“I’m not sure I should say anything to be honest. It’s just that, something’s not right. There’s nothing in particular that I can say that I’ve seen or heard, but…”
“But, you’re worried about Alexander,” interrupted Yello.
Harley stopped and turned to face him. “How did you know?” he asked, surprised at Yello’s intuitive reply.
“Do you think that you are the only one who has ever had a friend who began acting strangely?”
“I suppose not. But have you heard the way his voice seems to change? One minute he’s the Alex I have known for years and the next his whole demeanour changes. He seems bitter, angry, malicious, as if he has a hatred for everyone around him.”
“Yes, I have noticed. But I have also noticed something, it seems, you have not.”
“Which is?” asked Harley, with a look of concern.
“Whether it be an offhand comment or a verbal attack, it is always directed at Prince Jared.”
***
“This is preposterous, Lawton. I do not believe I have ever travelled as slowly as I have today. Look at them, they can barely take a step without stumbling over themselves. And as for him back there, well, I just can’t understand why he’s allowing himself to struggle so. Why don’t we just rush him? If we grab him fast enough, we can be back here before the silly old duffer has time to even consider retaliation.” Poom was lying at the peak of a shallow rock face as he studied and berated his fellow travellers. The Gerrowliens, having feline genetics, were finding the route as easy as they would level ground. They were, however, becoming a little frustrated as they waited and watched their slightly less nimble friends attempting to negotiate the rocky terrain.
“He’s a proud man, that Yello. Reminds me of myself a bit. Oh, obviously he’s nowhere near as handsome or light on his feet, but he does have high moral standards, values friendship and has an honourable character,” said Lawton.
“So, in what way does he remind you of yourself?” asked Poom. “The fact that he has gone grey?”
“Go on then, Poom, go and grab the old wizard and bring him back here. I’m sure he’d appreciate your help. Try not to shed too much fur on him though. You know how it falls out in tufts when you move a bit too quickly.”
“At least I can move quickly, fatso,” replied Poom calmly, slapping his stomach to show that he, unlike Lawton, carried no excess bodyweight.
“That’s because you’re more streamlined than I, my friend. No fur to catch the wind and slow you down. The air simply slips over your smooth skin. Let’s face it, you can see enough of it,” sniggered Lawton.
“Are we going to fetch the old boy or not?” snorted Poom, deciding that he was losing their war of words and quickly returning to the original subject.
“There you go again with this ‘we’ nonsense. It’s your idea, Poom. If you want to try, I say ‘go for it’.”
“What if he doesn’t like the idea? I don’t want to upset him. After all, he’s not a bad old stick, is he?”
“I’d leave him to it if I were you, Poom. He can use magic if he needs to.”
“Most of this lot are alright really. Except for that one,” Poom said, pointing. “The cub.”
“You mean the one that sneaks off and talks to himself?” asked Lawton. “Yes, he is a bit of a strange one.”
“Do you think any of the others have noticed? They tend to keep their feelings to themselves most of the time, and I can’t tell what they’re thinking by looking at their faces. If only they had fur. It would make it a lot easier.”
“What, that he’s a bit barmy? I don’t know what you’ve been watching, Poom, but I’d say they’re all a few sticks short of a campfire; one who walks on a gammy leg when he could use magic but instead chooses to use a magic staff as a walking stick; old ‘one-eye’ Hannock, who doesn’t care what happens as long as he gets to kill Karrak; Emnor, who tries to protect them all like a demented schoolmaster; and Jared, who tries to maintain his regal stance, despite the fact that his kingdom lies in ruins and his father lies comatose. Then, of course, there is the Nibby who walks around with a stupid smile on his face all the time; the Vikkery who is the complete opposite and the Queen of Thedar who has her nose stuck so far in the air it’s a wonder she doesn’t get it caught in a tree. And you think they’d care about a cub who talks to himself?”
Poom had a huge grin on his face that showed his pointed canine teeth, “I know. I like them too. They’re all mental. But the young one, he’s up to something. I don’t know what it is yet, but I’ll find out.”
