The first section of the Vior where they met the soldiers was like a giant finger of forest. Arwin knew this part of the country well and was aiming to reach the other side of the finger where it opened to a broad plane before they made camp for the night.
“I hate main roads in the forest they are perfect places for ambush” Arwin said feeling edgy as the forest thickened around the road.
"Can you take my gear on the cart as well? That will give me better use of my bow. Sheba, stay close and keep watch.”
They travelled in silence through the forest alert for anything that seemed amiss. They could see the bright light at the end of their tree tunnel when Sheba let out a growl while staring at a clump of ferns just off the road. Arwin motioned for Raya to stop and drew her bow.
“We mean no harm, though are more than capable of inflicting it. We are going to move past and carry on our way... Grab the cart and keep walking” she said to Raya, holding her bow drawn and pointing to where Shaba was growling.
As they started to move, they heard a child crying.
“Who is in there?” called Raya.
“Are you alone?” added Arwin.
“Yes, it's just me” said the boy, regaining his composure.
“Come out then and we can talk.”
The boy wore ragged clothes, he was about the same age as Raya and carried a pointed stick but no other possessions.
“My name is Will” he said, “do you have any food” he looked hungry.
Come with us to the edge of the wood and you can share a meal then be on your way.” said Arwin still on guard in case he was the decoy for an ambush. “Keep quiet till we are clear of the forest, this road gives me the creeps.”
And so, the three of them carried on in silence. They made it to the edge of the woods in good time. It was still early enough in the day to feel the welcome warmth of the sun as they emerged.
“There is a little creek I camped at about a half hour walk east” offered Will “over that hill.”
“That would see us well off the road” agreed Arwin “what do you think Raya?”
“It sounds good Will. Can you help push the cart? It’s been a long walk today and going off the road with the cart will slow us down.” said Raya.
Arwin took her bag again and got the puppies to walk. It was easy enough country to cross, the soft evening sun made for a lovely end to the day's travel. While they were walking Will told them his story. He had been taken in by an uncle after the Visam took his parents and Ardencinder took the castle. His parents had worked supporting the Royal family to administrate the goings on of the kingdom.
His uncle turned out to be a mean drunk who spent what small profits his farm made at the inn. After his last trip to sell goods at Ronin he didn't come back, some soldiers came to the farm two days later. He had hidden while they posted a sign on the door claiming the farm to be in the queen's possession unless anyone could pay the money owed, which was substantial. The soldiers had stayed at the house to secure it. From his hiding place in some nearby trees he had heard them talking to one of the neighbours who came by. They said his uncle had been arrested for attacking a soldier at the pub and was being sent to prison in Seafon-Masah and that there was a patrol coming to take the animals to Ronin in a few days' time.
“I hate the queen and all her tampering” said Arwin angrily, “What gives them the right to take the whole farm.”
“It was just leased off the queen, she claimed any farm that was vacant after the Visam and put in tenant farmers like my uncle. No doubt someone else will be given the land once they have cleared it of anything of value,” replied Will.
“How far away is the farm” asked Arwin.
“It's not half a day's walk from the campsite” said Will.
“How many animals are there?” Arwin was scheming something, Raya could tell.
“16 sheep, 21 lambs 1 ram, four cows, 6 chickens and Flow the draft horse” replied Will.
“I used to work with Flow ploughing the fields when my uncle was too sick from the drink... There is the camp” he pointed down the hill, it was a beautiful spot a small stream flowed through the valley.
“I stayed here the last few nights but was running low on food” said Will “I went back to the main road when some traveling thugs took all my possessions.”
“That must be the gang we saw yesterday, that must have been scary,” said Raya.
Arwin sent Sheba ahead to scan the camp as they wandered down the hill. While they were making dinner, mushroom soup, Arwin asked all about the farm and Will’s ability to work with the animals. Finally, she proposed.
“We are here for animals, the farm has animals, if there was a way to drive them to the market. We could graze them on the commons, and I could slowly process them as we needed them, there would be some good coin in it for everyone.”
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“That wouldn’t work. Even if we got them past the soldiers at the farm the queens army would be looking for a flock on the road, even then if we could get them to the commons there wouldn’t be enough grass to keep them fed. The farm is big but we, well I, still had to take them out grazing around the forest edge sometimes. Those were peaceful days.”
“Can you heard them through the Vior?” asked Raya.
“To where?” asked Arwin.
“First, I need to know Will, could you lead them through the forest?”
“My uncle told me to watch for wolves in the Vior, but I never saw any, one of the farmers said they came close to the farmlands in winter sometimes. I used to drive the flock into the edges of the forest if it was stormy or raining and they didn’t seem to mind. I always thought if I saw a wolf I would run. The beating my uncle would give me would certainly be better than being eaten.” said Will grimacing at the thought of his uncles bad temper.
“Ok Mrs. networker what are you thinking?” Arwin was intrigued.
“My friends the Tungol scholars run a small farm to provide most of their food, they occasionally sell excess produce in the market or to travellers. They aren't supposed to be political my mum told me, but I know they hate the queen as much as we do.”
