Creation Ranch 6

Chapter 6:  Trapped

 

From where Eli stood he could see Lois and Zoe talking in Zoe’s office which had been Zola’s before his untimely demise.  Eli could not however hear what they were talking about from where he stood.  He had come in from dumping the eggshells in the chicken coup and had gone in search of Lois who was missing for he did not know what she might want him to be doing.  But, he did surmise they were not being intimate here in the office in any manner he could understand.  So he just walked in on them.

“But, when do I get verified?” Lois was just then asking.

“You may not have gotten my point?  I am willing to take the Deag at his word concerning you, but your mother may not even be your real mother or even related to you?” Zoe said to her and then turning on Eli, she shouted, “Just what do you want here?  Shouldn’t you be down in the kitchen doing something?”  Then she turned back to Lois as Eli cringed, “Do you get it now?”

“No,” Lois said in a manner that clearly insulted the self-appointed queen but exalted her own self.  “Why can’t I be tested?  I don’t care whether my mother is ever verified.  I do not care what happens to her.  But I want to be verified with or without she really is my mother.  Why can’t you understand that?”

“You trust Deag’s word enough to come here as if demanding we accept you as our younger sibling, but you do not trust us to accept your testimony of Deag?  You are still alive?  Why can’t you see that is enough for me?  And, it should be enough for any member of the family?”

“That is just it,” Lois demanded to be heard despite the fact Zoe walked to the door of the office and opened it.  She planted her feet and Eli expected her to curtsy again as a sign of respect, but she did not make that gesture at all, in fact she postured as if she were about to duke it out with Zoe.  Then she said, “Before you quoted Zola and his sayings and all …!”

“I know,” Zoe said, “that was when I still had hopes we might make a couple, even if you were lying about Deag.  I have since changed my mind.  If anyone challenges your legitimacy we will have you verified, then, if it comes to that!”

 Eli was thrilled to see the argument and hoped to glean some valuable insight from their hostility when suddenly Eric walked in, took in the last statement and said, “I’ll take you to Ionica right away if you choose to go.”

“Um …?” Lois said amazed and not understanding why.  “Can Eli come with?”

“Sure,” Eric said and motioned toward the open door, scowled at Zoe, turned to Eli and Lois and said, “Let’s go; I was planning a trip that way anyway.”

“Who is going to pay for it?” Zoe shouted as the three left.

“You,” Eric said as they turned the corner in the hallways and were unable to hear anything more than muffled shouts from Zoe as they walked on and stopped only while Lois curtsied again to honor Eric’s beneficence. 

“Are you sure about this?” Eli asked Eric ignoring what Lois had done as they walked side by side behind her.

Eric nodded and continued to watch Lois walk with great interest as they left for the village of Dacica; their first stop.  Ghalb was a place slightly larger than Dacica and unfriendly, but not large enough to dare an attack on any member of the family or even a friend of one so it would seem since Dacica was over 40 potential soldiers even without Zola. 

But as they neared Ghalb the next day, Eli began to act differently.  He did not jest with Lois and Eric as he had before they neared the village.  His eyes watched the sides of the trail, and he readily took to taking up the rear, clearly unsettled by the slightest of events, a leaf that fell unexpectedly freed from a tree by a curious squirrel, a nut dropped nearby by the same, at one point a weasel scurried across the path making them all startle at the sight and Eli hit the dirt as if expecting a much larger event like an attack of some sort.

Eric slowed from Lois’ side and walked in the rough beside Eli in order to talk to the lad.

“What’s up, Eli?” he asked.  “Who are you expecting to ambush us?”

“No one,” he lied but he was surely worried.  “What if the Ghalban’s are not as shy about attacking us as you would think?  The two of you being Havolls and al, reduces that chance, but what if they come after me and leave you guys alone?”

“Why would they do that, and how would they get the idea you were not one of us?  But, come on now, Eli, what’s up?  Have you offended the Ghalban’s?  In any way that you have offended them that puts us in danger too; we have a right to know, don’t you think?”

Eli looked at Lois and said, “Don’t let her know, but they sent me to do just what I am doing right now.  They have been watching Dacica for a group such as ours with me in the middle of it, for it means they intend to ambush us, but not attack, and the idea is for you to refuse to give me up to my own people, giving them a defensible reason for attacking us, under pretense of either freeing me, or of taking me prisoner.  The only problem I can see with that is the Ghalbans are not known for their trusting natures.  I am afraid they will kill me as well as both of you though I have by your own order accomplished everything they wanted. 

Believe me, Eric, I did not intend this but I had no way out but to expose myself in Dacica and not everyone there is as friendly as your family.  Sixty men are expected to attack and we have no way to defend ourselves.  I am so sorry, Eric.  Forgive me, even though it looks like we cannot survive?”

“You are forgiven by me, but whom you should seek forgiveness from is Deag,” he said.

“I do not know Deag personally; only his reputation among your family.  Dare I, an enemy of his chosen ones, even approach him let alone expect help from him, I was the one who put you in danger, and the entire ruse was my handiwork.  I expected a promotion and not this permanent demotion as I think it is now.”

Little did they know I caused the weasel to scurry back across the path in their midst.

“Maybe Deag will help us anyway?” Eric smiled.  “Don’t borrow fear, there is no future there.”

Eli felt like he had just been privy to another of Zola’s sayings and something in him wanted to bow as he was instructed or even kneel as some Ghalbans do in such cases.  For even in Ghalb, Zola is much reverenced because of his wisdom; true wisdom it seems is more valuable than loyalties of any kind.

“It looks like you were telling the truth,” Eric said as Lois came to a standstill just before entering a clearing ringed with about 40 men. 

“In a situation like this the other 20 are nearby and hidden should we try to go around, or back off,” Eli said letting Eric know the basic plan, but not expecting the good natured slap to the back of his head. 

“I know,” Eric said relaxing as he walked up to Lois’s side and began explaining the situation to her.