Journey Across Jord

by Allan Joyal

  I heard a metallic thrum, as if someone strummed on a guitar string. I jumped up and started charging through the snow. Ahead of me, I could see the man with the bow crumple to the ground.

  The man closest to us cursed. He spun around, and I could see him reach for his knife. The other man fell backwards. But he rolled over and climbed back to his feet as I closed on his partner.

  I slowed down as I got closer. My feet slid through the snow as I tried to stop and line up the point of the spear on the man's chest. He dodged to my left as he charged.

  I swung the spear to the side. The man continued to dodge to my left. I could see he was about to charge in and jumped to my right.

  The man stabbed at the location where I had been standing. He seemed to slip slightly in the snow and fell forward. He had his head down as Steve came up and brought the hammer down on his neck, causing the man to sprawl on the snow.

  I looked back at the bridge for the third guard. He had stumbled to his feet, but was limping away. Blood stained the right leg of his pants as he hurried towards the city.

  Steve was kneeling to check on the man he had hit.

  "How is he?" I asked.

  "Probably dead," Steve said. "It looks like I crushed the back of his head."

  I looked back to where Lydia was frantically reloading one of the crossbows. "Move!" I shouted.

  Steve grabbed the body of the bandit and heaved it into the deep snow. I ran forward, scanning the horizon for any movement.

  I reached the bridge. The bow-wielding bandit was lying on his side. I could see the bolt had penetrated his chest. I rolled him over to check on the bow, but found it in pieces under his hip. Lydia ran up as I was lifting the body to move it out of the way.

  "Where's the third man?" she asked.

  I pointed towards the city. "He limped off towards the city. I think Aine got him in the leg."

  "She'll be happy to hear that," Lydia said. She set the crossbow on the snow and helped me throw the body of the guard off the bridge and into the deep snow that covered the riverbank below.

  I nodded and took up a guard position, watching the city as the rest of the group hurried forward. Jennifer and Kariy were in the lead. I could see them straining to pull the sled as they strove to move quickly to the bridge. "Switch out and let Hencktor lead once you get across the bridge," I said.

  "Can do," Jennifer called out breathlessly.

  Steve ran up and joined me at the front of the bridge. "This is not good," he said. "Where are these guys from?"

  "They belonged to the bandit band that captured Sharice and me," Aine said as she caught up to us. Her crossbow was unloaded. "Should I load?" she asked.

  I looked at the city again. We were about half a mile from the gate, and I could not see any activity. The man Aine had hit had fallen over in the snow somewhere before he reached the gate. "No, it's ok to leave it strung for a moment, but I don't see any guards."

  Aine nodded and jogged across the bridge. Hencktor was right behind her, pulling hard on the sled. "You need to take the lead after crossing," I told him.

  "I figured on that," Hencktor said. "What happened here?"

  "Three guards on the bridge," I replied. "Aine thinks they were members of the bandit group that captured her right before the first storm."

  Hencktor nodded and continued to pull the sled over the bridge. Victoria and Heather were right on his heels, pulling their sled quickly. Behind them Esme, Natalie, and Al escorted the two young girls. Natalie was visibly limping as they followed the sleds.

  "Esme, how is Natalie really doing?" I called out.

  Esme jogged over to where Steve and I were standing. Natalie voiced a protest, but stayed with Al and the girls as they followed the sleds. Esme watched Natalie limp across the bridge and then turned to me.

  "The cold is really affecting her," she said. "We need to warm up her leg and give her a massage, or she'll be limping all day."

  "Any chance of permanent harm?" I asked.

  "No," Esme said. "She'll be sore, and probably slower than the rest of us, but that's all."

  "We should consider stopping early tonight," Steve said. "We need to try to balance the sleds better. And we need to work out a rotation."

  I know," I said. "I'll get back to the front. Right now I want us to get a couple miles away from the city, and then we can take a short break."

  Chapter 12: Uncertainty and Chills

  We continued our retreat from the city of the Wizard's Academy. The news that Aine had recognized the three men guarding the bridge had been passed on to the rest of the group. Everyone was watching our trail as we turned to follow the river road southward from the city.

