“You just saw it as we passed,” Grifon reminded her. “It is farther than it seemed.”
There was something in how Grifon spoke— almost a warning— that kept Dove from arguing. The other dwarf, Odo, grunted and demanded silence. “We don’t want to frighten the unicorns away,” he added quickly.
Grifon’s hand briefly squeezed her shoulder. She wondered about it. Why would he do that unless… A chill sent shivers over her. Something had happened. Her failure to produce a unicorn— it had to be that. Oh why had she been so foolish as to dance at their revelry? If she hadn’t, they would not fear her in the same way that they did now. Even the villagers, with all their legends and superstitions, did not fear her as they would if they could see her. This was her fault. She’d caused this problem, and Grifon could get hurt defending her.
She didn’t ask any more questions. It seemed futile to inquire about where they would go or why they were clearly not going to the lookout. Instead, Dove wondered how Letty fared, left alone in the forest, and if Philip would be able to handle the unicorn by himself. Lord Morgan would be so pleased to find the animal in his stables the next morning. For a moment, she wondered if they’d kill her.
That thought cleared her mind as nothing else could. There was no reason to surrender to a fate she didn’t choose. If she did die, it would be fighting to live. She and Bertha had endured too much over the years to yield to superstition now.
She could run. Dove knew the woods, even better than the Mæte. With the mists covering her flight, she might get away quickly. Even if she didn’t, it would be easy to get far enough to hide and wait. They didn’t expect her to run, and Grifon might lead Odo away from where she went. The thought of Letty changed her mind. Odo might go back and hurt Philip or Letty in retaliation. She couldn’t risk that. She had to wait until morning to be sure they weren’t captured too.
“We should hit the incline any minute…”
“She’s not stupid, Odo.”
“Silence!”
“I know we’re not going to the lookout, Odo. We passed that incline several minutes ago. We’re nearly to the entrance where they brought me out after my first visit.”
“She’s intelligent,” Odo snapped. “Probably gets it from the evil spirits themselves. I can’t believe Jakys was so foolish. No wonder some of the others question the imprisonment of Maulore.”
“Is he behind this?” Dove didn’t sound as surprised as she thought she should.
“Behind what?” The little man held the shrubbery away from the opening, allowing Grifon and Dove to enter ahead of him.
“Whatever is happening,” she replied, sounding much calmer than she felt. “We are clearly not planning to wait for the unicorns.”
“Never mind that. What happens to you is out of my hands once we reach the others.”
All through the tunnels, Odo talked, growing agitated and angry about perceived injustices. Somehow, he seemed to think turning Dove over to those who wanted to ensure she could never return, would reverse things. The lack of logic would have amused her, had Dove not been so frightened. Irrational people, according to Bertha, were the most dangerous people of all— particularly if they were also fearless as Odo seemed to be.
“There are some that are bothered that you were left alone in our caves when Jakys hid you,” Grifon explained. “They think you might bring the villagers to harm us. Or worse…”
“That I would harm you myself.” Dove spoke what Grifon would not.
“You were alone in the tunnels for quite some time. It is only reasonable that we might feel threatened,” Grifon insisted.
A few minutes later, after a tirade from Odo about Jakys’ foolishness, Grifon again mentioned how she’d been left alone to hide from Maulore and his men, making Dove wonder why he kept mentioning it. Odo was so stirred by the excitement of capturing the Scynscaþa that he didn’t notice the repeated reference to her first trek into the mountain’s labyrinth.
They passed the common room, but did not go through it. She followed, paying close attention to each path they took, and comprehension dawned. Odo was leading her exactly where Jakys had helped her hide. Grifon wanted her to escape and hide in one of the little nooks in the walls. Stealthily, she reached behind her and touched Grifon’s arm as if to say, “I understand.”
