Danil knelt on the pebbly sand beside the water and drew his knife. With sharp blows he broke up the ground, pausing only to scoop away the soil. Callian, Dale and Enri joined him and they worked in silence with heads bowed. Callian looked up as a small choking sound escaped Enri’s throat. He reached out and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Enri didn’t look up.
‘Enri?’ said Callian.
‘What?’ Enri asked almost defiantly, shaking his shoulders to remove Callian’s hand and refusing to look up at the guardian.
‘Look at me Enri.’
Enri raised his tear filled eyes to look at Callian. His mouth dropped open in surprise and another little cry escaped as he saw the look of anguish on the Guardian General’s face.
‘You’re not alone,’ said Callian sadly. ‘It’s not shameful to grieve the passing of a friend.’
Enri glanced across at Danil. The King’s Marshall’s face was dry, but his expression was agonized. He looked at Dale, who glanced up just long enough for Enri to see that he too had succumbed to tears of grief.
‘The King’s Marshall has lost men in battle before,’ said Callian, ‘and every death torments him.’ He sighed heavily. ‘Do not blame yourself Danil, for an accident of nature.’
‘It wasn’t an accident.’ Danil’s voice was practically a growl through his gritted teeth, and everyone stared at him in alarm.
‘They were burning you out?’ asked Lias, his face white.
‘The fire started below us and on either side.’
‘So why haven’t they come after you – unless they think we’re all dead?’ asked Dale.
‘I’m sure they underestimated how fast the fire would grow,’ said Danil. ‘It raced up the mountain so fast with the wind behind it.’
‘Probably making its own wind,’ Lias commented.
‘Well, it hit a huge clearing where six warriors were waiting for us, but the fire just punched straight through like some massive hand had picked up a fistful of fire and thrown it forward,’ said Danil in awe.
‘What happened then?’ asked Valeska sadly, wringing water from the blanket and dripping it over Alexander’s body.
‘Everyone scattered and I managed to grab Alex. I saw David run straight across the clearing and all six went after him. I wasn’t quick enough.’ Danil’s voice was filled with anguish. ‘I think he did it deliberately to try to make them follow him and not Alex and me.’
‘Even you couldn’t have taken down six of the free, Danil,’ Lias commented. ‘I’m surprised David got as far as he did.’ He stooped down and gently lowered David’s body into the stony grave.
‘Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam,’ murmured Valeska quietly as they covered him with the pebbly sand.
‘That still doesn’t explain why we don’t have six of the…free,’ Enri glanced at Lias, ‘on our tails right now.’
‘I don’t think they got out.’ Danil sounded sad. ‘They may have all been nasty bastards, but it’s a terrible way to return.’
‘It’s imperative that we move on. Unfortunately we’re all very tired and very hungry,’ Valeska observed.
Dale raised one eyebrow. ‘You mean Enri, I and Alex are tired and hungry, and Alex probably doesn’t care right now since he’s unconscious. Or did you just want to move on because we’re going to be hit with a massive storm before midnight?’
‘You think it’s going to storm?’ Enri gazed around in disbelief. ‘Dale there’s barely a cloud in the sky, though it’s a little difficult to tell with all this smoke.’ He glanced at Danil who looked surprised and shrugged.
‘Trust me Enri. It’s going to storm, and it will be a big one,’ said Dale.
Valeska drew out a little cloth bag containing travel cakes and handed one each to Dale and Enri.
‘Vali, have you a scarf?’ Danil asked his wife. Valeska drew several pieces of cloth from her pack. Danil inspected the two large cotton scarves. He unwound the blankets from around Alexander and dried him as well as possible with one of the scarves. He took the second scarf and tore it into two pieces, using each piece to bind Alexander’s feet. Then as carefully as possible he wrapped the soldier in a dry blanket. ‘We need to keep him clean,’ he murmured. ‘I will carry him.’
‘Li, if you could scout ahead, we need somewhere to sleep,’ said Callian, and Lias disappeared into the trees.
Several hours later Alexander woke and began to groan in pain. Callian was beside him in a split second and he placed his hand over the soldier’s heart. Within seconds his groans had been reduced to quiet gasps, as Callian did his best to help the burned man handle the pain.
