"No, Miss, we’ve found that out the last few days." A gentle laugh of appreciation rose as Evelyn pushed back through the crowd.
Throughout the meal, people stopped to thank them. From their conversations, they learned the bandits had been plaguing merchants and travelers for more than three years. The town’s businesses suffered large losses on their account. Trade slowed to a trickle. Only larger merchant caravans had been immune. As a result, prices were high because of the extra guards needed.
Eventually, it became impossible to fend off questions of how they captured the gang. When they finished eating, Darius stood and said, "We appreciate your hospitality so, in trade, I will tell you the tale of how we overcame that ruthless gang of assassins."
The room grew quiet. Darius told a tale of flashing blades and heroism, of rising above unbearable fatigue, of fear, pain and eventual triumph. Leena learned he was a natural taleteller. She found herself swept up in the epic he described, though it bore little resemblance to truth. The audience sucked it in like the first drops of rain on drought-hardened earth. Adventure rarely came this close to town. Leena felt acceptance of the tale as a shared personal triumph by every person in the room. Annihilation by a band of bloodthirsty cutthroats had brushed within a hairsbreadth of every person here. Leena knew Darius had sowed the seed of a legend that would be told through generations.
Finishing the tale with the relinquishing of custody to the Magistrate, Darius lifted his mug high.
"Here’s to the brave town and citizens of Pineton. Leena and I salute you." In a single pull he finished the mug and slammed it to the table.
The cheer that rose was deafening. Leena felt it shuddering through her, roaring like storm-driven waves on a rocky shore. Great paws slapped Darius’ back and frantically pumped Leena’s hand. She was lost in a confusion of impressions; people with tears of joy streaking their cheeks, people laughing and hugging with exuberance, people repeating parts of Darius’ tale to one another as though they had been there. A wave of camaraderie and communal love flowed around the room engulfing townspeople and travelers alike. Rounds were bought and great oratorical toasts proposed.
However, it had been a long day. Leena had not slept since her nap the previous day. As noise subsided to a constant roar of good spirits, her thoughts drifted, floating toward sleep. Someone bumped her chair, shocking her to groggy wakefulness. Unnoticed by the revelers, she trundled up the stairs to the room she used the past two nights. Her pack was there and the fire was lit.
She remembered to peg the door latch, but the effort of removing her outer cloths was too much. Kicking off her boots, she burrowed under the fluffy, down comforter. Warm, comfortable and heedless of the noise below, she drifted into dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER 20
She woke to a rap at the door.
"Yes?"
"Is M’lady ready for her bath?"
"Oh yes, thank you."
"Very well, M’Lady, I’ll draw it now." The door latch rattled. "Your towel’s hanging here outside your door, M’lady."
Footsteps retreated along the hall.
For a few minutes, Leena watched dust motes dance in a beam of sunlight. Finally, she rose and dug the trousers from her pack. Carrying them and the towel, she scurried toward the bath. Her hand was reaching when the door opened. Darius stood there, black hair shining wet and gleaming in the sunlight. His riding cloths were clean and he smelled of fresh soap. Her heart rose.
"Good morning, Sis," he teased. "Would you care to join me for breakfast?"
"Give me half an hour." She pushed past him and shut the door.
The dining room was crowded, probably because yesterday's travelers could not leave without their horses. An air of good cheer still lingered. She spotted Darius seated across the room and was greeted warmly from every table as she made her way to him.
An appreciative smile rose to his lips as he noticed her trousers.
"I see you are ready for traveling. Did you sleep well?"
"Like the dead, and now I’m famished."
"Well, eat up. I think we should leave as soon as we’re done, unless you have business to transact?"
"No, in fact, I feel the need for haste."
"Why?"
She could not tell him about her family. She was learning to trust him, but still he worked closely with the Great Wizard.
"Because I’ve been here a day longer than I intended."
Darius looked at her with no expression.
"Okay, I’ll not pry. Your business is your own. If you feel the need to talk, I’ll be available."
She saw sincerity in his eyes and longed to tell him all.
The sun was shining and the air was warmer. A thin sheet of moisture glistened on the icy road. Darius stowed her provisions and pack on his packhorse. Townspeople greeted them warmly as they rode past, although she heard several softly spoken comments about her mode of dress.
It felt good to be traveling again. Air smelled clean and fresh away from the cook fires of town. Sunlight gleamed from the wide white fields causing her eyes to water at times.
"At twelve, I was apprenticed to a knight as a squire," Darius said as though she asked him to tell her about himself. "I found I had an affinity for the work and progressed quickly. By seventeen, I was made a knight.
"At that time, Allivan was first trying to establish contact with the inhabitants of the Far Eastern Shores. A merchant venture had been sent to open trade. However, we quickly discovered the kingdoms there were harassing our merchants. When a ship with several merchants failed to return, the Great Wizard sent three ships with troops to settle the situation. Besides more than fifty knights and their attendants, each ship also contained a company of soldiers, a witch and two wizards. We wanted to be prepared for whatever we encountered.
