Exploring the Wide Green World

Chapter 1

It was a bad day, in a bad week in what has been shaping up to be a bad life... Lilly tried to ignore the whispers and the stares. There wasn’t anything she could do about it anyway. She couldn’t un-be what she is, it’s not like she asked to be the one who’s different. Even daddy has turned against her. Ever since her 14th birthday when these new visions came on. She just knew things and saw things she couldn’t. Daddy had said it was because her mom was a whore. Everyone says “don’t speak ill of the dead” but since her mom passed 4 years ago in child birth no one had had a good thing to say about her or Lilly since. She’s almost a grown woman now, be 18 next month but then what? Marriage? In this town? Not likely.

Leave town... yeah but where would she go and what would she do besides whoring. Sure wasn’t no one here going to give her a chance. Working keeping house for the family didn’t exactly turn coin either so it wasn’t like she could even save up enough to buy passage on one of the trade wagons.

Oh it wasn’t always this bad, when she was little and daddy didn’t know she wasn’t his and mommy was happy and not sad all the time... but those memories just didn’t matter now. She had to think of something... Her little brother needed his dinner and if it wasn’t ready daddy would get mad and then it would be the fighting all over again. Why can’t daddy just be happy and things go back to the way they were before but every time he looked at her lately she could just see the anger boiling in his eyes.

Maybe Bobbie Stockton was a way out. Oh not a good way to be sure, but he said he would sneak her out to Lumpton Market in his wheat shipment if she would just lay with him that night when they made camp. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Bobbie wasn’t exacty ugly once you got past the smell but well this wasn’t how she wanted to live and once you started then... well then just didn’t bear thinkin on none becuse that just makes the evil whisperers right. There was that nice big blond Lakewalker Patroler who came through every couple of years. He seemed nice and everyone knows Lakewalkers don’t marry Farmer girls. That’s why it’s so stupid them calling me half breed and daddy thinking momma cheated on him with a Lakewalker. Everyone knew that the two didn’t mix and when you tried it just made everyone miserable. Maybe he could get me to Lumpton Market though... Lilly just got busy with getting dinner ready all the while dreaming of the tall handsome Lakewalker who got her away from this trap this prison... ahh dreams are just that you haven’t even seen that patroller since mamma died. Lilly shook her head and started setting the table and hoping that daddy had made good money in the smithy so he would be in a good mood and not pick a fight.

Chapter 2

Dav’n Bluefield had only been home two weeks and already was feeling like he was in shoes three times too small for him. It was bad enough last time when he came back after the boat trip with Aunt Berry but nothing prepared him for coming home this time. Sage and Calla had treated him like a grown man. Trusted him. Indigo helped him understand that not being able to get his groundsense past his own finger tips wasn’t something to be ashamed of anymore than having his mom’s pale skin or his dads dark hair. Hell he had a bit more groundsense range than Indego and look at what a huge business Indego has built just stabling animals. He almost makes as much as Sage does in the forge and had a lot lower start up costs which absent gods knows Uncle Witt would approve of... CRASH! Blight it, while he had been woolgathering instead of concentrating as he was supposed to be, the large crate of Tripoint tools brought from Sages shop down river to go out on the next boat in the next week hit the ground and slid down the hill side. After a panicked look around to make sure no one was injured, then the yelling started.

Uncle Witt had a right to be mad, it was my fault and it could have gotten people hurt but did Ma have to go on and on again about it. I picked up the tools and re-crated it all. I’m 15 not 5 and the whole “I thought you were a bigger boy than that” like I’d just had an accident in my pants was just too much. Of course Da was no help. Oh he may not get crazy like Ma but he’ll never contradict her and so I just gotta deal with it. Then of course we get to hear all about my cousin Band and sister Natti-Mari did on their first patrol and how they were heroes because they had groundsense that could go out for over a half a mile. I don’t begrudge them their praises but they get to get out and DO something about building a future and I am stuck here. Going to spend all spring and summer helping Da and Arkady build ground shields for farmers and stitch up cuts and set bones just like I was 10 all over again. I got to come up with a better plan and soon or I’m going to say something to someone that won’t help anyone. I love my family but can’t I just love them from a little distance until they see ME and not a son shaped object.

Dav’n ran to bed early that night and tossed and turned dreaming about how to run away without having to run away... for the first time he was thinking about the stories Da used to tell about taking every patrol he could get just to be away from camp.

Chapter 3

Well that didn’t go the way she wanted it to... Lilly thought bitterly to herself “you fool what did you expect it was going to be that easy”. Three days ago Lilly had saw her chance and tried to take it when a trader had passed through the village on it’s way to the oil rock country. Was taking a load of Furs from Luthlia so when the wagon slowed down to go though the ford she snuck out of the weeds beside the road and slipped in between the bails. This worked just fine until he stopped to make camp for the evening and said to her, “well you’ve got your ride so come on out and give me mine”. He had known she was back there. Known from the very start and didn’t say anything until now... Lilly was confused and said to him “what?... what do you mean?” The old wagoner smiled his gap toothed smile and said “well you shared my wagon, so you can share my bed. If you do like a good girl then I’ll take you on down the road to where you want to go. Each day you ride my wagon, ” his grin took on a starved look to it” and at night I ride you”. He reached out for her left ankle at the edge of the wagon and began pulling her toward him. Well instinct kicked in and she kicked her right foot up and caught him just under the point of his chin. His eyes rolled up in his head and down he went. Terrified and out of her element she ran off back down the wagon trails back towards home, even such as it was. So one day of riding and two days of walking back and dithering on what to do has left her here just outside of town crouching dirty, hungry and exhausted in the same weeds she waited in to sneak on to the wagon. Three days and not only nothing to show for it but a mountain of trouble waiting when she had to face daddy again.

Chapter 4

Dav’n had been making preparations for the last week getting his pack together on the quiet drying some plunkin on some makeshift racks out behind the pond where the bee hives were. No one ever came back there until honey harvest so it wasn’t likely to be discovered. He wasn’t very good at veiling his ground and despite the fact that he couldn’t get range to save his life everyone said it was dense as his Da’s and bright as Ma’s, so trying to sneak around home with all the folks with groundsense that could extend for almost a mile took some real ingenuity. Two hunting trips to exercise his stallion Shade and leave cashes of spare tarps and saddle bags as well as a little vennison to add to the drying plunkin. It may not have been the best thing to do but they were never going to accept that he had grown up. It didn’t help that he had his Ma’s height. Even at 15 he was doing good to top out at five foot. Da said he was just a late bloomer and would grow into it but Dav’n didn’t believe him. Oh he might get as tall as Uncle Witt but that would always mean he was going to be smaller than his Lakewalker relatives and so always going to be at the disadvantage. It really wasn’t fair because even his sister took after Da and was tall and had good groundsense for a Lakewalker and she was just a halfbreed too. “Halfbreed” he hadn’t even heard the term before his trip down river. Aunt Berry and Uncle Witt tried to shield him from the comments but his ears work just fine. Ah well I’ll show them all what a sawed off halfbreed Bluefield can do. If I can’t be stronger, then I’ll just be smarter... Dav’n smiled as he pulled the short leather case up and pulled out his custom bow. He’d built it in Sage’s shop in Tripoint. It was all steel with little pullies built into each end to help him draw the stronger steel springs. Best of all it was never unstrung, it just folded in half when the pin was depressed and so only took up as much room as a full quiver of arrows. Also made it more maneuverable to shoot from horseback. Yeah it took a little longer to ready because it was so heavy and the draw was really too much for him but not that much too much and eventually he’d just get stronger that much he knew. It was a sound making, and he did it. Not quite as powerful as the little cross bows but he could put three arrows down range with authority (if not perfect aim yet) before the cross bow could be reloaded. Da could put three arrows in a plunkin across the pasture from a galloping horse and Aunt Sumac could get two and everyone else could get two half of the time. Dav’n was lucky to hit it once most of the time and every once in a while would hit it once and scratch the side once. Uncle Witt says that is better than he can do but I think he’s just trying to make me feel better.

Days dragged on and on until he finally got the break he was looking for, someone needed Da to go up Clearcreek about 10 miles for a woman having a hard birth. Aunt Sumac was going with him and Arkady was working on a project and completely absorbed. With his sister and eldest cousin out on their patrol there was no one with groundsense paying attention when he left his note, gathered his equipment and weapons, saddled Shade and slipped off into the evening.

Chapter 5

Glassforge was huge after living on Clearcreek, oh he’s been south with Aunt Berry so he had seen bigger but he wasn’t here as a chaperoned kid, he was here as his own man and it felt great. Free. He stayed at the hotel in town that his family usually stayed at but paid for his room, hoping he wouldn’t be recognized.

Ok so it wasn’t as exciting as all that. The hotel was pretty expensive if he was going to stay long and well other than flirting with the maids it wasn’t all that exciting so the next morning he woke up early and left a note at the front desk for “Tent Bluefield” to go out with the next passing Lakewalker courier.

Riding hard north along the straight road Dav’n made good time and Shade was glad to stretch his legs. It felt good to be free to see things himself and not be “protected” from life. Knowing the spot from his parents stories he turned off the main road and checked on the old blight where they had fought their malice. The ground wasn’t recovering fast but you could see life fighting back. Of course he didn’t know what it looked like nearly 20 years ago when they killed the Malice. Ah well enough of this, it’s time to cut north from here and head the back trail toward West Blue. Before I head out to parts unknown it will be good to see Uncle Fetch and Gran again. He wanted to stop by Hickory Lake too to see where Da had grown up but he thought Fairbolt might not let him leave again and sneaking away from Lakewalkers is why he had to delay this trip for three weeks in the first place.

The weather was cool over night but the boatman's cloak his mother made him for his trip down river two years ago still fit well enough to keep off the chill and the dew so he didn’t even rig the tarp most nights. Three days travel he came across a small hamlet and thought that a meal that wasn’t dried plunkin and even drier venison sounded like the ticket.

There was a little shop on the main strip across from the smithy that served warm bread liberally smeared with good salt butter and stream chilled hard cider and at this point that seemed a feast. He was sitting out front at a little bench thinking about ordering another cider when he saw a commotion across the street. A tall blond woman like something out of the legends of the old Lake Lords in a torn and dirty dress was screaming at the large man in a smiths apron. He was roaring back like a bear trying to corner a golden swan with a broken wing. Dav’n looked to the older woman who was picking up cider mugs from the other tables. She just shook her head disapprovingly and said “ran off with a trader and was gone fro three days and her Da is good people and won’t tolerate whoring like that. Too good for her anyway, take in a kid like that. I mean you can tell she’s half breed and not his kin though he treated her like it... ” the old woman looked a little closer at Dav’n and her eyebrows drew down as she saw the distinctive flecks of gold in his eyes too... she harumphed and started back inside just as things heated up across the street.

Chapter 6

Well there’s nothing for it but to go back and face it... Lilly stood up and smoothed her dirty ripped frock and started walking down the main street back to the smithy. She hesitated outside the door for an instant, an instant too long and the door flew open and there was daddy and his face was red with anger.

“So the whore comes back to me, like mother like daughter”

Lilly was in shock, “I didn’t do anything but try to get a ride into a bigger town to get a job”

“Sure, I heard about your ‘deal’ with that Stockton boy. Just couldn’t wait until harvest eh. Guess you’ve just got whoring in your blood. Now you think you’re just going to come back here like nothing happened?!” The smith’s face was turning purple as years of silent rage and humiliation bubbled up out of him.

“If you’re mad at me be mad at me but leave mom out of this” Lilly rushed forward toward him. “You remember mom who you pushed away and pushed away with your accusations” now she was letting vent her own frustrations. “Mom was probably glad to die, because it seems to be the only way to escape you!!”

Lilly said it and knew it wasn’t fair, she knew it wasn’t good to say and just as she was thinking about how to take it back SMACK and the whole world exploded. She hit the ground before she knew she was falling and the lights flashing before her eyes

Dav’n had been watching the shouting match and watched the Swan tuck away her broken wing and charge the bear, and then what happened is exactly what you would expect of such a move the bear taught the most beautiful of golden swans that it was in fact just a swan and no match for the bear. Dav’n was on his feet before the girl hit the dirt. He hesitated a moment, it was her Da and his Da would have put him on his ass for that kind of disrespect but... and then when the bear started to close in on the injured swan Dav’n could hold back no more and mounted Shade with a single spring and snatching up his hunting spear charged across the street, turning at the last moment to bash into the large smith with the flanks of his horse. Bear or not, very little could take a hit from Shade and stay standing. While the smith was struggling to his feet, Dav’n brought Shade between the Smith and his daughter. The spear point touches the smith’s chest and Dav’n in a quavering voice says “she’s not yours to hit any more”.

The smith was furious at being threatened at the end of a spear by a boy barely able to shave, but it was a spear and the horse gave the boy the edge... “fine you want her then YOU take her, she has no home here anymore. Go and don’t come back.”

Dav’n backed Shade away from the smith to where he could offer the girl a hand up without giving the smith an opening to attack him. Trying for his most convincing voice that of course picked that moment to crack “come with me, and we’ll find you someplace better” as he reached his left arm down to help her up on Shade behind him.

Lilly’s world came crashing down as the only father she had ever known disowns her and throws her to this stranger as if discarding a melon rind. In shock and not sure what to do she reaches up for the only outstretched hand that’s there to help her through this and is pulled up behind him and off they go. Not being used to be on a horse she clings to him for dear life “you really should be away from here before daddy thinks on it for too long and decides to get a mob together to come after us” The man just grunts and she holds on tight as they head north out of town. Some of the excitement wears off as a couple of miles out he slows the horse to a walk and she realizes he’s much smaller than she first thought. He’s younger than me she realizes with a surprise.

“So what now” she asks him. He laughed “thought I’d ask you that question” . She wasn’t laughing. Lilly thought about it now she was out with another strange man and now she had no home to go back to. What can she do, and finally the anger and stress fall away and she crumbles into tears. “hey hey it was a joke... it’ll be ok. We’re only about a day and a half ride from my Gran’s farm. We’ll go there and she’ll know how to help. Don’t cry. Please don’t cry, I don’t know how to fix that”. Well that sure helped things because all of a sudden she started crying even harder and just held on to his back like it was the only thing solid in the world... speaking of solid, her grip was pushing her ample chest into his back and while this wasn’t the time to be thinking of that he IS a fifteen year old healthy boy and she really is beautiful with high cheek bones and delicate facial features silver/blue eyes and hair like spun gold. She can’t really be much older than me he thought.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we just pull up here a couple of miles up and find us a little spot to wait for a day or so. Give you time to think and if your Da does get a mob together we can be where they’ll just go right past us.”

“NO!!” Lilly screamed in near panic. He just wanted to camp so he could make her lay with him like all the rest of the men. “We need to go on” she said with a bit of desperation. “I need to get away if they do send someone to bring me back”. She turned her groundsence toward him and then was hit with a real quandary, he didn’t have normal ground. She couldn’t read him. She didn’t know what he was feeling or if he was lying. Terror at having this basic information that she’d had for everyone over the last 5 years since her site came in all of a sudden absent at this most critical time... who is he. WHAT is he that she cannot read him.

“hey it’s ok, really” he said quickly almost as desperately as she did. “we can keep going on until dark but then we are going to have to camp for a bit. Shade, even riding double like this can make some good time but there is no way we’ll make it to Gran’s farm before dark.”

“Can’ t we just ride through the night?” she asked.

“Well I can’t see in the dark and Shade should have some rest” he said hesitantly but was thinking fast now. She was called a whore for being with that trader maybe she is afraid of what Gran will think... maybe I should be afraid of what Gran will think... oh blight it there just is no good way out of this.

“I can see in the dark, ” she said. “I’ll lead Shade if you’ll help me know which way to go”

Dav’n shook his head, “It’s really not the best idea but if that’s what you want, I don’t want to make you cry no more”

Lilly looked at him in a bit of shock, she expected him to be mad and yelling at her for crying not trying to do everything he could to make it better. Oh what can he possibly do. Yeah we’ll go to a new town and they’ll know I was traveling with him over night just me and him and the rumors will start all over again. “Sorry but I can’t help but cry. It’s been... well just not every day... oh I don’t know” and the tears came again “sorry” but the tears didn’t stop.

Dav’n kicked Shade up to a light canter to keep her too busy holding on to concentrate on crying. It sorta worked but she also held on tighter and that made him think of other things which hurt his ability to concentrate. This was going to be a LONG night.

Chapter 7

Well it was a long night but somehow not as bad as he thought. Her name was Lilly and it suited her. Oh he still thought she looked like a delicate bird, Lilly was pretty and seemed right. She was 18 so only 3 years older. She had started crying again when he told her that yes, she couldn’t actually be the smith’s daughter unless her Ma was Lakewalker because those silver eyes pretty much meant one parent was Lakewalker. She started to cry again but he couldn’t stand it any more and he yelled, “Stop that, and look at me!!” She choked off mid sob and looked up at him afraid he might decide to leave her our here with no way to find her way anywhere. She looked down, not wanting to make him angry but not wanting to make eye contact either. They had been walking Shade for the last half mile as they crossed a pretty rough ravine, so when he stepped around in front of her he was a good half a head shorter than she was but he still had to reach up and gently take her chin and raise it so she could see his eyes.

Lilly gasped, this was the first real touch bare skin to bare skin and it wasn’t harsh as his words or frustrated like his tone, but gentle and firm and compelling. Deep in his chocolate brown eyes were the same bright metallic flakes as her own. Oh his were gold and went better with his eyes, kind eyes... Oops he’s saying something

“... see I’ve got a Lakewalker father too. It’s not the end of the world. Da’s great and one of these days you’ll have to meet him. Ma’s good too but well she’s going to be pretty pissed with me so you’d better wait on meeting her until after she’s got her mad out.”

He just kept on babbling, never shutting up but never raising his voice again. It was all just a soft flowing sound not really meaning much of anything just soothing like trying to coax a horse to do what you want... HEY I’m not some horse he can just soothe with soft sounding nonsense. “shouldn’t we ride for the next hour or so until sunset and try to get the most distance we can before we’re back to walking speed through the night?”

He was surprised when she abruptly interrupted him. Blight and it was going well she had calmed down and wasn’t crying and even smiled at a couple of his weak jokes... what happened? How had he stepped in it this time? “umm, yeah here I’ll give you a leg up. Just slide forward on the saddle and I’ll climb up behind you. I think it might be better if we double up this way”

Lilly shrugged and accepted his help up to the horse. Maybe I’m just over reacting, she thought. He did make the tears quit flowing. I just hate not being able to read his ground. He could be thinking anything and I just wouldn’t know it until it was too late.

Dav’n was thinking this would be safer because there wouldn't’ be anything distracting poking into his back making him day dream all sorts of things that just shouldn’t be thought of right now. Oh maybe once he’s at Gran’s and everyone has eaten and had a good nights sleep but here on the trail she just would start crying again and then what would he do... she fortunately had pretty thick skirts on so he wasn’t rubbing on anything too identifiable as that firm rounded bottom unless he started thinking on it too much and then... stop thinking about it or she’ll know for sure... blight it this isn’t going to work either and then her hair blew back into his face and well there went that idea

Lilly wasn’t sure but some part of his gear was poking at her and when she scooted forward the pommel of the saddle rubbed distractedly and she couldn't’ afford to lose her wits out here with this strange man , uh boy oh he’s man enough if you let your guard down girlie.

Chapter 8

Well I was right, Dav’n thought to himself. It really was a LONG night but now about 10 in the morning they were finally in sight of the old Bluefield farm house. Dav’n was figuring it up in his head and this was about 34 hours awake at this point and he was well and truly ready to get clean and get sleep but first he would have to make explanation. Probably be time for dinner break. The thought no more through his mind than he saw Sawyer, Uncle Fletch and Aunt Clover’s middle boy, riding up to them leading a placid mare. “Ho Dav’n!! Where’s everyone else?”

Dav’n couldn’t help but grin seeing Sawyer after all this time. Gone with the 5 year old boy he went swimming with summers gone by and in it’s place was a young man of 12 riding his horse bare back and as confident as any Lakewalker boy the same age. What wild Farmers these Bluefields have become in the recent generations he thought laughingly. “This is it Sawedoff, but boy look at you can’t really call you that anymore.” Dav’n watched in amusement as the younger boy grinned with pride.

“Brought a spare horse up so youins wouldn’t have to ride double down tha house.” Sawyer said with a smile that was innocent enough until he said “lessen you’d rather ride double like ya are”

Dav’n could have melted through the ground if would have let him hide, and spluttered at the boy “Sawyer Bluefield, you get your mind up out of the gutter. Lilly is a nice lady who just needed some help. So lets get her on that spare mare and you make yourself useful and let Gran Trill know there’s company a commin.” Dav’n knew he shouldn’t let it get to him but it had been a long night with no sleep and he just wasn’t in the mood for kid games.

Sawyer smelling blood in the water just grinned really big and said “Sure thing” with an exaggerated nod. Then rode off toward the house humming the age old kissing song that children have been rhyming to each other since the dawn of time.

Dav’n thought to himself, I’m gonna kill that kid. Instead he just helped Lilly down from Shade and up on to the broad back of Maybell the mare. As he settled her in he looked up and just said “Sorry about Sawyer, kids y’know... he didn’t mean no harm”

Lilly couldn’t help it she burst out in giggles. Here he was the man who stood up to her daddy the smith, no grown man in town would have done that, and who goes about the world by himself with out a care or a fear yet he’s worried that his cousin may have offended me by just being a normal preteen lout. “I’m sorry, I promise I’m not laughing at you. It’s just well I got a little brother too...” and then she trailed off the laugh and seemed to get sad again.

Dav’n could see the light go out from her eyes and wasn’t sure how to bring it back. “I like it better.” he said.

Lilly looked at him kinda funny. “when you’re happy. It’s so much better than when you cry.” Not knowing what else to say without stepping in it again he just swung back into the saddle on Shade and started toward the house.

Chapter 9

Lilly was confused. She understood he was practically a boy though older than he looked. He didn’t realize how scary he was to everyone on his big horse and carrying all those weapons. He knew how to use them too she hadn’t seen it but she never once doubted it and neither did her daddy which is why he backed down. Then to be so concerned about if she cried or laughed. To look so young with his Farmer cousin. To see him head off to the house like he was coming home though there’s no way she could see him as just some Farmer or shop keeper. And BLIGHT IT ALL, why can’t she see his ground clear and know what he wanted.

