* * *
The first light and the loud twittering of birds brought her reluctantly awake: stiff, aching, scratched. She tried to sleep again, but it was no use. The light and the pain had roused her, and the birds finished the job. She looked around and listened for a long time. There seemed to be nothing moving on the forest floor. She untied the sash and climbed down, amazed that she had made it so high through the tight branches in the dark.
Quickly, she stoked up the fire, blowing the faint coals into brightness. At least there was ample dry wood under the tree. Yawning, she toasted the last of the bread and drank a stale swallow from her canteen. Tonight she was going to need an inn.
After carefully extinguishing the fire, she took one last look around her small haven, shouldered her pack and moved back towards the road. She noticed a crushed trail through the undergrowth, proving that her night’s adventure had not been a dream. A footprint in a muddy spot was not large, as far as she could tell, but big enough to make her shiver. She moved more quickly towards the open.
But not so quickly that she didn’t check both left and right before she stepped onto the road. Sure enough, a figure in the distance was moving towards her. She faded back into the forest, watching.
As the man approached she got a better look at him. He swung along, his head up and his shoulders back. Tall, young, blond hair. Good quality clothing, but not too good. Perhaps chosen, like hers, to attract no attention. The medium-sized pack did not seem to slow him down, and he strode with cheerful purpose. She slipped back further and froze behind a fallen log, only her eyes showing.
To her dismay, as the stranger reached the spot opposite her, he stopped, looked straight at her, and smiled.
“You might as well come out.”
She almost fell for it. He couldn’t know she was there. She stayed still, cursing her carelessness in packing the dagger away.
Sure enough, his eyes moved on, scanning the forest, then the edge of the road. Probably her footprints in the dust. “I know you’re there. I can smell your fire. I should tell you, I have nothing worth stealing. I’m nobody worth kidnapping, and if you’re afraid of me, I assure you I’m perfectly harmless.” He reached out empty hands, stood there a moment.
Again, she almost stepped forward, but a fierce surge of determination held her. If he was so smart, let him figure it out. After a while, his hands slowly dropped and he shrugged, then moved on.
She waited a long time, moving only enough to keep her eyes on his retreating back. Once, he turned quickly and looked behind for a moment before continuing his stride. Maybe she imagined it, but he might be walking a bit faster. She grinned. So he was a bit afraid, was he? Good. Let him stay that way.
She made herself comfortable and waited a bit longer. Let him get far ahead. At his pace, he would leave her behind. Repositioning her dagger closer to hand, she hoisted her pack and moved on with more care, noting the dust at the side of the road, listening to the sounds of the birds and squirrels nearby but trying not to be obvious about it. He hadn’t looked like trouble, but she had started a game and he looked like he had a sense of humour.
So she was ready when a voice came, close behind her at the side of the road.
“Ahah! I thought so!”
She spun, slipping out of her pack straps and jumping forward instead of back as he might have expected. She was satisfied to see a startled face backed against a tree, eyes crossed in a vain attempt to track the point of her dagger.
She smiled coldly. “You should know better than to jump out behind people.”
He raised his open hands. “Be careful with that thing, lady. It looks sharp!”
“It is sharp,” she flicked the point at his fingers, “Keep your hands down.”
He lowered his hands. “All right, all right. What do you want?”
“What do I want? I want to walk down the public road without being hassled. What did you think you were doing?”
She allowed him to edge backwards and away; she didn’t want his hands that close to her wrist anyway.
“I was just checking. I knew there was somebody there and I didn’t know what kind of game you were playing. There could be bandits around here, you know.”
“And aren’t you lucky I’m not a bandit.” Keeping her eye on him, she retrieved her pack. “Who are you, and where are you going?”
He relaxed some more. “My name’s Shen Waring and I’m going to Izeu. Carrying some documents for my father’s business. No money. I’m not that stupid. We’re in the textile business. Woollens, cotton, silk, the whole lot. Who are you?”
“I’m Aleria and I’m travelling…a lot further than that.”
He glanced at her with more calculation than she liked. “Aleria. That’s a pretty name.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Again the empty hands came up. “Nothing, nothing. Can’t a man say something nice to a lady?”
He seemed genuine, but there was a hint of a smile that made her wonder. “Let’s walk. You go ahead.”
