The chirps and warbles of early morning birdsong rang out all around her. Despite the heavy ache in her bones and the sleep deprivation that threatened to seal her eyelids shut, Oralia found the sounds of the forest soothing. Out here the birdsong was light and harmonious, capable of blending seamlessly into the background until it was barely noticeable at all. Not like at the capital, where the awful screeching of palace peacocks used to rouse her from her sleep every morning.
The surrounding harmony, alas, did not apply to Rali. “And another thing,” the dwarf said, throwing her forefinger into the air for what had to have been the twentieth time so far. “Don’t go waltzing into obvious danger, you hear? Stay alert. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for any bandits and if you come across any, you don’t fight, you run.”
“Since when did you become my mother?” Oralia demanded.
“Don’t you use that tone with me, young lady!”
The pair were standing along the edge of their makeshift camp. Calling it a camp, in fact, seemed quite generous. The surrounding patch of forest was nothing more than a bit of semi-flat ground, free of widow-makers, with just enough room to throw the bedrolls down to catch a few hours of sleep. Their tents hadn’t seen any use since leaving Fairguard. Ever since their near-encounter with bandits two days before, Oralia had kept her party ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Having traveled throughout the night, the group had stopped to make camp only that morning. To the dismay of the more weary members, Oralia didn’t intend to linger much longer, either. The traveling party would be on the move again once everyone had had a chance to catch a few hours of sleep. In the meantime, while the second shift took their well-earned rest, there were chores to be done. More specifically, the chore Oralia particularly didn’t want to do–lug fresh water from the nearby stream back to camp for boiling.
A low humming alerted Oralia to the fact that Rali was still talking. The dwarf was in full lecture mode, listing off all manner of bizarre safety concerns. “Additionally, you are forbidden from speaking to any bandits, joining any bandit gangs, frolicking with and or befriending them. Got all that, missy?”
Oralia massaged her aching temples with a sigh. “If you are this concerned for my welfare, you very well could take the waterskins down to the stream yourself.”
“Gods no. We drew lots fair and square and you lost. I’m just doing my part to make sure you come back, is all. Sascha would be an absolute mess if anything happened to you.” Rali paused, jutting out her lower lip as if the very thought was simply too painful to consider. “What would I do then, Oralia? Who would cook for me? We’d all perish within the week of starvation.”
“A real tragedy,” Oralia agreed.
“Alright, I suppose you ought to be off if you intend to make it back by lunch. You remember the way, right?”
“If I pretend otherwise, will you hold my hand and lead me to the stream yourself?”
A merciless grin spread across Rali’s face. “That’s my big girl. Sassy, just like her momma. Of course you remember the way. Just straight on through the trees until you’ve hit water. If you don’t hit water, you’ve gone too far. That, or you haven’t gone far enough. I don’t know. You’ll figure it out.”
“You truly missed your calling as a scout, Ralizak,” Oralia said as she started to turn away.
“Hold on, what about the necklace?” Rali’s gaze moved upwards, stopping along the area of Oralia’s collarbones. “I could take my turn early if it would lighten your load a little.”
“I will be fine,” Oralia assured her for what was surely the twenty-first time that day.
“I know you will. Now, how about those hugs and kisses for the road, eh?”
“Goodbye.” Oralia threw the stack of empty waterskins over her shoulder and started for the trees. She almost made it all the way out of camp before a voice called after.
“Wait up, boss. I’m coming too.”
The third voice was like sandpaper to the inside of her ears. Grudgingly, Oralia glanced over her shoulder to find Kalihn scurrying after her. The elf was performing a sort of awkward, heaving scramble in order to keep pace. She carried a large iron pot, gripping the handle as though her life depended on it. Kalihn’s knuckles were already white and drained of blood from the effort. To be fair, the blasted pot probably weighed nearly as much as she did.
To be less fair, she’d barely made it ten paces from the center camp.
“What are you doing?” Oralia did not bother to cloak the irritation in her tone.
“Orders from the cook,” Kalihn explained. “Sascha said we needed extra water for boiling. Also, he mentioned that I shouldn’t let you out of my sight for even a second.”
Oralia’s gaze swept past Kalihn over to Sascha’s prep station. He already had a hole dug out for a fire, and was in the process of shaping the sides with stones. There was a heap of kindling and larger branches piled nearby, ready to light once the pit was finished. The low-burning fire would be ready and waiting to boil the water once Oralia and Kalihn returned from the stream. While Oralia appreciated his initiative, the same feeling did not apply to the dirty trick he’d just played.
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Sascha noticed her glaring and blew a kiss in her direction, quite pleased with his handiwork, no doubt. Rat bastard.
Oralia vowed to find a creative means to get even with him for foisting Kalihn onto her without prior warning. While the elf meant well, Kalihn talked entirely too much for even the nicest soul to tolerate for more than a few hours at a time. Oralia was not a nice soul. Her tolerance, therefore, was even shorter. Barely holding on by a thread at this point.
Sascha’s clever move was something of a two-for-one scenario. Not only had he successfully relieved himself of Kalihn’s help but, by sending the elf with Oralia, he was simultaneously ensuring his precious pot returned as well. Perhaps even with water in it. The fact that the errand served to annoy his fuckmate was simply an added benefit.
