Book Two : The Dragons Egg : IX : Disguise: Draft

IX

Disguise

Maethilda

“I’m sorry, could you run that by me again?” Evalean enquired, perched high up on her white horse, her eyes scanning the edge of the forest for signs of any opponents upon their trail. Mairina, her red hair flashing, glared up from the foot of the tree and squinted her eyes in the light as she dug up the soil with her hands.

“We will be disguising ourselves as men,” she said, with one arm beneath the soil and the other upon her hip.

“And how exactly are we to do that? And why did no one consult me on this new development?” Evalean chided her friends as she patted her mare, Luth gently.

“Do you seriously think that it would have been intelligent to discuss with you our true intentions of this quest?” Maethilda asked as she helped Mairina with the bags, now unearthed and dripping with wet soil. Evalean quipped her brows and groaned. “Exactly. You would have spilled the information to Aabe and then our plan would have been passed on to Morad, obviously because Aabe would have felt himself bound to tell your brother and so to sum it up, we would have failed in our quest and been out smarted by our opponents before we had even reached the forest.”

“But by disguise, you mean dress like a man yes?” Evalean asked with a shaking upper lip. She ran her hands through her long hair and sighed with relief, Maethilda surely wouldn't propose something as wild as cutting off their hair surely?

“Yes, we will be cutting our hair,” Maethilda said with a smile, understanding perfectly the thoughts that were now attacking the fair Evalean.

“But I can’t!” Evalean cried out in horror. “It’s my hair Maethilda!”

“It isn’t as if I haven’t already considered that Evie, I have trust me,” Maethilda argued as she opened a large bag and took out the male garments, handing them to Innis and Sabia, who were now busy cutting their long tresses with a knife. Maethilda caught Evalean’s shocked expression and couldn’t help the bubble of jest that swarmed within her. “Listen, we will never get far looking as we do now, will we?”

“But we could simply cover our hair surely?” Evalean tried to barter with her oldest of friends.

“Morad is too clever for that, of course it crossed my mind, but he is too quick and we must always be at least two steps ahead of him and Muta,” Maethilda said with a firm expression. “Now come down of that horse and hurry up!”

“What if my hair doesn’t grow back?” Evalean cried as she jumped down of her mare and walked over to Maethilda, who handed her several items of men’s clothing.

“Evie, your hair will grow back okay? I highly doubt that Aabe will die of disgust,” Maethilda said in a matter of fact voice.

“Will you cut it for me?” Evalean asked shyly as she quickly undressed herself and put on her new male garments which consisted of leather pants, leather boots, a shirt of chain mail which fell to the waist, a seaweed green tunic which also fell to the waist and a black woollen cloak brought together with a small golden brooch.

“Maethilda are we not meant to wear our clan’s colours?” Innis asked as she clipped together her broach. Maethilda turned to her friend, whose once long black hair, now sat above her shoulders and gapped. “What is it? Do I look dreadful?”

“No actually, you suit your hair short,” Maethilda said truthfully. “As to the clan colours, you will see that your broaches are made with green and yellow leaves, the colours of Summe.” Innis looked down at her broach and smiled.

“Clever.”

“Right Evalean come here,” Maethilda ordered, taking the knife from Sabia and standing before a newly attired Evalean, whose hazel eyes were large with terror. “It will grow back, I promise.”

“Don’t cut it too short Maettie, please?” Evalean begged as she came to stand before her friend.

“I cannot say that I have ever cut hair before, but here’s to a new challenge,” Maethilda smiled nervously. Holding the knife tightly in her right hand, she took a chunk of Evalean’s thick brown hair and cut away at it, keeping it at shoulders length, least Evalean should faint with horror. It didn’t take too long for Maethilda to cut her friends hair and she had to on her second inspection admit that she had done quite a good job.

“It feels, so light,” Evalean said with a worrisome grin.

“You look lovely Evie,” Maethilda assured her friend with a hug. “Sabia would you collect the hair and dispose of it somewhere out of sight?”

“Shall I dispense with it in the forest?” Sabia enquired as she made her way around her fellow companions and collected their thick, long tresses from the ground.

“Yes, preferably under the ground if possible,” Maethilda ordered with her head held high. “Now Innis would you be so kind as to cut my hair for me?”

“How short do you want it?” Innis enquired as she took the knife from Maethilda and observed her long, golden hair; hair she had greatly adored when growing up.

“As short as you like,” Maethilda said with a shrug. “It matters not.”

