by Allan Joyal
Heather nodded. She turned to help Victoria secure her cloak and then turned to leave the lodge. Victoria grabbed two packs and followed.
Hencktor came up to me and put a pack in my hands. It was lighter than I expected.
"Everyone wants you to be able to move around quickly," Hencktor said. "So the pack isn't as heavy as the others."
I nodded and grabbed the spear that had become mine. I could see Steve picking up the hammer as Lydia threw on her pack and secured a sleeve of crossbow bolts to her hip.
I ducked out of the lodge and swung the pack on under my cloak. It was a bit awkward to thread my arms through the straps, but I had it secure on my back when Jennifer and Kariy passed me and began carefully making their way past the sled. I was distracted as I watched them try to avoid the walls of snow, so I was a bit surprised to feel a tug on my arm.
I turned to see Aine standing there. Her arms were filled with bedrolls. She had a confused expression on her face as she held them up.
"Damn, we almost forgot that," I said and stepped over to the third sled. I could see Hencktor putting his right arm into the harness as I led Aine past him and to the front of the sled. As soon as we arrived, I started taking the bedrolls and slipping them into the pocket of space at the front of the cargo area. In moments, I had stuffed six bedrolls into the cavity.
Aine offered me a shy smile as I put the last bedroll into the sled. She then turned and fled, only stopping when she was next to Lydia. My former coworker offered a shrug and pointed down the pathway of snow. "Heather and Victoria are moving; Jennifer and Kariy are about to move."
I jumped away from Hencktor's sled and ran over to the second sled. I stood between the runners and put my hands on the crossbar at the back. As Jennifer and Kariy started to walk forward, I pushed against the bar and started to walk forward.
The sled did not want to move at first. I strained, pushing against the bar. Suddenly there was the crack of breaking ice and the sled jumped forward. I stumbled for a moment as it began moving.
At first progress was slow. Jennifer and Kariy were having a hard time walking at the same pace, which meant the sled did not move in a straight line. I tried to steady the path of the sled as the rest of the group followed behind. I could hear Hencktor grunting as he fought with the third sled.
"Heather," I shouted. "Stay on the right side of the street on our way to the city gate. Hopefully, Relway will be ready with the woodworking tools."
I saw that Heather raised her right arm and waved it. It could mean that she heard me, or that she wanted me to come closer and speak again. She and Victoria had pulled their sled up to the gate and were standing in the snow as the gate swung open.
The gate was almost completely open when another large stone flew over our heads to crash into the wall surrounding the lodge. Snow sprayed in all directions as the house beyond the lodge crumbled under the impact. Heather and Victoria stopped waiting for the gate to open and lunged forward, dragging the sled along as they hurried to the street.
This time when we arrived at the street, there were crowds rushing everywhere. Some people had picked up weapons and were charging up the road towards the academy. Others had their arms over their heads and were running towards the city gates. Heather and Victoria turned at the first opportunity, heading down the right side of the street. They slowed as they ran into people struggling to run in the other direction.
When Jennifer and Kariy reached the turn, I pushed the sled through the turn, helping them keep it out of the snow bank. However, the instant they were following Heather and Victoria, I pointed at the sled. "Steve, take over here!" I shouted, before I dashed down the connecting path to the left side of the street.
The path on this side was more crowded, but the armed men heading towards the academy stepped aside as I dashed past them holding a spear. I kept the point of the spear aimed into the sky as I dodged and weaved through the crowd until I was in front of the tavern where Lisa found her bard. The noise of an ongoing riot roared from inside, but I ignored this and took the connecting path to the door to Relway's store.
I reached the right side path and looked to my right. I could see that Heather and Victoria now led the crowd rushing toward me as they pulled the sled. One man approaching the crossing from the city gate cursed and then dashed past me towards the tavern.
I stepped out to show Victoria I was there. They were moving slowly and straining against the harnesses. I was taking a step in their direction when the door to Relway's store opened. Relway rushed out.
