1.2

Emri looked over to Hin now, rather than Remal. “Please,” she said, “May I help?” She sounded sincere, but Remal just couldn’t ignore the way that her face appeared so impassive.

Hin, however, didn’t seem to notice - or, if he did, he wasn’t bothered by it. He gave her a pat on the shoulder such as Remal thought Hin would give to one of his own children in reassurance. “Of course you can help, miss. Do these herbs grow up here in the hills, or where can we find them? We’ll help you gather some.”

Remal deferred to Hin Jeralan’s seniority when the older man suggested they go back to the camp the way they had come; but aside from slight misgivings over the strangeness of the girl, Remal also somewhat resented the curtailing of their scouting mission. He thought that perhaps, once this Emri had shown them what useful plants they could find in the hills, he could turn back and continue scouting the path forward, while keeping an eye out for more of the same plants. But apparently the ones that could be found in the rocky hillside were scarce - even more than plants generally were already in that rough dry area - and by the time she had located one to show them what it looked like, they had already crossed the stream and nearly started back downhill to the lower lands by the lake and the camp. At that point, Remal decided he might as well wait and learn what medicinal plants could be found near the marsh (which Emri said were the more effective ones anyway) and then go back and try scouting ahead, unless by then a decision had been made in any case about the hillside pathway being too much a bother for them to use for moving even a part of the camp.

As for crossing the stream, perhaps it was useful to see how well the path the two scouts had chosen worked for someone who wasn’t as surefooted as themselves… but Emri seemed… so very awkward and uncertain on that type of ground that it seemed one or the other of the men had to catch her from falling or from sliding on loose rocks nearly every other step. And when it came to crossing the stream, they essentially formed a three-person chain with Emri in the middle holding hands with each of the others so one could go ahead of her and one behind. Certainly they didn’t have anyone in the camp who could have so much trouble along a path like this here... except for the very young, the very old, and the ill - all of which the leaders intended to transport in carts instead of having them walk around the lake.

At least twice more on the way to the camp, Remal asked her if she was alright. As before, she insisted that she was. He didn’t want to say to her face that he very much doubted it, but he tried to shoot skeptical looks at Hin when she gave those answers. Hin had clearly noticed even without Remal drawing attention to it, but he was more subtle in inquiring after her health. He asked if she’d been eating well, sleeping well; if she’d been traveling in the open country by herself long and if she’d found shelter difficult to find, numerous other little questions halfway between innocent conversation-making and deliberate fact-finding.

She offered very little information. She said she hadn’t been traveling by herself for too long - which could mean it had been a long time but not too long for her to be able to manage by herself, or it could mean it hadn’t been very long at all. She’d eaten “adequately” lately and she had not had “problems” with finding shelter. Did that mean she hadn’t needed to bother with it yet, or that she had found shelter easily thus far? For all Remal could figure, she could have just started traveling by herself only that very day. But then, he did think the nearest settled lands were more than a day’s walk from where they were. And she didn’t have much with her, apparently. Just a small sack over her shoulder that she started collecting herbs in.

Although they were certain there were no towns nearby, it occurred to Remal that perhaps it would explain things if there was some kind of settlement around, or…

“Is there a town nearby that you’ve come from?” he asked abruptly, “Or did you ride out here on an animal?” He looked around pointedly as though to suggest she might have left such a thing behind and that it might have taken to following along after them. Just because very few people in their camp had their own personal animals to ride (such as a horse) and beasts for pulling carts (like oxen) were far more common in the lands they had come from than beasts for riding, didn’t mean the same was true in this region. It might not be. Or, even if it was uncommon, perhaps she had her own animal for riding anyway and that was how she had come to be up in the hills without looking like she’d walked a far distance to get there, and seeming like she was entirely unused to walking on such ground. It would have to be a sure-footed animal, of course, and-

“Why, no.” Emri said. “There’s no town here, and I do not have an animal for riding, either.” She seemed genuinely confused that he would ask such things; she even had a look of consternation in her eyes, with her brows drawn together somewhat.

Remal raised one eyebrow a little and passed Hin an incredulous look. Did he see how ridiculously improbable this all seemed? There had to be at least one thing that she wasn’t being straightforward with them on, he just couldn’t figure what… or why.

By the time they had got down from the hills and by the lake to the nearest bit of marsh for Emri to look for some of the medicinal plants she expected to find there, Hin had tried a few more attempts at getting more information from Emri that would explain her. She managed - whether deliberately or not - to not really provide much more than she had said already, but then he didn’t really try to get at much in the way of topics other than her health and what she was doing out in the hills by herself. Perhaps the village leaders at the camp would be able to get more out of her; undoubtedly the lot of them would have different things they’d want to know.