“I can’t believe you would think so little of your hair,” Evalean said under her breathe as she ran her fingers through her newly shortened hair.

“I care about winning,” Maethilda smiled broadly as Innis cut away at her curly tresses, her face serious and firm. Evalean’s eyes glittered slightly as she watched her friend’s hair fall to the recently watered ground, moulding themselves to the mud. Sabia who had been waiting patiently, quickly picked up the handfuls of hair and ran away into the forest. Maethilda could feel the weight of her head instantly change as her hair fell away, and with a smile she felt somewhat enlightened. It was a big ask, to make her friends change their images so boldly, but she knew it was for the best and as she had said many times to herself, it would grow back one day, whereas the shame of losing the Glentaire cup would not.

It did not take Sabia long to return from the forest and when she did, Maethilda observed her newly adorned and changed friends. Mairina the second tallest of the group looked fiery and determined, her red hair as bright as ever and her blue eyes filled with excitement. Maethilda enjoyed Mairina the most, she was intelligent, loyal, out spoken and not afraid of taking a risk and this made her dependable in Maethilda’s eyes. Sabia on the other hand was small in height, with black hair and green eyes. She had a beautifully angular face and perfectly proportioned features and was out of the whole company, excluding Evalean, the prettiest. But behind her beauty was a passionate and cunning temper, once a petty thief, Maethilda had taken Sabia off the streets and put her cunning traits to good use. Innis who stood soothing Evalean, was the same height as Mairina, yet smaller in frame. She was lean, thin and full of energy. She had chestnut hair and a pair of deep brown eyes, which were shielded by the most beautiful pair of eyebrows. She had been the daughter of a fervent farmer, who upon realising her wish to become a picket had exiled her from her family and farm. She was the youngest at only eighteen moons, but made up for her young age in stealth and courage.

Yes, they would succeed thought Maethilda as she and her companions made themselves ready to leave. No man would quash their hard work, not even Morad. The group stood in a circle looking at Maethilda.

“Now for the last part of our plan,” she smiled, taking out a pot from her bag. Evalean looked at the pot with suspicion.

“No,” she said aloud as Maethilda took away the lid of the clay pot and dipped her fingers into it. The rest of the company gasped as she covered her face in dirt.

“Surely not,” Innis whispered as Maethilda passed the pot on to Innis with a smile. Maethilda, her face covered in dirt, wiped her hands upon her cloak.

“Now short hair will obviously aid us in our disguise,” Maethilda said, running her mud covered fingers through her short hair. “But we must remember that our opponents know our faces well and so we cover them in dirt.”

“But Maethilda, isn’t that going a little bit too far?” Evalean asked as she now began to cover her own face, her nose twitching fiercely as the earthly smell filled her senses.

“One may think so, but no Evie, it is to be done if we are to survive this next week,” Maethilda said, now at odds with her friend who was usually very obliging to mischievous plans.

“Well if you think so…”

“I do.”

Sabia laughed aloud as she stared at her friends.

“What of our horses?” Mairina enquired as she fixed her leather pouch of arrows upon her back.

“Well as to that, we will be changing our horses tomorrow.”

“Changing our horses?” Innis returned with a surprised glare, which was hard to make out with the mud, now staining her once beautiful face.

“Yes, we will be heading through the forest today, making for the first flag, which I believe is to be placed upon the top of the second hill, Blesen.”

“I doubt we will retrieve it,” Evalean said as she pulled her hood over her head, the crisp air biting at her newly exposed skin. Maethilda nodded in agreement.

“If that is the case should we instead head east through the forest and make for the second flag?” Maethilda asked her fellow pickets.

“Are we allowed to? Are we not meant to go to all the flag spots and be confirmed by the guards?” Innis asked as she kicked her horse, Drust into a gallop. Maethilda kicked Art into a gallop, following Innis closely behind.

“She’s right Maethilda, those are the rules,” Sabia called out from behind.

“Well then to Blesen we go!” Maethilda cried out as she raised her right hand into the air and bid her fellow pickets onwards into the forest. The forest of Summe was the largest upon the island, at thirty five leagues from east to west and forty nine from north to south. It would, Maethilda guessed, using previous journeys through the forest as an indication, take about six or seven hours at the most to ride to Blesen hill, where the first of seven flags would be. She knew that because of the time taken to disguise themselves, that they most assuredly would not win the first flag, but she has known that from the start and wasn’t worried. She understood that some of the groups would make camp for the night, but she along with the agreement of the other pickets wouldn’t stop, they would ride through the night and make for the second flag which was located somewhere along White Bay, which lay south of Summe city, beneath Ormo Lake. In her leather pouch, which hung loosely from the side of her saddle, was a book filled with maps and plans. She had in the previous months made the same journeys and recorded the time in which it took her to reach them and the fastest ways in which to get there. She was fully prepared and with that safely out of the way, she was determined to enjoy her first game.

