by Matt Heppe
“She must be punished,” Waltas said gleefully. “We must take her to Earl Crane’s court for trial.”
“She doesn’t know the law in Salador,” said Nidon. “Now she does. Be reasonable, Earl Waltas, let us eat the bird and she will hunt no more. Is that correct, Hadde?”
“Be reasonable?” Waltas spat. “Now you want me to be reasonable?” He looked at Nidon with contempt. “You know the law. Claiming ignorance is no defense.”
Hadde looked to Nidon for help, but he just stared at the ground stone-faced. Melas fixed his gaze on the bird in Hadde’s hand.
“Give me that evidence,” Waltas said as he took a step in Hadde’s direction.
She took a step back. “I’ve never heard of such strange customs.”
Nidon looked up and said, “Hadde, why did you kill the bird? Who did you kill it for?” He was staring intently into her eyes as he spoke. Waltas paused and looked at him. It was strange to have Nidon looking directly at her. The Saladorans had all avoided eye contact with her. “Why did you kill it? Who is it for?”
There was something to his intensity, but she didn’t know what the meaning was. “I’m a huntress,” she replied. “It’s what I do. I hunt to provide food for my people. I bring gifts of food so my people can eat.” She paused and held the turkey out again. “I brought this gift for you.”
Nidon walked past Waltas and took the turkey from her. “And I accept your gift. And what is it you want in return?” he asked, still looking into her eyes.
“Nothing. It’s the Way of the Forest.”
Nidon nodded and smiled. He turned away from her and tossed the bird to Melas. “She’s innocent,” he stated and walked back to his place by the fire.
“What?” Waltas shouted. “That isn’t for you to judge. It’s for the lord of this land.”
“You heard her, Earl Waltas. She didn’t take the bird for her own gain. She gave it freely to me, a servant of the king, in pursuit of the king’s business.”
He looked away from the earl. “Melas, prepare the bird.” Turning to Hadde he said, “I thank you for your gift.”
“Your behavior has been outrageous, Sir Nidon,” Waltas said. “This spiridus witch has you under her spell.”
“She’s no witch, just a woman,” Nidon said as he sat down.
Just a woman. Even when they defended her, they insulted her. Hadde wanted nothing more than to be rid of these men. But could she leave? Go back to Landomere and…what? Have Lightfoot slaughtered for meat? Let the Wasting take her people?
Waltas shook with frustration. He opened his mouth to speak, and then with a grimace clamped it shut. Hadde sighed with resignation as she joined Melas. Together they plucked the bird. “A pot of boiling water would make this easier,” she said.
“I don’t mind. I’m just grateful for the meal.”
“You are welcome to it.”
"Hadde,” he asked, “if a huntress gives away all of her food, how does she eat?”
“Each kill is brought back and the village takes what it needs. Whatever is left goes to the hunter.”
His eyebrows rose. “But there would never be anything left.”
“What do you mean?” she replied. “There’s always something left.”
“If you came back with a rabbit for fifty people, you’re telling me there would be something left for you?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “And you don’t sell the rabbit? You just give it to them?”
“Yes.”
“And they leave some for you?”
She smiled and chuckled. “Yes... well usually. Things have been harder recently. Some hunters have even been accused of eating their kills before returning to the village. It's wrong.”
“Less talk, more food, Squire,” Nidon called out.
“Yes, Sir Nidon.”
For a time they stopped talking and put more effort into cleaning the bird. As Melas spitted it he said, “You know… it does make sense, I suppose.”
“What?”
“That they leave some for the hunter. If they didn’t, the hunter would starve and not hunt anymore. There would be no more food.”
“Exactly. The Way of the Forest.”
As the turkey cooked, Hadde retired to her lean-to where she cleaned and oiled her mail corselet. It was difficult to keep rust off on such a long journey. She was amazed at how bright and polished the armor and weapons of the Saladorans were. But then again they did little else.
She was so engrossed in her work that Melas surprised her when he walked up to her fire. He held a spit with a steaming turkey leg and thigh on it.
