by Toni Cox
Jaik’s party was made up of two Elders; Livarion Summerlot and Lamar Oakencrest; three of his own Guard, Commander Tylar Lavendar with five warriors of his Regiment, plus three Servers and four others, one of them a noble who wanted to visit family in Rathaés. Two more had decided to stay behind in Tarron Heights.
Their group was all male; something that had not been planned; but Jaik noticed that it seemed to make the men more relaxed around the fire in the evenings. This evening, however, no one seemed able to relax. The wind gusted about them in icy blasts. A few stray snowflakes twirled around them and Jaik worried the dark clouds above would bring snowfall during the night. It was too late in the year for snowfall, but they were high up in the mountains and it was all too possible for a freak snowstorm to occur.
Tomorrow they would begin their descent to the plains and he knew that the lower and further south they went, the warmer the weather would get. But first, they had to survive the night.
The anxious nickering of the horses woke him around midnight. He sat, fully dressed and wrapped in a blanket, against a small boulder close to the fire. It was not his watch, but he had refused to seek his own tent, knowing that conditions could turn for the worse at any time. He looked up, and Munnar, whose watch it was, looked back at him with worried eyes. Another horse neighed. Both rose, drawing their coats tightly about their bodies to shield them from the cold. The wind had gotten colder and fiercer; it was blasting down the mountain, bringing with it tiny shards of ice that stung the men on their faces.
Jaik and Munnar stomped through the wind to the horses. One mare had lost a blanket and they quickly re-fastened it around her body. Jaik laid a hand on her neck, feeling her warmth and rapid heartbeat. He wished he knew exactly what the mare was feeling, but he was not blessed with his sister’s talents. He relied instead on his vast knowledge of horses and their body language, and what he read in them frightened him.
“The storm will be upon us soon,” he said to Munnar.
The Guard nodded. “We should wake the others.”
Quickly they hurried over to the tents and roused their companions. Jaik hurriedly issued his orders.
“Pack your bags and tie them to the trees.” He indicated the sturdy pines along the slope. “There is one tent for every three of us. Sort yourselves into groups of three, get your horses to lie down and then lie down with them. Cover yourselves with your tent; tie the strings to you if you have to. Your horses are trained for this, but you must ensure that your tent is not blown away by the wind. If you are exposed, the storm will not just kill you, but also your horses. Hurry now, the storm will be upon us shortly.”
His orders were executed with alacrity and not a moment too soon. The storm came crashing down on them like a tidal wave; gale-force winds ripped at their tent coverings, the temperature dropped to below freezing and the sound the sleet made as it hit their tents was like hail on an iron roof. They huddled, holding on fiercely to their ropes, waiting for the worst to pass.
As the night turned towards the morning, the storm increased in intensity and it took all of their willpower to hold on to their coverings and convince their horses to remain on the ground. They were cold, weak, and tired. Jaik worried that fatigue would get to his companions, but there was no way to check on them. Jaik, Munnar and Aari, weary beyond compare, had tied the ropes of the tent around their bodies; their hands already chafed raw; and as the storm wore on, one after the other slipped away into darkness.
“Fare thee well, Lady Maia,” Skylor said, and bent over her hand to kiss it.
Maia felt Riker shift beside her. “And you, My Lord. May the Mother smile on you,” Maia replied.
They had spent seven days in Thala Yll and, although pleasant, it had not been what Maia had expected. If she was honest with herself, she did not really know what she had expected. She had worried that the people might have come to the conclusion, as their Life Elemental, she should have done more to prevent the war or prevent more people from dying. Yet the people of Thala Yll had welcomed her, idolised her and showered her in blessings. She did not think she deserved their admiration, but she was now determined to do everything in her power to earn this admiration. Her people needed her and this time she would be there for them from the start.
Many things had been discussed while in Thala Yll. As her delegation followed the Trade Route east during the course of that day, she discussed the various points with Riker. He was still an excellent Guard and, she discovered, a reliable advisor.
