“Are you ok miss?” asked Ellory, a kind smile on her plump face.
“I think so, thank you,” Jana replied tearfully.
“I think you had best stay here for a while until them two have gone.”
“Actually, we were hoping to stay the night here anyway,” Alleran said. “If you have spare rooms, that is?”
“Of course, no problem at all.” Ellory stood and clicked her fingers. “Baratha, fix up the big room for our guests.” The young serving girl said nothing, but nodded and quickly scurried through a door at the rear of the inn.
Ellory turned back to her frightened residents. “Let me get you both a drink. You look like you need one.”
“That would be very welcome, thank you.” Alleran’s heart rate had not yet returned to normal, and he felt sick after their ordeal. Jana sat quietly, her face as white as a sheet, tears running down her cheek.
From outside, they could hear the sounds of a fight, with men shouting. The two thugs were obviously getting a beating for their actions, and Jana – who had never before wished ill on anyone – now hoped that they were beaten to within an inch of their miserable lives.
Maybe even a step further.
CHAPTER 16 – A Nest of Vipers
Dawn had only just broken in Mallam, and a morning mist shrouded the village in an ethereal blanket. Neither Jana nor Alleran had managed to get much sleep; the events of the previous day - and perhaps more so the last night - had prevented them both from being able to relax enough to drift off. Jana had managed to doze occasionally, but it seemed that as soon as she did fall asleep, a memory from yesterday woke her almost immediately.
The men who had removed the two thugs from the inn had returned shortly after, some of them bloody from the fight but most unscathed. It was at least six against two, and the men had reported a severe beating for the thugs, who would not be in any hurry to return to the inn. The innkeeper, Ellory, had told them that the men were brothers who lived on a farmstead just outside Mallam village, but little else was known as they had only begun to frequent her inn over the last few months.
Wide awake, but not as refreshed as they hoped they might have been, Jana and Alleran decided there was little point in hanging around the village any longer, so the plan was to make an early trip east to Otterley, and to Alleran’s home. The problem, however, was they only had one horse after Alleran’s steed had bolted in the bear attack. Plus, Snowdrop was not fully fit, so they did not want her to bear the weight of both of them. By setting off at this early time, they would be unable to purchase another horse as the village still slept, but waiting around any longer would be a waste of time. It was only about two hours ride to Otterley from here, but walking would take them more like half a day. As they were unsure even if they could purchase a horse at this small village – and at what cost - they decided that setting off now and walking was the best course of action. Having paid Ellory for their food and lodgings last night, they left the inn and made their way round to the stables. Jana’s foot seemed to have improved slightly since yesterday; the potion that Alleran had administered seemed to be doing the trick, but although able to walk unassisted she was still hobbling awkwardly and unable to walk any real distance.
Snowdrop began to whinny as they approached her; both were relieved to find her up and bright-eyed.
“Hello my angel,” Jana stroked the mare’s velvet-soft nose and received a nuzzle in return. “How are you feeling? Up for a walk?” she patted Snowdrop gently on her side where the collision with the bear had occurred, and she did not seem to flinch. Jana knew that she must still be hurting after such an impact, so they would take a steady pace, with Alleran walking at their side and Jana riding Snowdrop for as long as she seemed comfortable.
With Jana safely seated, Alleran held the reins and Snowdrop trotted out of the stable, and so began their journey to Otterley.
The lingering mist still made visibility low, but Alleran knew the path they needed to take out of the village and towards his home town. Jana shivered in the chill of the early morning, and Alleran noticed as much, so he removed his overshirt and gave it to her to put around her bare shoulders. At first, she declined, as he was left with just a linen vest. But he insisted, and with reluctance, she finally agreed. There was nothing he could do about her bare legs, but the shirt at least provided some warmth until the sun broke out and warmed them up naturally. His vest did not give much comfort from the chill, but it was better than nothing.