Remal just wanted to know if they could really trust a stranger to give unknown herbs to their sick, and what she wanted from them. Even if she meant well, if she didn’t really know what she was doing, she could just make those who were ill even worse. Well before they had arrived at the camp, he’d made up his mind that instead of going straight back to his scouting, he’d use any excuse necessary to stick around and keep an eye on this girl when she spoke to the leaders (and, likely, the Healer) and afterwards for as long as it took to be sure it was safe to have her around, or until she left. They had lost a few of their people to the sickness already, and if there was any way at all he could look out for his people and prevent more deaths, he was determined to do it.

    He didn’t want to ever again see a repeat of the two times before when they’d had to bury a significant number of people from the village… the second event was all too near still, only a couple of months back they’d had to cross a bit of a desert area and simply had not been able to manage well on the amount of water they’d collected before going in, and hadn’t been able to find more until well after getting out. The dehydration had been too much for too many of them. But they had brought the fallen all out anyway, and put them in the ground in the same field under some trees. He feared they could lose even more to this illness; already the number who had taken sick rivaled the number dead back then, what was in question was how many of those could get well again. So far, none had.

    If this Emri did anything to harm any of his people… well, Remal hesitated to set out specifics of what he’d do, but he knew he would go to whatever extreme necessary to stop her from hurting any of them.

1.1

The Crossing

As he was often in the habit of doing, Remal Haelson let his spear serve as a walking staff from time to time as he sought a path through the rocky hills on the far side of the stream leading down to the lake his people were camped next to. Another scout, Hin Jeralan, had helped him plan a route crossing the stream that could possibly work for some of the camp - but for the most part, the rocky hillside that the stream hurried down on its way to the lake was much too uneven for passage, especially for the carts and oxen that carried the bulk of the camp’s supplies. Everywhere the hillside was large boulders, smaller sharper rocks, loose gravel, narrow gaps and steep slopes. The stream itself often dove between loose boulders, cut below sheer rock faces, scampered over and around sharp contours before diving down a short cliff to the lake. Perhaps some of the people and their flocks could go through the route they had found, if it proved quicker than the longer way around the lake below - but they couldn’t expect the larger, slower elements of the camp to pass that way, especially not with all of their people who were ill. Yet Hin had thought he might find a better path over the stream, so he went higher up it to scout that way some more, while Remal continued on scouting a path around the rocky slope towards the other side of the lake.

That lake. They had believed themselves fortunate, after so many passages through hostile lands and forbidding territory where fresh water was scarce, to have happened upon a place of plentiful water that was not already claimed, not already settled by some other people. They had thought that they could halt their migration for a time, stay in one place for several days or maybe even a few weeks. But only a few days after arriving at that lake with marshy indistinct shores, they discovered why the area was uninhabited. More and more of the camp’s people fell ill each day, and though their Healer was at first puzzled, after a couple more days he realized there was a correlation between those who fell ill and those who had received the most bites from the stinging insects buzzing around the marshland. They had to move the camp on, and quickly. While the able-bodied of the camp packed up and planned how best to move those who were sick, the camp’s scouts sought the quickest path away. Remal wished it could be through the hills up here away from the marsh, but he doubted they could bring the carts and the sick this way. Just getting them up the hillside to any stream crossing in the first place would take a considerable amount of time, even by the best path Remal and Hin had found. Instead, they surely would all go the long way around the lake below, around the places where the marshland was widest… but even if the scouts on that side found firm ground, did they dare pass close by (or even through) the marsh? But to give it a wide berth would be to take an even longer time going around, moving on and away from the lake to look for the next place to find fresh water. This was why Remal was not one of the leaders, he concluded. Why he wouldn’t want to be. Scouting and hunting were what he knew best; weighty decisions were for other people to make.

Amidst the skittering sound of small loose rocks bouncing downwards from his steps, Remal suddenly caught a sound that was almost the same - but coming from uphill. Not where he could actually see any movement, yet. But yes, as he paused, there was definitely the sound of small rocks or gravel shifting or rolling downhill, from up behind some boulders. His first thought was that it could be his fellow scout, but stopped himself from calling out, on the sudden thought that it might be one of the wild goats they sometimes saw in these rocky hills. That would be useful; every time he could bring back wild game to camp on returning from a scouting trip meant their food stores would last that much longer, go that much farther.

Remal held still - except for very slowly, quietly, lifting his spear up from use as a walking staff to ready it for hunting instead. He angled the long-bladed point towards the boulders from behind which came the sound of movement, nearer the side the sound seemed to be coming closer to.

