Riley’s heart was hammering as she watched the boys disperse into the forest. She kept searching for eyes as they walked the short distance to the camp in terse silence.
Arriving at the clearing, she said, “Some of those boys from the lumberjack group followed us back here.” Lissie started at her words, almost knocking over the pot of soup.
Alexander kept making funny signals to Ruskin, who was doing all sorts of tricks around him. “Did they bring food to share?”
Riley took a deep breath and said, “They are sharing their cut firewood with us. They have a stock available for their camp.”
Alexander met her eye, “I thought this was well-appointed. Dunkirk wasn’t with them, I take it.”
“No.”
“I see.” The four of them sat in uneasy silence for a few moments before Ruskin announced the boy’s arrival.
They each had a few split logs, and took turns stacking it evenly in a pile. The spotty one introduced himself, “Ho, Alexander, right? I’m Trevor.”
Alexander took a deep bow, “As charged.”
The red-haired youth spoke next, “Jon” The other two put their logs in the pile and muttered some things that sounded like ‘Pole’ and ‘Paul.’
Riley watched in silence, hoping someone else would break it.
Trevor swept his hands over the camp, “Who else do we have in our camp?”
Riley raised her eyebrows and said, “My name is Riley. Would you prefer if we traveled on?”
Jon smiled and said, “Nah, we brung this bottle here.” He proffered an earthenware jug, “Thought you might like to share?”
Alexander clicked his tongue and pointed at the youth, “You’re a good kid, Jon.” He stood up and took the bottle, tasting it as though it were a fine wine. Riley could smell the moonshine swishing through his teeth.
Cora’s eyes were cautious, “And I am Cora. None for me, thanks.”
Lissie was intent on her pot of stew, but looked up for a moment and smiled, “I’m Lissie. We probably have enough for you, since we got so much sausage today.”
Riley sat on one of the stumps. Alexander took another long pull from the earthenware jug. “Any of you boys know how to play Writ?” Both Pole and Paul murmured their assent. The three of them started moving stumps around, and soon were huddled over one as a makeshift table. Riley saw that Alexander was still holding the jug. He did not seem as intent on sharing as the boys had suggested.
Jon pulled a stump over next to Lissie and asked, “What do you got cooking there?”
Lissie pulled out a spoon and offered a taste, “It would be a lot better if we had more salt. We are running through it fast.”
The older boy tasted it and made an agreeable sound, “You know, I don’t got no salt, but I could grab some sheep sorrel. That’ll give it a tang.” Before waiting for Lissie to reply, he was on his feet and Riley watched his naked back disappear into the woods.
Cora had moved her stump next to Alexander’s to watch the Writ game.
Riley looked up and found herself being studied. She followed the boy’s gaze to her sword. “You know how to use that thing?” He asked, “I’ve never seen one before.”
Riley loved talking about swords, “I can show you if you like, but don’t touch it. It needs stropping, anyway. I’ll start.”
The boy dropped to a crouch in front of her. She waved him back a step. She pulled out a strip of leather and wrapped it around her left hand. Unsheathing the sword, she laid it over her lap, the hilt in the crook of her elbow. Taking the other side of the leather in her right hand, she started stropping the blade quickly, using even strokes at a slight angle against the edge.
Trevor looked on with wide eyes. “Gah, that’s just how we sharpen the axes—once we hit ’em with the grinder. Bet you don’t grind steel like that though.”
Paul shouted over, “We’d a’ been stroppin’ axes tonight if Jon hadn’t had the grand plan of meeting you folks.”
Alexander whooped, “That’s note!” before resetting the board.
Pole stammered, “Dunkirk’s gonna tan our hides, I just know it. Can’t believe I let you talk me into getting cross o’ him.” Alexander raised an eyebrow and started dealing the wooden tiles.
Jon swaggered triumphantly in the clearing, with a fistful of green leaves. He smiled wide and said, “Dunkirk don’t own us. Bad enough we out in this god-forsaken forest.”
Pole laughed and picked up the wooden tiles, “Pretty sure he owns me. Paid my daddy enough.”
Riley felt Trevor’s eyes on her, and examined the edge of the steel. She’d been stropping it every night, even though it was stored sharp. She put a thumb to the edge of the blade, you could shave with it.
Riley took a deep breath and unwound the leather from her hand. “Now I just need to oil it.” She shook out her scabbard and a small piece of oily woolen cloth tumbled out. She smiled and said, “So I always know where it is.”
