dragon archives 04 - dance with a dragon (27 page)

Of Garrick, Anna saw no sign. She hoped he was comfortable at night, sleeping on the cold, hard ground. Sometimes Anna would stand at the window and look out into the dark, watching the stars twinkling in the night sky, wondering whether he was staring up at the stars wondering about her, or whether he was too tired to do anything but sleep. Sometimes, another face would intrude on her thoughts, but she would push it away, angry at herself for her moment of weakness. But she could not help searching the stars, looking for the evidence of twin fires burning in the sky above watching over her. She saw them often, and would turn away, pretending she didn’t care.

The first week of traveling was over flat, grassy terrain. Small, spring flowers had once dotted the wide, open fields, but there were few in evidence by the time the queen and her ladies passed by, having been trodden into the ground by thousands of marching feet. In the second week they had to ford a small river, and then the terrain grew more uneven as the mountains in the distance grew ever closer. By the third week they were skirting the mountain range, which lay to the east. Over the towering heights of the mountains lay Storbrook, and Anna wondered whether Aaron was watching their progress. The mountain range ran straight along the trail for a hundred miles, then curved away from them, a distant marker that finally faded into a purple smudge on the horizon. When the path led through dense forests, the army troops would march around them, but the women traveled straight through, enjoying the cool shadows.

It was as they neared the mountains that the homes of noblemen grew further and further apart, and the luxury of a building with separate chambers and comfortable beds became a thing of the past. Instead, the women had to be content with sleeping in tents at night.

“Once we cross the border and reach the towns in the north, there will be people who will gladly open their homes to King Roderick and his sister,” Matilda assured her ladies. “These uncomfortable nights, sleeping in tents, will not be of long duration.”

Every night, Frank and Tobias oversaw the setup of the camp, and instructed where the tents were to be positioned. Matilda had her own tent, but Blanche, Kathleen and Anna shared another, while the maids slept in a third. Meals were prepared over an open campfire, and as the stars appeared in the sky, the ladies drank their wine from silver goblets and ate from porcelain plates. As often as possible, the guards chose a site that had a source of water, and the queen and her ladies would gratefully wash off the dust and sweat of the day. As the days progressed, Anna could feel her body growing stronger. She was not as tired as she had been at the start of the trip, and when they stopped each afternoon, felt she could travel another few hours at least. Now that they were camping, Anna sometimes caught sight of Garrick marching through the camp. He was often with his men, but when he was alone, he would come over and visit with her briefly. His skin had turned nut brown, and his muscles strained against the shirt and leather jerkin he wore. He only stayed a few minutes at a time, long enough to enquire after her health, before disappearing once more between the many men.

The late spring weather grew hotter and drier as they marched. Dust covered everything, getting into the folds of Anna’s gown, into her hair, under her fingernails, and even coating her teeth until her mouth felt gritty. They arrived one hot afternoon to find that Frank had chosen a site near a pond fed by an underground spring. She slid off her horse, and turned to Kathleen. “Come,” she said, “let’s go swimming.” Kathleen looked alarmed.

“I don’t know how to swim,” she said.

“There’s nothing to it,” Anna said. “The pond probably isn’t very deep.”

Reeds and weeds surrounded the small lake, and the two women had to push their way through, scratching their legs, before they reached the water; but once they were in, the water was clear and refreshing. It felt so good to feel the dust wash off her skin, and Anna sighed in pleasure. The roads they traveled in the wake of the army had been trodden to dust, making her eyes water, her scalp itch, and the creases behind her knees turn brown. The water was not very deep, as Anna had supposed, and even at the deepest point she could touch the bottom with her toes. She could feel where the underground spring fed the pond, blasting into the water near the center of the little pool. The pond was shared with a small family of ducks, and Kathleen watched the little ducklings take to the water with delight.

“Have you never seen ducklings before?” Anna asked in amusement.

“Yes, but never this close,” Kathleen said, turning to watch the fluffy chicks swim past. She glanced up at Anna. “I don’t think I will ever eat duck again, knowing how sweet they are as babies.”

