Ghostwalker (Book 1) (24 page)

Jade walked over to them. Her mind was still drifting back to Kendril’s words. “I’m sure it will be fine, Maklavir,” she said absently.

“Fine?” The diplomat pulled up his cape, then let it drop again. “This is fine cloth, you know. Absolutely impossible to get clean.” He looked up and noticed the look on the girl’s face for the first time. “I say, Jade, are you quite all right?”

“Yes,” she said quickly, “I’m fine. Just tired, that’s all.”

Maklavir gave her a curious look, and looked like he was about to say something else when Joseph interrupted.

“All right, the blankets are down,” he said, jumping off the cart. “Of course, it’s going to be a bumpy ride for your friend either way, but this will still be better than the horse.” Joseph jumped down off the wagon and motioned to Maklavir. “Give me a hand moving him, will you? I’ll take his shoulders and you can get the feet.”

“Uh, sure,” said Maklavir hesitantly. He glanced over at Jade again.

She was looking off into the forest.

Maklavir touched her gently on the shoulder. “You sure you’re all right, Jade? You look—”

“I told you, I’m fine,” she said angrily, brushing his hand away. “Just leave me alone, will you?” She turned her head away again.

Maklavir paused for an awkward moment, then turned and walked across the road to where Joseph was waiting.

The scout was pulling up the Ghostwalker’s bandage just as Maklavir approached. Seeing the wound for the first time, the diplomat quickly turned his head away in disgust.

Joseph looked up at him. “You think this is bad, you should have seen what it looked like yesterday.”

Maklavir glanced back at Jade, who was still looking away. “He’s getting better, then?”

“Yes.” Joseph began tying the bandage back in place. “It looks like it’s healing pretty fast. Stitches are holding, and there’s no sign of infection, so that’s good.” He stopped for a moment, and scratched the side of his beard. “Everything okay?”

The diplomat knelt down by Kendril with a resigned sigh. “Oh, who can ever tell with women? Something’s bothering her, but she won’t say what it is.”

Joseph gave an understanding grunt, then finished tying off the bandage. He glanced in Jade’s direction, and lowered his voice. “You’ve known her a couple days now, right?”

“Right.”

He leaned in, his voice still low. “This thing about her memory…do you…?” He left the sentence unfinished. 

Maklavir took off his cap, shaking some pine needles off it. “I don’t think she’s lying, if that’s what you mean. I’ve heard about a blow to the head taking away a person’s memory before. Apparently it happens from time to time.”

Joseph nodded, his eyes still on Jade. “Are those the clothes she was wearing when you found her?”

The diplomat replaced his hat. “No, no. She was wearing a green dress. I have it in my horse’s saddlebag. Why do you ask?”

“A fancy dress?”

Maklavir hesitated. His stomach tightened inexplicably. “Yes, it was fairly nice, now that you mention it.” He gave Joseph a probing look. “What are you thinking, exactly?”

The scout motioned with his head towards the woman behind them. “Just that a girl like
that
doesn’t show up in a place like
this
.”

Maklavir felt a familiar tugging of doubt at the corner of his mind. “What do you mean?”

“Have you seen her hands?” Joseph didn’t wait for a reply. “They’re perfect. Not a single callus on them. Even the fingernails are trimmed. And her skin hasn’t seen a harsh day of weather for a long while.” He shook his head. “She’s been in the wild for several days, and soaked to the skin, and I can
still
smell perfume on her. I don’t know who she is, but she’s a
lady
, that much is for sure. She has to be somebody important.” Joseph stopped, and looked over Maklavir’s head.

The diplomat turned around.

Jade was walking up to them. She seemed much more composed.

“Do you need any help?” she asked.

Joseph shook his head. “Maklavir and I should be able to get him just fine. Grab his feet, will you?” he said to the diplomat, while grabbing Kendril firmly under the shoulders.

They took the wounded man gently and carried him over to the waiting wagon.

Jade watched in silence as they set him down inside.

Simon clopped up behind her, and pushed his nose into the palm of her hand.

Jade scratched the animal’s muzzle pensively for a few moments. “Do you have another blanket?” she said at last, walking over to the wagon.

The two men looked at her blankly.

“What for?” ventured Joseph.

