‘Now that’s what I call a warm welcome,’ said Vin, squeezing his Mom tight and swinging her around in joy.
‘Carter, I want you to meet my Mom.’
‘So you’re the one I need to thank for getting him home,’ she said to Carter. She stepped forward and gave him a hug of welcome and thanks. ‘I’m Rosalie, but you can call me Rosie.’
Carter stood, fumbling for something to say, but gave up trying and smiled in return.
To cover his shyness, she turned to Naz, giving him a big squeeze in welcome. ‘Thanks for bringing him home in one piece, Naz,’ she said smiling at the largest man in the room.
‘I couldn’t have done it without him, Rosie,’ Naz said.
‘Are you guys hungry?’
‘Thought you’d never ask,’ said Vin, laughing with the relief of being safely home at last.
‘You all sit yourselves down. The pies are done already and waiting for you,’ she said.
‘Could I see Holly, please, Mrs. Vin?’ asked Carter.
She laughed, ‘Call me Rosie, everyone else does. And of course you can see her, dear. Come this way.’
Rosie showed Carter to a small room to the side. On a bed covered in a soft, brightly woven blanket, lay Holly. As Carter, Vin and Rosie looked on, Holly thrashed about in her sleep, at times crying out.
‘The poor thing. She’s been like that since they brought her in here. She doesn’t have a fever, so I’m hoping it’s the exhaustion that’s making her sleep like that. I’ll get you something to eat, then I’ll try waking her to drink some medicine. That may help her to sleep in peace,’ said Rosie.
Returning to the kitchen, they seated themselves at the heavy wooden table.
Carter looked around the room. It is just a kitchen, he decided, but the biggest one I’ve ever seen. The wall opposite him was covered with shelves of jars, bottles, and boxes filled with herbs, spices, and sauces in a rainbow of colours. The room was filled with the most beautiful smell, a mixture of freshly cooked pastries, pungent spices, and a sweetness that made his mouth water. He couldn’t see where the smells came from. Must be something in the oven, he thought.
Vin’s Mom laid out plates of thickly sliced pie in front of them, and kept ladling roasted vegetables on them until their plates were overflowing. A pot of thick rich sauce was passed around, which Vin and Naz spooned over their pie.
‘You sure are the best cook in the world, Rosie,’ said Naz.
‘Second best,’ laughed Vin, through a mouth full of pie, ‘but keep making pie like this, and I won’t ever want to leave on another mission again.’
‘Why, thank you, boys, it’s nice that you enjoy it.’
‘Sure is the nicest I’ve tasted, Mrs Vin… er… Rosie,’ said Carter.
‘You fill yourselves up, there’s plenty more where that came from,’ she said. ‘I think you and young Holly in there will be needing lots of quiet and rest and building up. There’s plenty of that here.’
When they’d eaten their fill, Vin’s Mom showed Carter to a bed in a room next to Holly’s. He lay his head on the soft pillow and buried himself in the warmth and comfort of Vin and Rosie’s home. He fell instantly into a deep, dreamless sleep before he had time to pull the thick blanket over himself.
4
Chapter Four
Meeting The Boss
THE WARMTH OF the sun on his face finally woke Carter in the late morning. Finding fresh clothes laid out for him, he wandered out into the hallway joining the bedrooms. He remembered the house seemed to be all kitchen. Hearing voices, he knocked gently on a door.
‘You don’t have to stand there knocking, Carter,’ came the voice of Rosie. ‘Come on in here and make yourself at home.’
He smiled a greeting to Rosie. Stepping into the kitchen, he was shocked when someone jumped on him. Holly threw her arms around his neck.
‘Carter, Carter, I’m so happy to see you. I was telling Mrs Vin just now, all the time I was laying in that snow, I never ever, ever thought that you wouldn’t come and rescue me. A promise is a promise is a promise,’ she laughed.
Carter stepped back to look at her. ‘I can’t believe you look so well, so… happy,’ said Carter.
‘I feel, I feel like I’m reborn,’ she said trying to find the words to describe her happiness. ‘And so hungry. Have you tasted Mrs Vin’s pie?’
