To Hold Back The Dark - Chapter One
"Curfew started an hour ago, mister," thundered a rough voice, "Explain your presence!". Rhea turned fast and saw the stern expression of the guard disappear as he realized that he was dealing with a female offender and not a man. However, his face hardened a little and Rhea knew that to him an offender was an offender no matter their age or gender.
"Milady, why are you still out?"
She allowed tears to fill her eyes, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I don't mean to be breaking the law!", through her tears, Rhea had the satisfaction of seeing his expression once again soften. "What a gullible ass," she thought, "this should be easy!"
"There now, milady. There's no need to carry on so. I'm sure that we can get this matter all straightened out."
She sniffed, "I know... I'm truly very sorry. It's just that I was supposed to meet my friends at their inn, but I became lost on the way there and I can't find them or it, and I'm just so scared that I'll be out here all night!", Rhea began to cry as if her heart were breaking. Silently she thanked God that she had decided to leave her sword behind in her room. The guard may be gullible to female wiles, but she was sure that he would never believe that a woman armed with a broadsword would be afraid of anything.
The guard patted her arm, "There now, milady. Dry your eyes and I'll get you to your friends. What inn are they staying at?", he asked with a fatherly smile.
She wiped her eyes with the edge of her cloak and sniffled, "I'm fairly certain that it is the Yellow Tree Inn," she saw his puzzled expression, "Or something like that."
"Well, there isn't an inn by that name in this town. Perhaps it was something similar?"
"I don't know. I really thought that that was it.", she replied in a small voice.
"Let's see now; there's the Inn of the Golden Sun?", he frowned as she shook her head. "There's the Lemon Tree Inn?"
Rhea smiled broadly, "That's the one! Oh thank you, sir! How do I get there?"
"Milady, the inn is several blocks down that way," he pointed in the direction from which she had come, "I'll escort you back, that way you won't be stopped by other city guards."
"Thank you. I appreciate your kindness. I feel so stupid about mixing up the name the way I did."
"It wasn't stupid at all, milady. You made a natural mistake, is all." He led her back down the street and she had to pretend to be interested while he told her about the town. She had to smile and nod a lot because her mind was too preoccupied to pay much attention to what he was saying. She couldn't help but notice that there were quite a large number of guards out on patrol and she was quite sure that there weren't that many out when she had left the inn. She also was a little worried about how Corin would react when she returned to the inn with a guard for an escort. It would be just like him to assume that she had been arrested and he would most likely try to kill the guard to free her, getting all of them into a mess of trouble. Sometimes it seemed to her that for an Elf, Corin didn't have much common sense. But then again, the more she compared his actions to those of David or Michael, her brother, it became obvious that it was just males in general that were lacking.
As they approached the inn, Rhea began to hope that the guard would just leave her at the door. Her heart sank just a little as he reached out and opened the door for her, allowing her to precede him into the room. As soon as she was in the brightly lit room, she looked for Corin and saw him over by the fire, sitting alone. Unfortunately, he saw her, and the guard at the same time. Despair and disbelief crossed his face only to be chased away by the determined expression which he always wore before a fight. He stood slowly, reaching for his sword. However, before he could get a grasp on the hilt, Rhea ran across the room and sailed into his arms. He had two choices: grab hold of her or have them both fall to the ground. He held her close to his chest. "Play along!," she whispered, then said, "Oh, Corin! I'm so glad that I finally found you!"
"So am I.", came the flat reply.
Rhea followed his gaze to the guard, "How silly of me to forget my manners! Corin, this is the guard responsible for bringing me safely here!" she suddenly blushed, "I'm sorry. I didn't even ask your name."
"Sergeant Akimba, milady. Well, now that you're safe and sound where you belong, I'll be getting back on my rounds. From now on though, you keep to the laws, especially curfew. Some of the other City Guards have a tendency to act first and ask their questions later."
She looked down at the floor, hoping that she looked contrite, "I'll do by best not to break curfew again."
He nodded, "The word of a lady is more than good enough for me."
Corin finally smiled at the guard, "My thanks to you for bringing her safely to me. I was beginning to worry."
"Keeping the citizens of Aluntaa safe is by duty, milord. Good evening."
As the guard left, the patrons returned to their drinks and games with a slight tinge of disappointment. For a little while, it had looked like there would be a pretty good fight between the guard and the Elf, which many felt the Elf would win. Corin sat back down and motioned to Rhea to do likewise. She straddled the bench beside him and downed the remainder of his ale.
