Because the search wasn’t moving slowly enough, we found darkened clouds waiting for us as we re-entered the forest. The steady pitter patter was hardly a storm, but still enough to turn the ground to muck—not to mention the droplets that penetrated the canopy leaving an ethereal mist hanging in the air. Were I not afraid of giving us away, I’d have gone up and broken the clouds apart.
Instead, Sergeant Reed and I were left to trudge through the mud while our early morning lead slowly slipped away. Our single consolation was Blaze’s ability to basically glide straight over the mud, allowing her to scout more manageable trails for us. However, this did little to help with the mist, adding the weight of searching for signs of Ivory to Blaze’s shoulders.
While I did have a hunch that Ivory may have taken shelter in the old bandit tunnels, it was just that—a hunch. If she was really still in the forest, we couldn’t afford to miss any signal of her presence. Otherwise, we’d just end up uselessly wandering the mountains while the mercenaries closed in on her.
The longer we took the more I began to hope the rain would worsen—odd as that sounds. The mercenaries’ pegasi would have little trouble sweeping away the clouds, but that wouldn’t undo the damage done to the ground. Their heavy armour would fare much worse in the mud and the slicker things were, the slower they would move.
Loathe as I was to reveal the locations of Ivory’s cabins to someone who was still essentially a stranger, there was little choice. We detoured as close as time would allow us, such that we could come to Blaze’s aid if necessary, but otherwise let her check each one. I was more than a bit apprehensive, given her brash streak, and then coupled with this being her first real mission out of training. At the same time, I trusted that she’d learned her lesson years ago, with that experience tempered by the Guard’s training.
After the second cabin, I found myself paying much more attention to Sergeant Reed. Whenever Blaze returned to report that she had found yet another hut deserted, I could see a glimmer of hope in Sergeant Reed’s eyes—I daresay on par with my own. I began to ponder how I might probe for answers at camp tonight.
The sun’s descent marked the end of a day where our progress could only be measured in distance traveled. All of the huts I wasn’t able to check the first time were disappointments, with me steering us around the one where I’d had my run-in with Crimson Haze. In the very least, I hoped Ivory would notice it was compromised and shy away.
Our good friend, wild weather, must have been as exhausted as we were, for the rain finally ran dry. Of course, the ground cared not, continuing to cling to my hooves like a needy house pet.
I glanced over at Sergeant Reed for the umpteenth time. She looked more than a little tired, and as the sole person wearing any significant amount of barding among us, it was hardly a surprise. Also not a surprise was how much her steps had splattered wet mud up as far as her forelock. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have wondered if she’d recently been brawling in one of the larger puddles.
Not that I was much better off, mind, but the greater majority of it was concentrated on my legs, leaving my face squeaky clean by comparison.
Blaze came trotting back, leaving only the barest of hoofprints in her wake. In fact, the splatters had hardly even reached the hair directly above her hooves, never mind the rest of her coat. Placed right next to each other, I’m sure an outsider would have concluded that two of us had trudged straight through a bog, while the other had daintily dipped her hooves into a shallow puddle before turning back.
“Hey, Sarge!” Blaze grinned. “Found a nice, dry place. Gonna be a bit of a climb. Hope you don’t mind.”
Sergeant Reed shook her head. “Anything to get out of this swamp of a forest.”
“Sure thing! This way!” And Blaze was off again, stopping every dozen feet or so to let us catch up.
She brought us to the remains of a hill. That is, a steep, rocky cliff face, ringed by a series of inch-tall mini-hills. While it definitely would be a bit of hike, a number of footholds jutted out, snaking a surprisingly long ‘S’ up what couldn’t have been more than fifteen feet tall.
I looked between my two companions, stretching my wings a little. “I think I could fly Blaze up there, but I’m afraid your plating might be a bit too heavy, Sergeant Reed.”
“Nooooo, no, no no. No flying. Nope. I’ll take the long way, thank you,” Blaze said, making a face.
“Still haven’t gotten over that yet?” I smirked a little. “There may come a time where you get deployed to a dirigible.”
Her frown deepened. “I hope not. Besides, I… I’ve got time to get that figured out.”
“We certainly won’t be finding one of those out here. Now let’s stop standing around,” Sergeant Reed said. Without another word, she began her climb. Blaze and I exchanged a look before she followed after.
Meanwhile, I skipped the climb altogether, taking the opportunity to scan the land below. The approach from the approximate direction of the road was easy. While the tall grass might make it tougher to spot one or two people, a large force had no real hope of catching us off guard. And that was putting aside the fact that the mercenaries currently had little reason to come out this far.
