Web of Deceit (4 page)

“This squares us for the fossils,” the merchant stated. “In the morning we part company and both of us have a long journey ahead of us. I would suggest that we turn in now.”

Rejji nodded as he tied the pouch to his belt. Brontos crawled up into his wagon and Rejji and Mistake crawled under it. Rejji curled up into a ball to ward off the chill and let his mind wander to images of what his father must have been like. His thoughts soon took a turn to the events of the day and his eyes dampened when he pictured the remains of the villagers that he had known all of his life. He had trouble imagining people so cruel as to destroy a village for no reason and a rage started to build inside him. Just as his mind turned to ways to seek revenge upon the Jiadin, Mistake gently touched him on the shoulder.

“Don’t dwell upon it,” she whispered. “The past is behind us now. Let us focus on the future. Our journey tomorrow will be hard and you will need your strength. Go to sleep.”

“Where are we going?” Rejji asked, but the only reply was the sound of Brontos snoring loudly. Rejji concentrated on the snoring and was soon asleep.

***

Movement of the wagon wakened Mistake and she managed to crawl out just before Brontos exited the wagon.

“Should I make us a meal?” questioned Mistake.

“No,” replied the merchant. “Our journeys are long today and we should use the time to get started on them.”

Brontos slapped the side of the wagon with his large hand and Rejji jumped and hit his head on the floor of the wagon. Mistake stifled a laugh as Rejji’s eyes darted around seeking the source of the noise. Eventually it dawned on him where he was and he sheepishly crawled out from under the wagon. Brontos grabbed two small sacks from the rear of the wagon and handed one to each of the Fakarans.

“This is all I can spare,” frowned Brontos. “Ration it well. It will take me a few minutes to get the horses hitched, but that should not delay your departure. A little north of here is a ford where you can cross this stream. Do so. Try to keep your track due north or you will end up walking in circles.”

Rejji’s head was spinning as he tried to figure out what was happening when Brontos stepped closer and embraced him. The old merchant turned and embraced Mistake and whispered in her ear and she nodded. Brontos broke the embrace and turned around and marched off towards the horses.

“Let’s go,” prompted Mistake. “We have a long journey ahead of us.”

Rejji shook his head and stared at her. “Where are we going? What did he say to you?”

Mistake picked up the sack that Rejji had dropped and shoved it into his hands. “We are going to the Giaming Mountains to find the Sage,” she declared.

Without further word, she turned and strode northward out of the campsite. Rejji turned and looked at Brontos as the merchant was hitching his horses to the wagon and then he scampered after Mistake. As he caught up to Mistake he reached out to grab her to get her to stop and explain what was going on. His hand felt her muscular arm, but as it did, she leaped sideways so quickly that Rejji’s eyes could not follow her movements. She stood several paces away and faced him with her hands on her hips.

“Brontos is not good at farewells,” explained Mistake. “It is easier on him if we just go quickly. Besides, we have a long trek ahead of us.”

“What did he whisper to you?” questioned Rejji.

“He said to take care of you,” smiled the thief. “I believe he is quite fond of you. In fact, I would wager he loses a fair amount of gold on those teeth you sold him.”

Rejji shook his head and turned to look back towards the campsite. The merchant’s wagon was gone. Mistake turned and started northward again and Rejji put the merchant out of mind and caught up to her.

They crossed the ford as the first rays of sunshine sprayed over the land. As they continued north away from the stream, the short scraggly trees and small brush began to disappear. Within a few hours, the landscape was barren. There was not a plant or weed in sight. The soil was like baked clay occasionally broken by gullies caused by torrents of water that had existed at sometime in the past.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the temperature rose significantly and soon they both were drenched with perspiration. As the sun reached its zenith, Mistake halted. She raised a hand to her eyes and looked in each direction before sitting down on the baked soil.

“A little shade would have been nice,” she grumbled. “We should take a bite to eat though or our bodies will suffer for it.”

Rejji said nothing but pawed through his sack and grabbed the small flask with water in it. He raised it to his lips and started drinking.

“Stop,” ordered Mistake. “That is all the water we have. Save it for later.”

Rejji licked his lips and looked at her. “How long is this trip?” he asked.

