UnFamiliar Pathways (Familiar Magic Book 4), page 13
Already headed toward Jehani, the Wizard tossed a comment over his shoulder at the big Wagon Master, “Arabian and Akhal-Teke horses require very little care. That is especially true when the entire line is comprised of Familiars. If they need something, believe me, they will let you know.”
Jehani heard Hugh laugh as the young feline began to slip into unconsciousness. Just before the blackness descended on him totally, the adolescent cat felt the warmth and scent that told him Boney was watching over him. Sliding down toward the cliff of encompassing slumber, he heard the Wizard’s voice in his head once more, << Let me see what has gone wrong. Feel free to sleep, youngster. When you wake, I guarantee you will feel much better. >>
Chapter 24 – Painful Progress
En route to Paris, Earth
Peotr knew that it was going to take multiple days to travel all the way from the remote village in Russia to Paris, France. When all that he had been worried about was four vehicles, the logistics had not been a significant concern. However, now their cavalcade was much larger, and any hope they had of traveling unnoticed had to be abandoned.
At first, the group concentrated on putting as much distance between them and the Blood Mages clustered at Brasilov, driving for a solid eight hours, delaying only to switch drivers. Creeping fatigue and the shocking events and changes of the day combined to force the group to look for a place to stop, far sooner than they had planned.
Signaling to the group to pull over in a cleared and empty field outside of a town just northeast of Kraków, Peotr climbed out of the car and stretched his back in weary relief. As the other vehicles pulled up and stopped, he heard doors open as a representative from each conveyance came to listen to what he had to say.
Every face that he saw was drawn with exhaustion, tremors and reddened eyes attested to the grief and anger that everyone had felt during the rapid exodus from their home, possibly for the last time. Even Dasule showed signs of sorrow, but the Domovoi managed to produce a small grin on his ordinarily sour face as he nodded in encouragement toward the weary mercenary Commander.
Peotr cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention and said, “We had not expected to have such a large party traveling with us, so I think we are going to have to take a different approach toward finding lodgings. I think perhaps that we need to send a scouting expedition into the next town and find out what facilities are available. It was going to be difficult enough to find rooms for 25, but now we are more than doubled.”
Kolya had slipped up next to Peotr while he was speaking. The big man informed him, “Our total headcount is 67, including women and children. That does not include a count of Hidden Folk since they will not be visible to many of the people that are involved in obtaining rooms.”
One of the men in the group volunteered, “Perhaps we should leave most of our vehicles and other items out with a group to guard them and get some of our more damaged and fragile people into more comfortable lodging.”
Peotr responded, “I will certainly keep that as a thought if we cannot find rooms that will allow us to all stay together. However, it is never a good idea when traveling through potentially hostile territory to split up the group. It fragments our ability to protect both goods and people, and splits all future effort and energy in a likewise inefficient manner.”
By the nodding of heads and the murmured words, Peotr knew that he had a general consensus. Taking a deep breath, the mercenary Commander tried to release all of his doubts and fears before saying, “Boris, I want you to pick two small teams and scout out the town. See what is available for a large group and carefully examine the security of their parking areas. We have too many valuables in these vehicles for me to be comfortable leaving them unwatched.”
Boris smiled, quickly selecting the scouts. Before he and his teams left, Boris came over to where Peotr was talking with Kolya and several other people, saying, “We will also check out any trace of Blood Mage activity in and around the town. If we find someplace that looks ideal, do you want us to take it, or do we need to come back here and get your approval?”
The tired Commander paused to gather his thoughts before saying quietly, “Make sure you take one half of our twin pair. That way, if there is a question, they can relay it as well as the decision. Failing that, you know what we are looking for, so if you find something worthwhile, grab it.”
With a cheerful wave of his hand, the big mercenary strode off to where his team was standing. A few moments later, the sound of two cars leaving told Peotr that they would soon know if they were going to have to fight again or if they had some time to relax first.
While the scouting party was out, Kolya and Peotr checked each vehicle as well as every being that was in their party. Overall, there were no new emergencies, although the mechanical members of the convoy appeared to be doing better than the organic ones.
The machines ranged from large vans and town cars to sturdy trucks filled with cargo. All of them were doing well with fuel, and there were no problems with the tires and other common issues.
However, Peotr only now noticed that all of the vehicles that came from Brasilov were heavily armored. Pleased with that, but annoyed with himself for not detecting it earlier, the mercenary Commander turned to Kolya with a questioning look on his face. Peotr was answered before he could ask his question when the eldest of Maxim’s sons said, “We have been defending from criminals and ill-intended Mages for decades. We learned long ago that our vehicles had to be hardened against spells and projectiles. My father made sure that all of those protections were well maintained, so when we needed to go, we could leave immediately.”
The mercenary Commander responded, “That makes sense. We have the same issue as mercenaries, in that we are so used to conflict and warfare that we automatically plan for it even in our personal lives.”