Dav’n for his part knew they were only about 500 yards down the hill and across the pasture from Gran. Gran would know what to do. Gran always knew how to fix things. Gran the only one both Ma and Da would listen to. Maybe she could work the same magic on Lilly or at least he could get some sleep and maybe it would be better soon.

Didn’t quite make it to the yard when the whole family turns out on the porch in welcome. Dav’n was so happy to finally be done with the long ride that his legs almost collapsed under him as he slid from Shade. Righted himself well enough after a second and turned to help Lilly down. As he turned back to his family he sees angry looks from Aunt Clover and his older cousin Cyn, and even Gran Trill looked a little irritated at him.

Aunt Clover of course was the first to speak, “What happened to that poor girl? Dav’n you better have had no part in this!” followed quickly by Cyn “What in the wide world was chasing you so hard you couldn’t stop and give her a day or two to recover from it rather than draggin her through the woods all night! She ain’t one of your patroller buddies to get drug along through the scrub”.

Ah but then there was Gran, making it all better as usual “Now you girls give it a rest. You don’t knows the whole story no how now you two take her in an see as how you can help her clean up afore I get some dinner down. Dav’n you come over here and let me have a look see at you with my own eyes.”

Dav’n almost crumpled into Grans arms after the stress finally lets up. Looks over to Sawyer “hey just leave Shade be and I’ll take care of him in a bit. Strange Farmer boys sometimes smell like turnips to him and he sure does like to munch on turnips”. Sawyer shoots him an incredulous look but skirts out around Shade anyway putting his own more placid animals in the barn. “Gran shes had it rough and it’s been a hard week on her. I swear I was just trying to help her out but...”

“Shh. Shh. It’s ok child. You’re home now and we can figure this all out. Where’s the rest of you at? I know your Ma and Da didn’t just send you out all on your own.” Gran looked at him with a bit of a worried eye.

Too tired to be defiant, Dav’n just went with the truth “I didn’t ask them. I just left a note and went.” he looked down tired but not because he thought he had done wrong. “I also leave them notes along the way so they know where I am and that I’m ok. I just make sure to leave it as I’m moving on sos they can’t come and stop me. Gran I love them but there just isn’t any breathing room back there. I’ll go back and face them, but only after I prove to me and to them that I can make it on my own. When they know I can stand on my own then they won’t try to lock me down like they always do.”

Tril shook her head at her grandson but couldn’t completely hide the smile, “ you go get Shade put up before he eats any of my other grandsons and there’s a new spot to clean up in the barn. We get Lakewalker guests now from time to time. Oh they don’t drop a full patrol on us or anything but couriers from all over stop in. I give them some little bit o grub and they usually leave us with a little something from all their travels.” She smiled and shrugged. “who’d of thunk it before your Ma came dragging your Da into the kitchen well quite a bit like this picture actually.” Tril shook her head and did smile as she wandered back into the house to check on Clover and Cyn.

The spot in the barn loft looked mighty comfortable. Couple of dry stacks of straw just about the right side for a bed roll and a nice set of hooks and shelves to stow all the gear of a Lakewalker courier. Which surprise surprise fit his gear just about perfectly. Oh and a bucket shower down below. After watering Shade and giving him a quick rub down it was off to the shower and a clean cotton shirt. No need to gear back up just to be here on the farm so, he traded out the heavy cavalry boots for some soft moccasins and with nothing more than a belt knife at his side he headed for the supper table and a lot of questions.

Chapter 10

Ah dinner. Gran Tril’s cooking was like something out of a dream after over a week living on dried plunkin. From the looks I was getting from Clover and Cyn they must have talked to Lilly because was it was general annoyance it wasn’t the borderline hostility of earlier. Dav’n looks over to Lilly sitting between Cyn and Sawyer and almost choke. The broken wing is fixed and the golden swan is preened and clean and amazing. I know she’s had no more sleep than I have so how does she manage to look so pulled together.

Lilly was so tired she almost would rather sleep than eat but the food did smell soooo good. Cyn was being so nice to her. Helped her get cleaned up and even loaned her this dress for tonight while hers was washed up and mended. Her ground was noisy farmer ground but honest and clean and she agreed that boys just weren’t sensible about things. She was willing to say nice things about her cousin and his family (prominent in Lakewalker/Farmer relations) and let her know that his intentions were no less honorable than any other 15 year old boy and probably more so than many. She was just relating a story about him the last time he was here at 9 or 10 years old that would have been and leaving frogs in her shoes... when he walked in. Oh... uh... cleans up well she heard in her mother’s voice echo in the back of her mind. Gone was all the heavy leather near armor and harnesses and mud encrusted travel clothes and in their place was just a clean young man who in a year or two as he grew into his own was going to be very handsome. Still frustrated that she couldn’t read his ground but at least he didn’t look so scary cleaned up and sitting at his Gran’s kitchen table. Still couldn’t mistake him for an ordinary farmer, oh maybe a prosperous “gentleman farmer” one of those who just owns the land and has others work it. He didn’t seem so stuffy as those fellows though.

The story came out over dinner. Dav’n mostly just adding his bit about leaving home to get it rolling and the last day or so was told from Lilly’s perspective. When she told them about the trader who tried to take her and then getting home and her daddy finding out about Bobbie Stockton’s offer... “so you can see when Dav’n offered to stop for the night so we could rest up, I was afraid to. I sorta made a fool of myself screaming to go on and not stop. I couldn’t know what he meant to do”

“Hey! Is, is that why I haven’t gotten any sleep because you thought I might steal your precious virtue!?!?” Dav’n stood up and all the frustration that had been seeping out slowly as it was replaced by bites of warm food just welled back up. “Really!? Well I can tell you that if ever I need your “virtue”, I’ll not have to trick it from you or take it by force.” Dav’n stopped and pulled himself together and once he had his voice back under his control said “Fletch thank you for taking us in while we sort this all out, and Gran, Clover, dinner was amazing but I’m going to go get some sleep before I say things that can’t be taken back. If I was just going to say hurtful things to people I care about I didn’t have to leave home to do that.” Dav’n emptied his glass of tea and grabbed one more biscuit and stormed out of the room.

“Dav’n!!” Lilly jumped up to follow when Clover caught her hand. “let him go calm down sweetie. He needs sleep as much as you do now. Let this all sort out in the morning.” Down the table Tril was nodding wisely.

Tril smiled softly “you seem like a good youngen. My Dav’n is a good youngen too but impatient to grow up. Makes his pride just a bit more prickly than your usual boy of that age. Did he do you a good turn getting you away from your daddy?”

“oh yes!” Lilly said without hesitation. “I don’t know what I’m going to do next but I couldn’t have continued there and he got me out and got me out safe and protected me and was so sweet trying to cheer me up... He just don’t know how scary he looked to me.” she shook her head almost to clear it. “Y’all’ve known him his whole life and seen him like tonight at the table looking all normal like.” she still couldn’t figure out how it was fair for him to go and transform on her and look all normal at his Gran’s dinner table. “When I first laid eyes on him, he was up on that big horse of his. Daddy had just back handed me and knocked the tarnation right out of me. Then all of a sudden this guy just knocks daddy down and let me tell you no sane man in our village would have done that. Daddy backs down and then this strange man offers me his hand and boom like that my home is gone... “ “Oh yes, he did me a good turn but scared the devil right out of me doing it.”

Tril smiled and Cyn looked a little confused trying to picture her frogs in shoes cousin as a romantic warrior protector. “Um,” Tril said with a slight smile on her lips” in all of this terror of yourn did you ever tell him thank you?”

Lilly’s eyes shot wide and her hands came up to cover her mouth “oh... oh no wonder he hates me” she jumps up to run out after him again but Cyn has the pattern now and grabs her arm.

Tril giggles a little “girl that boy don’t hate you. You need to learn to slow down though”

Fletch finally gets into this “He don’t hate you and t’be honest he probably isn’t even expecting a thank you. The way he sees it, he’s just doing what is expected of him.” now it’s Fletch’s turn to shake his head and smile “I’m actually thinking about taking you two back to Clearcreek myself just sos I can see you meet Dag.” he can’t hold it in any more and does start chuckling to himself at the mental picture. “yeah, I’m going to be sorry to miss that one, you’ll understand Dav’n just fine once you meet Dag and my baby sister too for that matter.”

Clover pipes up now “all the same a thank you when it’s due does wonders for keeping folks happy.” Tril just looks smug and both Fletch and Clover look a little shyly at each other as they both nod their heads.

Tril smiles over her table and says in a distant tone “Days like this I really miss Sorrel. Young’n just you go get your nap and when you wake up and talk to Dav’n next remember to start it with a thank you and then just tell him why you were scared. He ain’t no fool he just is a boy and well they don’t figure things the same as you do.” Another somewhat shy look exchanged between Clover and Fletch made Lilly think that Tril may really be the wisest woman she’d ever met.

Lilly looks around the whole table and nearly started to cry all over again “well his might have to wait but Thank each and every one of you for helping me” and that sealed it no matter what else happened Lilly had found a welcoming home.

Chapter 11

Well supper came and went and neither Lilly nor Dav’n woke up. Tril said to let them be as they’d had a hard couple of days. They’ll be time enough to wake them for chores in the mornin.

Dav’n wakes up and it’s dark. Must’ve slept through supper, it’s ok not too hungry anyhow. Just as he’s starting to roll over he hears noise down stairs in the barn. Blight it, he thinks as he gets up and pulls his knife, damn raccoons must be into stuff. So he stumbles down the stairs still not quite away and goes over to the shower where the racket is coming from and yanks open the door and his jaw just drops. By the dim light of a lantern turned down very low is a beautiful raven haired amazon, soaping up this slight redhead. Dav’n knew he shouldn’t stare but his brain wasn’t working so with his mouth open and looking like someone who had just been hit by lightening he said the most intelligent thing that came to mind “Uhh”

The tall dark haired woman frowns at him and said “Close the door Farmer boy” as the little redhead giggles and says “or come join us” well the ol’ noggin finally started functioning so he could slam the door and with a stammered “sorry, I though you were someone else” ran back up to his bed. Oh this wasn’t good. Part of him couldn’t get the vision out of his mind and the promising “come join us” but mostly he knew damn good and well that women like that didn’t make that offer to a kid like him seriously. He could hear them trying to stifle giggles all the way up here. Dav’n flopped back on the bed and tried to pretend to be asleep, yeah fat chance of that. Blight it, it was going to be another long night.

He had mostly recovered his composure when he heard the ladder creak. Yeah Lakewalker couriers. Oh shit they were going to stay HERE!!! Dav’n wished he could just melt down through the bedrolls but did the next best thing and pretended to be asleep.

So the women took a minute arranging their gear and rolled up into the other straw pallet and except for a couple of well muffled giggles it was quiet.

Long night indeed, and certainly no sleep for poor frustrated Dav’n. Finally after a small eternity the grey light of predawn started to show through the loft. Grabbing up his moccasins and shirt he quickly ran down the ladder and made his escape from the barn. He fed the horses and let out the chickens, stopping to gather up the eggs so Clover wouldn’t have to do it. He stumbled into the kitchen just as she was finishing laying the fire in the stove. She thanked him for the eggs and rewarded him with a quick maternal pick on the left temple, then handed him the bucket of ash she’d pulled from the stove to take out to the ash bin.

Dumping the ash in the bin, he saw Fletch come out of the house and head toward the barn. “I already fed and watered the horses. You had guests come in last night.” then headed back in to let Clover know if she didn’t make soap soon that ash pile was going to overflow.

Chapter 12

Ah breakfast. Lilly came down looking still a bit sleepy but better than she had yesterday when he saw her last. She smiled at him “Mornin’” and started to help Aunt Clover get the table set. Gran was already pouring steaming cups of hot dark tea. As Cyn came in carrying the milk pails. Sawyer was stacking more wood out on the porch and things seemed to be about as normal as they could get. Well until the door opened and the Amazon and her fiery companion came strolling in. The Amazon nodding to Gran, thanks for the bed last night. Was right cozy up in the loft.”

Sawyer caught on right away, “hey Dav’n I thought you were sleeping in the loft” he says with a devilish grin.

Dav’n opened his mouth to deny it but well it was true then just blushed a deep red.

The girls both smiled at each other and looked over to Gran “he was a right gentleman” said the Amazon. “Mmmhmm,” agreed the little firecracker “pretended to be asleep for hours and hours just to us feel welcome”

At this point everyone was laughing at him and his face had to be purple. Well almost everyone, Lilly had a very odd look on her face and said “Excuse me” and all but ran from the table.

Dav’n had had about all he could take this morning “What did I do now!?!” he asked in a harsh whisper as the door slammed behind Lilly. Which for some reason Gran, Clover and the two Patroller women seemed to find ENDLESSLY amusing. Dav’n started to get up himself when the Redheaded woman put her hand on his arm, “sit down and have your breakfast, you kin was just having some fun with you”.

Dav’n sat but looked around warily. Finally Fletch made it back in the door “Some one know what got into Lilly? She looked awfully upset.” The two patroller women busted out laughing again.

When they finally recovered, the Amazon said “Let me go talk to her. It’ll be ok” then shaking her head and grabbing another biscuit headed for the door.

Dav’n heaved a theatrical sigh, “I’ll never understand girls” as Uncle Fletch just grunted an almost inaudible “get used to it”

That bought him a look from both Aunt Clover and Cyn. At least, Dav’n thought, it isn’t just me.

“Oh we’re not to hard to understand Farmer boy, just give us what we want when we want it and we’ll love you forever” giggled Red.

“Quit calling me Farmer boy, I have a name. It’s Dav’n. An’ my dad is a Lakewalker, and my sister is on Patrol out from Tripoint Camp. Just cause I don’t have groundsense range to speak of don’t mean I don’t prolly know more about it than you and your friend combined” Dav’n huffed out all put out because everything was falling apart again and breakfast hadn’t even finished.

Red smiled and made it almost impossible to stay angry “Well hello Dav’n, it’s a pleasure to finally be introduced. I’m Ivy Wolvarine Leech. I just saw the farmer ground shield and assumed that meant you were a farmer or a child and you look more grown up than that.”

Dav’n wasn’t a fool and sensed that he was being patronized but when she’s sitting there all smiling like that it wasn’t easy to stay mad. “Oh this,” he said as he reached up and disconnected it. “Da has always been paranoid that I couldn’t close my ground as tightly as he thinks I should, so made me wear this. Kept calling me Malice bait in the groundsense drills until I think he finally realized I wasn’t faking it and just didn’t have the control my sister has.”

Ivy’s eyes shot open in shock. That was very dense ground and BRIGHT too. Crazy that he shouldn’t have ground sense out half a mile or better with ground like that. Course up in Leech Lake they wouldn’t let a boy like that go on patrol, he’d be a knife maker if it killed him.

“Umm are you sure you can’t use groundsense?” She said finally recovering from her shock.

“Oh Yeah I’m sure. Da worked with me over and over again... and over and over and over...” He shook his head and then tried one of the veiling exercises, “see why I have to use the ground shield” he said a bit bitterly.

Now it was Ivy’s turn to smile “oh I don’t know there’s a lot of young patrollers who can’t do much better but yeah it’s never enough for the old patrollers.”

“Someone needs to tell Da that, of course he’d just say that’s how they got to be old patrollers.” Her smile was infectious and all the anger of a minute ago faded away and he just shook his head a bit. “So where you off to?”

“Oh back home soon. We just ran some dispatches down to Pearl Riffle. We’ve got an exchange patroller who’s from there so we slipped in some of his notes home. Mostly I think it’s because Aspen is sweet on him.” she said with a mischievous grin. “Not that you’ll get her to admit it until she’s got him roped in for good”

Dav’n realized that everyone was listening to them just babble away. “Um Leech camp eh? Da has talked about his time up there a little bit. I’d like to see it on this trip. I gotta figure out what to do with Lilly though before I take off. Isn’t right to just dump her on Fletch and Clover here no matter how nice they’ve been to put us up for this visit.”

Tril piped up just then “I don’t figure you need to figure out what to do with Lilly. She’s grown enough to figure that out her own self. She got a home here as long as I got a say, but I don’t think she’s going to just let you run off without her.”

Dav’n rolled his eyes back up in his head, “Gran she can’t even be in the same room with me for a meal without runnin off”

That set Clover and Cyn to giggling again. Tril nodded wisely, “lets just see what happens”. Though they did cast an odd glance toward Ivy. “Hard to tell when folks are so young and cultures clash. Remember you’ve been raised part Lakewalker and mostly Farmer or close enough. She’s only really known her Farmer side. Give her time and she might surprise you after she has a second to collect herself.” Then with another odd glance at Ivy, who simply looked back at her with an overly innocent butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth look “Course lots of surprising things can happen if it takes her too long”

All of this went right over Dav’n’s head. He was too busy with his own troubles. He couldn’t be a groundsetter like his Da, or a Patroller like Natti-Mari. He didn’t really want to be a river man like Uncle Witt, though that had it’s advantages, nor a true farmer like Uncle Fletch though it seemed like a really nice place here. Felt good working for Sage but he really didn’t want to live in a town all the time like that. Nice to visit but... He just didn’t know where he fit. All he knew for sure was that he wouldn’t find out cramped up in Clearcreek.

Breakfast was just breaking up when Lily came in with Aspen and both were smiling so it can’t be too bad. Lilly looking a little shy, just said “sorry everyone, it’s been an emotional few days “ and started to help with cleanup when she stopped and just stared at Dav’n “your ground! What was wrong with it before?”

Dav’n first started to get angry all over again and then thought about it, “Oh!! you mean since I took off the ground shield”. He reached down and picked up the new and improved ground shields that could be taken on and off by those without groundsense and didn’t need to be specific to the wearer and held it out for her “here, try it on and see”

Lilly looked at it for a sec and then up at him. She reached out to take the little necklace and their hands touched and he felt her ground reach out to him and all of a sudden he could see through her groundsense.

Next thing he knew Aspen was shaking Lilly loose and Dav’n too came back to his senses and the groundsense was gone. “Wha what happened?” he asked but she looked just as shocked as he was.

Aspen giggle so hard she couldn’t answer but that didn’t stop Ivy. “You two groundlocked each other, and I’ve never seen it happen that fast” she said it matter of factly but you could tell she wasn’t happy about it.

“Groundlocked? That's not possible, we weren’t doing any healing.” Dav’n looked really confused. “I watch Da for groundlock all the time, Arkady too and it takes a lot of time...”

Clover cleared her throat “you two were just there holding hands, starring off into space for over a minute”

“I... I could see deeper into his ground than I’ve ever seen into anyone. There’s a whole world in there.” Said Lilly and she was shaking.

Ivy stood up, “well we need to get on the road. We’ve been lazy as long as we dare.” She looked meaningfully at Aspen.

“Wait!! please. You’ll be going by Hickory Lake won’t you?” Dav’n said trying to pull his wits about him for the next stage.

Aspen said “Well yeah, we were planning to stop in to see if Fairbolt had any posts going back homeward” Ivy didn’t say anything she was just kind of all pulled in and unusually quiet.

“I want to send a note to Omba Redwing, and I don’t want it to go through official channels. Can I send it with you?” Dav’n looked at her and gave her his most winning smile.

Both partollers busted up laughing “OK, ok, I’ll do it” said Aspen shaking her head.

“Thanks I’ll get it written up right away! Oh and if you delay a bit there maybe we can ride up together to Leech Lake. I’ve got to figure out where to get Lilly settled since I turned her world upside down.” he nodded at Lilly who was looking a little paniced. “So I figure I can probably cut across country and if you get a late start out of Hickory we would run into each other just north of the old Bonemarsh camp on the North Road. Say in two days?”

“you don’t ask much do you?” said Aspen. “We’re courriers and we’re supposed to move fast. I’m not sure you can keep up with us”

Dav’n shrugged at this “if not go on and I’ll make my own way. Just seemed better if I was with someone already going that way.”

Ivy surrepitiously tugged Aspen’s sleeve. “Ok, write your note and then you’ve got two days to be north of Bonemarsh or we leave without you”

Dav’n grinned looking all of about 12 and told he could go to the circus... then recovered his cool and nodded and ran off to grab some paper.

Less than a half hour later both patrollers were headed down the road with saddle bags bulging with fresh biskets and lighter by some anti arthuritus tea for Gran.

Chapter 13

Tril thumps him on the back of the head “you just going to breeze in here and then run off again?”

Dav’n had the sence to hang his head and at least look ashamed “Gran you know I can’t stay long on this visit or Da will just have someone here to pick me up before the week is out. It’s why I couldn’t go to Hickory Lake myself but I left word in the letter with Omba to send him a message that I’m fine and even where I’m going.” Dav’n grinned and hugged her, then said “it should get there about the time some one makes it here to check on me from my last letter home. You know I’m really not trying to lead them on a wild goose chase, but I want time on my own to figure things out and I don’t want them to not hear and worry. If they’ll just stay put I’ll give them regular updates”

Tril hugged him back, “Just you wait until it’s your boy doing this to you and THEN you see how easy it is to just stay put”

“I love you Gran. Maybe I’ll make it back this way on my way home. Maybe be here to help with the harvest. I know Fletch can always use extra hands.”

“Lilly, will you come out with me while I fetch Aunt Cover some water to do her washin with?” He smiled at her and grabbed the empty bucked by the wash stand.

They walked out in silence until he got to the well “I know it ain’t fair to you to take you away from all you ever knew and then in a day or two ask you to know where you want to live. I’ve got a little money saved up and can probably get you a good start in Lumpkin Market or Uncle Fletch and Aunt Clover said you can stay here as long as you want... I just don’t feel right not helping you settle things” and looked up to see her on the verge of tears. “What? What did I say?”

She looked at him in shock, “You really don’t know? FINALLY I can see your ground, you really don’t see anything wrong with just dumping me off with a little money and chasing off after your grilfriends.”

“Huh?” this time Dav’n had to sit down. “What else can I do but find you as close to the life you had as I can without your Da?”

She put her hands on her hips “Gee I don’t know, maybe you could ask me what I want?”

