Chapter 12 In The Wolves Den

I stood there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. We had just found a town hidden below the bone sanctuary, and now the quiet guy was lying on the ground.

His body trembled violently and bubbles foamed from the corner of his mouth.

For a second, I simply stared then I rushed forward. I dropped to my knees and pulled him closer. His body felt cold despite the sweat covering his skin. His breathing was really weak. I thought he wasn't even breathing at first.

He didn't say a word, he just kept shaking.

I knew something was wrong with him and I had to do help. He saved me.

I should do the same.

At least once.

I wrapped an arm around him and tried lifting him onto my back. The moment I did, my knees almost gave out.

He was heavy, far heavier than he looked.

"Hold on," I said.

My voice sounded strained. I adjusted his weight and began running toward the town.

The closer I got, the stranger the place felt.

There were no voices, no children or merchant, the entire town sat in silence.

It felt more like a graveyard than a place where people lived.

"Hello, somebody help me!" My voice echoed through the empty street.

A few moments later, I heard the slow tap of wood against a stone.

I turned and an old woman stood there.

She looked frail and nervous. Deep wrinkles covered her face, and she leaned heavily on a worn wooden stick and puffed a cigarette.

At that old age? She smokes so well.

Her eyes moved between me and the unconscious boy at my back.

"You shouldn't be here at this time," the old woman said, dropping the cigar on the floor and stepped on it.

"Please, I need your help. His foaming," I replied.

The woman immediately shook her head.

"I cannot help you."

She turned to leave and I began to panic. If she leaves, who would help him?

"Please, I'll pay you. Just help him."

The old woman stopped. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder.

"How much you got?"

I quickly reached into my uniform and pulled out some coins. The moment she saw it, her eyes widened.

She snatched it from my hand, stared at it carefully, then bit into it with her teeth.

Apparently satisfied, she nodded.

"Follow me."

I adjusted the quiet guy properly on my back and followed her. The woman led me through several narrow alleys.

The deeper we went, the more abandoned the town seemed. Eventually, we arrived at a small hut built far away from the other houses.

The structure looked as if it could collapse at any moment. Its walls were made from uneven pieces of wood and mud. Parts of the roof sagged inward. Torn cloth covered holes where windows should have been.

The normal me would have felt irritated, I was never brought up with that type of lifestyle but right now I didn't care.

If they could save him, I would walk into anything. The moment I stepped closer, a terrible smell hit me and I nearly gagged.

The smell of rotting food, animal waste and bad water. The stench mixed together into something unbearable.

Flies buzzed everywhere.

Honestly, there were hundreds of them.

I turned to my left and saw a little girl holding a worn doll missing one eye. She stared at us silently.

"Place him on the table, I'll inform my husband," the old woman said.

She immediately began throwing plates, bowls, and random items off the table.

The objects crashed onto the floor. I carefully lowered the quiet guy onto the table.

The second his weight left my back, something cracked.

My bones.

I was relieved. He sure was heavy as hell.

A few moments later, an old man entered the hut.

His face immediately darkened when he saw me.

"Why would you bring in strangers into the hut? You know how dangerous it is," the old man was furious.

"He said his friend is foaming, can you take a look? He is really loaded."

She whispered the last part, but not quietly enough.

The old man walked toward us. His eyes examined the quiet boy then he sighed.

"I can't treat him, I am sorry. I already quit being a doctor."

I immediately reached into my uniform again.

Without hesitation, I placed another coin on the table.

The old man's eyes dropped to it.

"Have a look at him," I said.

For a second, he hesitated then he grabbed the money. His fingers moved to the quiet boy's neck. He checked his pulse, opened one eyelid and looked at his breathing.

His expression changed.

"He is poisoned."

My stomach tightened. "Poisoned, how did he get poisoned?"

The old man looked at me.

"Is there a way you could help him."

"I need to know the source of the poison before deciding on the treatment. What did he eat last?"

I stared at him. That was a difficult question.

How was I supposed to know? We weren't friends. I barely knew anything about him.

Why would I care what he ate?

The old man continued his examination then his fingers stopped.

"There."He pointed toward the quiet boy's back. "Help me take off his shirt."

I moved quickly and together, we pulled the shirt off. The moment the cloth came away, something caught my attention.

A tattoo.

My eyes widened, it was the same Titanoboa symbol I had seen at the fortress.

The old man noticed it too and his face turned pale.

"What are you people?" he muttered.

Fear flashed through his eyes.

"We are good people? We mean no harm, I just want you to check on him," I said.

"Are you assassins?" His voice shook.

The question irritated me. The quiet guy was dying and this man wanted to ask questions.

"Just fucking save him!" I screamed at him.

The little girl jumped and the old woman flinched.

"Okay, okay." The old man raised both hands.

He returned his attention to the wound.

Carefully, he examined the cut and nodded.

"The poison is from a cut, did you get into a fight?"

"No, we were at the bone sanctuary."

The old man's eyes widened instantly.

"You shouldn't be there, those bones are poisonous."

So that was it. That was where the poison came from.

"Can you do something about him, maybe suck it out?" I asked, I was clueless.

The old man stared at me. "Suck it out, is not a snake venom that I can just suck out and who sucks out poison."

I rolled my eyes.This man talked too much.

Could he just help him already?

