Defenders of The Sacred Land: Book One of The Sacred Land Saga by Mark Tyson Page B

said as he placed a small bag from his pack beside the entrance to her tent. As he walked away, he stopped briefly and turned toward Lady Shey’s tent. He saw her arm reach out and take the small bag. Rennon smiled and then made his way back to his tent.

Chapter 6: The Woods
     
    Dorenn awoke from a fitful sleep to the sound of chirping birds. He had gotten used to the soft bed at the inn, and his sleeping pallet required some getting used to. The camp was already alive with activity. The women were setting up for breakfast, and the men were packing the tents on the wagon.
    “Are you finally awake?” Trendan asked. “Tatrice is cooking breakfast, and this is the last tent to be packed. We should move out in less than an hour.”
    “Aye, I’m awake.” Dorenn looked around as if he lost something. “Is there a creek nearby? The campsites are all starting to look the same to me.”
    “There is one a short distance from here. Are you going to wash up?” Trendan asked.
    Dorenn did not answer, but instead rubbed his bare stomach. “I feel like I have not bathed in days and I bathed just yesterday. I figured more rain would be falling this time of season. The road is so dry and dusty.”
    Trendan looked up into the clear blue sky beyond the trees. “It is true the rains are scarce this season, but as soon as we pass Cedar Falls into the woods, the rains will pick up and settle the dust on the road.”
    Dorenn nodded, pulled on his tunic, and started to pack up his sleeping roll. After he put the roll away, he helped Trendan dismantle the tent and pack his belongings away on the wagon.
    After a brisk walk, Dorenn found the creek and washed up. He returned to camp in time for Tatrice to bring him his breakfast.
    “Thank you, Tat.”
    “You are welcome; just don’t get too used to it. I expect you to wait on me hand and foot next time,” she said with a laugh. Dorenn rolled his eyes and ate his breakfast of ham and flat bread.
    The next two days and nights continued smoothly without incident. Lady Shey was over her bad mood by the second night and began to talk to Gondrial again. Speaking at length with him over a game of nine cards, even Rennon relaxed his suspicions somewhat, although Dorenn knew it would still take some time for Rennon to relax and actually trust the tall half-elf. Trendan and Rodraq shared the scouting duties while Vesperin and Rennon, and sometimes Rodraq, drove the wagons. Dorenn knew Trendan too well to believe he would be content driving the wagon for long. When Rodraq took the reins, Vesperin would sit near the rear of the wagon and pray. Dorenn never quite understood the cleric’s dedication to prayer, but he never questioned it either.
    On the third day from Symbor, the small caravan entered the large wooded area between Cedar Falls and Soldier’s Bluff. Rodraq estimated that the party would reach Soldier’s Bluff in the late afternoon. Just after the midday meal, the loaded down ale wagon hit a rut in the road and cracked a spoke. Dorenn and Rennon repaired the wheel to the best of their ability, but the stop delayed the caravan for several hours, putting their arrival in Soldier’s Bluff after dark.
    Lady Shey, remembering that the area was the same area Fadral had claimed to run into vicious animal attacks, decided that the caravan should try to make it to the village rather than camp in the woods.
    The sun began to set, and Dorenn could hear strange howls in the distance. At first, he credited the howls to a pack of wolves, but when the horses began to get antsy and spooked, he began to feel nervous. “How much farther? Can we step up the pace a bit?” Dorenn shouted to Trendan who was now driving the first wagon.
    “Another two or three hours yet, maybe longer,” Trendan shouted back. “We shouldn’t press the teams much harder with the load they are pulling. If the horses tire too quickly, we may find ourselves in trouble; besides, we can’t risk that broken spoke.”
    Dorenn