‘Alex, I want you to drink and eat, if you possibly can, and then Callian will make you sleep again,’ said Valeska quickly. Callian gently eased him into a sitting position as Valeska broke off a piece of travel cake and placed it in Alexander’s mouth. He looked at his surroundings as he chewed. They were under some sort of shelter which appeared to be branches melded together so tightly they let in very little light.
‘David?’ Alexander’s voice was a whisper.
Valeska shook her head and blinked back tears. Alexander nodded and swallowed hard, closing his eyes for a moment.
‘What is this place?’ he rasped.
‘We’re inside the roots of a strangler fig tree,’ said Lias. ‘There are some in Alkira, but this is the only place I’ve ever known where they grow to this incredible size. The Sagrians used to make homes inside them, but that was a long time ago.’
‘How did we get in here?’ Alexander couldn’t see where they had entered the little shelter.
‘There’s a vine growing all over the roots. We dragged it back into place after we climbed in through a gap,’ Lias explained. ‘No more talking,’ he added.
Alexander managed to eat half the travel cake and drink a reasonable amount of water before he sank against Callian closing his eyes and groaning in pain. Callian held his hand over the soldier’s eyes and he was immediately asleep, slumping against the guardian. Enri looked at Callian questioningly.
‘I cannot be absolutely sure, Enri,’ said Callian sadly, ‘but he should live. It’s good that he has eaten and had some water, and his burns are not as deep as they might have been.’
‘Do you think he can feel the pain when he’s sleeping?’
‘Again, I don’t really know. I’ve made him sleep deeply in the hope that this blocks the pain, but it means I can’t sense his thoughts, or hear him dreaming. The pain is a good thing. If he couldn’t feel anything it would mean the burns were deeper. Get some sleep Enri.’
It felt like only seconds later when Enri awoke to the sound of a massive thunderclap. He sat up and squinted around. He could hear rain pelting down outside the fig tree but he could see nothing in the darkness.
‘Dale?’ he whispered.
‘Just the storm Enri,’ Dale muttered sleepily, rolling over.
Enri rolled his eyes. ‘Obviously,’ he muttered lying back and pulling his blanket tightly around himself. He was pleased that the inside of the fig tree was still reasonably dry. The tree was growing on a little rise amongst thousands of similar trees, all huge and many with hollow areas under their massive roots. For the next half hour Enri lay watching their little shelter brighten slightly whenever the lightning flashed. Each flash was quickly followed by a deafening crack of thunder. Gradually the gap between the lightning and the thunder lengthened and Enri drifted back to sleep to the sound of pouring rain.
When he awoke it was morning and it was still raining very heavily. He stared in amazement at the little fire Valeska was tending within arm’s length of where he and Dale lay. He sat up.
‘Valeska?’
Valeska smiled at him. ‘I won’t burn the tree down Enri,’ she said looking amused. ‘Danil and Callian have gone hunting, and I thought you might prefer your meat cooked.’ She gestured to a little bundle of sticks she had sharpened in preparation.
‘Definitely,’ Enri agreed. He glanced at Lias. ‘Is he actually asleep?’ he a
sked in surprise.
Valeska placed another piece of wood on the fire. ‘The free need no more sleep than we do, but we all need some rest.’
‘Can I do anything?’ asked Enri.
Valeska motioned to Alexander who lay wrapped in a blanket. ‘Alex has been wrapped in that blanket for a while. I would be grateful if you could check that he isn’t too hot or cold please, and if any wounds are dirty, find a way to clean them. They must be kept clean. There’s another scarf in my pack.’
Enri crawled to Alexander and unwound the blanket from the soldier’s burnt body. He rummaged through Valeska’s pack and found a large cloth similar to the one Danil had used to bind Alexander’s feet. He pushed the cloth through the vine which hung over the only gap of any size between the fig tree’s roots and within seconds the rain had soaked the cloth. He took the dripping fabric to where Alexander lay and began to fastidiously clean his burned body. He went relentlessly back and forth to wet the cloth and an hour later he was finally satisfied with his work.
‘I don’t suppose anyone has any clean cotton clothing,’ he asked Valeska hopefully. ‘Though regardless of how we wrap him, once these burns start weeping everything will stick to the wounds.’
