Cade walked back towards the wagons, his mind lost in Aurora’s words of warning. What had she meant when she said that the powers behind the attack are more dangerous? Did she mean that there were people behind this? Magic? What was so terrible that she couldn’t tell him what it was?
A hand gripped Cade’s shoulder, and it broke him from his reverie. He turned, and found Roland, a look of concern in his eyes.
“Are you alright?” Roland asked.
Cade looked around to see if they were alone. None of the traders had gathered in the square, and Mallin had not come to see them off yet.
“Aurora came to see me.”
A sly smile twitched at the corners of Roland’s mouth.
“Oh did she? Come to give you a fond farewell, then?”
“She came to warn me of danger.”
Cade’s words and the serious look in his eyes caused the smile to disappear from Roland’s face.
“What danger? We killed those things.”
“She said that there was something more behind the attack. Something worse than the creatures.”
“Like what? Something from the empire?”
“I don’t know.”
Cade knew little of the empire or the six kingdoms that formed it. Covenhall was the nearest to them, but he had never been there. His world was always contained to frontier life and nothing more.
“What do we do?”
“We need to get home as fast as we can. Mal said that Merrick knows things about me and my family, and he might know something about this, too.”
Roland shifted his weight, and Cade sensed that he was uncomfortable with the fact that his father might have been hiding things about the past.
“Look, we can talk about this on the road, but we need to get moving. You go get Holt and the others, and I’ll get the horses ready. Mal will be bringing the bodies down from the crofters.”
Roland nodded.
“Alright. I’ll help Mal after I rouse the traders.”
They clasped forearms, and Roland turned and headed out of the square. Cade looked for Zaka, and saw him asleep in the back of the first wagon, sheltered from the rain. A sensation of being watched came over him, but he could see no one around. He slowly moved around the wagons, but saw or heard no movement.
A freezing wind blew through the square, and Cade noticed there was snow mixed in with the falling rain now. He circled back towards the stable, still on edge from the feeling of eyes following his steps. He slogged through the mud towards the stables, and opened the large doors. He had only taken a few steps inside when he sensed movement behind him. He spun quickly, and saw the square was still deserted. He put his hand on the hilt of his dirk, and crept towards the doorway of the stable. When he was within arm’s reach of the doorway, he again sensed movement outside the stable. He pulled his dirk from its sheath and prepared to lunge, as the movement neared the door. At the last second, Cade hesitated before striking, which saved him from attacking the old pelt trader, Holt, as he rounded into the stable.
“Hey, I came to—,”Holt began as he saw Cade, and then saw the dirk in his hand.
“Sorry, Holt. I didn’t know it was you.”
Cade sheathed the dirk.
“I can’t say I blame you. Can I be of help with the horses?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
They went to the stalls and began preparing the eight horses for travel. After all of them were bridled and saddled or harnessed, they led them out into the square. The rain had turned completely to snow now, and was falling heavily, blanketing everything in a layer of white.
“No one blames you… for what happened,” Holt said as they led the horses to the wagons.
Cade started to reply, but Holt gripped his forearm tightly, and they stopped walking. Cade locked eyes with the old trader.
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“You listen to me, boy,” Holt said, with a tone that Cade had never heard in the man’s voice. Holt had always been kind and genial, but none of that was present now.
“You walked out there and fought something that you had never seen. You did it with no thought to your own safety, and you’re a damn fool. What you did was stupid, but it saved this town. It was brave, and no one will ever say that you did not do enough.”
Cade felt the grip on his arm ease, and the stony look on the trader’s face softened.
“Thanks, Holt.”
“No one knows about this whole channeler business, and those who do are damn glad you were here. I can’t say I’ve ever seen anythin’ like what you did, but there isn’t a soul alive in this town who doesn’t thank the Makers that it happened.”
Cade felt the tension in his muscles ease slightly with the words. He hadn’t realized how he had knotted himself up until they were coming undone with the realization that he could only do so much. channeler or not, he was still only human.
Holt released his arm and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Now, let’s stop standing around freezing our balls off, and get these horses hitched up, eh?”
Cade smiled, and gave the trader a nod of agreement.
By the time the horses were positioned with the wagons, the remaining traders had arrived. The traders began checking their cargo, and Cade went to ensure that the goods that he and Roland acquired were in good order in the first wagon. Zaka awoke as he approached, and the wolf leapt down from the wagon to greet him. Cade gave him a quick scratch behind the ears, and then leaned into the wagon to check the cargo.
