The Bounty Hunter

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

The next morning dawned bright and clear, the sunlight which filtered through the leaves shining through Safita’s eyelids and stirring her from her sleep. “Get up Finred,” she said, as she pulled her cloak on, her companion sitting up slowly behind her and adjusting the fabric which he still hadn’t removed.

It took barely any time for them to have a quick breakfast and pack up their small camp; by the time the world around them was beginning to warm up they were on their way, heading down the road once more.

Neither said anything as they walked, a silence which neared companionable settling between them until midday, when Safita spied a small rock which she knew from prior experience marked their turn off. Gesturing to Finred she guided them off the road and into the forest, stepping lightly over the various branches which blocked their path.

Inside the forest all was still and the cool air of the night still had not been warmed by the sun. All they heard as they walked through it were the calls of the birds and the rustle of the trees, as if they were passing the news of the travellers on from tree to tree.

As evening approached they reached the river, its banks much lower than closer to Scaera – one of the reasons that Scaera had been built where it had was that the cliffs on either side of the river, almost forming a gorge, protected the city on one side, as well as providing water and transport for goods and people. It was, however, still fast flowing and to cross it they would have to pick their way over a number of rocks, wet and slippery with spray thrown up by the river.

Safita was well practiced and used to the rocks, she could leap from one to the other as nimbly as if they were but paving stones on a path; fetching some rope from her pack she made to tie it around Finred’s waist.

“What are you doing?” he exclaimed.

“Well I wouldn’t want to lose you now that I’ve expended so much effort in bringing you here would I?”

“I am perfectly capable of traversing those rocks by myself.”

“Fine then, be my guest,” Safita grumbled, motioning with her hand. “After you.” Finred strolled up to the river bank and looked down into the rushing water, his face falling as his heart sank. Nevertheless, he would not give in to this obvious test of his abilities, and he refused to give the Spider any reason to mock him. Hesitantly reaching one foot out he was excruciatingly aware of the speed of the water below him and, placing one foot on the rock, the lack of grip that he had. Breathing slowly as he controlled his fear he stepped onto the rock with his other foot, leaving the ground behind him.

He took each stone tentatively, testing out every rock before he stepped onto it, always aware of the river beneath him, the water hissing and splashing like a siren’s call, every fibre of his body acutely aware of his surroundings. As he traversed the river, always looking ahead to the opposite bank, he inched forwards, his advance painfully slow for Safita to watch. Before he was halfway across she had leapt from rock to rock, springing between the stones as if she had wings, barely touching each one. She passed him slightly upriver, taking a different path across the broken rocks before alighting gently on the other shore.

Frustration rose up inside Finred as he cursed his companion; it was beginning to seem as if he always had to outdo Finred and Finred was beginning to resent that. As if it wasn’t enough that the Spider was constantly treating him as if he were a child, shooting patronising glances his way and making it clear that he knew much more than Finred, he seemed to enjoy it.

Finally he reached the other side, his feet landing on the hard ground as he sprung off the last stepping stone, stumbling and nearly collapsing at the Spider’s feet. He merely eyed Finred as if he were an imbecile from under the hood of his cloak and swept around, pacing through the forest before Finred even had time to catch his breath.