The big man with the tightly cut black beard stood silently and patiently like a soldier before the figure in the chair. His smooth, shaven skull gleamed dully under the flickering light from the crackling fire as he waited and, eventually, the figure spoke.
'The plan?'
'We will first summon him to Hercot.'
'Hercot? That will not be easy...'
'The papers are genuine, not fakes, and they bear the correct seals. He will not question their validity and so he will not question their contents.'
There was a brief pause as his words were digested. 'Let's hope not, hmm? It would be... inconvenient if he did. And then?'
'He will journey to Kirris in the expectation of meeting the daily train that will take him round The Wilds and straight to his destination. It is the only route that will get him there in time.'
'And how will you get to him on that?'
'We won't have to because the train will be gone before he arrives.'
'Really? And how will you accomplish that particular trick?'
'Leave that to me, but, rest assured, one way or another it will not be there for him to board.'
A shrug. 'You know the ways of such things better than I, Crew. So what will he do then?'
'He will take one of two alternate routes; join the caravan or go on horseback. Those are the only paths open to him that will get him to Hercot in time.'
'And if he takes the caravan?'
'He can't take the chance of one of the wagons breaking. If one stops, they all stop.'
'So he will ride.'
Crew nodded. 'He will ride. The only question is which route he will take.'
'And I take it you have that worked out, too?'
Another nod. 'I do.'
'I am in your hands, then. Try not to drop me, there's a good man. Everything rests on your success in this matter, as you know.'
The man nodded and then paused for a second or two. 'And we cannot enjoy the younger girl as sport?'
A heavy, impatient sigh followed the question. 'No. She must be found with her master and you know how it must look when she is. If she has been... defiled, then questions will be asked and that we cannot afford.'
'And the other? Still the same?'
'She must not only die but she must never be found and you would do well not to treat her lightly. Take her deep into The Wilds before you dispose of her and leave nothing to chance.'
'Very well.'
----------------------
The three rode as fast they dared over the overgrown and unpredictable terrain. They rode in single file, two women and, between them, the man whose protection was their sacred, sworn duty. The lead rider, a tall and elegant woman with fair hair named Rayne was ahead of the other two by a short distance, riding scout. At the back came Naiya, an olive skinned, dark haired girl some years younger than Rayne, who rode closely behind their master, Jarren. Though both women were accomplished in handling a horse, their man was not so adept and was struggling a little with the pace his two girls were trying to maintain. But Rayne was unwilling to ease back too far until they were out of The Wilds.
In fact, if they'd had their way, they wouldn't have been there at all. Why the council was being convened in such a remote place when it usually conducted business in a more suitable city such as Port Hollus, the girls didn't know. Neither did they know the contents of the folder that had galvanised their master into such an immediate, almost panicked rush to attend. That the meeting was to be held in six days time was all he would say. They had hurriedly packed a few bags, travelled to the rail station and spent three days travelling to Kirris, right on the edge of The Wilds. And on the far side of those untamed and largely lawless lands lay their destination, the fort town of Hercot.
The plan had been to continue by rail, taking the longer, safer route round The Wilds, but the train they would have caught had left early, though no-one knew why, and they had missed it by several hours. To most of their fellow travellers this meant an overnight stay in Kirris and then they could catch the next day's train, but to the girl's dismay, Jarren would have none of it.
'We cannot spare the time, Rayne. It is another two day journey at best, probably closer to three and I simply
must not
miss this meeting. The circumstances under which it has been called are... extraordinary and exceptionally troubling and there is no question of me being even an hour late.'
'Then we should take seats on the caravan, my master. There is safety in numbers and our instincts tell us both that we will likely have need of it.'
But, again, he had shaken his head. 'And have to stop every time some fool breaks a wheel or gets bogged down? We could be out there for a week! No, we shall avoid the caravan trail altogether and take the old trading route and we will do so on horseback. That will keep us away from trouble, I have no doubt; it's almost never used now. That is the way we shall travel and that is the end of the matter.'
Rayne turned to Naiya with an anxious, imploring look, seeking support and finding just a shrug as the younger girl blithely accepted Jarren's judgement.
On horseback, the journey could be completed in two days if they rode at a steady pace and only rested briefly overnight. Though Rayne was far from happy, she could see that this was the best way, but it felt little more than the lesser evil. So, after securing the three best mounts available, bedrolls and supplies, they had set off.
And, as Kirris grew smaller behind them, none of them noticed the bird that flew high overhead with a message wrapped around one of its legs.
The trader's route was in rough condition, overgrown in some places and eroded in others, and though the hazards were easy enough to spot they were forced to keep their speed down. Other than that, they rode untroubled until the sun began to set and, when the road was too darkened to see safely by the withering light of the half moon, they made camp. The girls slept in shifts, with one awake throughout the night, sitting away from the dying embers of the fire, concealed in the black night.
At first light, they ate, packed up and set off again.
'Can I ride scout?' Naiya asked as she swung up onto her mount.
Rayne shook her head, about to speak, when Jarren cut in.
'Yes, you can. We need to pick up the pace and I think I'll ride a little better with you close behind me, Rayne.'
It was nonsense but that was the end of the discussion, regardless.
