Chapter 20
Mako reined in his horse, turning back to look at Theron. “How long do you think it will take to get there?” It was getting late and a storm was coming. Clouds had been steadily gathering as they traveled along a rough dirt road heading East.
His eyes swept over the two women in the party. They looked nearly as tired as Isao-sama had. Leaving him with that woman still sat uncomfortably with him. She was clearly a witch and not to be trusted. Though the Mamoru apparently did.
The man in question lifted his hands, giving the reins a shake. The stallion broke into a trot and soon the two men were near enough to speak quietly. Mako’s eyes flicked to the Mamoru’s left wrist, where he wore that banded blue stone. He’d seen that the cords in it matched both the vines on the witch’s staff and the necklace Kit wore. Theron’s eyes followed his and he looked up again without comment, instead tracking along the road they were traveling. “It will be some time, still.” It was almost a sigh. “Even with enough horses for all of us now, they aren’t used to this kind of travel.” Theron looked up at the sun, sinking lower in the gray sky. Mako could see him calculating how much more time they could travel before nightfall. “At this rate? Two days.”
Mako nodded tightly. He had guessed as much. From what little the Mamoru had said, they were heading for the coast. Two days was optimistic, and bad weather was coming. “The lady is exhausted. And,” he growled, “the village girl.”
He saw Theron’s eyes flicker over to linger on the lady before touching restlessly on Ria. Then he nodded. “They need a good night’s rest, off the ground. Out of the cold.” Mako agreed, but he knew the four of them would raise questions at an inn. The lady was too … ladylike. The former guard could cover his tattoos, but the leather work on the saddles for Ash and the gray were too fine to ignore. Anyone who saw them would know they were from the palace and from what Theron said, the Emperor’s task would not be well received. The less anyone saw of them the better.
He’d made the observations about the same time Theron continued, “Better for us to find a farm to shelter at, than an inn.”
Looking away from the Mamoru, he nodded. Mako was finding it more difficult to reconcile duty and honor to the mounting evidence that the Emperor was, well. He knew the man wasn’t a benign ruler. But he couldn’t be evil, could he? Tatsuo was family to the gods.
But the attack on them in Mistwood. The curse upon the lady. He could believe the Mamoru could fail in his duty, abandon his honor. He was only a man, after all. Except he protected Ria, fought against the otokage, freed the lady and bore the injuries from doing it. Would he have done those things if he was without honor?
“Are you coming?” The Mamoru had stopped his horse and was looking back at Mako. Nodding, he put his heels to his horse to get it moving again.
The further they went, the more it seemed that (helpful though it was) Kino’s map had not been updated for many years. Major landmarks were easy enough to find, but the farms and houses marked there weren’t reliable. It was an hour later and they were damp and miserable after another passing shower. Standing in the burnt out husk of a house they’d hoped to shelter at. Swearing under his breath, Mako almost missed that strange, silent boy, Kit. If they had just told him what they were looking for, he’d have miraculously led them to the nearest occupied farmstead.
And now, they couldn’t be sure the farmsteads he and the Mamoru could clearly see marked on the map were still there. They’d have to keep going and hope. Color was deepening in the sky when they finally came across the next farmhouse on the map. It was still there, which was good, and it was small, which was even better. It meant fewer people lived there. There was a barn at the back, where he and the Mamoru agreed they could likely barter for shelter for the night.
“Thank the gods,” Ria muttered. The windows in the small house were lighting up as the night sky grew darker.
“Don’t thank them yet,” Mako said. “We’ll have to trade something to sleep there. Likely, they’ll want someone for chores. Washing clothes, cleaning.” Smiling wickedly, he said, “Mamoru, if we traded the village girl, surely that would be enough for a night’s rest?”
Ria’s mouth twisted. She thought he was joking (probably), but she still hated that familiar flash of helpless anger. She was the outsider, after all. The only peasant among a lady, her Protector and Mako. Who was apparently a member of the royal family. How was that fair?
