by Clare Wilson
‘Really?’ said the voice, almost sarcastically. ‘Can you tell me how this was done?’
‘Yes, my Lord,’ she said, bursting with excitement. ‘Our new recruit, the Sheriff here, had him burned alive in his home.’
The words and the joyous way Lady Naithara said them, combined with the nausea already caused by the atmosphere, made Lizzy physically sick inside. She raised a hand automatically to her nose as though stopping herself smelling something foul.
‘Is this a joke?’ Eiric said angrily. ‘Do not play such games with me, Naithara,’ he boomed. ‘He lives still! Are you so incompetent that you do not ensure a task is carried out fully? Did you see a body?’
‘Well…’ Naithara hesitated, ‘I did not actually see a body, but Michael assured me he and his men stayed at the farm to ensure no-one could have escaped.’
‘Where is this Michael of whom you speak?’ Eiric said, in a voice so full of acid it would have made the bravest man quake like a frightened animal.
Michael, who had never been more terrified, simply stood there struck dumb. His head felt fuzzy, as though he was listening to the scene from a distance. His mind was trying to protect itself from what he was hearing. He had completely shut down.
Lady Naithara glared at him. ‘Speak, maggot!’
This broke the spell and brought him crashing back into the clearing. He was starting to see that Naithara did not feel the same affection for him as he did for her. ‘I am here,’ he said feebly, feeling bile rise to his mouth.
‘Well,’ said Eiric, ‘how thorough were you and your men?’
‘Erm,’ Michael replied, unsure of where he was supposed to direct his answer. ‘We waited for over an hour as the farm burned to ensure no-one had left the building.’ As he spoke he looked upwards, directing his voice into the night air.
‘You obviously do not understand who you are dealing with,’ Eiric said impatiently. ‘He is not an ordinary old man. He has great power. Did you destroy his staff?’
‘His staff?’ Michael stammered, completely confused. ‘No-one mentioned it was of any importance my… Lord.’ The word stuck in his throat. ‘I…’
‘Enough!’ Eiric shouted, ‘Naithara, I hold you responsible for this. You should not send a blithering idiot to carry out such an important task. Torean MacKay still lives. I can feel his sickly goodness in the air as we speak. You must go after him and destroy him. Most importantly, you must destroy his staff. The time until the new moon rises grows short. I expect you to have this problem eradicated before then, or our chances of success are greatly diminished.’
‘My Lord…’ Naithara tried to interject.
‘I do not want excuses, Naithara. I will speak with you alone.’ All of a sudden everyone in the clearing froze; it was as though Eiric had frozen time. Even the flames in the torches stood perfectly still. Naithara was the only one still moving. Eiric obviously wanted what he had to say next to be for her ears only. There was one other creature in the clearing who had not been frozen by Eiric’s power, and that was Lizzy. She sat terrified in her tree above the group listening to every word. She was afraid to breathe in case they heard her, the silence was absolute. Her heart was thudding in her chest. To her it seemed like someone shouting over here, over here!
Suddenly it was broken. ‘There is a word which you must use to kill Torean, this is Bas. Use it carefully Naithara, the word commands great power. If it is used incorrectly, or by one who does not have the control to channel it, it can bounce back upon the caster. I need you to take care of this personally, Naithara. The time for trusting others has passed.’
The clearing began to move again. ‘Thank you, my Lord,’ Naithara said, bowing her head. With that the presence was gone. Everyone in the clearing seemed visibly relieved.
Lizzy gasped for breath, trying quickly to steady her breathing. She did not want the men to notice her in the tree, but in her terror she had forgotten to breathe as Eiric had delivered his final message to Naithara.
‘Well, everyone, it would appear Michael did not achieve his task as we had hoped. We will need to work together quickly to smoke them out. I know they will stay within the valley, the old man dare not leave else we strike. Sheriff, you have a chance to redeem yourself. I need you to find Torean MacKay and bring him to me. Speak to my colleagues and formulate a plan, I wish to hear from you by sundown tomorrow with your progress.’ With that Naithara strode out of the clearing and did not look back. ‘This time, do not forget his staff!’ she shouted as she walked away.
