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Authors: Terie Garrison
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asleep.
I opened an eye when the loud singing of birds woke me up. The sky was barely grey, and the air felt chillier than it had the night before. I decided to get my fire going again, then perhaps get a little more sleep. But when I tried to sit up, every single muscle I had seemed to scream in pain. I groaned aloud and lay back on my bed of leaves.
An inventory of my body revealed that the worst off were my legs. Had to be the day before spent in the saddle, when I hadn’t ridden a horse in so long. Why hadn’t I thought of that? On the other hand, what difference would it have made if I had? Well, just lying there in the crisp air wouldn’t help.
I pushed myself up, trying to ignore the pain and telling myself that I would feel better once I got moving. Moving gingerly, I gathered more firewood and restarted the fire. The last of the water in my waterskin filled the saucepan for tea. Finding a creek or stream would have to be one of my first tasks once the sun was up.
Porridge would have been perfect for a morning like this, but I had to settle for toasting the last of my bread and eating it dry along with some dried meat and raisins.
When I finished eating, I performed my morning meditation. At first, it was easy, but as the sun rose higher, the forest awoke and grew louder and louder until I finally had to give up. The wind gusted through the treetops, and the morning birdsong became downright raucous. I’d forgotten how noisy “uninhabited” woods could be.
I put out the fire, packed my things, and went off in search of water. Then I followed the road farther into the woods. At first, I tried not to feel the vibrations of the life all around me. But Oleeda had said that it wasn’t wrong to sense these things, that it was indeed part of the fabric of my nature. Tentatively, I let myself open up as never before and accept this gift of awareness. Squirrels scampered up and down trees hiding the last nuts before Winter and scolding each other; woodpeckers drilled their holes, holding contests to see which could drill fastest; a bear far away yawned as it gorged, preparing for hibernation.
As I rounded a sharp bend, I found a wild forest cat sitting in the middle of the road, for all the world as if it were waiting for me. I’d always had a special fondness for cats. Mama loved to tell the story of how the family housecat jumped into my crib and curled up along my side, just hours after I’d been born. The wildcat stood up, but continued to watch me. I squatted down to make myself look smaller and held out my hand. I made the comforting little clicking sound cats always seemed to love and thought how beautiful it looked, how soft its fur must be, what a good hunter it obviously was to look so sleek and healthy. To my delight, it walked slowly towards me and sniffed my outstretched hand. Evidently satisfied, it—or she as I soon perceived—rubbed her head against my fingers, and I stroked her cheek. She took a step nearer as I ran my hand through her thick pelt, which, while soft, was courser than I’d expected it to be. I couldn’t help smiling as I gave her a good head-scratching behind the ears. Then, just when I was sure I’d gained her confidence, she make a quick move and darted off into the trees.
“Ah, well,” I said, then found that in the few moments I’d crouched there, my leg muscles, still sore from yesterday, had stiffened up. I leaned forward a little to push myself up with my hands, and that’s when I heard footsteps behind me. I tried to rise and whirl around, but it was too late.
Something crashed down on my head and knocked me sprawling facedown.
My dearest daughter~
We have just received the terrible news about Breyard’s arrest. I am soon for Penwick, though I fear I cannot arrive in time.
Before I leave, I must command you under no circumstances to leave Roylinn, not even to return home. There are dangers of which you know nothing, but there is no time to explain now. You
I opened an eye when the loud singing of birds woke me up. The sky was barely grey, and the air felt chillier than it had the night before. I decided to get my fire going again, then perhaps get a little more sleep. But when I tried to sit up, every single muscle I had seemed to scream in pain. I groaned aloud and lay back on my bed of leaves.
An inventory of my body revealed that the worst off were my legs. Had to be the day before spent in the saddle, when I hadn’t ridden a horse in so long. Why hadn’t I thought of that? On the other hand, what difference would it have made if I had? Well, just lying there in the crisp air wouldn’t help.
I pushed myself up, trying to ignore the pain and telling myself that I would feel better once I got moving. Moving gingerly, I gathered more firewood and restarted the fire. The last of the water in my waterskin filled the saucepan for tea. Finding a creek or stream would have to be one of my first tasks once the sun was up.
Porridge would have been perfect for a morning like this, but I had to settle for toasting the last of my bread and eating it dry along with some dried meat and raisins.
When I finished eating, I performed my morning meditation. At first, it was easy, but as the sun rose higher, the forest awoke and grew louder and louder until I finally had to give up. The wind gusted through the treetops, and the morning birdsong became downright raucous. I’d forgotten how noisy “uninhabited” woods could be.
I put out the fire, packed my things, and went off in search of water. Then I followed the road farther into the woods. At first, I tried not to feel the vibrations of the life all around me. But Oleeda had said that it wasn’t wrong to sense these things, that it was indeed part of the fabric of my nature. Tentatively, I let myself open up as never before and accept this gift of awareness. Squirrels scampered up and down trees hiding the last nuts before Winter and scolding each other; woodpeckers drilled their holes, holding contests to see which could drill fastest; a bear far away yawned as it gorged, preparing for hibernation.
As I rounded a sharp bend, I found a wild forest cat sitting in the middle of the road, for all the world as if it were waiting for me. I’d always had a special fondness for cats. Mama loved to tell the story of how the family housecat jumped into my crib and curled up along my side, just hours after I’d been born. The wildcat stood up, but continued to watch me. I squatted down to make myself look smaller and held out my hand. I made the comforting little clicking sound cats always seemed to love and thought how beautiful it looked, how soft its fur must be, what a good hunter it obviously was to look so sleek and healthy. To my delight, it walked slowly towards me and sniffed my outstretched hand. Evidently satisfied, it—or she as I soon perceived—rubbed her head against my fingers, and I stroked her cheek. She took a step nearer as I ran my hand through her thick pelt, which, while soft, was courser than I’d expected it to be. I couldn’t help smiling as I gave her a good head-scratching behind the ears. Then, just when I was sure I’d gained her confidence, she make a quick move and darted off into the trees.
“Ah, well,” I said, then found that in the few moments I’d crouched there, my leg muscles, still sore from yesterday, had stiffened up. I leaned forward a little to push myself up with my hands, and that’s when I heard footsteps behind me. I tried to rise and whirl around, but it was too late.
Something crashed down on my head and knocked me sprawling facedown.
My dearest daughter~
We have just received the terrible news about Breyard’s arrest. I am soon for Penwick, though I fear I cannot arrive in time.
Before I leave, I must command you under no circumstances to leave Roylinn, not even to return home. There are dangers of which you know nothing, but there is no time to explain now. You
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