2.5

Travelling across the landscape during the day moved the group from the disarray of old, abandoned farm houses that they had spent the night around and into a more cultivated part of the land. Small villages surrounded by fields of corn and barley where spread out barely an hours travel distance apart. They met carts with various goods on them, some with bags of grain, some with live stock and some with boxes concealed under large wrappings. The scared mood that the morning had started in slowly were being shifted into a more relaxed and sometimes even enjoyable affair. At times the sun would break through the clouds enough to warm them but the wind was still a touch chilly.

A signpost on the side of the road had wooden arrows pointing into different directions at a crossing. Petrus read the different signs and pointed to the left road.
- This is the way to Banford, we are getting close men!
- I will be happy as soon as we can get rid of these crates, Petrus. They are the bringers of defeat, mark my word. Our numbers have halved since we took this mission.
Petrus couldn't help but to think back on the men they had lost on the open sea and now most recently Job.
- Don't count me out yet.
Petrus and Jonathan, who he was speaking to turned around on their benches and looked back on the crates stacked in the back.
- Did you hear something Jonathan?, Petrus asked
- Yes, and from the look of it you did too.
- I said, don't count me out yet, repeated the voice in a raspy hoarse voice.
Petrus nodded at Jonathan who stretched back towards the voice.
- Get me out from under this damned cover, demanded the voice
Jonathan picked up the head of Job and looked straight at it in horror. The sockets of the eyes in the head had sunk back and in it there now was a slight glow of red. As the head spoke it was no movement of the mouth and except from the eyes everything looked as it should for a dead man.
- Do not go to Banford!, it said, Great danger awaits us all if you do.
Petrus stopped the cart and couldn't believe he was going to do this, but he turned to the head anyway.
- What makes you believe that I will follow the orders of a dead head? Put it in a sack, wrap it up tight and shove it deep under some cloth so we can go on.
Jonathan looked at Petrus unsure of what to do.
- Do it now!, Petrus bellowed
- This is the moment you decide if you live or die Jonathan, the head countered.
As Jonathan still didn't move Petrus took the head from him, shoved it in a sack and pushed it down deep among the other goods in the back.
- And quiet back there! We are delivering these goods no matter what! We have an obligation to do so.
Fuming Petrus ordered the carts to continue their journey towards the final destination. If he had got the right information at the last village they passed it would only be one more night before they would reach Banford.
In the back they could all hear the muffled sounds of the head as if it was trying to scream but they could not hear what it was screaming, not did they care. No one of them wanted to be on the recieving end of Petrus rage.