The Tessellation Saga. Book Two. 'The One'

by D. J. Ridgway

  ‘Observe me, my friend,’ Gath cried, Rhoàld watched his king drinking his blood and smearing what remained over his face, all the time he mumbled and again Rhoàld felt his skin itching and his head become light. He watched as Gath’s skin absorbed the viscous blood and through blurred eyes, he saw the liver spots on his hands disappear and the skin around his neck as it tightened. Rhoàld felt cold, knowing that now everyone could see his sole purpose in life, was as sustenance for their king. The blood flow slowed to almost a trickle and at last, Gath looked upon the emaciated almost white skinned body of his servant, Rhoàld was dying and he was smiling. He smiled again now remembering it was then that he had last seen Bastian in the ether and learned of his lover’s true fate. As he watched, the image of himself bent his head to his chest in pain and the wound closed as if tiny needles were drawing the sinew and flesh together and he opened his eyes.

  ‘I should be dead,’ he whispered.

  ‘You forget my dear,’ the image of Gath replied, as he turned to leave the room through the secret entrance, ‘You will not die until I let you.’

  Varan and Sonal stopped singing abruptly.

  ‘Blood Magic!’ Sonal whispered in absolute horror. Varan said nothing, walking steadily to Gideon who still on a stool beside his father, he raised his palm and with it shaking badly he held it over Gideon’s head.

  ‘You are the one, the key,’ he whispered to himself and looking at his brother he repeated it through the ether on a pathway only Sonal could hear, “Journey’s Will’, Sonal, you were right, you worked it out, Gideon is the key!” Jed looked up abruptly and stared at the man who looked so like his friend, on Varan’s face he saw a mixture of horror and awe. One what? He thought, as a cold finger drew a pathway down his spine.

  Chapter 14

  The Branton Road

  Out on the Branton Road, young Jed awoke slowly as the afternoon turned into evening; he was cold, hungry and covered in vomit from rolling in his sleep.

  ‘G’awds Strewth, I stink.’ He said quietly to himself wrinkling his nose in disgust. Pulling himself upright, he brushed his clothes down as best he could and started in the direction of Green Home. As time passed, he thought of Lemba and his new friends and he realised that he missed the entire company, not just Lemba and Dotty who had spent so long with him teaching him the finger-speak. Lemba’s sad smile haunted him as he continued to walk and as the moon appeared over the horizon, it bathed the landscape in silver light, immediately reminding him of her hair and the way it had floated around her like a gossamer shroud the day he came across her in the water. Remorse at his behaviour once again filled him and he shook his head attempting to clear the guilty thoughts from his mind. He smiled sadly and wondered where she was but shrugged his shoulders knowing that rightly or wrongly, he had to stick with his decision to get home but he fervently prayed he would meet up with her again soon.

  As the night wore on, Jed, weary though he was, continued to trudge along the road, he blew plumes of soft warm breath into his hands repeatedly but still he felt cold. A feeling of foreboding had been growing in him the nearer he got to his destination. By his reckoning, he was still almost two days away and could not afford to stop.

  Jed walked almost on automaton, the rhythm of his steps echoing his heartbeat. Lem-ba, Lem-ba, Lem-ba, his brain sang with the familiar pulse. Gradually though, he became aware that up ahead he could hear noises, the occasional snorting horse or guffaw of laughter carrying across the fields. Puzzled and knowing there were no towns or encampments between Branton and Green Home Jed skipped off the road noiselessly, once again fully alert with his military training coming to the fore. He knew these noises; he had been on the road for months when he first joined up, these noises he had lived with intimately.

  Silently, and fully conscious of the fact that technically he was still AWOL, he crawled forward to see which company was on the road. As he crawled closer, he heard something else that made his blood chill, other noises, women and children crying, what’s goin’ on ‘ere? He thought as he crawled from bush to bush glad that his escape and evasion skills had been the best. He grinned to himself, thinking of Toby, who always tried so hard to beat him and he remembered the snatches of conversation that had drifted out of the open window of the Dog’s Neck. Maybe this is ‘is company he thought, what did ‘e say again, ahh yes ‘e was going to Green ‘Ome ‘imself I think an’ ‘e was going to find Gid. Well, if I see him I’ll try to explain what I’m doin’, an’ maybe then e’ll help me, mayhap even lend me n’ ‘orse, o‘corse I’d better make sure it’s ‘im first, don’t wanna be arrested afore I can check on me fam’ly. His thoughts rumbled on as he continued to crawl silently on his belly through the grasses and toward the encampment, an effort made all the harder as the frozen grasses crackled with movement.