“Lord Hazelwatch said they will investigate the bloody marks they found near the stables. I still cannot believe we were right there and I did not feel anything. Surely if someone was hurt, I would have known about it,” she sighed. “What do you think it could have been?”
“My Lady, I would have to speculate, but …” he paused, a small frown on his handsome features. “…if you did not feel the pain of the one the blood is from, then I am sure none of the citizens of Thala Yll were hurt that night.”
“I hope you are right, Riker.”
“And Lord Skylor did say that no one had been reported missing. It might simply have been a wolf, raiding a chicken coop.”
“Yes, that seems plausible.” She nodded, but the mention of a wolf caused strange stirrings within her.
She shook her head; thinking about him did not help her. She should just forget about Blaid. He had obviously abandoned her and did not care about the time they spent together. She should concentrate on what she could have and on what she needed to do. It was time to grow up, just as Silas said.
Determined, she gazed ahead at the path they were following. The two Scouts were out in front, leading the way. Maia and Riker rode behind them, closely followed by Rothea and their Elder. The nobles and fellow travellers rode in the middle and behind them were the Servers and Horse Masters with the supply wagons. The men from the Regiment brought up the rear. These people, and all in Grildor, were her responsibility now. They needed to stand united against the enemy they faced and she was an elemental part of bringing their nation together.
“My Lady?” Riker reached over and touched her hand.
She startled and Fire pranced, shaking his head.
“Are you all right, My Lady?” Riker asked again.
“Yes, I am sorry, my mind wondered. What were you saying?”
Riker smiled and shook his head. “I think we should concentrate on the more pleasant aspects of our journey for a while. There will be more talk of politics and such once we reach Alea Yll. My Lady could use a rest from such discussions.”
Maia looked towards him, thinking he might be patronizing her, but his face was serious and she saw only concern in his eyes and felt only warmth from his Eläm.
“The Honeybadger lies only another two hours ahead of us. We will reach it just before sundown. I am told that Lord Hazelwatch dispatched a Messenger yesterday to forewarn them of our arrival this evening. I believe pecan nut pie to be on the menu tonight.”
Riker was right. After a light evening meal, Alvenar Eaglestone, owner of The Honeybadger, served them pecan nut pie. It was delicious and lifted Maia’s spirits. There was a bit of a chill in the air this evening, so after their meal they sat around the central fireplace of the lodge and listened to stories the locals had to tell. Maia was sleepy, but she was enjoying the company and the relaxed mood of the people. She leant against one of the thick wooden beams that were part of the support structure of the lodge and simply listened. Riker was next to her, not so close that they touched, but close enough that she felt his body heat against her arm.
“And I tell you, it was a Werewolf we saw. The beast was far too large to have been a normal wolf. Not even the Mountain Wolves get that big.”
“Aye, what Sarand says is true. The black beast was large, and it was clever. We had set traps around the farm, for just such a case, but it managed to get through all of them. Strangely though, the beast never took any of our livestock. We think it might have only been passi
ng through, maybe in search for his master. I have heard that there have been more Vampyre sightings recently.”
“Haedirn, if you say it was a Werewolf, then we believe you,” yet another man said. “But now is not the time to be discussing this. I am sure her Ladyship does not want to hear such stories. Why don’t you rather play us one of your merry tunes on your flute?”
Many of the others around the fire took up the call for Haedirn to play a tune on his flute, but Maia had suddenly gone cold. Somehow, she knew for certain that the beast in question was not a Werewolf. She could only assume where he had been spotted, or when, but if he was free to roam the countryside, then surely, he was free to come to her. To have her suspicions confirmed that Blaid did not, in fact, love her, was more than she could deal with this evening.
Feeling cold and dead inside, she excused herself. Both Riker and Rothea rose to walk her to her room, but she refused them both. She needed to be alone with this. She needed to deal with it. By the time she got to her room, her tears flowed freely and her breath came in ragged gasps. Her heart felt like it would break and she lay on her bed, curled up around herself as if to hold onto her heart, for else it would surely desert her.