The merchant had a large pack in his arms. "It's not much, but it's the best woodworking and logging tools I had," he told me. "Take it quickly."
"What's happening?" I asked. "It looks like a war."
"The Wizard's Council was always an uneasy alliance of several factions," Relway said. "The peace actually broke down in the spring, but the wizards avoided open warfare. It appears even that agreement has broken."
I nodded as Heather and Victoria reached me. I held up the pack with the tools. "We have the wood working tools. Do we have space in the sled?"
"Yes," Heather said. "But we don't have space for you to put it in and still stay in front. We need someone to help clear the path."
"Relway, can you set it on the sled as we pass?" I asked.
The merchant nodded. "Yes, but go. There are factions that will punish me severely if they find out I helped you."
I nodded and jumped in front of Heather and Victoria. Both women were already sweating from the effort, and I shook my head. "Once we are out of the city, we'll have to see about adding someone to the back of the sled. I think the other two already have someone at the back to help push through the worst drifts."
"Just change the order a bit," Victoria said breathlessly. "The lead sled is going to have the worst of it since it has to break the trail."
I nodded as Relway quickly dropped the wood working tools onto the top of the sled. I walked backwards a few steps to make sure the pack was secure. It shifted slightly and then caught on something and froze.
I turned around to face the gates. Victoria and Heather were not moving quickly, so I could stay ahead of them while scanning every cross path for activity. There was still a steady stream of people heading towards the gates, but I noticed that once they reached the final courtyard, they turned left and followed the inside of the city wall. The crowds avoided our caravan, allowing us to keep up a steady pace towards the main gates.
We were halfway to the gates when Esme ran up on my right. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"Aine is limping," she said. "She wasn't as ready as I'd have liked. Lydia is supporting her for now, but we need to slow down once we are out of the city."
"How are the others doing pulling? Heather and Victoria are straining already," I asked.
"It's easier for the others," Esme said. "Jennifer and Kariy need to work together a bit better. Steve is having trouble keeping the sled from veering into the snow," Esme said.
I nodded. We were in the shadow of the city wall and could see the gates. The snow was spread out over the area and showed signs that a large number of men had recently passed through the gate. I was about to say something when a cloaked figure approached from the right.
The person could not have been more than about four foot three tall or so. The cloak was hooded, preventing me from seeing a face, and was wrapped tightly around the figure. I did see a small cask in the arms of the approaching figure.
I brought the spear down, but kept the point aimed above the head of this stranger. "Slow down there," I said. "Is that the cask Donrin promised?"
The figure nodded. I was walking sideways, keeping the first sled behind me as they headed for the gate. "You can leave the cask on the ground. We'll pick it up." I said.
The stranger just shook their head. "I'm coming with you," a feminine voice said.
"You're what?" I asked.
The girl ran through the snow. She ducked under the spear and pushed
the cask into my chest. "I'm coming with you. Father said I could."
"And why do you need to come?" I asked.
"Shaylin is my best friend. She's my only friend," the girl pleaded. "And there is nothing for me here. My father already has too many heirs for his land, and there won't be enough money for a good dowry. I heard you treat your women well. It's all I can do."
I sighed. "And I'm supposed to believe you? Do you have proof of your claim that your father isn't going to hunt us down, or send soldiers after us?"
"Shaylin knows me, and I brought a letter," the girl said.
"Which since I've never met your father or seen his writing, you could easily forge," I groaned.
I was trying to figure out how to deal with this girl when a voice shouted "Ger!" I spun in the direction of the cry to see Shaylin scrambling through the snow. I checked behind me and saw Steve at the back of the second sled as it passed my position.
Lydia ran up right after Shaylin, who had only stopped after tackling the strange girl. They lay in the snow giggling and crying as my friend came to a halt next to me.
"What's happening?" Lydia asked.
"I believe this young lady is a friend of Shaylin. She brought the promised dog food, but she also wants to join on our journey."
