One score year could not go by for this many people without a whole new generation coming to be and the Pastures needed to be expanded. The reason that they were not as a simple matter of course came in the night. The giants of the mountains were not about to allow it. With hair-raising howls in the moonlight, they carried away sheep and left footprints which no one living in the Pastures was able to follow. Something had to be done. With Sulacha away spying on Niarg with Neron, Olloo and Obbree, Bernard sent Flame to find Herio at the Caves.
After flying all night, Flame returned with Herio the next day to circle about over the Pastures under the bright blue skies of mid morning, hunting for Bernard. They found him in one of the paddocks, putting a freshly gelded long yearling under the saddle for the first time. They landed just outside the fence from where he was squatted, watching the young unicorn.
“That's one high stepping young gelding,” said Herio, trading nods with Bernard.
“He acts like he's never worn a saddle.”
“Never has,” said Bernard as he grabbed onto the fence with a lunge and threw his leg over the top board.
“He's certainly striking, all snow white.”
“He's got the lineage for it. He has blood from Vindicator, Hebraun's own march streiciwr brenhinol that fell at Cwm Eryr.”
Flame let go of a flight feather and looked up. “Flying all night has me ready to fall,” he said with a thorough ruffling shake.
“Then go get some sleep,” said Bernard. “Here comes Philpott. Come on, Herio.
He'll catch up.” And with that, they set out on a brisk walk along the tree line for the furthest north of the sheep sheds, well away from the rest of the buildings. Crossbills gave squeaky rattles from the scattered larch and spruce trees as they walked through the rocky meadow of knee high grass and bright yellow coneflowers.
“So giants...” said Herio as he caught up to walk alongside him. “How do you know that they're giants?”
“There's the shed, yonder,” said Bernard. “You'll see in two shakes.”
Herio could hear the bleating of sheep from inside it.
“They really want out,” said Bernard, “but we've kept them shut up, hoping you'd get here to see the tracks before we had no choice but to turn them out.” He opened the gate, led Herio across the lot and nodded at the ground.
“Fates almighty!” said Herio, squatting for a look. “They're exactly like our barefoot tracks, except that each one's better than two foot long.”
“Yea!” said Sergeant Philpott, catching up at last. “Two of the curses. They just stepped right over the fence. See? And since there are four ewes missing, the pair of them must of had a sheep under each arm when they did. And that's not all. Captain, did you see the far side of the shed?”
“I guess not. What about it?”
Philpott led them around the building for a look. “What do you reckon that's supposed to be?” he said, running a hand along the deeply gouged scratches of a drawing that covered the wall from the foundation to the eaves.
“Why that looks like maybe two of them standing on a whole pile of little people,” said Bernard.
“And what's that?” said Herio. “A sheep in the belly of each of the big ones?”
“That would be my guess,” said Bernard.
“Damn!” said Herio. “Looks like they plan to tramp on us and eat our sheep. Is this the first you've seen of something like this?”
“Maybe three of their visits ago,” said Philpott as he paused for a spit into the pigweed by the fence. “Three of their visits ago, you were gone a few days, downhill at the Caves, Captain. They left a drawing in the dirt that looked just like this one. That's the time we thought three of them came. They carried off six sheep, anyway.”
“So this is just how you found everything, right after dark, yesterday?” said Herio as he studied the tracks in the dirt.
“Yea, except we heard the sheep bleating and running into the walls like they were all scared to death,” said Philpott, “and it still stank to high heaven when we got out here.”
“Stank?”
“You'd better believe it. It was like a cross between hot pitch and the rotten breeches of someone who's not bathed all year.”
Herio nodded, following the tracks across the fence with his eyes.
“Think you can track them?” said Bernard.
“I'm going to try,” said Herio. “You mind if Philpott goes with me?”
“No problem.”
“And I want a unicorn. And my bow and my panniers and bedroll are leaning up against the fence, back at the unicorn paddock.”
Soon Herio and Philpott were well away from the Pastures, following the meandering trail of mashed grass through the broad belt of high meadow that ran between the towering rock wall of the divide and the trees which reared up and became deep forest, blanketing the mountainside below and the tumble of rocky hogbacks, ridges and ravines, stretching away to the horizon in the west. Ravens croaked from the bluffs above. Here and there rock wrens gave their ringing calls.
Before long they came to a broad dry wash that ran down from the rocks of the divide to cross the breadth of the meadow before vanishing into a ravine in the woods below. “Let's be careful,” said Herio, squatting on the bank. “They've been all over down there. Look at all of the tracks. If you don't mind, wait here while I sort out the ones we've been following. After I mark where they come out on the far side, let's study the ones up and down the sand in the bed.”
“Look 'ee there,” said Philpott, the moment Herio got to the far side and turned about. “They've made a whopper of a picture all over that big flat sandbar.”
Herio tied his unicorn to a bush and came to see. “Why that's just like the one on the shed, only three or four times as big. They've got sheep in their bellies and they're standing on a whole pile of little people...”
