Hospitality

Chapter 37

Ban

“Ban, they aren’t slowing,” Ewen said in a heaving whisper. I nodded; it was all I could do. We’d been on the move since dawn and pushing our pace as much as we dared. It had kept us ahead of our pursuers but the distance between us wasn’t growing enough. They’d be on us soon.

“You won’t believe me if I tell you what I found. Go and see it for yourself, then you’ll know,” Hetcha’s words rang in my ears as I ran through sand and brush. She had been a stranger who’d come with a story of sanctuary to the hiding place of my clan. Yet she was Lepusan like us and we wanted the hope she’d offered, no matter how slim the chance of it being true.

We’d been on the move, never remaining long in any place lest seekers from Stromholt find us. Living rootlessly had taken a toll. Even the shadow of a chance had been enough for me to call for volunteers. A move I didn’t regret, though it would be the death of me. Seekers on the trail of the encampment had caught on to us and changed tracks.

Knowing we’d drawn them off our families was good enough. That we were laying eyes on what looked like the place we’d been told to find was bittersweet. Enter the desert and head for the heart of the mountains beneath the third fang. Simple enough directions to follow, even without the eerily detailed map we’d been provided.

I wanted to look back but forced myself not to. We were faster in a sprint and better able to endure long journeys than horses, but our stamina wasn’t infinite. Had they not been switching mounts for fresh periodically, we’d have lost them. As it was, they’d never drawn in close enough to so much as accurately fire an arrow.

Likely only seeking to drive us harder, they still took shots at us and one had finally found a target. Luck and skill conspired to land an arrow in the back of my cousin Calen. He let out a squeal as it punched through the thin leather coat he wore and into his chest. As he hit the ground I was already running to his side.

“Joss-” I meant to call for his best friend, but he was only a few steps behind me. It wasn’t an immediately fatal injury, but none of us was a healer. We also didn’t have time to attempt treatment and Joss gave me a knowing look.

“I-I can’t…” Calen choked out. His mouth rimmed in blood. He wasn’t even fourteen yet and I felt my heart harden. We’d started as a band of twenty and we were down to twelve. None of us had much strength left but I was determined to reach the rock formations ahead. I didn’t harbor hope anymore. I wanted to make it there and find helpful terrain. If we could manage it, then we could make our pursuers pay dearly.

“Ban, don’t,” Calen tried to stop me, but I wasn’t listening. Joss helped me get him on my back and then we were off again. Even if nothing could be done in the end, I wasn’t going to leave him. Not to be slaughtered or take his own life to avoid torture.

We were the last ones to reach the blessed shade of the stones. Traveling a few yards, I followed a bend in the trail and almost collided with someone. Hari who I’d almost run over stood with the rest of the band unmoving. Joss and I froze a moment late, just staring. Ahead of us was a human woman with a cart. Instead of screaming or looking frightened the woman regarded us with piercing golden eyes while I took in her armor. It was a stylish coat of leather and plates with decorative tooling.

“Were being pursued-” I started, wanting to urge her to find somewhere to hide. We’d been looking for a place that supposedly offered sanctuary, but we hadn’t expected to meet anyone. Particularly not humans. I felt nervous just seeing one, even if they didn’t display overt hostility.

Even so, we’d brought trouble with us and I didn’t wish her ill. She wasn’t part of our group and could avoid what was coming if she was quick. Instead, she shook her head and started pulling small red bottles from a satchel.

“The hermit knows and sent me,” she said easily. Hetcha had mentioned a wise and all-seeing hermit dwelling in the mountain. I hadn’t believed that part in full but found my skepticism shaken. The woman standing before us had supplies waiting but wasn’t equipped for travel, clearly waiting for us.

“Put him in the cart, I’ll treat him first,” she added with a jerk of her head toward the cart. I was hesitant for a moment, but my stamina was running low. No matter what I wanted to do I wouldn’t be able to carry him for much longer. Once Calen was in the back of the cart the woman fed him the contents of a red bottle then shoved the arrow through his chest until the head was revealed.

Breaking that off she pulled the shaft out then gave him another slightly larger bottle to drink. I flinched, wondering if it were just wine to ease his suffering. Calen nodded his thanks before laying down. His breathing sounded easier and he looked less pained. I looked to the woman and nodded my thanks. No matter the outcome, she’d done him a good turn.

“You two, sit with him. He needs tending,” The woman added, gesturing at seemingly random members of the band. They’d stood apart and done their best not to show their pain, but they’d been the most injured after Calen. They’d have sooner swallowed needles than admit it, but her words made it a duty rather than piety and they complied.

With a satisfied nod, she started leading the horse at a quick pace. The path was wide and clear, so we made good time, but I felt my heart sink. We only had minutes before our pursuers caught up if they were still pushing their pace. Yet we were still in the open. A few bends in the path might obscure us from immediate view once they arrived, but that was all.

Instinct told me to run but I fought it down. Having stopped. we’d lost the panicked momentum that had been driving us before. I might be able to get a little further on my own, but the band would splinter once we gave in to instinct. We’d be lost, outnumbered, and alone. I decided to bet on the gold-eyed woman.

If she knew the terrain well enough, or her master gave her special insight, then we might be heading somewhere to hide. If not, then it was still better to die with friends and family at my side. Mind made up, I felt better than I had for the last few days. One way or another, our running would be done soon.

As I felt certain the riders after us were near, my resolve finally broke and I looked back. What greeted my eyes was a seamless wall of stone ten yards behind us. The path had closed, and I stood still, at a total loss to explain what I was seeing.