Chapter 5

Alicia awakened to the sound of birds singing and the scent of flowers on the wind. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled as she beheld Thakkor asleep in the bed next to her. Her cheeks warmed a little as she considered her thoughts — and dreams — about him.

Though she wanted nothing more than to snuggle up next to him, Alicia resisted. Whether she'd worked out her physical needs in her half-remembered dreams or simply had more willpower now that she'd rested, Alicia found the strength to slip out of the bed.

Thakkor stirred a little, smiling in his sleep. Alicia tiptoed across the thick canvas floor of the tent to go outside. The trees filtered the morning sunlight, but Alicia could see down the trail to tell that the sun was fully above the horizon. Not especially skilled in determining time, she had no idea what the hour might be. Her rumbling tummy suggested that it was time to break her fast.

A disturbing squawk caused Alicia to turn back to the trail leading out of the stand of trees. The blood drained from her face when she saw a vulture swoop down from the sky. Her eyes dropped to her blouse, still showing the rusty colored stains of spattered blood that she hadn't been able to completely wash out before they set.

Alicia's stomach churned again, and not with hunger this time.

The flap of the tent opened behind her, but the sound of Thakkor's footfalls had subliminally registered in Alicia's mind, so he didn't startle her. "You okay?" he asked, seeing the direction of her gaze and the carrion bird.

"I suppose."

Thakkor put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You did what you had to do. They certainly would have killed us."

"It still feels wrong — wasteful and sad." Alicia sighed and shook her head.

"Don't ever lose that, Alicia. Taking a life should never be a small thing, even when you don't have a choice."

Alicia turned toward him, keenly aware of his touch. "Does it make you feel ill?"

"Sometimes. I've been attacked by starving highwaymen before, and I had to choke down bile the whole time I was fighting. I knew they were just trying to survive. I did my best to convince them that the cost was too high, but they were too desperate."

Alicia shuddered, prompting Thakkor to wrap his arm around her in comfort. The reason for her shudder changed almost immediately. "I feel like we should chase those evil birds away," she said as another landed.

"I buried them the best I could with nothing but one of their swords to work with. It should be enough to keep the vultures away, if nothing else. The vultures are just doing what comes naturally." Thakkor cleared his throat and let his arm fall to his side, looking as though he'd just realized where it was. "We should probably get going. Staying here and dwelling on it isn't good for you."

Alicia nodded and gave him a slight grin. "There should be enough bread and dried meat for us to break our fast."

"Then we'll get moving again. I'll show you how to wear that sword. From what I saw last night, I'm going to feel a lot safer if you have it where you can get hold of it in a hurry. Someone teaching you?"

Alicia pulled back the flap of the tent, her smile widening from his praise. "Trell — Baroness Gwendoline's Master of the Guard. He's taught me to defend my person ever since my Father sent me to the court on my tenth birthday."

"He's a damn good teacher. I've fought beside greenhorns that were earning a living with their blade and didn't have half your ability," Thakkor said as he followed Alicia into the tent.

"You exaggerate," Alicia scoffed.

"Nope, you handled yourself well in that fight. You don't look the type, either. That's probably as dangerous as your blade."

Her cheeks warming, Alicia said, "Thank you," and opened the pantry cabinet to retrieve what would pass for breakfast.

A short while later, Alicia returned the magical tent to its tiny traveling form while Thakkor put out the fire. After breaking camp, Alicia belted on her acquired sword.

"Walk around a bit," Thakkor suggested.

Alicia's brow furrowed as she walked. "I'm afraid it may drive me mad, bumping off of me with every step."

"You'll get used to it before you know it. Try guiding it with your hand on the pommel for a while."

Alicia followed the suggestion and found it did keep the sword from slapping against her thigh.

Thakkor nodded and adjusted the two canteens hanging over his right shoulder. "There you go. Ready to head out?"

"Yes, let us go."

Thakkor led the way, pointedly taking a much narrower, winding trail out the opposite side of the woodlet to avoid the scene of the previous night's battle. As Alicia stepped from the shadowed canopy of the trees, the true vastness of the plains dawned upon her.

