It started off quietly, barely distinguishable above the bumping of the cart and Peach's gentle gait. But, unmistakably, the hoofbeats grew louder and louder, clearly a full gallop of a single animal. The companionable quiet became a stilted, tense silence. Riley motioned Mayra into the back of the cart with Finn. Bow and arrow at the ready, Mayra crouched next to Finn in the shade of the cover. Riley put his sword at his feet, within easy reach but not threatening in case it was just a fellow traveler in a hurry. A mighty hurry.
"Stay silent and still unless I tell you otherwise, please." Riley said softly, "No need to panic; a highwayman is unlikely to announce their presence in such a way." Finn wasn't sure whether he was talking to her, Mayra, himself, or all of them. She supposed it didn't matter that much. His eyes scanned the forest around them in case the oncoming rider was a distraction from some kind of ambush. No movement caught his eye other than the breeze which blew stronger now through the trees.
Finn ducked a little lower behind him, though her head was likely not visible from the outside as it was. She had all-too-recently learned that she couldn't be trusted around danger. Best to avoid getting near it at all. Mayra likewise crouched lower, though she moved smoothly to the back of the wagon to peek over the wood at the tail of the vehicle. Finn admired her grace. As her brothers were needed to handle most of the heavier farm chores, Mayra had time growing up to occasionally hunt rabbits, squirrels, and other small creatures to add to the stewpot for dinner while her mother gathered medicinal herbs. As a result, she'd become skillful at silent movement and precise aim with her arrows.
The hoofbeats were clearly from behind them, and coming ever closer. Mayra pulled her face backward further into the shadow to minimize the possibility of being seen before she could assess the approaching figure, whoever they might be. The sun was creeping to its highest point in the sky. Sweat formed on Finn's brow. It was probably nothing, she told herself for the third or fourth time. Just a traveler, galloping. To something, or away from something? The last thought made her shiver in spite of the rising warmth of the day. The movement caught Riley's eye. "It's probably nothing important," he echoed her thoughts, though the tension in his voice revealed his doubt about the veracity of his statement. "It'll all be ok," he said, a little bit softer.
A lone horse appeared around the last curve, frothy from the hard ride. It bore two riders, which made its journey all the harder. The front rider was small, possibly a child, and looked to be nodding off in sleep despite the pace of the horse. The rider behind wore a dark cape, which flew out behind him in the wind. His arms were around the smaller rider, holding the reins as he urged the horse faster.
Coming upon the cart, he slowed but a moment. "How far?" He panted. "Can you tell me how far to Klain?"
Riley tilted his head toward the horizon where the mountains loomed. "At least three days' journey. Longer if you ride your horse to death before you get there." Finn peeked from behind the cart's cover as the two spoke.
"Three days??" gasped the stranger, ignoring Riley's jab. "Tell me, do you have any herbs? Sambucus? Astrolagus? Anything at all?"
Riley frowned, "Yes, but I can't give them to you, I need them for--"
"THEN WHAT USE ARE YOU?!" Screamed the man, kicking his heels into the poor animal's sides and forcing the gelding into a gallop once more. The child, for Finn had observed from her hiding place that the smaller rider was a young girl, barely opened her eyes for the interaction and looked all but limp in the saddle. Only the stranger's arms kept her in place. The horse's hooves kicked hard against the earth as the stranger and child grew smaller and disappeared around the next bend in the road.
The settling dust of the departing horse left them all in stunned silence, except Peach, who snorted in protest of the disruption to her clean air and steady gait. She continued onward as the occupants of the cart considered what they had just seen. Mayra climbed back onto the front seat quietly, tucking her bow and arrows by her side.
"I think that girl was sick," offered Finn after a few moments, "Maybe we could have given her some of the herbs?"
"He didn't mention that, or even let me complete a sentence," Riley responded, slightly exasperated. "Besides, Mother gave us enough supply to keep your wound changed and dressed until we arrived in Klain. I don't think there's any extra beyond that. Mother said she had no more or she'd have given it to us."
"I'm sure I'm in much better shape to do without than that poor little thing," Finn lamented. Her compassionate heart wished the man had lingered a moment longer to discuss the situation. She was sure some sort of sharing could have taken place. Or they could have let the poor little girl have a rest in the cart. That horse couldn't last forever with that pace, and certainly couldn't continue for three days without rest. When the man eventually stopped, the girl would likely be relegated to sleeping on the hard ground.
"At any rate, we'll never catch him. At least, until his horse keels over. That gelding may wind up the real victim of the whole situation." Riley couldn't think well of a man that would treat an animal so harshly. In farming, a horse was akin to life. Without one, plowing, harvesting, and everything became much more difficult and risked the overwinter survival of the people working the farm. It was important to properly care for them. Even animals like pigs, which were raised for eating, Riley treated well and killed quickly without suffering.
