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Rydell did not go home immediately.  There was something very unique about the dagger he had acquired that compelled him to find a hide-away for it as soon as possible.  The little fishing village of Hammond was too small to keep the dagger’s location secure for long.  Rydell was smart enough to know he could not hide it within his own shack or the smithy where he worked.  He would need to get his horse, though, if he was to travel quickly enough to avoid additional suspicion.

He worked his way along the narrow paths between the buildings as silently as possible.  A door closed somewhere along the road.  Rydell stopped long enough to hear footsteps coming toward him from the same direction as the closed door.  They grew louder as they moved progressively closer.  Although Rydell was well hidden in the shadows of darkness where the full moon did not reach between the two buildings he could feel the perspiration begin to trickle down his spine.  He could not afford to be discovered, especially not in possession of the coveted dagger.

He had a clear view of the mouth of the alley in which he pressed himself deeper into the shadows.  He prayed to the Dragon Gods that whoever was roaming about so late at night would not see him lurking in the alley.  As the footsteps drew closer, Rydell’s heartbeat echoed in his ears.  He could hear incoherent mutterings drifting on the light breeze.  The man to which those mutterings belonged approached the break between the buildings.  The moonlight illuminated the street just enough for Rydell to recognize the hated features of the Marshall.  Rydell sucked in his breath.  Haedis was the last person he wished to encounter.

Rydell forced himself not to panic as Haedis stopped midstride to look down the alley that he was using as cover.  Rydell attempted to steady his breathing to prevent additional noise that might warrant a reason for Haedis to investigate further.  Suddenly a cat jumped onto the barrel next to where Haedis stood.  It mewed pitifully until he struck out at it angrily.  The cat hissed then bolted when Haedis lunged for it.  The moon’s rays highlighted the manic rage in his expression which did little to ease Rydell’s anxieties.  Haedis’ mutterings continued as he turned back toward his original destination.

Rydell allowed himself several deep breaths to regain his composure but only once he was no longer able to hear the despised man’s voice.  He quickly thanked the Gods for their mercy in sparing him from the evil Marshall’s wrath.  Realizing Haedis would not rest until he had his vengeance, Rydell knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he had to leave Hammond.  He would never return to this place but that was of no consequence.  This was just a place to rest a bit on my way to someplace else, he reminded himself. 

The smithy was housed at the edge of town.  There he would find his horse as well as his travel gear.  He liked to keep things together like that in case he ever had to leave in a hurry.  It seems my old habits might actually save my life this night, he thought.  He cautiously wound his way toward the smithy using the narrow alleys and shadows of the night to hide his passing.  Thankfully the smithy was in the opposite direction of Haedis.  If Rydell could get to his horse quickly enough he might be able to make it into the wooded forest that encompassed three sides of Hammond.  The fourth side butted up against the Chatelaine Lake.  No escaping that direction, he said silently.  I know how to row a boat just as well as I know how to birth a baby.  Somehow, I don’t see either one happening anytime soon, he smiled wryly to himself in the darkness.

With his share of the winnings secure in the burlap sack and tucked away in his saddlebags, Rydell rode out of Hammond into the remainder of the night.  The forest was his refuge and, as he entered it, the darkness enveloped him completely as if to assist his attempts to hide his passage.  The evergreen needles that covered the path he chose also did much to muffle the sound of his horse’s hooves as they rode deeper into the wooded hills.  They headed east for a bit before he changed direction and started south.  Rydell was counting on the fact that if there was no great populace then Haedis would not have reason to venture there.

Rydell reached inside his tunic to reassure himself the dagger was still secure.  He would have to hide the dagger someplace unlikely for anyone else to have need to be, someplace uninhabited.  He did not want to chance anyone discovering it by accident.  He knew of a certain bit of the marshlands in the newest part of the kingdom.  His family, even though they were troubadours by trade, had been granted an extended stay at the home of Baron Lauderhill in Quimby.  He’d not been there yet but it was as good a spot as any he supposed.  Finally, he had his destination.  It was good that he was already heading in that general direction. 

Rydell’s eyes were heavy with exhaustion before the sun came into sight that morning.  He wanted to get as much distance as possible between Hammond, the Marshall and himself.  He had traveled throughout the night continuing on his southerly route winding his way through the dense forest.  Just as the morning sun was changing the hues in the sky, he came upon a mild stream where he and his horse were finally able to rest.  He leaned against a nearby trunk intending to close his eyes for just a moment or two.  They feel like I have sand in them, he complained silently.  I’ll just rest them a few minutes before I head on.  He never even knew he’d fallen asleep.