Spadehorns in the Marsh

The journey across the region of sandstone hills lasted for three days and then their route descended into a wide basin filled with swampland, reminiscent of the area around Southwater. However, the plant and animal life were noticeably different, due to the water being fresh rather than salt. The scenery was not shown to its best by the weather, which had turned to rain the evening before. A network of low islands stood bleak and forlorn amidst the reed beds, crowned with clumps of drooping trees. Gray clouds blanketed the sky and the temperature was cold for late August.

Fortunately, the rain was holding off, no more than the occasional splatter of light drizzle. Tanya looked around, shivering in ankle-deep water, while waiting for Riki to wave her forward. They had considered detouring around the marsh, but Riki had been sure she could find a way across, and there was no saying where they would be taken if they tried to go around.

So far, Riki was doing well, although progress was slow and Tanya was fed up with wet feet. She considered the rising ground at the other side of the swamp. At their current rate, they would reach it well before nightfall. Tanya tried to cheer herself up with thoughts of building a fire, warming up, and drying off.

Riki was four meters ahead, testing the ground cautiously with a long stick. Tanya came behind, leading the ponies. The risk of getting trapped in mud made riding too dangerous. For their part, the ponies were clearly very happy for the chance to take it easy and chomp on any water plants they liked the look of. One species of floating blackweed was a particular favorite. As well as the wet feet, Tanya was getting fed up with having her arm wrenched every time a pony spotted another clump.

This way,” Riki called, pointing to her right.

Tanya advanced another dozen meters. The water now reached mid-calf. A larger island, maybe a quarter kilometer in length, lay just off their course. At its peak, it stood a dozen meters above the water level. The trees on it formed a modest wood.

Riki!” Tanya called out.

Yes?”

Do you think we could head there for lunch?” Tanya pointed to the island.

Sure.” Riki returned to her scouting.

Tanya studied her back. In the three days since their conversation by the campfire, Tanya had not been fair, and she knew it. To say that she had been cold-shouldering Riki was an understatement, and Tanya was well aware that her behavior was unjustified, petty, and immature. Riki was perfectly entitled to reject any unwanted advance, and she was not interested. That much she had made clear by the way she had responded, as much as what she had said. Her body language had screamed back off and don't touch. She had clammed herself shut, head down, refusing eye contact, arms clasped defensively in front of her.

Tanya derided herself. Had she really expected anything else? The enmity between them had faded, but this did not mean Riki had to be interested in anything other than friendship. Tanya was not arrogant enough to think that every woman in the world was going to want her. Clearly she was not Riki's type. But just what sort of woman did Riki go for? She had never given any clue.

Maybe Riki had been a tad curt in her brush-off, but from then on she had been making a manifest effort to be friendly, although nothing even faintly suggested a sexual overture. Tanya had been the one who responded coolly, keeping a distance and blocking all conversation beyond the mundane. She could not help herself. She wanted Riki.

Tanya knew she had to accept that it was not going to happen. The knowledge hurt. Tanya realized just how much she had allowed herself to become fixated on Riki. Even now, cold, miserable, and soaked to the knees, Tanya knew she was ogling, watching Riki's head tilt as she studied the marsh, her arms held out for balance, the way her clothes tightened across her hips and shoulders as she moved. Unless Tanya could pull back and get her emotions under control, she was going to carry on hurting.

The pack pony lunged for another wreath of blackweed, almost jerking Tanya off her feet. She moved her foot sharply into a wide straddle for balance and the resulting splash sent cold water as high as her waist. It trickled down unpleasantly under her belt. Tanya yanked on the reins, venting her ill temper. The pony looked at her reproachfully and continued chewing.

Riki called out and waved her forward again. Tanya looked at the island, now less than half a kilometer away. With luck, another ten minutes would see them there. She wanted a break.

 

Riki barged her way through the band of reeds and stepped from muddy water onto watery mud. However, in a few more paces, the ground had firmed up. This swamp was not tidal like a salt marsh, but seasonal flooding meant the lower areas spent months submerged, which killed most seedlings. Hence, an uneven band of knee-high grass, a dozen meters wide, ran the length of the island between the reeds and the trees.

The top of the hillock was densely wooded, mainly by spindly bogash. Coils of stinger vine filled the spaces between the trunks, sending tendrils spilling across the grass. Riki grimaced. Just touching the vine leaves resulted in serious acid burns that could even be fatal in extreme cases. Fortunately it was no more resilient to full immersion than the bogash, and the grass was clear of it, apart from the shoots that had crept out since the last spring rains.

