‘My shield is stopping her seeing you clearly and running, but she’s seen enough to be terrified. I don’t blame her,’ Jim said. ‘When you touch her the shield will evaporate so make sure to get a good grip straight away. Good luck,’ he said and now changed his shield around Nugget hiding what was about to happen.
Amelie took off and without warning dived at the horse. The mare squealed and tried to run but couldn’t. The dragon landed on her back clasping all four feet around her body and suddenly her legs worked, but the dragon was forcing her to run for the edge. Then they were falling. The dragon’s wings stopped them truly falling but they were going down at a frightening speed. As they got nearer the ground Amelie began circling, trying to slow their speed. Moments later the ground came up to meet them and Amelie released her hold on the horse where there was a level grassed area near the river. The mare landed heavily, staggered and nearly fell. The dragon had already swept on, not even landing, so the horse stopped under cover of the trees at the end of her strength anyway. But here at least there was food and shelter.
‘Rest,’ Jim told her as soon as she landed back up on their ledge. Her legs had immediately folded beneath her and her chin drooped to rest on the cold stone. He tugged the unwilling horse with him to more closely approach her. The gelding was snorting, obviously confused that his nose told him this was the human who’d fed and helped him all day, yet his eyes told a different story. Jim gave her a big piece of meat which disappeared into her dragon’s mouth in one go. He held the water bag up for her and she virtually emptied it. ‘Shall I get more food?’ he asked.
‘No, or we won’t have any left. Come here,’ she asked and brought him close. ‘You’re nice and warm,’ she explained and happily felt him lean against her, sharing his warmth. The bitter wind was now carrying small flurries of snow that only became thicker as they sat there. ‘Much as I’d prefer to rest until morning, I think we’d be dead of hypothermia well before then. Climb on my back. I’m not coming back up here again. I’m just going to have to carry you both.’ She watched him quickly tie a rope about her middle to cling to and climb on. ‘Oh, I feel much better suddenly. Did you do something?’ she asked.
‘I’m giving you my strength,’ he said. ‘I can only do it while we’re touching. Hurry,’ he added.
She remembered the spell he’d used to make Prince Casper sleep, that had sapped her strength. She suspected from the slight sound of strain in Jim’s voice that what he was doing felt much the same. She took off and linked her legs around her horse’s middle before the startled beast knew what was happening. Her wings forced Nugget to trot then canter as they approached the edge. That way she carried his weight for the least amount of time. She took his weight fully when they were very close to the edge and the horse was trying to resist heading for the cliff drop off. She groaned at the dreadful double weight. Then they were off the edge. This time she kept her wings more level, preventing them building up the frightening speed she had with the first horse. The very bulky un-streamlined shape she presented with the horse dangling beneath her and Jim on her back also meant she didn’t glide very well. She really had to work to fly at all. Nugget’s whicker of fear at the speed the ground was coming up to meet him verged on being a scream. His hooves made contact and the jar nearly brought him down, but the dragon hadn’t let him go completely and steadied him for the crucial moment that enabled him to get his hooves under him properly and gallop. Amelie released the horse quickly and flapped her wings, trying to slow up more. The horse passed out from under her feet and now no longer struggling with such ridiculous weight she was able to back wing enough to land rather than crash.
Amelie the dragon dissolved into the woman barely a moment after landing and Jim struggled to get off her back and not crush her suddenly fragile form. She’d fainted, but she’d got them all down safely. Jim carried her quickly into the cover of the trees and wrapped her in his own coat. Then he hurried to catch the horses and find her clothes and food. He put her, limp and unresisting, up on his horse and led them deeper into the cover of the forest. The trees sheltered them from the wind and the worst of the chill sleet just beginning to fall. Jim halted in the first small clearing he found. He quickly rigged a tiny tent with the two bear skins tied together, threw in their sleeping bags and bid Amelie go in and get warm. He passed her their packs so she could eat and find some dry clothes. Then he took care of the horses, feeding and giving them a brief rub down. Only then did he climb into the tent and give way to his own fatigue. He delayed crawling into his sleeping bag only long enough to remove his soaked clothes and put on dry ones. Amelie was already asleep and he wasn’t far behind her.
