Luca Orvane's Arc

Chapter 3 of 8

The storm died by morning. Luca thanked Pebble and rode east around the bend, following the gnome's directions. But the heat pressed down, and his canteen gave only a thin trickle. The grain sack hung flat against the saddle. The steed's steps slowed in the deep sand. Luca did the math. Water for half a day. Grain for less. The crossing ahead would take two. Without resupply, both of them would drop before the far side. He squinted at the shimmer ahead and saw a figure trudging under a backpack twice its size. Jars, rope, and spare boots swung from every strap. A straw hat bobbed above it all. A traveling merchant, out here alone, somehow still smiling. "Oh, hey! Didn't expect company." The merchant stopped and stuck out a hand. "Sunnie. Crossing to Copperhead Junction. Salt, beans, cards, pickled stuff. You look rough, friend. Low on water?" "Dangerously," Luca said, swinging down. He gave his best crooked grin. "And grain. My horse won't make the crossing dry. I'd trade for whatever you've got." Sunnie frowned at the empty canteen. "Oh. Bad spot. I got a feed sack, sure. But water? I'm near out too. Can't sell what I don't have." He scratched under his hat. "But hey. I know a trick. Follow me." Luca hesitated. Trusting a stranger in the open desert had cost him before. But the steed's flanks heaved, and he had no better plan. He led the horse after the little merchant. Sunnie walked straight toward a low cluster of sun-bleached stones, like he'd been there a hundred times. He kicked aside a flat rock and laughed. Behind it, water pooled clear and cool, ringed with hardy green brush. A hidden spring, right where the map showed only dust. "How'd you know?" Luca asked. "Didn't, really." Sunnie shrugged and knelt to fill his jars. "I just get lucky. Always have." Luca filled his canteen and let the steed drink deep. He bought the feed sack for two silver coins, rough oats and cracked corn spilling from the top. He poured a handful into his palm and the horse ate from his hand. The crossing was possible now. The obstacle broke clean. Then Sunnie pointed past the spring, his smile fading for the first time. "Oh. You chasing those six riders? Saw them two days back. Hard men. They watered here, then headed east toward the old smelter town." He lowered his voice. "One of them had a busted arm. Said they were digging in. Waiting for someone." Luca stopped chewing on his own water. The gang wasn't just running anymore. They'd stopped. They'd fortified. And they were waiting for more men to join them. "Thanks, Sunnie," he said quietly. He capped his full canteen and swung back into the saddle. He had water. He had grain. He could make the crossing now. But what waited on the other side had just grown teeth.