Nasser was apprehensive. Barim had led him and Jodan past the armory and hadn’t stopped. He had led them through row after row of the infantry tents. When they went past the storage tents, with the tabards and uniforms, Nasser wondered if Barim was going to lead them right through the camp and out the other side, and tell them to keep walking. It was close, but Barim stopped in front of one of the smaller tents near the palisade. A woman sat at the entrance, her long black hair tied back in a thick braid that was draped over her shoulder. Instead of the standard blue and white, she was dressed in brown leathers and a green tunic. She was intently inserting a feather into the notch of an arrow, and the tip of her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth in concentration. Her face was pretty, with a pointed chin, a strong jaw line, brown eyes and shapely lips. The beginning of a scar was visible just next to the outside of her left eye, and it seemed to go back past her ear. A green and brown cloak was neatly folded on the ground next to a pile of newly fletched arrows.
Jodan poked Nasser in the ribs as they approached as if to say ‘Are you seeing this?’ Nasser nodded back silently. The woman finished with the arrow and looked up when Barim was only a few paces away.
Barim’s deep voice rumbled, “Caed, I brought you two farmers from the town of Far Leaf.” Barim put a bit of sarcasm on to the word ‘farmer’ as he spoke.
Caed picked up on it immediately. She stood and didn’t extend her hand. Instead, she looked the two men over. “My name is Caedrynn, master scout for the Bannermen, and you two are liars.” Jodan snorted in mock indignation and Nasser rubbed his goatee and gave her a hurt look.
“How dare you, miss!” Nasser said in his most ingratiating manner. “My friend Jodan and I have been farmers for years. We’re looking to leave that dreary life behind in search of adventure.”
Caed rolled her eyes. “Stop it. I know you’re lying.” She turned on Jodan. “Do you plant vegetables or grain first during the year?” Jodan stared at Caedrynn, and as he hesitated she rounded back on Nasser. “If I plant beans in a field one year, what do I plant in that field the next year?”
“Cabbage?” Nasser offered lamely.
“Wrong. Wheat or barley. No wonder you both quit the fields. You know nothing about farming.” Caed took a step back but kept her eyes locked on the two men. “So tell me what you two actually do.”
Nasser could sense Barim behind him, and he knew that fast-talking now was useless. The question was how much of the truth would he have to tell. Nasser’s brain churned, and he made a decision. He hoped that Jo would follow along. “We’re grave robbers,” Nasser said in a low voice. Jodan turned wide-eyed to his friend, but Nasser hurried on. “We ran into a spot of trouble with the locals. Some of them caught us in the graveyard a few nights ago. When word got back to us we panicked and joined your company to escape.”
Jodan just stared at Nasser, then threw up his hands in disgust. Caedrynn’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Where is it?”
“Where’s what, now?” replied Nasser.
“The loot.”
“What loot?”
“The loot you took from the grave. Show it to me.”
“What makes you think we still have it?” asked Nasser.
“Because of course, you do. You need to pawn whatever you stole,” Caed pressed, “and if the locals were on to you, you couldn’t have pawned it here.” Caedrynn glared at Nasser in expectation. Nasser stared back with a growing expression of panic. Suddenly Jodan broke the silence.
“Fine, you can have them.” He reached into his pouch and pulled out a pair of rings and a gold and platinum chain. All the items had a strange style to them, with trios of interlocking spirals for the rings and three chains intertwined together in a complex pattern.
Even from a few paces away Caed could tell the pieces would fetch a pretty price if they could be sold. She reached out and took the items, holding them up in the afternoon sunlight to inspect them. Barim let out a small gasp at their beauty and stared at the chain as it glinted and glowed with reflected light. With a gesture, Caed indicated that Jodan should empty the pouch. Jodan smirked, turning the pouch inside out to show there was no more loot inside. After a moment Caed handed the pieces back to Jodan.
“These are yours. You found them fair and square. But good luck finding anyone in these parts who will give you a fair price.” Jodan carefully placed the jewelry in his pouch. Caed continued, “If you so much as step foot in a graveyard again, I’ll banish you from this company and tell all of the surrounding towns who and what you are. Understand?” Jodan and Nasser both nodded. “So it seems you two are mediocre liars, but you’re probably good at sneaking around and breaking into places.” Nasser nodded at that with a nervous smile. Caed went on, “Then I’ve got room for you in the troupe. You don’t look like the kinds of guys who’d do well in the line with his mates. So you’ll join me and my scouts. Can either of you shoot a bow?”
“Yes,” said Nasser. Half a beat later Jodan said, “No ma’am.”
Caed smiled. “Nasser, head to the main barracks and grab two bows and a handful of arrows. Don’t look at those arrows on the ground. Those are my arrows. You don’t use my arrows. Once you learn to shoot, I‘ll teach you how to make your own. Now go, and be back in five minu….”
At that moment a high pitched horn sounded from the center of camp. Caedrynn peered in that direction as she and Barim started trotting that way. She turned back to the two men, “Come with us. Looks like the Captain has an announcement to make.”
