Into the Wastelands: Book Four of the Restoration Series

by Williams, Christopher

  She expected the Guardians would do well at this, even Mikela would perform adequately. It was the two sorcerers and Cassandra that she really was worried about. The only time that she had ever seen Dagan move with anything approaching stealth had been last night.

  There were no questions and she dismissed the impromptu meeting and they went back to breaking camp.

  It didn’t take long for Atock to meander over to where Heather was rolling up her blankets. He grinned down at her, “So did you and Dagan make peace?” He kept his voice low so that none of the others could hear.

  “I think so,” Heather answered. She looked around Atock to where Dagan was pushing dirt up over the coals of their fire. “I don’t know for how long though. The man just seems to find ways to irritate me.”

  “Huh,” Atock said, his grin getting even bigger, “and you’re normally such a sweet person.”

  Heather punched him in the leg. “Careful. Since I’m getting along with Dagan, I’m looking for someone else to be angry at.”

  Atock held his hands up in mock surrender and, chuckling, he moved away.

  Chapter 16

  They travelled north in a much more orderly fashion than that first day. Heather ranged ahead of the group, constantly on the alert for any sign of danger. She didn’t so much as get the first suspicion of trouble. The woods were overflowing with animals. Squirrels and birds chattered at her from the low tree limbs overhead and she even saw bigger game disappearing as she approached. It was a nice blue sky and there was a cooling breeze that blew intermittently throughout the day. All in all it was very peaceful and not very threatening.

  Heather called a break for lunch in the early afternoon and it was welcomed enthusiastically by her companions. The meal was not that special, as it consisted of dried meat and hard biscuits. Still, the food did lift their spirits a bit.

  “I don’t understand why this area is supposed to be cursed,” Aaron said as he licked the crumbs from his fingers. “I think it’s beautiful through here.”

  Heather nodded her agreement. “It is, but we’re still close to the river and far from the mountains. I would expect anything that’s dangerous to be there.” She glanced at Dagan. The old man had been silent through their meal and she wondered about his mood. They were on somewhat good terms and she would hate to damage that. “Dagan, any idea of the terrain that we have to cover?”

  He shook his head. “No. Once, this area was covered with Faerum farms, but that was thousands of years ago. I would imagine that forests and such have completely altered the landscape. I’m sorry but I won’t be of any help.”

  Heather nodded, she hadn’t really expected anything useful. “You said before that you were in a secretive group. A group that thought perhaps Kelcer was miss-understood. Did any of them ever travel here? You know, to try and find the armor?”

  Dagan tilted his head up and regarded her. His look was considering. “Not that I know of, but it is possible.” He sighed, “I feel it’s more likely that the Church has been here and might even be here now.”

  “Wonderful,” Atock said quietly.

  Deciding they had been there long enough, Heather forced herself off the ground. “It’s time we get moving,” she paused and then added, “I know it all looks peaceful, but remember that means that it can only get worse. Stay alert.” She motioned at Enton, “Bring up the rear.” The main reason for putting him at the back of the group was that he was probably the most formidable fighter in the group, but she had another reason. Every since he had kissed her that night, she had to keep her distance. She always made sure there were others around when she spoke with him. Whatever little fantasies the man was entertaining, she did not want to encourage them.

  Continuing their course northward, the land gradually began to change. The area just north of the river had been sandy and the vegetation had been suited for that environment. Most of the trees had been short and there had been little enough grass. The farther away they got from the river, the more woods turned into a real forest. The trees got taller and the vegetation grew more lush.

  Several times through the afternoon, they stumbled across signs of the ancient Faerum. The first time this happened, Heather was walking across some stones and she realized the formation was not natural. At one time the stones had been arranged into a circle ten feet wide. What purpose it had served, she could not imagine. The stones had been worn down by the countless years since they were fashioned. Tree roots were growing under the stones and forcing some up out of the ground at weird angles. Still, it was impossible to mistake that the stones had been worked, even with the wear of the centuries.

  Late in the day, Heather called a halt. Even though there was another hour or so of light, they had come across a small pond and it seemed the perfect place for their camp. They actually placed the campsite about fifty yards from the pond, up a small hill. It was sheltered enough to have a small fire and none of them wanted to sleep on the shore of the pond. It might very well be the only supply of water for miles and they didn’t want any visitors during the night. They didn’t actually take their water from the pond, as the water was rather brackish, but there was a small creek that flowed into the pond on the eastern side. The moving water of the creek seemed a much safer bet.

  Heather left the others to make camp while she did a quick survey of the surrounding area. She moved through the trees and bushes without a sound, pausing here and there to listen for any disturbance. There was nothing, except for the occasional cry of some bird. She walked north a good ways and then circled back to the west. In this manner, she circled their campsite at a distance. She was pleased that there seemed to be absolutely nothing to worry about, but at the same time, it worried her. She was expecting trouble at any moment, but the woods seemed deserted.