She shook her head. ‘I brought as little as possible, to save carrying a lot of gear. If I did have any spare clothing I would have given it to Louisa,’ she said. ‘The poor girl-’ she stopped speaking and raised her hand. They sat in silence, with Valeska staring ahead as if she was listening.
Ten minutes later, there was a rustling as the vine was lifted from the gap in the tree roots and seconds later Danil and Callian were inside. They remained where they knelt for several minutes letting the water drip from their drenched hair and clothing. Danil passed his pack to Valeska who opened it and drew out a loaf of bread, some dried meat and a large piece of raw mutton which was wrapped in several layers of cloth. Then Danil and Callian removed their drenched shirts and trousers and hung them from overhanging roots to dry. Callian drew an oilskin wrapped bundle from the bottom of Danil’s pack and he passed this to Enri. Enri opened the bundle and exclaimed in approval as he drew out several large clean sheets of soft cotton fabric. He also found two sets of plain trousers and shirts, but he decided to keep these clean for when Alexander’s wounds began to heal. He spread a clean blanket on the ground and then with utmost care, he stretched one of the sheets over the blanket. He lifted Alexander’s body and placed him gently on the sheet. Then he wound the sheet around the soldier and tucked the bottom of the cloth around his feet. He touched Alexander’s forehead and cheeks and, deciding the soldier was a little too cool, he lifted him once again and placed him on his own dry blanket, wrapping it over the sheet. With a wicked grin he snatched the pack from beneath Dale’s head and placed it under Alexander’s head. Dale grunted as his head hit the ground and he opened his eyes and glared at Enri for a second before closing his eyes again. Enri laughed as Dale began snoring seconds later.
‘Obviously a long and dangerous hunt as you tracked this piece of mutton!’ said Valeska mischievously. ‘Do you need me to help you clean your weapons?’
‘It was butchering the animal that took so long,’ Danil explained with a grin.
‘And baking the bread,’ added Callian.
‘And drying the beef?’ Valeska smirked.
‘There’s a small settlement not so far east of here,’ said Danil as he skewered pieces of mutton and handed them to Callian to roast. ‘They’re missing a few items,’ he admitted.
‘Did anyone see you?’ asked Enri.
‘Of course not,’ said Danil. ‘And this rain is so heavy our tracks already will have been washed away.’
‘When do we move on?’ asked Valeska, glancing anxiously at Alexander.
‘We’ll wait until tonight,’ said Callian. ‘Did you sleep?’
‘Yes. Lias kept watch first and Enri and I will keep watch as you and Danil get some sleep.’
‘Obviously Dale is in no condition to keep watch,’ said Danil, in a mockingly loud whisper.
‘I can keep watch if you want me to,’ Dale muttered, opening one eye.
Callian frowned at Dale. ‘Do many people make the mistake of talking about you when you are supposed to be sleeping?’ he asked, holding out a piece of bread torn from the loaf.
‘All the time,’ Dale admitted, sitting up and taking the bread from Callian.
‘I must remember that,’ said Callian. ‘Dale, I know what you were dreaming of only moments ago.’
Dale blushed and stared at the ground. Since leaving Weema, on several occasions he’d felt the sensation of someone searching for his heart, and each time it became stronger.
‘Is it...she...is she dangerous?’ Dale didn’t raise his head.
‘Not while I’m standing beside you…not until she manages to draw you away from us. If she does…well, that mustn’t happen.’
‘Is she following us?’
‘No. She’s following you.’
Dale sighed heavily. ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think under the circumstances it might be better if she couldn’t follow us. I think we’d better stop her.’
‘Understood.’
Enri’s jaw dropped. ‘You can’t return her just for following us!’
‘I wasn’t planning on returning her Enri.’ Callian rolled his eyes.
‘If I get the chance, I’ll try to get close enough to her to make her want to go somewhere else. That’s all.’
‘I didn’t know you could do that.’
‘It’s very difficult with the fallen. If I can catch her, I can do this.’ Callian lay down and closed his eyes. The next part of the journey was worrying him deeply as he knew by now Nandul would have every available warrior out looking for them. And he knew every obvious path out of Nyinaku would be barred. He wondered if their chosen course would lead them right into the arms of the fallen.
