“You can thank Dimitri. I just get to deliver the goods to ye. Does ya think yu'll be warm enough?”
“I hope so. I’ve a fur robe to wrap myself in if need be.”
“We have extra blankets and warm robes on the second mule if we need 'em. So don't be too proud to ask for one if you take a chill.”
Akira thanked Nels again. Kindness from men was not something she was accustomed to. She wondered if, as Suraj the boy, she would have given the same considerations given to her comfort. Perhaps in the company of half decent men being of the fairer sex was not all that bad, if one did not mind being treated as weaker. She had little reason to trust any man’s good will. For often, good will had an ulterior motive.
She wiggled in the saddle, and cursed the tavern wench and the man named Dimitri for the sore spot on her butt cheek. Suddenly a pang of remorse came over her. Akira, under normal circumstances would have felt sympathy for the servant girl working under the control of men, conditioned to, and forced to use her body to survive under the harsh rule of men. A struggle with her conscience, ended up with a truce between remorse and justification for sending the wench sprawling across the floor.
A part of Akira admired how the scheming wench pitted men against men, honing in on their lustful nature, and pride. It was a dangerous thing to do. The weapons to use against men were not made with steel blades only. A cunning mind was a woman's best weapon, and for many, their attractiveness was a not so subtle tool for manipulating men. Akira had not been awakened to the powerful nature of sexual desire. She thought of herself as almost plain and the idea of using her body to manipulate men repulsed her. That sex could be pleasurable for women was a foreign concept. She had heard the maids moaning under the weight of her brothers. It sounded painful. She knew some of the servant girls under her father's roof used their bodies willingly for personal gain, and sadly for self-preservation. Listening to the boasting of her brothers and their friends, she knew that it was the same under other roofs.
She leaned forward and whispered, “Well Pegasus, I think I’m going to know how a saddle sore feels today.” Making soft clucking sounds, she signaled her mount to follow in behind Nels. Akira sighed. No matter how much she wanted to forget her humiliation of the night before, the tender spot on her lower right ass cheek was not going to allow her to forget. That Dimitri did not force himself upon her was a relief. Was he a man of his word or was she so average, she did not stir his loins? She told herself the unfamiliar pressure against her backside early in the morning was not what she feared. It had to have been a figment of her overactive imagination. Inwardly, she laughed at her vanity. Far better to be unattractive and not draw the kind of attention she wanted nothing to do with attracting the wrong kind of attention.
The trail up the mountain started as a gradual climb. The mules dutifully followed each other with their heavy burdens. They were in strings of five with men riding single file between them. Akira was near the middle of the procession. They traveled past the deciduous trees that were dispersed between the conifers. The branches of the once leafy trees were almost naked. The trees looked cold. Only a few tenacious golden leaves shivered on the branches. Parts of the trail were covered in the golden leaves. Had the sun been able to peek out behind the gathering clouds, it would have been a bright golden path. Occasionally, leaves scattered, propelled by small gusts of wind that could lift them despite the leaves being heavier with their frosty coatings.
As they climbed higher, bared ash and birch trees were outnumbered by shorter evergreen trees, scraggly from years of heavy snowfalls breaking branches and tearing limbs. A squirrel scolded angrily as they passed by his cache of cones. The mules ignored it, plodding dutifully hour after hour as they made their way from the foothill ascent to the mountainside. The path became rockier and rockier, so narrow in spots, only a single file was possible. It was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. Akira looked across the steep mountain side and wondered how far one would be able to see on a clear day. Her nose was pink from the cold, as were her cheeks. She was glad her breeches were woolen, as were her long stockings. She had known all along she would have to prepare for the cold mountain. When she had the chance to look back a long distance down the trail, she looked for riders, praying for none, hoping her father's trackers had not followed her across the plains.
~
Nels did not talk much. He noticed the young woman checking behind regularly, looking far into the distance. He also noted that Dimitri looked back regularly, sensing her fear of something behind them. Perhaps a jealous husband followed her? She was young, but old enough to have a husband.