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t hold my breath, won’t you, Poom? It’s just that your track record does tend to leave you a little predictable.”
“What do you mean, predictable?”
“It’s simply that no matter what the situation, your solution ends up as being one of two things, namely, run it through with a spear or if there is no spear available, tear it apart with your bare claws.”
Poom opened his mouth to speak. Thrusting his finger in the air and ready to protest, he paused, wracking his brain, “No… no… not always! There was the time, no, that’s not a good example. Ah, what about when, erm… oh no, that was a spear. I don’t always attack what I don’t understand, Lawton! There have been times when…”
“The only time you don’t attack is when you’re asleep, Poom. It’s in your blood, you idiot, you can’t help it. Just promise me you won’t slaughter anyone who is supposed to be an ally. All we have at the moment is a suspicion. He might just be a loony, surely you wouldn’t run a spear through him for that? On second thoughts, don’t answer that. If you do manage to find anything out, which I very much doubt, speak to me before you act, alright?”
“Alright, alright, stop going on! Shall we go and grab Yello now?”
“We shall go and ask him and I’ll do the talking. If he accepts, all well and good. If he refuses, however, we shall return without question. If you agree to my terms, Poom, I will accompany you. However, if you refuse, you can go by yourself.”
Poom nodded and within a matter of moments, he and Lawton stood facing Yello and Harley. “How are you coping, Yello?” asked Lawton.
“How does it look like I’m coping, you stupid cat? I’m in bloody agony. I swear if I could get my hands on the wizard who did this to my leg, I’d shove this staff somewhere he’d never retrieve it from,” he growled, still managing to mix in a forced laugh.
“I wouldn’t blame you, but a spear would do the job a lot better. I’ll lend you mine if we manage to find him, I’ll even hold him down while you…” Poom’s speech stopped abruptly as Lawton glared at him.
“Yello, please allow us to help you,” implored Lawton. “With each step you take, the others are taking three. It will not be long before you are unable to make up the lost ground. We could carry you quite easily, but without the others witnessing it. If we stop slightly short of their position each time, they need never know.”
“They cannot know what doesn’t happen, Lawton. I’m fine. Somehow, I’ll catch up with you all,” smiled Yello.
“And if you fall out of earshot and are attacked, what then?” asked Poom.
“I may be old, my friends, but I am far from defenceless. Don’t you worry, I can take care of myself.”
Lawton leaned forward and spoke quietly, not wanting Harley to hear, “What of the boy, can you also protect him? You can barely stand, Yello. This boy may be an accomplished wizard but he has none of your experience. Could you forgive yourself if he were badly wounded, or killed, simply to preserve your pride?”
Yello pursed his lips and glanced across at Harley. “Can you still see the others ahead?” he asked.
Harley stretched up on his tiptoes. “Just about,” he replied. “It won’t be long before we lose sight of them though.”
“Good,” said Yello. “Use your relocation magic, Harley, catch up with them. Go now. No questions, there’s a good fellow.”
Harley looked at La
wton. The Gerrowlien nodded as Poom stepped forward and placed his hand on Harley’s shoulder. “Go on lad, he’ll be fine. But not a word of this to anyone,” he said. Harley stepped back, closed his eyes and vanished.
As gently as he could, Lawton leaned forward and easily lifted the wizard onto his shoulder. “I suggest you hold on tightly, Yello. Try not to pull the fur though, I don’t want to end up as bald as him.” Before Poom could protest, Lawton sprinted away.
It turned out to be an agreeable arrangement between them as the day wore on. Poom would attempt to cause a distraction tearing around so quickly that the others found it difficult to identify which Gerrowlien had actually passed them. Lawton would then take the opportunity to sprint off to retrieve the flagging Yello who, as dusk approached, was almost completely exhausted. “Here,” said Lawton, “Take some water. Go on, you have not taken any for hours. We can’t have you dehydrated as well as lame.”