“And look at these two crossed sticks, stuck in the sand. There's a whole row of their huge hand prints in front of them.”
“Yea,” said Herio. “And it looks like they've got pairs of sticks stuck in the sand all up and down the wash. So what do you reckon all this is?”
Philpott stood up with a shake of his head and stared down the wash toward the woods. “Well I'm no damned giant, but I will say this: they started running off with sheep right when we commenced taking the flock across the wash to graze. They've been a- taking sheep in the night every three or four days since then.”
Well into the afternoon Herio paused to let his unicorn graze. “Are you certain that they actually got four sheep?” he said as he took off his hat to let the air stir his hair.
“Without a doubt. Why?”
“We've come all this way. We've been a-walking, what, three hours? Well I've not seen one sign of either one of the curses trotting off to the side to chase after a sheep that got loose. Can you imagine either one of us carrying a pair of newborn lambs all this way and not having to set one of them down?”
Philpott gave his head a shake to go with his shrug.
Late in the afternoon a rocky ridge appeared in the middle of the meadow, walling off a broad ravine below the face of the bluff. “I've lost them,” said Herio. “Well, at least their tracks. There's thick enough grass downhill that we know they didn't go that way, so they had to have followed the rocks...”
“Doesn't that look like rain out yonder?”
“Yea. And a soaking for us if we don't find someplace for the night before it gets here.”
“Did you see the hole in the rock face, back that a-way?”
“I'm tired of tracking,” said Herio, gathering up his reins and finding his stirrup.
“Let's ride back and see.”
“Well now, stopping for the night's good except for one thing.”
“And what would that be?”
“Your stinking beans, if ye still try to cook them.”
“I gave up.”
“Good for you.”
It did not take long to fin
d the cave at the top of a mound of talus at the foot of the bluff.
“Hey come see this,” called Philpott from inside the cave.
Herio sprinted up the talus to peer inside.
“Look 'ee here at these mats,” said Philpott. “They're all dusty and crumbly and look a hundred years old, but I've never seen anything like them. Have you?”
“Just big bundles of grass all tied together,” said Herio. “No I haven't. Hey, look at this.” He picked up an oddly tied bundle. “The way it's tied makes it look like the biggest damned doll I ever saw. Reckon that's what it really is?”
“Why it's got to be. See? Arms and legs. I don't see any features on the head, but that's a head and no mistake.”
“Well one thing,” said Herio as he leant the crumbling effigy against a rock, “this'll make dandy kindling if we can find enough of anything to set alight with it.”
Philpot stepped to the mouth of the cave and looked out at the winking clouds in the distance.
“How far away is the rain?”
“It's about half as far away as when we first saw it. I'll bet we have time to find something to burn.”
Soon they were busy, gathering up weathered pieces of ancient juniper root from the top of the ridge beyond the face of the bluff, listening to the evening calls of laughing quail. “Hey!” said Herio, standing up straight. “Did you hear that? 'Way out yonder.
Sulacha and I heard that years ago, the first time we were ever up here in the Machluds.
Hit's no damned great grey owl.”
“I was making racket, but I think that could've been one of the howlies.”
“Howlies?”
“Another name for the giants, though I've never heard one of them holler when it was still light out.”
By the time they could hear the faint rumbling of thunder, they had a fair sized pile of roots and sticks just inside the mouth of the cave. Just as Philpott was busying himself at spreading out a bedroll without stirring up the choking dust, and Herio was huffing at some smoldering straw, a shadow darkened the mouth of the cave.
Herio looked up with a start to see the waist and gigantic furry legs of a figure right outside the cave in time for it to squat and peer in at him with its silvery blue eyes in its broad dark face.
“Hummp!” rumbled the figure, looking him over closely.
The instant that Herio lunged for his bow, the figure grabbed it away, snapping it in two. “Philpott!” he croaked. “Hit's not about to let us out!”
Chapter 181
The stable boy was busy mucking out a stall when Neron eased up behind and put him to sleep with a spell, dropping him to his knees and onto his face in the pile of manure he was stacking on a sledge to haul out.
Neron stepped into the corner stall, dug out the skinweler from the hollow timber and slipped it into his spare panniers before waving in Sulacha, Olloo and Obbree. They had scarcely gotten outside with their unicorns when several soldiers rode up. “Have you men gotten orders to search for Shacknasty and his Elves?” said the captain amongst them.
“Yes Captain,” said Neron with a salute, “and they've just fled with their mounts, according to the hired hand in the stable.”
“Did he say where to?”
“No, but he said that they were a-hollering back and forth about a ship while they were scrambling to get their mounts out the door.”
“Then let's get to the quays,” said the captain. “You four are with us.”
“Yes sir!” said Neron, sharing careful looks with Sulacha, Olloo and Obbree.
At the Port of Niarg, they were ordered to search each shop at the port and every ship at the quays. “We'll continue the search in Niarg proper,” said the captain, when it had gotten well into the afternoon, “except for you four from the stable. I want you all to stay here in case the prisoners come back for another attempt to get on board a ship.”
