Hunted in the Valley (Old Sequoia Valley Book 1)

by C. R. Pugh

  I observed them for hours. None of these men had long black hair, so they could not be the assassin I was looking for. Did they know the person with black hair? Maybe these five men with crossbows were the ones who had incapacitated the two exiles. But that did not make sense. If these men felt threatened they would not go to the trouble of knocking a man out with a fist or some other blunt object. That was too risky. These boys would shoot to kill with those crossbows.

  No. My mind was still set on that mysterious black-haired person.

  Just when I was ready to move on, maybe find out if they had a camp nearby, all five men and one woman gathered together at the location they had been guarding so closely. They were arguing loudly, the woman’s voice loudest of all. They lifted up a large trapdoor made out of thick logs that covered some sort of hole in the ground. I watched, completely entranced, as a female with long raven hair was pulled up from a pit in the ground. The hair was the same length and color as I had pulled from the clothing of that exile. But surely, she was not the one who had brought down those two men? Could this be the demon that those trade-runners had seen? I scoffed at the idea immediately.

  From my hiding place, I judged the men to be comparable in size to many Warriors of Peton. They all had their crossbows aimed at this woman. Did they believe her to be a threat to them, a group of fighting men? How could she be mistaken for a demon?

  One thing was certain; these men were not barbarians. They were too civilized. Organized. If they were exiles or deserters, then they could be fair game to be taken as captives. It was too soon to tell. I would wait and watch before deciding.

  When they finally walked away from the pit, I followed. Keeping my distance, I trailed them back to their small village. The two women seemed friendly, so why had they kept the black-haired woman prisoner in a deep pit? Then I saw them link elbows. The black-haired woman visibly stiffened. She was clearly uncomfortable with the friendly gesture. Perhaps they were not companions after all.

  The other female shared similar physical traits with the five men: that brown hair and tan skin. I suspected they were related in some way. The male who followed closely behind them kept his crossbow shouldered and ready the entire time. He acted as protectively as I did with my sisters. His gaze never strayed from the two females. The one with black hair still did not seem dangerous to me, but looks could be deceiving.

  What was the connection between this family and the black-haired female? It did not matter. I needed to forget the woman and focus on the hunt.

  I continued through the shadows of the trees until the village came into view. Men and women were striding purposefully through the village, hauling water from the stream or delivering goods. Everyone was working hard and taking care of their chores while children played nearby.

  Their community was incredible. They had strategically built all their shops and homes up in the safety of the sequoia trees. The lack of low-lying branches would make it impossible to reach them without some sort of rope or ladder. They had developed a pulley system that carried their goods from the ground up into their tree-houses. It was extraordinary.

  These were intelligent and resourceful people … definitely not what I had expected. These people had probably all been exiles at one time, but this was the makings of a new clan. I would not take any of them captive. These people had made this place their home.

  Well, that was that. There was nothing to be done here. There were no exiles to rescue.

  Then why am I still following them? I thought, rubbing my chin.

  I crouched down under a large fern as I watched them escort the black-haired woman to one of the many rope ladders that hung down from the trees. They climbed up into the tree-house and disappeared.

  That was my cue. Time to head back to camp and check in with the Warriors, but I could not make myself leave. Several hours later, I was still hunkered down in shrubs.

  Evening came early in the Old Sequoia Valley. The shadows grew long, providing plenty of places for me to hide and observe the comings and goings of these people. Both women had stayed inside the tree-house but the brothers came and went, probably taking turns guarding the mysterious woman while she stayed with them. As the sun began to set, they all gathered for dinner, the aroma filling the air around me. It reminded me that it was long past time to be heading back to my own camp. The Warriors had surely eaten their meal and were turning in for the evening; all but Gunter. He would stay up until I returned.

  Everyone in the village had returned to their tree-houses and most of the ladders were pulled up. All was quiet on the ground. There was only a quiet murmur of dinnertime conversation inside the home I was still spying on.