“To cover him.” Jade fished around in the saddlebag of Maklavir’s horse, and pulled out a blanket. “Here.” She leaned over the cart, and spread the cover over the motionless Ghostwalker. “He was absolutely freezing last night.”

Joseph nodded. “Good thinking. I’ll hook up that mule of his to the front of the cart. He looks like a sturdy beast.” He grabbed Simon’s bridle and pulled the beast towards the cart.

“Uh, about that blanket…” began Maklavir as he looked worriedly at the spread, “it’s made of Arbelan wool, actually, and—”

Jade laughed, and the shadow lifted from her face. “Don’t worry, Maklavir. If any blood gets on it I promise I’ll get you a new one.”

Joseph came back up to them, patting the side of the wooden cart with his hand. “We’re good to go. We have three horses, but someone’s going to need to stay with the cart.”

“I will,” Jade said instantly. “Besides, I think Simon likes me best.”

Joseph nodded, then mounted his horse. “You two go ahead. I’m going to scout behind us for a ways, just to make sure we don’t have any unwanted visitors. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” With a sharp kick, he goaded the horse into a gallop.

Maklavir and Jade watched him disappear around the bend in the road.

Jade climbed up into the front of the cart, and sat precariously on the narrow wooden plank. “It’s good to have someone who knows his way around these woods.”

“It is indeed,” agreed Maklavir. He looked up at Jade. “About earlier, Jade. I didn’t mean—”

“Oh, I’m the one who should be apologizing, Maklavir.” She reached forward and grabbed Simon’s reigns. “I didn’t mean to bite your head off like that. I was just—just tired, that’s all.”

Maklavir put a foot into the stirrup on Veritas’ side, and pulled himself up onto the horse’s back. He grabbed the bridle of the henchman’s horse and tied it to his saddle. “Not a problem. It’s been a rough couple of days.”

Jade leaned back against the cart. “That’s for sure.”

The diplomat started to coax his horse forward, then stopped and looked down at her. “He’ll be all right, Jade.”

She managed a smile. “I know. Thank you, Maklavir.”

He touched his cap in salute, then started forward.

There was no sign of the bounty hunter or his men for the rest of the day, and the road remained clear of other travelers. The sky clouded up about mid-afternoon, prompting Jade to wrap herself in a blanket once more against the cold, but fortunately there was no more rain. Joseph continued to scout both ahead and behind them, but despite his occasional scowls and dark mutterings, he said little. Maklavir continued to ride alongside Jade and the cart, whistling just about every drinking song he knew, along with a few he didn’t.

As for Kendril, Jade kept glancing behind her, but he gave no more signs of life. The cart rattled horribly against the dirt road, and every bump and jolt jostled the vehicle around so much that Jade began to seriously think that Kendril might have been better off on the horse. Even still, she said nothing, and the day quickly wore on into evening.

They stopped for the night a little ways off the road, in yet another camping site that Joseph seemed to instinctively know where to find. Simon seemed relieved to finally be released from his harness, though he had been polite enough not to complain too loudly about it during the journey. The cart was pulled up close to the fire, and Joseph quickly judged it better to leave Kendril where he was than attempt to move him again. Jade had noticed that some more color had returned to Kendril’s face, and Joseph seemed quite pleased at how the Ghostwalker’s wound was healing.

 Much to everyone’s relief, Joseph judged that a fire was an acceptable risk, as neither the smoke nor the flames could be seen from the road. After a quick supper of salted beef and stale bread, along with some blackberries that Joseph had found near the camp, they settled down by the fire as the stars began to come out one by one.

“I’ll keep first watch,” said Joseph as he oiled the blade of his rapier. He turned the weapon over, inspecting it carefully. “I’ll wake you when it’s your turn, Maklavir.”

Jade huddled close to the fire, watching the embers glow and pop. “I can take a turn as well.”

Joseph shrugged. “All right. Maklavir can wake you when it’s time.” He glanced off into the darkness towards the road.

Maklavir whipped off his cape, and folded it over one knee. “Everything all right, Joseph?” He took out a small sewing kit.

He nodded. “Yes. No one on the road should notice us this far back. I covered our tracks pretty well.”

The diplomat threaded one of the needles by the light of the fire. “But…?”

Joseph paused for a moment, and tapped his thumbs together. “I think we’re being followed.”

