Read Online Healers by Laurence Dahners - Free Book Online

animals though. She turned to look at Daussie and saw Daussie staring ahead with narrowed eyes. Kazy looked and saw the road cutting through a narrow spot in the trees. There seemed to be a commotion up by the guard wagon that led the caravan. Daussie said, “Come on,” as she kneed her horse up to a trot.
    Kazy urged her mount to a trot as well, following Daussie along the side of the caravan as they moved toward the front. She saw Eva move up to lead the Hyllises’ mule team as Daum, who had been leading their wagon, trotted up to mount the guard wagon. A minute later, Tarc trotted back from the front of the caravan and climbed up to join his father on the little platform atop the guard wagon.
    A pudgy merchant Kazy recognized as Henry Roper trotted up to begin leading the guard wagon’s mule team. The guard who had been leading the team turned and mounted a horse. He trotted out in front of the caravan.
    Daussie had slowed her horse to a walk beside Mr. Roper at the front.
    Kazy rode up beside Daussie, “What’s going on?”
    Daussie shrugged. “Drill. We practice this every so often, especially when we’re going through a tight spot like that,” she said, eyeing the narrow cut in the trees.
    “You and I are at the front of the entire caravan just when we think it might run into trouble?” Kazy asked wide-eyed.
    Daussie nodded, “Messengers. We have pretty good horses and we can’t fight, so if there’s a problem we ride up and down the caravan telling people what’s going on and what to do.”
    Staring apprehensively ahead at the narrow spot in the trees, Kazy said, “Why not horns? Or whistles, or drums?”
    Daussie looked bemusedly at her for a moment, “Well, we might need to carry a more complex message than you could send with a horn. But that’s not a bad idea for a way to alert the entire caravan.”
    Lieutenant Arco arrived then. Walking his horse next to Roper he asked, “Anything suspicious?”
    Roper shook his head, “Jason said you wanted to drill at narrow spots, so that’s what we’re doing.”
    Arco grunted, “Good,” he turned to Daussie, “Ride back along the caravan. Tell them it’s a drill. They should close up their intervals and remain alert while we’re going through this narrow cut in the trees.”
    Daussie said, “I know you said Kazy and I would serve as two separate messengers, but since this is just a drill, can she ride back along the caravan with me? That way she can see what we’re supposed to do?”
    “Sure,” Arco said, still studying the land ahead.
    To Arco, Daussie said, “She also suggested horns to alert the caravan.”
    Arco grunted and looked at Kazy with some interest.
    “Come on,” Daussie said to Kazy and turned her horse toward the rear.
    “Two separate messengers?” Kazy asked nervously.
    “Yeah, then if I’ve already gone to the back and Arco wants to send another message, you can bring it.”
    “Oh,” Kazy said, a jolt of fear shooting through her at the thought of being separated from Daussie, especially if they were under attack.
    Daussie stopped to tell the people in the next wagon what was happening.
    Trying to distract herself, when Daussie moved on Kazy asked, “What’re Daum and Tarc doing up on top of the guard wagon?”
    “Archers. The platform up there has quivers and bows for them.”
    “They’re guards too?” Kazy asked, thinking they had a lot of different responsibilities in the caravan.
    “No, but they’re pretty good with a bow. The guards are our main protection, especially in towns, but in an emergency all the caravaners have to pitch in.” She shrugged, “Like us serving as messengers.”
    After notifying the caravan about the drill, Daussie and Kazy rode back up to the front. There they practiced keeping a sharp eye out for any attackers that might be hidden in the trees. When they came out of the trees on the other side, Arco announced they would break for lunch in a wide area there.
    Kazy and the other