“I’m not going to walk ahead of you with that knife at my back. Can’t we walk side by side? The road’s plenty wide. Then we can talk.”
“Who says I want to talk?”
He turned and started off. “Why not? It gets boring, walking by yourself. I’m glad to have a pretty girl to talk to, and you’ve got to be safer with me along. It’s a good idea for both of us.”
“Safer?” She slid the knife back into its sheath, hefted her pack. “That remains to be seen.” However, she matched him stride for stride, and they moved off.
She soon discovered that Shen Waring was the only son of a textile dealer in Taine, several days’ walk to the southwest. He, in turn, asked about her family.
“Oh, my father’s in cartage. Half the wagons you see around here are probably his.” It was a clever misdirection, she thought, since most people would take it as an exaggeration, while in truth her father’s dealings with Lord anCanah meant he probably did own half the heavy cartage that used this road. Her new companion looked impressed but sceptical, just as she hoped.
“Does your business need any carting done?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, we have our work all contracted out, mostly to Lord anDalmyn. He charges top price, but he has only the best animals and equipment. Very reliable, and nobody messes with his wagons, if they know what’s good for them. My father says its best to go along with the powerful. You make yourself useful to them, and after a while they realize they need you, and they don’t mess you around.”
“Has Lord anDalmyn ever messed you around?”
“Not yet. We do a lot of business with him, and at the prices he charges, that means it’s a lot easier for him to keep his big mansion in the capital, and his wife and daughter in new gowns for the balls.” He glanced at her and grinned. “No, anDalmyn is much better off treating us well. It’s worth his while.”
She nodded. “I suppose. Still, it’s tough trying to compete with that kind of power.”
“Tell you what. You get your father to contact Waring Weavers next time he’s in Taine. I’ll put in a word with my father, and maybe you can pick up some of the smaller, unscheduled runs.”
It was a relief to relax and smile prettily at him. This is such fun! “Why thank you, Shen. I’m sure my father will appreciate that.” She turned a half-pirouette in the road. “Maybe then he can afford another gown for his daughter for her next ball.”
He grinned back. “As long as I get to go to the ball with her.”
“We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”
They walked on, laughing.
He was fun to talk with, but she was impressed at his knowledge of the road. When she asked about the danger, he shrugged. “There’s not much danger to me. I wasn’t lying back there. Nothing I carry has any value, as the papers are no good to anyone else except my father’s business.” He grinned, “And I can talk my way out of any trouble I meet.”
He strode on.
“Not much romance in it, but I like getting out, getting free from the business for a while. What about you?”
She grinned. “Not much romance here, either. This is a one-and-only for me, and I didn’t choose it. I was visiting relatives, and had to leave because…let’s just say I didn’t get along with my cousins.” She shrugged. “So I’m going home.”
“Just like that? You packed up and headed out?”
Her head came up. “That’s right. They never thought I would, so they thought they could boss me around. I showed them.”
“I suppose. Still, it’s dangerous out here, travelling alone.”
“Huh! I have less of value than you do.”
“Don’t be so sure, little girl,” He leered at her, his fingers plucking at the front of her blouse. She laughed and slapped his hand away and the incident passed.
“How much farther to Izeu?
“Don’t you have a map?”
“No, I just ask people.”
“I don’t have a map, either. I know the way. Here.” He picked up a stick from beside the road. “This road goes through Ocady, and on to the east. There’s a line of mountains ahead of us, here. The road goes around the end, and I cut off here to Izeu, you keep going to Kingsport.”
She took the stick, drew a wiggling slash through the dirt. “What are these mountains like? It looks like a long way around them.”
“I don’t go around them. I go through them. I know a shortcut.”
“You do?” She stood, arms akimbo, staring at him.
He mimicked her stance and her tone. “I do. I use it all the time. It would take three days to get around the end, and I can do it in two, going over the mountain. Sure, it’s a tough climb, but it’s not dangerous or anything and it’s much faster.”
“I see. What about other dangers? Other than the trail.”
“You mean animals and bandits? No bandits in that area. Nobody to rob. Sure, there’s bears and wolves and that, but I’ve never heard of anyone being bothered by them. My father showed me the trail and my family knows I use it, so if anything goes wrong they’ll know where to come looking.”
