Pathfinder's Way (10 page)

Dane’s head tilted as he considered her
words. Her observations had merit. They’d all felt the tension in
the town over the last few days.

“We’ll stay the night,” he decided. Shea
pressed her lips together as Paul smiled smugly. It wasn’t her
place to argue further. They asked for her opinion. She’d given it.
On the trail her decisions carried weight, but in town it was the
expedition leader’s show. “First thing tomorrow we’ll talk to the
elders again, and if they continue to stall, we’ll leave.”

Shea felt a weight lift off her
shoulders.

“But Dane-” Paul’s argument ended when Dane
lifted a hand.

“I’m the expedition leader. Me.” His face was
deadly serious.

Shea couldn’t help but feel a bit of respect
for the normally easy going Dane. Since their return from Edgecomb,
he’d changed. He was less likely to spend his time flirting and
actually listened before opening his mouth.

“While in town, my decisions go. If you’re
not happy with the way I lead, you can take it up with the elders
when we return. Until then, keep your mouth shut and do your job.”
To the others, he said, “Pack everything you can tonight. I don’t
want any delays when it’s time to leave.”

There were a few grumbles, but they faded as
Dane stared each man down. No one challenged him.

Shea tried to be happy with the decision. She
really did. It was very close to what she wanted. They would be
leaving one way or another tomorrow.

Her eyes turned to the window.

A feeling in her gut said tomorrow would be
too late. That whatever everybody was waiting for would have
arrived.

When she was finished, Shea carried her plate
to the kitchen and scooped the scraps into the garbage before
placing the plate in the sink. Chairs scraped across the floor as
the others rose and began to clear the table.

“Guess you’re pleased that the boy is dancing
on your strings,” Paul said, shouldering her aside. He looked her
up and down, his eyes lingering at her breasts and hips before
curling his lip in disgust. “You must have a cunt of gold to
influence the ladies’ man of Birdon Leaf. And here we all thought
you were some type of ice princess.”

Shea blinked at the man in disbelief. Before
she could say anything, much less act. Witt grabbed Paul by the
back of the neck and slammed him face first into the wood
countertop. There was a whine of pain as Witt leaned close and
ground the man’s face further into the wood.

“You must be some kind of stupid, boy, to be
pulling this shit on a pathfinder. The very person responsible for
getting us through rough country. If she wanted to, she could lead
us into a beast’s nest and leave us there. Nobody would ever know
what happened to you.” There was another groan as Witt picked him
up and slammed him back down. “The amount of disrespect for both
our pathfinder and the expedition leader that I just heard come out
of your mouth infuriates me. I hear something like that from anyone
else in this party, and you won’t have to worry about what she does
because I’m going to rip the tongue from your head and present it
to your mama so she has something to remember you by.”

Shea’s mouth hung open as Witt stepped back
and shoved Paul in the direction of the stairs. It was the most she
had ever heard the man speak at one time.

And it seemed he wasn’t finished.

“I’m tired of the bullshit you lot pulled on
the journey here.” Witt pointed to where the rest, with the
exception of Dane, watched with gaping bewilderment. “When a
pathfinder tells you how it’s going to be, you listen. You don’t
question; you don’t argue. Same goes for when it’s coming from an
expedition leader. You got issues with an order, you shut your
mouth and take it up with the elders when we get home. The next
person who steps out of line, I will put back in it. I guarantee
you won’t like how I do it.”

Having said what he needed to say, Witt gave
Shea a firm nod and strode out of the room. Silence fell as the men
looked from one to another as if to ask what had just happened.
Shea, for her part, stared in bemusement after him.

She started when Dane appeared beside
her.

“I’m sorry for what Paul said.”

She blinked up at him and then scowled. “Why?
You’re not the one who said it, and I know you never insinuated
anything like it either.”

He gave her a small smile. “Still, it was out
of line.”

“That seems to be happening a lot lately,”
Shea muttered, massaging her neck with one hand.