Riki walked up the incline, feeling the water in her boots squelch with each step. An old tree had fallen across the grass, forming a functional bench. Riki trudged over to it and sat. She considered taking off her wet boot, but there was not much point. The grass was soaked from the morning rain. A fire would be needed to get anything dry, and without boiling water, they could not prepare the dried food.

Tanya was a couple of meters behind, leading the ponies.

Riki waited for her. Do you want to stop here long enough to get a fire going? I don't mind doing it.”

Tanya's shake of the head looked more like an irritated twitch. No. I just wanted a break from standing around in water.”

Okay. I'll see what we've got to eat.” Riki tried to sound as upbeat as possible.

Do that.”

The ponies will like the chance to graze.”

If they eat any more they'll burst.” Tanya was definitely angry at something.

Riki thought it wiser to say nothing more. She undid the bag where fresh food was stored. A little rooting around produced flat bread, cooked on the campfire the previous night, cheese and dried fruit, also a water flask. She refastened the bag before giving the pony a shove on its flank, sending it to join the others grazing by the waterside.

Riki sat on the fallen tree and handed a half share of the food to Tanya, who received it with a grunt of acknowledgement, and then ate quickly in silence. Riki was still only halfway through her lunch when Tanya had finished.

Tanya stood and flexed her arms, as if trying to rid herself of an ache. I want to unwind. I'm going to practice my archery for a few minutes.” She kept her back to Riki and threw the remark over her shoulder.

Sure.”

Riki watched her stomp to her pony and yank the bow from its pack. Tanya was clearly in a bad mood. She had been in one for three days. Riki flipped her thoughts to the conversation that had set it off. Had Tanya been hitting on her by the campfire? Or had Tanya been after something completely different? If so, Riki had completely failed to pick up on it.

Riki even wondered if she had suffered a minor brainstorm, announced I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire, and then forgotten she had said it, because it was hard to think of any other justification for the way Tanya was acting.

In the distance, the air was streaked brown with rain. Riki fixed her eyes unseeing on the line of hills. Was it her fault? Maybe she really had lost the ability to get along with anyone. Or maybe it was nothing to do with what she had or had not said. Maybe Tanya had never stopped disliking her, and now that they were away from the Guards, the need for pretense had gone. Since leaving Southwater, Riki had done her best to be friendly and Tanya had flung it all back in her face.

A burst of huffing recalled Riki's attention to her surroundings.

Something had excited the ponies. Their foraging had taken them farther down the island, but they would not stray far. Riki's gaze moved on. Beyond the ponies, an extended family of coppons were rooting through the mud offshore, their white ear tufts flashing semaphore messages. Overhead, a gissard hovered, on the lookout for reedmice. A female spadehorn was wading through the water a hundred meters from the island.

Riki's focus settled on Tanya, who had her bow strung and was using an isolated tree stump as a target. Tanya's body was athletic and well proportioned. Her face in profile was finely chiseled. The bogash stump, a clear thirty meters away, already bristled with a tight ring of arrows. Riki sighed. The woman was good-looking, capable, brave, and as much fun to have around as a hangover. And Riki had taken enough. If Tanya wanted to be antisocial, Riki could play the same game. She'd had plenty of practice.

Riki considered the reeds bending in the wind. Rain was on the way. Riki tried to judge when it would reach them, hoping they would be out of the marsh before then and settled under canvas—ideally with a nice fire going as well.

Her eyes moved back to Tanya and her head flipped around completely. Maybe the situation could be resolved. Perhaps she should talk to Tanya, ask what was wrong, and see if there was a way to sort things out. What did she have to lose by trying? Riki sighed. More to the point, why was she unable to put Tanya out of her mind for longer than five seconds?

A loud snort made Riki look back to the marsh. The female spadehorn had changed direction and was wandering closer. It was a fully grown adult, two meters high at the shoulder. The huge herbivore was in its summer pelt, though the heavier fur would come through soon. Its rump was bulky, showing the accumulation of summer fat that would see it through winter. The flat, shovel-like protrusion on its nose was half a meter long. In cold weather, the spadehorn used it for digging through snow. Currently it was proving just as effective in loosening roots in the soft mud.

Riki was unworried by the animal's approach. Spadehorns were placid animals, too large to fear predators. Furthermore, they had weak eyesight. Ears and nose were their keenest senses. Since this one had certainly never smelled a human or a pony before, even if it caught their scent, strange and inedible” would be the only message it would take, and for any animal that translated into, Leave it alone.”

