Chapter 5

When I released the girl so I could talk to her face-to-face, she started shivering.

“Do you have a fever?” I asked. “You feel very warm but you’re shivering.”

“No, I’m just cold. I’m not dressed properly because I hadn’t expected to be out long.”

That’s when I realised the dress Lizbet was wearing was a flimsy nightwear.

I took off my extra jerkin and gave it to Lizbet. “Here, take this. I’ll be back at the village in about three hours and the walking will keep me warm.”

“Thank you,” said Lizbet, putting on my jerkin over her nightwear but under her cloak.

“What are you going to do now?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Perhaps another pale-skinned tribe might take me. But I wouldn’t know where to start looking for them.”

“Why don’t you come back to my village with me.”

“Won’t the villagers kill me?”

“We have a tradition called Sanctuary,” I explained. “An outsider in need of help can stay in the village under the rules of Sanctuary if they have a sponsor who is prepared to guarantee their good behaviour. You’d get food and protection and a place to sleep while you work out what you want to do next. I’d be your sponsor.”

Since I wasn’t married, I wasn’t sure I could swing that last part, but if I explained Lizbet’s circumstances to Matra Glandira, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t be turned away. The worst that would happen was that she’d be barred from the village; I was pretty sure they wouldn’t kill her.

“Thank you,” Lizbet sniffled. “I’d like that.”

We both took swigs of my water then I refilled my pack. Checking the position of the sun, I reckoned we wouldn’t make it back to the village by the start of fourth quarter. However we should make it back before community supper.

“Follow me,” I said, and set off into the trees heading South. I couldn’t hear Lizbet following so I turned to see where she was and found she was only a couple of feet behind me but moving noiselessly. “If I could walk like that I reckon I would have been accepted as a hunter, even though I can’t throw a spear to save my life,” I joked.

“What do you mean? How do I walk?”

“I couldn’t hear you behind me so I had to turn to check you were there.”

Lizbet smirked. “Yes, you are rather leaden-footed. All my people are taught to walk like this from birth since hunting is our life.” Then her face dropped.

“Sorry, Lizbet. I didn’t mean to remind you. Perhaps I’d better concentrate on our surroundings rather than talking. Do you think your raiders might find us?”

“No. They weren’t very good hunters so I would have heard them if they were near. But in this forest, it is better to be safe.”

Thereafter we walked in silence, or at least, as silent as possible given my clumsy passage. I was vaguely aware of differences from my route in the morning so we were forging a different path. Another failure of my tracking skills: I couldn’t even follow my own tracks! I was confident in our direction though, so we’d pass close enough to the village to see it.