Paige rode along beside Lord Walter with her right leg over the top of her saddle. She lightly played her lute as they continued to journey westward through the valley between the mountains. The light hearted melody lifted the spirits of her companions as well as the horses themselves. "Is Lord Weir's Keep far my Lord?" Paige asked as she continued to play.

Lord Walter smiled as he shook his head, "He gave up the life as a Lord some years ago, and settled in a small village that is on the western edge of my lands. It's just three days of easy travel from my Keep, if forced you could cover it in less than two days."

Toby leaned over to Happy, "Hey, when did he start calling Paige my Lady?"

Happy shrugged, "Sometime after dinner is all I know."

Sir Cabe forced his horse to pick up it's pace and rode up from where he rode with Sylvester at the back of their column. "My Lord," he said softly as he came up along the left side of Lord Walter.

Lord Walter looked to his left, "Sir Cabe, do the pack horses need a break?"

Sir Cabe shook his head, "They are well enough for now with Lady Paige's music." Sir Cabe had noticed Lord Walter's change of address for Paige and he was mentally adjusting his address of her to reflect that. "I am sure you may already know, but something is following us," Sir Cabe told him.

Lord Walter nodded, "I've felt the presence since shortly after leaving the great bridge. I'd order a halt but I believe it is waiting for something."

Sir Cabe nodded, "Perhaps Tucker's pass?"

Lord Walter shrugged, "If it was mortal that would be an excellent place, but highly unlikely, after all, there was no plan to travel that way so how would they get men there so fast? No, my guess it will probably wait until sometime around midnight when it is at full strength."

Sir Cabe grinned, "It'll be surprised then when it finds out you're a Paladin."

Lord Walter smiled, "It may very well be that it is merely a distraction, something that I will have to contend with. As unlikely as that is, if that's the case, if it does have help, your first responsibility is to keep Ralph and the Lady protected."

Paige had watched the two knights speak quietly with each other for several minutes when she decided that perhaps it was a conversation that she should be privy to and nudged her horse over closer to Lord Walter's mount. "What are we discussing so quietly my Lord?" Paige inquired.

Lord Walter turned his head and smiled as he saw she had drawn close to him. "My Lady, we were discussing the entity that is following, trying to decide when it might try to attack," Lord Walter told her.

Paige and Sir Cabe both stared at him in disbelief, "I can't believe you actually told me." Paige told him in shook.

Lord Walter grinned, "Didn't you say if I treated you like a schoolgirl again instead of as my companion you would disappear on me faster than I can draw my sword?"

Paige blushed but nodded.

"Tucker's pass is a typical place travelers to the west will stop for the night." Sir Cabe told her, "It would be an idea place for an ambush to be readied against us." Looking back at Lord Walter, "But if I remember, there is a small stream from the north that comes down a couple of miles to the east of it. When we cross the stream, we could turn south and ride inside of the stream for a mile or so and then camp on the bank for the night."

Lord Walter grew thoughtful, "That area is heavily wooded as I recall; a bad place for a campfire. Not to mention all the trees would restrict our line of sight but our campfire would be like a beacon, lighting up the area in a way for it to be easy to follow." Lord Walter scratched at his chin, "No, we go on to the pass and camp there. We don't need an angry Dryad or Druid to contend with on top of everything else." Lord Walter finally decided.

Sir Cabe nodded and rode back to ride next to Sylvester.

"Why would this entity be following us?" Paige asked as she continued playing her lute.

Lord Walter looked at her, "No one is without enemies but after the other night and yesterday morning I would hazard a guess that it is yet another pet of King Merrick. If so he is beginning to vex me. I don't care for my steps to be dogged to start with but to know they are after you and Ralph really irks me. I may have to schedule a visit with his majesty after we take care of Wheeler's Ridge."

Paige looked at Walter, "Don't you mean 'we'?"

Lord Walter laughed, "Indeed, we will have to schedule a visit. But it would have to be with the lad safely some place else. Merrick has already proven he isn't that concerned with the lad's life."

"You think he would kill his own grandson?" Paige asked incredulously.

"Not intentionally, but the magic used yesterday was indiscriminate, there was no safeguard to protect the lad." Lord Walter told her gravely.


