by Jeff Gunzel
She looked him right in the eye for the first time with a burning stare. Then, tightlipped, she nodded her head in agreement.
He started walking towards her bag, but he stopped halfway and looked back at her. “I didn’t say thank you for what you did last night.”
The heat in her eyes faded for a second before the scowl returned, almost as if she were afraid to show weakness. “It was my job,” she said in barely a whisper, more to herself than to him.
Eric retrieved the small bag of supplies. He started to lift the side of her shirt to check the worst cut.
She angrily jerked away from him. “I’ll do it,” she said in an irritated voice. “I’m just going to touch it up now. The least you can do is stay out of the way.”
Eric just set the bag down beside her and walked back by the fire. He began busying himself by taking his time kicking dirt on it. They were going to leave soon; at least it felt like he was doing something useful.
As he half-heartedly went through the motions, his mind wandered to thoughts of Aena. He’d never really thought of himself as gullible until now. Was he really that easily tricked? She had been leading him around by the nose like a bloody fool! And this other girl...Jade. She had come just in the nick of time to save his life. But what was she talking about? His training? He had just found out his father was not really his father, but for some reason this girl already knew that. Someone he had never met before knew more about his life than he did! When she realized all this information was new to him, she became angry, as if he’d been supposed to know the whole time.
In fact, now that his head was clear, he could remember last night even better. He remembered the battle in surprising detail. Those two girls were good, possibly the best he had ever seen, and somehow he was directly involved in that conflict. One wanted to capture him for some dark something or other, while the other one had risked her life to protect him. This much he knew. How could he possibly be that important? These two must have trained most of their lives to achieve such dazzling skill, and he was somehow the focus of their training? Eric just couldn’t accept that. It made no sense.
That reminded him of yet another painful reality. All those lives lost back in Bryer... Could that attack really have been over him? If he really believed that, he would have gladly offered himself to those things in the place of the hundreds of lives stolen. By the gods, did Jacob get out alive? Did anyone? Is this really my fault? So many questions...
“All right, farm boy, let’s go,” Jade said as she gingerly got to her feet. “I don’t know if they are going to send anyone looking for her or not,” she gestured in the direction of Aena’s body, “but we need to put some miles between us and her,” she finished, once again not looking at Eric, only picking up the last of her items and placing them in saddlebags. Then suddenly she whirled to face him.
He jumped a little at the aggressive movement.
Her blue eyes sparkled with the reflection of the sun. “I know you have questions. I’m sorry I got mad earlier. It’s just that—” Her eyes went to the ground, filled with pain and regret. “My life was given to this purpose. I have been preparing for this for as long as I can remember, and in the grand scheme of things, my life means nothing compared to yours. Yet you’ve given up nothing! No sacrifices of any sort, as best as I can tell. Part of what kept me going was knowing no matter how hard I worked—no matter how much blood, sweat and tears I had sacrificed—the Gate Keeper was working twice as hard.” Her voice went soft. “It seems nothing could be farther from the truth.” She looked as if she would cry.
“I don’t know what to—”
“Don’t say anything!” she snapped, cutting him off. “Let’s just go.” Her voice trailed off as she mounted her horse. Eric reluctantly climbed on behind her. “We can only ride a few miles like this. Then we will walk a mile and repeat. There is no other way she can bear both of us all day.”
“What’s her name?” asked Eric, trying to do anything to lighten the mood. As expected, silence was her reply.
Off they rode, down the light brown gravel path. Jade’s head was on a swivel, for she knew the many dangers of riding this far from a town or city. The few that ever did such a thing were merchants traveling in packs. They often hired leathers to help escort them through the rough country. Now it was just the two of them, though, and they needed to be careful. Taron was a long way away, and they would need to get Eric a horse eventually, but first things first—they needed to get some distance between them and the battle site.
It had been a battle worthy of songs and poems, yet Eric had been the only witness to the epic struggle. He found that incredibly ironic. On they raced through the green forest, a chill still hanging in the air from the heavy rain from the night before. Jade held her hood low with one hand to keep her hair from blowing in Eric’s face, and held the reins with the other. They rode on in silence, each consumed by their own thoughts.
The trees continued to whip by, although the scenery never seemed to change much no matter how far they rode. The gravel trail had now turned to a combination of rock and black dirt, and it had also narrowed considerably. Two wagons could not pass if they were going in opposite directions, although it made little difference this far away from town. They were very unlikely to encounter anyone on the path this far out—not anyone friendly, anyway.
Eric started to get a funny feeling that he was having a hard time ignoring. Regardless of what Jade thought, he’d had quite a bit of training; he just never knew why it was happening. Some of his experience translated into a feeling, sort of knowing when things were a little off. The air around him seemed to change as the hunter in him came out. “We are being followed,” he whispered in his companion’s ear, as if someone nearby would hear.
“I know,” she replied, her voice at full strength. “They’ve been there for at least three miles. That’s why I haven’t stopped to rest the horse yet. The problem is I can’t determine how many there are.” She began reaching into one of the saddlebags, clearly having difficulty riding and fumbling to grab whatever it was she was looking for.
