As the group traveled farther north, the temperature continued to drop, and the snow fell more heavily. Cade’s ability to see was severely limited, so when he spotted the tall wooden pole beside the road, relief washed over him. Home was just a mile ahead. He had pushed the group hard, not risking a stop for food or any other reason. Home. That word didn’t seem right to him anymore. Could he consider this place his home anymore?
He knew Roland was right about some things, but how could he just accept being deceived for so long? Reasons or not, Merrick still had plenty to answer for. What about Gwen? Had she known about it? Was she as guilty as Merrick?
Movement brought Cade out of his reverie and he saw that Zaka was running alongside. He could sense no warnings from the wolf, but he still could not shake the feeling that something had pursued them from Quill Market. If it were human, or one of those things from yesterday, Zaka would have picked it up from a mile off. Cade shook his head absently. It was probably just him being jittery from yesterday, and the warnings from Aurora.
He saw the first buildings of Pinewood coming into view, and he slowed his pace down to a trot. He held up his hand to signal to the group, and he heard the wagons slowing behind him. He led the group to the stables, and stopped them with a sharp whistle. The long, frigid ride was at an end. Men from the stables came out to take the horses, and moments later, Gerard, Pinewood’s trade marshal, came out to greet them. The short, thick man was bundled in a fur cloak, and his grizzled beard made him look like a small bear. Cade never liked dealing with the sour man, and today would be especially difficult. Gerard was making a line straight for him when Holt stepped in to intercept. The fur trader began speaking quietly with the trade marshal, and it allowed Cade time to get things organized.
A hand squeezed his shoulder, and he found Merrick standing behind him. A boulder of a man, Merrick was thickly built like his son, but his hair and eyes were shades darker. Many faded scars laced the leathery skin of his face, reminders of his time in the legions. A thick beard laced with gray covered the lower part of his face, and hung down to his chest.
“You boys are back a day late. Run into trouble?” Merrick asked.
Cade felt a surge of anger, but he held it in check. He knew now was not the time to let his emotions get the best of him.
“Quill Market was attacked yesterday. We lost three traders.”
Merrick’s brows knitted in concern and confusion.
“Attacked by who?”
Roland walked up, and answered before Cade could.
“Big, ugly fuckin’ things. Creatures we ain’t never seen before, pa.”
“Mal said you might know something about them,” Cade added. “From back in your legion days.”
Merrick’s face went flat and unreadable, and he locked eyes with Cade. Cade saw the understanding, and felt his anger swell.
“Aye. I might, but this isn’t the place to talk about it.” Merrick said. “Let’s get this all situated, then we can talk when we get back to the house, alright?”
Cade wanted answers sooner than later, but he knew there was no use in arguing.
“Fine.”
Cade looked and saw that Gerard and Holt were still standing together, and the trade marshal now held the letter from the Quill Market marshal. Weiss, Clayton, and Neil stood nearby.
“Do you know what the letter says?” Merrick asked Cade.
“No. Mal didn’t know either.”
Gerard’s eyes snapped up to Cade, and he pushed past Holt to stalk over. The trade marshal stopped in front of Cade and glared up at him.
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“You ain’t gettin’ paid. You let three good Pinewood men die under your watch,” Gerard said coldly.
A rage seared through Cade and he felt himself moving forward without thinking. Merrick and Roland grabbed a hold of him before he could get near Gerard.
“The fuck you talkin’ about, Gerard?” Roland asked. “He saved a whole damned town by sniffin’ out that attack.”
“I don’t care about any of them down there! You boys were paid to protect our people, and you didn’t!” Gerard replied.
“You’re a damn fool, Gerard,” Merrick said. “Keep your money. Next time you need protection for your traders, don’t come askin’ us.”
“Fine. There are plenty of men at arms who will do their jobs a sight better than you,” Gerard said as he turned away to leave.
Cade watched the fat man begin to walk away, shoving the three bags of coins inside of his cloak.
