Land of Mirriam

Another day on the eastern frontier, two travelers who were riding on a cart watched the shadows of the trees grow thicker, they were heading south with their cargo for delivery. The driver kept watch on the anti-monster scent. It was working fine, but if they were not careful there could be a possibility of the scent running out if they didn't change it immediately and that small time frame of carelessness would be a big problem for the travelers, that's how dangerous the eastern continent is.

...

It was just getting dark when the carriage went to the side of the main road.

“Feed the brats, I don’t want them to hear crying because they are hungry,” the driver of the carriage said, the conductor who was sitting at the back nodded.

Their cargo was covered in clothes, he opened it up… it was children… 9 of them.

“Time to eat boys and girls,” just a bit more and they will be out of the Elford’s lands and it will be a breeze going into the Port Town of Trist.

But little did they know, that there were some eyes that were laying on them.

<--->

“Children?” Jedilyn muttered in a bitter tone…

The trio, Simon, Jedi, and the old man were hiding in the trees. She shivered, how could these men do something so cruel? What if she met them instead of the two?

“It seems that the children have been pacified,” the old man said.

“Pacified?” Simon asked, not that he knew the meaning of the word but Jedi did.

“Let’s save them,” Jedi said with determination.

“… You’ve never killed before,” the old man said.

“… No… and I don’t want to,” Jedi said.

“Then stay here, how about you go with Simon and get a good spot, cook for them…” the old man said. There was a good plan forming up on his head and it cracked a smile on his face.

“I understand…” Jedi nodded.

...

Simon led her to a spot and the boy landed his things. Jedi did the same then Simon began leaving.

“Where are you going?!” Jedi asked Simon.

“I’m going to save them!” Simon said.

There was a bit of silence while the two of them stared at each other... Jedi noticed Simon's serene face. Simon nodded and left… judging by the time she was together with them, Simon was a simple-minded boy… and he never minded the violence from the old man. But that serene face? Aren't they going to kill humans?

<--->

A boy approached the carriage. The boy was blind but walked steadily.

“Hey…” the driver warned his partner who was feeding the children in the cage, his partner took a glance and smiled.

They always appeared when a family starved, when orphans fled the grim confines of their refuge, and when the forsaken roamed the roads alone.

“Do you have food?” the boy asked… he was blind but it seemed that the smell of food lured him.

“Boy! Come here, we have some food here… did you come from the town north?” the driver asked keeping the boy lured in.

He was the one cooking and he had a pot piping hot. He took some of the wooden bowls he scooped up the soup… rather it was just hot water with floating things that one could call food. The boy upon smelling it closer steadily walked closer to the driver.

‘Fish on the bait’ he thought. It was so easy. 10 children would net him 10 large gold and depending on their ethnicity the ‘Leaves’ a hidden organization would be willing to pay as much.

“Here,” finally, the boy was in his range, he grabbed the boy by the shoulder, no need to immediately resort to violence.

“You can sit safely with the others in the carriage, how about sleeping with us tonight, it's dangerous here at night,” the driver added as he gave the boy the soup.

The blind boy smiled and he followed the instructions while he was holding onto the plate.

The partner of the driver was there smiling at the blind boy. He helped the blind boy ride into the carriage.

“How about taking a seat over there!” the conductor said literally inviting the blind boy inside the cage.

The boy stood steady pausing for a moment.

<--->

Simon squinted… he saw the children inside the open cage shuddering and dirty, some of them had bruises on their faces.

“What are you waiting for? Go on!” the conductor seemed to be eager to coerce him to go inside.

Simon tried the soup he was holding and in just one sip he knew it wasn’t food… it was a food waste. 'Not a shred of mercy'… that’s what he felt for the 2 adults.

“Your soup tastes like crap,” the boy said.

The driver was a bit mad with that comment “You can’t complain about free food,” he said and with a nod, he signaled his conductor. The conductor had a small wooden stick hanging on his waist.

The conductor took it, he was going to hit Simon in the back, Simon could hear the shuddering fear of the children and felt the blood lust behind him… though it was weak.

“Time to teach you a lesson!!! Never trust adults!!!” the conductor said but what met him was the wooden bowl with the hot soup on his face.

“Aargh!!!” he screamed. Then the boy kicked the conductor in the chest pushing him off the carriage and falling into the driver.

“You made me eat scraps… time to teach you a lesson,” Simon said… he was vindictive. He walked to the 2 with the goal of cracking up their hips. The old man instructed him to do this.

“You little shit!! I will show you no mercy!! You will be the example for the... AARGH!!!” before the driver finished his words Simon broke his hips.

His lower extremities instantly go numb. The conductor who was still regaining his composure shivered. It was too late to run since the screaming conductor pinned him down, Simon did the same thing to him.