"It looked like an emergency. I hope the little girl is ok." Finn looked ahead again in the direction the horse had disappeared. She pondered what she had seen, odd as it was. The little girl was striking. Her long, dark hair had emphasized her pale face. Her eyes were dark, cloudy, and unfocused when she was able to briefly drag them open from their sleepy state. Her head lolled back against the man's chest or to the side, to rest against his arm. Focused as she was on the ailing child, Finn had hardly looked at the man. She noticed the way he held the girl in place tenderly despite his clearly heightened emotions as he yelled at Riley. His hair was light and sun-streaked, his eyes a flashing bright blue. Anger, exasperation, and fear had seemed at war in his face during the brief interaction. In retrospect, there was something about him...
The breeze picked up again as the sun climbed higher, helping cool what might have turned into a hot day. They stopped as the road crossed a stream, letting Peach drink and graze while the three people enjoyed a midday meal of the sweet rolls Amelia and Gabriel had made with dried meat and apples from Phillip. Mayra procured a hunk of cheese to complete the meal, satisfying everyone.
The attitude was muted as Mayra helped Finn go a little way into the brush for the ladies to have a private moment, and then Riley took his turn. None of them wanted to stray too far from the cart in case something happened. In truth, all three were internally dealing with varying degrees of nervous excitement being in a strange place and venturing to one potentially stranger still.
Riley harnessed Peach back to the cart as Mayra cleaned up their little picnic. Finn held up a hand as Riley approached her.
"Please, Riley" She began sweetly, "May I have a turn on the front seat?" She smiled her most sincere non-provoking and hopeful smile. She offered no explanation for her desire in case it came across as lame or whiny. She didn't want to sit next to him, but the back was uncomfortable, bumpy, and above all, monotonous. Maybe if she were kind enough, he wouldn't make a big deal out of it.
Riley pursed his lips in thought. He wasn't sure how he felt about the proposed rearrangement. He wouldn't mind sitting next to Finn; it was amusing to irritate her and would pass the time quickly. However, he wondered whether sitting up on the bench instead of reclining in the back of the cart would be harder on her wound. On the one hand, reclining was probably the better position over sitting up on the straight-backed seat. Then again, the bench endured less extreme jostling due to its position on springs. Riley realized It was hard to rest in any position while traveling, but whatever position was least harmful to her recovery was what Finn needed.
Since Mayra had studied their mother's healing a little more closely than he had, he decided to pass the question to her. He wouldn't be the bad guy either way. "What do you think, May? It'd be cramped with all three of us up there."
Mayra's excitement over the trip and the sights warred with compassion for Finn's request. It would be cramped for all three of them to be up front, but Mayra was used to being crammed in a small house with all her brothers. Space wasn't something she was used to, or felt entitled to demand. Her occasional need for space was what drove her to begin hunting rabbits alone in the woods. It was a nice break from the noise and the... well, all the people. She didn't feel such a need for space right now given that being around only two people was a break in itself, especially with no children clambering or wrestling around her legs. She wondered if having this much time away from her little brothers would spoil her or make her miss the bustle of a busy household.
Finn's pleading eyes turned on her, and Mayra caved. She wasn't entirely sure of Finn's motives, but as a friend, she felt she should acquiesce regardless. "Well, since the last surprise came from behind, maybe it would be wise for me to take the rear watch for a while. I'll sit in back so Finn can enjoy the view."
Finn's beaming smile at Mayra's decision turned quickly to a frown as Riley turned back toward her and extended his arms. Clearly no matter where she chose to sit, being lifted in his arms was going to be something she would have to get used to for the time being. Mayra was strong enough to help her hop down, but she lacked Riley's upper body strength to easily lift Finn back up again. At least not caught off guard this time, Finn used one arm to hold onto his shoulder while the other still held the crutch.
"Would you mind grabbing that, Mayra? Finn won't be needing it on the front seat and I don't want to trip over it." Riley grinned cheekily at Finn's discomfort. For her part, Finn already began to regret her request to sit up front and she wasn't even sitting there yet. Mayra took the crutch and stowed it in the back as Riley placed Finn like a princess up on the bench and gave a short, flourishing bow. "There you are, your Hero-ness. I hope your throne is satisfactory."
Finn decided against a reply other than a heavy sigh which made Riley laugh.
Mayra climbed into the back with a reluctant smile at Riley's antics, but the smile was short-lived as she quickly and bumpily came to an understanding of why exactly Finn had requested the seating change.