"What happened? When I saw you with that guard I thought that you had been caught!"
"If I would've been caught breaking into the Lord Mayor's house, there would have been more than one guard escorting me! Besides, I wouldn't have brought them back here."
"When surprised, a person doesn't always think logically."
"I know. Truth is, I never even made it to the Mayor's house. I was caught by the good sergeant when I was only four blocks away from it. Corin, listen to this. When I was heading to the Mayor's house, there were barely any guards out at all. On my way back here with Sergeant Akimba, there were at least ten patrolling the five blocks between here and where he caught me. It's as if they sprung up out of nowhere!," she was careful to keep her voice low enough so that the other patrons couldn't overhear.
He thought over what she said, paying special note to the worry that had had been so plain in her voice. "Well, since we know for a fact that the Mayor has the Ruby of Trannelle then I think we can assume that magic is involved with the guarding of his house."
"Wonderful."
"There are probably warning spells set out on the streets leading to his manor house. Something that automatically alerts the patrols. They get the warning and investigate. If there's no one or nothing there, then all they get is a little exercise. If there's a potential thief, then they've earned their pay for the night. I'd imagine that the house itself is probably set with spells as well."
"Did the others have trouble with guards or spells?", she asked. Allanah and David had gone down to the river to steal an ancient parchment out of a warehouse Michael had gone to a merchant's house to retrieve the Brooch of Arvada. All three had left an hour before Rhea had. Corin had remained behind to keep an eye on everybody and to be a backup in case of trouble.
Corin shook his head, "I don't know. None of them are back yet. I haven't heard from them in any way either."
"I don't like this at all. They should have been back by now. Dammitt! I hate being here and having to steal!"
"They stole from us first."
"I know, but I still don't like having to do this. I'd much rather be back in my own room at Arden Castle. Damn King Mark and his desire to have all the old Kingdom Treasures back!"
There was so much anger in her voice that Corin gave silent thanks that it was their liege-lord and not himself that she was angry with. "Well, we just can't keep sitting here. Once the others return with their items, then the Mayor will know that the Ruby is no longer safe. There will be even more guards and spells and we won't stand much chance of recovering it at all. We have to strike before the alarm goes up over the other thefts and then get the hell out of this place."
She sighed, "You're right, but how do we go about getting it? The guards will be crawling all over us before we ever reach the house."
"I have an idea that just may work.", he smiled, then stood up and pulled her to her feet. "I thought you'd never get here. Let's go to your room." He said it loud enough to be overheard, then led her past the smirking customers and up the stairs to the room he shared with Michael and David.
"Okay, lover. What now?"
Corin picked up a coil of rope from the corner, "We travel by air. Shall we go?"
Inch by painful inch, Allanah made her way up the rope, pulling her weight hand over hand. The rope bit cruelly into her flesh despite the leather gloves she wore. After an agonizing five minutes, she was out of the warehouse and into the cool night air. She immediately felt at the small of her back and smiled with satisfaction as she felt the bulk of the parchment which she and David had just stolen. It had taken two hours of diligent and slow searching to find it in the quagmire of crates and barrels, and once they did discover it, they found it protected by a spell. It was simple spell, designed to immobilize a would-be thief until the guards could arrive to cart him or her off to jail. Allanah had mastered the spell when she was first honing her magical skills and removing it was child's play for her. She heard a grunt from below and leaned down to help David up. Once on the roof he wasted no time in recoiling the rope for future use, and slung it over his shoulder. With very little sound they replaced the boards over the entrance they had created, then they made their way to the drain pipe at the edge of roof, intending to leave the way they had originally came.
Allanah was nearing the edge when she bumped into David, who was at the drain but not going down. He motioned her away from side, "Guards! We must have triggered that spell.", he whispered.
"Nonsense! That spell was too simple to mess up!", she exclaimed.
"Well, just maybe you got a little too cocky about it. It is possible that is wasn't as simple as you thought!", he hissed.
Allanah gritted her teeth in anger and frustration. She had gone through years of intense training to build upon her natural ability to work magic and it cut her to the quick when anybody insinuated that she had made a mistake, especially somebody who should know better.
"Look, I know my abilities. If I made a mistake, I would have known before now and I most certainly would have admitted it! I always do and you know that perfectly well. Now, there is a slight possibility that there were other spells present that I didn't detect; but I most certainly did not mess up my spell or trigger the one we did find!"
