“Jana, no….”
“Do it, Alleran. Take the horses, flee. You cannot save me.”
The horses. Alleran suddenly remembered he had tethered their steeds to a tree close to where they were huddled.
“I have an idea,” he said, a spark back in his eyes. “Wait here.” Neither of them picked up on how absurd this last comment was.
“Be careful,” Jana pleaded, unaware of his intentions. Alleran rose from his position and faced the oncoming bear, who was now about fifty feet from them.
“Hey, you!” he yelled, waving his arms in a circular motion above his head whilst making his way sideways towards the horses. “HEY! This way!” At first, the huge brown creature seemed to ignore him, as if it somehow knew that Jana could not run away. But finally, the apothecary managed to attract its attention enough for it to suddenly come to a halt and stand up on its hind legs, staring right at him. It let out a blood-curdling roar before dropping to all fours and started running towards him. Gods, how fast could a bear run! Alleran had no time to think further as the bear rushed towards him, its speed incredible for an animal that size. He ran as fast as he could towards the horses, the bear gaining on him with each pace. He finally made it to the tree where the horses were rearing and braying at the sight of the onrushing brown creature, now just twenty feet away. Alleran had no more than a few seconds to release the horses and climb on, then try to get away from the bear and lure it as far away from Jana as he could.
Still tethered to the ground, Jana watched in horror as the animal was just yards away from tearing the apothecary apart. She had managed to grab a small rock and was hammering it against the base of the trap, desperately trying to free herself, but it still held tight.
Alleran fumbled with the ropes tied around the tree branch, but luckily for him, his knot tying was not the best, and his own horse was released quickly. He held one set of reins whilst he tried to release Snowdrop, but the bear was now almost upon him, snarling and growling. Unable to free the horse fast enough, he shifted around the side of the tree just in time for the swiping bear to miss him by a matter of inches. This, however, bought him some time as the bear was travelling so fast it ran past the tree before it could lacerate him with those massive claws. Those few seconds were enough to allow Alleran to loosen the knot holding Snowdrop to the tree, but the frightened horse suddenly reared. She yanked the reins straight from his hand before turning around and running for her life across the plains.
“Shit!” he cried, but still held the rope holding his own horse, who was managing to stay remarkably calm.
The bear had turned around and was almost upon them again. Instinctively, Alleran darted behind the horse as the massive animal made a swish with an enormous, claw-filled paw. The attack missed him but struck the poor horse on the top of the shoulder, causing long, deep cuts to appear and ooze blood immediately. The horse screamed and pulled away from his masters’ hold before charging off, leaving the apothecary just feet from the enormous bear. He darted behind the tree to put an obstacle between himself and the massive creature, but this would not save him for long. He could not outrun the bear, Jana remained chained to the ground, and the horses had bolted.
He was doomed. It was just a matter of time.
The bear swiped again, and Alleran ducked, a huge paw missing him by inches. Shimmying around the tree as the animal lunged for him, he was managing to evade its attacks until the bear suddenly thrust itself against the trunk. It swung both its front paws around the tree, making Alleran step back and away from his cover as the bear quickly moved around the side of the tree. This was it. Jana watched in silent horror, her wide open mouth covered by her hand.
The bear reared and moved in for the kill. Alleran closed his eyes.
The crash that followed startled him back into life. Jana’s horse, Snowdrop, charged the bear and slammed into its side so hard that both animals crashed to the ground, dust from the earth flying up into the sky. Shocked and dazed, the bear slowly got to its feet, but Snowdrop recovered the quickest, rearing up on her back legs and smashing the bear full in the face with her front hooves as she rose. The massive brown bear dropped to the ground like a boulder and did not move.
Alleran stood open-mouthed. Jana was in total shock, staring at the scene in front of her with her jaw fully open. She managed to regain her senses enough to call over to him. “Is it dead?”
“No,” he replied. “It’s still breathing.”
The bear’s chest was heaving up and down, but it did not stir. Snowdrop suddenly fell to the ground also, wounded and exhausted from the short but brutal battle.
