Lotus Isle: Book I

by Don P. Bick

  Chapter 13

  The weather held for the next few days as the four companions continued down the river. It rained off and on, but nothing like the storm they were caught in just outside of Val. They had lost the better part of a day in that rain storm. Since then they had been extremely cautious of the weather, especially when traveling in the boat. Whenever it started to sprinkle they headed for shore and the protection of the trees. One time when it started to rain they were in an area of grasslands. That caused a slight welling up of concern among them. Fortunately, it turned out to be only a light rain and nothing serious.

  The scenery was gorgeous and Camran sat in the boat taking it all in, trying to look in all directions at once. To their back was a high mountain range, called the Pegasus Range. So named because it is said a flying horse was needed to cross those high mountain peaks. The banks of the river were covered by forests in some areas, grass in others, and now and then some jungle type growth. There was always something new to see as they continued to travel down the river.

  The grasslands were hard for Camran to imagine crossing. There would be no way that he could figure a man could get through those fields. The grass was some twenty to thirty feet high and grew tightly together. The blades looked razor sharp. They would sway in the breeze and to his way of thinking, cut anything that touched them. And there was also no telling what kind of creatures lived beneath that green covering that reached high up toward the sky.

  To envision crossing the jungle growth was not much better than the grasslands. Vines the size of a man's torso climbing huge moss covered trees were everywhere. The moss was so thick it covered everything. It hung all the way to the ground, just as though it had been poured on top of the monstrous trees and left to run down and cover all in its path. It wasn't just the moss, but all the growth under the trees that presented an insurmountable obstacle to travel. He couldn't imagine being in the middle of those woods. There wouldn't even be any light below all that moss down amongst the undergrowth. It looked like something out of some fairy tale book and he kept expecting to see a big black castle looming in the distance every time they went around a bend in the river. All the rain in this area sure has its influence on the various types of growth, he thought, thinking of the rain storm they had recently survived.

  They expected to be in Statmer before nightfall. All of them were looking forward to a hot bath and a cold beer with their dinner. Although Gena didn't once complain, she obviously didn't care for the living conditions they had to endure these past few days. However, she remained as cheerful as ever even under the most trying of circumstances. Her participation in the group was appreciated more and more each day.

  As the day began to end, they came around a bend in the river and saw two boats in the distance. On the whole trip they had only seen a couple of small ships headed up river to Val. No one had passed them coming down the river. It was clear that because of the unpredictability of the weather small boats had no place traveling between Val and Statmer. Seeing two small boats on the river was a sure sign they were nearing Statmer, and almost to the end of this part of the trip.

  All in all the boat had served them well, however, on the last day of the trip they all noticed how cramped the quarters had become. They were all ready to end the boat ride. The plan was to drop off Bran and Gena before reaching the docking area. Camran and Twil would continue into Statmer and dock the boat. Twil would find a buyer and sell it, while Camran would hang around the docks until the other two showed up. After Twil rejoined Camran, Bran and Gena would follow close behind them to an inn to get some rooms. The thought of a bed to sleep in and a roof over their heads was pleasant to them all.

  Bran steered the boat over to the shore and he and Gena unloaded their packs. They guessed they were still upriver a couple of miles. As Camran and Twil prepared to hop back into the boat and depart, they were taken completely by surprise as an arrow zipped into the side of the hull. Bran grabbed Camran and hauled him to the ground behind a bush. Gena was still standing, looking around in disbelief. Twil was already gone and out of sight.

  Bran pulled Gena behind the bush with Camran before she had time to realize what was happening. A feint muffled cry from the woods told them Twil had found the hidden archer. Twil was so quick and illusive they knew it was the enemy crying out and not him.

  A few minutes later Twil quietly returned to his friends shaking his head. He said there were three of them and he had only been able to get two. The third one got away. There was no more need for secrecy, the Guardians now knew they were here and what they looked like. The realization of what that implied weighted heavily on them all.

  How could they have been on them so fast? Apparently the Guardians had made the assumption the four might go to Val and come down the river. They had lookouts posted, probably in every village and town in the whole land. Camran thought he was beginning to know how a trapped animal might feel. What do they do now that they had been discovered, before they had even gotten into town? How could they go anywhere in this world without being subject to a possible attack? There was no way they could determine who might be their enemy as they walked among other people in any village or town, either. A great feeling of despair began to settle over the group.

  Their frustration showing, they quickly decided to get in the boat and head across the river. The chances of anyone looking for them over there were probably pretty small. Once they were in a relatively safe place they could try to make some plans to ensure their safety.

  The river was very wide and slow moving at Statmer. They were very near where the river flowed into the sea. Since they were still a couple of miles from town, it was going to take a few minutes for the one who got away to relay the word that they had arrived and where they had been seen. It would be longer before someone could make it back to the point of attack to look for them. The Guardians would almost certainly have to come back and investigate where they were last spotted, in the event the four companions might have stayed in that area. It was for certain the dock area would be watched. Their descriptions would be circulated long before they would be able to travel that last couple of miles to the docks.

  They crossed the river without incident and decided to go down river a short distance past town. Bran argued they probably weren't watching that side of town at all because the Guardians knew they had been coming from Echo Creek, which was in the opposite direction.

  So they continued floating down river, past the town port. They could barely make out the ships at dock across the wide expanse of water as they passed Statmer. They went about two miles farther down the river before stopping. On the opposite shore from Statmer they brought the boat into a small cove, hidden from the river to anyone except a boat passing right in front of the narrow opening. Twil jumped out and immediately disappeared into the underbrush to scout around. The others hurriedly moved behind a smaller tree growing in a depression along the bank.

  A long time seemed to pass before Twil returned. He said he had been pretty thorough in his search. He found nothing. Not even any signs of anyone having been there ever before. That, at least, was encouraging.

  It was approaching darkness as they set up a quick camp and made plans. It was decided Twil would take the boat across the river to the opposite bank, leave it and go into town. He would try and gain their passage on one of the ships bound for RockView, replenish their provisions and see if he could find out what information he could about the Guardians. If he had the opportunity he would try and see the mayor and gather any news that may not be common knowledge among the people in town. They had expected to make a quick call on the mayor anyway, but also knew that would be one of the places most heavily watched by the Guardians.

  When it was dark enough they couldn't see across the river, Twil emptied out his pack and left in the boat. In a couple of minutes he was lost in the darkness. The others, although tired, were too worried to sleep. They kept a sharp watch out and built no fire. They sat talkin
g softly about the events of the day. They could think of no way to avoid constantly running into the Guardians. Uppermost in their minds was Twil's safe return. They felt unable to relax until he was back with them and out of harms way.