
“Treetown. Ever heard of it?”
“Can’t say that I have. Pretty dumb name though.”
“I’m from there.”
I winced. “Sorry, sir.”
“Don’t be. It is a dumb name. The town is very small. Named after this giant white birch growing in the town square. I always thought ‘White Birch’ or something like that would have been better.”
“Definitely an improvement.”
Nehab chuckled which made me feel better.
“This must be hard on you to be so close and not be able to stop.”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about, Sergeant. I’m not going on with everyone.”
“But sir, didn’t Balak-”
“Yes, my orders are to see that everyone gets home safely. But I can’t do it. You and I are rare. We’ve been in this thing since the very beginning. I’ve got a family waiting for me just like you. Can you honestly tell me you could pass the place you’ve thought about every day since joining the army and not stay?”
I shook my head. “Probably not.”
“Neither can I. Look, I hate to do this to you, but you’re the most senior officer left among us. You, Dekar, and Ira have the farthest to travel among everyone else. So, it only makes sense to transfer command over to you once we reach Treetown. Can you do that for me?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Sure.”
“Thank you,” said Nehab. The relief in his voice was overwhelming. “I know I don’t have to tell you this, but I’m saying it anyway. After Treetown, continue to stay away from the cities and towns you come across. I’d hate to hear you ran into trouble again.”
“I’d hate to run into it.”
“Good. Let’s catch back up to the others.”
The captain made the announcement to everyone at dinner that the next day would be his last day with us. He transferred command to me. No one objected. I wondered if anyone cared. Maybe they knew me well enough to know I’d do right by them, or maybe they didn’t have an opinion on who they took their orders from so long as someone gave them.
I laughed to myself. What was I thinking? Every soldier had an opinion on who they take orders from. I’d worry about the ones who didn’t.
* * *
Around midday we left the road, turning off onto a dirt path overrun with high grass that we all would have missed had the captain not been with us. He took point and led us into a wooded area about fifty yards off the road.
Hamath nudged me. “Are you sure about this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Us going to Treetown. Seems contradictory to what Nehab has been saying about avoiding places as a group.”
I shared Hamath’s concerns, but Nehab had a good head on his shoulders so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Well, he said Treetown is so isolated that most people have a tendency to forget about the place. It’s a good chance they don’t share the opinion we keep running into.”
Looking around at the trees closing in on top of us, I understood the captain’s surety of his town’s remoteness.
“But if they do?”
“Well, you heard the captain last night when he was describing the place. They aren’t going to have enough people to attack a group our size even if they don’t want us there.”
He grunted. “Let’s hope they haven’t had a recent population surge then.”
A half mile later, we came out on the other side of the woods. Seventy yards from the forest’s edge stood the smallest settlement I had ever seen. Farmland stood to either side of eight round hovels congregating in a circle around a massive white birch. Seeing the tree lord over the little community made me wonder if one of the lesser gods occupied the thing. It had that sort of aura about it.
A few residents noticed our arrival and gathered on the edge of town. They held tools of trade like weapons where everyone could see-shovels, hoes, and pickaxes. That didn’t bode well, even if I could understand their concern upon seeing several dozen soldiers rolling into their tiny town. I could almost sense Hamath ready to utter an “I told you so.”
“Halt!” Nehab called. He dismounted the wagon as it rolled to a stop, unbuckled the sword at his side and made a show of dropping it in the dirt. “Stay here until I say otherwise,” he added over his shoulder.
He walked alone, hands out at his sides. Additional people from the town materialized next to the original group. More people lived there than I had thought.
A woman screamed out and burst through the group. She sprinted toward the captain, brown dress flowing behind her. Nehab abandoned his calm approach and took off toward her. They met in a loving embrace with the captain raising her off the ground.
A lump formed in my throat as I thought about Lasha again.
The townspeople relaxed as recognition set in. They hurried out to the couple, white teeth showing in wide smiles. Nehab shook hands and hugged several others all while keeping one arm firmly wrapped around his wife’s waist.
After a minute, he waved us over.
“Well, one less thing to worry about at least,” I said.
Hamath responded with a grunt.
* * *
Treetown ended up being the opposite of Damanhur in more than just appearance. People shook our hands, thanked us for our service, and even made small talk about the weather. The only time I ever saw a smile leave their faces was when Nehab gave a very brief summary of the events in Damanhur. They offered condolences and said prayers for the dead. It was the reception we had hoped for from the beginning.
An elderly man, tall, wiry, and bent over a cane made a suggestion all could get on board with. A celebration.
I’ve never seen people move so fast in all my life. In less than an hour, meat dripped on open spits, bread baked in nearby ovens, and corn roasted over open fires. The comforting smells made it hard to keep from drooling. Everyone alternated between eating and talking. Someone rolled out a couple kegs of ale shortly thereafter and things really got going. With each mug of the warm, satisfying drink voices grew louder until all it seemed I could hear was laughter.
The mood had become so infectious that Dekar managed to talk Hamath into a match of Crests, a strategy game that I was barely serviceable at. Dekar had never lost, even winning a tournament the army put together two winters ago when we couldn’t do much else but sit around on account of a blizzard. Since then, he nearly had to pay people to play him.
The elderly man pulled out a fiddle while a woman I assumed was his wife began singing songs I hadn’t heard since my parents were alive. None of that religious garbage either. These were about the sun, the rain, family and friends-finding joy in the simple things of life.
I sat beneath the white birch with eyes closed, listening to the upbeat tempo and recalling fond memories of my youth. A small sigh escaped my lips, wishing Ava had come along to see this.
“Everything all right, Tyrus?”
I opened my eyes at the captain’s voice, watching him as he approached. “Yes, sir. I was just thinking how much this place reminded me of home. Well, a better version of home actually.”
“I hope it’s even better than how you remember it when you get there.”
“Me too, captain.”
“You can cut the ‘captain’ and ‘sir’ out now. I’m officially a commoner again. Nehab works fine by me.”
I nodded and gestured to a line of people, townsfolk and soldiers alike, dancing. “I’m glad you invited us to stay for the night. Not even that priest of Molak mustered this much genuine happiness from them.”