Chapter 7 #2
Not comforting. I wasn’t sure if that was his intent or just his way of speaking, but the matter-of-fact way he said it unnerved me.
I heard him and Larana discussing who was going to shoot the most, and I heard the other one remind them that they shot them, they cleaned them.
I was pleased someone was reminding them all that food needed to be prepared.
The horse and I walked on. The fresh snow from yesterday had covered some pathways, and I spent the morning testing everything to make sure there were no hidden dips.
Snow drifted and covered any markers that may have been placed by any other trailfinders. Though the practice was pointless in some ways.
Captain Marson joined me at one point, and I found I didn’t mind his company. He didn’t speak for the sake of speaking.
He, however, had no sense of minding his own business and asked questions I normally wouldn’t have answered.
“You’re not married.”
That wasn’t a question. It was a statement of fact.
“You have a keen eye.”
Nope, that didn’t dissuade him.
“Have you been married, and are now a widow?” the captain asked me.
That earned him a look. “No. I am happily unmarried.”
“I—”
“I’ll make this painless for both of us.” I looked over my shoulder, seeing no one near us, and I turned back to face the land ahead.
“I am the youngest of three. My brothers are married, and each has a trade. When I turned down the last marriage prospect, my father told me I was good for nothing and just another mouth to feed. However, my brothers taught me to track and hunt, and I learned to find the trails on my own. Being told I was a burden on my parents, I packed my stuff and left.”
“I—”
“I’m not finished.” I cut him off again. “I’m a fast learner, I’m quick on my feet, and I like being out here without questions, without being judged for my choices, and for not having a bland routine, which many call life.” I cast my arm wide. “Look at it, isn’t it beautiful?”
The captain looked at the barren scene, and I saw his hesitation. “It has appeal, but it doesn’t stay like this.”
“And that’s why it’s beautiful,” I said with a small smile. “Nothing truly beautiful is calm and contained. It’s wild.”
He made a noncommittal grunt, and we walked on in silence.
“I’m married,” he said shortly afterward. “Been married three years.”
I nodded, understanding why he was telling me. He was letting me know he was taken, which was ironic since I hadn’t asked. Nor did I care.
“I saw the ring the first night.” My eyes were fixed ahead, looking at the snow drift that looked too large for one drift. “I’m not interested in you or any of your men in that way,” I added for clarification.
My feet slowed, and the captain’s did too. I’m not sure why, but he followed my lead.
Something ahead caught my eye and kept my attention.
“Where are the mercenaries, Captain?” I asked him carefully.
He looked at me, then ahead, then over his shoulder. “I… I don’t know.” He sounded frustrated, and I echoed that frustration. “What are you seeing?”
“Find them and get your men ready. We’re about to have a fight on our hands.”
Captain Marson looked at me. “What kind of fight?” he asked quietly.
“Ever heard the stories of the Hulgrim?”
“Of course, but they’re just stories. Tales for children.”
I nodded. “Yeah, well, I thought that too until I was confronted by two, three years back. Still got the scars to prove it.”
I didn’t need to look at him to know that his mouth was hanging open.
“Tell them to cover their faces with their wraps, and if they don’t have any, find some. Get the mercenaries back here. If it’s two males, they’ll fight. If it’s two mates, they’ll fight. If it’s a mother and her young, she’ll—”
“Fight. I get it.” Loel hesitated for one second. “You’re sure?”
“Should have known it was too quiet,” I grumbled as I handed over the reins of the horse. “Keep the horses at the back. They’ll want them for food.”
I saw his look of speculation.
“They’ll want us as a snack, the horses for a meal.”
“Got it.” He was already leading the horse away, and I stood there, hearing the sounds of soldiers preparing as I scanned the land before me.
I knew we’d walked too close to them even though they were still far enough ahead. Hulgrims lived beneath the snow. Kind of. They burrowed half into the ground and half out. It was why the drifts were larger, bulkier.
They would've sensed us moving on the ground long before I realized what I was looking at.
I wasn't careless. I had only seen them once, and that was more than enough. My back still bore the three scars from their claws as I fought my way free.
That was the only time I ever used my magic against something else. But it was all I had to defend myself. It was that or lose a fight for survival.
The two merchants I had been with both died later from their wounds. Both were spice merchants, and nothing in their wagons was useful to help me heal.
That had been a tough month. I finally reached the village where my brother Derva lived. His wife had helped me heal the worst of the wounds, and I still believed she doubted that Hulgrim had mauled me.
The captain was back at my side. “What do you propose?”
I pointed toward a cluster of trees far to the east. “We head for there.”
Marson’s look was skeptical. I appreciated that he was predictable.
“We aren’t heading there,” I told him calmly. “But the arc is wide enough that if it’s a mother and her young, she may stay hidden to protect them rather than confront us.”
“And if it isn’t?”
I swallowed. “Well, let’s hope fourteen of you are better than the two that died with me last time.”
“How do they fight?” he asked me curtly.
“Claws and teeth. I think, though I’m not sure, the teeth carry a venom. An old trailfinder told me that after I fought them that one time. Never met them again to confirm.”
“So we have folklore and one encounter to go on?”
I nodded. “Sorry.”
He shrugged. “Half is better than nothing.” He looked me over. “You should go stay with the horses.”
I shook my head. “Can’t. I need to lead you away, and if they come out, well, I know how to run.”
He grasped my arm loosely. “Amarya?”
I smiled, gently shaking his hand off. “It’s what you’re paying me for.”
I looked behind me again. “Would be nice to have Baxley and his bow right about now.”
I faced forward. “Right, let’s hope the gods are on our side today.”
They weren’t.