Dav’n still wasn’t tracking so well “I thought that was what I was doing...” He just looked at her with complete confusion open and obvious on his face. “So what do you want?”

She smiled a true and honest smile and it lit up her whole face, “To go with YOU of course silly! I do so like you better when I can see your ground and know what you mean not just what you say!!” and she had a giggling fit at the dumfounded look on his face.

“Well of course I’m ok with you coming along but I got nothing substancial to offer here... We’ll probably be living rough for the whole trip and I don’t even know what kind of welcome we’ll get in Leech lake. They may still be the kind of Lakewalkers who don’t think half breeds aren’t worth much. Are you sure this is what you want? I mean just night afor last you wouldn’t even share a camp with me?”

“Well of course not you were all big spooky and Lakewalkerish bristling with weapons and I couldn’t read your ground.” She smiled at him again in a way that made all of that gibberish just sound like it was completely logical.

“Ok, well first things first. We need to see about a horse. Riding double will never get us moving fast enough to meet the others.” Now that a plan had been hatched he was able to start working it through. “Maybe that yearling out in the pasture, maybe Uncle Fletch will be willing to sell it to me. I think I got enough for that but then we really need to figure out a way to make some more coin... she’s not very big yet but it’s not like Da is trying to ride her... you’re pretty small as riders go... hmm... “ He stood up and poured the water pulled up from the well into the buckets to haul back in for the wasing. “You’ll want to get back into your clothes and tidy up any rips you can... we’ll have to be on the road before dinner if we want to make the time we need” and off he went to make things happen.

′

Chapter 14

Well convincing Uncle Fletch to sell him the young filly wasn’t as easy as he expected. He was offering what she was worth but Fletcher saw this as a way to derail his plans until Dag could catch up with him. Once it was obvious they were just going to go off riding double then the problem became convincing him to take the real value of the horse. Finally they settled on about 3/4ths of the filly’s value and a couple of hours of Shades time with her mom. So it was after dinner when they finally made it on the road but make it they did and with a few coins still in Dav’n’s pocket.

Once they were away from everyone else Lilly said “I don’t think I ever told you, but thank you for all of this. Saving me from Daddy, and getting me out of that town, bringing me to your family and sharing them with me. Your Gran is so wonderful I almost wanted to stay just to talk more with her.”

Dav’n blushed a bit but couldn’t deny it felt good after everything to know it was appreciated. “Well, you’re welcome but I don’t rightly know where I could have done anything different.” He was quiet and they rode on comfortably for a minute and he said “It was just the right thing to do.”

She started another giggling fit. Which caused him to stiffen up thinking she was making fun of him but before he could say anything to cause a problem she said “That’s just what Fletcher said, well your Gran too but it was funny hearing you say it right after they told me that would be your response.” She smiled at him and things were all ok again. Finally she giggled a bit again “I guess they know you pretty well but then they aught to.” “Race you to the next rise” and took off getting a quick head start. Didn’t matter Shade was a lot more powerful a mount than the young filly but Dav’n could feel the horses enjoying the short race. All in all, today was a really good day. He needed that after all of the stress of the last, had it really only been three days...

Making camp that evening well off of the main road they were mostly fumbling around in the dark trying to get set up. “Might rain,” said Dav’n. “Think we should put up the tarp or just sleep in the open and risk an unwanted shower?”

“Oh I think we’ll be ok. We can always pull the tarp over us if we get a surprise just keep it close by since we won’t have a fire to see by.”

Dav’n started laying out his bedroll after tending to the horses and pulled dinner leftovers out of his saddle bag. He was just getting ready to clear a spot on the other side of the clearing for her when she plopped down next to him and started rolling out her bed roll just beside his. “Uh... who are you and what have you done with Lilly?”

Giggles were his only reply. They shared the leftovers quietly and when he turned to lay down she cuddled right up to him. Still fully dressed but warm and soft next to him. “I’m not offering anything tonght” she said. “I just want you to know I trust you.” then rolled over to go to sleep.

Dav’n was pretty sure this was going to be a sleepless night like last night but before long her soft breathing became light snores and the next thing he knew the sun was coming up and a small fire had a little pot of tea boiling over it. “morning sleepy head” she smiled at him, “thought you might like some tea before we get going”

“Oh you’re wonderful” he said with feeling as he reached out for the tea. “we’ve got to be quick with it as we’re still south east of Hill Farm. I figure it as long as we can make 50 miles today we can meet up with the Patrollers on time.”

She looked a little distracted but asked “Would it be so bad if we didn’t meet up with them and just traveled on you and me?”

“Well it’s alway safer to be with a bigger party and besides I thought you liked Aspen.” he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Oh Aspen is alright, its just I don’t think Ivy really likes me”

“Well as I see it neither of you really had much of a chance to know the other. Traveling together will help us fix that, and when we get to Leech Lake we’ll already know folks. She’s also from Wolverine tent and thats my Da’s kin folk, well sorta up here so I want to be introduced.” He broke out his most winning smile again “It’ll be great, you’ll see” then started to break camp and saddle the horses.

Chapter 15

Yesterday might have started out chaotic and ended pretty well but while today started out well it quickly went south. Oh Lilly was just fine telling him stories bout when she was younger and about her mom. Of course not to be out done Dav’n told some tales from Aunt Berry’s river adventures, but as the day wore on they realized they were traveling over blight. Even old blight is still blight and with their limited ability to shield their ground sense it wore on them. They took turns trading the ground shield which seemed to help a LOT. Still it was late in the day when they finally crossed off the blight and on to the North Road. Just about to give up finding the patrollers and look for a camp spot they see the two in the middle of the road on the next rise arguing about something.

Picking up the pace, Dav’n and Lilly catch up with the patrollers just as the argument is wearing down. “Well we’ve made it. Been waiting long?” Dav’n asked suspecting that was the source of the argument.

“Well about an hour,” said Aspen. “We were just debating on driving on for another couple of hours or finding a camp site to wait for you.”

Dav’n nodded “Well we’ve spent all day traveling on blight so if you want to camp early I’ll not complain but if you want to press on it just means we get there sooner so that’s ok with me too”

Ivy pipped up “I just gave in and said we would press on when we saw you riding up.” She grinned at him “almost didn’t make it”.

Dav’n smiled “well now that we’ve got good road it shouldn’t been too bad” He reached down and opened his case and took a couple of minutes to open his bow. “Now that we’ve got folks with a bigger groundsense, if you see some dinner along the way, flush it out.”

All of the girls looked at his bow with curriosity, never having seen its like before when Aspen got a mischevious smirk “looks a little small”

Dav’n having heard this one before just smiled and nodded “Yeah but I can use it from horse back. We’ll not even need to slow down until time to dress it out for dinner.”

Both patrollers looked a bit sceptical but shrugged and everyone got back underway. They had been traveling for about an hour and a half when Ivy signaled to him and pointed about 120 yards up the road where he could see some grass waving opposite of the wind. Dav’n nods to her and grins as he draws two arrows. One to nock and the other he puts between his teeth and then urges Shade into a full gallop. Closing the distance to about 60 yards when the small family of wild pigs flashes into the open crossing the road. His first arrow flies out and strikes one pigglet square and dropps it, the second arrow though flies wide. Shade at full gallop flashes past them as they dive for the tall grass cover on the other side of the road. Dav’n not content, draws a third arrow, stands in the stirrups twisting at the waist and fires a final shot into the moving grass.

Slowing down Shade he reaches behind him and pulls the long spear from it’s back sheath and turns to approach the wounded pigglet. Still mounted and watchful for mamma boar, they’ve been known to double back and attack the careless he pokes the first pigglet and is glad to see the arrow did it’s work quick. The ladies were catching up to him by this point and looking impressed. With a smug tilt of his head Dav’n points the spear at the pigglet in the road, “Well that’s supper anyway if we can but take the time to roast it propperly. Though could you please take a look around to make sure I’ll not be unpleasantly surprised by mamma before I try to retrieve my arrows.”

“Ah, I guess that little bow has it’s benefits” Aspen said with a sheepish smile.

“Mamma is long gone” said Ivy. Then with a fiendishly wicked grin at Aspen said “It’s not the size of a man’s bow that counts but how often he can shoot it and if he can hit the target. Our Dav’n here is quite the archer, three shots ONE RIGHT AFTER THE OTHER and with two hits”

As the patrollers burst into giggles, Dav’n could feel his face glowing red and poor Lilly looked purple. Rather than appear flustered he just dismounted to claim the pigglet while Lilly quickly found the second one and his missed shot. “We going to clean these here or...” she asked not really sure how such things were handled on the road.

Aspen shrugged her shoulders, “we don’t usually hunt while traveling but if we bring them with us we can camp at the next suitable spot. Means we’re probably going to get a late start tomorrow but we’ll eat well” then she grinned. “Don’t remember what I was in such an all fire hurry about anyway. Dav’n can I see that miracle bow of yours?” and of course the giggles started again with even Lilly smiling this time despite herself.

After tying the pigglets in place and climbing back up into Shade’s saddle Dav’n handed over the bow while he inspected and cleaned his arrows before returning them to their quiver. Aspen started to draw the bow, but hesitated when she realized it was a much heavier pull than she anticipated but drew just fine on the second attempt. Nodding her head she handed it over to Ivy as well to look at who likewise tested it’s draw. “Might have some stopping power after all” she says with an apprecative smile.

“Oh it won’t drop a large bear or even a determined wolf with one shot but few bows will. It does just fine on game animals and Da says it’ll stop a man just fine.” He shrugged. “Best part though,” he says taking the bow back and struggling with it for a minute collapsing it back down, “is I can pull it, use it, and put it away all from horseback AND it doesn’t take up any more room than a second quiver of arrows would.”

This whole time Lilly had been quiet and thinking but started falling further and further behind. Conversations about bows didn’t really interest her, but she needed a way to recatch Dav’n’s attention. How am I going to compete with bows and amazon women... Then she smiled because she knew just what to do.

Chapter 16

The camp site was great. Near a small stream with plenty of trees around to shield them from the road as well as provide them with the needed firewood for the pigglets.

“Dav’n, can you please take care of Sunny for me? I’ve got something I need to take care of while the pigs are being cleaned up by the stream” Lilly asked him.

“Oh so that’s what you’re naming her? sure I’ll take care of all the horses so we can get things moving faster, but now I’m currious. What are you planning?”

Lilly grinned from ear to ear, “Its a surprise. I can’t shoot dinner and I’m sure Ivy and Aspen will be better at butchering and skinning than I ever will be. BUT I’ve got my tricks too!” She went off with the patrollers as they drug the animals down to the stream for the messy task of turning whole animals into meat fit for the plate. Then off she skipped just a little ways into the woods.

Dav’n called out “don’t get out of ear shot! There’s things out here that WILL eat you”

Low enough that only Ivy could hear Aspen whispers “yeah like Ivy” and is repaid for her barb with a sharp elebow in the ribs. “Well...” just a look, and then they fell to work.

Lilly made it back to camp with the apron of her skirt filled with wild garlic and some mushrooms and wild carrots and raddishes. Dav’n had already dug the trench and was back at the stream getting water. While the patrollers brought up large flat stones to line it. From the deep recesses of her saddle bags Lilly produced her surprise. One mid sized iron skillet. She started chopping her wild gatherings into the skillet and then asked Aspen if she had the meat. Aspen grinned and handed over a chunk of fat and the four tenderloins pulled from the pigglets. Eye’s sparkling she cut them into thick square chunks and mixed them in to the pan. With the fire started and the rocks heating up Lilly dumped the contents of the skillet on to a clean towel while she rubbed the fat all around the pan giving it a good thick layer before throwing the remaining fat into the fire and dumping in all of the meat and vegetables.

Dav’n could smell the food already as he brought up the water from the stream but he knew it was too quick. Tonight would be cold rations while the earth oven heated. Rounding the corner he saw Lilly proudly grinning over an iron skillet stirring what smelled like heaven in a pan. “Your Gran slipped this to me at the last minute. Said I was to use it to fill your belly or adjust your thinking as needed “ all the ladies giggled at that one just a little too much.

“I’m sorry we don’t get the long courrier duties more often” said Ivy. “I’m really starting to like your Gran”.

Dav’n shrugged and smiled “Everyone likes Gran. Like Ma, she cheats, she feeds them.” He sniffs the air, “smells fantastic! Is it almost ready?”

Lilly grins glad to have her tallents recognized “Patience you. Aspen can you get me a little salt out of my saddle bag?”

Aspen chuckled “as long as I’m getting fed too.”

“Oh we’re all going to eat just going to have to be a bit friendly about it. No plates so gotta share the pan.”

The four of them were all sitting around the pan fishing out various bits with their knives and talking about Hickory Lake. Ivy says that Omba is a bit upset with Dav’n because she’s the one going to have to hear about it from Fairbolt when she shows him the letter. Ivy grinned, “I told her to just say that we left it for her to find and she didn’t find it until after we were already gone. Don’t know if she’s going to do it that way but as long as she keeps her ground veiled she could probably get by with it.”

Dav’n cringed “I hate putting her in that position but who else could I trust with it besides Dirla and Omba is less likely to get in any real trouble not being part of the patrols.”

Aspen shook her head, “I don’t know what home life is like for you so I’m not going to say you should have stayed but seems like you’ve got good folks who you’re going to great trouble to let know you’re ok. Seems a shame to be doing it this way.”

Dav’n sighed. “They are good folks. Da is amazing. I mean I don’t know how much you’ve heard of him but he just turned the whole world up on it’s ear just before I was born teaching farmers about groundsense and making the groundshileds so that farmers can even help out on patrols now. Ma, well mamma is if anything even more amazing in a lot of ways. She doesn’t have Da’s magical groundsense but I tell you I don’t think he could have done any of this if she hadn’t helped him figure it all out, or as he says kept him sane while figuring it out. I love them both dearly, and am not ashamed to say it. The problem is when they see me they still see a little kid. I can’t veil my ground enough to not be Malice Bait according to Da and Ma just still sees me as her baby.”

Lilly just broke into an uncontrolable fit of giggles. “your Ma has to have some amazing standards then because when I first saw you, you scared the living daylights out of me and daddy too cause he never backs down from nobody.”

Ivy and Aspen smile and shake their heads thinking Farmers, scared of this one boy. Oh a good shot with that bow of his but still not close to full grown.

Dav’n shrugged his shoulders “Well she’s been around patrollers a lot and seen Da put plenty of pretty tough ones in their place when he shifts into his ‘Captian Patroller’ voice as she likes to call it.”

“Your Da was a patrol captain?” Ivy asked in a bit of a shocked voice.

“Yeah really?” Aspen asked. “I thought he was some kind of great maker/mage”

“Well, from the story I’ve been given,” Dav’n started out. “He always wanted to be a patroller so basiclly flunked any maker training they tried to give him. Then went for his first walk around the lake and ended up joining tent Wolverine” he nods at Ivy.”which is why I want to meet your kin so much, or one of the reasons anyway.” He hurried past that statement before anyone could think too much on it. “I understand he made patrol captain there but there was a really bad malice outbreak and most of his patrol and his first wife, didn’t survive. It’s where he lost his hand he says”

Both Ivy and Aspen were starting to sputter and interrupt him “wait! Wait wait, one minute” Aspen started. “What is your Da’s name again?” Ivy asked.

“Dag Bluefield, though I guess back then he would have been Dag Wolverine Leech” he said. “Sorry I end up thinking in farmer naming traditions so didn’t think that you would have known him by that name, well not YOU exactly, it was long before either of you were born.”

Both Ivy and Aspen were staring at him with their mouths open “Dag” started Aspen, “Wolverine Leech” finished Ivy.

“Yeah” said Dav’n begining to wonder what the big deal was.

“Are you putting us on?” asked Ivy.

“no, why are you two acting like I just sprouted two heads?”

The young women looked at each other and shook their head in disbelief, “you don’t know?” asked Aspen.

“No, Da doesn’t really talk about it much. Why?”

“Wolf Ridge?” Ivy asked Dav’n.

“Yeah said he gave up captaining after that until there was no body else during the whole Bone Marsh camp fiasco.” Dav’n looked at her a bit more closely “Why? What do you know that I’m obviously missing?”

“Your Da is famous in Leech Lake Camp. They still sing songs about the Wolf Ridge Malice and the Captain who fought it.” Ivy said looking at him in a whole new light.

Aspen moving just a bit faster than Ivy, mostly because there was less personal calculation involved “you said he captained the Bone Marsh Malice too?”

“oh yeah that was a lot later I guess. Right after he married Ma and there was a big stink in the camp over it. He ended up leaving right after that. Some say they kicked him out others say he just left. I don’t ask because he don’t like talking about it. Aunt Mari and Aunt Omba have come to visit us but Da has never gone back to Hickory Lake but he and Fairbolt still write back and forth and I was afraid if I showed up there Fairbolt would feel obligated to send me back home.”

Lilly looked a bit confused “but you didn’t think your Uncle Fletcher would?”

Dav’n grinned “I was pretty sure he COULDN’T. He wanted to, it’s why he drug his feet so much about selling us Sunny. If he demanded I stay until Da came, I would just sneak off. Uncle Fletch doesn’t have groundsense to track me. Fairbolts people would.”

Lilly chuckled at that one, “ok fair point.”

Ivy was still having the wheels turning and having a hard time processing what she had learned but Aspen was already moving on to her real concern in all of this. “Is that the same Dag that Barr always talks about?”

“You know Barr?”, then Dav’n’s eyes went wide “Oh the exchange patroller!!! Who Ivy says... Oh absent gods that is funny! You’ve got the hots for Uncle Barr!?!” Dav’n fell over backwards just howling with laughter. He was laughing so loud that the Coyotees took up and answering howl. All the time being the butt of Aspen’s humor was avenged in a moment.

“I don’t have the hots for Barr” Aspen protested.

Ivy recovered from her own shock long enough to give her that look that said it all, and sent both Lilly and Dav’n back into laughing fits.

Aspen looked sheepish “Well, he’s nice to me.”

Ivy grinned “Uh huh”

“Well he is”

Dav’n was thinking again now, it might have been fun to tease Aspen but having Barr there could be a problem for him. “Uh, if Uncle Barr tries to make me go home... could you like distract him long enough for me to get out of groundsense range?”

“Oh so now you want something eh?” Aspen gave him a teasing look “it’ll cost ya”

Dav’n knew when to quit while he was behind and got up to rake back the coals from the heated rocks while the ladies piled in the greens and arranged the quarters of piglet on them. Laying more fresh greens on top of the meat they covered it all with the hot coals and then put the dirt back over. By mid morning it could be dug up and they would have meat for the rest of the trip.

One final bit of excitement ensued as everyone went to lay out bedrolls. Dav’n ended up on the far side of the pig pit after the argument got a little heated between Lilly and Ivy over where he would sleep. He just left them to sleep together with Aspen while he got some peace and quiet. Wasn’t easy getting to sleep though thinking about sharing bedrolls with Lilly, or Ivy, or best yet Lilly and Ivy... ‘blight it stop that you’ve got to get some sleep’ he thought to himself. Didn’t really work but eventually the long day on horseback over blight, and the warm food in his belly just got the better of him.

Chapter 17

Dav’n woke up to the bright harsh light of the sun well up in the sky. Ivy and Aspen had obviously been up for a bit and were starting to uncover the pit and retrieve the roast pigglet. “Bout time you decided to get up.” Aspen said with a smile.

Dav’n rubbed his eyes and stretched. “Riding over that blight was worse than I expected. Sleep was really needed.” What he really needed was to go water the bushes and probably wash up in the stream. Dragging on his boots he stumbled down to the little creek and started stripping down. Oh but the water was cold especially this early in the morning. There was a little pool off to the one side that if he ducked down he could almost get completely submerged. He felt the dust and the sweat just wash away but it was too cold to enjoy it long. So back to the bank he turned and who should be there but Ivy with a big grin on her face and a good sized chunk of doe skin chamoise. “figured you didn’t think to grab a towl. Thought you might appreciate it if I brought it to you.” She knew damn well by his embarassment that he didn’t appreciate anything of the kind but she was giving him her best “who me” look.

Dav’n turned his back and started to walk back toward the bank. “yeah that sure was thoughtful.” he said with as much sarcasm as he could muster. “Look we all got to travel together and you and Lilly... well this is going to be a lot harder than it has to be if we’re playing games about it.” he reached behind him and took the offered chamoise. Drying off he said “look, I know you’re just playing games with me. I mean you’re what five years older than me and I figure you mostly just like watching me get embarassed. I do like you. I also don’t want to hurt Lilly who I also like and don’t want to take advantage of because she feels like she owes me something for getting her out of her situation. Can you hand me my tunic?” she handed it to him and he pulled it over his head and turned around. It dropped to mid thigh so he was at least mostly deacent now. Then stopped in shock. While he was drying off Ivy had been getting undressed. She was smiling at him but there was nothing mocking in her eyes. “uh...”

“Dav’n, I do like you and while yes I’m having fun with your reactions. I am NOT just playing with you. I also don’t want to hurt Lilly. She’s a nice girl but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to get you for myself.” With those words she patted him softly on the cheek and waded into the pool.

Dav’n couldn’t really be said to be thinking at the moment. He just knew that now wasn’t the time to say or do anything until he could figure it all out. So he pulled on his pants and picked up his boots and got back to camp. He looked over at Lilly’s bed roll and she was still in it, but he looked to Aspen and she ruefully smiled and shook her head. “Blight it. Lilly I know you’re not sleeping. Company while I was washing up wasn’t my idea but I’m not going to feel guilty over it. I’m not going to feel guilty about anything,” not sure if he was trying to convince her or himself then added “because so far I haven’t DONE ANYTHING. So I think you should go wash up now and ruin Ivy’s bath time too, and then later all of us really REALLY need to talk.” and he sat down and started pulling his boots on.

Lilly looked at him and gave him a little smile then got a determined look and stood up and stripped out of her dress and marched over the little hill toward the stream. Aspen was trying to stiffle her laugh when Dav’n just snaped at her “and you’re not helping!” which caused her to just bust up.

Dav’n went off to take care of Shade and Sunny. Brushing them down and saddling them up gave him some time to calm back down. Blight it, it wasn’t like he was trying to pit them against each other. Why couldn’t everyone just get along well enough to get to the camp and then see what happened. He looked at Shade “at least you’ve got it easy. Mares don’t get mad and pout because another mare wants some attention from you” then shook his head and lead the horses back so he could roll up the bed rolls and repack the saddle bags.