  I was beginning to think that my time here had been wasted when movement above me caught my attention. Through one of the windows of the tree-house, I could see a few of the men standing and leaving the table. Two of the brothers climbed down the ladder and started marching straight toward me. I slipped deeper into the shadows, avoiding them easily.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” I heard one of them say, “and it’s not a good idea.”

  “Hagan, you know it’s the right thing to do,” the other brother replied in a hushed voice.

  “Kaelem …” The brother started to protest, but he didn’t get a chance to finish.

  “I know what I’m doing!”

  The brief exchange had me puzzled, but it was none of my concern. Once they were gone and all was quiet again, I stepped out of the shadows.

  This little excursion was pointless. There was nothing for me to do here; no captives to take. I was preparing to retreat when something else caught my eye.

  7

  Ravyn

  I leaned my head back against the end of the tub, breathing a deep sigh of delight. My bath was small; not even long enough for my legs to stretch out. But after all the freezing cold baths I’d been taking in the forest streams, I wasn’t going to complain. My hair was freshly washed and my body was the cleanest it had been in a month.

  It was too much trouble to draw me a bath, and I told Laelynn so, but she wouldn’t hear it. She’d ordered each of her brothers to pull up a bucket of water to their tree-house and heated it rather quickly. She made the process seem so easy it made me think she bathed every evening. I scrunched up my nose, a tad envious of this luxury.

  Regardless of their unexpected hospitality, I still had some reservations about Laelynn and her family. Laelynn’s acceptance of me made me uneasy. Rescuing her from those two men in the clearing must have made us instant friends in her mind. Her brothers acted more like I’d expect. They were suspicious of me just as I was wary of them. All of this could have been avoided if they’d just let me go from the clearing. I had never accepted her invitation to come to Linwood. They’d brought me against my will. I decided I would be cautious until I was more certain of their intentions toward me.

  I cupped water in my hands, lifted it to eye level, then let the water spill through my fingers back into the tub. My fingers had shriveled up into prunes and the water was beginning to lose its warmth. I didn’t care. Content for the moment, I closed my eyes and savored this short time.

  A sudden knocking at the door had me jerking upright and drawing my knees closer to my chest. Water splashed over the side of the tub to the floor in my haste to cover myself.

  “Is everything okay in there?” Laelynn asked from outside the door.

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  There were a few seconds of silence, as if she were trying to come up with an answer. Then she hesitantly replied, “I - I washed your clothes and they’re hanging out to dry, so I’m setting these new ones right outside the door for you. They belonged to Kaelem … when he was younger. You know … since you’re taller than me.”

  Guilt coursed through me. She’s just trying to be nice, I thought.

  Several seconds of silence passed before Laelynn called out again. “Anyway … here they are. Take your time!” she added. Then she
left me alone, her footsteps fading away.

  I leaned back against the back of the tub again but I couldn’t take my eyes off the door. They were most likely waiting for me to come out to dinner. I could smell the sweet aroma of roasted rabbit. They had fed me earlier, but my stomach was rumbling again. With a sigh of regret, I stepped out of the tub, wrapped up in a towel, and padded to the door.

  Cracking the door a few inches, I grabbed the stack of clothing Laelynn had left behind and took a quick peek down the short hallway. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear the soft murmuring of her brothers’ deep voices. They must have all gathered for the evening meal. It seemed reasonable for everyone to retreat to the trees once the sun began to go down. It was too dark to continue with chores or play and there was a risk of being attacked by a Yellow-eyed Saber after sunset.

  I was still a little amazed that this home was a good twenty or thirty feet off the ground. The entire village of Linwood had built their homes high up in the trees and bridges dangled between each of the dwellings. Ropes and ladders had been constructed to travel up and down from the ground easily. They could also be drawn up when danger threatened on the ground.