Eric reached around her waist with both hands to grab the reins.
She paused, for a second seeming unsure of how to respond, but only for a moment. She accepted the help and used both her hands to rummage through the leather bag. She finally pulled out a looking glass and reached back to hand it to Eric as she retook the reins once again. “I’m going to slow down to let them catch up,” Jade shouted into the wind. “Let me know exactly what you see. How many, what kind of horses—everything!”
Eric did his best to turn around as they continued to ride. He made it a point to be sure no matter what he saw, to turn all the way around again before reporting it to her. The last thing he needed was for her to take off suddenly and find himself face first on the ground.
Opening the looking glass, he held it to his eye. It was hard to see anything with the horse trotting like this. It would have been easier to either keep galloping or stop, as there would not be so much up and down movement. He tried to sway his head up and down to the rhythm of the horse trotting along. He could see something now. It looked like two riders. No, wait...two horses. He kept looking, trying to focus while squinting the other eye. Should they get ready for a fight, or try to flee? What if they were just merchants? What if— “Stop!” he shouted. “Stop the horse!” He jumped right off the back and began running towards the two horses with one rider.
Jacob could see his friend clearly now, and started riding faster. He was riding his own horse but had Eric’s by the reins. “It’s about time you waited for me,” Jacob shouted as he reared up. “If there weren’t two of you on that horse, I never would have caught you!”
Eric couldn’t believe how happy he was to see Jacob. In all this chaos, at least one familiar thing seemed to wander back into his life.
He didn’t feel so alone anymore. Jacob jumped off his horse, and they embraced.
“Ahem,” came the
impatient voice from only a few feet away. Jade sat high on her white horse with fire burning in her eyes, no doubt sick of all the interruptions. “I can already see I can’t talk you out of bringing your friend. And I must say, I’m relieved he brought you a horse. That’s one less problem to deal with. But all the catching up will have to wait.” The fire in her eyes settled, and for a moment she looked very weary. “There is an inn about fifteen miles up the road. Trust me when I say we all have a lot to talk about, but this is not the time or place. We have to keep moving.”
Jacob waltzed over to Jade as she leaned back with her head high, suddenly appearing more like a queen than an assassin. “And who is this lovely creature?” he asked as he bowed so deeply it appeared he was mocking her. “My name is Jacob.” He started to take her hand to give his customary inappropriate kiss, but never got that far.
She seized his collar with lightning speed and began to twist like she was wringing water from a towel. “Well, Jacob,” she hissed as the fire returned to her eyes once more, “I think you’ve cost us enough time already. If I were you, I’d mount up and not say another word until we got to the inn.” She released his collar with a not-so-gentle push before he turned blue. Then, in the softest, sweetest voice, she said, “But I’m not you, am I? So you can do whatever you wish. That includes going back the way you came.” She flashed a dark smile as she reared her horse around and trotted off, not waiting for them.
Jacob continued to rub his neck as he ambled past Eric. “Where did you find that one?” he spat as he mounted his horse. “And where is Aena? Is she alright?”
“It’s a long story; I’ll tell you everything when we get to the inn, and I expect you to return the favor.” Eric said with a surprising edge to his voice.
Jacob just nodded. They turned the horses around and tried to catch up. The forest seemed to become less congested the farther they rode. In a strange way, the more thinned-out the trees became, the more it put their minds at ease. Thinking there is something hiding behind every tree and bush can quickly test a person’s sanity.
Now that the path was opening up a bit, all three could ride side by side if they chose to, but instead they each decided to fall into their own space as they rode in a line. The sun was no longer breaking through the treetops here and there when it got a chance. Instead, now it was constantly shining brightly through the sparse leaves.
Even when they were still surrounded by thick forest, very few sounds could be heard. The surrounding silence made the clopping sound of the horses’ hooves seem alarmingly loud, as if every living thing for miles would hear them coming.
Eric could hardly wait to get to the inn, and not just because of the weariness sinking into his bones, although that certainly was a factor. He had so many questions for Jacob, and Jade too for that matter. But the first thing he needed to know was what had happened after he left, who was still alive. Was his dad—Henry—still alive? He was so full of questions he thought he would burst.
Jade lifted her hand without ever turning back to look at them and pointed off to the left. A good many feet off the path grew an absolutely enormous tree. It seemed odd, given there were hardly any trees in this area at all. There were several horses tied to a thick wooden rail at the base of the tree, but there didn’t seem to be any inn. That is, not until they got closer, anyway. On the other side of the tree was a retractable set of steps leading up into the thick leaves, and sure enough, the inn was more or less a giant tree house.
They pulled up to the rail and gingerly slid off their horses, relieved to have finally stopped. Jade seemed to be struggling when she attempted to dismount. Eric rushed over to help her off, assuming she would just shoo him away and refuse the help, but he was wrong. She braced herself heavily on his shoulder as he helped her down, continuing to lean against him for a moment before proving she could stand on her own.