The grasslands had looked endless to Alicia in the moonlit night. With the full light of the summer sun shining down, she felt as though she was on another world. Only the occasional hill or stand of trees broke the endless sea of swaying grasses. No matter which way she looked, the same scene greeted her.

Alicia's fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword when something huge, hairy, and dangerous looking crested a small rise in the distance. "What is that?" she asked, nudging Thakkor.

"Buffalo. They're nothing to worry about as long as we don't do anything stupid like get in its way or torment it."

Alicia let her fingers relax and followed the buffalo with her eyes as she walked at Thakkor's side. With his reassurance that the animal wasn't a bloodthirsty monster, she decided that it was beautiful and majestic. "I have the finest education available, but I feel as though I know nothing out here."

Thakkor looked over, his smile making Alicia feel as though she would melt. "Learning's something you just keep doing. I could show you how to find food, water, and shelter out here as we walk, if you'd like. It will help pass the time."

"I would like that very much," Alicia responded, her face once more adorned with a smile so wide that she felt strain in her cheeks.

Alicia's education began immediately, with Thakkor pointing out a shrub decorated with pale, papery-looking husks. "That's a ground cherry. Not bad eating, and the fruit inside those husks has quite a bit of water in it too." Thakkor plucked one of the fruits and brought it to Alicia.

After a brief examination of the grape-sized yellow fruit, Alicia popped it in her mouth. "It's a little like a tomato with a bit of a pineapple taste."

"Pineapple?" Thakkor asked.

"It's a tropical fruit about the size of one of the canteens you're carrying. They look somewhat similar to pine cones."

"Looks like I'm going to get a bit of an education, too," Thakkor observed with a chuckle while looking deeply into Alicia's eyes. Intent upon Alicia, he managed to tangle his boot in the foliage underfoot and had to hop on one foot to avoid crashing unceremoniously to the ground.

The pair shared a laugh and continued on their way.

Alicia patted her tummy, sighed, and leaned back against the maple tree behind her. The sound of the small river that sustained this oasis of the plains gurgling combined with her full tummy to make her eyes heavy. "That was wonderful."

"Not too bad." Thakkor agreed, rubbing an irritating puncture on his left palm. "Can't say as I recommend wrestling catfish out of the water as opposed to fishing for them, though. Guess I paid enough attention to learn how to do it, though."

"Why do they call it noodling?"

Thakkor kicked at the pile of earth next to the fire pit he'd dug to cook the fish, burying the small fire to ensure it was well extinguished before he set out with Alicia again. "No idea. I thought that old man was a bit crazy when I saw him doing it. Now that I've tried it, I know he was crazy."

Alicia laughed, the sound carefree and content. Though she was dirty, weary, and far from home, Alicia felt exhilarated and alive.

Thakkor stood up with a grunt to shake and cinch his equipment back into position. "We should probably get moving again. I think that if we keep up this pace, we might just make it to within sight of the edge of the plains by nightfall. That should put us somewhere near the trade routes between the city of Sularan and Freeland. We'll try to hook up with a caravan again."

Alicia stood a little reluctantly, wincing as a cockleburr caught in her hair poked her neck. She tried to pull the prickly hitchhiker around to where she could see it, wondering how it had found its way into her hair in the first place, but met with little success.

"Let me get it," Thakkor offered.

Chills ran up Alicia's spine as he moved in behind her and gently parted her blonde hair around the burr. Her eyes closed and she had to fight the urge to moan in contentment as he worked the sharp-spined seed from her hair.

"There we go," Thakkor declared triumphantly, tossing the cockleburr to the bed of pine needles underfoot.

Alicia turned and said, "Thank you," keenly aware of the closeness of him to her.

"No problem," he responded, sounding a little distracted as he looked into her eyes. After a few blissful moments, a sharp nod of his head to the north broke the eye contact. "We should get going."

Alicia, on the verge of leaning closer and seeking his lips with her own, covered her embarrassment by turning in the direction Thakkor had nodded and agreeing, "Yes, of course." She closed one eye and winced a little at the edge of snippiness in her voice, evidence of her irritation with the interruption of the moment.

