by Allan Joyal
“I’m scared,” she whimpered. Her face was buried in his chest.
“Does she know how to swim?” I asked.
“No, there is no place to learn,” Borlan said. “And why would I want to do that?”
“We’ll have to teach you,” I said. “It’s good exercise, and it can help you relax. But for now, just comfort her. I’m sure the fact that we are on a raft has frightened her.”
“Soldrin doesn’t seem to be upset,” Borlan protested.
“He’s sitting as close to the middle of the raft as he can get,” I pointed out. “And Ximenia made a very brave choice. Don’t allow a moment of weakness to affect how you think of her.”
“But I was weak,” Ximenia murmured without moving her face from Borlan’s chest.
“You still were brave enough to come. And I can assure you that once you get to know everyone you’ll find that we are truly good people,” I affirmed.
Ximenia’s head moved, but she kept her face buried in Borlan’s chest. The young man blushed slightly. “I told her that everyone I met welcomed me fully. I think she’s still afraid. I discovered that Trexco had threatened to take her to one of the brothels.”
“Never happen now,” I said. “Heather would do to me what she did to Trexco.”
Borlan laughed. He had his arms around Ximenia and was starting to relax them when the raft came to a sudden halt. There was a loud scraping sound. I looked up to find that the raft had grounded on the riverbank. The current had moved us to that all of the carts and wagons were upstream of where we were, but even the furthest was only about twenty yards away.
“Let’s get this unloaded,” I called out. “Gerit you need to say what goes in each cart or wagon.”
“I’ll do my best,” Gerit called out as he jogged up. He looked at the array of barrels on the raft. “Wow, this is more than I expected. Tools to the cart in the middle for now, it has plenty of room and we can move things later. Any personal items go in the cart at the far end, that’s where all the bedrolls are for now.”
“You heard our quartermaster,” I called out as I stepped onto the land. I walked about ten paces up the riverbank and then stabbed the spear into the soil. Once it was set I turned back and headed back to the raft.
Jeff and Verval were able to help unload now that the raft was grounded. Even with their help everyone was covered in sweat by the time we had the last barrel off the raft. Gerit had directed that a few barrels be taken to one of the carts, but the majority he ordered left on the beach until we were done unloading.
I had not been counting the barrels as we unloaded, but once the raft was empty, I finally had a moment to think. The merchant was instructing his men to launch the raft as Gerit and Verval looked at the various barrels stacked on the beach. It looked like there were about thirty-five barrels, although a few were about half the size of the majority.
Gerit looked at me and nodded. “We can do this, although some will have to be tied on the top. My biggest worry will be just how heavy the load will be. If we have to go up any hills the mules will struggle to pull the load.”
“But we can carry it?” I asked.
Gerit nodded. “Put two large and one small barrel in each of the carts, and then split the rest between the two wagons. I have enough rope to tie them down.”
“Henck, help with tying barrels down. Your ribs aren’t healed yet, and I don’t need you setting back the healing. Esme would never let me hear the end of it,” I said.
“And Lydia would hurt you,” his wife said. She was kneeling at the edge of the water and watching the docks on the far side. “But you should move. It looks like a couple of thugs wearing leather armor have just walked to the base of the docks.”
“Damn,” I muttered. “Time to get out of town.”
Everyone raced to get the barrels placed to Gerit’s satisfaction. The move was rushed, and the three carts each ended up with three large barrels each rather than the mix Gerit originally planned. They had enough space, but Hencktor ended up spending extra time securing them while we loaded the wagons.
Chapter 17: Getting Out of Town
Hencktor and Gerit were tying down the last of the barrels. I grabbed the spear and looked back across the river. The two men Lydia had seen had been joined by at least a dozen more. They milled around on the docks. Then two of the men moved to the end of the docks. They knelt down.
“Crossbows!” I heard Aine shout from the bluff.
“Amalya, get the first cart moving!” I shouted. “Who has the second?”
