Daughter of the Wind

15. To Hirton

Fourteenth of Harvest

The night passed slowly, and on the third watch the rain finally slowed and stopped. Roulson was on duty when the skies finally cleared, and he watched as the moon finally peeked out from behind a cloud. The last time he had seen a night so dark, it had been the night the Aliri had attacked. The thought made him shudder. Every night, the memories had come back to him as he slept. He dreamt that he wandered the battlefield among the shattered bodies, each reaching out to him asking where he had been, why he hadn't fought with them. Every night he had woken in a sweat, his heart racing.

He blinked his eyes and forced himself to focus. When the first glow of the sunrise appeared above the mountains, he began to rouse the others. If they set out in the next hour or two, they would arrive in Hirton by early afternoon, depending on the effects of the rain. Roulson didn't understand why Belkai and the others were so set on avoiding other travellers, not when they were planning on visiting Hirton anyway. But understanding didn't take long to dawn on him. He knew that every day Hirton was visited by dozens of strangers, and there was no way that he would remember even a fraction of their faces. You noticed strangers in a field. You didn't notice them in a tavern. Sometimes the best way to avoid notice was to join a crowd.

"Is it dry yet?" Davos grumbled when Roulson woke him.

"We'll have the sun, at least," Roulson replied. "It'll take some hours for it to dry though."

"When did it stop?"

"It's been two hours or so," Roulson told him. "The rest depends on how hot it will be."

"You can't win either way," Davos said. "Alright, let's great some breakfast going."

"Not more of your bread and fruit," Belkai called out, rising out of her bedroll. "We're having meat this morning."

"Are you a hunter now?" Davos asked, crossing his arms.

Belkai shrugged. "I can do well enough for myself. If you're any sort of competent tracker, then you'd know that."

"You managed," Davos admitted. "But that doesn't make you a hunter."

Belkai was already headed out of the cave, one of her daggers in hand. Not looking back, she said,

"I hope you have an apology by the time I return, Lowborn, or there'll be nothing for you."

"Should we go with her?" Roulson asked.

"No." Davos watched as Belkai crouched and disappeared into the foliage beside the road. "No, she can handle herself."

Roulson nodded. "I'll get the fire going."

Half an hour later, Belkai returned carrying four hares. They were plump, and to their grumbling stomachs it looked to be a feast. Davos set about preparing the meat while Belkai packed her bedroll away.

"Where'd you learn to hunt?" Davos asked as he dropped the meat onto the fire. As the others listened, Belkai told them about the mountain test that the Order gave, embellishing the occasional point as storytellers are wont to do. She finished about the same time as the meat was cooked, and no one spoke as they ate. Finally, Davos said,

"You're quite the survivor."

Belkai shrugged. "You do what you have to. I wasn't going to give up and become some farmer's wife like some others did."

"No, I couldn't picture that," Davos agreed. He stood and put out the fire before announcing that they had another half hour before they set out. It would be a tiring journey today, but real beds beckoned. With full stomachs and comfort beckoning, they had high spirits as they left the cave.