In the next few days, crowds of people started tromping back and forth along a deer trail connecting the village to the lakeside. To Alexandricia, this was the image of her plan beginning to take shape.
One day, about ten after we began construction on the lakeside settlement, I was heading out to the worksite by the lake early in the morning with Elpaco and my wife Cassandra.
Since my family had grown, I was able to finish up my morning chores in the field a lot quicker, and for that I was grateful. Plus, with two wives, the washing was done and lunches got packed quick. When the housework was finished, I would take Elpaco and one of my wives with me out to the worksite.
“I thought maybe we should build a real road along this deer trail, but the village chief said it would get easier to walk on before long, and she was right.”
“Just by people moving back and forth every day, packing down the earth.”
“It’s still not quite wide enough for two people to walk side by side. If we’re going to move the base of operations for the territory here, I’ll request that Alexandricia assign some folks to widening it once the construction load has lightened a little,” I mused, moving to the head of our group.
Knight Commander Alexandricia’s lakeside castle, the defensive stronghold of Apegut Forest, was our top priority. But there were nowhere near enough people at the construction site. For now, a group of dwarven carpenters were hard at work handling the initial stages of the castle.
“Shooter?”
“What is it, Cassandra?”
Cassandra’s hands were full carrying our lunches to the site. She looked up at me timidly and cautioned, “If Gimul hears you referring to the village chief by her first name, I don’t think he’ll like it.”
“Oof. You’re right. I’ll try to be more careful.” I guess I had stopped paying attention and was blabbing the village chief’s first name all the time now.
The daily routine was that when we finished our work for the day and returned to the village, I would send my family on ahead to our shack while I turned toward the village chief’s manor. It was there that the two of us, both full-grown adults over thirty, could engage in scandalous banter, stepping over every line of intimacy to call each other “elder brother” and “Alexandricia” as we’d promised that day by the lake. I suppose I was so used to it now that it was starting to slip into my regular conversations, too.
“Shooter?”
“Hm?”
I was fighting my embarrassment, trying to change the mood hanging over us, when I felt Elpaco tug on my leather vest. His animal ears twitched. As soon as I looked at him, I understood. I grabbed the handle of the shortsword hanging at my waist with one hand and with the other motioned for Cassandra to stay still.
“Was it an animal?” I asked.
“No, it was a person,” he said. “Someone’s watching us.”
“Do you think they intend us harm?”
“I’m not sure. But I don’t think they can do anything from where they are.”
“What about bow attacks?”
I scanned the deer trail that ran through the forest all the way to the lakeshore. My eyes jumped to follow Elpaco’s gaze. The trees grew so thickly that an ambush with bows and arrows seemed plausible, and I wanted to be sure.
“Not at this distance. I think they’re at least a hundred paces away. Nothing but the strongest bows would be able to fire through cover this thick.”
“Don’t forget, you actually know someone who could pull it off,” I said. “Don’t take anything for granted.”
“Do you mean Nishka?” Cassandra cut in, her expression fearful.
“I mean, she could, but she wouldn’t. I just meant that people like that exist.”
“Mm. I don’t get the sense that this person is about to do anything,” said Elpaco.
“Not until we start moving again, I’m sure. Elpaco, you take up the rear. You walk between us, Cassandra. I’m counting on you if anything happens, Elpaco.”
“Okay…”
The three of us crept slowly toward the worksite, sensing something hidden out of sight in the woods.
Why would anyone go to such trouble to stalk us? Was it a bandit? A villager? Or maybe one of the minotaurs from the newly absorbed settlement? All seemed equally likely to me.
“It’s got to be a bandit, a villager, or one of the bull-kin, right?” I said.
“I don’t know, Shooter,” said Cassandra.
“I don’t think it’s one of the bulls. They make more noise when they walk,” Elpaco’s voice answered from behind me.
“Ugh, I’m the daughter of a hunter. I should know these things!”
“I really am a hunter and I don’t know, either. There’s no reason to be upset.”
“Y-you’re right, Shooter.”
“Elpaco’s animal ears must be superior to ours. Wak’wakgoro and Nishka can hear things far off like that, too. Maybe I’ll develop that ability with some more hunting experience.”
I turned back to Elpaco. His face glowing pink, the boy lowered his eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “We’re pretty far from them now. I think we’ll be okay.”
“You sure are helpful, Elpaco!”
“It’s nothing special.”
“We’re almost to the worksite, so let’s ease off. But if you notice anything strange on the way back home, let me know right away. If something happens, I want you to protect my wife and take her back to the house. And let the village chief know what happened.”
Elpaco’s face glowed with girlish pride, despite the whole not-a-girl thing. While he looked pleased at my praise, his face suddenly turned cloudy again at the second half of my instructions.
“What are you upset about?”
“You want me to leave you behind, but that means you’ll be in danger. I can’t do that to you.”
“He’s right, husband. You’re the bedrock of our family. You mustn’t think so selfishly. Isn’t that right, Elpaco?”
“Yeah.”
The two were really worrying about me together. It was actually kind of nice to be worried about. Heh. I could almost feel the tears welling in my eyes.
At which point I slammed my big, dumb toes into a big, dumb rock and nearly twisted my ankle.
“Waugh!”