Chapter 22: Beyond Oakridge
The following morning, a cool breeze moved through the courtyard of Blackwood Manor.
The estate had grown busier with each passing day, although calling it busy would have sounded almost ridiculous to anyone from Aurelia. Blackwood still had no grand household staff, no permanent military garrison, and only a handful of people capable of keeping the manor itself functioning.
Yet compared with the silence Kael had first walked into, the difference was impossible to miss.
Messages now moved between the villages and the manor. Timber inventories from Oakridge rested beside bridge reports and tax records. Supply wagons traveled toward the mill. Volunteers from nearby settlements had begun taking turns watching the estate entrances at night, less as trained guards and more as neighbors making sure nobody wandered onto House Kael’s land unnoticed.
Their equipment was poor.
Some carried hunting bows.
Others old spears.
One man had shown up with a farming hook and insisted it was better than nothing.
But people were standing straighter.
Not because Blackwood had suddenly become safe.
Because effort had returned.
Kael stood on the manor steps fastening a dark traveling cloak over a plain tunic. He had chosen simple trousers, worn leather boots, and a practical short sword at his hip rather than anything that made him look as though he were attending court.
Lily inspected him with visible dissatisfaction.
You really intend to dress like that?
Kael looked down.
Is there something wrong with it?
You look ordinary
He smiled.
Excellent
That wasn’t praise
It is now
Lily folded her arms.
One day you’re going to attend some important meeting dressed like a farmer and I’m going to let Edwin deal with it
That’s fair
Edwin approached carrying a leather satchel.
Maps, fresh parchment, ink, food for three days, two waterskins, and enough coin for reasonable expenses
Kael accepted it.
Reasonable according to whose definition?
Mine
Then I’m definitely safe
Edwin ignored that.
If the journey takes longer, several southern settlements still maintain old manor storehouses. Whether they contain anything useful is another question
Kael slung the satchel over one shoulder.
We’ll find out
Edwin hesitated.
Must you travel without a proper escort?
Kael glanced toward the courtyard gate.
I’m not traveling alone
Bram appeared first.
The old gardener carried a walking staff instead of the shovel he sometimes used around the estate, although a short utility blade hung at his waist beneath his coat. Behind him came Garrick Ironhand in a heavy traveling cloak, looking considerably less comfortable away from his forge than he did standing in front of an anvil.
Master Rowan followed more slowly, carrying a walking stick in one hand and an old rolled survey map under the opposite arm.
Edwin stared.
All three?
Kael shrugged.
I invited them
Rowan grunted.
You asked whether I’d like to see which bridges were still worth saving
And you said yes
I said someone had to stop you from repairing bridges that should be torn down
Same result
Garrick looked toward Rowan.
He spent the entire walk here complaining
I was explaining
No one asked
Kael smiled.
This is going to be a peaceful journey
A cart rattled through the gate.
Walter sat at the front, holding the reins of an old horse that looked almost as stubborn as he was.
He climbed down carefully.
I heard somebody was planning to tour the southern villages without a man sensible enough to keep him from getting lost
Kael looked toward him.
I was hoping you’d come
Walter shrugged.
My wife said if I stayed home, she was going to find work for me
Lily laughed.
So you’re fleeing responsibility
At my age, it’s called survival
For a brief moment, the group standing in Blackwood’s courtyard did not feel like a prince and his subjects beginning an official territorial inspection.
They looked more like neighbors preparing for a difficult journey.
Kael preferred that.
Before leaving, he looked back at Blackwood Manor.
The old estate still showed every year of its neglect.
Sections of roof needed repair.
Several windows remained boarded.
The gardens had only just begun to be cleared.
One wing was still closed entirely because Edwin did not trust the upper floor.
Nothing about the building itself had changed dramatically.
Yet Lily followed Kael’s gaze.
It looks different
He nodded.
It does
But we haven’t really rebuilt anything here yet
That’s not why
She looked at him.
Then why?
Kael pointed toward the courtyard.
A week ago, Edwin, Bram, and you were almost the only people moving through this place. Now someone is carrying messages. Someone else is loading a wagon. People are coming here because they expect something to happen afterward
He looked toward the manor again.
Buildings feel abandoned long before they fall down
Lily followed his gaze.
And stop feeling abandoned before they’re repaired
Exactly
Edwin, standing behind them, smiled faintly.
I hadn’t thought of it that way
Kael looked toward the southern road.
Then let’s see whether the rest of Blackwood feels the same
The road south carried them through long stretches of rolling grassland and cultivated fields.
