Cade leaned against a fence near the wagons, while Zaka chewed on a slab of raw deer ribs nearby. The butcher liked the wolf, so he always gave Cade good cuts to give to him. Roland had gone to help Paul, a meat trader, make a delivery to the Quill Inn. The end of the day was approaching, and business in the market was slowing. Cade felt the old nagging sense of boredom wearing on him. He often wondered if his life was meant to be this way, playing guide and aide to traders, helping hunting parties, and generally never doing anything exciting. Merrick and Roland always seemed content in this line of work, but Cade wasn’t like them. Merrick had taken him in when he was a baby, and all he ever knew of his parents was that they had died when he was still a babe. He had felt out of place all of his life, and the frontier was a place where nothing ever happened. Cade felt frustration and anger creeping into him, and he felt a bloom of heat within himself. He sighed, and watched Zaka chew on a rib bone, and the anger and frustration began to fade away.
Cade looked up and saw a tall woman walking through the market. Cade had never seen a woman like her. She had dark brown hair that hung in waves down her back, and she had sun-bronzed skin. Something about the woman stuck Cade as different, but he couldn’t tell what it was. She was wearing a long wool dress and a cloak, and nothing about her appearance set her apart from the others in the square. He was so intent on watching her that he didn’t notice Roland return, until the big man jostled him with a meaty forearm.
“Cade, did you hear what I said?”
“What? No, sorry.”
“I got us a room at the inn for the night. You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just… ah, never mind.”
Roland eyed him suspiciously. Cade knew that Roland worried about him, but he would never say it out loud. Cade looked back towards the woman, and this drew Roland’s attention to her.
“Ah, now I see.”
Roland smirked at Cade. Cade rolled his eyes, and decided to ignore him.
“You going to go talk to her, or just stare at her?”
Cade didn’t know how to respond. He did want to go talk to her. He wanted to figure out what that strange feeling he got from her was, but as he watched her now, something else made him feel uncomfortable.
“Well, I’ll be her lad then. You just stand here and gawk.”
Roland turned and walked over to where the woman was talking to a local trader. Cade watched as he began talking to the woman, and she didn’t appear to be too interested in talking back. Cade smiled a little at this.
“Your friend isn’t going to have much luck with my sister.”
Cade looked for the source of the voice and saw a woman leaning against a wagon. She was tall, but, unlike her sister, her hair was honey colored. Her eyes were a bright blue that twinkled with a bit of humor. She was dressed in the same fashion as the other woman, and he now noticed that the clothing was of a finer make than they were used to seeing.
“Your sister?”
“Yes, and she’s not the most kindly of souls.”
Cade looked over at where Roland and the other woman were, and saw that his friend was still not garnering much attention from her. Cade was amused watching Roland struggle.
“Hopefully she won’t be too rough with him.”
The woman smiled at him, somewhat deviously.
“I make no promises for her. I, however, am pleasant company.”
She walked over to stand near Cade, and so she could observe what was going on between Roland and her sister.
“My name is Aurora, by the way. Carissa is my sister. And you are?”
“Cade. My idiot friend there is Roland.”
Aurora looked down to where Zaka was still chewing on a rib bone.
“Is that a wolf?”
“Yes. His name is Zaka. I found him when was a pup. A bear had killed his mother, and he was going to be next. I stupidly tried to take on the bear to save him. Luckily, neither of us died that day.”
“Is that where the scar on your cheek is from?”
Cade reached up and touched his left cheek, feeling the long line that extended from his ear almost to his nose.
“Yes. I was in a tree and jumped down on the bear, trying to stab it in the neck. I missed and tumbled off. It swatted at me, and that was the only claw that got me. That’s when the pup came out and bit the bear’s ankle and I got the chance to shove my dirk in the bear’s throat.”
“That’s quite a first meeting. I guess you do both owe your lives to each other.”
Cade nodded, and looked down at Zaka. The wolf glanced up at him for a moment, and then went back to chewing on the bone. Cade looked back to Aurora. He found her rather pleasant to look at, but he was starting to feel the strange sensation that he had earlier when he first saw Carissa.
“I’ve never seen you two around Quill Market. Where are you from?”
Aurora was about to answer when Cade heard a grunt of impact, and then the loud thud of something heavy hitting the ground. Cade turned and saw that Roland was lying flat on his back, and Carissa was walking away from him. The traders nearby were laughing.
“Well, I guess that’s that. Sorry Cade, but I need to catch up with my sister.”
Aurora turned to hurry off but stopped and looked back with a sly smile on her face.
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“I hope we see each other again.”
“I hope so too.”
Cade smiled a little as well as Aurora hurried off down the lane after her sister. Cade walked over to where Roland was dragging himself off the ground. His face was red, but Cade couldn’t tell if it was in anger or embarrassment.
“Don’t say a word!”
“Rol, you sure know how to make an ass out of yourself.”
“Ah, shut it. All I said was I think a few drinks could loosen her up.”
Cade snorted, trying to hold in a laugh.
“Perhaps you offended her tender sensibilities.”
“There ain’t nothin’ tender about that girl. Stone cold, that one.”
“Her sister seemed pretty nice.”
Roland looked at Cade, confusion apparent on his face.