Holding the cape up to the light, Maklavir began mending one of the small tears in the fabric. “Well of course we’re being followed. Unless that bounty hunter and his men have given up.”

“No, not them. Someone else.” Joseph rubbed the side of his nose. “I haven’t seen any sign of the bounty hunter. Doesn’t mean he’s
not
following us, of course, it just means he’s too far behind. But I’ve been getting strange feelings all day, small things out of place. I even thought I saw something, once, but it turned out to be nothing.”

Jade brushed the dirt off her pants, and got to her feet. “It isn’t the bounty hunter?”

A lone wolf howled off in the distance. Its cry echoed over the trees. Joseph glanced up briefly at the sound, then shook his head.

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s not. I’ve no doubt he was a decent tracker, but whoever’s on our trail right now is frighteningly good.”

Maklavir pulled the needle through the fabric, and eyed Joseph warily. “So…should we be concerned?”

Jade walked over to the cart. She pulled up the blanket on Kendril, then brushed away a stray leaf.

Joseph watched her silently, then glanced up at the stars. “Well, whoever they are, if they wanted to make a move they could have done it by now. I don’t think we’re in any more danger tonight than we have been all day.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” said Maklavir sarcastically. He finished off a row of stitches.

“I just wish I knew who was behind us,” said Joseph softly, staring into the fire. His eyes flitted up quickly towards the young woman on the other side of the blaze. “Any ideas, Jade?”

Maklavir gave Joseph a sharp look.

Jade turned away from the cart, and sat back down on the ground near the fire.

“I wish I did.” She pulled up her knees, and clasped her arms around them. “I know this is all because of me. I’m sorry, Joseph.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it right now,” said Maklavir evenly. “Whoever it is that may be behind us, we’ll deal with them when we have to.” He held up the cape, flipping it back and forth in the firelight. “Hmm. Hopefully this will hold until we can get to a proper town.”

Joseph replaced his sword in its scabbard with a smile. “I hope so. Those clothes of yours were the laughing-stock of the whole forest today. You could hear the squirrels chortling for miles.”

Maklavir gave him a sour look. “Say what you like, my good fellow, but clothes do indeed make the man.” He looked askance at the cape in his hands. “Not that this will be making much for very long…”

Joseph got to his feet. “I’m going to look around a bit more. You two can turn in whenever you like.” He moved silently off into the dark trees.

Maklavir carefully folded up his newly mended cape. “Well, I suppose we should get some sleep. Tomorrow promises to be a long day.”

“Yes,” said Jade, looking over her shoulder at the cart behind her, “it does.” She grabbed a blanket, smoothing her hair back. “Good night, Maklavir.”

The diplomat put the cloak into his saddlebag. “Good night, Jade.”

It seemed as if Jade had just closed her eyes when she felt Maklavir’s hand on her shoulder.

“Jade?”

She blinked her eyes open. It was still dark, and the stars were twinkling through the tree branches above. Giving a groan, she rolled over and flung aside her blanket.

“My turn all ready?”

Maklavir chuckled. “I can take the third watch, if you’re too tired.”

“No, no. I said I would.” Jade reluctantly got to her feet, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. “What time is it?”

“About two or three hours before dawn. Everything’s been quiet so far.”

Jade sat down by the fire, yawning. “All right. I’ll take it from here.”

The diplomat stretched his arms wearily. “Sounds good. See you in the morning, Jade.”

“Good night,” she said. She stretched out her hands toward the fire, rubbing them together.

It was a long watch. The night stretched on, and Jade fought to stay awake as she listened to the sounds of Maklavir and Joseph sleeping nearby. Whenever the fire started to die she threw another branch or two on it to keep it going. It was lonely work. Jade began to long more and more for the dawn.

The forest was just starting to turn gray with the first light of morning when Jade heard a rustling noise from behind her. She turned quickly, only to realize that it was coming from the cart. A second later there was a soft curse.

Jade leapt to her feet and hurried over to the wagon.

Kendril was lying inside, the blanket still covering him. His eyes, however, were open.

Jade felt a sudden surge of relief. “Kendril?”

He looked over at her, then closed his eyes again. “Jade. Where are we?”

She reached down and put her hand lightly on his arm. “Still in the Howling Woods. How are you feeling?”