together
what was happening. The gentle thud of the closing of the door, the
scraping of sticks and small stones on wood, followed by the rustling
sound of footsteps that quickly faded to silence.
Gregario
stole a glance. The hillside undulated here and he could see a
figure, half running, half crouching in the ditch beside the earthen
bank. Scurrying parallel to the road and already fifty feet away. The
short stocky build, the ungainly gait. Was it Tansley? It
had to be .
The
the figure looked back, not directly at him, but at the trading post.
Gregario resisted the urge pull back behind the tree. Remaining
perfectly still was the better way to remain undetected, and it gave him the chance to confirm what he'd already suspected. It was Tansley, with a sack over his shoulder, making his escape.
He hesitated, weighing up his options, and no sooner had
Tansley disappeared from view, than Gregario made his move. Stooping
low and running, as quickly and quietly as his posture, and the
crunching forest floor, would allow. Not after Tansley, but towards
his trading post and the road just beyond it, questioning himself as
he did so.
Should he have grabbed the man as he emerged? Or at
least chased after him? He could have caught him, but it would have
complicated things in the process. Without a doubt the man would have
been able to call for help, alerting other merchants to his plight.
Rightly or wrongly, he'd let Tansley go, and now he wasted no time in
getting to the road to inform Decarius.
"He's making a run for it," he said, darting
from the trees and signaling with jolt of his head in the direction
of the woods behind him.
"Show me." Decarius demanded, breaking into a
run and following him, with Aegis close behind.
Gregario lead the pair to the place where the man had
made his escape, dropping to his knees to show them the trapdoor the
tradesman had climbed out of. Despite dragging aside earth and leaves
he couldn't immediately find it, the man had done a good job
concealing it and, despite knowing roughly where it was, the location
seemed to allude him. While searching the ground about him, Gregario
told them what he had seen.
"A door in the ground opened, somewhere here, and
the owner of the hut came out. Wearing a blue hooded jacket and a
carrying a sack tied up with rope, and made off that way," he
said, stopping his search and pointing in the direction the merchant
had gone.
"Couldn't you have grabbed him as he came out?"
Aegis asked, not unreasonably.
He looked to Decarius for confirmation.
"He did the right thing," Decarius said.
Gregario nodded, he thought so too, and resumed his
search. Almost immediately his fingers touched something cold, and
the accompanying metallic rattle signaled he'd found what he was
looking for. Grabbing the ring firmly, he stood and lifted the door,
exposing the opening below.
Gregario watched as Decarius knelt and looked into the
tunnel, and then along the embankment in the direction Tansley had
fled. His expression one of concentration.
"Are you sure it was Tansley, the merchant from
this hut?"
"Without a doubt."
"Wearing a blue jacket and carrying a sack, you
say?"
"Yes."
Decarius looked at the tunnel and then back along the
embankment and made his decision.
"Right, this is what we're
going to do. You two, get inside this shack. Try the tunnel first,
force your way in if you have to. If it's locked, try another way but
don't be seen. Search the place, and if the gauntlets are here, take
them to the clearing we stopped at earlier. I'll meet you back
there."
"Where will you be?" Aegis asked, as Decarius
started moving quickly down the hill in the direction Tansley was
last seen.
"Making sure he didn't take them with him," he
called back.
The two of them watched Decarius go, before looking at
each other and then down at the open trapdoor in front of them.
Neither of them moved. The hole in the ground looked dark, damp and
not very inviting.
"After you," he
what was happening. The gentle thud of the closing of the door, the
scraping of sticks and small stones on wood, followed by the rustling
sound of footsteps that quickly faded to silence.
Gregario
stole a glance. The hillside undulated here and he could see a
figure, half running, half crouching in the ditch beside the earthen
bank. Scurrying parallel to the road and already fifty feet away. The
short stocky build, the ungainly gait. Was it Tansley? It
had to be .
The
the figure looked back, not directly at him, but at the trading post.
Gregario resisted the urge pull back behind the tree. Remaining
perfectly still was the better way to remain undetected, and it gave him the chance to confirm what he'd already suspected. It was Tansley, with a sack over his shoulder, making his escape.
He hesitated, weighing up his options, and no sooner had
Tansley disappeared from view, than Gregario made his move. Stooping
low and running, as quickly and quietly as his posture, and the
crunching forest floor, would allow. Not after Tansley, but towards
his trading post and the road just beyond it, questioning himself as
he did so.
Should he have grabbed the man as he emerged? Or at
least chased after him? He could have caught him, but it would have
complicated things in the process. Without a doubt the man would have
been able to call for help, alerting other merchants to his plight.
Rightly or wrongly, he'd let Tansley go, and now he wasted no time in
getting to the road to inform Decarius.
"He's making a run for it," he said, darting
from the trees and signaling with jolt of his head in the direction
of the woods behind him.
"Show me." Decarius demanded, breaking into a
run and following him, with Aegis close behind.
Gregario lead the pair to the place where the man had
made his escape, dropping to his knees to show them the trapdoor the
tradesman had climbed out of. Despite dragging aside earth and leaves
he couldn't immediately find it, the man had done a good job
concealing it and, despite knowing roughly where it was, the location
seemed to allude him. While searching the ground about him, Gregario
told them what he had seen.
"A door in the ground opened, somewhere here, and
the owner of the hut came out. Wearing a blue hooded jacket and a
carrying a sack tied up with rope, and made off that way," he
said, stopping his search and pointing in the direction the merchant
had gone.
"Couldn't you have grabbed him as he came out?"
Aegis asked, not unreasonably.
He looked to Decarius for confirmation.
"He did the right thing," Decarius said.
Gregario nodded, he thought so too, and resumed his
search. Almost immediately his fingers touched something cold, and
the accompanying metallic rattle signaled he'd found what he was
looking for. Grabbing the ring firmly, he stood and lifted the door,
exposing the opening below.
Gregario watched as Decarius knelt and looked into the
tunnel, and then along the embankment in the direction Tansley had
fled. His expression one of concentration.
"Are you sure it was Tansley, the merchant from
this hut?"
"Without a doubt."
"Wearing a blue jacket and carrying a sack, you
say?"
"Yes."
Decarius looked at the tunnel and then back along the
embankment and made his decision.
"Right, this is what we're
going to do. You two, get inside this shack. Try the tunnel first,
force your way in if you have to. If it's locked, try another way but
don't be seen. Search the place, and if the gauntlets are here, take
them to the clearing we stopped at earlier. I'll meet you back
there."
"Where will you be?" Aegis asked, as Decarius
started moving quickly down the hill in the direction Tansley was
last seen.
"Making sure he didn't take them with him," he
called back.
The two of them watched Decarius go, before looking at
each other and then down at the open trapdoor in front of them.
Neither of them moved. The hole in the ground looked dark, damp and
not very inviting.
"After you," he
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