Chapter Twenty-One #9
Maxi looked up inquiringly from a remedy she had been preparing. Idsilla placed a finger over her mouth and motioned with her head for Maxi to follow her quietly. After glancing about, Maxi stepped out of the tent.
The hot summer sun stung her eyes. Maxi paused to rub her throbbing forehead and wipe away the beads of sweat on her nose.
“This way,” Idsilla called impatiently.
The girl walked around the camp and stopped near the city walls. She hid behind a bush and pulled Maxi down, forcing Maxi to crouch next to her.
“Wh-What on earth…are we doing?” Maxi asked.
Idsilla pointed beyond the bush. “Look over there.”
It did not take long for Maxi to realize why the girl had brought her here. A line of knights was entering through the wide-open gate.
Idsilla leaned closer and whispered in Maxi’s ear, “They are knights from Wedon who have come to collect provisions.”
Maxi grew wide-eyed. True enough, the knights’ surcoats bore the crest of Wedon. Her heart raced at the thought that Riftan might be among them.
“They will probably leave as soon as they’ve collected their rations,” Idsilla added.
Maxi whirled to face Idsilla with surprise. “S-So quickly?”
Idsilla nodded. “Now would be the only chance for us to talk to them. What would you like to do?”
Maxi bit her lip. Even if Riftan were not among the men, she might be able to hear news of him. Concealing her face further beneath her hood, Maxi cautiously stepped out of the bush.
“I’m sure no one would notice me…i-if I pretend that I am helping,” she reasoned. “I might be…able to o-overhear some conversations.”
Idsilla rose beside her. “I will go with you.”
Maxi shook her head. “T-Two of us would be conspicuous. You should return to the tent…before anyone n-notices your absence. If I hear news of the Livadonian knights…I-I will be sure to tell you.”
Idsilla considered this for a moment. Seeing the logic in Maxi’s words, she nodded and obediently turned around to leave. Maxi hastened toward the Wedonian knights. As she approached the knights’ barracks, she heard Duke Aren’s booming voice.
“It must have been a tiring journey. Come inside. You should try to get some rest while the soldiers load the provisions onto the wagons.”
Hiding behind a wagon, Maxi watched the knights as they entered the tent one after the other.
She intended to approach one of them to inquire about the situation on the front lines.
She was eyeing each one to find the mildest looking among them when one of the last to enter caught her attention. Maxi’s eyes widened.
Sir Elliot?
Sir Elliot Charon, who had been among the men trapped inside Louivell Castle, led a group of soldiers through the city gate. After not seeing him for months, the sight of his familiar face made her eyes well up with tears.
Although Riftan had apparently managed to rescue them, Maxi had still been worried that some of them might be gravely injured.
She wondered if the rest of the men were also all right.
She was dying to rush over to ask about the others, but she knew that Sir Elliot would immediately send her packing to Levan if he saw her.
Maxi was about to creep away when she caught sight of Ruth’s weary face. She froze in place, her heart brimming with joy as she gazed at the face of her sorely missed friend. How worried she had been for that pesky meddler!
Ruth’s gray hair was longer, messily covering his neck. His normally lean face had grown even thinner, and he looked exhausted. He let out a long yawn as he dismounted from his horse. Maxi smiled; although she stood at quite some distance, she could hear him grumbling as usual.
He said something to the knights and headed to the stream. She hesitated for a moment, then dashed after him.
Ruth fanned himself as he walked to the stream and noisily washed his face once he reached the water’s edge. After making sure no one else was around, Maxi cautiously approached and crouched beside him.
With her shabby clothes and grubby face, Ruth did not immediately recognize her. Clearly thinking that she was just a female cleric collecting water, he flicked an indifferent glance at her before continuing to splash water on his dirty hands and feet.
Frowning, Maxi nudged his arm. Only then did his blue-gray eyes focus on her.
Maxi blinked and awkwardly smiled at him. “I-It has been a while, Ruth. I am glad…to see you well.”
Ruth sat bolt upright like a man struck by lightning, and his mouth dropped open as though he was about to scream.
Hopping like a startled rabbit, Maxi quickly covered his mouth. Her sudden motion sent Ruth’s scrawny body plunging into the stream, soaking Maxi’s robe in the process. Sputtering, Ruth clambered out of the stream and fixed his wide-eyed gaze on her, ignoring the water dripping down his face.
She gazed up at him beseechingly, tears in her eyes. “P-Please…do not make a scene. No one else kn-knows…that I am here.”
Ruth stared at her as though he could not believe what he was seeing, then gaped when he noticed her monastic habit.