Only a few minutes away from the spot where they'd stopped to eat, Alicia heard a guttural voice. More sounds followed, punctuated by the sound of Thakkor's sword hissing free of its scabbard. Her senses suddenly focused, Alicia smelled something awful on the breeze. The odor conjured up images of sweaty men wallowing in a garbage heap within Alicia's mind.

"Goblins," Thakkor whispered to her. "The sound's coming from over there. If we just keep going, we can try to get past them without getting noticed."

A pain-filled cry, suddenly silenced, changed that plan immediately.

"Son of a..." Thakkor cursed. "Alicia, I can't just..."

Alicia drew her sword. "Neither can I. Someone is in trouble."

"Stay alert and stay close."

Alicia followed Thakkor's lead, her eyes roving the trees around her while she remained aware of where she placed her feet. The harsh sound of goblin voices grew steadily louder as the pair negotiated the maze of maple, pawpaw, and undergrowth. When he bent his knees to edge forward in a crouch, Alicia mimicked him and paused to avoid running into him.

Alicia's heart thundered in her chest as Thakkor gestured for her to move forward. He pointed through the undergrowth of saplings and bushes ahead to ask, "Can you see them?"

"Yes," Alicia whispered back, seeing two of the greenish-skinned monsters kicking something lying unseen on the ground.

"Just to the left of the bush. We'll charge through there. I'll take the one on the left. It looks like they just have clubs, but be careful."

Thakkor's unspoken confidence in her ability to handle the other goblin added a swelling of pride to the mixture of anxious energy and fear roiling within Alicia.

Alicia slowly stood back up straight as Thakkor did so, alive with nervous energy. Thakkor mouthed, on three, and then raised one finger. A second, and finally a third finger popped up. With that, the pair burst through the branches and leaves with blades bared.

Alicia instantly knew they were in trouble. In addition to the two goblins they'd observed, three more stood off to the left, and two held a struggling woman on the right. One of the goblins tore open the woman's dress at the neckline, baring her body just as it and its fellows noticed the intruders.

Alicia's eyes hardened with anger. The lust of goblins for human and elven women was well known, and the actions of the monsters left little room for doubt that these planned to live up to their reputation.

Alicia slashed the goblin on the right before it could raise its club, tearing through filth-encrusted cloth, skin, and muscle. The goblin's club fell to the ground as the creature gripped the belly wound. While the monster tried to push the entrails boiling from the wound back inside where they belonged, Alicia stabbed it in the throat.

At her side, Thakkor's powerful slash nearly decapitated the other goblin, allowing him to turn on the other three goblins charging into the fray from his side.

The goblin that had torn open the dark-haired woman's clothing turned toward Alicia with lust and hatred in its eyes, while the other maintained its grip on the prize. The goblin led with a rusty knife, moving with awful purpose toward Alicia.

A gurgling scream accompanied Thakkor's next stab, taking the nearest goblin in the chest. The remaining goblins held back, wise enough to look for an opportunity instead of blindly attacking.

The would-be monstrous rapist sprang toward Alicia, knife held high and yellow claws splayed wide as it reached for Alicia's blouse. The goblin barely managed to arrest its momentum and spin out of the way when Alicia responded with a diagonal slash aimed at the creature's weapon. Her sword bit into the monster's arm, drawing an angry line of blood.

The goblin screamed in pain and anger, lashing out with its claws. Alicia stepped back, but the monster managed to tear her blouse and dig into the smooth flesh of her abdomen below. The instinctive reaction left the monster off balance, and Alicia's answering stab caught the goblin in the side, digging in deep.

With little skill and even less cooperative nature, the two goblins facing Thakkor soon made a mistake. The second he saw the opportunity, Thakkor exploited it. He darted forward, easily defeating a clumsy swing of the sickle the monster had appropriated for a weapon. His following stab impaled the goblin, penetrating far deeper than Thakkor had expected. The other goblin charged in, wielding a woodsman's axe.

Thakkor's muscles bulged as he utilized the goblin encumbering his sword as a weapon. With a loud growl of effort, he lifted his sword and twisted his body, sending the nearly-dead goblin hurtling toward the other.

The monsters collapsed into a heap, and the bottom creature managed to extradite itself just in time to see Thakkor's sword come down.

