The hooded shape turned towards them, its face obscured. “What did you see at the tower?”
The four appeared to have deferred to one of their number, who served as spokesman, a tall man with short dark hair and craggy features. He blinked and his eyes moved rapidly as he spoke. “We saw a great globe rise into the air above the roof of the tower, surrounded by blue lightning. The rebels were inside. We were ordered to bring it down with petards.”
“And when you brought it down, what then?”
“They came from the sphere and attacked us, Keltar. They used a weapon…I do not know what it was, but we could not stand before it.”
“And so you retreated.”
“Yes, Excellency.”
“Abandoning your Keltar.”
“I…we had no choice. We fought against it, but the weapon drove us back.”
“So you wish that you could have stayed to defend your master?”
“Of course.”
The voice from the shadowed cowl rose in volume so that all could hear. “Then you will have your wish. Captain, take these four men into custody.” After a brief struggle, the four stood bound. “Take them to the roof of the tower. Let them join their Keltar.”
A short while later the soldier band rode off into the distance, leaving behind the blackened tower and five broken forms at its base, abandoned like discarded marionettes.
~
Shann spun rapidly in the air, and brought down her darkwood staff with all her strength. She sliced through empty air. As she began to descend towards the ground, she cast about wildly. A breath on her cheek and a staff constricting her throat. How did she get behind me? They touched down together and Keris released the girl.
Shann felt annoyed at her adversary and frustrated with herself. Training with Lyall had been joyous and instructive. Training with this woman felt like a cross between drudgery and ritual humiliation. It was as if the Keltar enjoyed showing up her failings.
“Don’t take your eye off your opponent,” Keris warned. “Follow and anticipate his actions. He won’t be intimidated by your trying to pull off a fancy move.”
“I was not ...,” she protested as Keris turned on her heel and walked away.
“We’re done for today,” Keris called from behind her back. Shann followed, scowling.
It had been Lyall’s idea for her to begin training with Keris. “You can learn a lot from her,” he had urged, “and it might help you to get to know each other a little better.” Shann knew that that was code for ‘getting on better.’ The tension between the two of them had become increasingly obvious since the tower. This was Lyall’s way of trying to smooth things over. If they were going to be a team, they would have to learn to work together. Of course, Lyall did not know what she knew. She had thought again about revealing the woman’s secret communication to him. However, it would still be only be her word against the Keltar’s. She had to have enough proof to convince him. However, the woman had obviously been careful since the night on the plains, when Shann had seen her speaking into her Ring, away from the camp. Shann had done her best to keep watch, but she had been unable to catch the woman out again.
The way back to camp led through a narrow cut in the hillside. It had been two days since they had left the plains and entered the line of hills that bordered its eastern edge. They were labelled on the map Keris carried as Gilah. The vegetation here was sparse, as was the animal life. A small creature with large round eyes and a long prehensile tail had approached their camp, sniffing with curiosity, but when Shann approached to try and make friends with it, it scooted off. She had kept her eye out for it since but hadn’t seen it again.
She, Lyall and Keris had taken turns scouting for signs of pursuit. It was a surprise to her that Keris considered her competent enough to take a turn, but when Lyall had suggested that Shann be included, the woman had not objected. Maybe she was hoping that Shann would fall into the hands of the enemy and she would be rid of the girl. One thing was certain; if the woman were to learn that her treachery had been observed, then Shann would find herself lying with a Keltar’s diamond blade in her back.
Shann followed Keris into the camp. The wagon had been parked just off the hillside track. The woman headed for the graylesh and her saddle pack. Shann spied Alondo seated next to the wagon, his back leaning against a wheel. She walked over, and he gave a broad smile as soon as he saw her. “Hello there, Shann.” He gestured for her to sit down beside him and she gratefully accepted. “Training going well?”
She made a face at him. “She hates me. She does everything she can to make me look inferior.”
Alondo laughed. “I doubt that. Our resident Keltar is a little…stern. But she does have a lot of skill and experience. Lyall is right; you can learn a lot from her. In spite of her demeanour, I’m sure she means well.”