“I beg your pardon, sir,” said Neron, “but the four of us have been on duty without a break since yesterday evening. Could you possibly...?”
“What?” said the captain. “Have you flogged?”
“I do beg your pardon sir! I meant no disrespect.”
“Well I can see that you all are indeed new here, or I'd be having you flayed right now,” said the captain. “There's not one bit of room in the empress's army for insubordination, so you'd jolly well better let this be your only lesson.” He paused for a spit. “Now, I'll even do one better than that. I'll let you go off duty and get your sleep, so long as you stand watch until your replacements show up. But I'm not doing it again. And if you're not here when they show up, you won't live to tell it.”
“Thank you, sir!”
The captain thrust out his chin, looking at them for a squint-eyed moment before giving a nod and mounting his unicorn with a wave to his soldiers.
“Now what?” said Sulacha. “Do we duck out of sight and change our glamouries?”
“Down yonder,” said Neron. “That furthest ship south is The Sea Witch. It was the last one Obbree and I helped search. She's to weigh anchor for the Dark Continent in about an hour. She's a Niarg ship, but her captain and crew are from Head, and he's such a horse's behind that you'd swear his nose was a tail. He's either going to take us to Tnassip or refuse. Either one's good. Let's go.”
“Isn't Tnassip up the coast...north?” said Sulacha, giving his mount a nudge.
“We're right with you,” said Olloo as he found his stirrup, “even if you've got us too boss-eyed to walk a straight line.”
“You all had better stay ready to ride,” said Neron when they reached The Sea Witch. “Here.” He handed his reins to Sulacha and hurried up the busy gangplank.
“Where's Captain Per-Vari?” said Neron as he walked up to a barefoot sailor busy giving orders.
“He's not going to want to see you,” said the man, folding his arms. “He got his fill of you ones a half an hour ago. We're already behind because of you...”
“Where is he?”
“Up on the poop deck...” he said, throwing aside a nod.
Neron was already wending his way to the steps.
Per-Vari heard Neron on the top step. “Get off my ship!” he bellowed before turning about to have a look at him.
“I'm afraid I've orders from the empress herself, Captain,” said Neron.
“Right. And I'm her dear uncle...”
“Her orders are for you to take my three men and me up the coast a short way to Tnassip on your way back to Head...”
“Yea? And mine are for you to get off this boat.”
“She's provided the crowns to make it worth your while,” said Neron, reaching for his purse.
“And you're up to no good,” said Per-Vari with a whistle and a big wave at the main deck.
At once two hulking sailors charged up the steps.
“Get this stinking sack of dung off my clean ship!” he roared.
And with that, the sailors grabbed an arm apiece and ushered poor Neron across the ship and sent him stumbling down the gangplank in front of his wide-eyed friends.
Neron leaped astride his unicorn. “Get up!” he cried. “We go out north on the beach road. Now!”
***
Niarg's exchequer never did return from Jut Ford, so it wasn't very many years until the people of Niarg were doing like the Gwalian mercenaries and routinely referring to General Coel's residence and headquarters as Nyth Hok instead of Pilar Paleys.
Spitemorta had hinted more than once that he should move into the new armory, but he was ignoring her. What he could not ignore was the escape of her four prisoners on his watch. He paced about, rubbing his temples as he propped open the door to the stairway and opened enough windows to bring in the cries of gulls and have a breeze blowing papers onto the floor. “The longer that Shacknasty and his drovers are loose, the less chance there'll ever be of getting them back,” he said, kicking a chair out of his way.
“And if I don't, the witch just might have my head. Of course,
that would fix my headache...”
“Well if that's all it would take, sir, just ask,” said an orderly, pecking on the jamb of the open door. “I'll cut it off.”
“I can always count on my dear Sergeant March. Do you have some sort of bad news to go with your cheery offer of help?”
“Captain Waso just tied up his mount. I expect he's a-coming up the steps right now.”
“Took him long enough.”
“Probably means he got them.”
“Yea? Or didn't. My headache says he didn't.”
“Well now, are you quite sure you won't let me cut it off...?”
“Here he is,” said Coel.
“Sir!” said Waso, stepping into the doorway.
“They got away, didn't they?” said Coel.
“How would you know, sir?”
“Your salute is 'way too rigid for you to have got them. At ease. There's a chair.”
“No, we didn't,” he said, sitting slowly on the edge of the chair. “When we got to the stable by the Silver Dragon, these new recruits met us on their way out and said that according to the stable hand, Shacknasty and the drovers had just lit out, a-talking about ships, So we took the recruits and went to the port and searched every ship and shop there. When we failed to find them, I ordered the new fellows to stand guard at the quays while we went back to town and looked...”
Coel made a grimace and scratched behind an ear. “Well now, new recruits surprises me,” he said, staring out over the rooftops. “How many were there?”
Heart of the Staff - Complete Series Page 189