by Jamie Davis
To their west, she could see the road to Hyroth. To the east lay the road to the Crystal City. She looked due south of their location to a peninsula that stuck out into the Southern Ocean. It was sort of a dividing point between where the Southern Sea ended and the Western Sea began.
At the top of that peninsula near the mainland, Cari saw a small dot marked on the map. She couldn’t read the name which meant it was probably a rather small town. She concentrated on the dot and waited as the map zoomed in on the location. It was what she thought it was. Morton Creek was almost due south of their location.
She might have the bare inkling of an idea but she wasn’t sure if they could pull it off or not. It would require them to travel for several days south rather than west. That might work to their advantage, however.
“I agree with you Rodrigo and I think we should leave here. I think there might be someone in the general area who will be able to help us as long as we can get to them.”
“Just so we don’t stick around here. I’m telling you someone is going to show up and wonder where this woman disappeared to.”
Jaycee sat quietly playing in the corner with her two rag dolls. Cari looked over at her. So much of what they had to do rode on keeping that little girl safe. “We’ll head to the south rather than west. There’s a crossroads I know of southwest of the Crystal City.”
“What’s at the crossroads?” Rodrigo asked.
“There’s an inn there. I stayed in it once upon a time. I’m hoping they might be able to direct me to a friend who lives somewhere nearby.”
Cari left it at that and began packing up their gear. It took them only about 20 minutes to gather the few belongings they had and strap everything to their saddles. They had three mounts plus two spares which meant they could make good time heading overland rather than following the road. With Cari’s Earth Sense she was able to chart a path reliably without having to stick to any of the marked roads or caravan routes.
It was almost lunchtime when they started out from the cabin. After they rode the first mile or so, Cari asked Jaycee if she was up to picking up the pace.
“I love to ride. It’s one of my favorite things and I used to anger my mother by making my horse canter away from my instructor. She was always worried I might fall and hurt myself.”
“Well, I’m not your mother but I do hope we can move a little faster. I’ll trust that you’ll hold on and not fall off. Deal?”
Jaycee laughed. “Deal.”
They moved up to a trot and Cari and Rodrigo continued at that pace for about an hour. Then they slowed to a walk for an hour before picking up the pace again. By alternating and switching out mounts periodically, they were able to make good time overland.
On one occasion they spotted a patrol in the distance. Cari directed them to a nearby gully where they hid out amidst the thick brush and waited for the patrol to move away from their location. It was getting on towards dark and Cari looked around the bushes where they sat waiting. “This might be a good place for us to camp for the night.”
Rodrigo looked around. “There’s not much cover. I guess it’ll do, though.”
The three of them set up camp. All of them had been traveling cross-country together long enough that they had the routine down. Everything was set up inside a half hour. It was well before dusk and Cari decided they could risk a small fire to cook something. They could put out the fire before dark so it wouldn’t show their camp from a distance.
They’d brought some fresh pork from the old woman’s larder, and a small ham as well to last them a little bit longer on the road. There was also some cheese and fresh bread. Cari didn’t want to stop and purchase supplies anywhere if she could help it.
She cooked the pork chops on an improvised spit over the fire. Cari used the driest of the wood Jaycee gathered from nearby so there wouldn’t be much smoke to signal the location of their camp. She hoped in the gathering gloom of dusk, the smoke would disappear against the sky and not be visible from very far away.
They ate a nice dinner listening to the sound of the chirping insects around them as night fell. As soon as they were finished Cari and Rodrigo threw dirt onto the fire, dowsing the flames so no one would be able to glimpse the light of their camp from anywhere nearby.
In the gathering darkness under the tall bushes around them, they all settled into their bedrolls. Rodrigo took the first watch, agreeing to wake Cari a little after midnight. Cari lay down and felt Jaycee pull her bedroll closer and snuggle up behind Cari.
The little girl threw an arm across Cari’s waist and hugged her close. “I love you, Cari. You’re like my big sister. Is that all right?”
“Of course it is. You’re a lot like a little sister to me, too. Now go to sleep. We’ve got a lot of riding to do in the morning.”
Jaycee squeezed Cari’s waist once and burrowed her face into the blanket wrapped around Cari’s back. Cari listened as the little girl got settled. Soon she heard Jaycee’s breathing change to a more regular and deep rhythm. When she was sure the little girl was asleep, Cari let herself fall asleep as well.
The night passed without incident and Cari woke Rodrigo and Jaycee at first light the next morning. She had already started a new fire and cooked up some ham and cheese slapping the meat and melted cheese on to a slice of bread and handing it to each of them. She took a similar portion for herself then kicked out the coals of the fire once again to keep the smoke from showing through the tree line.
“How much farther do we have to go to find this friend of yours?” Rodrigo asked.
Cari paused and glanced at her Earth Sense map in her mind. “My best guess is a day and a half, maybe two days at the outside. Once we get there, I’ll be able to find out how close my friend is to the inn at the crossroads we can decide to either stay at the inn or press onward to her house.”
