***
Betty carried the food basket down the many flights of stairs to the dungeon. When the guard saw her he said, “You’re not the usual half brain, what’s going on?”
Betty said, “She’s sick.”
“You half brains are always pretending to be sick just to get out of work. I hope you brought me something good to eat. Seems like they feed the prisoners better than us guards.”
“Soup and bread.”
“You’re not so bad looking for a half brain. How about you stick around and we can have some fun after I get done eating.”
“Not now, more food to deliver. Maybe later.”
“Yeah, you come back later. Nothing else to do on this night shift, I might as well have me some fun.”
When Betty returned she was greeted with the sound of loud snoring. She coughed and the guard did not respond. She turned and waved her companions on, as she carefully lifted the keys off of the small desk. His hand was resting on the keys but he did not respond when she gently lifted it and slid the keys out. She was not sure which key would open the big door.
One of her companions whispered, “He uses the fat key to open the door.”
The sounds of the whisper seemed very loud to Betty and she turned to look at the guard. He continued to sleep. She inserted the key into the lock and was startled by the loud clunking sound it made. The guard groaned a little in his sleep but did not awaken. They pulled the heavy door opened. They pushed their garbage cart into the long hallway and began emptying the slosh buckets into the wagon. Betty moved ahead looking for Daniel. It was dark and she had trouble seeing. Somebody seemed to be waving at her.
Daniel watched Betty walk down the aisle. She kept looking back over her shoulder to see if the guard had awakened. When she reached his cell she smiled a little nervous smile and handed him the keys. In the darkness he could not tell the keys apart. He did remember how rusty the key was that opened his door. He felt all of the keys and picked out the one that seemed the most rusty. He handed the keys back to Betty and she inserted the key in the lock. It turned with a loud click. The noise startled them and produced a groan from the prisoner in the next cell. Before leaving Daniel stood his sleeping platform up against the wall, and placed a small kerchief part way into the hole. He figured they might be superstitious enough to think he changed into an animal and crawled out. They locked the cell door and despite knowing the lock would be noisy, they both jumped a little with the loud click.
The half brains continued emptying the slush buckets as Daniel and Betty quietly left the cellblock. Daniel started to ascend the stairway but Betty grabbed his arm and shook her head “No.” Daniel bent down to let Betty whisper in his ear, “You have to go out the garbage tunnel. We must wait until they finish their work.”
Time seemed to crawl by and Daniel winced inside every time the work crew made a noise. They finally finished their work and pulled their cart back through the heavy dungeon door. They pushed the creaky door shut and Betty locked it, with a loud clunk again emanating from the mechanism. Everyone turned to look at the guard who was still snoring. Betty placed the keys back on the small desk next to the guard’s hand. The work crew opened a small door which was just big enough for their garbage cart. Even the small half brains had to stoop to get through the door. When Daniel realized that Betty was not coming with, he turned and whispered in her ear, “Thank you for your help.” He then gave her a small vial of sacred water telling her, “Give your baby one drop every week.” He reached under his tunic and took off his talisman. It was a tooth from some ancient animal that he had found as a child along the streambank. It’s only value was that he had found it on the day his father died. He handed the small treasure to Betty and asked her to give it to the Princess. She clasped both of the gifts in her hands and nodded yes and she turned and went up the stairway.
Daniel tried entering the door by simply stooping over but had to get down on his hands and knees to make it through the doorway. His small companions were now in a hurry to get away from the dungeon. The tunnel was not much bigger than the doorway and when the last half brain closed the door behind him the darkness was complete. He crawled along using the sound of the cart to keep himself spaced far enough back. Their small tunnel was joined by other tunnels, with different odors mixing together. The half brains were now working hard pulling their cart uphill. When they finally stopped the half brain behind Daniel, tugged on his sleeve. Daniel turned the best he could and the half brain whispered, “You must wait here until we come for you.”
And wait Daniel did. It seemed many hours went by as he sat in the darkness, jumping slightly with each sound. When the door reopened Daniel tried to blend with the rock but there was really no place to hide. His relief on hearing the voice of the half brain saying, “You must hurry now,” was immense and he could feel his heart beat settling down. He crawled through the oval doorway into a small stall, which was lit by the early light of morning. At the opening was a large wagon which was filled with garbage. The half brain said, “You must hide in the garbage. Make no sound until we are outside of the city.”
Daniel did as he was told and burrowed into the garbage along one side of the wagon. The stench was awful and it was all he could do to lie there. He heard and felt additional garbage being dumped on top of his hidden body. Soon the wagon lurched forward. The shaking of the wagon caused the garbage to settle even more and he had to use his hands to protect the small breathing space in front of his face. His anxiety increased again when the wagon stopped and he could hear loud voices.
The guards were complaining, “Why do we have to search everything. If the church guards lost that forest healer, they should have to do the extra work. I can’t believe they think he turned himself into a weasel and crawled out of his cell.”
The other guard asked the half brain driver, “Where did you get this stuff?” Without letting the driver respond he continued, “No wonder you half brains smell so bad, this stuff really stinks.” The guards halfheartedly poked their spears into the garbage and told the driver, “Get this stink out of here.”
