Leaping, without making a sound, Riley grabbed the sword and buckled it around her waist in a flurry. Then she took a breath, staring into the darkness toward the singing. Hearing nothing, she crept to Lissie, patting her on the shoulder and whispering “Hush, I heard a man.”
Lissie started awake, staring at her with wide eyes. She started to crawl out of her sack, and Riley went to wake Cora.
Riley attempted to wake Cora silently, but she had barely put a hand on Cora’s shoulder when her friend screamed. Riley clamped her hand over Cora’s mouth, hushing her. The girl must not have been awake, because she bit her. Riley hissed “There is a man here, you need to wake up!”
They put on their boots with varying levels of grace. Lissie had been shaken awake many times, but this was not a pleasure Cora was used to. Riley reminded herself of these facts and tried not to rush them. She busied herself with sticking a long branch into the fire for a makeshift torch. She did not hesitate to hand it to Lissie before drawing her sword.
It was a lot heavier than the training sword. She willed her wrist not to tremble as she lifted the point, hoping to look threatening. She waved her friends behind her, and they inched toward the place where she had heard the singing.
A minute passed, then five. Cora said, “Riley, perhaps they were just passing by? I hate to say it, but you may be overtired—”
Riley and Lissie shushed her in unison and Cora rolled her eyes.
After another minute, they heard “Hullaboo, hullaboo, I see you! Hullaboo, hullaboo.” Then, a lot softer, “Well, look, if you don’t like it, I don’t know if I should keep going.” The voice was carefree and gentle, but its speaker was still shaded.
Cora gasped audibly, and Lissie and Riley looked steely-eyed at each other. Cora would not remain silent, whispering loudly, “What should we do?”
Riley put her finger to her lips, and thought for a moment before replying, “We could go back to the rucks, but if he means us harm, he’ll have the drop on us. We do not yet know if he is alone.”
Lissie nodded, and Riley pressed into the forest. The light danced behind her, casting her shadow widely in front of her path. She glared into the darkness ahead, stepping through the underbrush. She winced as she heard Cora trip behind her.
It was only a few more paces before Riley saw a blue light shimmering in the gloom. She had no time to stop before a tiny dog jumped on her leg. She had to stop herself from cutting it in two. She waved the sword awkwardly with one hand.
Lissie shrieked.
It didn’t take long for the dog to lose interest in Riley and run past her.
Cora cooed, “A puppy! What a friendly one!”
“Ruskin isn’t a puppy,” said a lilting tenor voice, “Four times four seasons we have walked these roads together. Though I dare say—I came upon three puppies myself! Or they came upon me?”
Cora replied brightly, “You have us at an advantage, sir. For it seems you can see us, but we cannot see you.”
Riley bit her lip to keep herself from shouting at her friend for giving away such tactical information.
“Well, make your way forward, and mind your step. Ruskin will lead you, if you are willing to follow,” said the voice ahead.
Riley scowled and replied, “Puppies have the sharpest teeth. Who are you?”
“Alexander Zarnovsky Endrindel MacKintosh the third, Bard and Tinkerer of the Ellium Company, though perhaps, not at the moment.”
Riley could feel her friends clinging to her shoulders. They were apparently not moving fast enough for Ruskin, who kept darting back as if to encourage them. The dog would touch her with a paw, then run ahead, look back, and do it again.
Cora whispered in her ear, “I love the Ellium Company, remember their performance last month? Maybe he knows that player with the lute.”
Riley looked askance at her, “I remember they were on their way southeast when they left. Not due west.”
Lissie brandished the torch, walking ahead, “No one would lie about an association with the Ellium Company.”
The darkness grew around Riley. She realized she had no other choice. She marched on. Her sword tip swayed and fell.
Riley felt the forest floor give way to rocks underneath her feet. The sound of a cheerful stream echoed around her. The trees opened up, and she caught Lissie’s shoulder to stop her at the edge. Cora was already following Ruskin’s careful path through the rocks along the stream bed.
