Chapter 245 — The Fox Comes Home

Ren could see Hearthfang's upper paths long before he reached the first familiar shelter.

Pell had been complaining about the last stretch of road for nearly an hour.

“If that seller wanted three bundles delivered, he should have given us three bundles.”

“He gave us two,” Ren said. “That's why he didn't receive payment for three.”

“He seemed to think shouting would change the count.”

Tovan, walking behind the carrying frame, made an amused sound.

Ren shifted the strap resting across his left shoulder. The binding had begun rubbing that morning, and there hadn't been much point in stopping to change it with so little road remaining.

“Let him shout at his brother. They're the ones who loaded it.”

Pell glanced at him.

“You'd trade with him again?”

“If he has something worth buying. I'll be checking the bundles myself before we agree on a count.”

“I wouldn't bother.”

“That's your choice. I want to see what he brings next time.”

Pell muttered something about sellers who couldn't count their own goods. Tovan laughed, and Ren left them to it.

The road had held well enough on the return journey. Workers had packed fresh gravel into one soft section near a lower marker, and the loaded frames had crossed without difficulty. Ren had seen no new damage along their route, although several traders farther east had repeated warnings about rockfalls on other roads.

He had kept track of who claimed to have seen the damage themselves. There hadn't been many.

Near Hearthfang's outer paths, a female carrying greens recognized him and stopped.

“Ren! You're home.”

“Just arrived.”

“Did you bring anything good?”

“A few things. Soren will have the goods counted before anyone starts choosing.”

She looked past him at the carrying frames.

“I'll ask him tomorrow.”

“You should. There's a woven lot that might interest your household.”

She thanked him and continued toward the upper path.

Pell watched her go.

“We haven't even put the loads down.”

“People are curious.”

“People are going to be standing outside that shelter before breakfast.”

Ren smiled. He suspected Pell was right.

Ahead, he could hear several workers calling to one another near the storage area. A pair of children hurried past with an empty basket between them, and an older male warned them to slow down at the turn.

Ren recognized the man's voice.

He answered the greeting called after him, then followed the carriers toward the receiving shelter.

His shoulder ached, his feet were tired, and he was beginning to wish he'd eaten more at the last rest stop.

He also kept looking up the path that led toward home.

Soren was waiting beside a cleared space beneath the storage shelter.

Two workers had already brought out the receiving slates. Another was moving an ordinary household order away from the section reserved for returning trade goods.

Soren finished speaking to him before approaching Ren.

“You made it before the evening rush.”

“The last crossing was easier than we expected.”

He looked at the load.

“Let's get it down.”

Pell and Tovan lowered the main carrying frame onto the prepared supports. Barek arrived with the second load a moment later.

Ren untied the personal bundle he'd secured above the goods and set it beside his travel things. The remaining bundles stayed on the frame for counting.

Soren began with the seller records.

Ren handed over the marked strips and explained the outstanding quantities. Goods accepted during the journey were listed separately from those still awaiting confirmation, and the workers checked the bindings against the recorded loads before moving anything into storage.

When Soren reached the entries for the three older disputed supplier bundles, he paused.

“Anything definite?”

“Not yet. I heard another account, but it came from someone who wasn't there when the bundles were handed over.”

“Then the count stays open.”

“That's how I left it.”

Ren pointed out two tied packages.

“Those are the returned trade samples. Keep them with their seller marks until we've compared everything. The bindings are still intact.”

Soren had a worker place them on a separate shelf.

Ren then opened his personal bundle and took out a smaller wrapped packet.

“I also brought these for Shen. They're small samples from sellers I met farther east. I want him to examine them before I consider a larger purchase.”

Soren glanced at the packet and its separate markings, then returned to the receiving slate.

Ren tucked it back into his personal bundle.

He looked toward the upper path again.

Soren noticed.

“You can leave the remaining count to us.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you still standing here?”

“Because I have one more thing to ask you.”

Ren lowered his voice as Pell and the workers moved to the other side of the frame.

“Did the letter I sent west reach you?”

“Not yet. I haven't had a confirmed handover for it.”

Ren frowned.

He'd sent the letter with an earlier returning carrier, expecting it to reach Hearthfang ahead of him. Apparently the message hadn't followed the route as quickly as he'd hoped.