It was nearly mid-day before they woke. They were used to hard travel and the few days spent at lord Dirk’s had been a very welcome respite and a chance to eat properly nutritious food. They were tired and their muscles ached but they had food and no-one immediately on their tail. It was a bright sunny day, although cold, with the same brisk chilly wind as the day before.
‘We should lay our stuff out to dry,’ Jim said.
‘You don’t think we should continue on just yet then?’
‘No. The day’s already half gone. We’d be better resting and getting our things checked over, dried out and packed better.’
‘Good,’ she agreed with relief, not really feeling up to any more hard slog so soon. ‘Do we need to hunt? I ate a lot yesterday,’ she added slightly sheepishly.
‘I happen to think that was a prudent use of our resources,’ Jim said. ‘I couldn’t have got us all to safety. You have an extraordinary talent. I don’t know anyone else who could have done what you did. And without killing any of us! Hunting more often isn’t a problem. We will hunt as often as we need to. I don’t plan on letting you go hungry ever again.’
‘I’m so happy to hear you say that,’ she smiled and without further feelings of guilt they spread out their supplies and did proper checks. They fortunately still had plenty of dried meat because that would be time consuming to prepare. The horses had found enough grazing in this little glade to look content with that alone. The grain for them would need to be rationed. But both were hardy and could survive on rough grasses healthily if they were supplemented periodically.
The roast beef joint had already done three days of meals and was almost gone. ‘This has been good,’ Amelie said appreciatively. ‘But replacing it will take time.’
‘Yes, it does take time to hunt something, prepare and then cook it. We’ll need a good fire and to dig a roasting pit.’ He glanced about them uneasily. ‘I don’t think this is a good place though. Those people up there may have had reports of us coming and if so will probably have discovered by now we managed to avoid them. They could already be spreading out looking for us. They’d see smoke from miles off.’
‘True, but that doesn’t stop us hunting and we could always cook it after nightfall.’
For answer he rose and assembled his crossbow, slung the quiver of bolts over his shoulder and tied his knife sheath to his belt in easier reach. Amelie put their bag of food up high in a tree away from any marauding animals then buckled the sword belt about her hips.
‘What weapons can you use?’ Jim asked.
‘Not many. My father started teaching me to use both sword and bow but I was a child then and not too strong. I never had a chance to learn much,’ she added.
‘I think we should see if we can find suitable hardwood to make you a bow. We shouldn’t have a problem in this forest and arrows are easy enough to make.’
‘What about another crossbow like yours?’
‘Have you ever used one of these?’
‘No. Is it difficult?’
‘It’s a different weapon and a separate skill. But here and now it’s more difficult to make one than a traditional bow. It’s probably better to start with something you already have some knowledge of. I quite like the long bow myself and you’re tall and strong enough to use one effectively. We can swap at a later date if you
get on better with mine.’
It was very late in the afternoon before they returned to camp. Jim had missed getting the perfect deer they’d seen. It had caught their scent and bounded off at the last moment. But he did get one of the small forest pigs instead, which although a much smaller animal than the stag, was a tasty creature. Jim simply gutted it where it’d fallen, leaving the entrails as a treat for whatever animal found them to clean up.
Back at camp Amelie butchered the pig while Jim cut and shaped the sapling selected for the bow. She watched him curiously. His whole attention was on examining and smoothing the wood with his knife. Then he went off to the river and collected a handful of sand and put it in a scrap of hide. He used it to sand the bow smooth of knife marks. He then began sanding only on the inside edge to remove more wood where it was too thick to bend evenly. It was a slow and precise process and he took a great deal of care.
