by Ben Cassidy
Chapter 16
“Here.” Joseph waded through ankle-high leaves and grabbed at a large bush.
“Here what?” Maklavir followed behind him, kicking leaves out of the way as he tried to keep his cape from touching the ground. “I don’t see anything.”
The scout gave a sudden yank on the bush. A camouflaged netting came flying loose, revealing a rickety cart underneath.
“Oh,” said Maklavir.
Joseph brushed some stray leaves and branches off the cart. “I found it about six months ago, right here just off the road. Trappers or bandits sometimes hide things like this deep in the woods, so they can have some convenient transportation easy at hand if they need it.”
Maklavir peered curiously at the wagon. It was a dusty gray color, with moss growing on the carriage and vines crawling up through the wheels. It was covered with grime and dirt. He wrinkled his nose. “It looks like it has been sitting out here for a while.”
Joseph nodded, moving around to the other side of the wooden cart. “Yeah. Chances are someone put it out here and then forgot all about it.”
“But if we take it, won’t we be stealing?” Maklavir folded his cape over his arm, tired of trying to keep it out of the slimy leaves below.
“Oh, technically speaking I suppose so.” Joseph tore a vine away from the wagon. “But that Ghostwalker friend of yours may not make it to the next town if he has to ride the whole way. This cart will make things a whole lot easier for him. Besides, it’ll start rotting if it’s left out here too much longer.”
“I see.” Maklavir shrugged. “So what do we do from here?”
“Well,” said Joseph as he examined the underside of the wagon, “I’d say we have to get this up to the road.”
Maklavir looked unenthusiastically down at the filthy wagon. “You mean pull it up?”
The scout positioned his hands on the back of the cart. “Well, yeah. Or you can push, and I can pull. Either way is fine with me.”
Maklavir gave a sigh. “No, pulling is fine.” He gingerly grabbed the front of the cart, trying to keep his clothes from touching any part of it.
“Ready?”
The diplomat looked back up at the road. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said with a grimace.
They had found the driest place on the trail possible, under the branches of a large oak tree. Maklavir and Joseph had managed to get Kendril down off the horse and had leaned him up against the rough bark of the tree trunk. After that the two men had gone off the road to the right, into the woods in search of whatever Joseph hoped to find there.
Jade sat down against a tree near Kendril, quietly loading the Ghostwalker’s three pistols. There was no sign of the bounty hunter or his men yet, but Jade had little doubt that they would be coming yet again. She kept glancing down the road, expecting the one-eyed man to appear around the bend at any moment.
Simon sniffed sadly at the blood on Kendril’s pants, then gave a low whine.
Jade finished the last pistol, then reached over and patted the beast reassuringly on his muzzle. “Don’t worry, boy. He’ll be fine.”
The mule gave her a doubtful look.
She couldn’t really blame him. To be honest, she wasn’t entirely convinced herself. She looked over at Kendril again. He hadn’t shown any signs of life since they had gotten him off the horse.
Simon gave a loud snort and pressed his head into Jade’s shoulder.
Kendril moved.
His head rolled on his shoulders, and he gave a low moan, then a sharp intake of breath.
Simon jerked his head up with a start.
Jade moved quickly over to the Ghostwalker’s side. “Kendril?” she asked hopefully. She pushed the hood back from his face.
She saw him swallow, then his eyes fluttered ever so slightly, opening to mere slits.
Jade felt her breath catch. “Kendril, can you hear me?” She suddenly realized that she was running her hand down the side of his face. She quickly pulled it back.
“Celeste?” he managed, his voice almost inaudible.
She froze. “No, it’s Jade,” she managed after a moment. “Maklavir is here, too, over in the woods. How are you feeling?”
The Ghostwalker’s eyes slipped shut once again. “Jade,” he murmured softly, then was silent.
Simon gave another concerned whine.
Jade absently reached up and stroked the mule’s broad nose. She felt strangely pained, and she didn’t quite know why. Kendril had stirred from his coma, and that was a good sign.
Still, she couldn’t get the Ghostwalker’s reply out of her head. Celeste…?
A loud crash from the other side of the road suddenly caught her attention. Simon pulled away with a startled snort, and Jade jumped to her feet.
A very disheveled and unhappy-looking Maklavir pulled a gray cart out of the bushes, and a second later Joseph followed, pushing it from behind.
