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Chapter 5: Medicine or Magic?

The rest of the day passed without incident for Sir Fardo and his men. After crossing the Riffey River and passing the junctions of the Landway-Nylos road, they arrived back at the Tondal castle in the late afternoon. After everyone (human and equine) had eaten and been settled into their quarters for the night, Fardo decided to call on Lord Thonmar. He was in for a surprise after he had been ushered inside by a paige (a female page) and been greeted by the lord of the castle, and the squire who accompanied him.

"Greetings, sire" he said. "Atglen, at yours."

"A pleasure it is to meet you" the knight-justice said before adding "You look as though you would like to be of service to me."

"He just might get the opportunity" Lord Thonmar now said.

"How?" Fardo asked, he sensed a touch of concern in the lord's voice.

"As you may be aware, Hanah, the knight-justice for this area, has been occupied up north of Landway helping train the local militia and keeping an extra eye on the Delmirs."

Fardo nodded his head in silent acknowledgement. A woman serving as a Knight-Justice was rare but not unheard of, Cardi had neither laws nor social strictures against it; women simply were far more likely to follow the path of motherhood instead.

"So I have heard. Does she expect to be there for a while yet?"

"It is still difficult to say. She has been keeping me informed. There have been no more raids since you were last here, but there is still more activity than usual in their border areas."

"Any idea why?" Fardo now asked.

"We have not been able to devine a reason as yet" Thonmar said. "We do think they will go into winter quarters soon, and Hanah wants to help persuade them to do so sooner rather than later."

"How?"

"She is planning to lead her company of horse, the regiment of foot from Landway, and some of the local militia to the Delmir border area."

"Is this meant to be an invasion?"

"Not really, the main purpose is to show the King's Banner, to make the Delmir aware we mean business. If they do offer resistance Hanah and I are in agreement we will not press them, having them know we are much the stronger force will suffice, at least for now."

After nodding his head in agreement Fardo asked "Do you wish for me and my men to assist her?"

"No, she does not require additional help up her way. What I would much appreciate, if you are willing and able, is your help down here." A lord asking for help from a knight who was merely passing through to or from their own assigned areas was not unheard of, but nonetheless rare. Men, and women, who aspired to such rank had to not only master such arts as law, diplomacy, and making war, but also learn about the peoples of the areas of the areas they were appointed by the sovereign to serve. Indeed, it was a requirement for new appointees to ride at least one full mission with their predecessors to 'learn the territory' before officially assuming their new post.

"What do you have in mind, my lord?" Fardo asked his host.

Lord Thonmar did not immediately answer his question, instead asking in turn "Are you intending to return to Tulla via Hanatoby, or Bonoton?"

"We will return via Bonoton" Fardo replied. His wife Lady Celina was staying there with her family during his current absence, and no doubt was as eager to see her husband again as he was to see her. He also wondered how much his wife had changed since he had last seen her; presumably her belly would be bulging noticibly by now, thanks to their child growing within. Unless ordered by the king to take a particular route, it was a knight's perogative to decide what roads they would travel between the capital and their assigned jurisdictions.

"Thank you, sire" the lord now said. I would like for you to visit the villages along that road, to the county line...Hanah does not know when she will be able to return and I do not want to keep the people there waiting, they actually welcome our official visitors."

"They sound exceptionally loyal to the crown" Fardo observed.

"Indeed they are" Thonmar said. "The Delmir have avoided that area for years."

There were three villages in question, Lonso, Wanawil, and Condar. None lay directly on the Tondal-Bonoton road, all were built upon low hills and were joined by side roads to the main road, which ran parallel to the Riffey River in that area before continuing east where the river turned north into the Chemuns. Fardo had occasionally travelled this way but had never before stopped in any of the villages, there had been no reason for him to do so, until now.

"My personal squire, Atglen, will accompany you and tell you what you need to know. He, and you, will bear official letters from me so they will know you are fully authorized to act in Hanah's stead."

"I am thankful, my lord. The people there will not be accostumed to me, having him (a brief glance toward Atglen) will most definitely help matters."

