Home Lost

by Franz McLaren

  Leena could just see the first stile of Elke and Gunnar’s fence through the trees. In ten minutes, the soldiers would be at the gate. What could she do?

  She could immobilize the group as she had the bandits when they captured Arvin. However, that would make Elke an escaped criminal. The trip she was on had been hard so far. How long would Elke last? Freeing her now would mean she and Gunnar would lose everything. Their farm would be confiscated, their reputation lost and both would probably end their days in prison separated from each other. This was too much to inflict on a couple who had shown her only kindness.

  The gate to the farm was ahead. Distantly, she heard the chopping of wood. For the first time, she worried what Darius would think. Several times Darius had commented on her reluctance to talk about herself. Would he assume she remained silent to hide a criminal past? The thought was unsettling. Surely he would know better.

  But how? She told him nothing about her past. She intentionally avoided every question. So far he accepted it.

  She wanted to run before the group, to find Darius and tell him the truth before the soldiers arrived. It was too late. Already, they were passing through the gate.

  The axes fell silent. The chuff of a horse, the sounds of boots crunching on ice and the tinkle of chains were the only sounds disturbing the peace of the farm.

  Leena saw the men exit a small stand of trees, axes resting over their shoulders. They walked rapidly across the field toward the house. At the sight of them, the soldiers drew their swords. Five soldiers stepped between Elke and the approaching men. The one holding Elke's chain scanned the area nervously, fearing more men would approach.

  CHAPTER 47

  When Gunnar and Darius were twenty yards away, the soldier holding Elke’s chain ordered them to drop their weapons. Both men skidded to a rapid halt. Identical looks of confusion crossed their faces. Simultaneously, they realized the soldier meant their axes.

  Darius and Gunnar looked at each other. In silent agreement, they lowered the axes to the snow.

  "Step forward with your hands out in front of you."

  The soldier’s gruff voice was an intrusion on the quiet serenity of the farm. The two men complied. Cautiously, they approached the soldiers. When they were within five feet, the lead soldier ordered them to halt.

  "Do either of you gentlemen know this woman?"

  "She’s my wife, Sir, and I demand to know why you’ve got her shackled like a common criminal."

  "She is impeding the Great Wizard’s business, Sir, and I suggest you be a bit more respectful if you want to avoid sharing her fate. We are looking for a young witch named Leena. We were told in town this woman and the young girl were seen together shopping."

  "And I’ll wager it was Rawley the shopkeeper told you she was with this girl, wasn’t it?" Gunnar’s complexion, reddened by the cold and his hurried trip to the front yard, deepened with anger.

  The soldier hesitated.

  "I’m not at liberty to say who provided the information that led us to this woman."

  "Her name is Elke and she’s a gentlewoman in spite of the fact she’s a farmwife. But never mind that," Gunnar’s chest swelled as his voice rose in outrage, "your refusal’s enough proof for me my arrow struck true. Old Rawley’s been waiting these forty years for a chance to pay Elke back for the effrontery of choosing me over him. And you, a representative of the Great Wizard, chose to take the word of a jilted suitor and truss her up like a hog to slaughter."

  "Sir, she’s been arrested for refusing to cooperate."

  At these words, Leena saw Gunner’s rage rising out of control. His voice, his demeanor screamed he was preparing to act. The soldiers tensed, preparing to respond. She reached for her wand, but Gunnar’s step forward was interrupted by Darius’ hand on his chest.

  "Captain, may I have a word with you?" Darius’ voice was calm, almost conversational.

  "And who might you be, Sir?"

  "My name is Darius. I am the Ambassador of the Great Wizard to the lands of the Far Eastern Shores. As such, you must realize you are under my command."

  The Captain was visibly shaken at the pronouncement. He had obviously heard of Darius.

  "Now," Darius continued, "by what authority are you looking for this girl and what is she supposed to have done?"

  "If you please, Sir, all the Great Wizard's troops have been put on alert," his voice was contrite. "Sergeant Lacklin, bring me one of the scrolls from my saddlebag."