It was the silence that woke him. And the darkness. He strained his ears to pick up a sound, but all he heard was the soft breathing of his men and the heartbeat of the horses. He was hot and the oxygen levels were getting dangerously low. His pulse quickened. He knew it was claustrophobia setting in, so he forced himself to remain calm.
“Aari,” he croaked, his voice still gruff from the shouting of the night before.
“Hmm?” came the confused answer.
“The storm has passed. Help me push these covers off. I think we might be covered in snow.”
They woke Munnar and together they got the horses up. The snow-covered tent had proved too heavy for them to lift, but the horses made quick work of it, surely happy to finally be standing again.
Jaik squinted in the brilliant light of morning. The entire mountain was covered in snow and the snow crystal glittered brightly in the sun. Before him, he saw another five mounds, which were his companions. One by one, the three Guard roused them. The horses snorted and stomped their feet. The men shook off the night and laughed at having escaped sure death.
Jaik checked if anyone was injured. Everyone was well enough, so he asked them to pack their horses. “Let us move off this mountain. By noon we should reach the lower slopes; we can camp there to break our fast. I think I have had enough snow for a while.”
The men agreed and soon they were on their way.
By midmorning, they halted beside a small creek on the lower slopes of Mt. Argon to water their horses. There was still a bit of a chill in the wind as they ate their breakfast, but the tempest of the night before had moved off and the sky above was clear. Jaik wondered about the unseasonably late storm and thanked the Mother that all had survived; he had lost five good men a few years back in a similar storm.
“We should reach The Forester by this evening if we make haste,” Jaik said to Aari, who nodded his agreement. “Tell the men we will not stop for lunch today. They must eat their fill now, so we can push on to the lodge. I think the men would all appreciate a night in a warm lodge and the horses could do with a proper rest as well before we attempt the crossing of The Divide. It is one hundred and forty miles to the next lodge, most of it through near-desert terrain. We can ill afford to lose one of our horses to exhaustion.”
“Aye, Commander,” Aari replied, and moved off to let the men know.
“Maybe we should stay an extra night at The Forester before crossing The Divide? The Elders look tired and even Lord Riversong looks weary.”
Jaik turned to look at Munnar. Although the decision of how fast they should travel and when and where they should stop fell solely on him, he liked to get the opinions of his men. He had served with Munnar in the Legion before they had become Guard and he valued his advice.
“Yes, My Lord, I think that would be prudent. One of the Servers complained of an ill stomach, and if we keep pushing so hard, Silver Star will become lame. She is a good horse, but she is not as fit as she should be.”
Jaik nodded. He was aware of Cúben’s complaint, as well as the state of the silver mare. It pleased him that his Guard had noticed these things too.
Jaik gave the order to march as soon as everyone had eaten and the horses had been watered. They pushed on through the forested terrain, navigating the gentler, lower slopes of Mt. Argon until they finally reached level ground. Here the area was still heavily wooded with small streams running off the mountains. But Jaik knew that within a day’s ride from here, the trees would end to give way to a vast plain. Hemmed in by tall mountains to the north and south, it was an area that seldom received rain and was the only place in Grildor classified as desert; over one hundred miles of arid and rocky terrain, with no watering holes along the way. The horses would have to carry their water, which would impede the speed at which they would travel across this accursed wasteland. He wished there was another way.
By the time the sun dipped behind the horizon in the east, they were still about an hour’s ride from The Forester and the warm meal they were all anticipating. Jaik did not like to travel in the dark, especially not with such a large group, but he decided to push through. Finally, they reached the inn, stabled their weary horses, and then joined Thanben Wallnut, owner of the lodge, and his other guests around the fire.
