“Hello,” Derek called out as the man got near.
“Hello,” the man replied warily. His accent marked him as a foreigner, but Derek did not know from where. “Can I be of service?”
Derek smiled, although he wasn't sure if the other man could see it or not, “My three friends and I were hoping that we could share your fires for the evening, if you have no objections.”
The tall man paused before answering, “Perhaps. Where are you headed?”
“King's Folly. We want to use the ferry there to cross to the south. My name is Derek and my wife is with us and two other men.”
“My name is Philias, and I'm the leader of this small group. Any of us will be glad to share their fires, and our dinners. That is, assuming you mean none of us any harm.”
Philias moved closer and for the first time Derek got a good look at him. He was tall and slim, and he had a dark complexion with a small neatly trimmed goatee. “We only want to share your fires and maybe some of that wonderful smelling food.” Derek assured him.
Philias smiled, “We are well known for our cooking.”
“If you don't mind me asking, who are you?”
The other man's smile deepened and he bowed, “We are a small group of traveling entertainers, minstrels, story tellers, and bards. We travel from town to town and from village to village putting on a small carnival. We have wonderful stories, and music, and dancing, but we are especially known for the food we prepare.”
“Wonderful.” Derek said, and he dismounted already thinking about the food. Then turning, he called out, “Kara, come on up.”
“Do we have guests?” A woman asked from behind Philias.
Derek turned quickly to see a blond woman, who looked strikingly like Kara, step out of the darkness. Her hair hung in ringlets to her shoulders, and her smile lit up her whole face. A long flowing multicolored skirt hung to her ankles, and a loose fitting blouse seemed to flow around her.
“Yes, Deanna.” Philias said quietly. “Derek and his companions wish to share our fires for the evening.
“Really?” Deanna asked, and her smile got even broader. “I will be glad to share our fires with you. It always nice to see a new face.” Her eyes looked him up and down as she spoke, and Derek found himself feeling the first tinges of anxiety.
“Here we are.” Kara said from just behind him.
Derek smiled quickly, “This is my wife, Kara.” As he spoke, he took Kara's hand and pulled her between himself and Deanna.
If anything Deanna's smile got even bigger, and her eyes flicked toward Kara momentarily. “This is your wife?” She put special emphasis on the word 'This', almost turning it into a slur.
“Yes.” Kara answered, a steely tone in her voice. “And you are?”
Deanna opened her mouth to speak, but Philias was quicker. “I am Philias, the leader of this small band of entertainers, and this is my wife Deanna.”
Derek spoke to his companions, “They have graciously agreed to allow us to stay with them for the evening and share their fires and dinner.”
Philias and Deanna departed to find places for the guardians to sleep, while the guardians tended their horses. Deanna cast a parting glance over her shoulder at Derek as she walked away.
“Are you sure that this is a good idea?” Trestus asked quietly. “That woman looks like trouble to me.”
Derek smiled, “Really? I just thought that she looked like Kara.”
“Uh. Well, what I meant to say,” Trestus said quickly, but he was cut off by Kara.
“I know what you mean, Trestus, and I agree. It won't do us any good to get killed by a jealous husband before we even leave Telur's borders.” She straightened as she spoke and looked directly at Derek. “She sees you as a challenge, and I bet you there will be trouble before this is over with.”
Derek shrugged, “We're being followed by a bunch of men who we don't even know and so far they have managed to keep pretty close to us. Maybe we lost them several days back and maybe not.” He nodded over at the campfires, “If they do show up then it would be a lot harder for them to find us in this throng of people.”
After a moment, Trestus nodded. “Sensible,” he agreed.
“I agree.” Enstorion's voice broke the silence, causing them to start. He spoke so rarely that they often took him for granted. “And besides, if we are found here, then perhaps they will mistake Deanna for Kara.”
Derek, Trestus, and Kara looked surprised. They all knew that Enstorion was smart, but they had not considered him to be devious.
