It was nearly dusk when Grigor returned. He was covered in dirt and bits of plant debris. Scouting had taken its toll on many pieces of his clothing over the years, and he had taken to wearing very cheap clothing as a result. Burlap sacks were stitched together to make for coverings, underneath he wore patchwork cotton undergarments to protect his skin. An added benefit of his clothing was that he looked like a poor farmer and was left alone by bandits and soldiers alike, so long as he managed to keep his crossbow hidden underneath his ratty blanket/hooded robe. He even took to carrying a piece of wheat to chew on while on the road.
“Water,” was all Grigor could say. He traveled as light as possible, carrying just a small flask of water, piece of parchment, and a charcoal pencil, in addition to the hidden crossbow. He had drained the water an hour back.
Tink pulled his flask out, checked to make sure it was water, and then handed it over. Grigor drained half of it before handing it back.
“I followed a detachment back to a cave carved into the rock. They carried a large sack out and took it back to the main group. When they were gone, I went in and found it was a store of food. Mostly dried meat and root vegetables. I wished I had poison, but alas, I did not.” Grigor looked around for Davros, but continued anyway, “I did tear open one of the bags of meat and scattered it around the outside of the cave to lure wild animals. I pray something finds it before they can clean up.
“Where’s Davros, anyway? I don’t mind re-telling him what I told you, but it would be good to tell him at all.”
“He’s still not here?” Clink asked.
“He’s still not here,” Tink said.
Grigor frowned, and then his stomach rumbled. He decided to eat while waiting for the commander to arrive. He pulled out a piece of dried meat from the enemy’s cave and took a large bite. The flavor was strange, but good. He had expected goat or maybe deer. This was something unfamiliar. He decided to not think too hard about it and happily finished. He then pulled out a white carrot, also from the cave, and munched absent-mindedly while studying his rough map of the area.
In the center was where they had found the the enemy below. To the northeast was the food cave. West was left blank. He knew there was a forest, but no specific details. South was the city of Must, where they had received their mission from the local magistrate. Slightly east of the center was where they were currently. East was more forest, also largely unexplored. The area just outside of Must’s walls was not explored, as it seemed very unlikely the bandits would set up within range of the sentries’ arrows. They were three days outside of the city, so it seemed plausible they base might be anywhere in the unexplored areas of his map. He rolled the map up and decided to tuck in early. He would awake just before dawn and resume exploration.
***********************
A couple of hours passed, and still no sign of Davros.
“Clink, get some sleep. I’ll take first watch,” Tink said to his brother.
Clink was not one to argue when someone else volunteered to take first watch. He secured his pack and found a large rock to sleep next to. It still radiated warmth from the day’s sun. He hoped they would be back in a proper boarding house soon enough. Or at least, somewhere they could safely light a campfire.
Zand looked at the trees and found a large branch that looked like it could support him. He floated up a foot or so before grabbing onto the lowest branch and pulled himself up before scampering onto the best looking branch. He pulled his cloak around him and listened to the night jays chirp away before finally succumbing to sleep.
Grigor had already been asleep for the last hour. If one looked closely, he would see him nestled in a pile of leaves and earth. He would need to be up before sunrise, so he was exempt from keeping watch. As long as Davros returned before too long, everyone could still get a decent night’s sleep while making sure they weren’t ambushed in the night.
***********************
Zand woke to find himself alone. There was no signs of the twins, Grigor, or Davros. It was night, and the moon was obscured by the clouds. Still, he would have expected to hear their breathing in the quiet of the night. He rose quietly and listened more deeply, attempting to augment his senses with magic. He held his breath and strained against the nothingness.
After a minute, he released the magic and resumed his normal breathing. He dropped down and made his way around the camp but found no signs of life. Their supplies were present and untouched. Zand hoped no one was watching the camp and decided to risk detection by creating a flame. The light illuminated the area around him and he saw no signs of struggle. If only he had learned to track, he could perhaps follow wherever his companions went.
“What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” Zand asked himself under his breath.
He wasn’t sure how much time until morning remained, but he knew wandering in the dark was a bad idea. Even with the light of his magic flame, it would be easy to misstep and careen down an embankment. And what about bandits? This place was crawling with them. He shook out the flame. Better to return to town by the light of day. Yes, that would be his plan. His team had until sunrise to return. Then he would carry as much of their gear back with him as was manageable.
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I hope you're enjoying this story. I also have a zombie e-book on Amazon that I'm rather proud of.
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