"And I presume you will experience no difficulties when you do get there" Thonmar answered.

"Do you wish to start telling me about the villages we will be visiting?" Fardo asked Atglen a couple questions later.

"No, not tonight" Thonmar cut in. "You have had a long enough day already, it is time for you to rejoin your men and get your sleep..."

"I have to agree, my lord" Fardo now said as he suppressed a sudden yawn "and it has been a long journey too."

It was only when he had changed into his nightclothes and crawled into his bunk that Fardo realized just how tired he was. He didn't even remember his head hitting the pillow.

Sir Fardo's intention to sortie again the next morning with his men and Atglen was not to play out as they had hoped. When the knight-justice crawled out of his bunk to check on his men he found two of them, Chath and Dison, retching into buckets beside their beds. Fardo guessed food poisoning was the most likely cause and thought that it was mere coincidence that they had been the men standing guard when the mysterious screaming had been heard two nights prior. Most of the men were first inclined to agree with him, but when a third man who had not stood guard duty that night began heaving into another bucket, murmmers of sorcery began circulating through the room. Fardo was inclined to discount the likelyhood but did not try very hard to disuade the doubters of their beliefs. None of his men had anywhere near as much education as he had, and old superstitions still died hard in Cardi. Even as he sent one of his men to summon the local doctor, he also nodded his head in aknowledgement when the captain of the castle guard told him he was calling on the court wizard to investigate the illnesses and cure the stricken men. Fardo was a believer in the healing power of medicine, but he also appreciated the renowned ability of some wizards to soothe jittery nerves and otherwise effect their own 'cures.' The local wizard was especially well regarded at his craft and Fardo decided he would not stand in his way.

Fardo was curious if the third ailing horseman, whose name was Avo, had heard anything odd two nights before. In between a couple bouts of gagging Avo told him he was returning from 'using the facilities' when he was suddenly jolted by a high pitched screaming not quite like anything he had ever heard before. It was so close he first thought he had stepped on someone sleeping on the ground in the open, but a moment later he heard something running through some brush. He turned to look in the direction the noise was coming from and got a momentary glimpse of what he thought was a woman before she vanished into the darkness.

'Strange' Avo thought 'Why would she be out here in the middle of the night like this?' Just before he could overcome his initial surprise and work up the courage to call out to her, there was another scream, more distant this time, and seemingly less human-like to his ears. Now the horseman began to wonder if he was actually only imagining things.

"Why didn't you tell us yesterday morning?" Fardo asked, his tone was intentionally one of curiousity rather than directly asking a question; the man had been a reluctant last-minute transfer from his regular unit after one of Fardo's horsemen had been injured in a training accident and had had some difficulty getting acustomed to Fardo and his way of doing things. The knight did not want to sour him any further, so when he detached Lieutenant Belpre and his squad to ride through the Tiga Hills, Avo was included in his group. When they rejoined their colleagues in Galera Fardo was pleased to observe Avo was now in much better spirits, and consequently further impressed with Belpre's own emerging qualities as a leader.

"When I woke up yesterday morning, sire, I was not sure if it really had happened or if I had only been dreaming."

Fardo could not help but smile at Avo's answer. "That is alright, there have been times when I would wake up in the morning and wonder if I had been dreaming or if something really had happened...I presume Chath and Dison did not tell you what they heaard that night?"

"No, sire, they did not" Avo now said.

"They were on guard duty and apparently heard the same screaming you did. They never saw who did it, but I told them to have me awakened immediately if they do hear it again. You did not get a good look at this woman, did you?"

"Unfortunately not, sire."

"That is alright, we often get our information in little bits and pieces. Just remember, what you have learned could prove invaluable to you years, perhaps even decades from now. Do you understand?"

"I understand, sire" Avo said. He also bowed his head lower in a sign of respect to his commander, before bending low over the bucket once more.

Doctor and wizard arrived at the barracks at almost the same moment soon afterward. Despite the disparate approaches they took to solving minor crises such as the one now facing them, and toward life in general, they each respected the other's abilities and on occasion would even consult one another. Following a brief friendly 'argument' over who would treat the patients first, Chath and Dison chose to have the doctor see them while Avo entrusted his care to the wizard.