Finally, Kara nodded. “All right,” she started to say, and the men started to smile. “But you listen to me, Derek. You need to stay away from that woman. I'm telling you she will try to start trouble.” She turned the bracelet without even knowing that she was doing it.
“Yes, Dear.” Derek said smiling. Kara scowled at him, which only made the smile broaden.
The next day dawned clear and cold. Kara opened her eyes, while it was still hazy, and rolled over to see if Derek was still sleeping in his blankets near her. Paranoia had gripped her the night before, and she had spent the night trying to stay near Derek. Strangely, contrary to her predictions, the evening had passed without any incidents. Deanna smiled at Derek whenever she was near him, but that seemed to be the extent of her flirtations. Perhaps, just perhaps, she had miss-judged the woman, but she still wanted to keep her eyes on Deanna until they left the entertainers camp.
Sitting up, she noticed that Trestus was already dressed and sitting on a stump near the fire. He was holding a plate that was piled high with food. Kara's stomach growled at the wonderful smells. Last night had proved to her that if nothing else, the entertainers knew how to cook, and they had been happy to share. Still, she would be happy to leave them and get back on the road.
Kara stood up and stretched, trying to work out the knots that sleeping on the ground and put in her back.
Trestus smiled, “Someone got up early this morning and cooked some wonderful food. They have a whole table over there.” He nodded over to a wooden wagon that looked like a little house on wheels. A group of people stood around a low table beside the wagon.
“Thanks,” Kara said and walked slowly over to the breakfast table. Ten or so people were standing around, each holding a plate and eating. Kara noticed Philias in the group and walked over to say hello. “Good morning, Philias.”
“Morning,” the tall man replied with a smile. He motioned toward the table with his hand that was holding a piece of bread, “Help yourself to some food.”
“Thanks, I will. I just wanted to thank you again for your hospitality. We really appreciate it.” Kara said smiling.
He started to respond, but he was interrupted by a young man who came running up just then. Several people turned to see what was happening, but the man spoke quietly with Philias and only Kara was close enough to hear.
“Matim, Is everything okay?” Philias asked.
“Philias, we noticed a fire last night that was north along the road. I looked into it, and there are five men who camped less than a mile from here.”
“So?” Philias asked, “This road is well traveled and many of the travelers camp along the road.”
“Yes sir, and I probably wouldn't have said anything about it, but the men are unusual.”
A quizzical look came over Philias' face. “What do you mean unusual?”
“Well, four of them look like fighters, but they have a rich backer. Their clothes and armor are the best, and they don't look like they have missed too many meals either.” Philias started to look skeptical, and Matim hurried on, “But the fifth man is the really unusual one. I think that he might be a mage or something. He was sitting by himself in these dark robes, and his head was down.” Matim stumbled over his words as he spoke, “I was watching them from several hundred yards away through my spyglass, and his head just came up and turned toward me. Then he said something and two of the fighters sprinted toward me with their swords drawn
. I turned and ran for my life.”
Philias looked concerned as he turned towards Kara, “Please excuse me, I need to look into this matter.”
Kara hurried back to the small fire they had set up last night, and was glad to see Derek awake. Derek and Trestus sat on a short log beside the fire.
“Hey Kara,” Derek said rubbing his eyes.
Derek's eyes were covered, but Trestus' were not. “What's the matter? You look like you're scared.”
Kara moved closer and sat down between the two men. “Well, I am. I was talking to Philias when a young man came running up and told Philias about these five strange men that camped north along the road.”
Enstorion moved from the trees, adjusting his robes as he walked. He stopped at Kara's words.
Both men on the log tensed, “One in robes?” Derek asked, already sure he knew the answer.
“Yes. Even though the man spying on them was far away, he sensed they were being watched and sent some of the fighters after him.” Kara looked from Trestus to Derek, “Any ideas what we should do?”
Derek leaned closer, “Does Philias know that you recognized the men in the camp?” Kara scowled and leaned back, crossing her arms across her chest, Derek knew that the question had been wrong before he had even finished asking it.
