Valderen ft-2

by Roger Taylor

  ‘But you’re from the same country,’ Marna said, an inadvertent note of accusation in her voice. ‘You speak the same way as he does.’

  ‘That’s nearly true,’ the rider acknowledged. ‘And that’s why we’re here. But we’re not with him, believe me. Now tell me why you’re here. It’s important. We don’t want to stay here too long, it’s dangerous for us.’

  Marna looked from him to Aaren standing beside her. Aaren nodded encouragingly. She took the chance. ‘I was trying to get to the capital to tell the king about what was happening here. About Nilsson, and Rannick and… everything.’

  The rider nodded. Though his face revealed little, Marna felt his approval in this acknowledgement. ‘I’d like you to come with us,’ he said. ‘We’ve a camp higher up, and we could use your help.’

  ‘I… I don’t know,’ Marna stammered. ‘I don’t know who you are or…’ Her voice tailed off.

  The rider looked at her thoughtfully, then he bent forward and spoke in a kindly voice. ‘You’re right to be uncertain,’ he said. ‘Especially after what’s just hap-pened to you.’ He pointed south. ‘That’s the way you need to go to get out of the valley. It won’t be easy to reach the capital. Your… Rannick… has done a great deal of harm hereabouts and there are a great many unpleasant people gravitating to this place as a consequence. You might be able to make it, judging by how you’ve handled yourself here. But it won’t be easy.’ He paused. ‘The choice is yours. We need your help here, but if you want to go on, we’ll give you what advice we can, and we’ve got messages of our own that we’d like you to carry to the king for us.’

  Marna barely registered the reference to the king. The encounter with the two men had shaken her profoundly, and the hint about conditions beyond the valley that she had just been given had a truthful and unwelcome ring about it. She turned to Aaren, but this time the woman’s face was expressionless. ‘Your choice,’ it said.

  The journey ahead unfolded before her, as she had so often studied it, though now the uncertainties that had hovered about it had doubled and trebled and they had an all too real vividness about them. And these people intrigued her. There was something disturbing… frightening even… about their quiet, purposeful intensity, and their seeming indifference to what had happened. And they were from Nilsson’s country, without a doubt. Yet…?

  If they’d wanted to kill her they’d have done it by now; she had no idea how she had finished up helpless on the ground after she had attacked Aaren, but she knew that she could have done nothing to prevent it.

  Then her practical nature advised her that she could always sneak away from them later if need be. ‘I’ll come with you,’ she said.

  ‘Good,’ the rider said. ‘I’m glad. There’s a great deal we need to know about this place and what’s been happening here. Give Aaren your pack and mount up behind me.’

  As Aaren cupped her hands to help her on to the horse, Marna noticed that the tip of one of her fingers was missing. It was another small question to add to those that were still tumbling around her head.

  ‘What about your friends?’ she asked, as she wrig-gled herself comfortable.

  ‘They’ll follow us,’ the rider replied. ‘And they’ll hide our tracks. Don’t worry.’

  Marna raised her eyebrows in surprise. It had never occurred to her to consider hiding her tracks.

  A little while later, after a silent and predominantly uphill journey, Marna found herself in the strangers’ camp. To her, it seemed that they came upon it very suddenly, and it was only when she looked around that she realized how simply and yet how cunningly it had been hidden by the careful positioning of a few branches.

  The rider introduced himself. ‘I’m Engir,’ he said. ‘This is Aaren. The others are Levrik and Yehna.’ He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

  ‘Marna,’ came an awkward reply.

  Engir smiled and motioned her towards a grassy bank. ‘Do you want anything to eat, Marna?’

  Marna shook her head. ‘I’m thirsty, though,’ she said, taking the water bottle from her pack.

  ‘Eat,’ Aaren ordered, when Marna had finished drinking. An apple was thrust into her hand. ‘You’ll need it, you left most of your breakfast back there.’

  Marna looked at the apple for a moment, her stom-ach rumbling, before hesitantly biting into it. Only then did she realize that she had not eaten since some time before Nilsson had made his fateful visit the previous day. She finished it noisily.