As they came to the stream Sir Cabe had mentioned Lord Walter stopped, and got off his charger. He walked back to one of the pack horses, and brought forward two large ceramic pots, and filled them at the stream. Ralph had immediately dismounted and came forward and stood next to the knight as he started to stand. Lord Walter smiled at his squire and nodded and with a smile on his face Ralph reached down and struggled to pick up one of the pots and strove mightily to carry it back to the pack horse Lord Walter had brought it up from. Lord Walter smiled as he picked up the other pot and watched after Ralph as he made his way to the pack horses. He nodded at Ralph as Ralph sat it down and began breathing heavily. Lord Walter secured the pot he carried first and then put his hand on Ralph's shoulder, "You did well my squire." Ralph smiled as Lord Walter picked up the second pot and secured it with the other on the horse before he returned to his charger and Ralph got back on his horse as Lord Walter began leading them on across the stream.

Toby looked at Happy and held out a tiny sack, "What's this?" Happy asked looking at him.

"What I owe you for last night," Toby told her.

Happy reached out and took the sack and dumped it into her hand to count. Toby looked at her in shock, "You don't trust me?"

Happy looked up, "Would you trust you?"

"That's just rude," Toby told her.

The valley began to narrow down as evening drew ever closer and finally Lord Walter guided his charger a bit off the trail to the south until they came to a series of large rocks in two circles one smaller and in the center of the other and stopped. Paige looked at him puzzled, "Isn't it a little early to stop?"

Lord Walter shook his head, "With all the packs we'll need the extra time to unload the horses and care for them." Lord Walter looked at Ralph, "Lad, you will tend to my charger first and then your Mother's and then yours." Pointing at the rocks, "You do not go beyond these without one of us with you, do you understand?"

Ralph nodded his head; Lord Walter smiled and clapped his hand to Ralph's shoulder.

Happy handed her reins to Toby and walked over by two of the outer rocks and beat two rods into the ground and secured a wire between them, "Tie the horses to this wire." Happy told Ralph.

Ralph nodded as he quickly took his horse over and secured it; he then rushed over to get his Mom's, and finally Lord Walter's charger before caring for them.

Lord Walter looked at Toby, "We'll need firewood."

Toby started to say something, and seeing the look on Lord Walter's face decided against it. He waited until Happy took back her reins before he rode his horse back to where the woods had stopped and walked around gathering twigs and small branches from the ground.

Happy walked over and secured her horse to the line and then walked back a bit and drove two more rods into the ground and strung another wire between them. Lord Walter and Paige brought some of the pack horses up and secured them to the second wire and then began removing their packs. Sir Cabe and Sylvester secured their mounts to the first wire, and assisted in removing the packs, and once all the horses were unburdened they began caring for the horses.

Toby returned as they were finishing with the horses, and deposited the wood at the center of the rocks, and then took his horse over and secured it before caring for it.

Lord Walter carried two of the packs over and sat each between two of the center rocks. He opened a pack, and began setting up the tent that was inside as Sir Cabe did the same with another pack he brought over. Paige cleared the center of the inner circle and adjusted the small stones that was there into a circle, and then built a triangle with the largest branches, and then stuck much of the smaller twigs into the center of the triangle before taking out her flint and stone. Just before she struck it Sylvester stopped her. "Let me," Sylvester told her as he sprinkled a foul smelling powder on the sticks, Sylvester said a single word, and Paige watched as the pieces of wood caught fire instantly.


Everyone stood around the center rocks watching Lord Walter as he finished putting up the last tent. As he stood and looked he saw the fire but no one was doing anything else. "I see the fire and cookware and bags of our stores but no one seems interested in cooking tonight?" Lord Walter asked.

Everyone kind of either kicked at the dirt or stared around into the air. Just as Paige was about to volunteer Lord Walter smiled, "Fine, last one to try and cook stands the mid-watch."

Everyone jumped quickly to the bags and pans and began struggling to wrestle the goods away from each other as Lord Walter laughed. He saw Paige standing to the side watching, "I guess that means we have the mid-watch my Lady."

Paige smiled, "I guess so."

"Ralph, I want you to grab all the bedrolls and put them inside the tents, two per tent accept this one, your bedroll will go in there with mine and Sir Cabe's. Your Mom and Happy's will go in the center tent." Lord Walter told him.

Ralph nodded and ran over to the neatly stacked packs and began bringing the bedrolls over and putting them in the tents and unrolling them.

Lord Walter removed his armor while dinner was being prepared with Paige's assistance.

Happy and Toby ended up cooking and dinner wasn't too bad, some of it was a little over done and a few burnt edges here and there. Sir Cabe looked at Lord Walter, "Maybe we need to start bringing an actual cook with us," he bit into the sandwich of extra crispy bacon he made and everyone could hear it crunch. Lord Walter smiled as he nodded his head, "There is wisdom in what you say Sir Cabe."

"Happy, you and Sir Cabe will stand first watch," Lord Walter told her as he took out a small hour glass, "Don't forget to wake me and Lady Paige after three hours. Sylvester if you need to study your books, do so by the fire, I don't wish to hear Toby whine."

