Hidden Kingdom: Chapter 8

 

Chapter 8

Topher did not get a good night sleep. Sara had talked to him about the wounded. He had been thinking about it too, but he did not like the idea of leaving them, and they just could not afford to leave a soldier with them. He also knew that their schedule was important, and if Bougainville did not work out, he would be forced to make that hard decision. He was also surprised to learn about the Wren Clan and that they would be passing through their territory. He convinced the queen that he was the logical choice to join the Woodsman to meet with the clan.

He was not sure he got any sleep, but when it came time to get moving, he was up and ready. He spent most of the time thinking about how to speed up the wounded but could not think of anyway. The morning was colder than the day before, but Topher was pretty sure they were also at a higher elevation. They had spent the day before traveling up and down several hills; he was sure that they had been going up more than down. The colder morning only helped convince him of that fact.

They rode hard that morning. The only one to complain about the cold rations and hard riding was General Allison. Not even the two wounded that could not walk complained. The sun came out and warmed the party. The trail was traversing steeper and steeper hills. Sometimes they would be in a forest so dense that it blocked out the sun. A couple of times the Woodsman got off his horse and walked the path as with all the fallen leaves; the trail was hard to see.

Then they would break out of the wooded area and be above the timberline. Here Topher could see for miles around. When they were riding in the sunshine, it was very warm, but when they passed back into the shadows of the trees, he had to bundle up.

It was shortly after noon when they dropped down into a small valley between two ridges. Here the Woodsman had the party stop and indicated that it was time for him and Topher to see the Wren Clan.

As the squad set up for lunch and a little rest, Topher and the Woodsman headed off the trail up the valley. General Allison was upset when the Woodsman refused to let him go, but he felt a little better when he found out that Queen Bellfourth would not be going. General Allison was starting not to like this Woodsman. He clearly was not showing the general enough respect. He decided to spend the time with the queen to see if she would tell him about the magic disk and how it worked. If he could find that out, then he would not have to wait to kill her.

The Woodsman led Topher across the field to another less traveled trail. In fact, Topher would have sworn it was just a game trail, but the Woodsman followed it like he knew where they were going.

Finally, Topher said, "So you know where to find these people?"

"Yes, they have a small village at the base of this valley. We can speak to the elders there, and if they say we can pass then, we will be good."

"Are you sure we need to do this? I mean I have not seen anyone. Are they that territorial?"

"They are usually not that territorial, and they just let people pass through. They would rather be left alone. But we are a military party and they might think us a threat. They would either attack us or confront us, and when they find out we have a Wood-folk in our midst, they will attack for sure. We are better off talking to them first. They, of course, will watch us as we travel through their land but as long as we stay on the trail and pass through quickly, they will leave us alone."

"How far do we have to ride?"

"There is a village at the head of this valley. It is the lowest outpost of theirs. They mostly keep to the higher elevations."

Topher was surprised. "You mean people can live higher up? I thought it was uninhabitable that far up." They were already high up in the mountains, and the Timberline was not that far above them.

"I have found that people can live just about anywhere."

They rode on in silence for a while. Topher could not see a trail if indeed they were following one but the Woodsman seemed to know where he was going. They crossed a stream that ran down the valley but since the valley floor was covered in growth, Topher did not see the stream until they were on top of it. Topher thought that this valley must be very beautiful in the summer as it was all browns now and was still pretty.

They finally reached the head of the valley, and the Woodsman led them into the woods that bordered the valley. It looked like he was following a small game trail. Topher asked, "So how much farther?"

"It will be about another hour before we reach the village." The Woodsman said. "It is right at the timberline.

Topher was amazed that people could live so high in the mountains. They had begun to climb the hillside.

Then the Woodsman said, "We are being followed. If they approach us, get off your horse, draw your sword but do not attack. Just follow my lead."

Itseemed odd to Topher. "Draw my sword, but we are coming in peace."

"Depends on the people. These people believe that you should show your weapons upon meeting, showing you have nothing to hide. Leaving your sword in the scabbard implies that you have something to hide and cannot be trusted."

Topher rode along thinking about this. It did make some sense to him but at the same time, it seemed totally wrong. If people approach him with weapons drawn, then he would assume they were attacking and respond accordingly. He was glad his guide knew about these people, assuming the Woodsman could be trusted.

They rode the rest of the time in silence. Topher spent the time looking for anyone that might be following or spying on them, but he never saw anyone. If they were there, they were very good at keeping hidden. He was glad that they were keeping to the same game trail. He did not fully trust this Woodsman yet and wanted to be able to make his way back should something happen.

As they came upon a wide spot in the trail, Topher could see four people blocking their way. Three had their swords drawn while the fourth had a bow fully cocked. To him, it looked like a raiding party, often found in the Saber Mountains. When the Woodsman did not say a word but rather unmounted his horse, Topher followed suit. The Woodsman walked up to the woman who was in front of the others and drew his short sword and looked prepared to attack. Again, he followed the Woodsman's actions. He started to wonder if the Woodsman was wrong as these people were looking to attack.

