2,289Chapter 41: Act 1: Chapter 32
Thirtieth day, Ninth Moon, 250 AC
I cracked my neck as I fitted the new handle into the shovel blade. Over the winter, my septic tank system had worked quite well. The windmill had no issues, and neither did any of my piping. The only issue I had was the wetlands did not drain as nicely as I had hoped. To solve that, I was going to expand my drainage ditch and have some of it exit out into the wetland, creating a bit stronger of a current and hopefully keep it more active throughout the winter.
It wouldn't help much on the coldest days, but for most of the winter it should hopefully be fine. But, it meant a lot of digging, and I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed before I started.
Koryn, Zane and Ethan were still unsure about whether to add plumbing to their houses as well. It would be a lot of work for them, and there wasn't enough surety about the plumbing, since I had no idea how it would fair if we had another bitterly cold and long winter like we had back in 230AC. But, if they did, it would help to create more flow to the wetland. At least, I hoped it would.
Nyra and the kids were off with their cousins to go see the cliff for the day. I wanted them out from underfoot while I did my planning and preparation work. I still needed to set my boundaries for the dig once I had finished with the shovels. There was a lot of work ahead for us, trying to get the wetlands working, and a nice break from chores beforehand was a nice treat for the children. Though I imagine they wouldn't be too thrilled to find out they were expected to have some lessons during the day. Nothing to hard; mostly just mathematical shortcuts for harder problems for the older ones, and some spelling for the younger.
Violet was off with her boyfriend, Tylan, at his farm and was being chaperoned by her cousins Jeran and Bran. Tylan was 19 years old, to Violet's 20, and was a farmer from the north of Redbridge. They met when Tylan had come into town with his father to sell some of their produce to the thriving village. He was a good enough lad, and they had been 'dating' for just over a year now, and I expected him to ask me for permission any day now. Nyra and I I had been thinking about it for a while and decided I would say yes. I had long since run off all the local boys, much to their disappointment, and even a few travelers. Nyra was incredibly worried that Violet remained unmarried, but I couldn't help but be relieved that she wasn't rushing things. There just wasn't anyone in the immediate area that was a good fit for my daughter, let alone anyone good enough.
I scratched my beard in thought. Was that conceited?
…Nah, my daughter is just that wonderful.
I heard the dogs begin to bark from the other side of the barn.
I sighed. Hopefully, they weren't fighting again.
I continued to work on my shovel and finished it in short order. I was quite hungry, but since it was still only mid-morning I decided against taking a break and gathered my supplies for staking out the new ditch.
The barking of the dogs increased in intensity however, and I could hear the other animals getting restless as well.
Damn, I hope it isn't wolves or some other predator.
I put the shovel down and grabbed the nearby axe and went to exit the barn. A shout had me frozen.
"Where's 'e at?!" a rough voice shouted out.
"Oi! The barn door is open! Over 'ere boys!" Another voice cried out.
A tall man entered the barn. He had black hair and black eyes, with a large, scraggly beard that dominated his face. He wore worn leather clothes with a chainmail vest and a rusty helmet. The smell of blood and salt surrounded him as he stared me down with his cold, hard eyes.
His face was blank, but his posture screamed predator. He adjusted his sword in his hand before he casually began to walk towards me.
The man's confidence began to unnerve me, so before his fellows could join him, I rushed him, swinging with my axe.
The man parried my axe easily, and lazily reversed his sword, slashing at my stomach. I quickly leaped backwards to avoid the blow and swung again.
I aborted my swing when the man stabbed his sword forward. I leaned to the side and got inside his guard and punched him in the face. The punch briefly stunned the man, but two more men rushed into the barn and surround me.
I looked around for something to help me, but realized I was cornered.
Another two men enter the barn, and the five men begin to circle me.
"Give up 'ye old fool!" A man growled.
I try and lash out at him, but he just leaps back with a laugh.
Another man laughs and makes a game of it; trying to startle me by dashing in while my back was turned.
They quickly tired of the game, and the man behind me finally tried to end it and came forward, but I whirled around and swing the axe at him. He raises his own sword to block it, but I adjust my aim and sank it into his unprotected torso.
I could see the shock and disbelief in the man's face, but another man tackled me from behind and threw me onto the floor.
The man ground my face into the floor and growled, "Now 'ye done it." I could feel him shift slightly as he said, "How's Artie?"
The man I had embedded my axe in, Artie, was making a racket as he cried, but I could not see him from my position.
"Bastard has gone and killed 'im. His insides are all on the outside." A third man said, in a bewildered tone.
Artie's crying increased and the mention of him dying.
"Don't you worry, Artie. What is dead may never die." The fourth man said, calmly.
A gurgling sound replaced the crying, as I felt Artie's body feebly thrashing on the ground.
Taking advantage of the man on my back's distraction, I quickly rolled onto my back, and tried to dislodge him.
The man reacted quickly, and stayed on top of me, but I was able to free an arm.
The man put his hands around my neck and started to squeeze. "Fuck off, 'ye bastard!" The man growled, angrily.
With my free hand I struggled to find leverage to push him off me but couldn't find anything.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the fifth man see me struggle, and he began to walk over to assist his partner.
I quickly drew back my fist and punched the man atop me in the chin, snapping his head back.
The man collapsed like a sack of potatoes, and I struggled to push him off me.
By the time I had started to push him off me, the fifth man had approached me, and he had a furious scowl on his face as he glared at me.
The last thing I saw, was his fist flying towards my face.