The two men walked a little bit further and checked out another group of mixed mercenaries and security personnel that had come with them from Brasilov. Seeing that four of them were injured, he and Kolya got briefed on the severity of the wounds and the functionality of the wounded. All of them were movable, but some of them needed more attention than their medics were able to give.
Walking away together, the two men were lost in their own thoughts for a few moments before Peotr asked, “That gives us three people that should not be fighting until they are healed. I still need to know, though, how is your father and how desperate are his injuries.”
Kolya looked abashed, but burst into speech, “My father is so stubborn! We did not know until we saw blood seeping into the back of his shirt just how badly he had been wounded to start. He had concealed it from us, and when I demanded why, he had the effrontery to tell me that he did not want to worry us children! For heaven sakes, I am 43!”
Peotr could not help himself, he had to laugh. After a moment, Kolya joined in. Slowly regaining their control, the two men almost leaned on each other in relief as the laughter triggered a release of some of the overwhelming sense of doom and tension the both of them had been bearing.
Traces of laughter still clung to his voice as Kolya continued, “My mother would have been hitting him on the head with a spoon! Right now, my sisters have stripped him bare to check out every single one of his injuries. I left because he is mortally embarrassed that he is undressed in front of his children, and the old man does not want anybody to see his weakness. I had to get out of there, or I was going to end up punching my own father!”
Peotr said reflectively, “I think we had better keep our eyes out for a Healer or a Western Doctor. We already have several wounded that would benefit from that type of care instead of our more rough mercenary medic assistance, and we have to expect that we are going to continue to experience casualties.”
Kolya wore a very sober expression as he nodded his agreement. The big man opened his mouth to continue the conversation, but both he and Peotr snapped their attention to one of their scout cars coming back at a rapid speed.
The car had barely slid to a stop before the front passenger door was flung open, and one of the scouts erupted from the vehicle and charged over toward Peotr. Gasping for air, the man forced out, “Commander, we found the perfect place, but we need everybody to get there quickly. It is an old school that we can rent by the day or week. It has plenty of rooms, as well as some gathering rooms, and it is built around a central, enclosed area into which we can drive the trucks.”
As everyone scattered for their vehicles quickly, Peotr and Kolya grabbed the man’s elbows and all but ran back toward their own car, demanding, “Why the hurry?”
Still gasping, the scout answered, “We got there and immediately made full payment for the facility and received the keys. Unfortunately, not even fifteen minutes after we had completed our paperwork and payment, the Snarling Bear Company rolled into town and wants to rent the same facility.”
Peotr cursed and picked up the pace toward the open door of their waiting vehicle. All but shoving the other two men through the door, Peotr slammed it closed, and yelled out a series of orders to his driver. “Vitali will give you instructions to where we are going. Drive as quickly as you can, but stay legal if possible. The last thing we need is a delay by the police!”
Peotr was pleased to see that Maxim and his daughter were already back in the vehicle, although the old man looked disgruntled. Ignoring his pique, the mercenary Commander began to check the status of his weapons.
Looking around, Kolya could see that the other mercenaries were doing the same. Alarmed and curious both, he asked Peotr, “It is obvious that you are expecting trouble. Could you give me some clue of what we are walking into so I can warn the rest of the men?”
The mercenary riding in the front passenger seat turned and said over the back of his chair, “All vehicles have been informed on what we expect to see. Everyone is checking their weapons and preparing for possible battle.”
Peotr added, “The Snarling Bear Company has a bad reputation. They use strong-arm tactics and bully people into doing what they wish. There have been multiple complaints of extortion and intimidation made about them to the Mercenary Guild. Our company personally has had three extremely unpleasant encounters with them. As a group, they hate us and will do everything they can to cause us problems.”
Maxim’s eyes lit up with curiosity, and the old man broke the silence to ask, “Why do they hate you so much?”
Peotr’s smile was a thin slash of savagery as he replied, “They hate us because we always beat them.”
Chapter 25 – Confrontation
Road Near Krakow, Earth
The leading elements of Peotr’s combined forces arrived at their rented facility less than twenty minutes after the scout returned. The tension in the lead car was palatable, almost thick enough to cut with a knife.
Looking ahead, the mercenary Commander could see that there were six vehicles pulled up in a containment arc around what looked like the main entrance to the former school. Visible troops were scattered around, but not deployed in any specific order. They were standing in relaxed postures watching the drama that was unfolding in front of them.
Peotr could see Boris standing confident and assuredly in front of a wildly gesticulating shorter man with an angry, red face. A low growl emanated from the mercenary Commander’s chest as he recognized the figure of the so-called High Commander Stanislav Fedirovich Yakimov of the Snarling Bear Company.
Executing their entry in perfect synchronous movement, two of the armored cars from Brasilov swung around the opposing mercenary force and skidded to a halt on either side of Boris. Deploying their combined group of mercenaries and security personnel in just a few seconds, two fire teams were positioned and ready on each flank. Popping up behind each vehicle, using the school walls as a backstop, a gunner with a braced, shielded automatic weapon was supported by two men armed with shotguns.