“The elders don’t like you, and the rest of
the village follows their lead.”

“I just don’t know what I did to cause this
much hostility.”

He shrugged. “You’re a woman, and they were
expecting a much different sort of pathfinder. It doesn’t help that
you’re the type of person you are.”

Shea’s head lifted, and she shot him a dark
look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re quiet. You say something and expect
what you say to be followed but don’t explain why.” He held up his
hands when she opened her mouth to defend herself. “I know. To you,
it’s obvious. To them, it’s anything but, and they need that
explanation. Both the elders and the villagers fear anything
outside Birdon Leaf’s walls. That’s not the case for you. You
understand what’s out there and don’t fear it. For them, it’s this
scary place where danger lurks. They don’t like that, and they hate
admitting they’re afraid. Then this little slip of a girl tells
them how things are going to be but doesn’t explain why they’re
going to be that way. It freaks them out.” He smiled slightly. “The
women don’t like you because you’re pretty. They think you’ll try
to take their men.”

Shea frowned and then rolled her eyes at that
last part. He waited patiently as she processed what he just told
her. “And you? Are you the same?”

He sighed. “Before? Yes. I was exactly like
the elders. Now, not so much. Edgecomb changed things.”

He didn’t have to explain. She understood.
That place had changed all of them.

She didn’t know how she felt about Witt
coming to her defense as he did. She thought it made her seem weak.
That was something she couldn’t afford while on the trail. These
men needed to respect her and having someone ride in to the rescue
made that difficult.

It was kind of nice, though. It had been so
long since anybody defended her.

Dane clapped her on the shoulder. “Witt and I
have your back. Now these men know it, and they’ll think twice
about giving you lip. That’s not a bad thing.”

The corners of her lips tilted up as she
decided to be grateful rather than angry at the assistance.
Changing the subject, she ventured, “Can’t say I’m happy about
staying another night.”

He sighed. “I know. Me neither, but it’s
almost nightfall. With these laze-abouts, we wouldn’t be ready to
leave until well after dark. Just made more sense to stay the night
and get a start tomorrow when there’s more hours of daylight.”

She shrugged. He was the boss while they were
in town. Her eyes slid back to the window as twilight deepened
outside. It was probably a good call. Still, she would have much
rather have been sleeping out under the stars then spending one
more night in this town. Even with the comfy bed awaiting her.

“Get some sleep, yeah?” Dane told her.
“Tomorrow’s a big day.”

She looked back at him and nodded once. With
the table cleared, the men gathered around it with a deck of
cards.

Shea excused herself and headed upstairs to
her small bedroom. A bed took up half the space, leaving just
enough room for a chest to store her gear.

She crossed the floor, the wood creaking
under her weight, to light a lamp. With night falling, it would be
her only source of light until the moon was high enough to lend its
glow.

She carried the lamp over to the chest and
knelt, setting it beside her. The smell of lavender drifted up as
she lifted the top and pawed through her pack until she found a
clean shirt to wear to bed.

Once changed, she pulled out a map and
climbed between the sheets, placing the lamp on the end table.

Since they were definitely leaving tomorrow,
she wanted to look it over one last time. It was ritual more than
anything else as she had already decided on the return trip’s
course early on in their forced stay.

Studying the twisting lines and sloping
curves of a map normally calmed her, giving her a brief taste of
the freedom and empowerment she experienced when testing herself
against nature. Tonight, she found her thoughts straying to other
things.

It’d been a long time since someone had her
back. Since well before she’d been assigned to Birdon Leaf. It was
nice to have someone stand up for her. She was reluctant to dwell
further on this feeling especially while the worry over what
Goodwin of Ria was hiding from them lingered.

Sleep was a long time coming that night. When
she finally drifted off, she did so to the image of whiskey-colored
eyes and the rumble of a man’s voice.

Damn horse didn’t want to cooperate.

