Barnaby the Wanderer

Chapter 15: In Which a Line is Crossed

For once, the Society of St. Benefact rested all the night in peace. Bodkin keeping watch till moonrise; passing it on to Matilda.

Early next morning they took their time awakening, breakfasting, preparing for the day. A rock pool farther into the gully was declared the public bath. A coin toss designating it the men's' for the first hour.

"I'm trusting Bodkin's coin tosses as much as a handshake from the Spice Isles snake-saint," declared Matilda. "Next time it's my coin and my call."

She sat with Jewel and Val on a rock ledge, staring out over the somber countryside.

"The little thief will just steal the penny from the air before your eyes," predicted Val.

Jewel sat motionless, hair hanging down before face. Matilda looked concerned.

"Here now, are you feeling unwell, Miss Witch?"

Jewel did not answer. Val did.

"I asked her to send her spider round about, scout for us. She's seeing what it sees."

"Oi, now that's a useful sort of thing. I'd send it to spy on that dog."

"What dog?"

"Down a ways, towards the rock shaped like a duck. A bit like a duck."

Val stared. Far, far down the slope, among the stagnant pools and twisted trees, loped the form of a dog. Bone white, long-legged. The creature trotted steadily through marsh grass, leaping the smaller pools, sniffing, gazing, hurrying on.

"A death hound," said Val. "It's picked up our trail. There'll be a patrol following behind."

Matilda held her bow, weighing the challenge.

"Too far for an arrow."

"Seriously? You harm that dog and you'll have half Plutarch after us."

"Pleased to hear they love their pets. But if we can't send it away, best we get away."

They stood. Jewel remained seated till Val reached down, shook her.

"Wake up, farmgirl."

Jewel's head rose, looking about, shaking away Val's hand, her own veiling hair.

"What is it?"

"A death hound. Why didn't your spider see it?"

"Uhm," Jewel blinked her eyes to simplify it from reality divided into a thousand facets. "Perry, I, we were looking, scouting I mean, uhm, elsewhere."

"Where?" demanded Val. "What did you see?" At which question Jewel blushed, looked away.

Matilda's nose was a pretty thing, not a bit goat-like. But now it began to puff goatish sounds of 'mah's and 'hah's; piping Capricornian mirth.

"Oh, no, no you weren't," said Val. "Seriously?"

Jewel hid her face in her hands.

Val growled, turned and hurried into the sheltering rock gulley. Till she heard the splash of water, the conversation of Cedric and Barnaby just past a bend of rock. There she halted, risking shouts.

"Sorry to interrupt your bath, boys, but a Tarch patrol is sniffing about. We need to hurry back to the road where travelers belong. If they catch us here, they're likely to act rude."

"Fine," shouted Barnaby. "Give a moment."

Bodkin added further opinion.

"And keep that damned spider from its spying or I'll put a rock atop it!"