Thankful that she’d not been bound, Dove considered a dozen ways of trying to escape. Whatever she did, Grifon could only give the slightest help, and she knew it. As she remembered Jakys discussion of hiding, she made her plan. They rounded a corner, and Dove knew this was the time. The tunnel here was dark and the torches unlit. If she shoved Odo into the wall, she might be able to run ahead of him and hide in one of the nooks. Odo would expect her to run in the direction they’d come. Wouldn’t he? If only Grifon knew what to do when she shoved.
Bracing herself for what would likely fail, Dove reached behind her once more, squeezed Grifon’s hand, and with all her strength, rammed Odo’s head into the wall. Being taller than these men did have its advantages, but Odo was much stronger than she’d expected. He stumbled, spun, and then reached out to grab her, but Dove’s choice to run ahead saved her. He reached in the direction that they’d come and just missed her cloak. “Grab her!”
Grifon lunged around him as if trying to find her, but half-heartedly. “Where’d she go?”
“After her!”
Although Grifon was older, Odo out ranked him. He whirled and raced down the tunnel they’d just left, before Odo’s voice called to him. “Wait, I think I hear her this way! Get back here!”
Meanwhile, Dove fled down the tunnel, feeling the side for any crevice large enough for her to hide. She took a turn at any place she could, listening for the swift approaching footsteps of her captors. At last, she found one. It was smaller than the last one she’d used, but if she knelt, her face resting on her arms on the ground, almost prostrate, she barely fit. Less than a minute after she settled herself, the footsteps of Odo and Grifon echoed through her part of the tunnel.
“She had to come this way. The other way dead ends,” Odo insisted as Grifon tried to lead him away from where he knew Dove must be hiding.
“But she wouldn’t know that! She could be heading back the way we came now!”
“You go, then. I’ll keep looking this way. If you see anyone, have them bring us torches. That Scynscaþa won’t live through the night if I have my choice.”
Without waiting for permission, Jakys entered the king’s chambers and demanded that he be awakened. “It’s urgent.”
“Wait until morning, Jakys,” the guard insisted.
“It can’t wait. We have traitors.”
The guard growled. “I knew that creature—”
“She is not the traitor; Beneger, Fulke and probably Odo are. They’ve taken Dove.”
“What?” Waleron’s sleepy voice sounded both confused and angry. “Why have they taken the child?”
“They fear her, Waleron. You know that.”
“And you’re sure? How do you know this?” The king crawled from his blankets, wrapped a thick robe around him, and stepped into his sitting area, lighting a torch as he did.
“Philip and I left the girl to wait for the unicorn and went to meet Dove, Odo, and Grifon at the lookout—”
“What girl? Who was waiting for the unicorn if Dove was at the lookout?”
“They brought a human girl.”
“Dove is human!” Waleron expostulated.
“Well, she couldn’t entice the unicorn, so many feel that is proof that she is a demon.”
“Are we demons then?” Waleron demanded. “My Merewyn could not lure the unicorn to her side. Is she dangerous?”
“People fear that which they do not understand, Waleron. You know this.”
“She’s just a child!”
Jakys then realized that Waleron felt responsible for Dove’s predicament. His desire for the horns was so strong, he’d used a little girl— “I think I know why Dove couldn
’t get the unicorn. She’s not yet a maiden. She’s just a child. Legend says it must be a maiden.”
“Get the men. Find her. Where would Odo take her, and why was Grifon involved? I thought he trusted the girl.”
“I think he went along to try to protect her, but I can’t be certain. Originally, he was very opposed to me bringing her into our home.”
“Wake everyone you trust and find them.” When Jakys didn’t move quickly enough, Waleron added, “Now!”
Jakys hurried from the king’s quarters, relieved. Just a small part of him had doubted whether Odo and his cronies were acting alone or if perhaps Waleron had been persuaded that the child was truly dangerous. Now that he was sure, he felt more confident in how he’d choose the men he needed. He’d find the girl, and they could forget the unicorns. Reynilda would have to live, or die, with her condition— leprosy Dove called it. She’d have to live with her leprosy.