“A gift for the hunter,” he said. “I’m sorry, but there was no plate to put it upon.”
“That’s no problem.” She held up her wooden eating bowl and he slid the meat onto it. “I thank you for your gift.”
He smiled. “It’s the Way of the Forest.”
“Will you join me, Squire?” she asked.
Melas glanced over his shoulder at the knights. “I cannot.” The look on his face told her he wanted to.
Chapter Eight
Earl Crane’s manor stood on a high promontory surrounded by a massive stone wall. Below the hill rested a walled town protected by a deep dry-moat. Hadde sucked in her breath as they passed through the gate leading into the town. Huge buildings arched overhead, threatening to smother her.
Within the keep she saw numerous signs of the Earl’s wealth and power. Soldiers protected the gate, fine tapestries hung on the walls of the great hall, and servants scurried everywhere. Despite his wealth, Hadde saw that the Earl faced the same troubles as people elsewhere. The villages around the castle stood half abandoned, the people were haggard, and the livestock was thin and weak. His wealth only gave so much protection from the Wasting.
“The king can do nothing for you,” Earl Crane said after greeting them in the castle's main hall. He looked and sounded as hard as the stone walls that protected his manor. He was as big as Nidon, and just as scarred, but he was thicker around the middle and gray stubble covered his chin. Hadde swallowed and nodded. She didn’t want to believe what she was hearing. The king had to be able to help her. There were at least thirty Saladorans in the hall, all staring intently at her. Knights and their ladies, Hadde suspected.
“I must try, at least, Earl Crane," she said. "My people have no other hope.”
“The king’s own vassals see little enough help.” Crane’s glance cut for a moment to Sir Nidon and then back to Hadde. “A foreigner such as yourself has no reason for hope.”
Hadde didn’t know how to reply. She shifted awkwardly under the earl’s glare.
“I shall fulfill my responsibilities as a host,” Crane said. “Earl Waltas and Sir Nidon, you and your charges may stay as my guests for the night. My hospitality may not be as grand as you may be accustomed to in Sal-Oras. I hope you’re not disappointed.” He didn’t hide the bitter tone in his voice.
“Thank you, Earl Crane,” Nidon said.
“I cannot help but notice that you will make it back to Sal-Oras for the Festival of Spring,” Crane said.
“That is correct, Earl Crane,” Nidon replied. “Unless we meet with some unexpected delay. Will you attend the king?”
Crane laughed. “Attend the king? Would that I had time for such frivolities. My time is better spent here, with my people, not dancing, and feasting with the nobles of Sal-Oras. You’ll thank the king for his hospitality on my behalf, won’t you Nidon?”
“Of course. It would be my pleasure.”
“In true fact,” Waltas said, “we have already partaken of your hospitality, Earl Crane. The woman, a foreign commoner, poached a turkey from your lands.”
Crane frowned at Hadde, but before he could speak Nidon said, “That isn’t quite the case, Earl Crane. The bird was taken in order to feed my party. It wasn’t poached, as I’m the king’s man and it was taken for me.”
“An excuse devised after the fact…” Waltas shot bac
k, but the earl cut him off with a raised hand.
“I’m the king’s loyal vassal,” Crane said, “and won’t begrudge his due, Earl Waltas.” Crane looked pointedly at Nidon. “Just as I’m certain the king is doing everything in his power to fulfill his obligations to his vassals.”
Hadde sighed in relief. She wanted no part of Saladoran justice. She smiled and glanced at Nidon, but he wasn’t looking her way. Instead her gaze fell upon Waltas’s evil glare.
***
They spent the night as the earl’s guests. The three Saladorans were given quarters in the keep, while Hadde spent the night in a meager room next to the stables. She didn’t mind. It was warm and dry and she wasn’t in the presence of Earl Waltas.
Earl Crane had little to spare in the way of supplies, but he didn’t deny Nidon or Waltas the aid they required. Hadde watched as Nidon gave one of Earl Crane’s men a purse of silver for a few days worth of provisions. She smiled as Earl Waltas ranted at the immense price he paid for a warhorse, but the stable master wouldn’t budge. It didn't surprise her to receive no thanks for the loan of Quickstep.