  We covered about three miles before Jennifer and Victoria were both just too tired to continue pulling the sleds. Esme volunteered to take Jennifer's place, and I insisted that I would replace Victoria for the next part of our journey.

  The group insisted that if I was in a harness, Hencktor needed to be the scout, so Al replaced him on the third sled. He insisted that I be on the lead sled when we started out, so Heather and I got into the harnesses and started to pull.

  "Try to follow my lead," Heather said with a smirk. "We learned some tricks to make pulling the sled a bit easier."

  "I think the puppies have the right idea," I said. "They haven't left the sled they are riding all morning."

  Heather giggled. "If they were bigger, we'd probably try to make them carry something. I'm surprised by how much we have."

  "A lot is the casks of seeds," I said. "Useful in the future, but for now, it just takes up space and adds weight."

  "We will need the seeds though," Heather reminded me. The sled was now moving fairly smoothly over the trail. Hencktor was walking a short distance ahead of us and I noticed that he was dragging his feet slightly.

  "Is Hencktor dragging his feet?" I asked.

  "Yes," Heather said. "Every small reduction in the amount of snow we have to drag the sled through helps. It takes about half the energy to pull one of the trailing sleds if you can keep it in the same track as the lead sled."

  After that we said no more. We walked, following Hencktor. Our friend kept his eyes out for the smoothest path through and around the many snowdrifts. He attempted to keep us on the road that followed the river, but occasionally directed us away from the shoreline when large drifts impeded our progress.

  Heather and I pulled the lead sled in silence. Occasionally she would reach out to touch my arm as we fought over small rises in the path. We had been dragging the sled for what felt like an hour when Heather shouted. "Henck, we're going to switch lead sleds."

  Hencktor waved at us and came to a halt, watching as Heather and I guided the sled to the right and off the trail Hencktor had been leaving. The effort required to move the sled seemed to triple as we left the path created by Hencktor's feet. Heather was watching behind us, and just as my strength was about to fail held up her hand. "We're clear."

  I put my hands on my knees and gasped, trying to catch my breath. "Is that what we're doing at every exchange?" I asked.

  Heather nodded. "The lead sled pulls off and then rejoins at the end of the line. Don't worry; it will be a lot easier to pull when we are in the back."

  "I'm more concerned about you and Kariy. You haven't taken a break today," I replied.

  "Who could replace them?" Lydia asked as she jogged over. She was just ahead of the sled being pulled by Kariy and Esme. "Steve is the only man who hasn't pulled a sled. For the ladies we have Natalie, Aine, and me who haven't taken a turn."

  I looked over as the sled pulled by Kariy and Esme passed. Kariy was clearly tiring, but kept moving her feet as the sled made its way over the snow. "Kariy needs a break," I said. "And we definitely have to think about shorter runs. What time is it anyways?"

  Lydia shrugged. "Late morning I think. It's hard to say."

  Heather shrugged. "The sun is still climbing in the sky. But it looks like it will start down soon. We might
only get a few more hours of walking."

  I was now looking at the space between the second and third sleds. Natalie was limping along in the gap. Someone had passed my spear to her and she was using it as a walking stick. Alongside her, the two girls Shaylin and Gertrilla were running through the snow, playing tag with the two puppies. One of the puppies noticed us and ran around us, slowing once he was on the far side of us.

  "I think we're being herded," Heather said with a giggle.

  "Need to let Al pass first," I said. "Then we'll rejoin."

  Heather nodded. Lydia just shook her head and then looked off in the distance. "Steve and Aine are trailing. I'm going to catch up with Hencktor and see if I can hunt something for dinner."

  "Good hunting," I said. "Some hot meat cooked over a fire would be nice after a day spent dragging our asses through all this snow."

  "Hee Haw," Heather said before giggling.

  Lydia jogged off, heading around the group and making her way toward the front. Al started to pass us and Heather sighed. "Now the fun part."