Before any of the Snarling Bear mercenaries could react, the remainder of Peotr’s armored trucks and vehicles formed two angled lines behind the inattentive assembly. The two lines ran from either side the road diagonally toward the nearest corner of the school, englobing Stanislov’s troops and leaving the road open as a convenient exit.
Peotr’s command car driver navigated his way around the stopped vehicles of the Snarling Bear group and came to a stop on Boris's left side. He and Kolya got out of the car and calmly strolled up to join the mercenary Commander’s second-in-command.
Peotr had known this plan was a risky strategy, but he had tried to mitigate it by telling the remainder of the people in the command car to stay in place. The driver had stringent instructions that if the situation became a battle that he was to immediately move the noncombatants from the center of the possible battlefield. All of their forces knew that their fallback position was the same place that they had waited for the scouting report.
Projecting a confident and slightly amused attitude, Peotr called out to Boris, “It was nice for you to arrange a welcoming committee. I hope they brought housewarming gifts!”
Turning his attention to the red-faced but now openmouthed head of the Snarling Bears, the mercenary Commander cheerfully said, “What a surprise! Stanislav, I thought you were up on a contract to the North. My understanding was the engagement was supposed to last for another two years. I hope nothing happened that ended it sooner than planned!”
Taking two steps forward to crowd Peotr, the much shorter Stanislav seemed to swell as he opened his mouth to continue yelling. Before he could make any sound, the larger mercenary Commander smoothly converted the man’s advance into a greeting between friends and threw his arms around the irate Snarling Bear mercenary in a crushing hug. While the stunned man was speechless, Peotr finished the gesture by quickly and loudly smacking kisses on either side of the man’s face before releasing him and stepping back.
“It is good to see you also, and I hope things are going well for you. We probably should take some time to catch up on old news, but unfortunately, I have an engagement that I am traveling to and simply do not have the time for drinks and gossip. We will have to try to schedule a few drinks at some future time.”
Deliberately turning his back on the mercenary officer whose expression and actions were imitating a dying fish, Peotr linked his arm through Boris’ and said loudly enough for everyone to hear, “You and I need to go over the latest information from our client. I think you will find it interesting, and considering who it is, we better get a thorough plan in place.”
Kolya continued to watch as two senior Snarling Bears officers corralled their incoherent Commander and climbed back into their vehicles. Using three-point turns, Stanislav’s forces maneuvered back onto the road, and drove off, as Peotr’s people stood in visible guard positions.
From inside the former school building, Peotr and Boris watched the impotent Snarling Bears leave. Turning to his Commander, Boris remarked, “You know this is just going to make them angrier at us.”
Peotr answered, “Yes, I know. But I will not permit them to work their intimidation schemes on us. For that matter, I will not tolerate them pulling that crap anywhere around us. If it means we have to fight, then we fight. I refuse to stand by and let my inaction contribute to the wounds that our country is suffering.”
The towering mercenary laughed, saying, “Of course, I agree, but I just wanted to make sure that it got stated. I think at this point, anything that we do in town had better be in a group. We do not dare leave any of our people vulnerable, no matter how long we stay here.
“Speaking of which, how long do you think we will be staying here? I paid for three days, but we can always extend it for longer.”
Reflecting for a moment, Peotr said thoughtfully, “While my urge is to push quickly forward, I think we need some time to let our people recover a bit. If we can find a Healer or a Western Doctor somewhere, I would really like them to look at our more severely injured personnel, especially Maxim. He is an old man and very stubborn. Kolya just found out that his father’s injuries are more serious than we thought, and I do not want to lose someone who has helped us and others so much.”
Boris gave a short nod of agreement before adding, “We may want to do a quick check on precisely what it is we are hauling. Some redistribution might be reasonable among the cargo loads, so we do not overstress any one vehicle. Also, let us make sure that everyone who can use a weapon has one.”
Peotr said decisively, “Let us send one party into town to obtain whatever supplies we need and to put out feelers on whether there are Healers in the area. Have Kolya check all of his people’s armament and put Casimir in charge of making sure that the few extra mercenaries we have acquired have weapons equal to ours.”
Boris asked, “Who do you want to oversee the inventory taking? I would prefer to go with the away team since that is the one most likely to run into trouble. I think I would like to take two of the armored vans and one armored car. That way, we can load up on some extra supplies easily. It also means that we have heavier weapons if we need them.”
“I thought you would probably want to command the forging group, so perhaps Ruslan and Marina can organize rough inventory and repack. They are the most knowledgeable about what we have already, and they know all of the Brasilov people and their capabilities. While they are doing that, I will reevaluate the original plan and see if our travel route needs to be amended. By the time you come back, I should have options laid out that we can discuss.”
The gravelly voice of the Domovoi startled both men, as Dasule said, “I have found a comfortable room that still has furniture and a pleasant fireplace. Between one young teenager and me, we should be able to keep the smaller children occupied and out from underfoot. It will also give them a chance to relax, which is going to be critical, I believe.”
With Peotr’s assent, the three of them split up to execute their plans. Everyone knew that the time was short, but working smart always saves effort and time in the long run.
