The sun was still high in the sky when the two travelers heard the rushing of water over the buzzing, screeching din of the forest. The river cut a thin gash in the shady canopy overhead, shafts of light catching insects flitting to and fro. Approaching the river, the roadway’s clearing spread out to encompass a campsite of sorts. To the side, a trail led down to the river’s edge, its dark earth packed firm by innumerable hooves of thirsty beasts.
Across the churning water stretched a bridge. Planks of dark mahogany spanned the gap in a straight path, just wide enough for a single cart to pass. No rails stood guard to protect travelers from the current of raging, brown water below. All the traffic for a score of parasangs funnelled across the planks of this one bridge.
Verdandi trotted down to the riverside, two sagging waterskins in her hands. Sabit stood at the end of the bridge, surveying the far shore. Trees from both sides leaned out over the river, nearly touching in the center.
A single traveler walked the bridge, coming from the far side toward Sabit. He led a donkey harnessed to a two-wheeled cart over the narrow path. With careful step he proceeded. Sabit could see the bridge flex with their weight as they came.
A green flash of movement caught Sabit’s eye, falling from a tree branch overhead. With barely a sound, a thin curve of green scales landed on the mahogany planks, nearer to the merchant than to Sabit. Within moments, the donkey was sure to see the snake and panic.
Sabit was sprinting across the bridge in the blink of an eye.
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Wayfarings of Sabit: Bandit Queen is copyright (c) 2017 by Michael S. Miller. All rights reserved. New chapters are posted on Monday and Thursday. You can support this and other stories on Patreon, https://patreon.com/michaelsmiller, or at http://ipressgames.com/fiction/.