Nothing At All

5.2

The door spit me out into a stable. It had enough stalls for an entire cavalry, but only three were occupied. The stable's tenants were three brown mares, who watched me with distrustful scrutiny. To the left of the stalls was a rickety wagon with missing boards and a crooked wheel.

Its lack of stability wasn't enough to keep me from crawling into the back. A stack of burlap sacks provided the perfect cover and I slithered underneath them.

The horses snorted and neighed as I did this. Their trepidation was understandable, as they had never seen me before, but I still didn't feel like dealing with it.

Poking my head up, I hissed. "Shut up! I'm not going to hurt you. Get over yourself."

The one closest to me glared back. With a rude snort, she flicked her head and continued eating hay.

I sighed and buried myself back down. I didn't care if Andrei could see, but the last thing I wanted was for some hick villager to spot me and flip their shit. Mircalla would not be happy about that.

Andrei, true to his word, came out a few minutes later. I listened as he let one of the horses out of the stall and hitched it to the wagon. The rotten wood creaked as he stepped up to the seat. With the slapping of reins, we were off.

I stayed under the sacks for a few minutes before my curiosity got the best of me and I poked my head out. It was just in time for me to watch as we passed under a massive arch. It must have been the castle entrance, for as soon as we were through it, brick walls were replaced by looming oaks. Bright sunshine filled the open space and cast shadows of leaves everywhere else. Thick grass lined the road, and I had the pleasure of seeing a fat rabbit right off the bat. If it weren't for the pothole-filled road, I would have enjoyed the trip.

We wound down the mountain and took several sharp turns. The sun beat down on our backs. By the time the village came into view, I was taking a sauna in my own sweat. My jeans had more holes in them than Caesar, but that didn't stop the denim from holding in all my body heat.

Though I remained covered by my sacks, I listened to the noises of the surprisingly busy town. Back home, I had a habit of listening to ASMR nature videos to fall asleep; this place sounded exactly like one of those. I heard voices, but they were muffled and indistinguishable. Others wagons rolled past us, creaking and bumping in unison. Dogs barked in the distance, songbirds screamed at the top of their lungs, and chickens clucked like the stupid bastards they were.

If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine I was home again. My beloved mattress was as stiff as the boards beneath me, and the hot Florida nights weren't much different from the current temperature. For a split second, Alex was in the bed above me snoring and Mom was in the kitchen grading papers.

It was a pleasant delusion, but still a delusion none the less. I was jerked back into reality when the wagon came to an abrupt halt and I slid forward. My head knocked against the front.

"Time to go buy some hay," Andrei mumbled under his breath as he descended the wagon steps. Honestly, I had no clue whether he was secretly talking to me or actually talking to himself. Either way, it meant that I was going to be in the cart by myself.

I stayed hidden for as long as I could. Eventually, I ran out of air and had to stick my head out. Inhaling deep breaths of fresh air, I peeped over the side of the wagon.

Back at the beginning of our vacation. Mom had dragged Alex and I along to a shit ton of museums. They were a little boring, but the displays were sometimes interesting. One of the museums had made a miniature model of an authentic village from the 1500's-ish. If I could, I would have gone back and given those designers a pat on the back. This place looked exactly like that model.

Everything about it screamed "medieval European village". Tiny huts with white walls and thatched roofs dotted the thoroughfare. Some of the building—I assume houses—had four walls. Others were open in the front and full of people milling around. Numerous people had animals with them, from horses to caged rabbits. Dirty kids in ratty clothes played in the alleyways. Some were attempting a primitive game of baseball, while others were content with running in circles and screaming.

I didn't watch long, but what I saw was enough to satisfy me. My curiosity abated, I settled back down and made sure my head was covered. Now all I had to do was wait for Andrei.

He came back not much later and started loading bales of hay into the back. I winced every time I felt one land next to me, but he was careful enough not to hit me. In the end, the bales formed a wall around me, blocking me from sight on three sides. I was able to stretch out my legs without fear of being spotted.

As Andrei was climbing the steps, I heard yelling from the street. I instantly popped my head over the side. Following everyone else's line of sight, my eyes landed on a man and a woman standing on the side of the road.

He was a beefy giant who must have weighed three-hundred pounds. She couldn't have been more than half his height and a third of his weight and also heavily pregnant. All of the yelling was coming from him as he towered over her. She was on her knees over a broken vase on the ground, with her head hung and shoulders slumped. I watched in horror as he kicked her legs and then yanked her hair.

No one was doing anything to stop the abuse. I wanted to jump out, to run up and beat the shit out of the guy, but fear held me back. Me doing that would cause more problems than benefits and I would most likely get my ass kicked.

I, like everyone else, was so enthralled by the yelling that I didn't notice Andrei until he was a few feet away from the altercation. He strode up to the couple with a confident gait and positioned himself squarely in the middle. His balding head barely came up to the man's neck, but that didn't stop him from standing his ground.

I couldn't hear what Andrei said, but the guy quickly stopped trying to kick the woman and stepped back. Andrei helped her to her feet and brushed the dirt of her shoulders. With a sympathetic look, he walked back to the car.

The man didn't hit her again. Instead, he snatched her by the wrist and yanked her into an alleyway. I realized with horror that he was probably her husband and that her pain was nowhere near over.

I continued to stare at the spot where they had been, even after the wagon started up again. The broken pot was still there, sitting dejected in the dirt. It wasn't even that big or expensive-looking.

My excitement withered away quickly after that. Instead of looking out the cart, I huddled under my sacks and curled myself into a ball. I was reminded of the fact that I was way out of my comfort zones. Things were getting crazier and crazier, and there was nothing I could do about it. The panic started up again in the pit of my stomach.

The sight of the castle brought me some comfort. I was safer here than anywhere else in this crazy world. With a few deep breaths, I was able to calm my racing heart and focus on the creaking of the wagon wheels.

I couldn't wait to get my feet back on solid ground. Before Andrei had even fully stopped the wagon, I threw off my cover and leapt out.

Andrei feigned surprise, placing a hand over his heart and giving me a comically shocked expression. "Child, were you in there the whole time?"

"No." I stretched out my sore arms and let out a chuckle.

He wagged a finger at me. "How do you think Mircalla would feel if she knew you had snuck out?"

"If you must know, she is not very happy at all," said a familiar voice in the shadows.