'Maybe we will finally learn whose treatment is more effective' Fardo thought to himself with some bemusement.

The doctor got right to work on his two patients, taking their temperatures, measuring their pulses, and asking a variety of questions as he continued his examination. When he was finally satisfied with his diagnosis he reached into his doctor's bag and pulled out a pouch filled with a blue powder. After measuring a quantity into each of two cups, he filled them with water brought directly from the spring that supplied Tondal with its drinking and cooking water. After Chath and Dison had drunk their cups empty the doctor refilled them and told his patients "Drink the second doses in two hours' time, that will cleanse your systems in the proper way. Rest the remainder of today, then chew on one of these this evening and morning, noon, and evening tomorrow. That should prevent a recurrence of your distress." He then handed Chath and Dison small pouches containing some blue bonsha leaves and added "Drink a small cup of water before putting one of those leaves in your mouth, that will ensure their juices will spread more evenly through your body..."

Meanwhile, the court wizard was busy working on Avo. He had already added a chocolate extract and a quilless feather of shumaw to a cup of water, but it was not yet time to give it to his patient. Instead he spoke a short chant, then placed a hand upon Avo's forehead, in moments he was in a trance. The wizard repeated his chant, then seemed to go into a trance of his own until the sound of bubbling fluid told him his potion was now ready. He added a thimble of loda seeds, then brought Avo out of his trance.

"Drink this, my son (Cardi wizards often referred to their patients as their sons, or daughters), and take a nap. I'll wake you up in an hour's time."

An hour later, as he had been promised, Avo felt someone gently shaking him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes and beheld the the wizard's gray-bearded face gazing at his own.

"How do you feel now?" wizard asked horseman.

"Much better, thank you..."

Like the doctor with Chath and Dison, the wizard now ordered Avo to rest the remainder of the day. Both the practitioner of medicine and the practitioner of magic then visited the other's patients, but refrained from offering further care. Nor was there any need to do so - all three men were already showing noticible improvement. When their fellow horsemen returned to the barracks from a session of training, they were feeling almost as hale and hearty as they had felt prior to being stricken. After hearing their stories, many of their colleagues found themselves unable to decide whose treatment had been more effective. Fardo himself was sure the doctor's treatment had been exactly what Chath and Dison had needed, but was thankful the wizard's efforts appeared to have succeeded as well. If the three men were fully recovered by the following morning, he and his company, plus Atglen would then ride forth to visit the villages they had intended to begin visiting today, starting with Lonso, which lay about two hours' ride away (a wagon loaded with goods or produce and drawn by oxen would take at least twice as long).

As everyone had hoped, Chath, Dison, and Avo all pronounced themselves ready to go when they woke up the next morning, and their caregivers from the day before both cleared them to depart Tondal that day as well. Because none had really eaten yesterday, all three were ravenous at breakfast this morning, Fardo was pleased with their appetites.

After men and horses had had their fill, it was only about another hour before they were able to ride out through the main gate of the Tondal castle, Sir Fardo and Atglen side by side in the lead. Thanks to the unexpected day off the trail the day before, men and horses both seemed a bit more animated than usual. Although more work than the men had anticipated now lay ahead of them, at least it was taking them in the direction of Tulla and home.

Shortly before reaching the road that would lead them to Lonso and other points east, Fardo's column approached a bridge just as a convoy of farmers' wagons arrived from the other direction. Although he could have claimed the right of way, this time the knight-justice halted his command and waved at the wagon drivers to come on; although knights were the one who garnered titles, fame, and sometimes fortune, it was the farmers and their labors who really made modern life possible. Like Fardo himself, most of his men had been farm boys before enlisting, and so knew that 'no farmers, no food' was not just an empty saying voiced by malcontents.

Once the company of horsemen had turned onto the Tondal-Bonoton road, Atglen began offering Fardo further tidbits of information on Lonso.

"Lonso is small, but it has a way of producing outstanding entertainers. Have you ever seen Terloo at one of his shows?"