She considered. “That’s good, because they’ll come looking for you before they come looking for me.” She looked him over again. Everything she saw told her that he was exactly what he said. If she could have a little adventure, and save a day’s walk… “Can I come?”
He shrugged, grinned. “Why not? Two is always safer.”
She smiled back. “Great. Where do we cut off the road?”
“Not for a few hours. We’d better stop at a farm soon, to pick up extra bread and cheese, maybe some smoked meat. That’s better for you, anyway.”
“It is?”
“It’s always good to have someone know where you’re going. We tell the farmer who we are, and what our plans are. If anyone comes looking for us, the farmer will tell them where we went.”
“That sounds logical.”
“Let’s go.” They picked up their packs and started out.
Soon they had settled into their travelling pace. Shen was loaded a bit heavier than she was; that made up for her shorter legs and they moved comfortably together. Scattered clouds covered the sun, so the day never got too warm.
True to his plan, Shen stopped at a farm, where the lady seemed to know him and jibed him about his new travelling companion while she made up a package of food. As they left she winked at Aleria. “Now don’t you let him fool you into doing all the cooking and the cleaning. I know what men are like in camp. They think they’re having a holiday. You make him do his share.”
Aleria nodded, grinning. “I knew that already, but I’m glad he heard you say it, too.” She reached out and pushed Shen towards the road. “Come, my trusty pack animal. Bear my load to my destination.” She could hear the woman’s laughter following them down the lane. It was fun to joke, but now she was sure the woman would remember her in detail.
Soon, Shen stopped where a small creek tumbled down the rocks and crossed the road. “See the path, there?”
She looked, dubious. “Yes. I see it.”
“That’s our trail.”
“Is it that small all the way?”
“No, it gets wider and narrower depending on the terrain and the use.”
“Why would the use be different?”
He shrugged. “Various reasons. There’s one spot where a larger trail joins in. You have to know where to cut off again or you end up going down the mountain chain instead of across it. There’s another spot that passes near a salt lick and the trail is well-used along there.”
She shrugged. “You’re the trusty local guide. Lead on.”
It was cooler under the trees, so the climb wasn’t too hard. They hiked up a ridge, crossed over the stream and followed its valley, climbing all the way. Soon they were out of the heavy forest of the valley, into the pine groves higher up. They stopped for a rest after a steep pitch and looked back out over their trail, where they could see the faint, light line of the road far below.
“We’re making good time. There’s a decent campsite a couple of hours up. I think we’ll stay there.”
“Fine with me. I’m not too tired yet.” She looked out at the scenery for a while. “What’s a salt lick?”
“That’s a place where the ground is salty. The animals love it. Deer, sheep, and mountain goat all come there.”
She glanced at him. “The animals come and lick the ground.”
“That’s right.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that.”
He held out open hands. “Why would I lie? They do lick the ground. They really like the salt, I guess. It’s a great place to hunt, although not very sporting.
“Have you hunted there?”
He shook his head. “I’m a sport hunter. If I really needed the meat, I’d hunt a salt lick. I don’t need the meat to live on, so I give the animals a better chance.”
“How kind of you.”
“Are you against hunting?”
“Not completely. As you say, if a person needs the meat…”
“But if he doesn’t?”
She shrugged. “If you enjoy it, I suppose it’s a good skill to have. Even in our modern society, it’s possible that you might need it some day.”
He nodded. “Shall we go on?”
“Might as well. We’ll just be tireder later.”
He reached out a hand and hauled her to her feet. “All right. On we go.”
It was more than two hours later that they reached the campsite, and Aleria was wet up to her armpits.
Shen regarded her. “Once you stop moving you’re going to get cold. If you take off your pack and go looking for extra wood, I’ll get a fire going.”
“Whatever you say. You’re right about getting cold.”
“Get some big, dry pieces. If they’re bigger, they’ll keep the fire going longer.”
“And keep me warmer, hauling them back.”
“Exactly. Let’s get to it.”
When she came back dragging two short but rather thick logs, there was a wisp of smoke drifting up from the twigs and grass between his hands. Soon a tiny flame appeared and he started to add larger branches. Once the flames rose to waist level, she started to feel their warmth, and she held her hands out to take it in.
“You’d better get out of those wet clothes.”