‘Call me Rosie, dear.’
‘Okay, Mrs Vin,’ said Holly.
They all laughed, at peace with each other at last.
‘Sit down, Carter. Let’s get you something to eat,’ said Vin. ‘Then we should go visiting. There’s someone waiting to meet you.’
‘Who?’ he asked.
‘The Boss!’ Vin said in awe.
‘I thought I met the Boss yesterday?’
‘No, that was the Boss, this is The Boss!’
‘But how do you know which one you’re talking about?’ asked Carter.
‘Oh, that’s obvious, if you’re talking about the Boss, you say the Boss, but if you’re talking about The Boss, you say…’
‘Vin,’ his mother interrupted. ‘You’re just confusing things. This one’s the Big Boss, dear. The Boss of all the Bosses.’
‘Ah, I see,’ said Carter, not really able to grasp the intricacies of their hierarchy yet. He decided to keep the question for later whilst he started on a plate of fish pie Rosie set before him.
*
When they’d finished eating, Vin turned to Carter.
‘How about you and me going for a walk, Carter, to discuss some things?’ said Vin.
He led Carter into the garden to where some seats had been placed in the shade of a large oak tree. The wide canopy gave a welcome relief from the hot morning sun.
When they’d settled themselves, Vin said ‘I want to ask you for something, Carter.’
‘Sure, Vin, anything I can do to help.’
‘Will you show me how to use those staffs that you fight with?’
‘Well, I can show you some moves, Vin, but it takes a long time to get any good at it, and it takes a lot of practice and probably a lot of bumps too.’
‘What kind of bumps?’
‘Oh, you know, sometimes there are… accidents.’
‘Serious accidents?’ asked Vin.
‘Not if you are careful.’
Vin sat pondering for a while.
‘Okay, if we are careful, will you show me some moves?’ he said, finally making up his mind.
‘Sure, Vin, when do you want to start?’
‘We can start now, the sooner the better.’
‘Well, if you are sure, Vin. But we’ll take it really slow, okay?’
*
In the kitchen, Rosie slid a tray of pastries into the clay oven. A wave of heat filled the room as she opened the oven door. Over her shoulder she said, ‘Are you still hungry, dear?’
‘No, I’ve had my fill for the moment, Mrs Vin.’
‘You should call me Rosie. I’m really happy now you’re all here. It’s so much nicer having hungry mouths around the place to enjoy your cooking. It makes it all so much more worthwhile, and Vin does have a hungry mouth.’
‘You’re a great cook, Mrs Vin. Did Vin really teach you how to do it?’
‘He likes to think that, dear,’ she said with a wink. ‘So how are you feeling now, Holly?’
‘So much better, Mrs Vin. I feel so much at peace here. It’s probably because of the Crystal.’
As Rosie turned around, she saw a strange look pass quickly across Holly’s face, a look she couldn’t quite understand.
‘Whatever do you mean, dear?’
‘Oh, just that it’s safe here now and we don’t have to worry about it anymore.’
‘Oh yes, I see what you mean. It is a relief not having to worry about those apes coming again.’
‘Is it kept really safe, Mrs Vin?’
‘Yes, it is. They keep it in the Guard’s House. That’s where our Guards train. I expect Vin and Naz will be going back ther
e today. They have to tell The Boss what happened.’
‘There were so many lies,’ Holly said, staring out of the window.
Rosie wasn’t sure Holly was talking to her or just remembering her ordeal. She probably needs to talk, Rosie thought. ‘Do you remember much about what happened, Holly?’
‘Oh yes, I remember it all, every last moment.’ There was an edge to her voice that sounded almost angry.
‘If you want to talk about it, dear, I’m here to listen,’ Rosie said, coming to sit opposite her at the table.
‘I’d like that,’ said Holly.
The door swung open and Vin walked in with Carter.
‘Everything all right, Vin? You seem to be limping,’ said Rosie.
‘No, everything’s fine. Have you seen that moss I brought back with me?’
‘That stuff that cures aches and pains?’
‘Yes, that’s it.’
‘It’s over there,’ she said, pointing to a cupboard. ‘What do you need it for, Vin?’