By the end of the next day, Jaik was restless. He knew his men and his horses needed the break and he did not regret the decision to stay the extra night before crossing The Divide, but he felt out of sorts and could not find a peaceful thought in his mind. He retired early that night, leaving his men to their conversations, instead seeking the solitude of his own quarters.
When the moons touched the mountains to set before the dawn, he was woken by a scream. He sat up in his bed, sweating, his heart pounding, and realised that it was he that had screamed. Shakily he got out of his bed, threw his coat over his shoulders and stepped up to the window to look out at the dark forest.
“Where are you my sister? What is wrong?” he whispered, steaming up the glass in front of him.
The ear-shattering roar split the night and lights came on in the windows of The Oxbow Lodge. Horses whinnied in fright within their stables, The Guard Wolves of Alea Yll howled angrily and men shouted, while hastily grabbing their weapons.
Maia woke up just moments before Midnight’s roar disturbed the slumbers of the lodge’s guests. Even in her sleep, she felt the disturbance; not so much of an Eläm, but of something else and it frightened her. As she opened her eyes, she saw the Vampyre lean over her; a knife in his hand and his fangs exposed. Her eyes widened in shock and he would have killed her right there and then had it not been for Midnight’s warning. The Vampyre flinched and hesitated just long enough for Maia to get her wits about her.
Quickly she reached for her Twin Blades beneath her pillow and then rolled off the other side of the bed. She felt terribly exposed in her light nightgown and the floor beneath her bare feet was cold. She crouched, backing up slowly. She turned her head slightly, looking for the position of the door. It was on the opposite side and the Vampyre had now recovered from his shock and was moving towards her, snarling and muttering something incomprehensible.
His eyes were black in the gloom of the room, but they shone with a ferocity that terrified her. He was tall and seemed strong; with the more refined face of a General. She felt for his Eläm, trying to read him, but it was so faint and so different from what she knew that she was not able to reach him with her own thoughts.
The Vampyre lunged. Maia jumped back, slashing as she went. The Vampyre hissed and then attacked again. She stumbled over her boots as she retreated and felt the wind of his blade as it passed close to her face. She recovered her footing, hastily thought about everything Jaik had taught her about hand-to-hand combat and then made another pass at him with he
r Twin Blades. However, the Vampyre was swift and eluded her easily.
He was pushing her deeper and deeper into the corner of the room, the door now further away than it was before. She felt her heart racing and heard the blood rushing through her veins. Almost as if the Vampyre had read her thoughts, he licked his thin lips, a small line of saliva hanging from his bottom lip. His grey skin looked ashy in the dark room and she thought that he must not have any blood of his own within his body. She shuddered.
The Vampyre lunged again, this time grazing the outer edge of Maia’s right arm as she lifted it to shield her face. A thin stream of blood ran down her arm, clung to her elbow for a fraction of a moment and then the first drop fell to the floor. Maia saw the Vampyres eyes widen as he smelled her and, in the moment he followed the droplet’s descent to the floor with his eyes, she took her chance. With a wild shriek escaping her lips, she used the edge of a small stool to launch herself into the air, turned as she jumped and, as she came down, she slashed both blades across the Vampyre’s surprised face, slicing down to his neck. She landed lightly just behind him and for a moment they stood, him turned looking back at her, she staring at the two diagonal wounds on his cheek and neck that were slowly starting to seep foul smelling yellow liquid.
The door banged open behind her and, within moments, Riker and Rothea were at her side, with the rest of her retinue and the lodge owner crowding in the doorway. For just a moment longer, the Vampyre stood, staring at them in disbelief, then he crumpled to the floor and did not move.
“Are you all right, My Lady?” Riker asked as he took her arm to guide her to a chair.
Rothea took a blanket from the bed and draped it over Maia’s shoulders, then proceeded to clear the room of anyone who did not need to be there.
Commander Ridgewell and his men came in to remove the body of the Vampyre. Maia knew they would burn it; it was how they had disposed of the Vampyre bodies after the war.
