Tater found no recent sign of travel on the ground. Every so often, he’d pause and examine something, and once he climbed down and knelt beside the path as he studied a possible clue. I, of course, examined any place he did and saw nothing unusual. Not a thing. That explained why we’d hired him instead of relying on my skills. However, my arrow was ready to fly and my eyes wary.
The high mountains near the snowline were eerily silent. There were no birds, chipmunks, or noisy insects in winter. The wind was still. The air cold. The sucking sounds of Alexis pulling one hoof after another from the muck were accompanied by the softer sounds of the same from the other horses that were farther away.
Neither of the women spoke, which was unnerving in itself. We were all cold, scared, and tired. Conversation was out of place, a distinct difference from the constant chatter between the three of us at the palace.
Tater pulled up and dismounted. Elizabeth paused too, which meant the horses behind did too. He didn’t act upset or frightened but moved with caution. He waved us ahead.
“Hard, dry ground. We’ll camp here before dark.” He turned and climbed on his horse and said, “Gather firewood.”
“And you?” Kendra asked, with more than a little huff in her tone.
“Sun’s almost down. I’m going to ride ahead and make sure we’re on this mountain alone.” He turned his head and spat as if that action ended another conversation.
After he disappeared around the next bend, Kendra said, “Rude.”
To my surprise, Elizabeth responded before me. She said softly, “Yes, and yet there is no man I’d rather be here with.”
She’d said it all.
We climbed down and gathered the low-hanging, dead branches off evergreens while Elizabeth staked out the horses where they could eat the meager green tufts of new grass poking its way into life. Kendra broke frozen sap from a tree and smashed it into a fine powder that ignited with the first sparks. When Tater returned, we already had blankets spread and a roaring fire to welcome him.
No sooner had he settled down to eat from his pouch of traveling food, than Kendra stiffened. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and her features slackened. Her head tilted upward slightly, and I knew a dragon was about to fly past. I drew the attention of the others by standing and quickly asking, “When will we reach the main road again?”
“Late tomorrow,” Tater replied. “Easier travel from here on, all downhill. Two days, maybe the morning of the third to reach Mercia on the shore of the Dire Sea.”
Elizabeth watched him as he spoke. Behind him, where only I could see, flew another dragon. It continued on its way, and Kendra’s eyes focused again and found me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Tater’s description of what lay ahead was more elaborate than his usual bare explanations, which often ended after a single yes or no. He wasted few words. This time, he’d mentioned Mercia lay on the edge of the Dire Sea as if that stray bit of information was important. While it was true, the province of Mercia was the westernmost corner of the Kingdom of Dire, and the only place it touched the sea, in truth, the port lay farther down the Mercy River. Mercia was both a city on the side of a mountain and a vast seaport, from the descriptions I’d managed to gather.
They say that all shipping and all foreigners must go through Mercia. To the south were the drylands, brown and tan deserts that were all but impassible. To the north, across the mountains spread the endless white lands of perpetual ice and snow. The kingdom of Dire lay in the narrow area between. As some said, the only escape was through Mercia and across the Dire Sea.
Yet, Mercia City was not on the shore of the sea, as Tater had indicated. It was a half day’s travel down the river by wagon or a full day by foot. The city of Andover lay between. The ships from exotic lands sailed up the river to the port to preserve their hulls from the ravaging sea life, especially the deadly sea-worms that ate away at the wood.
There are times when trying to determine intrigue is best served by simply asking or pointing out indisputable facts. I said, “Mercia is not on the shore of the Dire Sea, Tater. You know that.”
Tater cackled sourly and said, “Just thought I’d mention how far to your destination, not lay out a map for the kingdom for you.”
“We’re just going to Mercia.” I let the statement stand, knowing another way to draw information from a reluctant speaker was to remain silent until the other spoke. Both Kendra and Elizabeth heard the conversation, yet neither contributed. They also waited and watched.
“So, you say,” Tater agreed and spat at the fire. It sizzled, and he grinned as he looked at us in a way that suggested he knew more of our future plans than us.
Maybe I don’t like him so much, after all. The man had a cruel streak and didn’t respect authority—or his betters. Yes, we were his betters. At least we didn’t have spittle running down our chins. I stood and stretched, giving me an excuse to look away and consider his words.
The time seemed right to be alone with Kendra, and I gave her our two-finger signal. She nodded slightly. After I entered the darkness at the edge of the light the campfire cast, she silently joined me. “What is it?”
“Tater.”
“He’s just being Tater. You’re worried. My question is, are you being too complex, or do you sense deceit or betrayal?”
The question was a good one. I hadn’t considered treachery. The trip had cemented my respect for Tater, and there was no way he could have known we’d hire him to escort us in advance, nor that Lord Kent would ride out after us and streak ahead. No, he might not like Princess Elizabeth or me, but if so, he seemed to speak his mind and would have said so, or otherwise let us know. Instead, he generally kept to himself and was supportive.
The more likely reason for my misgivings was the attack by a single man perched on a seldom-traveled mountain pass. Why would he do that? Only one reason came to mind. He was sent there by someone. The real question was, who? And why?
“I’m uneasy, that’s all,” my voice was unintendedly harsh, even to my ears.
“And I’m an attractant for dragons. Which bothers you more?”
The flare of her anger was not unexpected. We hadn’t discussed her recent adventures with the Blue Woman in depth, and we were again situated at a campfire after a dragon flew past and took away her mind. I understood her fears. Would the Blue Woman return tonight? She might provide hoped-for answers, but the two of us also needed to catch up on our sleep.
Another idea entered my thoughts. “When I stayed up and wrote down all that happened, did you stay awake long enough to think about it, too?”
She nodded.
“We need time alone to review and compare, but also, I want both of us to write down the name of every person we can recall that fits our idea for interaction with parents, all those that fit the profile. Then, when we return to the palace, we need to contact each of them and learn if there are more names that they may know.”
Kendra gave me an odd look before asking, “Considering all that is going on with this trip, is it really important to know who our parents were?”
I placed my hands on her shoulders and turned her to face me. “Yes. That may be the single thread that weaves through all this. Their identity might give us the path to follow.”