The boy did as he was asked, to Barker’s satisfaction.

The Innkeeper leaned forward. “Now, ye know, Dunc, me lad, if ye were to lie to me or not follow me directions to the letter, we will hunt ye down and when we find ye…well, it will be a sorry scene, I can tell ye that much. We understand each other, do we naught?”

The boy’s face turned white, but he nodded his head rapidly up and down.

“Good,” the old man said. “Ye will receive room and board for yer work and t’is a pleasant enough place to spend some time, for all of that.”

The lad smiled, weakly, as some color returned to his face. “My eternal thanks, good sir,” he said.

“Right,” Barker said and stood. “Now get yerself out of those military clothes and scrounge whatever ye might need on the road from the camp and be off with ye.”

“Aye, sir,” the boy said as he rose and started to strip off his surcoat. “Right away, good sir.”

Barker muttered something under his breath as Humphrey came up beside him. They watched as the boy tossed off some things and picked others up to stuff into a carry bag. Humphrey went over and picked up the sword the boy had thrown down earlier. He carried it over to the lad and held it out to him, hilt first. “Here,” he said. “You may need this on the road.”

The boy looked at the sword, then back up to Humphrey. He slowly reached out and took the hilt. “Me thanks, good sir,” he said, quietly.

Humphrey nodded and released the blade, then turned and went back to where Barker stood. Dunc sheathed his sword, slung the bag over one shoulder and headed into the woods, toward the river.

“Do you really think he will manage to find his way to your Inn?” Humphrey asked.

Barker shrugged his shoulders. “Mayhap he will,” he said. “But even if he does naught, I think he learned something here, today.”

“Aye, master Innkeeper,” Humphrey said and clapped a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “I think mayhap we all learned something here today.”

To be continued…