The Guardians (Book 2)

by Dan O'Sullivan

  ‘No!’ Danil’s shout came after him but he ignored him as he sped through the tunnel. In the inky darkness he caught his foot on a protrusion and crashed forward, cursing as his head struck the rocky wall. He lay stunned for a moment then gave a gasp of shock as someone dragged him to his feet.

  ‘What are you doing, Dale?’ asked Callian incredulously.

  ‘I was coming back for you,’ Dale mumbled.

  ‘I was just closing the door leading into the tunnel from the kitchen,’ Callian explained. ‘Hopefully the Nailmarni won’t find the door; it’s really well disguised from both sides when it’s closed.’

  ‘Ahh…my head!’ Dale clutched his skull and felt warm blood run through his fingers and down his face. ‘No! I can walk, I can walk!’ he protested as Callian indicated he would carry him on his back. He took two steps and staggered sideways into the wall. Callian caught him before he hit the ground and held his hand over the cut on Dale’s scalp. Dale was feeling significantly better by the time they reached the group of people waiting crammed into the end of the tunnel. Danil raised his hand and everyone stopped whispering and waited for him to speak.

  ‘We need to get out of here as fast as we can. Highness, with your permission, I think we’ll make for the place where we hid with Rudi and his warriors.’ Kelian nodded. A pang of pain struck his heart as he remembered the first time he crawled into the rocky hiding place to find his mother and father alive. Now they were dead and he wondered if Rudiger and Eibhear would feel that all their effort had been wasted. He felt a wave of annoyance from Rudiger and he turned towards the warrior.

  ‘I’m sorry Rudi,’ Kelian apologized and the warrior inclined his head in acknowledgement. ‘Continue Danil,’ he ordered.

  ‘As far as I could tell, almost all of the Nailmarni are now within the curtain walls, mostly still on the killing field between the two walls, and between the outer wall and the harbor but they won’t stay there for long. The good news is that means we have a chance of getting out of Castle undetected. Maybe. Hopefully. With a lot of luck.’

  ‘Wonderful,’ said Dale drily. ‘What’s the bad news?’

  ‘Unfortunately, we have no supplies, no food, no blankets-’

  ‘Danil,’ Dale interrupted, ‘l can get us some gear, but we’ll need to get down to the stables near the city gates.’

  Kelian eyed Dale suspiciously. ‘Have you been stealing the soldier’s packs, Dale?’

  ‘Yes sir. I have. It turned out to be impossible to distract the soldiers guarding the provisions cellar, so I had to find a better way of getting some supplies…just in case.’

  ‘Why didn’t you just ask for them?’

  ‘To be honest, I felt a bit stupid. I didn’t really want to explain that I wanted a whole lot of packs just in case we didn’t get out of Castle before the Nailmarni attacked - it doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in anyone - so I thought if I just took what I needed, if nothing happened I wouldn’t have to explain what I was doing. I did consider asking, and I went to the soldier in charge of the stores, and right when I arrived he was being brow beaten by Callum for handing out gear unnecessarily. Anyway, Callum looked like he was about to rip the soldier’s head off, and I decided I’d prefer to be hung for theft.’

  Kelian raised an eyebrow. ‘Alright…that’s a little weird…’

  ‘This is the very situation we didn’t want,’ Dale explained. ‘They attacked us before we attacked them. I remember his Majesty was planning to remain in Castle until the last possible second, and I wondered at the time how many other people would remain on the walls until it was too late, and I took a good guess at who would want to be last to leave,’ he said, frowning at Kelian pointedly. ‘So I thought if we ended up stranded, if we missed the boat and the castle was overrun, at least we would have some supplies. I hoped we might have a bunch of soldiers with us, but…well, you know what happened,’ said Dale, remembering the bravery of the soldiers and King’s Knights who had died trying to get the King and Queen to the ship.

  ‘General Marnol said twenty-seven had gone missing! You stole twenty-seven packs?’ Kelian was incredulous. ‘And he said it stopped happening for a while – well, no wonder – you weren’t there!’ He shook his head at Dale then he frowned. ‘On the day we returned to Castle, Simon came to report that his pack was missing – but you can’t have taken that one!’

  ‘Well, I had some help while I was gone,’ said Dale, looking at Enri who blushed and tried to look innocent.