Nels tried fighting his curiosity. A few loose rocks on the trail rolled over the side of the mountain. Time enough in less dangerous conditions to let his curiosity get the better of him he decided. He eyed the mules to make sure their packs and loads were staying balanced. Time would tell all. It always did. He pulled a straggly hair from his nose. A drop of water was forming on the end of his nose. Why was it that with age that his nostrils got hairier than the top of his head? If it were not for his balding crown he considered himself a fine figure of a man. No paunch around his middle. He sat straighter on his horse. Strong shoulders, a good aim, … a crown of hair was highly over rated. His chest was as furry as a grizzly bear. Surely that was sign of virility. What was it about females that made him worry about his looks? Vanity. He laughed at himself. He looked forward to climbing under the covers of his wife's bed. His wife had a way of making him feel like a king. Nels reigned in his wandering thoughts. It was time to watch for falling rocks and ice patches. They were approaching the snowline that hid treacherous ice patches capable of avalanches.
~
The wind was getting stronger, colder, and noisier. Snowflakes started to fall. Akira was thankful for the fur lined mittens. She would have pulled her hands up inside the long sleeves of her shirt, but the mittens were far nicer. When Nels looked back, she held up her hands to show him the mittens and smiled.
Pegasus had been sure footed so far. She patted his shoulder affectionately. Frost was forming on his chin whiskers. Snowflakes were gathering on his mane, as thick as the ones gathering on her hood. She was glad Pegasus was well into developing his heavier winter coat. The cold was starting to seep into her feet. She hoped they would stop soon so she could stomp her feet and warm them up. Gone were the colors of the forests. Grey and white loomed above them. They kept a steady pace, until they reached a wider part of the trail.
“Halt|” The man named Crow signaled with his hand, as well as his voice, for the group to stop. Each man slipped off their mount and checked cinches, saddles. A few turned their backs to Akira and yellowed the snow behind the screening of their horses. Akira dismounted and stomped her feet. Nels noticed and he brought her some wool wrappings. “Wrap these over your boots, not too tight, will help you keep your toes.”
Dimitri nodded his approval of the care Nels was taking with their guest. A few of the men were already doing likewise, wrapping boots. Nels gave Akira another wrapping. “Cover your face as much as you can.” Akira obediently wrapped the gray wool cloth like a scarf over her head and across her face. She pulled the hood of her cape over her head and was glad she had stolen Ben’s fur trimmed cape. She thought of him and wondered what he was wearing and who he was trying to catch. She hoped dividing the pursuers bettered all of their chances to escape. Ann had the fastest horse and with luck had been able to put much distance between herself and any pursuers. She hoped her brother Ben was warm. Akira appreciated having his heavy hooded cape. The wolf fur trim did not gather frost.
Her one butt cheek throbbed constantly. Dignity was precious. She said nothing of her discomfort.
Nels gave her an approving nod. The young woman had not complained. And she had smiled at him, showing him the mittens. A smile went a long way.
No orders were needed. Akira noticed the men all knew what needed to be done. She doubted she could have found a guid
e more skilled and knowledgeable about the mountain than the men she was with. They straightened the mules' loads where some grain sacks had worked their way sideways. Ropes were examined, cinches tightened, hooves checked for rocks and compacted ice. Akira unrolled her fur robe and fastened it around her shoulders under her cape. She noticed a few of the men adding a blanket layer under their capes. She did not feel so wimpy when she saw them layering up. She checked Pegasus's cinch. Her bottom was aching where the splinter had been extracted. It had gone numb for a while but with the change of position and pressure it was now more than annoying. She rubbed it gently under the cover of her attire.
“Ass sore from riding?” Nels asked.
“You might say that.” Akira answered. Hell if she would tell him about the sore on her sitting parts. “Just a little stiff,” she lied. “How much farther?”
“We are about half way, and have used half of our daylight hours.” Crow answered from ahead. He mounted up in one swift motion. Everyone followed suit. No time could be wasted. The easy part of the ride was over and it had not been easy.