Shann would have loved nothing better than to have confided in Alondo right there and then; to tell him everything about the woman’s secret communications with Chalimar. But she could not do it; she could not place him in that kind of danger. It was one thing to risk her own life in exposing the woman’s duplicity, but if anything were to happen to him, she would never forgive herself.
She decided to gloss over the matter. “Maybe you’re right. Hey, I don’t have to like her to learn from her, right?” Alondo looked at her sceptically, but said nothing. Shann changed the subject. “Alondo?”
“Yes?”
“Do you miss Hedda?”
Alondo smiled painfully and looked down at his boots. “Every day. Only don’t tell her I told you so.” He reached inside his russet coloured jerkin and pulled something out, holding it in his hand. It sparkled green in the late afternoon sunlight, an emerald set in a silver chain. “This is hers. I keep it with me always.”
Shann’s face lit up. “It’s beautiful.”
Alondo shrugged. “Well, the stone is common enough, but it reminds me of home.” He tucked the gem away again.
“Do you think we will return home one day?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
“Well it’s just that I’m no longer sure I have a home. Poltann is dead and Gallar–well I don’t know. If anything has happened to her, then I’m alone.”
Alondo put an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “You are not alone, Shann.” They sat silently for a moment, Shann enjoying the unaccustomed feeling of security. Then he spoke up again. “What about your real mother and father?”
“They were taken by the Prophet’s soldiers. I was very young at the time.” Shann’s eyebrows knotted together. “I don’t even remember my parent’s faces clearly.”
“Well, when all of this is over I will help you find them.”
“Really? You mean it?”
“Of course,” Alondo assured her. “And in the meantime, you and Gallar can come live with me and Hedda. That is, if you don’t mind putting up with Hedda’s nagging and my late night playing sessions.”
Shann leaned back against Alondo’s shoulder, feeling happier than she could remember. Eventually Alondo stretched and got to his feet. “Well how about helping me get a fire going?”
He held out a hand and pulled her up. She set off with him to gather wood. As they started towards a copse on their right, there was a disturbance behind them. They both turned to look back at the camp. A tall figure was standing in a dark robe, topped by a mass of fair hair. Lyall had returned. Shann ran back to meet him, slowing only as she saw the troubled look on his face. Alondo came up behind her. Keris walked over from the direction of the graylesh. Boxx hopped down from the back of the wagon, scuttled over the rough soil and raised itself up on its hind legs, head cocked to one side.
Lyall looked around at each of them in turn before delivering the news. “They are on our trail again.”
<><><><><>
Chapter 18
It was late the following morning when they happened on the vale of floating stones. The track had been rising steeply, causing the graylesh
to move into low gear. All of a sudden, it levelled off and dropped towards a narrow ravine. Lyall who was riding out in front, raised a hand, signalling the wagon to stop.
Keris rode around the wagon to join him. “What’s the problem?” Lyall pointed above the ravine. Rocks of varying sizes and at different heights were hanging over the pass, like a rock fall, frozen in an instant of time.
Shann pulled up to Lyall’s other flank, eyes filled with wonder. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure… Keris?”
Keris patted her mount’s striped sides. “Lodestones, obviously, although I’ve never seen them floating like that.”
“They’re ‘Kal’ stones,” Shann blurted out. The other two looked at her. “You know, from the sacred texts.”
Lyall extended his lower lip. “You may be right… I think it must be a naturally occurring phenomenon.” He pointed again, his finger moving from the steep incline to the narrow floor of the gorge. “The ravine must act like a funnel, so that when lodestones fall they are collected at the bottom. Then other stones tumble down the sides and occasionally become suspended like that. Of course, that leaves us with a problem…”
Shann turned towards him. “What do you mean?”
“Recall the lesson I gave you at the farmhouse, Shann.”
“Kal stones are unstable,” she recalled. “So that means…”
“Precisely. If we are not very careful, we could easily end up bringing an avalanche down on our heads.”