  "Get along little doggies," I said as Al passed. He nodded at us, but then put his head down as he strained against the harness. The sled behind him glided over the snow following the path of the earlier sled.

  Heather and I strained for a moment. The sled we were pulling seemed stuck to the snow, but began moving. I guided us back toward the trail and we merged back onto the path. The effort required to keep the sled moving dropped significantly.

  "See," Heather whispered. "It's a lot easier when you aren't the one in front."

  "I think we should stop a bit early," I said. "Especially if we find a good grove of trees to shelter us. This is tiring, and tired people can make mistakes we can't afford."

  "That would be a good idea, if we find something," Steve said from behind us. He walked out of the snow and joined the path just ahead of us. Aine was with him, carrying a loaded crossbow and watching over her shoulder.

  "Trouble?" I asked nodding toward Aine.

  "Nothing so far," Steve said. "We lost sight of the city walls a while ago. I don't think anyone noticed that we escaped."

  "Good," I said. "We can't afford to fight anyone."

  "The fight at the bridge was good for Aine," Steve said. "She got to hurt one of the men who hurt her."

  Aine giggled. "It helped that everyone is so supportive. I just wish Sharice had held out rather than thrown herself to her death."

  "We can't save everyone," Heather whispered. "And we definitely won't be moving quickly. Just how far have we come?"

  I shrugged, but Steve looked off at the sleds ahead of us for a moment. "I'd say we are moving at about half the speed we made coming to the academy. We also probably won't walk as long before calling it a day. If we do more than ten to fifteen miles I'll be amazed."

  "Ten will still be good time," I said. "We supposedly have at least forty-five more days of snow before spring starts to take hold. Even if we take every third day off, we can make three hundred miles before spring."

  "Is that far?" Aine asked.

  Steve shook his head. "We have more than a thousand miles to travel before we find a home. It is a good start though, and we can hopefully find some more equipment on the way."

  "We need some boys," Heather said. "If we want a village we'll definitely need some boys."

  Steve and I laughed as Heather blew a raspberry. I put a hand on Heather's shoulder, and we continued our long pull of the sled along a road of snow and ice.

  About two hours later, we were second in line of the sleds. Kariy and Esme had stayed in front until the sun was as high as it would get, and then they pulled aside to allow Al to come to the front. Our pace slowed a bit as Al struggled over some stubborn drifts.

  There was little conversation as we continued to fight our way through the snow. The people pulling the sleds were concentrating on keeping their feet in motion, which prevented most conversation. I was surprised when Shaylin ran up and started to walk next to me. "Are you upset?" she asked.

  "No," I said as I fought to gather my energy and keep the sled moving. Ahead, I noticed that Lydia was standing to the left of the path and waving at everyone.

  "You are frowning," Shaylin commented.

  "I'm tired," I said. "I need a break, but we can't stop out in the open."

  "Lydia is trying to signal us," Heather said.

  "I'm not leaving the path to talk to her," I muttered. "Not until we come to a halt."

  "No," Shaylin said. "I think she's signaling that we are supposed to turn. There is a bunch of trees to the left, and I can see Al leaving the path to head that way."

  Shaylin proved to be right as the track of Al's sled turned left. Heather and I followed, slipping on the icy snow off the 'travelers' road. I glanced up at the trees. We were heading toward a stand of short pine trees. Ahead, I could see Al passing between two trees.

  We followed. The path here twisted around the trees for a short distance. Overhead, the canopy began to block out the late afternoon sun, leaving long deep shadows on the ground. We also found that the snow was shallower under the trees as we fought to keep dragging the sled. I was going to call out when Hencktor stepped out from behind a tree to our left.

  "Turn before you reach the next tree," he said. "You'll see Al's sled ahead. Just stop behind it."

  "Where are we?" Heather gasped out.

  "On the edge of a small clearing," Hencktor said. "Lydia found it while hunting. The trees around here have kept it from being buried in snow."

  "Do we have a spot where we can set up the tent?" I asked.

