We had made it half way to the house when a farmer, of all people, spotted us. He was a kind man with a heavy beard. A cart was with him full of food from the farm. He had been on his way back home after a long day at the market.
I thought we were done for sure but the man only asked why we were out so late and warned us of bandits and burglars. I had made up a quick lie for our night adventure and thanked him for the advice. We walked quickly away from him. I wasn't planning on that to happen again.
I scolded me self mentally for not hearing the man. I had been too busy trying to keep Will up straight in the darkness. He couldn't see well with out the light and it was becoming a great disadvantage. We were in a spot that Pete advised against the use of light because it was a popular road for merchants to use, so it wasn't helpful. The market stayed opened late on specific days so people traveled at night to make it back home the next morning. We had just been lucky it was a kind man then anyone else. All we needed to do was to get to the next road that we were going to use and we'd be safe for a while. We would be able to use the light too.
Will kept falling in the road over small barley visible things. I was able to avoid them easily but Will couldn't keep up right. Many times I had to stop and back track to help Will get to his feet faster. We had so little time to waste. A new marketer could be coming anytime soon. I tried to encourage him to move faster but he just kept falling. Slowly we made our way to the next check point in our journey.
This time I did hear the soft noise of chatter and saw a faint glow around the corner. I wanted to race to our next street that was feet away but I couldn't count on Will being able stay up straight long enough. There were very few places to hide and when the group came with light very few shadows to hide in. I made a quick decision to use the empty barrels that were a foot away. They were the only things close enough to hide in. They weren't large enough for two people to hide behind but they were large enough to fit in.
I grabbed Will by the arm and pulled him to the barrels. He almost fell but I kept him up. The light was getting bigger and the chatter louder. The group would be around the corner at anytime. I pulled open one of the barrels lids.
"Will, get inside. We need to hide." I whispered hurriedly. I motioned for him to get inside. He hesitated a moment before trying to get inside. The barrel was just big enough for him to fit in. The lid made him have to bend his neck and he had to put is knees to his chest but he fit. "Stay quiet. I'll get you out when they leave so don't move."
I closed the lid and attempted to open the other one. Of course the lid was stuck. I tried to pull it off with all my might. It didn't budge. The light was so close to the corner I could see shadows on the street. There was no time for me to run to the next street. I was trapped in a corner.
Then I realized I could make my own shadow to hide in. The barrel that Will was in was heavy but I managed to move it, along with the other one, to make a corner for me to hide in. The barrels were positioned so they would cover me from plain sight but also make a big enough shadow so I wouldn't show. Everything was positioned just in time as the group rounded the corner. I ducked as far as I could to the ground.
"What are you doing?" Will asked from the barrel. I was happy his voice was muffled some. The group was nearing.
"Shhh... They're coming." I warned not daring my voice any louder then needed.The group was nearing closer and closer to my spot. I prayed that my plan would work and they wouldn't see me.
Three men, a woman, a teenage girl, and a small child were in the group. They looked like they were heading home after a long day at the market. I stayed as quiet as I could as they neared.
Two of the men were talking to one another but I couldn't pick up any of the conversation. They seemed to be bodyguards for the family, probably to discourage bandits and burglars. They were armed and kept near the family and their merchandise. Even the way they walked seemed to tell me that they were professionals and were on duty. Something seemed different about these guards though. They had all the criteria but something was off.
A realization hit me. The guards were not grown men but younger. They must have been seventeen or eighteen. The age concerned me because if Pete was correct then the guards could be the ones hunting down Will. They were the right age from Pete's estimate and they were well armed. I couldn't pick out any facial features or hair color to be sure. I needed to get a better look at them for that to happen.
I heard one of the conversations going on. The girl was trying to talk to one of the guards. "Thank you for helping my family on such a late notice but you to seem capable for the job and it wasn't like there were any other guards around." She stopped before asking, "What's your name again?" The girl had a soft voice but I could tell she had fallen for the guard. The boy didn't answer. "My name is Melina." The guard didn't answer.
