‘Sh!’ Eibhear raised his hand. They were taking a short rest which Dale knew was for his benefit alone. Dale rolled onto his knees and stood up; squinting into the trees in the direction Eibhear was staring.
‘What is it?’ Dale whispered.
‘Whew! He’s fast!’ said Eibhear.
‘Who’s fast?’ Dale couldn’t see or hear anyone.
‘They both are,’ Ben agreed.
‘Who?’ Dale asked a little louder.
‘All three of them I think.’ Rudiger inclined his head to listen. ‘Yes. I can definitely hear three people. Good. We’re going to need them.’
‘Who?’ Dale waved his hand in front of Eibhear’s gaze.
Eibhear grinned. ‘It’s Callian, Timbul and Araas, but not in that order. Tim’s almost here already.’
‘How did they know?’ Dale wondered aloud. ‘Kyle can’t possibly be at the Dwellings already. I doubt he’s even left East Inlet yet.’
‘Dale, the guardians can hear a person’s thoughts over quite surprising distances, if they put their mind to it. I wonder if Lady Karri had all three of them listening in on Kelian’s thoughts, for every second since he left the Dwellings. I’ll bet she did. And I’ll also bet they were all hanging around within sprinting distance of East Inlet since you landed here.’
‘How far away are they?’ Dale asked impatiently. He knew he was going to have to let everyone go on ahead of him. The guardians were even faster than the fallen.
‘A few minutes,’ said Ben. ‘They’re not shielding their thoughts. That means they want us to know they’re coming.’
It took Timbul less than two minutes to reach them. Araas and Callian arrived a minute later, then Araas turned and disappeared into the trees.
‘Callian,’ Dale decided to vent his worries before he could change his mind. ‘I’m just slowing everyone down. I can’t-’
‘We’re going to need you. You have to come with us Dale. They haven’t told you how many of the fallen are ahead of us, have they Dale?’
Dale shook his head.
‘To be honest I’m not sure, but perhaps more than thirty. Nandul isn’t with them, but three guardians and four of the free aren’t going to take them down easily. We need a plan; a good plan. And that’s your job.’
‘But Callian, it might be days before we catch up to them, and I’m already exhausted! Or have you forgotten I’m human?’
‘Araas has gone to get you a horse. In the meantime, I’m the horse.’ He handed Dale his bow and quiver.
‘Wonderful,’ said Dale sarcastically, slinging the quiver across his shoulder and then placing the bow over his head to balance across his back. ‘How incredibly humiliating.’
‘Don’t be stupid Dale!’ Callian sounded frustrated. ‘Being slow isn’t humiliating; it’s how you were made. Humiliating is when you don’t have the ability to come up with a sensible plan of attack that won’t get us all captured or worse! Do you think I enjoy looking like an idiot every time I have to ask someone to come up with a strategy? You leave it to me to make sure we catch up to them, but when we do, you’re plan had better be a good one! Then it’s up to me to wipe them all out. Alright?’
‘Alright,’ said Dale. ‘But it’s the same thing you know. Not having strategic planning skills isn’t humiliating; it’s just how you were made.’
Callian laughed. ‘True,’ he said. ‘Let’s keep moving. Araas will be back soon enough.’
‘A horse can only go so far without rest.’
‘So we steal another horse. And then another and another...and so on. Don’t worry Dale; I’m sure Araas will only take a horse from someone who can afford to lose one.’ Callian avoided Dale’s eye as he spoke.
‘Wonderful. Now I’ve lost the King and I’m a horse thief. Do any of you know what the penalty is in Alkira for horse theft?’
‘No idea,’ said Eibhear. ‘Get up Dale. Let’s go. Get on your horse!’
Dale ignored Eibhear’s smirk as he jumped onto Callian’s back. ‘Gid-up!’ he cried, slapping the guardian’s shoulder. Callian became a statue.
‘If you want to survive this trip Dale, I’d show a little more respect,’ he suggested drily.
‘Sorry. You’d think I’d be used to this by now but it’s still embarrassing. Can we go now please, or we’ll never catch up with Kelian.’
