The Walls of Westernfort

by Jane Fletcher

  “What would they’ve been after?”

  Rohanna smiled at Natasha’s question. “Oh, this is where it all gets fun. We hope they think we’re horse thieves. We couldn’t have a horse hidden in here, so can we assume their doubts have moved on? And do they know we’re aware of their suspicions?”

  “You’ve lost me,” Cal said.

  Rohanna sighed. “Basically...you know you’ve been on the undercover game too long when you start enjoying the paranoia.”

  Cal held up her hands. “Okay. I’m not enjoying it. Just keep it simple. What do we do?”

  Rohanna thought. “The weather’s been mild these last few days. Do you think we’ll be safe to head home?”

  “I’d rather wait a few weeks. But then, I’d rather wait until midsummer.” Cal pursed her lips. “With the Goddess on our side, we’ll make it.”

  “Do not doubt that we have Celaeno’s blessing on our mission,” Rohanna said earnestly. “And this is how I read the situation. They’ve searched our room and found nothing, so we’re in no immediate danger and don’t need to do anything rash. But they’re starting to ask awkward questions about us. We shouldn’t drag things out further than necessary. Soon, the Goddess will give us our chance. We must be ready to take it.”

  Natasha bowed her head, aware of a confusing tangle of emotions. She did not want to go through with the mission, but since she had no option, it would be best to get it over with. She wished it were possible to step straight into the future; then she would have nothing to deal with except the guilt. And maybe Celaeno would smile on her. Perhaps in the temple at Landfall, she could recover her old certainties.

  Natasha turned her head and looked at the bed frame. She wondered who had searched their room. If only they had discovered the hidden compartment. It would have made things so much simpler.

  *

  Three days later, Natasha got back to the lodgings late. Many of the lambs had been born over the previous few days. Strictly speaking, however, it was not the extra demands of the lambing season that delayed her. Natasha was more fortunate than ordinary farmhands, who were out in the fields all day and most of the night at that time of year. All Lynn’s animals were kept inside, and they were so carefully monitored that no unexpected problems arose. Natasha’s workload had hardly increased at all. The reason for her late return was the pleasure she got from watching the young animals, safe in the knowledge that they would all grow to old age. She found it hard to tear herself away; she had even started to give them names. After all, they had souls.

  Natasha grabbed a cold dinner from the leftovers in the common room. Some of the other inhabitants spoke to her while she ate. One passed on a message about a get-together in the tavern. She had almost finished her meal when she realized that Rohanna and Cal were not there. It was unusual for them not to be chatting by the fire.

  She wolfed down the last mouthfuls and wandered along to the room they shared. As soon as she got through the door, Natasha knew that something important had happened. Rohanna beckoned her over.

  “Celaeno has shown her will. She’s given her enemies into our hands. I told you we didn’t need to worry,” Rohanna whispered triumphantly.

  “What’s happened?” Natasha asked.

  “We’ve heard news. The day after tomorrow, Ramon is setting out to visit Ginasberg. The only other person going with her is Coppelli. It’s five days’ journey to Ginasberg, and they’ll be gone nearly two weeks in all. Their first night’s stop is at the outpost where Ramon met us on our way here. It’s exactly what we need. The Goddess must have put the idea into their heads.” Rohanna clenched her fist in triumph as she spoke.

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Two of us will leave for the outpost tomorrow after dark. It’ll be a hard walk, but O’Neil said it was possible in a day. We’re in better condition than when we arrived .We can walk all night and all day, and part of the next night as well. All that’s necessary is to get there before they wake the following day. We want to ambush them while they sleep.”

  “As long as they don’t post sentries,” Cal interjected.

  “They won’t. There will be only two of them, and they’ll be sure no Guards are about this early in the year, since they’ll assume we’d need to travel from the Homelands.” Rohanna smiled grimly. “Once we have executed them, we’ll hide the bodies. Then we’ll take their horses and head east. They’ll only have enough supplies for five days, but that will include blankets, tent, a tinderbox, and things like that. We have enough food stashed to supply the rest of our needs.”

