The high pitched screech of the harpy made Kiri duck her head and hunch her shoulders. The harpy half-jumped and half-flew to another tree and screeched again. Its presence was nerve-jangling, although it seemed Riular was right that the Bright Source, which was what he called the little acorn Kiri had tucked in her pocket, would keep the wood’s dangers at bay.
“Unfortunately I cannot make the wood safe again for anyone else,” he said. “Not easily. The webs of Power that held the wood’s defenses in check were a long time in the weaving, and they will be a long time to restore. We broke them with haste, and only in great need. But now the Brightwood is a dangerous place. I will try to restore the web, so that your people can pass through here safely again. If I can do it, iit will require the Bright Source.”
“I’ll give it back as soon as I’m done with it,” Kiri said. “I promise.”
Since they needed to stay close to the Bright Source to be safe from the wood, Kiri could not leave the other two behind yet. They had agreed she would mount up and ride off as soon as they reached the burned-out waystation. They were almost there now. Already the trees were less crowded.
Garon was a few steps ahead of her, leading the mare along. Kiri quick-stepped to catch up with him and slipped her hand into his. He glanced at her in surprise, but closed his fingers tight around hers without a word.
“Hey, listen,” she whispered.
“What?” he whispered back.
“Be careful out there. And don’t take too long.”
Garon squeezed her hand a little tighter for a moment. “You be careful.”
They’d reached the edge of the forest now. The harpy landed on the last tree and screamed at them. Kiri used the Source to grow a thick shield of leaves in front of it. She didn’t want to see its ugly face while she was saying goodbye.
“Why did you do that?” Riular asked.
“It won’t use up the Power or something, will it?” Kiri asked.
“Of course not,” Riular said. “The Source has all the Power of the wood.”
“Then let’s call it practice,” she said. “Gotta practice.”
“This is it.” Garon held out the reins to Kiri.
“Just a moment.” Kiri she yanked her dress over her head and balled it up. Garon looked exasperated, and Riular shocked, although his expression turned puzzled as he studied the Firebrand clothes she had been wearing below the dress.
“What are you wearing?” Riular asked.
“She’s the Firebrand,” Garon said. “That’s her costume.”
“Yup,” Kiri said. She pulled her mask into place and took the reins from Garon. She shoved her balled-up dress into a saddlebag, and mounted up. She winked down at Riular. “Ask around in Laed. It’s a whole big thing.”
“Kiri.” Garon said.
“Don’t worry,” Kiri ruffled the top of his head, which was all she could reach. “I’ll be careful.” And before he could say another word, in protest or concern, she rode away.
~
The sun was sinking toward the horizon, half hidden by haze, late in the second day of Kiri’s ride. The countryside had turned harsh early that morning, the comfortable grasslands giving way to scrub and rocks and cacti. The desert was, Kiri supposed, hotter when the sun wasn’t hiding in haze, as it had been all day, but it was still too hot for her. Even if Mala’s husband hadn’t been a crime lord, she would’ve questioned her friend's judgment in marrying into this inhospitable land. Maybe it wasn’t so bad in the winter. Sweat was dripping in Kiri’s eyes, despite the band of cloth she’d tied around her forehead back when she’d stopped at the last spring. At least there were occasional springs along the road. If not for those, neither Kiri or her horse would’ve made it this far.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
There was a line of green up ahead, greener than anything she’d seen since entering the desert. It was probably the South Fork of the Forest River, on its way to join that wide river near the Brightwood. Kiri remembered from Riular’s map that it crossed the road. She was determined to reach it before sunset. Those green things were probably trees, and she was looking forward to sleeping under their cool branches.
She didn’t quite beat the sun, but it was only just below the horizon, covering the hazy sky in many colors, when she came to the greenbelt. The trees were not as big as they had seemed at a distance, but they were still trees. Kiri was surprised to see lights winking into being among them. Slowing her horse, she realized that there were houses among the trees. She hadn’t seen a village on the map. Probably it had not existed back when the map was made.