Shea tightened the saddle’s strap one last
time and bit out a curse when the dratted beast side stepped. This
was why she hated beasts of burden.

Her feet could carry her anywhere she needed
to go without the added frustration of dealing with such a contrary
animal. She had enough of those to deal with as it was.

It took a bit of pleading, cursing, and
finally bribery in the form of the apple intended for her
midmorning snack, but eventually she had the saddle on correctly
and her pack tied in place. She tightened the pack’s strap one last
time for good measure.

Keeping her head still, she let her eyes
wander around the small courtyard they were using as a staging area
to prepare for their journey.

Dane and Witt had left at the earliest
possible hour for their negotiations, leaving Shea in charge of
packing.

She placed orders for the supplies days ago,
in the hope that they’d be leaving soon. Despite her early
preparation, she had difficulty prying those items from the
merchants’ storehouses.

In fact, it took her most of the morning.
Now, at midmorning, they were finally ready to leave. If the
townspeople let them.

Given the men watching Shea’s group with
thinly veiled anger, she had her doubts that their departure would
be an easy one.

In these types of towns gossip spread like
wildfire. News of their imminent departure had made the rounds, and
a crowd began forming even before they asked for their horses.

Shea wasn’t the only one uneasy at the
attention. Burke and Sid eyed the watching crowd, noting the
dangerous undercurrent and grim faces.

A flutter in her peripheral vision had her
looking up. Great. People watched from the windows too.

Several men had their arms crossed over their
chests. One spit on the ground and walked off shaking his head.

“You ever seen anything like this before?”
Burke asked, coming to stand beside her where she was cinching
Dane’s saddle.

Shea glanced back at the townspeople.
“Once.”

When it was clear she wasn’t going to say
anything else, Burke stepped forward to rest a hand on the horse’s
neck while she bent to check its hooves.

“What happened?”

“Ambush. Killed three of our party.”

“No shit?”

“I was just an apprentice then, but when a
town gets this interested in your business, it’s never good.” She
paused in her ministrations and gave him a long look. “James and
Cam would probably tell you the same thing.”

He held her gaze for a long moment before
walking off without a word. Shea watched him go before turning
sharply back to the horse. Her movements were rough as she ran her
hand along the saddle for a last check. When the horse tossed its
head to avoid the bit, she nearly threw it at the beast. Taking a
deep breath, she hid her face against the saddle.

They should have left last night. She should
have MADE them leave.

Clearing her throat, she lifted her head and
made sure her hands were gentle as she got the horse to take the
bit and brought the reins over its head. Next, she moved to Witt’s
horse. Normally, she made the men do their own preparations, but
she wanted to put this town behind her as soon as possible.

She was almost finished saddling the last
horse when Dane and Witt strode into the courtyard with the elders
right on their heels.

Damn. She could already tell from the set
expressions on both Witt and Dane’s faces that the talks had been
pointless.

Seeing her standing beside three saddled
horses, the elders’ faces soured. The hawk nosed one sneered before
turning and hissing something at their head elder.

A thread of strain in his voice, the white
haired man said, “Please. Rethink this. You’ve come all this way.
You shouldn’t go home empty handed.”

“Yes,” the middle aged, black haired man
said, his voice amiable and placating as he stepped in front of
Dane. “What will your elders think? At this rate, you’ll have
wasted months of your time with no agreement to show for it.”

Witt strode past the cluster and right to
Shea, grabbing the reins. He spared a brief glance at the mob that
watched.

“You were right,” he said softly.

She didn’t respond and watched as Dane threw
up his hands before shoving through the three to stalk towards
Shea.

A horn sounded before he reached them,
blaring out in three sharp blows.

There was a breathless pause. Then with a
rush of air sound returned.

“They’re here. The Hawkvale is here.”

The square exploded with movement as it
emptied, leaving only Shea’s men and the elders standing there.
Burke and the others looked around in bewilderment at suddenly
finding themselves alone.