Shadowless: Book 1 of the Ilmaen Quartet

by Helen Bell

  Vel blanched as he realized what he had said, looking warily at Kerin.

  ‘I didn't mean that the way it sounded. And, for Heaven's sake, don't tell Ren! It's the kind of thing that really upsets her. She's just an ordinary girl. Sometimes she can do this extraordinary thing, that's all.’

  Kerin nodded. ‘Mark you, she says extraordinary things too. Before she passed out, she said, “The fairies are here.” I did not realize she believed in spirits.’

  ‘She doesn’t, though she did believe in fairies as a child. What she said was her way of telling you a falling fit was coming. She gets these lights, like sparks at the edge of her vision; when she was little she thought they were fairies flying up to her. She’s got into the habit of using the phrase, though I wish she wouldn’t. The trouble is, by the time she sees the lights she’s most of the way into a fit and really is away with the fairies. Aagh – don’t tell her I said that either!’

  oOo

  On the way back Renia and Vel spoke together now and then while Kerin trailed a little way behind. It had given his shaken nerves a degree of relief when Vel had made those slips, though he doubted he could follow the advice to take Renia for an 'ordinary girl', even though on the face of things that was what she was. Renia had that sort of anonymous ordinariness that was so rare, it ought to stand out more. Not beautiful, not homely either, but somewhere in between; he could not even recall what colour those sad eyes of hers were, despite having known her for weeks. Known her? He had known nothing till an hour ago. He had assumed much, taken more for granted, even after what he had been told about her first vision. Witnessing one for himself was very different. He could not describe the emotion he felt now; it seemed to fall somewhere between fear and excitement, and he was unable to say which it was closer to.

  Up ahead, he heard Renia say, ‘Go on, then,’ to her brother, as Vel urged his mount into a gallop. She held Bluey back, under control, maintaining a trot; she learnt fast.

  Kerin steeled himself and rode up to join her. He got ready to smile if need be, to answer any awkward question that was posed. Her face wore a serious expression when she turned it to him. Hazel eyes, he noticed, mind fixing on anything rather than what he’d recently seen…

  ‘Do you think I need more practice at a gallop?’ Renia asked with a frown.

  ‘It couldn’t hurt. You held Bluey back well there. Make sure you can get him started on your own.’

  ‘If I can, would you race me? The head start should make it fair.’

  So he raced her. He let her win; she knew and scolded him for it. Little had changed between them after all.

  Chapter 7 – Bad Beginnings

  They rose early again the next day. It was bright and clear, but a strong sea breeze was blowing up sand and dust in the yard, making the air hazy. Packs were quickly stowed on saddled horses. All that remained was to say their goodbyes. The wind eddied dust around Melor, but it was not dust in her eyes that blurred Renia’s vision.

  First Vel shook hands with Melor – something he had never done before. He was the kind of young man who usually slapped people on the back or else hugged them. But she could see Melor’s face, and reflected from it was all the affection Vel had left unspoken but conveyed in that handshake. This was the last change Melor was ever likely to see in her brother, his taking on serious ways before facing a serious task.

  Next Melor's hand was taken by Kerin.

  ‘I will look after them, sir. They have been Ty’r Athre these many years, and are proud to bear your name. Though that will not change, from now on they are as brother and sister to me.’ It might have been a traditional phrasing, for all Renia knew, but Melor clearly did not doubt that Kerin's words were spoken sincerely.

  The young man turned away, and now Renia stepped up in front of Melor. He looked ready to deal with tears from her, but she smiled bravely and gave him the tightest embrace she could.

  ‘Thank you for everything,’ she whispered, her eyes prickling. ‘You've been more than a father to us.’

  She broke away and went straight to her horse. The others waited until she was in the saddle before they too mounted up. Then with calls of goodbye on both sides they set off up the cliff path.

  She knew Melor was watching them until they reached the bend that would take them out of sight. As she reached it, Renia gave him one last wave then turned to look ahead. Happa, quiet till then, ran up the path and barked at them in a frenzy until Melor's order silenced him. Renia ran the back of her fist across her eyes, and did not look back again.

  The three riders cut north as directly as they could at a gentle trot, crossing Melor's fields first. Then they had to skirt a small wood as they kept to the edge of fields with summer crops in them – fields that would receive little attention at this time while spring crops were still being got in, so they could avoid being seen. In this way they covered five miles before they ever reached a public highway, and that was a northward-leading track from a group of villages some twenty miles south down the coast. If they were seen, it would appear that they had come from those villages. Kerin had been quite insistent on this part of the route; once again protecting Melor from people prepared to go to any lengths to track Kerin down.

  The thought served to make Renia more nervous than she already was. Stealing a glance at Kerin, she saw him looking happier already now that he had started his journey, resumed his mission. He sat in his saddle in a manner quite unlike any other rider she had seen. Surely other people could not fail to see that too? She considered saying something, but it seemed equally likely that her nervousness would attract attention. She did not want that thrown back in her face if she ventured to criticize him. Best she keep her head down and her mouth shut.