Philip followed Jakys through the dragon’s lair, holding his breath in both fear and from the stench until they reached the tunnels that led into the world of the Mæte. They didn’t speak. It was unnecessary. Instead, they hurried as fast as Jakys shorter legs could lead them. As they went, Jakys spoke to different men that he passed, and told them when and where to join him. None of it made sense to Philip, particularly when Jakys spoke in a language that he couldn’t understand. He learned that evening that the Mæte were a complex, sophisticated people.
When they arrived at the meeting place, there were dozens of men, all carrying small swords and spears, and most wearing some form of armor. A few only had shields, but most had strapped on breastplates, leg guards, arm guards, and wore helmets that ended just below the neck. Philip shuddered as he realized the purpose of the heavy metal helmets was to protect the men from decapitation.
“Jakys?” He hated that his voice trembled despite his attempts at bravery.
“It is fine, Philip. You won’t be asked to fight. Your job is to find Dove and help her escape.”
“Why are we fighting?”
“There are those who believe that Dove is a Scynscaþa. Her failure to capture the unicorn reinforced the idea. They consider her a threat to our safety— to our souls.”
“But she’s just a little girl. Besides, Letty didn’t capture the unicorn either, and she is definitely a fæmne. She’s twelve.”
“Then she can marry?”
Philip nodded, finding the idea of Letty Wood married quite odd. However, the law was the law. Girls could marry at twelve, boys at fourteen. “Yes.”
“Good, that should help Dove. Perhaps there will be no blood shed tonight.” Jakys did not sound as certain as Philip would have liked.
The men all stood at attention as Jakys addressed and separated them. Four women, three of the tallest Mæte men, and three of the tallest Mæte women stood to one side. Philip wanted to ask what their duty was, but then he realized. They were decoys. Philip and Dove would go with one woman, and the others would flee in opposite directions. It was a brilliant plan, but he also knew it was likely to fail if the men could not hold back the opposition.
After very detailed instructions, everyone moved into their assigned positions and split off through the tunnels that connected the various caverns within the Sceadu. Philip and one of the women followed Jakys deep into the mountain, twisting and turning so often that Philip knew he could never find his way out again. They lit torches in each of the tunnels. Many were left alone, but every hundred feet or so, Jakys lit another.
“It’ll help light it a little, but you won’t be as visible to pursuers. When I say run, Philip, you must run. Follow Nerienda. Trust her explicitly. She may tell you to do that which does not make sense. Do it anyway. Your lives may depend on it.”
A glance at Nerienda told him he’d better listen and follow. The woman looked fierce. “I will, Jakys. I’ll get Dove out.”
As they drew nearer their destination, Philip sensed a change in Jakys. He seemed tense— alert. The little man signaled for them to wait, and he walked into a gathering of men. “I don’t remember calling a meeting.”
“Jakys, go back to your bed. This does not concern you.” Even from a distance, the man who spoke looked young and strong.
“What does not concern me? Is it not my duty to direct all scouting parties? This looks like a scouting party to me. Whom do you seek?”
“You know why we’re here,” another man growled. “We won’t have the Scynscaþa enter our land again.”
“She is just a child. She is no demon. Waleron has ordered that we leave her alone.”
“Waleron is old and his mind is growing feeble,” cried one of the Mæte, a boy hardly older than Philip.
“Waleron would flog you for that. Don’t be so juvenile.” The mockery that Jakys used seemed like a dangerous choice. Philip wondered if he was trying to incite a rebellion.
“She did not capture the unicorn. That is proof of her sorcery. The purity of the unicorns will not allow them to associate with such as her.”
“Then why do we not kill one another?” Jakys questioned. “They will not come near Merewyn. Shall we kill her as well?”
“They trust humans, and she is not human. She must die.” Dove would have recognized that voice, but Philip did not. However, he did watch as Jakys took a step backward, stunned.
“And you have released the king’s prisoner to help you in your treachery. How pleased you must be, Maulore.”
Philip knew that name. Dove had told him of the dance at the revelry with the dwarf who frightened her and later pursued her. He was supposed to be shackled in the mines— a prisoner. Why was he free again?