Jade stared at the contraption in amazement.
Joseph pulled away from the cart and clapped his hands together. “This should make things easier. How is he doing?”
Jade felt herself pause for a moment. “Fine,” she said, “just fine. He actually spoke a moment ago. I think he’s doing better.”
The scout moved around to the front of the wagon. “Good. I was hoping that salve I put on the wound would help. It’s powerful stuff, that’s for sure.” He bent over the side of the cart and ran his hand across the wooden planks. “It’ll be a bumpy ride. We can put down some blankets to make it a little better for him.”
Maklavir clucked his tongue sadly, and twisted his head to look over his shoulder at his cape. “Look at this,” he groaned. “It will be nothing more than a fancy rag by the time we ever get to a decent-sized town.”
Jade walked over to them. Her mind was still drifting back to Kendril’s words. “I’m sure it will be fine, Maklavir,” she said absently.
“Fine?” The diplomat pulled up his cape, then let it drop again. “This is fine cloth, you know. Absolutely impossible to get clean.” He looked up and noticed the look on the girl’s face for the first time. “I say, Jade, are you quite all right?”
“Yes,” she said quickly, “I’m fine. Just tired, that’s all.”
Maklavir gave her a curious look, and looked like he was about to say something else when Joseph interrupted.
“All right, the blankets are down,” he said, jumping off the cart. “Of course, it’s going to be a bumpy ride for your friend either way, but this will still be better than the horse.” Joseph jumped down off the wagon and motioned to Maklavir. “Give me a hand moving him, will you? I’ll take his shoulders and you can get the feet.”
“Uh, sure,” said Maklavir hesitantly. He glanced over at Jade again.
She was looking off into the forest.
Maklavir touched her gently on the shoulder. “You sure you’re all right, Jade? You look—”
“I told you, I’m fine,” she said angrily, brushing his hand away. “Just leave me alone, will you?” She turned her head away again.
Maklavir paused for an awkward moment, then turned and walked across the road to where Joseph was waiting.
The scout was pulling up the Ghostwalker’s bandage just as Maklavir approached. Seeing the wound for the first time, the diplomat quickly turned his head away in disgust.
Joseph looked up at him. “You think this is bad, you should have seen what it looked like yesterday.”
Maklavir glanced back at Jade, who was still looking away. “He’s getting better, then?”
“Yes.” Joseph began tying the bandage back in place. “It looks like it’s healing pretty fast. Stitches are holding, and there’s no sign of infection, so that’s good.” He stopped for a moment, and scratched the side of his beard. “Everything okay?”
The diplomat knelt down by Kendril with a resigned sigh. “Oh, who can ever tell with women? Something’s bothering her, but she won’t say what it is.”
Joseph ga
ve an understanding grunt, then finished tying off the bandage. He glanced in Jade’s direction, and lowered his voice. “You’ve known her a couple days now, right?”
“Right.”
He leaned in, his voice still low. “This thing about her memory…do you…?” He left the sentence unfinished.
Maklavir took off his cap, shaking some pine needles off it. “I don’t think she’s lying, if that’s what you mean. I’ve heard about a blow to the head taking away a person’s memory before. Apparently it happens from time to time.”
Joseph nodded, his eyes still on Jade. “Are those the clothes she was wearing when you found her?”
The diplomat replaced his hat. “No, no. She was wearing a green dress. I have it in my horse’s saddlebag. Why do you ask?”
“A fancy dress?”
Maklavir hesitated. His stomach tightened inexplicably. “Yes, it was fairly nice, now that you mention it.” He gave Joseph a probing look. “What are you thinking, exactly?”
The scout motioned with his head towards the woman behind them. “Just that a girl like that doesn’t show up in a place like this.”
Maklavir felt a familiar tugging of doubt at the corner of his mind. “What do you mean?”
“Have you seen her hands?” Joseph didn’t wait for a reply. “They’re perfect. Not a single callus on them. Even the fingernails are trimmed. And her skin hasn’t seen a harsh day of weather for a long while.” He shook his head. “She’s been in the wild for several days, and soaked to the skin, and I can still smell perfume on her. I don’t know who she is, but she’s a lady, that much is for sure. She has to be somebody important.” Joseph stopped, and looked over Maklavir’s head.
The diplomat turned around.
Jade was walking up to them. She seemed much more composed.
“Do you need any help?” she asked.
