The Hard Road by D.A.Sanford - HTML preview

The avenger

Just leave me alone

I have a past life that ended in a great pain in the ass. I rose from a nobody, saved some lives, defended the realm. I even deposed a corrupt king. I was made king and lived that life. I had many wives and many children. We raised them to be good citizens of the kingdom. My youngest, Erik, poisoned me in my sleep. His mother was one of the last in my harem. She was among the few that did not die in their sleep. Not until later did she die. We were all at that elder age and she was younger.

Waking up in the morning. Yes, it is a cliché, I do not recognize the ceiling. It looks like a cabin. I look around and notice my hands. They show absolutely no sign of the arthritic joints. Nothing really hurts. I get up and find a bowl of water on a simple wash stand. I do not recognize the young man in the water’s reflection. Shit. I sit back down on the bed. I did have that nagging feeling that something was going on. I went to bed feeling good. I was having a peaceful week. Now, here I am. I died in my other life. That is the only thing that this could be.

Then it hit me like a board across the back of my head. I’m free. I need to go outside and spy my surroundings. I almost sprint out the door. Where I am, it is late spring. All the natural sounds flood my ears. Birds singing claiming their territory. Bugs and the smell of fresh. The area is a small cleared area. There is a modest garden started. I am surrounded by woods. But I am also almost at the top of the area. I can see into the valley. There is no indication of anyone around. It hit me. I’m back to being a nobody. I loved my wives but now, I’m free. I have all my memories from that life. This time I can avoid those pitfalls. Avoid everybody, stay in the background. Be that nobody that can just live his life. Someday I will find a wife but that is not a concern right now. I have to see just what I have and what I need. First, I need to turn the cabin. Whoever put me here knew what they were doing. I have everything to preserve food, from simple drying meat to canning. I notice that there are root vegetables still good buried in sand under a trap door in the floor. There is all the traps and weapons needed to get meat.

I have a collection of books and maps. There is a journal that has every aspect of where every resource is. One thing that throws me. The journal mentions a door under the bed. This has me curious so I move the bed. There was nothing that I could see other than an odd knot hole in a board.

Looking at it, I see a nail in it that looks like it was driven into the knot but the knot itself has long since vanished. I stick my finger in it and a chunk of the floor hinged up. There was a stair way. I see a candle on a shelf near the top and a flint. I lite the candle and descend into a very large room. The first thing that sticks out is a large array of fighting weapons and what looks like a costume that includes a facial mask. There is a desk and chair. On that desk is a piece of paper. I sit and read the letter. “To my next,

I now know that my time is up. My role is complete and I go to the final life full of pride. You who are reading this, you are now a silent avenger. You are just waking to this life. I congratulate you. Like I was, when I woke, your past life was a life of justice but you made the same mistake I did. You did not retreat into anonymity. You fell into the fame life and were betrayed by someone close. You now know that you are in a self sufficient life. In a short time, you will find that you will sense danger. You have the ability to jump to that area. The costume will adjust to you. It will protect your identity. Never go as you are. It will lead you to your old mistake. These weapons will not fail you. Only your lack of remaining in the background will. I wish you the best. It will be one week before your abilities fully take effect. In this desk is a bottomless bag. It has a never ending amount of coin. When your jump ability manifests itself, there is a village miles to the north. There is an isolated area short of it. Just think and that area will appear. Step to it and go to the village. They are friends that will recognize you as me. You will know them. You are just a good man that wanders their area. You help out and they like you. Live, rescue then disappear.”

This is a lot to digest. Out of curiosity, I put on the costume and it did adjust to me. It really is very nondescript. There is nothing that would cause someone to say, that’s the person. The mask finishes the look. The weapons are very lethal, very sharp. The strange thing is that when I hold them, I feel where they fit on the costume. I attach them and they disappear. I try something.

I hold out my hand and think sword. It is now in my hand. I touch it back to where it goes and it vanishes. This works for the daggers and other things. I just have to think. Now I wonder what of the vast collection do I take. I tell myself that it will come to me. I return the weapons to their position on the display and take off the costume.

