Eerik’s New Job (1/11)

[- JO -]

Bjorn looked at him silently, worrying a bit as he saw the hole getting wider. But the ground was hard and Eerik soon had to give up. He checked the map again and again, paced the plateau in all directions, looking for an indication he had misread. He found nothing.

- I guess the guy how sold me that map made a fool of me.
- You couldn't know, said Bjorn comforting.
- I should have known better. I was blinded by an easy way to make money.
- Don't blame yourself. Who wouldn't try if the opportunity was given to them.
- Anyway. I should have been more careful.

Bjorn took the shovel and started filling the hole.

- We don't want some wild animal to break his leg in there, wouldn't we ?

Eerik agreed and watched him a while. Then he went to the mule who was chewing some leather. Eerik though it was his useless and fake map, bent down and took it. It was indeed the map. But not exactly his. Startled, Eerik put it in his coat next to the one he bought and looked at Bjorn. The guide had filled the hole, a fast job as the ground was too hard to dig much in. Eerik came near him, and looked Bjorn pilling the stones back.

- I thought it would look nicer, if you don't mind, of course, explained the guide.
- It's fine for me.

As they used the very same path they followed to come to go back to Suu, Eerik was very disappointed. And he started to think the way he had thought all his life as a bounty hunter.

First, now that the mist was gone and he can clearly think, he wondered how the mule had found her way. He had no doubt that the animal's feet were comfortable on uneven ground and that she can somewhat feel the way. But she must have quite a sens of orientation to lead them straight to the right spot. He hired the guide to lead them. Not the mule. One could say she already knew the way. The second map he found on the plateau felt like a confirmation she really did.

Then the guide. In Suu, he was just back from a trip. The very same day Eerik landed. Could he know someone in need for a guide was coming ? That was a bit stretch. There were not many guides in that part of the country. And it could only be a lucky coincidence that Bjorn returned at that convenient time. But Eerik had learned with his job as bounty hunter that too many coincidences weren’t coincidences.

Lost in his considerations, Eerik was very silent all the way back. The more he thought about Bjorn, the more he felt like he had already meet him. And why a guide would not asked a part of the treasure as payment ?

As they reached Suu, Eerik asked Bjorn to wait until the following day to received his payment. meet him the next morning to get his full payment. Bjorn frowned thinking, exhaled and spat. Then he agreed to see each other at the tavern at noon.

As he watched the guide and the mule going back to their barn south of the village, Eerik found out why the guide seemed familiar. He already saw someone frowned while thinking, exhaling and spitting : the merchant who sold him the treasure map. He was a tall man, had no hair and a small red beard. But with long red hair and no eyepatch, the merchant would have flagrant similarities with the guide. Like they are brothers. Or cousins.

The newly back to bounty hunting wondered if the constable knew about that. He definitely would be interested, maybe already had complaints or, even better, a wanted chart.

Eerik smiled. The trip was not as fruitless as he was afraid it had turned to be. There would be some treasure at the end. Not the one excepted. But still some gold anyway.