So much for getting closer. Will settled down to watch. After a few minutes he noticed something that should have come to his attention sooner—the sound of axes. He had been overly distracted watching a group of soldiers digging a mass grave, but on the other side of town they were felling trees. They’re planning to settle in for the winter.
Idiots, observed his internal voice, sounding much like his grandfather. If they were planning to dig in, they should have left the buildings intact. He waited another quarter of an hour and then began to carefully ease away. His mother was probably in a panic by now.
As he made the difficult trek back, he felt his conviction begin to firm up. Something had to be done; otherwise his remaining family and friends would never be able to go home. It would take an army to drive them out, and he was beginning to see the conscription crew that had come to his village before in a different light.
***
“William Cartwright! Are you trying to drive me to an early death?”
They were standing in the dirt yard in front of the house. He had expected his mother to yell, but seeing the stark fear in her face made him feel incredibly guilty.
“If you’re going to keep doing things like this, I’d just as soon kill you myself and get it over with! Do you have any idea the kind of things that went through my mind when we realized you had run off? They could have killed you! Worse, they could have tortured you to find out where we were hiding and then come to kill us as well. What would happen to Sammy if they found us here? Did that ever occur to you?”
Will’s head was down, and he kept his eyes on the ground. “I’m sorry, Mom, but I had to find out what was happening.”
Staring at her shadow, he saw her arm rise, as though she would strike him, but then his mother sat down suddenly, covering her face with her hands. “How strong do you think I am?” she asked, her voice breaking. “It’s hard enough just to survive without worrying about you constantly.”
“I’m sorry,” he began again, but Sammy interrupted, putting her hand on Erisa’s arm.
“It’s all right, Auntie. He came back safe,” said his cousin.
Realizing her outburst was upsetting her niece, Erisa wiped her face and stood up again. “What’s done is done. Since you risked your fool neck, you might as well tell us what you saw.”
Will explained what he had done, leaving out the part where he had nearly walked into the sentries. “They’re burying the dead, but they’re also cutting trees. They’ve set up camp on the east side of town. I think they’re planning to spend the winter.”
“I guess it’s about what we should have expected,” said his mother.
“Shouldn’t they keep going?” asked Sammy. “If they’re invading the kingdom, they shouldn’t stop here.”
His mother shook her head. “Attacking this late in the year was a surprise in and of itself. Winter is just beginning, and the passes will be snowed under in a few weeks. They’re hoping that it’s too late for Lognion to assemble a force to drive them out. In the spring, the Patriarch’s army can cross and they’ll have a good place to begin a full campaign.”
“But the king will stop them, right?” asked Sammy, her voice full of both hope and fear. “Dad’s in the army now. He won’t let them take Barrowden.”
“I’m sure Lord Fulstrom would like to drive them out immediately,” said Erisa. “He’s gathered his men in Branscombe. But the Lord has to obey his king. King Lognion will probably want to concentrate his forces before he responds, and that means they aren’t likely to come until spring.”
“What about us?” asked Will. “If they stay there all winter—”
“We’ll have to get out,” said his mother. “While they’re fortifying the area, they’ll also be sending out groups to scour the forest and hills, looking for survivors, food, and anything they can use. Eventually they’ll find us.”
“They won’t,” said Will firmly.
“Why do you say that?” asked Erisa.
“Aislinn promised me,” he answered. “She said she would make sure that no enemy found this place.”
His mother sighed. “She’s fae. Do you believe her?”
He nodded. “They can’t lie or break their bargains. They can twist the truth, but they can’t break their word.”
“If it was a bargain, what did you give her?” asked his mother, worry written on her features.
“Grandfather’s body,” he replied. “I know she’s dangerous, but I think she really wants to help. They won’t find us here.”
“What about food?” asked Sammy.
Erisa took a deep breath. “There’s enough stored to keep us until spring, but it won’t be pleasant. It’s mainly turnips, parsnips, carrots, and dried peas. Without meat we’ll get sick of those pretty quickly.”
“We’ve got eggs,” suggested Sammy.
“The hens have already almost stopped laying,” said Erisa. “I suppose we could eat a couple of them, but then we’ll be in bad shape when spring arrives.”
Will wished he knew how the old man had been getting butter and other necessities, but it was too late to ask him. “At least we won’t starve,” he said at last.
“We’re wasting heat standing out here,” said his mother. “Let’s go inside. William, bring in some more wood.”
They had a simple meal that evening, though Will still managed to earn high praise from both his mother and Sammy for his cooking. He wondered if they’d still feel the same after several months of eating the same food every day. Without much else to do, they talked and played chess with a gameboard and pieces that Erisa had found in Arrogan’s room. She had to teach them the rules, so Will and Sammy lost every game, but it was fun anyway.
When they got ready to sleep, Will retired to his cot, leaving the bed to them. He claimed it was because he was too old to sleep with his mother, and while that was partly true, his main reason was that he needed time alone to think.
I’m seventeen now, he realized. In all the commotion of the past few days, his birthday had passed unnoticed. In a year he would be considered a man, though he hardly felt like it. Eric was still sixteen when they took him. I’m certainly old enough.
Although it had never been something he considered before, he felt a strong need to join the King’s Army. It wasn’t something he wanted, but seeing the soldiers of Darrow occupying Barrowden after their slaughter had changed something in him. Losing his aunt and little Dougie had shocked and hurt him, but it had also created a newfound determination. Without the old man around to learn from, he had no reason to stay. His main concern was finding a way to ensure that his mother and Sammy would be safe.
Aislinn’s promise was reassuring, but he still worried. Food might not be an absolute problem, since there were plenty of vegetables, but he didn’t like the thought of them spending the entire winter trying to subsist on just those things.
Unfortunately, other than the ability to sneak and hide, he had few practical woodland skills. He knew enough to make simple snares for small game like rabbits and squirrels, but those were unlikely to catch anything in the winter. He didn’t have a bow, but even if he did, he didn’t know how to use one, much less stalk deer or other large game. He could make a fire with simple tools, find edible plants, and move quietly. That was the extent of his usefulness.