They rode northeast from the manor with Waltas and Nidon in the lead, followed by Melas. Hadde trailed behind. Barely a word was spoken as mile after mile passed behind them. She had the impression that Nidon wouldn’t have said much under any circumstances.
Hadde found herself smiling at the prospect of the day. The chilly morning turned into a pleasantly mild winter afternoon. All rode without armor as Earl Crane had assured them of the security of his land. He had heard only rumors of the varcolac, and needed some convincing as to their existence. Nor had he cared about the fate of the lawless manor to the west. “Not my land, not my problem,” had been his only comment.
“Squire Melas,” she finally said, “why do they ride side by side when they dislike each other so much?”
“Who? Them?” he asked, nodding at the two knights. “Neither could bear the thought of allowing the other in the lead. Sir Nidon is Champion of Salador, but by birth only a knight. Waltas is an earl, and the second most powerful noble in the South Teren. On the earl’s land he would ride first. In the presence of the king, Sir Nidon would ride at the King’s side. This is an unusual circumstance. Isn't it the same in Landomere?”
“I suppose, but not so strict. We elect our leaders before a hunt, or if there is a war. They would ride first. And I guess women never ride in front in Salador?”
“Well... no, not exactly. Of course a woman gains great status from her husband. And a noble woman ranks high above any low-born man. But women can't ride first, they are not as strong...” He looked away from Hadde. “Well, I mean, we have to protect...” His voice trailed off.
“So they're defenseless?” Hadde grinned at his discomfort. “And is there some woman in your life?”
“I, ah…” He glanced at the two knights riding ahead, and when they showed no sign of hearing, he leaned close to Hadde. Smiling he said, “There is someone. Our fathers are negotiating.”
“Wonderful.” Hadde paused. “What are they negotiating?”
“Jenae's dowry, of course.”
“Her dowry?”
“Yes. It’s what she will bring into our marriage. How much land, cattle, and vassals I’ll gain by marrying her.”
“Why does she have to bring anything?”
“To give me a reason to marry her.”
“What? How can you say that?” she said, her voice so loud both Nidon and Waltas glanced over their shoulders at her. Quieter, she said, “What about love?”
He looked down at his hands. “Well, there is that as well.”
“At least you Saladorans know what love is.”
“We do. And I love her very much. She is the loveliest of all the Maidens in Waiting. She is the dawn to my day. She is.... ” And having opened up, the squire appeared unable to stop talking. Hadde didn’t understand half of it but it made the miles pass easier. From time to time she told him of Landomere, but he seemed more baffled than she was.
Early in the afternoon, Nidon called a halt in a sunny, open glade with a grassy bank that led to a shallow stream. He had picked well, Hadde thought. And the Wasting was weaker here. Her spirits rose at the sight of green grass and the feel of the warm sun. It almost appeared winter had retreated.
“We’ll rest here for a time,” Nidon said, “and then push on to a barony down the road. We’ll sleep indoors tonight.”
After seeing to their horses, Nidon and Waltas sprawled out on the ground, well apart from one another. Nidon was soon asleep and snoring. Hadde built a fire and helped Melas prepare a meal.
Waltas watched them. Catching her eye, he said, “Hurry up, I’m hungry.”
Hadde didn’t reply but continued her preparations.
“This will take a little while,” Melas said, staring into the stew pot.
“Then I’ll wash up before we eat,” Hadde said. “It seems forever since I last bathed, and it’s a good day for it.”
Melas blushed and turned away.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Still facing away from her, he pretended to be in search of something in a small sack. “Don't ask me about such things,” he said, his voice becoming a rough whisper towards the end.
She gave him a quizzical look and shrugged her shoulders. “Very well. I’m off to do the unmentionable.”
“Well you probably shouldn't just go off, and, you know... alone.”
“What, you want to come?”
“No!” he yelped. “Just, be... ah careful.”