  A few seconds later, the soldier trotted to the Captain extending a scroll identical to the one posted in town. The Captain handed it to Darius. The group stood silent as Darius read the sheet. Finally, he rolled it and looked at the Captain.

  "It says here the witch is wanted for questioning. It does not accuse her of any crime. There is no mention of accomplices or any authority to detain anyone else. What has this woman done that would cause you to arrest her?"

  "She refused to answer any of my questions, Sir."

  "I’m not surprised. From your manner when you approached us, it's a fair guess your questions were liberally laced with threats and accusations."

  The reddening of the Captain's face was all the confirmation anyone needed.

  "Now, aside from this merchant, has anyone else accused her?"

  "Several men in the inn said they saw her with a young dark-haired girl none of them knew."

  "This early, most people in an inn are traveling merchants. How likely is it they would know who is a stranger here and who isn’t?"

  "I’ll admit it is not likely, Sir, but the merchant..."

  "Who has an axe to grind, plus the lure of five-hundred gold coins probably helped loosen his tongue."

  "Yes Sir, I’ll grant you that, but still five-hundred gold pieces is more reward than ever offered before. It must indicate the girl is highly dangerous."

  "Or it could show the urgency the Great Wizard feels in wanting to question her. Have you ever heard of a witch that could destroy a town?"

  "No Sir, but something happened to those places and the girl’s at the heart of it somehow. It seems this lady knows something. I’m just doing my job."

  "And I’ll wager thoughts of the good that capturing the girl could mean to your career never crossed your mind."

  Again the Captain flushed.

  "Okay, so the question is what do we do from here? First I suggest your men put away their swords and you remove the chains from this woman. I’m sure the six of you could stop her if she decided to run."

  The Captain hesitated a moment then reluctantly pulled a ring of keys from his pocket.

  "This is on your authority, Sir."

  Six swords slid into scabbards as Gunnar stepped forward to hug Elke. Leena saw chafed circles marring Elke’s wrists where stern edges of iron had rubbed.

  "So it is. Now, I suggest we get out of this cold and discuss how we’re going to proceed. Post your men around the place if you are worried one of these people might flee."

  The Captain quickly ordered one of the men to stay with the horses and the other four to surround the farmhouse. Darius held the door to allow Elke, Gunnar and the Captain to enter then followed them inside. Halfway across the room he snapped his fingers as though remembering something. He returned to shut the door.

  "I’m getting forgetful in my old age."

  While the attention of the others was on him, Leena slipped through the blanket into the room she slept in. Quickly she strapped on her scabbard and shouldered her backpack. They would now be as invisible as she.

  He knew!

  The thought jumped into her head. Somehow Darius knew she was here and left the door open so she could enter. How did he know?

  Her thoughts were interrupted by voices in the other room.

  "I’m going to step into the other room to get some things."

  Darius’ footsteps approached. His black hair ducked under the uplifted blanket. As it dropped behind him, he held a silencing finger to his lips and crosse
d the room to open his pack. He retrieved a large medallion on a heavy gold chain and mounted it around his neck. He lifted his sword, thought about it for a moment, and replaced it on the floor. He pulled a scroll from his backpack and ducked back through the doorway.

  "Just to forestall any suspicions you might have," he said to the Captain, "this is the medallion of Ambassador and my scroll of appointment.

  "While he reads it, Elke, could you make us some tea? Gunnar and I are freezing."

  Leena heard the clink and clatter of the kettle being mounted on the iron arm in the fireplace.

  "Now Captain, I am on my way to see the Great Wizard. I have been staying here for the past two days enjoying these people's kind hospitality. I can assure you they have harbored no criminals during my stay. So what do you need to know?"

  "First, I must ask the lady if she was with a dark-haired girl in town this morning."

  "I was."

  "Who was she?"

  "She’s a dear friend of mine. We was just doing some shopping then stopped for a cup of tea."

  "Where did she go?"

