Goldentracks

Chapter Four

A warm breeze brushed her cheek and birds chirped high in the trees. Una slowly opened her eyes and lazily wondered how long she'd been sleeping. The usual sounds of a healthy forest soothed her. As she looked around, she recognized the place where she'd had her conversation with the toad. And she noticed she was human-sized again. It must have been a dream, she thought. She stretched her arms and legs all at once as she tried to recall the toad's name. It was something funny, like a sneeze. Wait, no, it was more like a burp. Yes, that's it! His name was Zurburt. Smiling at the thought, she rolled onto her right side to better stretch her left shoulder, but a rustling noise, fast approaching to her left, made her start.

The movement of her feet as she turned to look behind her caught the attention of whoever was coming her way. He stopped, only a few paces away, and stared at her. The teenager looked to be a few years older than Una. His blue eyes gazed at her with as much surprise as she guessed she was displaying at the sudden encounter. A couple of seconds passed before she heard voices in the distance, and she turned her head in their direction. A group of men was fast approaching, one of them barking orders to the others. She couldn't see them yet, but they were close. She whipped her head back to look at the teenager, but he'd already disappeared. She only had time to bring her legs up to her chest and rise before the group spotted her and came closer.

Four men were now focused on her. They all wore similar dark brown leather gear over black vests and breeches with red doublets and stockings. Sheathed swords hung from their belts. One man stood out for being older than the others. He gave her the distinct impression he was the leader of the group. He stopped walking a little more than an arm's length away from Una. "Have you seen a boy run by here just now?" The man's tone was urgent.

Una looked the man straight in the eye. "No, I haven't".

Surprised by her own response, she looked away and felt some heat rise to her face. Again she was grateful her face never turned red when she blushed.

"You two, come with me—," the leader said, turning away to reorganize the search party. "The rest of you fan out that way." He pointed the second group in the direction Una was facing. The leader then headed off in the same direction the teenager had been running in. As she watched the leader and his half of the group disappear into the woods, Una wondered if they would catch him, vaguely aware it might mean trouble for her if they did.

"You sure you haven't seen him? He's about this high, and has copperish brown hair." Una jumped. She hadn't noticed the man was still standing near her. As she looked at him in surprise, he came a step closer. "He was wearing a green doublet and brown leather boots."

Had he seen her blush? "No, I haven't," she said, shaking her head for emphasis.

Still looking doubtful, he asked, "What's your name?" Taking in her dark blue doublet and matching breeches, and dark brown knee-high boots with a pointed head-to-toe glance, he said, "I don't think I've ever seen you before. You don't look like you're from around here."

She squirmed as her mind went blank. "My name is . . . Una. I'm—"

"Jake, what are you doing?" came a voice from the top of the hill. Una and the man next to her looked up and saw the other man from the leaderless group staring down at them with annoyance. "We're wasting time, come on!"

Her interrogator ran off after him, and both men soon disappeared.

For a moment, Una didn't know what to think. Then her head was abuzz with questions. Why had she lied? Who was that teenage boy? And why were they chasing him? A rustling interrupted her thoughts. She peeked behind the large beech tree she'd been sleeping under. There, on the other side of the clearing, twenty feet away, she saw the teenager the men were trying to catch. The doublet he wore on his slim frame was a deep green, and his breeches and boots were brown. She noticed he didn't have a sword on his belt. Walking up to her with a light step, he had a strange smile on his face. It was a cross between a smile of victory and a smile of discovery. Whatever the reasons were behind that smile, her desire to know them came second to her desire to know what was going on. Despite herself, she felt an answering smile twitch at the corners of her mouth.

"What was that all about?" she asked as he came to a stop in front of her.

He answered with a flourish and a bow. As he raised his head he said, "I am in your debt."

The words seemed appropriate, but the theatrics were a bit much. She pressed him again. "What did you do to make them so angry? Did you steal something?"

He laughed. "Yes, some of their time and patience. It was all very funny, really."

Could someone "steal" another person's time? And if so, how was that in any way funny?

He laughed again.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

After a few more moments he composed himself and said, "My name is Flynn."

"I'm—"

"Una, yes, I know," he said. "I overheard your conversation with the guards, in a manner of speaking."

"How is that possible? You were all the way over there!" she said as she pointed to the tree he'd climbed out of.

He gave her a smug smile. "I have my methods."

She gaped, but recovered quickly. "But wouldn't our conversation, with only a few feet between us, be ear-splitting to you?" Without realizing it, she'd lowered her voice as she spoke.

He laughed at her once more. "No, I don't have such powerful ears, I have . . . well, let us simply say I have a few tricks up my sleeve." She looked him over, impressed. He put his index finger to his mouth. Una looked around then back at him and waited. She heard what sounded like the soft hoot of an owl. Growing impatient for answers, she opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Flynn moved two steps closer and whispered, "That was Cobalt."

"That was what?"

"Shh. Not what, but who. That was Cobalt signalling to the others that he's found me. Though I don't think it would have been quite so quick if I hadn't stopped to talk to you." Flynn flashed her a mischievous grin. Then a new thought appeared to have entered his head, and he was suddenly serious. She felt a little unnerved under his scrutinizing gaze "So, Una, you never did tell them where you were from."

She could see from the look on his face that he only half expected an honest reply. "I don't know where I'm from and how I got here at all. I just woke up next to that tree," she pointed to the beech as she spoke. "I don't know where I am or which way it is to go anywhere from here either. But I have a feeling I should be going somewhere."

She thought about what she'd just said and felt the shock creep over her face. The longer Flynn stood staring at her, the more uncomfortable she felt. She looked away. "Maybe you could show me the way to the place you came from. Maybe, I could—"

"No," he said quickly. "Stay in the forest as long as you can. Here, you are free to do and say and think as you please."

Turning to look at him again she said, "But what about food and shelter?"

He shook his head and said, "Trust me." She felt a slight twinge of fear. "Don't worry, I'll lead you to a safe place known only to a few." He hesitated for a moment, then turned and started walking. After taking only ten steps he stopped and, half turning, he said, "If you don't follow me now, you may end up lost in these woods forever."

Maybe he wasn't really trying to help her, but there was something about him that Una recognized. Something that her gut told her she should trust. Though still unsure, when he started walking again, this time she followed.