‘That’s as much as I can do today. We need to let it dry out a bit before we use it. I need something to string it with and ideally some horn or antler points to reinforce the tips and string notches. But I think this should work well.’
‘Excellent,’ Amelie said. ‘Perhaps you could give me a hand digging the oven pit then?’
‘Oh, of course,’ he said hastily. ‘I don’t think this needs to be deep though, just enough to contain the fire and for the light from the flames to be mostly hidden. It’d be easier to put some rocks round the edge than dig too deep.’ Whilst they’d been out hunting earlier they’d come across the bones of a long dead deer. Since they didn’t have a spade she’d gone back and taken the deer’s shoulder blade and leg bone to do the job. He immediately took over. ‘This works quite well,’ he said in surprise.’
‘You’re using magic,’ she accused a moment later seeing the pit was almost done.
‘Only a little,’ he defended. ‘No-one’s going to be able to sense that tiny burst. Besides what is the point of having a useful skill, if you don’t use it when you need to?’
‘Just be careful,’ she said handing him some flat rocks from the river to line the shallow hole followed by twigs and logs to set a hot fire. By now it was already dark and he lit the fire.
The fire served many purposes. They had hot tea for the first time that day. Then he boiled and rendered some of the pig fat primarily for use as a lantern fuel. Amelie had scraped the pigskin clean then washed it in the stream while Jim worked on the bow. She’d been working the leather to stretch and soften it while it dried. She now stretched it out on a rough frame made from some of the left over branches. She placed it close to the fire directly in the main stream of smoke where it would cure.
Jim meanwhile was concentrating his sensitivity on about a dozen sticks. He separated out those with any flaws in the wood that he couldn’t see in the dark and they were discarded for fuel for the fire. Then using the steam from boiling water and a hint of magic he made perfectly straight arrow shafts that would fly true. That accomplished, he sharpened the ends into points and put the tips close to the fire to harden. This would make the points more resilient and sharp since they didn’t have metal tips. He would have to look for some feathers to make the flights for them.
Once the fire had died down to coals they placed the pig in the hole. The carcass was wrapped in dry grasses they’d found and big edible leaves. Then the pig was thickly covered over with embers and left to cook for some hours.
‘What are you going to do with that skin?’ Jim asked, watching her turn it. The pig didn’t have a nice furry coat so she’d scraped the sparse hair off which meant it could be worked on both sides making the end result far more flexible than a fur.
‘I haven’t decided yet. But it’s bound to be useful for something this time of year.’
He spent quite some time rubbing fat into the bow to waterproof the wood and help its resilience. ‘I could do with a small strip of that hide to make a proper grip in the middle of this bow.’
She handed over the hide and watched him cut a narrow strip. She sat back and watched him wrap the centre section of the bow with it then affix the damp leather with pig tendon, both of which would shrink as they dried and fit tightly. He twirled the tendon over the leather in a very precise looking pattern that would not only hold the leather in place securely but was also decorative.
‘I can’t wait to see that properly in daylight,’ she commented once he seemed to have finished. She could feel he’d been using small amounts of magic. She suspected he was speeding up the time it normally would have taken, cutting out some of the drying and curing processes normally needed when using green raw materials. That kind of concentrated effort also tired him she could see but he smiled at her.
‘Think that pork’s done yet?’
‘No idea,’ she said. ‘Haven’t you done this before?’
‘No. I saw it done when I was travelling with a big caravan but I wasn’t actually in charge of it,’ he said.
‘Well there’s a first time for everything,’ she said and used a branch to sweep the thick layer of embers off a handy corner. Without uncovering the whole carcass, she poked through the grasses and leaf covering to expose a small section. ‘Wow, that smells pretty good,’ she said appreciatively. Jim nodded and handed her the knife and a tin plate so she could cut off a chunk. She looked it over in the lantern light. ‘Well it looks cooked and it’s certainly hot,’ she said blowing on it before she popped some in her mouth. ‘A bit tough,’ she said in disappointment.
