Richard Tuttle - Web of Deceit

“Well they are on horses,” Mistake pointed out. “We will never catch up to them, so why worry about it?”

“Because they will not find Rejji up there,” Bakhai continued. “Sooner or later, they will turn around and come back down here. That is when we will run into them.”

“We can’t really stay here either,” Rejji interjected. “In fact, it doesn’t matter much which way we go. They can cover much more ground than we can in a day. If they are determined to find us, I don’t see how we can escape.”

“And the next time they come in the night, we may not hear them like last time,” added Bakhai.

“I wish we had some wire,” Rejji murmured.

“Why wire?” questioned Bakhai.

Rejji explained the trick he had learned from Gunta about rigging a trap for people sneaking into a camp at night.

“So that is what Sebastian had been doing,” surmised Mistake. “Very clever. If I had tried making a run for it, I would have fallen flat on my face.”

“And he would have been there to pick you up,” nodded Rejji.

“Speaking of intruders,” Bakhai said softly, “someone is coming.”

Mistake dashed behind a tree in a blur, as Bakhai silently backpedaled behind another. Rejji stood and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword as the single rider approached.

“Ah, Rejji,” grinned Brakas, “I was hoping it might be you. Where did your friends go? And your horse?”

“Welcome, Brakas,” greeted Rejji. “I am glad it is you approaching and not the Jiadin.”

Bakhai emerged from hiding and took Rejji’s position at the campfire. “I will try not to burn too much of this bird,” he said.

“That is your dinner?” frowned Brakas as he dismounted. “I have food I can share.”

“We were attacked several nights ago by Jiadin,” Rejji stated. “We lost our horses and gold. We are grateful for any provisions you can spare.”

“Attacked by the Jiadin?” queried Brakas. “Is the girl…”

“No,” said Mistake as she stepped out from behind the tree. “I didn’t die. They did.”

“Impressive,” nodded Brakas. “The Jiadin are known as fierce warriors. Perhaps they were new recruits.”

“We were lucky,” interjected Rejji. “One of the red scarves had gold trim on it. Do you know what that means?”

Brakas’ eyes widened as he handed a sack to Bakhai. “There are only two people who can wear that scarf,” he frowned. “Grulak, the leader, and his son, Diakles, both wear one.”

“This man was not old enough to be Grulak,” declared Rejji. “He was close to my age.”

“Then you have killed Diakles,” Brakas surmised. “That will not sit well with the Jiadin. They will hunt you down and kill you. Hopefully, they won’t know who did it though.”

“One of them escaped,” frowned Mistake. “Now there is a Jiadin army searching the area.”

“Do you have a spare pair of gloves that I might have?” Rejji asked. “I lost mine a long time ago.”

“I do,” Brakas said as he rummaged through another sack. “Letting one of them get away was a big mistake on your part. Now they will have a description of you. Perhaps you should split up. That would make it harder to identify you as a group.”

“We stay together,” Rejji said as he took the pair of gloves handed to him by Brakas. “Maybe if you travel with us, it will solve the problem though. You know how the tribes think and can help us hide.”

“Certainly, I will help,” offered Brakas. “Which direction are we heading?”

“We need to get to the Bone Mountains,” responded Rejji as he cut the fingertips off of the gloves and tried them on. “We have heard that is where the Sage can be found.”

“That is quite a ways northeast of here,” Brakas replied. “It should not be an arduous journey though, although having horses would make the trip easier.”

“There is a large Jiadin army north of here,” said Rejji. “They are searching for a demon. Have you heard any stories about demons?”

“Bah,” frowned Brakas. “I believe they are searching for the free tribes. They have probably spread the story about the demon to make the locals drop their guard.”

“Perhaps,” interjected Mistake, “but they described the demon as looking like Rejji, right down to the crescent on his palm.”

“So that is why you wanted the gloves,” nodded Brakas. “I remember seeing that mark the day you met Wyant. It is unusual, but I certainly don’t think it makes you a demon. Maybe the army is searching for the killer of Diakles after all. This is not good.”

“What will the army do when they find out that Rejji has not gone north?” asked Bakhai.

“They will turn around and come back,” answered Brakas. “If it is more than a couple of dozen men, they will split into groups and start spreading out from the last place you were seen. Who has seen you since the death of Diakles?”

“A large village southwest of here,” responded Rejji. “The army has hundreds of men and not dozens. How far will they search?”

“Hundreds?” echoed Brakas. “I don’t know what to tell you. You are not far enough from the village to escape detection from their hunt. You can’t go north, and south or west will lead you back towards the village. I think you need to split up.”

“What about east?” queried Mistake. “That would take us away from the army and the village.”

“No, lass,” Brakas shook his head. “East is the jungle. That is the last place you want to go. Nobody enters the Qubari Jungle and emerges alive again.”

“What choice do we have?” questioned Bakhai. “Will the Jiadin follow us into the jungle?”

“Of course not,” scowled Brakas. “Why would anyone follow you to your death? If that is the plan you choose, I will not go with you. I will do whatever I can to help you, but entering the jungle is not an option for me.”

“But we could just enter the jungle a little bit,” offered Bakhai. “Then we could wait until they tire of the chase and go home.”

“They won’t tire,” advised Brakas. “They will camp at the edge of the jungle and wait for you to come out. You might as well give yourselves up to the Jiadin than enter the jungle. Either way is sure death, but I think the Jiadin would be less painful.”

“We are not giving in to the Jiadin,” declared Mistake. “Never. We are going to the Bone Mountains and if the Jiadin want to sit at the edge of the jungle while we proceed northeast, then that is what they can do. It will keep them out of our way.”

“I have no right to involve the three of you in my troubles,” said Rejji. “You should join together and head far away from me. I do not want to be responsible for your deaths.”

“Maybe that is not such a bad idea,” offered Brakas. “If the two of you go your own way, I can take Rejji double on my horse and try to outrun the Jiadin. We could travel much quicker and you two can go to the Bone Mountains unmolested. The Jiadin don’t want you for anything.”

Mistake opened her mouth to speak and Rejji held his hand up. “Let us eat without quarreling,” he said. “It will give us each time to think about our options.”

The meal was eaten in silence and when it was over, the silence remained. Mistake eventually rose and walked off into the woods. Rejji moved away from the campfire and stretched out and Bakhai disappeared into the woods. Brakas started to engage Rejji in conversation, but Rejji shook his head and closed his eyes. Brakas sat quietly at the campfire as it burned itself out. When Mistake returned and quietly went to sleep, Brakas also chose a spot to sleep and closed his eyes.

The first rays of the sun were lighting the sky when Bakhai walked into the camp and woke everyone. “It is time to move,” he announced.