  The light from a cook’s fire revealed the banner of Gath’s Elite Corps, Jed shuddered, everyone knew the reputation of these men and their ruthlessness was infamous. ‘Tough and cruel,’ was a saying he had heard many times over the years he had been in the king’s service and it was not something he had ever wanted to investigate. He began to circle the road even more carefully as he realised this was no ordinary encampment.

  Soldiers were in place along one side of the road and occasionally one or more would move out across the road to join another group stationed in orderly lines. Piquet lines, Jed thought and as he watched, he saw another trouper cross the road and join an established pair.

  The idea of a staggered piquet Jed knew was that one soldier was always ready and fresh to duty as the second was ready to be relieved. ‘By the Journey’ what needs so heavy a guard? Jed questioned, confused. Curiosity got the better of him and he crawled closer to the road, by the light of the many small piquet fires, he saw men and women, children too, all huddled in small groups, each seemed to have a guard of its own, by the secondary guards dress, Jed identified them as slavers.

  Jed felt bad for the people about to be sold into slavery but his own concern right now was his family, so carefully he began to back away. Just as he thought he was far enough away to be able to crouch rather than remain on his stomach, he recognised a face in the crowd of captives and his blood ran cold. Old Mrs Drunner, what’s she doin’ ‘ere? Jed thought, Beatrix Drunner, Mrs Drunner’s granddaughter worked for his parents at the inn. The cold suddenly closed in on him as he tried to see other faces he may know, hoping against hope he would not. Silently but quickly he crawled forward once more as a vice abruptly squeezed his gut. Sámia! The last time he had seen her particular face she had been laughing and smiling, it had been the day she, as her brothers new wife had joined the family to wave him off after his leave.

  Sámia, her face looked haggard and bruised as she tended a bloody old man beside her. Iffen Sámia be here, where’s Jackie? Jed asked himself in horror. Gradually he began to recognise other people too, all people he knew, all in chains sprawled out before him, he could make out the baker and his family, young Arrient who had hoped to join Jed and Toby in the army, with the next intake. Jed remembered answering question after question the night of the wedding. As he watched, Arrient, who had been wiping the contents of a small pot around the manacles on his wrist managed to pull his wrist free. In the firelight, Jed could see blood surrounding his wrist like a dark, ornate and gaudy bracelet. Arrient crept away between the prisoners on the ground. Suddenly he shot off, luckily for Jed in the opposite direction to himself.

  ‘YOU... STOP!’ Jed heard the barked command loud and clear as he lifted his head a little above the grasses to follow Arrient and his escape bid. A series of muted clicks became audible and Jed waited for the familiar whistle that would follow. He was not to be disappointed, the thin reedy whistle of the arrow flying through the air ended with an unmistakable thud. Through the darkness, he watched as Arrient’s body fell to the ground, he could not see the arrow that pierced the younger boy’s back but he knew it was there and he watched as slavers followed the fallen boy�
�s path. Saddened and angry Jed’s eyes searched amongst the villagers for Arrient’s family as well as his own and he prayed that the boy’s mother and father were not among the prisoners watching the death of their only son.

  Closing his eyes he felt for Mayan his twin, he was sure she was not among the slaves but he scanned the chained people anyway hoping that his sister and Gid had managed to escape. Tears rolled down his face as he suddenly recognised his mother. She was looking cold and beaten, her head rested gently on her husband’s shoulder.

  ‘Ma, Da…,’ Jed whispered, as sudden hot tears began burning his freezing face, shaking himself he wiped his cheek with the back of his fist, picked up a small stone and threw it carefully at his father trying to catch his attention, it missed catching Sámia on the foot. She looked up and saw him, his round head poking above the silvery pale grasses, a perfect target and a black silhouette against the silver shadow-filled grassy plain. She shook her head sorrowfully, trying desperately to warn him to leave. Realising Jed did not intend to comply with her unspoken demand; she raised her voice above the quiet murmur of the unhappy crowd.

  ‘Surr,’ she implored, speaking to a guard Jed could not see.