“Some good. My other dress was at the bottom of my pack, and it’s wet, too.”
“You can wear some of mine.” He reached into his pack, pulling out items, smelling them, and putting them aside. “I know I’ve got something clean in here somewhere. I was saving it for a special occasion.”
“That’s good to hear. I can’t think of an occasion more special than a friend freezing to death.”
“So get out of your wet dress. Don’t worry. I won’t peek.”
“You better not, if you know what’s good for you.”
She struggled out of her clinging dress, and started on her
boots.
“Ah, here we are. Oops.”
He had turned to hand her the shirt, and ‘forgot’ not to look while he did so. She frowned at him. “Put your eyes back in your head and hand me the shirt.”
“Uh, sure. I’m sorry, just a slip of the eye, so to speak.”
She turned her back and tugged the shirt on. “Well, don’t slip again, or you might get that eye blackened.”
“It might be worth it. You’re very beautiful.”
“It sounds like most women are, once we get our clothes off. Do you have any pants?”
“Here you go.”
She turned, and this time he was holding out the clothing with one hand, the other covering his eyes his head turned away.
“Now he does it right. Thanks, anyway. That feels much better.”
“I’m glad. Now. Who’s cooking?”
They began a good-natured wrangle about the camp chores, and soon there was meat in the frying pan and the smell of cooking wafted over the camp.
After supper, they sat by the fire staring into the coals in the gathering dark.
“Gotta ask you a question.”
“Sure.”
“I wasn’t supposed to look, I know, but I had another reason.”
“Another reason. This is going to be good.”
“No, I did. Do you have a dagger on your leg?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
“Is that what you needed to know so badly?”
“I was curious. I know it sounds funny, but I have to be careful too, you know.”
“Now you know. I’m well-armed and well-trained, so you better watch your step.”
“Well-trained?”
“I do barehand and sword as well as dagger.”
“I see. Who trained you? Family?”
“I went to lessons.”
“What sort of parents send their daughter to fighting lessons?”
“Parents that want her to be able to handle whatever the world throws at her.”
He thought about that for a while. “Can I make a suggestion?”
“Sure.”
“It’s about the dagger on the leg. Who told you to put it there?”
“That was the place the girl who gave it to me wore it.”
“Well, I don’t know how to say this, but that could be a problem.”
“How so?”
“If a guy is going to…well…rape a woman, he throws her down, lifts her skirt, and…there’s your hideout in plain sight.”
“I see. What do you suggest?”
“Most of the time, you wear long sleeves, right? You only changed into that sleeveless top once we got off the main road.”
“You mean I should wear it on my arm?”
“Yes, like this.” He pulled up his right sleeve, and there, on the inside of his forearm was a small dagger, hilt down. “I have a special sheath. I only have to do this…” he flexed his wrist, and the dagger slid down into his hand. A flick of his fingers and the point was towards her.
“Very neat. Do you think I could do that?”
“You wouldn’t be able to do the drop-sheath, but if you hung it hilt-down on your left arm you could get it out with your other hand almost as fast.”
She stared at him, daring him to look, as she pulled down her pants to remove the sheath from her leg. He gazed skyward, smiling the whole time. Then they experimented until she had the sheath fixed on her inner forearm: firm, but not tight enough to cut off circulation. With a bit of practice, she knew she could get it out smoothly and quickly. At the moment the weight seemed strange, but she would get used to it.
It was a warm night and they lay on opposite sides of the fire, staring up into the stars, chatting about this and that. Nothing important, just those many small thoughts and minor details that allow one person to get to know the other. Tired from their climb, they soon fell asleep.
14. The Real Thing
Aleria woke feeling damp. A heavy dew had fallen, penetrating partway into her blankets. Shivering, she dressed and checked the fire. There were some coals deep in the ashes, so she blew on them, adding small dead twigs until they burst into flame.
Soon she had a fire going and a pot of water on for coffee. It was a grand treat, and she mused at Shen carrying such an expensive drink. Coffee had to be imported overland from Samnia or farther east, and usually only the Ranked classes could afford it.
“You going to get up at all?”
“Sure. It was just so pleasant to watch you doing all the work.”
“You’re a man with a turn of phrase. Was that supposed to be a compliment?”
“As long as you keep working, you can take it as such.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll do your share.”
