Chapter 20: Brian Returns to the Forest
Brian walked down the forest path.
It felt good to be back under the green canopy. Granted, he had just been in the forest last week with Finn, but when you lived your life exposed in the rugged mountains, the shelter of the woods was always a relief. The lush, vibrant undergrowth soothed his eyes, and colorful wildflowers blanketed the earth, fighting for space with the thick green moss that claimed every rock and fallen log. Even the air smelled sweet—rich with damp earth and pine.
During their last visit, he and Finn had taken care to hide their faces, and they had deliberately stayed off of the main paths. Now, Brian was walking confidently down the main path with his face unveiled. He didn’t care if anyone found him. In fact, he wanted to be found.
And it wasn’t long before they found him. Brian heard them long before they dared to step out. He could hear them moving up in the trees, and he could hear them rustling through the bushes. “Bumblers, all of them,” Brian thought to himself. “They think they’re being sneaky, but they’re making enough noise to alert even a child.”
But Brian didn’t give any indication that he knew they were following him. He kept his pace steady, and he didn’t turn his head. Finally, a man burst from the thicket, stepping onto the path just slightly behind him. “Alright, that’s far enough,” the voice barked. “Stop walking, Brian.”
“I was wondering when you lads were going to finally step out,” Brian said, coming to a leisurely halt. “I’ve been listening to you stumble along for the past mile.”
“You stupid clod,” the man spat. “I thought you had enough sense left to stay out of these woods.”
As Brian began to turn, the tone behind him shifted to a sharp, nervous edge. “Don’t make any sudden moves now. We’ve got you covered.”
Three more men emerged from the shadows of the trees. Two held their bows drawn taut, arrows aimed squarely at Brian’s chest. The third stood with a broadsword already unsheathed.
Brian put his hands up, but he didn’t seem nervous. “Easy, easy, lads. I’ve known you were there the whole time. I’ve just been waiting for you to show yourselves.”
The men laughed. “If you knew we were here, then why did you come this way?” asked one of them. “You know that it’s death for you to be caught in this forest.”
“I’ve got some information for Risoart,” said Brian, smiling. “Bring me to him.”
The men laughed again. “Nice try. Risoart’s not going to waste his time with you.”
“He will, once he hears what I’ve got to say,” Brian said. “I’ve got information he will want to hear. I’ve got some information that Ambrosia will want to hear.”
At the name of Ambrosia, the men stopped their laughing. They looked at Brian with different eyes. “What do you know?” one of them asked.
Brian chuckled. “No luck, lads. This information is too valuable to me. It’s going to get me a full pardon, once Risoart hears it. I’m not going to give it away to you, and then have you try to claim credit for it yourselves.”
“Well, then we’re at an impasse,” one of the men said. “Because we’re not going to risk disturbing Risoart until we know for sure that your information is good.”
Another man spoke up. “If we bring you to him, and you just start speaking nonsense, then we’ll take the blame.”
Brain rubbed his neck with his hand, and grinned. “He’s got a fierce temper, I’ll grant you that. If he doesn’t like what I have to say, he’ll probably cuss you out and box your ears. But he won’t do any more than that. You can stand being cussed out again, can’t you? You lads haven’t grown that soft while I’ve been away, have you? You lads haven’t grown that soft since I’ve been gone, have you? On the other hand, if he likes what I bring... you’re the brave scouts who captured the informant. And when Ambrosia hears of it, she’ll remember your names, too.”
The men hesitated, the tips of their arrows dipping slightly as they weighed the gamble.
“Come on,” Brian said. “I wouldn’t have come all the way down from the mountains if the information wasn’t really good.”
The men looked at each other. One of them said, “Well, he’s obviously come down to the forest of his own free will. He could have just stayed up in the mountains. He must have something.”
The leader let out a long, angry sigh, sheathing his weapon with a sharp snap. “Alright, alright. Move it, Brian. We’ll take you to Risoart.”
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