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“I could not let it harm you or the child.”
What I said, I spoke matter of fact. It was not calculated to impress, and yet Paige’s eyes shine with meaning as soon as I utter the words.
“Jovak, you’re … you’re really great.”
She flushes red, her freckles vanishing amid a sea of scarlet skin. I find a smile coming to my lips.
“My tribe does not always think so, but I appreciate the words.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to tell your tribe when we meet them how awesome their chief is. How about that?”
I chuckle. “If you like.”
She peers out the tarp at the sky and frowns. “I think there’s more rain on the way. It looks like we’re stuck here for tonight.”
“Hopefully, the bear will be the only thing to trouble us during our stay.”
“Yeah, no shit.”
I frown. “What?”
“Oh, it’s a human thing. It means, ‘yeah, you’re right.’ The opposite of being full of shit.”
Full of shitis a human phrase I have heard before. I chuckle lightly, but the truth is I’m worried. We did not get far from the battlefield, where I had left six Wyrm orcs dead.
The interior of the wagon falls silent as we both try to return to slumber. After a time, she sighs and sits up.
“I don’t think I can sleep.”
“I cannot either,” I reply.
“Well, we could talk to pass the time.”
“Indeed. I would be interested in hearing of your exploits, Paige. You and your sister have been on a remarkable journey.”
“Remarkable,” she snickers. “Yeah, that’s a word for it. So is terrifying.”
She tells me about some of her travels. It sounds as if she’s been moving around for a long time. One thing that she never seems to mention is where her home was. Her journey started somewhere.
Dawn breaks and brings an end to the rain at last. The road proves much too muddy for the wagon’s wheels, however.
“I guess we’re stuck here until it dries out,” she says.
“I do not like this area. It is too exposed, and it’s clearly part of a bear’s hunting ground. We should look for better shelter if we have to spend another night in this area.”
I start a slow, spiraling path away from the wagon, trying to keep it in sight. When that fails, I try to keep it in earshot. I’m ranging a bit farther out than I wanted to when I finally spot it ... an old, decrepit, but reasonably intact human dwelling constructed from the felled trunks of trees.
I get behind the wagon and push it through the mud until we reach the cabin. The onager team isn’t happy about it, but they pull the load with only a few braying complaints, thanks to my help.
I’m covered with sweat by the time I finish. She takes care of the mule team and tends to her sister while I investigate the small cabin. The inside seems more intact than the outside. I doubt the various dusty cans contain anything edible on the shelves, but there is game in the woods for us to eat.
I search far and wide for enough dry firewood for the hearth. On the way back, I realized that I had pushed things a bit too far with the wagon. My shoulder twinges with pain. I grimace but don’t drop my load until I get the wood safely inside the cabin.
“What’s wrong?” Paige asks. She looks up from where she sits beside Laney. She had laid the child on a battered sofa and covered her. Laney appears to be sleeping peacefully.
“A light strain.”
I sit in front of the hearth and rub the knotted muscles as best I can. I draw out some pasty unguent that our shamans make that’s good for muscle cramps and smear it on, but the most sensitive spot remains out of reach.