"I will my Lord," Sylvester promised him with a smile.

"Excuse me, when do I whine?" Toby asked.

"You mean like right now?" Happy asked as she took the hour glass.

Lord Walter looked at Ralph, "Did you get enough to eat lad?"

Ralph smiled, "I did my Lord, thank you."

Lord Walter nodded, "Good, not knowing how you stand in your schooling, I brought a few of my favorite books with us." Lord Walter reached out with a book and handed it to him. "This is perhaps the hardest one, it is a collection of poems by William Shakespeare, have you heard of him?"

Ralph took the book from him and nodded as he looked at the ancient looking cover, "I remember reading one of his poems last year."

Lord Walter smiled, "You may read no more than two of them before going to bed. We will discuss them on the morrow."

Ralph smiled, as nodded while he opened the book.

Lord Walter turned, and looked at Paige, "I'll see you in a few hours my Lady."

"Sleep well my Lord," Paige told him as she walked over to Ralph and kissed him before retiring herself.


Lord Walter felt like he had just gotten to sleep when Sir Cabe shook his shoulder, "It's been three hours my Lord."

Lord Walter nodded as he found Ralph half sleeping on top of him, and he smiled as he gently moved the young man, and then slid out of the tent. Stretching before putting his boots back on and strapping his sword to his side, Lord Walter asked, "Anything to note while I was asleep?"

Happy shook her head, but Sir Cabe nodded as he pointed in the direction of the north, "I'm quite sure whatever was following us is somewhere just to the north of the road watching us."

Paige came out of her tent and stretched as Happy walked past her before crawling into the tent.

"We just made a fresh pot of coffee; do you wish for me to remain with you both?" Sir Cabe asked.

Lord Walter shook his head with a smile, "If it comes I'm sure we can at least hold it at bay until you can join the fight."

Sir Cabe nodded before he crawled into the tent.

Lord Walter stepped over and picked the coffee pot up off the hook it hung over the fire by, and poured a cup, and looked at Paige, "Would you like a cup my Lady"?

Paige nodded as she yawned; she sat down on the larger of the inner rocks, "Thank you my Lord. Was Sir Cabe talking about the entity we were discussing earlier?"

Lord Walter nodded as he stood up, and he stepped over to the rock handing her a cup as he sat on the rock beside her. "He said it was just past the road to the north of us," Lord Walter told her as he passed the cup to her.

Paige took a sip to test it but found the coffee was made well and she smiled, "Well at least whoever made the coffee knows more about making coffee than how dinner was cooked last night."

"Hey, you're welcome to make dinner tomorrow night," Happy yelled out of their tent.

Lord Walter and Paige both laughed.

Their watch passed quietly, Lord Walter could still feel the entity's presence but it hadn't moved the entire time. With Sir Cabe asleep in the tent Lord Walter chose to sleep outside the tent in case the entity decided to attack it would increase his response time not having to deal with getting out of the tent.

The sun's morning light woke Lord Walter a short bit before Sylvester and Toby were going to wake everyone. He stretched, and rubbed at his neck as he got up. Lord Walter frowned as he looked around the camp, "Did anything happen after I went to sleep?"

Both Sylvester and Toby shook their heads, "What's the matter?" Toby asked.

"Something seems different, and the entity is no longer across the road." Lord Walter stood as he began walking around the camp but couldn't find what felt wrong to him. He finally stopped looking and put on his armor as the others began emerging from their tents.

Sylvester and Toby had taken turns putting the various packs back on the horses saving the cookware and stores until after breakfast. The sun was fully above the tree tops as they finally had all the horses ready to go, and Happy extracted the tie downs, and stored them away.

Lord Walter looked at Paige as they sat on their horses waiting on the rest to get situated, and then they finally turned and started off riding to the north-west to reach the road. They'd gone about a mile when Ralph suddenly exclaimed, "Whoa."

Lord Walter started to turn when Ralph's horse took off running off to the north east. "Ralph," Paige exclaimed as they both took off after him. Happy joined in the pursuit as Sir Cabe, Sylvester and Toby stayed behind with the pack horses. Ralph's horse was moving at an incredible speed; even Happy's horse was losing ground as powerful as it was, even with her weighing less than either Lord Walter or Paige. The distance between them was growing with every passing second. Happy began whipping at her horse knowing that was something Lord Walter strictly forbids. The horse tried but even with the slightly improved speed Ralph's mount was just too fast. Another few minutes and the horse would enter into the denser forest and they wouldn't be able to see them anymore.


Oh no, a cliffhanger! To the Adventure! -Tim