“Noooooo!” cried Jana.
Alleran rushed to the heroic beast who had just saved his life, and to his surprise, she soon raised herself again, albeit unsteady on her feet. Alleran closely watched the bear before leading a hobbling Snowdrop in the direction of Jana. Tears were streaming down Jana’s face when Alleran reached her, and she held out her arms for them to embrace.
“I thought we were all dead,” she cried.
“Me too,” the apothecary agreed, somehow totally unharmed. “But thanks to this one, we live to fight another day.” He stroked Snowdrop’s white neck, and the mare sat down next to them.
“She saved us both. She’s a hero!” Jana exclaimed whilst petting the beautiful horse.
But to their combined horror, they heard the bear growl once more. As they looked over in its direction, they saw it very gingerly rise to its feet. Where the horse had smashed into its side, it raised its front paw from the ground and was clearly struggling to put any weight on it. Blood was streaming from its mouth where the hooves had battered it. Alleran wondered if its jaw was broken. To their amazement, the bear looked around at them and let out almost a whimper before turning in the opposite direction and slowly hobbling away. They both let out a huge sigh of relief as the bear slunk away from them.
“We have been very lucky,” Alleran pointed out. “Now we need to get you free and away from here.”
“How do we do that?” she asked. “It won’t budge.”
“There must be a way to open it. Otherwise how else would a hunter use it? A trap that doesn’t open isn’t a very good one, I would think.”
Alleran pointed out the logic, but due to the age of the trap, it could well have broken, and there was no easy way to open it.
“Let’s have another look.” His hand was cut and bleeding from when he tried to prise the device apart in desperation, something he was not keen on trying again. There must be another way, he thought. He carefully lifted Jana’s leg with the trap attached to look underneath it, and that was when he saw a small metal shaft at the base of the trap. His sudden excitement quickly turned to dismay as he realised it had been snapped off to a jagged end about an inch long.
“This must be it,” he exclaimed, without any real enthusiasm. “But it looks broken.”
Jana groaned in dismay. He pushed and pulled the shaft but with no result until he tried to lift it away from the base, at which point the jaws of the trap moved slightly.
“I feel it moving!” Jana cried in sudden hope.
Alleran strained to move the small shaft any further, difficult due to the small size it now was.
“Can you pull on the jaws as I lift this shaft?” He asked.
“I’ll try,” she said, bending over to grab the sides of the metal trap.
“Okay, on three, pull as hard as you can,” he ordered, mustering up some reserves of strength. “One…two…three!” they both cried out in effort as they collectively pulled at the shaft and jaws, and the trap began to part. Pain bit into Jana’s leg as the cruel teeth slowly retracted from her flesh, but she composed herself and pulled as hard as she could on the jaws, crying out in agony until finally, her foot was free. She carefully lifted her leg away from the jaws, and they both let go of the trap at the same time. It snapped back shut with a metal clunk.
Free once more, she immediately reached for her foot and held it between her han
ds, blood oozing from her wounds. She soon felt respite from having the metal device removed, and they both took another sigh of relief.
“Let’s get that leg seen to,” Alleran said. “And then let’s get the hell out of here.”
CHAPTER 12 – A Secret Meeting
Rain pounded on the cloaked man’s hood like several tiny feet dancing on his head. The leather overgarment was soaked through, but he at least remained dry under the hood. He seemed to have been waiting an age for the only other invited attendee at their meeting, and he was starting to wonder if he would turn up at all.
Hunched under a great oak tree, Civilus Blackwood was as sheltered from the rain as he could be, given their chosen meeting point. But still, the huge old tree provided little in the way of cover against the torrential downpour. Where the bloody hell was he? He could not say how long he had waited in the incessant rain, and what little patience he had was beginning to wear thin.
At long last, he heard a trudging in the mud and puddles that could only mean the goblin’s arrival. The darkness of the night, and the very fact that they were in the middle of a wood, meant that Civilus did not see the goblin until he was almost upon him. The cloudy night sky hid the usual light of the moon, plunging the meeting location into near-total darkness.