“Let me know when it arrives.”

“I will.”

Pell called from the other side of the shelter.

“Ren, are you keeping that little bundle with you?”

“Yes. It's mine.”

“Good. I was about to put it with the counted goods.”

Ren went over and picked up his personal bundle.

“You're finished with the unloading?”

“Everything's off the frames. Soren's people are checking the last marks.”

Pell stretched his shoulders.

“I'm going to find food before somebody discovers another bundle that needs carrying.”

“You've earned it,” Ren said.

Tovan and Barek were already heading toward the water station. Ren thanked them for the journey, and Tovan raised a hand without turning around.

Soren took the remaining record from Ren.

“Go home. I'll send word if something needs your attention.”

“If it isn't urgent, tomorrow will do.”

“Most things can wait until tomorrow.”

Ren gathered his travel things and started up the path.

By the time he left the shelter behind, he was walking faster than he had during the last mile.

Nia was putting away a shallow bowl when someone spoke from the entrance.

“Is there enough food for one more?”

She knew his voice before she turned.

Ren stood just inside the cave, his travel bundle hanging from one shoulder. Dust marked his clothing, and his hair had escaped the tie he'd used to keep it out of his face.

Nia put the bowl on the shelf.

“Ren!”

He barely managed to lower his things before she reached him.

She threw her arms around him, and he caught her with a laugh that sounded breathless at the end.

“There you are.”

“You're home!”

She kissed him before he could say anything else.

His arms tightened around her, and when she drew back to look at him, he leaned down and kissed her again.

Nia held his face between her hands.

“You didn't tell me you were arriving today.”

“I didn't know whether we'd make it until we crossed the lower road.”

“You could have sent someone ahead once you were close.”

“I could have.”

He smiled, but his eyes looked tired.

Nia kissed him once more and pressed her cheek against his.

His clothes were warm from the journey, carrying the familiar scents of leather and road dust. He was here, standing in their cave with his arms around her.

She stayed against him until he shifted his weight.

“Your shoulder?”

“The strap rubbed a little.”

“Come inside properly. You can tell me about it after you've sat down.”

Ren looked past her toward the hearth.

“Does that invitation include food?”

“It does.”

“Good. I've been thinking about supper since midday.”

Nia laughed and took his hand.

He picked up his bundle with the other hand and followed her to the table.

After setting it beside his seat, he washed his hands and face with the water she brought him. Nia fetched a clean cloth and waited while he finished.

He looked relieved when he finally sat.

“Did the journey go badly?” she asked.

“No. I'm just tired.”

She brought him warm greens, meat, and broth from the food prepared earlier.

Ren leaned over the bowl.

“I've missed this.”

“You've been eating dried meat again.”

“Among other things.”

He took several mouthfuls before continuing.

“One trader fed us something Barek said might be easier to carry if we tied it to the load instead of eating it.”

Nia laughed.

“Was it really that tough?”

“Barek was exaggerating. A little.”

Ren concentrated on eating for a while.

Nia sat beside him rather than across the table. His free hand found hers between mouthfuls, and she rested against his arm.

He ate steadily, slowing only when the bowl was nearly empty.

“Do you want more?” she asked.

“In a little while.”

“Then you're getting tired.”

“I've been tired since the last shelter.”

“Why didn't you stop longer?”

“We rested. I was ready to come home.”

Nia looked up at him.

Ren brushed his thumb over her fingers.

“I knew you were here.”

She leaned toward him, and he kissed her temple.

They sat that way until he reached for his water.

Nia had heard enough trade gossip from Ayari to be curious about what Ren had actually found on the journey.

“Ayari told me about a cloth trader whose brother sent the wrong bundles,” she said. “Apparently the dyed cloth went west when it was supposed to stay east.”

Ren turned toward her.

“She heard about that already?”

“Two days ago, just as she was leaving our cave.”

“Then the brothers managed to embarrass themselves across several roads.”

He leaned back with his cup.

“The bundles were mixed up, just as she heard. By the time I reached their stall, they had the right lengths again, but that wasn't the end of their trouble. Some of the dyed pieces were uneven, and the seller still wanted the same price as the better ones.”

