Two crows landed on the windowsill. One cawed, demanding attention. Puzzled, Keenan noticed that the other had a folded piece of parchment in its beak. He slowly held out his hand and the crow dropped the note in it.
Keenan opened and read: K, had to get away. Learned awful things. Need to meet the Sila. Be back whenever. S.
The handwriting was well-known to him. She could have avoided signing, he knew who it was. His heart beat faster as he reread her words. What had Sayla learned to make her leave like that? The sheet was too small for more writing. He should really catch up with her.
Should he leave now? Night was almost here. He could wait for his parents to go to sleep and take a lamp. Living outside the town walls had some perks, nobody would see him go.
He noticed the crows were still there, watching him.
"Are you here to guide me on Sayla's tracks?" he asked, hopeful.
They cawed. He had no idea if it meant yes or no. He had a last hesitation, then rose from his cot. He took his backpack and put in a piece of soap, his knives, flint and steel, a small bottle of oil for the lamp, light rope and strings to set up traps and a blanket. Summer was coming, but the nights were still quite cold. He dropped Sayla's note inside and listened for the house noises.
His parents had moved to the bedroom, leaving the main room in the dark. Keenan didn't need a lamp to move inside his own house, so he quietly went down the ladder and to the kitchen to grab a pot and a waterskin, and then he took the lamp on the table.
On tiptoes, he reached the front door and slowly opened it. He managed not to make it creak and slid outside in the narrow street. The night breeze slapped him and he shivered, but walking would keep him warm.
He gently closed the door and lit the lamp. The crows were still there, now on the ground in front of him, and seemed to be waiting for him.
"Lead the way," he said, hoping they'd understand.
Without a sound, the birds took flight and headed east under the moon. Keenan followed them.
In the morning they might send a search party looking for him too, but he didn't care. The crows flew ahead of him in the night, showing him the way.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sayla reached the forest at sunset and went under the canopy, which made the light fade even faster. She'd been there often enough that she knew where to spend the night and she headed there quickly.
The spring bloodroots had come out but the paths left by animals were still there. The warblers were already in their nests when she curled up between the roots of an old oak, using her backpack as a pillow.
She was never cold or hot, since she manipulated the air around her to a comfortable temperature. She used gloves to touch the snow, but she didn't really need winter cloaks, since the wind didn't bother her if she didn't want it to.
She should have discussed her air manipulation skills with her mother. But knowing that she'd had wings at birth made a lot of sense now. She wasn't half-Human. She was full-blood Sila! She knew it deep inside, although she had no idea of how it happened.
That meant that Myckim wasn't her real father. She had loved him, the gentle giant who took her everywhere on his shoulders until a couple of years earlier, when he'd told her she was a young woman and should stop riding him like that.
He'd been embarrassed to tell her such a thing, and had looked embarrassed since, as if the young woman wasn't really his daughter anymore. In fact he'd let his wife tell her of the proposals, as if he didn't know how to broach the subject.
Sayla fell asleep thinking her family didn't love her anymore and she was better off without them. A grey owl on a nearby tree assured her he'd call her if danger arose. Good thing having all kinds of birds looking after her, much better than her own relatives.
The warblers woke her up at daybreak, and she resumed walking, getting as far from the known forest as she could. She had a good sense of direction even under the trees and kept going east, accompanied or watched by warblers and woodpeckers.
She was also careful not to leave too many tracks on the moss and dirt of the forest. Whenever she found a stream, she walked on its rocks either up or downstream for a while and continued on the other shore at a different point.
She knew there were good trackers among the hunters of Inex – one of them being Jeramy who probably wanted to marry her so they could be the perfect hunting team since his archery wasn't that good – and she needed to get them off her back. She was very lightweight, so her boots didn't leave deep marks.
Keenan had once told her she was lighter than she looked. They'd been practicing some dance steps on the beach under the seagulls' amused stares and there was a lot of jumping around. She loved dancing because it almost felt like flying from Keenan's strong arms. Keenan was supposed to throw her in the air at some point and he said it was no effort at all.