Thakkor spun to see Alicia turn from her dying opponent toward the goblin holding the woman. He charged to Alicia's side and hissed, "Shit," under his breath when the goblin put a knife to its raven-haired captive's throat.

The goblin barked orders in its awful language, pulling back on the woman's hair to bare her throat to its blade. The monster pulled the wide-eyed woman backwards as it continued to hiss and growl commands.

Thakkor circled toward the creature's right, at a loss for what to do. With the pitted blade of the goblin's hunting knife right against the woman's throat, he dared not attack. He knew all too well that the monster probably planned to slash the woman as a distraction and run for its life, though.

Alicia faced the same conundrum, but a solution occurred to her in a flash of inspiration. Opening her mind to the dagger sheathed at her thigh, she called upon the magic housed there.

The goblin didn't even have time to react to the blue-white bolt of magic streaking through Alicia's skirt into its hand. Nerveless fingers dropped the knife, and a powerful hand fisted in its matted hair. Thakkor's muscled chest filled its vision, and then the goblin was flying backwards.

The goblin slammed into a tree, cracked its head, and stumbled. When the monster fell, it landed across a large, downed branch. Twin cracks from the branch and the creature's back rang out.

The branch proved the stronger.

With the goblin draped over the branch and certainly dead, Thakkor spun to Alicia and said, "Help her." The red-skinned plainswoman had fallen to her knees, nursing scratches on her back that the goblin had inflicted while trying to prevent its unwelcome flight into the tree.

He then jogged toward the plainsman on the ground. The man was badly bruised and cut, his breathing shallow, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The wounds were serious, and Thakkor wasn't confident that the downed man would survive.

A frightened cry in an unfamiliar language caused Thakkor to glance back toward Alicia and the plainswoman. Alicia was attempting to pull the other woman's doeskin dress back up over her breasts, but the woman lurched away to scramble toward Thakkor, calling out what he assumed was a name.

Alicia hurried to follow, and couldn't miss the look of concern on Thakkor's face. The plainswoman knelt next to the man, examining his wounds and calling out to him.

"Is he... ?" Alicia asked.

"It's not good," Thakkor answered, his tone grave.

The raven-haired woman let out a wail as her eyes welled up with tears, obviously having the same opinion of the downed man's condition.

Alicia's eyes widened as she remembered something from the wizard's bag. Dropping her bloodstained sword, she tore open the bag and rummaged around for a green silk pouch within. When she found it, she pulled it free and opened the bag to reveal the vial within.

"Thakkor, can you sit him up?"

"What is it?" Thakkor asked, seeing the vial.

"A healing potion. If we can make him drink, it might save him."

Thakkor nodded and knelt down on the carpet of forest detritus next to the two plains natives. The woman looked at him with a combination of alarm and anger, moving to hover protectively over her barely breathing man.

Alicia hurried to kneel down next to the woman, holding out the vial. "Please, I don't know if you can understand me, but this is magic. It can help. Please let us help him."

Thakkor closed his eyes and tried to remember a word that one of the plainsmen had said to him a few years back. Thinking he had it, he sounded out, "Nuh-woe-tee," and pointed at the vial Alicia held, praying that he'd said something close enough to medicine in the woman's language for her to understand.

The woman hesitated, but then sat back and gestured, speaking quickly in her own tongue. Thakkor took that for permission and moved in behind the unconscious plainsman to lift him into a seated position.

Alicia brought the vial to the man's parted lips and tipped it back. She let just a drop wash over his tongue at first, concerned about choking him. When his lips quivered, she added a second drop.

Though she wasn't sure if she was imagining it, she thought the plainsman's breathing seemed stronger. Encouraged, she poured just a bit more of the potion into his open mouth. When he swallowed, she tipped the vial more.

Shortly thereafter, the effects were unmistakable. The plainsman's bruises faded and his breathing regulated. Behind his closed eyelids, his eyes twitched. Alicia emptied the vial and sat back, offering a silent prayer to the gods.

The red-skinned man's lips moved, though Alicia couldn't hear any words. The other woman either did hear, or simply understood what he had attempted to say, because she let out a cry of relief and leaned in close to say what Alicia assumed was his name again.