The lady was glancing between her and the former guard, looking vaguely worried. The Protector, though, looked thoughtful. “Mm, probably, Mako. Likely, more than one night.” Dry amusement colored his words and Ria felt her face heat at the back-handed compliment. If she could have sunk into the ground, she would have.
“But if we were to do that, who would you cook for?” One side of the Protector’s mouth turned up. He nodded thoughtfully. “Shelter for a night or two would be good, but you need the practice. What do you think, Ria, was that last rabbit a bit crispy?”
Ria blurted a laugh before snapping her mouth closed.
She heard Mako snort, muttering, “Yeah, yeah.” But when she looked up he was half-grinning. Theron chuckled and then she was smiling too. Suddenly, she didn’t feel quite so alone.
It was decided that the Protector and Ria would approach the people in the house, with Mako and the lady waiting back with the horses. Lynea was not looking well at all. Though Ria’s feelings were still smarting from the sting of the lady’s earlier words, she worried at how pale the woman was. And how red and inflamed that strange mark on her arm was. Between Mako’s bulk and Lynea’s sheer exhaustion, Theron and Ria were the least threatening to strangers.
Stepping onto the patio, it made Ria nervous that their comfort for the evening relied on the way they were received. Her experience in life had taught her that strangers, at worst were mean, and at best were coldly indifferent. She could only hope that having the Protector with her might grant her a better chance for an almost friendly, or dare she dream. A warm greeting with open arms.
Obviously, being so tired was making her imagine impossible things.
“Yes?” the door opened and a small elderly woman was standing there, no taller than Ria’s chin, her solid gray hair up in a roll on her head. She was looking fearfully between the two of them and then at Mako and the lady with the horses.
Ria smiled as she sensed the Protector next to her leaning down a bit and bowing. “Obaasan,” Theron said, “We are traveling and have come a long way. We need a place to stay for the night.” He glanced up, addressing her as grandmother again and saying, “Are there any chores you need a strong back for?”
The door opened wider and a man’s voice said, “Who is it, grandmother?” The man was nearly as tall as Theron, thinning black hair salted with gray. He looked at the Protector and his eyes narrowed.
Instinctively, Ria stepped forward. “Ojiisan. We have come far and have far yet to go. One of our party is ill. May we humbly ask for a place to rest for the evening?” She cringed inside when his suspicious gaze moved from her to the lady, his old eyes sharper than she would like. Taking in Lynea and Mako and the horses’ fittings. He remained silent longer than she was comfortable. For long enough that she was wondering if he would follow them, if they turned around and left. Right now.
But then the elder grunted, which seemed to be not a bad thing, because she felt the Protector relax. The old woman smiled, saying, “Of course dear. Our home is too small for so many, but you may stay in the barn. Take the horses behind it, there is a covered section there.” She looked at her companion. “Grandfather?”
The elder turned a sour gaze on Theron and Mako, but nodded. “Come. It’ll be dark soon, but chop as much wood as you can in that time and that’ll be enough.” Ria felt a collective exhale from the others before everyone smiled, murmuring their gratitude and doing as they’d been instructed.
It was a few hours later that they settled into an empty area of the barn, listening to the rai
n on the walls outside. Despite not being required to, the two men had worked past sunset. It was obvious the old couple could desperately use some help on the farm.
“It is too bad we’ll only be staying the night,” Theron said, stretching, working the ache out of his arms.
“Mm?” Mako looked up at the Protector’s comment. “Why?”
“Didn’t you see the prints?” When Mako shook his head, Theron said, “At the tree line where we were cutting the firewood.” He sighed. “There are wolves in the area. Did you hear ojiisan mention they’d lost a few sheep?”
“Ah. Yes, I heard him.”
“They’ll need help to get rid of them, but,” and he looked at the lady, sitting quietly a few feet away. “We can’t afford the time.”
Mako nodded without replying and went back to sorting out his pack, his eyes thoughtful. Ria wondered what he was thinking about.
