Ru Emerson - Keep on the Borderlands

Mead leaned against a tree a short ways off, his heavy leather-bound spell book open, his lips moving silently now and again. Memorizing the spells he thinks he might need for the day, Jerdren told himself. Let’s hope that if we do have need, he’s made the right choices.

Blor and one of the Keep men were keeping watch, the others eating or checking their weapons. M’Baddah was rubbing salve into the arm oftheir most seriously wounded man, and Jerdren was glad to see the man’s colorwas good this morning. We can’t afford to start losing men before we ever findthat camp, he thought. First day out, and one already gone.

Their cook came over and handed him a cold meat pie-thetaverner’s wife’s gift to the company, but they wouldn’t stay fresh for long.Jerdren took his with a smile of thanks and ate it quickly.

Eddis pulled one from her own pack and bit into it. No onions, Jerdren knew. Though how anyone could live without onions, let alone those crispy, toasted brown bits…

None of his business, he reminded himself as he sucked gravy from his fingers, washed that down with flat ale and a swallow of water, then pulled a tart, crisp apple from his own bag of provisions. He finished that as Eddis, M’Baddah and Blorys came over to join him for a look at the map, and aquick conference.

Jerdren unfolded the heavily detailed parchment. “Now, we’reabout-here, right?” He indicated a point well into thick woods. The East Roadhad taken a bend south and was at the farthest point from them.

Eddis shook her head. “There are four streams shown betweenthe Keep and that point. We crossed one dry bed and stopped the night at this one. Makes two, Jers.”

“Dry being the proper word,” Jerdren replied evenly. Hewasn’t used to having his skill with maps questioned. “We could’ve crossed dry,flat beds without knowing it, in the dark.”

“M’Baddah would have known,” Eddis countered. “I would have.”She indicated a point halfway between the Keep and his finger. “I’d say we’renearer here.”

“It is easy to settle,” M’Baddah put in smoothly as the twoco-captains eyed each other narrowly. “Ask one of your hunters. If he isn’tcertain, we can always send someone up a tall tree. If you are correct, Eddis, the road will be visible. If not…”

“I don’t believe it matters,” Jerdren said as the outlanderhesitated. “But by all means, if we’ve someone good at trees.”

“No point in risking a broken leg this early on,” Eddisreplied mildly. The tension between the two was gone. “We came straight eastlast night. We’re going north today, aren’t we?”

“Toward that hilltop,” Jerdren agreed, his finger moving totap at the indicated height.

“At worst, we’ll need to angle a little east or west to makeit. Though I’m still not sure why we want that hill. Map shows it covered in oldforest, Jers. What d’you think we’ll see from there?”

“Well, we probably won’t see much,” Jerdren said as he shovedstones aside and re-rolled his map, folded it twice, and stuffed it into his pack. “Thing is, we should be able to hear things. I grew up in hilly,wooded country, and sound carries in hilly, forested land. If there is a camp over a day’s worth from the Keep, I doubt the men who’ve set it up willbother to be quiet, especially if they don’t know we’re out here. If they’rewithin an hour or so of that hilltop, we should hear them. If the lines on this map are correct, or close to it, for how the land rises and falls-well, we canvery likely tell where the sound is coming from.”

Eddis gave him a cold look and got to her feet. “I didn’t askfor a lecture, Jerdren, and I’m not a dim-witted child. Next time just tell me.”She strode off and knelt to stuff her loose belongings into her pack.

“She’s right, Brother,” Blorys said finally. “She’s not achild or a fool. Don’t treat her like one.”

M’Baddah had already quietly moved away.

Jerdren watched his brother go and cast up his eyes. Here I thought fighting a camp of robbers was going to be the hard part. He made sure the map was tucked firmly into his pack, got up and stretched hard, fingers digging at the small of his back.

They moved on soon after, angling north and a little east through ancient trees. There was little undergrowth here, and only an occasional ray of sun came all the way down to touch the needle-cushioned ground. More light reached them at midday, when they took a break, sharing around a skin of wine and one of water while their provisioner and cook handed out flat bread, cheese, spicy, jerked venison, and dried apple slices. The rest of the day was as quiet as the first half, and they made the top of the hill just before sundown.

The trees were an odd mix, here. Massive oaks with thick branches set far apart, as if the hill had once been a nobleman’s park. In andaround these, scrub oaks, fir and other trees twice as tall as the tallest of them, and thin. Spine-brush and other weedy undergrowth was everywhere.

There had been no water all afternoon. No pools, not even a dry stream bed, and as the ground rose, the dirt grew harder underfoot. Mead, who was still in the middle of the company, glanced at Jerdren once or twice and finally dropped back to join him.

“There is something wrong here,” the elf said quietly.

“Wrong?” Jerdren stopped, sent his gaze around the woods,tested the air with his nose, then simply closed his eyes and felt. No unusual sound, but no lack of sound, either. He could hear birds high in the branches, small creatures rustling through the lower brush. Nothing that would have warned the boy Jers to back away and run for it. He finally opened his eyes and shook his head.

“Excuse me please, but I’ve never before worked with a magi-amage. Or an elf. Perhaps we’re not using wrong in the same way. I’m athome in a hilly wood, and there’s nothing here to make me wary. You?”

Mead was standing very still, head cocked. He shook his head. “I am not certain what it is. My spell revealed nothing. Just-if we stay in thisarea for the night…”

Jers considered this, then shrugged and started walking again. The rest of the company was a ways ahead, and Eddis glanced back. He waved her on.

“We should have about one more hour of walking, mostlyuphill. Once we’re there, we’ll talk again, Mead. If there’s danger about, we’dbe fools to camp in the midst of it.”

The mage merely nodded.

They reached the brow of the hill well before sunset. There was little brush here, but the trees were closer together and smaller. Most of the Keep men were already sitting as Jerdren came up, rummaging through their packs for water and dry wafers, while others gathered firewood. M’Baddah and hisson were keeping watch. Blorys knelt to cut a hole in the springy grass for the fire. Eddis just dropped her pack and was waiting as her co-captain joined them.

“Nothing much to see here, Jers, and all I’ve heard so far isthe noise we’re making. Which isn’t much.”

“It’s enough,” he said and bit back irritation that was atleast half caused by tired legs and feet. “We’ll listen once everyone’s settledin. But you and I had better listen to Mead, first.” He repeated the earlierconversation.

Eddis frowned at her fingers, then looked around for the mage.

The elf had moved away from the rest of the party and now stood with his hands against the bole of a massive oak, eyes closed, fingers exploring the rough bark. Willow eyed his half-brother anxiously, then came over to join Eddis and Jerdren.

“He said he told you, Jerdren. He still can’t be specificabout the threat, just that there’s something. He’s concerned enough that hewon’t be sleeping tonight.”