by Ashley Capes
“And what do you know about my curse, Elina?”
“Less than you, I’d wager.”
“Don’t worry; it’s not a competition.”
Had she smiled before she turned away? Probably a grimace. When she turned back her expression was not one of humour. “I know your curse is dangerous and I hope the Gods have a higher purpose for you. Perhaps they have a vicious sense of humour and you’re actually the beginning of some manner of plague.”
Cheery girl. “I see. Go on, Lady Elina.”
“But have no doubts, Never. I will kill you if I have reason to believe you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”
“Worth to whom? And what am I worth? Half a dozen gold pieces? A silver spoon – no, a brass buckle!”
She stopped, a hand lashing out to clasp his arm. “I don’t speak in jest. I will kill you to protect my people. All people.”
“Delightful that you see me as less than human.” He withdrew his arm. A plague? Well, that was an exaggeration certainly. Dangerous, yes. And of all the nasty things he’d been called, ‘a plague’ was certainly notable. Mark that one down as the all-time insult. “I’m still curious, however. Exactly what makes you think I’m a dread force for evil?” Something Snow had often claimed was untrue.
“I never said you were evil.”
“Very well. A force for misfortune – whatever you like. Tell me what you fear.”
“The Marlosi have legends, histories and myths.”
“Of course.”
“Hanik legends speak of a line of ancient blood, ancient people that might return, might poison the world. Our ancestors were...” she paused to shrug, “like favoured servants, let’s say, to this old line. Their power was vast. It toppled kingdoms, it rearranged rivers and brought new life to the earth. There was no feat too great.”
Never covered a moment of surprise with a cough. Her story wasn’t so dissimilar to that of the pictures in the Amber Isle. What else did she know? Was that her true interest in him? “Sorry. The fever wreaks havoc with my lungs. What do you mean by new life?”
“Well, for instance – some say the fire-birds of Kiymako were made by this ancient race.”
“Impressive. But something befell them, right?”
“Yes. No-one knows what. Disease is one belief. War another.”
Were the people she described truly his supposed ancestors? Never shook his head with a smile. Wouldn’t that be too easy? To stumble upon a noblewoman who knew something of his heritage?
And yet – ‘stumble’ was not accurate, was it? She’d trailed them from the port. And earlier than that, had she sought him in Petana? Or only chanced across him? The other question was just as simple: what had she been doing in Marlosa in the first place?
She knew a lot more than she was letting on.
“No matter how old my blood may be,” Never said. “I don’t believe I’ll be spreading anything like a plague. Those I tangle with tend to die.”
“I doubt either of us know all that you’re capable of.”
Karlaf returned, breaking from the trees. “We need to change course. The Vadiya will head us off if we stay here.”
“Where to?” Never asked. He signalled for Luis to close the gap and the man ran forward.
“If we take a detour we can still reach the ruins in reasonable time but it will be dangerous.”
“Where?” Elina asked.
“The Pale Swamp. If we swing around and pass through it, I doubt even the mysterious ‘Echo’ will trace us. And any of the Steelhawks foolish enough to follow will be taken care of.”
“Dangerous place is it?” Never asked.
“It’s difficult to navigate,” Elina said. “But Karlaf has done so twice now.”
“Twice?”
Karlaf grinned. “Most other folks are lucky to pass through once.”
“What else must we contend with?” Never asked.
“The leeches grow big there. And remember not to eat anything that grows from the water – but if you follow my lead we’ll survive.” He glanced at Elina but she offered no response.
Luis raised a hand. “Is it worth it? What’s to stop Harstas circling the swamp?”
“They’ll run into the Maienne River. The nearest bridge is miles out of their way. If they try and cross it any other way, they’ll either be delayed or drown.”
Never ran a hand through his hair. Still damp at the temples. The Moor-Sickness was merely lying in wait. “Harstas can probably guess our destination, depending on the quality of his guide – after all, he’s the one who poisoned me.”