Now the door is back in place, the bed is returned. The thing I realized just now was that the bed looks very heavy but I picked it up like it was paper. I go back outside and spot a very large rock. I walked over and, with little effort, I was able to pick it up and move it. I set it down then notice there is something that is carved into it. “I did the same thing. Put the rock back with this message down for the time when your replacement lifts it. Yes, you are that strong”

Damn. I put the rock back. Time to explore my area. It’s funny but it is not. Added memories. The stream is this way. I need to clean up in the hot spring area. I give up, I no longer will try to figure out how I know. I walk and there it is. A nicely finished spring. There is the small shed that I know has the soap and towels. There is also a change of clothes.

I need to pull the basket from the stream, take the wash out and hang it to dry in the shed. I feel the magic emanating from it. I take out the dry clothes and set them on an all too convenient flat rock. I hang up the clean but wet clothes, then take my current clothes, put them in the basket then returned it to the stream. Quite a system. I soap up in the stream and wash off. It is cold water but that immediately goes away when I sit in the spring pools warmth. It is just the right temperature. Sitting there, I remember that I forgot the water container, but, there in the shed is an empty. I will just need to make another trip here with the cabin empty. I soak for what feels like hours. Over the past decades of my previous life, I cannot remember when I was this stress free. I just want to stay here and dissolve. I get out, dry off and fill the water container. As I am returning, there is a sight that appears in my mind. The letter said that this week would be learning my new powers. I get back to the cabin. Grabbing what I would think that a wanderer would carry, I pick up the back pack and a sword. I also take that empty water container to the shed. As I close the door, the area resurfaces in my mind and I see it before me. The letter said just walk through it so I do and find myself there. I now can hear the sounds of humans. Walking in the direction of the village, I start to see people and they are going out of their way to greet me. I am able to call them by name and have memories of them. I ask general questions on how things are going? How are the children? Specific but generic. The village itself comes into view and I get a warm feeling. I see someone trying to set a large box onto their wagon. I run over and pick it up for them and set it on their wagon.

“Tom, you have a good habit of showing up at the right time. I know you do not accept any reward so I will give you your usual.” He holds out his hand and we shake.

“George, I always say this but you make sure that those young men of yours help you unload or I will come and show them what good hard work can do.” We both laugh. I love this. No bowing, no titles, no people sucking up to me. Just genuine happiness to have me around. This is why that letter said for me to retreat to the background. I have the strength and knowledge to become a leader but I don’t want that. This friendship is ultimately what is what I want to protect. I go through the village and everyone wants to talk. The biggest thing is the news that a kingdom, countries away, is crumbling since its old king passed away a year ago. The youngest took the throne and is a tyrant. All who were his relatives, including his own mother have all died due to a curse that hit the palace. It hurts to hear that all was gone but that was my foolishness of my last life. I will tell them that I am sorry when it is my time to leave that letter. For now, all I say is that is the reason I like this area. We are so out of the way as to be of no concern. Pete jokes, “They do take notice of us only when the tax man shows up for the yearly tax.”

“How is that going?” I ask, knowing that this is a poor village. I also know that they know I lie. “It should be anytime now.”

They all look concerned. “We are short and will not be able to raise it before he comes. That should be some time soon.” I reach in my bag and pull out ten gold. “I found this on my rounds. It was in an old shack I stayed in overnight. It was under a rotted floorboard that I stepped through. Almost broke my ankle. I don’t want it. I only brought it to give to this town for whatever you needed.” Charles looks at me and shakes his head. “You told us that last year. You are such a terrible liar.”

“You caught me. What do I really need money for. I do find more than you would think. I believe that the gods have seen what I do with it and put these where I can find it. I will ask them to make me a better liar.”

We all laugh. I am treated to a home cooked meal that is better than any royal banquet I had. Simple but with love as the flavoring. Full day, full belly, I am offered a place to stay for the night but I tell them that I just need to roam. “We’ll see you again. Soon” I go out the other end of the village like I always do. Out of sight I think and see the cabin. I step through and sit down in my cabin. It really is a good life that I now will protect. I know that I will have to answer the calls but now I will just be the silent avenger.

