Chapter 8

Present day...

“Thank you for allowing us to camp out here,” Corec said to the farmer as he handed over five copper coins, on top of the two silver he’d given the man the night before for additional supplies. With the pack mule to carry everything, and by supplementing their meals with what they could find or catch along the way, they’d have enough food to get to the elven border camp and then back to the West Road before needing to buy more.

After saying their farewells, Corec and his companions returned to the rough trade road and continued southwest toward the forest. The farmer had said it was another hundred twenty miles away, which Corec figured would take four days, given the condition of the road. If they met up with a caravan, it would take longer but would be worth it—the elves allowed traders and the occasional hunter, but Corec wasn’t sure how welcoming they were outside of that.

He was in front, leading Dot. Katrin and Bobo were behind him, walking next to each other so they could talk. Bobo had offered to lead the pack mule.

At one point, Katrin said to Bobo, “Why did you decide to visit the hillfolk, anyway?”

“Well, as I said, I’m a seeker of knowledge. The hillfolk have been settled in one place for longer than almost anyone, except for the elves I suppose, and maybe the eastern cities. I hoped to find some wisdom among them.”

“Did you?”

Bobo sighed. “It was a great disappointment, I’m afraid. Small towns and farming villages full of the superstitious and the ignorant. If I wasn’t a priest of the Fox, I suspect they would have run me off sooner.”

“You aren’t a priest,” Corec reminded him, calling back over his shoulder.

“Seeing as how they still follow the old gods, I’ll let them decide who is and who isn’t,” Bobo said. “I imagine I’m as legitimate as any of the others wandering the hills. I certainly did the work of one.”

Corec shook his head. “Just keep it quiet when we get back to the West Road, will you? We’re still close enough to Tyrsall to fall under its rule, and there are laws about pretending to be a priest. Maybe the villagers won’t catch on, but somebody will.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll be careful,” Bobo said.

“If you didn’t find what you were looking for, why did you stay for so long?” Katrin asked.

“I wanted to keep looking. There are records of old civilizations, you see, and we don’t know where all of them were located. I was hoping to see, perhaps, some old ruins—something to suggest that the hill people weren’t always backwoods farmers. But, alas, nothing.”

“Why not go back west? You’re from Matagor, right?”

“Ah, well, I’ve already been west. I decided it was time to see something new. I have a question for you, if you don’t mind.”

“All right,” Katrin said.

“How ever did you get your tattoo to glow so brilliantly? Is it the ink? There are a lot of people who would pay a lot of money for markings like that. Is it common out this way?”

Corec stopped walking and turned back to watch. Katrin had stumbled to a halt, briefly covering the rune on her forehead with her hand before looking down in embarrassment.

“It’s not a tattoo,” she mumbled.

“Pardon?”

“It’s not a tattoo. I don’t know what it is.”

“You don’t know what it is? Then how did you get it?”

“We don’t know!” she exclaimed. “They just appeared.” She pointed at Corec. “He’s got one, too!”

Bobo looked at Corec’s forehead with raised eyebrows.

Corec tapped his right arm. “They showed up a few days ago. Some sort of magic, but we don’t know what caused it. We’re going to ask the elves, to see if they have any ideas.”

“Fascinating,” Bobo said. “You must let me study them. Perhaps I can help!”

Katrin gave him a sour look.

Corec shrugged. “When we stop for the night, I can show you mine. It looks the same as hers; just the location is different.”

Bobo nodded. “And they appeared out of nowhere?”

“No, it...” Corec paused, then looked at Katrin. “That night at the inn, you said your forehead itched. Did it?”

“Yes! And you wouldn’t let me...” She blushed and stopped speaking.

“My arm was itching in the spot where the rune appeared. It stopped after it showed up. Maybe for a week? A week and a half? What about you?”

She stared at him for a long moment before speaking. “At least a week. I don’t know—I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“I think it may have happened in that village where I saw you play,” Corec said. “And if it started that long ago, it might not be just us. There might be other people with these things, too.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to think about it. Could we talk about something else?”

“Of course, my dear...” Bobo said.

They continued on their way, Bobo telling Katrin tales about his time among the hillfolk, though he didn’t speak much about his life before that.

They’d been walking for another hour when two men who’d been hidden by the trees suddenly stepped out in front of them. They were unshaven and wore dirty clothing, and Corec could smell them from where he stood. The one on the left aimed a crossbow his way while the other held a curved backsword—a style more commonly used by light cavalry, but it would be just as dangerous in the hands of a man on foot. A crossbow bolt wasn’t likely to penetrate Corec’s plate armor, but that didn’t make him any less wary. Katrin and Bobo were right behind him, as was Dot, and he’d taken to leaving the face guard off his helmet since it was uncomfortable. An unlucky shot could hit any of them.