“I do,” Natalie shouted. “I’m ready.”
“Everyone else get to a wagon and watch for arrows. Lydia, can you shot back?” I called out.
There was a sharp yip of pain from the riverbank right were Lydia had been kneeling.
“Love!” Hencktor roared.
“It just grazed my shoulder,” Lydia shouted. “Ron, they have more than just the two. If I try to aim they’ll shot at me.”
“Retreat,” I said. “Unless they have a boat we can escape.”
“No boat, I think they hoped to catch some of us on that side of the river,” Al said.
There was a series of whistles arcing over the water. Everyone dove towards one of the carts. The whistles came to an abrupt stop as a rain of arrows struck the riverbank. Several landed within inches of members of our group, but no one was hit. As soon as we felt safe I ran to retrieve the spear.
“Have the carts started moving?” I called out.
“I’m starting the first wagon now,” Gerit said. “Verval will follow and then Lenoir said she’d get the last cart moving.”
“Marines, we are leaving!” Al shouted.
I dashed over and put my back against the rear of the second wagon. The men on the far shore were trying to rapidly reload their crossbows. A couple managed to get their weapons loaded, but a shot from Aine disrupted their aim long enough for the wagon to start moving. I glanced around. Other than Lenoir hiding next to the horse pulling the last cart, the beach was deserted.
I had the spear in a death grip until Lenoir was able to coax the horse into motion. The archers on the shore sent one more volley our way. Several arrows lodged in the wood of the cart. I heard Lenoir curse and stopped following the wagon.
“I can keep moving!” Lenoir shouted. “It just grazed my hip. Don’t stop.”
Lenoir had been standing on to the horse’s left. I moved to my right and waited for her. The arrow had caught her just above her right hip. Blood stained her blouse and was spreading to her skirt.
“That’s not a graze,” I said.
“We don’t have time to bandage it,” Lenoir hissed.
“Will the horse follow the others?” I asked.
“For a while, but you really need to know how to keep it moving,” Lenoir said. I could hear her trying to keep from gasping in pain. “And you haven’t done it before.”
“True, but Mary has,” I said. “Go forward. Send Mary back to run the cart and then you need to see Esme.”
“But!” Lenoir cried.
“Go!” I commanded. “That wound needs to be looked at now!”
Lenoir jumped and started to limp toward the front of the caravan. I carefully moved so I was walking next to the horse. Fortunately, it seemed content to follow the wagon as we moved up the slope and onto the plains.
The men on the other shore shouted at us as we left the riverside. I glanced back and could see a couple men considering jumping in the water. They were hauled back by the rest of the gang as I topped the rise and started out over the plain.
We had traveled only a few more feet when Aine approached the cart. She was on the other side of the horse from me, but waved when I noticed her.
“The men are still standing on the dock,” she said. “I get a feeling they don’t have a boat.”
“They couldn’t carry everything back in a boat anyways,” I pointed out. “They would need a barge or raft. With the raft gone their potential profits drop.
I expect they won’t try to pursue us.”
“I hope they don’t,” Aine said. “I really don’t want to have to kill anyone. Especially if I have to see it.”
“I agree,” I said. “And I hate that Heather had to kill that idiot, yesterday.”
“He deserved it,” Aine said firmly. “And it helped cement Heather as a leader of the group. I know you look to Lydia for some of the organizing and Victoria is clearly the mother figure all of us need, but Heather is the one with the fire. And you feed from that fire often enough now.”
I sighed. “I try to be discrete about that. I’m not exactly comfortable having everyone know that Heather and I are lovers.”
“Why?” Mary said as she walked back towards us. I had been looking at Aine over the back of the horse and had not realized she was approaching. “Ron, the fact that Heather can be so comfortable with you and Lydia fawns over Hencktor when we camp has helped me a lot. I feared that the abuse of women I had seen at the start would never end. After all, the primitive cultures here were built up around that abuse. You helped convince me I can see something better. Besides, she’s not your lover – she’s your wife! Get over it!”
