The Hermit of Lammas Wood

  “Yes, dearie. We are. If we don’t, the boss will kill us,” Gertie said, placing a hand on Arnold’s arm.

  “It’s my duty to keep you from ex-capin’.”

  “He’s goin’ to kill you, too, Arnold. When he doesn’t need you any more, he’ll kill all of you,” Tanyth said, conscious of the time ticking away. Sooner or later somebody would realize the prisoners weren’t in the cage and they’d come looking.

  “No. He’s gonna take care of us.”

  “Arnold, we don’t have time to argue. Are you going to capture us?” Gertie asked.

  “All right. Yeah. I’ll capture you and then I’ll be a hero.”

  “Excellent. The boss is waiting up in the field for us. If you take us up there, I’m sure he’ll give you a reward,” Gertie said.

  Tanyth pulled the chain from her shoulders and latched the manacle onto her wrist, twisting the latch and handing the other one to Gertie. “See? You’ve got us. All you have to do is take us up to the boss.”

  “I can do that,” Arnold said and turned away, walking down the tunnel. “This way is faster.”

  “Wait!” Tanyth called.

  Arnold stopped and looked back. “What?”

  “You should take the chain in your hand. That way the boss will know you captured us.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Arnold came back and took the loop of chain that Tanyth held out.

  He turned and lumbered away, dragging them behind. For a big man, he moved quickly; they didn’t have to pretend he was dragging them along behind. They could barely keep up.

  “Think it’ll work?” Gertie asked, her voice low.

  “Dunno. Better than running blind.”

  Arnold led them out of the narrow tunnel and into a wider cavern. Tanyth couldn’t see the ceiling in the dim light of the flickering torches placed along the way. The stench of unwashed bodies and human waste stung her eyes.

  “Wait, Arnold,” Tanyth said. “Is this the mine?”

  Arnold fetched up and turned to look back into the cavern. “One of ’em. Yeah.”

  “Are the miners sleepin’ now?” Gertie asked.

  “Some of them, yeah. They always mine. Sometimes they sleep, but somebody always mines. ‘Round the clock.”

  Tanyth shook her head, and Gertie shrugged.

  “Thank you, Arnold. We better get up now.”

  “All right.” He struck off again and soon had them out into the cool night air once more. The roaring water seemed to be falling almost on their heads as they picked their way along the slippery, wet rocks toward the platform that had brought them down. They climbed aboard, and Arnold pulled a lever. His face split in a broad grin as the platform started to rise.

  It didn’t go up as fast as it had come down. The trip down had been swift. The ride up—with them fearing that their ruse would catch up to them at any moment—seemed interminable. At the top, Arnold led them off and up onto the top of the cliff face once more. The full moon hung almost directly overhead.

  “I don’t see the boss here,” he said.

  “He’s down at the end, there,” Tanyth pointed.

  “Will you show me your rats again, Hermit?” Arnold asked as they ambled along.

  “Maybe. You been decoratin’ my forest again?” Gertie’s voice carried that teasing tone most effective with young children.

  He laughed. “I know now. Des-e-crate. You taught me.”

  “That’s good, Arnold.”

  They walked along the trail in the full moon’s light. Tanyth saw heads turn as they passed guard stations, but the clanking chain and the lumbering guard stilled any inquiries.

  The end of the trail wasn’t marked as such. The grass simply grew thicker and thicker as they neared the end of the line of guard posts. Eventually they walked on just salt grass, Arnold placidly leading the way until they neared a wind-blasted spruce that Tanyth recognized.

  “That’s far enough, Arnold,” Tanyth said, her voice fighting the wind.

  “The boss isn’t here,” Gertie said. “We tricked you into helpin’ us get away.”

  Arnold’s face split into the huge grin again. “No. You didn’t. I tricked you!”

  Tanyth looked around, seeing nothing but grasses waving in the wind.

  “The boss wasn’t never up here,” Arnold said. “Only guards come up here.”

  “How did you trick us?” Tanyth asked.

  “Now I can ex-cape with you!”

  Tanyth and Gertie shared a glance. “You wanna leave with us?” Gertie asked.

