Chapter 8 - The Encampment
Things were going smoother than Medero had thought they would. They were making good time, the men were behaving themselves and the elf had not woken again since the dose of his sedative had been increased.
He was riding atop his large black stallion, with the golden elf seated firmly in front of him. His men thought it extremely strange that Medero wanted the elf to ride with him. Kael seemed especially disturbed. The other elves had ridden with him and it made sense seeing how he was the company’s healer. But Medero wanted to keep a close watch on this elf, he felt that this one elf was of particular value. As well, he was more confident in his own skills and if the golden elf woke again he felt he would be more capable of handling him.
The elf had remained unconscious since they had departed the forest, appearing even more deathlike than before. The skirmish in the woods had greatly depleted what remaining strength and health the elf had. They had decided to bind him after his escape attempt and now, as Legolas sat limply, his head slumped to his chest, his wrists were bound tightly to the horse’s saddle.
His reopened leg wound had been stitched up and a healing poultice had been applied to prevent infection. His torn hands had been cleaned and bandaged and fortunately his head wound hadn’t been badly agitated during the escape and scuffle. New wounds now appeared on the elf’s wrists where the rope rubbed harshly against his skin. Tiny droplets of blood dripped down onto the clean white bandages covering his hands. If the elf looked like this once they reached Marek then Medero would be lucky if he received any pay for him at all.
They had crossed the Poros two days ago and were due to meet up with the rest of the company before nightfall. There they would wait for the new elf to awake and then switch their riding schedules to begin traveling at night. The days would start getting warmer the further into Harad they went and to travel during the day would be foolish not to mention uncomfortable.
They were a day ahead of schedule and he was glad to be coming onto his company unexpected. Medero had left the other men under the capable command of Yálek. He had known Yálek for several years and knew that he was a loyal and competent foreman, but Yálek had a tendency to get a little out of hand when it came to keeping his charges in line. To be able to come up on them unawares would present Medero with the unique situation of seeing the camp in a lax state.
Medero was a stern commander and the men knew better than to behave carelessly when under his leadership. But they tended to get a little rowdy and unmindful when he wasn’t around. Medero just hoped that he would be able to return to camp and find the other three elves still alive and well.
The land around him had slowly become more desolate and without the shade of the trees the sun seemed merciless. Medero was beginning to sweat and he reached down for his water skin. He took a large swallow of water and then poured a little on the back of his neck. He replaced the cap on the skin and let it fall back to his side.
Reaching his arm around, he placed his hand on the exposed part of the elf’s forehead, the bandage still covered some of his head and held his blonde hair away from his face. The elf felt cool to the touch and Medero couldn’t help but wonder at the strangeness of it. He then moved his hand to the elf’s neck just under his chin and felt for a pulse. It was there, steady and strong. The elf was just simply not affected by the heat.
"Kael!" Medero called over his shoulder. He could hear a horse behind him pick up speed and Kael appeared next to him an inquisitive expression on his face. "I find it odd that we are all suffering due to the heat and yet the elf seems not affected at all. Is it due to the sedative?"
Kael seemed to contemplate this for a moment, "I know not sir. I have heard that elves are magical creatures. Perhaps they are simply unaffected by the weather."
Medero seemed surprised at the notion of not being heated by the sun. He wondered if they were as impervious to the colds of the north as well. I will have to talk with these elves and learn all that I can of their race. They are truly interesting beings.
He let his mind mull this over for a while. It was no wonder that he was sent to retrieve elves, if they could work without succumbing to heat-illness then they could work longer days and be more productive than other slaves could be.
Medero was jerked back to his senses when one of his men informed him that they were approaching the camp. Medero narrowed his eyes and strained to see ahead of them. In the distance he could just make out the tops of several tents.
The small company urged their horses to quicken their pace and it wasn’t long before they found themselves entering the hunter’s camp. Men emerged from various concealed positions about the encampment as they rode into the outcrop of tents. There were about eighteen total men, including those that had just ridden in and they would all be well paid for their latest acquisition.
A tall, dark man approached Medero with a smile on his face, "It is good to see you sir, you have returned earlier than expected."
"It is good to be back Yálek. We were able to find this last elf quite quickly and have had few problems in our return journey. Here, help me down with this one." He gestured to Legolas who remained still in front of him and slowly began to untie the ropes from the horse’s saddle, careful not to allow the elf’s hands to become unbound. He then slid the golden elf off the horse into the waiting arms of Yálek.
"It is strange that you carry this one, did he give you much trouble sir?"