Riki returned to the archery display. Tanya had shot all twenty-four arrows, and from what Riki could see, not missed once. However, the exercise did not appear to have cheered her up. Tanya had been staring in Riki's direction, but as soon as Riki looked over, she turned away sharply and marched off to reclaim the arrows. From the body language, Riki wondered whether Tanya had been toying with the idea of using her as the next target.

Tanya reached the stump and started pulling arrows from the rotten wood. Watching her, Riki again battled to understand how she could find anyone so infuriating and upsetting, yet still want them to spend as much time together as possible. Riki closed her eyes and sank her head into her hands. What was going on with her head, and how was she going to sort it out?

With her eyes shut, the quieter marshland noises rippled through Riki's thoughts, attracting her attention for the first time. Under the whisper of grass and hiss of waves among the reeds, Riki noticed a soft, breathy sound. It came from the wood behind her, half chirp, half grunt, and had been there for some time, Riki realized, just below the level of notice. Her mind had been so preoccupied she had failed to pick up on it before, but now she did.

Riki leapt to her feet, shocked by her lapse. Of all oversights a Ranger could make in the wilderness, ignoring the murmur of a young spadehorn was one of the most suicidally stupid.

Riki looked around frantically. Tanya was at the tree stump, the adult female was in the marsh, and the baby was in the wood. The mother spadehorn must have left it while she went foraging. Regardless of the youngster's exact position, she and Tanya were between mother and baby, and that was a bad place to be.

Riki moved down the slope, waving her arms, in the hope of catching Tanya's attention. They needed to back away quietly. She did not want to call out—the mother spadehorn would hear and respond, yet Tanya was not in any hurry to turn around. Riki looked at the female spadehorn. It was no more than twenty meters from land and unmistakably wading in Tanya's direction, coming back to reclaim its offspring.

Still Tanya would not look around. What was wrong with her?

Surely she was not so intent on reclaiming arrows that she could not hear the approaching spadehorn. Despite the risk of making noise, Riki had to do something. She opened her mouth to shout when she saw a movement between the trees. The baby spadehorn appeared, directly above where Tanya was standing. The youngster was under a meter high, one of that year's births. The horn on its nose was merely a bump.

Tanya. Spadehorns. You're between a mother and baby.”

Riki kept her voice as low as possible, but it did no good. The young spadehorn had seen Tanya. It might have no idea what she was, but for a young spadehorn anything unknown was frightening when its mother was not nearby. The baby gave a warble of alarm. Immediately, the mother responded, bellowing and breaking from a peaceful shuffle into a charge.

Tanya had jerked around at Riki's call. Now she took off, leaving the way clear between the two spadehorns. However, the mother was close enough to see her, and the angry animal had clearly identified her as a threat to its young. The adult spadehorn veered around, changing course, and still pursuing Tanya.

Riki looked on in horror. Tanya could not outrun the spadehorn, either on the grass or in the water. Nor could she take refuge among the trees. The spadehorn's thick fur would shield it from the stinger vine, but Tanya's clothes would not give the same degree of protection. She was young and healthy, and unlikely to be killed by vine stings alone, but running through it would be impossible. The pain would have her collapsed on the ground within seconds.

Riki raced forward. She had no clear idea what she could do to help, but she could not let Tanya face the spadehorn alone. A fist-sized stone caught her attention. Riki scooped it up and flung it at the young spadehorn. The rock bounced of its shoulder and the animal squealed, more surprised than hurt. Even at a few months, it was too big and thick-skinned to be injured by one thrown stone.

Riki looked for a second missile, but it was unnecessary. The youngster's cry had produced the desired effect on the mother. The female spadehorn was lumbering around in a wide loop, crashing through reed beds and charging at the new threat to its baby.

Riki's feet skidded in wet grass as she stopped and turned. Already, the furious adult was bearing down fast. Riki fled before it, but she could no more outrun the spadehorn than Tanya could. This left only one option. A bogash tree, larger and sturdier than most others, stood at the edge of the wood, relatively clear of stinger vine at its base. But could she get to it? The thunder of immense hooves was gaining.

Before Riki was halfway to the tree she knew she stood no chance. With each step, the sound of the spadehorn got louder, the pounding hooves, the tearing grass and the snorted breath. At the last moment, Riki hurled herself aside.