Ivy came back around the little hill and picked up Lilly’s dress and started back without a word. Time passed and Dav’n thought about sending Aspen to go check on them. He started to open his mouth and Aspen shook her head. “But...” and she gave him The Look.

“I want a bath too, BUT there is no way I am getting into what ever negotiations are taking place over there” then she did spare him a smile and said “at least neither of them have weapons.”

Somehow that failed to make him feel any better about it. A few minutes later they both came around the hill together and if they didn’t look happy they weren’t fighting. Ivy says “get your bath Aspen and we’ll pull out breakfast or dinner I guess by now. We’ll ride hard this after noon and push until dark so maybe we can make up some of the time.”

Her warped sense of humor refusing to be denied “Well, I’d strip down here too since it seems to be the new trend, but I think poor Dav’n has had enough excitement for one morning”. All three of them gave her The Look as she chuckled at her own joke and went off for a wash up.

“We’ve talked” said Lilly.

“And come to a decision” said Ivy.

They looked at each other then Ivy nodded to Lilly to go on. “We can’t make you like either of us and it’s not fair to keep trying because it is just making us all miserable.”

Ivy picked up the theme “so you’re just going to have to pick and the other will just have to deal with it.”

Dav’n just looked at them both in dismay. “oh so I get to be the bad guy I see”. Fortunately since he got his bath first Sade was ready to go. He just picked up his spear, and swung into the saddle. “I’m scouting ahead. I’ll go slow so you can all catch up” and off he went with both of them calling out to him as he road away.

What kind of choice was that. He had to make an enemy out of one of them and hurt one of them and he had to pick who it was. Well that just wasn’t going to happen. He’d rather have them both mad at him than to pick one to be happy when the other was hurting. It wasn’t right and they couldn’t force him to pick one over the other. Blight it I just met these two less than a week ago and they’re acting like I caused this. He had a good long ride to brood on it.

About an hour in he had a brain storm. I actually do want both and then one or the other will get mad and not accept it and they’ll make that decision not me. Or if both get mad and hate me, it won’t be like that wasn’t their choice too. Yeah! Blight it all! They can be with me because they want to be with me or not because they didn’t want me they just wanted to OWN me. It would be like Ma seeing me as her “little boy” all over again. I don’t know much about what I want but I know I don’t ever want that. So they can stay or they can go but I’m not pushing either of them away and they can’t make me.

Chapter 18

Well the rest of the party caught up with him. They broke into a canter and talking wasn’t really an option. The day wore on and on and the silence wasn’t good for anyone. They slowed to a walk as the sun set, but still no one said anything. Sunsets in this part of the country could last for a LONG time so they kept pushing along the road. Finally it was getting dark enough that Dav’n without any groundsense to speak of finally broke the silence “we need to think about a camp. One of you who can see better in the dark will have to pick a spot because I’m not able to see well enough anymore.”

Aspen answered him after a minute “there’s a clearing at the crest of the next little rise. We’ll make a cold camp there.”

By the time they had made it to the spot she picked out they could see lightening off in the distance. “Blight it rain is all we need!” Dav’n griped. “I’ve got a tarp big enough to keep usall dry without having to set up individual shelters. It won’t be a fun night but well that was unlikely anyway I suppose”

Dav’n got the tarp out by feel and Ivy and Aspen started to open it up while Lilly was clearing away a bit of brush and rock that would be in the way. Dav’n held the horses but it was a moonless night and he couldn’t even see to propperly take care of them. Once Aspen came over to take over for him he took his bed roll over toward the sounds of Lilly and Ivy laying out their bed rolls. After bungling around in the dark for a few minutes Ivy had finally had enough “oh blight it all give me a sec.” and she rummaged in her saddle bags and just a minute later there was a small tallow dipped lake reed burning. “There now we can at least see enough to set up well enough we might not get completely rained on.”

Dav’n grunted “thanks.” and finished laying out his roll and yes Lillys was on his left and Ivys was on his right and Aspen’s was on the other side of Ivys. Pulling off his boots and his tunic he scrunched down into his bedroll and waited. Aspen came in, rolled her eyes and started to shuck off her boots and tunic too. Dav’n turned his head, and she chuckled a bit.

“Dav’n,” Aspen said without any teasing in her voice for once, “you know Lakewalkers have different modesty standards don’t you? You’re not offending me, nor am I trying to put pressure on you.”

Dav’n turned his head back to her and smiled “thanks, I was just trying to show you some respect for your privacy. I know our personal drama while amusing to you at first has got to be getting old by now” Aspen just chuckled.

“Oh while not usually this obvious, these things happen on patrols all the time.”

Ivy and Lilly had the decency to look a little sheepish but just followed suit getting ready to bed down in like manner. Dav’n had to admit even by the smokey light of that poor reed they both looked amazing. Ivy finally blew out the light and rolled up in her bedding. The storm came rolling in. Mostly they stayed dry and at least the breeze blew away the mosquitos.

It was a damp but not soaked night and everyone was tired enough that they got some sleep. Up before dawn they all tried to get packed as best they could. Dav’n hated storing damp gear because it always caused issues later but the storm seemed as if it would be with them for a while at least as a light drizzle. After some cold pulled pork and previously boiled water from the water skin they were mounted up and looking rather ragged. Dav’n finally spoke up, “I’ve made a decision and last night confirmed it for me. I pick both. Don’t say anything just listen! Last night I put up Tent Bluefield and there was room under it for us all. My tent will be open for both of you. If one or the other can’t live with that then it’s your choice. If BOTH of you can’t live with that then I’ve decided I can live with that too. I won’t like either of these options but if you want to be with me then be with ME, don’t demand to own me. I don’t even want you to tell me what you think of my idea until we camp again. I’ll help set up as many tents as we need for everyone to have what they can live with but no cheating. If you pick your own tent, no crawling into mine in the middle of the night. I’m probably going to hate myself for this and already I’m thinking I’m an idiot for not just enjoying the situation. We either make the decision to be together in the light of day or to be apart by the light of day with everyone knowing. No surprising me in the creek.” he looked sternly at Ivy. “no tempting me with your nudity” he turned the same look on Lilly. “These are just weapons to use against me to manipulate me. While part of me says just give in and enjoy being manipulated that isn’t good long term.” Dav’n really did look miserable and it wasn’t just the misting weather. “I’m sure you two will want to talk so I’m going to ride a little further up with Aspen today.” Then finally he smiled and tried to make his voice sound light and care free again, “Of course Tent Bluefield is always open to it’s honored guest Aspen.” and with that he broke into a fast canter and put some distance between himself and the ladies. He hadn’t gone far when he saw Aspen catch up to him and they both slowed to a walk.

She looked at him kinda oddly “how old did you say you are again?”

He straightened up in the saddle “I’m 15, but I’m not stupid. That was a no win situation. Still might be, but at least me pushing them away won’t be the reason we all lose. That and I really REALLY don’t like ultimatums.”

She shook her head and smiled, “No way you’re just 15. Talk to Barr when we get home.”

Dav’n smiled and finely felt good about something this miserable morning. They rode on in silence until finally late in the afternoon just as the rain was finally letting up, Ivy and Lilly caught up with them.

Chapter 19

Dav’n pushed them to ride pretty hard through much of the day. Dinner of roast pork and dried plunkin eaten in the saddle. He set the pace quick so that they covered most of a good days travel by shortly after supper time. He had been keeping an eye out all day when with about two hours of daylight remaining he found what he was looking for. Trees clumpped together on the side of small spring fed pond. He pointed to the idealic little camp spot, “think we can set up in the light this time and maybe give the damp tarp a chance to dry out?”

Aspen smiled at him and said in a voice just above a whisper, “are you sure you’re ready to camp and see what that little speech of yours earned you?”

Dav’n shrugged his shoulders and looked a little apprehensive, “Don’t do no good to put it off. They needed time to think and maybe talk and maybe still do. It’s not an offer with an experation date after all.”

Dav’n pulled out the still damp tarp and tretched it out in the hot late afternoon sun, then turned back to care for Shade. Dav’n started tramping down the grass of a nice flat spot in the shade of the trees. The went back for the tarp. He looked around and the ladies were no where to be seen. Dav’n shrugged his shoulders and drug the tarp over to get it set up. Well tent is set up and horses are watered and even a small fire started before all three girls come back into sight grinning like the cat that swallowed the canarry. “Uh... what have you three been up to and should I run now?” Dav’n asked with a bit of a nervous smile.

Aspen smiled at him “I’ve brought company. Ivy and Lilly also want to be guests of Tent Bluefield.”

“Ah... I get it. Need more time to make decisions. Certainly no problem” Dav’n smiled and waved a hand toward the open tent “make yourselves at home ladies.”

Supper was good and everyone went to the pond for a joint bath and while Dav’n had to wait a bit before coming out of the water it was mostly innocent play. Coming back to the tent he noticed that the bedrolls were already out. His on the far left, then Aspens, then Lillys, and last was Ivy’s. A bit confused by the new arrangement but figured it was something they had to have agreed on so not his direct concern. Just crawled in to bed. The ladies crawled in afterward and made a big show of braiding each other’s hair and then snuggling down in all together just a few feet from him. Even after they had blown out the reed candle he could hear the soft sounds of their “cuddling” and he was pissed. This wasn’t the embarassed horniness of the first night in the barn this was knowing he was being manipulated and he wasn’t going to stand for it. It was late in the night right before he finally drifted off to sleep that he knew exactly what he was going to do about it.

The next morning the three ladies all wished him a happy chipper “good morning” which he returned just as friendly. Not a care in the world. The three looked at each other a bit warily “so we’d better get started packing up,” said Aspen.

“Yup, suppose YOU should.” Dav’n said as he took out his knife and started to whittle away at small branch.

Ivy and Lilly shot a look at each other “Um. You don’t seem to be moving.” Ivy said.

“Notice that did you?” Dav’n coughed and spit off into the grass and just kept right on with his little project.

“Why aren’t you getting ready?” asked Lilly who was now developing a real bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Oh, I’m staying right here for a few weeks.” Dav’n said casually. “Oh and by all means Lilly keep Sunny as a gift. Least I can do”

“WEEKS!!” screetched Ivy and Aspen in unison. “We can’t just wait weeks we’ll be over due”

Dav’n nodded with an innocent look “Suppose that’s true. Have a safe trip.”

Lilly just started to cry and walk away but Ivy reached up and grabbed her hand pulling her back “oh no he doesn’t get to just do this. He’s not making a decision again. He’s making us chose only now we have to chose between our duty and him. He’s fighting dirty and pretending he isn’t fighting.”

Dav’n looked up and smiled “ah doesn’t feel good does it.”

Aspen just threw up her hands in dispair. “Courriers are supposed to move fast you know”

Dav’n nodded “so they are. Don’t let me stop you”

Ivy and now Lilly who had turned back now, both stand on either side of him and said “Why are you being so difficult? Men choose all the time this woman or that one. What makes you so special you don’t think you have to.”

Dav’n shrugged. “For the same reason Fairbolt was a threat when Uncle Fletch wasn’t. I don’t have to choose because I’m not going to. One of you is going to stay, or both are going to go or unlikly as it may seem both are going to stay. No matter which you choose there WILL BE NO REPEAT OF LAST NIGHT where you use sex as a weapon against me.”

With that Dav’n stood up and went right back into the tent and his bedroll. He slept surprisingly soundly for being in a hot tent. He woke up and went outside for a dip in the pond when he sees all three sitting around the fire still. “oh, you’re still here?”

Aspen was just exasperated now. Things had gone just about far enough. “Of course we’re still here. What do you expect them to do. You aren’t being fair!”

Dav’n nodded “You’re right I’m not being fair. Any more than any of you were fair last night.” He held up a hand to cut off Aspen’s protest “you helpped them so you’re involved now as much as I had appreciated your earlier neutrality. So you’ve all alligned yourselves against me as the bad guy for not choosing. So why do you want me if I’m the bad guy? If you put this much effort into making it work we could all be together and enjoying life instead of fighting for control. I’m done fighting so you’ll either have to make peace or make tracks, and I don’t care if it is fair or not, because I’m done.”

With that out of the way he walked down and waded into the pond. There were three long faces on the shore and finally Ivy says “well he’s right about one thing. If we’d put half the effort into making it work as we have into trying to force him to choose we’d have all be a lot happier”

Lilly shook her head, “yeah right up until we hit civilization again. I know what its like to be the freak. To be talked about behind your back.”

Aspen finally said “look you figure out what ever you got to, but we need to be back on the road tomorrow. Even so it’ll be nearly a week of hard riding to make it the rest of the way.” With that she went off to her horse and readied him for a ride.

“freaks because we’re half farmer in a lakewalker camp, doubly freaks because of this stupid situation we’re in...” Lilly was feeling about as low as she had since leaving town.

Ivy says “you think it will be bad for you? I’m not even sure without the unusual living arrangements we’d be allowed to stay. Leech lake camp is a pretty traditionalist camp. We have to be we’re on the pointed end of the spear this far north.” glumly she kicked a branch back into the fire. “We’re not some rich soft camp to the south. One in ten of our people die to malice hunting, either ground ripped directly or more often killed by mud men or accidents patrolling. This isn’t the stumble on a sessile malice once a year kind of patrol grid. Besides do you know how much grief I am going to get for cradle robbing?”

Lilly laughed a bit at that, “we’re not cradle robbing. I’m only 18 so it’s only 3 years difference and you’re what maybe 20?”

Ivy did look embarassed now “um you’re forgetting we’re Lakewalkers... I’m 28”

Now it was time for Lilly to do a double take...”but why then... but he’s...”

Ivy got hottly offended “why do you then? Does he seem ‘just a boy’ to you? If so why are you fighting so hard to keep him?” Noticing the change in Lilly’s ground as the words sunk home Ivy softened “he’s not your normal kid. We both know it. We both want to be a part of it. So lets go get a bath too and figure this thing out.”

Lilly looked at her, “we’re actually going to do this despite all the reasons not to? Well yeah but you are willing to too?”

Ivy reached down to help Lilly stand up, “looks like it, so lets get to work Farmergirl we’ve got fences to mend” then she winked at her to show it wasn’t meant as an insult.

Hand in hand they walked into the pond joining Dav’n.

Chapter 20

The rest of the week went by much smoother. Only a couple of embarassing moments when Aspen had to break three young folks out of the groundlocked state that an adventurous evening had left them in. Jokes aside Aspen looked at bit jealous. Pushing on hard though brought the whole crew safely to the edge of Leech Lake Camp in due time. “I’ve just bumped grounds with the guard” said Aspen.

“well that seems to be a cheat” said Ivy as everyone looked funny at her. “Oh I just get used to living together and all our drama behind us and now there will be parents to deal with.”

Dav’n looked like he had been hit by a rock. “Yeah I was so busy thinking of meeting your tent kin as meeting part of Da’s past, not so much that maybe they’re part of my future. Will they openly object to me? To Lilly?”

Lilly just looked scared. “Only one way to find out” said Ivy with a wicked grin. “If they’re going to disapprove then lets at least give them something to talk about” as she went back and took Dav’n’s hand and motioned for Lilly to take the other.

In just a few minutes they rounded the bend in the path and came upon a small bridge over some marshy ground just on the southwest corner of the lake. Past the little bridge where the guard post was you could see the tents. At a guess Dav’n would figure about 3000 people just judging by the number of tents and the amount of smoke drifting up over the camp.

As they trotted over the bridge the guard raised his eyebrows a bit “bringing company?” he asked.

Ivy spoke up “they’re with me. We need to report in, then I’ll take them to Tent Wolverine as guests”

The guard shrugged, “fine with me but you better check in with Tammia Otter too then”

“After Umal and Grandma Sabin, she’s our next stop” Ivy said.

Guard grunted “yeah I suppose I can see that.” and waved them threw.

Dav’n glanced sideways at Ivy as they headed down a small well worn track off to the left “I take it you don’t get that many visitors”.

Aspen choked off a laugh and Ivy looked a little nervous, “Uh you remember how you Da was treated at Hickory Lake?”

“Not that bad for you surely?” Dav’n looked at her in a bit of alarm. Lilly however was just quiet and looking around.

“Probably not, but we’re a pretty traditional bunch, Umal is typically reasonable though as long as you haven’t screwed up too bad anyway.” She couldn’t quite keep the worry out of her voice. “It won’t matter you’re my guest and it’s Grandma Sabin we have to worry about anway.” She grimaced a bit, “be prepared for a night outside the camp borders if things don’t go well. For your Da’s sake I hope she’ll be polite to you”

Dav’n frowned “I wish we had spent a bit of time hunting, doesn’t do to show up empty handed”

Ivy shook her head with dry look, “It’ll take more than a couple of wild pigglets to make Grandma happy. That being said she always did like your Da”

Lilly had all but vanished from groundsense. She never was this good at veiling in their practices along the trail. She looked worried but then she just figured if they got thrown out of camp that it would mean Ivy wasn’t a competitor anymore.

All conversation stopped as they pulled up to a log and canvas tent similar to what he had seen in Pearl Riffle Camp. Plenty of places to tie up the horses. Two men were coming out of the tent flap just as they were dismounting. Aspen looked up and smiled “Trey do you know if Barr is out on patrol today or not?”

The taller darkhaired one looked at her with a tolerant smile “Your boyfriend won’t be back until later this afternoon, little Aspen.” Then he looked over to the rest of them and got a confused look on his face.

Aspen just shook her head slightly and said “when he gets back in let him know to come see me, he has unexpected visitors”

Trey just tilted his head with an ‘on your head be it’ look and took off.

From inside they heard a man and a woman discussing something in a relatively loud tone “... well it just means we can’t patrol the area down by dead lake. Most of it is old blight anyway but I hate not having someone at least run through it once a …” he looked up as the four came into the front flap of the tent and blinked and then blinked again frowning. He was a thick set man with iron gray hair that hung down well past his shoulders in three long braids. Patroller dress but clean and well maintained as if it hadn’t seen too much time living rough. “what is this?”

Aspen and Ivy both came to an alert pose and Dav’n followed their lead. Lilly tried to shrink a bit farther down hoping not to be as noticable. Aspen rattled off in what sounded a lot like a formulaic response “Corrier run completed to Pearl Riffle. Stopped off at the usual camps along the way no urgent messages. Routine messages here.” as she held out a leather bag. “Requesting permission to visit Grandma Wabin”

Umal looked at her with a very bland expression “ah I see” was all he said. He turned a stern look toward Ivy “so the rest is yours to report I take it?”

Dav’n saw Ivy cringe at the look and start to answer when he stepped forward and squared his shoulders between her and the larger older man “I am Dav’n Bluefield, “ he said in a clear unwaivering voice despite the fact that everything in him was saying run, yet he stuck his hand out in greeting and looked Umal directly in the eye.

Umal started to get annoyed but decided to take another tact “Umal Osprey Leech,” and took the boys hand. “I appreciate you stepping forward, but you just interfered with a patrol matter. I’m now going to ask you to wait outside while I talk with MY patroller and then I will be most interested to talk to you as well.”

Dav’n was out foxed and he knew it. By trying to shield Ivy he had made things worse. Arguing again would make them worse yet. So with great struggle he simply released the mans hand and nodded “as you wish” then turned to Ivy and quirked an eyebrow trying to appologize. Then he left and Lilly quietly followed.

Once they were gone Umal let a small smile escape and barely audibly said “so brave and smart... I get it.”

Aspen who had been quiet up to this point simply said “Yes sir.”

“So what is he doing being brave and smart HERE?” he asked them both. At which point Aspen did her best to melt into the floor.

Ivy’s voice was trembling “You should be glad we brought him. He was coming on his own any way. His father was once kin to Tent Wolverine. He thought he could visit his Father’s old tent kin. Maybe learn something. We ran into him while staying at his Grandmothers farm, yes his mother is a farmer but they are the Bluefields, the ones who give us a dry place to sleep and warm food for our bellies whenever we pass by. The ones who’ve patched up wounded patrollers from time to time.”

Umal held up his hand “ok, so they’re good people and he has some nebulous relationship with Tent Wolverine, is your grandmother going to accept him as a guest then?”

Ivy made a face, “she will or I’ll be joining him camping in his tent outside of camp” she said with complete conviction.

Ulma whistled, “Oh I’m so glad I don’t sleep in tent Wolverine tonight” the older lady who was with him just grinned. He looked over at Aspen “ok, get out of here I can see how this is going. Please send those two back in as you leave.”

Needing no other encouragement Aspen fled the tent. She passed Dav’n and Lilly “ok you’re up and good luck”

Dav’n chuckled blackly “chicken” he said as she took off.

She just looked behind her and grinned broadly.

Taking Lilly’s hand Dav’n straightend as tall as he could and marched into the tent. Stopping just inside the door he looked Umal in the eye “Patrol business over then?”

Umal couldn’t help himself he chuckled. “yeah I suspect it is, and now the ‘camp business’ of what to do about you begins.” he stood up and motioned through the partition back into his office and they all moved in. “This is my wife Lolie, she too sits on the camp council this year.”

Dav’n formally nodded his head “Mam”.

Umal and Lolie sat behind a big table below the map board and Umal waved to the pile of stools along one wall. “make yourself comfortable. This sounds like it is going to be a tale.”

Dav’n went over and grabbed two stools, one for Ivy and one for Lilly then went back for his own. While his back was turned Lolie raised an eyebrow to Ivy and got a very bland look for the trouble.

Once seated he said “I’d have turned up on your door either way so there is no reason to cause trouble for Ivy or Aspen. I don’t come as a beggar and can pay my own way. I have some coin and have worked in a healers tent since I could barely walk. I have studied under two of the best grounworkers” he made a face at the term, there has got to be a better way of saying it”alive today. I don’t personally have groundsense that will make it past my finger tips but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how it is done. Including ground shields.” He reaches up and pulls his off tossing it on the table. “So that those who can’t veil or are very young have protection.”

Both lakewalkers across the table widened their eyes. Seeing their shock Dav’n asked “surely you knew this was possible, Barr has been on exchange here for weeks at least.”

