Richard Tuttle - Web of Deceit

“Please don’t kill her,” Rejji pleaded. “It is not her fault she is a slave.”

“I told you to leave,” growled the soldier leaning over Mistake. “Kill him.”

“He is the Bursar’s boy,” responded the soldier holding the sword. “He is a good lad.”

Rejji recognized the soldier with the sword as the one he had befriended in the slave quarters. Hope sprang to Rejji’s heart, as he knew the man was not heartless and cruel.

“I am sorry, Rejji,” Mistake sobbed. “I thought you had left me.”

“Mistake, stop fighting them,” pleaded Rejji. “They are only trying to do their job. Promise me you will not try to escape if the soldier lets you up.”

“I promise,” Mistake sobbed. “I have nothing left in me.”

The soldier holding Mistake felt her go limp and gave his comrade a puzzled look. “What is going on here?” he scowled.

“Let me speak,” begged Rejji. “I am sure you will see that everything is alright. If she even tries to flee, I will gladly forfeit my life. You can blame it all on me. I just want to talk this out without anyone getting hurt.”

“What is going to get hurt is both of you,” growled the soldier holding Mistake.

“Let the lad speak,” urged the standing soldier. “ She isn’t going anywhere and I told you he is a good lad. He has helped me in the past. He is sweet on this girl.”

“Well say your piece then,” grumbled the soldier.

Rejji pulled his thoughts together and tried to figure a way out of the situation. He looked around and saw the clova and an idea sprang into his head.

“I assume you think she was trying to escape,” Rejji started nervously. “She, of course, will tell you that she came to this field seeking Bakhai, who is a friend of both of ours. Bakhai has the job of tending the flock, or at least he did before I left for Khadoratung with the Bursar. I just got back so I am not sure what his status is now.”

“Hiding in the bushes does not sound like a friendly visit to me,” scowled the angry soldier. “Others have tried to hide here until nightfall and I think your girl is doing just that.”

“Perhaps,” mused Rejji. “Maybe she was doing just that, of course she will deny it and it will be up to somebody else to decide what really was going through her head. They may decide she was trying to escape and praise your efforts to stop her. Or they may decide she was really here to visit and let her go, which would not look favorable on you.”

Rejji let the thought sink in before continuing, “I am willing to wager three hundred in gold that she was trying to escape.”

“Rejji!” Mistake screamed. “What are you saying?”

Both soldiers looked at each other with confused expressions.

“Are you saying that she really is trying to escape?” quizzed the friendly soldier.

“Not exactly,” explained Rejji. “She says she was not trying to escape. I am willing to wager three hundred gold coins. This is what I am prepared to wager,” he said as he fished out his pouch of coins. “My bet is that you will determine that she was trying to escape. If you determine that she was not trying to escape, then I lose three hundred gold coins. If you determine she was trying to escape, then I win and you owe me three hundred gold coins. Will you take the bet?”

“Are you daft?” growled the angry soldier.

The friendly soldier started laughing. He laughed so hard that he dropped his sword. He bent down and retrieved the sword and shoved it into its sheath.

“What are you laughing at?” asked the angry soldier. “Is he trying to bribe us?”

“Not exactly,” chuckled the friendly guard. “He is making a simple wager. There is nothing wrong with that. The funny part is the wager is based upon what we determine. Clever. Absolutely clever. He is offering us the chance to earn three hundred gold without breaking any rules. He is right that whoever decides her guilt or innocence is only going to have the two accounts to go by and she hasn’t really left the estate yet. They may believe her. They may not.”

“And if we let her go free and she does escape, it will be our necks,” the angry soldier declared. “Three hundred gold is a lot of gold, but I don’t need gold that badly.”

“On my word,” Rejji stated, “if she so much as thinks about escaping, I will not only alert the guards, but I will take my own life. Hear me, Mistake. On my grandfather’s soul, I will take my own life if you ever try to escape this estate.”

Mistake started crying hysterically and the angry guard rose. He looked at Mistake and then Rejji. He finally looked at the friendly soldier and nodded his head.

“I believe her,” the friendly soldier declared, “but I will certainly keep my eye on her in the future. I am afraid you lost your bet lad.”

Rejji expelled the breath he had been holding and smiled grimly as he handed the pouch to the soldier. “I am indebted to both of you,” he said softly. “And I will keep my word, I promise.”

“The two of you need to get back to the mansion now,” the angry guard stated. “Right now.”

Rejji nodded and helped Mistake to her feet. She clung to him and he walked her across the field. He walked her slowly and the two soldiers dallied behind them. When he reached the mansion, he went around to the kitchen entrance to avoid being seen. Rejji sat Mistake as far away from the kitchen workers as he could and then went and got her a cup of tea.

“I am going to be in trouble anyway,” sobbed Mistake. “I did not do my chores today.”

“So you will be in trouble,” soothed Rejji. “Take the punishment and be glad you are alive. Mistake, these people have hundreds of years dealing with slaves. I am sure prior slaves have tried every trick in the book to get out of here. The soldiers know them all. If there is way out of this bondage, I will find it, but it will not be by escaping. That just isn’t going to work.”

“I thought you were dead or sold off,” sobbed Mistake. “It has been weeks and nobody knew where you had gone.”

“I am sorry,” Rejji said. “I had no warning myself. The Bursar took me on a trip with him to Khadoratung. We just got back and he told me I could have the rest of the day off to say hello to my friends. I was heading for Bakhai before returning to the mansion. I am glad I happened along when I did.”

“Where did you get the gold?” she asked.

“I earned it in the capital,” Rejji smiled. “I learned a lot about trading while I was there.”

“And I just caused you to lose it,” she sniffed. “I am sorry, Rejji.”

“You don’t need to be sorry for that,” Rejji said. “I only earned the money in hopes that I could buy your freedom. I have no other use for it. If it paid to give you another chance then it was worth it. I have no regrets over it.”

***

The gaudily dressed merchant stood looking out the window in the Bursar’s office. He saw Rejji and Mistake go by and disappear into the kitchen entrance of the mansion.

“That makes twenty of them, Sebastian,” the Bursar said as he piled the last piece of paper on top of the others. “I see now why you have such a large wagon, but are you not afraid they will escape? The wagon has no bars to keep them in.”

“I use chains,” Sebastian said as he turned from the window. “Much easier to deal with. I can release one without worrying about the others getting free. It eliminates the need for helpers to watch them. I like traveling alone.”

“Yet you were kind enough to deliver me and the boy here from Khadoratung,” reminded Wicado.

“Well, I had to return here anyway to pick up the slaves you are selling me,” smiled Sebastian, “and I do enjoy your company. I meant the typical guards you can hire these days. I don’t like dealing with them. I would rather travel without them.”