A thump hit her in midair, a glancing blow strong enough to send her spinning. She hit the ground hard, still rolling. The spadehorn thundered past. Riki levered herself up, hauled her feet under her, and continued running. She did not have time to find out whether she was badly hurt.

The adult spadehorn's charge had carried it on several meters, but it swung its rump around in a tight circle, tearing up clumps of mud and grass with its feet, and again hurled itself at Riki. However, the bogash tree Riki was aiming for was now just a few steps away. She launched herself over the coils of stinger vine, hit the trunk with one foot, and grabbed hold of an overhead bough. She swung herself up. Her legs locked around the branch as the spadehorn crashed into the trunk. The entire tree shook. Leaves and dead twigs rained down.

The spadehorn bellowed and stamped back three paces. Riki hauled herself higher into the tree and wedged her body in firmly. She wrapped her arms around the main trunk. Again the mother spadehorn cannoned into the bogash. Riki felt the shock rattle her bones. An ominous crack came from the base of the tree, but it stayed upright.

The mother spadehorn pawed the ground with its front feet, tearing grooves in the soft mud. Its breath hissed and roared like water hitting fire. Then it advanced again, more slowly, and pressed its huge shoulder against the trunk. Riki clung on as the tree swayed under the force. She could hear roots snapping, but the tree did not fall, and at last the spadehorn turned away and trampled up and down the grass, bellowing its fury. The youngster trotted to its mother's side, still warbling unhappily. The sound did nothing to calm the mother.

Riki looked up and down the island. The ponies had trotted farther away. This might have been to avoid the spadehorn, or to find better food. Either way, they had returned to grazing. Tanya had also retreated to a safe distance, too far to judge her expression. She was looking around and kicking through the grass, as if searching for something to use, but there was nothing she could do to help. Nor was there any need. Eventually the spadehorn would get tired and go.

Riki would have liked to wave, to let Tanya know that she was okay, but now that she had stopped moving, the pain from where she had been struck was building into throbbing fire, engulfing her side. It took all her willpower to remain clinging on. Riki closed her eyes, thankful the spadehorn had given up the attempt to knock over the tree. She rested her head on the bark, trying to block everything out.

A half hour passed before the mother spadehorn left. Twice it started to trot away, raising Riki's hopes, only to remember its anger and come bellowing back. Riki was at the end of her endurance when the mother finally waded off through the swamp with its offspring at its side. Once it had definitely gone, Tanya advanced to the tree.

Riki. Are you okay?”

I will be.” Riki braced herself to jump down.

While wedged in the bogash, her injured side had stiffened. She hurt badly enough just sitting still. Moving was going to be hell, but she could not stay where she was. Riki grabbed hold of a branch with both hands, hoping to swing clear of the stinger vine. As she moved, fire erupted down her side. Her left hand lost its grip and she dropped too soon. Luckily, she still avoided the vine, but landed awkwardly, twisting her ankle and ending up curled on the grass.

Riki!” Tanya sounded frightened.

Riki tried to roll onto her feet. She got as far as her knees on the third attempt, and then Tanya was at her side, holding her steady with an arm around her shoulders.

Riki, are you okay?”

I'll survive. I got a belt from the spadehorn. But I don't think anything's broken.” Riki clenched her teeth and stood up. Her head swam, and the world shifted out of focus, but then it settled.

Sit down. We'll camp here.”

Riki shook her head. This is probably where the spadehorns sleep each night. The mother will have calmed down by then, but I'd rather not be here when they return.”

Are you okay to walk?”

Of course.”

Riki hobbled a few steps, and then looked back. Tanya was watching with a deeply troubled expression. Riki tried to smile. I'd count it as a favor, though, if you rounded up the ponies.”

If you're sure.”

Riki made her way to the waterside, trying to take bigger steps. She could almost persuade herself that her side was loosening up with the movement.

Tanya arrived with the three ponies. Riki glanced at the saddle packs.

Have you got your bow?”

Tanya shook her head. No point. I dropped it when I ran, and the spadehorn trod on it.”

Is it no longer usable?”

Only as firewood.”

Riki stepped into the water.

Riki?”

She looked back. What?”

Anything I can do...I...just let me know.” Tanya looked and sounded as if she was struggling to find the words she wanted.

Riki nodded and managed a tight smile, to show she appreciated the concern. She looked across the marsh. The edge of the swamp was only five kilometers away. With luck, they would be there in a couple of hours. Then she could lie down and rest.