“You better give that penance to the families,” Cade said. “If I find out you kept it, I’ll kill you myself.”
Gerard turned back and puffed up ready to reply, but Zaka was there baring his teeth and snarling. The fat man stumbled back and fell in the snow. Zaka stalked closer, a low growl rumbling in his chest. A sharp whistle from Cade made him stop and turn away, leaving Gerard shaking in the snow. A stain began spreading from where the trade marshal sat, as the snow was turned from white to yellow.
Cade shook off the hands of Roland and Merrick, and looked down upon Gerard one last time.
“Remember what I said,” he told him before walking away, with Zaka following behind him.
Cade walked past the wagons and grabbed his pack without stopping. He would come back for the supplies later. He wanted to get out of the snow, and hopefully get answers from Merrick. Jonah, the stable worker, was standing beside the second wagon with a blank look on his face. Cade thought about ignoring him, but a strange feeling made him stop.
“Jonah, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing Cade. Just didn’t feel well for a minute.”
“Was it while you were unloading this wagon?”
“Yeah. It was the strangest thing. I was goin’ to the back to get the rest of the bundles, and my gut just tied up in knots. Might be coming down with somethin’.”
Cade walked around Jonah and peered into the dim interior of the wagon deck. He looked down at Zaka, and the wolf returned his stare with no signs of anything out of the ordinary. He returned to Jonah.
“Well, take it easy, and go see Mona at the clinic after you are done,“ he told him.
“Alright Cade.”
Cade glanced at the wagon one last time and kept walking towards the road that would take him home. The thought of home still wasn’t sitting right with him, but he couldn’t think of anything else to call it. For now, it was the only place he had. The weak sunlight that made it through the clouds and snowfall was fading as dusk neared, and he saw the candles burning in the windows of the solitary home on the west side of town. The house sat back near the tree line, and had plenty of space around it. Cade loved growing up in that place, but now his memories were souring as his steps carried him closer. Zaka was moving close to his side, and soon the door was there in front of him.
Cade felt like a stranger on the doorstep, not sure if he could enter on his own. Before he could think any further about it, the door opened, and warm air greeted him. In the warm glow of candlelight stood Gwen, Merrick’s wife, and she pulled him in out of the cold. The heat of the fire from the main room began thawing the frigid cold that had seemed to set into his bones from the long trip from Quill Market. Zaka shook the snow from his coat, walked to the rug in front of the fire, and lay down in the warmth spilling from the hearth. Cade closed the door and dropped his pack. He began undoing his cloak and was about to hang it up, but Gwen walked over and took it from him. She was as tall as her husband, and her light colored hair and eyes mirrored her son’s. She had a kindly face and had always been the gentle hand in the household. Cade couldn’t help but give her a smile, despite his misgivings of her involvement in him not knowing his past. She hung the cloak on a rack near the door, and turned back to Cade, as he was loosening his jacket.
“Merrick said you boys were running a day behind. Did you have trouble down there?” she asked.
“Yeah, trouble is a way to describe it,” he replied.
Gwen gave him a searching look and was about to say something, but the door opened again, and a bitterly cold wind preceded Roland and Merrick entering the house. Roland shut the door behind them, and both men stomped the snow from their boots and shook it from their cloaks. Cade and Gwen moved away from the door to give them room. They pulled the cloaks from their shoulders and hung them by the door, and Cade turned to the fire, staring into the roiling flames.
He didn’t say anything when he sensed Merrick come stand next to him. He felt the tension between them, and Merrick let the silence stretch a few moments before he finally spoke in a quiet tone.
“I suppose I have a lot to answer for, huh?”
Cade looked at Merrick then, but Merrick did not meet his gaze. The light of the fire highlighted a sadness and weariness on the older man’s face, and Cade did not feel the spike of anger he expected.
“Depends on what you have to tell me,” Cade replied.
Merrick’s eyes finally moved from the fire to meet Cade’s.
“”Let’s sit and talk. I have a lot to explain.”