As the group rode hard through the forest, using the main road, they came by no other opponents, which did not surprise Maethilda in the least. What worried her was the malevolent mind of Muta, who she knew for a fact would prepare assaults and tricks along the way and it was this that plagued her the most, for if she and her group were to use the main roads of which she had planned then they were more than likely to be accosted and maimed by those working on behalf of Muta. Keeping her head down and her eyes on the road ahead, Maethilda put her fears away, she would deal with them later. The sun was now at its highest in the sky, proclaiming that it was now mid-day and with that, Maethilda and the rest of the company stopped for a moment to take a drink from their leather pouches.

“Maettie, what is wrong?” Evalean enquired as she wiped her forehead with the rim of her hood.

“I’m worried about the roads,” Maethilda replied quietly, not wanting the rest of the company to overhear. With control, she turned Art around so that she faced Evalean. “Muta and his friends will have planned numerous tricks in order to get rid of us.”

“You think he would do such a thing?” Evalean said with furrowed brows, her hands upon the reigns of her mare.

“Yes, I think he would. The possibility of us beating him in particular is just non-negotiable in his eyes, I mean did you see the way they looked at us before we left?”

“Well yes, but Muta has always been shady,” Evalean said with a shrug. “If you want the truth Maettie, I would be more afraid of the other groups. The true enemy always hides behind another, don’t you think?”

“Yes. I was never without a doubt that we would be targeted during this week, but for some irrational moment when we were riding, I was struck with a little fear if truth be known,” Maethilda acknowledged with a flush. She had many flaws, but her greatest was in recognising her own fear and acknowledging it.

“Maethilda we are strong enough to take on the other groups, we just need to keep focused and maybe re think the roads taken?”

“Yes, your right, I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before we left. I feel ruggedly stupid.” Maethilda said as she wiped her nose with her sleeve.

“There is no shame in acknowledging failure Maettie, and we have the time in which to fix our errors- okay?”

“You’re always so calm when faced with the unknown,” Maethilda said with a smile as she picked up her water pouch.

“Someone has to be,” Evalean said with a graceful smiled. Maethilda took a deep sip of her water and wiped her mouth before closing over the lid and letting the pouch fall down.

“You know, you suit your hair short,” Maethilda said as she turned Art. “I know you don’t believe me, but it’s the truth.”

“You don’t think that Aabe will mind?” Evalean asked as she rode beside Maethilda.

“Aabe would never be so shallow Evie,” Maethilda said with a shake of her head. “He would love you if you were without hair, of that I am sure.” From the corner of her eye she saw Evalean’s small smile and felt jealousy prick at her. The group took off together once more, riding north, past the great ferrow trees, which stood tall and dominant at their sides. A fresh smell of the moist ground filled Maethilda’s senses, refreshing her mind and soul. She wondered where Morad was and if he and his group had claimed the first flag. She wondered too, how he would respond to her new look and knew that unlike Aabe, he would be shallow in his opinions, because his vivid gaze had always been drawn to the beautiful women of the court. With a downcast beat of her heart, Maethilda felt a tear fall from her eye and quickly wiped it away, not wishing to draw attention to her current state of greyness. It happened often during her days, the ‘wave’ as she liked to call it, in which her moods would so often switch, causing her to feel either elated or depressed. She used her determined and outgoing persona to cover the true extent of her mood swings, but her closest of friends knew that she suffered. She had trained so hard for this week and refused to allow her mood swings to hold her and her group back from winning. She understood a big part of her swinging moods where down to ever changing relationship with Morad and her inability to disconnect herself from the grief of being an orphan. Observing the secretive and innocent love between Aabe and Evalean, brought only pain to Maethilda. She knew that no she wouldn’t be allowed to marry Morad if she claimed back her throne, and she knew somewhere deep within, that his feelings would never quite be on the same wavelength as her own. But could she let go of him and simply move forward? Many times she had removed herself from Morad but in the end she always found herself drawn back to him and anger hit her like a bolt of lightning, towards herself and towards him. It was for these reasons that she had to prove to him that she was his equal and more importantly she had to prove to herself that she was ready for the next great journey in her life- claiming back Taer.

