James pulled his arm free of her grip. “You have your duty.”
“And you’ve already said this may have been done to draw away our soldiers. We will have to wait anyway, James, if you won’t move to Haldon Head before the patrol gets here. If we can rescue the child and return her to her family, we lose only a couple of days, and when the soldiers following us arrive here, they can move straight on to Miller’s Rest.”
Sighing in resignation, James motioned for Solon and Kendaric to approach. “Solon, could these goblins be working for Bear?”
“I think not,” said the monk. “Though he could be influencin’ them. A few weapons or a bit of magic, as gifts, some intelligence on safe places to raid, some jars of wine or ale, they might think plunderin’ down here was their own brilliant idea.”
Kendaric said, “Is this Bear everywhere?”
James answered, “No, I don’t think so. I don’t think Bear is behind this. I think he’s working for another.”
“Why?” asked Jazhara.
“I’ll tell you as we travel.” He glanced up at the sky. “Dawn will be here in a couple of hours and we have to be ready to ride.”
“Where are we going?” asked Kendaric.
With a wry smile, James said, “We’re hunting goblins.”
Kendaric was complaining, again. “This is not at all wise!”
James shook his head, ignoring him. To Solon he said, “They’re not taking pains to hide their tracks, are they?”
The warrior monk was leading his horse as he followed the goblins’ trail. “No, they’re a wee bit damaged, and in a hurry to get back to their healers, I’m thinkin’.”
James pointed ahead. In the distance the hills rose and behind them the peaks of the Calastius Mountains. “You think they’ll be up in the rocks?”
“Almost certainly,” answered the monk. “They’ll have found a defensible position, maybe a box canyon or small meadow, but it’ll be hell to pay to dig them out of it.”
“And the four of us are going to ‘dig them out?’” demanded Kendaric.
Running out of patience, James said, “No, we’re not going to dig them out. We’re going to hold the horses and send you in to destroy them.”
Kendaric stopped his horse, looked down with a stunned expression. “Me?”
Jazhara couldn’t contain herself and started to laugh. Even the taciturn Solon allowed himself a chuckle.
James shook his head. “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
He turned away from Kendaric, who was now falling farther behind, allowing Jazhara to lean over and say, “You have a plan?”
James whispered back. “No, but I will have by the time we get there and I look around. And maybe he’ll shut up until then.”
Jazhara smiled and nodded. They rode on.
At last, Solon signaled a halt. “I’m not a proper tracker, it’s true, but you’d have to be a blind man to not see this.” He dismounted and pointed at the ground where James could see heavy boot-prints in the dirt.
“He’s in a bit of a hurry, apparently,” said the monk.
“Who is it?” asked Kendaric.
“Unless someone here has the gift of future sight,” said Solon, “it’s only guessing, but I suspect we’re lookin’ at the tracks of that farmer, come to fetch home his bonny girl.”
“Good guess,” said James, pointing ahead. In the distance they saw a solitary figure cresting a hill. He had been hidden from sight by a closer rise, but now they could see him marching purposefully down the trail. “We’d best catch up with him before he gets himself killed.”
Solon mounted and they urged their horses into a fast canter. They overtook the farmer quickly. The man turned and regarded the riders with suspicion. He held a scythe like a weapon, across his chest, ready to block or swing.
“Hold,” said James with his right hand held up palm outward. “We’re on the Prince’s business.”
“Finally! I was beginning to think help would never come. How is my wife?”
James said, “I believe you’ve mistaken us for others.”
The farmer asked, “What?! You mean Becky didn’t send you from Krondor? I thought you had come to rescue my daughter!”
Solon said, “Be calm, Farmer Toth. You are in Ishap’s grace now. We know something about your child. Please, tell us what happened to your daughter.”