“You can try race them up the main road, if you like,” Karlaf said.
“If you think your fever will hold,” Elina added. “And if you think we can kill a full pack of Steelhawks – with the threat of your illness.”
“No, I’ve opted for stealth and stealth it will be. Let’s visit the swamp.”
“Follow me then.”
Karlaf’s detour led them along thinner trails as the day began to wane. At times the trail was so faint that it was little more than an absence of heavy undergrowth. Any animal droppings that littered the path were white and crumbling. Even the squeak of the Baeils had dropped away.
When the sun set Karlaf brought them to a halt in a small clearing. A half-fallen tree provided some small shelter, its dying leaves still dropping to the grass. “We’ll camp here.”
“How far is the swamp?” Never asked. Luis was kicking at branches, clearing a space for his bedroll, and Elina had already dropped her own pack, rubbing at her neck.
“Less than an hour’s walk. Any closer and we have to deal with the gnats.”
“Doesn’t sound like the sort of place you’d want to travel in the dark.”
“Right. We’ll be camping on islands overnight.”
“Just one night?”
“One is enough.”
“I’m in a state of anticipation, Karlaf.” Never let his own pack fall with a sigh. “Well, how about I find some kindling then. Who’s cooking?”
Chapter 7.
Never woke to a cool darkness.
Had voices been shouting? He turned his face to the spidery red embers glowing in the fire pit. Luis was snoring faintly but beyond the fire, two shapes stood, speaking. Arms seemed to wave – in anger? Cloud passed and silvery moonlight slipped through the leaves.
Elina and Karlaf.
“Hush,” Elina was saying. She kept her voice low. “Do not wake them.”
“I’m sorry, My Lady.” Karlaf paused. Never kept his breathing soft and even and the guide continued. “But I don’t care what your grandfather believes. I cannot take you into the swamp. You are too important.”
“I have my orders.”
“What about my duty to protect you?”
“I outrank you, Karlaf.” By the sound of her voice it seemed she smiled.
“That’s hardly fair.”
“No. But that’s the lot we were given. Protect me as you have before.”
Never frowned. Just how long had the two known each other? If it had been Elina snooping around Lenan, and it had to have been, then who was to say she didn’t have something to do with making sure Augim ‘found’ Karlaf? Why was she so convinced that his curse was more than a curse? The ancient race she mentioned too. From the murals in the Amber Isle there was suggestion that his blood might be part of the sharing of knowledge. Now, of course, all it was good for was death.
Although, there were the memories.
Sometimes those memories helped him out of tight spots. Like the memory courtesy of a now long-dead footpad, a man whose mother had taught him how to stare down an angry dog – that came in handy only a few years back, when Never fell into a Lord’s manor. Or the over-zealous jailor whose memories of torturing criminals were so vivid that Never had emptied his stomach into the pool of blood that surrounded the corpse – yet such knowledge of the body had allowed him to push an old enemy to breaking point without killing him, and thus
retrieve the information he needed.
Elina was still speaking. “Let me finish the watch. You need your rest.”
“I’m not that old, My Lady.”
“Come now. I need you at your best for the swamp.”
“Of course.” He moved closer to the fire and bedded down.
Never closed his eyes.
On whose orders had Elina been instructed to watch him? Just who was her grandfather? King Noak of Hanik had no grandchildren. At least, no legitimate ones.
More mysteries.
His eyes grew heavy; mysteries could wait until tomorrow.
When he woke again it was to Luis shaking him in the gentle dawn light. Meat – perhaps rabbit – cooked over the fire, tended by Karlaf.
“When did you rise?” Never asked.
“Not too long ago. Eat and we’ll break camp,” he said. “I can’t be sure but I suspect the Steelhawks still follow. We’ve got the jump on them though.”
