FreeHolds Adventure, Cycle 3 Part 6c
Tipper had not seen the others on her way to Lekas, nor had she spotted their tracks. She was impressed by what she had seen of their raid. Sefla had distracted a large number of the soldiers while the others had been able to get Mokha into the camp where his fire magic had been put to good use. Seemingly they had all made it out and they had killed and wounded many of the enemy. After she had fled the camp, Tipper had initially headed west, then with no sign of pursuit, north. With the sun above her and still no sign of the enemy she had then moved eastward.
In the dim greenish light of Kallen, Tipper had almost missed Lekas, though it had more to do with her lightheaded condition than the darkness. The girl still moaned periodically, she certainly could not be very comfortable. Tipper had only noticed the homestead by chance, the sound of a dog barking had drawn her more southward. The place had been abandoned, or mostly so. She had not found the dog and no one came forth when she called out.
As tempting as stopping had been, Tipper knew she had to keep going. The wound on her hip throbbed painfully, getting Lady Sharlok to Andisal was her priority. She followed the road to Lekas, it seemed to take all night. Somehow it was still dark when she reached the outskirts of the village, Kallen was just a sliver along the horizon.
A handful of people moved out of the darkness to surround her, weapons in hand. She identified herself, thankfully someone recognized her.
“Who’s this, Tipper?”
“An important prisoner. Andisal needs to know immediately. Can you take me to the keep?”
“Of course.” They waited a moment, then one of them asked, “Are you alright?”
“Best you lead me there, if I dismount now, you’ll just have to carry me.”
One of the men said, “You heard her. Lof, get to the keep and wake Andisal and Del. The rest of you stay here, I’ll lead the horse.”
Tipper could see that embankments had gone up, to what extent she could not tell. There were more buildings than she remembered, she had the impression that there were many more people here than had been the case last year. She had not expected Andisal to sit and wait for the attack without doing her best to make Sharlok pay dearly for his ambitions.
When they reached the tower, Del, with a small lantern in hand, was waiting for them outside. Tipper advised, “Take her inside, out of sight, make sure someone keeps an eye on her.”
Lof came forward, Ethie was cut free of the saddle and taken into the keep. In that time Del had moved around and held the lantern so she could see Tipper’s wound, or, more to the point the large bloodstain across her hip, the saddle and down the horse’s midsection. “You’ve lost a lot of blood Tipper. Do you need a hand dismounting?”
“I’m fine.” Tipper swung off the horse, ignoring the pain. She would have collapsed if the fellow that had brought her here had not caught her. She was too weak to stand on her own. Embarrassed, she clung to the man, overcome with dizziness.
Del said, “Help her upstairs.”
When they reached the main room of the keep, Andisal was inspecting Lady Sharlok. She looked over to Tipper, frowned and said, “This girl’s been beaten black and blue.”
Del set the lantern near the small bed, “Lof, can you see to the horse?”
“Yes, Miss Del.”
“Oh, and Lof, not a word of this to anyone.”
“Of course not, Miss Del.”
Del gave Tipper some water, then started to cut her out of her armour. Tipper was a bit surprised when she started bleeding again, they settled her on the bed.
Andisal thanked the man who had escorted Tipper to the keep, “Give Lof a hand with the horse, then the two of you can return to your post.”
He nodded, glancing at Tipper with concern. She gave a nod of gratitude. He smiled and left. Del was asking her something but Tipper receded into the comfort of unconsciousness.
She woke with a start, alone in the keep. She could hear someone up on the roof making food. There were other people downstairs cleaning out the stables by the sound of it. The day was bright and warm. Tentatively Tipper flexed her leg, surprised by the lack of pain she took a look at her hip, she had a long pink line where the wound had been. Seemingly Del had been able to use her healing abilities on her. Tipper had not expected the Goddess of Mercy to show her any favour.
She sat up, feeling weak and achy. There was water and tea within reach, she sniffed the cup of tea then downed it in a couple of gulps. It was bitter and earthy tasting. She drank some of the water, leaned back against the wall and took a couple of deep breaths. She certainly was in no condition to get up but she was really hungry.
“Del? Is that you up there?”
Calathy’s head appeared from above, smiling, “Tipper, you’re awake! Del said you would probably sleep all day.”
Tipper was surprised by how happy she was to see Calathy, she smiled and took another drink of water before she replied, “It’s good to see you. Could I trouble you for some food? It’s been a while since I ate.”
“No problem, Del made a soup for you and there’s plenty more if you’re still hungry after that. I’ll be down in a moment or two.”
Tipper forced herself out of bed and carefully moved to the table. She was naked, but decided it was not worth the effort to search for her clothing. She shrugged to herself and sat down, it was not something she thought would bother Calathy.
The cook came down the ladder, a basket hanging from one arm, “Oh. You were supposed to stay in bed.”
“Easier to eat at the table.”
“Fair. Do you feel okay?”
“Better than I thought I would.”