David put out his hands in a gesture of peaceful supplication, "Sorry, I should know better."
"Damn right!"
"Okay, I apologized already! Let's forget about spells. The fact is, they're down there and we're up here. We have to find some other way of leaving before they figure out where he are." He gazed about the roof. The warehouse faced the street, its two sides separated from the other buildings by alleyways and its back flush against the river's edge. "We could dive into the river and swim for it."
She gave him a sharp look, "Just how is the parchment supposed to survive that?"
"Can't you put a keep-dry spell or something like that on it?"
"I didn't think you trusted my magical abilities. I might get too cocky and turn it into ice or something!", her voice dripped with sarcasm.
"I already admitted to being out of line and I apologized! I trust you completely! Can you do it?"
"No. You'd need Michael for a spell like that. Since it involves water, then it becomes an elemental facet of magic. Sorry."
He thought again, "Okay," he finally said, "How about fighting it out?"
She glared at him in exasperation, "With what? Our swords are back at the inn and hand to sword combat has never been our specialty."
"We need to work on that! Just as soon as we get back to Tralik, I'll set up a training program..."
"Later, boss. Let's get off of this roof first."
"We can jump the alleys."
"Good idea. But we can only do it over that one.", he indicated the opposite alley, "I'll bet the guards are still hanging out around the one we used."
"Let's do it then. It can only be so wide."
They went over to the opposite edge and discovered with relief that it appeared to be only ten feet wide. It also was free of guards at the moment. They went back to the middle of the roof, and with running starts were able to jump the alley with a fair margin of space. They scurried across the roof, never pausing to see if they had been seen or heard. They crossed several more roofs in the same fashion before finally coming down to the ground several streets away. The return trip to the inn took longer than their trip to the warehouse. Several minutes were spent hiding in doorways and alleys in order to avoid being spotted by the numerous patrols. Once at the inn, they quickly made it up the drainpipe and over the ledge into David's room. Allanah used her keen Elven sight to hurry across the dark room and light a candle before David stumbled too far in the darkness. The Elven heritage that David had received from his mother gave him some Elven natural abilities, but even though his eyesight was keener than that of a mere human, it was still less than that of a full Eve. He headed for the door, "I'm going to check in with Corin."
"Is that a good idea? We left by the front door, remember? People may get suspicious and wonder why they didn't see us come back in that way. Besides, we all agreed to meet in here at midnight."
"You're right. I guess that I'm just not thinking too clearly right now. I really didn't expect to see that many patrols out there. If we ran into them, then the others did too."
"Maybe, maybe not. They know how to handle themselves. The important thing right now is that we got what we went after!" With a triumphant smile, she lifted her tunic up a little and removed the parchment from where it had been tucked into the back of her pants.
David's eyes were bright with interest, more so from seeing bare flesh than from seeing the ancient record. She carefully untied the leather thongs and using the utmost care, unrolled it. Allanah had been holding her breath and with a big sigh she confirmed to herself that the parchment was whole and undamaged.
"David, look! Even after all these years, the writing is still dark and clear!"
He sat down beside her and read over her shoulder, "It looks Elfish."
"Ancient Elfish. I can't translate it. Some of the words look familiar, but...", she shook her head, "the rest is just gibberish to me. Beautiful gibberish, but gibberish all the same."
"King Mark will have someone available to translate it."
"I know.", she gazed at the page a moment longer, "Give me your saddlebag."
He handed her the bag and she removed a square of hide from it. The parchment was laid against this and gently rolled up until the hide and parchment looked to be just a small bundle of hides rolled and tied together. She then placed it in the bottom of his bag.
"I think this will get past a search, even if it isn't the greatest camouflage in the world.", she yawned and stretched, "Well, we better get some sleep while we can. Would you bolt the door please?"
David did as she asked. When he returned to the bed, he found her wrapped up in her cloak. He laid down on the bed beside her, wrapped in his own cloak for warmth.
"Warm enough?", he asked.
"Of course! I'm a seasoned traveler, don't you know? What's a cheap, cold, drafty room compared to the cold, hard ground?"
"From the way this bed feels, not much."