Joseph shook his head. “Maklavir and I should be able to get him just fine. Grab his feet, will you?” he said to the diplomat, while grabbing Kendril firmly under the shoulders.
They took the wounded man gently and carried him over to the waiting wagon.
Jade watched in silence as they set him down inside.
Simon clopped up behind her, and pushed his nose into the palm of her hand.
Jade scratched the animal’s muzzle pensively for a few moments. “Do you have another blanket?” she said at last, walking over to the wagon.
The two men looked at her blankly.
“What for?” ventured Joseph.
“To cover him.” Jade fished around in the saddlebag of Maklavir’s horse, and pulled out a blanket. “Here.” She leaned over the cart, and spread the cover over the motionless Ghostwalker. “He was absolutely freezing last night.”
Joseph nodded. “Good thinking. I’ll hook up that mule of his to the front of the cart. He looks like a sturdy beast.” He grabbed Simon’s bridle and pulled the beast towards the cart.
“Uh, about that blanket…” began Maklavir as he looked worriedly at the spread, “it’s made of Arbelan wool, actually, and—”
Jade laughed, and the shadow lifted from her face. “Don’t worry, Maklavir. If any blood gets on it I promise I’ll get you a new one.”
Joseph came back up to them, patting the side of the wooden cart with his hand. “We’re good to go. We have three horses, but someone’s going to need to stay with the cart.”
“I will,” Jade said instantly. “Besides, I think Simon likes me best.”
Joseph nodded, then mounted his horse. “You two go ahead. I’m going to scout behind us for a ways, just to make sure we don’t have any unwanted visitors. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” With a sharp kick, he goaded the horse into a gallop.
Maklavir and Jade watched him disappear around the bend in the road.
Jade climbed up into the front of the cart, and sat precariously on the narrow wooden plank. “It’s good to have someone who knows his way around these woods.”
“It is indeed,” agreed Maklavir. He looked up at Jade. “About earlier, Jade. I didn’t mean—”
“Oh, I’m the one who should be apologizing, Maklavir.” She reached forward and grabbed Simon’s reigns. “I didn’t mean to bite your head off like that. I was just—just tired, that’s all.”
Maklavir put a foot into the stirrup on Veritas’ side, and pulled himself up onto the horse’s back. He grabbed the bridle of the henchman’s horse and tied it to his saddle. “Not a problem. It’s been a rough couple of days.”
Jade leaned back against the cart. “That’s for sure.”
The diplomat started to coax his horse forward, then stopped and looked down at her. “He’ll be all right, Jade.”
She managed a smile. “I know. Thank you, Maklavir.”
He touched his cap in salute, then started forward.
There was no sign of the bounty hunter or his men for the rest of the day, and the road remained clear of other travelers. The sky clouded up about mid-afternoon, prompting Jade to wrap herself in a blanket once more against the cold, but fortunately there was no more rain. Joseph continued to scout both ahead and behind them, but despite his occasional scowls and dark mutterings, he said little. Maklavir continued to ride alongside Jade and the cart, whistling just about every drinking song he knew, along with a few he didn’t.
As for Kendril, Jade kept glancing behind her, but he gave no more signs of life. The cart rattled horribly against the dirt road, and every bump and jolt jostled the vehicle around so much that Jade began to seriously think that Kendril might have been better off on the horse. Even still, she said nothing, and the day quickly wore on into evening.
They stopped for the night a little ways off the road, in yet another camping site that Joseph seemed to instinctively know where to find. Simon seemed relieved to finally be released from his harness, though he had been polite enough not to complain too loudly about it during the journey. The cart was pulled up close to the fire, and Joseph quickly judged it better to leave Kendril where he was than attempt to move him again. Jade had noticed that some more color had returned to Kendril’s face, and Joseph seemed quite pleased at how the Ghostwalker’s wound was healing.
Much to everyone’s relief, Joseph judged that a fire was an acceptable risk, as neither the smoke nor the flames could be seen from the road. After a quick supper of salted beef and stale bread, along with some blackberries that Joseph had found near the camp, they settled down by the fire as the stars began to come out one by one.
“I’ll keep first watch,” said Joseph as he oiled the blade of his rapier. He turned the weapon over, inspecting it carefully. “I’ll wake you when it’s your turn, Maklavir.”
Jade huddled close to the fire, watching the embers glow and pop. “I can take a turn as well.”
