From Across the Clouded Range (69 page)

And slowly, very slowly,
he began to understand what had gone into the creature he had
joined. This was her entire life. It was the only thing she knew,
the only thing she loved. He understood why she acted like she did.
It was not a lust for chaos. It was not even a choice. It was the
way the Order had made her.
Just as it
made me to study
, he realized, connecting
his thoughts to what Teth had said. And taking him away from the
life the Order had crafted for him had been debilitating,
overwhelming, terrifying.
And I had
someone to help me, to guide me, protect me, show me how.
What he had done to Teth was the same as if she
had abandoned him in the forest to fend for himself. That was what
she had been trying to show him for the past week, but even there,
she had not been too kind to drive the lesson home.

Dasen felt his stomach sink. He
remembered what his father had said, “. . . the Order is more
complex than we accept it to be. . . . Not everyone’s path is the
same. . . . The differences may be good, a part of the plan.” He
saw now that his father’s blasphemy had been right all along. For
whatever reason, the Order had made Teth this way. She was
perfectly designed for the life she led and had taken to it like a
bird to the sky. And he wanted to rip it all away in the name of
that same Order.

He brought he head forward
then smacked it back into the tree several times, cursing himself
for the idiot he was, for making this all so much more difficult
than it needed to be. Surely, Teth would need to adapt when they
got to the city, just as he had to adapt to the forest, but just as
he would never be comfortable here, the city would never be Teth’s
home. Her life there would be every bit as hard as his was here.
And the only one who could help her with that, who could protect
her was him.
Just as she has helped and
protected me.

With the thought, Dasen suddenly felt
the overwhelming need to see Teth again. He wanted more than
anything in the world to apologize, to let her know that he would
not do it again, that he would be there for her the same way she
had been here for him. But now, after two weeks in each other’s
constant company, she was gone. An hour ago, he would have been
grateful for that reprieve, now he felt it like a hole in his
gut.

He found himself watching
the trees more and more urgently as dark thoughts swirled through
his mind.
Is she hurt? Did the scouts kill
her? Has she finally decided to abandon me and live in the forest
as she always wanted?
The idea cut him to
the bone, and he caught himself watching the trees trying to
picture her bounding into the camp.

As if his imagination had created
reality, he suddenly saw someone moving through the trees toward
the clearing. He could not make out the figure at first, but as it
came into view, his heart sank. What he had thought was one person
proved to be three. The scouts who had gone in search of Teth were
returning to the camp empty-handed. Teth was gone.

Dasen was crestfallen. He told himself
that it was for the best. He would have an escort to the city, and
she could stay in her forest. It was probably what she wanted all
along. He tried to cheer himself with the fact he would not have to
put up with her insults and abuse, that they were probably both
better off, but he could not make himself believe it.

When the scouts were in view, the
sergeant left the fire to meet them. A heated conference ensued at
the side of the clearing. Dasen could not hear the words, but if
the faces of the scouts were any indication, it was decidedly
one-sided and unpleasant. After a few minutes of what appeared to
be a thorough reaming, the scouts were dismissed and hurried to
join their fellows by the fires. The sergeant returned to the other
officers red-faced and puffed up so that it looked like he might
explode. Seeing his anger, one of the men consoled him with a pat
on the shoulder then broke from the fire and ambled toward Dasen
with the sergeant in tow.

The new man had a friendly face with a
broad smile and sparkling green eyes. He was taller than most of
the men in camp, and his build was moderate but solid. Solid that
was in everything but his face, which was decidedly soft, with full
cheeks, generous dimples, and an easy smile. That face stood in
stark contrast to the granite block that served as the sergeant’s
head to the point that Dasen could not imagine it on a soldier. The
soft features and warm smile were so out of place that he found it
difficult to think of the long sword the man wore as a real
weapon.

The taller officer – Dasen saw three
lines beneath his crest, a lieutenant – stopped a few feet from
where Dasen’s feet were sprawled out in front of him. He looked
like a giant from his perspective, and he felt a kink in his neck
from the strain of looking at him. "Hello. My name is Andies
Valgood,” the lieutenant said as he knelt to Dasen’s level. His
voice was every bit as inviting as his smile, and Dasen could not
help but like him. “My official title is lieutenant, but the men
just call me Andi. My sour-faced friend here is Sergeant Winnton
Rathman. I’m sorry that we left you tied up, but we wanted to find
your wife before we talked with you."

The sergeant grunted from behind. The
sound distracted his superior for a moment. Andi looked back at the
sergeant with a slight frown – the first time the smile had left
his face.

“
Unfortunately, our men
could not find her, and that has us a bit worried. The biggest
problem,” Andi’s voice turned serious, “is that it casts some
doubts on what to do with you. I don't think you were trying to do
any harm, but the fact that your wife ran does not speak well of
you. It is also strange that a woman could so thoroughly evade our
scouts. It’s a feat that very few
men
could manage."

"Your men don't know Teth.” Dasen was
so drawn into the lieutenant’s easy style that he did not realize
that he was speaking his thoughts.

Andi's eyes perked. He turned to the
sergeant. “You see. There is a simple explanation for everything."
Returning his stare to Dasen he asked, “Your wife is Tethina
Galbridge?”

"Yes, sir. You know her?"

Andi laughed, long and hard. “You
could say that. Our unit doesn’t often make it as far west as
Randor’s Pass, but your wife is a bit of a legend among the forest
masters. She’s had quite a few run-ins with the unit in charge of
the area around Randor. A few of our fellas even competed against
her in the games a while back.” He lowered his voice and grinned.
“Let’s just say, after that, it may be best they didn’t find
her.”

