SNAKES AND CATAMOUNTS AND BEARS
Karigan continued arms training, sometimes with Donal, and sometimes with Fastion, along with her other camp duties while they awaited the perfect period of weather for Megan to accomplish her mission.
One morning, as Karigan and Donal took a break from sparring, the sounds of other warriors at practice—their grunts of effort, their swords clashing as their feet thudded around practice rings—were a brutal counterpoint to the fragile silver sheen of dew on the grasses of the training field.
Karigan took a sip from her waterskin, then asked, “How is the search for Lala going?”
“It has been called off,” Donal replied.
“What?”
“Little trace has been found of her. It is almost as though she never existed. Since there has been no fresh sign of her over the last couple weeks, the decision was made for the searchers to resume their normal duties.”
“She’s got to be out there somewhere.”
“I had no say in the decision,” he replied, and that was apparently that. “Now, we will work with the staff. As you’ve lost yours, you may borrow this one.”
Karigan’s mind reeled with news of the search for Lala ending, but she suppressed her dismay and accepted the staff Donal passed her. It was made of black-lacquered bonewood just like hers had been. She missed hers and wondered if it remained along the road where the Raiders had abducted her, or if someone had picked it up. She guessed she would never know.
She shook the staff from walking cane length to full staff length. Donal did not spar with her, but coached her through a series of stretches and forms. After only a couple weeks she’d seen much improvement in her extension and precision, but it was going to take many more practice sessions to improve her strength and endurance.
When Donal made her bend at the hips to try to touch her toes and grasp her ankles, she grimaced at the pull on her back muscles. Every session she tried this, but she had not yet managed it.
“You are getting closer,” Donal said.
She eased back into a standing position. Training with Donal and Fastion was almost relaxing compared to Arms Master Drent’s shouting and disparagement.
Harry trotted up to the practice area. “Karigan, the captain wants to see you.”
She handed Donal the staff, which he received with a nod, and trotted after Harry to where Connly was addressing Megan, Garth, Trace, and Tegan.
“Karigan, good,” he said. “Tegan says tonight is the night.”
Megan, she noted, did not look happy, and was winding a light blue ribbon between her fingers in a distracted way.
“It’s going to be calm and clear tonight through tomorrow,” Tegan said. “The winds will die down after sunset; moon will be half and on the wane. I do not expect clouds or any changes for a couple days.”
“At nightfall,” Connly said, “you will ride across to Snowborne. You understand the location of the old stair?”
They all nodded.
“Good. Even though Garth will find it with no trouble with the use of his ability,” Connly continued, “I want you all to know its location in case you get separated for some reason. Megan goes up to the Landing before daybreak to get into position,” Connly continued. He turned to her. “You will need warm clothes. The air is thinner up there, and the Landing is exposed, so it will be cold. There may even be snow in places. You will not build a fire. Also, the king is lending you his spyglass.” He presented her with an oblong leather case with an attached strap. “Do not drop it. It’s worth a king’s ransom.”
Megan’s eyes widened as she took it into her hands. “Will I be able to see the gods with it?”
“Of course not,” Connly replied, “but it will give you a good amount of detail when you look down into the pass. You understand your instructions?”
“Yes, sir,” she replied. “Observe conditions down in the pass and keep, how many people and livestock can be seen, the complement of the guard on the battlements, routines, that sort of thing.”
Connly nodded. “Good. The rest of you, any questions?”
When none of them spoke, he said, “Be ready to move out after sundown.”
It was a gorgeous evening as they rode away from the encampment through the meadow. Crickets chirruped, and the heavens opened wide and sparkling above. Karigan rode Loon, and Megan, who was also missing her own horse, was assigned a sturdy mule. This, of course, did not please her, and she let them all know about it until Karigan silenced her with a warning that Second Empire scouts could be about.
Garth guided them through the dark, wading across streams and through marshes. Soon the terrain firmed and grew rocky as they began to ascend. Garth picked out their path over some uncertain footing. The hooves clip-clopping and clacking on rock sounded painfully loud to Karigan. She tried to keep her senses alert for Second Empire scouts, as she was sure the others were, as well.