  As she ate, Aaren and Engir talked, in their own language. Marna listened unashamedly, though she could understand nothing of what was said. There was a sonorous beauty about their speech that enthralled her, however. Could these people really be from the same country as Nilsson and his men?

  ‘Why are you here?’ she asked abruptly, interrupting them.

  ‘There’s a little stream just over there,’ Aaren said, ignoring the question, and pointing. Go and clean yourself up, you look a mess.’

  Slightly affronted, Marna did as she was bidden. It took her some time to wash all the blood from her hands in the cold water and she was shivering when she returned to sit on the grassy embankment. She looked at her new companions. Both of them were lying idly on the sunlit grass as though they were on some leisurely picnic. It appeared, however, that they were simply waiting for the return of their companions, for as Levrik and Yehna arrived, Marna found herself the focus of their attention. ‘Tell us about Nilsson, Marna,’ Engir asked, smiling. ‘And this… Rannick… person we’ve been hearing about.’

  Marna would rather they had told her about them-selves first, but she could not but respond to this pleasant albeit determined asking. A little self-consciously at first, she told them what had happened since the arrival of Nilsson and his men on Dalmas Morrow. Even as she spoke, she found it hard to imagine that so much had occurred in so short a time. She also found her listeners almost disconcertingly attentive. They sat still and silent throughout, only interrupting on those occasions when she knew herself that she was repeating herself or rambling.

  The atmosphere in the small camp changed as she spoke, however, becoming noticeably more uneasy particularly as she spoke about Rannick and his strange metamorphosis. And when she concluded with the details of her own decision to flee the valley, the unease became open concern.

  Engir put his hand to his forehead, while the two women both spoke at once, in their own language. Levrik leaned back on the grass, but Marna could feel a tension in him.

  After a moment Engir spoke to the two women and nodded towards Marna. Yehna protested a little, but Engir replied, ‘No. Speak her language. If we’re going to ask her to trust us, then we’ll have to trust her.’

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Marna asked, concerned by this sudden agitation.

  ‘Will this Rannick come looking for you?’ Engir asked.

  Marna did not get an opportunity to reply. ‘We must assume he will, no matter what she thinks, and act accordingly,’ Levrik said.

  Engir nodded. ‘You’re right, of course. Yehna, put on her boots, get back to where we found her and lay a false trail. Don’t take too long, just…’ He shrugged. ‘… take it up towards that escarpment we passed and lose it in the rocks. We’ll move up to the lookout we set up yesterday.’

  Swept along, rather than agreeing with this idea, Marna found herself exchanging boots with Yehna and, despite Engir’s earlier request, surrounded by the native language of these mysterious travellers. Then Yehna was gone, and Marna was left walking with the others to some unknown destination and peering down at her temporary new boots. They were rather small for her and squashed her toes, but she could walk well enough. In fact she was not a little pleased to be wearing such fine boots. For they were indeed of a remarkable quality and beautifully made.

  The observation prompted her to look at her new companions more closely. Their clothes were travel-stained but, like Yehna’s boots, they were well made and of a high quality. So, too, was the equipment on the horses
that they were leading. And the horses them-selves were finer than any she had ever seen before.

  She took hold of Engir’s arm as they trudged silently along. ‘Who are you?’ she asked, yet again. ‘Where do you come from? What are you doing here? Why…’

  ‘We’re Nilsson’s countrymen,’ Engir replied, before she could continue. ‘At least Levrik and I have that dubious pleasure. Yehna and Aaren come from a neighbouring country. But both are a long way from here.’

  ‘What have you come here for?’ Marna persisted.

  ‘To find Nilsson, and his men. To see if they can be brought to account for something they did,’ Engir replied straightforwardly.

  Marna remembered Engir’s reference to messages for the king. ‘You’re from the king, aren’t you?’ she burst out, clapping her hands together. ‘Are you…’ She snapped her fingers excitedly as she struggled for the word. ‘… Mercenaries? Paid by the king to free us all?’ As suddenly as her hopes had risen, however, they fell. ‘But what can four of you do?’

