876

I swear to heaven and earth that I did not plan it to end at 876 words. How cool, right? I just wanted to leave it on a cliffhanger for you and me both. What comes at word 877, only my imagination knows.

I really like this one. Who knows? Probably just another short story but this one'll have a few installments. All I need to do right now is just write. You'll get the second part tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to writing it.

Enjoy!
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“Yeah.” Aiden said as he rubbed the back of his sun dried neck. “Give me the biggest bag you’ve got of wheat seed, yeast and salt. And mix ‘em all together while you’re at it.”

     “Ahehahahem!” Hawks coughed.

     Aiden looked back at his friend. “Got a cow stuck in your throat do you?”

     “No, but I’d like some in my stomach.”

     Aiden rolled his eyes but turned back to the merchant and said with a gesture back to Hawks, “And a small bag of jerky for my friend.”

     The man nodded and began to gather the supplies. “Sure you don’t want the ground grain?” He asked as he shoveled yeast into a small sack. “Saves you a whole lot of elbow grease.”

     “It also lightens my purse more then I’d like it too.  ‘sides,” Aiden added with a grin. “elbow grease tastes better than butter cream.”

The merchant shook his head and chuckled. “Seed it is.” And he went back to scooping.

“So, any news on the war?” Aiden asked in a casual tone as he picked up an apple and examined it.

“Wouldn’t exactly be callin’ it a war just yet.” The merchant said without looking up. “But as you can see we’re not far off from one. Some of the other less needed stalls are startin’ to feel the far off thunder of it.” He lashed off the second bag of jerky with a piece of twice and tossed it on the counter, wiping his hands on a shirt so dirty Aiden wasn’t quite sure what color it had started out as. “That’ll be six copper.”

Aiden and Hawks glanced around. It was true. Guard numbers were lower than they should have been, even in a backwater town like this and several of the more miscellaneous stalls and their owners were looking dangerously frail. Doors to the inns were shut and there wasn’t much traffic in the small dirt street. People were scared. Scared for their boys that were being pulled from the mines and fields. Scared for the families and their livelihoods. Aiden knew that most people here had never seen a war, the only things having to go off being over exaggerated tales from the bards around the dark fires. The things the mind will do when left alone to itself to think on something it shouldn’t.

“You said some of the other stalls weren’t doing to good.” Aiden said as he reached into his purse and tossed the man his coins. “Why not yours?”

The man shrugged as he pocketed the money. “Suppose as long as bellies need to be filled then they’ll be comin’ back to me. Supply the demand an’ all that.”

Aiden nodded and took his supplies. “Well we thank you for the grain. We’ll be heading-“

He was cut off by a woman’s scream from somewhere down the street followed by the sounds of pots and wood being smashed. Aiden dropped his bags and turned, his head scanning for the noise. Hawks spotted it first.

A merchant woman stood struggling at a stall some hundred feet away as she tried to fight off a guard who was holding her by the roots of her hair. He grinned savagely as his thuggish friends tore through her wares, stuffing whatever they thought might fetch them a few coins in their belt pouches.

“Help!” She screamed through a choking wave of sobs. “Someone please-“ she coughed as the guard jerked her head back.

“Shut your mouth woman or I’ll stick it shut for you with this pretty little knife o’ mine.” He pulled out a gleaming blade from behind his belt and waved it clumsily in front of her face. Her body froze and he laughed. “Yea, I thought you’d listen to that.” He said, a wicked smile playing on his lips. “Wouldn’t want no accidents to be happenin’, now would we?” She whimpered and ever so lightly shook her head. “Thought not.”

He began to look back at his friends when he saw Aiden and Hawks. “What are you lookin’ at four eyes?” He shouted to Hawks who, with his small stature, walking stick, wire frame spectacles, pack full of scrolls and just enough chin hair to quiver, was obviously the less intimidating of the two companions.

Hawks turned to Aiden. “You’ve got to do something!”

Aiden looked around. What other guards he had seen not moments ago had vanished and what little remained of the merchants were all keeping a remarkably wide blind eye. He sighed. “I hate small towns.”

Hawks grinned and moved back.

“Drop the woman.” Aiden said. His voice was calm, smooth and dangerous.

Three words to stop time.

The ransacking guards all froze, the merchants seemed to stop breathing and the final guard stood with nothing but his lip twitching.

“I’ll assume your brain is to small to get what I just said, so I’ll put this in words you can understand; put the woman down and leave this town or I’ll turn you into food for the dogs.”

That seemed to work. The guard threw the woman into the dirt, looked back at his mates, spittle sputtering from his mouth until he was finally able to shout one word past his blood-rage, “Kill!”

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Later my readers.