Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue (3 page)

“Hmm.” Salina nodded thoughtfully as they picked up their pace to pass a precariously loaded cart. Once they were safely past, she glanced over at Carliss.

“Listen, do you remember when my brother visited me at the haven last week?” she asked.

Carliss raised her eyebrows. “Yes, I think so.”

“Well, he was so grateful for how you were helping me, and he didn’t get a chance to thank you in person.”

Salina gave Carliss another meaningful glance, and Carliss shifted in her saddle, wondering where this was leading. Sir Alston had arrived at a time when Carliss was feeling overwhelmed with her duties. He had only stayed a day, and she had seen him a few times with Salina but never actually talked with him. Carliss was perfectly fine with that, for he was a handsome fellow, and such men tended to make her feel uneasy…as Dalton had.

“What I’m saying is…I would love for you to come to my home and meet my family.”

“Oh, I don’t think—”

“It’s not far, Carliss, just a short ride north of here near Pembrook,” Salina continued. “I owe you so much, and I know that Alston and my parents would love to have an opportunity to thank you properly.”

Carliss pretended to consider the request out of courtesy, fully intending to decline. But Salina persisted.

“Please, Carliss. It would mean so much to me. At least come and share a meal with us.”

Carliss looked at Salina and couldn’t think of any reasonable excuse. Her family wasn’t expecting her on any particular day. Besides, truth be told, she had been dreading her return home, for she knew she would have to face her own emotional dilemma at the haven there. Perhaps this diversion would help clear her mind.

“All right, Salina. I’ll come,” Carliss said with a smile. “But only for a little while. Thank you for the invitation.”

“Wonderful!” Salina exclaimed. “They will all be so excited to meet you.”

Carliss ducked her head again, embarrassed at Salina’s exuberant response.

“It’s off toward Pembrook then,” she said, wondering if she had just committed to something she might later regret.

A RELUCTANT HUNT

Carliss and Salina left the main road to Salisburg to travel due north toward Pembrook. Salina’s farm was southeast of the village, so they would reach it before they came to the village. Carliss knew she would need to spend the night somewhere, and she reserved the option to stay at Pembrook should she not feel comfortable with Salina’s family or should they not offer lodging for the night.

By early evening they arrived at Salina’s farm. Salina appeared ecstatic, but Carliss couldn’t help feeling apprehensive. Her discomfort grew as they entered the yard, for it became immediately evident that something was wrong. Carts and barrels were overturned, and there was a blatant absence of any normal farm activity. Carliss scanned the area and felt for her sword just as Salina spurred her horse to gallop the last distance to the house.

“Salina—be careful!” Carliss called as her friend jumped from her steed and ran inside. Carliss followed more slowly, her senses tuned for signs of danger. The back of her neck began to tingle as she neared the house, and she drew her sword as a precaution. She heard Salina calling for her family inside and decided to dismount and circle the house for any evidence of what may have happened.

She walked along the right outside wall of the stone house. She
could see that the doors of the barn were open and a section of the surrounding fence was broken down. A gray horse was grazing nearby. She knew in an instant that the horse was not simply loose of its own accord, for it was saddled and ready for travel.

Carliss gripped her sword tightly as she approached the rear corner of Salina’s home. She stepped away from the wall to gain a better view, but all she saw was a bright blade arcing its way toward her head. Carliss instinctively met the blow and positioned herself defensively, not knowing if this marauder was alone or the first of many.

Another wide slice came toward her, and she met it with the flat of her blade. She countered and glanced quickly about to assess the situation. If there were others she did not see them. She focused her complete attention on this lone bandit, and it quickly became apparent that her skills far exceeded his. The man maneuvered toward the horse, threw a wild combination of cuts and slices, then fled. Carliss started after him but was stopped by a cry from inside the house.

“Carliss!”

She hesitated just a second, then ran back to the front of the home and in through the door, fully expecting another fight. Instead she found Salina kneeling beside a chair, her eyes full of fear. Carliss scanned the room as she rushed over to her friend.

