Blade of the North

by Jones, Heath

  I know the others are watching me from the nearby bushes, weighing my courage. The boys know I can do this – they’ve seen me do it before. But not Theolin or the others. They’ve only heard the stories and that has been enough to make them jealous. It would probably send Theolin into a fit of rage to witness me catching an animal. The thought makes me smile.

  I only have to wait a few minutes. A small fox cautiously approaches my tree. Its nose is in the air, sniffing. I wait, watching, hoping it will come right up to the tree. Soundlessly I inch my way farther out onto the branch; it bows slightly with my weight but thankfully doesn’t creak.

  The fox sniffs the ground, following the scent of something. Then it looks up – right at me. Now’s my chance - but I hesitate. Catching an animal for fun is one thing. Catching it to kill is another. But we need food. I lever myself up to jump down when there is a blur of movement in the distance. The fox is startled and dashes away. Disappointed, I look to see what caused the movement. Then I almost fall out of the tree.

  Peace Bringers. Three of them. They are moving slowly, their heads moving in all directions. Barely visible through the trees, they use hand signals to each other as they move and stop, wait and listen, then move again. Scouts – and ones who know how to walk silently in the forest.

  I slowly inch my way back along the branch, my eyes never leaving the Peace Bringers. Climbing down, I keep the trunk of the tree between me and the scouts. As soon as my feet touch the ground I drop onto my belly and crawl back to where Dain, Theolin, Rose, and the others are watching me.

  “What are you - ” Rose starts but I put my hand over her mouth.

  “Peace Bringers,” I whisper.

  Tension immediately grips the others, and they quickly lower themselves down to hug the ground, their eyes darting in all directions.

  “I see them,” Dain says tightly.

  The others follow his eyes and an eerie quiet descends over us.

  “Where did they come from?” Rose whispers.

  “I don’t know. I only saw them when they scared off the fox.”

  “Quiet!” Theolin orders.

  It’s one of those times when you don’t even realise you’re holding your breath. But we all are, watching as the scouts slowly make their way across the forest before us.

  “Why don’t we rush them?” Alek jokes.

  It’s such a relief that part of the old Alek, with his mischievous sense of humour, is back, that I can’t help but choke out a stifled laugh. But then I see his face. He isn’t joking. “Alek…”

  “There’s only three of them,” he whispers. “We can take them. Easy.”

  “And what happens when the rest of their army notice three of their scouts have disappeared?”

  “What does it matter?” He starts to stand up from his crouch and I put my hand on his shoulder.

  “Don’t, Alek,” I plead. “Please. This won’t work.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” He tries to stand up but Dain grabs his arm and stops him.

  “No,” Dain whispers harshly. “This isn’t the time.”

  Alek watches the scouts as they continue silently away from us. His eyes are fierce, and he looks as though he is struggling with… it’s as if he wants to go after them but also stay hidden at the same time. Eventually, he relaxes and sits back on his heels. “This isn’t the time,” he echoes.

  “Come on,” I say to him gently. “Let’s prepare the area so we can sleep. It’d be best not to have a fire tonight, but we can still make ourselves as comfortable – and safe as possible.”

  Alek watches me as though I’ve been speaking a different language, before finally nodding his head. “We’ll make a camp,” he agrees.

  It doesn’t take long to set up for the night. After all, we don’t have anything with us and we can’t make a fire. But we clear a space on the ground and settle down to eat our meagre gatherings.

  “We’d better set a watch,” Dain says. Everyone nods their silent agreement.

  “I’ll go first,” Tom says. “Alek, I’ll wake you up in three hours.”

  “Then I’ll do the pre-dawn shift,” Dain says.

  We all watch silently as Tom walks out of the clearing. Then we lie down, exhausted.

  “How are you doing?” Dain asks in a whisper.

  He is lying next to me. It is the first time we have really been able to talk since the attack on Farley. “Surviving,” I reply.

  “You’ll get through,” he says.

  “Will I?”

