Chapter 106: 106. Dissent - Garam/Smirk

Ellas

Garam/Smirk

Garam walked through the camp muttering, every other word an expletive.

Most avoided him, and that was when his face didn’t look so sour and full of anger as it did now.

He kicked a largish stone that somehow must have offended him, and then grunted with an obvious look of pain on his face.

Picking the stone up, he hurled it into the nearest camp fire, sending sparks and ash up in a cloud, as the stone bounded on, just missing Tomas sat at the fire with six others as they ate.

‘You shit,’ Tomas muttered.

‘What’d you say?’ Garam growled, as he glared at Tomas. ‘Wanna come over here and repeat yourself, you spineless little shit?’

Tomas began to rise, but Jabba, a huge slab of a man, put his hand on Tomas’ shoulder, holding him down, as he himself stood.

‘Leave the boy be, Garam,’ he said, calmly. Jabba was always quiet, very slow to anger, but was a demon when roused, and everyone knew it.

‘You gonna do something if I don’t, Jabby?’ Garam taunted.

‘Jabba’s the name, as you well know, Garam. Now, off you go, if you know what’s good for you.’

Garam glared at Jabba for a full minute before he said, ‘You’re not worth the effort, Jabby,’ and then he turned and walked away, swaggering his shoulders as if he’d just won the argument.

Jabba sat back down, putting his arm around Tomas as he did so. ‘You okay?’ he asked.

‘Yep,’ Tomas replied. ‘Never better.’

‘What was that all about,’ Toram asked. ‘Thought you were close to that lot… you know, all them that’s part of Kane’s counsellors.’

Tomas shook his head. ‘Friends with Carthia, I suppose, but not the others really. And Garam’s always had it in for me for some reason… but, well, he’s never really been open about it before… not when the others were about anyway.’ He gave a little laugh then. ‘I think he likes Carthia, and she doesn’t really bother with him, but she talks to me sometimes.’ He blushed furiously as he finished.

‘Where they gone anyway?’ Smirk, a skinny, wiry man, with a beak of a nose, asked from the other side of the fire.

‘Damned if I know,’ Tomas answered. ‘One day they were here, and then all of ‘em up and rode off. Carthia did say something strange though… she was mounting her horse, and then stopped, looked at me and crooked her little finger to call me over. Then all she said was “See you around.” She looked kinda sad somehow. Then Kane snapped, growled almost, and told her to get on her horse. That was three days ago and I only remember cause I’d never heard Kane speak so to Carthia.

‘Anyway, if you want to know more, go ask Garam,’ he grinned as he said it. ‘Or Tarnia and Step… and even that Jalholm. They’ve all been left to babysit us while the big bosses go out on some secret mission or other… hunting Dar’cen is my guess.’

‘Yea,’ Smirk said, ‘I’d heard a rumour that they’d had a tip as to where he was, and had gone off looking. But why leave Jalholm behind? Don’t they trust him now? Didn’t believe he was the real Jalholm myself, even after he did that thing that stopped us all breathing. But if he’s so strong with magic, why didn’t they take him. I recon they don’t really trust him.’

‘Me neither,’ Toram said. ‘Never said it before, but thought it lots of times. I differ with you, Smirk, in that I do believe he’s the real Jalholm, the one that brought Dar’cen here… but I don’t trust him, and I reckon Kane don’t either. You all seen the way he struts about, always with a smirk on his face as if he’s better’n us. And that travel thing that was a walking stick is now strapped to his belt as if he’s copying Kane. That’s what brought him here, I heard.

'He’d been hiding for centuries on some other world supposedly, and he made that travel thing to bring him and that Alex woman here to Ellas. Why, is what I’d like to know. Some say that he still works for the demon.’

‘Now you’re being daft,’ Jabba said, quietly. ‘You said it yourself, he dropped us all with the breathing thing, and got rid of the possessed Nargu too… and saved Carthia, don’t forget that.’

‘Hadn’t noticed the travel rod thing,’ Smirk muttered.

‘What was that?’ Jabba asked.

