Don't Forget

#24 Back to the Docks

      Max is confused when Sky drags him away from the others. Sub is injured, a squid Captain is captured, and Sky suddenly has something to say?
     "What's going on? No offense, but I'd rather not be alone with you", Max rubs the back of his neck. The assassin finally turns to talk to him after moving away from the others.
     "I was sent on my first solo assassination three years ago", Sky starts talking, "The mission almost failed when a slave servant saw me kill the head of the household".
      "What's your first mission have to do with anything? That was years ago, like you said. I'm sure worse things have happened", the soldier doesn't understand what Sky's trying to say.
     "In exchange for his silence, I helped free him and one other person escape from the prison cells. The serving boy told me that his names was Ross", Sky says this next part without much emotion. He has a tight grip on his mask.
     Max doesn't react at first. He stands still with a blank expression. There's no way. But it can't be just a coincidence. No, this entire situation couldn't of been completely randomized to this day. Somebody is pulling all the right strings to make this happen this way. Sky doesn't have to say anything else. Max believes him.
     "Where is he!? Do you have any idea where my brother is?", Max grabs the assassin by the arm, his grip probably hurting Sky.
     "Ross said that he was going to look for you, starting with the island. The other guy chose to go with him",  Sky jerks his arm away. He would have killed someone for that a month ago. Ty is rubbing off on him more then anyone realizes.
     The soldier immediately runs for a horse. Everything else pales in comparison with his brother. The squid Captain could suddenly sprout wings and fly away, but he wouldn't care at all.
      Max hates his home town. The island always stank, and the area was surprisingly poor with only a few rich nobles. Still, he always new exactly which direction home was in. It's like an invisible thread connecting him back to the docks.
     Traveling there in one day is impossible from the camp. If Max takes the most direct route on the roads, he'll have to stop at least once. Riding out of the gate, he fumbles with his army jacket before chucking it into the trees. No point in wearing it.
Max takes his horse in a winding path through the trees. Some places are impossible for the horse to go though. The nearest road in this direction is a mile away. It'll be slow going until then.
The first three hours of the trip were entirely uneventful. Even on the road, he didn't encounter anyone for miles. The first sound of a voice immediately set him on edge.
Turning around a bend in the road, Max slows his horse when he sees a wagon. It's pulled over to the side with two horses still tethered to the cart. A man wearing black with a pair of goggles on his head looks up when Max comes closer.
"Hey! You don't suppose that you could lend me a hand, do ya?", the man walks in front of Max's horse. The soldier is eager to keep going. It's important to him that he gets to Ross as fast as possible, but his brother wouldn't want him to just ride by.
"Yeah, what can I do to help?", he sighs, dismounting.
     "The wheel on the wagon broke, but I'm sure that I can fix it", the man seems to go straight to experiment mode, "The wheel needs to come off first".
     Max nods, following the man over to the wagon. He keeps rattling on about the different ways that the wheels are made or the structures of the spokes, but Max tunes it out after a while.
     A small dog suddenly comes flying out of the wagon and nearly nocks the stranger down. He laughs and sets it back down on the ground.
      "So what's a guy like you doing wandering around with just a dog as backup?", Max asks out of curiosity.
     "Oh, you know. Just delivering a few supplies to some friends", the man's tone changes, "But the dog's name is Grim. Little buddy's been pretty energetic today".
       Delivering supplies? The man is traveling back they way Max came. Is there any chance that he might be bringing supplies sent by Barney? Good thing he stopped.
     "Anyway, my name is Dan. I'll only need your help for a few minutes", Dan moves the topic back to the wagon. He's eager to get it fixed.
     "Max. So what do you want me to do? Lift up the wagon?", Max asks, trying to joke with him.
      "Yes", Dan deadpans, "But just long enough for me to pull the wheel off". Max mentally kicks himself and his physic tongue.
Dan pulls together a small pile of tools and wooden spokes, and Max takes up a position on the side of the wheel. He hesitantly places his hands underneath the cart.