The barn wasn’t large for what it was, and the warm smell of animal wrapped around them, mixed with the dry dusted scent of hay and grain. Lady Lynea was sitting on a bale of hay, weariness laid upon her like a cloak. Ria could not help the tug of sympathy for her. Taking her blanket, she stood and smoothed it on top of the area where Lynea was going to sleep. The woman watched her silently a moment before she nodded, minutely. Ria couldn’t tell if it was gratitude or an acknowledgment of something she expected. Sighing, she moved back to her side of the sleep area. The barn was warm, at least.
“Thank you, Ria,” Theron murmured. Ria nodded, trying to rearrange the hay so it wouldn’t be so itchy when she lay down. Faintly, she could hear Mako, snoring near the back of the barn. He’d agreed to take the last watch and had fallen asleep as soon as his head touched the rolled up bundle that was his pack.
Ria tried not to show it, especially after all the work the men had done to buy them a sleeping place, but she felt stretched thin and bruised all over.
The past week had been more strenuous than she could ever have imagined. A life of lugging sacks of fruit and vegetables had not prepared her for hours and hours of travel on horseback. It had certainly not prepared her for the emotional strain of it. Even the stress of life as the village outcast did nothing to prepare her for these past few days. She tried to ignore the quiet sounds of movement – Lynea standing, going to lay down. Theron getting up to follow her, murmuring something about helping her. The lady’s protest and the small amused chuckle she made, speaking of the relationship the two of them had. Finally, Ria couldn’t help it. She looked over, where the other woman lay. Theron was crouched next to the future Empress, one knee down on the hay. “Are you sure you’re alright?” He said it quietly, but there was no other sound in the barn now.
“Don’t trouble yourself.” They had mostly shuttered the lantern the elderly couple had given them, so Ria couldn’t see her face clearly, but she could hear her hesitate. “You shouldn’t concern yourself with me, you need to plan how you will get what the Emperor wants.”
Silently, Ria agreed, but the Protector was shaking his head. “After you are comfortable, I will think on that.” Carefully, he reached out and took the lady’s fingers, turning her arm over to look at the injury on her inner forearm. Ria had already seen it, but it seemed worse now, just a few short hours later. She heard a dismayed sound and realized it was from Theron.
Heartbeats later, he placed the lady’s injured arm down, taking her other hand. Ria saw Lynea watch him turn it over, lifting those perfect fingers. Bowing his head, he kissed the back of her hand. Lynea didn’t say anything, she just closed her eyes and in the dim light, Ria saw moisture reflecting at the corners of her eyelids.
Nobles at court kissed the hands of ladies all the time. That’s how they showed respect. Ria knew that. So maybe it shouldn’t have, but it achingly felt like this was a private moment between the two of them. Surely, though, there was nothing unusual about it. Lynea was tired, and hurt. And Theron was the Mamoru, her Protector.
Ria closed her eyes before he stood up, brushing the hay off his pants with a heavy sigh, moving to take watch over them. Ria kept her eyes closed, willing away the burn of tears and telling herself to take advantage of the chance to get much needed rest.
˜ ˜ ˜
The next afternoon saw them much closer to the coast and that much further from anything else. Farms and tilled land had given way to forest and wildlife. The road became less and less traveled. The sky was still gray with clouds and miserably, rain had been starting and stopping all day. Each time it stopped, bugs began to swarm. “We’re in the middle of summer,” Ria complained, swatting at another mosquito. She missed. “Why is it raining so much?”
Lynea was riding near her, watching her as silently as she had all day.
Between the bugs and the noble woman’s steady stare, Ria’s nerves were frayed beyond what she could bear. She slowed her horse enough for Theron’s to catch up. “Can we rest a bit? Have something to eat?” Her hands itched terribly from the bites she’d received and she scratched at them mindlessly as she begged for the break.
“Yes,” he nodded. “We need to give the horses a rest as well.” He looked at the rough map they’d gotten at Kino’s farm and showed her a stream running a short distance away. “We’ll break here and follow the water. That’ll lead us to a good place to camp tonight.” He gave her a rueful glance. “The bugs won’t be any better there, but we’ll need the water not only for the horses, but for ourselves.”
