Rud and the Damsel

Chapter 4 - Getting Out of Town

Rud let the mule continue a few hundred yards before reining him into a slow, steady walk. Angry-looking men hurry past the cart and towards the dock but pay Rud and the boy no attention. Rud sees the blood from the men he had just killed on his clothes and thinks he is lucky that no one noticed.

Rud hopes the young girl wrapped in his furs and placed in the back of his cart does not wake up now. Wrapped tightly in the furs, she will be unable to flee, but Rud doubts she will grasp their predicament before continuing her screaming. As soon as they clear the town, Rud flips the reins encouraging his mule to quicken its pace.

Out of the town but not out of danger, Rud decides on a plan. He steered his cart back onto the longer trail. Rud must ensure anyone coming after them thinks they took the longer trail. Hoping he has enough time before the townspeople can organize and ride after him, Rud does what he can to wipe the blood off his clothes, then stops at a trader's hut near the entrance to the longer trail.

The open-air trading hut is where many of the town's shopkeepers went to buy or trade for the local farmer's products. Rud usually stopped here on his way out of town to get fresh fruit and vegetables, which were more expensive in town. He always buys fresh tomatoes too, which are his favorite treat.

The young boy sat conspicuously on the driver's bench as Rud bought the additional supplies he would need to feed the mouths now in his cart. A few people notice the boy and ask, but Rud ignores them. One commented on the blood on his clothes, and Rud mumbled angrily that is what happens when you are skinning game.

If they were asked later what they had seen, many patrons and vendors would remember the woodsman stopping here and the boy. They might recall seeing the woodsman before, but Rud doubts more information could be provided. That should be enough to establish this as his route.

Moving again, Rud looked for a side trail he recalled from his youth connecting the longer path he was on to the shorter route home. Although he hated taking the shorter route, they stood a much better chance of getting to his home, where they would all be safe. Plus, with more traffic on the shorter route, he hoped to blend in as just another traveler. Besides, no one would recognize the woodsman as the young boy who lived in the area until seven years ago.

After turning onto the side trail, Rud stopped and used some brush to cover the cart's tracks. Rud swapped coats with the boy, so the boy was wearing the old coat. Then he set the boy out of sight on the cart floor next to the young girl.

Fifteen minutes later, when they turned onto the shorter route, he hoped they no longer matched the description of the man and young boy who had escaped the town. It was the best he could do. Rud kept his hat pulled low to hide his face and, uncharacteristically for him, nodded to the passing carts and wagons heading towards town. The more he blended in, the better.

Traffic was noticeably lighter as the skies began to darken. Few traveled these roads after dark as it was hazardous for the mule, and bandits made it dangerous for the people. But there was no choice. The greater the distance between Rud, the town, and anyone coming after him, the better.

As they always stopped when the skies began to darken, the mule swung its head back towards Rud as if to remind him of their routine. A flip of the reins, though, and the mule kept up its steady rhythm of hoofbeats. Rud did stop and added a branch to the harness to hold a lantern. The lantern was bright enough for the mule to see his footing yet not bright enough to attract too much attention.

At one point, the fur-wrapped bundle in the back of the cart rolled a bit more than seemed appropriate for the rough ride, but with no further indication the girl was awake, Rud dismissed it.

* * * *

Patience had regained consciousness and, not knowing where she was or why she was wrapped up like this, stayed very still. Patience slowly moved her hands up and down her body. She could find no way out of her predicament, but she was still dressed and, from what she could tell, unharmed except for a sore jaw.

As Patience listened, she heard a man talk encouragingly to the mule pulling the cart. The man's voice was soft, and his tone was comforting. Patience was still scared but not sensing any immediate danger, relaxed as she listened to what was happening around her. 

She nearly gasped when she heard her brother sigh. She was sure it was William as she had complained many times about how noisy he was when he slept. She was alive, and so was William. For now, she would stay where she was until circumstances changed and she could get free. Patience would not let fear stop her this time. This time she would fight as fiercely as her mother.

After what seemed like hours, the rush of adrenaline had passed, and emotionally spent from the struggle Patience fell asleep.