Daniel realized he had been holding his breath only when the wagon lurched forward again. He concentrated on protecting the airspace in front of his face. He had positioned himself so that his face was against a crack in the sidewalls of the wagon. He could not see through the crack but at least some air came in through it. The wagon bounced along for what seemed to be a couple of hours. He heard the half brain say it was okay to come out but he couldn’t move. The garbage had gradually packed down and he could not push it up. He told them he needed help and both of the half brains climbed up on the wagon and began shoveling the garbage off of him. When he finally was able to push himself up, Daniel was dizzy. He realized how hard breathing had been when he filled his lungs with a breath of fresh air. The air felt wonderful.
The half brain driver said, “You get out here. Hide in forest until dark.”
The other half brain was busy digging in the wagon. He pulled up a green cloth roll. Daniel recognized it as his outer tunic. He took the roll and climbed out of the wagon. He started to thank them for their help but they simply waved and drove off. Daniel walked into a grove of trees and sat down. He unrolled the cloth and was happy to find his medical kit inside. He had hoped to find a note from Heather and was disappointed when it was not there. He realized how dangerous and incriminating a note would have been but still not finding one was a disappointment. At least he had some protection from the elements. It was spring here in the low lands but as he returned home winter would still be in control.
Daniel moved further into the woods when he heard another wagon coming. He found a small spring creek and began washing in the ice cold water. He was shivering with cold but was nowhere near clean yet. It had to be good enough for now. He positioned himself in a patch of sunlight and let the warmth dry him out. He cover
ed himself with his outer tunic and spread the rest of his clothes out to dry. He now had time to think and plan. It was midmorning and the sun was coming across the road. This meant the road was headed east towards the mountains. Somehow he needed to find the trailhead which led over the pass of Mount Redoubt. He wished he had paid more attention to the local geography when he had arrived last summer.
The hunger pains reminded him that he needed to eat. He began poking around in the dry leaves looking for shoots of edible ferns. His thoughts wandered back to the many adventures he had been on with his friend Jeremy. When they were teenagers they decided to prove that they could live off of the land. Even with Jeremy’s hunting ability they nearly starved and after two months decided that maybe civilization wasn’t so bad after all. Those carefree times seemed a long way from where he was now, lost, alone, and hunted.
As evening came Daniel moved back to the road and continued trekking east. There was an evening moon which gave enough light to walk by. He soon came to a fork in the road. The heavy wagon ruts turned to the left. Daniel decided to take the right hand fork because the dump wagons obviously stayed to the left. The night was cool but as long as he kept walking he stayed warm. He passed several farmhouses and thought about seeking shelter but the fear of being captured again outweighed his desire for shelter. As the moon was beginning to set he began looking for a place to hide. Clouds were crossing the moon and Daniel was worried that rain would find him soon. Farm buildings were visible in a clearing just south of the road. Daniel slowly made his way across the field. The farm seemed deserted with the old barn still standing but the house had caved in. Nobody seemed to be around and no dogs barked a warning. The barn door had long since fallen off the hinges. Daniel peered inside but the blackness was too complete. He thought about lighting a fire for the light and warmth and decided not to risk being discovered. He looked about the old farmstead in the last of the moonlight. A small lean to building still stood next to the grove of trees. It had only three walls and the roof but at least he could see into the building. The floor was earthen and the roof on his last legs but it was shelter.
It was midday when Daniel awakened to the sound of horses. He quickly grabbed his meager possessions and half crawled into the woodlot behind his shed. The riders stopped at the barn and he could hear one of them say, “Search the barn. I’ll check out the rest of the farmstead.”
The other two guards dismounted but not without complaining, “That forest healer is long gone. Besides, it was the church guards who lost him and now we have to look for him.” The guards walk through the barn and used their spears to probe the remaining hay stack. It took just a few minutes to complete their inspection and the remaining mounted guard finished his quick patrol of the area. He stooped low to look into the shed that Daniel had hidden in but saw nothing. Daniel had crawled into the thicket of blackberry vines and lay motionless, afraid to even breathe. The guard looked into the woods and Daniel felt as if his eyes were looking right at him. After a few seconds, which seemed to last forever, the guard returned to his companions at the barn. The two other guards mounted up and they headed back up the road.
Daniel remained hidden and as the afternoon wore on the rain started. At dusk Daniel moved out of his hiding place and began looking for something to eat. At least with the rain he had plenty of water. He found what must have been the old garden area and shoots of now wild asparagus were showing their light green spires. He ate until the hollowness in his stomach was relieved. He picked two more handfuls for another meal. Making his way back to the road he argued with himself whether the improved time of walking on the road was worth the risk of discovery. It was a wet dreary night and the darkness oppressive. He decided to move quietly on the road. He had gone a couple of miles when he saw lights ahead. They didn’t move and he also thought he heard sounds. He moved even more cautiously towards the light. He could make out what appeared to be a tavern with its windows brightly lit from within. He kept himself hidden in the shadows and was moving past the building when he heard a voice that he recognized.