All faces turned towards the Sheriff. ‘Well… I suppose we had best get to work,’ he said, uncomfortable at being the focus of the group’s attention again. ‘Unfortunately it will be difficult for me use my official resources to seek out the pair, as the Laird has made it clear he does not wish them prosecuted. I will need you all to help me in this task. I suggest you go home and consider where you would take refuge within the valley. We will meet at dawn tomorrow to discuss how to begin the search.’
The gathered men muttered amongst themselves. They were not happy to be following the Sheriff’s lead when he had been so unsuccessful the last time, especially the Provost. Despite this, no-one spoke with any other ideas, and with that the group broke up.
Lizzy could not believe what she had heard. She knew the Lady had been involved in something untoward, but had no idea it was so evil. She sat in the tree for half an hour after everyone else had left to ensure she would not be noticed dropping to the ground. The rain had begun, and by the time she reached the house she was sodden. Upon entering the house she went straight to bed. She didn’t sleep. Instead she tossed and turned in the dark, thinking of how to approach this subject with the Laird. She knew one thing; there was no time to lose. She would have to move tomorrow morning, before Torean and his family were harmed. The whole situation felt unreal. How could this be happening in Cairn Holme? Her disbelief was mingled with a great sense of relief that Torean was still alive. She would have to move if that was to remain so. As she pulled her pillow over her face and tried to blank out the fear, she could not understand that so much of what she had believed to be the reality of her existence in Cairn Holme had been a lie. The safe rural community where she had been born and raised was actually the home of vile creatures like Naithara and Eiric. Not to mention it being defended by powerful watchmen, like Torean. She couldn’t think of a better word. Did not want to use words like wizard or warlock; he was the man who had been a father to her since her own father’s death. She tried to put these thoughts out of her head, tried desperately to get some sleep.
Chapter Seven
Alone in the Hills
After a discussion, they had spent the next day at Longford’s Pass. Torean had decided it was safe enough for them to stay for one more night. He could tell from the fear in Adaira and Aneirin that if forced to move too quickly, they may reach breaking point. This wasn’t surprising, given what had happened in the past couple of days. Tom had spent some time during the day trying to practise with his staff, but it was rather difficult in the cramped conditions.
That evening, the same night Lizzy was hiding in the clearing, Tom was lying awake. He had struggled to sleep the night before; somehow the thoughts of his stories didn’t help him now. He couldn’t control this story himself and found the uncertainty made him extremely restless. Tom was in an adventure that had a life of its own. He couldn’t close the book and be okay, and knew he would never look at the characters in his stories in quite the same way again. The boy hadn’t realised how difficult it could be to be stuck in the middle of an adventure.
Suddenly he became aware of a movement among the trees. He felt a rush of panic, thinking their enemies had found them, but then he realised the movement was too low to the ground to be human. A few seconds later he saw a head pop out of the long grass. He couldn’t believe his eyes; the creature was quite unlike any animal he had seen before. It was no taller than a small dog and had extremely large jet black orbs for eyes. Tom found it hard
to tell if the large reflective surfaces were focusing on him. It slowly crept from the undergrowth and walked towards the place where Tom lay, peering in the dim light. Its movements were slow and awkward, like it wasn’t meant to walk on land. It was creeping, arms bent, hoping not to be seen. As it came closer, by the dying fire light Tom could see it was leathery and dark grey in colour. It walked on two legs, both of which seemed very short for its body. At the bottom of its stumpy legs, was a pair of large flat feet. Tom noticed the creature’s toes were webbed. They made a light slapping sound as they hit the earth. Its head also seemed out of proportion, it was shaped like an American football on its side and with large floppy ears that waggled steadily as it walked.