Sayla pondered about her mother, who was also very lightweight. Maybe the Sila had lighter bones? Or was it because they manipulated air? She should have asked, but then, her mother didn't look like she wanted to give her answers. She might as well ask other Sila at Dankotago. She hoped to make it there on time.
Sometimes the ferns and the shrubs were as tall as her and she quickly got used to the greenish daylight under the foliage. It was better than walking on the open road under the sun and it was easier to find streams or ponds to fill her waterskin.
She finished the provisions she'd taken from her parents' kitchen, and started looking for prey in the undergrowth. Squirrels were too small and she certainly couldn't kill a bear, but hopefully a pheasant or a hare would cross her path. She was a good huntress and if wolves could find food in the forest, so could she.
She dug up some liquorice root, washed it, dried it, and started chewing a stick, putting the rest in her backpack for later use. She also found blueberries and strawberries to fill her belly, but she wanted to cook something that night.
She decided to hide near a game trail as the day wore off. She sat on a fallen log to string her bow, and put the lower limb on her boot to keep it from touching the mud. Then she took one arrow and crouched among the ferns.
She waited patiently until she saw a couple of rabbits headed for the nearby stream. She silently nocked her arrow, moving the light breeze around her so the animals wouldn't smell her, and shot. One was hit, but the other ran away.
It didn't matter. She had enough for a warm dinner. Beaming, Sayla recovered her quarry and looked for a place to set up camp.
***
Keenan reached the forest at daybreak. His long legs had carried him faster than Sayla, but the crows stopped outside the canopy and he wasn't sure where he should look for his friend. He wasn't a great hunter, but he did know the forest. He often went there to set up traps, so he tried to remember which were Sayla's favorite hunting spots.
When he reached the old oak, he sighed in relief. When they were children, they had climbed the tree so often... sometimes they had pretended to have a house up there on the limbs, and he stared at the "living room" and the "bedroom", almost seeing a child Sayla nestled against the wood.
The lower branches were too high for her to reach now without help, but he saw a clean spot among the roots as if someone had curled up to sleep against the oak. Yes, Sayla had been here all right.
He was tired by now, after the previous day's search and the night walking. He set up a couple of traps in the shrubs and went to lie down exactly where Sayla had slept. A few hours of sleep would allow him to recover his strength and catch something to eat before he continued his search.
He tried to figure out where Sayla was headed as he closed his eyes with his head on his backpack. The forest shade and birdsong rocked him to sleep while he was visualizing the eastern mountains coming closer.
A kick in his side startled him awake. Sanylo, Duncan and Jeramy loomed over him with frowns that promised more pain. They had their bows and quivers and looked ready for a long forest expedition – much like he was.
"What are yo
u doing here, tanner?" Sanylo demanded. "Covering my sister's tracks?"
Keenan sat, scowling at them. "I'm not the one who made her run away from home," he replied.
"Where is she?" Sanylo snapped.
"I haven't found her yet, or we'd be gone," he retorted.
Sanylo scoffed. "She has short legs, she can't be too far," he said to his friends. "See if you can find her tracks again, Jeramy."
Jeramy nodded and started looking carefully around the oak's roots. He had ashen skin, a cheerful smile, bronze hair and narrow dark green eyes. He liked following other people's directions and Sanylo seemed to be a natural born leader for him.
Keenan rose as Jeramy pointed at some very light boot tracks. The guy was a little dumb, but definitely a good tracker.
"I will come with you," Keenan said, determined.
"No you won't," Sanylo spat. "We want no stinking tanner alerting Sayla of our coming."
"I don't smell of tannery!" Keenan snapped. "I wash every day unlike you, and yesterday was Godsday, so I didn't go to work!"
"We don't want you join us," Duncan retorted. "You spend way too much time with Sayla already. I'm going to marry her, so you better stay away from her from now on!"