“Oh, of course. I cried, and asked him to protect us.” Kara stood up and stomped to the other side of the fire. “What do you think, that I am empty in the head?”
Trestus quickly hid a smile and looked down.
Derek wished he could hide from Kara's scowl as easily as Trestus had. “I didn't mean anything by it. I just needed to know if they suspected that the men are following us.” Kara's look said plainly that she didn't believe him, and he was about to reassure her, when Enstorion spoke up.
“Perhaps, we should travel with the entertainers.” He spoke with that infuriatingly calm voice.
Derek frowned, “Why would we want to do that?” He fought hard to not show any grumpiness toward the elf. Enstorion was trying to contribute, and he didn't want to discourage him.
Enstorion moved forward and sat down on the end of the log. “Well, there are several reasons. Deanna resembles Kara, which maybe we can use to send them trailing after the entertainers.”
“That does sound reasonable,” Trestus added, his head still down.
Derek nodded, “Go on.”
Enstorion shrugged, “We're safer in a large group than we would be by ourselves.” He smiled at the other guardians, “Of course, you will have to try and fit in with the entertainers.”
Trestus looked up, “Us? What about you?”
Still smiling, Enstorion answered, “I'm an elf. I'm not going to fit in, regardless of what I do to my clothes. I think that I should stay in one of those little wagons.”
Derek turned from Enstorion in confusion. The plan made sense, but he didn't like it. It just wasn't like Enstorion to plan strategy. Trestus and Kara were looking at him. “What do you two think?”
Trestus nodded, “I agree with Enstorion. It might be better for us to travel with others, at least for a time.”
Kara seemed lost in thought, and then she looked up with a smile starting to form. “I like the plan also, and perhaps we can use Deanna's resemblance to me, like Enstorion suggested.”
Derek frowned in thought. “All right, I'll talk to Philias and see if they have any problems with us joining them for a while.” Trestus stood up and started to move away. “Wait a moment.” Trestus paused and turned back toward Derek, the other two watched him as well. “Be careful, and don't let your guard down. I don't trust any of them.”
Derek found Philias near the edge of camp, just off of the road. Philias had been speaking quietly to a group of ten men who sat on horseback. He spoke for a moment, and then the horsemen rode quickly northward.
Philias glanced back at Derek's approach, and then turned back to watch the departing horsemen. “I hate sending men into danger.” Derek stopped besides the entertainer, and he too watched the horsemen galloping away. “Did Kara tell you what my scout found?”
Derek nodded. “Any idea who they are?”
Philias shook his head, “I sent some scouts out as soon as I heard his report, and they found their camp, but they had already fled.”
Derek was surprised, “I thought the men who just rode out were your scouts.”
Philias shook his head again, “No. I sent these men to see if they could track the strangers. It would be nice to know where they are headed,” He paused for just a moment. “It would also be nice to know who they are.” The horsemen were out of sight now and Philias turned back towards camp and started walking slowly, Derek hurried to catch up. “Matim, uh, he's the scout that found the strangers. Anyway, he was scared by the looks of those men, and he's not one that scares easy.”
“I understand. Kara told me that he looked shaken.” He shrugged and smiled, “Actually, She is a little scared herself.” He paused for just a moment, “In fact, that is why I'm here.”
Philias glanced over at Derek, “Oh?”
“Yes.” Derek sighed, “I was hoping we could travel with you for a while. We're heading in the same direction, and I don't like the idea of finding these men by ourselves.”
“I see.” Philias said, sounding less than enthusiastic about the idea. “We offered you hospitality last night, but I'm afraid I couldn't possibly do that till King's Folly.”
Derek smiled, “We would be happy to pay for our food, and we can help with camp, and perhaps standing guard.”
Philias, smiling, put an arm around Derek as they walked, “I think we can come to an arrangement.”