They started at a brisk walk which gradually turned to a lope and then a steady run. Dale was always astonished by how smooth Callian’s strides were; Dale might have been a fly on the guardian’s back. He hooked his hands together and held on tight, taking care not to strangle Callian’s throat. He tried to use the time to work on a plan for rescuing Kelian, but he had no idea how long it would take them to catch up to the fallen, and where they might be when they caught up. Wave after wave of panic hit him as he wondered if they’d even find Kelian alive. He imagined Elena’s face when she heard Kelian had been taken. He thought of Danil, and Borgulnay and Gilgarry and what they might say to him, or do to him if he had to return with the news that Kelian was dead. He tried to push the thought aside, but the picture of Danil turning his back whilst Borgulnay and Gilgarry murdered him couldn’t be ignored. He wondered what would happen if he slowed everyone so much they couldn’t catch the fallen before they left Alkira and they ended up in Nyinaku again. He imagined being captured, and how it might feel to have his legs stretched apart and have a stake shoved up inside him. Callian’s pace slowed and Dale could sense his anxiety, and he knew that this particular horror was a distinct possibility.
‘What’s happening?’ asked Dale, as he slid from Callian’s back stretching his aching arms.
‘Araas is coming with a couple of horses. You can ride one and we’ll lead the other.’
‘I can lead the second horse as I ride,’ Dale suggested as Araas appeared. ‘I’d rather you all had your arms free just in case something happens.’ He passed Callian his bow and quiver. ‘We need to keep moving, but I have to know a few things. Callian can you sense Kelian’s thoughts from this far away? Are any of the fallen careless with their own thoughts? I want to know exactly where they are, how far away from here, and what sort of a state Kelian’s in, and how many of them there are, and what sort of skills they have. I want to know which way they are planning to go and why they’ve taken Kelian, though that’s not hard to guess. And I want to know if they have him on a horse or in a cart or if they’re just carrying him. And I want to know if any of them knows where Nandul is.’
Callian walked about twenty paces away from the group and concentrated hard. ‘I can’t hear anyone. Not Kelian and not any of the fallen. Someone must be shielding his mind. Right now, we just need to try to get a little closer. Wait...no. For a moment I thought I had one of them...that’s odd... If I could only get into someone’s mind. I need to go ahead - with Tim and Araas.’
Dale took the reins of both horses. ‘Which horse was quieter Araas?’
Araas shrugged. ‘They’re both quiet. I doubt you’d have too much difficulty with them in any case.’ Araas was not the first person to notice Dale’s ability with horses. The animals seemed to have an affinity with him that went beyond normal bounds. It seemed almost effortless, but within seconds Dale had the horses doing exactly as he wished and the horses treated him with friendly respect. Both horses wore bridle and bit, and the black mare was saddled.
Dale took the reins over the bay’s head and fed them through the bit ring on the side nearest to the black mare. ‘I’ll ride the black mare.’ He gave the bay a reassuring pat. ‘I don’t know your name, but you are a very nice bay. You’re very young aren’t you? I’ll call you Baby.’ He gave her neck a scratch and then turned to the black mare. ‘And you are as lovely as your friend. I’ll call you Ebony.’ He petted her for a moment then handed the two sets of reins to Araas. ‘What exactly are you planning Callian?’
‘If I can get close enough I can answer some of your questions. And if they have a rear guard,’ he grinned, ‘they might lose him.’
/>
‘Hmm…isn’t that an interesting thought now. I wonder how many we could pick off, one by one.’
‘Maybe one, if we’re lucky,’ said Rezon, looking a little alarmed. ‘Even then, half of them might break off and come after us.’
‘We’re getting ahead of ourselves,’ said Dale, as he lifted the saddle flaps and shortened the leathers. ‘That’s better,’ he murmured. ‘Callian, I know you’re fast enough to catch the fallen. Take Tim and Araas and see how close you can get without being seen. Find out what you can, and then get back here as fast as possible.’
Araas handed him the reins and followed Callian. Dale watched uneasily as they disappeared into the trees, and then swung onto the horse’s back.