“Well, well, Father,” the man with the sword said, looking at Bobo. “We just wanted to talk the other day. Was it really necessary to run away? Where’d you find these two?”

“Why, gentlemen, I wasn’t running away,” Bobo said. “I merely had to hurry so I could meet my friends on time. And, as you can see, I did. We can talk now if you wish.”

At first, Corec couldn’t figure out why two highwaymen would risk waylaying a man in heavy armor, but then he saw the look the swordsman gave Katrin. Realizing a fight was inevitable, he focused within himself and prepared his barrier shield trick, feeling something within his mind shift once it was in place. The barrier would only last for a few minutes at most, and would only block one or two hits before dissipating, but if he could get the crossbowman to waste his shot on it, then he could take him down before he could reload. The barrier would shimmer briefly if it was hit, but with Katrin and Bobo to the rear, maybe they wouldn’t notice.

He decided not to wait any longer, figuring that a cocked crossbow being pointed in his direction constituted enough of a threat. He didn’t intend to let the men rob him, and he wanted to get the fight started before the barrier wore off.

“That’s kind of you, Father,” the swordsman said, “but it was very inconvenient having to track you down. I think we deserve something for our trouble.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any—”

Corec charged forward, reaching behind himself to pull the scabbard off its harness. “Get behind the mules!” he shouted back to his companions as he drew the sword and tossed the scabbard to the side.

The crossbowman was surprised by the rush. His shot went wide, not hitting the barrier at all, and he dropped the crossbow to grasp for the dagger on his belt. Corec raised his sword just before he got within reach, then slashed down diagonally. The man wasn’t wearing armor and the cut went deep where his neck met his shoulder—he died almost instantly, falling with a spray of arterial blood.

Corec spun to his right, swinging his arm out as the other man slashed at him. He’d planned to catch the blade on his vambrace, but it hit the barrier shield instead, which shimmered and disappeared. The man stopped in shock, which gave Corec time to change his grip on his own sword. With one hand on the hilt and the other on the ricasso, he thrust forward.

The highwayman dropped his weapon, but when Corec tried to pull back on his sword, the dying man staggered along with it—the blade had gotten stuck in his ribs. Corec braced himself and pushed the man off. Without the blade to support him, the bandit fell to the ground, the damage to his chest too severe for him to live.

After making sure that both men were dead, Corec wiped the blood from his sword and retrieved the scabbard, then turned back to face his companions. They were both peering wide-eyed at him from behind the mules. Bobo was clutching his walking cudgel as if worried he was going to have to use it for something other than walking. Katrin was pale, and even as Corec watched, she stumbled, having to grab for Flower’s saddle to remain on her feet.

He hurried over and helped her sit down on a fallen log at the side of the road.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, then glanced at the bandits’ bodies. She swallowed, averting her eyes. She didn’t seem to have noticed the barrier shield.

“Well, that was bracing,” Bobo said.

Corec just looked at him.

“All right, all right,” Bobo said. “I’ll be quiet. Actually, I think I may need to sit down, too.” He joined Katrin on the log and put his head in his hands.

Dot had trotted off in the commotion, so Corec whistled for her to return before he walked back to the bodies. The man with the crossbow had fallen on his side, while the other had fallen forward. Corec used his foot to nudge both of them onto their backs. He still wasn’t used to seeing dead bodies—even as a caravan guard, he could count the number of real fights he’d been in on one hand. Staring at them now, he noticed a resemblance between the two men.

“I think these are the Herman brothers,” he said, wishing he’d looked more carefully at the poster.

“Who?” Katrin asked.

“When I was in Tyrsall, looking at bounties, they were on the board. Bandits and murderers.”

“How much are they worth?” Bobo asked, looking up.

“I wasn’t paying attention,” Corec said, “but for murderers, I think it’s usually five gold each. And I assume they don’t have to be taken in alive.” Ten gold coins was a lot of money.

“Are you going to claim it?” Bobo asked.

Corec looked down at the bodies, considering it. “I’d have to get them to Tyrsall, and we’re going in the opposite direction. It’ll be at least three weeks until I’m back there. Even if I head that way now, it’s a week away, and I’m not going to drag two dead bodies around for that long.”

“I think you only need to take their heads,” Bobo said. “That’s how they do it in Matagor, anyway.”

Corec shuddered. “I don’t think I’m going to do that, either. I don’t know why I thought I was cut out for this bounty hunting business.”

“Maybe you were just greedy,” Katrin said bitterly.

“No, I don’t think that’s it,” he said, meeting her gaze. She turned away, looking uncomfortable. He still wasn’t sure why he’d come after her—it wasn’t like him to be that impetuous. He’d found her attractive and had wanted to talk to her, but he hadn’t thought about what would happen after he’d caught her.

Bobo glanced at them curiously, but didn’t ask what they were talking about.

Facing him, Corec said, “If you want the heads, you’re welcome to them. You can take enough food to get you back to the city, and ten gold should let you do whatever you were planning to do.”

