Ru Emerson - Keep on the Borderlands

“I’m not arguing with you,” Eddis said.

One of the spearmen looked up from his pack. “I’m rememberingsomething,” he said. “About two years ago, there was a company of men rode infrom the east, early in the year. They told us they’d had one fight afteranother-orcs and all manner of other creatures-some distance from the Keep,where the road runs through heavy woods, down in a long, deep ravine. They broke free, finally, but half their number were dead, and most of their pack horses were gone, too.”

“That long ravine is at least another day’s ride from here,”another said. “Up where the caves are, or so it’s said.”

“Caves?” Jerdren sat up straight and suddenly looked veryinterested. Blorys sighed quietly.

The Keep man shrugged. “Back when Macsen was still lord ofthe Keep, men went farther from the walls, and all this around here was peaceful. None of us here have ever seen the caves. There’s always been stories,though, about a great run of caverns where monsters of every kind live.”

“Oh.” Jerdren waved that aside. “No robbers there, then.That’s too far a distance for the men we’re seeking, anyway.” He came partway tohis feet and looked around. “We just about ready to move on?”

“Nearly,” M’Baddah said. He was rubbing salve into anarmsman’s cut fingers, while Mead tended to the man with the aching head.

“Good.” Jerdren broke out his map. “Anyone got an idea wherewe are? I mean, we re obviously somewhere in this area.” He pointed at a placewell within the woods, where they came down close to the road.

“More like here,” one of the archers said. He indicated aplace farther south. “We don’t come this far to hunt, not often, but seems to meI’ve been here, time we came down the road last year. If I’m right, the river’llbe right close to the road when we do come into the open, and there’s the swampsjust on the other side.”

Blorys came around to look over his brother’s shoulder. “Youknow,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about the other side of the river-not whereit’s swampy, but back west. Here, where the water divides, those are islands,right? This time of year, will the river be low enough to cross?”

The archer nodded. “This time of year, water’s almost warm,and it’s low enough to ford, plenty of places. We haven’t looked that far eastof the Keep, partly for the distance, partly because they’d see us coming downfrom the Keep road and have all the time they’d ever want to set an ambush.”

“Yes,” Blorys replied, “but this time, they don’t know we’reout here.”

“Unless they’ve heard all the fighting,” Eddis said dryly.

“True. Even if they did, there’s no reason they’d suspect whowe are or why we’re here. It just seems that this area is fairly close to theKeep, near enough to make it easy for men to see what’s on the road and go afterit, but still far enough away that men could bring their horses down to the river to water them and not be seen. Especially if they come down at dusk.” Heran a thoughtful finger along the river. “Since they know the Keep isn’t sendingmen to look for them, then I’d wager they aren’t changing their camp very often.If at all.”

Eddis nodded. “Makes enough sense to test your idea, Blorys.You think we should-what? Pick a couple good trackers and hunters, send themacross the river to check the banks for prints, and see which way they go?”

“Exactly. Even if the tracks fade out on hard ground orstone, we’ll know where to start. If I’m right, there should be plenty of signsof their passage.”

“Besides, it’s about the best choice left,” Eddis said. “Wehaven’t found anything to show they’re north of the road. The other side of theriver seems the next best chance for finding them, I’d say.”

She looked around the fire. Everyone seemed ready to move on, and their provisioner was ready to douse the fire.

“Like you said, Jers, probably those orcs are still running,but I’d feel pretty stupid if we were still sitting here when they came back. Isay we move out now and move as fast as we can. Once we reach the south edge of the woods, we can look over the land, make certain exactly where we are, and decide what to do.”

Jerdren nodded and rolled up his map. “Good idea. Let’s getgoing.”

Eddis backed away from the fire pit as the cook emptied his pot over the fire.

?At least one of you hunters out front with me,? Jerdren said.?And Willow? You?ve got good ears, I’d like you at the rear. Eddis?”

“Rear with Willow, or flank,” she said.

He grinned cheerfully. “I was just thinking, way you carvedup those two orcs just now, maybe we want you in back, in case they try sneaking up behind us.”

“Funny man,” she retorted and scooped up her pack.

The ground remained fairly level, the woods open. Eddis could see well into the trees on both sides, but steady wind high in the branches made too much noise for her to hear anything else. By the time Jerdren called a halt, she could clearly make out the road, and across it, a bright green line of brush that marked either the river or swampy ground.

Jerdren beckoned her over as two of the Keep men went a little farther on. They were back within moments.

“I was right,” the archer said. “Fens and bogs are ahead,just across the river. That big mound is about dead ahead of us, and the river bends back south again.” Jerdren had his map out, and the man pointed. “Justhere.”

“So the islands are back west along the road,” Jerdren mused.“We’ll stay in the trees, take a short rest there, then find a place to look outwhere they are. We can decide what to do at that point.”

They went on, paralleling the road but still in tree shadow. Afternoon shade soon hid most of the land to the south, deep shadows cast by the hills rising steeply out beyond the river. Jerdren chose a small clearing a little farther back in the woods, and dropped his pack.

“Cold camp tonight,” he said. “If the men we want are up onthat hillside somewhere, a fire might be seen.”

Eddis settled on her heels, back against a tree. “So-wherefrom here? And who’s going?”

“Best plan, I’d say, is you and I, M’Baddah, and a couple ofthe Keep hunters go down to the road, see what we can make out. Go from there.”

She shoved to her feet for answer.

Willow came with them. “There is nothing coming along theroad, in either direction,” the elf said quietly. He couldn’t have been heard atany distance beyond his companions. Wind blew dry brush and dust westward along the road. “I can see no movement south, toward the river, either, but there isplenty of tall brush out there, between us and water.”

Jerdren peered and finally shook his head. “I can’t even seethat. No sign of movement up on the hillside, either, but it’s kind of dark overthere.”

He took a step toward the open, but Willow held him back.

“There is still light on the road. If anyone was watchingover there, you could be seen.”

“Maybe,” Jerdren replied with a shrug. “Still-I don’t seeanything high enough out there where someone could be spying on the Keep.”

“We’re too far east of the Keep for that,” one of the hunterssaid, “but look a little farther west. The slope goes up sharply, and it dropsoff to the west. If I was setting a watch, it would be on the west edge there.”He pointed.

“Then we need to go farther west?” Jerdren asked, butM’Baddah shook his head.

“Even if the watch is up there, I think no one would set acamp up there. Too much trouble to get in and out. Likely the camp itself is in thick woods, fairly close to the water. Soon there will be ice and snow on the heights, and if we are searching for signs of men and horses along the water,”M’Baddah added, “then it makes sense to me that we start here and work our wayback west, toward the Keep.”