  “Well, yeah. Malcolm was always mean to me. They was gonna have me out scarin’ travelers again tomorrow. I don’t wanna des-e-crate your forest, lady. That just ain’t right.”

  “I thought the boss was gonna take care of you,” Tanyth said.

  “Naw. I jus’ said that. He’s meaner’n Malcolm. They call me dumb, but I don’t b’lieve a word he says. He jes’ wants his gold and he’ll take it.” Arnold nodded once, as if for emphasis. “So, where do we do this ex-cape?” His eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

  Tanyth flipped the latch on her manacle and pushed it off her wrist. Gertie did the same. “We need to get into the trees over there,” Tanyth said, pointing to the line of maples and oaks. “Then we’ll be almost home free.”

  “Can I be home free, too?” Arnold asked.

  “Of course, dearie. We know a nice man who’d love to meet you. He’ll take good care of you.”

  “He’s not mean like the boss, is he?”

  Gertie’s grin matched Arnold’s. “No, dearie. He’s a nice man who’s been looking for you for over a year.”

  Tanyth looked at the old woman and felt her own grin growing in the silvery light of the moon.

  Chapter Thirty-seven:

  Hide And Seek

  The moonlight let them move through the forest almost as easily as day. They found the split, gray tree that sheltered their packs in a matter of a few minutes.

  “Hey, that’s real clever,” Arnold said.

  “Didn’t want one of your patrols to find ’em,” Gertie said. “Wasn’t no sense takin’ ’em in.”

  With the comforting weight of the pack on her shoulders, Tanyth closed her eyes and sought her owl.

  Silvery light cast everything into sharp relief. The days grew warmer and the nights less cold. A fine baby rabbit rested comfortably in her belly. She didn’t want to leave her roost, but she dropped from the perch, snapping her wings open to catch the night wind.

  She soared close to the ground for a few yards and then caught the updraft from the edge of the cliff. The distinctive shape of the bay slipped under her as she flew east along the coast. There would be men there. She’d spot them, and then she could digest her rabbit in peace.

  There, a small fire glowed among the trees and she slipped lower, gliding between the oaks on silent wings. Two men huddled beside the meager blaze, one or the other looking behind him to the forest that surrounded them.

  She flipped her tail feathers and, with a single downbeat of her wings, lifted back through the canopy to continue eastward. She settled in for another long glide, nearly overshooting the clearing. A crack between two hills sheltered a banked fire and many men—some standing, others stretched out on the ground.

  She dropped onto a tree just under the crest of the hill and looked back at the bay to the west. The moon crawled down toward the horizon. She could sleep here.

  “Looks like Morris convinced his buddy,” Tanyth said, opening her eyes. “Marong’s about a day, day and a half to the east.”

  “If we start now, we can prob’ly meet him by tomorrow night,” Gertie said. She turned to Arnold. “You ready for a walk in my forest, Arnold?”

  “I’d like that, but I don’t have a pack to carry. Do you want me to carry yours?”

  “No, that’s all right, Arnold,” Gertie said. “Tanyth and I are fine.”

  “Malcolm made me carry his, sometimes, when we were out in the forest.”

  Tanyth sighed. “Malcolm
never did impress me much.”

  “He’s sinkin’ in my esteem,” Gertie said.

  “You got a mouse?” Tanyth asked.

  Gertie tilted her head down to show the black eyes and nose.

  “Let’s go, then.”

  As the moon climbed down the western sky, they trudged steadily eastward. At the first glimmer of dawn’s rose on the eastern horizon, Gertie called a halt.

  “Dearie? I’m gettin’ old. I need to stop and have a bit of tea and perhaps somethin’ to eat.”

  Tanyth’s legs and back agreed with Gertie.

  They turned and saw Arnold holding an armload of sticks. “You’ll wanta fire, yeah?” he said.

  “Yeah, that’s good, Arnold,” Gertie said, patting his arm. “We just need to find a place to settle for a bit.”

  “I’ll keep pickin’ up wood then,” he said. “That’s all right, en’t it? That’s not desceratin’ or nothin’, is it?”