‘I wish I was that fast,’ said Ben, looking a bit grumpy.
‘Oh you poor slow thing. I feel so sorry for you.’ Dale looked even grumpier.
Ben laughed. ‘I just meant-’ he broke off and laughed again. ‘Now here’s someone who might even give Timbul a challenge if he tries to outpace him!’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Dale twisted in the saddle to look where Ben was pointing. Milgorry dashed past, gave a hasty wave and kept going.
‘Mil!’ Dale shouted.
‘I’ll be back!’ he called back, and then he was gone.
Dale didn’t hesitate. He moved the horses forward as quickly as he could. Five minutes later Rudiger moved past him.
‘Maybe I’d better lead,’ he said, ‘before you take us any further off course.’
‘Fine,’ said Dale, wishing he wasn’t feeling quite so inadequate.
Rudiger slowed until he was running beside Baby. ‘Dale, I never thanked you for going after Eibhear when he went into that village in Hosatabaht.’
‘It was nothing.’
‘It was my brother’s life.’
‘He would have done the same for me. In fact he has on a number of occasions.’
‘Where did you learn your bow skills?’
‘I was raised in East Inlet and then in Emerald.’ Dale felt his heart sink remembering the attacks on his cities by the fallen and Rudiger said no more but Dale could clearly sense his gratitude for saving Eibhear’s life. They moved swiftly through the ever thickening forest. Apart from nocturnal animals there was little distraction. Once Dale thought he recognized a place where the rock formations caused them to turn north before returning to their course, but for the most time the land was unfamiliar. He started to feel tired. He leaned forward occasionally and gave Ebony a friendly pat.
‘Dale?’
‘Callian! What’s happening?’
‘You’re not going to believe this! The do have a rear guard, but he’s not as observant as he might be.’
‘Callian-’
‘I could take him down in about half a second! No-one would see me!’
‘For what purpose? It will only alert them that you’re close.’
‘But Dale, he’s alone! And he has no idea we’re here. It would be so easy!
‘Callian, I don’t think-’
‘Oh come on Dale…please?’
‘But-’
‘Seriously Dale, here I am, only a few paces from one of the fallen and you won’t let me do anything! This is so unfair!’
‘You sound like a spoilt child. What was that?’ Dale wondered what was happening when Callian’s thoughts momentarily disappeared. ‘Callian? What’s happening? Where are you now? Callian?’
‘Dale?’
‘What happened?’
‘Are you sure you don’t want me to bring him back and take his thoughts. That could be very useful.’
‘And then?’ Dale wondered why Callian’s thoughts were guilty.
‘Dale this is part of what we do. Part of our duty is to see that the fallen don’t interfere with the humans. These people haven’t just interfered; they’ve committed a terrible crime.’
Dale thought for a moment. ‘Bring him back here. But see that he doesn’t make a sound, or alert anyone else. Maybe you should bring him back here unconscious.’
‘Um...he’s already unconscious. Mil hit him. He had no choice.’
‘Of course he had no choice to be unconscious if Mil hit him!’
‘No, I meant Mil had no choice. He turned around at the wrong second.’
Dale let out his breath a deep sigh. ‘I don’t think this is a good idea Callian. Alright, let’s get it over with.’
Half an hour later Callian appeared with Milgorry, Timbul and Araas. Milgorry was carrying the unconscious body.
‘Can you wake him up?’ asked Dale, not wanting to get too close.
‘Certainly,’ said Callian as Milgorry threw the body roughly on the ground. ‘Tim, be ready. If he tries anything, don’t let him anywhere near Dale.’ Timbul moved to stand in front of Dale.
Callian put his hand on the man’s forehead then hastily stepped away. The man’s eyes opened then opened wider as the tip of Milgorry’s sword pressed against his throat. He tensed as if preparing for action, and then he registered who was holding the sword. A groan escaped his lips and he became completely still, staring unwaveringly up at Milgorry.
‘What’s your name,’ said Rezon. The man didn’t answer.
‘Garold,’ Callian answered for him. Garold gave a hiss of anger and glared malevolently at Callian.