“The Tungol scholars are a mystery to most people but of course they are your friends.” marvelled Arwin.
“Their village at Luna henge is on the way to a part of the Vior I go to collect honey I practically grew up on that road. We stopped at the village all the time, when my parents died of the Visam they took me in and helped me get back on my feet until Lee invited me to stay at his place. They offered me an apprenticeship but I wanted to keep doing what my parents had done, it is like my connection to them.”
“I understand that for sure” said Arwin “when I'm out in the wild sitting around the fire like this it reminds me of dad.”
“My parents worked at the castle, this is nothing like them at all!” said Will who was starting feel more relaxed with his new companions, the others laughed.
“Let's sit and remember them all for a minute,” Raya got them to hold hands around the circle.”
“And let's celebrate new friends too,” said Arwin after a minute, “clean ones, I will stoke up the fire so we can all jump in that pool over there.”
It was a warmer night so Raya lent Will her cloak to sleep under while she slept with the pups. She woke before the sun to wriggling dogs and went for a walk up the hill pups and all. While she was gathering some wild berries Sheba caught up with her, after checking on the pups she carried on her way for a morning hunt. As the sun rose, she followed the stream back to camp and managed to catch a large trout on the way. She gutted and scaled it feeding any good scraps to the hunger pups.
“You could pull a gourmet meal from anywhere” said Arwin in admiration as she stoked the fire.
“And I often do” said Raya with pride.
On their way to scope out Wills place a farmer ploughing a field called out.
“Will is that you?... I wondered what had happened, I thought the solders had arrested you too. I wouldn’t put it past them.”
They chatted with the farmer, Thom, for a bit before Arwin mentioned,
“if all goes well there might be a flock very similar to his uncle's coming past this way in the early hours of the morning, I hope that’s not a problem.”
“Well, if a flock like that came through my farm down the north side it might find all the gates open, I might have to run my cows over that field to hide any messy tracks.” he replied with a wink.
“Who supplies the soldier's food” asked Raya?
That would be the Dorsal’s down the way, they are great fans of the new queen, their sons both got jobs in the guard I think one is a general, Rotten boys the both of them.”
“Thank you, you have been most helpful,” said Arwin.”
Once they were out of earshot Raya explained that Lee had taught her lots about herbs and some that she carried had powerful sleeping powers.
“Normally they are used for helping people to rest while healing from wounds, but I can think of another application that they would be good for...”
They walked past the Dorsal’s farm and saw Mr. Dorsal was working out in the fields. Arwin got Will to stay on the road with Raya’s cart. He was dressed in Raya’s cloak so he wouldn’t be recognized by any locals. Arwin went up and knocked on the door enquiring about any farm work for her and her son. While she had Mrs. Dorsal occupied Raya snuck around the garden and slipped through the kitchen window.
She didn’t see a large dog that was lying by the kitchen fire until it was too late, it got up and glared at Raya, it was too close for her to make a run for it.
“Good boy” she whispered.
It came over and sniffed her, smelling the other dogs.
“Good dog, you go and lie down” she said while adding a whole pouch of sleeping herbs to a soup that was boiling on the stove.
It looked too big for just two people so she assumed at least some of it would go the soldiers at the farm. The dog settled down watching her with interest as she jumped out the window.
“shussh, I wasn’t here” she said to the dog who whined back.
“Wats the damn dog up to, I have to go” she heard Mrs. Dorsal telling Arwin.
“Thank you for your time and advice. long live the Queen” called Arwin as she headed back to the road.
She called loudly to Will. “Come on Terrance let's try further up the road.”
By this time Raya had snuck back through the garden and was walking slowly along the road so the others could catch up.
“My uncle's farm is the next one” said Will “that coppice of trees sits between the two farms. We can watch the house and the road from there. I used to hide in it when my uncle was losing his temper.”
The soldiers were lazing about on the porch and didn’t see three travelers disappear from the road slipping into the trees. It was a long wait in the bushes. Will pointed out a hawk circling above them on the warm summer thermals.
“That one lives around here, I think it has a nest down the far end of this coppice.”
Several parties passed the farm on their way along the road before a soldier on a horse pulled into the farm. He told the soldiers that their little holiday would be over tomorrow when a team would arrive from the fort to clear the farm. He didn’t stay long as he said he had a message to deliver to the capital and took off south down the road at a gallop.
“Well tonight is the night then” whispered Arwin. “Why don’t you two try and get some sleep, I will wake you when it’s time.”
Sheba seemed to read the situation and growled at the puppies when they made any noise or tried to go exploring. Raya couldn’t sleep so lay on her back watching the moons through the trees. Will on the other hand was asleep almost immediately after his trying week.
Raya was woken by Arwin “Did I fall asleep?”
“Only for a few hours, don’t worry it will do you good. They ate the soup.” she said excitedly “Mrs. Dorsal arrived with it like we hoped. How long will it be before it takes effect?”
“With the amount I put in it shouldn’t be long.”
She could hear one of the soldiers complaining about crappy soup. The other one said something about it all being over tomorrow, then that he was knackered and was going to get an early night. The other one said he would take the first watch but was asleep on the porch quarter of an hour later.