It seemed a little odd, though, the sound. Uneven in a way that was uncharacteristic for one of the wild hill goats he’d hunted in this region. Slightly more like an awkward shuffle on the uneven rocky ground, not the confident step of a goat. Were there bears in this area? Those boulders weren’t large enough to hide a big bear - but there was too much of the sound to make sense for a creature much smaller than a goat. What else lived in this area that was medium-sized? He hadn’t yet seen anything like that. And Jeralan wouldn’t move so slow, or so awkward-sounding. Unless perhaps he’d injured himself, sprained a foot?

“Jeralan?” Remal queried, “Hin?”

Now from behind the nearer boulder a face peeked out - and it wasn’t Hin’s. It was a girl, (or a young woman, Remal wasn’t sure at first of an age) and she looked terribly confused. She was mouthing some syllables, and after a moment Remal realized they were the same ones he’d uttered - ‘Jeralan’ and ‘Hin’. What was a girl doing up here in the hills, however far from the nearest town he wasn’t quite sure at the moment (but it was a considerable distance), and looking so confused? Was she lost? Simple?

“Not Jeralan.” he muttered. He noticed her eyes flicked towards the spear he was holding, and he lowered it while speaking to her. “Are you lost? I won’t hurt you.” Well, not unless she tried to hurt him first. Was this some kind of madwoman wandering lost as an outcast? She still said nothing, but she stepped out from behind the boulder - but with a hand on it, like she was using it for balance. Stars and moons, was she ill? Maybe she’d climbed up in the hills from the other side of the lake - from the marshes.

She was taller than he'd thought at first, standing up straighter instead of leaning over like she'd apparently been doing while looking around the boulder. Perhaps tall for a young woman; teenager or whatever age she was. That really didn't matter right now though, so he ignored it to focus on other considerations.

“Are you alright? Do you need help?” Remal said, stepping cautiously closer. Her clothes seemed clean enough and in good repair; they didn’t look like those of a madwoman who’d been wandering outcast and lost in the wilds, nor someone who’d been through the marshes or climbing around the hills for any significant length of time. She looked like she could have just stepped out of a respectable town somewhere. Well, he wasn’t especially familiar with the clothing styles and mannerisms of the people who lived in this region, but from what little he’d seen, he thought what this girl was wearing would fit in fine. Girl - well, he couldn’t be sure, but she might be young enough to still be a teenager… perhaps old enough to be considered an adult able to look after herself in most places, though certainly Remal thought she looked younger than himself at twenty-four. That, he felt sure of. Yet, old enough to look after herself or not, it was still strange that she’d be out here by herself looking like that. Was she by herself? He looked around, listening for any sound or sign of other people, but there didn't seem to be.

She was watching him like she wasn’t sure what to respond or whether to run; or so it seemed to Remal. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. Of all the scouts they had out right now, why did he have to be the one to come across this girl, instead of one of the ones that had more experience with outsiders, with children or young people, or just with being patient in general? Instead of only having his spear lowered, he turned it point-down and angled back away from her, sticking the point into the ground but wincing a little as the spear-blade grated against small rocks and gravel. Not as if that alone would take all the sharpness off of the edge, but he was particular about the thing, and now knew he’d be spending the evening after dinner on honing it - if the time could be spared from preparations for moving the camp. But at any rate, having the point in the ground should convince the strange girl that he didn’t intend to use the spear against her.

“I won’t hurt you, girl. Are you out here alone? Do you need help?”

She looked around, and back at him; Remal decided that, ill or not, she must be some sort of confused, disoriented or lost. He was considering whether to repeat himself again, or try to come up with something else to attempt, when the girl finally spoke.

“Ah, n- no… er, yes. No, I mean-” She snapped her mouth shut a moment, paused, and began again. “I am alright. I am by myself. I do not need help, however-”

Remal tilted his head incredulously. She was alright? By herself up here, wide-eyed, and he noticed now that her breathing was uneven for whatever reason. And yet how did she end up here in that state, alone but with her clothes looking none the worse for wear?

She continued after a pause, glancing around again and back at Remal. “However, do you have a camp nearby? Other people?”

Remal glanced around as well, but kept an eye on the girl as much as he could while doing so. “My people have a camp, but it’s moving.” Should he even tell her that much? What was wrong here? There was something... off about this girl.

“Might I travel with them for a while?” she asked quickly. Why so quickly? Remal glanced around again. She took a couple steps nearer, venturing from the boulder, but shuffling a little when some loose gravel slid unexpectedly underfoot. She didn’t seem used to this type of ground at all.

“Perhaps.” Remal replied slowly. “Is there something out there, that you’re afraid of?” he recalled that he really didn’t know if there might be large predators in this area; he only knew that they hadn’t encountered any yet. Or perhaps there could be dangerous people? Bandits? They’d run into that sort of thing before, in other lands. Lands they had been quick to leave.