Lolie laughed “yeah he’s mentioned it once or twice and the council has been screaming to send someone to learn how to make them. If you can teach that you’ll be welcome for that alone. That wasn’t the thing that surprised me though, your ground. Once you pulled of the shield your ground is dense and bright. It’s a makers ground if ever I saw one.”

Dav’n tried to not roll his eyes. Really he did. “Oh that. Yeah Da thought so and so did Arkady. They tried and I tried but it just isn’t happening. Ever since I was 12 and it started to come in we’ve tried but I just can’t stretch it out. I can sense ground right under my fingers,” both Lilly and Ivy blushed. “but past that I can’t do anything unless I’m guiding someone else with groundsense.”

Umal, frowned and got a distant look for a bit. Then said “well this is enough for now. I think you need to go see Sabin now.” He was obviously thinking for a minute and finally looked at Lolie and raised an eyebrow. She squirmed a bit. “Dag is a good man, and did a lot for the patrol.”

She squirmed some more, “yeah but this is a family matter.” she looked meaningfully at Ivy “in more ways than one unless I miss my guess. I’d hate to intrude on it but yes I agree.”

Umal, nodded as if it as settled. “IF you can’t find welcome among the tents of the Wolverine clan. Tent Osprey will be honored to grant you room to set up your tent Dav’n Bluefield”

“Thank you for your gracious offer of hospitality, Umal Osprey,” turned to Lolie and nodded respectfully “and you as well Lolie. I’ll remember you both to my father when next I see him.”

With that that the informal meeting broke up. As they were taking their horses around the path again and down a different path that followed the shoreline Ivy let out a breath she’d been holding the holding since they left “well that went better than I had feared. Umal must have really liked your Da, Dav’n. This next meeting is likely to involve more yelling but it is yelling I can yell back at. You really need to let me handle this one though, ok?”

Dav’n nodded “yeah sorry, I thought I really stepped in it for you at first back there.”

Ivy grinned, “Oh you did. BIG TIME, but you recovered well by realizing it and Umal was impressed despite himself.” She giggled a bit “Not often you see that.” Then she turned and looked at Lilly. “This is going to be hard. Harder than anything so far for you. Don’t worry we’re a team now and I’ll not throw you to them alone.” She gave Dav’n a grim smile “All together in victory or burning defeat”

Dav’n grunted approval and Lilly just said “thanks”.

Chapter 21

Well they hadn’t quite made it to Tent Wolverine before the excitement began. Word had spread fast and the curious were waiting on them by the camps corrals. Mostly young patrolers who were ringing Aspen, who looked like she wasn’t dealing well with her new found celebrity. “So how did it go?” Aspen asked them with a worried look.

“Better than expected,” Ivy said with a little frown.

Dav’n spoke up loud enough to be heard, “It went very well. For a busy man like Umal to take the time he did with us and be cordial and gracious to me for my father’s sake is the mark of a great leader. Sorry Aspen, I know you want to hear all about it but we have a duty to preform first.” he really hoped that the rest of them would take the hint and let them get settled. Assuming that was possible.

Aspen quickly stifled a smile “Yeah I know,” she said loud enough for everyone to hear. “It is right since you came all this way to meet your Da’s old tent head and tent brothers that I should let you do that in peace. Time enough tomorrow I suppose. TOMORROW though you’ve GOT to tell me all about it!” then quieter so only he could hear, “never convince me you’re 15”

The crowds thinned out or at least moved back to a more discrete distance. Dav’n smiled at Ivy and Lilly “well, all together, and it seems with an audience.” Ivy cringed slightly and Lilly just looked like a startled deer. They walked around the path toward Ivy’s home and as expected runners had been there ahead of them and standing together at the entry to the little clearing on the lake shore was a small and age shrivaled gray haired woman and two large older lakewalkers. Dav’n didn’t need to be told that one was Sabin Wolvarine the clan matriarch and the other two looked close enough to be brothers. Ivy squeezed his hand briefly then dropped her bags and ran to the larger man on the left “Daddy!!”. It was almost comical to see the man’s stern look soften as his daughter hugged him tightly. “I’m glad to be home.” then she released him and kissed the stern looking Sabin on the cheek with a lot less of the melting effect, “Grandma you didn’t need to meet us, we were on our way to you. I’ve got some people to introduce you to.”

The large man on the right almost choked at her attempt to make it all seem so normal. Sabin gave him a brief quelling look and then said to her granddaughter “Ivy you know Tent Wolverine isn’t a place to bring the half bloods. This is not proper and you know it.”

Dav’n started to step forward but remembered his misstep with Umal and waited to be introduced. Ivy not to be quelled so easily drew in a deep breath and said “Grandmother, Daddy, Uncle Farrell, this is Dav’n Bluefield. He is the son of Dag Wolverine and his Farmer wife Fawn Bluefield.” then moving over to take Lillys hand “and this is our friend Lilly Smithson” then turned and looked them all three in the eye and screwing up her courage, “I have offered them to be guests of Tent Wolverine”

Dav’n noticed his da’s named worked a bit of magic here, so the rumor must not have included that tidbit. Drawing up to his full, albeit not horribly impressive height, Dav’n squared his shoulders and made eye contact with Sabin. “Howdy mam,” nodded politely and then making contact with each of her sons did the same “nice to meet you. My da speaks highly of you all. It is his stories that inspired me to make the trip here from Clearcreek, up near Tripoint region.”

The frowns lengthened, they wanted to find fault with this well spoken half farmer boy who had every right to visit if he were a full lakewalker but he wasn’t and they could all read Ivy’s ground well enough to know that he wasn’t just a visiting friend. Sabin finally broke off this silent consideration “So you say you’re Dag’s get but Dag’s not kin anymore. A good man for certain but that doesn’t make us kin boy surely you know that.”

Dav’n looked at Ivy and she could see the patience was starting to wear thin. He raised an eyebrow asking her opinion to which she just waived her hand toward them palm up in a go ahead gesture. He turned back to Sabin and locked eyes on her again with a firm and proud stance “I make no claim on your Tent for kinship. I simply wished to meet the people of my Da’s stories, you once meant much to him. I was generously offered a place to pitch my tent among Clan Wolverine by one of it’s daughters. As such came to present myself to you with the respect owed to a generous host. If there there is no room or I have come at a bad time, I have no wish to impose. I have had other offers and will simply avail myself of them should there be no room among your tents for me and mine.” As if to punctuate his words Ivy moved back to take his hand, and Lily stepped forward to take the other one. Which certainly raised a few eyebrows and started furrious recalculations among the three elders.

Sabin finally spoke “There is room. You say you have your own tent? You may pitch it at the far end of the encampment, by the lake shore. My son Farrell will show you the way.” with that she turned and walked the opposite direction toward her own tent.

Ivy’s father turned his attention to her “Well come on, lets go say hi to your mama, she should have supper just about ready” and started to walk away.

Ivy called out to him “Ofcourse I want to go see Mamma but I’ve got to help get our tent ready first”.

The big man stopped and looked at her with a very bland look, “OUR tent?” then shook his head “you need to see your mother before you worry about your friend’s tent. You’ve been gone for a long time and she’s missed you.”

“Daddy,” Ivy started but Dav’n interrupted her.

“You should go see your mother. I can get the tent set up and we have enough supplies that Lilly can start our supper. We’ve already disrupted your homecoming and I wouldn’t want to us to get off on the wrong foot with your family if I can help it.” Dav’n looked meaningfully at her.

Ivy sighed, “It’s not going to matter. They seem determined to make this as difficult as they can.”

“Ivy!” her dad said in a reproachful voice.

“Really, we’ll be ok.” Dav’n said with a smile to her. “You can come back HOME once you’ve done your duty to your family. I know that they love and miss you.”

Farrell finally spoke up “We need to get you there if you want to be set up before dark.”

Ivy gave him a withering look, but Dav’n just nodded “you’re right and I’m sure you’ve probably got supper getting cold on you too” and pulled his spear from his back and drapped all three sets of saddle bags across it and set it over his shoulder and made to follow Farrell. He smiled encouragingly to both Ivy and Lilly and started off.

Farrell was silent the whole way to the camp site that as advertised was well away from everyone else and in a spot that was likely to get marshy if too much rain came. Tonight looked dry enough and there was time for new arrangements if need be in the morning. Dav’n thanked Farrell for showing them the way and started unfolding the tarp to set up camp. Farrell watched for a moment then silently nodded and shaking his head started walking back to the main clumping of tents.

Dav’n blew out a deep breath and smiled over to Lilly. “Well we’ve got a spot for tonight anyway.” He just started putting up the tent, “you know I don’t expect you to fix much. Just see if you can get some tea and we’ll eat the last of the jerky that I picked up before we left Gran’s”

Lilly tried to nod but just broke down into tears. Dav’n just went over and held her and whispered soothing nothings to her. “It was just like being back with daddy. They were so mean to her and she is so nice,” she let out a strangled giggle “ok, once she stopped trying to steal you anyway”

Dav’n got a real laugh out of that one “well what do you know, you each see how wonderful the other is just like I do” he hugged her a minute more then said “thanks for making me laugh, I didn’t realize how much I needed that, but unless we want to be sleeping in the open tonight I’d better get back to it.” then with mock severity “that tea isnt’ going to make itself woman” and he playfully swatted her on the backside.

Chapter 21

The tent, such as it was, was up and Dav’n and Lilly had each eaten and made a quick splash in the lake to clean off the worst of the road grime. Sitting around the small fire they ate their trail rations and talked about needing to go hunting soon. When down the little path they see Ivy coming just as fast as she can with an two older women arguing with her back as she kept just kept her eyes forward and he stride steady. One was only a little older than Ivy and blond and the other with hair just as firey as Ivys and looking very much as Ivy would in twenty five or thirty years. If it weren’t for the angry expressions on her face Dav’n would have been encouraged for she was a very attractive woman for her age. Ivy all but ran the last fifty paces, and Dav’n held open the tent flap and she rushed in with Lilly right on her heels. Dav’n turned to block the tent entrance and faced the angry pair. The older woman ignored him and started to make for the tent entrance but he simply moved to cut her off. She glared at him and he carefully held his face neutral. “How-dy,” Dav’n drawled in his best Da impersonation. The younger woman backed up but continued to glare at him.

Ivy’s mother simply said “get out of my way boy”

Doing his best to keep his voice level “not going to happen. This is my home and you’ll not harm Ivy here”

The woman spat out in anger “no only you do that here. Why don’t you go back to your own kind farmer boy we don’t need you here.”

Still maintaining his best neutral tone, “I’ve been welcomed as a guest by Sabin and placed my tent where she asked. If she chooses to revoke my guest status I will gladly move. Until then this is MY home and none will harm those in my care.”

“Don’t you see that you are ruining her life? What future can the two of you possibly have?” She was still angry but these words were pleading and filled with pain for her daughter.

Dav’n actually smiled gently at this and let his love and concern for Ivy show in his voice, “My da was once asked very similar questions. He had no idea how to answer them. He was really breaking all new trails and didn’t have any success stories to point to. I on the other hand can point to his example. Not only did he build a wonderful home for my mother but for my sister and I as well. I can tell you love Ivy. I understand. Nothing will be solved tonight and you’ll just end up hurting eachother with things better not said.” He looked directly in her eye and willed her to understand him. “Please let her rest. We’ve all had a very long day and there is time to talk in the morning. We’re not planning to go anywhere at the moment.”

Her anger dimmed for a moment while she heard him, but stiffened again at those last words. Stiffly she nodded “tomorrow.” Dav’n just nodded to her.

After they were gone Lilly poked her head out. “we’re going to the lake, see if washing off the grime will make her feel better.”

Dav’n smiled, “thank you. I’ll just sit here by the fire and hope I can limit any drama”

Lilly kissed him “I love you.”

“Take care of Ivy, she needs someone to talk to. I’m sure she doesn’t really want to tell me what was said just yet.” he winked at her.

The sun had set and the girls were back in the tent braiding Ivy’s hair, when he saw two figures walking up the lane. All Dav’n could think is ‘what now, all I want to do is sleep’. He pulled himself the rest of the way awake and stood to go meet the new visitors. When they were about twenty five yards out he recognized them in the failing light. “Aspen and Uncle Barr, you don’t know how good it is to see you two!!”

Barr grabbed him up in a big bear hug. “Boy when Dag finds you he’s going to skin you good” he said laughing.

Dav’n grinned “I don’t know. I think he’ll put on a good show for Ma and it’ll prolly cost me a good pound of flesh but I think he’ll understand. After all I’m kind of just doing what he did when he needed to figure out what to do next.”

Barr shook his head, “I was there for that little adventure and he was a grown man with a lifetime’s experience not a barely old enough to shave runt.” but then grinned at him showing that he wasn’t mad even though he might end up losing a pound of flesh too once Fawn found out he was here and didn’t immediately drag Dav’n back home.

“I’m just glad to see two lakewalkers who don’t think that I should be staked out for malice bait.” he laughed.

Barr and Aspen both cringed a bit “was it bad?” Aspen asked.

Dav’n gave his best crooked grin, “Da would have described it as ‘not ideal’.”

Barr barked a short laugh “that bad eh?”

“Come on back and have a seat by the fire. The girls are fixing hair in the tent but if they’ve recovered enough maybe we can talk about some happy things before turning in for the night”

They had no sooner sat down then Ivy came out of the tent her eyes red but not crying anymore, followed by Lilly. Barr looked like he had been hit over the head. “Lilly! What are you doing here?!?!”

Lilly’s face scrunched up but then smiled “It is you! I haven’t seen you forever. You’re Dav’n’s Uncle Barr? That is so GREAT!”

Barr was still in shock “THIS is the Lilly you were telling me about?” He looked at Aspen then back to Lilly as if he couldn’t figure out what to do next.”

Aspen was looking at him as if he had lost his mind “well yeah? Why? Do you know her?”

Dav’n smiled “well I didn’t expect this. How..”

Barr was up in a flash and bowled Dav’n over his knee in the boys chest “THIS is who you’ve been dragging all over the wilderness!! What were you thinking. Her mother has to be worried sick.”

Dav’n caught by surprise had the wind completely knocked out of him. The girls were all stunned. Aspen yelled “Barr!!”

It was enough to snap him out of it and he realized what he was doing and sat back and released Dav’n. “Uh, oh this was not how I wanted this...” His voice sounded near panic and all four of them were looking at him in shock. Dav’n had never seen him like this.

“What was that for, blight it?” Dav’n coughed out between ragged gasps.

Barr took a deep breath... “oh I’m sorry to scare everyone. I just... I guess I’ve got to explain.”

Lilly was cowering behind Ivy who was really looking pissed. Aspen just seemed stunned. Barr took a couple of deep breaths, “I really am sorry. Not just for how I acted but because this isn’t how I wanted to officially meet you” he said looking at Lilly. He took a couple of deep breaths again as everyone with groundsense saw his ground just roiling and boiling. He finally turned to face Lilly “Did your ma ever tell you that her husband wasn’t your father?”

Lilly’s eyes got huge “No but after my groundsense came in Daddy kept saying it happened because mama was a whore. I was only 14 when she died having my second little brother. It wasn’t like we talked about it and after she was gone... well lets just say things at home were not good.”

Barr actually choked back a sob “I’m so so sorry. I knew your ma when we were about the age you are now. I didn’t know she was pregnant when I had some things happen and ended up traveling with Dav’n’s Da. When I got back she had already married and made me promise not to tell you. I tried to stop in when ever I was through that way every couple of years or so. Just so’s I’d be there if something like this happened.”

Lilly was stunned. “Then where WERE you the last FOUR years!” she croaked tears streaming down both cheeks.

Barr, opened both hands out and said “I went on my walk around the lake, then got injured and ended up not getting back south. I was going to go through next spring when my exchange here was up.”

Lilly just shook her head in denial or disbelief “next spring would have been far far too late, had Dav’n not come” and she just rushed into the tent. With Ivy and Aspen right on her heels.

Dav’n turned to face Barr. “You’re her Da.” it wasn’t a question, he was just trying to settle it in his own mind. Barr nodded, clearly on the edge of an emotion outburst. “Give us time Barr. I’ll send Aspen out but you’ve got to just give us time to get a handle on this.”

Barr did let out a long held sob and nodded. Dav’n turned into his tent tapped Aspen on the shoulder. “He’ll need someone too, and we really need some alone time.”

Aspen stood up and hugged him tight and whispered in his ear, “take care of them. They need you”

Then she was gone.

There were a lot of tears and clinging that night from all of them. Dav’n tried to just radiate confident strength though he wasn’t sure how it was working. Just as they were all about to doze off Dav’n kissed Lilly’s forehead on last time and whispered, “not to excuse him or the hurt he has caused you, but he is a good man and now you’re not an orphan anymore. Give it time, m’love give it a little time.”

Chapter 22

Early the next morning everyone was up and moving about trying to put things in some sort of order. Dav’n asked Ivy, “Is there anything we HAVE to do today? Anyone we have to see?”

Ivy shook her head. “Oh the camp council will want to talk to us, and that’s likely to be as much fun as everything else lately, but they’re not meeting until later in the week. Today should be fairly quiet.”

Dav’n nodded. “In that case do you think you can take me by Stores and maybe pick up an axe? I’ve got a project that needs one and it can’t really wait.”

She looked at him quizzically, “yeah I’ve got enough on my accound for a good axe, but then I’m tapped out and there’s a lot of other stuff we really could use...”

Dav’n smiled “Oh I just need it for today, we can exchange it back tomorrow. Oh and some good cordage too and probably should pick up at least Shade and Sunny too. It’s a bit of an ambitious project for one day but maybe Barr can be talked into helping me. Otherwise he’s just going to want to bother Lilly and I don’t think she’s ready to talk to him just yet.”

Ivy shook her head with a rueful grin, “no but not wanting to talk to fathers is going around.”

“Sorry luv, really I am. I didn’t want to make trouble for you with your family.”

The storm clouds rolled back in behind her eyes, “YOU’RE not the one making trouble. YOU’VE been nothing but polite.”

He chuckled a bit, “Lets go let Lilly know what is going on before we head out but I need as much daylight as I can get”

Stores wasn’t really an issue as Ivy had a bit more camp credit than she thought. Seems long distance courrier duty paid a bit extra. So armed with his axe, and two hundred feet of heavy rawhide cordage Dav’n struck out to find Barr. Fortunately Barr and Aspen we looking for them as well and he caught them before they made it back to the camp site.

Barr still looked hang dog about the whole mess, “I was planning to send Aspen because I didn’t know how welcome I’d be this soon.”

Dav’n grinned, “Guess ma is right there is hope for you. Actually yeah it’s too soon BUT I have a secret mission to go on today and with a little luck it might make things a bit better. Sure be a big plus if I had an extra pair of hands, hint hint.”

Barr, eyeing the axe, laughed “Good to see somethings never change, always trying to trick others into helping you work.”

“I’m swinging by the corral to pick up Shade and Sunny for this anyway, and we’ll let Aspen and Ivy head back to the tent and hold the fort.” He winked at Aspen, gave one final kiss to Ivy and he and Barr headed toward the camp corral.

Chapter 23

Well Lilly figured the best way to keep from dwelling on the situation was to stay busy. She had all the bedding drug out of the tent to air out. All the contents of the saddle bags to take to the lake for laundry and was opening the tent to let in fresh air when she saw Aspen and Lilly coming back. Glad that Barr wasn’t with them but a little guilty that she felt that way she gave both Aspen and Ivy a hug and tried to manage a smile.

Aspen looked at the pile, “ahh I knew I shouldn’t have let Ivy talk me into coming over, she always tricks me into doing her work” and smiled at Lilly.

“Oh this was mostly just me finding stuff to stay busy. I really appreciate the company though.”

Ivy pipes up “hey what am I chopped liver?” looking mock offended.

Lilly finally gives a real smile “OK company that will actually led a hand at work” and then broke into giggles as Ivy made to tackle her. Much giggling and tickling later all three felt better and went down to take care of the basic chores. Dinner break came and went and two youths in a narrow boat coasted up to deliver their plunkin ration about the time that laundry was finishing up. Lilly says “How much do I owe you?” as the boys handed her the basket. They looked at each other confused but before they could get up a scheme, Ivy interrupted.

“She’s never lived in a Lakewalker camp before. Farmers pay for their food. She doesn’t understand the system yet but that’s why we’re all supposed to be helping her learn”

The boys looked dubious but then said “Ya don’t own nutting for plunkin, well except your turn at chuckin’” at this he made a face. “Can you do that? I mean do you have groundsense like a Lakewalker or not like a Farmer?” then looked embarassed but too currious to not want an answer.

Lilly’s brows shot up, “oh do you need groundsense to plant plunkin?”

Both boys gave her the look like she asked if water was wet. The three ladies all giggled at them though Lilly’s cheeks turned red “well I don’t know. I can see out to about twenty or so paces, would that be enough to do it?”

The boys both nodded “oh yeah even the really little kids,” they being a whole 13 themselves. “can do it, it’s one of the first things we learn when the ground sense just first starts to come in.”

Aspen said “Ma says it helps them to learn how to use it and control it. Yeah everyone gets that job as a kid in the spring”

Lilly smiled to both of the boys “Thank you, I was wondering what I was going to fix for supper”

Boys started paddling on when one said to the other “First time some one ever thanked me for plunkin,” The other laughed “yeah give her two months of eating it”

Ivy grinned “cute little buggers aren’t they as long as they are someone else’s and aren’t tearing my tent up”

Aspen said “I don’t know, if I could ever settle down the right man...”

Lilly gasped as a sudden thought came to her, “Aspen I love you and you’ve been a wonderful friend to me but I will NEVER call you mom!”

All three let that sink in for a minute and the giggles carried all the way up to the main camp.

Supper came and went, plunkin long cold sat in the pan.

The sun sat. The dusk faded away. Off to the far west flashes of lightening could be seen and still no sign of the guys.

Ivy a Lilly sat around the fire staring up the trail starting to wonder what had gone wrong when Aspen smiled and breahed a sigh of relief. “Barr just bumped my ground. I think they are on their way back.”

Ivy’s face got a blank elsewhere stare for a minute and then said “I see them but they’re out on the lake?”

Aspen made a face and her face too dropped all expression “Yeah, and with the horses on some kind of raft?”

