“Yes, that would be good. I will go with you. And I know Gaius, the wagonmaster. But first they will have to catch up and break formation to make camp.”
“I promise we will commit no violence,” said Hunter. “We only wish to speak to him, preferably alone. We need just a moment.”
By the time Hunter and Steve led their mounts to the place where Bedwyr’s patrol had stopped, the baggage train had halted behind the main column. Bedwyr introduced Hunter and Steve to their new companions in the patrol. Then they walked back through the camp to the baggage train…
The men in the wagon crews jumped off to unload. Hunter spotted MC 6 just as he hopped from the wagon; when he reached the ground, he was hidden by other wagons. Teamsters began unhitching the teams.
“I saw him for a moment.” Hunter pointed in the direction of MC 6.
“Good,” said Steve.
Bedwyr moved up to lead the way.
“Hey, you there! Halt.” Gaius blocked Bedwyr’s path. “What do you want here, Bedwyr? Shouldn’t you be out looking for Saxons?”
“Easy, Gaius.” Bedwyr smiled pleasantly. “My friends and I have business with one of your men. It won’t take long.” He started to Walk around the other man.
Gaius stepped sideways to block his way. “I remember them from this morning. Get back to your places, all of you. We have work to do.”
“We have no wish to disturb anyone,” said Hunter. “Our business will take only a moment.”
“Not while we’re making camp, it won’t.” Gaius glanced west, up at the sun. “We barely have the daylight we need now. Go on!”
Some other men had come up behind Gaius.
“Easy, friend,” said Bedwyr, still smiling. “No one will interfere with your work. We only want a quick word with one man.”
“Get out!” Gaius shouted, pointing back the way they had come.
Hunter considered forcing his way past the wagonmaster and taking MC 6 by brute strength. Bedwyr might not join him, but Steve would. However, even if they were successful, that move would force Hunter to flee back with Steve and MC 6 to their own time in front of many witnesses, risking a significant change in the tales they would tell. Obviously, Steve and the men of this time might be unnecessarily injured in the altercation. In addition, Hunter had to consider that the sheer number of men in front of him might prevent him from pushing his way through, since he would not display more than human strength to them. He might simply create bad feeling without apprehending MC 6. Hunter decided to postpone their approach to MC 6 again.
“Never mind, Bedwyr,” Hunter said quietly. He turned, followed by Steve and Bedwyr.
“He’s really a good man,” said Bedwyr, as they walked. “Too many of the warriors treat his men arrogantly, as though being a fighter is more important. Gaius knows this isn’t true and is very protective of them.”
“I have to admit, I kind of like him,” said Steve. “He’s direct and businesslike.”
“Perhaps we can approach our friend again later,” said Hunter. “When the wagon crews have finished their work. Bedwyr, what do you think?”
“Not tonight. Gaius doesn’t like being pushed. Maybe I can think of a favor to do for him.”
“What kind of favor?” Steve asked.
“Well, if we chanced across a nice deer, for instance, on our patrol tomorrow, or a few good game birds, we might share our luck with him. In turn, he would share it with his men, and owe us a favor in return.”
“I understand,” said” Hunter.
“For now, let’s get back up to the patrol,” said Bedwyr. “I’m ready for dinner.”
Jane stood next to the mule in a small clump of trees. Wayne, on the ground next to her, held its reins. with Ishihara, they watched the wagons of the baggage train from a distance. They could see Hunter’s head and shoulders over a crowd of men in front of the wagons;
“I can’t hear them,” said Wayne. “What are they saying to each other?”
“Hunter and Steve claim they want to get some money from a man working in the baggage train,” said Ishihara. “I surmise that this is MC 6. They have a local man named Bedwyr helping them.”
Jane kept looking, but she could still only see Hunter’s head and shoulders from this distance. Steve remained lost in the crowd. Like Wayne, she could not make out the conversation, though she heard a low rumble of voices.
“You mean they’re about to get him already?” Wayne’s shoulders sagged.
“No. The wagonmaster, Gaius, has refused to let them pass. He does not want anyone interfering with his wagon crews while they are making camp.”
“Hunter’s turning around,” said Wayne. “Is he just giving up?”
“For the moment, he has agreed to leave. However, this provides us with information. I have not spotted MC 6 yet, but now we know where to look for him.”
“Let’s go,” said Wayne. “Quick, before Hunter sneaks back somehow. He won’t give up for long. Maybe we can just run in and get MC 6 right away.”
“I do not recommend it,” said Ishihara. “In fact, I strongly suggest that we do nothing at the moment.”
“Why?” Wayne demanded. “We know where he is, and he’s not very far away.”
“Gaius was adamant about not allowing anyone to disturb his crews. Some of his men stood behind him, and from their posture I believe they were ready to fight if necessary. They are likely to remain angry.”
“Oh.” Wayne sighed, still looking at the men around the wagons. “I see what you mean. I hate waiting, but if we can’t get to him anyway, then we should lie low. We don’t want to alert Hunter or MC 6 to our presence.”
“In the meantime, we should find a comfortable place under the trees to spend the night.” Ishihara turned and looked down the road the way they had come. “The camp followers have not caught up yet, but they will. When they are nearby, we must avoid direct contact with them, but their campfires will camouflage our own. Hunter and Steve will have no reason to think we are here.”
Jane said nothing. However, the renewed possibility of escaping Wayne and Ishihara gave her a surge of excitement. Later tonight, she would try to get away. For now, lying low suited her just fine.
15
Harriet spent the evening at Gwenhyvaer’s side. After dinner, they joined the other women by a large fireplace in the main hall drinking mead. The palace seemed empty without the men who had gone with Artorius. Only the boys and the elderly men remained. In the tor around them, a skeletal garrison still guarded the walls, but their real protector had ridden out to meet the enemy in his own land.
The other women talked about the Saxons and how long the men would be gone. Harriet noticed that none talked about which ones would not come home. As the fire burned down, the discussion grew quieter, however. Then, one by one, the other women retired for the night to be alone with their thoughts.
“Are you sleepy?” Harriet asked, when she and Gwenhyvaer were left alone in front of the fire.
“A little.” Gwenhyvaer shrugged. “But I’m wide awake, too.” She gazed into the dwindling flames.
“Shall I put more wood on the fire?”
“No.”
Harriet waited in silence, watching her.
“If Artorius doesn’t come back, I will be nobody,” said Gwenhyvaer quietly.
Harriet wanted to reassure her, to tell her that Artorius would return, but did not dare. A single comforting word might pass as normal, but if Harriet remained in this time for the rest of her life, she would have to learn to keep quiet. The alternative could be gaining, over time, a reputation for knowing the future.
In a superstitious society, knowing the future could make her either a respected wise woman or an evil sorceress, but she would have no control over which one. She would five most comfortably by blending into society, not by standing out. Besides, despite her disbelief in chaos theory, she knew that she really could change the future if she eventually altered the behavior of enough important people.
“If Artorius falls, we are all in trouble,” Harriet said carefully. “But he knows his enemy.”
“Yes, that’s true.” Gwenhyvaer brightened a little. “He’s been fighting the Saxons for a long time.”