Riley looked past Trevor, Jon was examining the game’s progress. He took the jug from a reluctant Alexander. He took a big swill, the fluff of green dangling from his right hand as he balanced the jug in the crook of his left elbow. When he fell into a coughing fit, he nearly dropped it. Riley tried not to laugh.
Alexander received the jug gratefully before Jon walked back over to Lissie and offered her the sheep sorrel like a bouquet of flowers.
Lissie looked up, and accepted them gratefully. “These are very nice. Cora and Riley are good at finding firewood, but they don’t help out with dinner while they go.”
Jon sat down heavily, “Well I wouldn’t expect a fine lady to know about foraging free stuff. That’s for us common folk.” Riley saw Lissie smile, but she noted the wrinkled brow.
To Riley, Trevor said, “I never seen a lady wear trousers, but I also never seen a sword, so I guess there’s a lot I ain’t seen. You their bodyguard?” He gestured to Alexander and Cora.
Alexander whistled loudly a series of notes and Ruskin barked three times and stood on his haunches. “Ruskin is our loyal bodyguard!” Alexander laughed, taking another pull of the jug.
Trevor asked, “You didn’t steal that sword, didja?” Riley liked his crooked smile.
Riley snorted, and feigned offense. Before she could answer, she heard Lissie announce, “Food’s about done, so finish up your game and come eat!”
Not one of them looked up until Alexander said, “Ha! That’s note again. You boys are learning though.”
Cora clapped, “That was well done—I’ve never seen someone clean up that fast!” The four of them gathered their stumps and Alexander boxed up the chip set.
The game put away, Alexander headed to one of his packs hanging from a tree. He came back with a stack of bowls and a stack of spoons, cleverly packed together. He started handing them out to everyone and they filled their bowls from the pot.
Riley’s sword shone in her lap, forgotten, and when Alexander handed her a bowl he said, “They are big sausages, but I think they have been cut already.” She left it on the stump while she filled her bowl, the scabbard laid propped to the side.
“You know, Cookie could use a girl like you. His swill don’t even touch the sides, and tastes worse by half.” Jon said, looking at Lissie, his stump had been pulled straight next to hers. Riley watched Lissie shift away.
Trevor found a stump to Riley’s left, and Jon and Lissie were huddled by the cook fire. Pole and Paul sat across from them. They hadn’t moved their stumps closer to the group; Riley thought they looked skittish. Cora and Alexander sat to Riley’s right.
The soup is really good, Riley thought, taking a bite.
“Cookie gonna tan our hides too. I was gonna help serve tonight.” Paul said to no one in particular.
Jon snapped, “Shut up about that. Have a drink. Don’t you ever have any fun?”
Trevor asked Riley, “So where you folks headed? There ain’t nothin’ west but trouble.”
“Trouble and trees,” Pole added.
Riley considered for a moment, savoring the stew. “Headed towards trouble, I guess.” Riley saw that Jon had his arm around Lissie and was whispering something in her ear. Lissie shrugged him off and shook her head, like she was shaking off a fly.
Paul said, “Well I sure appreciate the meal and the company, but we had better head back.”
Jon snapped back, “Where are your manners? Not even gonna help wash up? I know you were raised with no mamma but that ain’t no excuse.”
Paul muttered and started collecting bowls. Jon shot him a toothy smile as he passed his to the other boy. Paul found it difficult to get one away from Ruskin, who growled as he finished Alexander’s soup.
Riley thanked Paul as he took her bowl. She slid her sword back into her lap, wiping the blade again with the wool. She took comfort in the shine.
Trevor whispered, “It’s ok if you stole it, you can tell me. I stole that moonshine. From Dunkirk.”
Lissie screamed, “I said no!” and Riley stood, sword in hand. Lissie had leapt to her feet.
Riley saw that the boy must have balls of brass because he had his hand wrapped around Lissie’s wrist. Riley closed with him in a moment.
Everything slowed down for her. She could feel her pulse in her eyes. Like it always was on the training sand. Her left hand shot out for his shoulder, and she pulled him. Hard.
He twirled around, still clinging to Lissie like a snare. The force threw Lissie off balance. Her feet tangled with the idiot’s. Lissie shrieked, stumbled and fell forward into the fire.
The fire blazed, embers shot into the sky like stars.