It surprised Maethilda how time had passed as the group rode north, taking a slight detour west towards the oncoming Summer Hills, which could now be seen from beyond the tops of the trees. Above her head great black turins flew along with them and as she lifted her eyes, she felt heady with pleasure. Always, nature acted as soul quenching medicine, which soothed and counselled her. She allowed her eyes to close slightly as the turins squawked beautifully, their elongated tawny wings, flapping with ease. The sun now was beginning to fall behind the distant hills, not only a sign that they needed to hurry, but a sign that the winter months were coming. With her eyes on the road ahead, Maethilda wondered to herself where she and her close friends would be this time next year? She wondered who this Celestine was and if she would mesh well with her, or would she find herself opposing this weapon of hope that had Anvin and the elders on their toes. In a childish way, she was jealous that a person who had never grown up in her world instantly garnered the attention of her subjects; Celestine would have no issue or would face no opposing voice in claiming back the southern kingdom of Calnuthe, not unlike Maethilda who seemed to face opposition at every corner. Biting down on her lip, Maethilda wondered if she would ever meet someone who could look her in the eye and believe in her, one hundred percent. Someone who would place their trust and hope in her and would help her to achieve her goals without judgement or caution. As she was lost in her thoughts, she heard Innis shout out to her from ahead.

“Slow down!” she cried out, holding up a gloved hand in warning.

“What is it?” Maethilda replied loudly, over taking Evalean and Sabia. The group slowed their horses down into a slow trot. Her heart racing and her chest rising and falling deeply, Maethilda came to Innis, throwing her hood back.

“I think I can see a piece of rope crossing the road ahead, do you see?” Innis replied quickly, her right index finger pointed ahead. Maethilda kicked her horse onward and stained her eyes. Yes, she could see a piece of rope which had been purposefully tied from one tree to another, a trap set to cause maximum damage to anyone riding at full speed along the road.

“Bastards!” Maethilda said under her breath as she came to the section of road that had been pre prepared for their imminent arrival. With squared shoulders, she turned around and bid the others to come.

“I can’t believe anyone would play such a cruel trick!” Sabia said as she jumped off her horse.

“Believe it, the threat we face is very real and perilous,” Maethilda said as she walked in the opposite direction from Sabia and made for a thin tree, in which one end of the rope was tied.

“What if this is trap?” Evalean called out, fear in her hazel eyes.

“I doubt they thought we could see this,” Maethilda said aloud, holding up the beige rope. “I’m amazed Innis could see it from so far away!”

“Hawk like eyes as my mother says,” Innis replied as she clasped the hilt of her sword, ready for an attack.

“I doubt we are being watched,” Maethilda said as she came back to the group, handing the rest of the rope to Sabia. “Keep the rope, it may come in useful.”

“Should we keep travelling on this road? Or should we divert through the trees just to be safe?” Mairina asked, her left hand upon her bow.

“I say we ride through the forest, keeping close to the edge of the road for guidance,” Sabia said as she jumped up onto her horse and put the rope into one of her pouches.

“Doing that would only hold us back,” Maethilda said with an angered expression. “Innis and I will ride on and the rest of you can follow behind, if we come across another trap we will raise our hands, does that sound like a plan?”

“But what if you and Innis get hurt?” Evalean said as she swept back a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.

“With Innis’s godlike vision, we shall be okay Evie,” Maethilda smiled with assuring eyes at her friend. “Now come we don’t have much time.” With a soft kick, Maethilda ushered Art into a gallop, followed closely by Innis who waved at her friends.

*

With relief, Maethilda and the pickets journeyed to Blesen hill without coming into contact with any further fatal traps. The air was turning cold and the group now wrapped themselves tightly with their cloaks as they ascended the steep hill which overlooked the southern lands of Summe and the great forest beneath. Up ahead, a fire could be seen, which signalled to Maethilda that the guards were still on site, awaiting their presence. She wondered for a moment if the guards would be without prejudice towards the woman, and suddenly took her sword out of its sheath.

“Be on your guard,” she warned the others as they came to the camp site of the guards. “Stay on your horses, whilst I talk to the guards.” The rest of company, now tired and aching, simply nodded in reaction, keeping to their horses with their bows and swords drawn. Maethilda counted three guards, who were wearing the uniform of Summe, great cloaks of green and yellow wrapped about their upper bodies. Each of the guards where sitting around a small fire, drinking laman and eating. With a cough, Maethilda approached the guards, unsmiling and on alert.

