The Journeymen

The Gourmet Camp Chef

The trio rode onward into the evening before settling in a small clearing a few yards off of the road for the night. Jack knew that by leaving at midday they would be stuck sleeping on the road and not in the relative comfort of a rented bed in an inn or the spare bedroom of a farmhouse.

The road north that Jack and Chuck had chosen was not particularly populous or widely used which was exactly why they had chosen it. This meant that the master Journeymen and their apprentice would be spending many of their nights on the road sleeping in their bedrolls on the ground. It was a small sacrifice to make for the three travelers to be able to reach the town of Dumas with as little trouble as possible. At least that was what Jack hoped.

The three settled in their campground. Jack and Chuck agreed that a small fire in the twilight would be permitted as the tree coverage between their small clearing and the road should be enough to conceal a small cooking fire. Jack left Chuck and Anya to start the fire, again allowing Anya to practice the simple spark spell she had learned previously. Jack set out with possibly his strangest weapon to get some kind of fresh meat for their dinner.

Whenever on the road, Jack carried a slingshot and a collection of steel shot and smooth pebbles to hunt small game with. He was cautious with the bands as once his supply dried up he would probably never have any again but for the time being, his slingshot was a reliable source for providing food in the field with little if any noise. Jack had first picked up a slingshot as a young man who wanted some way to practice his marksmanship in the tiny backyard of his and Aly's first home. He had instantly taken to it and had used it successfully in hunting long before the Separation.

By now, Jack was an expert, if one could be an expert at using a slingshot. Jack briefly closed his eyes and while focused whispered, "quiet" which cast a spell that would deaden his footsteps in the lush underbrush of the forest. Jack did not need the spell for a successful hunt but he wanted to be quick and a little extra silence would help the already unassuming squirrel and rabbit population.

***

As Jack quietly stepped through the forest, slingshot at the ready, Chuck and Anya sat next to the pile of sticks they had prepared for the fire.

"Alright, kid, let's see you use that fire spell you did for Jack a couple days ago," Chuck said, sitting cross legged across from Anya.

Anya held a bundle of tinder in her hand and closed her eyes. Her mind drifted back to that early summer day on the beach with her parents. She concentrated on the warmth she felt and whispered, "ignite." Slowly at first she felt the warmth build in her hand. She opened her eyes and saw smoke and a small ember. She placed the bundle under a pile of sticks and blew gentle air into the smoky bundle. The ember in the tinder grew into flame and soon the pile of sticks was burning as well.

"Great job, Anya," Chuck said, looking genuinely pleased in her efforts. Then his brow furrowed thoughtfully. "From what Jack said, the flames started pretty quick last time and didn't need any help getting started. What was different this time?"

Anya had not even realized that her spell had not been as potent. "I don't know, I think I rushed it. I pictured my memory but I rushed through the memory because I wanted to impress you. I'm sorry," Anya said, shoulders sagging in embarrassment.

The older man chuckled, "Don't worry about impressing me, kid. And don't apologize to me, I'm here to teach you and you learn from mistakes right?" Anya looked up and nodded at Chuck before he continued, "The most important thing about magic is that it's personal. Every bit comes from something inside you. The memory has to be yours. That's the secret, at least from what we know now about magic. It's the power of your memories. So don't ever worry about impressing someone. Look inward, never outward."

Anya nodded at the Chuck. He was old enough to be her father and she had thought in the past when he came through town that she wished he could be. Chuck was the type of man that everybody wanted to be friends with. He was quick to smile and joke which was in strict contrast to his skills in the field and in combat.

Chuck was a ruthless warrior, lethal with any kind of weapon and even with his hands. Anya had seen him knock out a drunk that had gotten a little too handsy with her in their village while he was in town. She refused to admit she needed help, and in all likelihood did not, but Chuck never liked a bully and he knocked him out with one swift punch to the jaw. She didn't even see him swing, she only saw the effects of the punch as the man slumped to the ground. Anya was glad that he would be training her.

Just as the fire grew to the level that Chuck was comfortable with, Jack returned with two rabbits, one on the smaller side but the other looking fat and tender.

Chuck smiled at his old friend, "Honey, you're back with dinner!"

Jack rolled his eyes, "Only the best for my Chuck," he said sarcastically.

Anya giggled at the two friends, unused to seeing Jack be anything but serious. "I didn't hear a sound, not even foot steps!" she said, realizing Jack had his rifle slung across his back.

Jack held up the slingshot in response, "If we could find one of these for you I'd teach you."

Chuck stood and took the rabbits to begin preparing them for their dinner. They  would quarter the rabbits and cook them over the open flame on a portable takedown grill that Chuck had already assembled.

"Jack loves that slingshot. I really gave him a hard time about it when he first told me he hunted with a slingshot back before. Now every time we're on the road it keeps me fed."

The three companions sat down to cook and eat their evening meal. The rabbit meat would be supplemented by different rations they brought along from Jack and Chuck's village. Anya ate a peach down to the pit as the fragrant meat roasted over the fire, causing her already ravenous hunger to grow. Chuck carefully seasoned the meat as each member of the group eagerly awaited the main portion of their meal.

"Chuck is a master on the grill. I make food edible but he is an artist," Jack said to Anya.

Chuck laughed and winked at Anya before looking at Jack, "I wouldn't really call your cooking edible." Jack laughed and threw a small pebble at his friend.

Darkness had set in over the forest when Chuck declared that the meat was finished. They each ate their portions of the meat which would have been good even had they not been riding all day.

Jack looked at Anya between bites of meat, "So we'll all be taking watches tonight. We can't  be too careful right now. You'll take first watch, I'll take second, and Chuck will finish out the night. The first watch is always easiest, just take your rifle and make sure you have a round chambered. We'll know something is happening if you start shooting. Try to sit up in a tree so you're concealed from anyone on the ground. I'll come get you when it's my turn."

Anya gulped down bite after bite of meat. As a young woman raised by a single father, manners were not something she spent much time considering. She quickly inhaled her meat, wiping grease from her face with her sleeve. She was so absorbed by her meal that she did not hear a twig snap from darkness in the trees. She also missed the look that the two master scouts shared in response to the noise. The rest of the meal was uneventful and as the adventurers finished their food each set out their bed rolls for the night.

Anya took her place on a branch just above head height. She press checked her rifle and, feeling the cool metal of the shell casing, did her best to get comfortable on the branch she chose to occupy for the next few hours. Jack and Chuck both nodded at one another for a reason Anya didn't understand before climbing into their bed rolls. They kept their boots on and their sidearms holstered.  Both men performed by their own checks on their rifles while inside their bed roll, keeping their weapons at their sides. The two experienced outdoor sleepers then seemed to quickly fall asleep while Anya uncomfortably sat on her branch, focused on seeing and hearing anything in the darkness of the forest. Deep within the dark, figures moved, checking their own weapons and waiting.