"Does her father know?" Lydia immediately asked.
"She claims to have a letter from him, but how can we know," I said as Shaylin stood up and then pulled the other girl to her feet.
"Ron! Lydia!" Shaylin cried. "This is Gertrilia. She's been my best friend since we were born."
I nodded. "Nice to meet you. Could you put the cask on the last sled? Oh, where are the puppies?"
"On the last sled sleeping on top of all the bedrolls," Shaylin said with a giggle.
"If they can sleep through that," I muttered. "Shaylin, your friend says she has a letter from her father ... ."
"Allowing her to join?" Shaylin asked, interrupting me.
"You shouldn't interrupt like that," Lydia muttered. "I can see we need to teach proper manners to young ladies."
The two girls giggled as I shook my head. "You seem unsurprised," I said.
"Ger's father has some magic," Shaylin said. "Not enough for the wizards to force him to take classes, but enough that they watch all of his children. There are factions that want to force Ger into marrying the right wizard."
"Arranged marriages," Lydia snorted. "Say no more." She looked over Gertrilla's outfit and nodded. "I hope that pack has everything you need. Ron, get back to the front, I'll keep our latest addition with me."
I nodded and took off running to catch up with the sleds. Everyone else had already walked through the gate. As I exited the city, I could see Victoria and Heather leaning against their sled. "We just let the others pass," Heather shouted as I ran by. "We're about to start moving again."
I caught up to the sled Hencktor was pulling. Natalie was walking at the back, occasionally grabbing the crossbar to help keep the sled moving in a straight line. She smiled as I caught up to her. I slowed and began examining the items at the back of the sled. It took a couple of moments, but I found the crossbow Werlyn had promised along with two large bundles of bolts. Neither bundle came with a sleeve, so I had to untie one bundle while keeping up with the sled. I slid five bolts out and then secured the remaining bolts.
With my prize I ran around the sled. Hencktor offered me a cheery smile as I caught up to him. "How is it?" I asked.
"We'll need to rotate regularly," he said. "But if you have someone ahead of you breaking the path, it's not too bad. The sleds move nicely over packed snow."
"We just need to always find packed snow," I said with a smile. "Well, I have others to check with."
Hencktor nodded as I continued forward. I found Aine trying to hide behind Al and waved her over to me. She came over and matched my pace as we stayed between the two sleds.
"Hold out your hand," I said.
Aine did and I placed the five crossbow bolts in her hand. "Ammunition," I said.
I then held up the unstrung crossbow. "Crossbow. This will be your gun. Have you ever seen one of these?"
"Only in pictures and movies," Aine said.
I nodded. "That's fine. I'll try to give you the crash course for now. Right now it's not strung. If you look at the bow part you'll see that the string is only secured on one end. To string the bow, you place that end on the ground and press down. You can use the stock. This will bend the bow, you can then put the string into the groove on the other end of the bow, and you have a strung crossbow. Always unstring it when we are just transporting it.
I held the crossbow out to her, showing her how the string was attached. Aine touched the bow and string and then nodded. "I think I can remember that."
"Lydia can help you, and I'll make sure she gives you lessons tonight," I said. I turned the crossbow sideways to show Aine the trigger.
"Crossbows fire a bit like guns; you'll just press this trigger. Now loading is a trick. The stirrup at the front goes on the ground and you put a foot in it while pulling back on the string. Now, if you look just above the trigger on the stock, you'll see this wheel-like device. It has a groove that will hold the string when the trigger is in firing position. You set the trigger forward and then pull the string back and put it on the wheel. If it locks into place, you put a bolt down so that the nock is on the string and you are ready to fire."
"Nock?" Aine asked.
"Look at the non-pointed end of one of the bolts I handed you. See how it has a deep groove. You put the groove on the string. Again, don't be afraid to talk to Lydia. She's used her crossbow to save our lives and to hunt."