  “You’re doing very well, dearie,” Gertie said, and gave the big man another smile.

  Tanyth listened to the predawn forest, and her hearing led them to a small creek. An oxbow provided a flat sandy bank on which to set up camp. “Just put the wood there, Arnold.” She pointed to a spot in the sand, and Arnold dutifully unloaded his firewood with a clatter.

  Without another word he dropped to his knees and scooped out some of the soft sand with his hands, making a shallow fire pit in a matter of a minute or two.

  “You’re a pretty handy guy to have around, Arnold,” Tanyth said.

  “I like to be useful, lady.”

  “Do you like tea?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  “Give us a few minutes and we’ll have some. Then maybe a little nap.”

  Arnold nodded and proceeded to break up the longer sticks into shorter pieces that would fit in the fire pit. He simply cracked them over his knee and stacked them up.

  Gertie shrugged and set about gathering some dried grasses from along the stream bank while Tanyth filled the kettle with water and began arranging the small sticks. Before long they all sat back and relaxed.

  Arnold groaned a huge yawn. “We’ll be able to sleep soon?”

  “A bit of tea and somethin’ to eat first,” Gertie said. “Then we’ll nap a little.”

  “We should keep a guard in case somebody comes along,” Arnold said.

  “Oh, we will.” Gertie patted his knee. “You remember my rats?”

  Arnold laughed, nodding. “Malcolm was so scared, but they didn’t do nothin’. Just looked at him for a while and then ran away.”

  “My rats will look out for us. They’ll wake me if somebody comes.”

  Tanyth pulled the boiling kettle off the fire and added the leaves to steep. “We got any food left in there?” She nodded at Gertie’s pack.

  “Still have some sausage.”

  “I’ve got a few travel rations left. Few days’ worth for the three of us.”

  Gertie pulled out the sausage and reached for the empty sheath of her belt knife. “Morris still has my knife.”

  Tanyth nodded. “Mine, too.”

  “I have one.” Arnold pulled out his knife and held it up.

  Gertie handed him the sausage. “Cut that into pieces for us, would you, dearie?”

  “Sure.” Arnold focused on the dried meat and hacked a few pieces off, handing them back to Gertie as he did so. “That enough?”

  “That’s lovely, dearie. Thank you.”

  Arnold smiled and handed the last piece of sausage back to her.

  Gertie pressed it back into his hand. “You eat that, Arnold. You’ll need your strength before the day’s out, I bet.”

  Arnold nodded. “Thank you,” he said and began gnawing away. The sausage looked pathetically small in his hands.

  Tanyth pulled a travel ration out of her pack and tossed it across the fire pit to him. “Eat that, too, if you’re hungry.”

  Gertie shared the sausage pieces with Tanyth, who in turn poured Gertie’s tea.

  It took them a while to get all the food and tea distributed and consumed. By the time they did, the sun was well up. Arnold’s broad face showed his fatigue clearly in eyelids that kept drooping.

  “Two hours, sleep,” Gertie said.

  “All right,” Arnold said. He flopped over onto the sand and curled up. Before either of the women had a chance to more than blink, he was snoring.

  “Tired boy,” Gertie said.

  Tanyth chuckled. “He had a busy day.”

  “You think Marong’ll be glad to see him?” Gertie asked.

  “Yeah. I think so. He’s been lookin’ for somethin’ since last year. At first I thought it was the gold, but that didn’t make sense.”

  Gertie pulled her bedroll out and laid it out on the sand, lying down even as they chatted. “Why’s that?”

  “Gold’s easy to find up there. He wouldn’t be searchin’ the coast for it if that was all. He’d be headin’ up to Black Rock Canyon.”

  “Well, he was up there last summer.” Gertie yawned. “Trees were all a-whisper over it.”

  “So, not gold. Or not gold exactly.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “He’s looking for the mint.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I think, too.”

  “You still got them dies?”

  Gertie patted one of her deep pockets. “Right here.”

  “Good.” Tanyth stared into the fire for a few more moments before she realized the sun’s light was brighter than the flames. Gertie’s snores were blending with Arnold’s. She tossed another stick on the fire and stretched out, resting her head on her pack.