  A water-wheel had also been built down on the river that flowed through the village. “My brothers built it to grind corn and other grains for us and the village,” Laelynn had explained. “But just recently they engineered it to lift buckets of water and other supplies up to the trees.” She winked and smiled at me. “I enjoy my baths, too!” I had smiled politely at her enthusiasm. The piece of machinery was incredible. I was in awe of these villagers and how they’d thrived with their limited resources.

  Once I had dressed and combed my hair, I left the bathing room. I walked down the hallway and into the main living area. All five of Laelynn’s brothers were sitting at their dining table, talking quietly amongst themselves. Laelynn was standing over their old fashioned wood-burning stove, much like the ones we used in Terran. It most likely doubled as a fireplace during the winter.

  “There you are!” Laelynn exclaimed, startling me and the brothers. They grew silent immediately. “Come in and sit down. My brothers don’t bite … often.” She waved me to an open seat at the table, and once again I was feeling awkward. Laelynn was back to being her hospitable self while the brothers clearly did not trust me. I supposed it was only fair since I didn’t trust them either.

  Kaelem was watching me again but I tried to ignore it. His intent gaze drifted from my turquoise eyes, over my wet hair, all the way down to my bare feet. I felt my face go up in flames, but I didn’t give in to the urge to lower my eyes.

  “What are you looking at?” I demanded, pointing out his rude behavior as I dropped into the seat Laelynn had offered.

  “Kaelem, stop it!” Laelynn scolded, pointing her wooden spoon at him. Then she turned to grab some plates of food. “Here’s some dinner for you all. Ravyn, I apologize that my brothers are not introducing themselves.” She gave them each a piercing glare along with their food. “You know Kaelem, sitting across from you. He’s a year older than me, and the one sitting to your left is the next oldest, Raimond. Next to Kaelem is Nash. These two at the head and foot of the table are the oldest, Hagan and Haldar. Of course, you can see they’re twins.”

  My eyes went wide with shock. “Twins?” My head pivoted back and forth between the two identical brothers. I hadn’t noticed at all. The brothers all shared such similar features that I’d completely overlooked it.

  Laelynn furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Yes, of course. Have you never seen twins before?”

  “Only once,” I murmured, ducking my head and trying not to stare. Camellia and I were not identical like Haldar and Hagan so it was startling to see two faces that looked exactly the same.

  Laelynn sat down next to me at the table with her plate of food. The brothers were busy eating but I knew they were still actively listening. “Well, they must not be that common where you come from.”

  I narrowed my eyes slightly. Laelynn had an innocent enough expression on her face, but she was digging for information. I could feel the question in the tone of her voice.

  “And?” I challenged.

  Everyone paused and eyed both of us.

  “Laelynn, stop probing.” It was Kaelem who’d chided her.

  He studied me again with those penetrating eyes and I felt exposed in the worst way. It was as if he’d said exactly what I’d been thinking. Glaring at him, I mentally put up walls inside of my head to block him from reading my thoughts … if that’s what he was doing. I didn’t want him knowing my secrets if he had the ability to read minds.

  When the corners of his mouth turned up in a hint of a smile, I nearly gasped.

  “You’re one to talk, nosey,” Laelynn muttered to her brother. I didn’t miss the smirk they shared.

  Everyone went back to their food. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. Laelynn was only being polite and I was being paranoid.

  “I’m a twin, actually,” I said finally, attempting to be polite in return.

  “Oh?” Laelynn said lightly, trying not to seem pushy.

  “I had a sister. We were the only set of twins in our clan.”

  This time the brother sitting next to me, Raimond, spoke up. “You had a sister?”

  I nodded and lowered my eyes. “She’s probably still alive. I haven’t seen her in eight years.” Why was I telling them this?

  Ravyn, stop talking! I thought, mentally scolding myself again.

  Laelynn gaped at me. “How …? I mean -"

  Kaelem rescued her from her stuttering. “Lae wants to know why you’re wandering the Valley alone and not with your family.”

