Pathfinder's Way(15)

Studying the twisting lines and sloping curves of a map normally calmed  her, giving her a brief taste of the freedom and empowerment she  experienced when testing herself against nature. Tonight, she found her  thoughts straying to other things.         

     



 

It'd been a long time since someone had her back. Since well before  she'd been assigned to Birdon Leaf. It was nice to have someone stand up  for her. She was reluctant to dwell further on this feeling especially  while the worry over what Goodwin of Ria was hiding from them lingered.

Sleep was a long time coming that night. When she finally drifted off,  she did so to the image of whiskey-colored eyes and the rumble of a  man's voice.





Chapter Five





Damn horse didn't want to cooperate.

Shea tightened the saddle's strap one last time and bit out a curse when  the dratted beast side stepped. This was why she hated beasts of  burden.

Her feet could carry her anywhere she needed to go without the added  frustration of dealing with such a contrary animal. She had enough of  those to deal with as it was.

It took a bit of pleading, cursing, and finally bribery in the form of  the apple intended for her midmorning snack, but eventually she had the  saddle on correctly and her pack tied in place. She tightened the pack's  strap one last time for good measure.

Keeping her head still, she let her eyes wander around the small  courtyard they were using as a staging area to prepare for their  journey.

Dane and Witt had left at the earliest possible hour for their negotiations, leaving Shea in charge of packing.

She placed orders for the supplies days ago, in the hope that they'd be  leaving soon. Despite her early preparation, she had difficulty prying  those items from the merchants' storehouses.

In fact, it took her most of the morning. Now, at midmorning, they were finally ready to leave. If the townspeople let them.

Given the men watching Shea's group with thinly veiled anger, she had her doubts that their departure would be an easy one.

In these types of towns gossip spread like wildfire. News of their  imminent departure had made the rounds, and a crowd began forming even  before they asked for their horses.

Shea wasn't the only one uneasy at the attention. Burke and Sid eyed the  watching crowd, noting the dangerous undercurrent and grim faces.

A flutter in her peripheral vision had her looking up. Great. People watched from the windows too.

Several men had their arms crossed over their chests. One spit on the ground and walked off shaking his head.

"You ever seen anything like this before?" Burke asked, coming to stand beside her where she was cinching Dane's saddle.

Shea glanced back at the townspeople. "Once."

When it was clear she wasn't going to say anything else, Burke stepped  forward to rest a hand on the horse's neck while she bent to check its  hooves.

"What happened?"

"Ambush. Killed three of our party."

"No shit?"

"I was just an apprentice then, but when a town gets this interested in  your business, it's never good." She paused in her ministrations and  gave him a long look. "James and Cam would probably tell you the same  thing."

He held her gaze for a long moment before walking off without a word.  Shea watched him go before turning sharply back to the horse. Her  movements were rough as she ran her hand along the saddle for a last  check. When the horse tossed its head to avoid the bit, she nearly threw  it at the beast. Taking a deep breath, she hid her face against the  saddle.

They should have left last night. She should have MADE them leave.

Clearing her throat, she lifted her head and made sure her hands were  gentle as she got the horse to take the bit and brought the reins over  its head. Next, she moved to Witt's horse. Normally, she made the men do  their own preparations, but she wanted to put this town behind her as  soon as possible.

She was almost finished saddling the last horse when Dane and Witt  strode into the courtyard with the elders right on their heels.

Damn. She could already tell from the set expressions on both Witt and Dane's faces that the talks had been pointless.

Seeing her standing beside three saddled horses, the elders' faces  soured. The hawk nosed one sneered before turning and hissing something  at their head elder.

A thread of strain in his voice, the white haired man said, "Please.  Rethink this. You've come all this way. You shouldn't go home empty  handed."

"Yes," the middle aged, black haired man said, his voice amiable and  placating as he stepped in front of Dane. "What will your elders think?  At this rate, you'll have wasted months of your time with no agreement  to show for it."

Witt strode past the cluster and right to Shea, grabbing the reins. He spared a brief glance at the mob that watched.

"You were right," he said softly.

She didn't respond and watched as Dane threw up his hands before shoving through the three to stalk towards Shea.         

     



 

A horn sounded before he reached them, blaring out in three sharp blows.

There was a breathless pause. Then with a rush of air sound returned.

"They're here. The Hawkvale is here."

The square exploded with movement as it emptied, leaving only Shea's men  and the elders standing there. Burke and the others looked around in  bewilderment at suddenly finding themselves alone.

Shea noted the look of gloating satisfaction on Paul's face before her  attention was pulled to where the elders arranged themselves in a line  facing the gate.

She got the kind of feeling she sometimes got when life was about to  kick her in the teeth. The kind where all the rules got thrown out, and  her world was set on its head.

She'd had that feeling only twice before. Both times had been devastating.

"We need to leave." Shea threw the reins at Dane and headed for her horse. "Now."

"I won't argue with that."

Warriors clad in leather armor over silk undershirts thundered through  the gate, led by a commanding figure with broad cheekbones and smiling  eyes. He pulled his horse to a stop in front of the elders, barely  sparing them a glance as they sank into deep bows. He frowned at the  buildings surrounding the courtyard. None were taller than two story but  all were well made with solid craftsmanship.

The man pulled on the reins, wheeling his horse around and nearly  hitting the hawk nosed elder with the beast's rear. He rode up to a dark  haired man with a scar on his neck, whose undershirt was a vibrant  blue.

"Looks like you won that bet." He gestured at the buildings. "Not nearly  as backwards as the last. It could almost be called civilized."

"When will you learn, Darius?" His friend caught the coin flipped at him  before shooting a distasteful look around the square. "It never pays to  bet against me. You'll always lose."

Shea's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

Of all the misbegotten things that reside in the mist.

It was the man from the canyon. The one Fallon had unhorsed to pursue  her. She ducked behind her horse, using it to shield her from view. This  wasn't good.

It was in fact, very, very bad.

Why hadn't she made everybody leave last night?

When they refused to listen to her, she should have left and told them she'd meet them on the road.

Noticing her antics, Witt shot a frown at her. She widened her eyes and nodded at Darius. He shook his head, not understanding.

She bit back a growl and peeked over her horse. The elders had  straightened from their bow and the middle-aged man from yesterday  stepped forward to address the warriors.

Before he could do more than offer refreshments, Darius waved him away.  "I didn't come here to drink tea and talk about dirt, Lowlander. Your  tithes are due. Give us what you owe or go the way of Edgecomb."

"Of course, my lord." The elder's lips twisted into a facsimile of a  smile but was more of a grimace. "The townspeople are bringing the wheat  out now."

"And the men?" Darius's companion asked sharply. "Don't try to pawn off weaklings and half-wits like last time."

The men at Darius' back shifted menacingly forward. A horse, picking up  its rider's mood, pawed angrily at the ground and snorted loudly.

Shea's mare shifted uneasily. Shea patted her and whispered  encouragement. The animal just needed to stay still until Darius left.

"Of course not, my lord." The elder licked his lips nervously before  gesturing with shaking hands at Shea's group. "In fact, that's them.  You're welcome to take a look if you wish."

"Might as well," Darius drawled, kicking his horse into motion.

"What?" Paul squawked. Up until now, he hadn't paid much attention as he  and Sid whispered amongst themselves. It finally dawned on him that  these weren't good guys, and they were in a bit of danger. "What is  this?" he shouted at the elder.

"Quiet, Paul," Dane hissed, watching Darius's approach warily.

Darius pulled his horse to a stop in front of Dane, looking down with assessing eyes. "So you're the tribute this time."