You Said This Was a Patrol? (2)

"What? Only five minutes?"

"Hahaha. I take it you didn't know."

When a horse runs at full gallop, it can only sustain the pace for a few minutes before its stamina gives out completely. It might push a little farther, but the horse could literally die trying. Our horses, apparently, had better endurance than most and could go a bit longer.

"Oh? So that's why you don't import horses?"

"That's right. Also, they bounce around too much to shoot a bow from."

"Ah, right — foreign horses really are unbearable to ride."

Our Jorangi is the best. Compared to other countries' horses, she barely shakes at all, I'm telling you.

Clop, clop.

"This is exactly the pace you need to keep if you want to go far," the scout said.

That "pace" was slower than a human sprinting flat-out. Even at a mere human jogging speed, they couldn't last nearly as long as you'd think.

Movies are all lies, I swear. All that galloping full-tilt while shooting guns and making a getaway — pure fiction.

Also, horses on long-distance journeys need water far more often than you'd expect. Thankfully, I was around, so that problem solved itself easily.

The kid trailing behind us was the one suffering for it. Through my telescope, I could see him already wobbling on his feet.

"You guys basically can't be caught, huh?"

"Almost never. And with you with us, my lady, it's even easier this time."

Hm? Almost?

"So you do get caught sometimes?"

"We're only human. If they surround us from all sides, there's not much we can do."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

So enemy territory has patrols of its own, huh?

"It's risky, but manageable."

"Hm?"

"They usually come at us spread out, so we just pick them off one side at a time as we push through."

Ah, so it's not about breaking the encirclement — it's about defeating them in detail.

"Oh? Looks like that one gave up."

"There should be a spring a little farther ahead. Let's rest there."

"Fine by me."

Truly fascinating. How do they find their way around without a map?

We rode for ages, and there was no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spring — no oasis, even.

"Hey? You said there'd be a spring."

"There's usually one about this far apart. Strange..."

Oh, so it's "nomads wandering this desert dig wells roughly every so often," is it? And here I thought you actually knew where you were going.

Splash, splash.

"Drink up, plenty for everyone."

I felt sorry for the horses and pulled a water bucket out. You poor things suffer so much, stuck with the wrong master.

"Haha. Thank you, my lady."

"Keep this up and all your horses will die."

"We used to find water easily enough, but there's precious little of it this way."

Huh? Wait, you— Something clicked. He just said people rarely travel this route, didn't he?

Aren't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we heading straight into the middle of the desert?

"Did you set your bearing wrong?"

"I don't think that's it."

No? I've never even seen you unfold a map — what exactly are you navigating by?

"I never set a bearing in the first place."

"Haah..."

Isn't that just absurd? What am I supposed to do with this? You need at least a mountain in sight before you can even pick a direction!

"We should hurry and find water — you're sure it's fine?"

"We're fine, my lady."

"Not you — the horses. Shouldn't they be grazing by now?"

"We fed them plenty on the way here, so they'll hold out for a while yet. Still, I'd rather we found water soon."

So they can last quite a while without food? Well, come to think of it, humans can survive days to weeks on water alone.

Sniff, sniff. "Ah — I smell water, my lady."

Even with my fairly sharp senses, I catch nothing but dirt. How does he smell water?

But sure ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough, once we crested a rather tall dune, a stretch of water appeared below us.

"Are you a dog?"

"A dog, my lady?"

"Yeah. Dogs have good noses, don't they?"

"Ahahaha... I'm still a man, you know."

Then why does he act like a beast?

The watering hole was bigger than I expected. Old enough, apparently, that there was a broad stretch of grassland around it — plenty for the horses to graze on.

"We should let the horses eat their fill and stay here a few days, my lady."

"Let's do that."

Having made the trip, I can tell — without horses, we'd be in serious trouble.

"By the way — if I hadn't come along, how would you all sleep?"

They'd been carrying nothing but water and food; if I hadn't pulled out tents for them, they'd have had nothing.

"We'd spread out the blankets off our saddles and sleep wrapped in those."