“I am not really sure,” she admitted, “but Brontos stressed rationing our supplies several times. He knows Fakara fairly well although I doubt he has ever come this way. We have to act cautiously if we are to survive.”

Rejji nodded and placed the flask back into the sack. He nibbled on a loaf of stale bread and then tied the sack back up.

“Do you really expect to find this Sage?” he questioned.

“I don’t know,” admitted Mistake, “but I will not stop looking.”

Mistake rose and started walking. Rejji hurried after her and they walked in silence for the rest of the day. As the sun went down the heat abated and their bodies felt a tinge of regeneration as the surface of the desert cooled. They continued walking for several more hours until Mistake called a halt again.

“I thought it would be pleasant to walk in the cool of the night,” began Mistake, “but it is getting downright cold now. We should eat some more and maybe catch some sleep.”

Again they sat on the baked soil and nibbled on stale bread and drank sparingly from their flasks. They lay down on the ground and curled into balls in an attempt to stay warm, but the cold persisted and they ended up with their arms intertwined sharing what warmth they had with each other and drifted off to sleep.

Rejji woke first and rolled onto his back as the sun was showing its first threatening rays over the land. He sat up and gazed at the barren landscape. He turned to reach for his sack and couldn’t find it. Frantically, he leaped to his feet and looked all around for his sack.

“What is it?” murmured Mistake as she struggled into a sitting position.

“Our food sacks are gone,” sighed Rejji.

“What?” shouted Mistake as she leaped to her feet.

The two of them walked around in circles looking for the sacks, but the sacks were nowhere to be found. Rejji reached to his belt for the small pouch of gold and was happy to find it still there.

“Whoever robbed us last night missed the gold,” Rejji announced.

Mistake stooped to the ground and examined some tracks. “It wasn’t thieves,” Mistake concluded. “It was animals. They must have smelled the food. And we were doing so good at rationing that now our bodies will suffer for the lack of it.”

The two Fakarans followed the tracks for a while until they found the sacks. The sacks were torn apart and the only thing useful that was left was one flask. The other flask had been punctured by tooth or claw. Rejji reached down and retrieved the good flask while Mistake gazed at the landscape in every direction.

“There is nothing in sight in any direction,” she announced. “I fear if we have more than one day of this blasted desert left, we will not make it.”

“I am sure the end of today will find us in good stead,” Rejji stated with more conviction than he truly felt.

“Perhaps,” murmured Mistake, “but Brontos said we would see the trees along the river well before we came to them. There is nothing in sight. Nothing.”

Mistake stumbled and landed hard on the ground. Rejji, following close behind in a fog of confusion, tripped over her and also fell. For several minutes they both remained motionless and in silence. Eventually, Rejji pushed himself into a sitting position.

“Are you all right?” he croaked.

“I think so,” moaned Mistake without moving. “I can’t go any further, Rejji. I am sorry. I just can’t.”

Rejji peered up at the inky black sky and sighed. “We have to keep going, Mistake. Once the sun rises again, our bodies will lose the precious few fluids we have left. I am surprised we survived yesterday and this night, but I don’t think we can stand another daytime.”

“Can we rest just a little?” she protested.

“We will fall asleep and never wake up,” admonished Rejji as he slowly rose.

Rejji reached down and grabbed Mistake’s hand, somewhat surprised that she did not leap several strides away from him as he did so. He gently, but firmly pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arm around her waist to support her.

Mistake sighed and pushed Rejji’s arm away. “It will only be harder on both of us to walk that way,” she stated. “I don’t want to hold you back Rejji. If I fall again, leave me. I will have a better chance of you getting to the river and returning with water than I will at getting up again.”

“I will not leave you,” declared Rejji. “Stop talking and conserve your energy. Whatever we do, we do together.”

They lapsed into silence as they stumbled across the barren wasteland. Rejji took the lead and strained his eyes to pick out the aberrations in the contour of the land. Surprisingly, the concentration made him feel slightly stronger and the fog in his mind lessened. The night air was still cold, but his body was beyond the sensations that would cause him to care. He felt very numb all over and his feet methodically planted themselves, one in front of the other, as if they had minds of their own.