  “You’re stronger than all of us, Sara Fairgrey.”

  The irony of that makes me smile. “I’m exhausted and struggling to stay on my feet. I’m one of the weakest of us, Dain.”

  “Not in here,” he says, touching his chest over his heart.

  It’s strange to hear Dain talk like this. Being best friends with Jerym, I’ve known Dain for a long time. He is all the things that I’m not - strong, fast, and very good with a sword. Adept at deep, meaningful conversation though he is not.

  “You did well with Alek,” Dain continues. “He was ready to throw his life away. You got through to him in time before he did something that would have been dangerous for all of us.”

  “All I did was talk to him,” I say, not thinking much of it.

  “Sometimes that’s enough,” Dain says, then gently puts his hand on top of mine.

  It’s the first time he’s ever done that. Ever since the day I caught the deer and was allowed to play with the boys, Dain has looked at me differently. Talking to me, he was uncomfortable and lost for words. But he was always the one looking out for me, making sure I wasn’t left out or that I wasn’t involved in anything too dangerous. I always hoped it was because he thought of me as more than a friend. My brother used to tease him about it – when he thought I couldn’t hear – and Dain would earnestly deny it. But I always hoped he would hold feelings for me one day. I hold them for him.

  I enjoy the feel of his warm hand in mine, but there is nothing romantic about his touch tonight. Everything has changed now. I never thought the war would come to us, but it has. And we’re no longer in Farley. We’re refugees, hoping to make it safely to a city none of us has ever seen before and knowing no one there. Except for Father.

  I squeeze Dain’s hand and hold it until I hear his breathing deepen into sleep.

  The next few days pass in a blur. We walk mostly in silence, too tired and too downhearted to talk. Even Theolin and her brood don’t have it in them to make spiteful remarks about me. Rose and I trudge along together, with Dain sometimes joining us. We don’t talk though; we save our energy for walking.

  No one asks me to catch an animal again. Although no one says it, I think we’re all too scared of being found by the Peace Bringers. To stay in one spot long enough to catch something to eat means a delay in reaching Tolos. So instead of trying to fill our bellies, we keep moving, one foot in front of the other, always looking out for signs of danger, always hungry.

  On our seventh day together, it rains. And rains. All day long the low, dark clouds drop their rain on us. Our clothes stick to our bodies and if we weren’t dispirited before, we are now. Rose begins to cough, and it doesn’t let up. Her pace slows, and her shoulders hunch forward, her arms folded tightly in front of her chest.

  Early in the afternoon, we find a large rocky outcrop, at the base of which is a small cave. The rain doesn’t reach inside so we stop there for the rest of the day, thankful to be out of the rain.

  We are all shivering and so cold that when night falls, we agree to build a fire. The cave, we hope, will shield the fire from any unwanted observers.

  “We should be there by now,” Tom says, as we huddle together around the small fire.

  “We have to be close,” Bree replies. “I don’t think I can keep going much longer.”

  “We are,” I say. “My father travelled regularly to Tolos. He said the trip always took him three days by cart. It’s taken us seven days so far by foot, and we’ve be
en travelling slowly. We can’t be more than a day away.”

  “We’ll get there when we get there,” Alek murmurs.

  “Then let’s get some rest,” Rose says, coughing.

  “Are you alright?” I ask her.

  “I’m fine,” she replies, her voice weak.

  “You can’t sleep yet,” Theolin says to Rose. “It’s your turn to watch.”

  “Oh,” Rose says. She tries to stand up, but I place my hand on her shoulder.

  “No, I’ll do it,” I tell her.

  “You did it last night,” Rose replies. “I’m fine, honestly.” She coughs again, and I can see the effort it is taking her simply to keep herself upright.

  “You rest, Rose. It’s okay.”

  “No, I’ll do the first watch,” Dain says.

  “Chivalrous,” Theolin says sarcastically.