  ‘You didn’t happen to think of stealing some food Dale?’ asked Borgulnay hopefully.

  ‘That I did! Tolly brought back flour, dried fruit, salt, honey and everything else he needed from the Dwellings, and he made a bunch of travel cakes. They won’t last forever, but it’s a start,’ he said.

  ‘Where are they?’ asked Gilgarry.

  ‘I left them with the packs in the stables. Hopefully Leon won’t have eaten too many of them,’ he added with a grin, though his heart pained knowing there was a good chance the horse might have been killed by the Nailmarni as they rushed through the city. ‘I have enough food and gear for everyone,’ he said confidently, looking around at the weary, defeated looking group. These were the people who had refused to leave the walls but had chosen to try to hold off the Nailmarni until as many people as possible made it to the ship. The last people to leave were the guardians and the free warriors who were on the walls. When the guardians left the walls the free followed them into the keep. King Dannicus and Queen Aithne were escorted through the new tunnel by Timbul and Arras, along with the King’s Knights and the remaining few soldiers, but even as they left the tunnel and ran down the fisherman’s path towards the docks, hundreds of Nailmarni swarmed over them. Kelian had been about fifty paces behind them with Danil as the King and Queen disappeared under the mass of Nailmarni and a hail of arrows. Danil grabbed Kelian and practically threw him back into the tunnel. He reached upwards and smashed the supporting timbers as they passed and the mouth of the tunnel caved in behind them. A mass of soil and rocks fell, effectively blocking the passage. He dragged Kelian back up to the castle.

  Dale glanced sideways at Kelian. The Prince’s face was a mixture of grief and grim determination. Dale could tell by the Prince’s stance that determination was going to win this emotional battle. They made their way through the baker’s door and into the warehouse. Danil crossed the warehouse, opened the door a crack and peered out. There was no-one in the immediate vicinity. He stood without moving for a few minutes then closed the door.

  ‘I can’t see a single Nailmarni. I think they’re all inside the walls,’ he began, and then he stopped speaking and turned to Callian with a strange look in his eyes. ‘Can you feel that, Callian?’ he asked and Callian nodded. ‘What exactly do you think that was?’

  ‘What did you feel?’ Kelian asked urgently.

  ‘I can feel the earth trembling,’ said Danil. ‘It’s so faint for a moment I thought I had imagined it.’

  Callian look puzzled. ‘I can feel it too, Danil, but I have no idea what’s causing it.’

  ‘I can’t feel anything,’ said Gilgarry skeptically.

  ‘You’re human, Gil,’ Callian reminded him.

  ‘We need to go,’ said Dale, feeling a sense of urgency unrelated to the hundreds of Nailmarni inside the castle.

  ‘I agree,’ said Kelian. ‘King’s Marshall, take us on the safest path to the stables.’

  ‘Where from there?’ asked Gilgarry.

  ‘The place where we found Dale and the warriors,’ said Kelian. ‘When we’re ready we can go from there towards the Dwellings.’

  Danil led them through the city to the stables, and still they saw no Nailmarni. They entered the stables and closed the door. To Dale’s enormous relief, the twenty-seven stolen packs were untouched and his horse was safe. Leon stood patiently waiting and beside him stood a small mare. Dale had no idea who the mare belonged to, but he was quite pleased as the animal could carry enough feed for itself a
nd for Leon, so he saddled both animals. Fifteen minutes later they left the city gates and made their way up into the mountains. Dale insisted Elena and Immosey ride, and Leon hardly seemed burdened by the two slight girls. At first the huge horse was reluctant to allow them to ride him, but Dale had reacted so badly when Leon attempted to bite Elena that the big horse was now meekly following Dale and ignoring the two girls perched warily on his back. Immosey squirmed as her dress tightened around her.

  ‘Do you have fleas, Immy?’ Elena whispered as Immosey wriggled.

  ‘It’s this ridiculous dress. I wish we had our other clothes, they’re so much more practical,’ she said referring to the clothes Lias had given them to wear when they escaped from Nyinaku.

  ‘That would be nice, but unfortunately we’re stuck with what we’re wearing, probably for quite some time,’ said Elena, giving Immosey’s arm a little pat.