“No, no, that’s quite all right,” Bobo said. “I’ll come with you to the forest. I’ve always wanted to see Terrillia.”

“They won’t let us see Terrillia,” Corec reminded him. “Just the border camps. Let me see what these fellows have, then you can help me bury them.”

He searched the men for their coin pouches, finding a mix of silver and copper that totaled over two gold coins between them. That would be enough to pay for Katrin’s mule and the food and supplies he’d purchased, so he took it for himself. The sword was worthless, but the crossbow was in good shape, and the same man had a decent-looking dagger with an eight-inch blade.

Corec took the dagger over to Katrin. “Here. If we’re going to be dealing with bandits, I’d feel more comfortable if you carried a weapon of some sort.”

She took it from him and looked down at her dress, which didn’t have a belt. It did, however, have small, decorative laces at each hip, used for tightening the dress around her waist. She untied the bow on her left side and strung the laces through the scabbard’s belt loop, tying it again tightly.

“Thank you,” she said.

“That’s twice you’ve thanked me in five minutes,” he murmured so Bobo couldn’t overhear. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to forget you hate me.”

She tried to glare at him, but there was a ghost of a smile on her face.

“We can probably sell the crossbow back at the village,” he said, “unless either of you know how to use it.”

Katrin shook her head.

“I understand the principle,” Bobo said, “but I’ve never tried.”

“I could teach you if you’d like.” Corec had learned to use one during his time at Fort Hightower, but he didn’t like to carry the cumbersome weapon himself. He’d never been in the position of ambushing someone else, and as the person defending against ambushes, he didn’t want to waste time cocking a crossbow.

“I don’t think I could bring myself to shoot someone,” Bobo said.

Corec sighed. Apparently the man wouldn’t be of any more use in future fights than he’d been in this one.

“All right, I’ll sell it, then. Go grab the camp shovel off the pack mule and let’s see about burying these two.”

While Bobo was searching the mule, Katrin asked, “Is ten gold enough to pay my penalty, so I wouldn’t have to go to prison?”

“I didn’t ask them, but I’m sure it is, unless you stole a lot more than you let on. Why? Do you want to carry the heads back to Tyrsall?”

She shivered. “No. I was just curious. And anyway, we need to go see the elves.”

Two days later, early in the evening, they came across a trading caravan setting up camp in a large, clear area on one side of the road. There were ten cargo wagons laid out in a wide circle. At the rear of one, two men had set up an awning and were unloading cooking supplies.

The camp was busier than Katrin had expected, with several guards standing around the edges while drivers were setting up picket lines for the mules.

She realized this was the caravan Corec had been looking for, so she was tempted to put on her cloak and hood to hide her mark, but it was too hot. Hopefully nobody would pay any attention to her. She followed Corec to the edge of the camp. Flower walked up to stand next to her, so she scratched the mule’s neck while Bobo drew even with them.

Beyond the camp, far in the distance, Katrin saw a massive pine tree poking above all the others. It must have been three times the height of the tallest trees near it.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing.

“Elf tree,” Corec said. “That’s just one by itself, but wait until we get to the forest and you’re surrounded by them. I told you you’d know it when you saw it.”

“Elf tree?” Katrin asked.

“Well, that’s not what they call them,” Corec said, “but I don’t remember their word for it.”

“Tershaya,” Bobo said. “I saw a few when I visited Terevas, but they were just single trees like this one. I can’t imagine what an entire forest of them would look like.”

“Corec? Heyo!” a thick, bearded man said as he came up to them. He wore brigandine armor and carried a shield, and had a sword on his belt. “Company send you out after us?”

“Hey, Melos,” Corec said, his speech falling into a drawl that matched the guard’s. “No, I was just heading this way myself. You’ve got a small caravan this time.”

“Always small this time of year. Shipments to Terril will get bigger after the harvest. We’re just carrying iron ingots.”

“Who’s master for this run?”

“Lors. He’s taken it over regular.”

“Oh, good. I know him. Mind if we come on through?”

“Go ahead.”

Melos stood aside, letting them pass. Katrin and Bobo followed Corec through a gap between wagons, still leading their animals, then waited while he sought out a man dressed in nicer clothing than the rest, with gray hair and a mustache. Katrin listened while they spoke.

“Lors,” Corec said.

“I know you,” the man said. “A couple years back, right?”

“Yes. Name’s Corec. We made the Terril run, then a few months later I substituted for one of the regulars to High Cove.”

“That’s right. I don’t do High Cove anymore, though. So what are you doing out here? They got you on messenger duty now?”

“Messenger duty, but not for Senshall. Someone had something they wanted brought out to the elves. I was heading this direction anyway, so I took the job. You mind if we keep you company on the way in? We brought our own food, and I’m willing to stand a watch.”