BoLC

Suspended
Rosethorn knelt at the edge of the creek and splashed cool water over her face. Blessed relief. She heard Evvy giggling behind her and turned to glare at the girl.

"One more noise, and I'm hanging you in the next well I come to."

Briar raised his eyebrows. "I haven't seen a single one since we crossed the border. Besides, I thought the next well was reserved for me."

Rosethorn  snorted. "I can hang you both in the same well. And leave you there!"

Briar smiled and swung his pack to the ground. "While we're stopped, we can at least have dinner. It's hot and I think we all deserve a break." He pulled rolls and slices of dried mango from his pack and set them on a large rock with a canteen of water.
He was reaching for the end piece of some summer sausage when a twig snapped behind him. Old street instincts kicked in and he spun on his toes, a knife already in his hands. He couldn't see anyone, but that meant nothing.

"Evvy, Rosethorn, get behind me. Get your knives out out and hold 'em like I showed you."

They stood back to back, eyes darting over the trees. Suddenly, a Yanjingi hedax stepping into the small clearing. Two scout followed him.

"Relax friends," he said smoothly. "We were just passing through and I though I'd say hello. There's raiders around here, and we like to keep out people safe." He circled around Briar's pack, never moving his eyes from the boy's face. "Where are you headed?"

Briar clenched his knife. "To the Gygonxe Circle Temple. They have mages who are adept at healing and we wanted to say hello."

The hedax studied the boy's face carefully. He matched the description of the mage-boy. Gray-green eyes, choppy black hair. There was a girl-child. And an older woman. She didn't have red hair and ivory skin, but that could be easily hidden with face paints. "What are you carrying?" He poked the pack with his spear. It clanked loudly, a noise like glass jars. Medicine jars. "Herbs? Potions? Why not heal yourselves?"

The last word was barely past his lips when he lunged forward at the boy, his spear leading the way. Briar spun to the side, jerking Rosethorn out of the man's path. She slipped and fell, but Briar was already leaping at the hedax. Evvy raced for Briar's pack and ripped open his mage kit.

Thorny vines...wall-breaking vines...tie-people-up vines! She grabbed a few of the cloth balls and threw them towards Briar and the soldiers. "Rosethorn!"

The older woman glanced at the balls, and then Evvy fell backwards as green magic exploded across the clearing. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and her mouth dropped open. "Lallian of the rain, bless me!"

The soldiers were wrapped in vines that tangled with the trees and gleamed with magic. The vines were moving, constantly snaking across the soldiers and retying them. Rosethorn pushed herself upright and grinned at Briar. He hung suspended from one foot over the creek.

"I couldn't find any wells."