Chapter 12
For three months, Sid's forces harassed the enemy army with lightning raids. Each individual raid was not all that effective in whittling down the enemy, but the cumulative effect was devastating. The slavers sent out re-enforcements who occupied fixed emplacements. Sid responded by resuming raids on individual farms and liberating slaves. The slavers would send troops to investigate each raid. Sid made sure that they were cut down in ambushes staged by the spearmen with their bows.
Looking over the farm that they had just liberated, Sid noticed a face that he recognized amongst the slaves. Turning to his ever present shadow, Sid said, "Fred, let's go down there. I see a friend of mine."
"Masterson said that you were not to expose yourself," Fred said looking over at Sid. Since pledging his service, Fred had not been sorry once. Sandra Lawyer had been correct in describing the character of a Hero.
"And just how often do I listen to Masterson when it comes to what I should or should not do?" Sid asked with a grin.
"Not often enough," the man answered with a corresponding grin.
"Let's get down there."
The two men rode side by side to the farmhouse. Pulling up on the reins so that the horse stopped beside the man he had recognized, Sid said, "Fancy meeting you here."
"I heard that you were in the area so I thought I would become a slave for a while and wait for you," the man said holding up his arms and showing Sid the chains on them.
"That's a novel way to arrange a meeting," Sid said with a grin. He took in the red raw marks around the man's wrists as a result of the chains. It would leave scars that would last the rest of his life. He noticed that there were no scars on his back.
"I'm glad to see you, Sid. For a while there I was beginning to get worried," the man said without sounding as if he had been worried at all.
"Gregor, it is good to see you. I have need for a man of your talents," Sid said while dismounting. Turning to Fred, he said,
"Fred, I need someone who can remove these chains."
"Yes, sir," Fred said with a smile. He turned his horse and rode off.
"Who is he?" Gregor asked.
"That is Fred," Sid answered. He looked around and tried to recall the name of the man who worked for Gregor. It took a few seconds of searching his memory, but he was able to recall it. He asked,
"Where is your man, Derek? I don't see him around here."
"He was sold elsewhere," Gregor answered with anger. The greatest degradation had been when the slavers had separated the two of them. Not only was Derek to watch out for him, he was to watch out for Derek. They both had failed in their duties and that made Gregor very angry.
"Do you know if he's in the area?" Sid asked understanding the source of the man's anger. He would be angry if he were separated from a travel companion in the same manner.
"Should be," Gregor answered while shaking the chains that bound his wrists. "We were auctioned off about a day's march from here.
I'd say that he's within a two days march of here."
"Do you know who bought him?" Sid asked feeling that he could help Gregor free his man.
"I don't know his name, but I can describe him," Gregor answered with a curt nod of his head. He was pleased that the first thing Sid thought of was helping him find Derek. It spoke highly of the young man's character.
"I suggest that we have a little talk with your former owner. He just might be able to give us the information we need," Sid said.
Fred returned and waited to be recognized. He hadn't been there for more than five seconds when Sid asked, "What is it Fred?"
"If the gentleman will come with me, I'll have those chains off of him. The blacksmith won't carry his anvil out here," Fred said.
Curious, Gregor asked, "Did you ask him to do that?"
"Yes, sir. He laughed at me," Fred said without embarrassment.
"I'll come along with you. If you can't bring the anvil to the man, then bring the man to the anvil," Gregor said with a grin.
"Thank you for understanding, sir," Fred said.
Chuckling at the ironic tone in Fred's voice, Sid and Gregor walked towards the shed where the blacksmith equipment was located. Gregor held up his wrists and said, "I shall remember this day for the rest of my life."
"How long were you enslaved?"
"Six weeks," Gregor answered.
"Why the chains?" Sid asked.
"They figured that I was a little too proud to stay a slave," Gregor answered. Throughout his ordeal, he had never begged or compromised his honor.
"Why didn't they whip you?"
"I did everything they told me to do," Gregor answered. With a feral grin, he added, "I was just waiting for the day when they took these chains off. That was the day they were all going to die."
"I'm impressed," Sid said. It spoke of a kind of pride that wasn't the flashy type, but the subtle type. He could take anything so long as it was part of his long term plan. He grinned and said, "You may have been a slave in circumstance, but you were never their slave.
Not even for a single day."
"That's right," Gregor said glad that Sid understood what he had done.
They reached the blacksmith shed. It took the blacksmith two minutes to remove the chains from around Gregor's wrists.
Bending down, Gregor picked up the chain and said, "I'm going to keep this, if you don't mind."
"Why?" the blacksmith asked. Although there was a fortune in metal in the chain, none of the other chained slaves ever wanted to see the chain again.
"I'm going to have a sword made of it," Gregor said. Holding up the chain, he said, "Enough of my blood has run over this metal that I have a claim over it. It shall be a good strong sword and I will use it to kill men who would do to others what they tried to do to me."
