Chapter 2: The Chipped Boot
They walked without incident for two weeks. On the first night Theresa built a makeshift lean-to from the scavenged cloth. And they shivered together beneath the likewise makeshift blankets night after night as they continued on their journey.
At the start of the third week, Theresa stopped Amber at a woodland crossroad.
“What is it?” Amber asked.
Theresa pointed at the mud. Amber looked at the mess of boot prints and wagon tracks, then shook her head.
“What am I looking at?” She asked.
“I have seen that boot print before. The one with the chip in the heel.”
Amber looked again, “I’ll take your word for it. But so what? We’re on a road. I assume they are traveling in the same direction as we are.”
“They’re not,” Theresa said. “They have crossed our trail twice, at this crossroads and the previous crossroads. The tracks have been fresh both times. They’re keeping pace with us. Watching us. I suspect they are hunting us.”
Amber shivered, “Who are they?”
Theresa shook her head, “I don’t know. Bandits. Mercenaries. Did somebody come across the wreckage of our carriage? Did they decide to track us, looking for easy pickings? Or the werewolf attack wasn’t random. I don’t know what this means. But it means nothing good.”
“What can we do about it?” Amber asked.
Theresa considered for a minute. “We could leave the road. Travel straight towards the Castle by the Sea. It would be quicker. We might reach civilization in less than four weeks. But we’ll have a much rougher trip. Still, if we are being tracked along the road, we may lose our pursuers.”
“I’m not dressed for traveling off road,” Amber pointed out.
“Yes. That’s one of the drawbacks. The other is that we’re at greater risk of encountering wild animals or even a hungry monster. Going off road is a risk. But so is staying on the road. We’re unlikely to reach civilization in under four weeks if we stay on the road.”
“So what do we do?” Amber asked.
“We make camp here. And we decide in the morning. We take turns on watch tonight. I don’t want us both to sleep at the same time.”
Amber flinched, “What can I do on watch?”
“You can wake me.”
And so they set up camp. Theresa started a campfire and they ate dried meat and hard cheese from their food stores. They talked about happier memories until the sun set. Theresa took first watch. Amber settled down to a cold sleep on hard ground.
She awoke to howls in the night.
Theresa had stoked the fire to a blaze and had her blunderbuss in hand as Amber struggled from the lean-to.
“Are those normal wolves?” She asked.
Theresa shook her head. “No.”
Amber quivered, wrapping the blanket around her. “How many are there?”
Theresa listened and then answered, “At least six.”
Amber looked at the moon in the sky, gibbous and huge against the stars. “The moon is almost full. This must be a feral pack, mustn’t it?”
“Or they wish us to think they are feral werewolves. They may be inherited werewolves playing at being infected ferals. We must assume they are inherited werewolves and have control of their transformations.”
“Six against one. We haven’t a chance.” Amber said.
“Have faith in me. I haven’t let you down yet.”
Amber looked away and down. She nodded, and then sighed. “I have faith in you. What do we do?”
Theresa pulled a burning stick from the fire and held it aloft like a torch. The light illuminated the campsite.
“They’re taunting us. There’s no reason to howl if they simply wish us dead. They’re playing with us. We can use that arrogance against them. I’m going to enjoy teaching them a harsh lesson.”
Amber didn’t say anything, and after a moment, Theresa continued.
“We go off the road. We take the direct route. They’ll be able to follow us either way. So there’s no safe path. We may as well try to make the castle as fast as we can.”
The howls continued through the night and neither Amber nor Theresa slept. Amber found herself thinking that the werewolves must want them tired and afraid. Amber doubted Theresa would fall victim to either fear or fatigue. Amber herself was another matter. She was already petrified. And she suspected the lack of sleep would take its toll as well.
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