She held up her hand when he opened hismouth.
“Now, we are getting up that pass. We need tobe over it and down the mountain by nightfall. Otherwise you’regoing to have to fend off nightfliers. Do you want to fend offnightfliers when you could be sleeping? Or would you rather suck itup and get over that damn ridge?”
The man paled at the mention of nightfliers,a beast about three times the size of a bat that had a disturbingtendency of picking up its food and dropping it from a highaltitude. It made it easier to get to the good parts on theinside.
“We’ll wait to take the break.” He turned andheaded down to the last switchback where the rest of their partywaited.
“Oh, and Kent.” Shea’s voice rose just loudenough for him to hear. “Please let them know that if anybodyrefuses to walk, I’ll leave them here to fend for themselves.Nightfliers aren’t the only things that roam this pass comenightfall.”
He gave her a look full of loathing beforeheading down to his friends. Shea kept her snicker to herself. Goodthings never happened when they thought she was laughing atthem.
Idiot. As if pathfinders would abandon theircharges. If that was the case, she would have left this lot behinddays ago. There were oaths preventing that kind of behavior.
What she wouldn’t give to enjoy a littlequiet time relaxing on the roof of her small home right aboutnow.
They didn’t make it back to the village untilearly the next morning. Shea brought up the rear as their groupstraggled past the wooden wall encircling the small village ofBirdon Leaf.
The village was a place that time hadforgotten. It looked the same as it had the day it was founded, andin fifty years or a hundred, it’d probably still be the same. Samefamilies living in the same homes, built of wood and mud by theirfather’s, father’s, father. Most of the buildings in the villagewere single story and one room. The really well off might have asecond room or a loft. Nothing changed here, and they liked it thatway. Propose a new idea or way of doing something and they’d runyou out of town.
They didn’t like strangers, which was finebecause most times strangers didn’t like them.
They tolerated Shea because they needed theskills her guild taught to survive. Shea tolerated them because shehad to.
Well, some days she didn’t.
A small group of women and children waited towelcome the men.
A large boned woman with a hefty bosom andash blond hair just beginning to gray flung her arms around a tallman with thinning hair.
“Where have you been? We expected you backyesterday morning.” She smothered his face with kisses.
“You know we had to keep to the pathfinder’space. The men didn’t feel it would be right leaving her behind justbecause she couldn’t keep up.”
There it was. Her fault.
Anytime something went wrong it was due tothe fact she was a woman. Even looking less feminine didn’t helpher. A taller than average girl with a thin layer of musclesstretching over her lean frame, Shea had hazel eyes framed by roundcheeks, a stubborn mouth and a strong jaw-line she’d inherited fromher father. Much to her consternation.
“What the guild was thinking assigning awoman to our village, I’ll never know,” the woman said inexasperation. “And such useless trail bait. They must have sent thelaziest one they had.”
Trail bait. Dirt pounder. Roamer. Hot footed.Shea had heard it all. So many words to describe one thing.Outsider.
Shea turned towards home. At least she wouldhave a little peace and quiet for the next few days. She planned tohide out and not see or talk to anyone.
Just her and her maps. Maybe some cloudwatching. And definitely some napping. Make that a lot of napping.She needed to recharge.
“Pathfinder! Pathfinder,” a young voicecalled after her.
Shea turned and automatically smiled at thegirl with the gamine grin and boundless enthusiasm racing afterher. “Aimee, I’ve told you before you can call me Shea.”
Aimee ducked her head and gave her a gaptoothed smile. She was missing one of her front teeth. She musthave lost it while Shea was outside the fence.
“Pathfinder Shea. You’re back.”
Shea nodded, amused at the obvious statement.Of all the villagers in this backwoods place, Aimee was herfavorite. She was young enough that she didn’t fear the wilds lyingjust beyond the safety of the barrier. All she saw was theadventure waiting out there. She reminded Shea of the novitiatesthat came every year to the Wayfarer’s Keep in hopes of taking thePathfinder’s exam and becoming an apprentice.
“Um, did you see any cool beasts this time?”Aimee burst out. “Nightfliers, maybe? You said they liked to nestin the peaks around Garylow’s pass. What about red backs?”
“Whoa, hold up. One question at a time.” Sheatook a piece of paper she’d torn from her journal last night inanticipation of this moment. “Here. I saw this one diving to catchbreakfast yesterday morning.”