She mumbled something in response that he didn't quite catch, but he let it go. His mind turned to Rhea and Michael and how they were doing in their attempts to regain the stolen items which they had been sent to Aluntaa for. As leader of them all, he had one hundred percent confidence in their abilities and knew that they could handle just about anything that could be thrown at them. As their friend, however, he was deeply worried for them. To him, it seemed that there was just too much magic going on in this sleepy little town. Someone was determined to keep those artifacts. "Well", he thought, "that's just fine, because we're even more determined to take them back home where they belong!"
Determination was something that Michael McShane had plenty of, especially when it came to taking the Brooch of Arvada. Of the three stolen artifacts, the Brooch was the only one whose location and keeper they were sure about. Merchant Emil Arlin had possession of it, but Michael was discovering much to his dismay that knowing where the Brooch was and actually finding it in the house were two different things altogether. He had tried all of the obvious hiding places with no success. He did, however, find out that Arlin had quite a few valuable jewels and gold pieces in his various safes, too many in Michael's opinion. He helped himself to some jewels thinking that they would make nice gifts for his sister, Allanah, the Princess Mara, the Princess Ariane, and for all of his lady friends in Tralik. He also thought it a good idea to take some of the money because a person never knew what type of expenses they might encounter on the long trip home. Besides, Arlin wouldn't miss a few, and after he discovered that the Brooch was gone, he wouldn't notice their absence until Michael was long gone. Despite his success at finding Arlin's treasures, his time was running out in finding the Brooch and some quick thinking on his part was definitely in order.
"Okay, where would be a good place to hide a brooch, a magical brooch, especially? It's obvious that Arlin is wealthy and may have a fear of the Brooch being stolen by a thief unaware of it's real value, that's why it isn't in the safes. So, where would he put it? Where would I put it?", he asked himself.
He looked around the large office with growing despair. He had already gone over it once, but with no luck. When he had first entered the room, he had felt a jolt of magic and he had been so sure that the Brooch was in here somewhere. His thorough search though, revealed the room to be just as it appeared: an office bare of decoration and with little furniture. It was a functional room only and there was nothing here in which the Brooch could be hidden. "McShane, you better go back to square one and start out in the hall."
As he opened the door, he once again felt that familiar jolt of magic and this time there was no mistaking the source: it was the door itself. Careful examination of the door revealed a fine line dividing the doorknob in half width-wise. Using his knife, he deftly pried it open and there lay the Brooch of Arvada in all it's silver and emerald brilliance. Within seconds the Brooch was pinned to his clothing, the knob was replaced, and he was on his way back to the inn, proud to have had such a successful night's work.
David was startled to find himself awake for no apparent reason. He felt a hand gently brush against his arm and knew that Allanah was also awake. Before he had a chance to say anything to her, a scraping noise came from just outside their window. Someone or something was out on the ledge. They got up and let instinct take over, retrieving their swords and flanking the window, ready to strike first if need be. The tension quickly escalated as they waited for something to happen, but it was abruptly broken by a low melodic whistle that only they used. David answered in kind and then helped Michael into the room. In silence the three headed back to the bed where they could see by light of the now dwindling candle.
David was anxious, "Did you get it?"
Michael simply smiled and removed his cloak, revealing the brooch which he had arrogantly fastened at his collar, "I got it."
"It's gorgeous", Allanah breathed, and David and Michael could only nod in agreement. Even in the semi-darkness, the Brooch of Arvada was a splendid jewel. The flickering light danced over the faceted stone casting green beams of light over the faces of the three, while its silver setting resembled pure gold as it soaked in the yellow flame of the candle. Even David, who had no magical abilities, could feel the tug of the magic of the stone. Allanah could feel more than the other two, for it was of Elven design and make. Michael, understanding as always, placed the Brooch in her hand.
"Why don't you hide it for me, Annah?", he asked.
Allanah didn't answer or move. Her attention was solely on the stone. To her, it seemed to call to her very soul. David gently touched her arm and she shook off the spell. "I know just how to hide it." She went to the far side of the room and rummaged around in the darkness while David and Michael discussed the foray to Arlin's house.
"Did you have any trouble?", David asked.
Michael shook his head, "None to speak of."
"Speak of it anyway."
"I did have a little trouble finding it. The old geezer had it hidden in a door knob."
"You didn't leave a mess, did you? You put everything back the way it was?"
"Sure did! He won't even know it's gone until he goes to look for it. Unless he has a mage or something."
"Why do you say that?", David knew he wasn't going to like the answer.
