Heartwood

by Freya Robertson

  “Do you?” Beata said acidly. “Well, I think you know my answer to that.”

  “And will you not take our opinions into consideration?” he said. “This is a long journey, and we are all in unfamiliar territory, and it makes sense for us to remain as one group, with safety in numbers.”

  “We do not have the time,” she protested, looking around the group, annoyed when nobody would meet her eyes. “Time is of the essence. We must find the Virimage and we must activate the Node; we cannot choose between them.” She glared at Fortis, her anger rising. “Somehow, I do not think this is the real problem. Why do you not tell me what is really troubling you?”

  Fortis looked at her coolly. “If you insist.” He paused and flicked a glance around the group before continuing. “We do not have confidence in your abilities as a leader. We suffered an attack in the forest which should not have occurred; we should have taken extra forces from Ogier when he offered them; we took the wrong road; we should have stopped at the village. These are mistakes a good leader would not make.”

  “Rubbish,” Beata snapped. “Each of those events was just an unfortunate occurrence and they could not have been prevented, whoever was in charge.”

  Fortis glared at her. “I do not agree. And I will not be going to Henton. I am going to join Gravis’s group.”

  V

  Gavius did not look back when his small party left the others behind and headed west for the mountain pass. For a while he said nothing to his companions, lost in his own thoughts, but as the snowy peaks of the mountains began to loom in his view, he looked across and gave them an encouraging smile.

  Trained as they were as soldiers to obey and follow an officer’s instructions, the members of the Exercitus had said nothing to him about their fears of the journey ahead. Still, he knew they must be feeling the same wariness as he was about entering a country that had for so long been thought of as an enemy of Heartwood’s.

  They all smiled back at him, however, and he found himself hoping his dreams were unfounded and they would all make it safely to the Green Giant, activate the Node and then return to Heartwood safe and sound. He looked at the two knights riding at that moment on either side of him. Mellis and Niveus were both originally from Hanaire and could almost have been twins like him and Gravis, he thought. Tall and slim, with long blonde hair braided and pinned at the nape of their necks, they were both confident and accomplished female warriors, Mellis probably slightly better with the longbow and Niveus with the sword. But as alike as they were in appearance, they were very unalike in character; Mellis was quiet and determined, while Niveus was energetic and outspoken, and they made interesting companions.

  Brevis, riding behind them, was a Wulfian, short and muscular, with long dark hair caught back with an oak leaf clasp, and a beardless but continually stubble-coated face. He wore a permanently fierce expression, which Gavius had thought was affected but he had eventually come to realise it was just the way the knight’s features were set.

  The last Exercitus warrior in the group was Hodie. He had arrived at Heartwood in the same Allectus as Gavius and Gravis, and they had all grown up together until Hodie had chosen to serve in the Exercitus. Their reunion at Heartwood had been a happy one, and Gavius was glad he had an old friend riding with him into Komis.

  The mountain pass was narrow but short and they knew they should reach the other side in a couple of days. However, it was the first time any of them had been in such difficult terrain, and the going was slow. The further into the pass they went, the colder it became, and when the rain turned to sleet and finally to snow, Gavius knew they were in the heart of the mountains.

  The horses slipped and stumbled on the snow-covered path, which cut a way through the sheer mountains to their left and right. Gavius kept a tight grip on the reins and pulled the fur-lined cloak closer around him. The path soon became too narrow for them to ride abreast and they fell behind one another, continuing in single file, Gavius in front and Hodie at the back.

  It was too difficult to speak over his shoulder through the whirling snowflakes, and Gavius soon felt as if he were in his own private world, all sound muffled by the blanket of snow, and barely able to see more than a few feet ahead of him. He trusted to his mare’s careful footsteps and hoped fervently the steed would not slip and send them both plummeting down the mountainside.

  Enclosed in a white cocoon, with only himself for company, he soon found his mind wandering. He thought about Gravis and wondered how he would fare on his Quest, knowing his brother would not find the task an easy one. He was well aware he, Gavius, was the stronger twin, the one who had all the ideas, all the intuition, and all the courage. How would Gravis cope without him?