Lilly burst out in giggles “Dav’n! Remember his family run the river. Why he thinks we need a boat, I don’t know but that’s what he’s done!”

Ivy scrunched up her face “Yeah... uh... what do we need a boat for? More importantly where did he find one?”

Nothing could be done but wait, they weren’t that far out but they sure weren’t moving fast. Almost an hour later and with it full dark they finally reached the shore. “We’re home.”

Those with groundsense could tell both men were ready to drop. They had obviously been working hard all day. Still what no one could figure out is why a boat?

Dav’n ran the raft around and almost lost his footing. Barr said “I’ve got them,” as he took the horses and lead them off to dry ground.

Dav’n stumbled on to dry land himself and said “Barr I know you’re tired but don’t run off just yet, ok?” Then he walked over to Lilly first and said “Farmer custom,” and picked her up in his arms, struggling more with her weight than he wanted to admit and set her gently on the raft. Trudging back to Ivy he repeated the process getting a worried look from Ivy as she thought about being dropped into the muddy marsh at the edge of the lake. “Don’t have a threshold so this will have to do.”

Both women just looked at him with baffled uncomprehending eyes. “I thought that was for houses?” Lilly finally said.

Leaning on one of the long oars still strapped into it’s oar lock, Dav’n grinned “So it is!” So realizing that they still didn’t quite see the plan he pointed to the bent sapling hoops on the back two thirds of the raft. “We move the tarp, put it over those like in a covered wagon, and Tent Bluefield is mobile.” to their still barely comprehending looks he added “Ivy’s uncle Farrell put us here because he expected the first good rain, which may fall any minute, to wash us away. Or at least leave us wet and shivering in the mud. Now if we float away no problem.”

Ivy and Lilly both mobbed him. The fearce look of glee in Ivy’s face was obvious for all to see. “We’ll show them!!” she turned to look at Aspen “Smart and brave indeed!”

Lilly was all misty eyed, “AND they can’t throw us out because we have our own space and can just float to another part of the camp or away completely!”

Dav’n hugged them both but then tilted his face up to meet Lillys eyes, “The man you thought was your dad wanted to kick you out of his home, your real dad helped me build you a new one. I couldn’t have done it before the storm tonight without his help”

Lillys face looked very serious as a lot of emotions warred behind her eyes but finally she pushed away from Dav’n and jumped back to the bank. She walked up to Barr and hugged him tightly. “Thank you for helping when you could” and then dashed off back to the tent.

Barr was blown away. He wanted to go after her but knew it needed to be small steps. Aspen spoke up, “we’d better give you a hand and then get going if we’re going to beat that storm back to our tents.”

Dav’n nodded as he trudged off the edge of the raft and drug his way through the calf deep water. Ivy was too excited she danced off the raft and raced to the tent to find Lilly already rolling up the bed rolls and drying her eyes. “You did good back there. All doesn’t have to be forgotten or forgiven right away to find a way forward... remember how long it took for you and me”, she hugged her quickly and then said “hurry up silly or we’ll still be sleeping in the wet.”

They were still gathering up the gear when the tent canvas just pealed back as Barr and Aspen pulled it toward the raft. Dav’n gathering it in the middle so it wouldn’t drag in the lake and get wet. Plenty of bungeling around in the dark but a good twenty minutes before the clouds opened up and soaked everything they had waved good bye to Barr and Aspen. Dav’n fell onto the deck and started trying to kick off his boots to no avail. Ivy and Lilly both came over and fawned on him helping him get out of his filthy clothes and while normally that would just be the start of things he was exhausted. Ivy stopped him before he fell into the bed rolls “what have you done to your hands!” she exclaimed and turned them over to get a better look at them with her groundsense. Lilly joining her gasped, because both hands were broken open and oozing blisters.

“Oh yeah well I didn’t have gloves like I usually do back home but it had to get done. Barrs are just as bad. They’ll heal in a few days. Right now sleep is more important.”

“No, it isn’t. Right now we need to clean those up and bandage them. I’ll give you a little ground reinforcement now because cleaning them is going to hurt and then maybe a little more in the morning.” Ivy’s tone was not to be argued with, and besides Dav’n was too tired to argue and Lilly was already getting some of the left over tea to use to clean with.

“Tea is all we’ve got that’s been boiled. I wouldn’t want to use lake water... Fires gone out too.” she said.

“It’ll work just fine,” Ivy said reaching for it and the soft corner of her shift. She went in for a ground reinforcement but felt drawn in and down, she could already feel the infection setting in and tried to match grounds but Dav’n’s just greedily pulled her in deeper.

Lilly fortunately had been watching and bumped grounds with them breaking their contact. “Ivy any more and you could have hurt yourself.” Ivy just shook her head in confusion.

Dav’n said “I don’t know what happened I didn’t try to hold you in like that” he looked a bit scared.

Ivy rubbed his arm, “I know love but that was sure different. Um maybe we should just clean you up and get some sleep”

Dav’n closed his eyes and was asleep before Lilly covered him up. Both girls snuggled down in with him and listened to the storm out side. Ivy touched the grounds of Shade and Sunny tied to the tree on the shore just so they wouldn’t panic and hurt themselves.

The storm blew over a couple of hours before dawn. In the early pre-dawn hour they heard a voice calling to them from the shore. Ivy saw the grounds of her Uncle Farrell, her Ma and sure enough Grandma Sabin was there too. She got up trying not to wake Dav’n and told Lilly to stay and rest. She walked out to three very confused lakewalkers who hadn’t seen the contraption Dav’n and Barr made come in last night. Ivy could tell they weren’t just confused they were irritated. They had waited for the rain just like Dav’n said. They came down here expecting to see three very wet and muddy people who had just spent a very unpleasant night. Ivy couldn’t keep the smile off of her face, yup brave and SMART. Instead she just said “SHHH you’ll wake the whole camp! Let me figure out how to use the oars and I’ll come back closer to shore.”

Dav’n stepped out of the tent in just his hastily pulled on pants. “you need two to work both the oars or you just kind of go in circles with one of these.” he said quietly to her and winced as he took hold of the other oar.

It wasn’t much work to clear the fifteen yards they had floated over the night. Dav’n also enjoyed the frustrated looks on the faces of what could yet end up as his tent-kin. “There, now we can talk at something less than a shout.” He sat down on the pile of field rocks that he had stacked on the deck yesterday hoping to use for a hearth eventually and began to pull on his mocasains. “Mornin, nasty little storm last night. Everyone’s tent make it through ok?” he managed it with a strait face but from inside the tent you could hear Lillys giggles. Though Ivy’s vicious grin of glee didn’t help either.

“What is this farmer contraption?” Sabin snapped.

“Oh just a little raft. See Da told me about the tricks his former tent-brothers pulled on him, so when Farrell there put us on the low ground I took that he meant for us to wash away, and I didn’t want to be a bad guest or poor sport and dissapoint, nor did I care to get wet doing it.” Dav’n grinned now himself. “Seein’ it’s the same kind of thing you did to Da, well it just sorta makes me feel part of the family” Ivy couldn’t hold it in anymore and fell into uncontrollable giggles. “Care to come aboard and take the cooks tour?”

Sabin turned and stalked away. Ivy’s mother, Saelin, hesitated for a moment but then decided her duty was to chase after her mom. Farrell shook his head and did a semi sarcastic bow, “well done. Well done if I do say so myself.” He looked at Dav’n a little closer and then nodded “I’d like to take the tour sometime but yesterday we were told to let you know that the makers want to talk to you about the groundshields. They’ll want you there about dawn, if you can be.”

Dav’n nodded “sure just need to pull on a shirt. Oh and come on for the tour, Ivy and Lilly would be proud to show off their new home. You and I can catch up in the evening after the makers are done with me, if they leave anything that is. A maker with a new concept can leave you feeling right blighted.”and he chuckled to show that there were no hard feelings and ducked back into the tent for his shirt. Coming out pulling it over his head, “besides I know the way and since Shade is here already I’ll probably let him stretch his legs after the storm.”

Chapter 24

Time to earn his keep. Dav’n rode Shade over to the medicine makers tent and tied him up out front and then peeked his head in. Olna Osprey, the chief medicine maker was giving orders for the morning to her minions. Dav’n just stood back out of the way and suddenly felt a little homesick with all of the familiar smells of the various medicines brewing. Noticing one of the pots starting to smell a little off he gave it a quick stir. That brought Olma over quick “leave that be. It’s delicate, too much stirring... “

“And it won’t settle out right. I know, but it was starting to smell a little like burning hair which meant there was a hot spot at the bottom of the pot and it can stand that a lot less than it can a quick stir. Sorry, too much time helping my Ma and I forget this isn’t our tent.” Dav’n said with a bit of a shy smile.

“Hmm... suppose they did say you knew your way around a medicine tent” Olma muttered with a frown.

“Knew everyone was busy with the morning reports, and I’d hate to see the work go to waste. Tallmans seed can be hard to find this far north.” Dav’n shrugged. “Anyway they said to report in to you and you’d take me to the makers for questions about groundshields.”

She nodded “you’re wearing one now, it’s why your ground looks so blurry and out of shape?”

Dav’n smiled “exactly. Try to touch it.”

Olma laid a hand on his arm and concentrated, “It just kind of slides off or backs up... I can’t seem to match it.” she spent a few more minutes of concentration on it. “What’s it like from the inside?”

Dav’n shrugged “don’t really have much in the way of groundsense so it isn’t any different to me. Lakewalkers find it disquieting, once they’ve grown used to their groundsense that is. Try it on if you like or we probably should do this in front of the others.”

“If you don’t have groundsense how are you going to teach us how to make it?” the skeptisism in her voice was apparent.

Dav’n grinned. “Same way a blind man describes a sunset. From having heard others talk about it.”

Olma shook her head, “Gonna be a long day so we’d better get started.”

They walked toward the far east edge of the clearing where the main tents were at, sort of a lakewalker down town. Dav’n figured. There was a large clearing and about eight men and women all looking to be the north side of fifty which with lake walkers meant the north side of eightyfive. Names flew by pretty fast and Dav’n mostly just nodded and smiled friendly like to each of them. His reception ranged from open and currious from Tav the narrow boat builder, to grim from Rivna the knife maker, openly hostile in the case of Zan the smith. Dav’n looked around to see if anyone was going to open the meeting and when all eyes just looked at him, he walked much more confidently than he felt toward the center of the group and opened with “My name is Dav’n Bluefield as you know, my Da is Dag Bluefield or as some of you may remember him Dag Wolverine Leech.” nods around the group with a scowl from Zan. “He was captain on the Rain Tree Malice fiasco that over ran the Bone Marsh Camp. There he saw not only a lakewalker camp that will be unusable for a generation but also a farmer town called Green Spring that lost over half of their people and nearly all of the children.” He paused to let that settle in.

Zan barked out gruffly, “Farmers shouldn’t be up that far anyway, only feed the Malices”

“hmm... that was the usual reply when he brought it up, but then they didn’t see the young bodies going into the ground long before their time. My Da, did.” he stared challengingly at Zan for a minute and then continued. “It really doesn’t matter if they should be there or shouldn’t be there in the end. The fact is, much like me, as some of my Da’s former tent-kin are beginning to realise, they are there and wishing them away doesn’t make them go away.” Chuckles broke out from some of his more friendly and neutral audience. “So when faced with a situation that IS people react one of two ways. They pout and complain about what should be, or as Da did, they figure out how to make the situation better.” he saw some nodding around the circle and got an eye roll from Zan and Rivna. “The real thing that worried him though was that farmers are inventive and there is a LOT of them. If a malice were to pop up in a farmer city of say twenty THOUSAND... they wouldn’t just have nearly unlimited food as the Bat Malice my Uncle Witt took care of because he was protected by a groundshield” pause for effect, yeah they had all heard the story but most didn’t look like they really believed it. “The real danger is that they would have access to all the farmer’s tools. Tools to make weapons to better arm the mudmen. Tools to carry weapons and supplys over greater distances. Tools to decimate lakewalker camps before the various groups could unite to put it down”

Zan couldn’t contain his disdain any longer. “Look if you people want to listen to this farmer’s tall tales you go ahead, I’ve got work to do.” with that he walked away.

Dav’n stopped his story and looked around the circle, he opened his hands in silent question? When no one else stormed off, though Rivna looked tempted, he continued. “Call it a tall tale if that makes it easier to accept, but it is a tall tale that is in official lakewalker reports because three farmers, my aunt and uncle and my own ma, killed the bat malice while the Laurell Gap patrol was killed or scattered. While my own Da, a patrol captain with twenty six personal malice kills to his credit and more assist than anyone has counted up was dragged off by flying mudmen. They did it not because they were better at it, the only one who had faced a malice before was my ma at Glassforge and my Uncle earlier that day, both of those near sessiles. They did it because farmers are clever and they have useful tools. Tools that a malice who knew what a sharing knife was and stayed out of reach over everyone’s head didn’t count on.” Dav’n took a deep breath. “My Da made it his mission to find a way for farmers and lakewalkers to work together, so that maybe the Malices wouldn’t eat us all. Now it’s time for a demonstration. I’m sorry Zan is gone, he would be the perfect one for this test, because no one would accuse him of holding back. I want each of you to use your ground to attack me. One at a time two and three of you at the same time. Try to overpower or sneak around the shield. Come on don’t be shy. If there is a weakness you’re doing us all a favor in finding it.”

Twenty minutes later there were seven sweaty and tired master makers standing around Dav’n, who had been standing there calmly the whole time. “The shield had been pushed down on me and I moving would be difficult for me at the moment. I have suffered no ill effects though and...” he reached up and unfastened the shield “now I’m completely freed up. Unprotected but freed up.”

There was a running gasp from the gathering of makers. “you say you have no groundsense range?” asked the leatherworker, Dav’n racked his brain for a name but came up blank.

Dav’n hung his head in an old well worn frustration. “That is the case. Yes, I know my ground is dense and bright which made my Da and Arkady just sure I was going to be a maker too. They’ve worked with me and worked with me until we’re all sick to death of the drills. I just can’t project it. I have gotten better at veiling it since Ivy and Aspen started working with me” he managed to veil in to what the other makers would consider polite for company, just barely but couldn’t hold it for long while still continuing his speech. “So if you have an idea, yes I’ll gladly try it but it had better be a good one because the best have been working me over for years.” he gave a rueful chuckle to let them know the frustration wasn’t with them. He handed over the shield to Tav first “take a look, pass it around. Then we’ll take a brief rest and I’ll try to describe how it is made.”

Oh it was a LONG morning. They spent all morning at it and by dinner break managed to have a pile of ruined walnuts that no one in the green earth could crack, seven very tired makers, and two working groundshields. The good news is they knew that they could now make them. As they were breaking up Dav’n asked and was granted a visit to each of their workshops. Mostly he just wanted to see what they made and then run it by Uncle Witt when he did get home. If anyone would know the best place to trade it off for the best price it would be Uncle Witt.

Tav’s shop interested him the most in the short term. The boat builder showed him the sealed leather bladders that they use for the empty spaces in the narrow boats to help keep them from getting swampped. It gave Dav’n ideas that he wanted to run past Aunt Berry when he got the chance. Tav head the story of the raft he had built and had a good laugh out of it. Dav’n invited him out to see it any time he liked. He actually hated to leave Tav’s shop but there were three others he wanted to see including the boyer and sun would set soon.

Chapter 24

The days had gone by pretty well and Dav’n was working in the medicine tent but also with Tav and Bozen the camps long bow maker. Bozen was confounded by Dav’n’s bow but after a horseback demonstration decided it was worth pursuing. Being as how Zan didn’t want him anywhere near the smithy they were having to work mostly with wood which didn’t behave quite the same way that the Tripoint steel did. One day though while working with Tav, inspiration struck. Using rawhide, bone, hair, and wood glued into a laminate and with a little blood from Dav’n to allow him to direct some groundwork into it they had the perfect arms of the short little bow. Then for the necessary steel fittings he put to use what he learned at Sages and with completely the wrong tools for the job, ended up with some workable hardware. The new bow was even better than his old bow. With the groundwork in it he could feel it when it flexed. He could feel when it was right. His speed increased to where he was hitting just like his Da did when they were back home.

Camp council tabled any decision about him. In that way not pushing him out while some were still willing to have him as a guest and not setting a precident for others following him. It wasn’t a victory but it suited his needs for the moment. Closer to home Sabin and Saelin had grudgingly come to accept that he wasn’t leaving any time soon though neither had spoken to him since that first morning on the raft. Oh and yeah that story was all over camp. Each night they had a parade of the currious wander by on one excuse or the other. A lot were young couples thinking of a place more private than a parents crowded tent and more comfortable than a blanket in the woods. On the plus side Farrell was to the point of being down right friendly. Ash, Ivy’s father, was more cool in his approach and more limited in his praise but polite and if not welcoming seemed so by comparison.

Ivy was busy with training with her patrol and Lilly had taken to playing happy homemaker with glee. The hearth had been build with clay and the stones Dav’n had gathered that first day. A small herb garden was growing in a couple of hollowed out logs on the front bow. A real mattress of sorts was even made with two old and thin blankets that didn’t cost much camp credit stitched together and stuffed with about six inches of hay. Dav’n had been promising to build a real bed for it but was so tired after a day working that his energy seemed better spent on Ivy and Lilly than making the stupid bed.

Aspen finally roped down and string bound Barr and the poor boy never looked happier. They too had become regular visitors at Tent Bluefield. Umal visited one evening. Said he was just dropping by to see the raft but truth was he wanted to break the news that Ivy was going to be sent out on a three week patrol. Dav’n didn’t much like it but knew it was part of the deal. Staying behind in camp while your woman went out and chased down malices just didn’t set well with him and Umal was trying hard to hide the smirk as he knew exactly what the protective young man was strugling with.

Ivy left just before dawn. Lilly cried and Dav’n stewed. Then letting Farrell know his plan, Dav’n decided to take Umal up on an offer and he and Barr rowed the raft about 600 yards up the coast line and grounded it by Tent Osprey for a visit. Barr didn’t quite move in while Aspen was gone but it was a pretty near thing until his patrol was also sent out just three days later. Tent Osprey was very hospitable and while everyone wasn’t happy to see them, many more were than weren’t. Dav’n was useful and they knew it, and no one could be mad at Lilly for long. That is how Dav’n heard first that there was another Malice outbreak and that it had shattered and scattered Barr’s patrol. Ivy and Aspen were safe, well ‘safish’ on the other side of the patrol map but the malice and an army of direwolf mudmen were heading toward camp. Umal when confronted by Dav’n wanting to help was told there wasn’t anything for him to do but help protect the rest of the camp as it fled south. It wasn’t an insult but he didn’t have groundsense and he didn’t have a knife. Protect the other makers.

When he packed up Lilly and put a groundshild on her and one on Sunny then told her to stay close to Tav White Tail. “You’re going after the malice, aren’t you?” Lilly asked

“Yeah I am. Barr is out there and so is Ash. I’m not going to sit here while Ivy and Aspen’s family is in danger. I love you but this is the right thing to do and you know it even if Umal doesn’t.”

Lilly smiled sadly at him, “ I know love just please be careful and bring them home.” and while she was openly weeping she knew he wasn’t going to change his mind.

He put on his groundshield and packed his equipment, then put one on Shade. If he did run into the malice at least it couldn’t turn his horse against him. He slipped out of camp not more than a half an hour after Umal left.

It wasn’t hard to follow the others they were tearing off in a hurry and tearing up the ground as they went. Dav’n wasn’t really sure what he was doing. He didn’t have a knife and he didn’t have groundsense to even find Barr or Ash. Blight it just following behind the main force wasn’t going to work. He would only get there after everything was already over. Thinking furriously about everything he had ever heard about hunting malices... “pointed end in first” didn’t really seem to help. Then it came to him. If Barr or Ash had made it out they would have had to scatter so they won’t be right were everone else is going. With a little shrug he turned about three degrees off the path and figured he would go on for several hours and maybe he would see his opening.

He had been traveling for about two hours when he heard a lot of noise coming from over the next ridge. Blight not having groundsense... Well he came here to pull folks out of pick a fight, he readied his spear and nudged Shade into a canter toward the top of the next little hill, at least from there maybe he could see something. He didn’t make it to the top before he heard voices shouting to eachother. Well, he thought at least I’m in the right spot, because Mudmen don’t do that. Pushing Shade into a gallop he crested the hill and below saw three Lakewalkers pinned down behind their dying horses stabbing at four of the biggest wolves Dav’n had ever seen with burning branches. It seemed a pitiful defense against the monsters. Not knowing what else to do he charged the first one he could reach spearing it below and behind the right shoulder. The impact drove it from its feet and layed it out on the ground but wrenched the spear from his grasp and left him unarmed as Shade charged past the other three trying to get clear. Wolves run down horses naturally and these wolves were almost as big as Shade. Dav’n was just beginning to suspect he could be in some real trouble. The running horse was no place to try to ready his bow and a straight all out run wasn’t going to cut it but at least he had drawn them off the trapped Lakewalker party. He could hear his Da’s voice in his head “doesn’t do any good if you just get ate”. Think, absent gods, THINK...

Dav’n cut out in a wide loop, and gained a little distance on the wolves. He didn’t think for a minute they were tiring but they were letting him keep Shade at a full run and wear him out. “lets see how smart you bastards are,” he thought as he headed back to the spot where he left the stranded lakewalkers. Maybe they can pick off another one and then... well he didn’t know what then but it was too late to change his mind the group had gathered by the fallen wolf and at least recovered his spear. He could see Ash standing with the spear in hand waving him past. Dav’n charged hoping to give him a shot at the attacker. As he passed he cut the strap holding his bow and quiver to his saddle so that it fell by the men. All too fast he was past and Shade was starting to tire. He couldn’t see if Ash had any luck with the spear but the wolves were still behind him. The wolves were gaining fast and he knew out running them even for another pass wasn’t in the cards so he slowed and let Shade ease his muscles a bit... the timing on this was going to suck. Riding looking over his shoulder he kept slowing Shade and slowing him letting the lead wolf close the gap and just as he sprung and couldn’t change his momentum Dav’n wheeled Shade into a hard right and the pounce missed but there was another wolf right in the way but nothing to do about that but just run through him. Dav’n didn’t know about the laws of motion and had never heard of a man called Newton but that didn’t stop the laws of physics from applying. Shade hit the wolf broadside and the wolf went flying but so did Shade in the other direction and so did Dav’n in yet another. As he hit the muddy ground and rolled to a stop sparks flashed in front of his eyes and then it was dark.

