6. Laying Plans
‘That’s the last one,’ Rorric said unnecessarily, considering that Bandobras was his Chief Scout and so would have known that he’d heard the reports of every scout working under him.
Save one, Archie Hart’s-tongue. Rorric hadn’t the heart to mark the hobbit missing. Not yet, anyhow. Hadn’t Bandobras himself been overdue until yesterday?
It seemed the scout had followed his thoughts. ‘I wonder what Archie discovered.’ And then Bandobras shuddered and closed his eyes. Nevertheless, he held up a staying hand when old Nettle would have intervened, protesting, ‘I’m well.’ He added, ‘On second thought, I don’t want to know.’
***
Later, in the quiet imposed by the healers for someone with a head injury, Bandobras lay with his arm over his eyes, appearing asleep to the healer assigned to watch over him.
He was actually thinking deeply, puzzling together the pieces from the other scouts’ reports, along with his own experiences and Archie’s disappearance.
Despite his muddled thoughts, a picture was slowly forming – a dreadful foretelling of destruction, doom and death – to all who lived in and around the growing but still too-small community of Long Cleeve.
They had to be warned! He must speak with Master Goodfellow without delay!
***
‘But Nettle said—’ Ruby Goodfellow might have been a head shorter than her father’s Chief Scout, but what she lacked in stature she more than made up for in stubbornness.
‘Nettle’s opinion doesn’t matter here...’
Ruby threw back her head and laughed. The last of her hairpins scattered at the sudden motion, allowing her scarlet curls to spring forth, crowning her in brilliant flame. Sobering, she said, ‘I’m sure Nettle will be gratified to hear your thoughts on the matter...’
In desperation, Bandobras broke in. ‘Be serious!’
She stared him down. ‘I’m invariably serious. As for you – be still!’
***
‘What seems to be the trouble here?’
Ruby relaxed at Nettle’s quiet inquiry as the head healer entered the room. ‘Our patient,’ she said, ‘is being remarkably Tookish about staying in bed.’
‘Not surprising, seeing as how he’s a Took,’ came Nettle’s dry response. He took up the injured hobbit’s hand and found the pulse point, directing a stern look at Bandobras. ‘Be still.’
‘That’s what I was just telling him,’ Ruby said.
‘But I—’ Bandobras wilted before the stares of the two healers. If he pushed too hard, he knew, they’d keep him in the bed days longer.
***
Once Nettle had completed his examination, Bandobras ventured to talk. ‘Permission to speak?’
‘It’s not your tongue that was injured,’ Nettle responded.
‘More’s the pity,’ Ruby said.
‘If you won’t let me get up, at least take my message to your father...’
‘I’m not your errand-lass.’
‘Please.’ Bandobras closed his eyes as the ache in his head returned with a vengeance.
He relaxed a little on hearing Nettle’s quiet, ‘You had better go and fetch the Master, lass, if only to encourage this’un to stay abed and rest.’
Ignoring the pain, Bandobras sat halfway up. ‘Tell him to hurry. Please.’
***
Rorric arrived astonishingly quickly, considering that the hobbit never seemed hurried, no matter the circumstances.
Rapidly, Bandobras filled him in, the words spilling forth, driven by urgency. Part-way through, Nettle helped the scout sit up and propped pillows behind him, then tendered a glass of water as his mouth ran dry. Bandobras nodded thanks even as he continued speaking.
‘You’re certain,’ Rorric said quietly when the stream of information abated.
‘I would stake my life on it,’ Bandobras returned.
‘Sounds as if all our lives are at stake,’ Rorric said. ‘Very well.’ To the healers, he said, ‘Help him up.’
***