"Indeed I have" Fardo smiled in response "more than once. He even did a show for us when Lady Celina and I were married."

That brought a smile to Atglen's face.

"Was he as entertaining as you hoped he would be?"

"Yes, and more."

"The people in Lonso would love to hear that. He is successful, but he remembers where he came from. And when he does come back to visit, he is always humble, he does not put on airs like some people do."

"And he has an excellent sense of humor too!" Fardo almost laughed as he told Atglen of one of Terloo's stories from their wedding day.

"Ah, yes. Indeed he does. He can even make us laugh with his jokes about the king. Only the best of the best can do that..."

Sir Fardo's trained eye could not help but be impressed as he neared Lonso while still riding along the Tondal-Bonoton road. The village's hilltop location alone would offer an advantage to its defenders, but its founders and present-day inhabitants had not stopped there. For example, with few exceptions other than gates, most of its fields and pastures were separated by dense hedgerows rather than by fences. Shrubbery might not always deter a charging bull or stampeding sheep, but any attackers would be hard put to force their way through while similtaneously fending off hostile missiles, be it arrows, spears, or various projectiles launched via catapult. That same shrubbery also afforded superb cover to defending bowmen; indeed, hostile forces attacking a village so fortified could not always tell where the defenders were shooting from. Leaving receptive cows in a field next to one occupied by a bull was another strategem - cranky bulls were harder to bring down and shooting in their direction tended to make them even grumpier!

After turning south off the main road on to the side road to Lonso, Fardo noted that it curved in such a way as to offer yet another advantage to the defnders and disadvantage to any would-be attackers.

Eventually the road straightened out, and the final mile mile to Lonso was arrow-straight, affording excellent views to both sides as well as ahead. Fardo had never been this way before, so he cast eyes about as he took in the various sights. He was also alert to anything his guide Atglen might do or say.

It was when they were about half a mile from Lonso, that Atglen pulled on the reins of his mount and signalled Fardo and the others to do the same. Fardo looked at him, puzzled by the unexpected order to stop.

"Something" Atglen now said "looks peculiar up there..."

Description
Chapter 5: Medicine or Magic?

The rest of the day passed without incident for Sir Fardo and his men. After crossing the Riffey River and passing the junctions of the Landway-Nylos road, they arrived back at the Tondal castle in the late afternoon. After everyone (human and equine) had eaten and been settled into their quarters for the night, Fardo decided to call on Lord Thonmar. He was in for a surprise after he had been ushered inside by a paige (a female page) and been greeted by the lord of the castle, and the squire who accompanied him.

"Greetings, sire" he said. "Atglen, at yours."

"A pleasure it is to meet you" the knight-justice said before adding "You look as though you would like to be of service to me."

"He just might get the opportunity" Lord Thonmar now said.

"How?" Fardo asked, he sensed a touch of concern in the lord's voice.

"As you may be aware, Hanah, the knight-justice for this area, has been occupied up north of Landway helping train the local militia and keeping an extra eye on the Delmirs."

Fardo nodded his head in silent acknowledgement. A woman serving as a Knight-Justice was rare but not unheard of, Cardi had neither laws nor social strictures against it; women simply were far more likely to follow the path of motherhood instead.

"So I have heard. Does she expect to be there for a while yet?"

"It is still difficult to say. She has been keeping me informed. There have been no more raids since you were last here, but there is still more activity than usual in their border areas."

"Any idea why?" Fardo now asked.

"We have not been able to devine a reason as yet" Thonmar said. "We do think they will go into winter quarters soon, and Hanah wants to help persuade them to do so sooner rather than later."

"How?"

"She is planning to lead her company of horse, the regiment of foot from Landway, and some of the local militia to the Delmir border area."

"Is this meant to be an invasion?"

"Not really, the main purpose is to show the King's Banner, to make the Delmir aware we mean business. If they do offer resistance Hanah and I are in agreement we will not press them, having them know we are much the stronger force will suffice, at least for now."

After nodding his head in agreement Fardo asked "Do you wish for me and my men to assist her?"

