Easom's Shards: An Adult Fairy Tale by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 16

A few hours rolled by and the sun set over the western horizon. Ashtock spread his sleeping materials over the open ground in the cottage’s front yard, scanned the valley, and sighed. He heard footsteps behind him and turned, seeing Emily standing there with a basket and pitcher in her hands. She went to set them down next to his equipment. “I figured you could use some food and water,” she said, not looking at him. “Here’s an extra blanket. The nights can get rather chilly here.”

​ Ashtock accepted the blanket and nodded humbly. Even though he had insulted this woman, she was still being kind to him. “I regret the coarse words I spoke,”

​ Emily smiled, shaking her head. “Pay no heed to them, sweetheart, with five kids one tends to grow tougher skin than her son might have you believe.”

​ Ashtock sat on his sleeping sheet, still scanning the valley. “I am . . . unsure of your customs. It has been a strange journey for me.”

​ Emily sensed there was something deeper to his comment. “How did you happen into human lands?”

Unbeknownst to either of them, Sam stepped onto the front porch, chewing an apple. He listened silently from just a few yards away. The dark man shifted uncomfortably, “I was banished.”

​ “Banished?” Emily repeated.

​ “A warrior who does not know his place does not have the right to hold one.”

​ Emily nodded, understanding. “You spoke out of turn?”

​ Ashtock grit his teeth in anger. “I spoke against the ruling of the chief.”

​ She sat down beside the much larger man. “What did you speak against?”

​ “It’s not a human concern,” the man said, becoming bothered by all the questions.

​ Sam’s mother relented, starting to rise when Ashtock spoke again. “There . . . was a traitor among us, attempting to recruit young and impressionable warriors to side with Cain’s army. Our ways are our own, not to be bought by anyone. We are not mercenaries, and such recruitment was a direct violation of our most sacred traditions.”

​ “What happened to the recruiter?”

​ Ashtock turned to look at her. “I beheaded him.”

​ Emily was shocked at the bluntness of the answer, reaching for her own neck instinctively. “I would think your chief would be happy with that result.”

​ Ashtock nodded. “He was, but when the chief ordered me to kill his followers and family, claiming they were corrupted against the ways of the Chipowi, I objected.”

​ Emily nodded. “You didn’t think they were without mercy.”

​ Ashtock stood and took a few steps away. “I did not feel the traitor’s crimes should pass to them. Yes, they had accepted his treasonous teachings, but I felt their ignorance should be corrected with instruction, not execution.”

​ “What did your chief do?”

​ Ashtock lowered his head. “He killed them all . . . right in front of me. After, I was banished from my people’s lands. The chief proclaimed that I had also been corrupted and would not pollute the rest of the tribe.

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