Dasen had not thought about that
aspect of Teth’s relationship with the forest masters. He now
remembered her specific instructions about not telling them who she
was, of not even telling them that she was a girl. Then he
remembered Pete Magee. He could only imagine the forest masters
hated her every bit as much as the boys from Randor’s Pass, and he
suddenly understood why she had not been interested in their
help.

“
And if you are married to
Tethina Galbridge, that must make you the famous Dasen Ronigan,”
Andi continued. He thought about that for a moment. “Is that the
case?” he asked when Dasen did not offer anything.

“
Yes, sir. I am Dasen
Ronigan. Tethina and I were joined in Randor’s Pass two weeks ago
now.”

Andi stared at him again for a long
moment. Eventually, he turned to the sergeant. “What do you think,
Winnton? Do we believe him? He doesn’t look much like the heir to
the Kingdoms’ greatest fortune.”

The sergeant harrumphed. “Well, the
girl’s gotta be that Galbridge bitch. She’s the only one who’d lose
our scouts like that.” It was only when he saw Andi’s hard stare
that the sergeant seemed to realize what he had just said, and to
whom. “My apologies, sir, my tongue got away from me. I didn’t mean
any insult against your wife. It’s no excuse, but I used to be
stationed around Randor, and she did give us more trouble than
most.”

“
I understand,” Dasen
managed, though he wanted to hit the man – maybe Teth was a bitch,
but she was his bitch.

“
Thank you,” Andi smiled,
“I assure you that Sergeant Rathman will be disciplined for his
disrespect.” He spared the blockish man another stern look. “I, for
one, believe your story. We were told to be to on the watch for
strange activity associated with your joining ceremony, and
everything else seems to fit. And even if you aren’t Dasen Ronigan,
I don’t think you’re a threat. But we can’t be too cautious these
days, so before I let you go, I want to hear your story. Be brief
for now, but we may ask you to tell it again in greater detail, so
be sure you speak the truth."

Desperate to get away from the tree,
Dasen told his story in as quick and concise a form as he could. He
did not hide anything excepting the parts that included the
creatures – he doubted the wisdom of revealing that while tied to a
tree under suspicion. His interrogators ask a few questions as he
spoke, but the tale seemed to hold few surprises. When he was
finished, the conversation died, and there was a tense
moment.

The lieutenant ended the stalemate
with a motion to the guard who was standing off to the side. The
stubby man pulled a short knife from his belt and covered the few
steps that separated him from the tree. Andi stood to his full
height and backed away. The sight of the knife made Dasen’s heart
leap, and Andi's movement away did nothing to assuage his fears,
but the guard just crouched behind him and sliced the leather
straps that held his hands.

Dasen rubbed his wrists and started to
stand, but his legs were stiff, and it took him some time to
convince them to function. When he was upright, Andi held out a
hand. "It is nice to meet you, Lord Ronigan. I am sorry to have
detained you.” His voice was strangely formal. “Would you please
come with me so we can introduce you to our captain?"

The captain of this unit of forest
masters was older than the others by many years. He wore his silver
hair long, held in a great tail by a series of bands that ran down
his back. His beard contained more silver than black, and he wore
it in a well-trimmed square around his mouth. He was not a very
large man – slightly taller than the sergeant but less broad. His
face resembled the sergeant’s more than Andi’s, but it was narrower
and better proportioned with less severe features and a triangular
chin. Slight wrinkles appeared to have been chiseled around his
striking cool-blue eyes, which looked like they could erupt at any
moment in a shower of freezing stares.

One of those stares caught Dasen and
held him as if measuring him by his ability to hold it. He was
trapped in that glare for what felt like a long time before the
eyes turned to the remainder of him, scanning down his body then
coming back up to meet his eyes again. When the inspection was
complete, the captain turned to Andi, who whispered a few words in
his ear. The captain's eyebrow went up, and he again examined his
captive from top to bottom. He quirked his mouth in thought and
stared at Dasen as if trying to bore a hole through him with his
eyes. The other two officers stared just as intently, mimicking the
actions of their leader, but neither of them had the glare of that
old man.

"Welcome, Lord Ronigan.” The captain
broke the examination by extending his hand and crushing Dasen’s in
a powerful grip. “I have heard good things of your father, and you
are welcome in our camp."

"Thank you, Captain." Dasen tried to
keep from wincing.

"I am sorry about your ordeal today.”
The captain released him and smiled. It appeared genuine and made
his face seem slightly less stern. “It was not my intent to
discomfort or frighten you, but we too have had some problems with
the invaders as, I hear, you have also decided they must
be."

There was a short pause. Dasen nodded,
and the captain gave him another reassuring smile. "I have not
introduced myself. I am Derrik Hobbleswood, Captain of the Uhia
District Forest Masters. I believe you’ve met my remaining
officers." He motioned toward Andi and Winnton, and each nodded in
acknowledgement. "I will want to hear every detail of your journey,
but that can wait until you have had a chance to
recover."

A guard already stood behind Dasen
with a small bowl of cold water, a hand towel, and a razor. He led
him away to another side of the clearing where he washed his face
and shaved off as thick a beard as he’d ever had. Another man
presented him with a fresh shirt, but it was too small, so he
stayed with the, now tattered, one he’d found at the first
freehold.

He was eventually escorted back to the
small fire where the officers continued their discussions. As he
approached, the captain flicked an eyebrow, and the other two fell
silent. The circle parted to allow Dasen’s entry in a spot opposite
the captain.

Dasen diverted his eyes to the small
fire while the captain spoke to the guard who had brought him.
"Scout, if the food is ready, I think that we could eat. Bring us
each a plate of whatever is over there. Following that, you may
join the others. I’m sure we won’t need your help with this
one."

"Yes, sir!" the scout
saluted.

The captain caught the young man
before he could escape and added, "Scout, make sure there are
guards on duty at all times, even while they’re eating and all
through the night. There is no room for complacency."