The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling (20 page)

Lor had finished eating. “I have some
information about our suspects. Gyan gave me the name of the man
who killed the healer and was banished to Obsidian. His name was
Kald. He lived in an isolated cabin east of Terresville and had two
sons.” At this point Lor looked at the other two at the fire. “The
oldest was Bure and the younger was Targ. They had a baby sister
but we don’t have her name or if she survived because the healer
was called in when the unfortunate mother contracted a childbed
fever after the birth of the baby girl. The children went to live
with Kald’s sister who was married to a fisherman in Sawblen
province. We will check those records when we get there but my
friend, Zlin, who works in the city archives with her father,
thinks they moved. Her father remembers the case because it was so
brutal. It is his recollection that Kald’s sister, Ru, became a
widow during a particularly bad storm season, when her husband’s
boat went down. He thinks that she moved the whole family as far as
she could go away from the sea, to east of Sherroton. That would
have been, approximately, when Bure was in his mid teen years. We
will be able to confirm a lot of this in the city archives at our
next stop.”

“We need to see who else is in that family.”
said Alliz.

Erin looked at them. “I have one more thing
to add. Somebody is restless, antsy. I don’t think it is Bure
because, if he is my ‘seeker’ he usually has a signature ‘shout’
tone. I have never ‘heard’ Targ so I don’t know if it was him but
it could also be his cousin Wras whom I have ‘heard’. The direction
of the feeling is the same direction we are traveling. We could
easily meet up with these people in Sherroton. That is what my
intuition tells me. I am also anticipating that they will soon
have, if they don’t already, their next victim picked out. That is
sort of the flavor of the feeling I am getting.”

Tempo came into the firelight and walked up
the Erin and thumped the ground. He looked up to her and said, ‘You
haven’t told them about your tiredness.’

‘Tempo, I think I can control it. Ree’s gifts
to me help. Besides. It has been a very full couple of days. It
could be contributing to my tiredness.’

Tempo gave a little growl. ‘It’s more than
just the activities of the last few days. You know that! Those
stones are with you now and you are still drained. You must realize
the hazard and they need to know!’

There was a “Whoo-woo” from the Arbreton
Bridge.

‘Okay, okay! You have a valid point.’

“My companions want me to tell you that
receiving these strong feelings can exhaust me. I think I can
control that by slamming my ‘door’ shut... but I am honestly not
sure. I have not been anywhere near the ‘seeker’ and have been
blasted with the force of his ‘shout’. If I were close to him I
don’t know what the effect would be. The feelings I had from Wras,
in Wellyn, were frustration touched with meanness. They weren’t
full blown or of long duration and they didn’t drain me. What I
felt today was distant, not strong but lasted for hours. I am tired
tonight. If I can’t control the energy drain I may become a
liability at a critical moment.”

Tempo crawled up on her lap and put his paws
on her chest, his long claws rasping against her jerkin and touched
her face with his nose. ‘You are never a liability. You are my
friend and we will protect you!’

“Whoo-woo”!

‘Indeed, well said’, added Keir.

Lor looked at the young sage that had come
into his sphere of protection. She was growing up and growing into
her skills at a very dangerous time. He both admired her and feared
for her. Most sages developed their skills over a period of years.
They adjusted to the knowledge, that came to them, and matured
comfortably over time. Erin, for he did know her real name, was
doing the whole process in about a month. He could guess what her
companions had just said and silently agreed.

“I appreciate you telling us. We’ll need to
watch for that and try to compensate. You are not a liability but a
profound asset. Because of you and all of the skills and
information you have brought to us we have a chance to stop these
people. What we all need now is rest. Tomorrow we start early and
will make up as much ground as we can. Our pace will be too fast
for you to walk beside the caravan. We will be eating as we travel.
Tempo needs to fill his belly tonight if he doesn’t want just trail
food tomorrow.”

Erin looked down into the face of her little
friend. ‘I have eaten well tonight and may get a few vesi tomorrow
morning. Don’t worry about me. Let’s get a good night’s sleep.’

