Chapter 70: Temporarily Alliance
It made sense. Too much.
Not everything that makes sense is true. The best lies always sound like they make sense. Joric had sounded like he was telling the truth when he said he would return with help. The village was only over the ridge and he would bring water. But Danny had almost fallen for it until they had been without water for two days. His tongue had swollen and the sun felt like a hammer.
But, he thought, logically as he had been taught by the old man. Lay out your facts. Lay out the dangers. Pick a route that gives you the least chance of dying. Don’t hope for the best, pick the safest option.
Four people meant a safer journey. Just pure maths. One man couldn’t watch over them all night and walk all day without collapsing. Lack of sleep is just as deadly as any monster. Makes you sluggish and makes you hallucinate. With four people they can take turns watching. More eyes on the lookout. Plus, they make more noise which means less smaller predators in some parts of the wild. Predators like to hunt alone. A single lame figure smells like easy prey.
He could also learn something from them. He wasn’t too familiar with this road. The maps the grey haired man had shown him were unclear beyond the eastern ridge. Old maps with smudged ink, fog? Maybe water. He didn’t know where the safe water was now the rains had changed. He didn’t know if Greybridge was still standing after the push last winter, or if Fort Haven was accepting new people. He didn’t know if the road between them had been blocked off by the Fog. This was risky information to have.
If they turned out to be dangerous, or if this was some sort of trap. If the woman was faking her tiredness and the boy was a lure. Danny would need to find a way to get out of the situation. He was injured, but he could still sprint in a straight line. He still had his sword tucked away but easily accessible in his coat pocket. The hilt was covered with fabric so it wouldn’t gleam. He also had [Fatal Rewind]. He wouldn’t want to use it, knowing now that it takes years/minutes of his life. Every second he rewinds takes minutes or hours from the end of his life. The Demon hadn’t lied to him. But, if it meant saving his life, he would use it. Better to live a shorter life than none at all. Maths.
This wasn’t a perfect plan, but there were too many unknown factors. What if Greybridge is now run by slavers like the bastard Crossing? What if they ask about his Echo? What if they realise his wound was caused by an Awakened blade?
But currently his plan was to walk through the wild and hope to die. Either bleed out from the claw wound on his side (which still hurt), starve as he couldn’t catch the horned rabbit again without his Echo or run into a faster Hollow (most of them are).
This was an improvement. A bad improvement, but improvement.
"Okay," Danny replied. "I’ll come with you. Temporarily."
He emphasised the last part. He wanted to make sure he made it clear. He wasn’t joining them. He wasn’t part of their group. He wasn’t their kid. He was just walking in the same direction for a little while.
The man smiled slightly. He knew he should say it. Nodded.
"Temporarily, then. That works for us. No more, no less."
The woman looked up from packing and gave a brief nod. Not a friendly one, but respectful. She wasn’t trying to play mother figure. The younger boy grinned, showing off his missing tooth on one side. He was excited to have a new person, and someone closer to his age.
They set off. They had finished eating. They stamped out their small fire, kicked dirt over it. They scattered ash, covered the black rocks with leaves and poured the remaining wash water over the area. No signs of them being there. Another positive. If they were hiding their fire they knew how to survive. Slavers wouldn’t hide their fire. They want to be seen.
Danny walked towards the back. He was keeping his distance. Not too far that he looked like he was being herded, but far enough that no one could grab him without him knowing. He kept a tight grip on his bag. The strap was twisted twice around his fist. Old habits from the market.
He observed their actions.
The grey haired man had trained him to observe peoples actions. Now it was second nature. Observe how they move. How they breathe. How they hold their weight. This can tell you more than what they say. It’s easy to lie with your words, but hard to lie with your habits. You can fake calmness but your shoulders will give you away.
The spear man kept looking around. Every few dozen steps he would glance up at the trees above, then the bushes below, then ahead. He wasn’t paranoid, he had a method. Left, right, up, ahead. Over and over again. Like a soldier or someone who knows how to survive. Just like the grey haired man.
The second man kept looking behind them. He would walk ahead for a while then stop and look back. He would look down the path they had come from, his eyes narrowing at the bends. He would never turn his whole body, just his head and shoulders. So he was still walking whilst looking behind. He was their rear guard.
The woman was walking close to the younger boy. Occasionally she would tell him to stay close, cap his water skin and watch his footing when there were lots of roots. She would also keep her hand close to his back when the ground was uneven.
They had travelled together before.
Their actions told them. They didn’t need to talk to each other. They moved naturally. The spear man was in front, the second man at the back. The woman and boy in the middle for protection. They had travelled together many times before. They knew each others pace.
This is why Danny was walking with them.