Tom began to sit up as it drew closer and for some reason he did not believe the creature meant him any harm. His new found senses told him that the creature was not an enemy. However, his movement seemed to frighten the creature which started back several paces. The animal was frozen in a state of panic. Tom then stayed perfectly still, hoping that this would show the creature that there was nothing to fear. After a few moments of tense silence it again began towards him once more.
Once it was within a few paces of where he lay, it looked up into his eyes. ‘Shassy saw?’ the creature said.
Tom wasn’t sure how to respond.
‘Shassy saw?’ the creature then repeated.
‘I can’t understand you,’ Tom said quietly, trying not to wake the others. As he spoke he saw the creature’s face fill with terror. He tried his best to gesture to the creature not to be afraid, but it simply turned on its heels and fled, ears flapping wildly as it ran.
Tom quietly rose from his bed and walked towards the undergrowth. He spent several minutes rooting around trying to find the creature in the darkness, but it was gone.
Although Tom tried his best to be quiet, Torean opened his eyes and quickly had one hand on his staff. He then noticed it was Tom in the undergrowth, ‘What are you doing, boy?’ he asked groggily.
‘Erm, nothing,’ Tom said, feeling rather foolish somehow. ‘I needed the toilet.’
‘Back to bed with you!’ the old man said grumpily as he rolled over. ‘This is no time for creeping around.’
Tom contemplated waking Torean to tell him about what he had seen, but looking at the old man’s back hunched among his bedding made him think better of it. He climbed back into his bed and tried to get to sleep. He could not stop thinking about the small creature. What on earth was it? What was it trying to say? He was frustrated that he had been unable to find out what the creature had wanted with him. Somehow he didn’t think of it as an animal which had randomly wandered out of the bushes. It seemed like a creature which had determinedly wanted to communicate with him. It was not a coincidence. It was as though its strange words meant something.
As they awoke the next morning, Torean tentatively advised them that they would have to move on. They all felt rather down about the prospect of finding somewhere else in the lonely hills to take shelter. Grimly the four sat down to finish their meagre breakfasts and decide where it would be best to go next.
‘It would be folly to stay here any longer,’ Torean started. ‘While Longford’s Pass is well equipped for our needs, our enemy will currently be discussing where they believe we would hide. This place would be top of the list if I were thinking in the same manner.’
‘Well where should we go?’ Adaira asked downheartedly. ‘Shall you have us dying of cold in the wilderness?’
‘We will need to go somewhere they wouldn’t expect,’ Torean said, trying to be as patient as possible. ‘Somewhere which will be hard to reach and will probably not provide the kind of shelter we require, but somewhere they would rule out,’ Torean answered. He knew this was not what they wanted to hear, but it was not going to be easy if they wanted to survive. Their best chance was to pick somewhere unlikely, that way they wouldn’t be caught out by their enemies.
There was silence for a few seconds as the group tried to consider all the possibilities. Tom found himself thinking of a place. In spite of this, he wasn’t sure whether they would think him mad for suggesting it. ‘I have an idea,’ he said plucking up his courage.
‘Well, boy, said Torean hopefully. ‘Out with it.’
‘What about Devil’s Ford?’ he suggested, expecting to be shot down. When no-one spoke he continued, ‘I’ve never been myself because I hear it’s a treacherous climb, but no-one would volunteer to go there.’
‘There’s a reason for that,’ Aneirin said sarcastically.
‘No,’ Torean interjected thoughtfully. ‘The boy may be onto something. We'll definitely struggle to get the horse through, but no-one would think we would dare such a steep climb through the hills. Plus it actually gives quite a good vantage point over the valley, although we would need to be careful lighting fires.’
‘I’m not leaving Onero,’ Aneirin said. ‘Not now.’
‘I wouldn’t ask that of you, son,’ said Torean. ‘I don’t think I could part with him myself. He is more responsible for saving us than he can know. If we can pull this off, Devil’s Ford actually provides more cover than I would have thought we could hope for. There are caves which could provide us with shelter.’