‘Oh, just to show The Boss. We’re going to see him now.’
‘Why are you holding your arm like that? Are you sure you’re okay?’
‘Are you ready, Holly?’ Vin said.
‘Sure, I’m ready,’ she smiled.
‘I’ll just get my hat,’ Vin said, picking up the sack of moss.
*
‘Morning, Naz. Boy, am I glad to see you both back safe. Come and sit down.’
‘Thanks, Boss, it sure feels good to be home again.’
‘You wanna tell me about it?’
Naz couldn’t help looking up at the painting mounted on the wall behind The Boss’s desk. It was a portrait of their greatest hero, Ran, in Guards’ full dress uniform. In his hand he held a golden box, a gift to his people. Naz knew it was there deliberately, as an encouragement to all future Guards who sat in this chair, of the memory to be upheld.
He looked to his left, feeling the warmth of the sun stream through the floor-to-ceiling window. It was a beautiful morning. It was warm and safe and a million leagues away from the hell he’d just been through. Naz took a deep breath, trying for a moment to recall the mission that had gone so badly wrong.
He couldn’t look at The Boss; he wasn’t sure where to start. He stared out through the window, not really seeing the sun-drenched Central Square outside the room. He stared off into the distance, past the snow-covered Alps, past the sand and dust covered plateau, past the burnt grasslands and rolling hills, to their escape route through the Gateway, into the new lands to the south.
‘Want a drink, Naz?’
‘No, I’m okay thanks, Boss.’
‘Tell me what you remember. What happened to Jojo?’
‘He fell, Boss. He didn’t get back up, and I couldn’t get back to him.’
‘Caldo and Fonz told me they last saw him leading the townspeople across the plateau.’
‘Yeah, the plateau…’ Naz saw it again, the dust, the dirt and the blood. ‘That’s where it all began to go wrong,’ said Naz.
Naz stared out again through the window, seeing the death and mayhem that he and Vin had witnessed when they returned to the plateau. The images were burnt into his memory.
‘Jojo sent us forward,’ Naz recalled, ‘to the Gateway. You see, we’d met a Southerner, Sam was his name. Turns out, he’ll be the next King of the Southlands. Jojo came up with a plan. The only way he could see to save the townspeople was to evacuate them to the Southlands. Vin and me were to go forward and negotiate with Sam, asking for safe passage for these people.
‘He could have just left them there, to their own fate, but he knew the apes had already breached the forest. He knew they wouldn’t survive. Anyway, Vin and me got a message, the Southerners would let the townspeople through, so we rushed back to guide the column of refugees back to the Gateway. It seems there was a panic on the plateau, all hell broke loose, people were falling, children trampled, the dust cloud was so thick from everyone running, you couldn’t see a thing. And then in the middle of this, an ape got amongst them. One ape, Boss! Ten dead and twenty-eight injured.’
Naz shook his head, still in disbelief at the memory of it, that one ape could do so much damage. ‘So we patched up the survivors and led them through the burnt-out grasslands. We were in sight of the Gateway when they hit us. This time there must’ve been thirty or forty of ‘um. Jojo formed up the defence lines to give the townsfolk time to get out, but there was just too many of ‘um. Jojo was taken down by four of ‘um. It was carnage. Vin dragged me away or I would’ve been taken down too. He was a hero, Boss. He knew he was on a one-way trip but he wouldn’t leave those townspeople to face the apes alone.
‘Well, Vin dragged me out but there was nothing we could do to save Jojo, so we pulled back to the Gateway. That’s when the Southerners came to our rescue. They were just too late arriving. They saved Vin and me, and what was left of them Cat’s Prides, that’s what they call themselves when they change, “Prides of Mountain Lions.” And the Southerners got all the townspeople out. They had a fighting tactic. They use long heavy sticks, Staffs they call them, and they make an organised retreat, one step at a time. The row behind protected the row in front. It was amazing to see. They got the rest of us out without any more casualties. Them Southerners may look like farmers and fishermen, but they know how to protect themselves. We can learn a lot from them.’
‘It sounds like hell, Naz.’
‘I’ve never witnessed anything like it and hope I never have to again.’