Joseph shrugged. “All right. Maklavir can wake you when it’s time.” He glanced off into the darkness towards the road.
Maklavir whipped off his cape, and folded it over one knee. “Everything all right, Joseph?” He took out a small sewing kit.
He nodded. “Yes. No one on the road should notice us this far back. I covered our tracks pretty well.”
The diplomat threaded one of the needles by the light of the fire. “But…?”
Joseph paused for a moment, and tapped his thumbs together. “I think we’re being followed.”
Holding the cape up to the light, Maklavir began mending one of the small tears in the fabric. “Well of course we’re being followed. Unless that bounty hunter and his men have given up.”
“No, not them. Someone else.” Joseph rubbed the side of his nose. “I haven’t seen any sign of the bounty hunter. Doesn’t mean he’s not following us, of course, it just means he’s too far behind. But I’ve been getting strange feelings all day, small things out of place. I even thought I saw something, once, but it turned out to be nothing.”
Jade brushed the dirt off her pants, and got to her feet. “It isn’t the bounty hunter?”
A lon
e wolf howled off in the distance. Its cry echoed over the trees. Joseph glanced up briefly at the sound, then shook his head.
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s not. I’ve no doubt he was a decent tracker, but whoever’s on our trail right now is frighteningly good.”
Maklavir pulled the needle through the fabric, and eyed Joseph warily. “So…should we be concerned?”
Jade walked over to the cart. She pulled up the blanket on Kendril, then brushed away a stray leaf.
Joseph watched her silently, then glanced up at the stars. “Well, whoever they are, if they wanted to make a move they could have done it by now. I don’t think we’re in any more danger tonight than we have been all day.”
“Well that’s reassuring,” said Maklavir sarcastically. He finished off a row of stitches.
“I just wish I knew who was behind us,” said Joseph softly, staring into the fire. His eyes flitted up quickly towards the young woman on the other side of the blaze. “Any ideas, Jade?”
Maklavir gave Joseph a sharp look.
Jade turned away from the cart, and sat back down on the ground near the fire.
“I wish I did.” She pulled up her knees, and clasped her arms around them. “I know this is all because of me. I’m sorry, Joseph.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it right now,” said Maklavir evenly. “Whoever it is that may be behind us, we’ll deal with them when we have to.” He held up the cape, flipping it back and forth in the firelight. “Hmm. Hopefully this will hold until we can get to a proper town.”
Joseph replaced his sword in its scabbard with a smile. “I hope so. Those clothes of yours were the laughing-stock of the whole forest today. You could hear the squirrels chortling for miles.”
Maklavir gave him a sour look. “Say what you like, my good fellow, but clothes do indeed make the man.” He looked askance at the cape in his hands. “Not that this will be making much for very long…”
Joseph got to his feet. “I’m going to look around a bit more. You two can turn in whenever you like.” He moved silently off into the dark trees.
Maklavir carefully folded up his newly mended cape. “Well, I suppose we should get some sleep. Tomorrow promises to be a long day.”
“Yes,” said Jade, looking over her shoulder at the cart behind her, “it does.” She grabbed a blanket, smoothing her hair back. “Good night, Maklavir.”
The diplomat put the cloak into his saddlebag. “Good night, Jade.”
It seemed as if Jade had just closed her eyes when she felt Maklavir’s hand on her shoulder.
“Jade?”
She blinked her eyes open. It was still dark, and the stars were twinkling through the tree branches above. Giving a groan, she rolled over and flung aside her blanket.
“My turn all ready?”
Maklavir chuckled. “I can take the third watch, if you’re too tired.”
“No, no. I said I would.” Jade reluctantly got to her feet, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. “What time is it?”
“About two or three hours before dawn. Everything’s been quiet so far.”
Jade sat down by the fire, yawning. “All right. I’ll take it from here.”
The diplomat stretched his arms wearily. “Sounds good. See you in the morning, Jade.”
“Good night,” she said. She stretched out her hands toward the fire, rubbing them together.
It was a long watch. The night stretched on, and Jade fought to stay awake as she listened to the sounds of Maklavir and Joseph sleeping nearby. Whenever the fire started to die she threw another branch or two on it to keep it going. It was lonely work. Jade began to long more and more for the dawn.
The forest was just starting to turn gray with the first light of morning when Jade heard a rustling noise from behind her. She turned quickly, only to realize that it was coming from the cart. A second later there was a soft curse.