  ‘All right?’ Kerin had noticed how anxious she was. She nodded and was rewarded with a flash of a smile before a slight motion on the part of Vel, riding a few yards ahead, caught Kerin’s attention. Travellers were coming their way. Before her eyes Kerin hunched his shoulders and rounded his back, completely transforming his appearance. She was caught between marvelling at his acting ability and trying to hide her own nerves, but the travellers who reached them minutes later were aware of neither, and passed by with the briefest of nods.

  Half a mile later Kerin reverted to his normal posture. When they hit a stretch of open road he urged his horse forward to join Vel. Her brother passed some remark Renia could not hear, making Kerin roar with laughter. That was the first time he had laughed properly since they had known him. He was back in his element now, Renia decided; he might have planned and arranged endlessly, but doing was the thing that made him happy. She felt very alone, in spite of the company of the two men. To them it might be the start of a longed-for adventure; all she could envision was their exciting dream turning into a nightmare. She wished she was braver, desperately afraid she would be a handicap to them on this trip; but then she had already been braver than she ever thought she could be, by having got this far.

  They carried on along the north road all that day and half the next before coming to a major crossroads. This was the furthest Renia and Vel had been on this road; usually they went west here, taking sheep to market at the fair town of Eppett. This time they were to carry on northwards and eastwards, down into the forest that they could see stretching before them, and on to the distant silvery ribbon of the river beyond. They would follow that down to Greatharbour.

  By the evening of that second day they were deep in the forest when they found a glade, set up camp for the night, and rolled exhausted into their blankets.

  oOo

  Kerin woke suddenly. Instinct told him to keep absolutely still while he listened for whatever might have roused him. Not far off, perhaps ten feet away, he could hear movement. He risked opening his eyes carefully, and found the pre-dawn light so faint that his eyes were already adjusted to it, allowing him to make out two shadowy figures hunched over the packs. He moved his head slightly; now he could make out the shapes of both Renia and V
el still asleep on the far side of the burnt-out fire.

  He watched and listened a little longer, to see if anyone else seemed to be with the two figures, but could detect nothing. Mentally he cursed himself for not thinking to keep any kind of guard; but two men should be manageable. Besides, they would all make so much noise that it would wake Vel, and then they would be evenly matched. All the time Kerin was thinking, he was cautiously freeing his hand from the blanket and reaching next to him for his sword. But the damned thing was evading his search.

  Behind him he heard the shnick! of a blade being unsheathed; in a flash he was up and free from his bedding and facing his assailant. A dark figure loomed, the half-light glancing dully from the sword he held.

  ‘I think this may be what you were looking for, friend. I recommend you keep quite still and make no noise.’ The voice was no more than a whisper; Kerin could only stare wordlessly at his weapon in the other man's hand. More figures materialized out of the darkness beyond the armed man and passed Kerin to go into the camp. One of them stumbled and cursed quietly as he went; a cry and a scuffle proved that it had been sufficient to wake Vel.

  Kerin took his chance to lunge at the man who had his sword while he was distracted in an effort to wrestle it off him. There was a brief struggle until someone yelled ‘Stop!’ and a lantern, previously dimmed, was flipped open. The man bearing it held it so that it lit a swarthy-faced youth who held Renia by shoulder and wrist, twisting until she dropped her knife with a cry of pain. She continued to struggle until the lamp-bearer stepped up to take the knife and held it against her throat. She stiffened and shut her eyes as if she expected him to cut her throat there and then, eyes popping open again in surprise when she found he had not. Kerin had not feared that; they would be dead already if that had been the robbers’ plan. He did start when the youth freed Renia's wrist and he saw the dark glistening of blood on it; but the youth shook his hand and sucked at his fingers, indicating that he was the one cut. He followed that by rubbing at his shin; clearly Renia had inflicted a painful kick there too. The grip he maintained on her with his other arm was, understandably, none too gentle.

  Having seen what was happening from the start, Kerin knew that their lives were not in danger. These men were robbers, not cut-throats. But that was quite bad enough. They could do nothing but watch – Vel in particular glaring with thinly veiled fury – as the half-dozen men packed and removed everything but the clothes the three travellers stood up in. With the mounts saddled and packed the men rode, two to a horse, away up the north road. The forest quickly swallowed them up.

  It had grown lighter in the time it took for all this to happen; by now they could make out each other's faces. Brother and sister looked to Kerin who stood with a heavy frown on his brow, thinking. He put his hand to his chest while he did so; fortunately the robbers had been so excited by three good horses and all the money they found in the packs, they had not thought to search them personally. The Eagle was safe in a pouch around his neck.

  He came to a decision. ‘Come on. We go north, to one of the settlements we saw on the map last night.’

  ‘What for?’ Vel questioned. ‘We can't do much without money and transport. Shouldn't we try to catch them?’

  Kerin shook his head resolutely. ‘It would be a waste of time. We cannot match their pace if they’ve put the horses to a gallop. They are long gone, and our stuff will soon be sold on and scattered. No, we will have to risk it… risk selling the Eagle.’

  ‘No!’ Renia's forceful protest came as a surprise even to her. ‘You mustn't sell it! You have to keep that with you. You can't sell it.’