  ‘What girlie, want some lovin’?’ A man barely feet from Jed answered the call, his voice hard and cruel, laughter not far away. Jed ducked down in horror, he was seconds away from capture and journeys grace alone had kept the guard busy at his toilet and deaf, whilst Jed had sobbed only inches away. He waited silently, barely breathing as the guard moved back toward the encampment and his sister-in-law. At last, he looked up again and drew a sharp breath in horror, finally recognising the broken old man Sámia was tending, it was Jackie, his brother Jackie, beaten badly and covered in congealed blood, his arm obviously broken and black eyes that were sunken into a swollen face. He was the old man at Sámia’s feet, so that must be it, Jed reasoned, the soldier’s must ‘ave threatened Sámia or me parents an’ knowin’ Jackie, he must ‘ave tried ter defend ‘em. Tears of fury flowed from his eyes as bravely, Sámia called out to the guard again.

  ‘Hush love, please…,’ he heard his mother beg, fear for her daughter-in-law clear in her voice.

  ‘How long will we be in Devilly afore we’re sold?’ Sámia asked, adding, ‘will we be able ter stay together?’ The guard leered; leaning back to show her he was rubbing himself.

  ‘S’al right darlin’, I could be persuaded ter buy yer meself…, got a good few weeks ter save me beer money eh!’ He answered, guffawing loudly. Sámia looked toward the darkness, Jed realised the brave foolish girl had endangered herself for him, to give him the information he needed. Quietly he backed away, once he was far enough away he threw back his head and howled a long slow ‘Blue’ type howl.

  As children, the Brewster’s along with Gideon would play hide and seek in the forest, one would count and the others would go hide, a howl would alert the hiding children when the hunter was coming. It had only been in the forest they had been able to play this game, as outside of its leafy borders, Jed and Mayan always seemed to know the whereabouts of the other. In the forest, their so-called, twin thing, did not work but here and now, Jed knew Jackie would hear the howl and know that it was he, Jackie would know he was coming; he would know Jed would find him and save the family.

  Once far enough back from the slavers camp Jed stood slowly and ran. Fear and need added wings to his feet and no longer tired or hungry he sped back the way he had come. He had to find Varan and he needed help, he had not seen Mayan, Gideon, Sonal or Jed, Gideon’s father amongst the villagers but it did not mean that they were not there.

  The moon shone all the way, brightly illuminating Jed’s road as he ran, silver light fell on the cold ground and sparkled amongst the frost-covered grasses. Finally, when he thought he had recognised the place where he had left the carriage he slowed and crossed the road to a familiar looking gorse-bush to ensure he was at the right place, the place where he had collapsed into his vomit. There, where he had spewed, he could see by the light of the moon multitudes of tiny insects were now crawling their way through what had once been the contents of his stomach.

  ‘G’awds Strewth,’ he said again, echoing his earlier sentiment. He took a breather allowing his tortured lungs to inhale gently and his heart rate to slow a little as he watched the insects dissecting and chewing. At last, he headed into the woods where he had last seen Lemba disappearing with the carriage. As he ran past the tree line, he stumbled and fell headlong onto the cold hard grass.

  ‘Damn,’ he cussed as he began to pick himself up, he had to be more careful, move slower, a foot down a rabbit hole in the dark and he would never be of any use to his family, he stood turning his head to see what had tripped him over.

  ‘Toby?’ He asked quietly, unable to believe he was seeing the sleeping figure of his friend.

  At first after he had woken up, Toby had just felt cold. He did not understand what had happened, one moment he was enjoying himself immensely making the bitch suffer for all the hurt he had received at her hand. Then, next thing he knew he was left for dead here beside the road and propped up against a tree. I ‘ad Gideon in the palm of me ‘and, Mayan the bitch enticed me away, so Gideon could do… what, what ‘ad he done?’ Anger and frustration had caused him to throw away the blanket, food and the extra fuel for the fire. An act he later regretted as he quickly became colder and colder with his teeth chattering uncontrollably and his broken leg excruciatingly painful. As the day turned into night, the fire went out and his hurts began to dissipate leaving him feeling numb and tired. Quickly he fell into unconsciousness.

  ‘Toby,’ Jed tried again to talk to his friend, first, he checked for signs of life, talking all the while as he did so.