He watched her some more. “You do know what you’re doing.”
“I should. My mother’s an excellent cook, and some of it must have rubbed off. I don’t have the patience to be good at it.”
“In that case, I’ll get up and watch the biscuits cook. I have plenty of patience for that sort of thing.”
She snorted and went on with her preparations. “Just like you had patience to watch me take my swim yesterday.”
“You didn’t expect me to play the hero, did you? Jump in and save you?”
“I hardly needed saving. I just had the bad luck to step on a loose rock exactly above that hole.”
“It was bad luck, all right.”
She turned and looked at him. “All right. It was also careless. I need to be wary were I place my feet.”
“Lesson learned, no harm done. Tell you what, though. If you like, I’ll cut you a walking stick before we set out today. One for me, too. A stick would have saved you.”
“Good idea, after it’s all over.”
“We live and learn. At least some of us learn.”
“It’s a mistake the first time. If you make it twice, it’s stupidity. My grandmother used to say that.”
“Smart lady.”
Their conversation continued like this all morning. It was a hard path, continuing to climb through several tight passes, and there was a certain amount of clambering over rocks. At first the stick got in her way, but as the day wore on she learned how and when to use it and soon she didn’t know how she had managed without.
Shen was a good companion, not overly protective, but wary of spots where she might have trouble. She did her best not to let him down, but some places she had to ask for help.
“How did you get down there?”
“I leaned my stick way down and stepped across to here.”
“I can’t reach that far. The rest of it is too smooth. Should I jump?”
“It’s pretty rough landing. You might turn an ankle. Here. Reach your stick over there, push sort of sideways. Put your hand on my shoulder, and lower yourself. Hey, careful!”
As she swung off the rock, her full weight came against him, and they leaned back against the wall, pressed closely together. They stayed that way for a breathless moment, then she laughed and pushed herself upright. “Thanks. Next time I fall off a mountain, make sure you’re underneath, will you?”
“I think I could be persuaded.”
She laughed again and continued down the mountain, but she could feel a shaking inside her and warmth spreading up her neck. She hoped he didn’t notice. Maybe she hoped he did.
There was a spattering of rain that afternoon, but it came to nothing, only cooling them, and they made good progress. They had come out on top of the mountain range above tree line, and the trail led along a ridge: white stones against the green moss.
Shen gazed for a long time. “The other reason I come this way.”
The mountains, dappled with sun and cloud, sloped down to flatlands, fading away into the haze. Just below them a small lake ruffled its waters into lively sparkles.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” She laid a hand on his shoulder. It was a simple gesture, meant only to share the moment more closely.
br /> He nodded and did not move.
After a while, they tramped on, walking slower, admiring the beauty. Then they were down off the ridge, the trail grew steeper and the brush closed in, showering them with leftover raindrops. Soon they were both soaked, but the day was warm enough, so they kept going.
By evening the clouds had not broken and Shen said they were making good time, so they stopped early to give them time to dry their clothing. They were well down the mountain by now, and it was easy to find a dense tree to camp under.
Shen looked at the sky. “I think you’d better have the tent tonight. It might rain.”
“How about you?”
“I’ll borrow your extra blanket, if you don’t mind, and wrap up under the tree. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure, I’m sure.”
“But that’s not fair.”
“Let me play the gentleman just this once, will you?”
She grinned. “I suppose it would be unladylike to complain.”
“So don’t.”
They finished their camp chores and went to bed. Silence descended. Then it was broken by a soft, high-pitched whine.
“Drat!”
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s a mosquito in here.”
“Oh? There aren’t any out here.”
“Well, there’s one in here and it’s too dark to find it.”
“So go to sleep. Some time it will bite you, and that will be it.”
“That’s a great consolation.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Say, I bet if there were two of us in here, it would halve my chances of getting bit.”
“I’d say that’s pretty good arithmetic.”
“So are you coming? The damsel needs rescuing.”
“You don’t really mean that.”
She paused a moment. “What if I did?”
She could hear him moving outside, and suddenly his head pushed through the flap, his voice serious. “You know what would happen, don’t you?”
Serious as well, she gulped. “I guess I do.”
Then he was gone. Forgetting the mosquito, she rolled her blanket around her and tried to sleep.