“I guess we are late in arriving?” she asked aloud as she came to stand before the fire, allowing her body to draw warmth from the flames.

“Two groups have already passed,” a young guard said, keeping to his seat.

“May I ask which groups?” Maethilda asked, needing to know who had placed the trap upon the road.

“Clan Ash and clan Kios have already passed through; clan Ash collecting the flag,” the young guard with vivid blonde hair replied. Maethilda nodded in understanding, so she was right in her assumption of Muta, well it didn’t really surprise her in the end, and at least she knew that it was Muta and not another clan.

“Right well, are we allowed to pass through?” Maethilda enquired, digging her cold, leather bound feet into the ground, her legs and back stiff from riding for so long.

“Here, take this and keep it,” the young guard said as he drew himself to his feet and produced a small red flag. “Hand it in at the end.” Maethilda took the small red flag and tucked it into her tunic.

“Thank you,” she replied before turning on her feet and returning to her horse.

“Shall you not sit for a while and warm your hands and have some food?” the guard asked aloud with raised brows.

“If only we had time,” Maethilda returned as she swung her sore legs up onto her saddle. She looked at her friends and saw the disappointment in their eyes. With a sigh she rolled her eyes. “Honestly we have been training for long rides this past year and at the first hurdle you submit?”

“Oh go on Maethilda, just for half an hour?” Evalean begged as she shuffled about on her own saddle, clearly in discomfort.

“Fine an hour and then we leave- drink, eat and sleep if you wish, but we shall be leaving in an hour,” Maethilda said with a groan. “And please keep your wits about you.”

With grateful glances, the women slowly and cautiously, not wishing to cause themselves further pain, swung down from their horses and with their reigns brought them closer to the camp, tying them together before taking a much needed, but painful seat upon the ground. The guards with sarcastic smiles, gave the women goblets of laman and some meat. Maethilda, took her food and wine and sat down quietly, opening her book of plans and maps and re assessing their routes. She was so consumed with their plans that she was unaware of the conversation taking place between her companions and the guards. With her small quill in one hand; now covered in black ink, she stared up from her book.

“But really, how can you believe yourselves to be the equals of men?” the young guard sniffed, a hand covering his pathetic smile.

“I think the question you are really asking, is…” Sabia turned to Maethilda and smirked before turning back to the arrogant guard, who was lying casually upon the ground. “How can men believe themselves to be our equals…yes?”

“You’re a feisty woman…” the guard said with a flash of anger in his cool green eyes, now illuminated with the flames of the fire.

“I think Sabia raises a valid point, don’t you?” Innis said as she smoked from her pipe, an action that had the other two guards in a state of sullen shock and disgust.

“And what precisely would your friends point be?” the guard asked coldly, now raising himself up into a refined sitting position, his left hand slowly falling to the hilt of his sword. Maethilda caught this act and with cautious pace, put down her quill and searched the ground behind her for her own sword.

“Well…” Innis said as she let out a great billow of weed smoke. “Our bodies are capable of not only carrying a babe, but of delivering the babe without medicine or the help of a man. In my eyes, the gods have looked kindly upon woman and have given them a gift so precious and divine that they thought men should not share in it.”

“Ha!” a second guard laughed with jest, red laman spilling from his mouth and drenching his heavy beard. “Gift? Without the seed of a man, what gift would you have to bare? Women cannot bare a child without a man, is that not so?”

“Indeed it is, but we have the choice in which man we choose to bind ourselves too and which man we would wish to bare children with.” Mairina said with a firm gaze, her eyes upon the young guard. “We can choose the good stalk from the bad.”

“If only it were so,” the young guard said as he got to his feet. “You see, you women were put upon this earth in which to serve your betters-men. From birth you are trained to cook and clean and sow, and then when you are fourteen moons, you are put up for auction and sold off to the highest bidder. You like to think that you have a choice over the man you marry or bare children with, but you and I both know there is no truth to your words. You think that your bodies are a shrine of purity and that no man has a hold over you, well your wrong. You see you women bare our children off course, but we can plant our seed in more than one woman.”

“Careful, you might unsettle my good friends,” Maethilda said with a hint of violence in her eyes. She could almost feel the air change as the women and men now got to their feet. “I think you may want to apologise don’t you?”