Chapter 13
Heather rode along behind the wagon caravan and watched the unchanging scenery that passed by on the side of the road. Trees and shrubs slowly drifted past. It had been three days since they had left Tyler's Junction, and they continued to set a steady if unspectacular pace. At first, she had been concerned about the lack of speed that they were making, but two things changed her mind. First, although the wagons were slow moving, they continued to move from sunup to sundown, and she was amazed at how much ground they covered in a day. Second, there were an unusual number of armed men on the road, and Adel only knew how many of them were bandits.
“Hi Heather,” An all too familiar voice called out from just behind her.
Heather turned, already knowing who was there. Jefflem was riding a large bay gelding and smiling at her like a child. The boy didn't know when to stop. He had set his sights squarely on her when they left, and so far he was refusing to stop. She had tried politely refusing the boy's advances, when that hadn't worked, she had gotten rather rude, but no matter what she did the boy kept trying. She was starting to think that she would have to put a knife in him to get some peace.
She smiled a pained smile. “What can I do for you, Jefflem?”
He moved his horse closer, “Why don't you have dinner with me tonight?” He actually looked hopeful, even though she had refused this same offer every night since the journey had begin.
“Thank you, but no.” Jefflem's face fell at her words. “As I told you last night, I don't think that would be a good idea.”
“Why not? You seemed to like me okay when we were at Tyler's Junction.” There was an angry whining tone to his voice, and she began to consider her knife again.
Heather turned toward Jefflem, all traces of friendliness gone from her voice. “Like I told you last night, I am not interested in you.”
The smile was also gone from Jefflem's face as well, “Well, if you got to know me a little, then you might be interested.”
“Well, Jefflem. I guess we will never know. Will we?”
Jefflem stared at her for a moment, murder seemed to be swirling in his eyes, and then he nudged his horse forward and was soon lost in the wagons.
“That boy's trouble,” A female voice said from just behind Heather. She turned to see Mikela and Aaron nudging their horses closer to hers.<
br />
Aaron nodded, “Mikela's right. That boy won't hear no. Will he?” He watched Jefflem's horse move out of sight ahead of them.
Heather shook her head, “No, and I don't know what to do about it.”
Aaron nodded at Heather's knife on her right hip. “I saw you fingering your knife when you were talking to him.”
Heather looked sharply at Aaron. “I thought about the knife, but I didn't know that I was touching it.”
Mikela sighed, “If you hurt that boy, then his uncle and all of these wagon drivers will be after us. You can bet on it.”
The next day, Heather didn't see Jefflem at all while the wagons were moving. A small hope started to bloom in her gut, perhaps the boy had finally realized that he didn't stand a chance. Dark clouds rolled in late in the day, and the weather got cold and windy. But even as the weather worsened, Heather's mood was getting better by the minute, although she still kept jumping when people moved past her.
As the sun went down, they set up camp just off of the road in a small field. Heather whistled quietly as Aaron and Mikela helped her set up the small tent that they had brought with them. The tent itself was fairly easy to assemble, being a little more than a waterproof piece of canvas held up by a pole, and they had it complete in a matter of minutes.
Aaron and Mikela headed off to gather fire wood, leaving Heather to unpack the blankets and dig a small fire pit.
She arranged the blankets in the tent and was backing out when she heard footsteps along the side of the tent. “That was quick. There must be a lot of wood nearby.”
No words were said, but hands grabbed her and shoved back into the tent. Heather landed on her stomach, the air forced roughly out of her, and somebody landed on top of her. “You acted like you liked me in the pub, and now you lose interest.” Rough hands ripped at her shirt, “I'm not going to let you get away with that.”
The voice belonged to Jefflem, and Heather felt an anger rising in her. That miserable little brat thought that he could force himself on her? He clawed at her clothes, and part of her shirt ripped down the side, and the bubbling rage exploded through her. Her right arm was bent with her hand supporting her weight on the ground, and she snapped her elbow backwards as fast and hard as she could. Satisfaction burst through her as Jefflem let out a squeal of pain and slid halfway off of her.
Ossendar: Book Two of the Resoration Series Page 24
