Chapter 28: Boss
I had taken the details directly from Jadoh. And it sounded promising, to say the least. Convoys being robbed en route from Jiaozai to Zehehe. It was a safe bet to make that they'd be overtly appreciative of any assistance that could be given. And assuming we found this convoy, it could mean some good supplies, or if not that, good standing with this region, potentially recruits to. It had potential.
Jadoh was quite elated and proud of himself when he told me. He didn't have all of his details, of which I couldn't quite blame him. He'd obtained the details of this job from a band of weary mercenaries, more drink than talk. Then again, this was where we were right now, and as much as I wanted to temper Jadoh's self-pride, I had to admit, he did as well as could be considered. And he wasn't drunk.
It was safe enough to assume the route the convoy would take. There was only one way off of Jianghe, and that was by ferry, one we'd seen as we came in. From the ferry drop off site, from what I'd heard around here, it was a trail down south to Zehehe. Sadly for us, however, all ferries left at mid-morning and came back at around mid-afternoon. We were stuck here for now. So we took our dinners, spent our nights aboard The Patriot, and the morning after, we were ready. We had taken our time to study the map of the region, we were armed, armored, and ready for our payday. We stepped off of The Patriot and met the day ahead.
And this day ahead was one of darkness. A fog had moved in over the night, one predicted by townspeople as we passed that would last the day. It was a 20-minute walk from the town to the ferry crossing. It was empty. We were the only ones to show. So as the others, Jadoh, Luke, and Zek, got comfortable aboard the ferry, awaiting the half-hour ride ahead of them, characteristic of a more traditional steamboat. Not the worst of Fire Nation technology, but not the best either.
Ka'lira had stayed aboard The Patriot with Gordez, much to Zek's displeasure at first, but after I reminded him she had no real training and would be safer aboard, he conceded, and Ka'lira stayed, only met with some slight hesitance on her end, but I think even she knew that she wasn't ready for the possibilities ahead.
"You know," said the ferry's helmsman as I stood beside him, headed towards the Earth Kingdom continent. "On a clear day," he continued, "You'd be able to see the shore from Jianghe. Now, well, I can't see 10 darn yards ahead of me. The helmsman was an older man, white tangled beard, smelling of sea-salt, equipping himself in tattered rags that clearly hadn't been cleaned, or even changed out of, in the last few weeks.
"Will that be a problem?" I asked.
"Nah, shouldn't be. No rocks along this path, no obstacles. And there's always burning torches to help show the way, compliments of Zehehe. Nice people there, ya know?"
There was some silence for a while, until I asked, because I was curious by the lack of other passengers, "So. You get a lot of business?"
"Not really, no. Mostly supply convoys and trade caravans. Last group to come along were them mercenaries who came back all beat and battered, minus the caravan they came with of course. They paid me extra to bring them back right away y'know? Didn't even give me the chance to have dinner with the townspeople."
"You leave your ferry behind to eat in town?"
"Oh no no. The people in Zehehe, bless their souls, will come out and bring lunch for me. I don't pay them considering I'm pretty much the main reason there's trade between them and the Jianghe island. They're the same ones who light the torches for me. Raava bless their souls."
"You mentioned the caravan that didn't come back."
"Yea. That's why you all are here, right? Got your weapons and fancy armor and all. Here to get the pay where those other guys din't?"
"Pretty much. Yeah. But I'm curious. You know about what happened to the caravan? What it could have been that got to them?"
"Not a clue. When I asked those mercenary boys, they pretty much refused to talk."
"Probably the Earth Kingdom. Likely looking to continue their momentum before the Fire Nation onslaught gets too strong. Consolidate their power as soon as possible."
"Now I don't know what a darned cent of that meant. War's not big around here for us. Fire Nation. Earth Kingdom. Same difference. So long as trade continues and they don't stick their noses where they don't belong, we'll pay their taxes and follow their laws."
"You ever thought about independence?"
"You ever thought about getting rich? Course we 'ave! Doesn't mean it gonna happen any time soon. Besides, defending ourselves. Not our strong suit. We have Jianghezhen for that, and the governor's troops."
"The governor. What's he like?"
"Wouldn't know. All I know is that it was he who hired them mercs. Though from what I heard, if they done failed as bad as they did, they're in for some trouble once they return to ol' Yilie."
"Alright," he said, after some time had passed. "We should be getting there soon. Tell me when you see the lights from the torches. That's how you'll know we're nearly there.
So I looked. I kept my eyes geared in front of me, staring into the thick wall of gray mist ahead of me, not able to see past the shroud of the fog, looking for that single beacon that marked the shore. No light came. Rather, the shore did, all too soon. "Shore!" I yelled as quickly as I could, but it was too little too late. The anchor was dropped, the engines cut, but the slack on the anchor was enough to enable us to scrape along the sandy shore, bringing us to an abrupt halt.
By the time he was done gasping and panting over what had just occurred, he turned to me, and yelled, "I said to look out for the flames!"
"I did look out! There were none! We land in the right place?"