“Very well, Melas, I will.” Hadde shook her head and, after grabbing a washrag and her change of clothes from her pack, walked to the water’s edge and headed upstream. For a moment she thought of going back for her bow, but Earl Crane's lands seemed secure, and they'd seen no sign of danger. And she wouldn’t have to go very far to put herself out of sight of the Saladorans.
The stream was only a few strides across with a bank that alternated between rocky and muddy. She found a spot where the stream turned and rocks dammed the water enough to make a decent pool. On the muddy bank a large flat stone provided a good place to sit. She wished it were deep enough to swim in. The air was cool and the water even colder, but the sun was high and would keep her warm enough.
If she were quick about her washing the men would never miss her. She smiled at the thought of being truly clean. Hadde stripped off her clothes and placed them on the rock. She let out a gasp as the freezing water flowed over her legs. Taking a breath, she plunged her face into the water.
“Too cold! Too cold!” she sputtered as she stood up. Grabbing her washcloth, she quickly scrubbed herself as she stood shivering in the stream. The sun wasn’t as strong as she had hoped. She thought back to the big tub in her parent’s cabin and wished she were there. And then she remembered it still needed mending.
Bracing herself, she plunged under the water a second time. She stepped out of the pool and onto the large rock. Crouching by the stream’s edge, she twisted the water from her long hair. She considered washing her dirty clothes but knew she wouldn’t have time.
“Brrr.” She shivered one last time as she turned to pick up her clean clothes.
Earl Waltas stood behind her on the bank of the stream.
Hadde gave a start. “You surprised me.”
“You’ve no shame,” he said, staring. Hadde cringed at his gaze. For the first time in her life, in front of this Saladoran, she felt truly naked. “I came upstream so that I would be out of sight. I got the impression from Squire Melas that I should move out of sight to bathe.”
He glanced toward the camp and then back at her. “You don’t feel strange… naked in a man’s presence?” He walked slowly down the bank toward her.
“Why would I?” She tried to sound confident, but she was afraid. She wouldn't give Waltas the pleasure of cowing her. She knelt and rinsed her towel and wrung the water out of it. The hilt of her hunting knife projected from her rolled cloth
ing, but she resisted the urge to reach for it. He would just laugh at her cowardice.
He laughed a short laugh and then clasped his hands in front of him. “Yes, of course, why would you?” He glanced over his shoulder. “You’ve not seen Squire Melas, have you? I saw him leave the fire.”
“No. Maybe he went for firewood. He knew I was going to bathe so I know he wouldn’t have come this direction. He seemed, well... embarrassed.”
“Silly boy,” Waltas said.
“You appear to have gotten over it, however.” She shuddered at the intensity of his stare.
He swallowed. “You’re pretty, in a strange way. Exotic.”
“I… thank you,” she said, reaching for her tunic. “I guess it’s time to eat.”
As she spoke he stepped onto the rock. “Even those marks on your face. They make you… interesting.” He unclasped his hands and clenched them at his sides. Hadde saw that he wore his dagger, but had left his sword back at camp. Still, she didn't want to take him on. She glanced past him to the stream bank and wondered how she could get past him.
As she lifted her tunic to pull it over her head, he lunged at her. Not caught by surprise, she flung it into his face and leaped into the pool. She slipped but regained her balance and ran for the bank.
Waltas charged after her.
“Stop!” she yelled as she ran, kicking up water with each stride. He tackled her from behind and sent her sprawling face down onto the muddy, rocky bank. Hadde scrambled forward but he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back. His crushing weight landed on top of her.
“Don’t move!” he snarled in her ear. “Don’t fight!”
“Stop! Please!” she said as she tried to get her hands under her. His forearm pressed against the back of her neck, pushing her face into the mud.
“You whore! I’m going to give you what you deserve.”
Hadde couldn’t move. The soft mud only gave way under her hands when she grasped for leverage. She felt his free hand fumbling at his trousers.
With all her strength, Hadde tried to kick free. “Help!” she cried out.