“Oh, it’s you,” Civilus said, surprised at the being who had crept through the darkness to meet with him.
“The master wants news,” was the curt response.
The goblin was as big as Civilus, unusual for their type. His dark green leathery skin appeared almost black in the gloom, his muscly arms bare as he wore just a tattered leather jerkin. A long face with sparkling red eyes regarded Civilus with suspicion. He had long pointed ears, pierced with small metal rings, and a small nose that was also pierced with a stud adorned by a shiny purple jewel. His mop of hair was stretched back and plastered to his wrinkled head due to the downpour. His evil glare studied Civilus, and a malicious grin bearing small, sharp, yellowing teeth spread across his face.
“Why have you come?” Civilus was curious, and a little unnerved by the big goblin’s arrival. “It's normally the minions who bring me the supplies.”
“Like I said, the boss wants news,” the green beast snarled.
“Do you have my things?”
“Yes.” The goblin thrust a wet sack forward that clinked when Civilus took it. “It’s the new stuff. Use it wisely.”
“One of my sources has sent me word of a sick girl in one of the villages to the south,” said Civilus.
“Hmmm,” the goblin mused. “Sick in what way?”
“Just sick. I don’t know any more yet. It could be anything.”
“But in the right area?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t found out exactly where she is yet, but I will. My scouts are all over, looking and listening. We will find her. Then we will know for sure. But if it is near the river, then there is a good chance it could be.”
The goblin smiled at this news, a broad grin spreading over his pointed face. “Excellent,” he hissed.
“Don’t get your hopes up, and for pity’s sake, don’t get his hopes up either. I’ll tell you more next week when I know more.”
“Master grows impatient,” the goblin sneered.
“It isn’t my fault that you lot can’t get it right. All I do is test it. It’s up to you to make it.” Civilus was not prepared to take the blame for matters that were out of his control. “There have been deaths in the towns. Unexplained deaths, but most of them similar in symptoms. Therefore we can assume that nothing has worked properly until now, so don’t bother making any more of the old stuff just yet. Let’s see the outcome with this girl and take it from there.”
The large goblin stretched and drank in some of the falling rainwater before slicking his strands of hair back across his head. His red eyes fixated on the man in front of him, and he hissed a warning. “Make sure no-one else knows about this, human. If you find this girl, you know what to do.”
“I do,” he replied. “Worry not. If it is true, I will send word. Is there anything else?”
“No,” came the curt response. “Now go.”
With that, the goblin disappeared into the gloom as quickly as he had arrived. Civilus held aloft the sodden bag he had been handed. There did not appear to be much in it, judging by its weight, and considering the heaviness of the rainwater that drenched it. It might not be needed anyway, he thought. But first, he must find this girl that was rumoured to be afflicted with a strange disease.
If she lived that long.
CHAPTER 13 – In Need of Rest
“How does that feel? Is it too tight?” Alleran had strapped Jana’s injured foot with a length of bandage he found in his bag.
“It stings,” she complained, referring more to the ointment that he had applied to the open wounds left from the trap. Alleran was concerned that if left, her wounds would become infected due to the rusty jaws of the old trap that had bitten into her foot. Luckily, he had brought with him plenty of supplies from his shop, and had applied the clear liquid to the wounds, making her scream loud enough to wake the dead. The initial pain had passed now, but he was sympathetic with her, as he knew well enough how much the ointment could hurt. However, it was doing a job, and he advised her that it would be for her own good in the long run – which had earned him a not-too-gentle whack on the arm.
Her foot had swollen since the trap had been removed, and was beginning to bruise, and Alleran was conscious not to strap her up too tight as to cut off circulation. At the moment, she was complaining more of the stinging than anything else, so he figured the bandage must have been applied well.
It was now early evening, and the day had just started to turn dusk. Alleran watched a couple of bats flit around over their heads, and somewhere in the distance, the hoot of an owl was audible over the almost constant chorus of crickets.
