Dragon Clan #1: Camilla's Story

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Camilla walked on the road beside Brix, wondering how he had managed to follow her and warn her of the approaching soldiers. She had been sleeping. He was supposed to be asleep in the first clearing where they paused beside the stream—and she left him there. Had he followed and watched her at the stream or had he followed her tracks? Where did he sleep? She thought as she walked, her attention was split between the boy and what to do about him.

For her entire life, or as much as she remembered, she had been in charge of everything in her existence. She decided when to eat, what to eat, where and when to sleep, or steal. Her life belonged to her. She sensed and understood that even walking down a dirt road through a forest with another person required that she give and take, as he also must do. If she wanted a drink, he would wait for her, even if he did not wish one for himself. His normal pace was undoubtedly faster than hers as she limped with the help of her stick. Staff, she corrected herself. Pleasing the washerwoman might prevent a few lumps caused by her staff.

The road climbed slowly, and the vegetation thinned. The underbrush was not as thick, and more trees were evergreen, pine, cedar, and fir. Ahead, the mountains looked taller, many with snow topping them. They were the same mountains seen from the slopes of Copper Mountain, but already they looked taller and more rugged.

“Where did you sleep last night?”

Brix sniggered, “Thought you’d never ask.”

“Where?”

“In that little clearing, I showed you. I caught enough fish to feed both of us, but you didn’t come back.”

“What happened this morning? You went looking for me?”

“Yes, from before the sun came up. I got nervous about those boys chasing us and decided to get an early start to make sure they didn’t find me. Or you.”

She walked on and waited for more explanation, but when he didn’t tell her what she wanted, she said, “How did you find me?”

“That flat rock beside the stream is where I always stop and get a drink. Your footprints were in the mud, and you left a clear trail of muddy prints as you went down that little path. I was about to head up the road without you when the army horses came into sight. I thought they might let their horses get a drink at that place, and I didn’t want them seeing your tracks and finding you.”

The story sounded reasonable but didn’t ring completely true. Maybe she simply didn’t trust people, or hadn’t been around them enough, but she sensed deception. A sly glance in his direction revealed Brix strolling along, arms swinging, a smile on his lips as if he didn’t have a worry to ponder. Camilla mentally shrugged. Other than being less than a journeyman spinner of quality threads and cords, a fact everyone in the village knew, he probably didn’t have a worry. Parents and family fed and supported him. He had a future and family. What more could he wish for?

His life and security both created envy and a pleasant jealousy. Brix probably had no idea of how privileged his life was when compared to hers. She quickly squashed any trace of anger, but still retained the wariness of someone too close. Having him to talk with might be a new experience.

Today she walked far better with the help of the heavy staff held in her right hand. She barely supported any weight as she walked. Without it, she would walk better. The idea of tossing it aside entered her thoughts for a brief instant. The impression of the reaction Robin would have if she returned without it chilled her.

“Do you mind walking ahead of me a few steps?”

Brix shrugged and stepped faster. Her soreness had fled with the walking; even the slight limp was gone. Resigned to keep her part of the bargain with Robin, she swung the staff over her head and let the end strike the ground with her next step, but it almost made her stumble. No pain gave her hope. She swung it up again, this time in stride and let it fall, striking the ground again with a solid thump. Better. She did it again, trying to balance the staff with her shift in weight as she walked.

Brix glanced back, gave a questioning look at the sound of the staff thumping the ground, and then turned away again.

She repeated the same move and found it easier this time. When swinging the bottom end of the staff up, her right arm naturally moved forward. Then she allowed it to fall under its own weight. Thump, it struck the ground. Swing, relax and fall. Thump. Repeat. She continued walking and swinging the staff up and letting it fall until it felt natural.

Robin had said to do it until her arms fell off. Camilla nodded in sudden understanding. Her arms were already getting tired, but the actions came smoother, requiring less effort. Soon her body remembered each step of the sequence without thinking about it.