“Good.” He packed his bedroll and blanket then stood, stretching. The fever had receded. He could have smiled, but the faint scent of stagnant water crept on a slight breeze. Nonetheless, he accepted a hunk of meat and blew on it to cool the flesh. Thankfully, the first bite didn’t taste of swamp water.
Elina was waxing the string of her bow. She placed a foot on the yew and restrung the weapon before slinging it over her shoulder. Never finished his breakfast and crossed the camp while Karlaf doused the fire. “Have you travelled the swamp before, Elina?”
“Once. Five years ago.”
“And how did you find it?”
“Unpleasant. I would have rather not have done so.”
“Something forced your hand, I take it?”
“My first tally, as you call them, fled here. I did not have to pursue him too deeply, which was a blessing. The swamp swallowed him.”
“Ah. How disappointed you must have been, not to personally take the kill.”
Her eyes flashed and she spun away, returning to the trail.
Never blinked. He’d hit a nerve, yet he hadn’t realised it would be so sharp. Karlaf came to stand beside him, Luis in tow. The older man glared at Never. “Don’t ask her about it,” was all he said before following Elina.
Never raised an eyebrow and Luis shrugged. “I hope that’s not something we have to worry about,” the treasure hunter said.
“We’ll find out.” Never lowered his voice, holding Luis back a moment. It didn’t seem that either meant him harm but there was still something disconcerting about the whole business. Just what was she holding back? Who else was interested in his curse? “We have to watch them, it seems. Last night, they were arguing. Elina has her own agenda and Karlaf acts as her vassal.”
Luis nodded.
Karlaf walked ahead and Never closed the distance soon enough. Elina ranged further along, visible between the trees but mostly a shadow.
“I hope she’s not too upset.”
“She’ll be well soon enough,” Karlaf said, his words still short.
Never considered asking the man directly what she was hiding, but thought the better of it. Best to give it time. They’d either slip up soon or a better opportunity would arise.
The swamp appeared ahead, a flat surface of sluggish pools that reflected pale trees growing from the water. Slime and green trails of scum and moss climbed the trees at the waterline and lily-pads floated in chains spreading from the spongy ground at the edge. Flashes of blue sky were reflected when the clouds broke.
With all the grey and white bark around, mirrored in the water even, the Pale Swamp bore its name well.
Elina had walked along its edge some distance, as if searching for something. The swamp itself stretched wide. Islands of firm ground were dotted about – but even the largest bore the glimmer of water beyond. The scent of old water was strong. Something sticky landed on the back of his hand. A black and green gnat. Never swiped at it. A smear of green blood and twig-like legs were left behind.
“Don’t let too many bite you,” Karlaf said. “Some people fall sick.”
“Maybe the ones that bite me will die first.”
“Rub the leaves of this plant on your exposed skin,” Karlaf said, stepping close to a low-lying shrub and tearing some bubbly leaves free. It grew in abundance along the shores and spread into the rest of the forest.
Never bent and tore some leaves free. They were furry beneath his fingertips. He scrunched them up and rubbed the little moisture across his neck and throat, then the backs of his hands. When Karlaf rubbed a strip beneath his eyes, over the bridge of his nose and down his cheeks, Never duplicated the man’s actions – collecting more leaves. He finished with his forehead.
“Ears too,” Karlaf said.
Never took more leaves and covered his ears. The scent wasn’t unpleasant. Almost a mint. “What is Elina looking for? Boats, I hope?”
“Rafts and poles.”
He sighed. “Better than nothing.”
“Will we camp on one of the islands?” Luis asked, his own hands full of the leaves.
Karlaf nodded. “We need a reliable fire too. When we set up I’ll teach you how to create a ring of mushrooms to protect from leeches. It usually works.”
“Usually?” Luis asked. His face had paled.
Karlaf slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. If one passes the ring, you’ll know about it.”
Never looked to the water. “Anything else in there we need to know about?”
“Some of the bigger fish bite but they likely won’t attack a group. Just don’t try going for a swim.”