Daniel moved to one of the side windows and peaked in. There was his friend Jeremy, regaling some of the local young men and ladies with his stories. Why Jeremy was here didn’t bother Daniel, he was overjoyed knowing that his friend was here. He wasn’t sure how to make contact. They were obviously searching for him and walking into the tavern was sure to cause problems. Some people started to leave the tavern and Daniel ducked behind some bushes. It was getting late for the locals and Daniel knew Jeremy would probably be the last one awake. He worked himself around the building looking for the outhouse. Jeremy would make one last visit before the night was over.
Daniel waited in the cold rain as people gradually left the tavern. Finally a lanky figure headed towards the outhouse. Daniel wasn’t positive it was Jeremy. He decided to use the signal from their childhood. He whistled the call of a tree owl. No response, so he repeated the call. It was only after the fourth call that an answering call came from the outhouse. Daniel moved around the corner of the building and there was Jeremy sitting on the throne.
Daniel asked, “What are you doing here?” Before Jeremy could answer he continued, “It doesn’t matter why you’re here, I’m sure glad you are.”
Jeremy started to reply in his booming voice and Daniel flinched visibly. Jeremy lowered his voice and said, “I’m not sure what you’ve been up to but it seems you’ve stirred up a hornets nest. I was stopped by some guards who were asking all kinds of questions about you. Seems they think you turned yourself into a weasel and escaped from prison. What were you doing in prison?”
Daniel said, “I had a bit of trouble. Let’s get away from here and I’ll tell you about it.”
“But I’ve already paid for my room and I hate to give up a nice warm bed.”
“I’ll pay you back; I have to get out of here.”
“Can we wait till morning? The pretty barmaid said she might stop by my room later.”
“Jeremy!”
“Just kidding. Let me finish my business and I’ll fetch my gear. I suppose you’re a bit hungry.”
“I’m hungry, but we really need to get away from here before those guards come back.”
Daniel kept watch on the door of the tavern waiting impatiently for Jeremy. He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder. “Where did you come from?”
Jeremy laughed and said, “Now, don’t you think it would have aroused some suspicion if I had left through the door in the middle of the night. I climbed out the window. Here’s something the barmaid gave me for a late-night snack.”
Daniel took the small cloth roll and opened it up, finding a couple of pieces of chicken and a chunk of coarse bread. He devoured the food before thinking of thanking his friend. As they made their way along the edge of the road Daniel told Jeremy what had happened. Jeremy listened to his tale and then said, “You’re sent down here to study something called alchemy and manage to destroy the lab and almost yourself. Then you manage to get yourself arrested and condemned to death. No wonder the Forest Council sent me down to find you.”
They traveled at night and slept during the day. With Jeremy’s hunting and survival skills, the journey was almost pleasant. Things went well until they arrived at the swinging bridge which separated the kingdom of the North from the lands of the forest. They could see a campfire in the distance. Jeremy had Daniel wait while he moved ahead to scout. When he got back he told Daniel, “They are guarding the bridge. Guess they figured you’d have to cross here to get home.”
“Can we go around it?”
“I suppose, but I didn’t bring any climbing gear. Maybe I could distract them while you sneak across the bridge.”
“And how do you propose to do that?”
“Remember the time I got in trouble for scaring our classmates with my bear routine. I bet if it was go
od enough to frighten the Forest Folk it should really do the job on these flatlanders.”
“But these are adults and trained guards.”
“True, but I bet they’ve never seen a bear. I want you to work your way along the edge of the cliff. If my act works make your way across the bridge. If I can join you I will otherwise wait for me on the other side. I’ll cross in the morning like a respectable person.”
Daniel did as he was told crawling along the ground next to the edge of the cliff. He was close enough to the fire to hear the guards talking. He lay quietly listening for Jeremy. After a few minutes he heard a snorting sound. The guards were making so much noise they didn’t appreciate it until the sound was very near. They’re talking stopped suddenly. The snorting was replaced by a low pitched growl. The guards began throwing wood on the fire and grabbed their spears. They moved to the backside of the fire keeping it between themselves and the forest sound. The bear kept moving, snorting and growling. The guards rotated with the sound keeping the fire between themselves and the source of the sound. When Jeremy had the guards rotated so that their backs were to the bridge, Daniel crawled onto the bridge and began making his way across. He could hear the bear snarling and growling as he made his way across the bridge. The sound carried completely across the canyon and continued for several minutes after he was safely across.
Daniel waited a while for Jeremy before giving up, knowing he would need to wait until morning. He found himself a protected area under a large pine tree and fell asleep sitting against the massive tree trunk. It was near midmorning when he heard Jeremy’s voice greeting the guards. They talked for a longtime before Jeremy came walking across the bridge. Daniel met him out of sight from the guards and asked, “What where you talking about?”
Jeremy could barely contain himself as he told Daniel how the guards had defended themselves against a vicious bear. They were sure that they had wounded it with their spears as it charged them. It was a monster of a bear. They were much more interested in telling their story than asking questions about Daniel.
Half Brains, Sacred Water book 1 Page 5