Taroniah at War by Peter Rhodan

Author:Peter Rhodan
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2022-09-15T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Southward march

Taroniah awoke the following day to clear skies and sunshine, although a cool breeze kept things from warming up, and by lunchtime, dark clouds were blowing in from the west. They had elected to follow the main road south, although it did tend to wind a bit in this northern section. If they had been making for the Penhampian capital, they would have gone south straight along the coastal road that was more of a farm track than anything. Cutting back to the east and following the main road allowed them to make quicker progress rather than following the farm tracks south, although the advantage gained was mitigated somewhat by the dog leg that the road took a day's march southeast of Wesford.

Just to make the journey more exciting, the clouds built up, and it began to rain on the second day. It was only fairly light at first but gradually got heavier throughout the day, and by the time they swung back around to the southeast after dog legging to the northeast, their progress was being slowed by the muddy state of the road. Camping on the sodden ground was no fun either as they slowly passed through a small, forested area heading for the town of Denholm. It took them five days to reach the town rather than the three and a half they had expected, but fortunately, they discovered that there was a large inn at the southern end of the town that could accommodate them all as the foul weather had dried up the number of travelers on the road.

The troopers had to cram into the rooms, with three in each, but like her, they were just happy that they had a roof over their heads and a dry bed in which to sleep. Kauriga suggested they stay a second night in the town to let their horses rest after the fair amount of traveling they had undertaken through the boggy conditions. This would mean they could also take their time buying supplies in the town's market. Taroniah was quite happy with this plan as the weather was still depressingly wet, and she felt she had done enough riding in the rain to last her a lifetime. While some of her troops went about looking for supplies, others started going over the horse's tack out in the inn's stables, checking for parts that needed to be repaired or replaced.

The following morning, Taroniah found the idea of leaving the warm parlor she was sitting in after breakfast was not in the least bit enticing and decided she would probably remain sitting there until lunchtime. She had barely made this decision when the innkeeper knocked and entered the room, leading a young boy.

"This lad has a note for you, Lady." the man said.

"Yes?" Taroniah asked, looking up in surprise.

"Are you Lady Tar-ron-eea?" the lad asked, looking very nervous.

"Yes, I am," she replied, amused by the drawn-out pronunciation.

The lad handed her a folded-over piece of paper. Taroniah took the note made of rather poor-quality paper, opened the missive, and read what was there.

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