by Ben Cassidy
Chapter 11
The going proved to be much more difficult in the forest. The three travelers once more found themselves tripping over tree roots and getting slapped by branches. The sun continued to shine brightly above, but the shade cast by the trees continued to deny them even that small bit of warmth. The road was always on their left, sometimes clearly visible, and other times lost behind a curtain of foliage. Jade found herself wishing from time to time that they might just risk the open road again. It had certainly been much easier.
Kendril continued to keep his rifle at the ready, and kept glancing nervously out at the road whenever it was visible. They saw no one else, however. Only the cold wind blowing through the trees and the occasional chirping of a half-frozen bird kept them company.
Jade stumbled as they walked, slipping on a slimy rock.
Kendril quickly reached out a gloved hand and caught her by the arm before she fell. “Easy,” he said. “Watch your footing.”
“Thanks,” she said. Simon grunted behind her. She pulled on the bridle. “He seems to want something.”
Kendril brushed a low-hanging branch out of his way. “He wants a c-a-r-r-o-t.”
“A what?”
He sighed. “A c-a-r-r-o-t. I can’t say the word. He knows what it means. I gave him my last one this morning.”
“Ah, I see.” Jade tried to peer through the trees to her left, but she couldn’t see the road. Maklavir was a few yards behind them with Veritas, humming quietly to himself. Jade looked back over at the Ghostwalker walking silently beside her.
“I think it’s starting to warm up a bit,” she commented.
Kendril didn’t take his eyes off the forest ahead of them. “Not much.”
Jade brushed back a few strands of her hair, then laughed.
“What?”
She shook her head, smiling. “I was trying to start a conversation. I think you just killed it.”
Kendril looked over at her, a half-smile forming on his face. “What should I have said?”
Jade avoided a brown puddle. “Something fresh and invigorating.”
“Fresh and invigorating?” Kendril glanced up at the sky. “All right, give me a minute here. Fresh and invigorating. That’s a tough one.”
The young woman gave a soft laugh. “Surely you can think of something?”
He looked back at her, his face changing slightly. “I can think of one thing.” He paused for a moment.
“Well now you’ve got me curious.” Jade smiled. “Are you just going to leave me hanging?”
The Ghostwalker smiled. “No. Perish the thought.” He looked away. “Your hair is very beautiful. That’s what I was thinking.”
She stared at him, suddenly self-conscious. “That wasn’t what I was expecting you to say,” she said quietly.
Kendril gave a crooked grin. “There, you see? I’m full of surprises.” He readjusted the rifle in his hands. “Your eyes are beautiful as well.” He turned his head towards her, as if appraising her. “You are a very beautiful woman, all in all. I thought so the moment I first saw you.”
Jade seemed to suddenly find her voice. “What, you mean when I was unconscious and tied to a tree?” she laughed. “I hardly think I was a picture of beauty.”
“Quite the contrary. Dirt and a little bit of smeared blood can do wonders for a woman’s complexion.”
She lifted one hand to her head mockingly. “You make a regular habit of rescuing beautiful damsels in distress, I suppose?”
Kendril glanced towards the road again. “You’d be the first, actually.”
Jade pulled the blanket further up around her neck. “The first damsel you’ve ever rescued?”
“The first beautiful damsel. The rest were quite ugly.”
She laughed, then gave Simon a brief scratch on the nose. The mule snorted happily. She looked over at Kendril.
“So,” she said lightly, “surely there have been other beautiful women in your life. Ones you haven’t rescued,” she added, then stopped abruptly.
A sudden shadow of pain passed over the Ghostwalker’s face. He quickly looked away.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. Her stomach felt sick. “I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean to—”
Kendril turned his head away, his face hidden from view. “Forget it.”
Jade opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She felt a burning in the back of her throat.
“I say,” came Maklavir’s voice from behind them, “I hate to interrupt, but does anyone else hear that?”
Kendril and Jade both stopped.
“Water,” said Kendril after a moment’s silence. “A river?”
“And not far ahead, by the sound of it,” Maklavir responded.
Kendril took his rifle in his hands and wedged his way through two bushes. Jade followed quickly after him. Maklavir hesitated for a moment, then deftly tossed Veritas’ bridle over a low-hanging branch and followed his two companions as well.
Simon, left alone for the moment, immediately began chomping on a clump of clover.
Tripping and sliding his way down a short incline, Maklavir tumbled to a stop next to Jade and Kendril, who were already crouching in some bushes next to the road. The diplomat brushed some dirt off his sleeve, then kneeled down next to them.
They were only a few yards away from the main road, which stretched off to the west, disappearing over a small rise. To the east it wound down to the banks of a large river, no more than a hundred yards or more from where they were hiding. The tree line stopped well short of the flowing water, and the area near the river’s edge was grassy and clear. The road continued over a large stone bridge, passing into the tangled forest on the other side. An old stone mill stood on the far bank next to the bridge. Over everything was heard the gurgling of the swiftly moving current, the water splashing softly around the stone arches of the bridge.