“What is it, Salina?”

Salina looked up at Carliss, unable to speak. At her knees was a pool of fresh blood.

“Is anyone here?” Carliss asked.

“No… no one. They’ve been… taken.”

“Some kind of marauder just fled the farm,” Carliss said. “There may be more.”

Salinas eyes opened wide. She jumped to her feet and ran to the front of the house. “Which way did he go?”

Carliss pointed east. Salina ran to her horse, and Carliss followed.

“Salina, we need help. We don’t know how many there are.”

“If we don’t track the man, we may never find my family again.” Salina swung into the saddle. “I’m going after them.” She slapped the reins of her horse and bolted in the direction Carliss had pointed.

Carliss mounted Rindy and followed more slowly, her discomfort growing when she saw the hoofprints of many horses in the spongy turf on the other side of the farmyard. Clearly, this was not a time to react irrationally. She understood Salina’s worry, though, and she was not one to abandon a friend, even though her instincts told her that hunting down a large band of marauders on their own was foolish.

She galloped after Salina, not pausing until they reached the top of the eastern ridge line.

“There!” Salina pointed below them to a shallow valley, where a man on a gray horse was galloping toward a wooded area. She quickly scanned the rest of the region but saw no sign of the larger contingent.

They bolted down the valley after the man, and before long it was clear he had spotted them in pursuit. They closed on him, and Salina charged recklessly after him. Carliss had to push Rindy hard to stay up with her.

They rounded a bend and had to rein in their horses to keep from colliding into a large branch that had broken from a tree and blocked their way. It was also what ended their pursuit, for their quarry lay prone on the ground, motionless. They could see his gray horse continuing the sprint eastward without a rider.

Salina jumped off her horse, drew her knife, and ran to the man on the ground. Carliss quickly joined her, noting that the man’s head was bent over onto his shoulder.

“Where’s my family?” Salina shouted, her knife at the man’s throat.

Carliss drew her sword and approached cautiously.

“Where are they?” Salina screamed again.

“Salina.” Carliss returned her sword to her scabbard. “His neck is broken.”

Salina hung her head, and Carliss put a hand on her shoulder.

“I have to find them,” Salina said. “Please help me find them.”

Carliss took a deep breath. “Of course. We can track the main contingent until we are certain of where they are headed. Then you must promise me we will ride for help.”

Salina stood and looked Carliss in the eye. “Thank you.”

“By the number of prints, there must be many of them,” Carliss
said as they recovered their steeds and rode back to find the trail. “With prisoners they’ll have to travel more slowly, so we should be able to catch up with them fairly easily.”

They rode until the daylight was gone and it was too dangerous to continue in unfamiliar country, then bedded down in a grassy clearing. By early the next morning they were back on the trail, pushing their steeds as hard as they dared. At times, the tracks of the band of marauders were difficult to follow, and the knights’ progress slowed considerably. At one point they completely lost the trail and had to backtrack to discover it again. They were constantly on the lookout for some sign of violence that might have been done to the captives but found none.

With every mile they journeyed away from Salisburg, Carliss grew more hesitant to continue. She knew they needed help, but Salina could not be swayed.

That evening they camped by a small stream, somewhat discouraged that they hadn’t caught up to the marauders. They had already exhausted their meager provisions and were famished. Carliss was able to shoot a couple of pheasants, and Salina gathered a few nuts and berries for the evening meal.

The following day they picked up the trail again. In late afternoon, they finally came upon telltale signs—and sounds—of a camp being set up.

“We’ve found them,” Salina breathed, her eyes bright.

Carliss said nothing. Never before had she been so apprehensive about being successful in a hunt.

CARLISS AND THE BOW

Carliss and Salina waited until dusk to move. They tied their horses a safe distance away and then carefully and quietly approached the camp. Carliss could hardly force herself to take each step, for she knew that this was an unwise venture.