The blue light shone as bright as a full moon now, illuminating a curious scene. The speaker perched on a broken branch hanging over the water. He was clad in something that shone in the light, sparking different colors with his movement. Riley looked around and saw no one else. When she was satisfied he was alone, she turned her gaze back to the man.
His eyes were wide and glittered in the funny light, which came from a jar sitting on the branch next to him. The little dog trotted happily out to his master on the branch, and sat calmly on his lap. The man scrubbed the dog viciously, which Ruskin repaid with kisses. “My dear compatriot, what have you brought me out of the darkness?” His hair was dark, but his eyebrows were pale in the light.
Cora simpered, “You gave us such a fright at camp!” Riley was disgusted to see that she was shaking her red curls out of their bun as she went forward.
Riley accused, “The Ellium Company played in my father’s court not one month past. They were not headed in this direction. Everyone knows they spend autumn in Gallia. You are obviously not with them.”
“I thought I would put on a private performance for the frogs,” Alexander prattled, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
Cora did not turn as she said, “Don’t be rude, Riley!”
Lissie asked, “Why are you really here?” She always drove to the crux of the matter.
The man made a curious hand gesture, and the dog did a somersault, landing deftly on the branch. Then he stood, and did a somersault himself, to land on the rocky outcrop of bank. He lilted, “It’s a very long story, and though my branch is comfortable for one, of myself, a dog and three puppies, it will not bear.”
Riley sighed. He was handsome, in a rather theatrical, lithe way. If it came to it, the dog was small, and she was sure he wouldn’t be able to stand against her sword. She sheathed it, and said, “Let’s go back to the camp. Lissie, throw that torch in the stream, we will gather some more firewood on the way.”
Alexander started unhooking bags that had been hanging from branches nearby.
Riley felt ashamed that she had not seen any of them. Once he had donned them all, she thought he looked every inch the Ellium tinkerer.
Riley walked in the rear, her hand on the hilt of her sword. The alleged bard was singing under his breath as he skipped with his little dog. His blue jar light cast swinging shadows through the trees.
The campfire had burned low, and Lissie was quick to feed it. Riley remained standing, watching for the stranger to make a move.
“A story given is a story sold.” Alexander was crouching with his heels pressed firmly into the ground. He kept gesturing with his hand. The dog, Ruskin, never stopped moving, rolling, jumping. Then Alexander’s hand would stop and he would give the pup something from a pouch on his belt.
“We are not going to give you any money.” Riley was sitting on her rucksack with her sword across her lap.
“Riley, we don’t have any money.” Lissie said, reminding her.
Cora laughed, “I’m sure we can think of something you would like.” Riley scowled at her.
Alexander said, “The only fair trade for a story is a story of one’s own. A story of one’s home or a story of one’s soul.”
Riley and Cora both looked at Lissie, who said, “Riley, I think you should tell him about what happened. Fairy tales are fun, but they aren’t really mine.”
Riley took a deep breath and launched into the story, recounting the ride on her horse. Repeating the death of the old woman was easier this time, but talking about the fight with her family made her flush with shame.
Alexander only interrupted her once, to ask the name of her horse. When she was done speaking, the girls looked down at the ground.
Riley looked up and saw tears in Lissie’s eyes again. Lissie took a breath and said, “This part is mine to tell. My grandmother gave me the way to find a cure.”
The Wind is High, Lissie worked her way through the chant once more.
Even Ruskin was silent and still when she finished. Alexander looked to his dog and said, “What do you say, companion? That sounds like a higher purpose to give to our travels.”
Cora looked to Riley, “It would be helpful to have a guide; he’s an experienced traveler.”
Riley said, “We don’t know that. He hasn’t even told us why he’s here.”
“Truly a dark tale you’ve brought to our circle,” Alexander tossed another branch on the fire, raising sparks, “worth at least five of mine. I feel I must begin payment and explanation for my presence, and bring light back to us. We have to sleep at some point tonight. You don’t happen to have anything to drink, do you?”
Lissie answered quickly, “Only water.”
The man frowned. “Never mind. Have any of you been to Glasheim?”