Ru Emerson - Keep on the Borderlands

Mead shook his head. “The cat was real, and so is the spell.”

“Well, never mind,” Jerdren said finally. Another of theirguards brought over two heavy leather purses that clinked when he handed them over. Jerdren poured the contents into his hand and grinned.

“There’s something like-seventeen gold pieces and two redstones in all.” He slid the whole into one bag, tossed the other aside, andsnugged down the ties. “I’ll hold this, but we’ll share equally.”

Eddis stowed her arrows and knelt to roll up her blankets as two of the Keep men went to deal with the body of the man the cat had killed. In the end, there wasn’t much they could do but cover him with fallen oak leavesand take his spear and daggers.

“Look, Jerdren,” Eddis started, “I see no point in stayinghere until daylight. Especially after what Mead’s told us. I say we break campnow and move south again.”

“What if there’s more orcs out there?” he asked.

“We fight them, what else?”

“I agree with Eddis,” Blorys said, one hand coming down hardon his brother’s shoulder. “With a mountain lion prowling around here, you canwager there’s no robbers’ camp. Especially if the cat’s under someone’s control.Don’t look at me like that, Jers. We’ve done what you wanted, which was toeliminate this part of the forest first. No one’s going to get any more sleep,and it’s nearly dawn anyway.”

Jerdren’s lips tightened and his color was high.

“Look, Brother,” Blorys continued. “Eddis is right, and so’sMead. You’re just being stubborn, and this isn’t the time or place for it Youdidn’t know what was going to happen tonight, and no one’s blaming you forpicking this hill for our camp. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s pack up.”

Jerdren turned to Mead. “What chance you’d be aware of thatanimal if it came sneaking up on us?”

The mage shrugged. “I cannot be certain, but the creaturesare territorial. It fled north, so the farther south we go, the less likely it is to follow us.”

“But if it’s under some madman’s control…”

“It is still a territorial animal, and the farther the lionmoves from its master, the weaker the spell becomes, until it loses its power entirely.”

“Oh.” Jerdren scratched his head. “Didn’t think of that.”

“So, we should go now, and with lights,” Mead went on.“Because Willow and I can see well enough to avoid trees and pitfalls, but youcannot. I have a spell that should turn aside any small band of orcs or robbers, if we stay close together.”

Jerdren looked at Eddis inquiringly, his lips still tight. For a moment, she thought he was going to argue again, but he finally shrugged and turned to stuff the orc’s purse in his pack.

“We’ll do it then.”

“Thanks,” she replied. “M’Baddah, you and M’Whan keep watch,and the rest of you pack up. Leave those orcs where they are and break out a couple of lanterns. You men, we’ll need the light. Move it!” She cast a sourglance at Jerdren’s back. Stubborn, difficult man. She should have known he’d belike this. Just now she was sorely tempted to thump him one. She turned away and caught Blorys’ rueful smile. Poor Blor, how did he manage?

M’Baddah had finished sorting his arrows and slung thered-and-black-painted case over his shoulder. Eddis left her bow strung as well, hooking it onto her quiver and freeing up her short sword. Their cook poured sand around the edges of the burning wood, leaving only one thick branch aflame for light. All around, men worked quickly, gathering up their belongings and settling their packs.

It was still very dark out, and the trees seemed to loom over them. Eddis’ hands were trembling once more, making it hard to get her lanternlit.

I’d forgotten how much I dislike woods at night, she thought.Sensible people don’t belong out here. I’ll fight just about anything that comesat me, but it helps if I can see it coming!

Lantern in one hand, sword in the other, she drew a deep breath and tried to relax. Too much had happened in too short a span. Still, she’d made a fool of herself just now, snapping at Jerdren. Good leaders weren’tsupposed to act that way, and these Keep men didn’t know either her or Jers well. No doubt they’d both lost face.

They moved out moments later. It was slow going at first, even with the lanterns and the elves’ keen eyes to lead them around trees andsnags. Near the base of the hill, they came across a game trail heading roughly southeast. Jerdren wanted to follow it, but Eddis was firmly against using it, and both Blorys and M’Baddah backed her up.

“If deer use it,” Eddis said flatly, “so do the things thathunt them.”

They went on through the woods, but she could hear her co-captain grumbling to himself for some time after.

The moon rose just as they came back into the area of reasonably flat ground and wide-spaced trees. Willow set a better pace here, and before long, the moon rose. Eddis could tell by the shadows that they were heading east and a little south.

Mead once asked a for brief halt so he and Willow could check their back-trail.

“There is no hint of anything or anyone following us,” themage said as he came back. “And there is no one anywhere near us just now.”

“Good,” Jerdren said. “Then, if no one objects, we’ll find aclearing and set up camp for what’s left of the night.”

No one objected.

Eddis bit back a sharp retort. “I agree. Let’s go.”Fortunately for her temper, they found a decent clearing a very short distance on. She took first watch, and by the time she’d made a full circuit of the camp,Jerdren was rolled in his blanket and presumably asleep.

Morning came cool and cloudy, with a stiff breeze that blewsmoke and ash everywhere. Eddis woke to the smell of burned porridge and the sounds of men moving quietly about. Nearby, M’Baddah and his son were talkingquietly. She yawned, stretched and sat up, shoving loose hair out of her eyes and behind her ears.

“There’s Eddis!” Jerdren’s cheerful voice smote her ears.“Pleasant dreams last night? No lions?”

She gave him a cold look from under her lashes, finally shook her head. “What about your watch?”

“Dead quiet the whole time,” he replied. “Mead didn’t sleepat all, and he said the brute wasn’t anywhere about.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Eddis said. She took porridgeand a mug of hot tea from the cook as her co-captain moved on. Thanks to the wind, the honey-sweetened porridge was covered with fine ash. She shrugged, stirred it in, and began to eat.

“We need to talk, you and I,” Jerdren was back, map in hand.“Not while you’re eating. I know.”

“Thank you.”

“I think we need to move out as soon as we can, Eddis. Maybeeven cross the road and keep going south, since it doesn’t seem that-”

“We need to talk,” Eddis said levelly, “but not while I’meating. Not unless there’s an emergency. Finding that camp of robbers isimportant but not an emergency.”

“But, I-”

“You’re still talking. Go away, Jerdren,” she said and bentover her bowl.

Silence. The man sighed and went away. M’Baddah came over tosit next to her. She gave him a smile and went back to her breakfast. M’Whan andone of the guards came in with an armful of dry branches and went out for more. Eddis finished her food while it was still warm and sat, eyes closed. She could hear branches snapping off to her left and M’Whan’s low voice, then the Keepman’s response. They were too far away for her to hear what they said. Somewherecloser, she could hear Blorys talking to Jerdren. He sounded rather exasperated.

“Jers, relax, can’t you? The last watch needs to eat still,and we need the fire because that mush won’t be edible if it isn’t kept hot, youknow that. We can’t break camp yet, anyway. Mead needs a little quiet time todevote to his spellbook, remember? So there’s no use you prodding Eddis thisearly.”