Aine nodded. I could see fear in her eyes, but also a hint of fire. She accepted the crossbow and stood just a bit straighter for a moment before skipping back over by Al.
Steve had watched the interplay and waved me over. "Are you sure she'll be safe? She might decide to shoot all the men!"
"No," I said. "She doesn't seem the type to hate men. But she needs a reason to gain some confidence, and you remember her knife practice."
Steve shook his head. Aine was not as inept as Esme, but she clearly struggled in knife practice against any man. "Point," he said. "I just hope we can keep her alive. Now what kept you from leading through the gates?"
"Shaylin's friend brought the cask with the meat for the dogs," I began. "And then she said she was joining us."
"Another stray?" Steve asked.
"From what I heard, yes," I said.
Just ahead, Jennifer and Kariy were waving for my attention. They were following a natural depression in the snow and seemed to be confused. "Go," Steve said.
I dodged around the back of the sled and jogged up to the ladies. Both smiled tiredly as I approached.
"This was tons easier when Heather and Victoria were leading," Jennifer mock complained.
"You'll get a chance to switch out," I said. "Now what is the problem?"
Kariy pointed off to the right. I could see a bridge spanning an expanse of ice. The depression we were following led straight to the bridge and the three men guarding it.
"Stop," I whispered. Jennifer and Kariy stopped pulling on the sled, which slid quietly to a halt behind them. I knelt down and then waved behind me. The soft crunch of snow made it clear that Jennifer and Kariy had knelt down.
I took a closer look at the men standing in front of the bridge. They were looking off to my right and toward the city. Two of them had their hands on what looked like the hilts of sheathed blades. They stood in front of a third man, who held a strung bow. He had an arrow nocked and pointed at the ground.
We were about thirty yards from the men. I froze, hoping they would not notice us. "What do we do?" Kariy hissed. "We need to get across the bridge."
"The question is, are they there to keep everyone from crossing, or do they have orders to stop certain groups?" I asked.
"Ron," Jennifer whispered to me, "Steve is waving at us."
I loo
ked back over the sled. Steve was waving his right hand above his head. When he saw that I was looking at him, he put both of his hands out with the palms up and shrugged.
I pointed at my eyes and then held up three fingers. Steve nodded, and I pointed in the direction of the bridge.
Steve nodded again and then turned around. I could see him signaling someone, but could not see through his back to tell what the signal was.
I turned back to check on the three men guarding the bridge. They clearly were focused on the city. Occasionally the two with knives would turn and speak to each other.
"What do we do?" Steve whispered in my ear, causing me to jump.
"I can shoot the one with the bow," Lydia said. "Aine, hand me your bow, I'll load it for you."
"What do I do?" Aine asked as she held out the crossbow.
"Where are Shaylin and her friend?" I asked Lydia as she accepted the crossbow from Aine. She quickly checked to see which side of the string was secured and placed it against her instep.
Lydia grunted as she pressed down on the stock of the crossbow, causing the bow to flex. She flipped the string around the groove, then put a foot through the stirrup and leaned back to pull the string back.
"Victoria and Heather are watching them," she said with a grunt as she reached out and flipped the trigger around to catch the string.
Steve lifted the hammer he had been carrying. "Lydia takes out the one with the bow, and then we charge?"
"I take the one with the bow. Aine, I want you to try to shoot the one on the right. Now, aiming one of these is easy. Put the stock against your shoulder and look right above the bolt. One thing, they shoot lower than you think. Aim for the top of the man's head," Lydia said. I looked over, and she was holding the now strung and loaded crossbow to Aine.
"So that's how it's done," Aine said. "I'll need practice."
"I'll try to spend some time with you tonight," Lydia promised. "Ron, get ready, start running when we shoot. Aine do you have your target?"
"I think so," Aine said.
I pulled the spear around and held it in front of me, the end of the shaft pinned against my rib cage. Lydia let out her breath slowly. "Ready … . Fire."