Jade leapt to her feet and hurried over to the wagon.
Kendril was lying inside, the blanket still covering him. His eyes, however, were open.
Jade felt a sudden surge of relief. “Kendril?”
He looked over at her, then closed his eyes again. “Jade. Where are we?”
She reached down and put her hand lightly on his arm. “Still in the Howling Woods. How are you feeling?”
He opened his eyes again, turning his neck painfully to the side. “Like someone dropped a boulder on my ribcage, so I guess that means I still have feeling below my neck.” He swallowed. “Last thing I remember was that bounty hunter standing over me. What happened?”
Jade glanced back at the fire. “A man came and rescued us. He’s the one who treated your wound.”
Kendril gave her a sharp look. “A man?”
“She means me.” Joseph appeared suddenly by the wagon, running his hand through his disheveled hair. “Name’s Joseph. I’d shake your hand, but I know you’re a little indisposed at the moment.”
The Ghostwalker laid his head back against the cart. “Kendril. Sounds like we owe you our thanks.”
The scout waved his hand. “It was nothing.”
“Joseph’s a scout,” said Jade eagerly. “He’s going to guide us to the nearest town.”
Kendril coughed, then gave a crooked smile. “Well, that’s better than either Maklavir or I were doing. Where is that pompous buffoon, anyway?”
“He’s here,” said Jade. She glanced over his shoulder. “Still asleep.”
“On the contrary,” said a familiar voice from the other side of the fire. “I’m trying to sleep.” Maklavir rolled over, and pushed the blanket away.
“Here’s some water,” said Joseph, handing down a full skin. “We have more, if you need.”
“Thanks. I think I can get it,” said Kendril. He took the water skin with his right hand, pushing himself up slowly into a sitting position. He took a long drink from the skin, then put it down. “How long was I out?”
Jade thought for a second. “A day or so.”
Kendril slowly nodded. “And the bounty hunter?”
Joseph smiled. “I put a knife through his arm. We haven’t seen him since.”
The Ghostwalker gave a satisfied grin. “I wish I could have seen that.”
Maklavir staggered over next to them, stretching his back. “I must have spent half the night on a bloody rock.” His face brightened when he saw Kendril. “Good to see you up and around, old chap. How’s the side?”
Kendril slowly stretched his left side. He gave a surprised look. “Bad, but not as bad as I would have thought.”
“I’ve been putting a healing salve on it. Glad to see it’s working.” Joseph moved back to the fire, and prodded the dying embers with a stick. “I’ll get some water going for coffee. We can have a quick breakfast and then hit the road again.”
Jade turned back to Kendril. “You’re feeling better, than?”
The Ghostwalker took another drink of water. “Believe me, I’ve been a whole lot worse.” He looked over at her. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “The bounty hunter didn’t even lay a finger on me.”
“Well,” Maklavir said with a yawn, “in another couple days we should be out of this accursed forest. I for one can’t wait to be back in civilization again.” He turned back to the fire.
“I have your pistols.” Jade reached into a nearby saddlebag and drew out the Ghostwalker’s weapons. “They were pretty wet, but I think I dried them out well enough.” She handed one of them over to the wounded man. “I sharpened the flints while I was on watch. Loaded them all, too.”
Kendril weighed the weapon in his free hand, then shifted his gaze over to Jade. “Well, well. You’ve become quite the firearms expert, haven’t you?”
She gave a shy smile. “They’re all right, then?”
“Couldn’t have done better myself.” He put the pistol aside, and his voice softened. “Have you remembered anything else?”
Jade’s
face faltered for a moment. “No, not really. Just an odd bit of knowledge here and there.”
Kendril frowned. “I’m sorry, Jade.”
She tried to smile, even though she didn’t feel it. “I’m sure it will come back, eventually. It’s only a matter of time.”
The Ghostwalker nodded silently.
“Well,” Jade said, “I’ll go help Joseph with breakfast. I’ll bring you back something, if you’re feeling hungry.” She turned to go.
“Jade?”
She turned back around.
“You should have left me behind.” His eyes were stern. “You could have been killed.”
Jade looked at the Ghostwalker for a moment, feeling a sudden wellspring of emotion inside her.
“You didn’t leave me, Kendril,” she whispered.
She turned back to the fire.
****
