The Euriday troops should have seen them on the ridge, but three things worked in their favor. First, Andora made quick work of destroying their prints. Second, a dense stand of ancient oak trees stood between the Euriday troops and them.
The third was the half dozen deer that Rory conjured -- not real deer, but they ran off as the troops first appeared and no doubt convinced them that any movement they had seen had been the animals.
Meanwhile, Rory and his companions remained close together in a slight depression. He even pulled enough dirt and debris over them to hide them better since some troops had spread out in their direction.
There were a lot of soldiers. Far more than just a patrol along the border. There were at least five hundred men tramping up the hill and down the other side, and Rory was sure he could see more dust rising a couple miles away.
They had a long, hot wait while the four groups moved past. A few people came close enough that Rory used magic to distract them to a slightly different path. It took far too much of the day, but eventually, in the late afternoon, the last sounds faded away. Andora sat up first, shook the dirt from her hair and arms, and the others did the same.
"They mean trouble for someone," Jamison said, his voice still soft. "I fear it might be Sciwhen, but I suppose that's only a secondary goal."
"Stir up trouble in Sciwhen to keep them from letting mercenaries hire out to Euriday or Sundry," Andora said. She seemed to have a good sense of how this could work. "I should go and warn the border guards. They aren't enough to hold back this tide."
Rory nodded. "Point us in the right direction. We --"
"Come with me," Andora said, but she did not make it a command. "We're less than two days from the border at a quick march. Can you keep that up?"
Even Keltrina nodded in agreement; to be fair, she had never slowed them down.
"Why?" Zorian asked.
"I would expect more trouble along this path, and I don't want you to run into it. I also want to write up reports for the Sciwhen government. I know there might be things you don't want to say, but since this trouble is heading for us, I think we deserve as much information as you can give."
Rory wasn't going to argue, but only because it took him closer to Sundry. Jamison and Zorian didn't look quite as confident.
"Can we get ahead of that group?" Zorian asked with a wave toward the area where the army had marched.
"They are trying to stay hidden. We can take the main trails. If we get moving --"
"I say go with you," Zorian replied. Jamison and Keltrina nodded. Rory did so last so that he didn't influence them.
Adora nodded her thanks. She started back along the deer track they'd been following. They had crossed a well-used trail a couple miles before. They would have to be careful, not so much of the typical traveler, but of any scouts that the Euriday put along the way.
Rory discussed it with the others.
"I hope they're scouting ahead and not so much behind now that they've passed," Andora admitted. They were already a mile down the main path, a much easier walk even though they were taking it quickly. "They must know that nothing will come at them from Euriday."
They walked long into the night, mostly in silence, which Rory appreciated. He hadn't had much time to think since word had been passed to him that the king had died.
He had been too busy to think about it until now.
Andora led them off the trail to a small secluded opening in the woods, and it was plain she knew this area well. When they sat down for a quick, cold meal and to sleep until dawn, Rory brought up one of the many linked things that were starting to bother him since this wild journey began.
"The man who passed me the news said the king is dead. He did not say Kellic killed the king. It might have been that he just didn't realize it yet. But that brings us up to finding Kellic outside the apartment. Outside, not inside."
"You think he didn't kill them?" Keltrina asked.
"I'm not certain he even knew they were dead. I'm not certain of anything. I think I need sleep."
Since Rory was not going to take the first watch, he all but threw himself down on the ground and got as comfortable as possible with his single blanket. He really wished he was back in the Eket Temple. Sleeping on the stone floor was not much more comfortable, but it was safer than being here.
They were up and moving again before sunrise, although not by much. They barely avoided being seen by a group of men heading back the way they had traveled. Not Sciwhen, obviously. If they had spoken, he would have known their origin. Instead, he guessed they were Euriday scouts, and the army would not be far away.
Andora did not move out of the bushes even after they could no longer hear the soldiers. Rory could tell she was considering which way to go and didn't like any of the options.
"I assume those were Euriday troops," she said. "They weren't farmers, hunters, or traders. And if they feel safe enough to be on this road --"
"Trouble for us," Jamison replied. "What do we do?"
"Go on," Rory said. Andora shook her head. "I can get us through without being seen. And if there are Euriday ahead, maybe we need to know some facts."
No comments:
Post a Comment