Medero slid off his horse and turned to stand facing Yálek who now had the unconscious elf slung over his shoulder. Yálek was a large man and rather strong and didn’t seem at all burdened by the weight of the elf as they stood and spoke.
"Aye, he managed to kill three of the men when we took him, but once we hit him with the dart he fell just as the others did. He also managed to escape once on the journey, but not for long before he was apprehended. Kael increased his dose then and has kept him heavily sedated for the remainder of our ride."
Medero scanned around the camp taking a mental inventory of the men and belongings. "How are the other three, have they faired well?"
"Aye sir, they are all fine. I have three guards on the male and two on each of the females. They are separated and have not been able to speak to each other. They are being fed and given water regularly and have caused no trouble that we could not handle."
"Hmm," Medero nodded. "Take care of this one and then come find me. I am going to go see for myself how things stand."
He left Yálek and Legolas and began to circle around the perimeter of the camp. He came across the red-haired, she-elf first. She looked well in appearance but he could tell that she was frightened. She was tied to a post, her arms tightly behind her back, rope binding her elbows and wrists. She also had a rope around her neck. A black blindfold covered her eyes.
"Good lady," Medero bent at the knees so that his face was even with hers, "how do you fair this day?"
Adaria tilted her head as much as she could with the rope holding her in place. She trembled slightly and Medero could tell that she was trying to hide her fear. "Is it really necessary for you to ask?"
Medero smiled, "Have my men mistreated you at all?"
Adaria didn’t answer. Rather, she clenched her jaw and Medero knew that if he could see her eyes he would have seen them roll in frustration. Not seeing any outward signs of abuse, he rose to his feet and made his way across camp to the next elf.
His face turned red and he clenched his fists when he saw the dark haired, male elf. The elf was bound the same way as the female but he had bruising on the exposed parts of his face and a hastily wrapped bandage around a cut along his left upper arm.
"YÁLEK!" the shout radiated around the camp and the elf jumped at the sudden outburst. Medero knelt in front of this elf as well. He looked the elf over more closely and could see old bruises as well as fresh ones. This elf had been captured at the same time as the other she-elf, the one with dark hair and blue eyes, and Medero suspected that the two were lovers.
Medero turned his head to shout again but found Yálek standing just behind him. He rose to his feet and stepped toward Yálek coming to stand with their faces mere inches from each other.
"What is the meaning of this?" Medero motioned to the elf with a slight jerk of his head.
"Sir, the elf was not obeying. He refused to eat and would not answer my questions." Yálek’s voice shook as he attempted to defend his actions.
Medero was seething, "These elves do not belong to you Yálek. They are not yours to reprimand. You were hired to do a job and to listen to the orders that I give you and when I tell you that the elves are not to be harmed then THEY ARE NOT TO BE HARMED!"
The rest of the men in the camp stopped what they were doing and stared at the two men. The elf next to their feet held completely still listening closely to the conversation taking place and Medero could hear the prisoner’s breathing increase.
Glancing down at the dark haired elf Medero began to wonder if he would make it to Marek with all of his precious cargo still intact. Raising his eyes back to his foreman he could see that Yálek was just as angry as he was.
"If you expect to get paid when we reach Marek, you will start obeying my orders. Is that clear?" There was no room for argument in the statement and all of the men in camp knew that the words were directed to them just as much as to Yálek.
Yálek dropped his eyes to the ground, "Yes sir."
"Good, now go find Kael and have him come look after this one." He commanded, pointing to the dark elf.
Medero turned on his heel and made his way toward the final elf. He found this one in much the same manner as the other she-elf and after a brief, one-sided conversation exited her tent and continued to the center of camp. His frustration and anger was evident on his face and it was obvious that the other men were doing everything in their power to stay out of his way.
It pleased him to have others fear him but only because it was easier to get people to do what you wished when they were afraid of you. It was a strange thing for the man. He wasn’t, by nature, a malign person, he just did what was necessary to survive and if that meant selling slaves then that was what he needed to do. At times he felt sympathy for his captives, tearing them away from their families and homes, but then he would remind himself that it was a business and that if he let his personal feelings effect him it would be his ruin.
They would be traveling for several more days before reaching Marek and Medero could not wait to have this job done and over with. He wanted to get these men paid and get them out of his hair so that he could enjoy some peace and quiet. He missed working on his own, but at least these men wouldn’t insist on hanging around once they arrived in Marek. They would take there money and scatter with the winds.
Right now, however, there was only one thing that Medero should be focusing on. He needed to ensure that his men were kept in control otherwise he wouldn’t have any merchandise to sell once they finally arrived.