  Even Levrik smiled at the tone of her voice. Engir raised his hand a little to indicate that she should not make so much noise. ‘We’re here with your king’s authority,’ he said. ‘But we’re not mercenaries. We’re professional soldiers owing our first allegiance to the peoples of our homelands. And you’re quite correct, there’s very little four of us can do against Nilsson’s band as it is now.’ His expression became anxious. ‘Especially with this Rannick appearing on the scene.’ He fell silent, and Marna felt loath to press him further.

  Then, without any spoken command, the horses were left in a small clearing, and the walkers continued, moving always higher up the tree-lined sides of the valley. Eventually they stopped at another carefully concealed camp. From this one, however, a gap between the trees enabled them to see along the valley without making themselves visible. Marna stared at a small, isolated cottage in the distance until she eventually recognized it as her home. Looking at it from this unusual vantage made her feel very strange.

  ‘When Yehna gets back, I’d like you to tell us about Rannick again.’ Engir’s voice broke into her reverie. ‘And the boy, Farnor. The one who disappeared.’

  Marna turned to him. ‘He’s not a boy,’ she said flatly. ‘He’s as near a man as makes no difference. And he’s my friend.’ Her face twisted in distress but she did not weep as she added, ‘And he might well be dead by now.’

  Engir nodded sympathetically. ‘I meant no offence,’ he said, quietly. ‘And I’m afraid there are many people dead in the wake of Nilsson and his men. But please tell us your story again. I know it’ll be painful, but it’s very important.’

  Marna made no answer, but turned to look along the valley towards her home again. Engir did not press his request.

  It was some time before Yehna returned, and though she thanked Marna for the loan of her boots, she took them off and put on her own with conspicuous relief, at the same time shooting a sour glance at the two men, both of whom were grinning.

  Although she had been treated courteously, even kindly, Marna could not help but feel like a gawky outsider as she watched the subtle interplay between the four companions. They seemed always to know what each needed of the other, even though they rarely spoke. And there were equally subtle things about the way they moved; a studied effortlessness. Yehna, for example, was barely flushed when she returned, even though she must have walked a considerable distance.

  Marna had little time to ponder these observations however, as shortly after Yehna’s return, Engir looked at her significantly.

  She told her tale again.

  This time however, she found herself being fre-quently interrupted and closely questioned about various details which she had passed over as being inconsequential: what Farnor had said about his mysterious contact with the creature; what Gryss had said about the fiery column that Rannick had conjured up, and what she had felt when she saw and touched the flame in the tower room. And too, they probed into the few words that Rannick had uttered about his future plans. Only their politeness prevented her from losing her temper at this meticulous attention.

  However, as her tale unfolded, she noticed as she had at its first telling that a tension began to pervade the group. Aaren spoke softly and rapidly in her own language. Engir frowned and nodded towards Marna. ‘Their language, Aaren,’ he said, with some reproach. ‘All the time now, unless we run into difficulties.’

  Aaren cast an irritable look at no one in particular, then spoke again. ‘It’s so,’ she said, still softly, as if afraid of eavesdroppers. ‘I’ve smelt it for days. Ever since we began to hear about this Lord Rannick. Ever since we learned that that broken troop we were closing with had suddenly miraculously recovered and begun raiding the countryside.’ She levelled a finger at Engir.

  ‘And so have you, if you’d only own up to it.’

  Engir turned away from her and slapped his thighs agitatedly, as if both anxious and reluctant to deny this accusation. ‘I…’ he began, but his voice tailed off almost immediately.

  ‘Riders.’ Levrik’s whisper silenced any further de-bate. He was pointing up the valley. The others turned to follow his gaze. It took Marna some time to see the tiny, distant dots, but when she did, she stood up and craned forward to get a better view. Yehna gently pulled her down again.

  ‘They can’t possibly see me from here, through all these trees,’ Marna protested.

  Yehna merely placed a finger to her lips. ‘Be still, be silent,’ she said softly, but with irresistible command.