During the next couple of days, I find that I do now have magic, basic but the most useful is conceal. I can conceal my presence from any and all who have the skill of detect. That is needed for those who I go against and those who want to thank me. I also have an unbeatable hand to hand combat skill that allows me to see their attack movements. Even behind me is not out of my sight. There are others that I can call on. I now can see that I will pass on only to old age, not poison. The day happened, I was at the table eating when I got a very rotten feeling and a location vision. I went to the room and donned the costume. I did not try to think. I just reached to the weapons board and took a few items. They were stowed and were out of sight. I put on the mask.

Putting my room in order again, I step out of the cabin and into the scene of the robbery. There were quite a few armed men and surprisingly two women robbing a coach. They had killed one man and were going after another while one of the men were in the coach trying to rape the woman. Conceal worked. I killed the man in the coach and came out to start to kill the others. The two women tried to plead that they were innocent but that did not matter. They died like the others. The man that was battling held up his sword to defend against me. He was badly hurt. I found that I was not speaking, I instantly knew that it could give me away. I put my weapons away and showed him my open palms. look at the robbers and slash my thumb across my throat then pointed to his injury. I swept my hand down my arm as if I am brushing the injury away.

He gets it and lowers his sword. I touch the injury and it heals then I raise my palm towards the woman and she feels a weight lift off her. “Who are you?” he asks, “I need to properly thank you.” I wave him off and point to him that he needs to drive away. Then I again activate conceal. I see them look around and then he drives the coach away. I walk away a little and when they are out of sight, I loot the bodies for their possessions. More gold to find under a rotten floor board.

Back at my cabin, I put away all my things and put the bed back. I am startled when a woman appears and tells me that she was correct to select me. “You will never come in contact with anyone from your old life but when the time comes to move on, all but one of your wives will be waiting for you in the forever life. That last one is on a devastated planet where she will live for eternity. Your assassin son will be executed in a few days and he also will be on a different torched world. They will rebuild but have someone elected not a king. Your oldest escaped as per your wishes. He fought with the goblins but his mate and his friend were killed in that war. Be well, stay out of the fame. “

She just faded out. I figure that she was the god that placed me here so I said thank you to the air.

I fell into a relaxing routine but saw the opening towards the village in my mind. I now know the god must be directing me. Pack and sword in hand I step through and go to the village. It’s not the usual layback feeling.

Charles comes over and is excited. “The tax man is here and he has a marvelous tale to tell.” He drags me over to where I see the same coach that I helped a few days ago. I act normal. I listen to the tale of how they were almost killed when a mysterious stranger just appeared out of nowhere, killed all the robbers and just as quickly disappeared. I caught myself almost asking about the injury but stopped myself. I was silent and then spotted someone and went to talk to her. “Thank you again. This time for stopping from asking a dumb question.”

She just tells me that it is her job to watch. She then walks away. I never had a real taste for sweets but I did like cookies, so the next time I made some, I left a bunch and said to the air that those were hers. I would always find them gone the next morning.

I kept on getting those feelings and stopped quite a number of murders, abductions and such. There was always a need to find the gold for the village. Over the next twenty years, I have seen old friends grow old and pass. New people come to live here and children grow and marry. It has been a wonderful life of adventure and friends but now all that jumping and fighting are taking their toll. I know it will not be too much longer. One day, the woman appeared again in the cabin. I knew why and she did too. “It’s time isn’t it. I need to leave the letter don’t I.”

“You need to get your place in order. You have done very well but a new avenger has been chosen and your wives are waiting for you to come to them. Tonight your first will come and lead you to them. You will wake in the morning in the final life with them around you. Just be aware that a big black dog will probably jump through an open window to greet you. Hero loves everyone and always greets the new in his area.” She puts her hand on my shoulder and the weight of age is on me. “Sleep well chosen one.” She leaves.

I go and make sure the shed is prepared, like it never is. I finish my last entry in the journal about the door under the bed. The letter is there. It is the same one that I found. The pouch is in the drawer. I’m so very tired. My strength is gone. I lay down and I see my wife hold out her hand. I take it and I sleep.

In the morning, all my wives are there and yes, My son’s mate Ziva and her brother Tartan are there also to greet me.

Hero came through the window and his owners come to the window to talk. This is now true peace.