  Though they were twins, he had always thought of himself as the older brother. Because of this, he had tried to persuade Gravis to come with him on his Quest rather than go off on his own. For some reason Gravis had been insulted by his brother’s insinuation that he would be unable to complete his own Quest. They had argued, Gavius trying to explain he just thought Gravis would feel more comfortable if they stayed together, but Gravis had been unable to shake off the thought that his brother was sure he would not be able to cope on his own. It had made him even more determined to undertake his own Quest to the Henge. Gavius had been disappointed and confused with both the argument and Gravis’s coolness towards him afterwards. They had not parted on good terms, and that saddened him now, as he thought about the journey ahead and considered the fact that he might not return to Heartwood at all.

  He pulled his hood low to try to stop the snowflakes touching his face. Why did he have this recurring feeling he was going to fail? It wasn’t because he doubted his abilities; he was a confident knight, aware of his intelligence and strength, and he had faith in his companions. He felt he had enough courage for two men! He did not worry they would not reach the Green Giant, nor was he particularly afraid that he would not be able to activate it. But it was something else, something hanging over him like the shadow of a cloud as it passed across the landscape.

  Gavius blinked. Ahead of him, through the swirling snow, something moved. He reined in the mare, frowning, squinting and trying to see through the flakes. He could not explain what he had seen. Was it just the snow moving in the wind, a sudden eddy that had whipped it around in a spiral to form a long shape? Or had it been something more, someone standing on the path in front of him, revealed and then hidden by the curtain of white?

  “What is it?” Mellis yelled from behind him, suddenly realising Gavius had stopped in front of her.

  “I do not know… A shape in the snow,” he called back. He turned, seeing the others appearing out of the blizzard, stopping as they reached him and Mellis on the path. Mellis relayed that Gavius thought he had seen something. He turned to look in front of him once more and held his breath. Yes, there it was again. It was definitely more than just a pattern of snowflakes. There was someone standing there, shrouded in white.

  Deftly, he dismounted, dropping soundlessly to the ground. He pushed back his hood, then pulled off his mittens and lay them on the mare’s saddle. Silently, he swept back his cloak and unsheathed his sword.

  Snowflakes fell onto his face, onto his eyelashes and cheeks, and into his mouth. He brushed them aside impatiently with hands growing colder by the minute. His heart pounded, but he was not afraid. He went forward, feeling as if he wanted to push aside the snow as if it were a curtain. His boots scuffed on rock. He narrowed his eyes against the flakes, trying to peer ahead. There was definitely a shadow there, about his height, dressed in white, camouflaged against the wintry scenery.

  Behind him he heard Mellis calling his name. She sounded far away, her voice muffled by the white blanket that had fallen between them. His hair was wet and his face numb with cold. He paused, wondering if he should turn back and get them to follow him. But ahead of him the figure moved, and he found his feet walking towards it. It shifted like a wraith, fading in and out of the white scener
y. He had to find out who or what it was.

  Mellis called his name again. Her voice sounded distant and echoed around him so for a moment he could not tell whether she was behind or ahead of him. He turned, suddenly disorientated. He could not remember which way was forward and which was back. Everything looked the same in white, like being at a wedding where everyone was dressed as the bride.

  He swore softly, realising how foolish he had been. Why had he not taken his horse with him, at least? He listened for Mellis’s voice, but she did not call again. Turning, he took a step forwards, hand held out in front of him as if he was blind.

  Then, suddenly, he froze. Before him was the snow figure, appearing out of the gloom so suddenly and silently it made Gavius gasp. He stared. The figure stood directly before him in the same pose as himself – hand outstretched, the other clasping the hilt of a sword with numb fingers. He drew in his breath so quickly the cold air stung his throat.

  It was Gravis.