Rodrigo nodded and started packing up his bedroll then helped Jaycee with hers. Cari put away the utensils and griddle they’ve used to cook dinner and breakfast then packed up her own bedroll and pack onto the back of the horse she was riding. They set out once again heading south.
The next two days went by quickly. They saw patrols in the distance several times. They were all on the imperial roadways, though, which Cari took pains to avoid. With her ability to follow the map in her mind, she was able to find their way cross country without any trouble or need to follow a road. By the end of the second day, they had neared the crossroads where the inn was situated. Cari figured this was the most dangerous portion of their journey.
If there were going to be any patrols about, she figured it was likely they would be in and around this inn. It made a logical staging area since it was at the main crossroads. “We’ll have to be very careful approaching the crossroads ahead. If there’s a place we can hide out nearby at first, we’ll do that.”
“Then what?” Rodrigo asked.
“We get you and Jaycee settled somewhere safe. Then I’ll go on to the inn on my own. I think it’s best to do this that way. The innkeeper probably remembers me, but probably doesn’t know who I am. I’m hoping he won’t associate that with the person the soldiers are looking for.”
“I hope you’re right Cari. People can get kind of strange when there’s a lot of money on the line. And there’s a lot of money riding on people finding us and turning us in for the bounty.”
“That’s why it’s best I go in on my own. I think if he remembers me at all, he’ll just see the girl who passed through his inn a year and a half ago.”
As they approached the crossroads, Cari spotted a ramshackle barn nearby. It was falling apart, but part of the structure still stood and would provide both cover and shelter for the night. It was a good place for them to hide Rodrigo, Jaycee, and the spare horses.
“I’ll ride in from here alone. The inn is just over the next rise at the crossroads. If nothing happens and there’s no trouble, I’ll come back to get you. With luck, we’ll either stay at the inn tonight or we’ll move on a
nd try to find my friend on our own.”
“Good luck,” Jaycee said.
“Luck is for people who aren’t prepared to do things on their own,” Cari said. “I don’t trust in luck. I trust me.”
She kicked her horse’s flanks with her heels and cantered off across the grassland. As soon as she crested the hill, she saw the crossroads below with the sleepy little inn sitting next to it. It was a small farming village if it could be considered a village at all. Most of the buildings at the crossroads belonged to the inn and its outbuildings. She knew from her last visit here the local farmers came and hung out there in the evenings. Since it was nearing dusk, Cari figured that somebody there would know how to find Granny Gerald.
She tied her horse to the post in front of the inn’s common room entrance and walked inside. It was much as she remembered it from before. She thought she even recognized a few of the farmers’ faces from the last time she was here. She turned towards the bar, checking in with the innkeeper who stood wiping down the countertop.
He looked up when she came in and a broad grin crossed his face “I remember you. You’re Granny Gerald’s young friend. She talks about you all the time on her way down to visit her daughter in Morton Creek.”
Cari was concerned about what that meant given the price on her head. “Hope it’s nothing too bad.”
“Oh, not at all. She just talks about how she gained a new daughter when I bunked the two of you together and always looks forward to hearing about what you’re up to when she visits Becca.”
“That brings me to why I stopped in. I’m hoping you can help me.”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“I happened to find myself traveling by this direction and thought I might drop in and surprise Granny Gerald. I don’t suppose you could tell me where she lives in relation to this inn and how far away it might be?”
“Sure I can. She’s about half a day’s travel to the east, angling a bit to the north. I could show it to you on a map if you like.”
“That would be wonderful. I suppose that means it would be a bad idea for me to try to make it tonight?”
“I wouldn’t try it.” The innkeeper said, glancing at the waning sunlight through the window outside. “I have a room available. You’re welcome to it.”
“I’m actually traveling with a couple of companions. Do you have a room with three beds or two large beds?”
“I have one with two beds. It’s only two silver pieces.”
“Fair enough. I’ll pay you when I get back with my companions. I need to go fetch them. They’re not too far away.”
“I’ll have one of the girls get the room ready for you. We just got done serving dinner, but I think there’s some food left if you’d like me to have some saved for you.”
“Yes, that would be fine. Three servings if you don’t mind.”
Cari turned and left again, settling on her horse and riding back towards the barn. As she approached, Rodrigo stepped out from the barn, accompanied by Jaycee. “What did you find?” he asked.
“Everything’s good. I found out where my friend lives and we’ve got a room for the night. No more sleeping outdoors without a campfire for a while. There’s also some hot food waiting for us, come on.”
The three of them rode down the hill into the village. They took some time to unsaddle the horses and settled them in the inn’s stable. A stableboy helped them and assured Cari he would take care of rubbing the horses down and making sure they were fed some grain in addition to the hay in their stalls. Cari tipped him a few copper pieces and headed into the main building.
The food was as good as it was the last time she was here and the room upstairs was suitable for their needs. It was a bit cramped with two beds. Cari wondered if the innkeeper had moved things around from another room to accommodate the two beds Cari wanted.
At the end of a long day, though, it didn’t matter. The beds were there. The room was warm and dry, and the three of them settled down to get some sleep. Hopefully, Granny Gerald would be able to help them figure a way into the Crystal City.
