***
Yelve sighed as she draped her cloak over the scholar after another shiver shook his frame, knocking it off him. With the news they had received from the farmers they had stopped to help, she couldn’t help but push on through to make up for lost time. Elder Fornoth, one of the council members who had originally supported Asheeni’s rise to High Lady, had been visiting his daughter. A daughter who had married the heir to the Dellard Orchard. She prayed that her suspicions were wrong, and had she been alone, she would have ridden the night through to reach their destination sooner.
The scholar was not as used to hard travel. So she stopped for the rest of the night at a traveler’s rest that had seen better days. Still, it put some semblance of a roof over their heads and a corner she could sit in to watch the door, even if it hung somewhat askew on a pair of creaky hinges. Kohau stirred in his sleep again, but didn’t wake.
She had just enough light from the dying embers of the small fire to study him. He seemed too young to have already devoted himself to spending a lifetime surrounded by old tomes. A strong jaw rested under a mouth that was no doubt quick to smile. Yelve had no doubt if he were around someone other than herself such expressions were a normal sight. It was the case with most people she met in the course of her duties. If the scar didn’t put them off, the rest of her did soon enough.
Kohau’s eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her through a fog of sleep. “Whastime?”
“It is nearing dawn.” Heavy lids scrunched shut again, hiding the amber orbs again. Yelve swallowed the urge to laugh. “Go back to sleep scholar. We’ll be on the road again soon enough.”
“Did you sleep at all?”
“Here and there.”
Her lips twitched when he groaned and pulled her cloak up over his face. Outside their ramshackle shelter Yelve could hear the first stirrings of early rising birds and other creatures. The sky was slowly shedding the veil of night, though she couldn’t see much through the broken shutters attempting to fill the window on the neighboring wall. Perhaps she should mention traveler’s rest repairs to manyol when they returned.
The rest of their morning was rather quiet. Each time she glanced over her shoulder had shown Kohau nodding off, his head bobbing in concert with the horse’s plodding hooves. Somehow he hadn’t fallen off yet. Her amusement faded as the first scent of burning timber drifted their way.
Trees heavy with fruit stood like silent sentinels as they turned onto the lane leading to the holding. A number of soot smudged faces turned towards them, exhaustion and defeat warring in every gaze that chanced to meet hers. Yelve couldn’t help the anger that began to bubble beneath the surface. Two somewhat official looking men came forward to meet them.
“What business do you have here?”
“We were sent by the High Lady to see how the harvests fared.”
The younger of the two seemed to relax. “We sent a messenger, but we weren’t expecting anyone so soon.”
“We learned of the attacks here from some farmers we met on the road a few days past.” Yelve swung out of the saddle. “How many dead?”
“Just the orchard holder and his family. They even … the children …”
Kohau stepped up beside her. “Was this the only attack?”
“They set fire to a barn on the other side of town first.” The older man spoke, his hand resting on the younger’s shoulder with a firm grip. “Probably to distract us from this.”
“Forgive our earlier manners, I am Scholar Tanlar. I need to assess the damages so I can send a detailed report to the High Lady.”
“Daniel. I’m the mayor 'round these parts, this is my deputy, Turner. We put them in the shed for now.” The mayor’s face paled further beneath the grime as he pointed to a small building not touched by fire. “Not many here will be able to sleep well again after what we saw.”
Yelve nodded and let the reins drop to the ground, her mount trained well enough to stay put at such an action. She could hear Kohau scrambling to keep up with her as she crossed the yard with long quick strides. Her jaw gave a painful tinge and she forced her teeth apart. They came to a stop outside the shed, the scholar giving her a small nod before she slid the door open. It seemed to give off a mournful squeal as the wheels traveled along the rails.
Six bodies lay shrouded under tarps. Yelve had to keep her gaze from lingering on the three smaller bundles lest her anger flare to bright right then. Regardless of the actions in her past, she had never taken the life of a child.
“By the gods…” Kohau sucked in a shuddering breath, a hand trembling near his mouth.
“Wait out here.”
Yelve had to duck to avoid bundles of drying plants hanging from the ceiling. She hoped that her guess had brought her to the right one as she lifted a corner of the first tarp. Elder Fornoth’s lifeless eyes gazed upwards, and she took a moment to whisper a blessing to Kurdal that he would see the man safely to the next life. Pulling the tarp back further revealed something carved into his chest. She would need to get some parchment from the scholar to make note of the bloody symbol. A quick check of the other victims put her mind at rest. The elder was the only body the raiders had defaced.
“What is it?” Kohau’s voice was low and trembling when she stepped outside again.
“May I borrow a piece of parchment?”
“Of course. Yelve, what –“
“Let me finish this and we will talk.”
The door was silent this time as she closed the shed. “They carved this into the elder’s chest.”
Kohau took the paper she held out to him. “I’ve never seen this before, though it looks similar to some symbols I’ve seen in my studies of Ancient Kalta.”
“I think he was the target, they simply made it look like a band of raiders to cover up their true goal.”
“But why Elder Fornoth?”
“He is – was – one of manyol’s chief supporters.”
Yelve knew she didn’t need to go into more detail. Kohau was smart enough to put a few pieces together on his own. The two of them returned to the group of villagers still milling around the yard.
“We found this near the house.” Daniel handed her a dirty patch of fabric.
“How many raiders?” She let her fist curl around the red and gold embroidery.
“Reckon a party close to ten, twelve maybe. Headed off north as far as we could tell.”
She nodded. “I apologize, but we must leave you. I am certain the High Lady will send aid as soon as your message reaches her.”
“You goin’ after them?” The mayor spat off to the side. “Just you two?”
“First I will find out why men from Usha were here.”