The forest was a little trickier, with the canopy fluctuating at a height that really didn’t let me see inside at all. Fortunately, the edge of the forest was some distance back, with the mud giving us more of an opportunity to react. Of course, another couple minutes and we’d be all out of sight.
As I continued to stare, my eyes were drawn to the top of the canopy, its lush, brilliant greens highlighted by the final gasps of the dying light. For just a moment, I forgot that we were basically in the middle of a warzone and wished that everyone could be here to see this.
By now, Blaze and Sergeant Reed had made it to the top, The latter seemed a little winded while the former was already off again.
“It’s over here,” Blaze said, trotting toward the rear of the hill cliff.
A lone tree, though still relatively young in tree years, stood guard over a C-shaped boulder that was maybe about ten feet long. I noted, as I gave the combined shelter a onceover, that the tree was practically growing dead centre. I mused that the sapling must have been protected by the boulder before slowly, almost imperceptibly swapping roles.
Sergeant Reed nodded. “This will do. Good find.”
Blaze grinned ear to ear.
We couldn’t afford to start any fires, which left us huddled up in the inside of the rock, chewing on oh-so-delicious hay rations.
I glanced over at Blaze. “How are you holding up?”
“Me?” She laughed. “I should be asking you two.”
With a groan, Sergeant Reed shook her head. “Don’t get carried away. Don’t run too far—”
“Don’t run far ahead. I get it and you don’t have to worry.” Blaze buffed up her chest. “I take my duty very seriously. Just ask Dusky.”
“That’s… maybe not the best argument, Blaze.”
“Sounds like there’s a story there.” Sergeant Reed met my gaze with a raised eyebrow.
I smirked a little. “She’s always been pretty enthusiastic about the whole justice thing. Which got her into a bit of trouble the last time we were here.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Blaze waved a hoof. “Point is, I learned my lesson, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Is that so?” Sergeant Reed looked to me.
“There were definitely things to learn during that adventure.” I pondered a moment. “But really, if she hadn’t, would she have made it through training?”
“Hmmm. Point.” She side-eyed Blaze. “I’ll take your word for it for now.”
Seeing a chance to do some probing, I asked, “So, what about you? What brought you into the Guard? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I’ve always had a knack for getting to the bottom of things,” Sergeant Reed replied immediately, with the sort of bored tone that told me this was only the umpteenth time she’d ever repeated this. “The Guard seemed like the best place to put that to use.”
I had to wonder if there wasn’t more to it than that. The whole explanation felt a bit too practiced. Not that I didn’t believe her—the Guard wouldn’t send someone out on a solo investigation if they didn’t have faith in her skills. And yet, it didn’t quite have that whole “cutie mark calling” sort of feel, especially beside Blaze’s enthusiasm. There was likely another motive there, but what it was, I couldn’t say.
“Are you saying this kind of thing is routine for you?”
She laughed, a slight bitterness to it. “An out and out war between a militia and an undead army that destroys half a forest? No. Never on this scale. And I’ve been in both criminal and internal investigations.”
“Then why plan to send you alone?” I asked. There was a part of me that zeroed in on ‘internal investigations’, but I brushed it aside. Now was not the time.
“To be discreet.” This time, Sergeant Reed sat up straight, her eyes growing intense. “Can you imagine if word got out that the Guard has launched a large-scale investigation into the existence of a legendary necromancer within our borders? There’s panic enough as it is.”
I thought back to the chaos that was Iron Shoe and the highway out. “Fair. But what if things get out of hoof? We’re a long way from Iron Shoe.”
“I have a way of signalling them.”
“A flare?”
“I’m not at liberty to say. You may find out if I need to use it.”
“I guess I’ve no choice but to take you at your word.” I frowned, especially glad now that I’d arranged for my own backup. “I just hope that, if push comes to shove, whatever it is, it’s reliable.”
---
Though the morning was cold and uninviting, I found myself in better spirits. Being clear of the forest meant the chances of encountering the mercenaries approached zero. Even if they did have some scouts out here, the increasingly tall crags meant that, so long as I kept to a relatively low hover, it would be very difficult to spot me.
Between my ability to scout from the air and Blaze’s sixth sense for footholds, the ground route to the old bandit caves didn’t take nearly as long as I’d feared. Granted, our speed also necessitated greater vigilance—it would do us no good to scurry straight into one of the few possible mercenary patrols.
