Life in the caravan passed quietly over the next two months. Sanura and Celeres mostly kept to the camp, trying to avoid strangers that might recognize their faces. Along the way, they gave money to On. Aikyo and had him purchase the items they would need after they left. The journey from Kugiri to Mt. Clero would probably take a week, and they wanted to be prepared for it.

            For his part, Aikyo kept his speculations of their supposed crimes to himself. The lovers told him little, figuring that On. Bunri had told his chief guard the story. In truth, Bunri continued to keep it to himself, calculating not much could be done about the hirudin and that the gold masks were already being taken care of. Even after Aikyo told him of the purchases he was making for their fugitives, Bunri merely nodded and approved his actions without enlightening him. Aikyo understood the value of discretion and elected not to pursue the subject. Still, he did wonder about it in the quieter moments of his day.

            The lovers kept the schedule that had been established at the beginning of their stay with the caravan. The camp gossips had decided that On. Bunri’s irritation with his nephew’s running away from home meant Celeres would be on cooking detail until they reached Treffen. That would be another six or seven months, and the gossips were a bit disgruntled by how well Celeres was taking his “punishment.”

            They were a bit more pleased with Sanura, who seemed to be holding down her job on her own merits. The way she had shot down Macak had somehow spread through camp. Several rumors favoring either of the participants floated around for a while before settling in favor of Sanura. Macak’s reputation combined with Sanura’s skills in evening weapon practice had stifled any doubts about Sanura’s loyalty or her ability to shut down Macak.

            They wondered a bit at the lovers’ reluctance to leave the camp but speculated that it was also part of the punishment. There were certainly enough occasions along the route for the topic to come up. The caravan was often left in On. Aikyo’s care while On. Bunri took a few guards and rode out to haggle with the merchants in one village or another. Sometimes Cookie or one of the other caravan members would accompany them to make their own purchases. Celeres and Sanura were never among the riders.

            Every few days, there would be a tavern within walking distance of the caravan’s camp. Caravan members would visit for a few hours to spend their wages on diversions and entertainment. Sanura and Celeres avoided these excursions, of course. Aikyo was another matter. Often these establishments hung a board where notices and messages could be posted-including the wanted posters distributed by the gold masks. Most times, Aikyo went around and took down the posters for their guests while the rest of the camp was setting up. The few times he had been delayed, the revelers, caught up in their amusements, failed to spot the notices before he removed them. Until two days before Kugiri, Aikyo’s efforts kept the fugitive nature of the lovers virtually unknown in the caravan.

            The area to the east of Kugiri was still pretty wild despite the many centuries the Zonne Empire had claimed the land. The presence of the Yudoko made human settlement of the area difficult. Even a few wars between the blood knights and the iron-skinned Yudoko failed to drive the vicious humanoids from their land. Now, the empire paid a small tribute to the short, pointy-eared monsters to convince them to grudgingly allow humans to pass through the area east of Kugiri and Mt. Clero. The Cheldeans of that mountain made their own arrangements with the Yudoko to protect the few human settlements in the area.

            One of those settlements was Fort Argila, a stockade two days ride from Kugiri. Originally built as a logging camp, it still supplied some of the best timber in the world to the empire. The Yudoko put firm limits on the number of trees that could be cut down, putting the hardy ironwood that grew there at a premium. Despite the limitations on its main industry, the fort had a community of several hundred people. Those not directly involved with the logging supported themselves by providing services to the loggers and to the travelers that followed the roadweed leading to Kugiri. Caravans like Bunri’s were a fairly common sight, camped on a large field included within the stockade. Guard duty for caravans was light on nights when they were in Ft. Argila, with just enough to keep out thieves. The hearty defenses usually set were unnecessary within the fort’s walls, because the fort had its own guards against the beasts the Yudoko allowed to roam their land.

            Aikyo was late in getting around the check the taverns on the night they reached the fort. Two of his more volatile guards had chosen that evening to get into an argument over the finer points of chance versus skill. By the time he was sure they would not kill each other the moment his back was turned, the rest of the camp had already spread out to find their amusements.

            Fort Argila was big enough to maintain three separate taverns. Lifting the wanted poster for the lovers was simple enough in the first two establishments. The third gave Aikyo some trouble.

