her, and another directly behind. They wore swords, and
they looked hard-eyed and alert. She remembered the graves at the
crossroads. These would not be men to trifle with.
The officer was
a man in his forties, with the supercilious look of someone born to
privilege and rank. He ran his eyes over the group, and addressed
himself to Tam. "Where are you going?"
Tam shot a
quick glance at Tira, then wiped his palms on his thighs. "Ah,
Raven Crossing. It's a town south-west of here."
"Who are
you?"
Tam's eyes
narrowed a bit at the peremptory tone. It looked as if his awe of
the shining breastplates was fading. "Tam," he said, and broke eye
contact, gazing off at the horizon as if bored.
Tira smothered
a grin. She knew by now that Tam had good judgement. He wouldn't go
too far in provoking the officer, but the man needed a good
tweaking.
"We were
kidnapped!" Lina blurted, and immediately her sister chimed in.
"Tam and Tira
saved us, and now they're taking us home!"
"We saw
dwarves," Lina said, and the two girls were immediately in
competition, talking over top of each other, telling the story of
their adventure in a disjointed rush.
The officer
listened for a while, then raised a gauntleted hand. He seemed
startled when the girls kept right on talking. He frowned and
barked, "Enough!"
The girls fell
silent, and he lowered his hand. His eyes went from Tira's bow and
sword to the sword on the roof of the cart, in easy reach of Tam's
right hand. "By what right do you bear arms on the king's
highway?"
Tira laughed
out loud, and he turned in his saddle, anger on his face. She
smirked at him. "You want us to ride unarmed through goblin
country? Will you be escorting us back to the village, then?"
The officer
reddened. "You can keep your weapons," he said at last. He glared
at each of them in turn, then said reluctantly, "You'd better ride
with us, at least for this evening. There are dark forces afoot in
the kingdom. We can keep you safe tonight, at least."
He didn't ask
if they wanted an escort. He just told half of his men to ride
behind the cart, and led the other half ahead of the cart. They
moved out, Tira catching Tam's eyes and shrugging.
The girls
seemed dazzled by the cavalrymen, gazing wide-eyed at men and
horses. Mikail sat straighter on his pony, emulating the riders,
flushing when he saw Tira watching him.
They rode for
an hour before a low structure appeared on the side of the road.
There was a tiny stream meandering across a meadow, and a crude
wooden fortress stood beside the water. It was a palisade of logs,
the tops sharpened, forming a circular wall ten or so feet high.
The riders led them inside, where they found a compound about fifty
feet wide. There were no buildings, just hitching rails for horses
and a roof mounted on posts covering a rectangle of ground fifteen
feet on a side. There was straw under the roof, and Tira recognized
it as a shelter for sleeping, to keep the men out of the rain.
Low platforms
stood at four points around the palisade, just big enough for one
or two men to stand on and see over the top of the palisade. The
officer put a man on each platform, then sent a couple of men to
gather firewood. Another man built a fire while the rest unsaddled
and brushed the horses.
The officer
himself came over to where the five of them were gathered by the
cart. He tugged off his gauntlets, tucked them under his arm, and
gave them a thin smile. "My name is Carmody," he said. "If I was...
brusque... before, I apologize." He closed his eyes for a moment
and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking suddenly tired. "We
lost a couple of men a few days ago. Things have been tense."
"We appreciate
the escort," Tira said. She didn't like Carmody, but she felt a lot
safer in the compound with his men all around.
"You'll be on
your own starting tomorrow," he said. "I hope you make it home
safe."
Tira went out
at dusk with her bow and bagged a partridge and a skinny rabbit.
She contributed those,
they looked hard-eyed and alert. She remembered the graves at the
crossroads. These would not be men to trifle with.
The officer was
a man in his forties, with the supercilious look of someone born to
privilege and rank. He ran his eyes over the group, and addressed
himself to Tam. "Where are you going?"
Tam shot a
quick glance at Tira, then wiped his palms on his thighs. "Ah,
Raven Crossing. It's a town south-west of here."
"Who are
you?"
Tam's eyes
narrowed a bit at the peremptory tone. It looked as if his awe of
the shining breastplates was fading. "Tam," he said, and broke eye
contact, gazing off at the horizon as if bored.
Tira smothered
a grin. She knew by now that Tam had good judgement. He wouldn't go
too far in provoking the officer, but the man needed a good
tweaking.
"We were
kidnapped!" Lina blurted, and immediately her sister chimed in.
"Tam and Tira
saved us, and now they're taking us home!"
"We saw
dwarves," Lina said, and the two girls were immediately in
competition, talking over top of each other, telling the story of
their adventure in a disjointed rush.
The officer
listened for a while, then raised a gauntleted hand. He seemed
startled when the girls kept right on talking. He frowned and
barked, "Enough!"
The girls fell
silent, and he lowered his hand. His eyes went from Tira's bow and
sword to the sword on the roof of the cart, in easy reach of Tam's
right hand. "By what right do you bear arms on the king's
highway?"
Tira laughed
out loud, and he turned in his saddle, anger on his face. She
smirked at him. "You want us to ride unarmed through goblin
country? Will you be escorting us back to the village, then?"
The officer
reddened. "You can keep your weapons," he said at last. He glared
at each of them in turn, then said reluctantly, "You'd better ride
with us, at least for this evening. There are dark forces afoot in
the kingdom. We can keep you safe tonight, at least."
He didn't ask
if they wanted an escort. He just told half of his men to ride
behind the cart, and led the other half ahead of the cart. They
moved out, Tira catching Tam's eyes and shrugging.
The girls
seemed dazzled by the cavalrymen, gazing wide-eyed at men and
horses. Mikail sat straighter on his pony, emulating the riders,
flushing when he saw Tira watching him.
They rode for
an hour before a low structure appeared on the side of the road.
There was a tiny stream meandering across a meadow, and a crude
wooden fortress stood beside the water. It was a palisade of logs,
the tops sharpened, forming a circular wall ten or so feet high.
The riders led them inside, where they found a compound about fifty
feet wide. There were no buildings, just hitching rails for horses
and a roof mounted on posts covering a rectangle of ground fifteen
feet on a side. There was straw under the roof, and Tira recognized
it as a shelter for sleeping, to keep the men out of the rain.
Low platforms
stood at four points around the palisade, just big enough for one
or two men to stand on and see over the top of the palisade. The
officer put a man on each platform, then sent a couple of men to
gather firewood. Another man built a fire while the rest unsaddled
and brushed the horses.
The officer
himself came over to where the five of them were gathered by the
cart. He tugged off his gauntlets, tucked them under his arm, and
gave them a thin smile. "My name is Carmody," he said. "If I was...
brusque... before, I apologize." He closed his eyes for a moment
and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking suddenly tired. "We
lost a couple of men a few days ago. Things have been tense."
"We appreciate
the escort," Tira said. She didn't like Carmody, but she felt a lot
safer in the compound with his men all around.
"You'll be on
your own starting tomorrow," he said. "I hope you make it home
safe."
Tira went out
at dusk with her bow and bagged a partridge and a skinny rabbit.
She contributed those,
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