Maklavir pushed back his cap, scratching his head. “We must be further east than we thought.”
Kendril turned towards the diplomat. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “The only river I know of that passes through the Howling Woods would be—”
“The Arneth,” said Jade unexpectedly. Both men turned towards her in surprise. Her eyes grew wide. “I—I don’t know how I knew that….”
Kendril turned his eyes back towards the road. “Since both of you seem to have known this river was here,” he growled, “it might have been good if you had told me ahead of time.”
Maklavir pulled his cap back on straight. “The Arneth comes into the Howling Woods, but it cuts out again. Right through the top northeast corner, if I remember correctly.”
“I know,” said Kendril irritably. “I just didn’t realize we’d be hitting it so soon.”
Maklavir gave his companion a confused look. “But this is good news, right? Hitting the river means we must be close to the edge of the woods. Once we’re out, we should be able to find a town, or maybe even—”
“We’re not crossing this river,” said Kendril, taking his rifle and moving back towards the trees. “We’re turning around.”
Maklavir leapt to his feet. “Whatever for?”
The Ghostwalker turned around, his figure half-hidden by some ferns. “Because that bridge is a death-trap. Worse than the road. If we walk out onto it, we could be walking right into an ambush.”
Jade got to her feet as well. “You don’t think the bounty hunter is waiting for us here?”
The Ghostwalker gave the bridge another glance. “Why not? It’s a perfect place to spring an attack.”
Maklavir rolled his eyes. “And you want us to go back the way we came? You can’t be serious. For all we know those men chasing us may be on the road behind us.”
“Then we go north, or south,” said Kendril, “and stay in the woods, out of sight. We can follow the river until it leads us out.”
“That could take days,” said Maklavir. “We don’t have enough supplies to l
ast that long. We certainly can’t keep wandering these woods forever.”
“I think Maklavir is right,” said Jade softly. “We have to take the chance, Kendril.”
The Ghostwalker lowered his hood, rubbing his gloved hand across his face. He looked down the road to the west, then back to the bridge. His eyes were red from lack of sleep.
“It looks quiet enough,” commented Maklavir helpfully.
“Of course it looks quiet,” Kendril said scathingly. “An ambush always looks quiet.” He sighed heavily, tapping his hand absently against the stock of his rifle.
Jade sat down again on a relatively dry clump of grass. “You’re thinking about those riders we saw, aren’t you?”
Kendril looked at her. “Yes.” He was quiet for a moment, his eyes flitting back and forth between the bridge and the road.
“All right,” he said at last. He grabbed his rifle and checked the flint. “We’ll cross. But I’m going first. You two stay here with the animals, off the trail and out of sight.”
“Kendril—” Jade began.
“This is not open to discussion,” said Kendril sharply. “I’ll go first, and make sure the coast is clear. I’ll signal to both of you when it’s safe.”
Jade swallowed her next comment. She looked over her shoulder at the bridge. A slight breeze rustled through the tree branches above them, making her shiver and pull the blanket closer.
“I should come with you.” Maklavir adjusted his cape against the same cold breeze. “Two would be better than one.”
“You need to stay with Jade,” said Kendril without looking up. He turned the rifle over, checking it over carefully. “If anything does happen, the two of you need to get out of here as quickly as possible.” He stood up and took the weapon in both hands. “Stay out of sight.”
“Right,” said Maklavir, “if anything goes wrong, we’ll run off and leave you to your death. That way we can cook your donkey and eat it when we run out of food.”
Jade smiled despite herself.
Kendril shot Maklavir a cold glare. “He’s a mule,” he said, then started towards the road.
The bridge looked old. Moss and lichen grew in the cracks between the stone, and there was still a trace of dampness from the rain the night before. The sun had done a good job of drying most of the slippery surface, however, and it was not yet cold enough for ice to form. A small railing about three feet high, also made of stone, ran along either side of the bridge. Two small birds were flitting around each other, perched on one side of the railing. As Kendril drew closer they both scattered into the nearby trees.
As soon as the forest on either side of the road melted away, Kendril felt suddenly vulnerable. He searched the banks of the river as far as he could see, his rifle at the ready, but nothing seemed to move. He turned to look over his shoulder, but the road behind him was empty as well. No sign of Maklavir and Jade, either, which was good. At least they had actually listened when he had told them to stay hidden.
It really was crazy, he thought as he stepped onto the bridge. Here he was, risking his life for two people he had met only days ago. Actually, he had met Maklavir just yesterday. It somehow seemed much longer.
The wind was blowing more briskly out on the river, and Kendril’s cloak flapped around him in the icy gusts. He pushed his hood out of the way of his face, his eyes watering from the cold air. He felt naked out here in the open, with nothing to hide behind. It was not usually in his nature to make himself such an easy target.
