Chapter 6

Sleep wouldn’t come that night, and all Aislin could feel was Eru's small, feverish body pressing against her. She could hear Sami’s soft breathing from the other side of the girl, and she stared up at the branches stretching out just above them. She couldn’t lose the girl, not now. After all the horrors of the war, she realised she had grown fond of her and considered her the family she had lost.

She sighed, pulled the girl closer, and then paused. Wasn’t that…? She propped herself up and sniffed the air. Smoke… She froze. Had soldiers made camp close by? She cautiously peered out from their sleeping place underneath the tree. The forest lay still. Slowly, she extracted herself from Eru and crawled out. She could see nothing odd, but the smell of smoke was palpable. She glanced at their own fire. It was almost out; it couldn’t be that.

She got up and began walking in the direction of the scent, and soon, a faint glow could be seen between the trees. She slowed down and gingerly eased herself closer. A low mumble of voices reached her in the still air. It must be a larger camp. She came to the edge of the forest and halted. There was a clearing, and wagons pulled together to form a ring some distance away. Traders. She sighed, not sure if she was disappointed or relieved. They would give them no help, she knew that, but at least they weren’t soldiers. Once, in her first year, she had asked for shelter from these tribes doing trades with the nations and been turned away. They were on their own.

She stumbled back to their camp and quietly crawled underneath the tree again. As she lay down next to Eru, she heard Sami say,

“Where did you go? I was worried.”

Surprised, Aislin pulled the sleeping girl closer and answered,

“I smelled smoke, there are Traders in a clearing over there.”

She gestured in the direction where she’d come from. Sami propped herself up and peered out.

“Maybe they can help us”, she said.

Aislin shook her head.

“They won’t.”

Sami didn’t answer, but crawled out from underneath the tree.

“Wait!”

Aislin clambered after her and stood up as she emerged from underneath the tree.

“They won’t take us in. They never do”, Aislin said again.

Sami mumbled something she couldn’t hear, and then began to hobble towards the clearing. Aislin sighed, then followed her, putting an arm around her to support her. They halted by the edge of the forest, and Sami watched the Trader’s camp for a moment and then called out,

“We ask for shelter and water.”

The camp erupted in a torrent of barks and howls. Aislin stared at the dark shapes of the wagons, putting her hand on her sword if the beasts came out. But nothing happened.

“We ask for shelter and water”, Sami called again.

There was another frenzy of barks, and this time, a man emerged between the wagons.

“Leave! You have no place here.”

“We ask for shelter and water.”

The man seemed to hear her words for the first time because he glanced around, then left his place and walked up to them. He towered over them as he halted, peering at them disapprovingly.

“You are no Hadarim.”

“No, but we ask for shelter and water.”

Aislin was almost expecting him to tell them to be on their way when, without a word, he gestured for them to follow. She heard Sami sigh in relief, but she didn’t have time to ponder this unexpected turn of events and instead rushed back to their camp for Eru.

The girl was still sleeping, and she carefully lifted her feverish body and carried her to the horse. She unfastened the reins and hurriedly walked the short distance back to the Trader’s camp. Sami was still waiting for her, and she took hold of the saddle to steady herself as they walked to the camp. The man was standing by the wagon, and as they approached, he took the reins of the horse and tied it to the carriage. Aislin glanced at Sami, but she only nodded and then hobbled after the man and into the camp.

Small fires were burning throughout the area, with bands of Traders gabbling around them. Aislin glanced at them nervously and clutched the sleeping Eru closer. One by one, the groups fell silent as they saw them, glaring as they passed. Aislin stared at the path ahead, refusing to meet their gaze as she anxiously followed the man. He led them to a tent and gestured for them to enter.

“Wait here.”

She stepped inside and carefully laid the sleeping Eru on the floor and sat down.

“They aren’t happy about it, but they have no other choice but to take us in”, Sami said as she sat down next to her.

Aislin opened her mouth to ask her what she meant when the man returned. He put a plate of cut meat and a jug of water on the floor, then glared at Sami and sat down opposite them. Sami bowed her head and said,

“We thank you for your hospitality.”

He grunted in reply, and Aislin hesitantly filled in,

“My name is Aislin. This is Sam”. She gestured at her. “And the girl is Eru.”

The man glared at them and then grudgingly replied,

“I’m Breck.”

She nodded, suddenly aware of how ignorant she was about the customs of the Traders, when the flap to the tent flung open.

“What are you doing, old man?”

A woman stood in the entrance, her towering presence making Aislin cower. The man turned to her.

“They required shelter. They…”

The woman pushed past him.

“They are cold and wet, can’t you see?”, she scolded.

She ushered him outside and then turned to them.

“I’m sorry, my husband is… pitiful at hospitality.”

She smiled at them.

“Now, let’s get you out of those wet clothes.”