"Well, there might have been some type of spell on it."
"You detected that?"
"No, but there might have been one there that I couldn't find. You never can be too careful, you know."
"True. Were you seen? Did you see anything unusual?"
"Well, Arlin has this painting in his bedroom. It hangs above the bed, and when you're on the bed, looking up, the picture changes. It..."
David cut him off, "Anything strange besides that?" He had to restrain himself from reaching out and wringing Michael's neck, an impulse he got every time he had to question Michael on any topic. David swore that it would be easier to get blood out of a rock than to get Michael to fully answer any question. The only consolation David derived from that particular trait was that if Michael were ever captured, the torturer would probably kill himself in frustration before he was done with Michael. He drew a deep, calming breath., "Did you see any patrols?"
"Not a one on the way back. I saw one on the way, though, but they didn't spot me."
"Now for the big question, did you steal anything?"
"Guys, listen!", Allanah commanded from her position by the window. They shielded the light and joined her there, peering down into the alley and the bit of street that they could see.
"I don't hear anything.", Michael muttered.
"You will, " David assured him, "Remember, Elves hear and see much better than humans do."
"Do you hear anything?", he asked.
"Not yet."
"Any why not? You are part Elf!"
Before David could reply, Allanah's voice cut through the darkness, "If you two don't shut up, you'll never hear anything!"
They dutifully did as they were told and listened. Soon they were rewarded by the unmistakable sounds of clanking armor and shouted orders.
"They've discovered the robberies!", Allanah whispered, then she pointed, "Look down there! It's Corin and Rhea!"
"What the Hell is Corin doing out there? He's supposed to be downstairs!", David exclaimed.
"So much for s'posed to be's," Michael muttered, "C'mon guys, get up here before those guards find you."
As if they had heard him, the pair was in the room within seconds, neither knowing that they could climb so fast. Allanah remained by the window while the others hurried to the other side of the room, to sit and catch their breaths. Rhea and Corin then related how they had stolen the Ruby of Trannelle and were about a block away from the Mayor's house when the cry went up that it was gone. The area was swarming with patrols, but the two were saved from capture by the fact that they were on the roofs. However, they then reached a roof that didn't adjoin another one and they were forced down to the street. Unfortunately, they were discovered by a guard but before he could call for help, he was rendered unconscious. The rest of the journey was quick - they ran all the way. David expressed his doubts that it was the Mayor's house only that was protected and that the Ruby itself had a spell on it. They all agreed that leaving under the cover of darkness that very night might not be a bad idea under the circumstances.
Allanah and Rhea went across the hall to their room while the others gathered their belongings. Michael took the saddle bags and climbed out of the window to reach the stables undetected so he could get the horses ready. Rhea quickly returned, bolting the door behind her.
"Where's Allanah?", David asked.
"She left by our window after bolting the door behind me. We figured that two locked doors should confuse and delay any would-be searchers. She'll meet us in the stable."
Is the Ruby safe?"
"It sure is.," she smiled, "Well, I'm ready. What's the hold-up here?"
We were just waiting on you. Let's go."
They crawled out of the window and made their way to the stable area where Michael and Allanah waited with the horses. They quickly mounted.
"I think we should split up into two groups. I'll go with Allanah and Michael. Corin, you and Rhea go together. We'll meet up at Melar Lake, in the same place where we camped on our way here. Hopefully, two trails will be enough to mislead the guards."
Rhea nodded, "You may be right. We'll see you there."
"Be careful." David headed his horse down the alley while Corin headed his in a different direction.
Allanah pulled hard on the reins, bringing her horse to an abrupt halt. Behind her, she could hear David swear under his breath as he and Michael brought their horses to bay. Allanah had been put in front since she could hear and see anything before David or Michael could, but the near constant stops were beginning to get on David's nerves. He inched his horse forward. Keeping his voice low and even he asked, "What's up?"
"I though I heard something up ahead."
He peered into the darkness, "I don't see anything."
"Neither do I, but I'm sure that I heard something. Water."
"Are you sure? We can turn around if you're not."
