Pathfinder's Way(43)

Now she felt doubly bad about being so short with him. It was like  kicking a puppy. You could do it, but man did it make you feel about an  inch high afterwards.

"Craaap," Shea breathed, snapping the book shut and rising.

Seeing the answering grins peeking out of the lather both men now had on  their faces, Shea couldn't resist a bit of payback. "I hope you three  took a piss when you got out of the water."

"Huh?"

"You know there are little fishes that will swim up your pisser and lay  eggs. Only way to get that out is to take a piss right after getting  out. Forces them back out."

Buck shot a wide eyed glance at Eamon, "He's kidding, right?"

Shea hid her grin as she headed after Clark.

"You're kidding, right?" Buck shouted after her.

"Am I? Guess you're about to find out," she shouted back.

"Son of a – "

Shea chortled when both men stopped what they were doing to find the nearest bush.

Sometimes revenge was oh so sweet. It never paid to mess with a pathfinder.





Later that night, Shea picked her way through the forest by the light of  a moon that had already passed its zenith when she slipped away from  camp. Lucky for her it was two thirds full or else it would have been  difficult to navigate without the benefit of a torch, which was off  limits since the whole point of going at night was to avoid notice.

She headed for the pool she had scouted that afternoon above the falls.  Although it was late, that was no guarantee somebody else hadn't decided  on a midnight swim.

This was the best way she knew to minimize the risk of exposure while still reaping the benefits of getting clean.

Soon, she was standing before the softly rushing water. The pool she  found was really just an eddy of the larger stream and was the result of  a small rock outcropping jutting into the water and causing a lazy back  current. The water moved slowly enough that she wasn't in much danger  of being swept downstream and over the waterfall as long as she didn't  step into the middle of the stream.

It was shallower than she'd like. She'd have to kneel and hunch over for  the water to reach her shoulders. Beggars couldn't be choosers though,  and she was happy just for a chance to get clean again.

Being constantly on the move and away from the benefits of civilization  made water a luxury that took a far greater willpower than hers to pass  up.

She carefully checked the area before disrobing and laying her clothes  on the rocks above her bathing area. The night air swept goose bumps up  and down the bare skin of her stomach and legs. She shivered and walked  into the water.

Cold. So cold.

Argh, if only she'd been able to sneak away earlier when the sun had  been up to lend its warmth. She nearly vibrated in place in an effort to  get warm. Not wanting to prolong the experience she fumbled for her  soap. She quickly sluiced water all over before building up a nice  lather and rinsing it away. Her hair, she left alone, not wanting the  gunk keeping her hair dark to wash away.

Not willing to linger longer than she had to, Shea was done washing  within minutes of stepping into the water. Years of hurried baths with  men steps away had given her an ability to be quick about her business.

Voices came from below just as she stepped out and was reaching for the small towel she'd brought.

Her first instinct was to freeze in place. Pressing the towel to her,  she surveyed the night. With the moon up, the scene was a monochromatic  wash of greys and shadows, making it easy to see general forms but not  distinct details.

No shadowy figures waited there in the dark that she could see. They  could be just beyond the tree line, but she doubted it. The voice  sounded like it was coming from below.

Wrapping the towel around her, she crept over the damp rock towards a slight drop off next to the falls and peered down.

A muffled curse escaped, and she flattened herself against the rock face as she ducked back out of site.

Of all the rotten luck.

She dared another glance over the edge.

The scene hadn't changed since her last look. A torch was stuck in one  of the crevasses near the pool, highlighting the surrounding area. That  wasn't what nearly sent her over the small drop.         

     



 

No. The sight of Fallon disrobing did that.

Shea knew she should head back to her clothes and dress. Now that she  had solved the mystery, there was no reason to linger, but she did. Oh,  how she did.

Some irresistible force held her in place as Fallon first discarded his  shirt then his pants, leaving him standing in nothing but the skin he  was born with. And what a fine skin it was.

Sharp ridges defined every muscle in his body. Even the raw white and  red marks from scars crossing his torso did nothing to detract from the  fine specimen of manhood before her.

The male bodies she'd seen that afternoon in no way compared.

Fallon stepped into the pool, the cold not seeming to have the same  effect on him as it had on Shea. He sunk down, dunking his head and then  sluicing the water off his face.

A pleasant voice rang in the air as he sung a bawdry tale about the woes  of a Trateri warrior kidnapping his Lowland wife only to find out that  the "wife" was actually a male with all of the accompanying parts.

Shea snickered at the risqué lyrics. Typical Trateri view of Lowlanders.

Another voice joined Fallon's as he sang the last chorus again. Shea had  been so focused on Fallon that she hadn't even noticed when Caden  stepped onto the rocks bordering the pool.

Shea hugged the ground harder, not wanting to chance being seen. She'd  only ever seen the second man from a distance, but Eamon had told her  enough for her to know that she did not want him to see her spying.

On that note, it was really past time she leave.

Shea scooted back from the edge, careful not to make any noise that  would alert the two below. She made her way back to her clothes and  dressed quickly.

As she found her way back, being careful to avoid the path that Caden or  Fallon would travel, she couldn't help the small piece of her that  wondered what would have been her fate had she remained tied to that  post.





"So, what exactly is the punishment when a town refuses to pay a tithe?"  Shea asked as Fallon's troops rode towards the small string of huts  that was the village proper.

It was a hovel, not like Goodwin of Ria or even Birdon Leaf. This place  was cobbled together with mud and spit. Not necessarily the worst  village she'd ever seen, but she didn't understand why anybody would  want to lay claim to it, not even the Trateri. These people had little  to nothing, and none to spare for tithes.

Eamon's face was grim as they rode at the rear of the party.

"Buck?" she asked when Eamon didn't answer.

Buck looked slightly subdued as he answered. "Not good things."

Well she'd kind of figured that part out for herself. They were in a war party after all.

"Yeah, I got that. What does that mean?"

Buck shook his head and looked away, refusing to meet her eyes.

She looked back at Eamon.

He finally spoke. "The severity of the action will depend on what they say to Fallon."

So something would happen regardless, but nobody was willing to tell her what that something was.

She closed her eyes and bent her head. No, she didn't have a good feeling about this at all.

"Shane, whatever happens, just stay beside me or Buck and keep your  mouth shut. You can't stop whatever's coming so don't even try. You'll  just get yourself in trouble."

Eamon waited until she met his eyes before dealing a worse blow, "Our  necks would be on the line too. So keep it together, yeah?"

She nodded. That bad feeling was turning into a ball of granite in her stomach.

Before she could ask any further questions, they were riding into the  little hamlet. She guided her horse after Eamon's as he rode to the  left. When they stopped, their horses surrounded all of the people in  the village who had been pulled from their homes and then ushered into  the village center. There couldn't have been more than thirty of them.

Fallon rode forward, much like Darius had during her first encounter  with the Trateri. The villagers drew in on themselves, their small  circle constricting until no space existed between their bodies.

The fear on their faces was chilling.

Shea couldn't help but feel that whatever happened next could be laid  partially at her feet. The Trateri wouldn't have made it this far  without her interference.

Her mentor from her apprenticeship would say that a pathfinder wasn't  responsible for anything that happened after their party reached its  destination. Standing here, feeling that cloying terror on the air,  seeing the way the villagers clutched at each other for false security,  she was no longer sure how much stock she put in his words.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Fallon's deep voice thundered in the air. Although loud, it didn't sound as if he was shouting.         

     



 

He wheeled his horse and cantered in the opposite direction.

No response greeted him.

"Ah, I see. Then let me educate you. I wouldn't want you entering the afterlife without knowing what sent you there."