“It was my father, as I’ve already told you earlier,” Gareth said, withholding the information that his father had done so for hundreds of years. There was information he would share, but there was more that he would not.
The droning in his mind still told him to return home. He lifted his eyes to the white peaks and estimated their position. “We’re already in the mountains. I think that we’re close to where we’ll turn away from the mountain pass and head north.”
“Up the valley that nobody seems to know exists.”
“Yes, that’s the one,” he pointed to a smaller mountain. “I think it will be as we pass that one right there.”
She turned and said, “It looks closer than it is. We cannot reach it today. Best to find a good shelter and spend the night.”
“Agreed. We’re going to want to go slow when we reach the valley. I think the warnings we’re hearing are coming from there.”
Ann groaned in mock horror and smiled. “As if I hadn’t already figured that out.”
Gareth ignored her attempt at humor. He said, “Lead on, and keep an eye out for a good place to stay tonight. A place where a fire can keep us warm.”
The boy at his side squirmed and tried to reach out with his mind to another, but Gareth blocked it and flashed a message, “We’re going to eat soon. If you’d like some food, stop trying to reach out like that.”
He watched the boy, who was pretending to sleep, but felt no more attempts to reach the evil mind that had probably been directing, and mistreating him his whole life. Gareth had been thinking about it all day, letting the pieces fall into place where they wished. While he was far from the entire picture, he was learning.
There was a single mind behind this. However, others accompanied him to this side of the mountains, and all had the talents of Gareth but were untrained. All seemed young. What would happen as they matured? Especially to the leader who had come to Gareth and threatened him while he was still on Bitters Island?
He believed there to be at least three of them, probably four. Three, now that he had one with him, almost a prisoner. No, not almost. The boy was a prisoner.
Gareth wanted to stop early today for the reason he’d given Ann, but also because he wanted to spend time with the boy and feel him out. He didn’t expect much information to be given willingly, but perhaps he could learn something if he asked the right questions and monitored the untrained mind for reactions.
He had not administered any more medication to dull the mind to him, but Ann had replenished her supplies so the boy would sleep well tonight while drugged. Gareth couldn’t risk him waking and attacking while Gareth slept.
Ann pointed, “How does that look to you?”
A stream had gouged out the earth with last spring’s snowmelt. The banks were higher than his head, and where she pointed was a wide curve in the stream caused by a mass of solid rock in the way. The inside of the bend was a gravel bed of small rocks and coarse sand. A tangled pile of sticks, branches, and trees washed down the stream when the water was much higher dried in the sun.
A fire built down in the gully on the sandbar would have the high stream walls to protect it from the sight of anyone beyond a few steps. The bend in the stream protected it from being seen in the other two directions. Gareth’s eyes went to the cloudless sky and then to the mountains. A storm up there would send water rushing down. The exposed roots on the banks, the height of the banks, and the pile of brush at the bend testified to the raging water that had flowed recently.
But there were no clouds and he judged the chances of rain small. If the first drops fell, he decided they would rush to higher ground. Some risks conflicted with others, but the night chill in the mountains required more blankets than they carried. He nodded to Ann, not bothering to waste his words on repeating his thoughts. She was a woodsman and had probably come to the same conclusions long before him.
They scooted down a caved-in portion of the bank and walked to the sandbar. Tad gathered firewood without being asked or told, which pleased Gareth more than the boy would know. The other child sat, his face slack and eyes half-closed. Ann convinced him to swallow more of her medication, but only a little at Gareth’s insistence.
The wood in the logjam was dry. It burned almost smokeless. They carried dried berries, seeds, oats, and nuts in small sacks in their bags, but a meal sounded better. Gareth mentioned it, and Ann nodded her agreement.
He said, “If you watch the boys, I am going to seek out what I can find.”
“Meaning you’re going to touch that evil mind and steal information? You be careful it does not destroy your mind.”
“I’ll be careful.” He spread his blanket and laid on his back in the shade. Sunburn was not likely, but possible. His mind continued to suppress the thoughts of both boys, preventing them from being heard by any outsiders. As another precaution, he also increased the mental state to include preventing outside thoughts from reaching the boys.
For Ann he did nothing. Both she and he would consider it an invasion. But he did monitor outside thoughts with the idea of shutting them down if needed, especially if they were an attack. A glance at Ann revealed she and Tad were at the edge of the water pulling some sort of wild leek or onion. She also carried a leather purse containing her hand lines, hooks, and artificial baits for fishing.
As was his custom, Gareth reached out to Blackie first. The dragon was spitting out the antlers of his second deer of the day. Antlers were not like bones, which were generally chewed and ground to nothing in his gullet. Antlers were pointed and often stuck in gums or the tongue if not spit out. Blackie’s eating habits were best left to the beast, so Gareth let the dragon know he’d been there and left.
First, on the list, was to simply lay back and listen. Let the general din of a thousand voices wash over him until he had an impression of the world. If a volcano erupted or a storm struck, he’d hear the panic and fear. But he didn’t.
He did find something new almost right away. The Brotherhood was no longer being contained on the farms. They were on the move, in their usual pairs. All were moving inland as if headed for the same mountain pass that Gareth camped near.
He ‘listened’ closer. Most were planning for where they’d spend the night. Some already occupied barns, inns, and empty meadows. They would wake early, eat and walk in Gareth’s direction with their odd manner of moving without swaying.
But there was no need to panic. None would reach the immediate area until at least mid-afternoon tomorrow. By then Gareth would be long gone. But the Brotherhood and the King had come to an agreement and were now working together. The Brotherhood would supply the information, the King the troops. He knew no more than that.
He spent some time listening to the minds of Brothers, trying to determine the details of the treaty between them, but no Brothers were aware of them. It was decided by superiors on both sides. Pulling back from the minds of the Brotherhood, he prepared to search for what else lay in the mental world of thoughts and emotions. However, as he pulled back, one mind drew his attention. Pausing, he touched it. The first impression was one of warmth and ease, followed by a welcoming fondness.
It was his teacher from so long ago. The one he had been searching for. He allowed a mental link to establish.
*Gareth, it is good to hear you after so many years.*
It is good to finally locate you. I’ve been searching for days.