Chapter 31
The following morning, the trio ate breakfast in the common room before bidding the innkeeper farewell. He showed Cari where Granny Gerald’s house was on the map he had framed on the wall of the common room. Her family farmstead was located almost directly northeast of the crossroads. Cari pulled up her Earth Sense map and compared it to the one on the wall. She marked the location of the farmstead in her mind. A flashing red dot now pointed to where Granny Gerald’s home was located. The three of them saddled their horses with the help of the stable boy and once again got on the road.
The innkeeper was right. It was just past midday when they reached the cluster of buildings making up the farm where Granny Gerald lived. It was larger than Cari expected, looking almost like a village unto itself. It looked like most of Granny’s family lived and worked on the farm. There were many fields and orchards spread out around the central house, barns, and other buildings. Cari and the others left the road and traveled up the farm lane between fields of wheat towards the main house. A man who looked to be about the age of Cari’s father met them as they rode up to the front porch of the home.
“Good day to you travelers. What brings you to our farm?”
“I came searching for a friend of mine,” Cari said. “She told me to stop in if I was ever in the area.”
The man’s face broke into a broad grin. “You must mean my mother.”
“I thought you might be Granny Gerald’s son. There is a strong resemblance,” Cari said. “Is she here?”
The man nodded. “She’s out back, supervising the butchering of some of our hogs.”
She smiled at the man. “Is it all right if we ride around the back of the house to greet her.”
“Why don’t you just tie up your horses here. I’ll have my sons come over and get them situated in our stables. They’ll be all right for now where they are. Come, I’ll take you back to Momma.”
The man led them up onto the porch and around to the back of the house. The porch wrapped all the way around to the rear of the large home. They stepped down a flight of stairs leading to the rear of the farmstead’s yard. Just across from them, next to one of the barns, Granny Gerald stood with her hands on her hips, watching as two farmhands expertly carved up the carcass of a recently butchered hog.
“Momma,” the man called out. “There’re some guests here to see you.”
Granny turned around and as soon as her eyes fell upon them, she smiled. She came over to the trio and embraced Cari in a hug.”
“Cari, my dear, I’ve been so worried about you.” Granny stopped and held Cari out at arms’ length. The old woman studied her face. “You look like you’ve had a bit of a hard time since we last met.”
Cari wondered what she meant, then Granny reached up to trace the line of the scar across her forehead.
“It’s nothing, Granny. I’m fine. I’m traveling with my two friends here and hoped we might stay with you for a little bit. This is Rodrigo and that is Janie.”
Granny turned and greeted Rodrigo with a nod. She knelt and gave Jaycee a brief hug then stood up. She said to Cari, “I’ve been worried about you given the recent news being spread through the region. Does anyone else know you’re here?”
Judging from her tone, Cari realized Granny knew all about their being hunted by imperial soldiers. There was no other reason she would have asked that question. Cari had a moment of concern, then she realized she had to trust this woman. There was no other choice at this point. Granny Gerald had no reason to betray her.
Cari nodded. “I told the innkeeper back at the crossroads where we were going. We stayed there last night.”
Granny Gerald turned to her son. “Go saddle a horse and ride into town right away. You can stay there for the night and come back tomorrow. Tell old Bertram to keep his mouth shut about Cari and her friends staying here. Tell him if he lets out one peep about her, I’l
l take it out on him personally.”
“OK, Momma. What’s this all about?”
“Don’t you worry about that for now. Just do as you’re told. I’ll explain everything when you get back tomorrow.” Granny watched her son leave then turned to Cari and her companions. “You all look like you could use some help getting washed up and a place to sit and relax for a bit. Come along into the main house. We’ve got a nice brass bathtub. I’ll have Hank’s wife start heating the water to fill it.
“That would be wonderful,” Cari said. “I think we could all use a nice soak in a tub.”
“It goes a long way to curing the ails of a long time on the road. Come along.” Granny led them into the house and seated them in a well-appointed living room. There were several upholstered chairs and a cushioned sofa.
“Becca never told me you had such a nice home Granny.”
“Becca’s got a mind of her own and doesn’t like to compare what she has with what we have. Besides which, she and Heath have done very well all by themselves, especially with the help you gave Heath with his blacksmithing.”
Granny paused as a woman who was about forty years old came in carrying a tray with a tea kettle on it and four cups and saucers. She set them down on the table in front of Granny Gerald. “Will there be anything else, Momma?”
“No, Sophie. You can go back to what you were doing. I’ll take care of things from here. By the way, this is my friend Cari, her husband Rodrigo, and their child Janie.”
Granny shot Cari a glance as she told her daughter-in-law the small fib about who Janie was. Given the situation and Granny’s subterfuge, Cari wondered if the old woman suspected who Jaycee really was.
Sophie smiled and greeted the three of them with a nod, then left them alone again.
After she left, Granny leaned towards Cari. “There’s a whole bunch of people looking for you, girl. I’m glad you made it here, but I have to wonder why you came?”