            From the entrance of the Blue Ox, he could see the board and its posts. It had been placed behind the bar, out of reach of the patrons. Aikyo approached the bar casually and ordered an ale from the barkeep. Frowning a bit, he considered the situation. Asking for the poster might start a rumor that he knew something about the location of some fugitives. It was a risk taken with the removal of any of the posters, but doing it openly instead of discreetly could be used to implicate Bunri through Aikyo, instead of the caravan in general. If anyone did connect the missing poster with the caravan, Aikyo hoped to convince them that Sanura or Celeres had been the ones covering their tracks.

            Aikyo sighed and gazed into his drink. It was only two days until Kugiri. The kids would just have to rely on their luck and the discretion of the caravan. He hoped it would be enough.

            Decision made, Aikyo surveyed the room for a place to sit. Some of his guards had taken over one of the tables, so he went over to join them.

            “Good evening, honorables. May I join you?” he asked.

            Robento piped up first. “Course, boss. Have a seat.”

            “We don’t see you around these places very often. What’s up?” Macak asked.

            “Taking care of some business for On. Bunri. Any of you spot anything shadowing us in the forest?”

            “Uh uh.” There were various negative head shakes around the table.

            “Not me. And I keep a pretty close watch after those flying snakes a couple years back,” Macak said.

            “All right. Let’s keep an extra sharp lookout until we reach Kugiri. This isn’t a great stretch for surprises.

            Knowing nods answered him.

            “Any of you on duty tonight?” he asked.

            “Second shift,” Robento volunteered. “Don’t worry, boss. We won’t get too scrambled to do our jobs.”

            “Speak for yourself. I’m off tonight, so you’ll have to peel me off the floor tomorrow,” Macak taunted, drawing a brief chuckle from his companions.

            Aikyo finished off his ale. “Well, make sure you crash in camp, cause I’m not sending anyone looking for you in the morning.”

            Robento grinned at Macak. “Don’t worry. I’ll pour you into bed before my shift.

            Macak grunted, drawing a short laugh from their boss. Aikyo placed a small silver coin on the table. “Next round’s on me. Have a good evening, honorables.” He stood up and sauntered out, leaving his people to return to their conversations.

            Macak studied the puddle at the bottom of his mug, then finished it off and turned to look for the serving knave.

            “He’s getting supper for another table,” Robento supplied, guessing Macak’s intent.

            “Shells and shit. Way that kid moves, we’ll all be sober by the time he gets back. Break it, I’ll do it myself.” Macak flipped Aikyo’s coin into his palm and made his way to the barkeep. He slapped the coin onto the counter and ordered six drinks. The barkeep swapped the silver for copper then went off to fill up the mugs.

            While he waited, Macak’s eyes wandered up to the message board. He had noticed Aikyo’s interest in it and wondered if On. Bunri’s business included something posted there. He was stunned to see instead Sanura’s face starring back at him. She was on a poster with two other people with a hefty reward in gold for their capture. He quickly recognized Celeres at the top of the poster. After a moment’s consideration, the guard decided the third one might be the old woman they had arrived with. He noted their real names were not Ranu and Resle, then had to gather up his change and drinks as the barkeep returned.

            Macak made a big production of balancing all those items on his trip back to the table, hoping to cover his preoccupation. He tried to keep up an appearance of his normal behavior for the rest of the evening, but his mind was spinning with the implications of that wanted poster. The reward was quite a chunk of metal, more than enough to set him up in a less hazardous line of work. He quickly concluded that Aikyo and Bunri already knew about the fugitives. Bunri had declared Resle as his nephew to misdirect people, and Aikyo was too close to his boss to not know. They had to be protecting them from imperial soldiers for whatever reasons. A brief frown flickered on his lips. That meant he was going to have to cross his bosses to collect the reward. He would have to move out of the reach of House Jujiro, which was annoying, but could be done.

            Which just left the problem of actually capturing Sanura and Celeres. Macak had no illusions about matching his skills against the young woman. Even if he ambushed her, there was still the sticky matter of trying to get them away from the caravan. No, he was going to have to use the authorities to do the actual removal. It may cost him a bit to ensure he got proper credit, but bribery was the rule every government official truly understood. The rogue considered the local magistrate, then dismissed the idea. If he was going to do this, it would have to be in a community big enough to hide in. Bunri could not delay the caravan for too long without costing him an unprofitable amount of money. Macak was willing to bet on his ability to hide long enough to avoid retribution and then run after he got his reward. It was only two days until Kugiri. The gold masks there could take care of them and ensure he got his money.