‘Torean, we will follow where you lead us,’ Adaira said sternly. She had a tone in her voice which suggested she had set herself to this course and would have to see it through. Her tone also told her son he had best do what his mother told him to do. Aneirin was a loyal boy, and knew when his mother was pulling rank. As such he did not pass any further remarks regarding their decision to start the difficult journey through the hills, even though he thought it completely insane.
With that, they started to pack up their camp, and tried to remove any signs which would show they had stayed there. Torean drew Tom aside from the group. ‘I will now show you how we can use the power of the staff to disguise the fact we have been here,’ Torean said, gesturing to Tom to hold up his staff. ‘The word we use is cleith. It is a word used to reveal things which are hidden. By the same token, it also if used properly, can hide things which would be seen.’
Tom looked confused.
‘This is a good lesson for you to learn, my boy,’ Torean said, smiling. ‘It shows you that what the staff can do differs greatly depending upon your intention.’ He motioned for Tom to raise his staff and said, ‘Cleith.’
The winds began to rise around them and Tom closed his eyes and also said, ‘Cleith.’ When he opened his eyes again the winds were beginning to settle. The clearing was now clear of all foot and hoof prints. The area where they had burned a fire inside the cave mouth was now completely clear, and even had grass growing where the ash and wood had been. Tom smiled at the sight.
‘Yes,’ Torean said, seeing his face. ‘It's amazing what we can do.’
When they started the long treacherous journey into the hills it was still just after dawn. Tom asked Torean if they could train as they walked. They had managed a short training session the day before, but it had been very cramped and they hadn’t achieved much. The conditions of their present journey didn’t make things any easier.
Adaira was riding Onero up front with Tom and Torean walking behind. Aneirin was walking to the back of the group, hoping to listen into any conversation between Tom and the old man.
‘Since we're struggling with this,’ Torean said inquisitively, ‘might I ask you what you were doing in the undergrowth in the dead of night?’
Tom felt flustered for a moment. ‘I told you, I…’
‘Boy,’ Torean said, smiling. ‘We both know you were not going to the bathroom. I could tell by the expression on your face when you saw me.’
Tom thought it was probably best to be honest with the old man, even if he would sound like a fool. ‘I was struggling to sleep,’ he began, ‘when I saw something move among the trees. I know you will think I’m crazy, but a small creature appeared from the undergrowth. I can't say what it was, I've never seen anything like
it before. It crept towards me and said something, but I couldn't understand what the words meant. They were not English, or Gaelic. When you teach me the words of power, I know them from my grandfather speaking Gaelic, but the words this creature used were completely foreign to me.’ Tom was surprised to see Torean did not seem to think he was a lunatic.
‘Strange,’ said the old man. ‘Tell me, what did this creature look like?’
Slightly taken aback by the old man’s response, Tom described the creature, ‘It was small and grey. Its skin looked almost leathery, its legs were a bit too short and it had an overlarge head.’
‘Hmm,’ said the old man thoughtfully. ‘What did it say?’
‘I can’t remember,’ said Tom racking his brains. ‘The second word sounded like saw.’
‘It sounds like you encountered a Nuggie, my boy,’ the old man said, smiling once more.
‘What's that?’ Tom asked, confused.
‘It’s a water dwelling sprite. Quite why it would have been up in the hills I have no idea. Nevertheless it must have been drawn to you because of your staff. Magical creatures can sense these things. There are some springs and falls around here, so I suppose there could be Nuggie tribes in the area.’
‘Tribes?’ Tom asked, amazed.
‘They don't commonly show themselves to ordinary people, but the staff makes you stand out. Think of yourself as a beacon. They tend to come forth when there is trouble coming. They will sense the dark forces at work as much as we do. What happened after it spoke to you?’
‘I tried to tell it I couldn’t understand what it was saying,’ Tom replied. ‘Although, when I spoke it was startled and fled back into the undergrowth. I got up to see if I could find it and that was when you woke.’
‘Well,’ Torean said. ‘Given the nature of our conversation and the fact we are limited as to what we can do on the move, I should probably teach you more of our language, and hopefully as we pass various things upon our way you can try out your knowledge and control.’
