Bone Diggers (Paperback out now!)

Bone Diggers - Chapter Twenty One

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It was a cold morning when Amilia found herself wandering through the streets. She tried to keep her steps even, but haste caused every third step to be quicker than the others. A horse whinnied, and she tensed as if the animal had set off an alarm. She'd need a horse of her own, and thought of stealing this very one. That's what thieves do, right? Following two sets of rules is what got her into this mess and confused every matter.

Her feet led her to Daniel's doorstep without any thought of her own, and now she stared at the building like it was a sign. A mixture of hope and nervousness stirred her stomach like a storm. She glanced back as the sun slowly stretched onto the morning street. Maybe she shouldn't, but felt no other choice than to knock on Daniel's door.

The door opened a moment later to a very confused Daniel. "Uh, come in," he mumbled, and stepped back for her. Amilia paced inside, turned sharply at the end of the living room like she was going to just as quick march out of the place. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

His words caused her to pause. She fought for control over the jumbled phrases her tongue wanted to spit out all at once. "Could I borrow a horse? Or maybe some supplies." She took a step towards his desk. "There was a map on your—"

Daniel stood in the way, coincidentally more than anything else. At the threat of bumping into him, she stopped short. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes lifted with the bright fear of a wild animal in them. "Don't you trust me?"

His lips parted ready to object, but none came. He trusted her when she likely didn't deserve it, and now, when she needed it, he couldn't. "No, not right now I don't," Daniel said. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I need you," Amilia said. The word struck a chord in Daniel, and he fell completely still. "To take me wherever," she continued. "Just drop me off somewhere. Surely you have enough supplies to spare."

"Amilia," Daniel said, adding weight to her name. "You have to tell me the whole truth."

"I can't stay for long. I need to go somewhere. The Knights. They...they're searching for me," she babbled all at once, "I need to get out of town."

He licked his lips as he thought about it. "Where did you want to go?"

"Santiago," Amilia said, with a confidence that had been missing before.

"I have no fidelity to the Knights, and you helped me save my friend. For that, I'd take you all the way to the new world." He already said he would take her to Santiago, and if she desired to leave this very second, so be it.

"I'll get your horse ready," Amilia said. She took a large step towards the door.

"Don't." He caught her hand before she dashed outside. "I'll do it. If you are wanted, it's not wise for you to be outside if we can avoid it."

"Thank you," she said softly. Her head wasn't clear, and she realized that maybe it hadn't been in a while. But together, maybe...

Daniel prepared a wagon that lived mostly unused in his backyard. It was tented with a dark brown fabric, and just big enough for three people if you didn't mind being packed together. There had been a time where he traveled a lot, even had trails to various cities set up, but now the wagon sat here waiting.

He frowned as he made preparations. It would take least a week to get to Santiago, and it wasn't like he could just go tell everyone that he was leaving town for a bit. "What did I just agree to?" he mumbled as he hitched a horse up.

Santiago wasn't the greatest distance he had traveled, but that was for official business. This? This was different. A proper trip took a lot of planning. Waypoint markers could be set up beforehand to make the trip faster. This felt more like running away into the remaining wisps of the night.

Daniel headed inside, stopping short as Amilia was standing in the exact same spot she had when he left. His chest ached at the sight of her so distraught. He stood there for seconds, almost afraid to disturb her when her mind was off somewhere else.

She slowly lifted her gaze to him and attempted a faint smile.

"It's okay," he said, as he moved closer to hug her. "We will get through this, alright? I haven't broken my promises yet, and I don't plan to, either."

Amilia tucked her head into his chest, nodding in his shoulder. The grief on her face slowly lessened. She opened her mouth, maybe to say her thanks, but closed it before any sound was made.

"Come on. Let's get going," Daniel said. He reached to pull his hood up. Anonymity was their weapon of choice right now. No blade would be as effective as simply never having to engage. Amilia pulled her own up, the fabric lifting from her shoulders like a great weight.

Daniel headed outside, making one last check before swinging up to the driver's seat, and pulled the reins closer. "It would be best if you hid in the back," he said. Amilia glanced over to it as she chewed on her lip. Daniel reconsidered. "But there is room next to me if you'd prefer."

The tightness in his shoulders vanished as Amilia moved to sit next to him. A shadow of a smile graced his face. If it was him, this was where he would have sat. Not the smartest move, but he'd rather have a heads up of what was coming than to be blind to his surroundings.

They successfully made it out of the city, but Amilia glanced back a few times. Part paranoia, part regret, maybe even part hope.

"I hope you are not getting homesick," Daniel said, the fifth time she looked back. "I believe you are stuck with me now."

Amilia shook her head, and quickly turned back to the road ahead of them. "I'm glad you came with me."

Most of their journey carried on simply; traveling, cooking, and sleeping while they got as many miles as they could under their wheels. As they passed the halfway point, Amilia took the map that had been resting on Daniel's lap. She wondered about what lay in the unmarked areas. The tales her family used to share about death, adventure, and near-magical things couldn't possibly be real.

"Daniel?"

The road ahead was clear, so he glanced over.

"Do you have any family within the guild? I mean, you could have been born into the lifestyle, or recruited," Amilia asked. How much did she even know about him? A huge failing if she had been a proper bard. She could imagine plenty of grand things, like being the bastard son of Spanish royalty. Or maybe the reverse, a man born on the streets and risen up through the gray of the world to make something of himself. But the truth was starting to matter more and more.

"I was always a part of this order," Daniel said. "I don't think it was what my father intended for me, but like father, like son. He wasn't very secretive about his business with the thieves. By not hiding things from me, he left me to decide if I wanted it in my life too."

"This trip," Daniel continued, and looked back to the road. "Santiago, that is. It means a lot to you, doesn't it?" He already knew the answer, even if she wouldn't admit the truth about it. What he didn't know was why this place had any meaning. "I'm glad you decided to do this with me instead of own your own."

"I've read a lot about the history of Spain's cities," Amilia said, "I've always enjoyed reading about Santiago. I've never really gotten to travel much before, to see things like a tourist. I've moved, but you miss a lot of things when you don't see where you're going as an adventure. You wouldn't imagine what we miss as everyday people in Siguenza. All because we've settled down, and stopped viewing it as new. Passing scholars, artists, and just people each day thinking the average is breathtaking. People rarely think about how important each thing is, or how important each person is."

Daniel stared at her for a moment in wonder. He never realized that bards could avoid your answer completely, and still tell you a story that was so full of the truth at the same time.