  When I glanced back at Kaelem, his expression was not as severe as before. In fact, he looked eager to hear the tale.

  “It’s not a story I like sharing,” I replied, attempting to shut down the conversation again.

  Nash, the brother next to Kaelem, leaned forward. “Were you banished from your clan?”

  I heaved a deep sigh and muttered, “Something like that.”

  “Nash, she said she didn’t want to talk about it,” Kaelem repeated.

  The remainder of the meal was more of the same. Laelynn pestered me with questions and I gave them vague answers or dodged the questions altogether. It was obvious I was frustrating her. She still wanted me to join them, but I couldn’t stay here this close to the compound. In order to protect them, and myself, I had to leave as soon as possible. They couldn’t know my secrets. It would be dangerous for all of us. General Wolfe would send his soldiers to punish them if he knew I’d been here.

  After dinner, Nash was in charge of keeping an eye on me. Better him than Kaelem, who gave me a troubled glance before he filed out the door with the others. When Laelynn stepped out of the room in an effort to clean up, she left me alone with a brooding Nash.

  The uncomfortable silence was too much. I spotted another door off the main living area and asked Nash, “Does that lead to a balcony?” I thought I’d seen one from the ground. It would be the perfect place to get away from everyone and relieve my tension.

  “It does,” he replied.

  I rose to my feet and gestured to the exit. “Do you mind? I’d like to get some air.”

  “Stay by the window where I can see you,” he said, warning me with his eyes that he would still be watching.

  Stepping out onto the balcony, I gripped the wooden rails, closed my eyes, and breathed in the crisp, evening air. It was just what I needed to clear my head. The sun’s final rays of the day were still peeking through the trees. The mixture of warmth and the cool breeze felt wonderful on my face.

  As I basked in the remaining glow of the autumn sun, a knot formed in my belly. The feeling that someone was watching overwhelmed me. It was probably one of Laelynn’s snoopy brothers, making sure I wasn’t slaughtering the village, but when I opened my eyes and looked over the railing, it was not one of the brothers at all.

  Her brothers were strong
, but not like this man, the one staring up at me. This warrior’s posture was arrogant. He knew without a doubt that he was a magnificent fighter. Those sharp eyes didn’t miss a thing, even in the dark of the evening. For a moment, I was worried he might be one of General Wolfe’s soldiers, but he still had a light in his gaze that the soldiers did not have anymore. His height was impressive, much taller than any of the soldiers. Despite the fact that he wasn’t as broad-shouldered and hulking as Two, he still looked like a powerful force. His dark sleeveless shirt and pants were well-suited for blending in to the forest and there were daggers strapped to his thighs.

  What held my attention most were the scars that ran down the side of his face. Permanent marks of valor, probably from a battle won against a Night Howler or a Saber. He wore them well, and they only enhanced his handsome warrior’s form.

  The evening light failed to reveal more of his details, but I couldn’t stop staring at him. Maybe it was only my silly imagination, but I felt drawn to this stranger. It was something I had never felt with Kieron. Kieron and I had been childhood friends growing up in the compound. We’d grown to care for each other over time. This was different. A compulsion inside me begged to go and speak with him, but I couldn’t seem to break eye contact long enough to move.

  “Ravyn!” Laelynn exclaimed. “There you are!”

  I looked over my shoulder to find Laelynn joining me on the balcony. There was a sense of relief in her voice, as if she’d expected me to be gone. I probably should have attempted an escape. Her exuberance was starting to wear on me, or maybe my irritation was due to her interruption of the intensity of the moment.

  When I glanced down again, the man had disappeared. Disappointment filled me. I felt as if I’d just lost something important, and I didn’t know why.

  “What are you doing out here?” Laelynn sidled up next to me and gave me a wide smile.

  “Just getting some air,” I replied. “It’s nice out here. And no offense meant, but your brothers all seem to think that I’m going to massacre everyone.”