"Melina stop pestering the boy he has a job to do." The low voice of her father commanded. Melina didn't say any more but she didn't leave the guard's side. The father walked to the other guard. "I apologize for my daughter. She is a female after all and they love to fantasize about a knight in shinning armor so I am sorry. I am also thankful for you willingness to help us get safely home. You will get paid like promised."
This guard actually did talk, his voice was serious but not as low as the father's. "Remember that we are only taking you the past the dangerous district and that's it. We have other work to do still."
"Oh yes, that should be far enough. I know you two were on an assignment so I'm thankful for you assistants." The girl tried to get the other guard's attention again. "Again I apologize for my daughter." The man said.
"It's not her. He doesn't talk much especially on assignment. So don't take it offensively or personal it's just the way he is."
"Ah I see. Well I see why you do the arrangement making. How is the night do you think? I think it's been pretty quiet so far no trouble. Do you think we will run into any?" The man asked.
"I don't think so. We might in the one district before we separate but it's nothing my companion and I can't handle. Don't worry, we are being paid for a job and we are going to make sure it happens right with out much trouble." The group quieted and they continued walking. The only noise chatter was of the girl trying to get the guard to talk. Even the little one was resting on the cart asleep silently.
The group was so near that I could see the face of the guards. Just as I feared they where the two Pete had warned about. The one that was talking and seemed to be in charge was the one Pete described with the phoenix on his arm. It was covered up by an arm piece so I relied on the features of the silent one to figure it out.
I could see the scar on his right cheek below his eye. I could also see the small shine of the hilt of a sword at his waist. Now I didn't want to make any trouble for Will even though I wanted to see how skilled they were. I hoped he was hanging in there. He must be cramped in the small barrel.
Both the guards looked at my hiding stop like there was something behind the barrels. If they were by themselves they might have investigated but they didn't want to alarm the family so they left me be. I was thankful for the family and the protection of the barrels. If the light hadn't hit the barrels right they might have seen me. The guards were definitely professionals. Will and I had to be wary of them.
The family finally got a far enough distance away from Will and I for us to come out. We still had to be quiet and cautious. I opened the lid up with more effort then last time. Will slowly lifted his body out of the barrel. He had become stiff from his position. I helped him out of the barrel and let him stretch out.
"What happened? I felt you move me around. Did you even go into the barrel?" He saw the lid of the other barrel closed tight.
"No I didn't. The lid was on too tight. It was stuck so I improvised. I used the barrels to make a shadow and a hiding place for me."
"You mean I was stuck in a barrel that you probably would have fit in better. Why couldn't I be the one outside?" he asked.
"Luckily you weren't. The shadow would have never covered you. Plus the group that went by had your friends with them, the ones that are looking for you. They were escorting the family safely to their home. I don't know how long they will be gone so we might want to move it, now." I pressured. We left the barrels after I realigned them and put the lid back on. Will didn't fall as much this time as we raced in the darkness for a street that was much safer.
~|~
The candle was lit as Will and I made our way to through the woods. After the run in with the farmer and the hiding from Will's Trackers we had no trouble getting home except Will's falling but that had gone down to a minimum. The streets had been pretty quiet and the night was still.
The woods were a dangerous place for any one who didn't know how to navigate them. Will stayed close to me and I even let him have the candle so he could see. I guided us through the woods easily with out any troubles.
The woods were safer than the street so using a candle wasn't dangerous. Will even took off his cloak because it was hot outside. The moon was visible more in the woods then streets so light by candle wasn't the only way to see.
We reached home after an hour of the woods. I had made sure that we kept a slow pace after our long run. Neither of us had any sleep yet so we were running on the little energy we had. The night had been long and tiring. It surprisingly was a beautiful night still even after exhaustion. It made me want to sleep outside but I knew Will would be paranoid by himself.
After walking into the house Will went straight to his room. He just flopped down onto the floor and fell asleep. I don't even think his head hit his pillow before he was out. I wanted to do the same thing but I had to make sure everything in our pack got stored away. If everything wasn't put away I don't think it would be there the next morning. All the work made me more exhausted then I already was.
Everything was put away and I was ready to hit the sack. No matter how hard I tried to fall asleep I couldn't get comfortable. I wanted to be outside not inside in a hot bed. Eventually my exhaustion won over my stubbornness and sleep came.