“For what, telling the truth?” the guard spat as he brought forward his sword, fear in his eyes as Innis, Marina, Evalean and Sabia drew their own- their faces dark and vengeful. “Women are nothing more than a herd of cattle; farmers buy the cow, impregnate the cow and when she can bare no more he kills her and sells her aged meat to the highest bidder.”

“Fin, that’s a bit much,” the fat guard to his right whispered, himself in a state of confusion, obviously not wishing to get into a fight so late into the night.

“Don’t tell you me you believe that women are equal to us in strength and intelligence!” Fin said with a sarcastic laugh.

“Well no of course I don’t, but it’s late and we don’t want to cause a fight now do we?”

“We can put them out of the misery now, I mean we all know that they will end up being killed anyway!” the young guard said under his breathe. Something snapped in Maethilda and without a second glance she jumped over the flames of the fire and floored the young guard. Not needing any words of encouragement, Innis and the other companions rounded the fire and followed suit and so a violent fight filled the air. With a hard fist, the young guard under Maethilda’s control, hit her across the forehead and threw her of his body. Instinctively Maethilda reached for her forehead and closed her eyes as a sharp pain scorched the back of her eyes. Another blow struck her side and with a deep growl she rolled onto her other side and pushed herself up of the ground. She had been involved in many fights over the years and was used to the pain, however the blow to the head had dealt her a bad stroke of luck, her eyesight strained and obscure. Instead of seeing one opponent she now saw two of him and fought the urge to simply fall to the ground. She dragged her sword along the grass and with one swift kick, struck the guard’s shin and heard him cry out.

“Bitch!” he cried with agony, his body bending slightly. Taking advantage of his misfortune, Maethilda grabbed his hair with one hand and wracked his head back, bringing the blade of her sword to his throat.

“Now you listen to me, you bastard! If you think for one moment that I and my friends are going to simply allow you to speak filth in our presence then you’re wrong!” she spat, whilst forcing his head even further back, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. “Too long have men thought themselves above us and too long have we indulged your perverted ideologies and opinions. Well not anymore. You can rest assured you piece of shit, that the time for women to rise up and show you what strength really means has come.”

“If you’re so defensive of your sex, then why are you disguised as men?” the guard said as Maethilda kicked him to the ground. For a moment she was struck with his question; they knew that they were women and worse, they would tell the other groups of their disguise. How did they know? “Your voices.” The guard said with one swift beam of a smile. Anger and frustration curdled within Maethilda and before she could act, Evalean came into sight and struck the guard in the nose with her sword, knocking him out almost immediately. Maethilda let his body fall to the ground and turned to her friend.

“If they tell the other groups or the guards, then our chances of winning this competition are as good as finished!”

“Then there is only one thing we can do,” Innis said as she walked away from the now unconscious fat guard, blood dripping from her nose.

“What?” Mairina enquired as she cleaned her blade with her cloak.

“We need to ensure that they cannot disclose to anyone our disguise…”

“But how can we do that?” Evalean asked with a worried glance.

“We should just end their horrid lives now,” Sabia said with disgust, kicking her unconscious opponent in anger. “Bastards!”

“We can’t kill them Maettie!” Evalean said, grabbing her friend by the shoulders.

“What other options do we have Evie?” Maethilda said with a furrowed brow. As much as she hated the men, she did not believe that killing them would be too their advantage.

“We just need to get rid of them without killing them, if that is possible?” Mairina said as she put her sword back into its sheath. Maethilda walked away from her friends and looked out over Summe, putting her own sword away and placing her hands upon her hips. As she looked up at the great moon, she found her gaze falling to the roof of the forest. With a smile she turned around.

“I have an idea.”

*

“I can’t believe we just did that!” Innis laughed loudly as the group rode west through the forest of Summe, now well out of sight of the camp.

“How long before you think someone will find them?” Evalean enquired as she came to ride beside Maethilda, her hood down and her face alight with the silver light of the moon.