  ‘Then how do you propose we get to Ilmaen? Sprout wings and fly?’ He rounded on her with such a show of temper that she flinched. Kerin was angry because he knew it was a huge risk; and if his planning had been better it would not be necessary. He knew at once that he had alarmed her, snapping at her like that, but compounding his error with anger only served to make him more obdurate. With an effort he regained his temper sufficiently to pass Vel his jacket, but as he looked around for anything else that had not been taken, he noticed Renia was barefoot.

  ‘Damnation! I think they’ve taken your boots.’

  ‘I know. I... I was going to try riding in my bare feet today.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I couldn’t feel the stirrups properly. I thought it might make Bluey quicker if he read my signals better. My boots were in my pack. Please don't shout at me again.’ Her face crumpled and she hid it in her hands as she started to cry.

  ‘Those men...’ she managed to say. ‘I thought they were Lemno's, come to kill us.’

  Vel was still wrestling himself into his jacket. The look he gave Kerin as he did so made it clear that he had better do something, and quick, but his stubbornness had already crumbled.

  ‘Renia, forgive me. I shouted at you because I was angry with myself. You did everything right; it was me that got it wrong.’

  She nodded acceptance of the apology, but could not stop crying. He came to her and took her hands in his; tears streaked the road dust on her face. He pulled his shirt cuff into his palm and mopped up the worst of the mess. ‘Since they have our water bottles, too, we will have to have a dew wash this morning. Come on. I will show you how.’

  oOo

  They set out the way the robbers had gone; north along the forest track. It was tough on Renia's feet, the track being composed largely of leaf litter, twigs and stones, so the pace was not fast. By midday they broke out of the forest to see the road continue down and across the plain. They could see smoke rising from some settlements, the ones they had seen on the map, about ten miles ahead. They could reach there by mid-afternoon – but what then? Tired and hungry from no breakfast and no lunch, they rested for a while in the shade at the edge of the forest before continuing.

  The pace was at least faster over the plain. The road was a stone and dirt track here, bordered by stubbly grass in which Renia could walk more comfortably. The men walked there with her to keep her company, and because even with boots the potholed road was none too comfortable. To distract them all from their hunger and discomfort, Vel related a tale of rivalry between two fishing boats at their old village. The captains were so determined to beat each other into harbour with their catches and get the better price that they jammed each other into the narrow harbour entrance. They argued about whose fault it was, then about who was going to be towed out first (for neither vessel could go forward as they were). The dispute had continued for three days, and neither captain would let his men disembark lest the other ship's crew should be sent over to sabotage his vessel. Meanwhile the crews secretly developed a rota system for sneaking ashore to see their families, and men who had been hurling abuse at each other earlier in the day could be found having a sing-song together at the inn each evening.

  Vel had reached the part where they finally docked and opened the holds and men passed out at the stench of the rotting cargoes, when there was a sudden metallic snap. Renia cried out and stumbled forward, giving a scream of pain as she fell awkwardly. When they hurried to help her up they realized she had stepped into a poacher's trap: the snap they had heard was it being sprung, slamming rusting teeth deep into the flesh of her ankle. Renia's momentum had carried her forward still until the stake holding the trap's chain took up the slack, yanking the trap back. Thus the teeth had torn her leg even more.

  Vel found the stake and pulled it free; carefully they forced the jaws open and off her leg. It was clear to both men that her injury would need attention beyond their skills.

  ‘It looks worse than it is,’ Kerin lied reassuringly to Renia. ‘If it hurts it is usually a good sign.’ In fact it was bleeding steadily with no sign of letting up, and he feared for the tendon; the teeth had cut close to it at the back.

  ‘Do you have a petticoat on?’ he asked her. A slow shake of the head was her reply but Vel had followed Kerin's reasoning and stood up to wrestle off his jacket and remove h
is shirt. It was cotton while Kerin's was wool. Not ideal by any means, but they had nothing else. As Vel tore it into strips Kerin bound Renia's leg with it. When they had finished, they tried to get her to stand, but she could not bear any weight. It was probably the tendon, if not a broken bone. Sitting her down again, they moved off to discuss the problem.

  ‘She cannot walk, and she cannot stay here. We need some way to carry her,’ said Kerin in a low voice. The pair of them looked around; the plain of grass stretched in all directions, unbroken by trees or even a decent-sized bush. There was nothing they could use to make a hurdle.

  ‘Nothing here,’ Vel pointed out unnecessarily. ‘Should I go back to the forest and get some stuff together?’

  ‘No. By the time you returned and we had something built, it would be nightfall. That is not a wound that can wait a day and a half to be treated. Surely there will be a physician at the settlements ahead.’ Kerin dearly hoped so; he began to doubt if anything would go right for them today.

  ‘It wants cleaning up properly if nothing else.’ agreed Vel. ‘And a shirt with two days’ travel grime on it is not the best bandage. If that wound should start to turn nasty...’ Then he had an idea, picked up his discarded jacket and started yanking at the arms to check the stitching. He seemed dissatisfied, and motioned Kerin to take his own jacket off. Kerin did, and it received the same treatment; this time the jacket received Vel's approval.

  ‘Look, if we take your jacket, and the rest of my shirt like this...’