            Besides, it served that groundling-spawn Sanura right for not being nicer to him.

* * *

            Jada was sleeping deeply, girding herself for her pre-dawn duties. That night’s work had been light, as much of the caravan left before supper to participate in the diversions of the fort. Even Cookie had taken the night off, leaving Jada and Celeres to feed the few that stayed behind.

            Jada had become quite fond of the unassuming young man over the past couple of months. Despite his rank, he took on the grungiest jobs without complaint and was almost unfailingly sweet. If he was not so besotted with his fiancée, Jada might have wormed her way into his affections. In her more honest moments, she admitted to herself to already trying exactly that. Celeres obliviousness to her advances made gaining his attention futile. One the other end, Sanura showed no interest in extending their relationship to include others, leaving Jada no avenues with them beyond friendship.

            Cookie had come back a hour before second shift took their places and crashed on his bed in the mess tent, feeling mildly good. Celeres and Jada were just finishing their work as he came in. They teased the big man a little bit before Celeres left for the tent he shared with Sanura. Jada tidied up a few loose ends, then took her own bed in the mess tent, drifting off to Cookie’s snores across the way.

            A gentle shake woke her up.

            “Jada?” The funky stench of ale-tinged breath brought a flow of foul memories that she ruthlessly shove aside to wake completely.

            “Macak?” she whispered as the identity of the speaker sunk in. “What time is it?”

            “A bit after the start of second shift. Robento’s on duty, so our tent is empty. I wanted to know if you were up for a little fun.”

            “Not one of our usual nights, soldier boy. Think you can afford it?”

            “Of course,” he said grandly. “I always set a bit extra aside for you.”

            “Quieter, please. You’ll wake Cookie.”

            “That old ox? He drank enough to keep out until sometime tomorrow. It’ll take four of us to throw him in one of the wagons in the morning.”

            “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Cookie’s voice floated out of the darkness.

            “Huh. Must be all that extra weight,” Macak quipped.

            “Let’s see the money,” Jada demanded.

            Macak fished out seven coppers and poured them into her palm. She jiggled them once, considering their weight.

            “Alright,” she said. “let’s go. But don’t come whining for freebies on your usual night cause you spent your last copper tonight.”

            “That shouldn’t be a problem,” Macak chuckled as he followed her out of the tent.

            Macak was not much for kissing, which suited Jada fine considering the state of his breath. Actually, she rated him fairly high in comparison to some others in the camp willing to part with a chunk of their pay for fifteen minutes of amusement. Unlike most of the others, Macak always made a honest effort to ensure she enjoyed herself as much as he did. Really, the only ones better were a couple of the women that occasionally purchased her services.

            That night, it was quick and sweaty and a little bit rough.

            Afterwards, Jada dressed and sat on the edge of his cot to pull on her boots. Macak reached over and ran his fingers down her back. “How would you like a different life?” he asked.

            “My current life is fine, Macak,” she answered.

            “Road dust in your eyes and coating your clothes. A stiff cot for a bed. Pretty things limited to tokens and jewelry. Oh yes, this is a fine life.”

            “So, what? You want to settle down and make an honest woman of me? Considering how much of your wages I’ve gathered from you, that’s a pretty bold offer.”

            “There are other ways to make money,” he chuckled.

            Jada turned to look at him the near dark of the tent. She could almost feel the wide smile on his face. Her own expression was carefully curious. “What sort of ways are we talking about?”

            “Something legitimate, actually. Resle isn’t On. Bunri’s nephew.” He paused dramatically.

            Jada waited.

            “His real name is Celeres. Ranu is actually called Sanura. Apparently, the empire wants them pretty badly.”

            “How badly?”

            “Enough that you’d never have to rent yourself out again. Or enough to buy your own pleasure house if you wanted to.”

            “While you catted among my girls, no doubt.”

            “Proprietor’s privilege,” he chuckled, caressing her breast through her shirt.

            “Does On. Bunri know?”

            “Course he does. Do you think he’d claim Resle as his nephew if he didn’t?”

            “You want me to take care of Celeres.”

