Mastery Is Earned

Teddy led Dario and the others back along the same route, moving noticeably faster than he had on the way out. When he had come this way with only Raymond, Teddy had spent the entire journey worrying that he might run into danger. Now that members of the town guard were with him, he found himself wondering whether something had happened to Raymond instead. The two of them might not have been particularly close, but they had just completed a commission together, and Teddy was the one who had left Raymond alone at the fork. If something truly had happened to Raymond, Teddy would feel at least somewhat responsible.

Besides, he was the one bringing reinforcements. If he returned too late, he would have no way to answer to Dario. Teddy stopped letting his imagination run wild. He focused on identifying the marks along the way and hurried onward with his head down.

After following the abandoned logging road for some distance, the group finally returned to the fork where Teddy and Raymond had parted. The heavy smell of blood soon reached them. Four corpses lay sprawled nearby, and the bloodstains on the ground had already begun to darken. Teddy's expression changed at the sight. He instinctively scanned the faces of the dead. Only after confirming that Raymond was not among them did he breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

“Raymond!”

Teddy called out several times, but no answer came. Dario immediately ordered the guards to stay alert, then crouched to examine the dead men's wounds. Two had died from sword wounds, while the other two bore broad axe wounds—one between the neck and shoulder, the other across the chest. They had clearly not been killed by the same person.

Meanwhile, Teddy searched around the fork and soon discovered a freshly carved arrow on a tree. The cut in the bark was still new, and the arrow pointed down one of the paths.

“There's a mark here! Raymond probably left it!”

Teddy shouted to the others, and everyone immediately followed him. As they searched in the direction of the arrow, they found several more identical marks along the way. After following them for several hundred meters, the group finally saw three flatbed carts standing among the trees ahead. Three horses were tied beside the trees. The carts were piled high with ore and untreated pelts, and not far away lay another corpse with an axe wound across its chest.

Teddy stared in bewilderment. When he left, there had been nothing near the fork but a few suspicious wagon ruts. How had five corpses and three carts loaded with goods appeared in such a short time?

Dario raised a hand for everyone to stop. The guards drew their weapons and warily surveyed the surroundings. Just as Teddy prepared to call for Raymond again, Raymond's voice suddenly came from among the dense leaves overhead.

“It's me.”

Raymond parted the branches concealing him just enough to show his face to the guards below. Once he was certain they recognized him, he climbed down the trunk. Seeing Raymond alive eased Teddy's unease considerably. His attention soon returned to the three carts loaded with goods nearby.

“Raymond?” Dario looked first at him, then at the corpse nearby. “What happened here?”

“The wagon ruts we found belonged to a group of smugglers,” Raymond briefly explained. “Five men tried to kill me. Henk arrived and helped, and he was also the one who found these goods.”

Dario looked at the corpse with the axe wound, then recalled the other two beside the fork and quickly pieced together what had happened.

“Where's Henk?”

“He followed the wrong trail. He's already gone back to the previous fork to continue looking for Sarah.”

Once he heard that the men were smugglers, Teddy's attention settled on the three carts again. Teddy could not tell how much the ore was worth, but there was no mistaking the value of an entire cartload of pelts. Even damaged, several of those bear and deer hides would fetch a good price in Blackstone.

“These count as spoils, don't they?” Teddy could not resist edging closer and asking tentatively, “Do we get a share?”

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“We?” Raymond glanced at him.

“I helped find this place, and I ran back to bring reinforcements,” Teddy said with perfect confidence. “You can't say none of this has anything to do with me.”

“Henk found these goods, and he killed the guard. Even I had little to do with it.” Raymond shook his head and looked at Dario, who was examining the cargo. “Besides, this may be connected to a smuggling case. We can't treat it as ordinary spoils for now.”

“He's right.” Dario stood and motioned for several guards to inventory the carts. “Everything here is evidence. No one is allowed to take any of it before the investigation is complete.”