  Gertie’s low voice woke her. “Tanyth. Time to go.”

  Tanyth felt a groan in her chest but stifled it. She blinked across the fire pit to where Arnold–wasn’t. “Where’d he go?”

  Gertie jerked her head toward the bushes and finished rolling up her bedding. Before she was done, Arnold shambled out of the brush and walked back to their meager camp.

  “Breakin’ camp, Arnold,” Gertie said.

  “All right.” Arnold stepped into the fire pit, stomping the coals down with his big boots and then kicking sand in on top. “Fire’s out,” he said. “Sure you don’t want me to carry a pack?”

  “We’re fine, Arnold. Thank you,” Gertie said. She turned to Tanyth. “Any idea where Marong is now?”

  “He shoulda been movin’ this way about the time we laid down,” she said. “Don’t know what kinda back country hiker he is.”

  “He’s ten miles closer than he was last night, or I’m no judge,” Gertie said. “We need to find Morris and his pal.”

  “Arnold, who stands watch with Morris?” Tanyth asked.

  “Danny. They had the watch last night. Bet they’re sorry they missed all the excitement.”

  Tanyth’s laugh floated on the midmorning air. “Likely he found a bit of his own.”

  “Owl’s no good this late in the day,” Gertie said. “You got any thing else?”

  Tanyth closed her eyes and pressed outward. After a few moments she shook her head and opened her eyes. “Nothing.”

  A crow cawed three times from the top of a straggly oak across the creek.

  Gertie looked at Tanyth and back at the bird in the tree top.

  Tanyth sighed and focused on the bird.

  Food would be good. Hungry time. She fluffed her feathers and launched from the tree. People walked in the wood. People had food. Sometimes they killed food and left it. She wheeled around the people nearby but they didn’t have food. They didn’t even smell of food.

  She lifted above the treetops and sailed over the canopy. Two people stumbled along. One looked like he might be food soon. She circled and cawed a couple of times but they didn’t look up. She kept moving. Food was nearby. It must be.

  Movement in the forest drew her attention and she dropped into the forest to fly between the trees. It was not good to be seen. She soon found the line of men walking through the forest. Two
men in the front with long shining things, two men behind with the curved sticks. She ducked behind a tree and flew up out of the canopy. Men with curved stucks were a danger. She needed to find food someplace else.

  Tanyth opened her eyes to find Arnold staring at her. “I’m all right,” she said.

  “Morris?”

  “He and Danny are that way.” She pointed in the direction that the crow had spotted them. “It’s either them or two others who smartened up and left.”

  “Morris and Danny are out here?” Arnold asked, his face alive with excitement. “Will the man we’re goin’ to meet want to meet them, too?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m sure of it,” Tanyth said. She squinted, trying to remember the bearings as she scanned the trees. “Marong is that way. Maybe twenty miles. He’s got armed troopers, and they’re movin’ fast.”

  “He’ll be at the bay by tonight,” Gertie said.

  “Yeah. That’s what I think, too.”

  “Just in time to meet Malloy,” Gertie said.

  Tanyth turned to Arnold. “Let’s go, Arnold. We got people to meet.” She led the way between the trees, the other two following close behind.

  Chapter Thirty-eight:

  Hunters And Hunted

  They heard the two men thrashing through the forest long before they saw them. “I’ve heard whole herds of elk make less noise than that,” Gertie said.

  “You got mice out?” Tanyth asked.

  “A few. Don’t seem to be anybody else around.”

  “What in the Lady’s name are they runnin’ from?” Tanyth asked.

  “Hunters,” Arnold said.

  “Hunters? Who’d shoot them?” Gertie asked. “Not like they’re gonna be mistaken for game.”

  “Not hunter hunters. The boss’s hunters.”

  Gertie and Tanyth skidded to a stop in the leaves. “The boss’s hunters?”

  “Sure. How else would he keep people from ex-capin’. If’n you run, the hunters’ll track you down and take ya back.” His mouth tightened in a thin line. “Getting taken back is real bad.”