A loud crash made Zastra jump. The door to the outer office had been broken in. Bractarian guards ran towards them, swords bared.
‘I’ll deal with them,’ cried Teona, drawing her sword. She presented a daunting figure, ginger hair crackling in the firelight. Her blue eyes blazed in imperious anger. Three soldiers collapsed to the floor in agony, but more poured through the door to replace them and Teona was forced to use her sword. As she struggled to hold back the swarm of attackers, Leodra pulled Zastra through to a back chamber. He leaned deep into the fireplace and pulled on some hidden device. With a harsh grating noise, the stone at the back of the fireplace swung inward, revealing a dark space behind and stone steps leading down into the earth. Zastra gasped in astonishment.
‘My grandfather showed me this passageway. It leads to Highcastle Forest. It is the only way to escape now the gate has been taken. Those appalling creatures won’t be able to follow you underground. I just hope the way is not blocked. I don’t believe it has been used in centuries. You must keep the twins safe. They are the only hope for Golmeira now.’
‘I can’t go alone,’ Zastra protested.
‘You must obey me in this. I must find your mother. I cannot abandon her. I’m placing my trust in you, Zastra. I’ve not been a good father and I’ve not always recognised your talents. I was blinded by the fear of losing control of Golmeira and the fear that without mindweaving ability you would end up a weak leader, like me, forced to rely on others. It is a bitter irony that my fear drove me to place my trust in my brother, the one person I should have doubted. I was so proud of you, you know, when you killed the caralyx. I’m sorry I was too concerned with other things to tell you at the time. I need you to be as strong again. Make for Bodel’s house in Highcastle. Once I find your mother we shall try and follow you there. If we aren’t there by daybreak, go to Lyria. Marl Orwin was always our friend and he will surely help you. Be careful and trust no one.’
The noises from the other room grew louder and shadows started to encroach on the wall of the inner office. The outline of Teona, tall and willowy, was being pressed backward by a swathe of writhing darkness. A tall, cloaked shadow crawled up the wall, swallowing the outline of the highmaster.
‘Strinverl, you traitor!’ she cried. There was an awful, crushing sound. Teona’s outline sank to the floor and was gobbled up by the shadows.
Leodra turned and pushed Zastra firmly into the passageway. He wasted no time in handing Kastara down to her. As she looked back up the steps towards him, he passed her a candle, and said, eyes reflecting the flame, ‘make me proud once more, Zastra.’
The heavy stone closed, leaving Zastra and the babies alone in the dark passageway. A muffled sound of shouting and clashing metal came through the rock as if at a great distance.
Zastra hesitated, still shocked by what had happened. A quick glance at the stone in the candlelight did not reveal any lever or handle with which to open it. There was no way back. The horror of what she had seen left her nauseated and she had to breathe deeply to fend off the sickness. Kastara began to cry, a small sobbing sound at first, quickly becoming louder. Zastra turned and half staggered, half ran down the passageway, leaving the muffled clashing of swords behind her.
The journey down the tunnel was filled with a sense of unreality, as if she was not really awake but in a nightmare. The weight of the twins caused her to become breathless and her arms were soon burning from the exertion of carrying Kastara. She could feel minds reaching out, searching for her, and it took all her will to maintain her mental block. Thankfully, the horrific screams of the flying creatures did not penetrate into the tunnel. All too soon she had to rest, dropping Kastara to the floor as she caught her breath. Both babies were now awake and crying, but she had no strength to calm them. She fought against the rising panic that threatened to rob her of wit and strength. Gathering the bawling Kastara by one arm and the flickering candle in her free hand, she moved onwards, taking a small comfort in the thought that every step took her further away from the horrors of the castle. Every so often, she swapped the arm with which she carried Kastara. The tunnel grew narrower and the air became thick and stuffy. Zastra’s breathing grew laboured. She dare not stop, convinced that the tunnel would swallow them up if she did not keep moving. Onwards and downwards it went, loose stones on the floor causing her to stumble. At one point, a rock fall had almost completely blocked the passage. The only way to proceed was to remove Findar from her back and pass him through the small gap, followed by Kastara. Zastra was then able to squeeze herself past the blockage, but as she wriggled through, the candle fell from her hand and extinguished itself, leaving them in utter darkness. Once more, Zastra battled against the panic. Feeling around in the dark she was able locate Findar and set him once more on her shoulders. Picking up Kastara she continued hesitantly down the passageway. A mental probe hammered against her mind, and she doubled over at the pain of it. It required all her remaining strength to ward off the probe. Her head throbbed as she struggled onwards, losing all sense of time in the darkness. More than once she stumbled on some unseen object, falling and scraping skin from her hands and knees. Eventually, the babies stopped screaming, as if the thick air and the darkness had stifled them.