After an hour, his eyes started losing focus. He knew it was from straining them, but he dared not stop to close them for fear that Mistake would sit down and not get up. He started walking with one eye open and one closed to let it rest. Periodically he would switch eyes and gradually he felt less strain on his eyes. The problem with this method is that he stumbled more, but he had so far avoided any more trips that would land him on the ground.

Another hour passed and Rejji noticed the eastern sky was beginning to lighten. Daylight would soon be upon them and with it the burning sun. When daylight came, he knew their hopes would fade and their journey would end. Their bodies would not take another day of the heat without water. He glanced back at Mistake and she was just plodding behind him in a stupor. He felt sorry that she had gotten mixed up in the attack on the village. If he had not discovered her hiding in the well, she would have gone on her merry way, probably in a different direction.

Looking back at the thief distracted him from his job of watching the terrain and Rejji stumbled and fell. Mistake tripped over him and sprawled on her back. Rejji heard her grunt and then sigh. He rolled to his knees and looked down at the girl and her eyes were closed. He sat next to her in defeat and closed his eyes to rest them before continuing.

He was not sure what woke him but he quickly gauged that he had slept for about an hour. The first rays of the sun were just creating shadows in the uneven areas of the desert floor. With effort he rose to his feet and looked north. He blinked his eyes and rubbed them and looked again. Excitement rippled through his fatigued body as he saw the forest before him. He tried to shout in jubilation, but found he had no voice for it. His enthusiasm dampened when he looked down at Mistake. She had given all that she had to give, he realized. If he hadn’t stumbled in the darkness, they would already be in the shade of the trees.

He peered up at the rising sun and tried to estimate the amount of time he would have to get to the river and return with water before it got blistering hot again. He shook his head and stooped down next to Mistake. Gently and with great effort, he hoisted her body over his shoulder. Her slim body felt like the weight of the world on his shoulder, but he straightened his legs and put one foot forward. Slowly, he worked up a rhythm and started trudging towards the trees.

Before the heat of the full sun hit him, Rejji had made it into the shade of the forest. He knew he was running on reserve energies that could not be maintained, so he did not stop moving when he made the forest but kept heading north towards the river. His whole body ached as he moved deeper into the forest, but he ignored the pain and kept moving at a steady pace.

Eventually, he heard the sweet music of running water and he had to fight his desire to pick up speed. One more stumble, he thought, and it was all in vain. He kept his eyes on the forest floor directly in front of him and methodically plodded towards the noise. The noise grew louder with every step and soon it was so loud that he could not resist looking up. His parched lips cracked into a broad smile as he saw the river several hundred paces ahead. He spied a mossy spot under a great tree and gently lowered Mistake onto it. He ached as he straightened his body, but he headed for the river without the pain registering in his mind.

He reached the riverbank and stepped into the water. He walked until he was knee deep and then he sat down and let the cold water flow around his body. He shivered as he raised his hand out of the water and touched it to his lips. His lips stung with the touch and his tongue greedily stuck out and licked his fingers. He dipped his hand again and savored the small amount of cool liquid he could lick off his fingers. He was hesitant to indulge in too much water too quickly after having his body starved for it, so he kept dipping his hand into the water and pressing it to his parched lips.  When the inside of his mouth felt functional again, he lowered the flask into the water and let it fill. He brought the flask to his lips and sucked in small amounts of water, letting it flow around in his mouth before swallowing it. He repeated this several dozen times until he felt energy starting to surge in his body. He wondered how close they had been to dying while he dunked his head under the water.

As his senses started to return, Rejji felt the exhaustion of his body setting in. He let his body float in the water for a few minutes before refilling the flask and heading back to Mistake. When he reached her, he stripped off his soaked tunic and spread it over her so the moisture would soak through to her. He opened the flask and sat down next to her. Using his finger as he did in the river, Rejji wet it and placed it on her lips. Soon her tongue came out to lick his finger as his own tongue had done. He repeated this until he felt she was ready for some water. He eased her head up and held the flask to her lips. He had to pull the flask away several times to stop her from gulping the water. Eventually her eyes opened and she looked around.