Snowdrop appeared to be comfortable at the pace they were travelling, so they pressed on, out of the village that neither of them had any great desire to revisit at any time soon. The path to Otterley would not take them through any inhabited settlements so they would have to make do with the contents of the water skin they had brought with them. Eventually, they would cross one of the small streams branching off from the Tohenas River, where they could refill the skin and Snowdrop could rest for a while, although this would not be for some distance yet.
With the village now just about out of sight as they looked behind, the way grew darker as the path led them through a wood of tall pine trees, still partly shrouded in mist as the sun threatened to break through. It was eerily quiet in the wood; it seemed to Jana that the wildlife must still be in slumber, as not a sound was to be heard aside from the clip-clop of Snowdrop’s hooves on the path.
They were startled at a snap from within the wood. The sound of a branch or twig breaking echoed like a drumbeat in the silence. They stopped to listen, but that was the only sound. They both inadvertently held their breath to listen more intently, and both breathed a sigh of relief as no other noises were audible from the gloom. Nevertheless, an uneasy feeling had befallen them, and the sudden noise of the twig had not helped to ease their unknown concern. They continued up the path but only a few steps later, another snap from a similar area of the wood. They held their breath again. Snap. Snap. Jana’s heart was now thundering in her chest.
“I don’t like this,” she croaked. Alleran was trembling.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” demanded the apothecary.
Snap.
There was no other movement, no obvious signs of anyone else around. We are probably just paranoid, Alleran thought. A bit tired, a bit too much wine. It’s probably a mouse or other small animal that’s more frightened of us than we are of it.
“Come, let’s move on, it’s nothing.” he tried to put on his bravest voice.
If it’s nothing, why am I so spooked?
Jana shrieked as the man jumped out from behind a nearby tree into the path in front of them.
“Not so fast,” he snarled.
Dried blood covered the side of his face and chin, and a dark red bloodstain adorned his linen shirt. Jana was taken aback with terror as the realisation of who blocked their path dawned on her. It was the man who had groped her under the table last night.
“Knew you’d have to leave that place sooner or later,” he said in a cold, calm manner. He took a step closer.
Another voice came from behind them. “Got us a kickin’, you two did.” It was the other man, the scruffy one. “Now it’s time for a little payback.”
Alleran and Jana did not know what to do next. They could not sprint past them as Alleran was on foot, and Snowdrop was not fully fit. They were trapped between the two thugs. The scruffy one behind them prowled closer. He too had dried blood all over his face, and walked with a limp that may or may not have been there before the fight, Alleran could not recall.
“Been waitin’ for you all night,” he said, bearing what was left of his teeth like some snarling animal.
“My associate here did not take too kindly to the beating you got for us,” the stocky one said, still a calmness to his voice and a menacing stillness to his narrow eyes. “Nor did I, for that matter. We have been waiting for you.”
“How did you know we would come this way?” stuttered Alleran.
“We didn’t. Followed you from the inn thi
s morning. Couldn’t be causing a scene again there now, could we?”
Jana shook with fear. They both knew they were in grave danger now, all alone in the middle of nowhere, neither of them had the first idea how to fight, and Jana could barely stand up on her own. Two thugs, with vengeance on their minds, getting ever closer.
“Get off the horse.” The stocky one made it sound as though it were not a request.
“I….my foot is injured,” Jana managed to say, gesturing to her bandaged right foot.
“We saw you walk this morning. Get off.”
Jana was too scared to argue anymore so made to unseat herself from the saddle, but Alleran interrupted her.
“No, wait,” he said, finding some courage. “Do what you like to me, but leave her be. I won’t fight you.”
The scruffy one laughed at this. “Ha! Don’t look to me like you could fight anyway! At least this will be easy.”
He had made his way around the side of the horse and stood within striking distance of the apothecary, but instead of lashing at him as Alleran had expected, he grinned at him, the unmoving false eye unnerving Alleran more than anything.