  “No, you’ve got the second watch tonight, Dain,” Tom says. “Then it’s my turn after you – but I’m not doing another watch tonight just because she’s too tired. We’re all tired. Let Sara do first watch. She hasn’t caught us any food, she can do something useful.”

  “Don’t be stupid Tom,” Dain says, his voice tinged with anger.

  “He’s right,” Bianca says. “If Sara wants to sit out in the rain, let her.”

  I stare across at Bianca and she meets my eyes. But only for a moment. Then she lowers her face and stares into the fire. I thought she may have been softening towards me - obviously, I was wrong.

  Around me, everyone is arguing now, their voices growing as heated as the flames. “Stop,” I shout, and they all look at me, quiet. “I said I’ll do the first watch, and I will. The rest of you can keep warm and sleep.”

  “Sara,” Dain begins, but I stand up and walk out of the cave.

  It is miserable outside. The rain is pouring down, it is cold, and I start shivering again. I stumble a little way from the cave, then sit down under a tree. Here I have a good view of the cave and anyone – or anything – that might try to approach it. Unfortunately, the tree doesn’t provide much relief from the rain.

  I haven’t been here for long when a dark shape approaches from the cave. Dain gives me his best smile when he sees me.

  “I said I’d do the watch, and I will,” I say, irritated that he wouldn’t just let me do what I said I would.

  “I know. I thought you just might want some company.” He sits down in the dirt beside me. I am about to tell him to go back inside but decide not to. If he wants to stay out with me in the rain, then that is his choice. But I don’t want him to think I need help or looking after, so I say nothing.

  A few hours of rain-drenched, miserable silence later, Dain taps me on the shoulder. “Go on, get some rest. It’s time for my watch now.”

  Groggily I nod my head and wander back to the cave. I check on Rose who is sound asleep but her breathing sounds laboured. The others are all sleeping too, so I lie down next to Rose and close my eyes.

  The morning is beautiful. The rain has stopped, and the forest air smells fresh and clean. Drops of water catch the light as they drip down from the leaves, surrounding us with tiny crystal rainbows. The only problem is Rose.

  “I’m alright,” she murmurs.

  “No, you’re not,” I tell her. She is pale and barely able to move.

  “She’s not strong enough to walk by herself. What are we going to do?” Tom asks.

  “What do you mean?” Theolin replies. “As much as a pain as she is, we can’t just leave her here.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting that,” Tom protests weakly, but it’s obvious he was suggesting that.

  I look up at Theolin, surprised by her resolve to not abandon Rose. I wonder if she would do the same for me.

  “I’ll carry her,” Dain says.

  “What?” I ask.

  “I’ll put her on my back. We tie her hands together around my neck so she doesn’t fall off. It should be fine.”

  “We don’t know how far we’ve got to go,” I say.

  “I can help carry her too,” Tom offers lamely, in a poor attempt to redeem himself.

  “It’s settled then,” Dain says.

  Taking some vines, Dain quickly ties Rose’s wrists together then lifts her onto his back. He settles her in place, his arms holding up her legs.

  Rose lets her head drop forward onto his shoulder. “Thank you,” she mutters weakly into Dain’s ear, before drifting into sleep.

  “All set,” Dain says brightly.

  I marvel at his strength, but more so at his compassion. I know he is weary like the rest of us, but he is giving of himself to carry Rose.

  The forest path continues for mile after weary mile. Alek offers to help carry Rose, but Dain just shakes his head. “I’m so tired that if I stop walking, I won’t be able to start again,” he jokes. But I can tell it’s not a joke. He looks exhausted but is too stubborn to let anyone else help.

  We stumble on, footsore, hungry, and weary. Dain’s feet are dragging, his breath is laboured, and almost every step he takes is slower than the last. I’m worried he will collapse.

  Suddenly Tom, a little way ahead of us, lets out a whooping cheer. “We’re there!” he shouts.

  I race to join him. The trees of the forest abruptly give way to an open plain below us. There, standing at the eastern end of the plain, with the snow-covered Granoc Mountains behind it, is the city of Tolos.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  It looks so small! My father had told me that Tolos was the largest city in Hammel, that it would take you a whole day to walk around its walls. But on the plain, with the mountains rising behind it, Tolos looks no bigger than Farley.