            “Nah. I figured the gold masks could do the dirty work in Kugiri. Then it’s just a matter of staying out of On. Bunri’s way. I’m just asking if you want to come along.”

            Jada thought it over for a minute, then made her decision. She leaned down and kissed the treacherous man slowly.

            “You better not screw this up, soldier boy.”

            “Course not,” he chuckled.

            The woman left him in his cot, maybe to sleep, maybe to realize that sharing his plans might have been unwise. If he could have seen the bitter expression hanging from her face, he might have reached that conclusion almost immediately.

            Jada figured he was just drunk enough to delay any second thoughts but kept an eye over her shoulder as she made her way to Celeres’ tent. The lovers had their cots pushed together and slept spooned. Jada wasted a moment to roll her eyes at youth’s absurdities. Considering the material they were sleeping on and their position, Jada knew there was no way either was comfortable.

            “Wake up,” she hissed at them.

            She was a bit surprised at the way Sanura rolled out of bed and landed in a crouch, dagger in hand. She had expected something more like Celeres’ groggy awakening.

            “Whazza?” he mumbled.

            “It’s Jada,” Sanura said.

            “Time for breakfast already?” he asked, puzzled.

            “No. Macak knows you aren’t Resle and Ranu. He’s planning on giving you to the gold masks,” Jada said.

            “Crap. I knew I should’ve gutted the little shit-eater,” Sanura scowled.

            “Somehow, I think Uncle Bunri would object to you damaging his guards,” Celeres chided her.

            “Trust me, he’s earned it,” his fiancée told him.

            “You two are going to have to run for it. Gold masks are bad news,” Jada said.

            “We know. Considering we’re inside a fort that’s buttoned up, I don’t think running is an immediate option. Unless gold masks came in while we slept,” Celeres said while leisurely getting dressed. “Did they?”

            “I don’t know,” Jada said, nonplussed. “No. No, he was planning to tell them at Kugiri.”

            “Well, that gives us a bit of time,” he said.

            Sanura grinned. “We’ll make a general of you yet, baker-man.

            “On. Bunri,” she said next, going back to the current problem.

            “Sounds like a start,” Celeres said, shoving his feet into his boots. “Let’s go,” he said, then stopped when he saw Sanura was still in her nightshirt. “Why aren’t you dressed yet?”

            “I was covering you while you dressed,” his love said quickly, waggling the dagger at him.

            Startled, Jada giggled.

            Celeres took the dagger from the soldier and turned to Jada. “See, this is the kind of stuff I have to put up with.”

            “I would never give you that kind of trouble,” she assured him.

            “No, you’d give him a completely different kind of trouble,” Sanura retorted, her grin carried in her voice.

            Dressed in her armor’s underpadding and sword strapped to her waist, Sanura declared herself ready. They marched over to the caravan’s master’s tent, and Celeres poked his head through the flap.

            “Uncle Bunri?” he whispered.

            There was no response.

            “Uncle Bunri?” he asked more loudly.

            A sleepy voice drifted back. “Didn’t anybody ever tell you not to enter a tent unannounced, boy? Could’ve been a proxy on the entrance to blow your head clean off.”

            “I’ll remember that next time, Uncle,” the young man assured him. “There’s been a complication. We need to talk.”

            “Alright.” Bunri muttered a word to spark his Cheldean lamp and sat up in his bed. He raised an eyebrow as Jada followed the lovers into the tent. “Don’t tell me you got them both pregnant.”

            “What?” Celeres asked, startled.

            “He’s joking. He knows I take precautions,” Jada assured him.

            “Macak is planning on turning us over to the gold masks,” Sanura said, cutting through the banter.

            “You think he realizes I’m protecting you?” the caravan master asked.

            “He knows,” Jada said. “He’s going to do it behind your back.”

            “Can’t have that. It’d be bad for business.”

            “He isn’t planning to move before Kugiri,” Celeres chimed in.

            “What are we going to do?” Sanura asked.

            “Give me a minute,” Bunri complained. “I just woke up.”

            Anxious minutes passed. Bunri look vacantly at the light while scratching his chest. Finally, he sighed. “Jada, give Ranu a hand packing their mounts. Resle, tell Aikyo to come see me and then go help the girls. He’s guarding the north tonight.”

            “North? Isn’t that the side the wall is on?” Celeres asked.