Nia shifted closer to look at him.

“Were the colors bad?”

“Not all of them. A few pieces were beautiful. Others had patches where the dye hadn't taken properly.”

“That could work for certain things, depending on the pattern.”

“He wasn't offering them cheaply enough to make the flaws worthwhile. He knew which lengths had the problem, too. I watched him move one beneath the good pieces when another buyer approached.”

Nia frowned.

“That's a quick way to lose someone who might have bought from him again.”

“It is. But he was more concerned about the price he could get that afternoon.”

Ren drank some water.

“His brother was still arguing with him when we left. I didn't stay to hear the end.”

“Ayari would have.”

“I'm sure she would.”

Nia laughed at the thought of Ayari standing near the stall, collecting every detail of the disagreement.

“I'll have to tell her what you saw. She only heard about the wrong bundles.”

“Tell her the brothers were still shouting. She can ask someone else how it ended.”

Nia smiled.

Ren set his cup down and stretched his legs beneath the table.

“I met another trader who was much better at his work. He made me change my offer before we'd even finished discussing it.”

That caught Nia's interest.

Ren explained that he'd approached the man expecting to exchange a particular material for a larger quantity of goods. The trader listened, then pointed out what other sellers were already paying for the same material.

“I thought he was trying to push the price higher,” Ren said. “So I checked with two neighboring sellers before I went back.”

“And he was right?”

“He was. I hadn't accounted for the demand along that road.”

Ren looked faintly annoyed at the memory, though his interest in the man was obvious.

“I'd spent half the morning deciding what to offer him. He took one look and knew I'd have to change it.”

Nia rested her elbow on the table.

“You don't seem very upset about losing the bargain.”

“I didn't lose everything. We found another exchange that worked for both of us, though I got less than I'd planned.”

He rubbed a thumb over the rim of his cup.

“I'd rather learn from him now than keep making the same mistake with people who won't bother explaining it.”

Nia could understand that. She'd spent enough time learning Hearthfang's ingredients and household customs to know how useful an experienced person's correction could be.

“Maybe you'll have something he wants more next time.”

“Possibly. He told me which goods are difficult to find along his route. I'll check whether they're worth carrying before I offer anything.”

Ren shifted in his chair. His left shoulder moved stiffly, and he stopped halfway through stretching.

“Shen's going to notice that,” Nia said.

“He probably will.”

“And you're going to pretend it doesn't hurt.”

“I was going to tell him it hurt a little.”

“A little?”

Ren gave her a look.

Nia laughed and rested her head against his good shoulder.

They remained at the table while he finished his water.

After a while, he asked what had happened in Hearthfang while he was away.

Nia told him about Ayari's visit and the gathering scheduled for the following day at the lower pond.

“Sera chose the day, and we're meeting after the midday meal. Ayari was trying to get everyone invited before she went home.”

“Will you go?”

“Of course. I haven't had an afternoon with that many of the women just for pleasure in a while.”

She told him about the disagreement between Mira and Tessa over the cloth invitation, and about Keva's younger sister wanting a new comb while her brother was secretly carving one for her.

Ren knew enough of the people involved to find the latter situation amusing.

“She'll probably discover what he's making the day after she buys one.”

“That's what Mari thinks too.”

Nia also mentioned her unsuccessful attempt to make a thick cake the day before.

Ren turned toward her.

“You made cake?”

“I tried. Shen and Mari both tasted it, and neither of them wanted much.”

“Was it burned?”

“Only underneath. The middle barely cooked at all.”

Ren made a sympathetic sound.

“I wish I'd seen it.”

“You're welcome to help with the next attempt.”

“Will there be something to eat while we wait?”

Nia laughed.

“I'll make sure of it.”

Ren listened as she continued describing the afternoon Ayari had spent with her and the children who had been making so much noise along the household paths.

When he kissed her again, the conversation stopped for a while.

Shen returned later in the afternoon.

He stepped into the cave carrying a small basket from the care station, then stopped when he saw Ren.

Ren rose from his seat.

Shen crossed the room and embraced him.

For several moments, neither said anything.

Then Shen drew back.

“You came in today.”

