by Jane Glatt
Brenna watched the three of them trudge down the road. She hoped they made it. They were good people who were terrorized for no real reason. Before she headed back to the inn Brenna searched for old steel. Eventually she found Captain Chaffer and sent him as clear a message as possible asking him to come back north and pick up Leila and her family. Having done all she could, Brenna hurried back to the inn.
Kane and Yowan had the horses saddled by the time she arrived. Brenna quickly changed into her thief’s clothes, then rifled through her pack for a small bottle. Invisible, she headed back out into the streets towards the gate to the mines. Kane and Yowan followed more slowly with the horses.
From the shadow of the wall, Brenna watched the guards on the gate for a few minutes. Once she felt that she understood their pacing, she crept closer. With her face upwind, she carefully pulled the stopper out of the bottle, covered the mouth with a cloth and splashed a few drops of liquid onto it. Holding the cloth away from her, she carefully put the stopper back in the bottle and tucked it into her pack.
One of the guards strolled closer to her and just as he turned, she stepped up to him and covered his face with the cloth. Immediately he went limp and Brenna caught him as he slumped to the ground, soundlessly pulling him into the shadows. The second guard was on the opposite side of the gate. In three steps the she’d covered his mouth with the cloth too. She laid him out beside the first guard, hiding the cloth in his boot.
Brenna unbarred the gate and slipped through it. She would meet up with Kane and Yowan later, once she had Madelay. She trotted down the path towards the healer’s small hut, her breath the only thing about her visible in the chill night air. The hut looked small, huddled against the hulking mountain and Brenna sighed in relief when she saw the smoke trailing out of the chimney - Madelay wasn’t up on the mountain tending to an ill miner. She eased up to the hut, opened the door and entered.
The inside of the hut was much like the first time she’d visited - a small fire in the hearth warmed the room and cast a faint light over the large wooden table that was heaped with drying flowers and bottles of powders and liquids.
“Have you come for me finally?”
Brenna spun towards the voice. Madelay sat in a chair beside the window, peering into the room trying to see her. Brenna dropped her invisibility and smiled at her grandmother.
“Yes, we’ve finally come for you. Grandmother, I’m Brenna.”
Madelay rose from her chair. She reached out a hand to touch Brenna, who then pulled her into a hug.
“It’s been a long wait, granddaughter.” Madelay stepped back, her face crinkled in a smile as she looked at Brenna. “But we’ve no time to spare. I’ve packed what I need - all you have to do is cover me with that spell.”
Brenna muttered the spell and took her grandmother’s hand in hers. Two shadows slipped out of the hut. She checked old steel and found Kane calmly waiting by the gate. Madelay in tow, Brenna headed that way.
She tweaked Kane’s sword as they approached the gate and it swung open. Kane peered through it and she reached for him through old steel. He nodded and the gate swung open wider, Yowan visible in the opening. Madelay stumbled and Brenna tightened her grip, keeping her on her feet. Then they were in the shadows and Brenna dropped the spell.
Madelay simply stood and stared at Yowan. In two big steps he reached her, pulling her into his arms. Brenna smiled and turned away, trying to give them as much time and privacy as possible. She went to help Kane untie the horses.
“No problems?” he asked.
“None.” Brenna looked back at her grandparents, reunited after almost forty years. She rubbed Blaze’s nose before digging into one of the saddlebags for her riding clothes - boots, warm breeches and cloak. She put them on before pulling a similar set of clothes out of the saddle bag on Patches, Madelay’s horse.
She handed them to her grandmother. “You should put these on. We need to get moving.”
“Thank you,” Madelay said. “We have much to talk about, all of us, but that must wait.” Madelay wiped her tears before bending to pull on the breeches.
Brenna led the way as they walked up the trail, Blaze’s leather lead in her hand. When they’d left the gate it was full dark - since Brenna could see the best in the dark, she’d stepped out first but now the strain of keeping them invisible as well as breaking the trail was wearing on her.
