"Sergeant, look what I found sneakin’ ‘round camp. Tryin' ta get a better look at us he was, but forgot ta look up, he did." The guard led Dasen into the clearing. The young man still had his spear poised at the small of his back, but Dasen did not give the man any reason for concern. He had no intention of running. All he had to do was convince these men who he was, and he and Teth would have horses and guards for their trip to Thoren.
In the clearing at least twenty men were working on tasks ranging from preparing tents to cleaning wild turkeys that would serve as the evening meal, but all activity stopped when the guard led Dasen into the camp. At the first indication of a disturbance, the men reached to the short swords at their hips or moved toward the stacks of spears arranged around the camp with their points in the air like steel-tipped pyramids. When they saw that the captive did not pose a threat, they returned to their tasks but continued to eye him with curiosity.
The forest masters all wore the same green tunics and loose brown breaches tucked into soft leather boots that appeared to be equally appropriate for riding and creeping through the forests on foot. Looking deeper, Dasen saw that the men looked harried and tired. Their uniforms were worn, stained, and marked with makeshift bandages that were themselves lined with red
"Scout, did you search this boy for weapons?" A deep voice interrupted Dasen’s inspection. The man who had spoken was short and stocky with thick black hair in a poorly kept mop and an equally thick mustache that hung over his lip. Both hair and mustache were marked with wisps of white, but the man’s face showed only subtle signs of age. He looked hard and weathered with a strong-set jaw, square chin, and deep-set dark eyes. He was much shorter than Dasen, but he had broad shoulders and a bulky upper body that made up for the deficiency in height. He wore the same uniform as the other men around the camp, but Dasen immediately identified the two brown stripes beneath the crest that marked him as a sergeant.
"I found this on him,” the scout responded and held out Dasen’s spear. “But I didn’ do a search. I didn’ want ta move that close ta him while I’s unaided."
The older man weighed Dasen with his eyes – probably wondering why his captive had such a stupid, giddy smile. "Very good scout. Anything else to report?"
"Yes, sir! There’s another’n, a younger lad. He was ‘head of this’n, so I let ‘im pass ‘til they’s both my primeter. While I’s securing this one, the other’n disappeared." The scout's voice was tight, but it wavered toward the end, and Dasen saw a cloud pass over the sergeant’s face.
"What do you mean, he disappeared?” The sergeant’s voice was suppressed rage. The guard looked frightened, and Dasen could imagine that the sergeant had a reputation for being strict. “How could anyone lose you in these woods, let alone some scamp? You must’ve overlooked him. Take two men and find him. And don't come back here till you do!"
Before the sergeant was finished, two men were striding across the camp to where he stood. The men carried unstrung bows and quivers, but the bows were soon strung and quivers were tied across their backs. The sergeant did not say another word as the men turned toward the forest.
“It is a girl,” Dasen mumbled.
“What was that, son?” The sergeant motioned for the scouts to stop.
“I . . . ah . . . said that . . . um . . . it's a girl, my wife, in fact, that got away.”
“I thought that was what you said.” The sergeant’s face turned dark, and he glowered at the young man who had captured Dasen. The scout groaned.
Dasen stifled one of his own. "Please, don't hurt her,” he pleaded. “She didn’t realize who you are and wouldn’t have run if she had."
The sergeant scoffed and motioned to his subordinates, who ran silently into the trees.
When the scouts were out of view, the sergeant turned back to Dasen. "We’re not in the practice of shootin’ down women, son. If what you said is true, there should be no need to harm her ‘cause she’ll surrender as soon as my men identify themselves. If, however, you’re lyin’ and she has a reason to run or resist, I can’t guarantee her safety."
Dasen did not find that very assuring. Teth had never hidden her disdain for the forest masters. She was just as likely to fill the men with arrows as surrender, and that was considering they found her in the first place.
"Come on now.” The sergeant’s stern, but almost fatherly, tone interrupted Dasen’s thoughts. “Drop your pack and whatever other weapons you’re carryin’, and we’ll figure what to do with you."
Dasen did not hesitate to follow the orders. He removed his pack – something he had been dying to do all day – threw down the short knife in his belt, and held out his hands to show that was all. Another younger man who had snuck up behind him gathered his things and piled them with the other weapons while a shorter fellow patted down his legs and waist. Failing to find anything, he told Dasen to place his hands behind his back. To Dasen’s surprise, he tied them with a leather cord."Can't be too careful these days," the sergeant responded simply to Dasen’s questioning glance. He held his long sword lightly at his side and studied his captive.
“Do you know who I am?” Dasen asked, incredulous.
“Not yet,” the sergeant responded. It was clear that he didn’t care if Dasen was the Chancellor. “We’ll figure that out in good time.”
With that, Dasen was led to a thin, smooth-barked tree that was growing by itself on one side of the clearing. He was ordered to sit, and the guard tied him to the tree. The man then took a sentry position a few feet away. For a few minutes, Dasen tried pleading with the man, explaining their situation, imploring him to let him up, but the man ignored him so thoroughly that he began to wonder if the words were actually making their way from his mouth. Finally, he settled down and accepted his fate. Clearly they’ve seen some action, he told himself. They’re just wary. Can’t blame them for that. But the thought only increased his worry. If these men had fought the invaders, it meant that they had gone north, that they may be near. He thought on that as he tested his bonds, though he had no actual desire to escape.
Meanwhile, the sergeant returned to a small fire at the far end of the clearing where he joined two other men. They both looked older, so Dasen guessed they were the other officers for this unit. The men spoke briefly while watching Dasen then the surrounding trees before the sergeant saluted and went to inspect the preparations of the camp. The other two men continued to speak, but Dasen seemed to be far from their minds. Consigned to his fate, he tried to make himself comfortable against the tree and wondered where Teth could be.