Akira was glad she decided to travel with Dimitri and his men. They obviously knew the mountain, they even talked to it like a woman. She would still not admit that according to the bossy Dimitri she had no choice in the matter. With any luck she would be rid of his company when she reached the sanctuary. Surely he and his men would be going down the other side of the mountain pass after delivering the supplies to the sanctuary. She had not run for her freedom to trade one man's rule for another's. She wondered if Baron Rolfe would bring in his magicians and unholy men to place a curse on her. He was a superstitious tyrant. Her mother feared his evil curses. Many of his victories in battles were credited to his mages' interventions. Akira did not know if dark magic was myth or fact. She knew that the mere mention of it brought fear. Fear controlled people. Her mother discouraged talk of magic and curses, saying no good would come of it. As Akira got older she decided magic was real, for she could not see how her father could be so strong without it. She refused to give him credit for anything but misery. Many a time she childishly wished for a wand to turn him into a toad.
Dimitri was not the only man who noticed the young woman did not complain or ask for special considerations. With her silence and endurance, she was gaining respect from her companions. She kept her composure and controlled her mount when rocks tumbled and footing was precarious. He would give credit where credit was due. He noticed a few nods of approval when his men looked her way.
Suddenly he hoped she did not have a husband or lover chasing her down. Despite the fact he could only protect her, and nothing more, he did not want her to be another man's property. For the first time ever he begrudged the fact that he could not seduce a woman under his protection. To do so would violate the code he had sworn to uphold. He held himself to a higher standard than many men. But what if she were not vulnerable? What if she were to become strong, and confident, able to protect herself? He smiled. If she were to become his equal he would be free to woo her, bed her, or wed her.
Dimitri shook his head, wondering where that thought came from. He'd spent many a year avoiding the entanglements of feminine wiles. Battle hardened at the age of twenty-four he took his pleasures carefully, and seldom from the same woman. He had no desire to leave a widow behind, leave offspring without the protection of a father. He had to go into battle with nothing to lose, fierce, and free to be a risk taker. Some men fought harder when they fought for family and king. Dimitri credited his success in battle to cunning strategy, well trained loyal men and no fear of dying. A thought crossed his mind that perhaps he should have availed himself of some of the invitations offered in the village, scratched his itch so to speak, and then he would not have been so affected by one raven haired temptation. He had a task at hand and needed to stop his thoughts from speculating about the young spitfire under his protection. It was going to be a long winter. There were new candidates to train, before spring. There were new weapons to be forged, tried and fine-tuned.
The trail became steeper, the snow deeper. Nels turned and called back to Akira, “You still following my ass?”
She shouted through her muffling wraps, “Yes, I'm following an ass!”
“Are ye good back there? Did you just call me an ass?” Nels chuckled. The girl had a sense of humor despite the bitter cold.
“I’m good!” Akira smiled as she shouted back, for she had called him an ass. The tone of her voice had been teasing. The chill was not biting yet. She was glad for the extra wraps Nels had given her, and her mother’s old bed fur. She had draped the old bed fur across her lap so the it covered her legs. She hoped Pegasus was benefitting from the cape as it draped over them. It was a good thing Ben was tall and his cape was sized accordingly.
The next time Nels called back it took an effort for Akira to say. 'I’m good.' Her thoughts began to be worrisome. I’m so tired, perhaps the cold is making me sleepy. I’m warm enough I think. I guess sleeping with a stranger was not all that restful. I should not be this tired. Pegasus is doing all the work. Am I sick? I cannot be sick! She pushed the worrisome thoughts away. For being sick was not an option. She stubbornly decided she was just tired. The men did not complain of being tired and she would do no less. She tucked the edge of her fur under her leg tighter. She dared not lose it. She needed its warmth and the sentimental value was priceless. Her mother’s old bed fur held many good memories.
Crow lead the slow procession close to the rock bluffs, taking care to note each rocky outcropping he knew by heart. The wind whipped snow into fine veils, and deceiving drifts. The mules plodded on, following in the footsteps ahead of them. They had made the trek many times before and knew it was no use to balk or stop. Perhaps somewhere in their memory they remembered the warm barn ahead and grain they would receive when they reached the plateau.