I nodded. “Can you handle the horse?” I asked Mary. “I hate to make you work, but I need to check on everyone and set a route.”
Mary giggled. “I’ve been helping lead the carts since you rescued me. It gave me something to do and Amalya loves to teach others. She’s born to be a mother.”
I saw a shadow pass across Mary’s face. “Mary?” I asked.
She smiled wanly as she moved next to the horse. She used her hip to bump me away as she reached up to pat the horse. “Nothing, or at least I shouldn’t let it bother me. It’s just you know that I’m probably pregnant. I just realized I won’t be able to introduce my child to their father. Not like Amalya will be able to point to Gerit and talk about her wonderful husband.”
“Or Heather can point to Ron, or Lydia can point to Hencktor,” Aine supplied.
“You’re not helping,” I sang out.
Mary laughed. “Actually she is. I’m just feeling a bit down. I want a true break, but the more we spend here, the more I realize we will probably stay very busy for months. I mean how far are we planning on going before we find a place to settle.”
“I don’t know,” I replied. “We never saw a real map of what is east of here. However, I expect we’ll be moving for at least sixty days. I’d like to get to the ocean so we might be able to set up a way to evaporate seawater and collect the salt.”
“And we’ll still need to build a place to live,” Mary said mournfully.
“It will be rough, but in the long run I think we can all be happy,” I replied.
“And now why don’t you check on Lenoir,” Aine said. “I can watch for anyone pursuing us, but I believe you are right. With the raft gone the merchant won’t want to chase us. It would be a lot of work for the potential gain.”
I looked back to see a stream of green clad people emerging from the grove by our camp. They lined up on the bluff and looked out over the water.
“Or we can have the elves make a show of force to scare of any pursuers,” I said quietly.
Aine and Mary looked back and gasped. “That would work,” Aine whispered as all three of us stumbled on the uneven ground. I remembered to turn and watch where I was walking.
The caravan was close together as we moved. I noticed that the two wagons were travelling side-by-side rather than in a file. The horse pulling the cart was remaining behind the left wagon as we continued moving.
“I’m going to head off. Mary will you have any trouble?” I asked.
“No trouble,” Mary said. “I’d ask for relief later, but Corwar and Piemal are helping the girls with the herds. Until those two puppies you got are old enough to help they need more help herding than we do with the carts.”
I nodded and started walking faster. I aimed for the space between the two wagons as I passed the horse and began working my way towards the front of the caravan.
Gerit was walking next to the mules pulling the wagon. He looked over at me and nodded as I caught up to him. I slowed down to match his pace and looked forward. The carts had also moved so that they were no longer in line, although they were not next to each other.
“We spread out to try to keep the dust down,” Gerit said. “Right now the soil is still a little moist, but if we hit a dry area the wheels will kick up dust.”
“You are in charge there,” I said. “I have little experience with wagons and carts. I should ask how they are overall.”
“I’m not happy with the last cart in the line. That was the one we got in Crayolyn Falls and the axle brace is too thin. We’ll have to be careful or it might break on rough ground,” Gerit said. “Otherwise we are good for now.”
“Good enough. I need to find Lenoir and Esme,” I said.
“They should be to the left of the first cart,” Gerit said. “Heather and Victoria agreed that we’d have anyone not driving a cart walk in a group for protection.”
“No scout?” I asked.
“Krysbain should be ahead of us right now,” Gerit admitted. “We needed everyone to load the wagons, so we couldn’t send someone far ahead to blaze a trail.”
“We’ll have to fix that,” I said. “What about the herd?”
Gerit pointed forward of the caravan and slightly to the right. “They are ahead of us,” he said. “Gertrilla has Piemal, Corwar, Yveney, Dafalia and that new girl Oleiana helping. It’s a big herd.”
“What about the smaller animals, the chickens and rabbits?” I asked.
