Subject: Re: at night

:hums:

:taps feet:

:clears throat:

:dangles guitar in front of Twinky's nose:

Fun!

Subject: Re: at night

Turn coming out today.

Subject: The Last Quiet Night

Rennik and Melani spend some time conferring and hunting about for the best camp site. Rennik is especially insistent. He eventually finds a hollow large enough for the eight of them beneath a large upturned tree. It is filled with mud and worms, but, as he points out, it is NOT filled with several hundred undead and evil men, so it makes it one of the nicer camping spots in the last few days.

The evening passes quietly. Melani brings down a large rabbit with her sling, but because Rennik will not allow a fire, the group just eats cold rations, and Melani stuffs the hare into her pouch for later. Promise guzzles another bottle of the halfling provided milk, and Mission thinks that the boy is visibly growing. How fast do children grow? He doesn't know. But with food in his belly, and warm in the wraps the halflings gave, the boy seems to glow with cheer and good health. He smiles at his father, as if already knowing that their trials are near an end.

His good cheer is infectious. And the members of the party, warriors beaten and bloodied over eight days of horrifying trials, become entertainers and playmates, each trying to outdo the other in making the boy laugh or smile. Garyth, who has many nephews, says to Mission, "I have never seen a child this young as aware of his surroundings as this boy. He seems to soak up everything around him like a sponge. I would very much like to see him again when he is older. I wonder what he will be like." Mission remembers his vision, standing behind a young Promise as he speaks wisdom to the elders of the Path. For the first time, Mission starts to think that vision might actually come true. "He and I would welcome you in Bannock's Ire at any time, Garyth. I would like nothing more than to show you my home, and reintroduce you to my son." And with those words, the group is reminded of the time soon coming, when they will no longer be a fellowship. It does not seem possible, after all that has happened.

The night too, passes uneventfully. The following morning at dawn, Cadfael and Sa'id rise and pray. The rest of the group wakes and eats, while Melani confers with Rennik in halfling. Rennik nods once and says to the group, "We can make Nesalin by nightfall, if we march hard on the roads, and do not stop for meals." Cadfael and Sa'id return from prayers, and Sa'id asks Farron, "Did I hear correctly? Might we be staying in an Inn this night with warm meals and clean beds, and a bath for an extra copper or two?" Farron nods and struggles to keep a silly grin off his face.

With such thoughts in their heads, the party heads off down the slope and away from the forest, making haste toward the road to Nesalin. An hour later, Garyth says to no one in particular, "I had forgotten how nice a walk in the grass is. No mud, no trees, no swamp dragons. You know, some people actually take walks for pleasure. I had forgotten that, too." He has barely finished speaking when Melani, a few yards behind the group, makes a low whoofing sound and drops flat. Rennik drops so fast it must be a reflex action. What is more surprising is how quickly the rest of the group hits the ground. A week ago, they would not have been so quick.

Melani crawls forward to Rennik and whispers. Rennik crawls back to the group and says, "The army has left the woods North of us. If we keep moving, their forward scouts will see us. We will find cover here, and wait for them to march past. If they march for the road south, then they will not come closer than a mile or two of us. We could probably beat them in a race to Nesalin, as they are more than an hour behind us, but it is better not to risk it." He looks at Cadfael, "Now would be a good time to begin praying, priest. They have been able to sniff us out before, and we are not sure how they do it." Cadfael nods, "Pelor's grace will shield us. We are in the open now, with his face shining down upon us." Rennik just says, "I hope you're right."

The group is able to find good cover in a copse of bushes not too far away, and from this position watches the army of Kor Goresh march south to Overlook. Rennik and Garyth sit together, counting the army's strength. "Two hundred of the undead, maybe more," Rennik says. Garyth nods, "Not all of them are the skeletons and zombies, either. There are a few things that look much more frightening. And, maybe half as many men and Murrkat. Three hundred or more. The palisade at Overlook won't last a day."

Mission is whispering to Promise, "Don't worry. They don't know we're here. We'll be in Nesalin and on a boat for home by tomorrow." Promise shocks everyone by responding with a wail. He is crying and wailing like a newborn, which, being a newborn shouldn't be all that surprising. Except that until now, Promise has never really bawled like this. Not once in three days. At worst he has given a quiet little cry to remind Mission that he was hungry, or needed changed. Mission frantically rocks and hushes him, trying to get the boy to quiet, though it is highly unlikely that a marching army two miles away could hear him.

As he rocks, Mission says, "What? What is it, Promise? What do you need me to do?" The boy grabs one of his father's fingers, and Mission goes stiff for a moment. Promise stops crying and stares at his father.

A second later, Mission goes slack all at once, and is looking into his son's eyes, his own filling with tears.

Subject: Re: The Last Quiet Night

What do you want to bet the kid just told Mission to attack the army and save Overlook? :(

Mark

Subject: Re: The Last Quiet Night

Or maybe the kid is Alvin Maker, and the thought of crossing water doesn't exactly wit well with him.

:-D