Smiling at the use to which Gregor would put his chains, Sid slapped Gregor on the back and said, "Well said. Will you accept a sword to use until that weapon gets forged? You have a friend to rescue."
"Yes, my friend. I will accept a sword from you," Gregor said with a smile.
"Fred, will you arrange for a horse and weapons for Gregor. Let him choose his sword from our stock," Sid said knowing without looking that Fred was standing behind him.
"Yes sir. What of his wounds?"
Looking over at Gregor and seeing his irritation at the possible delay that treating his wounds would mean, Sid said, "I believe that he is anxious to save a friend."
"You know me too well," Gregor said as he hung the chains around his neck. Turning to Fred, he said, "Lead on, my good man.
There is blood to spill and we are wasting time gossiping like women around the town well."
Fred didn't bother to answer. He didn't take orders from Gregor, he served Sid. After receiving a gesture from Sid, he headed off to find Peterson and to relay Sid's orders. Gregor walked beside him.
After a few steps, he asked, "How long have you been a member of Sid's army?"
"I'm not in his army," Fred answered looking over at Gregor.
Seeing the puzzled expression, he said, "I swore an oath of service to him."
"Ah, you are both lucky men," Gregor said with a knowing nod.
"Both?" Fred asked in surprise. No one had said that to him before this.
"You couldn't have found a better man to give such an oath. He will care you for you as if you were family. From what I've seen, I think you will serve him well," Gregor said.
"Thank you," Fred said knowing that he had been complimented.
"I'm impressed by this troop. They moved in, took control, and had us organized in short order," Gregor said.
"I'll be sure to let Sid know that you approve of his army," Fred said.
"You mean this troop?" Gregor asked.
"No, this is his army. He's the leader of all the forces between the Black and Green Rivers."
Shaking his head, Gregor laughed aloud. Seeing the puzzled expression on Fred's face, he said, "I met Sid a year ago and he only had a stick for a weapon. A year later, he has an army. He's definitely a most impressive young man."
Three hours after his rescue, Gregor was seated on a horse at the edge of a field. He eyes sought out Derek. Beside him, Sid was talking with the man who would lead the raid on the farm. The discussion was short and to the point. The man rode off once a plan was established. Sid looked over at Gregor and said, "Five minutes."
"It is hard waiting here," Gregor said understanding why he wasn't incorporated into the raiding party. One didn't insert someone into such an operation a few minutes before it began.
"I know."
After five minutes passed, four groups of riders entered the field rushing at a full gallop. Each group was composed of pairs of riders, one following the other. The first rider would knock an overseer down by kicking out as his horse raced past the overseer.
Once down, the second rider would jump from his horse onto the man. Before the overseer had much chance to react, he was tied wrist to wrist to foot with a small length of rope. It reminded Sid of a calf roping contest at a Rodeo.
If the first pair of riders missed the overseer, then another pair of riders would swing by to take down the overseer. It was quick and efficient when the overseer was armed only with a whip. If the overseer had a weapon, then the first pair of riders would veer off while waving a hand in the air. The second pair of riders would use a lance to kill the overseer.
The other riders went on to the farmhouse and other outbuildings, taking out overseers as they encountered them. If there were any doubts about the identity of a person, they would be subdued.
There would be enough time to sort out the good guys from the bad guys once everything was over. The slaves were more than happy to point out the overseers and owners.
Watching the action, Gregor said, "They are fast."
"Yes, we've been doing this for almost six months now," Sid said.
He pointed to one of the men chasing down a fleeing overseer. He said, "The runners like that one don't stand a chance. Occasionally, one of overseers will lie down on the field and then sneak off. That can be a problem for us because they'll alert the other farms."
"How many raids like this do you perform?" Gregor asked watching the men control the situation around the farm.
"One group of fifty men can do three farms a day. We get about seventy five new volunteers a day," Sid said.
"How do you handle that many new men in your army?" Gregor asked.
"We've set up some manufacturing sites behind us. Most of the folks will head there. Some will be trained to manufacture the goods that we need. Others will be trained as guards. A few will be trained to fight," Sid answered.
"What kind of goods?"
"Weapons, clothes, wagons, tents, and food," Sid answered. He looked over at Gregor and said, "When we are done with this war, this whole area will be exporting goods to the rest of Chaos."
"What about the rest of the slaves?"
"We partition the land amongst those who wish to stay. Most of them will provide us with fresh goods from the land," Sid answered. His efforts had turned into a giant machine that was growing larger every day.
"How big is your army?"
"We're at close to nine thousand fighters now," Sid answered.
Seeing the expression of surprise, he added, "The slavers have now brought out close to twenty-five thousand to fight us."
"Three to one? You don't stand a chance."
"Hey, it started out at five to one," Sid said.
"At least you are making progress," Gregor said with a wry grin.