  "Yes," Hencktor said. "Although, Al needs to rest a few minutes before we start. Can I send the girls to scout for some firewood? I know it's not likely, but they might find a few dry branches that we can use."

  "We can do that!" Shaylin shouted. She rushed off as Heather and I came to a halt behind Al's sled. The sled we were pulling slid forwards another inch before stopping. I collapsed against it as Heather dropped to her knees.

  "Tomorrow, you don't do two shifts," I said.

  Behind us, I heard someone grunt. I kept my hips against the sled as I turned my body to see what was going on. Esme and Kariy had arrived with their sled and were both lying on the snow.

  Natalie limped over to her lover. The brunette leaned down and grabbed Esme's shoulder. "Get up! You told me that lying in the snow could be fatal."

  Esme climbed slowly to her knees. "Not if it's only a minute or two," she moaned.

  I shrugged out of the harness and pushed against the sled to stand up. My feet felt like I had heavy chains wrapped around both ankles as I turned and walked the short distance to where Esme and Kariy had fallen. "Natalie, let her recover for a moment. Pulling those sleds is exhausting. Kariy, tomorrow only one shift for you."

  Steve came walking up. Aine was by his side and smiling. I noticed that Steve was dragging one of the old hides we were given in Linktrum. "To break up the trail," he said when he noticed my gaze. "We never saw any pursuit, but this way they might continue down the road or think we used magic."

  I snorted. "I'm not sure anyone will follow, but if they really think we used magic I'll be surprised. Why use it in the middle of the road?"

  "Some magic can't be used close to cities, and anyone who is wise would want to be far away from the academy before using any magic," Gertrilla said. "Um ... Where's Shay?"

  "Hencktor asked her to look for some firewood," I said, "and said that Al will start setting up the tent shortly."

  "What about food?" Aine asked.

  I sighed and looked down at Kariy, who was just then climbing to her knees. She looked drained, and I was about to speak when Lydia walked up. "Hencktor is doing something to prepare a deer that I shot. He said we packed away a grill and he can use that to sear some steaks for all of us."

  I nodded. "We can definitely use the protein. Will we be setting up the tent first and then the fire in the center of the tent?"

  Lydia nodded
. "I believe that's the plan. Jennifer, Victoria, are you up to a little tent raising?"

  "I've never done that," Victoria said, "but I'm willing to try."

  "Let's find out how it works," I said. We all walked over to the back of the first sled. We found Al there, scratching his head and looking at the bundle of hide and wood that was the tent.

  "I've never seen anything like this," he said.

  "Well, why don't we get all the pieces off the sled and set them on the ground?" I suggested. "That way we can see what we have."

  Al nodded and reached for the bundle. He picked it up and then carried it past the trees ringing the clearing. When he set it down, it was clear that there were several separate pieces.

  I reached for the first hide and stick assembly. It was made of eight poles, each about six feet long. I grabbed two of the poles and pulled it from the stack. It opened up like a flower, with the eight poles spreading out as they tumbled from the pile.

  "I think that's the roof," Victoria said. "At least that's the only thing I can think of."

  "Let's fold it back up," I suggested. Victoria giggled, but helped me pick up the poles and gather them together before we set the assembly on the ground.

  Meanwhile, Al had claimed the other bundle of hide and poles. Jennifer started to pull it away, and we quickly determined that the hide was stretched out across eight poles. The fabric between each pole was cut in a rectangle with just over five feet of hide attached to the poles and seven feet of hide between each pole.

  "This thing is huge," Jennifer whispered. "But how do we set it up?"

  I examined the poles. They stretched past the hide on one end. The section below the hide ended in a sharp point. At the other end, the poles had a deep groove cut into the end.

  Experimentally, I took one of the end poles and set the sharp end against the ground. It took a bit of effort, but I was able to drive the stake into the ground. There was about two inches of clearance between the hide and the ground when I released the pole. Victoria and Al looked at what I had done.

  "So we put these in the ground," Victoria said. "But in what pattern?"