Dragon Tamer - Book 1

Chapter 34

They set off the very next day, Marcie went ahead, her bow drawn, she flitted in front of them to check for the best routes and then circling back round to the others.

Sebastian had been waiting for her when she came back to the camp in the early hours of the morning. She had tensed ready for a fight, but he had just stared at her for a long time then silently began preparing breakfast. In his eyes he had communicated to her his distrust and a warning, should she ever do anything that may bring harm upon his companions.

She felt his eyes upon her back as she moved.

The snow had stopped but it had laid a thick covering over the forest floor and her boots disappeared into the powder with crunching sounds, too loud to allow her the pleasure of stealth so she relied on Dara to warn her of any dangers. He flew gaily through the branches, his superior eyesight giving him a distinct advantage. Apart from the occasional flurry of fallen snow from Dara's progress the forest was still, its inhabitants sleeping the winter sleep.

The horses were an annoyance to say the least, another reason she went ahead was to find the best and clearest routes that would allow for their bulk. There was a reason horses were not used by the traders or by the villagers themselves, a few roamed wild in the outskirts of the forest, where the trees were not as numerous but they were not be ridden, wild as they were.

She wondered whose idea it was to bring them, she eyed Aldren, probably his, she decided.

The snow hampered their progress so that they turned in that night shivering and stuttering, their tiredness limiting their ability to keep warm. Marcie was cold and tired as well but not to the degree as the rest, she was used to it and lately she found herself being able to push herself for longer before collapse, something she knew must be because of Dara, or more specifically, the bond between Dara and herself.

She led her 'charges' to a small shelter created when an ancient Great tree had fallen and now lay wedged between two smaller trees creating an overhang. And made up a fire and set up the bedrolls as Sebastian and Jin appeared too tired to do anything other than slump against the horses. When she was done, they fell gratefully into their places while Aldren poked the fire. It was the most work Marcie had seen him do. So she told him so.

"Do nobles do anything?" she asked

Aldren glanced at her blearily, but remained silent.

"It would take a lot of the burden off those two", she waved her hand at the snoring figures of Sebastian and Jin, "Three people helping would be better for the whole group"

Aldren shook his head, "I was raised always being served upon, never wanting for anything, being"- he smiled -"useful, does not come naturally to me"

Marcie snorted, "Nothing comes naturally to people, they are raised to be self sufficient and you were raised to be waited upon, but in situations like this one you can hardly expect them to keep looking after you like a little child"

Aldren flushed red and stood up angrily, if he expected Marcie to back down he was disappointed, she stood her ground regarding him coolly.

The fire popped and sizzled in the damp cold air and Jin snorted and shifted in his sleep.

The flush not leaving his cheeks Aldren turned back to the fire and fed some more wood to it. Marcie reached out to stop him,

"That one is too wet, leave it next to the fire but not in it too dry it out, we don't want too much smoke, not in this small space" she waved her hand around the site.

Aldren nodded and did as he was told, Marcie sensed him calm down a little, his pride still hurt but more with acknowledgement then disbelief. He knew he should help more but he did not know how, so used was he to others doing it for him.

"Come here" she told him, smiling slightly, "I'll show you how to cook us some food"

Despite his obvious weariness he helped her set up a spit and roast some of the left over deer over the fire,

"We can use the meat today and tomorrow" she told him, like a teacher explaining to a child a valuable skill she told him how to slow cook the meat and how to ensure it should be ready to eat when the sun rose, ready to start again. She did not mean to treat him as such but it was clear that very much like a child he did not know many things. Oh she was sure he could read and write and probably had access to a vast library with which to collect knowledge from, but it wasn't anything she would consider 'useful', anything he could use in an environment such as the forgotten forest which was infinitely hostile. Despite his immaturity she found herself warming to him as he clearly felt ashamed of his ignorance but was a little to prideful to do anything about it.

When the meat was nicely dripping away Aldren turned in and Marcie climbed stiffly into her bedroll, she was just getting comfortable when she caught Sebastian watching her, he had one eye open and was facing towards the fire, she wondered if he had been watching her all this time, feigning sleep.

When he knew she knew he had been watching her he closed his eye and kept them both closed, she shifted uneasily and turned away from him to get more comfortable, she shivered slightly despite the fire at her back, wishing Dara was with her but knowing she could not leave as that would alert Sebastian.