‘Cover it all up again. That means it’s not been in long enough,’ he advised. ‘The longer it’s in the tenderer it should become.’
‘Maybe we should finish up the odds and ends instead and keep that for the morning. It is very late already. We need to eat and go to sleep soon if we’re going to be up early. But I’m not going to sleep on an empty belly,’ she added.
‘Good idea,’ he agreed readily; his stomach was empty too.
The following morning they were up with the sunrise. The pork was still warm, although not hot anymore, and beautifully tender. They each had an ample breakfast before packing the meat carefully away. They were ready and underway before the sun had fully risen.
‘We’re far to the right of where Daniel told us to head, after our little deviation,’ Jim commented. ‘I’m wondering if heading left now will bring us directly to the town he mentioned. Perhaps we should head directly north instead and hope to miss it on the other side. Then we can head west once we’ve passed it.’
‘Want me to go ahead and check?’ Amelie asked reluctantly. She’d hated being apart yesterday. Together they could defend each other; alone was not so easy. She also knew she would fret about his safety when he wasn’t in sight. What was happening to her? She’d never felt this protective of anyone before.
‘Be an eagle,’ he suggested. ‘Fly high and you’ll be able to see a long way without necessarily going very far. Something as big as a town ought to be easy to spot,’ he added.
‘Good idea. I can keep an eye on you too then,’ she added in relief. ‘Make sure you’re safe.’
‘I need to be protected?’ he queried, hearing her implication that she was reluctant to let him out of her sight.
‘Yes. Well, I know you’re a capable man,’ she added suddenly feeling flustered.
‘Do you feel protective of me?’ he asked.
‘Yes. Sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t mean to imply that I think you’re weak,’ she added earnestly.
‘I feel protective of you,’ he admitted.
‘Why?’
‘It’s normal to feel protective of someone you have feelings for,’ he explained softly.
She bit her lip; now she understood. It was her increasing feelings for him that were constantly making her think of him and his well being. She removed her clothes ready to change and handed them to him. She stood for a moment watching him and noticed just how hungrily he looked at her body. Was this one of the things Daniel thought would torment Jim? But he’d seen her nak
ed many times. ‘I thought you only liked looking at me when I was fatter?’
‘That was good yes, but this is the real you.’ He dropped her clothes aside and swept her into his arms kissing her soundly. He was exceedingly tempted to remove his own clothes and show her just how much he desired her. ‘Sorry,’ he murmured.
‘Why are you sorry?’ she asked. Then she copied what he’d done holding him closely in her arms and kissing him. His response was even more fervent. She leaned back in his arms; his breathing was rapid and he clearly didn’t want to release her. She was glad; she didn’t want to let go either. ‘Well, I suppose this isn’t getting us to safety,’ she said ruefully. ‘Is that why you were sorry?’ He nodded although she suspected there was more to it.
‘Well I’m glad we can kiss now. I rather like that and you feel better and better every time,’ she told him and changed into her eagle before he could respond. She sprang into the air rising quickly. Below she watched him stow her clothes swiftly, mount up and follow her path. He was right, the higher she climbed the further she could see, but equally the less detail on the ground she could discern.
It took time to find the town, mainly because she didn’t like losing sight of Jim for too long. She reduced altitude and compared the two routes either side of the town. It would be a shorter journey to pass on the right side, since that was where they already were, but the land was more populated with large areas cleared for farmland. She had a look at the alternate route; it would be longer but was possibly safer. The land was hilly and forested; rough going but less populated. Heading back to Jim she suddenly spotted a wildly running deer. Behind it was a small pack of dogs and behind them some huntsmen on horseback.
Jim saw her coming at great speed. She seemed distressed and then he thought she waved a clawed leg, gesturing him to turn aside. She repeated the gesture, and now she was a little closer he understood its urgency too. He saw a path off to the right and turned down it, riding swiftly. She swooped down and he put an arm out for her to land on.
Amelie: Wizards of White Haven Page 18