The girl shook her head slightly. “No. No, I’m not afraid. But I… I would like to travel with other people for a while.” She seemed to think about it for a moment, then admitted, “It is safer.”

And it occurred to Remal, something that had been bothering him - perhaps it was the reason something seemed off about this girl - she was oddly straight-faced. Aside from the wide-eyed look, (that is, her eyes literally being open wide) the rest of her face was expressionless. Whatever she said, however she said it, her face didn’t change; only her eyes. There wasn’t anything particularly unusual about her voice; it wasn’t monotone or anything strange like that, it did have expression in it, though he couldn’t quite be sure what. And her voice was a little lower or deeper than he’d usually expect from a slim girl, even one who was perhaps slightly taller than average - not very much shorter than him. But that wasn’t odd like her face being so… flat. Once he noticed that lack of expression, he wondered how he hadn’t noticed sooner; it seemed so glaringly obvious.

He really wasn’t certain what to say or do next, but then he heard a familiar voice. Hin Jeralan called out, “Haelson? You over there?” before coming around a corner from away towards the stream - from the way Remal had come, rather than from farther up the slope. Likely he hadn’t found a better path, then. Remal hadn’t expected he would.

“Thought I heard you. Who are you talking to?” Jeralan asked, immediately before seeing for himself. Wryly, Remal thought that his friend now knew almost as much as he himself did about who the stranger was. But he was relieved. Hin was older, and had gotten married at an age younger than Remal was now; around twenty, some seventeen or more years ago. His oldest children were now in their teens. He’d have a better idea how to sort out this girl, right? Remal expected so. He himself simply didn't have much patience for younger people anymore, but he thought Hin would.

“Hello, miss.” Hin said, then looked to Remal as if he could provide an introduction.

“She’s… asking to travel with the camp.” Remal offered lamely, realizing he hadn’t asked her name… or offered his own.

“I’m Hin Jeralan,” the older scout offered, with a quick glance at Remal; perhaps he was guessing whether the younger man had given his name or not. “What’s your name?” Hin asked her, stepping forward to offer a hand to shake.

“I am… ah, I’m, Emri.” she said. She hesitated a little, but took a careful step and then took the offered hand for just a moment before letting go.

“Emri…?” Hin queried slowly, fishing for a family name or something more. People did use more than one name in this region, didn’t they?

“Emri.” The girl said with a quick nod, as though he’d merely been asking if he had heard the name clearly. Either she hadn’t gotten the hint, or she was ignoring it.

Hin simply smiled in an amiable way, passing it over. If she didn’t want to give more of a name than that, apparently he didn’t mind at all. “So, you’d like to travel with our camp, Miss Emri?”

She nodded. “If I may.” She glanced at Remal and then back at Hin. “He… said ‘perhaps’ I might.”

Remal was reminded again that he hadn’t given his name. “Remal Haelson.” he said, imitating his older friend in stepping forward to offer his hand to shake. He almost mumbled the next thing he said, speaking quieter because he felt a little abashed at not having told her his name sooner: “Sorry I didn’t introduce myself properly before.”

The girl - Emri - didn’t take Remal’s hand right away, either. In fact, it wasn’t until after he’d apologized for the belated introduction, that she leaned over and clasped his hand. Just for an instant, then she let go. Oddly, her hand was warmer than he’d expected. Not that it was especially warm, but somehow maybe he’d thought someone with so little expression on her face would have hands that were not as soft and warm as a normal young person. He couldn’t quite make it out, and wasn’t entirely certain if it bothered him, or if it ought to bother him. He didn’t really want to think about it too much, though.

Yet again, Hin Jeralan rescued him from a situation he couldn’t make heads or tails of. “Well,” Hin said blithely, “it is for the leaders to decide, but I think it’s fair to say you would likely be welcome. Although…” he tapped his chin, suddenly thoughtful: “it’s not exactly the best time to visit, one might say. Many have taken ill, camped where we were. We will be moving on as soon as possible, but I think it would hardly be fair to invite you to join the camp under such circumstances.” He was genuinely concerned. He was a good man, after all - it was like Hin to concern himself over the safety of a random traveler.

“Ill?” Emri said quickly, sounding quite concerned herself - though even that didn’t show on her face. “Camped by the lake? The marshland?”

Remal was certain that neither of them had said exactly where they were camped in the area. Still, perhaps that was the obvious guess for anyone who was familiar with the area to expect of anyone who wasn’t. Was she familiar with the area? If she was from this region and wandering around by herself here, perhaps she was.

“Do you know of this?” Remal asked.

Emri dipped her head in a short nod. “If it’s what I think it is, I know what herbs grow around here that will help.”