“But don’t other people use this path?”
It was Keris who answered. “Not for many years, I think. It isn’t even marked on the map. The main road east lies well to the north of here. We only ran across this trail by accident.” She pulled her mount back and urged it over to one side of the path and then the other. “I don’t see any other way around, not for the wagon at any rate.”
Lyall was deep in thought. “I think we can make it through, if we are careful. I don’t want to take any chances, though. “Alondo!”
“Yes, my liege?” Alondo called in a tone of mocking respect.
Lyall smiled wryly. “Get down from the wagon, would you? We have some preparations to make.”
Alondo swung himself down and walked over to the three mounted figures. “I assume it has something to do with that?” He indicated the pass with its silent stone sentinels.
“That’s right. We are going to need to muffle the wheels of the cart.” He glanced at Shann and Keris. “Let’s see if we can lend him a hand, shall we?”
They all dismounted and followed Alondo. In a short while, they had broken out the blankets and had them tied to the wheel rims. Boxx had climbed down from the rear of the wagon and was eyeing them curiously.
Lyall assembled the group. “All right, when we enter the pass, it’s important that we maintain silence. Any sound might set off a rock fall. If you need to communicate, then signal to each other. We will travel on foot. Avoid the temptation to move too quickly. Any questions?”
“We could all travel in the covered wagon,” Shann suggested.
Lyall shook his head. “If a large enough stone falls, it will rip right through that canvas and we’d never even see it coming. Out in the open, we at least have a chance of moving out of the way.”
“What about Boxx?” Alondo asked.
“Boxx can travel in the wagon. Rolled up in that tough shell of his, he’s probably safer than any of us. Right now, I wish we were all Chandara.”
Boxx seemed pleased. “You Would Make Good Chandara,” it declared. There was a ripple of laughter, which seemed to puzzle the creature.
The party prepared for departure. Then, at a signal from Lyall, they began their slow progression. Lyall walked in front, leading his graylesh by the reins, followed by Alondo, driving the wagon gingerly. Boxx was curled up somewhere in the back. Behind the covered wagon came Shann and Keris, leading their graylesh in single file.
As they entered the ravine, Shann realised that she was holding her breath. She exhaled slowly. Every sound appeared to be magnified in her ears: the grating of her boots on the rough scree, the step of her animal dislodging a pebble, the rhythmic creak of the wagon’s axle. She could not resist the temptation to look up. Rocks of varying sizes floated motionless overhead. The sight was terrifying, yet fascinating at the same time, like watching an accident in slow motion.
There was a hissing from behind her. She turned her head to see Keris frowning and firmly pointing to her eye and then to the ground. Embarrassed, Shann snapped out of her hypnotic state, forcing herself to concentrate on the effort of putting one step in front of the other.
They were a little more than half way through when Shann heard the ominous sound of clattering rocks. Lyall raised his hand and the column came to a halt. Shann did not dare to breathe. After long moments, the sound died away. The party continued to stand frozen in mid-step. Eventually, Lyall motioned them forward once more.
Just when Shann was thinking that there was no end to it, she looked and saw that the cut opened out a short way ahead onto the wider hillside. They were almost through. Crash! A large stone dropped to their left, bouncing and striking against the side of the wagon. Crunch! Another fell behind them, kicking up shards of loose shale. She heard Lyall shout, “Run!”
Shann pulled at the reins, urging her graylesh to a canter. Keris was yelling at her rear, “Shann, get moving.” Rocks continued to rain down as Shann broke into a run. Suddenly they were clear. Dust billowed up behind them as the aerial avalanche eased and finally died back to a low rumble.
Alondo looked back at the pass, mopping his brow. “That was close.”
“Is everyone all right?” Lyall called.
Keris, fulfilling her role as rearguard answered, “We’re all here.”
Lyall relaxed. “Well done, everyone. Let’s take a rest.”