Snowborne blotted out the moon and stars ahead of them. When Karigan looked back, the fires of the encampment were mere pinpricks of light.
She enjoyed riding in the relative silence. Camp could often feel too crowded, and there was little privacy. At night there was only a thin layer of canvas between her and the thousands with all their noise, smells, clutter, and prying eyes. It made her long for a solitary message errand where all she saw for miles was deer and squirrels and birds, and her only companion her dear Condor. She patted Loon’s neck when she thought of him. Loon must miss the colonel just as much as she missed Condor.
She welcomed another silence, that which was in her mind. She had not heard from Nyssa in a while. Maybe the torturer had given up, or she’d been a fiction, Karigan’s own mind warring within her. Her “other self,” which had manifested with Lala’s butterfly spell, had filled the void. Though it, too, was quiet at present, she didn’t think it was leaving her alone. She could feel it waiting and watching.
Were Nyssa and her other self one and the same? She did not think so. Nyssa had the feel of a spirit, and her other self seemed a shadow of her own inner turmoil. Whether they were the same or not made little difference since both sought to undermine her thoughts and confidence, and she must continue to fight them both.
Up ahead, Garth halted. Not knowing why he did so, she put her hand on the hilt of her sword. Even though her sight was adjusted to the dark, it didn’t mean she could make out much. She would have liked to have used her moonstone, except it would be a dead giveaway to Second Empire that the Sacoridians were up to something. Instead, she relied on Loon’s senses and surefootedness to safely reach the bottom of the Sky Stair.
Garth reined his mare, Chickadee, around. “We’re here,” he said. “I’ve found the old eagle statues the king told us about.”
Karigan could barely make out two huge, irregular shapes beyond him.
“We need to find a place to camp,” Trace said.
“We’re somewhat screened from prying eyes here,” Garth said, “but I’d feel better if we used a place the scouts I talked to last night suggested. It’s much more hidden, and just a short ride from here.”
They turned so that the mountain was at their side, and they traveled south away from the pass. It was not long before they came upon a hillock. They rode around it to its far side. It was a fine shelter that would hide them well.
They worked as best they could in the dark to care for their mounts. There was some cursing and exclamations of pain as they stumbled about. Karigan ran into a dead branch that jabbed her arm. Trace tripped over a rock. Then, with tired sighs, they found places to sit among the rocks and trees, and eat and drink from their rations.
“I don’t want to sit on a snake,” Megan said. “These twisty tree roots are like snakes, but what if the root is really a snake?”
“It would bite you and then you would die,” Garth said.
Megan squeaked and leaped to her feet.
Karigan, who was sitting next to Garth, kicked his leg.
“Ow! What didya do that for?”
“I didn’t kick that hard. And it was for telling Megan there could be snakes. Megan, the elevation here in the mountains makes it too cold for snakes. There is nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah,” Garth said, “don’t worry about snakes, but maybe catamounts and bears.”
Megan gasped. “I wanna go home—I hate this!”
Karigan kicked Garth again, this time hard.
“That’s going to bruise,” he said.
“Then stop trying to scare Megan.”
“But it’s fun.”
“Look,” Karigan replied, “Megan is the important one on this mission. Don’t upset her. She has a big job to do and needs to be able to rest before she does it.”
“Sorry, Megan,” Garth said.
“Hmph.”
“I’ve told Connly we’ve arrived and he’s going to tell the king,” Trace said and, in an acerbic tone, added, “He also says to stop bickering.”
“Who’s bickering?” Garth demanded.
“You are full of it tonight, big bear man.”
“We need to set up a watch,” Karigan said, “with the exception of Megan, who needs as many hours of sleep as possible. I’ll take second watch.” It was usually the least popular because it meant breaking up one’s sleep more than the others. “Who wants first and third?”
Trace and Garth argued a bit for first, but Karigan finally made them guess how many fingers she held up behind her back. Trace came closest and got the first watch. The rest crawled into their bedding on the rocky ground.
“Are you sure there are no snakes?” Megan asked in a small voice.
“Yes,” Karigan replied, though she wasn’t absolutely certain. She didn’t want Megan to lose sleep over it when she faced a challenge in the morning far more dangerous than the snakes of Sacoridia.