A sudden feeling of guilt flooded through Eric. The girl had several wounds, he knew, but her brave face had fooled him this whole time. Just because she didn’t complain every two seconds didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt badly. He had practically forgotten. Being shaken around while riding a horse on the long trip surely didn’t help.
The three of them walked around to the side of the stairway. Jacob and Eric each eyed it suspiciously. It looked light and flimsy.
“It’s retractable in case of attack,” Jade said in a weak, tired voice. “Yes, I know what you two are thinking. The attackers would just climb the tree or find some other way up. It’s not humans they are worried about.”
Jacob and Eric glanced at each other, wondering exactly what that meant.
Jade rolled her eyes at both of them. “Many of the threats that roam these parts are certainly dangerous, but not very smart. This method has kept them safe for a long time.” She let out a long sigh, and her expression turned to one of sadness. “You two really know nothing of the world, do you?” With that, on unsteady legs she began her ascent. There was a thin rail on both sides, so it posed no problem.
The inn, called “The Acorn,” was truly enormous once they got a good look at it. It seemed surprising a tree could hold something that big, no matter how strong it was. At the top was a thick wooden door with an ornamental knocker in the shape of a hog’s face. The scent of pipe smoke and cooking hit them before they opened the door.
Jade went in first, not bothering to knock, while the other two followed. The place certainly had a festive feel to it. A man wearing a green suit with matching hat and brown boots sat in the corner as he played a lively tune on his fiddle. He stomped his feet as he played, while everyone around the room clapped along. Two couples were dancing while being heavily encouraged by all the loud folk at the bar, who had clearly been drinking for a long time. They whistled and clapped at them as the couples spun in tight circles around the white-walled room.
The art hanging on the walls was rather odd. Oil paintings of carnivals and men wearing face paint and colored wigs made the place seem more like a playroom for children than an inn.
Jade hobbled straight over to the tall, balding man behind the bar. “I would like a room for the night. Do you have one with three beds?” she asked in a voice that was barely even a whisper.
The thin man seemed more occupied with washing the mug he was holding than listening to anything she had to say. He finally responded in a surprisingly shrill voice for a man his size. “We have a couple of rooms left with two beds only, but I can have an extra blanket and pillow sent in if you want.” He kept wiping the same sparkling glass over and over, as if there were some kind of stubborn spot he couldn’t remove. He held it up in the air to get a good look before continuing to labor over it.
“Yes, that will be fine. Thank you. I would also like whatever tonight’s special is sent to the room, as well as whatever those two...gentlemen...would like.” She gestured towards the boys, who were gazing around the room as if they were lost. She just shook her head and threw a few coins on the surprisingly clean bar.
It seemed the barman had finally removed the invisible spot. He set the mug down. After collecting the coins with both hands, he gave a little salute. “No problem, little lady. You go on now and I’ll make sure those two know where you went.”
Jade gave a very weak nod in reply. She took the key he handed her and slowly walked off towards the room. There were no stairs leading to an upper level, so Jade just assumed all the sleeping rooms must be down the hall.
The two boys took a table in the corner, since oddly enough there were no booths. In fact, there were only a handful of tables, but it made no difference, since the only two couples in this room were dancing and everyone else was at the bar.
A waitress with a tight green dress and gaudy pearl necklace marched over to their table. She had her red hair tied up in a bun and was holding a black tray balanced on one hand, while the other was strapped across her flat stomach. “Hi boys,” she said with a wink. “Your friend already went to your room, so I guess it’s just us tonig
ht.” She bobbed her head back and forth as she spoke, smiling widely. “She also paid for your food. Pork roast is the main dish tonight. Shall I bring two?”
The two gave each other an awkward glance. They weren’t really in the mood for this right now.
Eric finally spoke up. “Yes, that will be fine. Thank you.”
The waitress winked one last time, flashing all her teeth like a piranha and strutting away in her tight dress and black high heels.
As soon as she was out of sight, Eric slammed his hand on the table in front of Jacob. “Tell me what happened after I left. Is Henry still alive? Does Bryer even exist anymore? Tell me everything.”
Jacob leaned way back in his chair. With a solemn look on his face, he quietly replied, “Nothing happened.”
Eric’s eyes grew narrow at the coy statement. He was not in the mood for this.
Jacob, reading his friend’s expression, quickly continued, “After you left, nothing else happened. Those things left the second you were gone. I went to your house to find you, but found your dad—er, Henry—instead.”
Eric’s face turned white with the way his friend said that.
“Yes, he told me everything,” Jacob said in a whisper while nervously rubbing his hands together. “Well, almost everything.” His head shot up and he looked Eric right in the eye. “He told me to bring your horse and catch up with you as fast as I could. I know you’re headed to Taron. I can help you!” His voice picked up intensity as his fist came down hard on the table. Then he drew himself in again, trying to keep his emotions in check. “Eric, I have a message for you.”
Eric wasn’t sure he wanted to hear this.
“Henry said it was real for him too.” Jacob paused a moment to let that sink in. “He is sorry he didn’t tell you before, but as the years went by, he learned to love you like a son. That’s why he didn’t know how to tell you.”
