Pathfinder's Way Read Free Page B

stone walls
in an attempt to reclaim the structure. In spring, it looked as if
a blanket patterned with pinks, purples and blues had been wrapped
around it as flowers bloomed on those vines. In winter, the
unpatched holes gave little protection against the cold.
    Shea loved it. Even when it was colder than a
witch’s tit. Despite the neglect of humans, it persevered and even
managed to be beautiful while existing in symbiosis with the land
around it.
    Nobody knew its past purpose. Regarding it
with deep suspicion, the villagers allowed it to fade from their
collective memory. Pretending it didn’t exist was easy as it was
located at the rear of the village, close to the wall.
    They gave it to Shea when she arrived because
nobody wanted to live here and because, as an outsider, she was
regarded with the same level of suspicion.
    Shea held up a sixth pair of socks. Did she
really need them? The route they were taking was relatively clear
of any water. The weather had cooled as summer loosened its grip,
and fall took its place. Still, it was vital to keep feet dry
during a long journey and would be much more comfortable
besides.
    An extra pair of socks in her bag wouldn’t
really make a difference but as packing progressed those little
extras really added up.
    The supplies ready and her bag packed, Shea
slipped her arms through the two loops and lifted it onto her back.
Bending forward, she tugged on the bottom of the straps, tightening
the pack until it hugged her back and wouldn’t flop around while
she was running.
    She grabbed one of her maps off her desk and
headed out the door. As always it took a few steps to get used to
having a pack’s weight, but by the time she reached the front gate
she was able to ignore it to focus on other matters.
    She arrived at the front gate carrying her
sack of supplies, mostly food, but some odds and ends. Two men
watched her approach. One had taken a seat on an overturned bucket
and was using his knife to peal a piece of fruit. The years had
carved crow’s feet in the corner of his eyes and grooves around his
mouth. His skin was leathery, and his brown hair was pulled back
away from his face.
    His companion was much younger, probably a
little younger than Shea, with curly reddish-blond hair that barely
reached his ears. His forehead was broad over sky blue eyes that
made the girls in the village swoon every time he smiled at
them.
    “Witt. Dane.” Shea gave a respectful nod as
she stopped in front of them. “You know why you’re here?”
    Witt, the elder of the two, nodded and
flicked a peel off his knife. Dane smiled at her, his eyes
twinkling merrily. She’d worked with both before. Witt wasn’t so
bad. Just surly. But he listened when she had something to say and
was handy in a fight.
    Dane might be a problem. He tended to flirt
his way out of work and was under the impression that he knew more
than he did. Too bad she couldn’t leave him behind this time.
Unfortunately, he was good with a boomer and the only man in the
village able to use one. She would need that if they ran into
trouble.
    “Good.” She set the supply sack on the ground
and withdrew some rations, handing each man his share.
    “This is barely a day’s worth of food,” Dane
complained, holding up the meat wrapped in loaves of bread. “It’s
not enough.”
    “It is,” Shea corrected him. She held out two
canteens of water to him and gave Witt the other two. “You’ll have
to ration your supplies. There are several pieces of fruit in that
bag as well as dried meat that you can eat while on the road. We’re
traveling light this trip. We can’t afford any extra weight if we
want to get to Edgecomb before mist fall.”
    “What route are we taking?” Witt asked.
    Shea pulled out her map and unrolled it
carefully on the bucket Witt had just vacated. It was made from a
sturdy stock of paper and drawn with a careful hand and an eye for
detail. The geography of the land was done in blue, red and black
ink