Agathe’s voice and scent filled his mind; she smiled and reached out to him. She was saying something that he could not hear. He used his pain as a bridge to reach her. He bit down harder on the alpha’s leg and felt a deep, sickening crunch as the alpha’s leg bones finally shattered in his mouth.
The alpha let out a high yelp and crashed to the ground panting heavily. Blood pumped from its broken leg. Ossian too was wounded and trembling but remained standing. The pack looked on impassively awaiting the inevitable outcome. Then Ossian released the alpha’s leg and stepped away. The alpha attempted to stand but fell and did not rise again. Its lifeblood returned to the Erthe and its spirit left its body.
Ossian stood, the victor. A lone howl soon followed by others rent the air. Ossian was the new alpha leader. The pack approached and surrounded him. He turned and paced towards the woman, his wounds obvious but not grievous. He would live; he would fight and hunt for many seasons yet.
The woman came forwards, hand outstretched and called to him.
“Ossian, thank you. You have come to us, be at peace. We are of peace. We will be here for you when you return fully in your human form.”
Ossian stood watching the woman for some minutes. Then he turned and ran through the massed ranks of his blood wolves. They did not hesitate and as one turned and followed their new leader.
Ossian ran and ran. His wounds healing as he went. He could feel his muscles knitting together. His sinews tightened and his spirit soared. He felt stronger than ever, this world could not contain his spirit; there was nothing he needed, except Agathe. Her image suffused his mind and called him to her. He slowed and stood on a rocky bluff surveying his territory. The others waited a respectful distance behind. He turned and lifted his head watching the stars and the moon and then called to them, the moon and Agathe. He would find her.
The pack settled around him and he waited until they slept. Then he sent his shadow side out in the night across the steppes back to Karina. He easily passed her guards and came to stand within her tent. His breath misted in front of him. Candles flickered in the cool air. A shadow fell across the floor.
Karina stepped out before the wolf.
“I knew you would come Ossian, now is the time for us to unite our forces. The Red Flags have encroached upon our land; the black sky has invaded their realm too. We now fight for survival. Clan Horse calls upon the blood wolves as allies, to help us in our struggle against the Red Flags. Once they are defeated, the way is open for you Ossian to help address the Shiffante threat.”
Ossian, felt his bones crunch and grind. He grimaced with the old familiar pain. Time slowed, he found himself standing once more in human form in front of Karina. He was naked and shivering, not from self-consciousness but from the shock of being human again.
His voice croaked, words formed with difficulty and he spoke.
“I will help you Karina, as we agreed, I need to return to my friends. I’ll see to it that the blood wolves will not attack Clan Horse. We will patrol the borderlands and drive the Red Flags back if they attack. How can I return to my friends? Is there anything you can tell me of travel between the worlds?”
Karina stood a long time in silence. Then she shrugged. “It is said that somewhere on the steppes lies a pool that has the power to transform those who are in need. Transform or transfer, it’s of no matter. You said you have come across these pools before, maybe if you could find this one it would take you back, back to the struggle. You should take my son Veran, he could visit some pain to these Shiffante from Clan Horse.”
Ossian nodded. “We have a plan of sorts then. Sometimes however the best strategy is to have none at all. I’ll instruct the blood wolves to act as a buffer between you and the Red Flags. I will take Veran to search for this pool you speak of. We’ll see where it takes us.”
Karina came to Ossian and embraced him. In the distance, he heard a lone cry pierce the night; his kindred were calling. “I must go now and set our plan in place. I will call for Veran in two days, there’s no time to waste.”
Ossian turned and left the tent as a shadow, blending with the darkness and became wolf once more. Over the next two days, he delegated his wishes to his lieutenants. His orders were made known and the kindred followed his instructions. The blood wolves entered the border country between the grasslands and the steppes and made their presence known to the Red Flags. It took some blood letting for their message to be understood but the Red Flags were quick learners. Soon there were no more incursions into Clan Horse territory.
