He wasn’t sure either, judging by the look of that bag. He took it from her and rummaged through, but one corner had gotten thoroughly wet and everything in it.
Siobhan, not waiting for his answer, knelt at his side to investigate herself. “No, nothing in here’s dry enough to wear. Alright, well, it looks like you and I are rather the same size. My pants are likely going to be a little too short for you, but I think you can make do with them tonight until your things have a chance to dry.”
She was offering her own clothes? True, a white shirt and pants were not gender-specific, which was what she wearing, but…the offer flabbergasted him. His jaw worked, searching for a response and not finding one.
Again, she didn’t wait on him and immediately dug out clothing and handed it over. Then she snapped out a blanket and handed one corner to Beirly. “We’ll make a changing screen for you, so change quickly.”
Beyond touched at this thoughtfulness, so rare outside of Saoleord, he did as bid. The air was a little cold on his wet skin but he found her clothes perfectly dry, and the brazier was warming up the space inside the tent in slow degrees. “I am done, Maley-zhi, Kierkegaard-gui. Thank you.”
They dropped the blanket and Siobhan gave him a critical sweep of the eyes. “Huh. They actually fit better than I thought they would. I wouldn’t have guessed it, but it looks like we’re almost the same height.”
Truly, the pants were a scant inch too short. This woman was taller than he had first assumed. “I thank you for the kindness.”
“Not at all,” she assured him, sincerity shining from her. “Here, let’s spread your wet clothes out on this line. By morning, they should be dry-ish.”
By mutual agreement, everyone gathered to sit around the brazier. Fei had no doubt that they would be stuck inside until the storm passed, and at the rate it was blowing about outside, that likely meant morning. Leaning forward, he tested the heat of the brazier with an open palm. Oh? It was hot enough to cook with. “In return for your kindness, will you leave dinner in my hands?”
He got a circle of blank stares.
“You can make dinner inside a tent?” Beirly asked him, brows arched in surprise. “We don’t have a lot of water. And the coals aren’t hot enough to bake something in.”
“There are recipes in my homeland that require neither of these things,” Fei explained, already reaching for his pack. “If you do not mind trying a cuisine from another culture? Then I can cook something hot for us.”
“Please do,” Siobhan encouraged. “In fact, can we help?”
“If you have ingredients to offer, that would be good.”
Several food sacks were brought forth, and while most of the ingredients weren’t something that he could use, Fei found a few vegetables and even a sack of brown rice that could augment his recipe. Pulling out a wok, he put it and a little oil on the brazier and waited for it to heat as he chopped up several vegetables. Under the curious gazes of his audience, he stirred several thinly sliced vegetables into the wok and fried them quickly with a bottle of seasoning he had. When it was done, he scooped it up into a large bowl, then replaced the vegetables with the rice, and some water, and let it cook for several minutes. “You have bowls or plates?”
People handed over their individual bowls, which he took and filled with rice, then the vegetables on top, with more sauce to add seasoning.
Siobhan took a tentative bite, eyes popping wide. “This is so different than anything I’ve had before.” She took another, braver bite. “I think I like it.”
Wolfinsky had already eaten half of his bowl before she could finish two bites. “Don’t strain yourself, Siobhan. If you don’t like it, I’ll eat it.”
She gave him the stink eye. “You cannot have my bowl, Wolf.”
He grinned, unashamed. “Can’t blame me for trying.”
These sideways compliments made Fei smile. “There is more, if you wish.”
“I wish,” Beirly said firmly, munching happily. “What’s this dish called?”
“Mun-dok. It is a staple meal in my country.”
“What you did was very simple,” Siobhan leaned closer to see the glass bottle sitting near his knee. “It’s the seasoning that makes it so wonderful. What is that?”
“It is a mixture of my own making. It is not quite the same as what I grew up with, but close enough. I can write down the ingredients for you?”
“Please. Food like this that we can make quickly and easily on the road is rare. So if we can add another recipe to our set, it’s always a blessing.” Siobhan swatted Wolfinsky’s hand away as he reached for a third helping and stole the spoon from him. “I get seconds before you get thirds.”
