Dragon Clan #3: Fleet's Story

CHAPTER FOUR

“A trap?” Fleet asked, trying hard to keep his face stoic. “We’re setting a trap?”

“At least five people in Nettleton saw us leave and take this road. Whoever is after the reward will realize we’re getting away. Keeping us here, or following is the only way to collect.”

“We’re intentionally leading them. But, to where? And I should warn you I’m not about to kill people who are not attacking me.”

She laughed and said, “We leave the road up ahead. The path leads to the top of a hill with a meadow. The goats and cows keep trees from growing, and a stream passes by. The animals stay on the one side of the water because that is where the grass grows best.”

“I do not understand how this helps us,” Fleet said.

“The one drawback to staffs, other than carrying them all day long, is that when fighting you need open space. Roads are fine, but a meadow is better.”

Fleet followed her when the path turned from the road, noticing she did nothing to hide her footprints in the sand coating the surface of the road. He followed until she carefully stepped off the path at the edge of a wide clearing where several sheep, cows and goats grazed. He followed, careful as she had been, but noticed she never even looked behind to make sure. She trusted him.

A large willow tree, with drooping branches that hung nearly to the ground, stood at the edge of the forest. She bent over and crept underneath. He did the same.

She said softly, “It won’t be long.”

“Why is it important to know who will sell us for the king’s coin?”

“For me, I need to know who will trade my life for gold or silver. And it will tell all of Nettleton, too. If this person owns a barn, I may burn it. I may rip the roof off their house, shit in their well, and kill their dog.”

For once, Fleet was glad he didn’t speak much. There was nothing to say that would fit the circumstances, or curb her anger. His single point of focus was knowing he never wanted to cross the girl-maniac squatting beside him.

A doe entered the clearing and grazed beside three cows. They ignored the deer or perhaps accepted it. Fleet watched it and saw the ears twitch. The head came up, and eyes searched. The deer bounded into the forest in a single hop. He touched Camila with his elbow.

She nodded slowly. Movement is the first thing eyes notice, even before color. Standing still will often allow others to pass within a few steps. Fleet had used stillness as a weapon from the time he walked.

Nothing happened. The reason for the deer’s exit may have been something else, but Fleet had watched the deer carefully, and it had turned and looked right at the path they had taken. Somebody was there, probably examining the entire meadow before venturing out into the open.

Then two men eased forward, knees bent as they searched the ground for footprints that didn’t exist. In their desire to remain hidden in the shadows, the men moved along the perimeter of the clearing, in the direction of the willow tree.

Neither Fleet nor Camilla moved. They stood in deep shadow while the men were in the bright sunlight. If they stayed still, the men would not notice them. However, the two men looked to the far side of the clearing, and not behind. Camilla leaped forward.

Her action took Fleet by as much surprise as the other two. He charged after, screaming a war cry to freeze his opponents. Camilla screamed too, her cry higher pitched and more fearsome. Her staff swung low, the end striking the nearest man on the side of his knee with an almost hollow sound. The other end of her staff swung higher, then she shoved it into the stomach of the man who was turning to face her, his hand already reaching for the hilt of a long knife.

He made a sound of oomph, as he bent forward and sank to his knees before collapsing face down beside the other man who held his leg and wailed as he rolled back and forth.

Fleet stood over them and said to Camilla, “I’m glad I could help.”

Her face was flushed, and her breathing came in gasps that belied the minimal exertion of her attack. She was angry. She rolled the first man to his side with the end of her staff jabbing until he showed his face.

“You!” she spat.

Fleet said, “Who is it?”

She ignored him. She spat. “You want to sell me for money? Well, I am going to take what you have instead. That might teach you a lesson.”

She used her foot to turn the head of the other man so she could see his face. “I know you, also.”

Camilla spun and headed for the path with Fleet at her heels. Back on the King’ Highway again, she said, “I didn’t want to talk in front of them. They think I may be Dragon Clan, but do not know for sure. I look like the boy who lived there, and that was good enough for them to throw me in a dungeon as long as they get paid.”

Fleet said, “One of them will not walk right for a long time, if ever. The other may have more serious injuries.”

“Or, both may heal by this evening. They’re brothers. When I lived here, they once sent their dogs after me and laughed as they attacked. I have a scar on one leg. If those dogs had brought me down, I’d be dead. They often threw rocks at me. One followed me, trying to find the cave where I slept.”

“What did you do to make them hurt you like that?”

She shrugged, then said in a smaller voice, “One rock hit me on my shoulder. The blacksmith came from nowhere and slapped them both. From then on they hated me. There were boys at the military school who chased me, too. But those men are mean and crazy.”

They walked in the direction of Nettleton again, retracing their steps. She pointed to a farm in the lowlands below the town. A small farmhouse stood beside a barn. The house leaned while the barn looked strong and was probably a better place to live.

Camilla turned down the lane and marched to the house, a reluctant Fleet at her heels. She threw the door open and found a young woman inside, who dived into a corner and huddled while watching the intruders with far more fear than was normal.

Fleet reached out and took Camilla by her upper arm. “Look.”

The fallen woman was little more than a girl. Her face wore bruises. She held her arms protectively in front of her.

“Who are you?” Camilla demanded.

She covered her face and trembled. Fleet pulled Camilla to the door and pointed outside. Then he went to her and knelt and said softly, “We’re not here to hurt you. We didn’t even know you were here.”

“What do you want?”

“The men who live here have done us wrong.”

She turned away.

Fleet said, “Who are you and why are you here?”

“Mari. They bought me.”