“Get down,” the stocky one repeated to Jana. “I will not tell you again.”
“Maybe this will ‘elp you think.” The scruffy man suddenly reached to his side and pulled out a long thin dagger, pointing it straight at Alleran. He twirled it menacingly in front of the apothecary’s face, making him step back and hold his hands aloft in a surrender attempt.
“Whoa, come…come on n-now, there’s no n-need for this,” he said, utterly terrified.
“Alleran!” Jana shrieked. “Okay, I’m coming down.” She grimaced as she struggled out of the saddle and gingerly set foot on the path, clinging to Snowdrop’s reins for support.
“Jana, wait,” Alleran said, glancing around at her whilst being forced backwards by the man with the dagger.
The stocky man came behind Jana and grabbed her roughly by her arms, making her squeal in pain as his grip tightened. The other man was forcing Alleran away from her and the horse. He had to do something but was too scared to think properly. He could not fight them - he had no chance of overpowering either of them, let alone both – and one of them now had a dagger. Alleran was beginning to fear for their lives. The only thing he could think to do was to talk their way out of this.
He stood tall, but inwardly he was terrified. “P-put that away,” he said in the bravest voice he could muster. “You are not going to stab me.”
“Wanna bet?” the scruffy one grinned and came closer, but Alleran now stood his ground instead of backtracking. He was shaking with fear but trying hard to appear calm to the thug.
“I have gold. I can give you gold.”
“Let’s see it then.”
“Err, well I don’t have much with me, but I do at home.” The scruffy man’s reaction had flustered him.
“Heard that ‘un before.” The man spat on the ground and moved closer, waving the dagger in Alleran’s face. This time, the apothecary did step back.
“Look, just put that thing away and do to me whatever you are going to.” He realised that tact was not going to have much effect with this hooligan. “You’re just a set of bullies, you aren’t capable of killing anyone,” he gambled, heart pounding so hard he thought it might crash through his ribcage at any moment.
“That right?” the scruffy man with the dagger was getting irate. “I’d kill you right ‘ere if I wanted to.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Where am I getting this courage from? Or is it stupidity?
“Don’t push me,” the thug spat. “You don’t know what I’ll do.”
“I know you won’t kill me. You’re just a bully.”
The man caught Alleran with a swift left hook to the jaw that he was not expecting and seemed to come from nowhere. Alleran was sent crashing to his knees, rubbing his jaw.
“Shut it, and get up.”
He did as he was told. “You’re just a bully,” he said, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
Jana squirmed, but the stocky man held her tight. “Alleran, don’t,” she pleaded.
“Said shut it!” the scruffy man shouted, spittle flying everywhere.
Alleran was getting to him.
“A bully, a thug.”
“SHUT IT!”
“A miserable coward.”
The scruffy thug yelled, bearing what little remained of his teeth to Alleran. “Fucking clever bastard! Well ow’s this for a coward?”
In one swift movement, he jumped forward and plunged the dagger deep into Alleran’s stomach, the blade tearing through the apothecary’s thin vest and flesh. The thug twisted the deadly weapon inside him.
“Not such a coward now, eh?”
Jana screamed in utter terror.
Alleran dropped to his knees, a red bloodstain quickly developing over his vest. He stared in sheer disbelief at the man glaring down at him with the one eye of a madman.
Alleran tried to speak, but his mouth just opened and closed without a sound.
“You fucking idiot!” the stocky man behind Jana roared. “I said scare them, not fucking kill them!”
The scruffy man yanked the dagger out of Alleran’s stomach. The apothecary slumped face down on the path, blood seeping from under his motionless body.
“Well, I did scare ‘im.”
The stocky man released his grip on Jana’s arms, rushed round to the other man and punched him in the face, knocking him down like a sack of coal. Jana could not support her own weight and crashed to the floor herself, crying wildly.
“Alleran! Nooooooooo!” she wailed, the pain in her foot forgotten.