“We reached the settlement before the afternoon work ended.”

“I thought you might be another day.”

“So did I, at first.”

Shen kept a hand on his arm.

“Have you eaten?”

“Nia took care of that.”

“She usually does.”

Ren smiled.

Shen looked at his dusty clothing and the travel bundle beside the chair.

“How was it?”

“Long. Interesting. The last two days were tiring.”

“Did the others come back with you?”

“All three. They've gone to eat and rest.”

Shen set his basket aside.

Ren reached into his personal bundle for the small packet he'd kept separate from the returned trade goods.

“I found a few samples I thought you might want to examine. They're labeled, but I haven't opened them.”

Shen accepted the packet and looked at the markings.

“Are these for the care station?”

“Possibly, if any are useful. I wanted your judgment first.”

“Then I'll look properly tomorrow.”

He placed the packet on the household shelf, away from the food.

Ren watched him.

“You're not going to start inspecting everything now?”

“No. You've just come home.”

Shen sat beside him.

They spoke about the journey while Nia finished putting away the things she'd been using.

Ren told Shen about one evening when the carriers had taken shelter near a group of travelers who were arguing over a broken basket fastening.

“The older female finally fixed it herself,” he said. “She'd been telling them what to do for half an hour, and neither would listen.”

Shen smiled.

“I suppose they listened afterward.”

“They stopped arguing, at least.”

Ren shifted in his chair and winced.

Shen noticed immediately.

“Your shoulder?”

“The left one. The strap rubbed on the return.”

“Is the skin broken?”

“I don't think so.”

“Let me see.”

Ren loosened the upper part of his travel clothing.

Shen examined the irritated patch, then touched the muscle beside it.

Ren drew in a breath.

“That's sore.”

“I can see that.”

Shen fetched a clean cloth and a small amount of soothing preparation from the household supplies. The skin was rubbed but unbroken, so he cleaned the area and tended it without making Ren sit through a longer examination.

“You should keep the strap off that shoulder tomorrow,” he said.

“Gladly.”

Ren adjusted his clothing once Shen finished.

Shen put away the preparation and took the used cloth to be washed.

Ren reached for his hand when he returned.

“Thank you.”

Shen squeezed his fingers.

“I'm glad you're back.”

“Me too.”

Nia had been sitting nearby. Ren reached toward her with his free hand, and she joined them.

For a while the three sat close together, speaking quietly about things that hadn't been important enough to send across the road.

Kael returned before supper.

Nia heard him speaking to someone along the path, then the conversation ended, and his steps approached the cave.

He entered and stopped when he saw Ren.

Ren rose.

Kael came directly to him.

They clasped forearms, and Kael pulled him into a firm embrace.

Ren held him just as tightly.

“You made it home,” Kael said.

“Before supper, even.”

Kael stepped back and looked him over.

Ren had already washed, but there was still dust near the seams of his travel clothing.

“You look tired.”

“I am.”

“Then sit. I'll wash.”

Kael rested a hand briefly against the back of Ren's neck before turning away.

Ren watched him go.

Nia came over with a serving dish.

“You've been home for hours and you're still wearing half the road.”

“I was saving some of it for Kael.”

She shook her head and carried the dish to the table.

By the time Kael returned, Shen had finished arranging the evening food.

The four of them sat together.

Kael asked about the road while they began eating.

Ren told him where the gravel repairs had held, which crossing had required more care, and what he'd heard about rockfalls farther east.

“No fresh fall where we traveled,” he said. “I couldn't get a direct account from anyone who'd seen the other damaged sections.”

Kael nodded.

“Selvan can compare the next reports with the routes you used.”

“Soren has the seller records and the remaining goods. The disputed three bundles are still open.”

“Did you get a witness?”

“Not one who saw the original handover.”

“Then Soren can keep it open until someone does.”

Ren agreed and reached for another serving of greens.

Kael didn't ask him to repeat the inventory Soren had already received.

Instead, he wanted to know whether the carriers had managed the return journey comfortably.

“Pell complained,” Ren said.

Kael looked at him.

“Pell complains when he's comfortable.”

“He was especially comfortable on the last stretch.”

Shen laughed.

Ren ate another mouthful before continuing.