Kendril stopped about a third of the way down the bridge, searching the banks on either side of the river. He stepped to the edge of the bridge, leaning over the railing and looking down into the foaming water below. The only sounds were the whistling of the wind and the noise of the river beneath his feet. Gathering his cloak tightly around him against the breeze, Kendril continued towards the opposite side.
There was still nothing. No movement, no shouting, and no ambush. As Kendril drew closer to the mill, he realized that the wheel was not turning and the windows were boarded up as well. It looked abandoned.
Before he knew it Kendril had reached the end of the bridge. The stone railing on the right hand side merged directly into the mill. A large wooden door in the building’s side opened up onto the area just before the bridge. Kendril brought up his rifle, holding it with his right hand while he reached out to test the door with his left.
It rattled, but didn’t budge. Locked. He took a step back, staring up carefully at the gray boards covering the windows. It looked like it was home only to owls and field mice. Kendril glanced back down the length of the bridge, then trudged cautiously up the dirt road towards the tree line. The area between the bridge and the forest, like the western side of the bridge, was relatively open, but the road quickly curved out of sight as soon as it entered the forest.
A squirrel pranced madly up the nearest tree as Kendril entered the woods. He examined both sides of the road carefully as he walked, stopping about fifty yards in. For several moments he merely stood and listened, his rifle at the ready and his senses alert.
Everything seemed fine. More than fine, actually. Everything seemed completely safe. Yet there was still an uneasy buzzing in the back of Kendril’s mind. Something was amiss here, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. A more accomplished woodsman might have better read the signs, but as far as he could tell nothing was wrong.
He cursed softly to himself, searching the forest again. A bird chattered somewhere in the treetops, answered quickly by yet another on the other side of the road. Kendril hesitated for one moment longer, torn by one last shred of doubt.
They couldn’t go back. Maklavir was right on that count. If the bounty hunter had picked up their trail he and his men could be behind them even now. Turning around could be disastrous.
Kendril slung the rifle onto his shoulder, giving one last long look down the road to the east. The sun was starting to descend in the western sky, and the forest was beginning to grow dimmer as the light faded. It would be nightfall in just an hour or so. Their time was running out and he had to make a decision. And he already knew what it had to be.
They had to cross, and they had to do it now.
Uneasily, but with a new sense of determination, Kendril turned back towards the bridge.
Maklavir suddenly straightened. “There’s Kendril. He’s coming back out onto the bridge.”
Jade sat up. “Is he okay?” she asked eagerly.
The finely dressed man squinted. “Looks like it.” He smiled. “He’s signaling. Looks like everything is clear.” He got to his feet, untying Veritas from where the horse was tethered at a nearby tree. “Grab that blasted donkey and let’s get going.”
Jade got up as well, her face showing the relief she felt. “No argument here.”
Kendril walked about a third of the way out onto the bridge, then stopped, leaning against the stone railing. He set the rifle down beside him, then gathered his black cloak around him against the wind. On the opposite bank he could see Maklavir and Jade emerge from the trees off the side of the road, lugging the animals behind them. He glanced back behind him once more, but the road leading eastwards into the forest was still empty.
He gazed back at Maklavir and Jade. The two had left the cover of the woods, and were almost to the bridge. But for some reason, Kendril just couldn’t seem to relax. He felt tense, almost completely on edge.
Something was still wrong. He could feel it.
Kendril’s companions started out onto the bridge, walking side by side. Maklavir said something, and Jade laughed. The sound reached Kendril’s ears even where he stood waiting, and he felt a strange feeling come over him. For a moment he allowed his mind to wander, thinking about the strange girl he had only met days before. He glanced down at the stone pavement of the bridge, remembering the sting of their earlier conversation. Jade hadn’t meant any harm, of course. She had just been curious. Still, there were some things that Ken
dril could still not speak of, especially not to her.
He smiled as the sudden irony hit him. Jade couldn’t remember her past, and he couldn’t talk about his. No wonder conversation between them was difficult.
Scratching the side of his neck thoughtfully, Kendril glanced back up again.
His heart stopped mid-beat.
“She didn’t know it had come loose?” Jade giggled, giving Simon a gentle pull. “You’re joking.”
“Sadly, no,” said Maklavir with a twinkle in his eye. “Of course, no one had the courage to tell the Grand Duchess that her wig was askew. The poor woman kept eating her soup for a good ten minutes before she figured it out.”
Jade giggled again, covering her mouth with her hand. “Didn’t the Grand Duke notice?”
“He,” said the young man with a full grin, “was trying too hard not to laugh. His whole face was turning purple. And what’s more—” He stopped suddenly, staring ahead. “Hello? What in Eru’s name is that man up to now?”
The girl followed his gaze.
Kendril turned towards them, his rifle in his hands. He brought it up to his shoulder, preparing to fire.
Jade felt her stomach drop.
She spun around, Simon’s bridle dropping from her hand.
Behind them on the road, not more than a hundred yards away, were two men on horseback with swords in their hands. Both were coming down the road at a full gallop.
It was a trap.
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