The Five Fold Symbol

Chapter 4: Secrecy

    “We can’t just wait around for her to wander on back!” Kenneth was saying rather irritably. “She left, there’s no doubt that she blabbed about us all out here.”

    “Don’t you dare accuse Renny of being a scapegoat!” Shay said scathingly, pointing at Kenneth threateningly. “She would never. If anything she’s been captured and we need to go and spring her!”

    “Don’t be ridiculous,” Kenneth said. “She’s hardly dedicated at all! She’s always wandering off--”

    “Exactly why we shouldn’t worry!” Brody chimed in. “She’s always coming and going. Having someone who knows the town is a necessity, no matter how questionable she may be.”

    “She won’t tell anyone if they even tried to force her,” Wade said, rolling his eyes, his arms folded across his chest. “Besides, if she had told anyone of importance, do you really think we’d still be out here in the woods peeing on trees instead of in a jail or working as slaves?”

    “There is such a thing as strategy,” Kenneth pointed out. “And if she’s as clever as I think she is, she’d be more prepared than that. We would all be way more suspicious of her, which I think we can agree that we all have been from time to time.”

    “We all have every reason to be suspicious of everyone,” Shay snapped. “We’re freaking anarchists hidden away in the forest. What do you expect?”

    “And it’s not like any of her antics have ever done anything detrimental to any of us!” Wade added. “She got us better mattresses-- still don’t know how she managed that, by the way-- and more food rations and books! She found good books for us to use. That’s nearly impossible!”

    “Exactly why I don’t trust her,” Kenneth said, using Wade’s argument for emphasis.

    “You don’t trust anyone, Kenneth,” Renny said, rolling her eyes as she entered the kitchen tent.

    In an instant, Shay was muttering some sort of cleansing ritual and throwing little bits of salt at Renny while Wade smacked her on the arm with a grumpy face.

    “Don’t scare us like that!” Wade said. “Normally you’re gone for a few hours; not overnight!”

    “Wade wanted to send troops out for you,” Brody said, rolling his eyes slightly. “I figured I’d go after you myself if you didn’t show up soon.”

    He was giving her a funny look. Shay grinned slightly, biting her lip to hide it. Brody often gave Renny this look. It was a longing sort of look. He clearly cared about her. But that wasn’t Renny’s concern. She never really noticed it. As always, she was blind to male affection. Other than Wade’s of course. But that was clearly an entirely different sentiment.

    “I’m fine. I was followed by a guard. I had to get rid of him somehow,” Renny started.

    “Did you sell yourself?” Wade asked, looking utterly flabbergasted.

    Renny frowned at him, looking disgusted. “No I didn’t sell myself! That would have been suspicious. Like I was trying to hide something. If you’d let me finish I would have told you that he tried to drown me but wound up drowning himself. Couldn’t swim.”

    Okay. A little lie she could handle. And that was a very small lie, compared to some. The guard did technically drown. She just left out the part where the Great Dragoon of ancient legends rose from the dead and struck the guard so that the Once and Future King could complete the Transfer and rise form the magical depths to reclaim his throne in the name of Pendragon of Camelot. That might have been a bit overboard.