She had almost given up hope of ever escaping from the passage when she felt a small breath of air upon her cheek. Hastening as much as possible, she felt the tunnel widen. A hint of silver light broke up the utter blackness. She was in a cave. With eyes made sensitive by the darkness of the passageway she soon located the moonlit entrance. She staggered toward it, gulping hungrily at the fresh air as she sank down, exhausted. Her whole body ached. She had never realised how heavy babies could be.
As she sat and rested in the gloom, she began to discern the shadows of trees all around her. It must be Highcastle Forest, but the nightmarish journey through the passageway had completely disorientated her. She had to get her bearings. She put Findar on her back and lifted Kastara into her arms and moved forwards gingerly. She held her sister close to her body to protect her against the twigs and branches that reached out to snag them in the dark. She reached a small clearing, where the canopy opened to reveal a band of stars and the twin moons. From her left, an orange glow leached into the night sky. She resolved to climb a tree to try and see where she was. By touch, she found one with a branch low enough for her to attempt to climb. There was no way she could scale it carrying the babies. With great reluctance she left Kastara and Findar wedged firmly between two large roots and began to climb, feeling for each branch by touch. Her head banged repeatedly against the rough, over-hanging branches, but she carried on doggedly until she was high enough to look above the main canopy. By good fortune, she had chosen one of the tallest trees. The orange glow came from Golmer Castle, half a league away. Fire leapt from two of the towers. In the glow she could make out three dark creatures swirling like enormous bats above the castle. Her heart sank to see her beautiful castle so ravaged, and she could think only of her mother and father, still inside. Yet another probe dug into her mind and Zastra had to battle against her emotions to block the mindweaver, whoever it was. She took another look around to gather her bearings. Thankfully, she was on the east side of the castle, which meant she was already part way to Highcastle village. She could not have faced going back towards the castle and those terrifying creatures. Further to the east, she could see a small string of lights in the distance, which according to her recollection should be the village. If she headed in roughly that direction, away from the large orange glow, they should make it. She climbed back down the tree, which turned out to be much more difficult than climbing up it. The branches merged with the dark ground below and she had to feel for purchase with her feet. Her heart fluttered as she slipped and slid her way down and she was overjoyed when at last she felt soft ground beneath her feet and found Findar and Kastara where she had left them. She gathered them up and made her way eastwards. The trees were quite sparse, and she was able to pick h
er way through. The orange glow from the burning castle formed her constant guide. She made slow progress, resting frequently due to the weight of the twins. Dawn was just beginning to form a horizon by the time they reached the edge of the forest. At the bottom of a long, gentle slope, Zastra could see the outline of Highcastle village, a little further to her right than she had hoped, but less than half a league away. Wearily, she headed towards it.
As she got closer, she saw there were soldiers in the centre of the village. The sky had brightened enough for her to recognise the distinctive emblem of the gecko on the black uniforms, identifying them as Thorlberd’s troops. They had already taken control. Luckily, Zastra knew the village well from her visits with Bedrun. She sneaked along the hedgerows that sat behind the houses and came at last to the garden behind Bodel’s house. A light was on in the kitchen and Zastra clambered over a low wall, using the last of her strength to haul Kastara with her. Peering through the window, she saw that Bodel was alone and, finding the door unlocked, she entered and sank to the floor in desolation.
Bodel looked up in shock.
