The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling (4 page)

‘Well, at least we now know for sure,’ Erin
said thoughtfully.

‘There is more,’ said Keir, holding out his
leg. ‘Ree sent you a message.’

Erin untied a tightly folded piece of paper
and began silently reading the crabbed script of the wise woman.
Keir and Tempo could ‘hear’ as she read.

“Erin – I have learned some things about the
one who searches for you. (I can’t go into how I learned in this
letter.) He seems to be able to detect certain skills. My guess is
that he ‘felt’ your father’s mind looking for the source of the
“wrongness.” That was probably why your father died.
DON
’
T reach out to find him. He will come
after that signal without having your footsteps to follow. Keep
that skill very quiet. Be careful about “calling.” I don’t think he
can pick that up but I am not sure. I am concerned that my Spirit
Posts will try to protect me and that will tip my skill to him. So
I am going to go “hunt herbs” in the woods and stay in a cave I
know until he passes. Alter your appearance. Should you meet him,
you need to appear to be another person without any power. Be
careful. Stay in touch. ~Ree’

‘Oh, my! Wow! Well, I am very grateful to Ree
and to you, Keir, for bringing this message. Okay, looks like we
need to move quickly. Hopefully, the wind will pick up tomorrow
morning and I can glide across the valley. Tonight I need to come
up with a plan for a disguise. I should also carefully call and get
a few more allies. Do you have any suggestions?’ she thought,
looking at her two companions.

‘The easiest change would be to be a boy,’
Keir said.

‘Well, I could chop off my hair sort of
raggedy, as a start, and strap in my breasts,’ she mused.

Tempo drummed on the ground, ‘You need to
walk differently. When you go into a town, you should probably have
some mud rubbed into your skin.’

Keir added, ‘Tempo is right about your walk.
You have to stride with a bit of swagger and keep your shoulders
back like you are cocky. You might need to hide your pack at
times.’

‘Okay,’ Erin said, ‘that is a good place to
start. If I chop my hair tonight, I need to be sure not to leave
any around here to be found.’ So saying, she got her knife out of
its sheath and set to work. There was no way she could do it
evenly, but that would add credibility to the guise of a boy on his
own. As she cut off hanks, she dropped them into the small
campfire. Tempo watched for any strands that escaped, to be sure
nothing fell on the ground or blew away. Within a short time, Erin
was shorn of her long hair. The haircut was uneven and rough. She
experimented with mixing crushed berries with some dirt to see if
it could look like bruising. Pulling an old shirt of her father’s
out of her pack, she cut in into long strips to bind her breasts.
Then Erin folded some small pieces into pads to see if she could
hold them in her cheeks or under her lip to change her face shape.
It made her salivate and want to spit. She would have to work on
that.

It wasn’t quite first moon rise when Erin
completed this part of her transformation. All three looked about
carefully to see if they had left any evidence of cut hair. Then
her companions looked at her critically. She definitely didn’t look
like a girl and was believable as a scruffy boy who has been on his
own for a while. Keir brought that point up. ‘You had better have a
story about who you are and what your past was. It has to be
believable. If it can contain some truth, you will have less
difficulty sticking to it.’

‘I’ll work on it tonight,’ Erin said, ‘but
first, I need to call to an owl. I need a friend that can watch at
night. There is one in a tree just outside of the clearing.’ She
quieted her mind and softly asked the owl to come down, as she
would like to make its acquaintance. There was a pause, then
without a sound, a Great Horned Owl flew down to perch on a snag at
the edge of the light from the low campfire.

Before Erin could say anything to the owl,
she heard, ‘Hello, Erin.’ The owl’s voice had a low tone
reminiscent of the wind blowing in a cave, yet was somehow
feminine. ‘My name is Nuit. My family has lived near Ree’s home for
many years. She told me your story and asked if I would be willing
to follow your path and watch for dangers at night. I had heard of
your mother. She was respected by my kind. I am quite willing to be
a help to her daughter.’ Nuit twisted her head around, as if to get
a better look at Erin. ‘You do not look like the girl I watched
last night at Ree’s home. You look like a very scruffy boy!’ Erin
grinned ruefully and ran her hand over her shorn head.