  They left the road and crossed the bush land, moving as quickly as possible up into the hills. The sun beat down on their faces and everyone was pleased to get under the shelter of the trees. Danil moved to the front of the group and signaled for Borgulnay and Gilgarry to scout ahead. Eibhear fell back with Callian, and Milgorry ran after Borgulnay and Gilgarry. He gestured to the other warriors who formed a rough circle around Kelian, Elena, and Immosey. Though he was quite sure the horse would not attempt any more mischief, Dale continued to lead Leon, and Enri walked at his side. Timbul and Araas stayed either side of Kelian, and he made no comment as they hovered protectively over him. He remembered the torment on their faces when they had told him his parents had been killed, and he glanced curiously at Timbul, feeling he didn’t quite understand the depth of the guardian’s obligation to keep him safe.

  Timbul smiled, and an image of Eijelin flashed into Kelian’s mind.

  ‘Eijelin? Does that mean you feel like my big brother?’ asked Kelian curiously.

  ‘Yes,’ said Timbul seriously. ‘That’s exactly how we feel. And since I can read your thoughts more easily than you can ever imagine, I know you feel the same way about my brother and me.’

  Kelian nodded. He had spent enough time over the past years with Timbul and Araas to indeed think of them as his brothers, but he wondered if the Daoine Maithe felt this way about all humans or if it was just their long friendship which made this bond.

  ‘It’s different,’ said Timbul. ‘It’s our duty to watch over humans, but we also desire to do this. Unless there is dire need, we are not likely to intervene unless we are asked to, and in some cases we have been asked that we do not interfere at all, like with the Tatharlians. But with your family it’s been much, much more than simple duty, as you guessed, because of long friendship.’

  They crested a hill and Kelian stopped and turned back towards Castle. He stared towards the city but he could make out no movement except within the castle. He squinted uneasily from their high vantage, trying to make out what was going on inside the curtain walls. Everyone stopped moving. ‘What do you see, Tim?’ asked Kelian, knowing Timbul’s eyesight was a good deal better than his own.

  ‘There are hundreds of Nailmarni,’ said Timbul. ‘They all seem to be…I don’t know. If they were humans I’d say they were meandering meaninglessly, but with the Nailmarni; who knows?’

  ‘Do you see any in the city?’ asked Dale.

  ‘Yes. But most are between the two curtain walls on the harbor side. They have quite a few on the wall, doing something with the ballistae. I can’t see exactly what,’ Timbul admitted.

  ‘Why would they stay in the castle,’ Enri wondered, ‘unless they’re trying to stop us returning there.’

  ‘Or they plan to use it as a base,’ said Danil. ‘What’s happening to the harbor?’

  ‘I can’t see the harbor for the wall, Danil,’ said Timbul, sounding confused.

  ‘No, I mean there.’ Danil pointed to the western side of the harbor where the beach curved away to the north.

  ‘I can’t see anything,’ said Kelian cautiously.

  ‘The water is low,’ said Araas. ‘That’s odd...’

  ‘We should keep moving,’ said Timbul, looking anxiously around.

  They reached their hiding place with no difficulty and having seen no more of the Nailmarni. Danil could only guess that the entire force had attacked Castle and very few or none remained in the hills. Dale wanted to sneak down immediately for a look at the nest, and Kelian agreed that they shouldn’t wait until morning.

  ‘I’ll go with Danil and Callian,’ said Kelian firmly.

  ‘No you won’t!’ said Dale aghast, and Kelian glared at him.

  ‘Highness,’ Danil said cautiously, ‘it might be prudent for the fastest of us to go. ‘If there are any Nailmarni left in the nest we have no idea how they are likely to react.’

  ‘It’s far too dangerous now. You should be staying here with Kelian,’ said Milgorry, frowning. ‘Lias and I will go for a look.’

  ‘Mil, you have Louisa and your unborn child waiting for you at the Dwellings,’ said Rudiger. ‘Eibhear and I can go.’

  ‘Just one second!’ Borgulnay said angrily. ‘This is our job. If anyone should be going, it’s Gil and me!’

  ‘But I’m the one who best remembers what it looked like before they attacked Castle. There might be something I need to notice,’ Dale insisted.

  ‘And I’m the King’s Knight,’ Enri added. ‘So it’s actually my duty to go.’

  ‘No way!’ Borgulnay growled. ‘As if I’m going to let the Baron of East Inlet and a Knight who’s practically still a baby go anywhere near the place!’ he said heatedly, causing Enri to glare at him angrily.