Camilla stepped back inside. She snapped, “Do you like it here?”

Mari stared wide-eyed, then shook her head.

“Who knows you’re here?” Fleet asked. She shook her head but didn’t answer.

“Do you have a family?” Camilla asked.

Another shake of her head.

Camilla asked gently, “Would you leave if you could?”

The girl whimpered, “I have no place to go.”

Camilla drew in a deep breath and said, “I know a place. Come with us.”

“They’ll kill me.”

“They will never touch you again. Stand and come walk with me.” Camilla placed an arm around her frail shoulder and helped her stand.

They walked outside and towards the road, Camilla comforting her every step. At the edge of the road, Camilla raised her eyes to Fleet. “We’ll meet you at the inn. Burn it. Burn everything to the ground.”

Fleet watched them walk away, then turned and looked in the other direction where the path to the meadow lay. He didn’t take orders from Camilla. He acted on his own. Tinder and kindling lay beside the fireplace. His own flint sparked it to life.

When one wall of the house had caught fire, he used a few sticks to head for the hay stored in the barn. Four men and a woman raced from the next farm, buckets, and shovels in hand. Fleet paused, then walked to meet them and said, “Stand back. I have more work to do.”

They came to a halt.

He held up the burning sticks. “This is for the barn. Do not get in my way. The two brothers attacked and tried to kill us.”

After making sure no animals were in the barn, he set it afire to the amazement of the growing crowd of people. Not one attempted to stop him. When the barn blazed so hot they all stepped back, he turned to them in anger.

“Did any of you know they kept a young girl? She’s hurt and covered with bruises.” Blank looks and fearful expressions answered. “My friend is taking her to the inn. Maybe a few of you should have prevented this.”

He watched them closely to see if any flinched from his accusations. None did. He believed they had no idea.

“I’m going to the inn and see if I can help.” He started walking.

An older woman quick-stepped to his side. “I’ll go with you if you don’t mind. Believe me, we had nothing to do with this. Those brothers are so cruel we all stay away.”

Fleet didn’t answer. He kept walking, his jaw set. He turned at a noise behind and found, at least, ten people followed. Word was spreading, even as the pall of smoke from the burning farm rose. He glanced down the valley and saw the barn falling in on itself, but he may have been the only one to see it. Everyone else had turned their backs to the fires as they heard the tale from their neighbors.

As he entered the inn, Camilla said to him, “Give me your purse.”

The innkeeper and the young serving woman huddled with the girl and Camilla. The innkeeper shook his head, “No, I need nothing to help her. She’ll work here until we find a proper home.”

Camilla pulled her own purse and spilled several coins on the table. “Refusing will insult me.”

The innkeeper made no move to scoop them into his hand. He looked at Camilla and said, “You need to go. Travel safe.”

She stood, gathered her things and nodded to Fleet. They felt several hands pat their shoulders and brush their arms as they slipped through the gathering crowd. A few whispered well wishes. Then they were again walking beside each other on the king’s road.

Later, Camilla pointed off to her right. “Copper Mountain. Where I lived.”

“Want to go see it?”

She hesitated, then shook her head.

“You’re upset about that girl.”

“It could have been me, you know. She was no older than I was when I went to live with our family. They could have taken me at any time.”

“They thought you were a boy.”

“And that is all that saved me from being her.”

“Your mountain has almost no trees. It looks dead from here.”

She allowed a faint smile, knowing he changed the subject and allowing it. “There used to be mines up there. Pits. Holes in the ground where they dug copper until it was all gone, but the ground is dead. You can’t grow anything.”

“So why live there?”

“Nobody goes up there to hunt or forage. It’s where they can’t find you, or so I thought. It turned out too many people knew I lived there.”

Fleet awoke beside her and swung his staff so it raised high up and fell back onto his hands, ready to defend. He let it fall back into the carry position and did it again, careful to keep his fingers from wrapping around the shaft.

He asked, “Where to, now?”

“You’re the leader of this trip.”

“I didn’t feel like the leader back there at the meadow. One minute I was teaching you how to handle your staff and the first time we find trouble you do all the fighting.”

She grinned at him. “So that’s how you see it?”

“I do.”

“Well then, I suggest we make our way to the king’s Summer Palace before those men looking to collect a reward for my head find us. We should have never gone to Nettleton. I’m sorry.”

Fleet walked several steps before saying, “I’m not.”

“It put the king’s men are on alert that members of the Dragon Clan may be near.”

“That’s not good, but what you did today was. There are people who should not be allowed to walk this earth, and today you made that clear. Those two brothers will not be welcome in Nettleton, and the girl will heal and have a future. I’d call that a good day.”

She said, “May tomorrow be better.”

They continued walking until midday. Fleet said, “Scuff your footprints and follow me.”

She turned and left the road in two short hops, leaving no sign behind. Fleet continued away from the road, up a slight rise above the side of the road. He pulled to a stop and knelt, Camilla at his side.

A wagon filled with straw pulled by a mule came into view. The mule didn’t hurry, and the driver allowed it set the pace. After it passed Camilla commented, “The wheels and mule will probably destroy most of our tracks. This is a good place to leave the road.”

Exactly what he’d been thinking. Fleet was about to tell her so when he saw more movement. Two men came to a halt on the road and knelt, examining the dirt. One shook his head, and the other pointed back towards Nettleton.

They stood as one and continued on the road. When they came to the place where Fleet and Camilla left the road, they halted again. One looked into the forest right where they crouched. They might just be curious, but they might talk of the footprints that left the road, too.