Ossian reverted to his human form and met up with Veran two nights later as arranged. They ventured forth into the deep steppes on two of the clan’s strongest horses.
“This pool Veran, do you have any notion of where it lies?”
“No definite idea, only that it’s at the heart of the dark steppe where all else perishes.”
“I’ve used these pools elsewhere, I think they alter whoever passes through them. My friends have been changed by using them. You don’t have to follow me if we find it. I don’t know how it’ll affect you if you pass through.”
“No, I wish to come with you, I need to bring pain to those who have hurt my people. All of life is cyclical; I must return the pain to those who dealt it to us. That way justice is done.”
“Very well if that’s your wish, I’ll see to it you get your chance to hurt the Shiffante. I cannot guarantee you’ll ever return to your home though.”
They passed through the steppes over the next few days, deeper into the interior. The sky looked down impassively on their progress. The ground became less fertile until eventually nothing but scrub was sustained.
The light was different, distance an illusion. Mirages came and went in the heat of the day. Still they pushed on. On the third day, they ran out of food and water.
“We’ll pass the point of no return soon,” Ossian warned Veran. “Are you sure you wish to continue?”
Veran nodded. “No turning back, we are committed, this is our fate.”
The day sprawled ahead of them, their thirst was intense. The horses were exhausted but continued plodding on. No life was evident on the steppe, not even birds flew overhead.
Then they saw it, as plain as day. A turquoise shimmer in the distance. The image was blurred. A slight mist rose from the pool in the bright sunlight. They looked at each other and then back at the shimmer. Heads down they struggled on. Their bodies felt heavier the closer they came to the pool.
Their horses stopped some distance from the pool refusing to continue. Ossian and Veran dismounted and walked the last half an hour to the pool. They looked back and found they could not see their mounts.
“This place is enchanted, I feel the air thick with magics. We’re at the mercy of this place although it seems unguarded,” Veran declared.
“We’ve no choice. This feeling you have, I’ve had before too, time feels different at these pools. Sometimes I see colours, sometimes I hear music, always my blood rushes and my heart quickens. Come I’ll need your help to get us through this.”
The two men approached the pool. Ossian took a length of rope from his pack and tied himself to Veran. Then he stooped to the ground picking up a stone and threw it into the pool. It landed on the surface and sat there for a moment before sinking slowly beneath the turquoise liquid.
“We’ve to walk out to the centre of the pool and let it take us, come no time to lose,” Ossian said.
With that, the two men stepped out into the pool. It was shallow and they made it to the centre easily. Ossian felt the familiar pull begin the moment his feet were immersed in the liquid. The colours came to him and they both sank below the surface of the liquid into a different space. Ossian felt a slipping between worlds. A sudden rushing feeling overcame him and he blacked out.
Chapter 28
Skirmish
Q’uaina and Agathe ran through the smoke and the night. Q’uaina’s vision was good in the dim light. Agathe was surprised, she fe
lt different, strong, her sight was also assured in the dim forest. She became aware of a great hunger. It was increasing and she felt it would consume her.
After what seemed an age the smoke started to thin. Agathe discerned the other sights and scents within the forest. She could feel life all around, she was aware of small forest animals cowering in the undergrowth. Her hunger called to her, she had to find sustenance, her body demanded it.
A rustle to the right, movement, an impression of fur. The hare did not stand a chance, it blundered across her path, its heart racing. Agathe could clearly feel its fear. Quick as the wind Agathe pounced on the hare and had it in her grasp in a second. She instinctively bit down into the hare’s neck and drank deep of its blood. Agathe could feel her hunger abate as the warm liquid ran down her throat.
It was over in a moment. Agathe threw the hare’s carcass to one side and continued after Q’uaina who had not witnessed her blood meal, so intent was she on forging a trail through the forest. The rest of the night passed in a blur. Q’uaina purposely avoided the high ground she had used earlier, to put off anyone following them.