"This was my first trip away from home. I was excited to be traveling to a foreign land in the service of the Great Wizard. Although, the seas were somewhat rough. My stomach did not fare too well on that first trip."
Here was real adventure. Leena had heard of ships, but had not actually seen one. She wondered what about them could cause a person to be ill.
"As we approached the harbor at Ler Dan, a great army waited for us. They were heavily armed and had engines of destruction lined along the shore. Our Colonel decided it would be wiser to land at another harbor, so we turned south, toward Oliman. At night we were amazed to see a string of watch fires decorating the coast from horizon to horizon. Three days later we spied the harbor at Oliman, but the great army had tracked us and was again waiting. The Colonel ordered the ships to raise a white flag of peace and we sailed into the harbor. Before we could land, a barrage of fire arrows streamed at us. Fortunately they fell far short, but we knew we would not be permitted to land in Oliman either.
"The Colonel ordered the ships to sail west beyond the horizon, as though retreating. Once away from the sight of land, we sailed north for a day. He had us anchor for a week, hoping the defending army would believe we returned home. On the evening of the seventh day, he consulted the wizards. They assured him few sentries and patrols guarded the coast to our east. He ordered all landing craft into the water. Each ship had only two landing boats, not nearly enough to hold all of us.
"We could not take armor or horses, there was not enough room. Each boat could accommodate six knights with long bows and swords, two sailors and a steersman to return the boat to the ship. That left barely enough room for two magic casters. Our landing force consisted of thirty-six knights, four wizards and two witches, a small force to challenge so mighty an army.
"We rowed through the night. From the horizon we saw the widely separated fires of watches set along the coast. We aimed at a point between two of them.
"No one talked and we were extremely careful no metal touched. Sound would travel for miles. The wizards constantly intoned spells and gazed into bowls of still water. Occasionally, they had us stop rowing and remain quiet. After a time, they had us
take oars again. By morning, we heard the roar of surf on a beach.
"We hoped to be ashore before dawn, but it was not to be. However, we were close enough we could not be seen from the lookout posts. We judged each sentry fire nearly a mile away. Fortune was with us and we landed safely.
"On shore we ran into another bit of good luck. By circumstance, we landed at a rocky coast. At the base of the beach cliff was an overhang carved by the sea. Beneath it, we could not be seen from above.
"We were exhausted after a night of rowing, so we scheduled watches and slept. By early afternoon, we were rested and certain we had not been spotted. Our orders were to scout the beach for a place the ships could land safely. Including knights' attendants, the ships contained little more than three-hundred troops. We could not afford to fight an unplanned battle.
"We had one lieutenant with us. The Colonel had wisely stayed aboard with the bulk of his command. If we lost the Colonel, the expedition would have to return home. No one else had any battle experience and his had been against rogues and bandits only. This was the first real conflict anyone could remember since the Great Wizard came to power.
"The Lieutenant called the knights together. We decided the best plan would be to send the boats back after dark. Once they were safely away, we would find a way to mount the cliff and scout the coast. On the following night, if we found or created a safe place to land, a wizard would notify the ships using red wizard’s fire and green if we had not. It seemed a good plan and if circumstances had allowed, it probably would have worked."
Leena's mind snapped back to the present as they reached the place they captured the bandits. The scattering of dropped weapons was gone, probably gathered by a passing merchant. She was pleased to see the two towering oaks looked healthy despite their blackened trunks.
The clatter of metal horseshoes on ice and the squeak and clink of saddle and harness echoed through the trees as they passed beneath the leafless arch. Each of them silent, lost in memories of the day before.
Beyond the charred trees, the road entered a tunnel of branches which cut sunlight into small, bright spots that rippled over them and their mounts as they rode. All signs of civilization were gone now.
"We decided one of the wizards would return with the boats to ensure they made it back to the ships undetected," Darius continued as though he had not interrupted the tale. "It would not do to have one of their sentries spot a flotilla of empty boats leaving the shore.
"Once the boats were safely away, we scouted the base of the cliffs. Eventually we found where the sea had undermined the cliff and collapsed it, leaving a slanted ramp to the top. Several times we paused when a rock or boulder was dislodged.
"Fortunately, just one man was injured when a crashing boulder crushed his hand. To his credit, he made no sound and only told us of his injury once we achieved the top. The hedge witch restored it, but it was several days before he had full use again.
"The land at the top was rugged and laced with tough, thorny bushes and short, twisted trees that made passage difficult. Wind on the upper plain was constant, howling through the vegetation so loudly we did not need to worry about noise. To the north, we saw the fire of a sentry post not a quarter-mile distant, but the land was so inhospitable it took an hour to approach within a hundred feet.
"We counted a dozen men in the sentry. Our force could have taken it easily. However, the Lieutenant suggested we watch the camp to determine their routine.
"Before long, we noticed an hourglass next to the fire. When the sands ran out, two men rose and trotted east. Half a mile inland one turned north and the other south. They were soon lost from sight in the darkness. No more than ten minutes passed when we saw two different men approaching along the paths the others had taken.