‘Nothing… just don’t know why he wants the thing, Jalholm I mean. He’s here now, ain’t he.’

‘Buggered if I know,’ Toram said, as he stood. ‘I’m off to my bed, and you’d all better do the same. We’re moving in the morning, so I’ve heard.’

###

Smirk and two of his mates, Lar, a man in his middling years with a livid scar that almost cut his face in half, and Groz, a man almost as weedy as Smirk himself, were saddling their horses when an almighty row broke out over by the cook fire.

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‘Don’t give a shit!’ Garam shouted at his long time friend Step. ‘Don’t care what you say. They shit on us… on all of us. Just gone and left us to it… can’t you see it?’

‘Calm down,’ Step said. Smirk didn’t hear the words Step said, but he was damn good a lip reading, always had been.

The three of them moved away from the horses and stared, as did others from all around the camp.

They were a little ways off, but Smirk could still read their lips.

‘What do you think, Jalholm, one minute your cock of the walk, and next minute you’ve been dumped just like us.’

‘Hush, Garam, my good man. The others are watching, You know as well as I do what Kane said. No one must know where they’ve gone… no one. Only we four know, and it must stay that way if the others are to succeed and find what they need to defeat him. So stop this, I implore you.’

Smirk smirked, a trait that had given him his name in the first place. Heard every word, he thought. I am really good at this.

‘Hush! Hush my arse. I don’t like it. We’ve been shit on,’ Garam said, as he turned to leave.

‘Go by all means,’ Tarnia said. ‘But keep your moth shut!’

Other than Garam’s, ‘Piss off,’ reply, Smirk didn’t read any more, but what he’d gleaned was important, he was sure.

‘Looks like our bosses are 'aving a bad day,’ he said, chuckling.

Lars and Groz nodded and smiled.

‘Might be a little something in this for us,’ Groz said. ‘What do you think, Smirky?’

‘Nah, need more, I think. Keep a watch on Garam… he’s really pissed at Kane and them. And I think mighty Jalholm and his stick need a close eye too.’

Eventually, all saddled up, Step and Tarnia led the way north, no mention of where to, just a curt, ‘Follow me,’ from Tarnia. The two rode close together with Jalholm a few yards behind.

Garam didn’t even bother to mount his horse until everyone else had set off, and then he did so with an angry sullen look, and followed a good fifty yards behind the last ride, and some twenty yards off to the side to avoid the dust. He did not look happy.

Smirk kept dividing his gaze between Garam at the rear, and Step and Tarnia leading the column.

Need to milk this, he thought. Could be some coin in it, me thinks!

Step stopped early that afternoon as they reached the banks of a narrow river.

‘We can make camp here tonight. Plenty of water for the horses, and I could do with a bath.’

'You sure could,' Tarnia replied, with a laugh.

Ten minutes later, Step in his underclothes, up to his thighs in the river soaping himself with a brick of soap, Garam rode up.

Tarnia looked up from where she’d been sat on a fallen tree admiring Step’s lean torso, and seeing Garam rolled her eyes and muttered, ‘What now?’

Garam climbed down off his horse, let the reins drop, and strode to the rivers edge, giving Tarnia a glare as he passed.

‘You ready to listen to me now?’ he said to Step.

Step ducked his head under the water, pulled back, and then began to rub soap into his hair.

moment went by as his fingers massaged the soap deep into his scalp.

‘Well?’ Garam growled.

Step ducked his head into the water again, and rinsed the soap off.

All the while Tarnia sat glaring at Garam, a knife in one hand, and a whetstone in the other, as she stropped the blade along the stone.

Finally, Step said, 'What’d you want to talk about, Garam?’

‘You know full well,’ Garam said, not too quietly. ‘They’ve gone… and they ain’t coming back.’

‘Keep your bloody voice down!’ Tarnia said, as she stood.

Garam, seeing the knife in Tarnia’s hand, said, ‘What you gonna do, stick me now, Bitch?’

Step, stepping from the water, said, ‘No need for that, Garam. You need to calm down.’