Oralia’s unamused stare returned to Kalihn. “Will you be able to carry that the whole way?”
“I think I’m managing alright so far,” Kalihn said, seemingly unaware that she had her tongue sticking out of one side of her mouth from the sheer exertion of walking from the firepit to the edge of camp.
“Filled with water?” Oralia asked.
“Uh…” was Kalihn’s self-assured reply.
On second thought, perhaps it was best not to give Kalihn false hope that Oralia would carry the pot the moment it proved too cumbersome. The orc turned and started off into the trees. “Excellent. Glad to see you have it handled.”
The surrounding forest was a mix of red alders, white oaks, and pine. Unlike the northernmost areas along the Iron Ridge, the ground covering here was thick and invasive. Even the areas of the forest untouched by sunlight were next to impossible to navigate with surefooted ease. Bramble and bracken intertwined across the woodland floor in a thick, tangled weave of thorny vines. The smell of wormwood and decay hung thick in the air as Oralia picked her way through the woods with painstaking care.
Oralia’s team had been on the move for almost two days straight. Their efforts, fortunately, were proving fruitful. Lingon and Dewpetal had backtracked several times to scout for any would-be pursuers. As of yet, there were no signs that they were being followed. Still, Oralia could not afford to be caught off guard in the middle of nowhere. She resolved to keep their pace for at least one night more, putting as much distance between them and the bandits as physically possible, before switching back to a less taxing speed.
She and Kalihn were nearing the stream when Oralia froze in place, holding out her hand in a silent command for Kalihn to do the same. Overhead, the birdsong had stilled to a deathly quiet. Oralia inhaled through her nose, testing the air for any traces of intruders. She smelled the sharp, pungent smell of forest decay and the variety of damp fungi that thrived on its decomposing remains. There was water too, in the distance. The only other living creature of noticeable size she could detect happened to be the elf standing behind her.
Kalihn skirted closer, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, still clinging to the pot as if it was her most prized possession. The elf has the sense to keep her voice low. “What is it? You sense something?”
“I am not sure.”
Something had caused the songbirds to go quiet. And while it very well could have been her and Kalihn’s presence, Oralia knew better than to brazenly press forward without stopping to consider her options. She tilted her head in all directions, ears straining to catch any unfamiliar sounds. While the quiet was eerie, it also lacked any obvious signs of danger. She didn’t smell anything out of place, either. The lack of evidence, however, failed to ease her growing nerves.
Unfortunately, that left her with a difficult decision. The stream was the only nearby source of freshwater within the area. To try and locate another would not only come at the expense of time and energy, but had the potential to attract just as much attention. Especially with Kalihn in tow. Oralia took all of it into account before making her decision.
“We proceed with utmost caution.” Oralia picked her way through the undergrowth, mindful to avoid the patch of devil’s club that blanketed the leafy ground in tall, thorny patches. “Avoid speaking unless absolutely necessary. If you hear something, signal to me. Do not shout.”
“I’m perfectly fine waiting here if you want to go on ahead without me,” Kalihn ever-so-helpfully offered, going as far as to lift the pot in Oralia’s direction expectantly.
A firmly pressed brow was the only motivation required to get the reluctant elf moving again. Despite Kalihn’s best efforts to creep quietly, Oralia winced every time she took a step. Eventually, it grew so unbearable, Oralia was forced to slow down and demonstrate how to walk without snapping every twig between them and the stream.
While painfully slow, the pair managed to reach the water’s edge without alerting the entire woodland area of their presence. The stream was not large, barely spanning a few yards across. The pebbled bottom could be seen from above and appeared no more than half a foot in depth. The water was clear, however, indicating a fast moving current–all good signs, when it came to collecting drinking water.
Wordlessly, Oralia unslung the collection of empty waterskins from her shoulder and set them onto the bank. She could only fill one at a time, making the chore not only slow, but tedious as well. Exactly the reason why Rali had cheated at drawing lots in order to avoid being the one to carry it out.
Kalihn was not nearly as confident as Oralia. She lingered paces from the bank, her sharp eyes darting back and forth between the dark treeforms around them. Finally, having either decided the coast was clear or simply grown weary of holding the pot, the elf edged forward onto the pebbled bank. She removed her shoes, rolled up her pant legs, and stepped brazenly into the icy water.
While her commitment was commendable, Oralia could not help but raise her eyebrows at her highly questionable methods. She kept her voice low and purposely calm. “That is a good way to attract leeches.”
Kalihn looked up at her, face scrunched in confusion. “Attract what now?”
“Lift your leg.”
Kalihn did as instructed. As expected, there was already a small, black squiggly thing attached to her exposed skin. Before Oralia could explain that the leech was perfectly harmless, Kalihn dropped the pot with a squeal. Naturally, the heavy pot then landed squarely on her other foot.
Oralia’s whole body flinched at Kalihn’s high-pitched scream. The boughs rustled overhead as every bird in the vicinity startled into the air. The sounds of rustling leaves and frantically flapping wings intermixed with the echo of Kalihn’s scream as it bounced along the formerly still forest. It took effort to bite back her lashing tongue. There was no sense in adding yelling to the mix.
Alas, if there were any bandits nearby, they definitely knew they were not the only ones in the area now.