“Tempo is fine and may get a few vesi before
we leave. I am going to bed down. Thank you for the dinner and the
company, Alliz.” Erin said as she rose. “Good night.”

The camp was up just before dawn so they
could be on the road as soon as they had light. There had been a
few small ground quivers during the night. Erin had awakened and
listened for the horses. They all had remained calm and she had
returned to sleep. Erin and Tempo rolled out of their blankets
rested. Tempo watched intently as she tipped her boots and when no
vesi came out he was off to check other boots. She had shaken off
the tiredness from the mysterious contact ahead and easily moved
through her tasks. The horses were hitched and the caravan was
beginning to move when Tempo ran up with a vesi in his jaws. Erin
scooped him up and placed him on her shoulder then swung aboard. As
soon as she was seated, and Tempo on the bench between them, Lor
moved into line for crossing the Arbreton bridge. It was a
structure built of logs and planks and wasn’t much wider than the
wagons. The wagons had to line up single file and carefully align
themselves so as their wheels would not slip off the narrow bridge.
They were near the end of the line with only Kennet behind them.
Once they were across each wagon would pick up speed.

It was a bit of hurry-up-and-wait but finally
it was their turn to cross. Tassy’s wagon had just got on the
ground on the other side and was pulling away. Lor clicked the
reins and pulled onto the bridge. Erin was peering over the side.
The Duluse bridge had been of stone. She assumed that because
Arbreton exported a lot of timber it was natural to make this of
wood. It was sturdy with very large logs driven into the ground as
foundation pilings and more big timbers running horizontal
supporting the bed of the bridge. A series of stout planks were on
top of that to provide a relatively smooth surface to drive on.
They got across and as the back wheels hit dirt Lor clicked the
horses to pick up the pace.

Erin turned to wave at Kennet when Tempo let
out a growl and his tail went into the air. “Oh, No! Quake!” Erin
yelled and vaulted out of the wagon running back toward the bridge.
Kennet’s wagon was mid span and the bridge was heaving. The horses
were panicking and one of the lead horses started to rear. She ran,
staggered to one knee, got her balance and sprinted drunkenly
toward the horses, reaching out with her mind to try to alleviate
some of the panic. Her hands were outstretched and she was trying
to grab a harness. She got her hands on one and the ground shifted
again almost tossing her under the hooves of the frightened
animals. She got her feet braced, as best as she could on the
quaking ground, and pulled on the harness urging the horses to move
on to the land, to pull the wagon. The lead animals started to
move, on her insistent urging, dragging compliance from the pair
behind them. The bridge was losing timber and they had to get the
wagon on shore. Erin pulled and pressured the horses to move, NOW!
The wagon was moving but at the same time the bridge was breaking.
Erin put her whole self into dragging the horses forward. Kennet’s
back wheels hit ground! She brought the horses further onto the
road and away from the bridge, then she stepped aside. Her knees
buckled and she sat down abruptly putting her head down and drawing
deep breaths.

Kennet drove his, now calming team forward
and stopped his wagon and set his brake. He got off and leaned with
his hands on shaky knees. Then he straightened and walked over to
where Erin was on the ground. “Are you all right, lad?” his usually
gruff voice seemed to be having trouble getting enough support.
Erin looked up at him and nodded mutely. She was slowly getting up
when Lor ran up. He put both hands on her shoulders and scanned her
face for damage. “I’m okay. I’m okay. Just shaken up a bit. I need
to get my heart out of my throat and back down in my chest, is
all.”

She saw others running down the road toward
them but she turned and stroked the horses, thanking and reassuring
them. She looked at Kennet then moved past him to the bridge. He
and Lor joined her. The bridge was definitely not passable. The
strong pilings were still in the ground but some of the horizontal
supports were torn loose from them and planks were twisted and
broken. Parts of the bridge upper structure had broken away and
were floating down the river. Kennet put his hand on her shoulder
and turned her to face him. “Lad, anything you want that I can help
with, it’s yours. You, literally, saved my life. When that quake
hit and the bridge started heaving, my wagon slipped toward the
side. My back wheel broke out the barrier on the bridge edge and
was a hairs breath of rocking all of us into the river when you
grabbed the harness. The horses weren’t responding to me and I saw
you slip. I thought we all were going to die. When you started
pulling and the team moved...”. Then he regained his composure,
somewhat, and slapped her on the back. “Lad, those gloves are
yours!” and gave a hearty laugh.