Fei felt like his gesture of gratitude had been very well received. These people had shown him consideration, which he had not expected, and he admitted to himself that he was growing to like them. Jacobs was right. These were excellent travel companions.
Chapter Three
The storm died down at some point in the wee hours of the morning. When people emerged from their tents they found it had wreaked havoc with their supplies, although thankfully none of the animals had gotten hurt. It took longer than usual for them to get back on the road, as it took time to untangle wet tents and pack everything back up.
Once again, Fei was invited to ride in the Deepwoods cart, which he did not mind. He found a seat next to Grae and watched as the man used a compass, sextant, and map to try and find their location. He muttered to himself often, frowning, and re-checking both instruments without voicing his thoughts. Whatever conclusions he had reached, he either didn’t like it or wasn’t sure of it.
Jacobs came back to them and asked bluntly, “Where are we?”
Grae, distracted, had to blink and formulate an answer. “As nearly as I can figure, we’re about halfway through the Hazy Forest, roughly two days south of Stott. But I could be a little off.”
“How much off?”
“A few hours. I don’t have any good landmarks to work off of, so I’m not entirely sure of our location, but this is my best guess.”
“All I need is a good guess,” Jacobs assured him. “We’re on the right road, heading the right direction, and that’s good enough for me. We crossed a good distance before the path failed, thankfully. We can make Stott off the provisions I have packed.”
That was welcome news to Fei, as he hadn’t been sure if Jacobs had packed any food at all.
“Then let’s move, we’re losing daylight.” Jacobs called out to the wagons as he walked back toward the front. Beirly, in the driver’s seat, obligingly got the reinmal moving as the rest of the caravan rumbled into motion.
They spent the rest of the day amiably. Sometimes people told stories—Fei was doubtful as to the full validity of some of the tales—sometimes they sang, and if they hit a muddy patch then everyone worked to pull the wagons through it. Wolf’s strength alone was normally enough to pull a wagon free of a rut.
Fei still hadn’t had a chance to spar with the other enforcer and he was itching to do so. He had a feeling, judging from the huge broadsword at the man’s back, that Wolfinsky was a power fighter. If Fei was quick enough he could likely dodge the attacks and break through the other man’s defenses. Maybe.
As the day wore on, Grae became more certain of their location, and determined that they really were about two days out. The muddy ruts would likely make it closer to two and a half days to arrive in Stott, but they all breathed a little easier in having a more certain grasp of their location.
They found a slightly wider section in the road to make camp that night. Without a storm raging above their heads, Fei had the time to put his own tent up. One of the drivers was set to cook. Fei prayed it would be edible, otherwise he would shift to Plan B. He had a few more questions about pathmaking he wanted to ask Grae, so after his own camp was set up he went looking for the man.
The Deepwoods tent was easy enough to find, as it was one of the larger ones, and he made a beeline f
or it. A stone’s throw from the camp, Siobhan and Wolfinsky were having a heated argument. He couldn’t catch all of the words, there was too much noise all around them to filter it out, but tone and body language was enough to tell him this wasn’t a friendly spat.
Grae and Beirly were next to the campfire watching it play out from the corners of their eyes, hunched and turned away from the pair as if trying to avoid the scene entirely. That didn’t bode well. Fei stopped next to Beirly and sank down onto his haunches. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes,” Beirly groaned, prodding at the fire with a stick. “Not the first time it’s happened, and likely won’t be the last, so don’t worry your head about it.”
That did and did not answer the question.
“It’s just that Wolf tends to be overprotective in situations like these,” Grae clarified. “And Siobhan doesn’t take that well. She’s a strong fighter in her own right, so having someone hover over her doesn’t sit well.”
Wolfinsky had given off the vibe of someone that tended toward being overprotective. Fei had seen it happen three times now, where Wolfinsky had physically yanked Siobhan away from danger before she could even try to dodge it. Yes, Fei could see how that would cause problems between the two.
