The Third Kingdom

“Really?” she asked. She looked up at him. “Then all we have to do is follow this and it will lead us right to where we’re going. It will lead us right to the barrier, to those open gates in the north wall.”

“No,” he said, “if we follow this new trail we are liable to run into more half people coming down from the third kingdom to hunt for people with souls. Those dead half people back there aren’t the only ones. The others are likely to be different, like the men who attacked me, or the Shun-tuk. They’re smarter. We don’t want to run into that sort if we don’t have to.”

She took a step back, as if the place was suddenly threatening. “I guess it isn’t such a good idea, then.”

With a hand on her shoulder, Richard turned her to the left. “We’ll go on a little ways farther up the trail and then turn north through the woods to go parallel with this route taken by the half people. I want to stay far enough away from it that if there are more half people coming south by this same route, they won’t hear us.

“At the same time, by staying close enough, then from time to time I can check on this trail they made so that I can make sure we’re going to the place they came from. That way it will help lead us where we’re heading, right to the third kingdom, but we won’t be as likely to run into trouble.

“It shouldn’t be too difficult to keep track of this route they’ve made trudging through the woods. From the looks of it they were simply taking the route that was the easiest because of the lay of the land. I can do the same thing, but stay off to the side so we don’t accidentally run across their trail at the wrong time.”

She made a face. “How do you know all this stuff?”

Richard shrugged. “I’ve been doing this all my life, since I was younger than you.”

After following the established trail on for some distance, Richard finally judged it far enough away from the path made by the half people to be safe, so he turned north into the woods. He regretted having to leave the trail, even as rough as it had been, and make their own trail through uncharted forest, but it was something that he was experienced doing. Because of his experience, he knew how to select the best route to take through the dense woods.

For a time as they traveled north they were able to follow a deer trail, but it eventually veered off and they had to plunge back into the thick of the woods. In several places they had to climb rock ridges to avoid taking time and trouble to find a way around. Once, they had to backtrack when Richard abruptly found himself at the edge of a cliff that would be too dangerous to climb down.

When nightfall came, Richard again found a well-hidden spot, where he built them another small shelter for the night. The drizzle had picked up as darkness closed in. They had managed to complete the shelter in time to keep themselves mostly dry. He was sore from sleeping sitting up the night before, but he was tired and his hip sockets ached from the long day of hiking though dense woods, so he was happy for any rest he would able to get. Like the previous night, he and Samantha huddled close for warmth and fell asleep quickly.

The next morning dawned cool and humid but at least the drizzle had stopped. That didn’t mean a lot, though, because both the humidity and the previous night’s drizzle and fog had left everything inside their shelter damp or dripping. Droplets of water dotted his cloak and ran off it in little rivulets when he took it off them and gave it a brief shake.

It was even more uncomfortable when they emerged from the warmth of the little shelter. It was a disagreeable feeling to see that it was another gloomy day. Richard was getting sick and tired of the endless dark days under a constant, heavy overcast. He wished for a sunny day that would dry everything out. He was beginning to see why it was called the Dark Lands. It was a dark and depressing wilderness.

They had a quick meal of sausages and travel biscuits along with a few slices of dried apples. After packing up, they were quickly on their way. Before long, they came upon a small brook that made travel through the dense undergrowth a great deal easier. As they walked, Richard checked the burbling, clear water for any sign of fish, but he didn’t see any.

After an hour of walking along the rocky bank of the brook, he decided to scout to make sure that they weren’t too close to the half people’s haphazard trail. Richard had Samantha crouch down between a rock and several small spruce trees where she was well hidden and could wait while he went off to scout. The trail the half people had made meandered aimlessly at times, so he wanted to make certain that they were still distant enough from it that they would be safe.

The trail turned out to be a goodly distance. Richard checked but didn’t see any sign that there had been anyone on the trail overnight. Happy after he saw that they weren’t too close to it, they were able to move on, using the brook as a path through the woods.