Firebrand

“He had to have a reason for concealing these,” Estral said. “He needed to hide the fact he was the Lord Fiori.”

“Might someone have stolen them from him and concealed them here?” Karigan asked. Estral gave her such a look that she did not pursue that line of inquiry. The idea of someone trying to steal from Lord Fiori, who was a big man and an able swordfighter, was difficult to conceive.

Estral continued to cradle the objects in her hand. “Got to find him,” she said with determination. “Whoever attacked this place could have taken him. Or, he’s hiding out there somewhere.” She swept her arm out to indicate the world. She started pacing back and forth. Just as suddenly, she swung around to face Karigan, her fingers now closed around the ring and brooch. “Second Empire,” she said fiercely. “Second Empire must have him.”

“Let’s not jump to—”

“Who else would have attacked this camp?” Estral demanded. “It wasn’t groundmites, even I can see that.”

“Well—”

“It had to be Second Empire. They attacked this place. They took my father.”

“Bandits? Maybe?” Karigan suggested, though Second Empire had been her first thought, as well. She had never seen her friend quite so wound up.

“Bandits? What in the hells would they want in a lumber camp?”

“Er, lumber?” Karigan said in a small voice. There was such a thing as timber poaching, but probably not this far north.

“You think this is a joke?”

“No, but—”

“Karigan, this is my father. He could be close by. He could be in the Lone Forest.”

“Estral, please, just calm—”

“Don’t you tell me to calm down. I know you don’t want to go anywhere near the Lone Forest. You’ve made it abundantly clear. Whatever happened to the Karigan who would confront danger, no matter the odds?”

Karigan was too dumbfounded to respond. She had never been that person, had she? Ready to just throw herself into one perilous situation after another? Maybe there were a few times, but they had been with good cause and it wasn’t like she’d wanted to. There’d been circumstances. Yes, circumstances.

Estral gave her a look of disgust and strode down the length of the room. Karigan watched her in astonishment, then ran to catch up. She grabbed Estral’s shoulder. “Where are you going?”

Estral pulled away. “To go look for my father.” She strode off again.

Karigan sprinted ahead to block the door. “Listen to me. I might not seem like the person you want me to be at the moment, but you aren’t being yourself, either.” Before Estral could protest, she continued, “You found a clue today that your father was here. Let’s talk it out, go over all the possibilities. You know Enver said we’d be traveling near the Lone Forest. But it doesn’t make sense to go blundering in there, right? Getting caught ourselves won’t help your father. Plus, it’ll be dark soon. You won’t make it there before nightfall.”

Estral stared at her, her eyes still a stormy sea green. Then she shifted subtly, her stance and expression relaxing.

“All right,” she said warily, “going off tonight is not sensible. But I will go.”

Karigan sighed. The door bumped into her back. “Huh?”

“Galadheon?” Enver called from outside. “Something is blocking the door.”

• • •

They talked in front of the fire over cups of tea. Enver supported Karigan, saying that it wouldn’t be prudent to ride off on a search without due planning. They tried to offer alternatives as to where Lord Fiori might be and how his ring and brooch ended up stashed among the sticks of firewood, but Estral would have none of it, though she agreed not to run off without them. For the time being.

When it came time to retire, Enver went out to stand beneath the eaves of the wood and commune with the voice of the world. Estral took first watch and sat on the front step of the lodge. That left Karigan to try to sleep. She tossed and turned in her blankets, however, worrying that despite Estral’s assurances, she would ride off without them. No, Karigan did not want to go to the Lone Forest. No, she was not so ready to face such peril without good cause. Was Estral right that she’d become too cautious?

“Damnation.”

She decided she wasn’t going to get any sleep, so she rose, slipped on her boots, and grabbed her coat, longsword, and bonewood staff, and headed outside. She found Estral sitting placidly on the front step, looking out into the night. The pyre had died down a little, and the air was still so that the smoke and the worst of the stench drifted skyward, carrying the souls of the dead into the heavens.

“You might as well head in and try to sleep,” Karigan told her. “At least one of us should be rested tomorrow.”

Estral did not argue and stood. Before she went in, she said, “I’m sorry I got so hot earlier. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“You are worried about your father. If I were in your shoes, I’d be the same.”

Estral smiled sadly. “I have been worried for a long time, and I guess it just built up.” She turned to go in, then halted. “Also, I’m sorry for what I said about you and danger. You’ve grown a lot, and after all you’ve been through, leaping headlong into danger would have meant you had not learned from your experiences.”

“Thank you. I think.” It didn’t make her younger, inexperienced self sound very good.