Kara Varnya
“I am Sly Fox, great and benevolent leader of the Darkerwood Foxes. I couldn't help but notice that you're trespassing in our woods.”
Kara stared at the man sitting crosslegged on the stump. A mess of light brown hair adorned his head, under a small leather cap, and his eyes were also brown, some unremarkable shade. His features were common, indistinguishable from any numbers of commoners Kara had seen under Narma’s care. There was a woodsman’s axe resting across his shoulders, but he lacked the muscled bulk Kara would have expected from a woodcutter.
Kallaster spoke. “You're a highwayman.”
“Impossible. Do you see a highway here? This isn't Warrior's Path, this is the Darkerwood. Home to people such as me and mine.”
Kara looked around herself. Him and others. He kept saying that. Were they hiding behind the trees?
“You're a bandit, an outlaw, then,” said Kallaster.
“Ah, you have touched it with a needle.” He grinned, and stood up, then hopped down from the stump. “I'm an outlaw, as you say. Instead of being within the law, we live outside of it. Set our own rules, charge toll for the forest paths.”
“You mean to rob us?” Kallaster laughed. “If my bow were strung, I'd drop you where you stand. But as it is, I just have to have Lore shoot you.”
The man shook his head. “Raise that device and you'll meet so many arrows, you could fly with all the fletchings. I don't hold up travelers all by myself, and I don't like fighting the people I'm taxing.”
Kara cleared her throat. “You have a band of brigands all around us?”
“Clever ladies, yes indeed.”
It made sense, really. With enough force, bandits wouldn't be risking their lives in combat to steal, they simply had to convince their marks that fighting would be futile. Convince. Huh.
Kallaster glanced around and shook her head. “You try to rob us when there's a road stacked with corpses within smelling distance? Tell me, why not simply take from the dead?”
“Why, that would make us common scavengers. All we are doing here are upholding the laws of the Darkerwood. Now, if you would be so kind, I'd appreciate you putting all those weapons of yours on the ground. I tire of this prattling.”
Kara shook her head. It didn't make sense. “You... you're lying.” Kara glanced at the trees and bushes around her. “If you had a band of brigands, you would have shown them at the outset, saved yourself this conversation.” She took a deep breath and glanced at Kallaster for a short moment. “If you have them, show them,” she told the bandit.
The Sly Fox walked forward a few steps and leaned on his axe. “And who might you be? I know of the heroine and her lackey, but you seem a bit out of place.”
“I... my name is Kara.”
“Just Kara? Mark my words, I'll be finding out more about you than that.”
Kallaster laughed. “The Lady is right – you don't have any bandits, do you? Must have had a nasty run in with some monsters. Probably why the 'great and benevolent' bandit leader is no longer a highwayman, but sits on stumps.”
Sly raised an eyebrow. “You’d trust that alone? We men of the forest have perhaps the greatest advantage in times such as these. Skills of combat, the ability to survive away from 'civilization', even the wisdom to know when to run away.”
“I trust my senses. Lore, aim your thunderstick.” The girl raised the weapon, and there was a long, still moment. No arrows shot forth from the trees.
“I see. The tales are unkind to you, Kallaster Poe, Lady Adventurer. They paint you as an out of touch looney, kept alive only by the sore efforts of your lackey. But there is mettle and cleverness to you, isn't there.”
“The tales paint me as a looney?” Kallaster grinned, bravado over-plastered on her face. “Well, that's just one of my many advantages, carefully cultivated.”
Kara exchanged a glance with Lore, then addressed the man. “So it's just you.”
“So it's just me. And I may be an outlaw, but I'm not a brigand anymore. It's just Fox, now, or mister Fox, if you ladies would indulge me. Or Sly, if you'd rather call me that.” He shouldered his ax and shook his head. “Forgive me my play, but I was curious how you would deal with a threat.”
“Excuse me?” said Kara, color rising to her face. “You did that for your own amusement?”
“Not just! I didn't want to be saddled with a bunch of fools, you see, so a little test was in order. You see, I saw you three ladies creeping alongside the road, trying to keep far enough away so those things don't notice, but near enough that you don't get lost.” Sly smiled. “Now I went and said to myself, 'That's clever! Why, they might even get to Bluewater that way, and lose their lives there, instead.'”
Kara raised an eyebrow. “You were spying on us? I'm surprised Kallaster didn't notice you.”
“I know these woods like the back of my hand. Besides, the esteemable adventurer had her attention elsewhere. But that brings us to my next bit of words. See, you folks looked a little bit lost, worried. Bluewater's not two days’ journey by wood from where the king sits, less than that by road, and yet here you are, barely a third of the way. Must be something with all that stopping, and being lost.”
Kara's eyes flicked down to her sore feet, then back up again. There had been an inordinate amount of confusion, and a large amount of doubling back to find the road again. And there had been two cold nights in the forest, taking shifts to make sure nothing wandered over to them from the road. Now it was the middle of the third day... so, six days more to Bluewater? Parveno was closer as the bird flew, if she remembered her maps correctly, but they were going south then west. Six more days...
Kara checked over at Kallaster, who had raised a questioning eyebrow at Sly. The intent of his statements clicked together. “Wait... you can't be saying...”
Sly smiled at Kara, his eyes twinkling. “I am. Let's work together, ladies. The days of bandits preying off of wealthy, fat travelers are over. We're all just people now. And us people must stick together.”
Kara stared at him. “Have you taken leave of your senses?” Kara looked over at Kallaster and Lore. “We have no reas-”
“Hold that thought, young miss. I can get you to Bluewater in less than two days, if that's where you're going. That's taking the deer trails and creek-beds that only woodsmen like myself know – the traveling will be easier, and there won't be any dead city folk wandering around on them. You know you can't match that speed, and you know that every minute you spend down-wind of that road is a risk.”
