The Taleweaver

Allies, part four

Harbend made it clear he would join the rescue mission, a decision that met with several protests early on, but he insisted and with the help of Nakora he eventually managed to convince the other members of the caravan he wasn't needed to personally oversee the slow trek towards Braka. That honor fell to the oldest of the traders coming from Ri Khi.

Harbend noted, with some satisfaction, that Captain Laiden was always absent from the meetings, but for those not in the know it was maybe not so strange.

Lastly Harbend chose the two mages from Khanati, who had followed Arthur around earlier, to accompany him. After all they had played the role of heroes during the blizzard in the mountain pass, and the one named Escha was the only one with the gift to jump.

They left early in the morning, winter chill biting their faces and even the slightest puff of wind an icy razor of cold. Harbend couldn't imagine a place colder, but he had been told that the farther east and north you traveled, the colder winter became.

They walked. The Transport Khar, Escha, didn't want to jump with horses, and with him available, horses wouldn't make much of a difference anyway. Harbend glanced at his companions. Different now, both of them. Less and less of the arrogance and more of the hard professionalism required of anyone rising in a society where war was a part of daily life. He corrected himself. They must have changed during the journey, but he'd been too preoccupied with his own business to pay them proper attention.

Trai had saved lives on more than one occasion without ever claiming any glory for it, and Harbend had been too ungrateful to recognize the valor of a man he considered to be nothing more than a fop. Gods! He needed to be more observant, especially now when he was placing his life in the hands of men he previously discarded as little more than useless.

"There is something you should know," he said silently, as if his unease wouldn't allow him to admit failure.

"Your thoughts, Lord Garak?" Trai asked.

There was no turning back now. "I have been less than the host you deserve."

"How so?"

"You saved us in the mountains. Twice probably, and you were there when we needed you during the attack. It shames me that you have not received any thanks. I want you to know I appreciate all you have done even when unasked."

"There is no need to ask, Lord Garak," Trai said with a smile. "I know we are but strangers here, and I know you have no reason to make enemies of your own people on our behalf."

"I want you to know anyway."

"Now I'm told, and I'm grateful, Lord Garak."

Strange, he talks like a normal being for once. Embarrassed or just angry I waited this long with common decency?

They continued walking in silence. Muted rumbling of hooves broke that silence. A single rider was catching up. A messenger? No, it was Nakora, but she wouldn't have ridden out herself only to bring a message. Then what?

"Master Garak, do you think you can escape me so easily?" Her face was red from the hard ride.

"I fail to understand what you mean," Harbend responded. Unfortunately he suspected why she was here, despite his words to the contrary.

"It means I am joining you. You are not doing this without any kind of military experience."

Harbend groaned. So he had guessed right. He played with the thought of starting a discussion or even giving her an order to return, but at this distance he saw her flushed cheeks probably were not only the result of straining herself during the ride. He allowed his groan to turn into a sigh.