At last, we reached the edge of the cliff cover, forcing me to set down again. The last time I was here, there had been sentries hidden along the scattered patches of brush. Now, it looked completely abandoned. I swallowed hard, trying to decide whether it was more likely that Ivory was simply forgoing sentries to hide her presence or that the place really was abandoned.
“A flat?” Sergeant Reed interrupted my daydream.
I shook my head. “It looks that way, but there’s actually a small canyon that cuts through the middle of it. That’s where the cave network is.”
“Bold,” Sergeant Reed said. “If they were attacked, they would be at a severe disadvantage.”
“Provided they could be found. I think they were putting all their eggs into the subterfuge basket. Their base would be difficult to identify, even from the air.” I glanced over at Blaze. “Come to think of it, that’s probably why the bandits specifically targeted you. If you found your way here, you’d sniff them out in a heartbeat.”
“Damn straight.” Blaze beamed, doing a little run in place. “These hooves ain’t just for show.”
The path down was precarious—some parts losing nearly half its width to washout. I trusted that Blaze would find a safe path, but there was little point in me taking up precious hoof space. Besides, flying around let me scout each of the caves, just in case there were any non-foothold dangers lying in wait.
Finding nothing in the first five was both a relief and a concern. Have I made a mistake? Did I just lead us on a wild goose chase?
Granted, I didn’t go more than a few feet in, but the potential expansiveness of the network meant I’d need a good reason to venture farther. Besides that, I wasn’t too keen on splitting the group up.
The sixth cave was as dark as the rest and I squinted, for the umpteenth time. In all honesty, there really wasn’t any need to, as the scent of rotted flesh reached my nostrils. What I wasn’t expecting was the dark shape looming just a couple feet to my right. I leapt back, barely suppressing a yelp. As my heart stopped trying to escape my chest, I squinted again. Yep, that’s a zombie pony.
Several more stood beside it, with their formation mirrored on the left. I took a couple steps forward, scanning for other signs of their mistress.
“Dusky?” Blaze half-whispered. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”
I turned back, ready to report my findings, but Blaze and Sergeant Reed were already in the mouth of the cave. The zombies stirred, moving to surround them.
“Ambush!” Sergeant Reed called out, falling into a combat stance.
“Whoa! Hold on!” I shouted. “Do not strike. They won’t fight if you don’t.”
“Are you mad?! These are zombies!” Sergeant Reed drew a hoof back.
Blaze latched onto her barrel, their silhouettes merging into some kind of bizarre, double-headed pony. “No, Dusky’s right! Trust me! I know from experience!”
I let out a little groan, though I don’t think anyone heard it over the commotion. Of course she does.
“Dusky? What is going on out here?” Ivory’s unmistakable voice drifted in from the dark. A faint glow materialized, spreading down her face and part of her cloak, giving her a bit of a ghostly appearance.
“Iv—” I caught myself just in time. “Thank Celestia, you’re alive! I’ve been searching everywhere for you.
Ivory looked down. “I apologize. I knew I couldn’t stay in the forest after their initial attack.”
“You! You’re the Necromancer?” Sergeant Reed shook Blaze off, striding straight toward Ivory. When the zombies stepped in her way, she craned her neck to call over them. “What are you trying to do?! What do you hope to accomplish by surrounding yourself with these… putrid things?”
Narrowing her eyes, Ivory cast me a sideways glance. “Who is that?”
“Sergeant Reed, of the Equestrian Guard.” She mirrored Ivory’s glare—almost eerily so.
“Reed…?” Ivory’s expression melted into confusion and she took a step back.
“Huh? What’s wrong?” Blaze tilted her head. “You know Sarge?”
But Ivory didn’t hear her. “Sergeant Reed. What is your full name?”
“I’m the one asking the questions here! What do you hope to accomplish?!”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why are you deflecting?”
“I’m not.” Sergeant Reed dug in, dirt crunching beneath her hooves.
I shook my head. “Then why such a harsh reaction? I understand wanting to hide one’s identity too well, yet this still stands out to me. Let me turn the question around: what do you hope to accomplish by shouting and making demands of someone you just met?”
“I’m not shouting, I’m—” She let out a long sigh. “Okay, maybe a little. Listen, this whole situation teeters on the brink of disaster. Which way it swings is my call. To make that call, I need answers. If I… tell you my name, will you answer my questions?”
“Depends on your answer.” Ivory’s face had hardened again, and yet, I could see that tiny glint in her eye—that hint of hope.
Wait a second. Sergeant Reed. Is that—?
“Very well.” Sergeant Reed took in a deep breath. “My full name is Feather Reed.”