‘I’ve got more bad news for you, Naz. Better you hear it from me, before anyone else tells you. The Troop never made it back.’
‘WHAT! The escort for the Crystal?’
‘Yep, we got the Crystal, but it was Cal and Fonz brought it home. It seems after Cal and Fonz left you, they met up with Jojo on the Plateau. This must’ve been before the ape and the panic hit the column because they didn’t tell me anything about that. Well, Jojo told them to take the western pass. He said an ape had been spotted in the area, and to take the quickest route home. They came upon the Troop. Every one of them dead, except the Boss, who died in their arms. They’d been hit. By one ape! It wiped out the lot of them. They found the ape dead. It must’ve died from its injuries and the cold. It was still clutching the box with the Crystal in it.’
‘The Western Pass, you say? When we were passing there on the way home, Carter got jittery. He said he could smell death in the pass. It must have been our Troop. Boss, we are dealing with something completely new here. These apes are no longer just mindless marauding animals. They are thinking, planning and working together. They have leaders and I think they are being told what to do and where to go. We gotta start looking at these things completely differently.’
‘I need a report, Naz. I need you to sit down and write down everything you can remember of the mission. I need to try to figure out what’s going on here and what’s changed, who’s leading them.’
‘I’ll get onto it. Boss, there was nothing I could do to save him.’
‘I believe you Naz. I know you, and I know you would’ve brought Jojo home if you could have. Don’t blame yourself. You see that wall there?’ The Boss pointed to the wall behind Naz. ‘That space is going to be filled with Jojo’s portrait. He didn’t have to get involved with those townspeople. His orders were to bring back the Crystal. It’s his humanity that we’ll celebrate.’
‘The finest Guard I ever had the honour to serve under.’
‘I know, Naz. Listen, I’ve got to ask, are you going stay on? You’ve earned the right to leave if you choose.’
‘Leave the Guards? This is my life, Boss. It’s what I was born to do!’
‘I knew you’d say that, I just had to ask. How did Vin get on? He seemed a bit reluctant at the start of the mission. Would you send him out again?’
‘I couldn’t think of a better man to be by my side. He’s changed, Boss. Jojo commissioned him to a full Guard, before he fell. Vin led the column and he
led us home. He’s a great Scout. I’d recommend he be made a full Ranger Scout. He can teach the new recruits a load of field work.’
‘I’ll give it some thought, Naz. I don’t want to promote him too early. I’ve seen it before. People can get overconfident and start taking risks they shouldn’t. Let’s take it one step at a time.’
‘That’s your call, Boss. I’d be happy to have him at my side again, if I ever needed someone.’
‘Well, the recommendation doesn’t come any higher than that, Naz. What do you make of these Southerners?’
‘They are an honourable people, Boss. Brave, well disciplined, though they have no hierarchy. Everyone’s free to have their say when they want. They’d rather talk and make bonds than fight, but if they are pushed to it, well, I wouldn’t want to stand against them. One of their young ladies took down one of our Guards with two blows!
‘You don’t say! A young girl? Who was the Guard?’
‘I don’t rightly remember, Boss, it was all so confused in the battle. And then when they change into hounds, well, Boss, they are fearsome. And they can sniff out ape from leagues away. Good people to have around. The one, Carter, came back with us. He saved our skin, twice!’
‘Is that right? Twice? I’m looking forward to meeting this young man. And I get the feeling the quicker we build bonds with the Southerners, the better it’ll be for all of us. I’ve sent over an invitation for them to come here. I’m looking forward to meeting them both.’
‘What do you make of this situation with the girl, Holly, surviving all that time under the snow?’
‘I don’t know what to make of it, Boss. It was the most amazing thing I ever saw. We were expecting to carry her home in a box, and suddenly she opened her eyes. It frightened the life out of me.’
‘There seems to be a lot of strange things going on, Naz. I get the feeling that after all these years of peace and quiet, times are changing. Let me have that report as soon as you can, then take a couple of weeks off. Get some rest and some pie. Oh, I’m promoting you, Naz. You’re a boss now. Congratulations.’
Lost Lands Page 8