“All animals start out small and sweet,” Anna said with a laugh. “Even dragons!”

“Yes, but I think even a baby dragon would scare me,” Kathleen said with a shudder.

“Don’t be too sure of that,” Anna said. She lay back in the water and watched the clouds drifting past. She saw a creature circling high overhead and stared at it, but it was a bird which soon disappeared from view. She heard a rustling in the grass, and flipping over onto her stomach, saw Blanche pushing through the weeds. She eyed her warily, glancing around to see if anyone else was with her.

“Don’t be so suspicious,” Blanche said. “I am quite alone.” That did not make Anna feel any easier, but she said nothing. “Doesn’t this look like fun,” Blanche continued. “But I am surprised, Kathleen, that you would join in such rustic pursuits.”

“Oh, shush,” Anna said, annoyed. “You can come join us if you wish, otherwise go find your own entertainments.”

Blanche raised her eyebrows with a grin, then stripping off her gown, stepped into the water. She sunk down to her knees, and dropped her head back in the water.

“I must admit,” Blanche said, “you peasants do have some good ideas at times.”

The army reached the border to Roderick’s kingdom thirty-five days into the march. A wide river, turned brown by the churning feet of the men seeking its cool relief, separated the kingdoms. It led to the ocean, and Anna could see watercraft plying the tides. Long, flat rafts lay pulled up the banks on the near side, large enough to carry the men and supplies over the water. The army had set up camp near the banks, where Alfred had ordered that the army rest for two days before crossing the border – an order that had Rupert seething with rage, chafing at the delay, if the rumors were to be believed. But if he remonstrated with his brother, it was done beyond the hearing of any of the men.

Garrick found Anna later that day. “How goes the marching?” he asked.

“Exhausting!” Anna averred. “We travel on horseback for at least six hours every day, and have to sleep in a
tent
every night. And then, to make matters worse, our meals are a paltry three courses, and we use the same plate for all the savory dishes!” She grinned at him, and he laughed.

“You have endured terrible hardships, indeed. I did warn you, but you were determined to become a camp-follower.” He glanced around, nodding at Kathleen when she looked his way. “I cannot stay,” he said. “I just wanted to find out how you are doing. I am glad to see you are still in good health and good spirits.”

“Of course,” she replied. “Do you think I am a wilting flower?”

“I know you are nothing of the kind,” he said. He lifted her hand to his mouth, and quickly brushed his lips over her skin, before turning around and striding away without a backwards glance.

That evening the queen dispatched a message to her husband and her brother, urging them to join her for a meal. A table was set up beneath the shade of a tree, and when Alfred and Roderick arrived, they were ushered to stools at the waiting tables. Tobias had snared a brace of pheasants and a rabbit, and the food simmered over the camp fire as wine from the supply wagon was served in silver goblets.

“Did you follow the army to enjoy picnic meals in the open air?” Alfred asked wryly, but Roderick just laughed.

“What else would you expect of my sister?” he said. He smiled at Matilda. “Only the best for you, eh, Matty?”

“Of course,” she said with a smile. “And you must admit that you are quite happy to enjoy a well-cooked and well-served meal, my lords.”

“Most definitely,” Roderick assured her, but Alfred remained silent.

The rest of the meal passed well. Blanche chatted to Alfred, while Roderick told Matilda about the march. “We lost a dozen horses along the way,” he said. “A terrible loss.”

“What about men?” Anna asked.

“Men?”

“How many men did you lose on the march?”

Roderick looked at her in confusion, then turned to Alfred.

“Did we lose any men?” he asked.

Alfred glanced up from his conversation with Blanche. “I think Rupert mentioned that there were a few who dropped out. Some of them died, I suppose, after one company got sick with dysentery. I don’t know the numbers, however. Fifty. A hundred, perhaps.”

“Ah,” Roderick said, turning back to Anna. “A few losses are to be expected. But fifty or even a hundred will not affect our chances at victory.”