Elina returned. “There is a raft large enough for all of us. But we may need to re-lash it.”
“I have rope,” Karlaf said.
“I do too,” Luis offered.
“We could use another pole,” Elina said.
Karlaf handed her a hatchet from his belt and led Luis along the water’s edge. Elina started for the trees. Never followed, standing back as she selected a sapling and hacked at the base.
“I apologise for my words, earlier,” Never said when she paused to let the tree fall. It couldn’t hurt to keep her onside. After all, they were going to be stuck together for some time now. And she knew something about his curse, it seemed – it was connected to the secrets she kept. Secrets he needed to uncover.
She glanced at him then dropped the hatchet on its head with a soft thud.
“You must know why I’m pushing you,” he said.
“Because you’re childish and you don’t trust me.”
He grinned. “Not yet.”
“Never, I spared your life before. I’m not planning anything underhanded now; if I’d wanted to kill you, I’d have taken my chance already.”
“I can accept that.” He lifted the sapling and laid it against a broader trunk. “May I?”
“Go ahead.”
He took the hatchet and began stripping branches from the sapling. “What does your grandfather want with me?” he asked, taking a guess.
“You heard us last night?”
With his eyes on the task at hand, he missed her reaction – if there had been one – but her voice had been calm enough. “Half the forest probably heard. Luis would have if he hadn’t been snoring.”
“My grandfather, Olivor, is advisor to the King.”
He finished up and returned the hatchet. “Should I be flattered that he’s taken such an interest in me?”
“You and the remnants of your bloodline.”
There. She definitely knew more than she had revealed so far. Never lowered the pole. “Elina, what have you been holding back? You know of others like me?” Assuming she meant remnants other than he and his brother.
“Shall we strike a bargain?”
“I’ll listen.”
“I’ll continue to help you now and once you are cured, come with me to the capital. I can reveal everything my grandfather has learnt. He has been studying the Amouni – your ancestors – for decades, and as is safest, he re
veals to me only what I need to know.”
Amouni.
His heart skipped a beat. Progress! It was another piece of the puzzle, another clue to be followed. Something about it tickled his memory too, something hidden... and he reached for it but the sense of familiarity passed, leaving him clutching at whispers. But Elina was offering a clear enough trade, there simply seemed to be little in it for the Hanik. Yet his intended destination was the royal city anyway. And he’d never been inside the palace library. Maybe there was something for him there, some lost writings? “And what can I do for your grandfather when in City-Sedrin?”
“Lend him your blood.”
“Not all of it, I hope.”
“No. But your blood is special. We believe it could be a tool for great evil or great good.”
“And I would be at your disposal for how long?”
“I cannot say. The mysteries of the Amouni are complex.”
“Indeed.” Amouni. So, how long had the Hanik served the Amouni? And when and why had they stopped doing so? He studied her expression. No trace of guile, but then, how could he be sure? “It’s awfully... selfless of you both, to worry over the future of the world so.”
“It is our duty,” she said.
“Yours and your grandfather’s?”
“My family, yes. For generations. We have been watching and waiting for the bloodline of our old Masters to resurface. It is the oldest secret in all the lands – I am doubtful many other nations even remember the Amouni, even as myths. Much was scoured from the lands, perhaps a thousand years gone.”
He straightened. “Why? What happened to them?”
“I will tell you the rest of what I know when we reach the city.” Karlaf called for them from the edge of the camp. Elina waved to him. “So, do we have an agreement, Never?”
“With a provision.”
“Yes?”
“We include my brother in whatever we discover – under whatever conditions he sees fit.”
“I cannot make that promise.” She shook her head. “Do you even know where your brother is?”
Impossible to say. Snow had been wandering for a long time, same as Never. And they might have been together still, had it not been for Zia... Had Snow learnt anything from his time in Isacina? Had he escaped the invasion – was he even in Marlosa? “Not right now.”
