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Authors: Rachel E. Carter
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pretty dresses—” A foul odor rose up and I wrinkled my nose, peering down at my boots. Horse droppings. I had managed to step into a mound of them, half-hidden by the dense forest floor. “Great, just…” I froze.
Droppings. Fresh—only a couple days old. Ten minutes past the brush where the bandits had supposedly turned around.
I glanced up sharply and took a quick examination of the surroundings, trying to locate any trampled foliage that had not come from Paige, Ian’s, or my tracks.
There . I squinted. There . My eyes locked on some crushed ivy: and there . The bandits had come this way!
I drew a baited breath. “Lord Waldyn’s envoys said their regiment couldn’t find the bandits after two full days’ search. But didn’t their report state they went north, like Sir Gavin’s group? Everyone thought the tracks leading south were too obvious. What if they weren’t? What if it was a ploy?” I pointed to the mound at my feet.
Ian whistled. “The bandits wanted us to assume they took the stream.”
I felt my excitement building. “It’s why the southern trail looked so trampled. Because it was! They didn’t just send a couple men to give it that appearance and turn around at our camp—they kept going: here!”
I was practically dancing in place. Finally. Something to show the others I was more than the girl the prince favored. “If the bandits had circled back they wouldn’t have had reason to create false tracks this far south. My guess is they missed this or ran out of magic and figured they were too far south for us to search.”
Paige groaned. “You mages make everything so complicated.”
Ian gave the knight a victorious grin and hauled both wood sacks onto his back. “Things would be too easy otherwise, my dear.”
The guard scowled and snatched back her sack. “I am nobody’s ‘dear.’”
I waved us forward. “Come on, let’s go see where these tracks lead…”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Paige grabbed Ian’s and my wrists and yanked us back with a heavy tug. “You two will report back to the rest of your camp and let them decide whether to pursue the search now or in the morning. You know Sir Gavin will have my head if I let the both of you recklessly wander off to hunt the bandits on your own.”
I made a face. We were already three days behind the bandits’ progress. “It’s not reckless. Lief said we could go in pairs and we’d only be scouting—”
“But Sir Gavin said you mages shouldn’t be doing anything the soldiers can handle on their own.”
“They sent us for firewood,” Ian offered. “We are short-handed, we’d be doing the rest of them a favor.”
“I am sure your leader will have a different priority for tracking criminals.”
The two of us gave loud sighs as we followed Paige back to camp. She was right, of course, but I was itching to prove myself to the rest of our party. I chanced a glance at Ian and his expression mirrored my own.
“Feels like the old times, doesn’t it, Ry?”
I smiled. Not yet. But I expected it was about to.
****
In the end our party voted to search the forest that morning. We were already three days behind the bandits’ progress, and it would be foolhardy to try and ascertain their location at night when we could barely see two feet in front of us. Torches would give away our location, and the mages weren’t about to use up magic tracking when we would need it for our inevitable encounter later on.
I spent a restless night tossing and turning. It was a warm summer night—cold in the shade of the forest, but still heated enough by fire to spend it under the stars instead of a tented canvas. Next to me I could hear Paige doing the same. She put on a brave act, but I suspected she was nervous for her first test of duty. When we went to battle, she would be undoubtedly glued to my side.
The entire camp was packed up and ready to go by the first morning’s light. Ian, Paige and I were no exception. Every one of
Droppings. Fresh—only a couple days old. Ten minutes past the brush where the bandits had supposedly turned around.
I glanced up sharply and took a quick examination of the surroundings, trying to locate any trampled foliage that had not come from Paige, Ian’s, or my tracks.
There . I squinted. There . My eyes locked on some crushed ivy: and there . The bandits had come this way!
I drew a baited breath. “Lord Waldyn’s envoys said their regiment couldn’t find the bandits after two full days’ search. But didn’t their report state they went north, like Sir Gavin’s group? Everyone thought the tracks leading south were too obvious. What if they weren’t? What if it was a ploy?” I pointed to the mound at my feet.
Ian whistled. “The bandits wanted us to assume they took the stream.”
I felt my excitement building. “It’s why the southern trail looked so trampled. Because it was! They didn’t just send a couple men to give it that appearance and turn around at our camp—they kept going: here!”
I was practically dancing in place. Finally. Something to show the others I was more than the girl the prince favored. “If the bandits had circled back they wouldn’t have had reason to create false tracks this far south. My guess is they missed this or ran out of magic and figured they were too far south for us to search.”
Paige groaned. “You mages make everything so complicated.”
Ian gave the knight a victorious grin and hauled both wood sacks onto his back. “Things would be too easy otherwise, my dear.”
The guard scowled and snatched back her sack. “I am nobody’s ‘dear.’”
I waved us forward. “Come on, let’s go see where these tracks lead…”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Paige grabbed Ian’s and my wrists and yanked us back with a heavy tug. “You two will report back to the rest of your camp and let them decide whether to pursue the search now or in the morning. You know Sir Gavin will have my head if I let the both of you recklessly wander off to hunt the bandits on your own.”
I made a face. We were already three days behind the bandits’ progress. “It’s not reckless. Lief said we could go in pairs and we’d only be scouting—”
“But Sir Gavin said you mages shouldn’t be doing anything the soldiers can handle on their own.”
“They sent us for firewood,” Ian offered. “We are short-handed, we’d be doing the rest of them a favor.”
“I am sure your leader will have a different priority for tracking criminals.”
The two of us gave loud sighs as we followed Paige back to camp. She was right, of course, but I was itching to prove myself to the rest of our party. I chanced a glance at Ian and his expression mirrored my own.
“Feels like the old times, doesn’t it, Ry?”
I smiled. Not yet. But I expected it was about to.
****
In the end our party voted to search the forest that morning. We were already three days behind the bandits’ progress, and it would be foolhardy to try and ascertain their location at night when we could barely see two feet in front of us. Torches would give away our location, and the mages weren’t about to use up magic tracking when we would need it for our inevitable encounter later on.
I spent a restless night tossing and turning. It was a warm summer night—cold in the shade of the forest, but still heated enough by fire to spend it under the stars instead of a tented canvas. Next to me I could hear Paige doing the same. She put on a brave act, but I suspected she was nervous for her first test of duty. When we went to battle, she would be undoubtedly glued to my side.
The entire camp was packed up and ready to go by the first morning’s light. Ian, Paige and I were no exception. Every one of
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