  “You said two of us will go. What about the other one?” Natasha said hesitantly.

  “Yes. That’s what we were discussing when you came in. One of us must stay behind for two reasons—apart from the fact that there won’t be a horse for her. First, she’ll need to cover for the absence of the others. We don’t want the alarm raised too early. Second, she’ll be the one to execute the degenerate Imprinter—ideally, at the same time as the other executions. I think we can safely predict that as soon as Lynn’s body is found, someone will be sent to tell Ramon. We don’t want her arriving at the outpost and spoiling the plan. We’re counting on the confusion caused by messengers riding to Ginasberg and back to give the two who are heading east a better chance of escape.”

  Rohanna sighed. “The only unfortunate part is that the one who is left behind won’t get the same chance. I don’t want to tell a woman to kill herself, but she mustn’t be taken prisoner. Inexplicable disappearances are what we want, creating as much confusion as possible. If they aren’t certain what’s happened, they’ll try to cover every possibility, which will weaken the resources they can set to any one task. If they capture one of us, they’ll learn that the other two are Guards and heading for Landfall. Every Ranger will be sent on their trail. And don’t make the mistake of thinking you won’t betray your comrades. There are ways of persuading a woman to talk, and by comparison, death isn’t such a bad option.”

  Cal had been nodding while she listened. Now she spoke. “What we were trying to work out is...who stays?”

  Rohanna looked sadly at Natasha. “Yes. That’s the awkward question. Obviously, it can’t be Cal. She’s the only one who understands the wildlands. So I’m afraid it’s down to you or me.”

  Natasha was surprised by how little the announcement bothered her. She shrugged. “When I volunteered for this mission, I didn’t expect to return. I’ve always been willing to die for the Goddess.”

  “The same is true for us all,” Rohanna said.

  Cal bit her lip. “I’m reluctant to speak, since it’s not my neck we’re discussing, but Jess has the best access to the Imprinter.”

  “And I have the most experience at subterfuge, which might be crucial in covering for the missing pair.” Rohanna pointed out.

  Natasha looked between the two faces. Neither is saying what she means, she thought. Cal prefers Rohanna’s company to mine, and Rohanna is worried that I won’t have the nerve to carry out the execution on my own. She considered her own feelings. She did not want to be the one to kill Lynn. But at that moment, she realized that she did not want to go back to Landfall. She could not imagine ever again standing sentry duty outside the temple gates—a toy soldier in a pretty red uniform. She thought of the way her mind drifted during the long, boring hours; the recollections she dredged up; the scenes she relived—and then she thought of the new memories she would be taking back with her. I can’t do it; I’d rather die.

  Natasha opened her mouth, about to volunteer to stay, but Rohanna spoke first. “The Goddess will decide. We’ll toss a coin. Heads, I stay. Tails, it’s Jess.”

  Cal pulled a coin from her purse, flipped it in the air, and let it fall. It landed tails.

  Chapter Fifteen—A Change of Plan

  Night had fallen over the valley when the three conspirators climbed the hill to the east of town. The trail leading to the footpath known as the side gate showed as a muddy rut through
the rough grass. Below them, the outline of the town was clear in the moonlight. Both Laurel and Hardie were nearly full, which was unfortunate. Darkness would have been preferred. But whatever the light, it would not be possible for Rohanna and Cal to leave by the main gates. They could not sneak away without being seen, and since both were blatantly dressed for a long journey, they would attract comment. Natasha, on the other hand, was wearing the clothes of a woman out for an evening stroll.

  The three rounded the side of the hill, and the town was lost from sight. The path was a gentle climb beside a cascading stream. Before long, though, it would turn into a precipitous trail, better suited to goats than to women. This route was also guarded, but there would be only a single sentry. At one of the more treacherous parts, the path crossed a deep ravine. The Rangers had erected a drawbridge at the spot and built a fortified watch post.