‘Garold,’ Rezon repeated with a grin. ‘In case you weren’t aware, this is Callian. Guardian General Callian and I think you probably know who Milgorry is.’ Garold groaned again.
Eibhear and Rudiger joined Milgorry. Rudiger stared at Garold coldly. ‘Well, at least now he can answer some questions.’
‘I’ll answer nothing,’ Garold whispered.
‘You won’t need to,’ said Ben casually as he passed a hunting knife to Rezon. Garold’s eyes flicked in his direction and fell on the huge figure of Rezon. He closed his eyes and muttered something incomprehensible.
‘Ben’s right,’ said Eibhear with a shrug. ‘If you can hide your thoughts when you’re this close to Callian you’ll be the first. I know you can when you’re miles away, but this close you don’t stand a chance.’
Callian’s face was expressionless as he took a step closer to Garold. ‘If you move, I’ll return you instantly. Do you understand?’
‘And if I don’t move, you’ll return me when you’re done - is that what you’re saying?’ Garold stared up at him furiously.
Callian ignored the question as he stared down at the warrior. ‘Hmm. Twenty-six, all highly skilled, dangerous warriors. Nandul’s best. Well, the best of those warriors we haven’t returned already.’ Callian permitted himself a small smile. ‘They’re about half an hour’s run ahead of this idiot - he was further behind than he was supposed to be. They’re planning to go straight through Emerald, across the ice coast to Weema. And that’s where they intend to meet up with Nandul.’
‘But why were they in Alkira in the first place? Why did they take Kelian? Was it some spur of the moment decision?’
‘It was planned,’ said Callian grimly. ‘But we played into their hands. They were going to take Lerise and Jade and use them to get what they want from us. Maybe they were going to try to use them as a bargaining tool to get at Kelian. I doubt Nandul’s forgiven him. It was just incredibly opportune for them that Kelian showed up when he did.’
Dale shook his head. ‘They aren’t silly. I’d have given anything to get Lerise and Jade back. But what did they want? What are they planning?’
‘I don’t think Garold has any idea.’ Callian folded his arms and sweat ran from Garold’s brow. The warrior began to groan and his back arched. Callian looked away. ‘No. He doesn’t know.’ He gave an exasperated huff.
‘His loyalty?’
‘He’s definitely loyal to Nandul. No question. If he could kill us all, right here and now he’d do so in a second.’
‘Do you sense anything else of importance?’
‘He wants Kelian to suffer before Nandul kills him. And hope is with him that he’ll b
e given the task. He wasn’t involved in the attack on East Inlet, but he was certainly part of the destruction of Emerald.’ Callian knelt and placed his hand on Garold’s forehead and he was unable to move. He stared up at the Guardian General as though mesmerized. ‘And somewhere north of Emerald,’ Callian murmured. ‘A few farms...families... I think he-’ Callian lifted his hand from Garold’s forehead with a growl of anger. ‘He has enough blood on his hands to fill a man’s lifetime with grief. He has absolutely no remorse.’
Dale’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
Callian drew a deep breath. ‘Do you want me to return him Dale?’ Callian didn’t hide his mental question from anyone except Garold, and everyone turned to Dale expectantly.
‘No,’ Dale said aloud.
‘Then what do we do with him?’ asked Milgorry in frustration. ‘Even I can hear his thoughts now, Dale! If you let him loose we’ll have the entire pack of warriors after us! And who knows how many more innocent people he’ll kill before he’s through?’
‘I don’t intend to let him loose. But this time it’s not your responsibility.’ Dale raised his hand before the guardians could object. ‘I agreed that Callian should bring him here, so his fate is my responsibility. He sealed his fate the moment he agreed to help capture my King.’ Before Callian could react Dale nocked an arrow and shot it into Garold’s heart. The warrior cried out in shock and pain as a second arrow punctured him. The third hit him squarely in his eye and he fell backwards. He was still. No-one moved. They all seemed shocked by Garold’s sudden execution. Dale walked up to the body and leaned forward to try to retrieve his arrows. Eibhear was beside him in a flash.
Child Of A Guardian And Of The Free (Book 3) Page 31