Over the next several minutes, the plainsman steadily recovered his wits, eventually able to sit up without Thakkor's assistance. Thakkor and Alicia moved aside, feeling as though they were intruding as the couple sitting on the ground talked and touched each other affectionately.

"He looks okay now," Thakkor whispered, his eyes roving of their own volition to the bottom of Alicia's breasts, exposed by the goblin's claws ripping her blouse. He tore his eyes away as soon as he realized what he was doing.

Alicia noticed, but she didn't feel uncomfortable, as she always did whenever a man admired her attributes. She looked back at the other couple to find the plainsman rising to his feet. After a few seconds to check his balance and a reassuring gesture to the woman at his side, he approached.

"I am called Redbear, in your tongue," the plainsman said, his words heavily accented, but quite understandable. "You have our thanks."

"Thakkor."

"And I am Alicia. We only did what anyone would have done."

Redbear shook his head, his long, dark hair swinging from side to side. "Not so. When we meet the white man, life is most often taken — not given. We owe you a life debt."

"Please, that is not necessary," Alicia countered. "We were glad to help."

The plainsman's brow furrowed in thought. He then gestured for the woman to join him. She'd managed to make her doeskin dress decent again, though it would certainly need stitching to remain so for long. "We must return to our people. Where do you travel?"

Thakkor answered, "North, to Freeland."

Redbear smiled. "We make our camp to the north. I would gift you with aid in your journey."

"We are traveling a little light and ragged." Once again, Thakkor's eyes found the tears in Alicia's blouse, raising color in both his and her cheeks.

"Come, then," Redbear said with a nod of his head, and led the way.

Redbear managed to locate his bone knife and stone-headed hatchet, but his fine bow was unfortunately beyond saving. His wife had little trouble finding her antler knife, as it remained lodged in the chest of one of the three goblins the couple had felled before Thakkor and Alicia arrived.

Alicia located a healing salve within the wizard's bag, which served to close the wounds she and the other woman had suffered from the goblin's claws. Redbear showed no inclination to tend to the dead goblins, and cracked a smile when Thakkor suggested that nothing in its right mind would eat the odoriferous monsters anyway.

While walking away from the stand of pines, Redbear explained that the goblins had lain in wait, ambushing the couple as they returned from a religious pilgrimage related to their joining as husband and wife. This explained both how the obviously formidable couple had fallen to the goblins, and why the couple had journeyed without the rest of their tribe.

In the distance, the hills marking the edge of the plains appeared over the horizon. Still days away, the sharp contrast to the miles of almost perfectly flat land was not lost on Thakkor and Alicia.

As she walked — and attempted to keep her breasts inside her tattered blouse — Alicia marveled at her lack of fear in engaging and battling the goblins. The thought of the monsters cruelly attacking someone who was already down had spurred her into battle. The sight of the monsters intent upon raping the plainswoman had replaced every ounce of fear with angry determination.

Unlike the previous fights circumstances had forced her to enter, Alicia felt no pangs of conscience about killing the goblins. Her sword now rode on her hip as though a part of her, and she was barely aware of it save for the sense of comfort and confidence it provided. She paced Thakkor and the couple of the plains without undue effort.

The sun moved from overhead toward the horizon, lengthening the shadows of the four travelers. Redbear let out a whooping call, announcing his approach to the campsite, composed of conical tipis.

Members of the tribe appeared wary of Thakkor and Alicia, but quickly warmed to the pair as Redbear offered a brief explanation. The women soon ushered Alicia and Redbear's wife off to a tipi to provide them with decent clothing.

Though a world away from home, Alicia felt a sense of familiarity from the gathering of women. She settled in to enjoy the comradery, aided by a few women with limited knowledge of her language.

Thakkor naturally had to tell his part of the story, translated by Redbear. He accepted the thanks of the tribe, comprised mostly of family members. The chores of the day continued all the while, including the preparation of a celebratory feast.

"How do your people feel about magic?" Thakkor asked with a little trepidation once he had a chance to speak to Redbear alone.

"We believe there is good medicine and bad medicine."

Thakkor scratched his beard and asked, "What about a huge tent that springs up out of nowhere?"