  Rohanna’s plan to deal with the sentry was simple. The Ranger on duty would not expect trouble to come from within the valley. When they reached the post, Natasha would engage her in conversation, lure her to the side of the ravine, and then push her in. The sentry’s body would be found the next day, of course. But with no sign of a struggle, people would assume that the woman had fallen by accident. An investigation was unlikely to uncover the true culprits in time to prevent them from completing their mission.

  After a few minutes, the sentry post came into sight. The stone walls and raised drawbridge showed stark in the moonlight. Rohanna and Cal dropped back into the shadows, leaving Natasha to saunter the rest of the way on her own. Again, she wondered whether it was really necessary for her to be involved. Either Cal or Rohanna could have slipped off her backpack and waterproof cape to avoid alerting the sentry. Perhaps Rohanna hopes that if I kill a woman tonight, I’ll find it easier to kill Lynn tomorrow, Natasha thought. And perhaps she’s right.

  “Who goes there?” The sentry’s voice rang out. Shelly was standing in the doorway of the watch post.

  “It’s me...Jess.” Natasha walked the last few meters. Shelly looked at her with a beaming smile of welcome that made Natasha’s heart sink. Why couldn’t it have been someone I don’t know well?

  “What’s up?”

  “I just wanted a walk and came to have a chat.”

  Natasha strolled on to the brink of the ravine, staring out over the moonlit scene. After the bridge, the path crept around the flanks of a mountain, crossing a steep scree slope. Anyone leaving would be visible for a full half kilometer until the path dropped from sight over the brow of a ridge.

  Shelly obligingly came to stand by Natasha’s side. It was too easy. Please, Celaeno, help me. Even as the despairing thought went through Natasha’s head, she saw the hollow on the other side of the ravine a few meters off the trail. A change of plan occurred to her. She turned to the woman at her side. “I want to ask you something.” Natasha looked over her shoulder theatrically, as though she feared eavesdroppers. “Not here. Let’s go over to the other side.”

  The excuse to cross the ravine was not particularly logical, but Shelly was not the sort of woman to notice a thing like that. They loosened the rope controlling the drawbridge, and once it was down, Natasha steered Shelly to the hollow she had spotted. They sat on convenient rocks, with Shelly’s back to the trail. Now the plan required something to keep the young Ranger occupied for ten minutes, and Natasha knew the very thing.

  “It’s about Dani,” she said. “I don’t know what to do. You know she’s been chasing me, but...”

  Natasha had a vague agenda worked out to keep the conversation going, but she need not have bothered. Asking Shelly about Dani was like turning on a tap. She was just hitting full spate when Natasha saw Rohanna and Cal appear on the trail above the young Ranger’s shoulder. Now just don’t turn around, Natasha mentally commanded, for Shelly’s sake rather than her own. They were still close enough to the edge of the ravine to implement Rohanna’s plan, if necessary.

  Rohanna looked down at them in the hollow and nodded approvingly. It would, of course, be the absence of an inconvenient body, not the avoidance of killing, that she liked. And it meant that they did not need to worry about the possibility that the sentry might survive the fall and live to tell the story. Natasha worked to keep her face neutral as her two comrades tiptoed over the wooden planks of the drawbridge and began creeping across the scree slope.

  Shelly kept on enthusiastically. “...because, you see, Dani’s a lot like me. She doesn’t always admit what she feels, not even to herself. She holds it all back.”

  Natasha tried not to look skeptical, but she would not have recognized either of them from the description.

  “I mean, I can see Dani isn’t right for you, but me and her—we’re, you know, an ideal mesh. She hides it well, but basically, I think Dani needs support. I’ve got to show her I’m the woman who can offer it.”

  Natasha pinched the sides of her mouth. It was not just nerves that made her want to giggle.

  The minutes passed agonizingly while Rohanna and Cal completed their passage across the scree. At last, they stood on the crest of the distant ridge. Natasha saw them raise their hands in a salute, and then they were gone, but it took her another five minutes to conclude her conversation with Shelly.

  “Yes, well, thanks. I’ve got to head back to town. But you’ve really helped me put my thoughts in order,” Natasha managed to get in eventually.

