Sabbanath - Book 1 of The Elements of Destiny

Chapter 6

That whole day they followed a more or less straight line out into the prairie. Little by little the sight of Sabannath dwindled until after descending into a creek it was lost from sight. Thomas settled into the ride as best he could. He loved this part of travelling, on the way to somewhere, wherever that was didn't matter. He loved the outdoors and the peace of travelling. It was pleasant to see the open grasslands stretch as far as the eye could see. It seemed that the mountains they had seen on arriving in Sabannath stretched only along the coast. No one spoke much on the trek, only to relate orders or the scouts coming back to give updates on what they had seen. This close to the town there were a good number of homesteads and they passed close enough to a few that they saw their dwelling houses. They ranged in size from modest cabins to impressive two-storey structures and the number of people living there also varied. Some with just a man and a woman and perhaps a babe, others with what looked like the whole extended family. The land was flat, and as the captain promised there was a good enough breeze to alleviate the heat, nevertheless Thomas still had his neck scarf loosened and there was no risk of his hat being blown away. When the settlers saw them approaching they would more often than not walk or ride out to greet them. Part of that was old fashioned manners but most of it was curiosity and a hunger to have news from the outside world. Thomas had to laugh when Val had said he could believe how claustrophobic these open spaces might make one feel. When the settlers learned of their mission to try to once again find the source of the crimes being perpetuated further out on the plain, they wished them Godspeed and sent them off with a full belly of cool water and some freshly baked bread. Thomas spoke to the Captain about the bread they had received and the green stalks that he could see standing about knee high in some of the surrounding fields. It seemed that the farmers were not just using the land for grazing. The Captain told him that wheat growing was something that the farmers had been trying recently and the fruits of that were just being seen. Everyone was excited for it to succeed as it would add a welcome diversity to their livelihood. He explained that the Governor had put in requests for ploughs to be sent out from Kiryn which would significantly increase the amount of land they could till. The response from Kiryn had been predictably very favourable and delivery was expected anytime soon.

The day was relatively uneventful but Thomas was still relieved when the Captain called a halt to their march and declared they would be making camp. It was clear that this was a spot that had often been used as a campsite by the army on previous trips. There was a supply of firewood and semi-permanent campfires, some even with spits set up across them. The Captain confirmed this to Thomas and said there was a stream nearby which was big enough to bathe in if he felt so inclined. Thomas did feel like it. He knew whatever discomfort he had now would be worse on the morrow and whatever could help to loosen up some of those afflicted muscles was worth taking. He passed on to Val what the Captain had told him and before long the two of them were settled in a medium sized pool on one of the bends of the "stream" which Thomas might have been more inclined to call a small river. There was enough of a current to act as a mild massage and as it was a beautiful summer's evening, all in all, Thomas was quite happy with his surroundings. He looked at Val and knew that his sufferings must be worse than his own. It wasn't so long ago that Thomas had trekked on horseback, definitely more recently than Val, so he guessed he was feeling some discomfort. The grunts he made with each movement suggested so anyway. However Val was feeling, it was clear he didn't want to dwell on it. There were no other soldiers bathing at this time but once the camp was set up, cooking had begun and the horses taken care of more and more began to come down for a dip in the water. The meal that evening was roast pork and a very pleasant vegetable soup. Both Thomas and Val offered to help with the watch but the Captain assured them that at this point of the journey his men could take care of it but suggested he would be making use of their services later on. With a full stomach of hot food and a day spent in the saddle it wasn't long before both gentlemen were fast asleep in their bed rolls.