“Thank you, my friend. I do feel like a bit of a fraud though. The others are having to struggle on unaided, yet I have to rely on you to carry my haggard old carcase so that I don’t get left behind.”
“You did the same for King Tamor. And I’m certain you would again if he, or any one of us for that matter, needed your help. Plus, you weigh less than a one-year-old Gerrowlien cub and most of all, I need all the exercise I can get. I’m getting tired of Poom harping on about my weight. Some days I could happily tie him to a tree and leave him there.”
“No, you couldn’t, and you know it. He may be a little excitable and over-zealous but you know there is no way that either of you can do without the other.” Lawton grunted as Yello passed back his water flask. “We need to find more water, Lawton. What we have will not last until we reach Mellanthion. I don’t understand why the ground is so arid, there has never been a layer of dust here before and I should know, I’ve spent hours out here in the past.”
“You have travelled these paths before?” asked Lawton.
“I wouldn’t say travelled. Back when I was a student, which was obviously a long time ago, I used to sneak out of Reiggan Fortress when I grew tired of listening to the old masters. A lot of what they had to say was fascinating, but occasionally we’d be stuck with one of the boring ones who’d drone on about the importance of being able to find the right leaf to alleviate the pain from a bee sting. Emnor and I would come here and practice what we found more interesting, fire and ice spells. We’d duel out here for hours on end. Lost track of time more than once I can tell you. Then it all got spoiled.”
“Did someone inform the masters of your whereabouts?”
“Oh no, much worse than that I’m afraid. We grew up!”
“You are not that different from Gerrowliens, if you don’t mind me saying?”
Yello raised his eyebrows.
“We are raised as warriors from birth,” Lawton continued. “One of my earliest memories is of being taught how to hold a spear. Shortly after, I met Poom. We were always competitive as cubs,” he laughed. “He was faster and studied fighting techniques with every waking moment, whereas I was stronger and studied the intricacies of a battle rather than the skills of single combat. We argued constantly but always remained the best of friends. It seems that you and Emnor share a similar bond.”
“If we were to compare one another, Lawton, I would be likened to Poom. Crash headlong into affray and damn the consequences. Emnor is like you, bide your time and achieve a better end with far less fuss. I could never see the fun in that. He was always pulling me out of the fire, sometimes literally, when we were in our prime of course. Oh, what a spectacle we made, robes flowing as we charged headlong into battle, fire raging about us as if the world itself were about to be engulfed. Listen to me…” he said smiling, “… rambling on like an old man missing his glory days. My days are nearly done, Lawton. Soon it will be time for the likes of Harley and his friends to replace us. I mean, look at me. Hobbling around like an old, lame warhorse, what use can I be if we go into battle?”
“I feel the same some days, I have to admit. Then I watch Poom doing something stupid. I’ll rephrase that, something else that’s stupid. Then I realise why I must go on. We may not be all that we once were, Yello, but only time can give us wisdom and that is something that only the likes of you can teach your young wizards. There are only two left who possess the knowledge of the ancients as far as we know. You are one, Emnor the other. When you doubt your worth, remember that fact. If you are not here to guide the young ones, they shall become easy prey for the likes of Karrak.”
“It’s like talking to Emnor,” said Yello, smiling at the Gerrowlien. “What you say makes so much sense, but with a cantankerous old sod like me, it always sounds like a lecture,” he laughed. “Come on, let’s catch them up. Give me a hand, would you, I can barely stand.”
CHAPTER 19
Alex had, once again, managed to slink away from his compatriots and now hid behind a large boulder. He rocked back and forth, his head clutched tightly in his hands, his mind tormented by the voice that only he could hear, the voice of his long-dead half-brother, Theodore.
“Ha ha ha, they’re on to you, Brother. They’re watching every move you make. They know you’re up to no good, that you’re plotting and scheming inside that twisted, sick mind of yours. What is your plan, Brother? Come on, you can tell me. Who can I tell? I can’t tell anyone, can I? Because you murdered me. Caved my skull in by smashing me into a wall again and again. Join me, Brother, end your torment. Take your own life instead of plotting to take theirs.”