“Aargh fuck!!!”, “I can’t feel my legs,” the driver and the conductor were screaming in pain.

“Simon how about feeding them the soup,” then the old man who was hiding in the shadow of the trees appeared… the 2 didn’t even hear him coming.

“Okay…” Simon menacingly smirked.

The old man goes into the carriage. The children with a mix of 3 girls and 6 boys were shuddering in fear, it seemed that the 2 were good at keeping children (Irony), they didn’t even try to go out of the cage and were just there cowering.

“Come out you little brats!!!” and the old man knew how to invoke fear into them… it was much easier that way.

The children came out one by one, they saw the 2 as they were getting fed by Simon.

“Simon, I’ll let them finish the soup, go and guide the kids to Jedi,” the old man said.

“Okay!!!-” Simon agreed immediately but still wondered “-They are not eating properly how would you do it?” before leaving with the kids Simon asked since he was just forcing the soup through wooden bowls while keeping their mouths open.

“You could have broken their jaw, it much easier,” the old man said, upon hearing this the 2 adults shivered.

“Okay!! I will go to Jedi!!” Simon smiled innocently, he was instantly detached from the two adults and now he wondered what kind of food have Jedi prepared for them.

“Now you pieces of shit… this will be your last meal tonight… you better eat up… monsters love marinated meat from the inside,” the old man said.

The forest loomed waiting for a scream that never came. (Since they were drowning in their pot)

<--->

“Please follow me!!! There are beasts and wild monsters in the forest,” Simon who was guiding them said.

The children were cowering in fear, since they didn’t have a choice they would just follow the old man. The stick of the conductor was used to pacify the children into submission, that was how vulnerable children were.

And the waft of the wonderful aroma urged Simon and the others to walk faster.

“Oh you are here… oh!” and Jedi was there. She knew some of the children, she had seen them in the town before not that they knew her. Waving her hair with a gusto “Let’s eat!!!” she says!!! The children who were there looked at each other in confusion.

They are not going to hit them? Not going to eat more scraps? What the hell is happening? Those were the questions of the children in their minds.

Simon went ahead and took his share that was already on a wooden plate. The children’s portion though was on leaves on a stone, it was cleaned using magic so Jedi was confident that it didn’t have any dirt on it.

But the children were not moving. Jedi went to them and cast a spell “Let us be cleaned!!!” she cast it with Simon in mind.

The children instantly felt refreshed. She can only do it to herself but after those two days, her magic and control have increased allowing her to cast it to all of them.

“We will not hurt you… come on eat!!” She smiled… finally the children started moving taking a seat on the ground with the stone and leaves as their table they went around.

The first taste was all they needed to keep the food going into their mouth, Jedi didn’t have enough fork and and knife to go around the children.

She placed small sticks on the table but the children didn’t even bother using them, they were eating with their hands… some of the children started crying.

She remembered the first time she was fed by the old man… she also cried… there was a tear in her eyes.

“Jedi!! This is good!!!” Simon said. The boy never asked for more but she just wanted to give him more food so from the wooden plate she gave some to Simon

“Just don’t tell the old man,” she winked.

To Simon, she was a goddess “Yeah!!!”

<--->

The children instantly went to sleep, she cast clean again on them. They were sleeping on the spot where their things were… but how were they going to get them into safety? Them the trio were traveling using the off-road, it would be harsh for the kids.

She realized that she had been traveling with the 2 and although she knew that it was not how one normally traveled she had been getting accustomed to their walk in the forest like it was just normal.

“Oh… the brats are asleep… why the hell is Simon sleeping with them too?” the old man arrived with 2 horses in tow, he tied the horse to a tree stump and then urged it down to rest, he knew how to handle this noble animals.

“Here… some food… old man, how are we going to get them to safety?” Jedi asked the old man.

“I’ve got it no problem… it seems that you are waiting for me,” the old man said. Jedi haven’t eaten her part yet.

“Yeah, it's much better to eat food with someone,” she said.

The old man smiled fiercely. “Hmm… then we will have a holiday tomorrow… in your name,” the old man said.

“Really?!!” it was Simon who was fake sleeping.

“Yes boy!!!” the old man who was probably a bit annoyed said.

<--->

In the morning, the old man in the lead went back to the spot where the kids were saved. The carriage was still there and along with the horse he placed them back in front.

“Old man, where is the 2?” Simon asked.

“Oh, they are already on their way home, they felt sorry for what they have done…” the old man answered the children were happy to have heard it.

“This pot is still in good condition, can I take it?” Jedi said upon seeing the emptied pot.

“You do what you want,” the old man said.

“Okay kids we are going home!!” the old man said facing the children. A bit of tears and joy on their faces. The old man knew where they were taken as the driver and the conductor confessed to him.