“Good.” She set out a large bowl of soup, soft cheese and a bit of bread, “Do you want me to feed you?”
Tipper chuckled, “No, I think I can manage.”
Calathy reached out and took one of Tipper’s hands, her gaze was intense, “I’m glad you’re not dead. Most of us thought you must have died. Except Adwin.”
“No, not dead. Just delayed.” She gave Calathy’s hand a squeeze and then ate.
“I’ll be right back, I’ve a couple meat pies in the oven.”
Tipper nodded and kept eating.
By the time Calathy came back down the ladder Tipper had finished all the food. She asked, “Was Adwin out with the others?”
“Uh, yeah. How did you know?”
“I saw Sefla and another woman. I think it had to have been Mokha that set the army’s wagons afire.”
“You were with Sharlok’s army? I didn’t know.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Andisal sent Adwin out with a raiding force to see if he could delay the army a few days.”
“She put Adwin in charge?”
“Yeah. And Adwin led a bunch of us to Aramy. He killed the witch.”
Tipper was impressed, “Oh. Well, I was not expecting that.”
Calathy laughed, “I think most folks see him as a hero of sorts. Even Hidge and Whyse tend to follow his lead.”
“Hidge is here?”
“Yeah. She managed to get here a day or two ahead of us.”
“Well, good for her. Sharlok’s soldiers tried to arrest the company people, but the Maldorn chose to fight.”
Still smiling Calathy said, “I think I’m pregnant Tipper.”
Despite the smile Tipper noted that Calathy seemed upset, “Were you taking the herbs I gave you?”
“At first, but I either lost them or maybe one of the others used them to flavour a meal. Sefla’s kind of clueless when it comes to cooking.”
“I see. Are you sure?”
“Maybe not. I could just be late.”
“How long?”
“Six to seven eight-days.”
“And, if you are?”
“I don’t want to be.”
“Okay, why not?”
Calathy paused a bit and took a moment to compose herself, “Well… I don’t want Adwin to change his plans. I think if he finds out, he’d insist on settling somewhere… I want to travel with him, to hep you, to go to Maldorn and wherever else he decides to travel. I left GreensBridge to travel the world, not to make babies.”
Tipper nodded, “Well, we’ll know better in a couple eight-days. There are also other herbal options if you really don’t want to be pregnant.”
Calathy took a big breath, “I’m glad you’re back Tipper. I really should go make sure lunch is ready… I’ll let you know, when I know more.” Before Tipper could say anything further Calathy went back up to the kitchen.
She pondered the conversation. Tipper was not too concerned about the possibility of Calathy being pregnant. She thought it would be better to talk to Adwin about if first, even if it was likely he would get all protective. She hoped that problem might resolve itself before it became an issue. If and when it did come up, she would do her best to help Calathy.
Andisal and Del returned a few moments later. When Andisal saw her sitting at the table she pointed to the bed, “You are supposed to be resting.”
Del came quickly to her side, “I’m surprised you’re even awake. You lost so much blood. Here, let’s get you settled.”
Tipper decided not to argue and returned to the bed. Andisal took the chair that had just been abandoned and regarded Tipper with one of her penetrating gazes, her expression serious, perhaps even cross. “You have been busy.”
“I guess, yeah.”
“Maybe you should tell me what’s happened and what you are planning to do next.”
Tipper leaned against the wall, Del fussed a bit and put a blanket around her before going up to help Calathy. Tipper explained to Andisal what she had hoped to accomplish by killing Lord Sharlok and how that had come about. She told of her brief imprisonment and what the locals had found in the Roburns Trading Company’s office. Andisal’s expression turned towards anger when she heard that Lord Sharlok had been planning this for years with the encouragement of the Maldorn and how the banditry that had been going on for the last while had in fact been facilitated by Sharlok.
Del and Calathy came down with meat pies and more tea for Tipper, Del encouraged her to eat more if she was hungry. Andisal suggested she should continue her story.
Tipper explained the offer from Lady Sharlok, the agreement they had come to. Then she related the troubles the girl had with some of the people her father had commanded, as well as the tenuous nature of that army’s loyalty. After having drank some of the tea Del had brewed for her, Tipper explained her reasoning behind abducting Ethie. “I’m hoping this creates an option for negotiating peace, in exchange for her release. Or, perhaps forcing a contest of personal combat on the issue. Also, from what I saw, your band of raiders struck a telling blow. Mokha burned over half the wagons that had moved forward with the army. Maybe they’ll just pack up and go home.”
Del’s tea was making Tipper sleepy, she laid down and was content to let Del tuck her in. Andisal came over to her and said, “I appreciate the effort you have gone to, to try and prevent this war. One thing comes to mind that you may not have considered; abducting the girl might be the thing that unites the lords and marshals, bringing the army together with a purpose. We shall see how it plays out.”
Tipper had not thought of that, she was too tired to dwell further on the issue. She faded towards sleep, feeling a deep and tired sadness.
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