"It gets pretty cold at night. You'd freeze to death."

"We huddle together. It's more or less livable that way."

How do you stand sleeping in a pile reeking of body odor? If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it were me, we'd have come to blows ages ago.

When I went abroad, the way those boys smelled! Utterly unbearable.

We pulled food out of my subspace, drank, and spent a pleasant few days goofing off there.

"Ah... damn it all..."

"My lady, what do we do?"

"Too many of them. We surrender for now. They won't kill us right away. Then we escape on our own — slipping away alone would be easy for me, but because of you lot, I'll come along for the time being. Whatever it takes, survive and make it home. If you get back, I get back."

Maybe I drank and played around too much. Well, this stream was ringed by sand dunes anyway. Ugh.

We were well and truly surrounded. And these ones are the real deal — heavy cavalry packed to the brim. If they charged as they were, everyone but me would be dead.

"We're sorry."

"Save the apologies and just make it back alive."

"But we..."

Oh, what now — planning to die gloriously in battle?

"Enough! Dying in a fight here means nothing! Getting back alive helps far more."

"Ugh... We will return, my lady."

"Don't forget it. It's only because you get back that I can too."

"Yes, my lady!"

Still, how would I confirm the kids actually got away? I could just stall for a while before being taken, couldn't I?

Ha. Such is life. Prisoners, this time.

"We're discarding our weapons."

"Yes, my lady..."

Trudge, trudge.

Then they led the horses down and began tying them into a line. And when we crested the dune—

"You've got to be kidding me."

What is this? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Were these an army heading off to war, or coming back from one?

If we'd fought, there wouldn't have been bones left to bury.

"Gasp!..."

"Whoa..."

The kids were stunned too. They don't startle easily, but this was something else entirely.

Where on earth were they taking us? It had to have been over a month by now...

"Hey, everyone. Any idea where we are?"

"Hard to say, my lady. We seem to have come southwest."

They'd locked us in wagons fitted with iron bars, though we could talk a little with the wagon beside ours. Talk too much, though, and the guards told us off.

"They're barely giving us any water or food — you all holding up?"

"Yes. This much is nothing."

Probably to keep us too weak to run — or maybe they really are that stingy. Either way, they give us a mouse's tail's worth of food. I'm fine, but I worry about the kids.

Tonight I'll have to sneak them another potato or two at dinner.

"If the guards weren't watching, could you get out?"

"I think a few of the others have already slipped away, my lady."

"Huh. Talented bunch."

"The iron bars are a bit flimsy — we could break through and get out."

Heh. So strength comes in handy at a time like this? The cage isn't solid iron — just the front is barred; top and bottom are wood.

Looks like they really could smash their way out.

"The ones who escaped will have made it home safely, right?"

"Yes. They're not the weak sort."

"Whew..."

My darling little burdens. A worry when I can't see them, a worry when I can.

"Try to escape as fast as you can. Once we reach a city — or wherever they're taking us — I'll probably have to run on my own immediately."

"Understood. They'd never just leave you behind, Haneul-nim."

One thing I'd been counting my blessings about so far: they never summoned me at night to the barracks of whichever general ran this place.

Brrrr! Chills just thinking about it!

"Let's stay strong, everyone."

"Yes, my lady..."

If the guards weren't watching, we could have escaped somehow — but in the end we were hauled all the way to some enormous city.

"So this is it, huh..."

"Yes, my lady..."

"How come you're still here?"

Doesn't the leader usually hang back until last?

"I was waiting to see the others off, and then..."

"I told you — the moment you get a chance, you run. You never listen, do you? Haah..."

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever. Just don't come crying and cursing me later, saying I abandoned you all and fled."

"Yes, my lady!"

Ugh. I can't bring myself to abandon them after all. Fine — I'll just have to find a way to haul these hopeless little things out with me. Worst case, I'll take a hostage or something.

We weren't the only prisoners around, either. The place was full of them — Romans especially. I recognized them from before.