‘Zastra!’ she whispered. ‘Oh, my dear child, what has happened?’
Chapter Twenty
The twins woke, crying to be fed. Bodel tended to them while Zastra sat scrunched up against the wall. For some reason she had started shaking.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Bodel. ‘Is something wrong at the castle? Have you seen my Bedrun?’
Zastra couldn’t find the words to answer. Bodel looked at her in concern.
‘I have to go upstairs now to see to my sister,’ she said. ‘She has been ill with the blue fever and I must tend to her. Help yourself to some food and drink. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll put some blankets down in the other room, so you can settle the twins. But then we must talk.’
She poured a cup of water from a wooden jug, gathered up a clean sheet from the back of a chair and left. Zastra gulped down two cups of water, one after another, but her stomach was too knotted to think of eating. She placed the twins on the blankets and lay with them as they slept. She dozed fitfully, but her dreams were filled with a dizzy kaleidoscope of the horrors she had witnessed and she gained no rest. She was awake when Bodel returned. Hesitatingly, in broken sentences, Zastra related the events of the night. Bodel gasped in horror.
‘I knew something was wrong. We heard a lot of noise and there are Bractarian soldiers all over the village, but I had no idea… I’ve been tending Dalka all night. One of our friends came and said something big was happening. But what about my Bedrun? Did you see her?’
Zastra shook her head despondently. ‘I’m sorry, Bodel, I don’t know what happened. She wasn’t there when Teona came for me. I don’t know if she’s all right.’ The horror of the situation struck them both hard. Bodel wrung the blanket tight between her hands. She attacked Zastra with a series of questions, some of which Zastra attempted to answer, but most she could not.
‘I must go to her,’ Bodel said, pacing up and down the room in agitation. ‘I must find my Bedrun. Morel would be devastated. Oh no – Morel! We’ve not heard from her for more than a month. If the Marl of Bractaris is behind all this then Waldaria must have been a trap. She’ll be in great danger. Oh, I must try and find out what is happening.’
Distracted, she took a shawl and ran from the house. While she was gone, Zastra kept looking out of the back window towards the edge of Highcastle Forest in the desperate hope that her father and mother would appear, but time passed and there was no sign of them. Occasionally, she saw the shadows of the great beasts flying overhead, and at these times she was aware of invisible fingers prying into her mind. She was convinced that they were searching for her and the twins.
Bodel returned just before noon. She was accompanied by a thin man, with an intense, unfriendly expression. Zastra eyed him warily.
‘It’s all right,’ said Bodel, seeing the look on Zastra’s face. ‘This is my friend Hedrik. We can trust him.’ Bodel paused, then reached out to grasp Zastra’s hand.
‘I’m afraid I’ve got some very bad news.’
Zastra felt a hollow emptiness form within her.
‘Some Bractarian guards have come down from the castle and are proclaiming that Leodra and his wife are dead and that Grand Marl Thorlberd rules in his stead. I’m so terribly sorry.’
Zastra said nothing. Strangely, she felt nothing, just a dead numbness breaking over her. Bodel was saying something else. Zastra forced herself to concentrate.
‘I must go and check on my sister, but we’ll talk some more,’ Bodel said, and then she left the room. The babies woke up. Hedrik silently fed them with milk from Bodel’s larder, then washed and changed them with practised efficiency. Bodel returned and nervously checked the window before she sat down on the blanket. Zastra hugged her knees and rocked back and forth.
‘Zastra,’ said Bodel softly, ‘I know it’s a difficult time, but we cannot sit here feeling sorry for ourselves. We must act. The soldiers know you’ve escaped and they are looking for you and the twins. They are searching the forest as we speak and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they search all the houses. If I could hide you all here, I would, but it’s too dangerous. I’ve had an idea. The soldiers are looking for a young girl with two babies. I think we could pass you off as a boy if we cut your hair and find you some clothes. You’d have to pretend to be a villager though. How does that sound?’
Zastra nodded dumbly.