  The oak leaf tattoo was clear on his right arm, mirroring Gavius’s own tattoo on his left. He wore a cloak completely covered in snow, hence Gavius’ thinking the figure had been dressed in white. His hair, like Gavius’s, was wet, hanging limp around a face white with cold.

  Gavius dropped his arm. The figure dropped his. Gavius stared, a sudden realisation dawning on him. Was it Gravis? Or was it just his reflection? There were no mirrors in Heartwood save the few small ones they used for shaving, and Gavius had never looked at himself in a full-length one. The sensation was unsettling, disturbing.

  Once again he lifted up a hand and reached out to see if he could touch the person in front of him. But this time something peculiar happened: the figure dissolved, disintegrating as if it had been made of snow. Around him, the wind spun flakes in a whirl of white, and then suddenly, briefly, the snow before him cleared and he could see clearly the view before him.

  He gasped. He was standing on the edge of a ravine, his feet inches away from the sheer sides of the chasm. One more step and he would have plummeted to his death.

  He stumbled back and fell, landing heavily on his backside, and scrabbled backwards even more until he felt the mountain at his back. His breath clouded before him as his chest heaved. The curtain ahead of him closed, hidden in a whirl of white, so suddenly he wondered if he had dreamed it all.

  To his right he heard voices and then Mellis and Brevis appeared, turning to shout to the others they had found him.

  Mellis dropped to her knees beside him, taking his sword and stuffing his numb hands into the mittens she had brought with her. Ruffling his hair to dislodge the snow that was beginning to settle there, she raised his hood to cover his ears, which were beginning to ache from the cold.

  “What happened?” she said, turning to look over her shoulder. “You are right near the edge of the ravine. Was it someone in the snow? Did you see who it was?”

  Gavius shook his head, unable to put his emotions into words. How could he tell her what he had seen? Either a reflection of himself, or his twin brother, neither of which made any sense. Either way it had been some sort of vision, which was unnerving in itself, and not something he really wanted to admit to seeing.

  But most disturbing of all was that he did not know whether the vision had appeared to stop him plunging into the ravine, or whether it had led him there to do just that.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I

  Gravis stared at Fortis, who had just declared his wish to split from Beata’s party and travel with him to the Henge. He felt shocked at Fortis’s disobedience. Following orders was one of the first things they were taught when they came to Heartwood, and it was well known the Exercitus were the most obedient of all the Militis. Fortis had spent many years at Procella’s side; she trusted him, and had sent him with Beata because she had thought he would be a great support to her. In spite of Beata’s being a Dean, Gravis knew she was not used to commanding others. Procella had expected Fortis to be Beata’s right hand, to back her up and follow her to the end.

  But now? Gravis frowned, kicked his feet free from the stirrups and swung himself to the ground, intending to intervene. However, even as he did so, however, Fortis said to Beata, “May I speak to you privately?”

  Beata looked across at the other knights, then sighed and walked a short distance away, Fortis following. They then engaged in conversation, with Beata gesticulating angrily and Fortis speaking calmly, occasionally dropping his eyes to the floor in a deferential manner. Eventually Beata’s shoulders sank. She turned and looked straight at Gravis, then looked away. She nodded to Fortis and spoke in a low voice.

  Eventually the two of them rejoined the others. Fortis turned his back on them and began to check his horse’s saddle, tightening the stirrups, and left it to Beata to reveal what was occurring.

  “Fortis has decided he wishes to join Gravis’s Quest,” she said coolly. “He has explained his reasons to me and I have decided to grant his reQuest. I shall be continuing on to Henton, and I hope Caelestis and Peritus will come with me. But if you wish to change your minds, you are welcome to do so.”

  Peritus shook his head. “I will stay with you, Beata.”

  “And I too,” said Caelestis, finishing her words with a cough.

  “Good.” Beata checked her saddle, then came over to the group who were going to be heading for the Henge. “I wish you all the best of luck,” she said, shaking hands and clasping the forearm of each of them. Finally, she stood in front of Gravis, and grasped his arm tightly. “May the Arbor look after you, Gravis, and may your Quest be successful.”