Duncan had a broad build, close-cropped curly strawberry blond hair and blue-grey eyes. He was considered handsome, he was brave and very stubborn, but Sayla definitely despised him. Even though he was a good fletcher, Sayla would never ask him to help her.
"Sayla will never want you," Keenan said, glaring at Duncan. "Has Jeramy retracted his proposal? And what about Lemuel?"
"Whoever brings my sister back to town will marry her," Sanylo said with contempt. "And it will not be you. We'll make sure of that!"
Keenan realized too late that Jeramy had pointed the way but hadn't moved from Sanylo's side. The three young men attacked him at the same time, pounding him with their fists all over his face and torso.
He tried to fight back, kicking and punching blindly, but soon he was on the ground and kicks hit him instead of fists. Keenan tried to protect his face and belly with his arms from the shower of blows. He felt blood running from his nose.
Then Sanylo crouched near him and grabbed him by his blond mane to pull up his face.
"You stay here," he snarled. "Don't even think of following us or you're dead. Understood?"
Keenan spat at him – a mix of spittle and blood.
"Stubborn pig," Sanylo muttered letting go of his hair.
Keenan slumped back down, panting for breath. Now he was really hurting everywhere.
It was nothing compared to the pain that came immediately after. Sanylo stabbed his right leg, pinning it to the soft ground with his knife.
"We'll see if you can get up now," he whispered in Keenan's ear, patting his head.
Keenan moaned, curling up to take out the knife and trying to hold back the tears. The three young men were shadows vanishing in the green. Gritting his teeth, Keenan threw away the knife and ripped off his sleeve to bandage his leg, taking off the boot.
Bastards. They had slowed him down, but they hadn't stopped him. Hopefully they hadn't seen his traps and he had caught something. He'd find a staff to help him walk and would follow them as soon as he put something in his stomach.
***
The hawk warned Sayla when she emerged from the hollow tree where she had spent the night. Three Humans were following her trail. And they would catch up today if she didn't find a way to hide her tracks.
Sayla frowned. Three could only mean Sanylo and friends or men from Inex. Keenan would be on his own. How could she lose them in the forest? Going from tree to tree up in the canopy could be a way. She loved climbing trees, but that might not be enough.
"There are clouds gathering on the coast," the hawk said.
Of course, rain could wash away her tracks. She grinned and thanked the bird of prey. She climbed a maple tree and settled on one of the highest branches. She hung her backpack with the quiver and bow on another branch and pulled her gown around her legs so it wouldn't dangle from the branch. The rich green leaves and tree limbs covered her from being seen from the ground.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the clouds. She felt them and called upon them. Wind picked up speed, bringing whiffs of salty air even though the forest was quite far from the coast. She felt the clouds gather over the canopy.
She breathed deeply, in from her nose and out her mouth. She visualized the clouds over her head and squeezed. The sudden rain shower made her giggle and open her eyes. It was raining all right! She had never done anything like this before and it felt great!
She let the rain soak her and waited, straining to listen for Human sounds. She thought she heard voices at some point, but the raindrops drumming on the maple leaves covered the words. She glanced down at the muddy terrain. Perfect. But she needed dry ground to walk on without a trace. And her bow was suffering from the shower.
She gently pushed the clouds towards Inex. The hawk glided on a branch next to her and asked what was next.
"I will move from tree to tree and then get down further away," she answered.
"Should I keep an eye on the Humans?" he asked.
"Yes, please. And if you see a solitary Human with hair like the sun, don't stop him. He's a friend."
"Do you want me to lead him here?"
"If you wish. I will reach the mountains and look for the Sila nests."
"Good luck."
The hawk flew off and she grabbed her backpack, quiver and bow. The rain stopped and she moved the air around her to dry her hair, clothes and bow. It wasn't easy to move through the branches with the unstrung bow, but she made it to an oak and then another maple.
