Lodestone Book One: The Sea of Storms

Chapter Twenty

Chapter 20

Lyall, Keris, Shann, Alondo and Boxx looked down from the Gilah Hills at the country spread before them. It was a rural landscape, dotted with what appeared to be small farms. Shann could make out fields of crops, ripening in the summer heat, and pastures containing what looked like domesticated raleketh. To the north and east, there was a river flowing from the hills; a bright ribbon which twisted back and forth before flowing into a shimmering lake. It was a welcome sight after so many days trekking through the barrenness of the Gilah.

The path through the hills had suddenly opened up onto a bluff overlooking the panorama beyond. Keris was standing near the edge, one leg resting on a small boulder. She was closely examining a small instrument in her left palm. It contained a type of lodestone, one that always pointed south, that travellers used to help find their way. Keris, of course, had never permitted her to have a close look, so she could only guess at its operation. Shann had a wild fantasy where she saw herself creeping up behind the Keltar. One good shove would send her tumbling over the edge. Problem solved. Would any of her travelling companions seriously object?

Suddenly the tall woman pointed towards the south-east. “Over there.”

Alondo peered along the line indicated by her finger. “I don’t see anything.”

“There,” Keris insisted. Shann looked out over the distant lowlands and saw a faint irregular patch of dwellings. “The village is marked on the map as Pinnar in a stretch of land known as the Distrada. Just beyond is the north-south road and a day’s journey east of that lies Kharthrun.”

“Pretty.” Boxx was standing on its hind legs. Lyall and Shann looked at the Chandara, but as usual, no-one was quite sure what it meant.

Alondo was still squinting at the horizon, as Lyall placed a hand on his shoulder. “What is the situation with our stores?” he asked the musician.

Alondo pressed his lips together. “Too low. The food we stockpiled on the Eastern Plains is gone and it’s been slim pickings in these hills. We need re-supply.”

“Then Pinnar is our next destination. Keris, what can you tell us about these people?”

Keris gave a blank look. “Nothing, really. The settlements are on the ‘tribute circuit,’ but I was never sent down this way.”

Lyall sounded cheerful. “Well, let’s see if we can’t make some new friends. Time to move out.” Shann tore her eyes away from the seductive view and followed him to where the sleek graylesh stood patiently. She mounted her animal, patting its neck, and waited for Alondo and Boxx to board the wagon. Keris took up what had become her customary position during the journey along the narrow hillside trails: alone at the van. It was a prudent defensive measure for someone to watch their rear, but no-one had asked Keris to assume the responsibility. The manner in which the older woman had fallen naturally into the role suggested much about her place within their group. She travelled with them but she was apart from them by her own choice–to preserve her secrets, no doubt, and to make it easier for her to betray them all when the moment came. Shann watched her as she sat high in the saddle, aristocratic and aloof. I know what you are about.

Since that fateful night by the stream when she and Lyall had lost the woman’s trail, there had been two significant events. The first became evident later the following day, when Lyall returned from his scouting mission and gathered the others before announcing, “They’re gone.”

“How do you mean?” Alondo asked.

“The Prophet’s men no longer pursue us.”

Shann’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”