  It isn’t until we are crossing the plain and approaching the city that I realise just how enormous Tolos is. I had always thought of Farley as large, but now… Farley is a mere provincial village compared to Tolos. The walls surrounding the city rise thirty feet into the air and extend to left and right of me for what seems like endless miles.

  Soaring above the city to the east are the snow-capped peaks of the Granoc Mountains. I have never seen mountains so high before, and it is because of these that the city seemed so small by comparison. The mountains form the natural border between Hammel and Lagon, and they look impassable. So do the walls of the city. They, and the buildings I can see inside them, blend in with the mountains beyond. The stones used to build them must have been carved straight out of the mountains.

  To the right of the city is the Ariven River. Tolos is built at the mouth of the river, and it runs south, all the way through Hammel to Naren. The river is fed from the melting snow from the Granoc Mountains, so I assume it is very cold. My father often told me that in winter the river freezes over completely. Now it is a clear blue line snaking its way south until it disappears into the Erwin Forest.

  We aren’t the only ones walking into Tolos, however. A steady stream of people approaches the city from all directions. All of them appear ragged and exhausted – probably no different from us. I am shocked at the sheer number of them. Has all of Hammel been forced here on foot to take refuge inside the walls? Are these people all victims of Tigranik’s invading armies? We are all refugees, I suddenly realise, hoping to find sanctuary in Tolos. But the crowds slow our entry into the city, and I find myself growing impatient. I am desperate to get inside and find my father.

  Flowing slowly along with the crowd, jostled and pushed, we finally reach the gates, where we are stopped by two men with swords strapped at their hips. Their ochre-coloured coats, together with the small sigil of a snow-covered mountain peak on their left breast, marks them out as belonging to the city garrison.

  “Where are you from?” a tall, burly man asks us.

  “Farley,” Dain replies.

  A shorter man, but no less heavily built than his companion, makes a note on his parchment. The tall man looks at us, his eyes resting for a moment on Rose, still tied to Dain’s back. She hasn’t regained consciousness all day.

  “There isn’t muc
h here, but there’s enough… for the moment,” the tall man says. Then he waves us through the gates.

  So thick are the walls that it takes a full ten paces to walk through to the other side. When we finally set foot inside the city it is like entering into another world - a world crowded to overflowing. A riot of noise and colour surround us, and the massive, heaving crowd extends in either direction as far as I can see. Men on horseback yell and kick at people in their path, striving to get past. Carts laden with sacks are at a standstill, their drivers unable to find any space to move forward.

  My father once told me that no houses were allowed to be built within a hundred yards of the city walls. It had something to do with allowing a clear, empty space for defence. But that space isn’t empty now, it is flooded by a sea of people, like one giant, living river, following the wall around the inside of the city.

  “Follow me,” Dain says.

  Still carrying Rose on his back, he sets out through the heaving mass of refugees. Bumping and shoving, he leaves a small empty space behind him that I immediately fill. Tom is next to me and I can feel a push as the others try and stay close to us. We are squashed so tightly together that it becomes difficult to breathe. People swear and curse at us as we slowly force our way through the crowd, until eventually, we are out the other side, reaching the first buildings of the city. There are streets and alleys here and we take shelter in a comparatively quiet side street.

  Out of the push and shove of the crowd, we rest in the shadow of the large stone buildings. Dain sets Rose on the ground then immediately collapses beside her.

  “Are you alright Dain?” I ask.

  “Yes,” he replies, smiling up at me. But his smile is forced – he looks exhausted.

  “Okay, so we’re in Tolos. What do we do now?” Theolin asks, flinging the question at me like an accusation.

  “We need to find someone to look after her,” Alek says, nodding at Rose.

  “And food for all of us,” Bianca says.

  “And a dry place to sleep,” Miya adds.