Shann tied her graylesh to the wagon and walked over to where Lyall was standing. She smiled at him. “Well, there’s one good thing. The Prophet’s men will have to face the same obstacle. It may slow them up a bit.”
Lyall looked back at the ravine as the clouds of dirt settled back, obscuring all signs of their passing. “I don’t know, Shann. They don’t have a wagon to worry about. They will find a way around. Or they may set lodestone charges to bring down the rest of the floating stones. In any case, I have the distinct feeling that they are not going to be so easily put off.”
~
Shann dropped out of the sky and alighted on a rocky outcrop. The flying cloak settled about her shoulders in a soft embrace. She shielded her eyes from the midday suns and squinted at the trail as it twisted back and forth through the Hills of Gilah. The landscape was sparse, copses of stunted trees and scraggy brush clinging to the sandy slopes. She glanced around at the stone slab on which she was standing. It was a perfect vantage point from which to view the soldier column as they approached. Satisfied, she sat down on the stone with her cloak tucked under her and took a swig of water from her canteen. It tasted cool and sweet.
A small creature rolled across the rock in front of her. It was round like an orange-yellow ball, with various protuberances, but no limbs that Shann could discern. It stopped in front of her, extending what looked like eye stalks in her direction. A hole opened in the side of the strange being–a mouth? Gas expelled from the hole, and the ball shot away in the opposite direction. The gas was fetid; Shann screwed her nose up.
She had already journeyed farther than she could ever have imagined and had encountered many strange sights. Not all of them had been pleasant, however. Some, like the vale of floating stones that they had encountered three days ago, had been positively dangerous. They had come through that incident relatively unscathed, but Lyall’s prediction had been correct. The Prophet’s men were still trailing them.
Her task, as ever, was to report back when she saw them stop in order to make camp. Lyall’s instructions had been very clear: observe their position, but keep well away. “I don’t want to ha
ve to come rescue you again.”
“If I recall correctly, I rescued myself last time,” she countered.
Lyall chuckled and rubbed the back of his head theatrically. “I remember.”
Keris had been given the same injunction but with her, it was little more than a charade. Shann was not fooled for a moment. Keris was acting for them as their agent, so she was in no danger. Still, she seemed to be doing a good job of keeping up the pretence as far as the others were concerned.
It was evident that Keris did not fit in. The woman was like refined lodestone, repelling everyone she came into contact with. She spent much of her time on her own and did not tend to talk beyond the limits of operational necessity. Lyall did his best to include her, but Shann sensed that his only interest was in trying to mould them all into a cohesive team. She was convinced that he didn’t actually like the woman. Alondo, on the other hand, liked everybody. That was part of his charm. Often he would make a comment to her with a twinkle in his eye, using humour to test her vulnerable spots. This would confuse and irritate her, which only added to the joke. But he did not seek out her company in the way that he would seek out the company of Lyall and of Shann herself. The only one in the group that seemed to gravitate towards her was Boxx.
In the evening, when they settled round the campfire, Boxx would scuttle over and lay beside her. Keris seemed strangely comfortable with its presence; in fact, she seemed more comfortable with it than with any others of her own race. When it spoke, it would choose to address her first, more often than not. Shann found its preference for Keris impossible to fathom, but perhaps that was not so surprising. Everything about the Chandara was near impossible to fathom.
As Shann contemplated the enigma that was Boxx, her eyes registered a movement on the winding trail far ahead. She ducked down instinctively and leaned forward. It was the contingent of mounted soldiers moving inexorably through the hills. Shann could not discern individuals clearly, but the banner they carried was clearly visible; a rectangular black cloth mounted lengthwise on a pole, bearing three concentric circles, one red, one yellow and one white, and above the three rings, like an abomination, an orange flame–the symbol of the Prophet. She tore her eyes from the banner and forced herself to concentrate on the approaching column. It seemed to her that she could only make out one dark cloaked figure at the front. Maybe the other was bringing up the rear, she speculated. However, as the column swung fully into view, there was still no sign. Where is he?
The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) Page 19
