Turn of the Heel Ch. 3

Goregush kept his axe tucked just behind his substantial frame as they came upon the wreckage of the carriage. Adenine called out from behind, and sure enough, a voice weakly answered from just out of sight.

"Ah, hello? Hello?" The voice was strained with each raspy breath, warbling and wavering amidst the sudden fit of coughing. "What kind traveler visits mercy on this poor soul?" A gloved hand reached through the tear in the wagon's canopy, slowly beckoning. "Please, come closer; I am in dire need..."

Naturally, Adenine leapt forward, but was quickly pulled back by her escort. Goregush kept her behind him as he tore the canopy away, axe at the ready; peering back were the wide eyes of a withered old man clutching at his robes in fear. Goregush's expression softened considerably.

"...Oh."

"Goregush!" Adenine pushed past her guardian and quickly knelt at the man's side. "Kind sir, be not alarmed; my companion and I wish to help."

The old man's eyes lingered on the merc's hefty figure before rolling towards the girl's kind face. "...And who are you?"

"I am, ah, a simple traveler," she stammered, nervously pulling at her cloak. "My companion and I are on our way to the city of Mohran to trade..." Adenine did her best to smile convincingly; "Perhaps you'd like to join us, sir?"

The man straightened up with a smile and a sigh of relief; "Well, seeing as you're in good hands; I suppose I could get back on the road."

He stood a few crooked inches above young Adenine, disappearing beneath the shadow of Goregush's broad chest like so many before him. His robes were worn and ragged, much like his simple leather sandals; a thin beard spilled across his chest, leaving no trace of a mouth beneath its white rapids. What little hair remained had formed into thick, bushy eyebrows, exposing much of his sun-spotted scalp. He ran his bony fingers across the young girl's hand and sleeve as she helped him to his feet, and he beamed graciously when Goregush read his expression.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself." Taking a small bow, a deep breath and a whooping cough, he grinned as he met the eyes of his two new companions. "I am Herring of the Red Flagon." He chuckled, "Yes, like the fish."

Adenine tittered lightly; "Truly? What an interesting name! I..." Clearing her throat, she started again. "...I am Ado, Ado of Golden Valley." Pleased with herself, she glanced towards her iron giant; "This is my companion, sir G-"

"Gerald of Riviera," snapped Goregush, keeping a tight grip on his axe. "What happened here, and who are you, exactly?"

Herring frowned, turning his eyes downward as he slowly made his way out of the ruined carriage. "I was on my way to the city when I was attacked," he choked out; "my purse was stolen from me, along with my supplies. The thugs ransacked my poor carriage, made off with my horse and left me with nothing."

"Traveling is risky during wartime." Goregush narrowed his eyes, "Still haven't told me who you are."

Running a hand through his beard and making a deliberately slow blink, the old man shot Goregush a sly look. "I'm a scholar," was his short answer.

Adenine stepped between the two before things could escalate, putting on her best smile. "Now then, Gerald, sir Herring;" her bright, blue eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets as they locked onto Goregush's dim sockets, "shall we be on our way?"

Making their way from the wreckage of Herring's covered wagon and out of the tall grass, Goregush and Adenine mounted their new friend on their steed and set off down the road. The golden fields of the farmlands turned to acres of tall, green trees as the young princess and the old scholar bantered away; Goregush paying close attention to every word.

"You said you were on your way to Mohran, yes?" The two glanced up at Herring, a wide grin forming beneath his snowy chin-curtain. "There's a small village an hour or so from here if you don't want to sleep in the grass."

Adenine's tired eyes lit up. "Wonderful," she cried, "I could use a rest. Gor - Gerald?"

"Lead the way," he snorted, carefully watching the old man as he helped Ado onto the horse. Again, Herring seemed to take his time with the girl's hands.