  Shelly’s smile almost split her face in two. Probably no one had ever said that to her before. Taking advantage of her gullibility gave Natasha a stab of guilt, and even knowing that it had saved the intended victim’s life did not help.

  They went back over the bridge. Natasha helped Shelly pull it up and then bade her good night. She walked back toward Westernfort alone. In bleak detachment, her eyes traveled over the view: the stars, the mountains, the houses. A slight feeling of relief skittered around the edges of her mind. But the worst was still ahead.

  *

  The small bedroom was both quiet and disquieting. The absence of the other two was a more painful strain than their presence had been. It was impossible for Natasha to apply herself to the task of making enough noise for three with any conviction. And the better part of an hour remained before it would be time to sleep. She wanted to get away but had to be there to answer the door in case someone knocked. Surely it must arouse curiosity that all of them were staying in their room.

  Natasha was about to open and close the window shutters loudly when another idea came to her. She grabbed her jacket, laced on her boots, and headed for the common room. Obviously, the inquisitiveness of several residents had already been tweaked. As soon as she appeared, one middle-aged woman called, “Hi, Jess. Where are your parents?”

  Natasha sauntered over, carefully adjusting her expression to one of indulgent amusement. “It’s the anniversary of the day they first met. I’ve just helped them finish the bottle to celebrate, and I got the feeling they wanted to, um...” She paused for effect. “Commemorate the occasion in a traditional fashion. So I’m going to leave them to do it in private.”

  “They’ve been keeping that quiet.”

  “Yes.” Natasha let her eyes deliberately travel in the direction of the room and back. “And hopefully, they’ll continue to keep the noise down. But if not, just bang on the wall.”

  Natasha had pitched her voice loud enough for most of the women present to hear. Several laughed. Natasha grinned again and left, confident that enough people had caught her innuendo to be sure no one would try disturbing the supposed activity in the bedroom.

  It was easier to breathe outside. Natasha would have liked to have spent the time before sleep simply walking off the nervous tension, but it was too cold for such behavior to be anything other than suspicious. No rain had fallen that day, but the paths between the houses were thick with mud, and the wind blew in icy gusts. The tavern was the obvious place to go, although drinking was definitely to be undertaken with caution, and she was not in the mood for happy cha
tter.

  As she approached the main square, Natasha saw a light burning in the room at the back of Dani’s shop. Since the kiln firing, she had tried to avoid being alone with Dani, but the chance for a final quiet talk looked like a blessing from the Goddess. Natasha could think of no better way to spend her last evening on earth.

  She stuck her head around the entrance to the shop. “Hello...Dani?”

  The rear door swung wide, and Dani appeared, silhouetted in the light from the fire. “Jess.”

  “I was on my way to the tavern, and I saw you were here. Can I come in? Or would you like to join me at...” Natasha stopped. Already, Dani had stepped back, waving her in. Natasha paused only to remove her mud-laden boots and strip off her jacket before trotting into the back room.

  A fire was burning in the hearth. The room felt snug and warm, and was much the same as the first time Natasha had seen it, although rather less tidy. Dani made the effort to shove a box full of something under a table, using her foot, and cleared the bench in front of the fire.

  “I wasn’t expecting company.” She apologized for the clutter.

  “That’s okay. I’m used to it. My mother’s...” Natasha bit off her words. My mother’s place was always a mess, she had been about to say. The chaos of her mother’s house had always irritated her, whereas Dani’s home seemed friendly and comfortable. The idea struck Natasha that many of her actions and attitudes had been inspired by the need to reject her mother. Now that her mother was no longer around, had she finally outgrown it? The thought lodged in her head, driving out any hope of putting a safe ending on the sentence.

  Luckily, Dani was too agitated to notice. She swept up three half-empty mugs from the fireside. “Um...I could offer you tea...or maybe warm some wine?”

  Natasha stood, staring into the flames. “Tea will be great.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “Fine,” Natasha replied, adding mentally, Except that tomorrow, I’m going to murder Lynn and then kill myself.