Bodel continued. ‘I had a thought about the twins. It’s risky, but the more I think of it, it seems like the best solution. Even dressed as a boy, you are bound to raise suspicions if you are carrying two young babies. Now, poor Dalka, ill upstairs with the blue fever, lost her baby girl to the same disease not two days since. I buried the little one myself. No one knows but me, not even Dalka, who has been too sick to notice. If we substitute Kastara for little Joril, she could be hidden safely here. Hedrik lives about twelve leagues away and he has agreed to take you and Findar as far as his village.’ Hedrik said nothing, standing with his arms folded and staring out of the window.
‘I can’t leave Kastara!’ cried Zastra. ‘Father said I must look after them.’
‘You can’t take them both, child,’ muttered Hedrik.
‘She’d be safer here, Zastra. I know it’s hard, but I think fate has sent us this opportunity.’
‘But you’re so close to the castle. They are sure to find her. The mindweavers will make you tell.’
‘They won’t suspect a child with a proven family history. Only I will know, and I have the power to resist mindweavers. Oh yes,’ she nodded, as Zastra looked at her, ‘soldiers are trained to resist mindweavers and Morel always shares everything with me. It turns out I have a real knack for it. As do you, apparently, which is fortunate, for all our sakes.’
‘I don’t know…’ Zastra protested.
‘I’ll not take the three of you,’ said Hedrik, harshly. ‘It’ll be too obvious. A young lad and a littlun – we might just get away with it, as long as you do exactly as I say. This is my only offer. And it’s only as a favour to you Bodel, for what you’ve done for my littluns. I’ll be setting off in a few hours, so you best get her ready. I’ll rustle up some likely clothes for the girl and be back as soon as I can. You best bury all them fancy clothes – you’ll have something for the babies, no doubt?’
Bodel nodded and Hedrik departed. Bodel began making preparations. First, she cut Zastra’s hair; an untidy, close cut that removed her wavy curls and disguised its natural chestnut colour. As Zastra sat wrapped in a blanket, Bodel buried her clothes and everything else she had brought, including the baby harness, which bore the crest of Leodra.
‘You must take nothing that marks you out as having come from the castle. Here’s a bag with some provisions – not much, but all I can spare. I’ve put in some fruit for Findar and he should manage some bread if you soften it with water first.’
Bodel dressed Kastara in the clothe
s worn by poor little deceased Joril and held her up in satisfaction. ‘They look similar enough. No one will know the difference except Dalka, and I’ll deal with her when the time comes.’
She was finishing packing when Hedrik returned with a bundle under one arm.
‘We must leave now,’ he said tersely. ‘They are starting to search every house in the village. Quick child, put these on. And make yourself look dirty – remember you’re a farm boy now, not royalty.’
Zastra put on the trousers and shirt and some ill-fitting boots, one of which had a hole in the toe.
‘You take the bag, I’ll take the boy,’ ordered Hedrik, and with practised movements he made a sling for Findar, so he could carry him across his chest. ‘That’s it, we must go.’
As Zastra went over to Kastara, he snapped, ‘There’s no time for goodbyes.’
‘I’ll come back for you, I promise,’ whispered Zastra to her little sister. Casting a forlorn look back at Bodel, she followed Hedrik through the kitchen door, her heart rending as Kastara’s thin wails followed them out of the house.
Keeping a wary eye out for soldiers, they skirted the hedgerows at the back of the village and made for the nearest cover, an extension of Highcastle Forest. Zastra waited for a shout to tell them they had been seen, but none came, and they finally reached the outskirts of the forest, breathing heavily. They paused to look back, but no one had followed them.
‘Come then, lad,’ said Hedrik, brusquely. ‘Try not to talk if we meet anyone. I’ll tell them you’re dumb if I have to.’
They strode along in awkward silence. Zastra felt misgivings at every step which took her further away from Kastara and further into the unknown.
Chapter Twenty-one
They travelled through the forest at a quick pace. Fortunately, they met no one. Only once did they hear the distant beating of wings that signalled the passage of a flying creature. They ducked off the path and hid under cover of the trees until it had gone.
Tales of Golmeira- The Complete Box Set Page 10