Siobhan said something that deflated Wolfinsky completely and stomped off. She headed toward the line of wagons and other campfires, fortunately, as having her storm into the woods would have snapped the enforcer’s already taut nerves.
“Uh-oh,” Beirly muttered, cringing. “Wolf’s going to be in a mood now.”
“Isn’t it your turn to deal with him?” Grae whispered frantically.
“No way, I did it last time. And the time before that. It’s way past your turn.”
Wolfinsky slunk into the camp like a wolf that had been denied its prey. Waves of frustration poured off of him, so tangible as to be almost visible. Fei looked at him and was eerily reminded of fireworks about to go off. That kind of broiling temper was not good, especially not in a man of that size and strength. He could do serious damage without realizing it simply because his usual control was frayed. Beirly and Grae’s alarm now made too much sense.
Beirly, seeing that Grae was too petrified to get a word out, cleared his throat and prepared to say something. Fei put a hand on his shoulder to stay him. When Beirly blinked up at him, surprised, Fei gave him a small shake of the head before stepping forward.
“Is there something wrong, Wolfinsky-jia?”
“Woman doesn’t understand the danger out here,” Wolfinsky growled, frustration bleeding into his words. “There’s wolves out here bigger than she is. Bears. Moose, wild boars, and more poisonous snakes than I can shake a stick at. She should not be wandering out alone at night!”
Ahh. Yes, definitely overprotective. Fei deliberately relaxed his shoulders, hands kept away from his weapons, giving off every signal of non-danger that he could. “Perhaps some subterfuge is in order?”
The growling paused. “Subterfuge?”
“Indeed. Let’s see, how should we phrase this? ‘Men of our occupation must train regularly. The best way to do so is against another opponent, in various lighting and terrain.’ If we offer her this rationale, we can follow her all around without suspicion. Not to mention,” Fei put a sly finger against his nose, “getting some good training in.”
The whole camp stared at him with a wide range of expressions. Grae looked thankful he was talking Wolfinsky down, Beirly torn between being impressed and relieved, and Wolfinsky had lost his anger entirely. The giant enforcer gave Fei a look of respect.
“It’s a good reason,” Wolfinsky agreed slowly, “and I think the rationale would work, but what about now? She’s weaving in and around the camp. It’ll be hard to fight in one place and keep an eye on her.”
Fei gave him a look of mock-confusion. “The only open place to fight at this moment that has any lighting is the road. Sparring is not a static thing, it moves. Of course we would go the length and width of the road, depending on where the fight takes us.”
Slapping a hand against his leg—the sound was akin to a log snapping in half—Wolfinsky let out a roar of laughter. “I like the way you think! Alright, then, let’s have a bout or three on the road, shall we? Between the two of us, I think we can keep her within sight.”
“Of course,” Fei agreed genially.
Wolfinsky left the camp at a brisk stride, no longer upset. As he turned to follow, both Beirly and Grae mouthed a fervent ‘thank you’ to which Fei gave a slight bow of acknowledgement.
In terms of fighting, Wolfinsky was like a mountain or an avalanche. He moved quickly enough for a man of his size, but the real danger was when he made contact. Especially with that iron right hand of his, he could shatter bone easily. It took considerable skill for Fei to dodge and weave in and around those attacks. In fact, he had to exert more energy and focus than he’d planned on, so there was no possibility to sneak any glances and keep Siobhan in sight. Instead, he tracked her by ear, as she was easily distinguishable among all of the male voices. This caravan had only one other woman in it, Jacobs’ wife.
Neither of them were tired, but after an hour or so, they stopped for a breather in mutual agreement. If a man’s blood got too hot then he would sometimes hurt an opponent out of sheer reflex. Fei stood with arms relaxed at his sides and breathed deep.
“I can’t see her,” Wolfinsky muttered, sneaking peeks to the left.
“She’s behind the wagon directly opposite of me.” It was hard to read the man’s expression from flickering firelight and the moon overhead, but Fei could read him well enough. “It’s not the bears or the wolves that are truly worrying you.”