Before he could question Nerienda, Jakys changed his stance. He spread his feet a shoulder’s breadth apart, crossed his arms, and threw back his shoulders in an almost military-like pose. “Hear me now, my brothers. Tonight, a girl from the village, a fæmne, sat beneath the trees and waited for the unicorns, but they did not come. Something in our knowledge of the legends is wrong. Dove is a child. We were foolish to think that one who was not yet a maiden could lure the unicorns to her. This was my mistake. I let my desire to help our king’s daughter— our princess— cloud my judgment, and now you are willing to kill her for my mistake. This is wrong, my brothers.”
He waited, watching the expressions of the others to see if any would change their minds. Whispers and murmurs rippled over the group of men who stood, swords and spears at their sides, ready to hunt down Dove and kill her. Jakys had one more thing to say, but he knew to let his first words soak into the hearts of the men before him before he added the last argument he had in Dove’s defense.
As Maulore stepped in front of the men to give their answer, Jakys drew his sword and cried, “If you kill Dove tonight, will you also hunt down the village girl and kill her too? Is she secretly some demon sent to destroy us? Are we just as guilty as the superstitious villagers who fear us?”
Chapter 25
Escape
After several minutes of trying to lead Odo away from the tunnels where he thought Dove would hide, Grifon resigned himself to stay with the man. If Odo found Dove while alone, it could be disastrous. At least if he stayed with the irate dwarf, he might be able to prevent Dove’s death. “Odo, where are you?”
“I’m down this way. Did you find her?” The echoes through the tunnels would be confusing to someone unaccustomed to them.
“I think we should try the rooms near the main shaft. It’s a logical place to hide. She won’t be able to escape if we’re both there together, and near the end, there should be a torch.” As he drew nearer to Odo, Grifon didn’t lower his voice as he normally might have. “A girl like Dove is going to keep moving. We have to work quickly.”
Dove listened to Grifon’s words, and at first, fear gripped her heart. She’d hoped, trusted, that he was on her side; he’d acted as if he would help her, but now he spoke as if he too planned to hunt her down. Just as she began to succumb to despair, she heard him say that she�
��d keep moving. Then she understood his words. It was his way of telling her not to stir from her spot. He’d lead Odo away, or if he couldn’t, the other man’s mind was now predisposed to expect movement. Where there was none, Odo wouldn’t look as carefully.
At the entrance to her part of the tunnel, Grifon sent Odo down her end, while he took the other. She wanted to scream with frustration. If she could just find some way to let him know where she was, it could make all the difference. Once Odo hurried back through the tunnel, she heard Grifon ask if he’d brought back the torch in the wall at the junction. Now was her chance. If he didn’t know where she was, he couldn’t send someone to help her escape.
As he walked by, she reached her arm out and let him walk into her hand. Grifon did not acknowledge her presence in any way. He hurried to the other end of the tunnel, and returned moving swiftly. “Odo, let’s go get this thing lit. It’s time to put an end to this nonsense. She must be in the rooms in the cross tunnels.”
Dove had to trust that he knew what he’d felt. Despite the temptation to creep out of her hiding place and follow them out of the maze she found herself in, Dove forced herself not to move. He knew where she was now. He’d send help as soon as he could do it safely. Until then, she’d try not to move.
Jakys grand speech delayed the rush of men but did not stop it. A few stood in place, uncertain what to do now that he was there to stop them. If the others had expected to knock Jakys down in a mass slaughter, they were sorely mistaken. The moment the first step was taken, Jakys stepped back and shouted, “Attack!”
From every entrance to the room, little men poured in to defend Jakys and protect Dove. Sword slammed against sword, and several spears were thrown. Two men were down within seconds of the call to attack, but Jakys had other responsibilities. He wove through his men to Nerienda’s side and gave her orders. Just as she turned to obey, Odo and Grifon raced into the room.
The Annals of Wynnewood Complete Series Page 38