  ‘That’s enough!’ Kelian snapped abruptly, holding up his hand. ‘I won’t hear another word. I can’t think of anything more dangerous than if we starting fighting one another.’ Everyone stopped arguing. Rudiger opened his mouth to speak but Kelian pointed at him and said, ‘Don’t you dare argue with me, Rudiger of Morlee.’

  Rudiger raised his eyebrows and glanced at Milgorry who shook his head slightly and said, ‘Rudi, you’re going to have to trust me.’

  Rudiger laughed aloud. ‘That’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever asked me, Mil. I’m running around Alkira with a bunch of guardians and a bunch of humans, and I’m still alive, and you ask me to trust you! You know I trust you! How could I not trust you? What would you have us do?’

  Milgorry turned back to Kelian. ‘Highness, until the threat of the Nailmarni has been destroyed, we will fight beside you, and under your command. In Rudi’s words, what would you have us do?’

  Kelian lowered his hand and spoke clearly and resolutely. ‘Callian will go to the nest with Mil and Borg. Everyone else will remain here, including me. Every single person who remains here will eat and sleep, and when Callian, Mil and Borg return they will also eat and sleep. No exceptions. Gil, you will organize guard duty tonight. I want the horses kept within the guarded area. Captain, who do you want on first watch?’

  ‘Er, Tim, Eibhear and Lars for first watch, and Ben, little Rezon, and me for second and then Rudi, Jival and Lias for third. Enri will stand guard beside your Highness and the ladies for first watch, Danil for second and Araas for third. Callian, Mil and Borg will be busy enough without standing guard.’

  ‘Excellent,’ said Kelian. ‘If you are sleeping now, you will eat first, if you are on guard, you may eat when you have finished your duty. At first light tomorrow we will discuss what our best options are and I will decide what we are going to do. Now, we need to arrange for some blankets for privacy for the ladies. Little Rezon, you’re the tallest. If you’d assist me with this I’d be grateful. Also, before we settle, I want the food and blankets distributed evenly between everyone, taking into account that I do not expect to see Elena or Immosey carrying more than the travel cake they might be eating or a water bag they are drinking from. Ben and Jival, see to this please. Lias, ensure that the ladies are suitably armed. I’ve been told on more than one occasion to do my job, and not anyone else’s,’ h
e said glancing towards Timbul. ‘I can only speak for myself, but I’m exhausted and I’ll be no use to anyone in the morning if I don’t rest, so let’s try to get some sleep.’

  After fifteen minutes of quiet activity, they began settling down to eat and sleep. Kelian lay on the rocks wishing he could sleep. He listened restlessly for Callian, Mil and Borgulnay to return, feeling terrible anxiety for their safety and knowing he couldn’t even begin to make plans before they returned and reported to him. He rolled onto his side and tried to calm his racing thoughts, but his mind kept returning to his parents and the soldiers who had not escaped from Castle. He sighed heavily and rolled uncomfortably onto his other side, feeling sickened to his stomach by the terrible losses. He was thinking in circles. His mind leapt between likely scenarios and possible ways of handling each situation. Then he started to imagine the possible outcomes and he would remind himself that he needed to wait until Callian returned before he could make any decisions. Then, like an annoying song stuck in his mind, his thoughts would begin all over again. Eventually Danil sat up and touched Kelian’s shoulder.

  ‘Would you like a little help sleeping, Highness?’ he asked.

  ‘That would be appreciated, Danil,’ Kelian admitted. ‘But wake me up if anything happens.’ Danil brushed his hand over the Prince’s face and he slept peacefully until first light.

  Chapter 26

  Dangerous Tactics

  ‘This is quite good,’ said Kelian, nibbling on a sweet travel cake. ‘I want you to go south, Dale, to Emerald. Find out what’s happening up there, and do whatever is needed.’

  ‘And if they don’t need me in Emerald?’ asked Dale.

  ‘They will need you in Emerald. Even if they’ve been fortunate enough to have not been attacked either by the Nailmarni or the fallen, they’re still going to need you. Alexander said Li and Elizabeth tried to convince father that they should return to Emerald, but he wanted them to go to the Dwellings. They were terribly weak after their illness and he wanted to give them time to recover, but we need someone up there.’