When she rounded a switchback she spied a small flat place where they could rest. She signaled to Madelay to stop and she wearily pulled Blaze over beside the rock face. She dropped the spell and gently increased the flow of blood to her head to relieve her headache. With a sigh she slumped to the ground. At the sound of boots she looked up to see Kane frowning down at her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
He passed a water skin to her and she drank, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
“I’m tired. Between the spell and concentrating on the trail, my vision is going.” Just talking made her breathless - she was panting as though she’d been running.
“It’s the altitude.” Madelay crouched down beside her. “The air is thin so high up. It takes some time to get used to it. Chew on this.”
Brenna took the small round object Madelay handed to her and put it in her mouth. She chewed the slightly bitter nut and almost immediately felt her head clear.
“What is that?”
“It’s a libo nut. It helps reduce the effects of altitude illness.” Madelay handed Kane a nut as well. He took it from her and popped it into his mouth.
“I feel better already.” Brenna stood, clutching Blaze’s saddle. “We should keep going.”
“I’ll lead,” Madelay said. “I’m most used to this altitude and I can see very well in the dark.” Madelay turned to her. “Where did you think you got this talent? You try to keep the invisibility spell up but if you get more headaches and are short of breath, we’ll need to stop and hide for a while.” Madelay peered into her face. “Don’t try to do too much. You can die from altitude illness.” Madelay directed a look at Kane, who nodded grimly.
Brenna felt much better after chewing on the nut. She spelled them all invisible and once again they set out on the trail, this time with Madelay in the lead.
fifteen
Kane pulled Brenna close to him, covering her with the blankets. They were perched on the side of the mountain trying to take advantage of what little sun they could find. By the time morning had brightened the trail they’d put one mountain between them and Blackwall and felt safe enough to be visible and let Brenna rest. They dared not make a fire but Madelay had somehow managed a weak tea.
Brenna snuggled into him and he exhaled. She’d been pale with fatigue by the time they’d stopped but she looked better now. Madelay said that Brenna was suffering the most from altitude illness because of the extra energy she had to expend to do magic. She’d warned that the libo nuts were to be used sparingly - they helped in the short term but overuse could make things worse. Take it easy and get to a lower elevation - that was what Madelay advised.
Kane shifted slightly, trying to find a comfortable spot against the two saddles he was leaning against. His gaze rested on Yowan and Madelay. It was Yowan’s watch and he and Madelay were huddled together, whispering.
Kane had been surprised at how quickly the two of them had begun acting like a couple. And Madelay’s fitness had amazed him - he’d expected the older woman to slow them down but the reality was that the rest of them had tired while she was ready to forge on. When he’d commented, she’d laughed and told him she’d been living at these heights for years, scrambling up and down the mountains tending to hurt and ill miners or collecting herbs. Besides, she wanted to get away from that old life as fast as possible.
Kane settled back against the saddles and craned his neck so he could see the trail they’d just traveled. No sign of anyone following them and he hoped it stayed that way. The councilmen had looked petty and lazy - he couldn’t imagi
ne any of them riding hard in pursuit. They might send guards after them but he doubted that anyone doing the bidding of the council would be very enthusiastic. He had no respect for men like them – men who intimidated people who couldn’t fight back.
Brenna stirred against him and her eyes fluttered open. She stretched and yawned.
“I feel much better,” she said.
“Good,” Kane shifted her weight off him a little, wincing at a twinge in his shoulder, “we should get moving soon.” He looked up at the afternoon sky. Even though it was cold this high up the late spring sun was still strong.
Brenna took the blanket with her when she stood and he shivered when the cold air hit him. He drew his cloak tight and stomped his feet to get his blood flowing again. Madelay stood, shaking out a blanket.
“We still have four or five hours of daylight.” Kane headed to where the horses were tethered. “We should try to get another mountain between us and Blackwall.”