  There was a long silence, broken only by bird song and the sound of the trees moving in the breeze. Marna found herself almost holding her breath. Then she drew it in sharply. The riders had stopped by her cottage.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Engir asked, without turning round.

  Marna told him.

  The riders began to spread out. ‘They’ll find her tracks in minutes,’ Aaren said.

  Engir nodded. ‘Between us, we saw all three of them die,’ he said. Marna looked at him, puzzled by the remark. But the others seemed to understand. ‘And He was destroyed too.’ He struck his chest. ‘And we knew they’d gone.’ He laid a heavy emphasis on the word, knew.

  ‘But they’re back,’ Aaren said urgently. Or one of them, at least.’

  Engir’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head. ‘It couldn’t be,’ he said.

  Aaren took his arm and shook him. ‘Damn you, I know that,’ she hissed. ‘But it is. What’s got into you? You’re not going to tell me you haven’t felt it in everything we’ve seen these past days. And now there’s this girl’s tale. Face it or we’re all finished.’

  Engir turned on her. ‘They’re all dead,’ he said an-grily and unequivocally.

  The two of them glared at one another. Marna watched this bizarre turn of events in both bewilder-ment and trepidation.

  ‘They’re dead. But it’s here.’ Levrik, still watching the now scattering riders, ended the confrontation with this softly spoken, enigmatic comment. Engir looked at him sharply, but did not speak. ‘It was so focused in those three and Him that you’ve forgotten what it is,’ Levrik went on. ‘It’s everywhere. All around us, all the time. Available for those who know how to use it, for good or ill. Unfortunately, someone here – this Rannick – has learned how to use it and is using it for consider-able ill.’ He turned to Engir. ‘And, equally unfortunately, it leaves us with something of a problem.’

  ‘That’s an understatement,’ Aaren said caustically.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Marna asked, unable to remain silent in the middle of all this strange concern.

  The four exchanged glances, then Engir spoke to her, his voice gentle, but full of grim resignation. ‘We understand a little about the power that your Rannick uses, Marna. We’ve… met it before. I was reluctant to accept that it was here again, but…’ He shrugged regretfully. ‘It’s a terrible thing,’ he went on. ‘Not something any of us would willingly meet again. And not something tha
t can necessarily be dealt with by simple force of arms. It needs someone with the same skill.’ He cast a sidelong glance at Levrik. ‘The problem that Levrik spoke of is that none of us here has that skill, nor can we bring such a person here without a journey of many months.’

  Marna’s commonsense completed his tale, unbid-den. ‘But he’s getting stronger every day,’ she said forcefully. ‘All manner of people are coming to join him, and raiding parties are going out every few days. We can’t wait months before we do something.’

  ‘They’ve found them.’ Levrik’s voice again broke into the discussion.

  Marna looked back up towards her home. She could see the tiny dots converging. ‘Will they find us?’ she asked, suddenly fearful, her mind filling with images of the man she had just killed.

  Engir shook his head. ‘Probably not,’ he said. ‘But you must do everything we tell you, immediately and without question, do you understand?’ Marna nodded, now not so much the gawky outsider as a nervous waif.

  While Levrik continued his relentless watch on the approaching riders, the newcomers returned again to their wider difficulties.

  ‘I can carry on with my journey to the capital,’ Marna offered. ‘Take your messages with me. The king could send the army.’ She brightened. ‘Or we could all go. If you can’t do anything here on your own, there’s not much point staying, is there?’

  There was another exchange of glances amongst her listeners.

  ‘I wish you’d all stop doing that,’ Marna flared in-dignantly. ‘Looking at one another as though I’m some kind of idiot.’

  Engir raised his hands appeasingly. ‘I’m sorry, Marna,’ he said. ‘It’s just that you seem to have led such a sheltered life here. There’s so much…’

  ‘It’s not sheltered any more,’ Marna retorted angrily, before he could continue. ‘Foulness has come from the north, from the south, and from within. These last two months or so might as well have been twenty years. Now tell me what’s bothering you, straight out, and how I can help, or let me get on my way, and I’ll help myself and my friends as best I can.’