"This was their communication system. Every hour, each sentry post sent runners north and south to the next posts. News could then be passed constantly in both directions. If we took the post, within an hour the posts north and south would be alerted by the lack of a runner. By morning dozens, perhaps hundreds of soldiers would surround us.
"They had established a primitive yet effective system. Our chances of clearing a landing area for the ships seemed hopeless."
CHAPTER 21
"Shortly after the two runners arrived, all but two of the men in the sentry bedded down. These two sat side by side on the cliff edge watching the sea. We continued our vigil.
"When the sands ran out, the two sentries woke four of the sleeping men. Two were dispatched as runners and two replaced them at the top of the cliff. We knew this pattern would be repeated at all sentry posts between Ler Dan and Oliman.
"We considered taking this post after the next shift change. We could then split our force into two groups of eighteen knights and send one north and one south. We could easily take each post and move on without having to leave men to protect our backs, but eventually we would tire. If we took ten posts in each direction, the forty miles between our groups would ensure a safe landing for the ships. It seemed a simple enough solution.
"However, once we started, we could not stop. If even one runner failed to show at the next post, the enemy would be alerted. If, by some miracle, we took every post from Ler Dan to Oliman, we did not have the troops to take either town. In addition, by the time the Colonel landed the next night, we would be so far from the landing site we could not get word to him where we were and what our situation was.
"At the first hint of dawn we pulled back to our position under the cliffs. What could we do? We had been so confident we would find a way to land. No one had thought to arrange a signal to have boats pick us up if we failed. We could only signal it was safe or unsafe.
"Throughout the day we discussed and argued but found no solution. After dark, the wizard stood on the shore and mumbled incantations while waving his hands. We saw nothing, but he assured us a green light appeared above the boats.
"To make matters worse, we were running short of rations. Foraging for game during daylight was too risky and we had seen no animals the night before. We could go several days without food, but water was running low. With rationing, we could last two or three days before the men started to weaken. We were too many for the hedge witch to heal. She could keep two or three of us strong for a few days after we ran out of water, but no more.
"We considered making rafts and floating back to the ships, but this was a desolate coast. We found no driftwood and the trees on the plain above were too small and twisted to be of use.
"After the wizard signaled the ships, we made our way back to the vantage point we used the night before. Nothing had changed. No great revelation appeared. We watched, and hope diminished. We did not wait for dawn. We would learn nothing more by watching the sentry post. We slept that night below the overhang.
"We awakened to heavy fog the next morning, a mist like none I had seen. I held my hand at arm’s length and could barely make out its shape through the thick mist. Our frustration knew no bounds. Had we known of the fog, we could have landed a dozen ships unseen. I asked the wizard whether he could alert the ships in the fog. He could, but asked whether the fog would last until the ships reached shore. I had to admit, I did not know. As it was, the fog lifted long before noon.
"That third day we sat glumly on the sand under the cliff. In his frustration, the Lieutenant asked whether anyone had any thoughts, however crazy, on how we could neutralize the sentries. No one did, although one man jested we might just ask them to go away.
"No one else spoke. The words hung in the air. Idly, I considered them because I had nothing more pressing to think of. Something about them began to stir in me. I repeated them to myself. Why don’t we just ask them to go away? Indeed, why didn’t we?
"We were wrapped up in thinking we had to conquer these people because they attacked us, seemingly without provocation. But why had they attacked us? I did not ask the question out loud because none of us knew. What if there was a misunderstanding? What if we
could somehow get to this group, discover what the problem was and resolve it?
"Why don’t we just ask them?
"I did not realize I had spoken aloud until I looked up and saw faces looking at me as though the moon had twisted my mind.
"Why don’t we just ask them?
"This time I repeated it aloud deliberately. The group was silent as I laid out my case. We had no idea what provoked them. What if it was a misunderstanding that could be resolved without force of arms?
"The idea was not received with great approval. Several suggested the stress was getting to me. But no one had any other ideas and our time was running out.
"Having nothing better to do, we worked on a plan for getting the sentries to listen to us. All agreed we must first subdue them then somehow gain their trust to where they would listen.
"They had plenty of objections. We did not speak their language, but the wizards could take care of that. We would be alerting them to our presence. However, as things were going, they would know we were here when they found our starved bodies.
"So it went throughout the afternoon and well into the evening.
"By nightfall, perhaps through shear fatigue, we decided that, while it was surely insane and probably suicidal, mine was the only plan we had.
"For a third time we made our way up the cliffs to our previous spot. This time the Lieutenant sent half the men to circle to the other side of the sentry post. We agreed that, when the next set of runners arrived, we would attack. Those minutes of waiting seemed hours. Over and over I told myself how stupid this was. Men were going to die because of my crazy plan.
"The hourglass turned. Two runners left. Minutes dragged by. Finally, we could just see a runner approaching along the path. Where was the other? We dared not move unless both arrived. We could not risk one turning and running back to the next post before we had a chance to talk to these men. Then he appeared, limping, hopping as though he had badly twisted or broken an ankle in the dark. This turned into a blessing as all the sentries, except the two at the top of the cliff, gathered to look.