“We loaded their cages on the wagons,” Gerit said. “Dafalia and Oleiana will watch over and feed them.”
“I hope they make it,” I said.
“They should,” Gerit said. “We might lose a few, but we should be able to keep most of them alive. We have plenty of fodder, and the grass on the plains is starting to sprout so the herd shouldn’t need too much extra.”
I nodded. “I’m off to check on Lenoir. Thanks again.”
Gerit said nothing as I sped forward. Once I was ahead of the mules I headed towards where my friend had said the rest of the group should be. I soon could see Al supporting Lenoir as she limped along.
“Lenoir,” I called out as I ran forward. She did not turn, but Al glanced over his shoulder and looked at me.
“Esme bandaged it, but we think the arrow clipped a bone. There isn’t a lot of blood, but she’s in a bit of pain,” Al said.
“It won’t bend,” Lenoir said mournfully. “I can’t walk without pain.”
“Is there space for her to ride one of the carts?” I asked.
“Won’t work,” Al said. “I’ve watched the carts. They rock and sway with the terrain. It would be worse for Lenoir than walking.”
“Does Esme have an estimate on how long until it heals? And what about Lydia?” I asked.
“Two days,” Esme said as she and Heather approached us. I could see Borlan and his two friends following more slowly. “At least I’m hoping it heals quickly. I think it’s just a bone bruise. If it’s any kind of fracture we’ll have to use our potion.”
“Why?” Lenoir asked. “I’m no one.”
“You are a friend and partner,” Esme said firmly. “And if it is fractured, it will get worse. You’ll end up unable to walk. But the fact that you’ve been able to walk for the last two hours suggests it’s not that serious. But you won’t be running for a few weeks, and I’m glad Al has been able to help you walk.”
“Just don’t let Aine know,” Al said happily. “I was going to propose to her tonight, and I’m not sure how she’d react.”
Heather laughed merrily. “She’ll think it is wonderful you care for Lenoir. And I know she’ll say yes. She’s loved you since you protected her back in the Wizard’s City.”
Al looked surprised. “I thought no one noticed,” he said.
“We knew, but it was clear you didn’t want to
talk about it,” I replied. “Anyways, I came over here to check on everyone. I didn’t get a great opportunity to meet with everyone once we returned from town. Has anyone had a chance to talk with Borlan and his friends?”
“Why not ask his companion herself,” Ximenia said tartly. She moved closer to the group. I could see Borlan standing behind her with a worried frown on his face.
“Well, I thought I’d see if Victoria or Heather had an impression,” I said.
“Why?” Ximenia asked.
“Because I have seen enough of Jord to realize that women aren’t usually treated well by men. If anyone was going to get you to open up it would likely have been a woman,” I pointed out.
Ximenia giggled. “I guess that’s true. I just noticed that Victoria acted like a mother to me. It was while I was talking to her that I realized that you really don’t expect me to be…”
“Never,” I said firmly. “I can look at Borlan and see that he loves you. He risked his life to go back and rescue your brother and you. I only hope that you return that love.”
I could see the surprise in Borlan’s eyes as I spoke to Ximenia. The young woman just stared at me in shock as we continued to walk across the plains. She said nothing, but I noticed that her left hand sought out Borlan.
“We might have a problem,” Esme said.
“I don’t like hearing that,” I replied. “Is it a big problem?”
“We don’t have enough people to do everything we need,” Esme said. “Henck’s ribs probably need twelve days before he can lift anything heavy, which limits him to the carts. Lydia took an arrow through her right arm. It went through without hitting the bone, but unlike your wound the wound is jagged. I want to give her a few days for the muscles to mend. I don’t think it managed to cut through the muscle, but it definitely tore it. And you know about Lenoir’s hip.”
“I can still help!” Lenoir protested.
“You need to rest the hip,” Esme said firmly. “It needs to heal.”
“But if I don’t help we can’t keep all the wagons moving,” Lenoir protested.