  When she was satisfied with their apparent safety, she returned to the campsite. Atock had a small fire going, which he had taken great pains to shield from view. She sighed deeply at the dinner that was presented to her. Hard, and slightly moldy, bread, a small piece of cheese, and some boiled green leaves that Dagan had called colla. He spotted them growing wild and had delayed them while a modest bunch was collected. Heather wasn’t sure about eating something that she had never even heard of before, but it had to better than the moldy bread. Sighing again, she scooped up a small amount of the colla and gingerly put it into her mouth. She was prepared to spit it out at once but was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the leaf was. Looking up from her food, she noticed everyone smiling at her.

  “Not bad, is it?” Mikela asked from her spot near the fire. She had just placed some small branches on the fire and was now stirring a small pot of water that hung suspended over the flames.

  “I don’t know why everyone is so surprised,” Dagan said in a huffy voice. “I told you they were safe and quite enjoyable.”

  “Yes, but we have different opinions on what things are quite enjoyable,” Aaron said grinning at the old man. “Judging it by its looks, I thought it would be rather bland.”

  “Maybe you think too much,” Dagan grumbled, but his tone lacked any real heat.

  “That’s not something Aaron hears very often,” Mikela said and the others chuckled, all except Aaron who simply scowled at the woman.

  Heather leaned back against a large stone and continued eating her dinner. The harmless banter of the group was relaxing and it pleased her that even Dagan joined in. Taking another bite, she glanced over to where Agminion sat. The sorcerer was off by himself a little ways and was ignoring the rest of the group completely. He was already wrapped up in his blanket and leaning back against the trunk of a tree. She didn’t mind being in command, but she hated having so many people in her group who refused to recognize her authority.

  Distracted, Heather reached for another bite and realized her dinner was all gone. She had even eaten all of the nasty bread. With her belly full, she could feel herself getting sleepy. The long days were taking a toll. Looking around at the others, s
he could see several with their eyes either closed or nearly so. It was quiet now, the earlier joking having died out. Heather climbed to her feet, causing most of the others to look up.

  She quickly set the order of the watch. Atock, Mikela, herself, Aaron, and then Enton. The others nodded their assent and then rolled up in their blankets to sleep. She took the middle watch as it was by far the worst. It was difficult to get several hours of sleep, wake up and keep watch, and then go back to sleep for several hours more.

  Heather motioned for Atock to join her and they walked a little ways from the fire. “I checked the area out fairly well and I couldn’t find any threats. It’s very wooded though, so it will make spotting any trouble difficult.” She pointed to the northwest, “There’s several large outcroppings of rock a little ways in that direction. It’s probably the best place to watch from.”

  Atock nodded his head, all the while smiling broadly.

  Noticing the smile, Heather frowned. “What’s so funny?”

  “It’s nothing,” he paused, but she apparently wanted more of an answer than that and so he continued, “it’s just that you’re doing a fine job as a leader.”

  “And that’s funny?”

  Atock chuckled, “No, but I do find it amusing when you tell me how to keep watch.” He motioned back towards the fire, “Get some sleep. I think I can manage. Who knows, I may even stay awake.” Grinning, he walked away, strangely enough, to the northwest.

  Rough hands shook Heather awake and she rolled over and looked up through blurry half-closed eyes. Her eyes widened when she realized it was Enton who was waking her and not Mikela.

  Despite her muscles aching from sleeping on the ground, Heather bolted upwards and looked around. Her first thought was that something bad was happening. Enton was supposed to have the last watch and if he was waking her then there had to be a reason, all the reasons that she could come up with were bad.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” she demanded.

  Enton immediately held his hands out and motioned for her to be quiet. “Shhh! You’ll wake the others,” he said in a near whisper. He turned and began walking from the camp. He looked back once, and realizing that Heather hadn’t moved, he motioned for her to follow.

  Swallowing hard, Heather looked around one more time. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was quite sure that she wasn’t about to like it.

  Enton led her from camp and they walked a short distance to the northwest. They walked in silence, which was fine by Heather, until they reached the outcropping of rocks that she had noticed earlier.

  Stopping, Enton turned to face her. “This is a good place to keep watch,” he said. “Atock showed them to me,” he waved his arm at the rocks behind him. They towered over him, reaching nearly twenty feet in the air.

  “Why did you have the second watch?” Heather asked. She didn’t feel the need to explain that she had been the one to tell Atock of the rocks. “I assigned you the last watch.”

  Enton moved over and sat on a large rock. “I know, but I couldn’t’ sleep and then when Atock went to wake Mikela and she didn’t want to stand watch, so I traded with her.”

  Heather nodded, “Okay,” she said hesitantly. “Well, thank you. I’ll take it from here.”

  Enton nodded but didn’t say anything. He also didn’t leave. He just stood there looking at her, like he was waiting on something.

  “Is there anything else?” Heather asked, crossing her arms. “If not, then I really should climb up and take a look around.” She remained standing, roughly five feet or so from the rock where Enton was sitting.