“Let’s help the boys get their stuff put up and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Cade told Roland about his encounter with Aurora as they helped the traders close down their stalls. They would be leaving in the morning, so they prepared the remaining trade goods to be brought back, or bulk sold to the local merchants. Cade and Roland tied the covers on the wagons, and then set off to the Quill Inn with their packs. Zaka followed closely behind, and tried to not make anyone skittish. The sun was setting quickly, and the shopkeepers were closing their doors all throughout the market. Patrolmen walked around lighting torches throughout the streets.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the inn. The building was two stories tall and one of the largest buildings in the town. It was often one of the busiest as well. Between the boarders and the people coming for the food, the Quill Inn was possibly the most popular place in this part of the frontier. They went to the room that Roland had secured for them earlier, and they dropped their packs. Cade was again happy that they had beaten the rush to come to trade. They had slept in the wagons more than once on trading trips because all of the inns were taken up. Zaka curled up on a wool blanket that had been placed in the corner for him. The innkeeper, Charles, liked the wolf, and always made sure he got them something for Zaka to sleep on. Cade knew that Charles would give him something to bring up for Zaka to eat as well. That crotchety old man was a softy when it came to the wolf.
They went down into the common room and found a table to sit at. The inn’s serving girl, Margaret, brought them two metal mugs and a pitcher of ale. She was short and curvy with a plain face and long red hair. She was kind and friendly with every patron, and everyone treated her like their own daughter or sister.
“Thanks, Mags,” Roland said, after he had poured a mug of ale and toasted it to her.
“Can I get you boys somethin’ to eat? We got roast pork and venison stew.”
Cade and Roland both ordered the stew, and Margaret went off to fetch it from the kitchen. Cade filled his mug, and took a drink of the deep amber ale. It had a rich flavor, and he felt some of the tension ease out of his body. As he went to take a second drink, someone else sat down at their table. It was Mallin, Quill Market’s resident huntsman. The tall man had a lithe and wiry build, and had the look of a man half his age, and Cade knew he was nearing sixty. His short black hair and beard were well kept and not a hint of gray could be found in the raven locks. The only thing that truly showed his age was the hazel eyes that had seen terrible things during service in the legion many years ago.
“Hey boys, glad to see you back in town.”
Roland clasped forearms with Mallin heartily, and Cade greeted him as well, but less enthusiastically. Margaret brought another mug to the table and another pitcher of ale. Mallin said his thanks.
“How’s the hunting down here these days, Mal?” Roland asked.
“To tell you the truth, strange things have been happenin’ in the woods as of late.”
Cade’s attention peaked at this. The older man was around the same age as Merrick. He had seen just about everything the woods around here had to offer, so him saying that something strange was going on was big news.
“What kind of strange things?” Cade asked.
“People have gone missing. Game has been found ripped to pieces. Every time we think we might have a track on what it might be, we lose it. It’s been happenin’ all to the east of here.”
“What kind of tracks have you been following? Men? Animal?”
“That’s the thing, lad. I ain’t never seen anythin’ like the tracks that are out there. Have you heard of anythin’ up your way?”
“No. There hasn’t been anything between here and Pinewood.”
“Strange things, boys. I would wager that you’ll be seeing them before long.”
Cade and Roland were silent at this. Cade wondered why no word of this had come up before now.
“Why is this the first we are hearing about this?”
“I didn’t know about it either, until a trader from Flatrock told one of our merchants about it. I caught wind of it here, and went down there meself. From what I was told, it started in the spring, out as far as Bull Marsh.”
“Did it start there or is it random?”
“No idea. I couldn’t get a straight story outta half the folk I talked to. Most of ‘em were just glad they weren’t being attacked anymore.”
Cade began thinking about what Mallin had told him. If they had moved steadily west, it could be a pack of some kind of animal. If it was random, it could be men, but what were they doing?
“We will keep an eye out, Mal.”
“That’s all I can ask. I know you boys and that wolf of yours can do a better job than me. Where is that mutt, anyways?”
“Upstairs. You know how they get around here.”
“Aye.”
The three of them sat in silence, and drank their ale. Margaret returned with three bowls of stew and several fresh loaves of bread. They ate in silence for several minutes, until Mallin spoke up again.
“How’s that crusty old man of yours doing, Rol?
“He’s driving ma crazy. She can’t be rid of him on these trips anymore. His leg is hurting him less, but he still can’t travel.”
“Tis a fuckin’ shame to that man hobbled like that. All for some damned furs.”
Cade felt a flash of anger in his belly and he saw Roland’s big shoulders tense.
“Those bastards are worm food now.”
“Aye. Sweet retribution. I’ll drink to that.”
Mallin drained his mug, and both Cade and Roland did as well. Cade felt the burning anger cool when he thought about how those eight men who attacked the wagons paid the price. They weren’t counting on Merrick, Roland, and him to be better fighters. A lucky blow is what cut open Merrick’s left calf, and the doctor in Quill Market was able to keep the wound from being fatal. Now Merrick was lamed, sitting at home while Cade and Roland carried on his work.
They all finished their stew and ale in relative silence. Mallin said his goodbyes, and left the inn after dropping a few coins on the table. Roland poured the last of the ale into their mugs. Roland leaned both of his forearms on the table and spoke quietly, where only Cade could hear.
“What do you make of those disappearances and such?”
“Could be a pack, and could be animal or man. Sounds like they are moving our way though.”
“It’s been happenin’ for three seasons now, and this is the first we heard of it. There’s something not right about that.”
“I agree. I think there’s a lot more that Mal knows.”
“You think he would hide something like that from us? Why?”
“Maybe. Maybe he doesn’t know anything. Maybe people out that way are being as bullheaded, as he said.”
“We should talk to pa about it when we get back. He will know if Mal has been straight with us.”
“Point. Let’s get some rest. We have to get an early start tomorrow if we want to be back on the road before midday.”
They both drained their mugs. Cade put several coins on the table, and they headed for the stairs. Cade sighed, knowing tomorrow would probably be just another day of the same old boring frontier life.