“We need to get moving,” the apothecary advised, not wanting to be in the mountains much longer. The night was quickly drawing upon them. “Do you think you are up to moving?”
“I’ll try, give me a hand.”
Alleran knelt and leaned over enough for her to put an arm around his neck. “Ready?” he asked. Not waiting for her reply, Alleran slowly began to rise. Jana groaned as she put all her pressure on her left leg, trying hard to keep the injured right foot away from the ground.
“Ahhhhhh,” she moaned, grimacing as much with effort than pain. Eventually, they both made it to their feet, Jana hobbling on her one good leg whilst maintaining an arm around his shoulder.
“Try to walk, but be careful. I’ll support you,” Alleran said, taking her weight.
Jana could stand, but it hurt to put pressure on her injured foot. She could walk to a certain degree, albeit very gingerly and slowly.
“It hurts when I put any weight on it,” she said, taking a few small steps in a circular pattern, testing her level of movement. “I’m not sure I could walk too far, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get my boot back on.”
“Don’t worry. If Snowdrop is up to it, she should be able to take you. I will walk alongside.”
As if sensing her mistress’s need, Snowdrop dropped to the ground to allow Jana a more manageable way onto her back. Alleran helped her straddle the horse until she was as comfortable as she could be, before the faithful steed rose to her feet, her mistress safely seated.
“Good girl,” Jana whispered to her, the horse whinnying in apparent appreciation.
Alleran was amazed that the horse could even get to her feet on her own, let alone carry her mistress, given the collision with the bear. He was almost certain that the horse would not be able to walk without treatment; but here she was, carrying Jana away from harm – after saving both of their lives.
Although slower than she would typically trot, Snowdrop showed only a slight limp as Alleran took her reins and walked beside her back to the main path away from the mountains.
“We will not make it back
to Otterley tonight,” he advised. “I suggest we head for the village of Mallam. It’s not too far from here. There are a couple of inns there, where we can have Snowdrop tended to, and fed and watered. We could do with being fed and watered ourselves, come to that.”
“How far is it?” she asked.
“Mallam? Less than an hour, at this pace. It would take us a day to reach Otterley, with only one horse, and an injured one at that.” Alleran hoped that his own horse - who had bolted off during the bear attack - would make its way back home, although it was but a faint hope. He had never brought the mare this way before, so she did not know the way home. But animals had such a way of surprising you - Gods knew, Snowdrop had surprised them both – so there was hope.
“I could certainly use a drink,” Jana croaked. Alleran was not sure whether she meant water or wine, but both would probably do her good at the moment.
“If we stay the night at the village, try and rest as best we can, we can set off home tomorrow. My home, that is. I will need to pick up a few things before we go back to Barnesbay.”
“Fine by me.” Jana agreed. The thought of food and wine was growing more appealing with each step they took. It had been a long, eventful day, and she was more than ready for a rest.
It was almost dark now, but Jana could make out a long, winding path between two fields that they now travelled along. In the distance, she saw two small flickering lights which she assumed was the entrance to the village. Behind the lights were a smattering of tall, bushy trees, almost black now in the gloom. Warm, golden lights dotted around the trees like tiny fireflies twinkling in the night, signs to Jana of civilisation again, at last. She pictured a small inn with a roaring fire where they would drink ale and eat fresh bread and meats. She licked her parched lips as she daydreamed.
CHAPTER 14 – Childhood Memories
Mallam was a relatively small village, but still around twice the size of the whole of Barnesbay, which was by far the smallest in the realm. It comprised of mainly stone-built houses with wooden supports and wooden roofs. Most of the homes concentrated around the middle of the village, which displayed an ornate stone cross centrepiece surrounded by a pretty pond. Numerous tradesmen’s shops interspersed with the houses, but all of them had now been deserted for the day. Barns and farmhouses occupied the land outside of the main square, each with a generous portion of land that the farmers used for livestock and the growing of various produce. A small beck ran through the centre of the village, and in places, it was shallow enough to walk over with the use of stepping stones.
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