  ‘G G G G iiiiiiddddd,’ was all Toby could manage. He had trouble opening his eyes and he was cold, so cold. Relieved that his friend was at least alive, Jed continued to check Toby’s extremities in an attempt to gauge the extent of his condition, he could not easily find a pulse at Toby’s wrist and realised his friend had a broken leg. His concern grew as he noted Toby did not react with the pain as Jed manipulated the broken limb. He knew the signs of hypothermia and realised his friend was seriously ill and did not have much time.

  Quickly, Jed set about building a fire; scouting around near Toby, Jed found fuel, food and a rough homemade wool blanket. The wool was strangely dry even though the ground beneath it was heavily frozen. After building up the fire and heating some of the food, Jed managed to wake his friend enough to force some hot food into him. He knew that Toby needed to be warmed up from the inside out and he stripped the man carefully of his damp clothing, wrapping him instead with the dry but rough woollen blanket before laying the damp clothing, absently noticing the newly sewn sergeants chevron’s beside the fire to dry. Stripping off his own clothing, he too climbed nearly naked into the blanket to wrap his body around Toby’s in order to transfer some of his own body heat to the desperately ill man, he almost laughed. Gideon will never let me forget this, he thought, two near naked men under a blanket together.

  As the cold left Toby, his fingers began to tingle and his leg gave him a dull ache but in his dreams he was warm, a roaring fire protected him from the cold that threatened to kill him. Gideon was the king of cold and he had two Sonal’s, two ‘outsiders’ helping him to freeze the land.

  Jed awoke as dawn approached, he had slept badly and was anxious to get back to Varan; quickly he dressed himself and re-dressed Toby in his now dry clothing. Toby slept on as Jed re-built the fire and heated the remains of the food.

  The sky slowly began to lighten and chase away the grey of the night as Jed continued to feed the fire, soon now the sun would rise. Finally, Toby stirred, his leg was giving him pain and he was hungry.

  ‘Mornin’,’ Jed managed, ‘how d’yer get ‘ere like this Toby?’ He asked, as he handed him some of the reheated food. Toby slowly sat up, grimacing as pain flared through him and he looked at Jed carefully trying to assess what hi
s one time friend knew. Does ‘e know about the village, about what I did? He thought and always able to turn a situation to his advantage, Toby turned the tables.

  ‘Where’ve yer been mate?’ Toby replied answering the question with one of his own, ‘yer been AWOL now fer months, we all been sent ter arrest yer, sommats ‘appened at ‘ome, the Colonel reckons ‘t was you and Gid,’ he said, adding, ‘I fell off me ‘orse trying ter get ‘ome afore the soldiers. I managed ter sneak away ter try an’ warn May,’ he looked intently at Jed, his voice full of sorrow, ‘yer know as ‘ow I feel about ‘er, always ‘ave ‘ad.’

  He lowered his head far enough to look sad but still able to watch Jed beneath his lashes and he remained still, quietly evaluating Jed’s reaction.

  ‘Me fam’ly, Toby, the villagers, what’s going on, me ma…’ Jed’s voice cracked as he thought about the camp a few miles down this very road.

  ‘Jed…, look at me, this is gonna be ‘ard fer yer. Yer been away ser long yer don’t know.’ Toby looked away waiting to see if Jed had snapped up his bait.

  ‘What Toby, don’t know what?’ Jed pleaded, pain and fear deep set behind his eyes. Toby was elated, Jed had taken the hook and swallowed it whole.

  ‘It turns out; Gid is Gath’s son, lost as a babe. Gid told King Gath the villagers were ‘olding im captive, stopping ‘im findin’ ‘is real ‘ome and fam’ly. Gath ‘ad old Jed taken and Gid said as ‘ow ‘e ‘ad waited long enough fer Mayan an’ ‘e…’ Toby allowed a tear to run down his cheek and fall onto the blanket, Jed watching intently, absently noticed the tear keep rolling, as if the blanket was waterproof. Toby himself did not find the tear difficult, his leg was incredibly painful but he managed to control his voice choosing a suitably empathetic tone as he finally continued, ‘Mayan ...Gid raped an’ killed ‘er.’ Without waiting for Jed’s inevitable question’s, Toby continued to embellish his story knowing that as a child Jed, like his sister had always been a sucker for a tale and he was no different now. He could have laughed at the varied series of expressions that crossed Jed’s face. Then an idea occurred to him that was as staggering to comprehend, as it was easy to achieve. Painfully he struggled with his broken leg.