Redbear smiled and answered, "I will prepare the people — and await this wonder."

"Your people don't usually make camp this far north, do you?" Thakkor asked, noticing how permanent the settlement looked. From what he knew of the plains people, they were primarily hunter/gatherers. Redbear's tribe was obviously cultivating corn, squash, and other vegetables. From the detritus of previous crops he could see in the soil, Thakkor knew that this wasn't the first season of this camp.

"Since the coming of the Black One, our people must flee or face enslavement," Redbear explained, his voice tight with anger and resignation.

"Draxnog," Thakkor said with a nod of his head. "He won't press his hand much up here. He knows he's walking a tightrope with Freeland already."

"We risked much danger for our marital rites." Redbear sighed, staring longingly out into the vast plains.

"The world's changing, and a lot of it isn't good," Thakkor said, sympathizing with the pain of the proud warrior.

"And yet there is much of good to be found," Redbear said, his demeanor changing as he turned away from the sight of his ancestral homeland. He extended his hand to Thakkor.

Thakkor clasped the warrior's hand, sharing a firm grip with a newfound friend.

Redbear turned and signaled for Thakkor to follow. "You have chosen a mate of fire and of beauty, as have I. We share much in spirit."

"We're just traveling together by happenstance, we're not together," Thakkor responded.

The plainsman glanced back with a grin and raised his eyebrows. "My eyes are keen, and they tell me a different tale."

"I wish." Thakkor chuckled. "The rich and powerful are fighting for her hand, I wouldn't stand a chance."

"One must leave the safety of the camp to hunt, and even a failed hunt brings knowledge."

Thakkor glanced toward the tipi where the women had gone, easily discerning the meaning of the plainsman's words. "You may have something there."

Alicia stepped out of the tipi in her new doeskin dress. In deference to her lesser tolerance for the heat of the sun-baked days, the women had modified her dress with a far shorter skirt, and more exposure of her chest and back. Even so, it covered her far better than the torn blouse that the women were attempting to repair. Her sword belt also emphasized her trim waist, and Alicia wished she had a mirror so she could see how it looked.

A moment later, she found her mirror in Thakkor's eyes. He'd stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide and drinking her in.

Alicia blushed and toyed with one of the feathers in her golden locks. "What do you think?"

"Beautiful," he responded in a soft voice.

Redbear interrupted the moment by calling his guests to the feast.

The evening whirled by in almost a blur, beginning with the meal of venison and vegetables that Alicia ate far too much of. The evening's celebration encompassed both gratitude for Thakkor and Alicia's aid to Redbear and his wife, and the native couple's joining.

The odd beer brewed by the people of the plains didn't sit well with Alicia at first, but she drank it to avoid appearing rude. The strength of the brew soon overcame her qualms about the drink, however. A little tipsy, Alicia convinced Thakkor to join her in the dancing of the tribe. Already lightheaded from the drinking, she felt even more so from the admiration and attraction in Thakkor's eyes.

In time, the celebration wound down. The people would need to rise early to begin the next day's chores, and wisely didn't stay up too late. Redbear and his wife had an even better reason to retire early, as they could now consummate their marriage.

Alicia summoned up her magical tent to the amazement of the tribe, and soon thereafter, only she and Thakkor remained outside.

"Do you want to take a bath?" Thakkor asked.

"Oh yes," Alicia replied. "I need to clear my head, and I'm all sweaty from dancing. I won't take long."

"We probably should get in bed as soon as possible."

Alicia's mind construed that suggestion in a far different manner than that which Thakkor had intended. Those thoughts carried with her as she slipped into her bath a few minutes later. She stroked her fingers over her labia with a slight frown, wishing she had a razor to clear the stubble prickling beneath her fingers.

Redbear and his wife didn't help to cool the fires of desire within Alicia, either. The couple consummated their marriage enthusiastically, the sound of their pleasure mingling with others of the tribe sharing their marriage beds. Alicia quickly washed, unsure if she could resist surrendering to her own needs so long as she remained nude in the bath.

She found Thakkor wearing a slightly embarrassed grin when she emerged from the tent. "Not exactly shy, are they?" He said with a chuckle as one of the plainswomen erupted in a piercing cry of release.