She nodded sourly, but he was right, of course. And she would be happy for a wash, to rinse some of the itch away, if nothing else.
Lunch was a quiet business of millet, dried fruit and chestnuts. It wasn’t a large meal, but was a welcome break from what they could scavenge from the increasingly barren land around them. The elderly couple had been too generous, providing them with all they were eating and enough to carry them for a few more meals.
Each of them ate silently, keeping to their own thoughts. Ria was mostly wondering what the others were thinking. To Ria’s left, Mako sat alone at the far edge of the space and across from the Protector and Lady Lynea.
As the lady ate, the village girl caught glimpses of the mark on the other woman’s arm. When it registered again what (who) put it there, her eyes drifted to the bandage wrapped around the Protector’s forearm. Evidence of what he’d faced, rescuing the woman from the tunnels below the palace. And what they were all riding to face, at some mysterious temple on the edge of the ocean – again, to save the woman he was sworn to protect.
She frowned, watching Theron give the Emerald Lady the majority of his portion of fruit. He, more than any of them, needed his strength. None of them really knew what he was going to face when they reached the coast. Yet, the lady accepted his offering, tipping her chin down with a smile. It made Ria remember the scene in the barn the night before. Her stomach turned over.
Suddenly unable to sit there any longer, Ria stood up, stuffing the last of her dried peaches into her mouth. Theron looked up. “Where are you going?”
She took a breath, looking everywhere but at them. She didn’t want to talk, she wanted an excuse to leave. “I need to fill my water skin.” Reaching down, she snatched it up. Stepping quickly to the edge of their rest area, she walked into the line of trees.
There wasn’t a path in the direction she had taken, but if she remembered right, the stream was in this direction. Carefully, she picked her way. The forest here was filled with bamboo. Enough that it was what most people called the forest. It was a nice break from maple and pine. The bamboo grew in dense bunches, but left convenient gaps between them, with enough room here and there for berry thickets to sprout. She might pick some on the way back, but for now she left them alone. Berry bushes meant thorns. Even unfamiliar with this area, her feet found the way through the debris from long practice in the Emperor’s woods.
“Ria.” It was Theron. She kept walking. “Ria!” He was closer now, jogging to catch up to her. “What’s wrong?”
“How can you ask tha
t?”
“What?”
“How, my lor… Theron,” Ria rounded on him, anguished. “How can you do this? Why?” She glared at his bandaged arm. “It doesn’t matter how quickly you heal. You can’t come back from death.” She didn’t say what she really wanted to, what was on the tip of her tongue. She doesn’t even belong to you.
He didn’t say anything, taking a half step back in the face of her anger. “It’s my duty.”
“Is it?? That’s an excuse,” she spat. “What am I to do if you don’t come back?” She turned away, feeling her face flush as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Wrapping her arms around herself, her voice lowered as she continued, “Or come back so badly hurt that even you can’t survive it?”
“That doesn’t matter,” he said. “In this, I don’t even matter.”
She looked back at him. She could see by his expression that he meant that, every word. She’d known it would be his answer; his loyalty to the woman back at camp had been there from the start. Now, with his stupid honor and the promise he’d made to the Emperor (who had tried to kill them), there was no hope at all. And it was more than she could take. So she ran. Away from him, the lady and the awful truth that his duty meant more than anything else.
“Ria!”
Branches and thorny brush snatched at her clothing as she tore through, feet no longer careful and going too quick. She stumbled over a root and fell, scrubbing her palms raw on the rough ground, a sound torn from her at the sharp scrape. She thought she heard another sound, behind and to the side of her, but it could have been anything. At the moment she didn’t care. She got up and kept going. Somehow, the thought of reaching the stream was all she cared about, a goal that kept her from thinking about what she was running from.
It wasn’t until she heard the sound of rushing water that the world came back to her in a rush, and she heard the other sounds around her. Sounds that finally alerted her she was in danger. A rustle, then another. A howl, and answering yips, all around her.
Splinter (Trapped Souls Book 1) Page 32