Argus
They smelled the chimney smoke first, just the hint of it on the air. Before long, the plumes became visible and directed their course. With Maia’s tired legs aching from the rocky climb, they crested the snow-spattered ridgeline and gazed down at a village nestled along the shores of a small lake. The crags of the mountains were steep and full of cracked shale and broken stone, making the footing treacherous and difficult. The sky held wisps of fleecy cloud that passed over them, blocking the sun for moments as they gazed down at the tiny hamlet. Maia noticed that many of the pine trees along the crest and down the slope were dead, the bark turned to silver with little protruding stubs. She rubbed her hands on the smooth, graying bark and gazed down at the village. Her stomach growled enviously at the thought of the provisions they might find there.
The kishion looked back the way they had come, watching for signs of pursuit, then returned his gaze down the slope to the hamlet.
“No more than twenty stone hovels down there,” he said disdainfully. “Not much by way of help.”
“Yes, but my legs are weary, and we need water and food,” Maia said. She winced, her knees aching from the arduous climb. “Even if we sleep in the brush, it is better to move forward. Maybe someone down there knows the land. They could help us find the way.”
“Or give us trouble instead,” he said gruffly. “The village is too small for a garrison, so we need not fear meeting the king’s men. At the least there are fires to keep warm. The ground is treacherous, Lady Maia. Hold my hand as we descend.”
She was grateful she did, for several times her boots slid on the crushed shale, causing rocks to patter down the winding trail or scatter off the edge of the cliffs. Her heart pounded with fear and exhaustion as they traversed the winding switchbacks into the valley.
She admired the seclusion of the place, the rugged privacy that kept it away from the rest of the land. There were no obvious roads in or out, but as they walked down the ridge, they encountered a small footpath that had been trampled amidst the brush and debris—proof that the villagers below were used to climbing up to the peaks. The sun was beginning to set, and the gusts of wind were violent enough to chill them to the bone, causing Maia to grip the kishion’s hand more firmly as she maneuvered her way down.
They had encountered a number of strange plants and wildlife along the trek into the mountains, but the feeling in the air had begun to change as they painstakingly made their way downward. Since landing off the storm-ridden coast of Merohwey, the land had felt cursed and inhospitable. But the feeling was beginning to dwindle now that they had crossed this cracked range of gray, shattered rock, and the normal signs of deer and fox began to present themselves. The music of birds chirping came as a welcome sound to her ears. There was a subdued feeling, a quiet hope in her heart. Even though the Dochte Mandar were chasing them, she did not feel quite so desperate.
“We are in the midst of Dahomey,” the kishion said as they stopped to cup water from a small brook with their hands. It was their first water of the day, and both gulped it down eagerly before filling their waterskins. “I do not speak this tongue very well, so you must be the one to talk with the villagers. Say little. Men’s tongues wag when they see something strange, or a pretty face.” He wiped his mouth on his gloved hand. “Even our clothing marks us as foreigners. Try to barter for information. If they prove reluctant, I will make things simpler for us.”
She stared into his eyes. “I do not want to be troublesome to these people. They are innocent.”
“You said you would trust my judgment, my lady. Believe me, in towns like this, they will respond to fear more than they will coins. There is no one here who can face me, not even all of them together. I will not harm them if I do not have to, but we must be quick and to the point. We need the supplies to cross this land into either Paeiz or Mon. A guide if we can persuade him. Otherwise, he will guide us unwillingly.”
“Very well. Let me do my best to convince him first.”