Wolfinsky’s shoulders slumped, which he took as a yes.
“It must be difficult, protecting an attractive woman.”
“Beyond difficult, some days,” Wolfinsky muttered. “I’m glad you understand that, though. The other two don’t. They just don’t see Siobhan like that. I guess because they grew up with each other.”
This was news to Fei. “They are childhood friends?”
“Yes, all three of them. They were the core members of Deepwoods. I came in almost three months after the guild was established.”
Hence why the other two weren’t always sure of how to handle Wolfinsky in one of his moods? This information shed a whole new light on their relationships. “Do not worry. I see the problem clearly. Perhaps we should set up a tag-team or sorts? If we switch out then she will not realize that we are ‘hovering’ quite so much.”
“You’re a good man, Man Fei Lei. Yes, let’s do that.”
If that was the way to keep peace on this journey, Fei was more than willing to do it. Besides, Wolfinsky had a point. Siobhan would attract trouble just because she was pretty and friendly. Could she handle that trouble? Probably. But Fei’s job was to protect every person in the caravan, and that included her, so he saw no problem with his offer.
“You’re a good fighter, too,” Wolfinsky added, tone contemplative. “Have you thought about joining a guild?”
“I have not,” Fei denied. This was, curiously, the first time he had ever been asked that question. “I do not understand guilds. We do not have them in Saoleord.”
“Really! Then how is your society organized?”
“Family is the core of it. Then we have work groups, companies, businesses, and a government that rules it all.”
“Government?” Wolfinsky sounded baffled by this word, as well he should, as it was a foreign concept in most of the four continents.
“Indeed. I find the idea of guilds very strange.”
“I find the idea of a city without guilds very strange.” Wolfinsky paused, distracted by movement. “Ah, looks like she’s heading back to camp. Man Fei Lei, have you had dinner?”
“Not yet.”
“Then come back with me and have dinner with us.”
“You are kind. I accept.” Fei followed him back to the camp, ruminating on the sideways inv
itation he had been offered. Wolfinsky liked him, liked his skills, and obviously wanted him to think about joining Deepwoods. While flattered, Fei didn’t know how to take this offer. Join a guild? Aside from the fact that he still didn’t know how long he would sojourn on this continent, he didn’t understand enough about how a guild operated to make a decision to join one. Fei did not believe in jumping into a situation he didn’t understand. That seemed very foolhardy.
Three years of living in the outside world had given him plenty of opportunities for observation. From what he had seen, a guild was a business-like structure that had strict control over its members. There was nothing about that setup that Fei was inclined to like. There would need to be a very compelling reason to make him enter one and right now, he didn’t see that happening.
Chapter Four
Two and a half days later they reached Stott. Fortunately there were no complications aside from pushing laden wagons through a few muddy patches. Fei wasn’t sure how to feel about arriving at their destination. He would not miss sleeping on cold ground for the night, certainly, but his previous visits to Stott had not gone well. Stott’s main guild was either not powerful enough or not organized enough to keep good crime control inside of the walls. Knowing this, he and Wolfinsky had split the wagons between them so that there would not be any blind spots.
Stott, unlike other cities, did not offer a communal space for wagons to park. No one would have trusted that their valuables would still be there in the morning even if such an area existed. Instead, each inn had parking available to either the side or the rear that would host small caravans. If a caravan was larger than the inn could accommodate, part of the caravan would lodge at a neighboring inn. The inns also offered their own enforcers as protection and they were strictly governed. If an enforcer was caught accepting a bribe, the man would never find work again in Stott. Not legal work.
Fei knew that if they could just get to the inn and secure lodging, the enforcers there would take over and he could breathe easily. Until then, his nerves walked a tightrope as he tried to see everything and be everywhere at once. Twice he caught a furtive movement from the corner of his eye, but if thieves were there, they did not linger long enough to be caught by him and nothing was stolen.
Origins: A Deepwoods Book - a Collection of Deepwoods Short Stories (Deepwoods Series 0) Page 12