Q’uaina instead went west and then north back towards the Shattered Hills and the light walkers she hoped to find there. She remembered Illiana and her kin and hoped they would provide sanctuary. She knew the Beekeeper would make his own way and no doubt take to the wing to out distance the enemy. Perhaps he would even make it to the light walkers before them. He certainly knew of them and appeared to recognise Illiana’s name when they had spoken of her.
So on she plunged through the night and was relieved Agathe could endure the punishing pace. This surprised her as Agathe had been in a sorry state when she had rescued her. She looked back intermittently to check on her and found Agathe had kept up and was showing no signs of flagging.
A few times Q’uaina caught the sounds of pursuit from behind. She heard growls and branches snapping. With time, this receded. Q’uaina made sure she took their course across and through streams and rivers whenever she came across them, to mask their scent.
Her legs began to tire, and thirst slowed her down. She spotted a small outcrop of rocks in the distance and aimed for it and the cover it would provide. Early rays of morning light rose from the horizon. For the first time hope flickered in her heart, maybe just maybe they would make it.
But then she suddenly felt lost and enraged. They should be fighting the Shiffante, not this dirty little side war. They should be concentrating their efforts on the main threat to their land and its peoples not on this deluded vampire and his drow ally. Anger and rage billowed up inside her as she crested the rise where the rocks lay.
They had stolen her happiness, this was all wrong. She should be back with her people, her family, not lost amongst all this blood and wrath. Her breathing was ragged and she collapsed beside the outcrop, exhausted. Agathe came up behind and fell down beside her.
They remained that way in silence for some minutes. The dawn light strengthening and lengthening along the land. This was the timeless part of the day. The period when the ancestors’ memory was strong and close.
“Are we headed to the light walkers’ territory?” Agathe asked.
Q’uaina turned and nodded. “I suggested it to your father and he…”
“Father is still alive?” Agathe’s voice rang out.
“Yes, sorry I did not think to tell you, I was so caught up in your rescue,” Q’uaina responded.
Agathe looked ecstatic, her whole face lit up and her eyes sparkled. She became animated, her hands gesticulating. “Tell me what’s happened since my capture?”
Q’uaina went through all that had transpired since Agathe’s abduction.
“So our aim is what? Once we get to the light walkers…” Agathe asked.
“That’s where my plan runs out, I’m hoping to get protection and sanctuary at least to allow us time to think. It seems we’ve been running for so long now, I can no longer think what to do.”
Agathe nodded and then looked out over the lands ahead of them all the way to the horizon.
“You know he has a throne in my heart…” Agathe whispered.
“What?” Q’uaina replied.
“Ossian, we’ve made a connection. I can really see his spirit; his light and mine are intertwined. I will see him again, I know it. That’s why we, I must keep going.”
“Don’t worry Agathe, I’ll see to it that you’ll meet him again. Here have some water.”
They drank from Q’uaina’s water skin and ate a little bread and cheese the Beekeeper had given her. Q’uaina looked back the way they had come and saw the forest in the distance. There were still some traces of smoke seeping up from its centre. A flicker of movement caught her eye on the forest’s edge. Then two figures emerged from the trees on horseback. They stopped to examine the ground and then set off at a trot.
“Look,” Q’uaina hissed pointing at the two riders. “They’re coming for us, I thought we’d lost them in the forest. Come, Agathe we must go.”
Agathe was watching the riders. “It’s the one who calls himself LeSouris, the vampire and his ally the drow.” Bitterness and hate laced her voice. “I’m tired of running Q’uaina, you go ahead. I’ll buy you some time, I’ll catch up.”
“You can’t Agathe, you’ve only just escaped their clutches…”
“You forget Q’uaina my second home is the sky.” Agathe shape shifted, her image becoming blurred. Q’uaina blinked and there in front of her perched on the rock was a magnificent mountain eagle. Its feathers long and silvery, its eyes intelligent and regal. Before Q’uaina could say or do anything, the bird took to the air, its powerful wings bearing it aloft at great speed.