“He did well. So did the others. Barek caught a loose binding before it damaged one of the loads.”

“Good.”

Kael turned his attention to supper.

Nia passed him the meat dish, and the conversation moved to some of the other people Ren had met along the road.

He spoke of an older trader who had taken time to show him the difference between two woven materials that looked almost identical.

“He laid them beside each other and made me examine the edges,” Ren said. “I hadn't noticed how differently they were finished.”

Shen looked interested.

“Was one poorly made?”

“Not exactly. They were meant for different uses, and I was judging them by how they looked rather than how they held together.”

Ren took another bite before continuing.

“The man knew I wasn't going to buy either one that day. He still showed me what to look for.”

Nia glanced toward the household storage shelves, where several kinds of woven covers were kept for different work.

“That was generous of him.”

“It was. I'll remember him when I need something in that line.”

The conversation continued through supper. Ren spoke about people who had been difficult, others who'd helped the carriers when they needed it, and the ordinary disagreements that occupied traders after their work was finished.

Nia listened while he talked, sometimes interrupting when something caught her interest. Kael and Shen added remarks of their own, particularly when Ren described people they already knew.

By the time the meal ended, Ren had begun yawning between stories.

Shen noticed first.

“You're falling asleep.”

“Not yet.”

“You just stopped in the middle of a sentence.”

Ren looked at him.

“I was choosing my words.”

Nia laughed.

Kael collected the empty serving vessel.

“You can finish the story tomorrow.”

Ren didn't argue.

After supper, Ren took his personal bundle to the sleeping area, and Nia followed him.

He settled beside her and removed a folded length of cloth, laying it across her lap.

The fabric was finely woven, with a deep, warm color that became richer where the lamplight touched it.

Nia unfolded one edge.

“Oh, Ren.”

“I bought it for you from one of the eastern cloth sellers.”

She looked at him.

“It's beautiful.”

“There wasn't enough left for a full garment. I thought you might find something to do with a shorter length.”

Nia ran her fingers along the weave.

“A wrap, perhaps. Or I could use it with another fabric.”

“You can decide after you've had a better look.”

She held it against herself, examining the color.

Ren had chosen well.

Nia folded it carefully and set it on the nearby shelf before turning back to him.

“Thank you.”

Ren smiled.

“I wanted to bring you something.”

“You brought yourself home.”

He reached for her.

She moved into his arms and kissed him.

For a while, he held her without speaking. His shoulders had relaxed since supper, and he no longer seemed to be listening for the next person calling him back to the loads.

Nia touched the side of his face.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

She leaned against him.

After a few minutes, Ren rested his cheek against her hair.

“I sent a letter home.”

Nia looked up.

“You did?”

“I wrote it for you, Kael, and Shen. Soren hasn't received it yet.”

“Oh. I didn't know.”

“I'd hoped you'd all have it before I came back.”

Nia smiled.

“I wrote to you too, after you left. Shen took the letter to Soren.”

Ren lifted his head.

“You sent me a letter?”

“Of course I did.”

His smile widened.

“Nobody brought it to me on the road.”

“I wondered whether it would reach you before you came home. Shen said it might not.”

Ren brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

“I still want to read it.”

“Even though I'm sitting right here?”

“Especially now.”

Nia laughed softly.

“I want yours too.”

“Soren will let me know if mine arrives.”

“We can ask him about mine once he hears from the eastbound carriers.”

Ren nodded.

“It's probably still somewhere along the road.”

“Then we'll have to be patient.”

She settled against him again.

There were small things she'd written while he was away that she still wanted him to read in her own words. She was curious about what he'd chosen to tell the three of them, too.

Ren kept an arm around her as they returned to the main room.

Kael had finished checking the entrance covering, and Shen was putting away the last of the evening food.

Ren took a seat beside Nia and stretched his legs beneath the table.

Shen brought him a cup of water before sitting on Nia's other side.

The household was quieter now. Outside, the last conversations along the passage faded as neighboring families settled in for the night.

Ren drank some water and set the cup down.

Nia reached for his hand beneath the table.

He turned his palm toward hers and laced their fingers together.

After a while, he rested his head against the back of the chair, still holding her hand.