After a long, intense moment of neither side backing down, the Woodsman said, "We seek the council of the elders of Showhorn."

The leader took another minute just staring at the Woodsman and Topher. Finally, she put her sword away. The other three then put away their weapons. The Woodsman put his short sword away. As Topher put his swordaway, he found it funny that the Woodsman had such a short sword. It was an odd size as it was either a very short sword or a long dagger. The Woodsman then gestured that they should grab the reigns of their horses and follow the four.

The group walked in silence. Topher was not sure how far they had to walk but was afraid to say anything as it appeared that these people had certain customs, and he feared that if he said something it could upset some custom. It was also clear to Topher that these people were more than ready to settle issues with swords and arrows. Topher knew when it was time to keep his mouth shut. It had served him well as he had moved his way up the ranks. A smile did cross his face as he realized he was glad General Allison was not with them. That was a man who had no idea when to keep his mouth closed.

They only walked for another 15 minutes before they came upon a clearing. In that clearing was a small village. Topher was not sure what he expected but what was before him was a small village like he would find anywhere in Carriland. The houses made of wood with thatch roofs. There were people going about their business while children could be see dashing in and out between buildings, playing some type of search and chase game. Without being prompted the Woodsman tied up his horse to a post next to the first building they came too. Topher did the same. These people were a strange dichotomy to him. He was first greeted with hostility and aloofness while at the same time he was being led right into their town without a guard. Now he was leaving his horse unattended. Were these people peaceful or hostile? He could not decide.

Following the Woodsman, he walked to the center of the village to what must have been the town square. It was truly square in shape, surrounded by buildings. Some of the buildings Topher could figure out what they were, while others had markings of strange symbols that meant nothing to him. In the center of the square was a well. Topher was not sure if the well was the source of water since there were streams running all through the hills, but it was clear that it was the emotional center of the village. To one side sat three older people, a man, and two women. They were currently talking to two women, one with a child. The party stopped, and Topher stood there watching. It did not take him long to realize that he was watching a justice proceeding. Although he could not hear what was said, he could see that each woman was pleading their case while the three elders listened. After a few minutes, the elders gave their ruling. It was clear that the woman with the baby was not happy with the result but Topher guessed that in this village, the ruling of these three was law and no one would go against it. Once the two women walked away, they were led into the area in front of the elders. The Woodsman walked forward before the three and Topher followed.

There was a minute of silence as the three elders looked over the two people standing before them. Finally, one of the women said, "Greetings crazy Woodsman. I am glad to see that some wild beast hasnot ripped off your arms and legs yet."

Topher could not tell if she was serious or joking as she had a straight face. He was surprised that although her accent sounded much like the Wood-folk, she did not change her TH when speaking.

The Woodsman responded, "Greetings grumpy Elder. I am glad to see that you are not dead yet."

Topher's eyes went big as he thought for sure this man had just insulted the leader of this community. It could not end well. After a very long moment, Topher detected the faintest of smiles on the woman's face.

The Woodsman said, "Elders of the Village Showhorn, this is General Lateaf of the Carriland Army."

Now it was time for the elder's eyes to be big. The same elder said, "Woodsman, we know you, and you are welcome in our land but why do you lead an army into our land? Do you seek to attack us?"

Topher took a quick look around and was surprised to see that everyone in the town was armed, including the three elders before him. Before he could say anything the Woodsman said, "Although they are an army on the move with hostile intentions, you are not their enemy. They are moving against the Land of Emos and Queen Hellicus. They only wish to pass through your land."

It was the male elder that spoke, "But you are traveling in the wrong direction. Emos is north, and you are traveling South and West."

"Sometimes the fastest way is not the shortest." the Woodsman responded.

This resonated with the elders. Finally, the third elder spoke, "And how do we know that you are truly only seeking to pass through, and you are not an advance scouting party?"

"You do not know." the Woodsman said looking at each elder in the eye. "But it will be easy enough to prove as your scouts will be watching us as we pass through your land. If we make any move contrary to what we have said here, your people will quickly dispatch us."

A smile came upon on all the elder's faces. Finally, the elders looked at each other and then back at the two. "Very well you may pass through our land. You should be beyond our land by nightfall."

"We will not be able to pass through your land by nightfall. We have wounded and are unable to travel at speed. We will need to make camp on your land and will be beyond it tomorrow."

Again the three elders looked at each other but said nothing. Topher wondered with they had some non-verbal way of communicating. Finally, the woman that first greeted them said, "Very well, the valley where you hunted elk with my family, you can make camp there for the night."

The woodsman nodded and said, "Very well we will make it there by nightfall. And at firstlight, we will be on our way."

The three elders nodded.

Before they turned and walked away, the Woodsman said, "And tell your family hello for me."

The elder woman smiled. She said, "Cherri will be very pleased to hear that."

The Woodsman returned a guarded smile on his face. He then nodded. When the elder returned the nod, he turned and began walking away. The smile was still on his face.