A shout came from inside the second wagon, and Cade quickly cleared away from the first wagon, with his dirk out. A thud came from inside the wagon, and then someone fell out of the back, landing hard on the snowy ground. Zaka and Cade hurried over, and he kneeled down next to the fallen man. He looked down and saw it was Weiss, a trader who was barely into manhood. The wiry, dark haired meat seller was bleeding from a cut above his right eye.
“What happened?” Cade inquired.
The young man looked up at Cade with glassy eyes, and he didn’t seem to be able to focus.
“S-something ran across m-my hand. A r-rat, I t-think.”
Cade sheathed his dirk and looked over at Zaka who was standing nearby. The wolf bounded up onto the deck of the wagon, and began sniffing around. After a moment, the wolf turned around and leapt down, and Cade saw no rat in his jaws. He locked eyes with Zaka and sensed that there was nothing in the wagon. He broke eye contact and pulled Weiss into a sitting position. Holt brought him a rag, which he pressed to the cut. The young trader reached up shakily and replaced Cade’s hand with his own.
“You sure it was a rat you saw?” Cade asked.
“M-maybe not. M-might have just b-been my imagination.”
Cade heard the creaking of a wooden cart coming down the road behind them, and looked around the third wagon to see Roland and Mallin bringing the bodies of the fallen traders. He looked over to Holt and motioned him over. Holt came and crouched near Weiss.
“Can you get him up on the wagon with you?”
“Yeah. Go on, I’ve got him.”
Cade nodded his thanks and stood. He left the gathered traders to meet Roland and Mallin at the rear of the third wagon, and Zaka followed behind him. The wagon had been cleared out enough to fit the corpses, and the respective effects of each. The crofters had cleaned the bodies and wrapped them in sheets of cotton dyed the dark green of the trader’s guild. An iron emblem was affixed to each body bearing the guild’s sigil of a wagon wheel.
“The trade marshal made sure they were given the proper rites,” Mallin said.
Mallin pulled three leather sacks that had been dyed a dark green out of his coat along with a folded piece of parchment, and handed them to Cade. He saw that the sigil was stamped on sacks as well.
“The death penance for the families, donated by the Quill Market traders. They will give a yearly gift on the behest of the trade marshal,” Mallin said.
“Why so generous? I know our trade marshal gives the death penance once, but this is quite a bit more,” Cade replied.
“I don’t know. I’m just passin’ the word. The letter is for the Pinewood trade marshal. I’m guessin’ that will explain it.”
“Gerard is going to be up in arms regardless of what that letter says.”
“Just try and keep your anger in check.”
“No promises.”
The last two traders, Clayton and Neil, came and stood next to Cade. Their faces were sullen, looking down upon the bodies of their comrades wrapped in death shrouds. Cade handed the sacks and the letter to them. The traders stepped back as Cade, Roland, and Mallin carefully loaded the three bodies into the wagon. Mallin pulled the cart away from the wagons, and left it near the main road. Cade sent the traders to take their positions in the wagons. Cade and Roland walked to where their two horses stood in front of the wagons, and Mallin joined them. He looked out towards the trees where the creatures had emerged the day before.
“You boys watch your backs. There’s trouble comin’. I feel it in my bones,” Mallin warned.
“Ah, you sound like an old woman, Mal. You and your old bones,” Roland retorted.
All three men cracked smiles, despite the events of the past day.
“Cade, do you think Merrick would mind me skinnin’ his son?”
“Nah. He always claims me more than Rol, anyways.”
Mallin laughed as Roland shoved Cade.
“Alright, boys. Get movin’. I’ll be seein’ you soon,” Mallin said after he stopped laughing.
Cade and Roland clasped forearms with Mallin, and then left him to mount their horses. Mallin gave them one final wave before turning and heading back towards the main road. Cade kicked his horse into a trot, and rode alongside the three wagons to ensure everything looked ready to go. When he passed Holt, the fur trader tossed him two fur-lined cloaks for the long, cold ride ahead. He fastened one over his shoulders, and laid the other one across his knees. Once he was satisfied, he rejoined Roland in front of the wagons. He tossed the big man the extra cloak. Zaka stood off to the side, patiently waiting for Cade to give the signal. Cade looked over at the wolf and nodded his head, and Zaka loped ahead, taking point. Cade whistled, and the group began moving forward out of the square and back on the road home to Pinewood.