10 Onward (2/2)

”Much thanks, stranger,” said the knight. Upon seeing Li so calm, the knight regained his composure and called out to the rest of his companions. With his composure back, it was evident from the way his voice projected so powerfully that he was their commander. ”Arm yourselves again, men! We move out quick, while the moonlight still shines, and hunt these bandit scum. No doubt they will be cowering from the earthquake!'

The knights let out a rousing cry as they scrambled to pick their armor and swords off the ground.

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Li found Old Thane standing smack in the middle of the road, past the knight encampment. He had planted his feet wide apart and was taking in heavy but slowly regulated breaths. One arm securely held his wagon of berries while another was out in front of him with palm open to balance himself. It looked a little ridiculous, like he was doing yoga, and that image brought a tiny smile to Li.

”Old Thane,” called out Li.

”Oh, Li, is that you?”

”Good to see your hearing's still fine. Who knows what I'd do if you were blind and deaf. What're you even doing out here?”

”Waiting out the quake. Always best to wait out a quake in the open and alone where bodies can't pile atop each other. Those poor young knights. Thought the quakes were from a star stone and stood there shaking like fools! Southern pups have probably never even seen a proper star stone, but I have, and let me tell you, lad, you're dead before you can even feel the earth shake.”

Old Thane shrugged. ”And I suppose the quake was also a good excuse to get past the knights while they cowered.”

”Smart. Well, earthquake's over, old man. You can stop the yoga now.”

”Yoga?” Old Thane shook his shoulders and stood normally. ”Sounds foreign. Some kind of Eastern practice?”

”You could say that.” Li figured it wasn't worth trying to make up an explanation for what yoga was.

”Interesting! You should tell me more when we're done buying our herbs!”

”You sure you still want to go? You're not too shocked or anything, right?”

Old Thane laughed. ”Normally, I would consider an earthquake a bad omen, that is true. But that it came right after you said so resolutely you would deal with those bandits eases my mind.”

”You think the earthquake came from me?” Li knew that it was obvious for Old Thane to correlate the two. It was far too suspicious that he had made a grand speech about securing the future of the farm and then right after, an earthquake pops up.

”Mark my words, Li, I do not question your origins or strengths and what you can or cannot do. I understand what it means to be different. I will only expect of you what I would expect from any old regular lad. And if that earthquake did come from you, then all I can say is that I am glad to have a capable young man such as yourself defending the farm,” said Old Thane with a smile. ”But enough, we can talk of this later. Right now, we should think about what we set out to do in the first place.”

”You're damn right, old man.”

And so Li and Old Thane started travelling once more, as if nothing had happened, with Old Thane tugging the wagon along and telling Li a stories about his adventuresome past.