"If we keep turning around every time I hear a noise I'm unsure about then we'll be back at the inn way before dawn. Let's go on." She nudged her horse forward and the men fell into line before her. She was beginning to feel uneasy at the amount of time it was taking them to get out of the town. They had spent close to thirty minutes winding their way through back alleys in an effort to avoid the patrols that they kept finding. Still, she was sure that it was water that she could hear, and she hoped it was the water of the Alun River. It took a few more twists and turns, but in short time the trio was rewarded with the sight of the river which separated the town from the forest. Allanah urged her horse forward and into the water. The beast swam strongly and soon they were on the opposite shore. She heard the splashes behind her and strained her ears for any sign that a patrol may have also heard - but she heard nothing. It seemed that most of the patrols were away from the warehouse district for now. As she waited on the bank for her companions, she couldn't help but feel relief at being out of what she considered to be a stinking little town. She scanned the stars above and orientated herself so that she could find their old campsite. As soon as the other two were out of the water, she led the way into the forest.
It was near dawn when the trio reached the campsite at Melar Lake, but there was no sign of Corin and Rhea. They dismounted and let their horses wander free. Careful breeding and intense training had created a horse that would not wander off and would fight as bravely as any human or Elf. The horses gravitated to the Lake while the people sought the shelter of a nearby tree. The branches were low enough to conceal their presence, and they made a vain attempt at sleep while waiting for the others.
The rays of the sun danced on the lake's waters, sparkling like thousands of diamonds as the light sneaked over the horizon. It had been eight hours since they had left the Lemon Tree Inn, and the three were restless and uneasy. Allanah had given up all hope of getting any sleep and had climbed the tree itself to keep a lookout for her brother and friend. From there she was also able to keep an eye on the horses and on Michael who had been sent in search of food when David finally tired of hearing him complain of being hungry for the hundredth time. She surveyed her group and then turned her attention to the direction of Aluntaa.
David had a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach that his own gnawing hunger didn't make any easier. He was doing a fairly good job of convincing himself that Rhea and Corin had been captured. Captured or killed. He was beginning to lean toward the certainty that they were dead when Allanah dropped to the ground a scant two feet from him. Ignoring his jump of surprise, Allanah announced, "Michael's found food and Corin and Rhea are nearly here."
"Are you sure?", he asked, scarcely daring to believe that they were indeed on their way and not hanging on the walls of some dank dungeon wall, "You actually saw them?"
"I saw them, and here they are." The two entered the clearing and after dismounted, joined them under the tree. Corin smiled at David as he hugged his sister, "Sorry we're so late. We had a little trouble outside of town."
"Not with a patrol, I hope?", David asked, images of being surrounded by an army already forming in his mind.
"Nothing as bad as that. My horse threw a shoe and we had to travel slowly to keep from damaging him."
"Well! Thank God you're finally here! Michael's out getting us some food.", Allanah said.
"I was wondering where my dear brother had gotten off to. I was figuring that David might have tied him up somewhere. Gagged, of course." Rhea dropped to the ground and sat with her back against the trunk of the huge oak, "I'm famished and sore."
"As soon as we eat, I want to start out again", David announced. "We should be able to make the mountains by nightfall if we push it. I don't like the idea of staying in this country any longer than I have to. Pretty soon, if not already, the Aluntaa guardsmen will figure out that the stolen items are not in town."
Corin looked up at David from his seat at Rhea's side, "Weren't you listening to me? My horse could become lame if we push it. I don't want to damage my horse. If you want to get there that fast then you'll have to go without me."
"We have an eight hour lead. We could visit a blacksmith.", Rhea suggested.
"Okay. We can stop in Emeralde. But after the shoe is repaired, we stay on the road until Trayille, agreed?"
They all nodded.
"Agreed to what?", Michael asked as he approached them.
"We're riding straight through to Trayille.", Corin informed him.
Michael frowned, "Friend, I saw your horse. Riding straight through is not a good idea. Thunder could go lame."
"We're stopping in Emeralde to get the shoe repaired.", David snapped.
"Oh! Then we aren't riding straight through to Trayille?"
"No. How many rabbits did you get?"
"Three, and it's a good thing too! I didn't expect you two to be here yet. Here!", he tossed a rabbit to Corin, "You can help get breakfast on the table."
Without bothering to reply, Corin pulled out his boot knife and proceeded to skin his rabbit with great zeal, silently racing Michael to see who could ready his rabbit first for the fire. In the meanwhile, Allanah and Rhea were preparing the fire and some sticks to use as skewers for roasting. Soon they were devouring rabbit, starved from the long and quick journey and the excitement from the night before. No one spoke during the fast meal and soon they were on their horses and headed west.