Pain, ok REAL pain, wait that’s good. The dead don’t feel pain. Pain teaches and the dead cannot learn. Pain teaches not to do the stupid things that cause pain in the first place. Dav’n opens one eye but can’t see anything. “Uuuhhg” he moves first his feet then his arms then starts to sit up.

“Hold on there hero,” he hears whispered. “Stay quiet we’re not quite out of the woods just yet.”

“Barr, Ash?” he croaked back.

Barr pushes down on his shoulder “shh, we’re both here but we’re behind the malice and won’t make it to the main group before they begin their assault.”

Dav’n relaxed and with through the inventory of feeling his hurts and being greatful they were all there to hurt. “Behind is good. Bone Marsh. Shade?”

Barr whispered “yeah he made it but there are four of us and only one of him.”

Had to think if this crushing headache would just stop for a minute. “Knife?”

“Ash has his but his leg is busted. I’m doing ground reinforcements every ten minutes to keep Ruuv White Tail from going into shock. Ruuv is in no shape to do anything even just laying there is hard on him and Arva is unconsious and has been since the last wolf took her under.”

Dav’n grunted, “Not ideal.” Listening to Barr’s black chuckle made it click with him. He started to force himself back to his feet and felt the whole world shifting around him. The lights flashed in front of his eyes again but this time when they cleared he was able to steady himself and use the faint moonlight to stagger off toward Ash. “You still consious?” he asked as he did a controled fall next to Ash.

“Yeah, you’re nuts. Thank you.” his voice shaking. “Don’t think we were making it out until you dropped us the bow. That was quick thinking.”

“I couldn’t take the time to ready it and I was dead unless it came into play” Dav’n said with a bit of embarassment. “Once I’d grabbed the wolf’s attention it was too late to do anything but run” He coughed and moaned for the pain in his side. “Where’s the bow at?”

“Ash said it’s here, and in one piece though that was a close thing. It went down with Arva, and the wolf landed on it. “Even a half a dozen arrows left.” for all the good that does us.

“I need your knife. I know what I ask but I’m the only one who can be spared. I can’t take over for Barr and you can’t ride with that leg...”

“Like hell. We’ve got to regroup and try it with a fresh patrol if those massing off to the south fail.” Ash shifted and sighed.

“Get the knife in first and worry about the rest later.” Dav’n said just as if he was reciting his name. “Da taught me that much. I may not have the ground sense but if the Malice is between us and that other group he won’t be looking behind him. We have a chance to hit while it is distracted.” Dav’n rubbed at his eyes wishing he could just sleep for a week. “I’ll play hell finding it without groundsense but I’m betting it’s deployed it’s mudmen forward not securing it’s rear”

Ash took a deep breath, “you’re right BUT I’m not giving up my knife to you, and with my groundsense we can find it and have a chance of attacking in coordination with the party to the south.” Struggling to sit up, “I may not be able to make it on my own but if you’ll handle the horse and get me there I WILL get the knife in. We’ve just got to be bloody careful because it has eaten Lakewalker, it knows what a knife is and if it sees it in its groundsense it’ll throw everything at us.”

Dav’n shrugged “then the boys from the south can get their knife in. Two chances beat one. Rest here while I get Shade. He’s ground shielded so at least the Malice can’t just control him and trample us.” gathering his willpower Dav’n pushed himself back to his feet while grabbing for the bow and quiver.

Shade was still trembling some from the excitement of earlier but responded to Dav’n giving him a quick rub down and tying off the quiver. “Come on boy, get the knife in and everything else after.” With that pulled himself into the saddle and reached behind him for a bit of dried plunkin in his saddle bags. Walking Shade quietly back over to Ash he hissed at Barr “help him up! We’re going to do this and I need him awake when we get near the Malice.”

Barr didn’t argue, he just helped the wounded man stand on his one good leg and grunted as he dead lifted him up behind Dav’n. “you know, if you get killed, your mamma is going to skin me alive really slow and then turn what is left over to your gran”

Dav’n gave him a weak smile, “well since it would be so hard on you, I’ll try to avoid it” They trotted off slowly toward where Ash thought those from the Camp would try to cut off the Malice. A two mile ride never seemed so long but finally Ash squeezed his shoulder. “There up there about five hundred yards to the malice. Three mud men, two right up next to it and one headed this way.”

Dav’n grunted, and started getting arrows read for easy access. “put your knife in my belt at the small of my back. Maybe my groundshield will disguise what it is enough that the Malice won’t see the threat unti we’re upon him.”

“Will that work?”

“Could it hurt? Besides we need every cheat we can get. We’re not making it out of this one even if we win. I want you to know I do very much regret not leaving you with a grandchild first” then Dav’n sobbed and sniffed hard sucking it up.

“We ain’t dead yet boy, they’ll be plenty of time for that once the Malice is dead you just do that and then everything else after!” Ash said a little louder than he probably should have but he had to so his own voice wouldn’t crack.

Dav’n felt his belt pulled tight and the knife slide in, then a tap on his shoulder and Shade broke into a very fast walk circling out to come at it all directly from the north. All other thoughts out of his mind Dav’n focused on his bow and the dark shape of the wolf working it’s way up sniffing the air as it came. The wolf didn’t seem quiet sure about what Dav’n was and was scouting. That was the break he needed . Deep breath and let it out, then another as you draw then sight in slowly release and release the string.

Thwangg, the bow string sounded loud in the quiet night. Not waiting to see the result of the shot he pushed Shade into a full gallop struggling to keep control of the situation as he heard Ash scream out in pain behind him and felt him grip his belt to hold on. There was nothing for it now, he had two hundred yards to cover with two wolves between him and the Malice and a potentially very angry wounded wolf on his heels. He drew and released, and again, and again, and again on the charge in and one wolf finally went down but the other had just crouched low for a spring and was ready to pounce. There wasn’t time for another shot just a quick dodge to the left so that the pounce was glancing, the wolf’s claws ripping into Dav’n on the shoulder. Forward! He felt the Malice tearing at his groundshield as he closed the gap. He leaned forward in the stirrups. The knife slipped from his belt but Dav’n had no time for that now. With blurring speed the Malice pulled back on its hind leggs lunging for Dav’n but ignoring the rider behind. The impact was immense. Malices have no physical form being only a ground projection, but the groundshielded horse and rider smashed energy field into energy field with an impact and a snap back that threw both horse and rider to the ground. The blackness consumed him.

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. Maybe this time he actually was dead. Visions of Lilly and Ivy floated in his mind. Not weaping and mourning but glorious in the short weeks they had together. Da smiled at him, and momma held him close. All of this in the swirling blackness. It seemed like forever. Finally the pressure lifted and he could breathe. The sun was rising. He could breathe! The gray fog came for him again.

Warmth flooded into him fast and strong in a rush but then someone pulled it away. Pushed him back into the dark and the cold. He slept some more, how long he couldn’t know. He was moving, he knew this but he couldn’t muster the energy to even question where. More warmth! Ah this was, hey wait don’t go but he felt himself being pushed back into the cold. More dreamless sleep. Worried voices, he should be able to understand... more warmth this time just a splash before the pushing shoved him back under. Numb. Wait that was something. It felt good. It was cool, not the burning cold that he kept trying to escape but a clean refreshing cool. He thought that his eyes would open if he could just find the energy. Warm again, flooding in and this time when the cold hands started to beat him back down into the darkness he quit trying to hold the warmth and fought them. They kept hitting him but they weren’t pushing anymore just trying to get him to let go. He felt them pulling away from him but instead of fighting or letting go he let them draw him along. His eyes opened.

“It WORKED!! It worked it worked” the sing song voice danced in his ears as he felt the room spinning. Lilly, that was Lilly.

“uhhs, wa..water” he croaked.

“All you ever want” Lilly sang out as she brought a foul smelling tea to his lips. The back of his mind registered that smell, oh this was definitely ‘not ideal’ if they were giving him this. One sip and while his tongue felt on fire for an instant he could move it again and his throat.

“Go easy with that stuff, Da uses it before he cuts on... um... am I all here?” he asked his voice rising in panic.

Lilly smiled brightly at him “you’re all here and as soon as Ivy can sit up you can see we’re both all here too.”

“Malice?” he was already fading as she told him it was gone.

Chapter 25

The next time he could open his eyes, Dav’n was surpriesed to see Saelin sitting by his bedside. He considered closing his eyes and pretending not to have awakened. Finally his eyes opened and he said “must be serious if even you’re wearing that long face for me.”

Saelin snorted, “boy you don’t know the half of it. Or maybe you do, what do you know of the events of the last week?”

Dav’n grunted and shrugged his shoulders. “Time’s not really my strong suit but near as I can tell day before yesterday I was riding with Ash against the Malice. Woke up for a bit yesterday and Lilly said that we did get it. Is Ash ok? I passed back out before I could ask.”

Saelin shook her head, “Oh it was a week ago that you saved my Ash as he tells it. I owe you much for that.” Dav’n started to wave it all away but she went on harshly, “and five days ago that you tried to drag Ivy, Aspen, and Olma down into the grave with you. If Barr and that Lilly of yours hadn’t been smart and fast you would have killed them all. Two days ago, you tried the same thing on Finn, Olma’s top assistant but Barr was ready for it this time and knew what to do. Since then no one has been allowed to give you ground reinforcements.”

A bit panic stricken “Where is Ivy, or Aspen? Are they ok?”

Saelin, shook her head, “they’re not ok but finally back on solid foods. I finally convinced your Lilly to get some real sleep about three hours ago. She’s been running herself ragged between you and Ivy. I see why you like her. She really has been amazing in this.”

Dav’n couldn’t help but smile, “yeah they’re both pretty amazing in completely different ways. I don’t think I have much time left awake. Is everyone going to be ok?” Already he could feel himself fading fast?

Saelin looked worried and shook her head, “for now, but you’ve caused a huge stir in the camp. Heal fast if you can, things won’t move against you fast but they are moving against you. It’s wrong but, well just rest Farrell is keeping and eye on things and even Sabin has come around to your defense and that is no small thing. Sleep hard, Dav’n you’ll need to recover fast.”

Dav’n had a billion questions but he was fading fast and knew it. He barely managed an acknowledging nod before the darkness took him...

Something was happening. Blight it he had to wake up. Forcing his eyes open, they blurred and then came into focus, then blurred again. Keeping them closed he tried to talk instead “what’s going on?”

Ivy’s voice drifted down to him. “shh just lay still, we’re taking you back to our tent. Barr and Uncle Farrell are here to carry you home. You’ve got to be quiet, Umal is sticking his neck out a bit here and we can’t make noise.”

Dav’n didn’t know what it was all about but he trusted Ivy, and let himself drift back into the black. At least it wasn’t that horrible burning cold anymore. An undeterminable time later he woke and felt the gentle rocking of the raft underhim. He was in a narrow pallet just a few inches off the decking. It was daylight out. He hd to pee. That was a good sign, he thought distantly, meant his body wasn’t so low on fluids it refused to give it up. He lay there for a second.... standing was right out but he needed to move. With great effort the rolled off the pallet and on to the deck. It was only four or five paces to the tent flap and then he could piss over the side without making a mess. As he came up on his hands and knees he realized he didn’t have any clothes and while part of his brain registered this as a problem mostly all he could think was ‘good, at least I won’t piss all over them’. He managed to drag himself over to the tent flap but as his head came out the blinding light hit his eyes and he moaned.

Lilly and Ivy both sitting by the hearth drinking tea, heard the movement behind them and turned. “Blight it Dav’n you’re supposed to be resting!” Ivy said in an exasperated tone. As they both came scurrying over.

Dav’n tried to speak but found his throat dry and his mouth gummed up... coughted and worked his mouth trying to moisten it “g’pee” he finally managed.

Lilly said “so why didn’t you call for us?” as they both took one arm and lifted him enough to get him kneeling by the side.

When he was done and they started to take him back in he struggled a bit. “no. out here... thirsty”

Ivy picked him up and carried him like a child over to the pallet of hides on the front of the raft up by the stone hearth. Dav’n collapsed on to them greatfully. Lilly came up with a light homespun blanket to put over his shoulders as much to protect against the bright sun as to ward off the slight chill that had recently entered the air. Dav’n closed his eyes and tried to refocus. It was good to be sitting up again. He felt a cup touched to his lips and drank deeply then spluttered as the bitter medicine made him stiffle a gag. Then there was another cup quickly offered “here wash with this it will help.” Lilly said in a concerned voice. “don’t over do it, just a little at a time. I’m not going to take it from you just... there thats better.” The tea was sweet and thick with honey. So much better after the awful tasting medicine. “if you can keep that down, then we’ll move to broth in about a half an hour.” Dav’n nodded still fighting not to face back out. It was too hard to climb back out to the world each time and he needed to know what was happening. Take time and rest but don’t lay back down. Stay focused...

“Something is wrong and I need to understand” he finally managed to say, his voice much better with the honey coating his vocal cords.

The girls gathered around him. “Yes you do but you also need your rest. You need to gather your strength. You’ve been out of it for just over four weeks.” Ivy paused to let that sink in.

Lilly picked up, “and you’re so weak now and need to rest. If we tell you what is happening I want your PROMISE not to jump up and try to do anything just yet.”

Dav’n smiled weakly “I think that’s a safe promise. Crawling out to take a piss was almost more than I could handle, even with your help.” and shook his head ruefully.

“good got you right where we want you,” Ivy said with a mischivous smile and a wink “at our mercy”.

Dav’n couldn’t help but chuckle, “that would be so much better if I were healthy enough to do something about it”

Lilly just kissed him on the temple. “it’s ok, baby. There’ll be time for that in a bit but for right now... well if you think you can stay awake I think Ivy needs to explain the things we’ve found out about how your ground works.”

Well this caught his attention right quick. “What do you mean how my ground works?”

Ivy picked up the story, “Well first things first. While you’ve been unconsious or the next closest thing, for the last month, the camp has torn itself apart. While it hasn’t broken out into any violence there were a lot of harsh words and part of keeping you safe meant we moved you back to the raft and then moved the raft to the far side of the lake. Barr and Aspen have taken our horses rode around the lake to the opposite side, built a small raft of logs, set it on fire and pushed it out far enough to be noticable by goundsense as burned logs of a raft on the lake bottom and then rode off back to the south as a decoy. Umal and grandma and Tav know this. Everyone else believes that we all rode south with them. We have provisions on the raft for another week, two with fishing. Depending on how you’re feeling after that Tav is supposed to be providing us a way out. Says you gave him the idea. He was laughing about using Zav, your second most vocal critic by the way, to help him be able to do it.” She paused and sipped some of her tea and then motioned for Dav’n to do the same. He obediently drank up figuring that he wouldn’t get anymore answers until he did.

“What happened that caused this you ask?” Ivy smiled a sad smile. “Well when you and daddy first killed the Malice, good job there by the way and thank you for saving daddy’s life. He can anger me like few other people in the world but I don’t know what I’d do without him.... anyway... So you’re both big heros and pretty badly banged up. So they drag you back to the medicine tent where after tending to the more seriously wounded Olma tries to match grounds with you. At first she couldn’t connect, you were pulled in to tight or maybe pressed in to tight by the groundshield, no one was really sure. Finally she managed to connect but then you pulled her in after you taking the ground from her. She paniced and couldn’t break free that is when I tried to jump in but just started getting drained too,” she smiled at the look of terror on his face. “yeah wasn’t my fondest memory either, but you didn’t know what you were doing. Like a drowning man fighting his rescuer” she shook her head, “so I was no help, and Aspen jumped in to try to dislodge us but you grabbed her too and we felt you swirling us down into the cold dark. Barr started choking you to make you loose consiousness but it was going too slow. Lilly saved all of our lives.” she looked at Lilly with a smile. “Seems you’re not the only one of of Brave and SMART... she put her groundshield on you. It broke the connection and allowed us to recover.” Dav’n couldn’t help but smile when he thought about how far the two of them had come and how impressed he was that they worked together so well with him out of action for more than a month. “So I got a taste of what you are dealing with and just that taste took me down for almost two weeks and I could get ground reinforcements from others. They quit trying with you after Finn. They were able to pull him back out without the use of the groundshield and we think it is what showed you the way out because you woke up for the first time really only a couple of days later.” She nodded to Lilly.

Lilly hands him a bowl of broth that had been cooling on the side of the hearth. “you kept the tea down and you really need your strength. It’s not the best, I’ll be the first to admit but it’s healthy. Not medicine but it has a lot of groundbuilders in it.”

Dav’n sipped cautiously. Well as advertised this wasn’t Lilly’s finest cooking but it was seasoned with the best of spices, hunger. Hey he was hungry, damn hungry, he just noticed. The fish broth went down easy and stayed down easy and he noticed he stopped shaking quite so bad. After resting his eyes for a moment he motioned Ivy to continue.

“Ok here is where we dip into why everyone is all freaked out and what you may be able to do. They think you are one of the Nodi. Yeah I know I’d never heard of it either. Olma says they are extinnct now, but once it was a 1 in 500,000 birth. In the old days of the Lake Lords, supposedly any babe who tested as one of the Nodi were taken from their families and raised in a special monestary. They were, “she made a face, “sterilized to prevent them from making more and were controlled by the strict discipline of the monestary. The word Nodi in the language of the absent gods means ‘nodes’ and allowed the Lake Lords to join up their powers. The common wisdom is that this joining up of powers was used in the destruction of the world. Helped in the great accident that created the Malices.” She stopped and looked at him.

Dav’n was stunned. He always thought he just was weak but if it was just that his abilities were rare and worked differently... “so they blame me for all this?” seemed illogical but the finding of a scapegoat was rarely a logical pursuit.

Ivy and Lilly both together “No!” then Ivy continued “No they don’t blame you but they fear what you can do. You sucked in our CHEIF medicine maker and she couldn’t stop you. Not just her, but her and me and Aspen too. All that while you were so weak you couldn’t move. What if you learned how to use it? They’re scared. Olma is leading the charge with Zan right there with her. They want to haul you before a joint camp tribunal. The know that after what you did for us, that if they tried to haul you in front of our camp they’d start a war. You made a LOT of friends with that crazy stunt of yours. It isn’t enough though. Grandma and Umal and Lolie have the council stalled, but reports are going to need to be filed. There is no way to keep the other camps from weighing in on this eventually.” She shook her head a bit overwhelmed. “You need rest. Lots of it, because next week maybe the week after we’re going to have to move again and you’re going to need to be able to travel. Finish your broth and Lilly and I will get you back into bed. Maybe tomorrow we can try some boiled plunkin if you hold down the broth.”

Dav’n was a swirl of emotion and didn’t argue. He was so tired. They helped him up onto shakey legs and he actually managed a half dozen steps before they had to finish by carrying him the last few feet. He lay there and Lilly carefully wiped him down with cool water and it felt good. Clean. Then she got out a groundshield and got it ready. Dav’n quirked an eyebrow at her, but she just smiled “in case”. Ivy sat on the other side of the little pallet and began to match grounds with him. Ahh warm. He floated with her for a minute just sharing the connection then he started to unfurl the groundsene to look around. He felt her resist just for a second then relax and they extended their look for a good mile and a half. Then he released her.

Ivy pulled back as they dropped back into reality from that otherwhere wold of groundsense. “That was amazing she said. I’ve never been able to see that far before.”

Dav’n managed a tired smile “me either. Looks like they may be right about me in part. At least this time I didn’t try to suck you down in. I’m sleepy”

Ivy leaned down tiredly and kissed him “I’m going to go sit by the fire for a bit and let Lilly here take over. Get some rest.”

With Ivy gone Lilly just got undressed too and crawled in beside him. No words just warm and love. Dav’n was asleep in seconds. Lilly not so much as she held him tight and wondered if they were right to fear him too. Oh he was no monster to destroy the world but he sure knew how to shake one up.

Later Dav’n woke, something was happening. He fought to come alert. It was only Ivy switching spots with Lilly. Warm, flooded into him again and he could tell he had passed some invisible barrier.

Chapter 26

Days passed and Dav’n was walking again. Fishing with the help of Ivy, and even a little swimming with Lilly. He wasn’t going to be running any sprints anytime soon but he was getting his strength back. Tapped into Lilly’s ground sense and explored the limits. Then Ivy’s and explored. Never willing to risk the three of them all in the link toghether there were limits as to what they could try. One evening long about dusk they were scanning the lake when they picked up a boat headed their way. With passive sensing it was unlikely that those in the boat noticed them. Dav’n made for the shore and was handed over his bow and quiver. Lilly elected to stay on the raft and meet whoever was coming while Ivy took her bow and quiver and went to other side of the small lagoon. Dav’n wrapped his ground tightly and saw Ivy do the same and then they waited.

Wasn’t more than a half an hour after they got settled that the boat pulled into the mouth of the little lagoon. It stopped and then Lilly gave the all clear sign. Opening her groundsense Ivy could now tell it was Tav and Umal and they all made it back to the raft at about the same time. Umal looked tired but Tav just looked excited. They all settled down around the small fire. Umal broke the silence. “It’s good to see you up and moving. You’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of you but at the other end is a boat and supplies. You’ll take the Gray down to Rain Tree. By then Barr should have arranged for your farmer uncle to meet you with horses.”

Tav rubbed his hands together. “I built a new kind of boat. It should carry you down to where you’ll meet the horses and then be packable on one to let you take it across to Farmer Flat where you can get back on the water. Barr says you’re to ride down the Beargrass to the Grace and then meet up with your families boat at the Drum Island. Said you’d know the one?” Tav stopped and waited for confirmation.

Dav’n nodded, looking a bit currious about this ‘new’ boat. “Um that’s great but are we sure taking this new boat out on a river like the Beargrass is a good idea?”

Tav grinned “just wait until you see her!! She may get a little leaky if you hit any floating logs but she’ll never sink. Then packs up just as neat as you please!”

Dav’n nodded... ‘well’ he thought ‘at least we can all swim if need be’

Umal shook his head “It’s a bizarre design but when it comes to boats I trust Tav. He says it’ll work then it’ll work.”