            “Last time a thief snuck into this camp while we were here, he came in over the wall. Quite clever actually.”

            “Is that how you’re getting us out? Over the walls?” Celeres asked.

            “I’d say that’s a bit too much of a leap for the antelopes, wouldn’t you, boy? Now go do what I told you. I want you well away from here by morning.”

            “Right.”

            With that, they left to attend their chores. Aikyo quizzed him a bit as he led Celeres back into the camp, then left to go speak with Bunri. The caravan master and his chief guard joined the trio as they wrapped up the last of the packing.

            “Good, you’re almost done. Jada, they’re going to need some food. Do we have anything on hand we can give them?” Bunri asked.

            “I was just about to get them some.”

            “Good. Aikyo, can you fetch some hardtack from the supply wagons and meet us with Jada at the north edge of camp? Thank you.”

            Bunri led the lovers north, keeping them as quiet as possible with the thud of the antelope’s hooves and the rhythmic jangle of their reins. Past the edge of camp, he gathered them together and spoke to them quietly. “Here’s some money for you both. Never let it be said that I didn’t try to look after you two. Give the night guards on the east side three coppers to get out of the fort. It’s the standard bribe for those that have business at night with the things out there that can’t enter the fort. They won’t let anyone in, but that’s not a problem for you. Keep south and west to hit the road to Mt. Clero. It’s a main way of roadweed, so it’s impossible to miss. If you hit the mountains before the road, just head straight west.

            “The Yudoko let all sorts of things run around their territory, so don’t dawdle getting through it. Be careful and keep your guard up. If you have the misfortune to run into the Yudoko, tell them you’re under my protection. I’ve done some business with them, so they might decide not to kill you as a favor to me. Do not bring up On. Khenet or the wood folk. The Yudoko hate them like poison, and they’d cheerfully take it out on you.

            “You’ll be safe when you reach the road. The Cheldeans protect it, so the monsters and the Yudoko don’t mess with travelers on it. For that matter, neither do the gold masks. They’re just as happy to write off the area around there as somebody else’s problem.

            “I don’t have any contacts at Mt. Clero, so I’m afraid I can’t help you much. Course, the Cheldeans up there are a little strange, so they might take you on as a charity case.

            Bunri paused. “Did I leave anything out?”

            “I can’t think of anything,” Sanura said.

            “Thank you, On. Bunri. For everything. You’ve been incredible,” Celeres said.

            “Least I could do for my nephew and his fiancée,” Bunri grinned.

            Jada and Aikyo approached them, carrying bundles of food.

            “Time to go,” Bunri announced when the food was stowed.

            They hugged Jada and saluted Aikyo.

            “Stay out of trouble, you two,” the guard chief said.

            They smiled and led their mounts along the north wall. As they reached the first buildings, they gave a final wave to the three watchers, then disappeared into the streets.

            Bunri yawned hugely. “Jada, breakfast will be here soon enough. Go get some sleep and wake Cookie to help you when its time to start.

            Jada shook her head. “I’m so wound up, I don’t know if I can.”

            “Can’t hurt to try.”

            “What about Macak?” she asked, starting up in alarm.

            “We can handle him in the morning. The kids will have a pretty good head start by then, so we can probably talk him out of causing trouble. We’ll even misdirect him so he won’t know you tipped them.

            “Now, go get some rest,” he ordered.

            “Okay,” she sighed and headed back to her bed.

            When she was safely out of earshot, Aikyo turned to his boss. “Of course, in the morning, she’ll find out he took off after them in the middle of the night.”

            “Did you cover your tracks?” the caravan master asked.

            “Of course. Robento is still on guard, so it was a piece of cake. Made it look like he left in a hurry. Rumors should fill in the facts by themselves. Obviously, he went chasing after Resle and Ranu, either on your orders or for some more sinister reason.”

            “Have to do, I suppose. What did you do with the body?” Bunri asked between yawns.

            “Under the false floor of your wagon. We’ll dispose of it tomorrow night. One more human corpse in Yudoko Territory won’t cause any questions.”

            “Great. Zonneshin knows I love these late night excursions,” Bunri said sourly.

            “Then you probably should go get some sleep.”

            “Yeah, yeah. Good night, Aikyo,” the caravan master said as he headed back to bed.

            “Good night, boss,” the guard called after him, then returned to watching the sky and the stars.