Elwyn Shadowblade (Complete)

Chapter 2

Elwyn leaned close to the rocks and saw the barest of signs: scuff marks made from hooves. She glanced about the dry gulch and nodded slowly to herself. Many horses had passed through here. She could tell by the strike marks which were scarcely visible on the stones.

"They came this way," Elwyn remarked to the dozen foresters behind her. Ostensibly they were all skilled hunters, but in reality they were villagers who were accustomed to hunting prairies and forests. The River Valley Canyons were another entity altogether.

"How long ago?" inquired Harqin.

"They were traveling too quickly for droppings," observed another of the foresters, a woman named Inez. Others nodded their agreement with her assessment.

Elwyn stood up, "I'd guess they came through here some time ago but we're getting close. Let's keep moving." She trotted off and the others fell in behind her. She didn't allow them to scout on their own or even to leave the close proximity of the group.

Wolves weren't the only predators here. Mountain lions were abundant as well as a number of poisonous snakes and insects. The landscape, which often appeared stable but was in fact very treacherous, added its own dangers. Those who didn't know this place well were bound to end up injured or worse.

Elwyn topped the short rise at the edge of the dry gulch they were traveling and found herself facing a narrow, fast-running, and deceptively deep river. Directly before them it was wider, but above and below that point it was a thin blue ribbon.

That was the other reason she kept the group tightly together: there were too many obstacles obstructing their path. Add to that the fact it was far too easy to get lost in this place and Elwyn knew she had a recipe for disaster. Fortunately for her the foresters didn't object to her instructions to stick together. They'd seen her work - and knew her reputation - enough to trust her judgment.

"We'll have to find a way across," Elwyn commented to Harqin.

Another forester, a tall man by the name of Ruben, piped in, "Can't we just leap the river? It's only broad dead ahead. Most of it's barely wider than a stream."

Elwyn shook her head quickly, "The banks aren't stable. That water is moving so fast its undercut everything. If you got close enough to jump it you'd be in it." She emphasized her point by kicking a large rock down the slope toward the river. It didn't even get within five feet of the river before the ground beneath it dropped into the water and was swallowed by the current. It happened so fast it took a moment for everyone to realize what they'd just seen. After that there was no objection to Elwyn's suggestion.

"Which way do you suppose they turned?" inquired Harqin.

"I don't think they did," Elwyn remarked as she turned south and started on a parallel course to the river, "That river is dangerous for people but horses, especially Count Rhys' supply horses, could've forded it. They'd have been swept south by the current but they'd have made it just fine." She pointed across the river to a hearty shrub which had clearly been trampled into the rocky soil. Harqin eyed the river and the shrub and shook his head in wonder.

The group continued their jog south over the up-and-down terrain as Elwyn sought a way for them to reach the far side. She finally found something when they came across two trees growing on opposite banks of the river.

"Jemma," Elwyn called to the young forester. He was barely sixteen but he was already an impressive tracker.

When he reached her side Elwyn gestured to a far branch that was thick and low on the trunk of the tree on the opposite bank, "Do you think you can get your rope around that limb?" Jemma gauged the distance before nodding and removing his pack. He drew out a stout rope and weighted one end with a large rock. Elwyn had heard Jemma was a skilled roper so she wasn't surprised when he spun the rope and let fly, catching the branch on his first go.