Ivy just nodded. Lilly looked worried but determined.

Tav waved away any concern as if you asked him if he was sure the sun would come up in the morning. “My son and daugher will be at the spot to help you set up the boat the first time. It’s easy to do but better to have help. They already rode out this afternoon so as not to draw too much attention. If you can be ready to move by first light you should be on the river by evening.”

Umal spoke up, “we need to get back before we’re missed. ‘gone fishing’ only works for so long. If I didn’t say it before, you kids have all done one hell of a job since you’ve been here and I’m sorry that you have to sneak off in the middle of the night instead of having a proper and greatful send off. Keep your heads down and don’t think too badly of us Dav’n. We’ll speak for you in the great assembly next year once they’ve got everyone stirred up to holding one. Perhaps some sanity will come out of that though it rarely has over the last few decades.” Umal looked frustrated.

Dav’n smiled a tired smile, “I just thank you both for helping us get clear of this mess. Before we go, would you like to take my hand and see what all the fuss is about? I’ve been practicing and have better control over what happens and how to lead us all back out of it.”

Dav’n held out his hands one to Tav and one to Umal. They looked at eachother and then at him. Umal shrugged his shoulders, “at least if I have to testify in the assembly, I’ll have first hand experience” and took Dav’ns hand just as Tav excitedly took the other.

They were more powerful than Ivy or Lilly and it took Dav’n a moment to adjust to the propper matching of grounds but soon all three were in sync and the grounds sense unfurled for nearly ten miles. They could see what was happening back at camp. Dav’n took them through the depths of the lake trying to not draw too much attention from the camp. They explored the bottom as if they were there looking at it and then after a moment they were all back on the deck of the raft. Both men gasped for air once they had control of their functions again and felt a bit weak in the knees from the unaccustomed shift in perceptions. “That was amazing!” said Tav.

“Could be very useful” echoed Umal.

Dav’n grinned at them “and to think I thought I didn’t have any groundsense”.

Umal nodded. “we do NEED to get going. Take care young man and take care of those ladies too.” With that they clambered back into their narrow boat and headed across the lake.

Chapter 27

Packing in the morning was a bit of chore, mostly because they ended up leaving anything that wasn’t weapons or shelter. They broke the packs three ways but by mid day the ladies had divided up Dav’n’s pack. Much to his shagrin he just couldn’t make the trek and carry the weight. By early afternoon though they had made it to the boat launch and there as promised was Tav’s children quickly assembling a leather and oil skin narrow boat with large leather air bladders tied into the front and rear. Cut sapplings also attached long air bladders out from each side. The over all length of the boat was about 10 paces and the width including the air bladders was about three. Bent willow gave the leather boat it’s shape, just by bending the green branches and tucking them into ready made pouches in the skin and then tying down with rawhide ties. The over all effect was a surprisingly stable and durrable little craft that could accommodate up to nine rowers but be handled effectively if more slowly by two.

As promised, they were on the river after a quick dinner. Plenty of food for the trip, they were certainly going to be sick of dried plunkin by the time they were done but no one would starve. Their meager belongings packed neatly in the boat with room to spare. Lilly in the front, and Ivy behind, they mostly drifted down the river the first day. The boat drifted easily and Dav’n spent the time with a fishing line in the water hoping to have something besides dried plunkin by the time to pull back to the bank for the evening. They pushed on a little farther past dark that first night thanks to Ivy’s groundsense. Cold camp with no tarp that first night, mostly because they were just too tired to worry about it. A chill mist in the predawn hours made them regret that decision but they decided to push on early and take some time later in the morning to dry out.

Days passed and Dav’n grew stronger with the rowing, he even managed to ad a young yearling buck to their food stores. Not enough time to dry it propperly but there wasn’t really that much meat to worry about. The late summer sun was hot but the nights reminded everyone that fall would be here soon.

After about two weeks on the river they hit old blight. It really was dismal, and seemed to go on forever. Early on the fifth day since hitting the blight, they came across the ruins of a vast city. Crumbled and shattered beyond recognition as such if any plants could have grown in the blight to cover them. Dav’n wanted to explore a bit but Ivy was really starting to feel sick and no one knew how much more of this blight there was to go through. It took the better part of a full morning of hard paddling to get through the ruins and two more days before light scrub began to appear again. One last hard push and that night they pulled up to a bank lined with willow trees and setting up full camp they all connected through Dav’n for the first time and drank in the healthy land.

Two more weeks and the weather was noticably warming. They found themselves taking long breaks at dinner and supper and bathing in the mornings before returning to the river. This lazy trip down river was healing for all of them. Spending alone time together without all the stress of the last two months was bringing them all back together as they had been before they hit the camp and had to deal with the demands placed on them by associating with a home that none of them quite fit into anymore.

Dav’n was the first to break the spell one night after a catfish and plunkin supper that had all three of them lazing around the dying fire debating if it was worth crawling to their bedrolls or to just cuddle up right out here. “You know, we’ve got probably two weeks before Uncle Fletch should be home starting the harvest. We really need to get down river fast so we don’t make him late for that.”

Lilly groaned, “yeah, that’s not fair to him but I don’t want to go back to other people.”

Ivy chuckled, “yeah we might have to start wearing clothes again”

Dav’n smiled “Perrish the thought. I know what Lilly means though”

Ivy got serious “yeah me too but as much as I love my family, I’m never as happy as I am when it is just us traveling.”

Dav’n shook his head, “wait until we meet up with Uncle Witt and Aunt Berry. Better people you’ll never find but I think they’ll find our livng arrangements a bit scandalous” and finished with a laugh. “Ah well we didn’t hide it on Leech Lake and we’re not going to hide it among the Farmers either. They’ll just have to get used to us or we can find a spot just for us and the rest of the world can get on with their affairs without us.”

Lilly sighed “If only.”

Ivy stretched long and sinsously “I’d feel guilty not patrolling but if the patrol can’t find a place for all of us, especially after what Dav’n did, then I figure it is them choosing it.”

Dav’n grunted and pushed himself to his feet, “comon, we need to sleep. May have to take turns pushing through the dark for the next couple of days until we meet up with Uncle Fletch.” He fell into the bedroll and was drifting off as Lilly and Ivy came snuggling in.

Well morning was a slow start, but as it would be their last languid moments all together for a while Dav″n couldn’t really begrudge them this time. He rigged up the tarp over the middle of the boat to be a sun shield so Ivy could rest during the day, and use her groundsense to watch for snags while drifting at night while Dav’n and Lilly each took turns sleeping so one was always awake with her to help handle the boat. Two full days of hard traveling like that and they came upon a small camp on the third night. Ivy woke Dav’n, “there is some one there but I don’t think it’s your Uncle. There’s Lakewalkers with them.” then she touched his shoulder sharing her groundsense.

Dav’n couldn’t tell at first but as he tried to filter out the ground as best he could and see the people below it. He sighed, “It’s our party alright, though I’m a bit surprised. It’s not Uncle Fletch.” He reached out and bumped groundsense with the sparkeling ground of the mixed blood on the bank. “It’s my sister, and my cousin, and I think the two Farmers with them are some volunteer patrollers Da recruited two years ago.”

They pulled up on shore, pretty beat after their last few days. Dav’n hugged Nattie-Mari “I thought you were exchange patrolling?” he asked.

Mari rolled her eyes, “Like they wouldn’t let me go when Da said I needed to come fetch my kid brother out of some trouble.”

Dav’n started to rise to this but bit it back just in time. “Mari if you’re done strutting, I’d like to introduce you to the newest members of Tent Bluefield, Ivy and Lilly.” Dav’n swallowed a smirk at the shock on her face. “M’ladies, my tiresome but always loyal and loving sisster, Mari”

Ivy smiled “First exchange patrol, sorry we messed it up for you.”

Lilly smiled “howdy, thanks for bringing us horses.”

Dav’n nodded to the young Lakewalker, “This is my cousin Kalton, we call him Kal for short.”

Kal nodded politely, trying not to stare.

Dav’n did let a little proud grin slip out, “I don’t know these other two gentlemen but suspect they are new Volunteer Patrollers that Da recruited.”

Both young men looked confused but nodded and the older of the two “I’m Jak Jakson, and this is my younger brother Nik Jakson. We were recruited three weeks ago but before we got patrol training came up and they asked us if we would volunteer to help Mari”

Ivy smiled as she watched his ground change as he said Mari’s name. “Pleased to meet you, both of you. Glad you decided to come along.”

Dav’n shook his head, “sorry to make this short but we’ve been running non stop for the last three days, trying to make it here quicker so Uncle Fletch wouldn’t have to be gone during harvest. We’re all exhausted, so I need to pull up our boat and set up our tent.”

“oh uh yeah, I guess we should. I don’t have a spare tent but if either of you ladies would like your own space I have a spare tarp we can rig up...” Mari trailed off at the amused looks on Lilly and Ivy’s faces. Dav’n didn’t look amused but then one could hardly blame him for liking the situation she thought.

Lilly spoke up first “Not necessary in the least. Though if someone will help Dav’n with OUR tent, Ivy can get the fish we caught cleaned and I’ll have the pan hot and ready for them, if I can use your fire?” she looked at Mari. Getting a confused nod, kissed Dav’n and said “hurry up, I don’t want to sleep without a cover tonight, we’re back with compny.”

Ivy picking up the game, came over and kissed him too “Told you she was going to make us all wear clothes again. Maybe we can all get a quick dip after supper” then she swished off to the retrieve the fish from the boat with a wiggle Dav’n KNEW wasn’t the norm but certainly enjoyed. Caught Kal enjoying it too. His cousin jerked his eyes away so abruptly that Dav’n couldn’t resist a sigh, which just earned him and envious look from Kal.

Jak and Nik went with Dav’n to set up the tarp and watched enviously as he laid out all three bedrolls together. Neither one said anything but the startled looks were comical.

Supper was good, Dav’n got to hear all about Mari’s patrolling and while she hadn’t run across a malice yet she had stories about crawling around in caves that now got a lot more attention after the run in with the Bat Malice nearly twenty years ago.

“So how was Barr holding up? Has Aspen strangled him with their marriage cords yet?” Dav’n asked laughing.

“Barr got married?!?!” Mari and Kal both nearly spit.

“How did you know to be here if you haven’t talked to Uncle Barr?” Dav’n asked with a bit of panic creeping into his voice.

“Oh that well I got a note from Da to the Patrol Captain asking for me to be released early for family business, and one from Mamma telling me not to strangle you, because she wanted to do that herself” Mari giggled. “I think you really gave them a good scare. What were you thinking running off like that?”

Dav’n shook his head, “well it wasn’t like they would have listened if I had asked.” He shrugged, “As long at the Lakewalker Great Assembly, doesn’t decide to declare me renagade and call for a hunt, it has all worked out for the best.”

“WHAT!!” This time it was all the new folks at once.

Dav’n sighed, “It’s a LONG story, and I’m exhausted. They can’t do anything until they’ve called the various camps to the Great Assembly and that’ll be next year. By then if we need to be where they can’t find us, I’ll be ready to make that move. For tonight I just need sleep.” He rolled to all fours, “Now the hard question stand and walk or just crawl off?”

Ivy laughed at him, “Well if you’re that tired then there’s no reason for Lilly and I to come to bed yet” she said teasingly.

Lilly just blushed and stood up, and helped him to his feet, “I thought we were going to take a quick dip first?”

Dav’n couldn’t keep the smile off of his face, “Oh yeah, there is that. Suppose we can take care of that first.” With that all three went to find a shallow spot along the bank for a dip, leaving behind them one very confused young woman and three very unconfused but envious young men.

Chapter 28

Breaking down the boat in the morning took about an hour but amazingly it folded up to a size to fit on one pack horse. Dav’n left the willow branches and the saplings behind, though he thought hard about taking one of the sapplings to replace the good spear he left up north. At the end of the day a sappling is just a poor substitute and his bow worked just fine. The long treck was underway before the sun was too far up in the sky. They rode slowly and at a comfortable pace all clumped up together to hear the story of Dav’n’s trip across the north. Lilly and Ivy each jumping in for their parts and to fill in when Dav’n glossed over some of his part in the events. Mari and Kal were both clearly in shock and a bit envious that they had missed out on the Malice hunt. The two farmer boys kept looking at each other not really sure how much of this was tall tale and how much was real. Oh they knew that the Blight Boggles were real enough but the young man riding with them didn’t seem like much to be throwing up against them. Who ever heard of wolves the size of horses?

By dinner they stopped to stretch out their legs and pass around some food but Beargrass River was still a six full day ride away so they didn’t linger long. Only Kal and Mari had good Lakewalker horses, so they chose to split off from the group a couple of hours before setting up camp to do a little hunting and maybe scout out a good campsite. Just as it was getting time to set up camp for the evening Ivy nudged Dav’n. “Kal just bumped grounds with me. They’re about a half a mile forward and probably three hundred paces to the south.”

Dav’n nodded and changed course “Go ahead and take the lead since you can see the way. Rest of us can just form up on you.” He was tired and while the farmer boys meant well he was tired of anwering Jak’s none too subtle questions abour Mari. Not that Dav’n didn’t wish him good luck he just didn’t think that his sister was even aware Jak was here. All the things that Mari valued, riding and groundsense and weapons training, Jak just didn’t have. Oh Dav’n didn’t doubt his courage. Couldn’t be a farmer volunteering for a patrol without plenty of courage, he just didn’t figure it would ever occur to Mari to think about it.

The camping spot that the two had scouted were the ruins of a farmhouse. Didn’t seem to be any blight just years and neglect. Couldn’t really use the house, well except to provide dry fire wood, but the well was full and cold and one barn wall was pretty sturdy and could be used to shield them from the north and a low row of trees providing a shield to the west. With a fire started and Lilly taking over making supper for the party from the two ducks and wild potatoes that Kal and Mari had found to mix with the ever plentiful rehydrated dried plunkin. Dav’n and Ivy got started on putting up their tent while the rest got camp set up as needed. Jak and Nik staked out the horses and relieved them of their burdons. The last light of the day was fading as they all settled in to eat and rest.

Breaking camp the next morning in the pre-dawn glow, and off they went again. The pattern established Mari pretty much took over leading the ‘patrol’. Dav’n was lost in his own thoughts working on a project. Every evening Kal and Mari would head off ahead and Ivy would take over the lead and vector them in on their camp spot. Lilly and her one little iron pan became their traveling kitchen. She seemed to enjoy it. Dav’n made sure everyone cleaned up their own. Lilly might be the best cook but she wasn’t their maid. Dav’n smirked at that thought. How many young patrolers had his Ma put on the spot with those words.

The sixth day turned out to be a short travel day. There was a tiny grouping of houses when they came to the bank of the Beargrass River. Oh not more than a dozen families but it hadn’t appeared on any maps that Dav’n had seen. Though honestly a place this small might not. The party rode into ‘town’ about mid afternoon and saw that the appearant attraction was a dock and a small dry goods shed. Townfolks seemed nice enough if a little shy around so many strangers, especially armed Lakewalker strangers. Out by the dock was the goods shed and Dav’n stopped in to see what they had. Surprisingly they actually had a fairly good selection of iron tools and even some cotton from down by Graymouth. Spending the last couple of coins he bought some good wheat flour and an iron lid to fit Lilly’s pan. It wasn’t quite an iron oven but it would allow for small loaves to be made over the fire. Bread was something he had been really missing along the trip. Small row boats were tied up to the dock and the man behind the counter said one of the families had a small keel boat that just barely had enough river to come up. They were the main supply line in to the ‘town’ and it supplied twice a dozen small farmsteads spread out along the river. Camp was set up early that day and news and gossip was exchanged. Lilly and Ivy drew some currious looks from the town mothers who weren’t really sure what to make of the situation but everyone figured it wasn’t really their business how those just passing through chose to conduct their affairs.

That night the conversation turned to splitting up the party. “You’ve got to go back,” said Dav’n. “Someone has to take the horses back and you and Kal need to finish your exchange.”

Mari wasn’t happy, “you’re just going to take off again, and Da and Mamma still won’t know where you are.”

“We’ve been over this. Barr told them I would meet Uncle Witt and/or Aunt Berry at Drumhead Island. From there we can figure out what to do.” Dav’n wasn’t about to give up his freedom of movement just because his big sister was there. Mostly he figured she was just jealous that he was having an adventure without her. He shook his head, “You and Kal are going to take Jak, Nik, and the horses back to Da. Let the folks know I’m safe and will be home when it’s safe.”

Mari was being stubborn, “Kal can do that and I can come with you to keep you out of trouble.”

Kal grimaced “Oh yeah leave me with the fun of explaining to your Da that instead of one kid off running loose in the world, I’ve abandoned the other to the wolves too.”

Dav’n grumped, “Wolves were less trouble than this.”

Jak piped up, “I’m not just going to run off while Mari rides off into trouble. Dag wouldn’t want that.”

Dav’n almost laughed despite how annoyed he was with the situation. Whether at Jak’s transparent attempt to stay with Mari or the look of dread on Nik’s face he wasn’t sure. “Look I appreciate you bringing me horses and coming with me this far, but Lilly, Ivy, and I are going down river and the rest of you are going back to your lives.” Dav’n crossed the small campsite and took Mari by the elbow, “Excuse us while I explain this to my sister” and started to march her off to the edge of camp. He ignored Ivy’s knowing smirk as he went past.

“You’re not being fair Dav’n. You know Mamma is worried sick and Da, well he’s Da and you’ll not see it but he was worried too.”

“Look sis, I love you and if things were different I’d be happy to have you with us. Things are different. If you go then your shadow Jak, will go too. If Jak goes Nik will be drug along. That leaves Kal traveling alone and with a bunch of valuable horses. That’s not SAFE and you know it.”

“Why would Jak need to come?” Mari looked really confused.

Dav’n shook his head, “For someone who can be so smart when you want to be you’re pretty dense.” He smiled when she started to get angry, “He’s got a crush on you something bad. That man would crawl across broken glass if he thought you’d notice it and approve.”

Mari wrinkled her nose, “Jak? I mean he’s a nice guy and all but we’ve got nothing in common”

Dav’n busted up laughing, “yeah like Ma and Da? Or for that matter me, with Ivy or Lilly?”

Mari saw a way to change the subject and get a little dig in on her brother at the same time, “yeah about that how did you pull that off runt? More to the point how are you going to explain it to Ma?”

Dav’n started to rise to the bait but the lessons learned in Lakewalker country were paying off, though patience was always easier with strangers than kin. “Well as to how, I don’t know but I’m happy sis and you should be happy for me.”

Mari softened and giggled as she interrupted him, “Oh little brother I AM happy for you, a bit shocked because they seem like such smart young ladies. Well excpet for Ivy, I think she might be as old as Uncle Barr” and she giggled somemore.

Dav’n grinned a bit proud of himself despite himself “She’s three years younger I’ll have you know.”

Mari’s eyes got big, “I thought I was teasing.” she said a bit flustered. “So what are you going to tell Ma and Da?”

Dav’n shrugged, “Same as we told Ivy’s I suppose. This is the way things are. I love them but they’re just going to have to come to terms with it or not.”

Mari just shook her head, “You sure know how to make friends... I’m betting her Da just LOVED you.”

Dav’n grinned a bit ruefully in rememberance, “Well not at first, but saving his ass from horse sized wolves helped”, he winked at her.

Mari, sighed “OK, I’ll go back but if you’re not home when my exchange is done in the spring, I’m coming looking for you.”

Dav’n smiled a real smile and pulled her in for a hug, “I’m counting on it.”

Chapter 29

The trip down river was actually very relaxing. They could fish and hunt and even stopped off at a small farm and traded a home cooked meal in a real farm kitchen for Dav’n setting the eldest son’s broken arm. Ivy gave him a quick ground reinforcement and Dav’n used Lilly’s groundsense to check the alighnment of the bones. Nice family and while they weren’t used to Lakewalkers being this helpful they had at least heard stories of folks up the Grace talking about Lakewalker healers. Dav’n smiled because it meant that word was getting out and his Da was making a difference.

Day after day of rowing was also bringing Dav’n’s strength back. His shirt was snug in the shoulders and a little short at the wrists. He was almost sad to see them approaching the confluance of the Grace. All too soon he would be meeting back up with Aunt Berry or Uncle Witt or more likely both. Then would start the fight not to be treated like a kid all over again. Ah well it was inevitable and it would be good to see them again. When they pulled off to camp before the confluence Dav’n took some extra time to repair one of the air bladders and to cut longer saplings for the struts to tie them out further adding stability before they went into the bigger river.

They made full camp and spent two days there just enjoying being together with nothing pressing to do. All good things must come to an end though, it looked like rain was coming and the river was starting to rise from the rains upstream. Better to get to the island a bit early than to struggle with the storm swolen river.

Lilly was all smiles, “I didn’t know rivers could be so BIG!”

Dav’n grinned at her, “oh this is just a little creek compared to when we get back on the Gray. Though hopefully by then we’ll be on a more solid boat. I like our little rig but some of the currents on the Gray can bring down a lot of trash that might rip us like that snag earlier did with our left side float.”

Ivy looked at him a little spooked, “are we likely to have to make a swim for it?”

He shrugged, “unlikely. We’ve got two floats and the main boat, any of the three can float the whole weight we’ve got in it. So we’d have to hit something pretty big or a lot of little things before we could put into the shore and do a patch. Still we might end up getting wet and well the only thing I want wet is you two.” he said with a wicked grin.

That got him a little blush from each of them, “get it out of your system now because I don’t think that statement would go over well in front of your Aunt Berry.”

Dav’n couldn’t help himself, with that picture in his head he just about fell out of the boat laughing. “Well it would give them something to complain about besides where I’ve been and why I didn’t tell them so they could stop me.”

Ivy smirked, “Could be worse we could be meeting my parents again for the first time.”

“True Aunt Berry is unlikely to be that bad at least to you two. She’s more apt to thank you for bringing the errant child home. Her biggest shock is when you don’t decide to drop me off and go back about your normal lives.”

Lilly grunted, “fat chance of that. I’ve never been so scared and thrilled and alive as I have been these last six months. I can’t wait to see what six more will bring.”

Then all coversation was cut off as everyone needed to pay attention while they entered the Grace and all the excitement that the future held.