“A few days I would think and by then we will be long gone,” Maethilda smiled deeply, her head still aching and sore. It was very simple really, herself, Innis and Mairina had each thrown the unconscious bodies onto their horses and rode south through the forest, leaving behind Evalean and Sabia whose job it was to cover up their tracks and get rid of the fire and any other evidence that would link them to what was to follow. Together, the trio turned their horses off the main road and rode for a league or so into the forest and together with the rope that had found earlier on, tied the men to a tree each and bound their eyes and mouths with cloth. In truth, Maethilda rather thought that the wolves would find them long before any guards, but she kept this knowledge to herself and allowed her fellow friends to bathe in their first real victory. It hadn’t taken long for them to reunite with the rest of the group and in no time, they each jumped onto their horses and made for the eastern road through the forest, each riding upon the edge of the road in case they were to come upon any more traps. The moon was high and the air cold, but it gave to Maethilda relief. She had greatly doubted her abilities throughout the day, but with renewed hope she believed that both she and her friends had a chance of winning. She would have to re arrange their plans and take greater care in concealing their identities, but it could be done she thought and if there was anything in which she would take away from this, her first day of the games it would be that failure may seem to many to be the hallmark of misfortune, but if seen through rationale eyes, some, including herself could see it as a mark of advantage.

As they rode quietly upon the road, Maethilda allowed herself to face her moral questions. Was it right to leave three men to there almost certain fate of being killed? It was a difficult question to answer; firstly it was in self-defence, for as they rightly said and hinted, herself and her friends were marked by Muta and would be surely facing imminent danger, which in itself could be fatal. Secondly, she spared them from death, whilst also setting what she believed was a vital example to her fellow companions; that never should killing your opponent be your first reaction. As she mulled over her moral dilemmas she felt her nose lift. Quickly she lifted her hand and turned to her friends, commanding them to slow down.

“Can you smell that?” she asked the group, who were almost unrecognisable under the darkness of the night.

“Smoke,” Innis whispered under her breathe.

“Do you think one of the groups is resting?” Evalean asked Maethilda quietly, her hood now resting over her forehead.

“It could be possible,” Maethilda said, her mind now erupting with plans and ideas.

“What if it’s Muta and his group?” Marina said with a curious gaze, her green eyes shining.

“Well then we should ride on and make south, that way we will be in front of them by dawn,” Sabia concluded with a yawn.

“Or we could get our own back?” Innis returned, her gaze falling upon all of the women, filled with mischief.

“Too much of a risk if you ask me,” Sabia said with a frown. “We have already achieved victory this day, we should try to put as much distance between ourselves and Muta as possible, don’t you think?”

“I agree with Sabia, we are already tired from today and God only knows what tomorrow will bring,” Evalean said, her hand upon Maethilda.

“We don’t have to attack them,” Innis said with a sigh. “We just need to ensure that they do not pick up the second flag.”

“How can we do that?” Mairina asked as she let her hood fall away from her head, lifting her eyes to the starry night sky.

“We take away their mode of transport…”

“Mode of transport?” Evalean said through her teeth.

“Yes…” Maethilda smiled sheepishly, her eyes burning with ambition and her heart thudding roughly against her chest. “We take away their horses.”

“But how? They would surely notice.”

“Not if we act quickly and without sound,” Innis said as she patted down her horse. “I say we make for their camp and tie up our horses. Each of us will then take one of their own horses and together we will bring them back to our own. We can easily bring them with us, don’t you think Maettie?”

“It’s too risky Maettie…” Evalean burst in, her face filled with anxiety.

“If we do this and do it successfully, we will have beat them at their own game,” Innis interrupted with passion. “It will take them a day or two to catch up with us.”

“They did try to kill us today…” Maethilda said to Evalean, her voice gentle and calm. “So we clearly are within our rights to react…don’t you think?”

“You’re not going to be swayed on this are you?” Evalean said with a defeatist tone.

“I’m afraid not- it is too good an opportunity to simply pass by and it would however be preferable to have your consent?”

“If we are to do this, then I propose that two of us stay with our own horses for protection,” Evalean said as the women huddled into a small circle, each patting their horses in order to keep them still and quiet.

“Good idea, who wants to stay and keep an eye on our horses?” Maethilda asked as she jumped down from Art.

“I will,” Sabia returned, also jumping down from her horse. “Evalean can stay with me too.”

“Is that okay Evie?” Maethilda enquired as she handed over the reins of her horse to Sabia and made sure her hood was heavily guarding her face.

“I don’t mind staying with Sabia,” Evalean smiled as she too now jumped down from her horse.

“Right, both of you keep to the forest and whatever you do, keep quiet and concealed,” Maethilda said quickly as she, Innis and Mairina readied themselves.

“What if something should happen?” Sabia asked as she brought three of the horse over to a nearby tree, trying their reins about it carefully.

“We use our method of hawking, remember?” Maethilda ordered her companions.