Kara shook her head. “You ambush us, and then expect us to go along with you? You're just going to lead us astray in the forest, and attack us once our guard has been lowered. Tell me: What do you have to gain from helping us?”
“First of all, I'm so very glad you appreciate the sort of ambush where I sit on a stump, waiting in plain view, all by myself. It's very skillful, and I am sure you expect nothing less of me. Second, while you tell me that I have no gain in helping you, well... I certainly have no gain in hurting you. What am I supposed to do, ransom you off and sell your belongings? Again – this is not a kingdom for banditfolk, as of late. I'm just a Mister Fox now.”
Well, the man did have a point there. “But then why help?”
“Because I can? Out of the goodness of my heart? Or let's put it this way. You're the first people I've seen go down that road that look like you're worth my help. You're not going to Bluewater, after all. I imagine that place must be a deathtrap by now; the Lady Adventurer and you must be clever enough to see that.”
Kara nodded.
“Tell you what. I'll go sit on yonder stump, and you ladies can talk among yourselves.” The former bandit turned and padded over to the stump, and sat down among the roots. With a finger he tilted his hat down over his eyes.
* * * * * * *
Lorelei
“This is stupid,” said Lore, back behind a tree. “Kall, you can't seriously be thinking of trusting this bandit.”
“Who said anything about trusting? If I keep my bow strung, I can drop him with a moment's notice. So could you, with your thunderstick. All he has is that axe.”
“Oh?” said Lore. “He's got to be pretty good with his axe if he's the leader of a bunch of bandits.”
Kallaster shook her head. “A group of bandits that doesn't exist, and thus can hardly raise exception to him saying he's their leader. Some boast...”
Lore shook her head. It just didn't feel right. Of course, nothing felt right anymore, not since the plague of the dead, and being out in the woods didn't help.
Kara cleared her throat. “Sorry if this is rude, but didn't you tell me that you used to steal things? Jack knew that when he hired you, and he trusted you far more than we need to trust this man.”
Lore felt the color rising to her cheeks. “Yeah, but that was different. I had to steal to survive, not to sell things in town. And I stole food, I never hurt anyone – not like a bandit does.”
“Okay, so it's different,” said Kara. “But Jack needed a guide to navigate Archimeridies. We need a guide to navigate this forest. It just got me thinking, nothing more.”
“Well, I say we're doing just fine. We have enough food to last us to...” Lore glanced at the bandit, who looked to be napping. Always best to be safe. “...to get where we are going. Even if it takes us longer to get there.”
Kall shook her head. “I’m thinking that's not all, though. I'd rather get to Parveno sooner, rather than later. There's no telling when some some sick refugee is going to get there, or when some monster is going to wander up that road, and start making a mess. Time matters.”
“Down that road,” corrected Kara. “It's a downhill route, down to the lake from Warrior's Path. But I agree with Kall – the sooner we get there the better. The more I think about it, while traveling with this Fox fellow does seem risky to me, it doesn't seem any more risky that staying here. One of these days, the wind is going to change direction and something might notice our scent. Or maybe we'll run into one that wandered off the road, and it will do that screaming thing.” Kara shivered. “Or maybe we'll veer too far away, and get lost in the forest permanently. I agree with you that we can't trust this man, and that going with him is a bad idea. But all our other options are worse. I feel crazy saying this, but it might be better if we go with him.”
Kallaster nodded. “Same as before, three watches. I can't shoot my bow while asleep, and you can't fire your stick, but keep it loaded, and Kara can call for our help. At least we'll only have one person to worry about. One shot should be enough, and we don’t even have to hit the spine.”
Lore sighed. It was two against one, she couldn't convince them.
“Oh, and Lore? Thanks for playing the role of my trusty sidekick.”
“Your what?”
“Sidekick. Partner. You know.”
“I just didn't feel like talking to him.”
“Well, he's expecting me to have a clever, sensible partner, so just play along, right? You're from the south, my cousin, and you can shoot fire, m'kay? I'm just an archer.”
* * * * * * *
Kara Varnya
Kara cleared her throat again. Sly Fox still slept, or at least he still played at it.
“Kara, you're too gentle,” said Kall. The taller woman kicked Sly a few times the leg. The man's hat toppled off and his eyes snapped open wide.
“Oi! That's not very nice!” Sly grabbed his hat and jammed it back on his head. “There are gentler ways to wake a fellow than kicking them, you know. And you don't much kick like a feather, either!”
“I could have shot you.”
“I'm glad you had choices.” Sly made his way to his feet. “So what's the word? May I lead you to wherever yonder? Maybe work together in a way that doesn't involve kicking?” He glowered at Kallaster, who in turn suppressed a grin.
“Do you know where Parveno is?”
“Of course. I sell... well, I used to sell things there. Suppose it's a bit out of the way to be overrun just yet. That's where you're going?”
“Yes, our business there is our own.”
“Hrm. What kind of business?”
“Our own,” Kara repeated. “How long would it take for you to lead us there? We have food, so we don't need to stop so you can hunt.”
“Three days. And I'm more of a trapper than a hunter, really. I suppose I never never tried charging deer with my axe, though.”
“Three days. So if we aren't there in three days, we'll know you've led us wrong.”
“Four days then, to be safe.”
Kara shrugged. “Four days.”
“Well,” Sly said, walking around the stump and pulling out a green rucksack from behind it, “Then the nearest trail is over a few bushes directly north.”
Kara shook her head. North was backtracking, back in the direction of Archimeridies. She flexed her feet and started north.
“Ladies? The midday sun is south. North is that way.”