Across the table, Blanche smirked. “Mistress Anna was born in a small village, where they believe each life has value of its own,” she said to Roderick. “People like us understand that a few sacrifices must be made to ensure the greater good.”

Roderick nodded and looked at Anna. “Clearly you have a kind heart,” he said, “but men who have to scrape out a meager existence from the earth or with their hands have little to live for, anyway. At least they died in service to their country.”

“And men will fight to death to free themselves from the chains of tyranny,” Matilda added.

Anna excused herself as soon as the meal was done, leaving the cheerful party behind her and wandering into the trees. The sun had not yet completely set, and she found her path taking her up a small hillock. She could see the multitude of camp fires as the soldiers prepared their meals – each one a son, a husband, a father or a friend. In the distance, beyond the river, she could see Roderick and Matilda’s homeland. It didn’t look much different from the countryside they had traversed, and Anna wondered what it was that made men risk hundreds, or even thousands, of lives, so they could lay claim to a corner of the earth. She still did not have an answer when she returned to the tent later that evening and tried to get some rest.

Chapter 36

The broad rafts Anna had seen lying on the river banks were used to carry supplies and the officers, but the rest of the army had to swim across the swiftly flowing current. Anna stood watching from the small hillock overlooking the river as the men swam through the fast-moving water to the other side. She saw one young man, no older than Kathleen, standing on the closer shore, wildly shaking his head. An axe was strapped to his back, and it swayed precariously at his vigorous movements. Another man stood with him, pointing across the river, clearly trying to urge the young man in, but to no avail. Would they leave him behind, Anna wondered, or force him into the water, to be swept away by the current? There had already been a few men washed downstream, their lives sacrificed before they even reached enemy territory, but something about this man drew Anna. Perhaps it was his age. Or the sandy-colored hair which reminded her of a younger Garrick.

As she watched, someone approached the pair. With the sun in her eyes, she could not see at first who it was, but when he turned slightly, she recognized Max. He spoke to the young man, laying his hand on his shoulder, and after a few minutes of earnest conversation, the young man nodded. He followed Max into the water. When it reached his waist, he started to wave his arms wildly, but Max turned and said something to him, and he placed his hands on Max’s shoulders. With a kick, Max was in the middle of the river, the man clinging to his back. Max was a strong swimmer, which did not surprise Anna, and it did not take him long to reach the other bank.

As soon as the young man was on the far shore, Max turned and dived back into the current, swimming powerfully and with astonishing speed back to the closer bank where the men stood congregated, attempting their own crossings. He scanned the crowd, then approached someone else. Soon he was swimming once again across the river, with a second man clinging to him. When he came back to the bank the third time, Anna saw Garrick walk towards him. He said something to Max, then turning around, pointed at one of the men congregated on the bank. There was a brief conversation, and then Garrick, too, was in the water, helping a man across. He was not as fast as Max, and when he reached the other side, he paused for a moment, hands on knees, to catch his breath, before diving back into the current. Free of his burden, he moved much quicker, and was soon picking out another man to offer his aid to. As the crowd watched, more men stepped forward, strong and powerful, offering their help to the men who could not swim, until there was a small group of swimmers carting men on their backs through the water, back and forth. Anna smiled to herself when she saw Garrick push some of the larger, heavier men in Max’s direction, and when one of the men turned to look at Garrick in surprise, he just shrugged his shoulders as Max laughed. Garrick, of course, was well familiar with Max’s strength, but none of the other men knew what Max could do. One by one, twenty or so men were helped across the water, until only Garrick and Max were still swimming back and forth. A small crowd had formed on the far bank to cheer them on, but Anna could see that Garrick was tired, fighting for each stroke through the river. It was after his fourth crossing that he fell to his knees in the shallow water on the far bank, pushing the man he was helping ahead of him. He stayed there for a moment before staggering once more to his feet.

“Stay there,” Anna whispered to herself, sucking in her breath when he dived back into the water. She could see immediately that he was in trouble, too weary to lift his arms. She jumped to her feet. “No,” she shouted as she ran down the little hill towards the river. “Help him!”