Red Rowan: Book 3: Return of the Reluctant Hero by Gosney Helen

Author:Gosney, Helen [Gosney, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Helen Gosney
Published: 2015-04-23T04:00:00+00:00

29. “I couldn’t just stand there and not try…”

Dorrel and Kurt enjoyed their innocent flirtations in the camp very much. Both sides knew the Wirrans wouldn’t be staying long, but that didn’t mean the forester lasses had to ignore them completely. And so long as the womenfolk were shown proper respect, none of the Siannens would spoil things for them. They’d all been youngsters themselves, after all.

They spent a week at the logging camp before coming back through the forest with the workhorses that had done their bit and earned a rest.

The foresters coming into the camp to rejoin the crew thanked Rowan and the Wirrans for bringing the workhorses and supplies in with them, thus giving them a few extra days at home. Those leaving the camp did the same before disappearing into the trees for a much faster trip home than usual, unburdened by extra horses as they were.

Ross and the Cadets had had a wonderful time in the deep forest, fascinated by this vital facet of the foresters’ lives. It was as Rowan had said, out here the Wirrans were very junior recruits, but even the most junior of recruits has a place in the scheme of things and can make themselves useful.

They’d tended horses and cleaned and mended harness as they’d expected to, and reshod some of the horses with the nubby shoes the foresters used in the forest so that their animals wouldn’t slip, but that wasn’t all they’d done. The Wirrans looked small to the foresters’ eyes, as of course Rowan himself did, but like Rowan they weren’t afraid of hard work and though they didn’t have his strength and stamina they earned the foresters’ respect.

They’d helped to lop branches from a felled Giant, awed and humbled by the sheer size of the mighty tree, and they’d planted little saplings to replenish the forest. They’d helped mark a trail to the next work site and they’d been hunting, field-dressed the deer they’d caught and helped Mariel to cook it for the foresters. They’d learnt a surprising amount about the fine art of using an axe. Of course, axe work was part of a Guardsman’s training, but not like this. As Fonse said, it was the difference between just knocking somebody’s head off with an axe and going merrily on your way, and chopping him up and disposing of him neatly without leaving a mess for someone else to clean up. And then one magical day they’d seen the dance of the lyrebird and heard its wonderful song, and been astonished at the accuracy of its mimicry. They’d even surprised themselves by going to the very top of the fire tree. Rowan and Fonse and freckle-faced Ailsa had taken them up just before dawn, laughing at their breathlessness as they’d climbed higher. Red-gold light flooded the tops of the trees for as far as they could see and the camp below them was still in darkness; they’d come down to be met by an honour guard of cheering foresters.

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