Q’uaina watched from the rocky outcrop as the eagle flew up and away towards the approaching riders. At first, they did not seem to see the great bird, then the nearest horse stopped and neighed aloud at the sight of the eagle. Agathe swooped aggressively at the nearest rider raking at the air close to his head. Q’uaina saw it was the vampire, LeSouris and his companion was clearly the dark elf.
The vampire desperately tried to control his mount but the horse was griped with fear and reared up. For a moment, the rider was poised perfectly like a statue, but then he fell in a crumpled heap to the ground. The horse narrowly missed trampling him and ran off back towards the forest.
The eagle had rounded on the drow and his mount. The drow had better luck and managed to stay seated on his horse. This time however, LeSouris was not so lucky, the drow’s horse kicked out in alarm and its rear hoof connected with the vampire’s shin shattering the bone instantly.
A high-pitched shriek tore through the air and turned Q’uaina’s blood cold. It snapped her out of her fascination at the scene unfolding below. She was a fool; she should use this precious time to make good her escape. She cursed herself, turned and keeping low, fled through the rocks and to the grasslands beyond.
She ran to the west. The sun was now firmly risen and the new day begun. The grasses surrounded her, easily reaching her shoulders. It was like being amidst a great ocean. The sound of the wind rushing through and over the grassland was mesmerizing. Q’uaina drew upon an inner reserve and kept running, putting as much distance between her and the riders as possible.
After a while, she noticed a shadow falling across her path at intervals and she looked up. There in the sky above her head was the great bird. Agathe was following her or guiding her. Q’uaina changed direction subtly to follow her airborne companion. They continued like this for most of the morning. Agathe would scout ahead every so often and return with another change of direction until Q’uaina saw a break in the grasslands, which she made for.
The break led down to a lush river valley. Far off in the distance Q’uaina thought she saw smoke. She looked up and searched the sky for Agathe but there was no sign of the great bird.
“There are a group of riders over there, I think they saw me,” Agathe’s voice startled Q’uaina. Agathe stepped out from th
e rustling grasses to Q’uaina’s left.
“Don’t creep up on me like that, you gave me a fright!” Q’uaina complained. “Are you all right? What of our pursuit? What else did you see?”
“I’m fine, sorry for surprising you like that. You kept up well this morning; we’ve put a good distance between them and us. We gained a few hours, they’re on horseback. LeSouris, the vampire was able to retrieve his horse and by the fires, he heals quickly. I’m sure he’d broken his leg but now, from what I can see he rides as if he has no injury. Ahead lies a shadowy group; I didn’t see my father. There are six riders and their camp. They seem at ease, unguarded, as if they own this land. They are well armed and have been hunting game.”
“I wonder, could they be the light walkers? Would that Illiana is amongst their number. Illiana would remember us, but if she’s not there, I still have Morvaine’s mark of the grave that should grant us sanctuary. I see no option but to make for their camp and seek assistance against LeSouris and the dark elf. What you did back there Agathe was brave and reckless, you could’ve been harmed. We don’t know what powers these two have.”
Agathe held Q’uaina’s eyes for a moment, then broke contact. Her eyes were dark and distressed. She shook and turned away.
“What is it Agathe? What troubles you so?”
Silence. Agathe shook her head and took a deep breath. “You don’t want to know. Let’s just leave now while we have the advantage of our lead.”
“Speak to me Agathe, wait, how am I to help you if I don’t know what ails you so. Sister speak to me, I can see your pain…wait… did LeSouris… drink of your blood?”
Q’uaina rushed over to Agathe and held her by the arms. She looked at her neck and saw two fine puncture wounds. Small blue veins radiated out from the bite mark. The skin was healing but it was only up close that Q’uaina noticed how pale Agathe had become and how her eyes had changed. Gone were the soft brown eyes. Instead, cold, opalescent eyes regarded her.
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