Madelay looked up at the sky. “We may have six hours of light. The sun stays on the ridges when it’s already set down below.” She folded the blanket and bent and tucked it into a bag she and Yowan had used as a pillow. “But we do need to get moving. The councilmen will have escaped and sent someone by now.”
Madelay led the way again. She’d never traveled this far along the mountain trails but she had more experience in this environment than the rest of them.
Because Brenna’s spell diminished their sight, they kept the horses as close together as they dared. Yowan followed Madelay, then Brenna and finally Kane. The trail continued to climb and Madelay stopped once and passed out more of the bitter nuts.
Kane breathed easier after that. He watched Brenna for signs of fatigue, knowing she’d likely faint in her saddle before she admitted weakness. He often turned to look along the trail behind them but there was never anything to see. Eventually, they started to head down and when he looked behind they’d put another peak between them and Blackwall. A half hour later Madelay stopped where the trail widened slightly.
“There’s very little light left,” she said.
Kane looked around - the small space would be workable as a camp. He looked at Brenna, worried at the strain around her eyes.
“There’s room to camp here,” Kane said. “We all need rest, including the horses.” He swung down off Runner and helped Brenna slide off Blaze as Yowan and Madelay dismounted. “But no fire. We’ll be almost invisible in the dark and Brenna needs to rest.” Brenna looked at him and he nodded. He could sense her relief when she dropped the spell. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.
Brenna let Kane do all the work of tending the horses. He piled the saddles and bags on the ground and she leaned against them, trying to keep her body as far from the cold ground as possible. She was drained and she felt like she could not get enough breath. Madelay gave her another libo nut and it helped, but she was too tired to even talk. She managed to eat some of the Iron Demon’s meat dried with berries - it was tough to chew but she knew she needed the energy. She closed her eyes in exhaustion. She was only vaguely aware when Kane slipped under the blankets with her. She fell asleep hunched into him for warmth.
She was shaking, no she was being shaken. Groggily, Brenna opened her eyes. First Kane and then Madelay peered down at her. She waved her hand at them and yelled at them to leave her alone, leave her to sleep, but they ignored her and continued to shake her. So she closed her eyes, willing them to go away, and they did.
The next time she woke she was rocking. She weakly lifted her hand to try to get it clear of the blankets but she didn’t have enough energy and quickly gave up. As she drifted back to sleep she heard the clop of hooves on a rocky trail.
The sun was high in the sky when Brenna woke again. The heat of the sun warmed her face and she sighed happily. She took a deep breath – the first one in forever, savouring the scent of pine trees. Wait – she frowned - that was wrong, they were camped far above the tree line. She took a second deep breath and drifted back to sleep.
There was a hand on her shoulder. Brenna opened her eyes and met Kane’s worried gaze. He held a mug out to her and she carefully sat up and took it, sipping gratefully at the warm tea. She looked around for the first time, noting the pine trees and the soft grasses of the mountain meadow.
“What happened?” She was confused. The pine trees she’d smelled before were real but they’d camped miles away from any trees.
“You were very sick with the mountain illness.” Kane ran a hand through his hair. His face was haggard and there were new lines etched around his eyes. “Madelay said you needed to be off the mountain so I brought you down. She and Yowan will catch up to us.” He took her mug when her hand faltered. “How do you feel?”
Brenna leaned back against the saddle and pulled the blanket tighter. Kane reached over and tucked it under her chin.
“I’m tired,” she said. “And weak.” She tugged a hand out of the blanket and held it out for the mug. “And hungry.” She took another drink of tea before she let Kane take the mug from her again. “And tired.” She closed her eyes and felt Kane tuck the blanket around her again.
Brenna fell into a deep sleep. Her breathing was slow and steady and Kane thanked all five gods for that. When he’d awoken in the night on the mountain her breathing had been a sharp rasp and he hadn’t been able to wake her. Madelay had told him to get her down the mountain as far and as fast as possible and he’d known by the look on the older woman’s face that if he didn’t, Brenna would die.