She decided it was far enough and jumped to the ground. Air sustained her and she glided as if she had wings. It was short but exhilarating for her. She touched the ground and giggled again.
Time to get away from that place. Hopefully she had confused her tracks enough that not even Jeramy would be able to find her.
***
Keenan was surprised by the sudden shower of rain that extinguished his camp fire. Thank the gods he had finished his meal and was about to break camp. His wounded leg still throbbed when he put weight on it, but he had found a long stick to help him walk. He had limped away from the clearing where Sanylo had found him, following the direction Jeramy had pointed to, but had kept a safe distance from the other three.
The rain had washed away all tracks and Keenan started to think it wasn't completely natural. His Wonder Girl had cleared away her footprints so her brother wouldn't find her. Keenan chuckled at the thought. Smart Sayla!
But then he frowned. How could he find her?
The sound of the rain almost made him bump into Sanylo, Duncan and Jeramy. He threw himself among the ferns as his eye caught colors that weren't natural. He crawled on the wet ground to get closer – hopefully the rain had covered the sound of his own steps as well.
The three young men were arguing in a small clearing. Jeramy had lost all sign of Sayla on account of the rain and Sanylo was cursing him because they'd been so close to catching his sister.
"It's not my fault if it started raining!" Jeramy complained. "We will never find her now!"
"I'm soaked," Duncan said, scowling at Sanylo. "Let's go back to Inex. Your sister isn't worth all this trouble!"
Then why do you want to marry her, asshole? Keenan thought, glaring at Duncan. She makes her own arrows better than you, wretched fletcher! She certainly doesn't need you, so why do you want her?
Sanylo grabbed Duncan's tunic and pulled him closer.
"You really want her to end up with that stinky tanner?" he said through clenched teeth.
"If Jeramy can't follow her tracks, how can I?" Duncan protested. "We lost her, Sanylo, let's go back!"
"Never!" Sanylo stormed forward as if he knew where he was going.
Duncan and Jeramy exchanged a glance. The tracker shrugged and followed Sanylo. Duncan snorted, r
olled his eyes and went after them.
Keenan didn't move. Let them go ahead. Rain was slowly moving away. He sat and then rose to find a drier place to wait out the rain. He leaned against a beech tree, noticing he should probably rip off his other sleeve and redo the bandage on his leg.
A hawk glided onto a branch near him and made a shrill chwirk, as if to attract his attention.
"Hello, hawk," he said. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you say, but if Sayla sent you, please, show me the way."
The bird of prey chwirked again and Keenan smiled. He had found another guide after the crows. Sayla did want him to catch up with her. He'd better get moving before Sanylo found a way to track her again.
CHAPTER FIVE
It took Sayla a week to reach the end of the forest, moving through branches and on the ground to further confuse anyone following her. The deciduous trees ended not far from the mountain slopes, and the coniferous forest started further up, leaving an open space surprisingly devoid of Humans.
The mountains were quite rocky towards the sea and sometimes ended in cliffs, although Sayla could see there was enough sand and gravel for a coastal road, so there was a passage around them without climbing them.
Sayla headed for the lower slopes, looking for a path. She saw sheep in the distance and if she turned toward the sea glittering under the sun, she saw a wagon or two trudging on the road.
She encountered the shepherd and his dog on the second day of slow climbing, after sleeping under a beautiful starry sky with the moon and a barn owl watching over her.
"Good morning," she greeted. "How are things around here?"
The shepherd had plain features and dyed hair. His skin was wrinkled and suntanned. He wasn't young anymore and badly needed a shave, but he didn't stink of ale.
"Very quiet," he answered with a gravelly voice he probably didn't use much. "Where are you headed, young lady?"
"I'm looking for a pass through the mountains to get to Flean without having to go around the range," she answered lightly. Studying maps meant she knew what was beyond the mountains. She had tried to see Mevy, but it was hidden behind the cliffs.
Quests Volume One Page 17