Walter took the cart while Kael alternated between walking and riding when the terrain allowed it. Rowan complained every time Kael chose to walk beside the cart rather than sit inside it.
You’re going to exhaust yourself before we reach the first village
I thought old men were supposed to admire young people walking
Old men admire chairs because we’ve learned better
Garrick laughed.
He’s right
Bram nodded.
Pain teaches wisdom
Kael looked at all three.
I’m surrounded by traitors
That appears to be the foundation of House Kael, Rowan replied.
The farther they traveled from Oakridge, the more uneven the landscape became.
At first, most fields looked reasonably maintained. Small farms sat beside the road, and families occasionally paused from their work to wave when they recognized Walter.
Then the pattern changed.
Fences remained unrepaired.
One barn had collapsed inward, its roof almost completely gone.
Another farm appeared abandoned, weeds swallowing what had once been cultivated rows.
Kael pointed toward it.
How long has that been empty?
Walter followed his gaze.
Three years, maybe four
Where did the family go?
Aurelia, I think. One son joined a caravan. Daughter married somewhere north
Kael looked farther down the road.
The farther we get from Oakridge, the worse it looks
Walter’s usual humor disappeared.
Oakridge isn’t the worst village in Blackwood
Kael turned.
It isn’t?
No
Walter kept his eyes on the road.
If we’re going south, you’ll see Hollow Creek before evening
Something in his tone changed.
Kael noticed immediately.
What’s wrong with Hollow Creek?
Walter thought about it.
Better if you see it yourself
That answer silenced the group more effectively than any warning.
By midday, they reached a narrow river crossed by an old stone bridge.
Or at least what remained of one.
Half the bridge had collapsed into the water below.
The remaining structure leaned badly enough that even Kael could tell trying to cross with a loaded wagon would be foolish.
Three merchant wagons stood stranded on the northern side.
Six horses were tethered near the road while nearly a dozen merchants argued around a wagon whose front wheel had split.
One man kicked the broken wheel.
Damn this road
His companion sighed.
Kicking it isn’t fixing it
It helps me
Kael approached.
What happened?
The lead merchant looked up.
Bridge gave way under the first wagon
Kael studied the collapsed section.
Today?
The merchant laughed.
No. Last month
Kael frowned.
Then how did your wagon—
We tried the shallow crossing farther east
The merchant pointed toward the damaged wheel.
Mud took the axle. Wheel caught a buried stone
Kael looked toward the bridge again.
No one repaired it?
Repaired it?
The merchant stared at him.
Friend, nobody even came to inspect it
Rowan walked forward before Kael could answer.
How much of it collapsed initially?
The merchant looked toward the elderly carpenter.
About a third. More stone fell two weeks later
Rowan narrowed his eyes and approached the surviving section.
Bram joined him.
Kael turned back toward the merchant.
Do you trade through Blackwood often?
Less every year
Why?
The younger merchant beside him answered first.
Because it costs too much
The lead merchant nodded.
Roads damage the wagons. Bridges force detours. There are almost no secure storage stops, and some villages don’t produce enough goods worth the risk anymore
We’ve already stopped visiting three settlements, the younger man added. Even when farmers have something worth buying, getting it back to Aurelia eats half the profit
Walter muttered beside Kael.
Then people wonder why Blackwood has no market
Kael looked toward the wagons.
A broken bridge did not merely stop travelers.
It changed which merchants arrived.
That changed what farmers could sell.
That changed what they planted.
It affected medicine reaching villages, letters, tools, news, food, people looking for work, and anyone trying to leave.
One failure spread outward.
Kael was beginning to see Blackwood less as eleven separate settlements and more as a system of connections that had been allowed to fail one link at a time.
A brief System notice appeared.
[Infrastructure assessment updated]
[Bridge failure affecting regional commerce, travel time, and market access]
[Road and bridge networks produce compounding territorial effects]
Kael dismissed it.
He had already reached the same conclusion.
Lily glanced at the collapsed bridge.
You’re making that face again
What face?
The one where one broken thing becomes ten future projects
Kael smiled faintly.
Because it is ten projects
He looked toward the road.
Not today
But eventually Blackwood needed reliable routes between every major settlement.
Roads that could survive seasonal rain.
Bridges built to actual standards.
Regular maintenance rather than emergency repairs.
Markers.
Safe stops.
Better communication between villages.
His old life supplied images of railways and fast communication systems, but he forced those thoughts farther into the future.
Blackwood did not need magical rail lines.
It needed a bridge that didn’t fall into the river.
One problem at a time.
Rowan returned from examining the bridge.
Don’t repair it
Kael looked toward him.