The caravan stayed where it was while
everyone’ wagons and horses were checked. The story had circulated
through the train by the time people got back onto their wagon
benches, released their breaks and started rolling. Erin was
sitting beside Lor with Tempo on her lap. She spoke aloud. “Tempo,
without your timely warning we would have lost Kennet and his team.
Every second counted.”

The little skunk looked up at Erin. ‘I
appreciate the thanks, Erin, but it was you who saved them. It is a
good thing I can’t see well because what I understand from your
thoughts it was scary enough!’ and he settled deeper into her
lap.

“Looks like we will be a few extra days in
Sherroton” she said to Lor.

He looked at her in disbelief and started to
laugh. “You are a rare one” and he slapped her knee, which earned
him a baleful look from Tempo. When he eventually stopped chuckling
he said, “Yes. Everybody who handles wood or building, in any
capacity, will be working on this. The loss of the bridge cuts off
the province from the rest of the realm with the exception of the
foot bridge by Terresville.”

The pace that the caravan moved used up any
nervous energy that the quake generated in the teams. They traveled
all day, varying their speed a little for the sake of the horses.
They stopped at sundown at Axhead lake. Everyone was tired. Erin
put Tempo down to hunt and get exercise with a ‘Please don’t go
far.’ She brushed and curried Lor’s team as they drank and grazed.
She went over their legs and hooves making sure they were
uninjured. Then she went over Kennet’s horses. She spoke to them as
she worked, praising them for coming through and working with her
when it was most important. She reassured them that they would get
to have some extra days to rest because the bridge would need to be
repaired. On her way back to Lor’s wagon she checked with each
horse. Guild members, along the way, thanked her for coming to
Kennet’s aid.

As it got dark, Luna barely a sliver and Cear
not yet in the sky, she could see a glow in the distance that was
the lights of Sherroton. She and Lor were eating at Kennet’s fire,
tonight. He had fixed a hearty stew and had flat bread with cider.
Erin came into the firelight just at Cear poked it’s rim above the
western hill. Kennet looked over at her from a quiet conversation
with Lor. Just for a second he had a bemused look on his face then
he gave her a big grin. “Come sit, lad and tell me my horses are
fine.”

Erin took off her hat and wiped her brow,
“They are fine. I brushed and curried them and checked them over.
They have weathered the days events well. I assured them that they
could rest a few extra days at Sherroton.” and she grinned, knowing
that she spoke the absolute truth.

Kennet ruffled her choppy hair then slapped
her on the shoulder. “Eat hearty, lad, you have earned a good meal
tonight!” He filled their plates and there was silence as they
ate.

There was quiet talk between the two men
about arriving at Sherroton in the morning and who was to tell the
mayor the news about the bridge. All of the horses were done in for
the day or they would have sent someone ahead. No, the telling
would have to wait. Let the city elders call out the repair work
force.

Erin dearly wanted a bath and a good night’s
sleep. She rose with her now empty plate and thanked Kennet for the
deliciously nourishing meal. “I am tired and really want to bed
down for the night. Please excuse my early departure.” and she gave
him a respectful nod.

“Totally understandable, boy. I want you to
have these gloves. May you wear them in good health. Should you
need to wrestle horses again, these will protect your hands.” He
handed her the gloves that fit so well.

She took them and put them on. “Thank you,
Kennet. So very much.” she said quietly and smiled.

Returning to the wagon she got the bucket out
of the back and turned toward the lake. Keir spoke to her from the
shadows of the eaves. “Ree has sent you something. She said that
this would help your energy from draining away. Wear it in the
pouch around your neck.” He dropped a small bag at her feet.