"No, she does not require additional help up her way. What I would much appreciate, if you are willing and able, is your help down here." A lord asking for help from a knight who was merely passing through to or from their own assigned areas was not unheard of, but nonetheless rare. Men, and women, who aspired to such rank had to not only master such arts as law, diplomacy, and making war, but also learn about the peoples of the areas of the areas they were appointed by the sovereign to serve. Indeed, it was a requirement for new appointees to ride at least one full mission with their predecessors to 'learn the territory' before officially assuming their new post.

"What do you have in mind, my lord?" Fardo asked his host.

Lord Thonmar did not immediately answer his question, instead asking in turn "Are you intending to return to Tulla via Hanatoby, or Bonoton?"

"We will return via Bonoton" Fardo replied. His wife Lady Celina was staying there with her family during his current absence, and no doubt was as eager to see her husband again as he was to see her. He also wondered how much his wife had changed since he had last seen her; presumably her belly would be bulging noticibly by now, thanks to their child growing within. Unless ordered by the king to take a particular route, it was a knight's perogative to decide what roads they would travel between the capital and their assigned jurisdictions.

"Thank you, sire" the lord now said. I would like for you to visit the villages along that road, to the county line...Hanah does not know when she will be able to return and I do not want to keep the people there waiting, they actually welcome our official visitors."

"They sound exceptionally loyal to the crown" Fardo observed.

"Indeed they are" Thonmar said. "The Delmir have avoided that area for years."

There were three villages in question, Lonso, Wanawil, and Condar. None lay directly on the Tondal-Bonoton road, all were built upon low hills and were joined by side roads to the main road, which ran parallel to the Riffey River in that area before continuing east where the river turned north into the Chemuns. Fardo had occasionally travelled this way but had never before stopped in any of the villages, there had been no reason for him to do so, until now.

"My personal squire, Atglen, will accompany you and tell you what you need to know. He, and you, will bear official letters from me so they will know you are fully authorized to act in Hanah's stead."

"I am thankful, my lord. The people there will not be accostumed to me, having him (a brief glance toward Atglen) will most definitely help matters."

"And I presume you will experience no difficulties when you do get there" Thonmar answered.

"Do you wish to start telling me about the villages we will be visiting?" Fardo asked Atglen a couple questions later.

"No, not tonight" Thonmar cut in. "You have had a long enough day already, it is time for you to rejoin your men and get your sleep..."

"I have to agree, my lord" Fardo now said as he suppressed a sudden yawn "and it has been a long journey too."

It was only when he had changed into his nightclothes and crawled into his bunk that Fardo realized just how tired he was. He didn't even remember his head hitting the pillow.

Sir Fardo's intention to sortie again the next morning with his men and Atglen was not to play out as they had hoped. When the knight-justice crawled out of his bunk to check on his men he found two of them, Chath and Dison, retching into buckets beside their beds. Fardo guessed food poisoning was the most likely cause and thought that it was mere coincidence that they had been the men standing guard when the mysterious screaming had been heard two nights prior. Most of the men were first inclined to agree with him, but when a third man who had not stood guard duty that night began heaving into another bucket, murmmers of sorcery began circulating through the room. Fardo was inclined to discount the likelyhood but did not try very hard to disuade the doubters of their beliefs. None of his men had anywhere near as much education as he had, and old superstitions still died hard in Cardi. Even as he sent one of his men to summon the local doctor, he also nodded his head in aknowledgement when the captain of the castle guard told him he was calling on the court wizard to investigate the illnesses and cure the stricken men. Fardo was a believer in the healing power of medicine, but he also appreciated the renowned ability of some wizards to soothe jittery nerves and otherwise effect their own 'cures.' The local wizard was especially well regarded at his craft and Fardo decided he would not stand in his way.

Fardo was curious if the third ailing horseman, whose name was Avo, had heard anything odd two nights before. In between a couple bouts of gagging Avo told him he was returning from 'using the facilities' when he was suddenly jolted by a high pitched screaming not quite like anything he had ever heard before. It was so close he first thought he had stepped on someone sleeping on the ground in the open, but a moment later he heard something running through some brush. He turned to look in the direction the noise was coming from and got a momentary glimpse of what he thought was a woman before she vanished into the darkness.