  "I honestly don’t know. She stepped out to the privy just before your men arrived. I assume when she saw the commotion she decided she didn’t want to get involved. I don’t blame her. I’m sure half the people in the inn were scared by the bullying of you and your men. I can tell you this, she’s not the one you’re looking for. She’s as sweet and gentle a girl as ever walked this land."

  "Then you should have no objection to giving me her name and telling me where she lives."

  "No sir, I can’t do that. I’ve seen the way you work and I’ve heard tales you could get a stone to confess to being a brook. I’ll not put her through that if I can help it."

  "Then perhaps we should take you in and see what we can get you to confess."

  Leena heard the scrape of a chair and the clatter of the Captain rising quickly from his seat.

  "Captain," although spoken quietly, Darius' voice held the indisputable note of command. "Your job is to help find a young woman that the Great Wizard wants for questioning. It is not to threaten farmwives. Please be seated.

  "It seems," he continued, "I have a bit of a dilemma. I must continue my journey to the Great Wizard’s castle in Elderon. However, I fear if I leave these two with you, they will come to harm. The lass you are looking for could be anywhere in Allivan, but you’ve set it in your mind she’s here and are willing to sacrifice anyone or anything to find her.

  "I suggest I take these two with me, if they’ll come, and let the Great Wizard question them. I’m sure his methods will be far less severe than yours."

  "But Sir, by the time you get to Elderon the girl will be long gone from here. Even if they know anything, it’ll be no good by then."

  "Okay, then do you have a wizard at your outpost? Perhaps a simple truth spell could solve this problem."

  "No Sir. If I had one, I’d have brought him. Really, Sir, this is no time for squeamishness. If you let me have her for a few hours, I'll get the truth out of her quick enough. I could take her in the barn where you wouldn’t have to hear."

  "Captain, that’s enough. I’ll not let you abuse these poor people any longer."

  "Okay Sir, I’ve tried to be patient with you in deference to your rank, but I have a job to do and I cannot afford to wait any longer."

  She heard the sound of the Captain rising.

  "By the power vested in me by the Great Wizard I place these two, and you, under arrest. Sergeant Lacklin!"

  The shout of the last two words rang in the small building. The memory of them echoed in the silence.

  Without hesitation, Leena cast an immobilization spell.

  CHAPTER 48

  She ducked through the blanket to see Darius and Gunnar, hands braced on the table, half raised. Elke stood by the sideboard glaring. All eyes were on the Captain standing ready, sword drawn, a look of challenge on his face. His back was to the door.

  Now what was she to do? What could she tell these people who had trusted her? They were now criminals on her account. She looked around the room. It radiated the same warmth and comfort as the loving couple. What had she done?

  If she ran, she would be leaving them to suffer in her stead. Where could she go? She wanted to sit and think, but there was no time. She had no ideas.

  Reluctantly, she removed the spell from Darius.

  The table scraped as Darius continued his interrupted rise. He took a step toward the Captain before realizing everyone was frozen. He stopped and looked around the room.

  "Leena?" he called quietly.

  She removed the protection spell, but could not meet his eyes.

  "I thought you were here. What about the men outside?"

  "They’re frozen also."

  "How long will it last?"

  "I don’t really know. I’ve only used this spell once before and they were all killed before it wore off."

  A confused expression knotted his eyebrows.

  "We’d better move quickly then. Can you unfreeze Elke and Gunnar so they can start packing what they’ll need? Don’t worry, we’ll have time to talk later. I guess it’s time we knew your tale."

  With a wink to let her know it was all right, Darius ducked into the bedroom. He returned in seconds with his pack on, buckling his sword belt.

  "Please Darius, don’t kill the soldiers. I couldn’t bear to have that on my conscience."

  He stopped as though struck.

  "I would not consider it. Where’d you get an idea like that?"

  He looked at her puzzled, waiting briefly for an answer she did not know how to give.

  "Never mind, we’ll talk later. Free those two and let’s get moving."

  She turned and freed Elke and Gunnar from the spell.