Chapter 36
Weapons
‘What were you thinking?’ Milgorry shouted, towering over Immosey. The girl stood defiantly before him, arms folded and mouth set in a pout.
‘I was thinking that surely there would be boats along this river. So I went to have a look. I don’t need to be led around like a child every minute!’
‘You go nowhere by yourself! Nowhere!’ Milgorry was still shouting and glaring at Immosey. She drew back, a little frightened by his anger. ‘You have to stop thinking you’re indestructible! What would have happened if you were seen? You would be dead! If anyone sees you wandering around Nyinaku they will kill you before you even see them!’ He glared at her as Borgulnay rushed over to push his way in between them.
‘Why are you shouting at Immosey?’ said Borgulnay. His voice was cold and his hands curled into fists as his massive chest swelled with anger.
Milgorry transferred his glare from Immosey to Borgulnay. ‘Immosey seems to think it’s alright to take a little stroll down to the river to look for boats,’ he growled, ‘by herself!’
Borgulnay swung around and stared at Immosey, his eyes narrowing in shock. ‘You did what? Please tell me he’s joking.’
‘Not joking,’ said Milgorry through gritted teeth.
‘Immy, you can’t just wander about! Mil is right. What were you thinking?’
Immosey looked between Milgorry’s and Borgulnay’s angry and shocked faces. She flushed deep red and sudden tears rushed down her cheeks.
Borgulnay reached out and gently drew her into his arms. ‘I’m sorry Immy. It was a good idea to look for boats. If you want to go anywhere else I’ll come with you. The thought of losing you…’ Immosey felt a little guilty as she heard the pain in his voice and she buried her face against his chest.
‘I frightened you,’ said Milgorry regretfully. ‘I’m sorry little sister, but you frightened me first. You are inclined to taking risks!’
Immosey drew back and looked up at Borgulnay and then across at Milgorry. ‘I’m sorry too,’ she said.
‘Speaking of siste
rs, where is Elena?’ asked Borgulnay, glancing around, ‘and Kelian?’
Milgorry swung around to face the place where Gilgarry lay sleeping and let out an exasperated huff. Kelian and Elena had been beside him not ten minutes before, but now the soldier lay alone. ‘Keep them safe!’ Milgorry commanded Borgulnay as he dashed into the forest.
Five minutes later he returned with Kelian and Elena close behind, both wearing slightly sheepish expressions.
‘You’d think we were going on a little picnic in the Cabla Hills,’ Milgorry grumbled.
‘What were you doing, Kelian?’ Borgulnay asked the Prince resignedly.
‘We went to see if there were any boats,’ Kelian explained.
‘And to look for houses,’ said Elena. ‘We need to find some warmer clothing before we go south. It’s cold in the mountains and Milgorry doesn’t even have a shirt.’
Milgorry had his teeth gritted together again. ‘And this justifies the Prince of Alkira and his fiancée wandering around Nyinaku unprotected?’
‘I’m sick of feeling useless,’ said Kelian heatedly.
‘I’m sick of failing to protect you,’ Milgorry replied.
‘I don’t need protecting!’
‘Yes you do! And it’s my job to get you safely home. Your people will need you. Your armies will need you.’
‘Armies?’ Kelian suddenly drew himself upright and looked hard at Milgorry. ‘You expect war?’
‘Not immediately,’ Milgorry admitted. ‘Most likely Nandul will take the most cunning and malicious revenge he can accomplish first. I imagine you have family and friends scattered all over Alkira,’ he said pointedly. ‘Nandul isn’t one to accept defeat. He’ll see what has happened here as a slight setback in his plans, but an insult worthy of serious revenge.’
Kelian stared at Milgorry in horror. ‘What about Louisa? Will he come after her again?’
Milgorry’s face turned anxious. ‘He’ll come after our baby; the child of a guardian and of the free.’
Kelian was silent; his eyes narrowed in determination, and in that instant Milgorry saw a different man, one descended from a long line of tough Kings. Kings who had led their people through centuries of toil to forge them into the nation they had become.
The Fallen (Book 1) Page 35
