Chapter 22. Over Hill, Over Dale

A message came from the captain came just after dawn.  We'd lost ten men, and while the bandits lost a lot more, he judged moving the entire caravan though this territory with such a depleted escort to be too risky.

So, Kemo, one of the scouts, was to take the girls and I over the mountain on foot to Alsabi, the next Alsatian outpost and wait there for the caravan to arrive using the longer road.

As Kemo pointed out, the plan seemed a little desperate, although he assured me hiking up the mountain was actually more difficult than dangerous.  The climb was relatively easy, but unsuitable for horses and large parties, so our biggest challenges would likely be predators and twisted ankles, rather than bands of bandits.  No one would expect a princess to make the trek, which was what made it a good plan.  If all went well, we'd be in Alsabi in two days, at least a day or two ahead of the caravan.

Effie was tough and managed Panda and Emmie's whining, leaving Kemo to guide us and watch for trouble while I carried a pack with bedrolls and a few supplies and kept an eye on the girls.  We stopped for the night at a small shelter about two thirds of the way up, ate a small meal, and Panda and Emmie fell asleep almost immediately. 

Effie, however, snuggled up next to me, claiming she felt safer that way.  Within an hour or so when Kemo feel asleep,  she was doing more than snuggling underneath the blanket. 

My body tensed at first at her touch, but she whispered to me to be quiet and before long, I was almost in tears trying to keep still and quiet.  If Kemo hadn't rolled over,  I think the entire affair would have ended quite differently, but Effie's fingers stopped and she kissed my breast and went to sleep.

We set out early the next morning, and while Effie smiled at me once, we didn't discuss what had happened.  By mid day, we reached the peak, where Kemo showed us Alsabi, a small castle a short ways up the next mountain which made the one we'd just climbed look like a mole hill. 

Getting back down proved much more difficult, thanks to the weather, which suddenly got colder and windier.  By the time we got down to the base, it was even snowing lightly, and Kemo and I hastened to build a fire for the night.

There were no shenanigans under the blankets that night.  The three  girls huddled together for warmth while Kemo and I took turns keeping watch.

Twice, I saw shapes moving in the darkness, and a short time later, Kemo told me they were wolves, adding more wood to the fire and telling me to ignore them unless they actually showed themselves.  They didn't.

The next day was pretty brutal.  Although the sun helped, the temperature was still dropping and Kemo predicted by nightfall traveling would be all but impossible.  Thankfully, in the early afternoon, a sentry from Alsabi spotted us, and we were sitting by a warm fire by the time the snow really started to come down.