  Like Darius, Gunnar completed his rise and took a step before realizing something had changed. He turned and looked at Leena.

  "It seems you’ve a mite more trouble than we thought, Miss."

  "I knew you were somewhere about." A warm smile wrinkled the corners of Elke’s eyes. "I was hoping you’d be able to do something before things got out of hand."

  Elke looked around the room as though deciding what to pack.

  "How much time do we have?"

  "I don’t know. I suspect the spell will last a few hours."

  Leena felt relieved. The others seemed to take the situation in stride, as though this was just another day. She glanced at each and could see no sign of accusation in their expressions.

  "Gunnar, you want to help me get the horses loaded?" Darius said.

  The men left to tend to the animals. The women grabbed sacks and stowed food stocks and cooking utensils. Then they gathered articles Elke could not bear to leave. The older woman took one last look at the small room as they turned to the door.

  "I would’ve liked to see those curtains." Elke’s tone was wistful, but resigned.

  "One moment." Elke rushed through the blanket. She returned quickly, carrying a baby’s bonnet.

  "It was Tisa’s." She said it simply as she carefully placed it in the pocket of her apron and buttoned her heavy coat.

  Darius’ and Leena’s horses stood patient, saddled and tied to the porch rail next to two of the soldiers' mounts. A fifth horse stood, its saddle on the ground next to it, waiting to be loaded as a packhorse. Leena positioned the saddle blanket then she and Elke secured their bundles to its back.

  At the sound of voices, Leena turned to see the two men emerge from the barn leading the soldiers' remaining three horses laden with bales of hay and bags of grain. The men were talking and joking as though preparing for a picnic. Leena felt proud to know these people.

  "Sweetheart," Gunnar smiled at Elke, "I think riding in that dress could be a bit bothersome. I’m sure you’d fit a pair of my trousers. I suggest you change."

  Elke reappeared minutes later cinching a piece of twine at her waist.

  "I never before realized just how big around you are," She c
huckled as she stowed her dress and apron on the packhorse.

  At the gate, Gunnar and Elke paused to look back at the farmhouse.

  "Been in my family long as anyone can remember." Gunnar said. He turned to Darius. "Which way should we go?"

  "It’s a safe bet they’ll expect us to head north so I suggest we go south. They will be hard pressed to find our trail on hard-packed road ice. When we’ve gone far enough, we will look for a handy place to turn east. Travel will be rough, but I think we can lose any pursuit in the Eastern Mountains. We can make our way north from there."

  They were silent as they traveled south, each thinking private thoughts. She had cost them so much. Elke and Gunnar lost the work of a lifetime. What must they be thinking? Perhaps someday they could return, but what would the townspeople think of them? The last time they saw Elke she was led away, chained like a common criminal. Then she and Gunnar fled. Their escape would confirm guilt in the minds of many. There would always be those who would suspect the couple, however this ended.

  And Darius? He had thrown away everything he achieved in his life. He was traveling to see the Great Wizard, hoping to build a new future. That was all gone now.

  These three had sacrificed everything for her and what had she given in return? They were criminals and fugitives.

  Perhaps she should turn herself in. They still had time. They could ride back before the spell wore off. The soldiers’ horses could be saddled and returned to their handler. Everyone could get back into position and she could come out of the bedroom and surrender. She could not ask these people to sacrifice everything for her.

  She halted her mount. Elke proceeded a few paces before realizing Leena had stopped. The two men, leading the pack animals behind her, stopped within a pace.

  "I can’t ask you to do this for me."

  Darius handed the lead ropes to Gunnar and rode up beside her.

  "First, you did not ask us. Each of us made this decision independently. Second, going back would not solve the problem. Do you think anything we said would convince the Captain there are not more people in your gang? He is too eager to use his methods of persuasion and he’ll not rest until sure he’s extracted every grain of truth from us. That could be a very long time and it’s possible it would be a session none of us would survive. For better or for worse, we are stuck with one another until we get this mess turned around. Now let’s get moving."