Nuit looked at Keir, then at Tempo, and
speaking through Erin, she said, ‘Keir, I have heard of you. I am
pleased that you travel with Erin. We need to be very cautious that
people do not spot either of us and associate our presence with
Erin. You, my little friend,’ the owl said to Tempo, ‘are a
surprise. Are you traveling with Erin for this greater journey or
just for a day or two?’

The little skunk drummed on the ground to add
emphasis to his words. ‘I haven’t decided for sure, but think to
travel a ways with her. Why, Nuit?’

‘If you traveled with Erin and on her
shoulder part of the time, it would add to her guise as a boy.
Where Erin would be seen by people, you would deflect their gaze
from her face to you. Some would not wish to get near because of
you. As long as you two don’t appear to be sharing thoughts, but
seem instead to be a boy and his pet, it may work quite well. Also,
if Erin needed one of us to come and could not call, you could run
away. We would watch for you to give us a signal. Perhaps some of
your drumming, with some turning and flashing your tail. We can
work that out. You would be in greater danger than Keir or me,
though. Someone could decide they don’t like you and try to kill
you. Your acting like a pet will help you, as will the fact that
you are a skunk and have a defense that most people don’t want to
mess with. The decision is yours and we would not think unkindly of
you if you decided to go your own way.’

Erin nodded at the logic that Nuit spoke.
‘Thank you, Nuit, and you are well met. Night is here and we three
need to get our rest. It is time to put out our fire and scatter
the evidence of it. Tomorrow we will paraglide across the valley
early in the morning, wind willing. Hopefully, we will be out of
sight of our watcher. Even if we are not, there are so many people
who travel by wing that he could not know who it is he sees. I have
been gliding since I was ten, when I became big enough for my
father to teach me. My wing and equipment are fairly new. They are
not a distinctive bright color, but grey and white like so many
other people use. Tempo, I can fit you in my pack for the trip and
you will be safe. You don’t need to see the ground far beneath you
if you don’t want to.’

Tempo did a rapid series of slaps on the
ground that Erin was beginning to understand indicated excitement
or strong emotion, but he said nothing. She smiled reassuringly at
the small animal and rapidly patted the ground three times with
both hands. ‘You can tell me tomorrow morning what you decide.
Thank you, Nuit, for being with us and for your advice. Hunt well
tonight and watch over us. Good night.’

Erin put out the fire and scattered the
evidence before bedding down for the night. Morning would come soon
enough. As she was falling asleep, she thought about her
back-story. It was best to stick to the truth, but not close enough
to draw parallels from the watcher. She could say that her father
died after he cut himself while fixing the windmill on their
property. The cut became infected. Her mother tried to clean and
cauterize the injury, but he died of a fever from the rapidly
spreading infection. The ‘boy’ worked hard on the homestead to help
‘his’ mother, but she never got over her grief and worked herself
to exhaustion. She seemed to have lost her will to live and stopped
eating. Within a month, she was dead. The ‘boy’ had been alone ever
since. He had left the place in search of his only known relative,
an Uncle Cron whom his mother had mentioned only rarely.

There was just enough truth to the story
that it might work. Erin needed to work out names for herself and
her dead parents, and a location of the homestead. Those details
could trip her up. But that was all that would come to her
exhausted brain for now. She closed her eyes and sank into sleep.
She didn’t feel Tempo curl up against her back a little later. Only
Nuit noticed, blinking her large, gold eyes before she opened her
wings and flew toward a rustling sound in the underbrush outside of
camp.

In the grey light of dawn Erin gathered her
belongings. There was a light mist and she shivered. She rubbed her
arms briskly then resumed her tasks. She was fairly certain that
the day would clear. Already she could feel a breeze coming up. It
should be great conditions for a glide. She unpacked her paraglider
and repacked her other pack to the harness. Keir and Tempo were off
getting their breakfast so she sat down to have hers. The travel
meal that her mother always made suited the day just fine. The mix
of nuts, berries, roasted grains and honey was filling as well as
nourishing and packed well. She was traveling light except for a
couple of changes of clothes, some food and her paragliding
equipment. The only tools, or weapons, she had was the knife
strapped to her thigh and her sling for stones. Her sturdy clothing
and boots were very practical for her trek and worked well with the
boy disguise. Because of her travels her garb looked worn and that
was all to the better. She was grateful for the warm leather
“helmet” that was common for cold weather wear and for paragliding.
With her new haircut her head was susceptible to chilling.