'Strange' Avo thought 'Why would she be out here in the middle of the night like this?' Just before he could overcome his initial surprise and work up the courage to call out to her, there was another scream, more distant this time, and seemingly less human-like to his ears. Now the horseman began to wonder if he was actually only imagining things.

"Why didn't you tell us yesterday morning?" Fardo asked, his tone was intentionally one of curiousity rather than directly asking a question; the man had been a reluctant last-minute transfer from his regular unit after one of Fardo's horsemen had been injured in a training accident and had had some difficulty getting acustomed to Fardo and his way of doing things. The knight did not want to sour him any further, so when he detached Lieutenant Belpre and his squad to ride through the Tiga Hills, Avo was included in his group. When they rejoined their colleagues in Galera Fardo was pleased to observe Avo was now in much better spirits, and consequently further impressed with Belpre's own emerging qualities as a leader.

"When I woke up yesterday morning, sire, I was not sure if it really had happened or if I had only been dreaming."

Fardo could not help but smile at Avo's answer. "That is alright, there have been times when I would wake up in the morning and wonder if I had been dreaming or if something really had happened...I presume Chath and Dison did not tell you what they heaard that night?"

"No, sire, they did not" Avo now said.

"They were on guard duty and apparently heard the same screaming you did. They never saw who did it, but I told them to have me awakened immediately if they do hear it again. You did not get a good look at this woman, did you?"

"Unfortunately not, sire."

"That is alright, we often get our information in little bits and pieces. Just remember, what you have learned could prove invaluable to you years, perhaps even decades from now. Do you understand?"

"I understand, sire" Avo said. He also bowed his head lower in a sign of respect to his commander, before bending low over the bucket once more.

Doctor and wizard arrived at the barracks at almost the same moment soon afterward. Despite the disparate approaches they took to solving minor crises such as the one now facing them, and toward life in general, they each respected the other's abilities and on occasion would even consult one another. Following a brief friendly 'argument' over who would treat the patients first, Chath and Dison chose to have the doctor see them while Avo entrusted his care to the wizard.

'Maybe we will finally learn whose treatment is more effective' Fardo thought to himself with some bemusement.

The doctor got right to work on his two patients, taking their temperatures, measuring their pulses, and asking a variety of questions as he continued his examination. When he was finally satisfied with his diagnosis he reached into his doctor's bag and pulled out a pouch filled with a blue powder. After measuring a quantity into each of two cups, he filled them with water brought directly from the spring that supplied Tondal with its drinking and cooking water. After Chath and Dison had drunk their cups empty the doctor refilled them and told his patients "Drink the second doses in two hours' time, that will cleanse your systems in the proper way. Rest the remainder of today, then chew on one of these this evening and morning, noon, and evening tomorrow. That should prevent a recurrence of your distress." He then handed Chath and Dison small pouches containing some blue bonsha leaves and added "Drink a small cup of water before putting one of those leaves in your mouth, that will ensure their juices will spread more evenly through your body..."

Meanwhile, the court wizard was busy working on Avo. He had already added a chocolate extract and a quilless feather of shumaw to a cup of water, but it was not yet time to give it to his patient. Instead he spoke a short chant, then placed a hand upon Avo's forehead, in moments he was in a trance. The wizard repeated his chant, then seemed to go into a trance of his own until the sound of bubbling fluid told him his potion was now ready. He added a thimble of loda seeds, then brought Avo out of his trance.

"Drink this, my son (Cardi wizards often referred to their patients as their sons, or daughters), and take a nap. I'll wake you up in an hour's time."

An hour later, as he had been promised, Avo felt someone gently shaking him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes and beheld the the wizard's gray-bearded face gazing at his own.

"How do you feel now?" wizard asked horseman.

"Much better, thank you..."