Akira felt the cold penetrating. It was hard to think. She was fighting to stay awake. She was cold one minute and then strangely warm. She did not notice that even though the powdery snow was getting deeper, the ground was levelling out. That the mules picked up their pace escaped her. Akira could only see the snow covered back of Nels and one mule ahead of him before everything was white. Hours before she closed her hood so that she could barely see what was ahead. The blowing cold stung her cheeks and made her eyes water. She trusted Pegasus to find his own footing. Pegasus kept his ears flattened and his nose practically on the tail of the horse in front of him. There was no other choice. Akira bowed her head to escape the wind and bone penetrating cold. She did not realize they had entered through a gate into a large cavern. Her teeth were chattering involuntarily.
That Pegasus had stopped, and Crow had pulled her off her horse escaped her notice, until her feet hit the ground and the pins and needle feeling in her feet made her gasp. Her knees started to buckle but Crow supported her weight while she struggled to make her legs hold her own weight. As first man in the barn Crow was watching the mules and riders entering. He'd rang a bell hanging from the low carved rock ceiling to summon the stable keepers. When Akira did not dismount he quickly made his way past Nels who had just finished dismounting and was also about to check on Akira.
“We've arrived Suraj.” Crow loosened and pulled her hood back to looked for signs of frostbite. There were no tell-tale patches of white but a feverish look on her concerned him. He pulled off her mittens. Her hands were cold but not blue or white. They were still pink.
Delirious, Akira tried correcting Crow. “Ak...Ak…..” Her muddled mind could not figure out why brother Ben was calling her Suraj? How strange, she thought, how did Ben find me? She wavered between consciousness and unconsciousness.
“Ay Dimitri, best be getting the girl to the infirmary.” Crow frowned as he called out. Dimitri was just entering the torch lit barn.”
“Did she get frostbite?” Dimitri rode right up to Crow and Akira. He slid off his mount and handed the reins to Nels, who was now suspecting that when he asked
Suraj if she was alright, and she said she was fine, she really wasn't. He had asked about her hands and feet regularly. They were good, she would answer each time. He shook his head.
“Not that I can see, but she is feverish.” Crow replied.
Akira muttered, “I'm good,” just as her legs gave out from under her again. Crow caught her again and deposited her in Dimitri's arms.
Nels looked at Crow and Dimitri who looked at him suspiciously as if he had not checked on her. “She said she was good...” his voice trailed off.
Dimitri believed him. She could lie with a straight face. The spitfire was still saying she was good as her knees buckled. Damned, stubborn woman.
“Tired,” muttered Akira. It was struggle to stay awake. In a moment of clarity, she struggled uselessly to get put down. It was embarrassing that her legs would not work properly, and suddenly she didn’t care about anything. She was too tired to be embarrassed. Too muddled to think.
The spitfire was not fine. Dimitri ignored her weak efforts and protests, carrying her through the tunnel that connected to a hallway that would eventually lead to the infirmary. A monk quickly appeared. The grey robed man called for assistance. Within minutes, grey robed men, white robed men scurried like mice through tunnels. Doors were opened before Dimitri reached them. Torches were lit. A horn was blown. Dimitri knew all too well his way to the infirmary.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dimitri gently deposited an unconscious Akira onto a sturdy plank examining table in the middle of the room. A healer was summoned. He had heard the horn that would bring one or more healers and a bevy of assistants. The monks who held doors and torches retreated. While waiting for the healer, Dimitri pulled off Akira’s hooded cape and untied the stiff frozen leather straps that secured her fur robe. She shivered. He loosely draped the fur robe back over her. He removed the wrappings over her boots, removed her boots and pulled off her stockings. Her feet were cold but not dangerously so. He rubbed her feet between his hands, massaging them until she pulled them back under her fur and tried to get warm on her own. The healer Agar arrived, his white robe flowing behind him, with an assistant packing the torch that lit their way from whence they came. He wasted no time. He examined the young woman for any obvious signs of frostbite, listened to her breathing, and placed his hand on her fevered brow.
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