“Yes, one hawk for haste and two for help,” Evalean said as she wrapped her arms about her horse.

“Good.”

Maethilda, Innis and Mairina turned on their heels and made their way through the thicket of trees, the smell of smoke deepening as they drew close to the camp. Maethilda stopped and turned to her friends.

“No words, we use signals from now on, okay?”

Innis and Mairina nodded their heads as they came to stand behind a wide tree. Maethilda motioned to her friends to fall down low to the ground as she assessed the scene before them. Five men were sitting around a small fire, clearly in merry spirits, their voices filling the air. To the right of the group, Maethilda spotted Muta and eyed him closely. Even from her current position she recognised his broad shoulders and blonde hair. He was a beast of a soldier and only a truly gifted warrior would ever lift a sword to him in defiance. With the ground of the forest covered in varying plants and bushes, Maethilda knew that she and her fellow companions would have to be extra vigilant in not making a noise that would draw attention to their current position. Scanning the area once more, Maethilda felt that it was safe enough for them to move slowly through the trees and so with one firm signal to Innis and Mairina, se bid them to follow her away from the camp and over to where the horses were tied. Keeping her hood down over her face, she led Innis and Mairina as quietly as possible over the wet moss and halted before the horses. Something she hadn’t thought off when planning their expedition, was the possibility of someone guarding the horses. Sitting with his back against a tree, one of the male warriors was asleep, a goblet of laman in one hand and his sword in another. Maethilda turned her green eyes to Innis, who simply nodded before getting to her feet and drawing her own sword. Mairina crept to Maethilda’s side and both of them watched on with awe as Innis simply struck the warrior, rendering him unconscious. Seeing her signal, Maethilda and Marina both got up from the ground and cautiously made their way over to the horses. It was essential that the horses did not stir and cause a commotion, so as one, the trio quietly untied the horses and each took out one large apple, taken from their provisions and teased the horses to follow them and the apple through the trees. It was hard to swindle their way through the trees, Maethilda with three horses and the other two companions with two each. Maethilda could feel her heart about to jump out of her chest with each step that she took, the warm breathes of the large stallions upon her neck. The snap of a twig instantly set her into a frenzy and with a wave of her hand to signalled to her friends to stop moving. Standing behind one of the stallions, she watched the camp site and could see the men glancing behind them.

“Did you hear that?” one of them said aloud as he put down his goblet and walked about, moving closer to Maethilda, Innis and Mairina.

“Hear what?” Muta asked as he turned about on his log, not bothering to stand up.

“That sound?”

“Sit down Ari!” Muta ordered, his voice firm yet distinctively tired. Maethilda, her mouth closed shut, watched as Ari moved ever closer to them, only to stop and suddenly turn away, making his way back to the camp and sitting once more down upon his own log, taking up his goblet and draining it with one gulp. Closing her eyes tightly, Maethilda began to move once more, Innis and Mairina following closely behind. It didn’t take long until Maethilda spotted her friends by the edge of the road. Seeing them, Evalean and Sabia ran over to Maethilda, Innis and Mairina.

“Now what do we do?” she whispered to Maethilda, taking one of the reins from Maethilda’s shaking hands.

“We bring them with us.”

“But…how?” Evalean asked as the horses began to make a bit of noise.

“We each take one and tie their reins to our own, I’ve seen it being done before,” Maethilda said as she untied Art and brought him forth.

“But there are five horses?” Sabia whispered loudly as she took the third horse from Maethilda and brought it over to her own, tying its reign to hers.

“I say we leave one behind as a souvenir?” Mairina said with a smirk as she, her horse now tied to another, jumped up onto her saddle.

“I say we let it roam free, you never know, it may just follow us,” Innis intervened, now sitting atop her own horse and calming the other with her right hand.

“Good idea,” Maethilda said sharply, letting the reign of the fifth horse fall to the ground. When they were all atop their horses, their carefully manoeuvred their way out onto the edge of the road.

“We need to make haste,” Evalean said as she tried to control two horses, her arms being pulled roughly beneath her.

“If we ride throughout the night, we may make it half way to White Bay,” Sabia said as she calmly led her horse onwards.

“Innis and I will stay up front, to make sure there are no more traps along the road,” Maethilda said as she kicked Art into a slow gallop. The rest of the group followed and together they turned their heads and with a pleasant surprise, found that the fifth horse was following them gladly.

“That will teach Muta a lesson!” Mairina laughed aloud, her eyes upon the great moon.






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