That bad?
Worse
Rowan pointed toward the surviving structure.
Foundation on the western side shifted. Mortar failed deep enough that rebuilding the missing span against what’s left would be wasting stone
The merchant groaned.
So what does that mean?
It means someone eventually tears down the unstable section and rebuilds properly
Kael looked toward Rowan.
How expensive?
The carpenter gave him a flat look.
More than a mill wheel
Helpful
You wanted honesty
I did
Bram crouched near the edge of the road.
Something had caught his attention.
He ran his fingers across the mud, then looked toward the forest.
Rowan noticed.
What?
Bram stood.
Tracks
Kael joined him.
Several wagon marks left the main road before reaching the bridge and disappeared into a narrow path leading through the trees.
The merchant frowned.
We didn’t come that way
Walter climbed down from the cart and examined the ground.
These are recent
How recent? Kael asked.
Walter touched one of the impressions.
Day or two at most. Maybe less, depending on rain
Kael followed the trail with his eyes.
Could be local farmers
Walter shook his head.
Not carrying this kind of weight
He pointed.
Deep wheel grooves. Two wagons, maybe three. Loaded when they went in
Garrick moved closer.
What kind of road is that?
Walter’s expression hardened.
It isn’t one
Kael looked toward him.
Then what is it?
An old logging trail. Hasn’t been used openly in years
The younger merchant looked toward the forest.
Maybe someone found a way around the bridge
Walter shook his head again.
That trail doesn’t reconnect with the southern road
Where does it go?
Deeper west
Kael looked toward Bram.
The old gardener had already rested one hand near the utility blade at his belt.
The ease of that movement caught Kael’s attention.
Once again, Bram looked less like a gardener when something felt wrong.
Kael turned toward the merchants.
How long have you been here?
Since morning
Anyone come out of the forest?
No
Anyone go in?
The lead merchant thought.
Not while we were here
Kael looked toward the tracks.
Something about them bothered him.
If loaded wagons entered the woods recently but did not return, there could be innocent explanations.
Woodcutters.
Hunters.
A hidden farm.
Smugglers.
Bandits.
He had no evidence yet.
Then a sound came from somewhere beyond the tree line.
Faint.
So faint Kael initially wondered whether he had imagined it.
Everyone stopped.
The merchants looked toward the forest.
Bram raised one hand.
Quiet
No one spoke.
The wind moved through the leaves.
Water rushed beneath the broken bridge.
Then it came again.
A voice.
Distant.
Weak.
Help!
Lily’s face changed.
That wasn’t a bird
No, Bram said.
Garrick stared toward the old logging trail.
Walter slowly removed his hat.
Kael listened.
Another cry followed, more difficult to hear this time.
Someone was inside the forest.
And whoever they were, they were in trouble.
Kael reached for the hilt of his sword.
Rowan looked at him.
Don’t do anything stupid
Kael glanced over.
That’s becoming everyone’s favorite advice
Because you keep giving us opportunities to use it
Kael turned toward the merchants.
Stay here
The lead merchant stared.
You’re going in there?
Kael looked toward Bram.
Only far enough to find whoever called for help
Bram’s expression was serious.
If those wagons belong to bandits, this won’t be a village meeting
I know
Garrick stepped forward.
I’m coming
Rowan immediately objected.
You’re a blacksmith
And you’re seventy-one
I’m not going anywhere
Good
Kael looked between them.
Rowan stays with Walter, Lily, and the merchants
Lily frowned.
Absolutely not
Kael turned.
Lily—
If someone is injured, you don’t have a healer. At least I know basic wound care
Edwin had taught her more than Kael realized.
He considered it.
Bram looked toward the trail.
We shouldn’t bring more people than necessary if we don’t know what’s ahead
Kael nodded.
Lily stays here for now. If we find someone injured close enough to move, we’ll bring them back
She didn’t like it.
Fine
Garrick picked up a heavy iron bar from one of the merchant wagons.
The merchant stared.
That’s mine
I’ll bring it back
What if you don’t?
Then Kael pays for it
Kael turned.
Why am I paying?
Prince
Apparently that answered everything.
Kael drew his short sword.
Bram moved first toward the trees.
Garrick followed.
Kael took one final look at the broken bridge, the fresh tracks, and the people waiting behind them.
They had begun the morning intending to inspect roads and visit Hollow Creek.
Instead, something hidden beyond Oakridge had just pulled them in another direction.
The cry came once more.
Closer than before.
This time, Kael heard the fear in it clearly.
He tightened his grip on the sword and followed Bram into the forest.