"Of course we did! I been doing this route for 37 years! Of course I took us to the right place!" He left the helm, walking onto the main deck now where the rest of our mercenary band was wandering the deck, some hopping onto shore where the ferry lay marooned. He looked around, now gazing towards the torches at around the same time I spotted them, unlit. "Huh," he said. "Odd. They're supposed to be lit."
"Well apparently they're not," I said, hopping off of the ship onto the shore, investigating the damage. The hull seemed to be intact, but she was stuck ashore alright. Still. He didn't look to weight too much. Maybe if all of us, no, the engine. I turned to the man who was tossing down a rope ladder for himself to climb down and asked, "You gonna need some help getting her back in the water?"
"Nah. Tide'll do that for me. Comes in at around noon. Thank you though. If I were you, I'd get about whatever y'all were doing. You seem to be a busy lot. Don't stay here on my account. Try to be back by mid-afternoon. Around 6. And that's 6 in the afternoon. I have a family to get back to, ya know.
So we left the beachhead, and off we travelled through the brush, into the jungle ahead. Despite being winter, the heat of the humidity and the equatorial region was weighing down on us. Wouldn't normally be enough to get us to break a sweat, but underneath the layers of armor and underclothing, it was quite enough to take its toll.
And beneath the thicket tens to hundreds of feet above us, it was hard to see past 10 yards on account of the darkness and the fog. All we knew was that we were heading south, compliments of a sign that pointed the direction about 15 minutes of walking ago. We prayed we were still on the right path, but frankly, that was becoming more and more iffy over time. Until it wasn't. It first came as a bright light illuminating the low clouds of the fog around us, a piercing beam of light contrasting against the darkness around us, penetrating through the thick layers of shroud. Then followed the noise, walking, multiple steps. We froze, heard, and it was clear what came next. I turned back, put my fingers to my lip, and we scattered. Zek and Jadoh fled to the left of the path while Luke and I made our way to the right.
We hid amongst the shrubbery and waited. And waited. Their feet were the first things we saw, green sandals stepping out of the fog as they made their way, 2 in the back armed with spears, two in front of them bearing the Earth Kingdom standard, and one in front, their commander, leading the way.
My gaze met Zek's as the soldiers had crossed. I could tell what he was asking. And I had to be sure he didn't go ahead with what was on his mind. I shook my head, and he understood, but when I turned to see Luke to my side, I realized it was him I was supposed to keep my eye on, flame at the ready, waiting to strike upon my go-ahead. A signal he never got, much to his apparent annoyance.
We waited until the footsteps had faded along with their image into the fog that was no becoming more of a mid-day dew rather than a morning mist as the day went by, but the layers of shroud remained thick and unrevealing in their nature. "They heading towards the beach?" Jadoh asked, apparently concerned over our ride back.
"Maybe. Maybe not. If so, we'll have to find another way back, but we have to find the convoy first, or at least try to find it."
Zek was the one to speak up now, emerging from where he had been hiding along the roadside, preparing in wait for the possible ambush. "Maybe two of us should head back to the ferry. If the Earth Kingdom's this close to the coast, there's a good chance finding other ways to get back to Jianghe will be made all the harder."
He wasn't wrong. The mere fact we saw Earth Kingdom this close and this early wasn't the best sign. We may be in deeper shit than even we anticipated. "Good point," I said. Head back to the ferry. Quietly. Don't be seen by the patrol."
"Got it. Me and Luke'll head back and-"
"No," I said, having already seen how close Luke had been to striking a killing blow. He needed somebody to look over him. Jadoh was too green and scared of him to do anything. Zek, well, I worried Zek might indulge him, especially if it came to Earth Kingdom personnel. I was trying to avoid an incident here. He needed my eyes on him. "I'll take Luke. You take Jadoh back to the ship and try to keep it hidden. If it comes to you having to defend the ferry, do it, but if contact is avoidable, avoid it."
"Yes, Boss," said Zek, ever the loyal soldier, especially to put me above his own country. "Understood."
He turned back, Jadoh in tow who, comprehending the situation, followed in Zek's footsteps back the way we had come.
Now, however, came the fun part. The convoy. Earth Kingdom this close, there was a good possibility that the convoy and the supplies had fallen into enemy possession, but we had been hired for a job. Well. Not hired per se, but there was clearly money to make in fulfilling the job that Jianghe's overseer, Yilie, had entrusted in his failed mercenaries.
The way ahead, due south, was plagued by the still thick fog, which, while it concealed our movements, did the same favor to any others who possibly wished harm upon us. We proceeded without light, not daring to give ourselves away in advance akin to how the patrol that preceded us had done. We moved, slowly, carefully, not happening upon the slightest hint of a convoy that had been attacked, no miraculous, revealing hint that pointed towards every major event that had occurred over the last day. Empty.
Empty until the woods ended, empty until, beyond the fog, we could see lights, a town we could assume, the town, Zehehe. So we looked ahead, and made our best efforts to gaze through the shroud of uncertainty that the early afternoon provided us, and what we saw ahead was not the town that had stood yesterday, but one in the midst of a war within itself, smoke rising, fires burning, shouts rising, but above it all, green banners ensigned with the standard of the Earth Kingdom. Zehehe had been lost, and the war drums could still be heard over its walls. A fight was coming.
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