Before going any further Kiri hastily pulled her mask off and yanked her cloak out of the saddlebags. She settled it on her shoulders and proceeded toward the lights. Anyone she encountered would now hopefully see her as an ordinary traveler, not the Firebrand.
“Hoy!” A loud male voice called down from the first tree she crossed under. Startled, Kiri squinted up into the branches. A small platform was balanced on a large bough. It was made of wooden planks. There was a rolled-up rope ladder tied to one side and a large bell hanging from a pole on the other. The man who had yelled was young; even in the fading light and at this distance, Kiri could see he was really just a boy. So there was enough danger here to set a watchman, but maybe not so much they took it seriously?
“Hail!” Kiri called back.
“Who are you, and what’s your business?”
In a sudden, possibly rash, decision Kiri dug into her pocket for the coin that was a token of the Thief Lord and held it out. Neal had given it to her when she’d done a favor for the Thief Lord (not anything she wouldn’t have done on her own, anyway) and she’d hung on to it. It had occasionally come in handy since. Not everyone understood the complicated arrangement she had struck in Laed, but to attack someone who held the Thief Lord’s coin was to cross a very serious line.
The boy leaned dangerously out from the platform, hanging onto the bell-post.
“Hang on,” he said, and unfurled the rope ladder. He descended quickly, skipping every other rung, and loped over to Kiri. He gave the coin a quick look and nodded to her.
“Sorry about that,” the boy said. “We normally welcome travelers, but with what’s happened...anyway.”
He gestured for her to follow him. Kiri put the coin back and slipped down off her mare’s back to lead the horse behind him.
“I’ll take you to the inn,” he said. “You can’t just follow the road like usual. We’ll have to go around.”
It seemed best not to ask too many questions right away. Whatever had happened, he seemed to think she should already know about it. She didn’t want to give away the fact that her coin did not actually mean she was one of the Thief Lord’s people. If something had happened that all the thieves knew about, she’d have to get the information in a more subtle way than straight forward questions.
The houses were crowded in among with trees. Some were built right up against the road, others tucked back in the leaves such that their lantern light was almost all that could be seen of them from the road. They weren’t walking for more than a minute when they came upon a group of people standing in the road. They were sifting through burned debris and the burned-out husk of a house. Other people were watching quietly. It reminded Kiri of the time that Garon’s mill had exploded, but three bodies covered in white cloth lay beside the road and showed this had been a far worse thing.
“Let’s go this way,” the boy said, quietly. He led her off on a beaten dirt path. They passed the bodies. “There were four,” he said. “But I guess they didn’t want to leave him with the people he killed. I hope they threw him on the sands for the buzzards.”
“Why do they think he did it?” Kiri asked.
“If we knew it wouldn’t seem so scary, right?” the boy said. “But, no. It seems like he really did just suddenly go mad and slash a whole family’s throats and set their house on fire. I never believed in demons before, but I don’t know how else to explain a normal man doing something like that.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve seen it,” Kiri said. She thought of how terrified that woman Daia had been, fleeing her husband who had attacked without warning. She couldn’t think that it was just by chance. Hadn’t Riular said the Sceptre would corrupt those around it? Is this what he meant by that?
“Here it is,” the boy said. They had curved back to the road and come up to the inn. It wasn’t much bigger than the rest of the houses, but there was a sign on the door in the desert tongue that apparently announced its business.
“Has the Thief Lord been here?” Kiri asked.
The boy gave her a strange look. “How would I know that?” he said. “You think I’m high enough rank to know what he looks like? Anyway, we haven’t had any travelers for days.”
“Oh, of course,” Kiri said. “That’s what I meant.”
“Just show your coin to the man inside,” the boy said. “He’ll see to you. I have to go back to my post.” And he looked her up and down one more time, as though he couldn’t figure her out, before walking away.