The journey from Lagh to Sündalǚ took six days by wagon.
They had offered their services as guards of the chest of gold and several crates of ribbon, silk, and hats Faresi and his daughter were transporting to Sündalǚ. Captain Trivet had vouched for them, and they’d settled on a reasonable price. Trivet was turning back to the Tarrakis, and the journey onwards had been expensive by sea and not much slower by road. So they’d decided to go overland.
By now they were beginning to lose hope of rejoining the Pegasus. It seemed clear the battle had not gone well, but they refused to believe no one had survived. They’d heard nothing of the Black Remora either. Captain Blake had suggested Sündalǚ was a good port for repairing and refitting a ship, especially for anyone who might be looking to avoid trouble, and Miguel recalled Gudge mentioning the city. It was their best, and possibly final, bet. Their party was smaller: Anastasia and Bill had chosen to return home, and after much discussion Mole and Song had decided to accompany them part of the way. It had been a tearful farewell. They were unlikely to see each other again.
The country they passed through was forested, with only a couple of small villages beyond Gehentis, but the road was decent and the first three days passed pleasantly. The days and nights were warmer now, and the forest was green with new growth. During evening watch they could not help but listen to the uncanny howling of wolves but had seen no sign of the hill brigands that made the journey dangerous for merchants and other travellers. In fact, they hadn’t seen anyone since the outskirts of the last hamlet.
Faresi was a taciturn vole. He was friendly enough, though his answers to Penguin’s questions got shorter and shorter. Faresi was from Lagh, had eight children, and owned a haberdashery business that had suffered due to the war, which seemed to be why he had taken to transporting goods. He was evasive about what the gold was for; whatever it was would return home with him. He could play the flute and, they discovered, made good mushroom soup. Saht, his eldest, was a watchful young woman who seemed slightly suspicious of them.
For their part, the gang was in good spirits. For the first time since being reunited at Husnik they were well-fed, well-rested, warm, and all in all “in the woods”, which as well as food was alive with earthy smells, birds, butterflies, flowers, bees. Tortoise, unfortunately, had to travel in the wagon. He was too slow to keep up otherwise—the draught horses were large and tireless. Miguel and Ibrahim were often with him, lazing in the sun; the others spent more and more time on foot.
On the fourth day the road began to rise steeply, and the forest deepened and closed in around them. Faresi began to get nervous, and Penny took to polishing her new sword. As evening fell, it began to rain steadily and it took them a while to get a fire going. They slept fitfully, shifting and adjusting around the fire in an attempt to stay dry. Finally, in the early hours, the rain eased to a sprinkle and the clouds began to break up. Moonlight shone weakly through the trees.
Tortoise and Gecko were on duty. Or, rather, Tortoise was on duty and Gecko was dozing. The fire had died down, but they’d built it up so much that the coals still throbbed beneath the ash.
“Wake up,” Tortoise whispered.
“I am awake. I’m just resting my eyes.”
“How can you see brigands with a cloth over your head?”
“I have excellent hearing. If a twig even thinks about snapping, I’ll know.”
“Well, you don’t seem too worried about them.”
“Why worry? Anyway, this is a very quiet forest. If anything ever happens, I’m sure we’ll all know about it.”
Tortoise didn’t have a response for that. They lapsed back into silence. He looked around carefully. Nothing was moving. Everyone was sleeping peacefully in their blankets and skins.
An owl hooted.
The silence deepened.
He was thinking about what Gecko had said. About worrying. It wasn’t that he was worried about something happening to him. At least, he didn’t think so. He was worried about something happening to everyone else. That’s what kept him awake. Wasn’t it?
When he started to nod off, Tortoise noticed the moon was getting low. He decided it was time to wake up Penny and Ibrahim.
The next morning they woke to a light fog and spiderwebs and mossy roots dripping with dew. Ferasi had found some large eggs and was scrambling them over the fire with some mushrooms and some sort of fragrant herb. When he realised everyone was watching him, he offered it around. Afterwards they were all still hungry, so they spent some time foraging. Dee caught a fawn, which they decided to save for dinner. Penguin found a couple of potsherds engraved with strange symbols, and a jawbone full of teeth.
The road continued rising steeply that morning, switchbacking out of the valley. The forest shortened and the moss and lichen became thicker, and they emerged from the fog clinging to the lower slopes. The ground became boggy and the road a togher. About lunch time, they reached the highest point of the pass. A large statue of three women stood in the centre of the road, which widened on both sides to allow passage. The first woman was dressed as a warrior, the second as a priestess, and the third was naked. One held a key, another a calf and a snake, and the last one a crown. Their feet were worn smooth, and the round pedestal on which they stood featured a lengthy inscription beneath each figure, written partly in the same language as the pottery Penguin had found.
Faresi claimed not to know anything about the statue. There was something eerie about the place, especially when it began to snow, so after a short break they continued on, soon coming to a fork in the road.
Two large wolves were approaching on the road ahead.
“Hello,” Dee said warily, as the horses slowed to a halt. The others fanned out slightly, scanning the forest, which was once again thick with old oak trees.
“Good day to you,” the taller wolf replied carefully when they both drew close. They were dressed like hunters and carried bows slung over their shoulders, and knives at their belts. “We mean you no harm, friends,” she added. She had a keen gaze which took them all in calmly. The other wolf glanced backwards.
“Or we you,” Dee replied.
The wolf looked at their swords and then at Dee. “That is good.”
“What are you hunting?” blurted Saht, suddenly stepping forward. Her father gestured angrily at her to shush.
The she-wolf smiled. “We hunt deer and bison. But today we look for medicine.”
“What sort of medicine?” Saht asked, coming to stand beside Dee. Ferasi was becoming agitated, but stayed on his horse.
“Different kinds. For fever and cuts. For women with child.”
“Can you show us them?”
“Saht! Don’t bother the goodwoman.”
The wolf waved her hand. She seemed to have relaxed somehow, though the other wolf remained watchful. “Fear not, father. It is good for children to seek. Come, Saht—I am Kahlisha.”
Dee and Saht came forward, and soon most of them were gathered around Kahlisha, who took out a large pouch and carefully unwrapped some of the leaves, flowers, and roots they had gathered. Penguin, Dee, and Ibrahim had lots of questions, comparing the plants with the ones they knew from their own lands.
Kahlisha and her brother were nomads from further south. They became concerned when they learnt the party was headed to Sündalǚ, and that most of them had never been there.
“The king’s soldiers are dangerous. You know about their gate? It’s not far away.”
“It’s part of the cost,” Faresi said tersely. He had joined them but seemed anxious to get going.
“There is a path you can take,” the other wolf said. “It’s very safe. The soldiers are too lazy to check it.”
Dee asked him to explain, and the gang gathered around as he drew a map on the ground and described the landmarks to look for.
“Do any of you speak Sündalese?” he asked.
“Father does.”
“A little. We have a friend there.”
The wolves looked concerned.
“Be careful,” the man said. “Sündalǚ is not safe.”
“Yes,” Kahlisha agreed. “Step well.”
Next episode: The Cordwainer’s Tale