“You’ve done it this time, Tavlor. We are now fucked!”
The scruffy man, Tavlor, slowly raised to his feet, clearly dazed. “No, he’s fucked,” he croaked, picking his dagger up off the floor and sheathing it before wiping his bleeding nose with the back of a grubby sleeve.
The stocky one ran his hand through his cropped hair. “Need to think,” he said, pacing the ground. “Shit!” he kicked at the path, sending a spray of pebbles into the grass.
Jana knelt on the ground, sobbing. She was too shocked to move.
“We gotta get out of here, need to think,” he said again. “Gotta get home.”
He stomped over to where Jana sat crying on the floor, grabbed her arm in his strong hand and yanked her to her feet. “You’re coming with us.” His voice was full of malice and evil.
“What are you going to do to me?” she managed to say through her sobbing.
“I don’t know yet,” was the fierce reply.
Jana was aware of the man forcing something over her mouth and nose, her eyes widening in terror as the cloth restricted her breathing. She grabbed his arm and tried to scream, but her voice was muffled, and he was too strong. She could not force his arm away.
A sickly-sweet scent enveloped her, and her vision blurred. Stars briefly appeared in her eyes before her eyelids grew heavy and the whole world simply turned to darkness.
CHAPTER 17 – The Mystery Deepens
Esteri was responding well to the treatment left for her by Alleran.
The paralysis had stopped altogether, and although the nosebleeds still came, they were not as violent, nor were her fits. She had been left with bouts of extreme fatigue, and when this struck she could do nothing except rest - but she knew now that as soon as she realised exhaustion was building, she would take herself straight to bed.
Although the ephylaxon disease was still in its early days with her, Esteri was handling it with a maturity that Cerana had not seen before from her young sister. It was not that she had come to accept it fully, how could anyone? But Esteri was developing a strength since contracting the disease that even she did not know she had, and how she was dealing with it made Cerana proud.
Morning had now broken, but in the early hours, Esteri had succumbed to another nosebleed. Although this most recent occurrence was relativel
y light compared to previous bleeds, it still took an age to stop completely. The blood did not gush like a tap as it had done in prior outbreaks - instead it was just a steady trickle, almost a normal nosebleed. Further evidence that the treatment was beginning to work. It may well not be possible to cure this disease altogether, but if recent progress was anything to go by, it might not be as bad to keep under control as they all feared it might be, Alleran included.
After the incident with the stranger at the window last night, and then the nosebleed, Esteri had surprisingly managed to get to sleep again quite quickly. The same could not be said for Cerana, who had another troubled night. It seemed that most nights were troubling in some way for her these days, some worse than others. She could not remember the last time she had managed a full, restful sleep. Her mind was on high alert for the rest of the night; the slightest little sound caused her to concentrate hard to find its source. Once satisfied that all was well, she would close her eyes and attempt to drift off again – and sometimes she was almost successful – but most of the time she just lay there in Jana’s bed, listening and thinking. The cycle continued until the sun rose in the early hours of the new day, when she gave up on her attempt to rest and got up, leaving Esteri to sleep.
Stopping by the kitchen to fill a mug with water, she drank heartily, refilling twice. She was parched, and filled the mug once more before heading to the front door.
Usually, she did not bolt the old oak door, but after last night’s shock, she had secured it with both the large and small bolt, as well as bolting every window in the house before she retired to bed. She unbolted and stepped outside to a glorious morning.
It was still early, and dew remained on the lawn in front of the house. A pair of male blackbirds were busying themselves on the grass, no doubt searching for worms. They seemed unaware of Cerana’s presence and continued their search. A small bush to her right was home to some spiders; their web had caught the dewdrops also and sparkled in the morning sun like tiny crystals growing in the foliage. In the field behind the garden, towards the river, a young deer danced around playfully whilst its mother grazed in the long grass.
The Kiss From a Dragon Page 9