‘Calm down? I’ll give you calm bloody down!’ Garam bellowed, as he lunged toward Step, his fists clenched and raised.

And then they were both in the water, curses and fists flying.

Equally matched, they both gave as good as they got until Garam pulled a knife and grinned at Step wickedly.

‘You gonna listen now?’ he said, just as Tarnia hit him over the head with a log. Down he went, face first into the river.

‘Thanks, but there was no need for that. I could have handled it,’ Step said as he dragged Garam’s limp form to the riverbank, dumped him there and walked over to his clothes.

Tie him up,’ he said. The way he’s behaving, he’s gonna blab everything, and then Kane’s plan will be for nothing.’

‘You sure?’ Tarnia asked. ‘He’s been your friend for ever. Don’t understand why he’s so convinced that Kane’s betrayed us.’

‘Tie him good and tight,’ was all Step said in reply, as he pulled his clothes on over his still wet body.

###

Some twenty yards away, Smirk, his trademark look on his face, said, ‘Yep, we really can make summat out of this boys.’

‘Shall I let em know, Smirky? Lar asked.

‘Na, we need to know a little more, if’n they’re gonna pay big. We’ll get that big bastard, Garam, on our side, and talking first.’

Lar and Groz bothed grinned, as Lar said, ‘You’re the boss, Smirky.’

###

The following morning, Step and Tarnia stood before Garam. He was sat, hand still tied behind his back, a sullen look on his face.

‘You gonna untie me, or what?’

‘You gonna give up this nonsense that you’re spouting?’ Tarnia replied.

‘Untie me,’ Garam growled. ‘ I’ve had it with this lot… and both of you! Kane can do what the hell he likes. I don’t care anymore. You untie me, and I’m gone… away from the lot of you. I’m better off on my own anyway!’

Step and Tarnia walked a little way off, talked quietly for a moment, and then returned to stand in front of Garam.

A moment passed, and then Tarnia pulled a knife and cut Garam’s bonds, as Step said, ‘I’m sorry it’s come to this, old friend. But everything depends on what Kane’s doing now, and we can’t risk anyone else finding out where they’ve gone.’

‘If it was up to me,’ Tarnia said, ‘I’d leave you here hog-tied until they return. But Step here thinks you’re a friend, an honourable friend… one that won’t betray his friends. So we’re going to let you go. But go you’ve got to. You can’t stay here… you’ve gotta go off on your lonesome.’

Garam stood. ‘Yeah, yeah, bloody yeah. I’m off, and I’ll be glad to see the back of you… both of you, but especially you, you bitch!’ The last word was shouted into Tarnia’s face.

Moment later, Garam galloped out of the camp, not giving a care as to who was in his way, as people dived left and right to avoid being trampled.

###

That night as Garam sat in front of a little campfire, his horse hobbled a few yards away, he became aware of the not too distant sound of horses’ hooves.

He slowly stood, a hand on his sword hilt, as three riders trotted into his makeshift camp.

Recognising Smirk, Garam growled, ‘What, Step sent you to come fetch me, did he? Well you can just turn around and bugger off back!’

‘Na,’ Smirk said, a big grin on his face. ‘Nothing of the sort. We saw you leave today… couldn’t miss it really, and thought you might want some company. See, we’re just a little pissed off with what’s going on too. Mind if we join you… brought some grog with us?’

Garam’s frown eased a little at the word grog. ‘Who’re these two?’ he said, as Smirk’s companions dismounted.

‘This here’s Groz, and the ugly ones’ Lar. Two like minded fellows who think as I do.

‘Hey!’ Lar said, ‘No need for that, Smirky.’

‘Shut it,’ Smirk said, as he plonked himself down by Garam’s fire, a bottle already in his hand.

‘Like minded?’ Garam asked, as he too sat, and took the proffered bottle, pulled the cork and took a great big swig.

‘Well, we think,’ Smirk began, as his companions sat, ‘that we’ve been hung out to dry, and that the big bosses have off and left us.’

The bottle, and a few more, passed between hands around the fire, as talk turned to drunken banter, and eventually to secrets being spilled.