"I can help stabilize him but I can't destroy the poison in his system. I'm just someone who treats chicken and horses."

I swallowed hard. That was insane.

Chicken and horses. What if he killed him but right now I am out of options and anything could happen.

"You'll need medicine."

"Where can I get them?"

"Elena, get your ass up here and take him to the pharmacist."

A young girl stepped out from another room.

She looked around my age, her clothes were old and patched. Her skin was covered in blisters and scars.

I stared for a moment, as my eyes lingered on her skin, she noticed and immediately looked away.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

I quickly followed her outside. As we walked, I couldn't stop wondering why I was doing this.

The quiet guy mattered little to me. The only reason I was helping him was because he had saved my life.

That was all.

Nothing more.

Once this was over, our paths would separate forever.

Outside stood a horse attached to a cart. The smell hit me before I got close.

These people were surely going to win an award for the best smelling humans.

The cart was filled with horse manure not just little bit piles of it and flies swarmed everywhere.

"We make use of the cart," she said.

"Can't we just walk?" I covered my nose.

"The pharmacist's house is like 3 hours far from here on foot but with a horse it saves more time. I am sure you are in a hurry or your friend will die."

I clenched my jaw. How could the son of a Baron end up riding something like this?

"Are you coming or not?"

I hesitated. The smell was horrible. The cart was disgusting but the quiet guy was running out of time.

Finally, I climbed aboard, making sure not to touch any of the manure. The girl clicked her tongue and the horse began moving.

Soon, we broke into a gallop. The cart bounced violently. I grabbed the side and there was another one then another.

Suddenly I lost my balance. My body flew sideways. A second later, I landed directly in the pile of manure.

I froze.

The smell surrounded me instantly and I nearly threw up. At that moment, I hated everything.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I stared at her.You've got to be kidding me.

"Can you please go slow."

"Your friend could die if we don't hurry."

I couldn't even argue. The horse continued forward. Eventually, we reached the market square, the place was really lively.

The horse suddenly stopped. Ahead of us came shouting, crying and screaming.

A crowd had gathered.

"Why are we stopping?" I asked, wiping manure from my clothes with a napkin.

"It's the Baron's men they are taking taxes."

Her voice was full of anger.

"Taxes?"

I frowned. This town was barely surviving. Even Goshen never forced taxes like this.

This delay could cost the quiet guy his life.

"Is there another way?" I asked.

"I'm afraid this is the only way to the pharmacist."

The shouting grew louder, I heard a soldier scream.

"Your tax?"

An old woman stepped forward tears streamed down her face.

"I am so sorry please. I plead, I have not sold anything yet. I can't pay tax it is very difficult for us here."

Before she could finish, 

SMACK!

The soldier struck her so hard that the sound echoed through the square. She crashed into a basket of fruit and people rushed toward her.

The soldiers immediately pointed their weapons. Everyone backed away.

The soldier nodded. His men began destroying her stall.

"This will serve as a lesson to everyone who think they can rob the Baron of his right?"

My hands slowly clenched.

"His right?"

What kind of nonsense was that?

Meanwhile, time continued slipping away.

The quiet guy could be dying.

"How many hours will it take to reach the pharmacist?"

"An hour with the cart and two on foot," she said.

I looked at the crowd then at the blocked road. The delay was unbearable. Finally, people began handing over their taxes.

One by one, the soldiers moved aside and the road slowly cleared.nThe girl guided the horse forward. As we passed the soldiers, something caught my eye.

Their symbol. The crest engraved onto their uniforms.

My heart skipped a beat. I had seen it before.

I stared harder then suddenly, the memory returned.

Goshen.

The burning streets, the screams of my people, their blood. That night that Goshen became a Ghost Town.

Baron Chen and his men.

The soldiers who stood beside him that night had the same crest and symbol in the uniform, exactly the same as the soldiers standing in the market square right now.

Was it what am thinking?

No, it can't be or could this be Baron Chen's Barony and these are his men?

My hands began shaking, Images flooded my mind. Everything I had lost and all that he had taken.

The hatred I had buried deep inside rose to the surface like a beast waking from sleep.

"Who is the Baron here?" I asked already fuming in anger. My voice came out colder than I intended.

"I'm not so familiar with politics but mother always say Chen or something."

The moment she said the name, the world seemed to stop.

Chen?

Baron Chen.

It really was him. For days, revenge had been the only thing pushing me forward.

Every day and night.

I had dreamed about this moment. The man who destroyed everything. The man responsible for my suffering and I wanted dead. 

I could never forget the look on his face as everything I loved disappeared that night and now fate had delivered me directly into his territory. I was finally inside the Wolves den.

A slow smile formed on my face. Not from happiness but pure hatred.

The heavens had finally given me a chance.

I didn't care about anything else. Not the town, the people or even the quiet guy. All I wanted was revenge.

To kill Chen and make him pay for everything. I turned toward the girl.

"I want you to please find the pharmacist and give the antidote to your father."

I handed her several coins without even counting.

Her eyes widened and she quickly accepted them.

Then I climbed down from the cart.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

I looked toward the distant buildings ahead.Toward the soldiers, their horses and automobile.

"You don't have to know," I replied.

"Are you just going to leave your friend alone?" She grabbed my arm. "Where are you going?"

"To make him pay."