  “And yours too,” he said awkwardly. Her eyes were light grey, like an early-morning rainy sky. She looked at him searchingly, a slight frown on her forehead, and he knew she was trying to decipher why he had been so quiet since Hicton. But she said nothing, and eventually just smiled and went over to her horse, mounting it swiftly and finishing with a salute over her heart, showing her oak leaf tattoo.

  They all returned the gesture, and then she was gone, heading down the road towards the coast, Peritus and Caelestis following along behind, casting one last look over their shoulder.

  Gravis mounted his horse and said curtly, “We had best be on our way. The sooner we can sort out the Henge, the sooner we can return home.” He met Fortis’s gaze for a moment, then turned his horse and led the way down the road.

  He was not foolish. He sensed Fortis’s disagreement with Beata’s methods was a ruse, and he was accompanying him not because the warrior did not trust Beata’s judgement, but because he felt Gravis needed some extra support. The thought that they did not have faith in him made his cheeks burn, and he turned his face up to the rain to cool his skin.

  He glanced briefly over his shoulder, seeing the four Militis who had been allocated to the Quest talking quietly amongst themselves. Fortis hung behind, bringing up the rear, his head bowed and covered by the hood of his cloak. Gravis turned in the saddle again, looking at the rain-soaked Seven Hills before him. He did not know the Militis with him very well and he was sure they were discussing Fortis’s decision to change parties. They would be Questioning his ability. As angry as he was, he could not complain, because he had severe doubts himself as to whether he could actually fulfil the Quest.

  Something had happened to him at Hicton – and maybe even before that. Gavius had tried to get him talk about it, but he had not been able to, mainly because he was not sure what was wrong. Gavius had tried to help by suggesting Gravis accompany him on his Quest. He had clearly thought Gravis would be lost without him, and that had rankled.

  For some reason, even though Gravis knew his twin had always been the leader of the two of them, his brother’s assumption that he could not cope on his own had stung. He was a Militis himself, was he not? He had passed the Allectus, done the training, taken his vows, proven himself in battle, albeit a small skirmish just south of the Wall. He had every right to be given this task, to be a leader of a Quest.

  And yet… His dou
bts bubbled inside him. All his old fears, the worries he had pushed to the back of his mind for years, came rising to the surface like fat on a cauldron of boiling stew.

  Deep inside, he had always wondered whether the Abbatis at the time of his Allectus had allowed him to stay merely because he wanted Gavius so much. The two of them had been inseparable, clutching hands as they were brought into Heartwood and speaking almost as one; it had been clear how close they were, and how difficult it would have been to separate them. Gavius had shone on the day – been the first to go around the exercise circuit; the only one to complete the complicated wooden puzzle they had all been given; received the highest mark in the written tests about history, mathematics and science. In comparison, Gravis’s nerves had let him down, and he had fallen at the hurdles, only half-completed the puzzle, and struggled with all aspects of the tests. He had never understood why he had been taken into Heartwood. As a child, those first few nights after they arrived, he had wondered silently if his acceptance had been just to keep Gavius happy.

  Gradually, however, the fears had faded as he had relaxed into daily life at the Castellum and begun to excel at the various tasks they had to learn. But now, with the drizzle soaking him to the skin and his spirits plummeting, his childhood uncertainties haunted him, as if they were spirits of relatives come to watch him as he failed in his Quest.

  Fortis had obviously spotted his doubts and must have asked Beata if he should change Quests so he could keep an eye on him. He resented the seasoned warrior for his acute observations, but was also glad of his company. The other Militis were all young: Aranea and Justina both female Laxonians, sturdy and proficient warriors but lacking experience in the field; Parco and Letalis both male Wulfians, picked for their size and aggressive fighting ability, but not the sort of friends he would have chosen for confidantes. He hoped Fortis would be a good guide if he fell at the last hurdle.