  “I feel like you’ve been deliberately avoiding me,” Enton said. “Is it because of that kiss?” She opened her mouth to speak, but he kept right on talking. His words came out quickly, almost in a jumble. “Listen, that was an accident. We had just been let go from King Stennis’ capture. I hadn’t so much as kissed a barmaid in a long time and there you were. After such a long time, I probably would have kissed Atock. I assure you that I don’t think about you like that.”

  It took a moment for that last bit to register. “You don’t think about like what?”

  Enton shrugged, “You know, like a woman.”

  Heather took a deep calming breath. “You don’t think about me like a woman? Is that right?”

  Perhaps Enton could sense that he was in trouble and he moved to clarify. “What I meant, is that I think of you as a fellow Guardian, not as a woman.” His last few words sort of trailed off, it was like he was finally realizing how he must sound.

  She swelled up like she was about to explode. Enton remained sitting on his rock, but his eyes went wide at her words. “Now you listen to me,” Heather began in an angry tone. “I don’t care how you think of me, but just so you know I am a woman and I don’t appreciate your insults.”

  His eyes still wide, Enton held his hands up before him, both in a form of surrender and also protection. His eyes were still wide and he tried to speak, but all he could do was stammer. “I, uh, listen.”

  That was when it happened, again. Heather was dumbfounded as the fool man kissed her again. She wasn’t sure even how to respond. But she slowly realized that there was something wrong. The kiss lingered and it took her several moments to figure out what the problem was. Finally her thoughts cleared a little and she groaned. Enton was still sitting on his rock. He hadn’t moved, so it hadn’t been him kissing her. It had been the other way around.

  “Uh-oh,” was all she managed to say and it came out rather breathless.

  The next day Heather was shaken awake by Mikela. She pushed off her blanket and sat up, stretching the kinks in her neck and back. Several of the others were already up and moving, and Atock was tending the fire. Heather carefully avoided looking in Enton’s direction.

  Closing her eyes, Heather shuddered as the memories of last night came flooding back. She had messed up and there was no doubt. What could she have been thinking? A headache began to form and she started rubbing her temples.

  She opened her eyes again and realized that Mikela was trying to pull together a breakfast while the others went about their early morning activities. Pulling herself to her feet, she walked over to help Mikela.

  Breakfast was not very inspiring. Another hunk of the cheese, some dried fruits, and more of Dagan’s colla. Nevertheless they all ate the food, it would undoubtedly be a long time to lunch.

  Taking her pitiful breakfast, Heather sat down next to the fire. The warmth of the flames feeling good in the early morning chill. She looked up and locked eyes with Enton. He and Atock were getting their portion of the food. Heather was pleased to see that he looked unsure of himself as well. She popped a dried piece of apple into her mouth.

  “You don’t look too good,” Atock said, squinting at Enton. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

  Atock’s question nearly made her choke and she spent the next several moments coughing. Perhaps it was for the best as it helped her avoid hearing Enton’s answer.

  As soon as everyone was done eating, Heather got them packed up and moved out. She didn’t want to waste any time, and to be honest, she really wanted some time to herself.

  Once again she took the lead and moved them off to the north. It was another beautiful day and they made good time. She kept a steady pace but was careful to stay alert.

  The terrain was gradually getting hillier and the woods were getting thicker. They were still days from the mountains and she began to fear the vegetation might slow them down some.

  They travelled all day, with only a brief break for lunch. While they were eating, she got the feeling that Enton wanted to talk to her. It spurred her to keep the break a short one and get them moving again quickly. No one was much pleased but she didn’t much care.

  She kept the group moving through the afternoon, not stopping until just before sundown. In truth, she didn’t want to stop then but they came across an excellent campsite. The area was actually a little unusual. Numerous s
mall hills dotted an open field. The hills were steep but not high and it didn’t take long to find several that were in an almost circular shape. The depression in the middle was shielded from both the wind and from any prying eyes. In no time at all, a small fire was burning and everyone collapsed to the ground.

  A little guiltily, Heather realized that she had driven them a bit harder than usual. Not wanting to give Enton a chance to start a conversation, Heather ate a hurried dinner, assigned the watch scheduled, and then quickly turned in. Truth be told, she was a bit tired as well.

  It felt like she had just laid down to sleep, when someone shook her awake.

  Gasping, she sat up quickly and looked around. “Enton?” she asked, thinking it had to be the big man who was waking her.

  It was a big man, but it wasn’t Enton. It was Atock.

  “What is it?” she demanded, suddenly alert because of the worried look on his face.

  “I’m not sure, but you will want to see this.”

  Heather threw her blanket off and quickly climbed to her feet. Atock led her to the northern side of the camp. They walked for a ways, threading their way through the strange hills until they reached the very edge of the clearing. Here they climbed the small grassy hill, it looked to be the hill located the farthest to the north. At the top of the hill, Mikela, Dagan, and Agminion was already lying there staring out to the north. It didn’t take long to discern why. To the north and perhaps a little east of their current position, lights and fire were dancing in the night sky.