When we reached the city, we were split up and dragged off in different directions. Hm? This place... something Islamic? Looks like one of their temples?

"!!#%"

Can't understand a word, so they're just hauling us wherever they please.

It's blazing hot — why on earth is that fire burning so big? There's a temple-looking building with an enormous fire blazing in front of it.

And there's some kind of huge field over there — looks set up for farming.

Toss.

"!%*#@"

Hm, they're throwing clothes at us. A change of clothes, presumably.

Because we're prisoners? No distinction between men and women, apparently.

Nothing for it — I'll just have to turn around and change.

"!*#@#@$%"

"Yeah, yeah! Coming. Going."

The moment I'd changed, they didn't give me a second to spare and marched me off again. The outfit was a long vest-like top with trousers, and the fabric was so coarse it was practically sandpaper.

If I hadn't had underwear under this, it would hurt like hell.

And then — how to put it — they dumped us in what looked like a laundry yard? And just walked off?

"How do you manage a place this sloppily?"

"!!@$&@$&?"

Different language from the ones who captured us? So these are Roman prisoners? Well, sorry — I don't understand you either.

"No idea what you're saying."

"Daehan?"

"You know the Daehan language?"

"A little."

What now? How do these Romans know our language?

"What is this place? Do we do laundry here?"

"Don't know."

"Then what do you do here?"

"Don't know."

Oh! She just doesn't understand what I'm saying. It's not that she knows our language — she just knows a few words.

"Ugh... fine, let's just do the laundry."

Tap, tap.

I'd just sat down to start washing when she poked at me and pointed at a water bucket. Oh, I see — I'm supposed to go fetch the water, am I?

Everyone here picks on the new girl over the tiniest things.

"Fine. I'll go. I'm the youngest, so I get the crappy jobs, huh."

Now, where's this well supposed to be?

"Hey? Where do I get water?"

I held up the bucket and mimed scooping with my hands, and they pointed at a door. Beyond the door, then?

Creeeak.

Through some small side door, I came out into a vast open ground.

"What is this place, so wide open — a park? Good grief. A bonfire roaring away in broad daylight, with nothing to do?"

What if the place catches fire? Hmm? Should I set one anyway? Wouldn't that give the kids their chance to run, too?

I've even got a few Molotov cocktails in the subspace. Should I try it?

"No guards in sight, so... might as well take a lap around the place first, hmm?"

One thing I noticed wandering around — just like back in the desert before we were captured, nobody here pays us the slightest attention.

"Farming fun, is it?"

Somehow I'd run into the kids working out in the fields, you see.

"My lady! You're here too?"

"Nobody watches you here at all, huh?"

"Hard to escape anywhere nearby anyway, I suppose?"

"Are all the kids here?"

"Shall we go?"

"Let's go!"

And so, the moment we reached the city, we deserted en masse.

"Still, we're strolling around in broad daylight and nobody cares one bit?"

"What on earth is this place?"

"More importantly — which way do we run?"

Somebody has to have a guess...

"Hmm. There was a pretty big river — should we follow it downstream?"

"What do you think happened to our horses?"

"Out of sight, out of mind... I'd say they've already been eaten by now..."

You poor creatures. Starving the whole way, only for that last mouthful of grass by the pond to become your final supper.

I'm sorry, my darlings!

"So counting me, that makes eleven?"

"Let's head for the river first and try to get ourselves a boat."

"Get" one, sure. We're stealing it, aren't we.

"You lot — anything that catches your eye just becomes yours, doesn't it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind."

City folk, I suppose.

"My lady, there's a boat!"

"It's pretty big, isn't it?"

"Shall we?"

A little way out of the city, and there a boat sat, big as anything? It felt like the gods themselves were fanning me onward, shouting hurry, run!

Da-da-da—

"!#%!#!$!"

"!!#@$!"

Two of whatever they call guards here came at us, and—

WHAM! WHAM!

"Gwak!"

SPLOOSH.

The kids just charged straight through and kicked them, sending the pair flying into the river far off in the distance.

Since when was escaping this easy?