The man in charge of the raid waved his arms. Seeing it, Sid said,
"They are ready for us."
The pair of men rode to the main house where everyone was gathered. Standing in the middle of the freed slaves was Derek. He moved towards Gregor as soon as he saw him and was almost killed for his effort. The men didn't like it when someone started to move towards Sid in an unexpected fashion. Sid shouted, "Hold it.
He's the one we were looking for."
Gregor had already slipped out of his saddle and was moving over to Derek. The two men met halfway and hugged; breaking to clasp shoulders. Choked with emotion, Derek said, "I knew you wouldn't forget me."
"Ah, it looks like you had a rough time," Gregor said. It was obvious to him that the other man had suffered the whip.
Derek looked over at Gregor for a second taking in the relatively good condition of the man and then said, "You were just waiting for your chance to kill them, weren't you?"
"That's right, my friend," Gregor said.
Seated astride his horse, Sid was scanning the rest of the freed slaves. Towards the back of the mass was an attractive young woman. She looked familiar to him, but she wasn't one of the Damsels that he was there to rescue. Climbing off his horse, he made his way to her trying to recall where he could have met her before. He realized that she was one of the Damsels in Chaos, but hadn't been taken as a slave at the time he had left. It didn't matter; she had become a Damsel in Distress and, hence, could be saved according to the rules.
Approaching her, Sid said, "Ma'am, I recognize you as being from Cassandra, but I fear I do not know your name."
The woman looked at Sid with wide eyes when she realized that her rescue had been arranged by a Hero. In a way, she had been of mixed minds concerning being freed. On one hand, she was very happy to be free. On the other, she would have to experience more distress before being rescued. Learning that he was a Hero brought tears to her eyes. Licking her lips, she said, "I'm pleased to meet you."
"I'm Sid Jones."
"Sid Jones? Nephew of Gerald Jones?" she asked getting excited.
She knew of him by reputation and it was a very good reputation.
Checking his package out with a quick glance to his crotch, she felt a wave of excitement. She was very pleased with his overall appearance, but that bulge in his pants held promises that she was sure would be delivered.
"Yes," Sid said noticing where she was looking and feeling a little uncomfortable by the direct attention to his private parts. She was definitely a woman of Cassandra.
"I'm Laura Author of Cassandra," she said feeling a thrill through her whole body. She realized that she had met the man who would father her child. Motherhood was awaiting her. The months of slavery now took a different meaning for her.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Laura Author of Cassandra," Sid said with a smile. Although she was standing there wearing rags, hair hacked off unevenly, and without makeup, it was obvious that she was a very beautiful woman.
"The pleasure is all mine," she said licking her lips.
Without turning around, Sid said, "Fred, could you find a horse for her? She'll be coming with us."
"Yes, sir," Fred said wondering about the woman. He felt that Sid was dishonoring the memory of Sandra.
Without looking at Fred, Sid could almost feel the discomfort that Fred was feeling. He said, "She's a countrywoman of Sandra."
"Ah," Fred said relaxing a little. He looked over the woman for a few seconds and then turned to get a horse for her.
"You have seen Sandra Lawyer?"
"I was too late to save her," Sid said looking down at the ground.
Even after so many months had passed, his failure to rescue her pained him.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," she said.
"I will be taking you back to one of our rear bases where you will be safe. There are still two more Damsels to rescue," Sid said.
The news that they would not be returning to Crossroads immediately was a major disappointment. The idea that she would have to share her Hero bothered her even more. She couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice when she said, "I guess that will have to do."
"This slavery problem has been spreading like wildfire. All of the available Heroes are here to rescue almost a quarter of the Damsels on Chaos," Sid said. Shaking his head, he said, "There are more Damsels In Distress than Heroes."
"Oh my," Laura said in horror. She had not realized the scope of the problem. Concerned that it might mean a suspension of the normal rules, she asked, "You'll still expect your reward from me, won't you?"
"Of course," Sid said amazed once again at the single minded focus of the women from Cassandra.
"Thank Goodness," she said with real relief.
Leading Laura to where Gregor and Derek were talking, Sid said,
"We'll get you some medical care and food. We can't stay too long since we have to move out of here before the slavers arrive to investigate."
"What about these people? You can't just leave them here defenseless," Derek said gesturing to his fellow sufferers of misery. The idea that he would leave them behind without protection left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Don't worry. We will be taking care of the slavers," Sid said with a smile that chilled the other man.
"How?"
"Well, a slaver patrol is about an hour's ride from here. We have about two hundred men between them and us," Sid answered.
Looking over at Gregor, he said, "They won't reach here."
"Why do we need to leave?"
"I want you to see the engagement," Sid answered looking at Gregor. Turning to look at Fred, he was surprised to find the man standing there holding two horses.
Seeing the look of surprise on Sid's face, Fred said, "I took it upon myself to fetch horses for your friends."
"Thank you, Fred," Sid said.