Teddy opened his mouth, still wanting to argue, but when he noticed Dario looking at him, he obediently closed it again. Even so, he still looked at the cartload of pelts with regret. If he had known they would find so much here, he would not have left in such a hurry. At the very least, he should have stayed beside Raymond and seen exactly what happened.

After assigning the guards to inspect the carts, Dario turned back to Raymond. Raymond clearly had more to say, but he merely glanced at the people examining the goods nearby and did not speak at once. Dario noticed his gaze and tilted his head toward the woods nearby. The two soon left the carts and walked to a place where their conversation could not be overheard. Teddy watched from where he stood. Though intensely curious, he did not dare sneak after them right in front of Dario.

Once they had left, Teddy crouched beside the cart of pelts. He reached out and felt one of the deer hides. Although it had been treated somewhat crudely and was damaged in several places along the edges, it could still be sold for a decent sum once it was taken back to Blackstone and properly tanned. Unfortunately, the town guard was watching. No matter how badly he wanted it, he did not dare take anything in secret.

Teddy glanced toward the woods from time to time. The two men were not particularly far away, but they deliberately kept their voices low. Teddy could only see Dario's expression gradually turn grave; he could not make out what they were saying.

After a while, Dario finally returned with Raymond. He said nothing more about how the spoils would be handled. Instead, he summoned an older guard and quietly gave the man several instructions. The guard looked puzzled at first, but his expression soon changed as he listened.

“Return to Blackstone immediately and report what happened here to the sheriff in person. Do not stop along the way, and do not tell anyone else.”

The guard nodded solemnly, took water and his weapon, and quickly departed along the route they had come. Dario assigned the rest to inventory the goods and examine the bodies, recording the contents of each cart separately.

Teddy stood to the side and watched, his curiosity steadily mounting. If they had merely caught a few ordinary smugglers, Dario would have no reason to send someone all the way back to Blackstone, much less insist that the man report directly to the sheriff. Raymond and Henk had clearly discovered something more important.

While Teddy was still speculating, Dario suddenly looked his way.

“Can you still follow Henk's trail?”

Teddy glanced at Raymond, then at Dario.

“I should be able to. Henk's footprints are much deeper than an ordinary person's. As long as he didn't cross ground that's too hard, they shouldn't be difficult to follow.”

Dario considered this for a moment, his gaze passing in turn over the guards present, the corpses on the ground, and the three carts loaded with goods. Teddy followed his gaze and gradually understood the problem. The search parties were still scattered around Silverleaf Village, and one guard had just been sent back to Blackstone with the report. Those remaining had to secure the scene and bring all three carts back to the village, making it difficult to send anyone deeper into the forest.

“You two will continue scouting along Henk's trail.” Dario looked at Raymond and Teddy. “Your only task is to confirm where they went and where they are. Leave marks along the way. Do not approach the enemy, and under no circumstances are you to engage them.”

“If you find their hideout, one of you will return to report while the other remains at a distance to keep watch. Do you understand?”

Raymond nodded. Teddy, however, instinctively looked toward the three carts. Staying behind was clearly safer, and he would even get to guard these valuable goods. No matter how he looked at it, that was the more sensible choice. But then he remembered what had just happened. He had only been gone a short while, yet Raymond and Henk had found three carts, while five smuggler corpses had appeared nearby. If he stayed behind again, who knew what else he might miss?

Besides, they were only responsible for scouting. Once they found the place, they could come back. They would not actually have to fight the bandits. And with that hulking northerner ahead of them, there shouldn't be much danger anyway.

“Of course I'm going.”

Teddy patted the weapon at his waist. “I was the first one to find the trail. I can't just abandon the investigation halfway through, can I?”

Dario ignored the excuse Teddy had found for himself and merely reminded the two of them once more not to act on their own. Raymond had already returned to the fork and begun examining the massive footprints Henk had left behind. Teddy took one last look at the deer hides on the cart, gritted his teeth, and hurried after him.

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