Erin studied the camp site. The recent fire
had been obliterated. She carefully looked for any hair that had
managed to get away from them. She didn’t want to leave any
evidence that would point to her identity. Ree had said that the
spot was known for a good paragliding camp so she didn’t need to
pretend that they hadn’t been there but specifically that “Erin”
hadn’t been there. Everything was laid out and ready when Tempo
came back into camp. Erin could tell that the skunk was a little
nervous. She sat cross-legged on the ground and did a two handed,
three beat slap on the ground. Tempo approached and responded in
kind. ‘I want to go with you, Erin. I heard Nuit last night and
understand that there may be some danger for me. It won’t be from
you. I know that you will protect me as I will you. I can act the
role of a pet. All I have to do is not let on that we can speak. If
things get dangerous I can run off and do a stomp turn dance like
Nuit suggested. I have some ideas about that. But I am nervous
about flying. I don’t think skunks were meant to fly.’

‘I have been thinking about that, Tempo, and
I have a solution that I believe will be safe for you. My harness
is designed to fit me securely and protect me from any possible
rough landing. I have been paragliding for many years and believe
in my skills. I can put you in this warm bag. I will leave part of
the flap open so you can see out. The bag can be secured to my
chest on top of my harness buckles. I can talk to you during the
flight. You will have some access to my mind and know when I need
to concentrate. How does that sound?’, Erin said.

Tempo walked over to the bag. It was made of
fleece lined leather and by the smell, he could tell, had carried a
whetstone and some of the paragliding gear. It would probably now
carry some of his muskiness though he would not disgrace himself by
spraying. He walked into the bag and curled up. It fit him. It
would work. ‘Okay, lets give this flying business a try,’ he said
not being able to thump inside the bag.

Erin got up and spread out her gear. She
checked all of her lines and buckles and got into her harness.
Putting on her helmet and gloves she strapped in and gently lifted
Tempo’s bag to her chest and secured it on each side to the harness
that held her in. He was a young skunk and didn’t weigh much. She
doubted that he would move around much either. “Are you
comfortable, Tempo?” She heard a small sound then his voice came
into her mind. ‘I’m fine. I’m just concentrating and listening to
your thoughts.’ She smiled then focused in getting her wing up and
ran to fully inflate it. The wind filled the vents and her lines
tightened as she moved forward to take off. There was that final
pull and they were aloft. Erin concentrated in catching the wind
currents and directing their way aloft. Once she was on the air
thermals and moving across the valley she looked down at the bundle
secured to her chest. The young skunk hadn’t yet stuck his nose out
of the bag but seemed to be fine.

Erin was covering quite of bit of ground now.
It felt wonderful being in the air again. Because they had lived in
a wooded area she hadn’t been able to paraglide as much as she
liked. “I love it up here. I feel like a bird. It is so incredibly
beautiful and peaceful!” She could see the occasional home with its
windmill and solar panel. Her world was a pretty self reliant
place. Each home had its own power source and a special battery to
store the power. Those batteries ran the direct current for the
dwellings and shops. Homes and towns were energy autonomous. Towns
were settled near rivers and in the open to get the most out of
available energy sources. Some had found geothermal vents but the
standard was wind, solar and water wheel. People remained connected
through guild trade and the laws.

In the distance she could see other
paragliders, as it was a fine day to travel by wing. She adjusted
her loft to catch the air current and turned slightly to the east.
There were people on the roads with their wagons, horseback or
walking. The river ribboning through the valley had water craft.
From her sky-high view, there didn’t seem to be anything out of
pattern. Everybody was moving normally and at regular, steady pace.
That meant that whatever it was that her father had sensed wasn’t
causing panic and was, as yet, subtle. It was possible that even
the Great One and his counselors were not aware, though one would
think that would be impossible. Erin shook her head at the myriad
of unanswered questions. She simply didn’t have enough
information.