After a slow count, Max heaves the cart up with all his strength. The entire wooden frame groans as it rises up an inch. Dan loosens a few pieces before yanking the wheel off. The cart sinks down an extra few inches when the soldier lowers it to the ground.
       The cart rests on three wheels as Dan fiddles with the spokes. He takes one out and replaces it with an ease that surprises Max. This guy should be doing anything besides a supply boy.
      The cart is pulled up and the wheel slipped back on. The soldier's arms are aching a bit from the strain. His  Kyladian blood helps to ease the sting.
     "Thanks for your help, Max. I probably would have been waiting until tomorrow morning for help", Dan shoves his tools into the cart. Grim walks around his feet with its tail wagging.
     "No problem. I do really need to be on my way now.....", Max trails off. He pulls himself back into the saddle. Dan nods and goes back to his cart.
      Well, it was only a five minute delay. It was kinda nice to meet a friendly face on the road. It'll just be another fun story to tell Ross. Tomorrow, he might get to see him again.
Max rides into town just as the sun touches the horizon. With a few kind words and some money, he stables his horse and rents a room out at an inn. He doesn't bother to write anything down this time. His mind his too preoccupied.
The soldier is awake at dawn and riding for the coast. Breakfast consists of some bread that he had swiped from the inn's kitchen. At least he left a few coins in its place on the shelf. Not that stealing bread would be the worst thing he's ever done.
      The day passes slowly with each mile. Max passes someone else on the roads at least every two hours, but none are as needy as Dan was. It makes him a little nervous which each meeting. How many people would turn him in if he were wearing his army jacket? How many would offer safety?
Sunset is once again approaching when Max gets a whiff of fish on the salty breeze. It's disgusting, but familiar. He hated growing up on the island. Coming home still feels so comforting.
      For more money yet, Max stables his horse at a small outpost before the island's bridge. He's not too sure if the stable hand recognized him or not. He used to have quite the gruff reputation. Training to be a soldier had beat most of it out of him.
     A few people definitely recognize him when they turn and stare. He'll have to leave with Ross before any squid soldiers notice. These docks are Max's home territory. He used to know every loose plank in this town. His steps pull him home.
     The house still looks the same, if not a little older. There's only two bedrooms and a living room to offer. The window on the right looks directly into Max and Ross's old bedroom.
     He hesitates right in front of the door. What will his mother think of him now? What will Ross think? Max doesn't really care what his step dad thinks. But he's never come back here in all the time since the castle fell. They all probably think that he's dead. Max is still frozen in thought when the door opens. He looks up in time to meet a pair of light blue eyes.
His mother is small and petite, looking young enough to be Max's older sister. Her vibrant red hair is just a tad lighter then his. Tesse stares at her son for a long moment, hardly believing her eyes.
"Hi Mom. I'm home", Max mumbles. His mom covers her mouth with a hand. Tesse starts to cry, and Max awkwardly brings her into a hug. She clings to her eldest son with nine year's worth of hope.
     "W-Where have you been?", she hiccups, finally pulling away to better see her son's face.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm really sorry. I didn't want to put you in danger", Max apologizes. It's getting hard for him to keep the mist out of his eyes. Tesse looks around quickly before pulling Max inside. She knows that her son must be still fighting against the squids.
"So, where's...... Dad", Max tries the word out on his tongue. It still feels awkward and sour to call Ross's dad his father.
"He's still at work, but thanks for the effort", his mother manages to crack a smile. Max chuckles at being caught in his awkwardness. Tesse takes another moment to just look at her son before speaking again. "I'm so happy that you're alright. With all this time, I was afraid that something terrible had happened to you. Ross was always sure that you were still out there".
Max's heart thuds even louder in his ears. He never came to see his mother because he didn't want her to be in danger, but the news that Ross could be here as well was too much. The house door opens again before he can speak.
"I'm back Mom! It doesn't look like anyone in the town to the east wants to talk about where...... the camp.......".
Max turns around with his breath caught in his throat.