 

The hills on the far side of the marsh were carved from more of the red sandstone. The soil was well drained and mercifully clear of stinger vine. Tiger oaks formed an unbroken canopy, restricting undergrowth to a few clumps of dover fern. An abundance of fallen branches littered the ground. Collecting wood for the campfire would not take long.

The rain clouds had passed over and the sky was clearing. Light was improving, and an hour remained before dusk, but they would be going no farther that day. As soon as they reached dry land, Tanya hurried forward. Riki had been swaying noticeably as they covered the last kilometer of swamp. She was clearly suffering and unfit to go anywhere else, but she still plodded on, doggedly putting one foot in front of the other.

Tanya placed her hand on Riki's shoulder. Hey. Hold up. We're making camp.”

Where?”

Riki's face was bloodless and her eyes were dazed. The sight increased Tanya's determination to stop for the day. Riki was clearly far more hurt than she had implied. Tanya glanced around. Everywhere on the hillside was pretty much the same. She pointed to a nearby spot between the trunks of three large tiger oaks that would be sheltered should the rain return.

There.”

Riki nodded and staggered to the site, then leaned against one of the trees, breathing in shallow gasps.

Sit down. I'll sort out the ponies,” Tanya said.

I'll help.”

Don't be stupid. Sit down and rest.”

I'm all right.”

You're lying.”

Riki glared at Tanya but then slid to the ground. The fact she had given in so quickly worried Tanya more than anything else. Quickly, Tanya unsaddled the ponies. From the packs, she pulled blankets, canvas, water bags, and tinderbox. Within minutes, a fire was going and Tanya had rigged a waterproof canvas as a shelter, arranged the packs where they would be dry, and laid out the blankets.

Throughout this, Riki sat with her eyes closed. Tanya knelt by her side. Come and lie down.”

Riki opened her eyes and started to move, but stopped, wincing.

Stay still. Where are you hurt?”

Riki's hand indicated her left side, under her arm. Tanya put her hand onto Riki's forehead and exerted her senses.

You've got the healer sense?” Riki's voice was a whisper.

Don't get excited. Not enough to talk about, but maybe better than nothing.”

Tanya closed her eyes, trying to feel her way into Riki. She knew her ability with the healer sense was limited, but she so desperately wanted to help and ease the pain she saw in Riki's contorted features.

Tanya slipped into the light trance. Beyond the confines of her own body, she became aware of warm flesh, flowing blood, and electric pulses in nerves. She sank deeper in. A mass of ruptured veins bloated in her sight, offending her with their wrongness. Nerve endings were afire, signaling damage as pain, but she found no broken bones or crushed organs.

Gently, Tanya tried to ease away dead blood, knit together flesh, and dull the flaring nerves. She knew she lacked fine control. Her efforts were clumsy and imprecise, like an idiot wrestling with fog. She could only hope she was doing more good than harm and speeding Riki's recovery. She certainly had not reversed the injury, as a skilled healer might have done in minutes.

Tanya opened her eyes. Riki was staring at her face, but then immediately dropped her gaze, flushing softly.

Thanks,” Riki said quietly.

Did that help?”

Yes. A lot.”

Do you think you can move now?”

I'll try.”

This time, with a little assistance, Riki levered herself from the tree trunk and shuffled the short distance to the bivouac. She lay face down on the blanket. Tanya wanted to reach out and stroke her head, kiss her cheek, and tell her it would all be okay. She restrained the impulse and instead turned to the fire.

Soon, boots, wet socks, and cloaks were at one side, drying in the heat, and rice, dried meat, and beans were in a pot, bubbling over the flames. The food would be soft and edible in a half hour. While waiting for it to cook, Tanya went back to the waterside, and searched the reed beds in the fading light. Finding the plant she was after did not take long. Deadwort sap had no medicinal use, other than to induce numbness, but that would ease Riki's pain and allow her a decent night's sleep. Tanya returned to the camp.

I've found some deadwort.” She held up the dripping roots. Do you want it?”

After we've eaten.”

Okay. Dinner's about ready.”

Tanya helped Riki sit and passed her a bowl. They ate in silence. Riki probably needed all her concentration to deal with the food. For herself, Tanya stared into her bowl because she dared not look at Riki.

She could not escape the twin images—the horror she had felt, seeing the charging spadehorn toss Riki aside, and the tactile memory of Riki's body, alive under her hand. This journey was about to get even more awkward and stressful. She cared about Riki, and now that Riki was injured and needing help, keeping a distance between them was going to be impossible.