The headache was doing a good enough job at keeping him awake.
~
Two more days had passed, and now, looking at his map, Massimo felt pleased at the progress he was making. Loua Louna was still far away, but at this rate he would reach his destination and return inside the month with time to spare.
Massimo again decided to keep traveling throughout the night. As had happened previously, he was completely alone under the stars, his drudge plodding away, all of the other merchants and traders having sought the safety and comfort of an inn.
Massimo wondered how many timepieces he could buy for his twenty-odd silver deens. They were expensive in Ralanast, but surely they would be much more reasonably-priced in the country where they were made? He’d always liked timepieces…
~
Massimo came awake with a start, the cart beginning to veer off the road, heading for what looked like a field. He needed to stay awake.
Massimo suddenly wished he hadn’t thrown out all his wine. Did he have anything else?
Massimo felt around behind him. What was this? Ah, it was the bottle of Petryan firebrand. Surely that would keep him awake.
He opened the bottle and took a swig, like he would have from a bottle of beer.
“Achhh!” Massimo put his hand to his throat in pain. Lord of the Earth, that hurt! It was like drinking liquid fire. He supposed he knew now where the name came from.
Massimo put the bottle of firebrand to the side. He was alert now; there was no doubting that. A warm feeling seeped into his stomach.
As the night wore on, the moon rose, shining pale light on the road, and Massimo again felt great pleasure to be traveling. This was the life, he thought to himself. Just him and the road.
He took another sip of the firebrand, making a soft sound of contentment as he put the bottle away.
A moment later, Massimo started to sing.
He sang a farmers' song about the harvest, opening his mouth and shouting into the night. Massimo had another sip and grinned to himself. Who was there to hear? He launched into a raunchy tavern song about how women were like wheat, and should only be harvested when ripe.
Suddenly Massimo squinted ahead, trying to see in the darkness. Was that a figure ahead? No, it was two silhouettes. There were two men ahead of him, blocking the road.
“Are you lost?” Massimo asked, calling the drudge to a halt. Then he realized he was still fifty paces from the waiting men. “Still some way to go,” he muttered. “How did they get so far away? Perhaps they’ll need the map if they’re lost.”
He got the drudge moving again and then rummaged around until he found the map. Finally Massimo looked around for a candle, otherwise how else would they see?
Massimo held the lit candle out in one hand as his cart approached, but it ruined his night vision and he could no longer see the figures. “Where are you?” Massimo called out. “Are you lost? Do you want a drink?” He took a mouthful of the firebrand and then held the bottle out.
“We’re right here,” a voice growled at Massimo’s feet. “Pull the cart over. It's ours now.”
Massimo saw a thin man in ragged clothing trying to climb up onto the moving cart. Behind him a swordsman waited his turn to jump up. The sword looked big, and the shock of seeing the bared steel hit Massimo like a punch in the chest.
Massimo’s mouth was still full of firebrand as he gasped, but it came out more as an eruption of liquid that sprayed out into the face of the thin brigand.
“Argh!” the thin man screamed, falling down and clawing at his face.
The swordsman came forward, but he was forced to dodge when his companion fell past him. Massimo swung down at the swordsman with whatever it was that was in his hand.
The bottle of firebrand smashed over the swordsman’s head. Glass and liquid flew in all directions, and the swordsman fell down to join his fellow on the side of the road with a cry.
Massimo looked in wonder at the broken bottleneck he still held in his hand. Shocked, he opened his hand to drop the bottleneck but for some reason, both his hands opened. The remnant of the bottle fell, and the lit candle fell with it.
He looked on, horrified, as the candle bounced off the wagon's side and sailed through the air, falling onto the two brigands. Drenched in firebrand, they suddenly howled as their clothing caught fire.
Massimo left them rolling in the grass, each man trying to put out the fire on his friend.
“Sorry about that!” Massimo called over his shoulder.
In the commotion, the drudge had continued plodding along without guidance, pulling closer and closer to the edge of the road. He guided the drudge back toward the middle of the road and continued on, the flames disappearing from view as the road rounded a bend.
~