He watched Brenna for a few minutes more before he got up and walked over to the fire. He dumped the rest of the tea out, set a fresh pot of water to boil and threw some of the dried meat into it. He was no cook and it would no doubt be a poor-tasting broth but Brenna needed any food she could keep down.
Kane walked over to where he’d tethered Runner and slid his hands down the horse’s left hind leg.
At first he’d tied Brenna onto Runner while he walked in front, navigating the mountain trail as quickly as he dared in the dark. Once the sky had lightened he’d mounted up. Holding Brenna in front of him, he’d urged Runner down the slope. There were times when he thought they’d slide off the side of the mountain but they’d managed to stay in one piece throughout the day. They’d reached the valley around dusk - just when poor Runner started favoring his left hind leg.
By then Brenna’s breathing was steadier so Kane had made camp. He’d spent the night boiling up the tea Madelay had given him and forcing a few drops down Brenna’s throat whenever she seemed to stir. Other than unsaddling Runner and making sure the animal had food and water, he’d neglected him.
“I’m sorry, boy,” he crooned as he lifted the horse’s leg. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” The inner hoof was filled with hard packed dirt and Kane carefully dug some out with his knife. Sure enough, there was a stone pushed into the soft flesh of the frog. He gently pried it out then led the horse to the small stream a few feet from the camp. A few minutes in the cold mountain stream would help reduce any swelling. He’d have Madelay take a look later, but he didn’t think it was serious. After a few minutes he led Runner to a patch of course grass, grabbed a cloth and started rubbing him down. The horse turned one eye on him and snorted and tossed its head.
“I know, it’s about time I got around to looking after you.” Kane said as Runner danced closer to him. “But Brenna was in worse shape than you, boy. She might have died if we hadn’t done what we did.” He closed his eyes and pressed his face against the warm back of the horse. “And I don’t know what we’d do if that happened.” He would run both himself and Runner to death to save her. He clutched the cloth tighter as he rubbed it across Runner’s back. He had more respect than ever for Yowan. The man had lost Madelay and had managed to keep living - he wasn’t sure he could do that if he lost Brenna.
It was almost dusk when Kane stirred the broth one final time. He sniffed at the rich meaty smell - elk dried with blueberries,
he guessed. He dipped a mug into the broth, filling it with liquid and some stringy bits of meat and took it over to Brenna.
He sat on the ground beside her. “Brenna, wake up,” he reached out a hand and shook her. “You need to eat something.”
Brenna shifted in her blankets and after a few moments she opened her eyes.
“Is that food?” She sat up and pushed her hair away from her face.
Kane handed her the mug, relieved to see some colour in her cheeks.
“Ah,” Brenna sipped the broth. “That’s nice.” She looked over at him and smiled. “It is a little plain, though. Hand me my pack and I’ll add some spices.”
“I don’t have your pack. Just what Madelay gave me in the way of teas for you and some rations for us and Runner.”
“You didn’t bring my pack?” Brenna sat up. “Kane, it has the mortar and pestle and coronet. What if they’re lost?”
“They’re not lost.” Kane pulled the blanket around her. “Yowan and Madelay will bring them with them.” He took her mug and refilled it from the pot. “Besides, you’ll always know they are. I’ll go back and get them if I need to.”
Brenna nodded and closed her eyes for a few seconds.
“They have them,” she said. “I can’t contact Yowan as easily as I can you, but he knows I’m fine.” Brenna’s eyes widened and she looked at him. “He was really worried - Kane, how ill was I?”
He handed her the mug. “Ill enough that we left in the middle of the night and I got you down the mountain faster than was safe. That was two nights ago – you’ve been sleeping ever since.”
“Because of altitude sickness?” Brenna asked. “I had no idea it was that dangerous.”
“It usually isn’t,” Kane said. “Madelay thinks it was so severe because you were using so much magic. Now that they know you’re recovering I don’t expect we’ll see them for another day or so.”