Like the doctor with Chath and Dison, the wizard now ordered Avo to rest the remainder of the day. Both the practitioner of medicine and the practitioner of magic then visited the other's patients, but refrained from offering further care. Nor was there any need to do so - all three men were already showing noticible improvement. When their fellow horsemen returned to the barracks from a session of training, they were feeling almost as hale and hearty as they had felt prior to being stricken. After hearing their stories, many of their colleagues found themselves unable to decide whose treatment had been more effective. Fardo himself was sure the doctor's treatment had been exactly what Chath and Dison had needed, but was thankful the wizard's efforts appeared to have succeeded as well. If the three men were fully recovered by the following morning, he and his company, plus Atglen would then ride forth to visit the villages they had intended to begin visiting today, starting with Lonso, which lay about two hours' ride away (a wagon loaded with goods or produce and drawn by oxen would take at least twice as long).

As everyone had hoped, Chath, Dison, and Avo all pronounced themselves ready to go when they woke up the next morning, and their caregivers from the day before both cleared them to depart Tondal that day as well. Because none had really eaten yesterday, all three were ravenous at breakfast this morning, Fardo was pleased with their appetites.

After men and horses had had their fill, it was only about another hour before they were able to ride out through the main gate of the Tondal castle, Sir Fardo and Atglen side by side in the lead. Thanks to the unexpected day off the trail the day before, men and horses both seemed a bit more animated than usual. Although more work than the men had anticipated now lay ahead of them, at least it was taking them in the direction of Tulla and home.

Shortly before reaching the road that would lead them to Lonso and other points east, Fardo's column approached a bridge just as a convoy of farmers' wagons arrived from the other direction. Although he could have claimed the right of way, this time the knight-justice halted his command and waved at the wagon drivers to come on; although knights were the one who garnered titles, fame, and sometimes fortune, it was the farmers and their labors who really made modern life possible. Like Fardo himself, most of his men had been farm boys before enlisting, and so knew that 'no farmers, no food' was not just an empty saying voiced by malcontents.

Once the company of horsemen had turned onto the Tondal-Bonoton road, Atglen began offering Fardo further tidbits of information on Lonso.

"Lonso is small, but it has a way of producing outstanding entertainers. Have you ever seen Terloo at one of his shows?"

"Indeed I have" Fardo smiled in response "more than once. He even did a show for us when Lady Celina and I were married."

That brought a smile to Atglen's face.

"Was he as entertaining as you hoped he would be?"

"Yes, and more."

"The people in Lonso would love to hear that. He is successful, but he remembers where he came from. And when he does come back to visit, he is always humble, he does not put on airs like some people do."

"And he has an excellent sense of humor too!" Fardo almost laughed as he told Atglen of one of Terloo's stories from their wedding day.

"Ah, yes. Indeed he does. He can even make us laugh with his jokes about the king. Only the best of the best can do that..."

Sir Fardo's trained eye could not help but be impressed as he neared Lonso while still riding along the Tondal-Bonoton road. The village's hilltop location alone would offer an advantage to its defenders, but its founders and present-day inhabitants had not stopped there. For example, with few exceptions other than gates, most of its fields and pastures were separated by dense hedgerows rather than by fences. Shrubbery might not always deter a charging bull or stampeding sheep, but any attackers would be hard put to force their way through while similtaneously fending off hostile missiles, be it arrows, spears, or various projectiles launched via catapult. That same shrubbery also afforded superb cover to defending bowmen; indeed, hostile forces attacking a village so fortified could not always tell where the defenders were shooting from. Leaving receptive cows in a field next to one occupied by a bull was another strategem - cranky bulls were harder to bring down and shooting in their direction tended to make them even grumpier!

After turning south off the main road on to the side road to Lonso, Fardo noted that it curved in such a way as to offer yet another advantage to the defnders and disadvantage to any would-be attackers.

Eventually the road straightened out, and the final mile mile to Lonso was arrow-straight, affording excellent views to both sides as well as ahead. Fardo had never been this way before, so he cast eyes about as he took in the various sights. He was also alert to anything his guide Atglen might do or say.

It was when they were about half a mile from Lonso, that Atglen pulled on the reins of his mount and signalled Fardo and the others to do the same. Fardo looked at him, puzzled by the unexpected order to stop.

"Something" Atglen now said "looks peculiar up there..."