“Leave me, I have no intention of taking their lives. Only one must die for me to have my revenge. He did this to me. So proud of who he is, so proud of what he is. His pride will be his undoing. Only when the light leaves his eyes will he know what he has done, and to whom,” hissed Alex, his voice barely a whisper.
“Oooohhh look. You’re doing that thing with your eyes again. Look at that, they’re as black as coal. Are we getting angry again? Poor little Alex. Poor little, hard done to Alex. What are you going to do? Will it be tonight? Will it be now? Or is this another one of your idle threats?” Theodore teased.
“The time is near. The time to let them know who I am, to show them that he is not all that he seems. I’ll show them all that he cares for no one but himself. He will betray them in a heartbeat, of that, I am certain. Who would know better than I? After all, I have already been a victim of his pompous pride. I will witness the light leave his eyes.”
“So it’s another one of your spineless rants,” sighed Theodore. “Who is he? Who do you want your revenge on? ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!” he bellowed.
Alex glared at the apparition of Theodore. “You will leave me in peace,” he hissed, throwing out his arm as if to strike someone with the back of his hand. Theodore’s spirit began to laugh as Alex began his strike, but his laughter turned to a yelp as somehow he was thrown backwards through a small boulder. It was a strange sight, even stranger than seeing the full form of a disembodied spirit. Theodore now stood with his legs hidden inside the boulder. The look in his eyes had turned to one of alarm as he realised that Alex could now actually, somehow, make physical contact with him. “You will goad me no more, spirit,” said Alex, thrashing out an arm, without leaving his hiding place. Theodore’s ghost suddenly fell to the ground.
“Please, Brother!” he pleaded, “It was a joke, nothing but a joke. I’m sorry, I needed your company. I’m so lonely. Others like me hide, they cannot accept what they are. You are the only to whom I can speak.”
“And when you speak, all you do is taunt me. You tell me to end my life. You tell me that I am worthless and would be better off joining you in the land of the dead. You only care about yourself. You’re just like him. Why should I be surprised? After all, we are of the same blood, are we not, Brother?” There was an evil look on Alex’s face as he held out a hand toward Theodore. The face of the spirit began to contort as if it were in great pain. It held its arms to its sides and dropped to its knees
, writhing until, with a puff of grey smoke, it disappeared with a scream of agony and frustration. Not once had Alex raised his voice above a whisper. He tilted his head to one side, smiling at the ground where the spirit of Theodore had been. His eyes cleared as he turned away. Drawing his cloak tightly about his shoulders, he moved to re-join the others. He had barely exited his hiding place when he came face to face with Harley.
“What were you doing back there, Alex? Why were you hiding?”
“I wasn’t hiding, I needed to be by myself for a few minutes, that’s all.”
“What for?” asked Harley.
“Well, you see,” began Alex, “we happen to be in the middle of a mountain range if you hadn’t noticed. Now you may not believe what I am about to tell you so I suggest you brace yourself.” Harley moved closer to Alex, waiting for his revelation. “Somebody forgot to leave instructions to build any privies along the route. You may want to take it up with Emnor, maybe he could make some arrangements to take care of the problem,” he whispered. Slapping Harley on the shoulder, he brushed past him.
“I don’t understand…” began Harley, then, “Oh! Right, erm, yes, well, on we go.”
***
Poom suddenly appeared before Lawton, having leapt from the rocks high above him. “Good news!” he announced, “I can smell water.”
Lawton sniffed the air, “I think you’re right, Poom. I can smell it too.”
“What do you mean, you think I’m right? I’m always right. I’m better than any tracker or scout that you could find this side of the planet! Did you know that once, when I was only a cub, I was part of a scouting party and we hadn’t had any water for six weeks…”
“Six weeks!” exclaimed Lawton, sceptically. “Poom, if you hadn’t had any water for six weeks, you’d be dead.”
The Bane of Karrak: Ascension II of III (The Karrak Trilogy Part Two) Page 24
