by Kate Forsyth
‘Find my horse and fly away,’ she answered promptly.
‘Where?’
‘Anywhere,’ she answered impatiently.
‘Back to the mountains?’
She hesitated. ‘I dinna ken. Maybe. I’d find somewhere.’
‘And what about me?’ Lewen asked.
‘Ye could come with me,’ she said, seizing one of his hands.
‘How? Blackthorn canna carry us both, I’m much too heavy.’
‘Ye could come and meet me.’
‘If I kent where ye were, and if I was no’ arrested for setting ye free.’
She sighed. ‘They wouldna arrest ye, though, would they? No’ ye.’
Lewen shrugged. ‘I dinna ken. If the Rìgh was angry enough … it doesna matter. I’d be ruined anyway. There’s no way I’d be allowed to join the Blue Guards or be the Rìgh’s squire if I had helped an accused murderer escape, and happen they’d throw me out o’ the Theurgia as well. That doesna matter. I’d do it if I thought it’d help. But I do no’. All it would mean is that ye’d be on the run for ever after. There’d be bounty hunters galore eager to catch ye if the reward was big enough, and I’m pretty sure the Rìgh would set Finn the Cat on your trail and she always finds what she hunts. It’s her Talent.’
He took a deep breath and drew her close to him again. ‘It’s no life, leannan, always on the move, starting at shadows, waiting for someone to bring ye in. And there’d be no chance o’ mercy if ye made the Rìgh hunt ye down. Nay, I think it would be best to go willingly to court and try to explain to the Rìgh what happened. I’d stand behind ye, and I’m sure Nina and Iven would vouch for ye too.’
‘But they hunted me down!’ Rhiannon cried.
‘Sssh!’ He put his hand gently across her mouth. ‘No’ so loud, leannan, ye’ll wake Iven and then I’ll really be in the soup. I ken they caught ye, my love, and chained ye up in here, but they were following orders. Iven was once a Blue Guard, remember, and he still works in the Rìgh’s service. He could no’ let ye go, but I swear he feels bad about it, and Nina too. I’m sure they’ll speak up on your behalf, and they are good friends o’ the Rìgh’s and will have influence over him, I’m sure. And I ken His Highness would no’ want to hang such a bonny young lass.’ He bent and kissed her mouth. She sighed and kissed him back, tasting the salt of her tears on his skin.
At last they drew apart. ‘So ye will no’ help me escape?’ she said in a very low voice.
He shook his head. ‘Rhiannon, I love ye. I love ye so much. I want a life with ye. I do no’ want to be a fugitive the rest o’ our days, sick at heart ’cause I betrayed my Rìgh’s trust. I do no’ want ye just to fly away into the blue yonder, never to be seen again, either. This is the only way I can think o’ to make sure we can be together. If ye swore service to the Rìgh, as penance, perhaps? There must be something we can do.’
‘What if there’s no’? What if he says I must hang?’
‘Then I will free ye then, and we’ll run away somewhere together, I promise. I will no’ let ye hang.’
Rhiannon nestled her head on his chest. She was so tired, it was a relief to murmur an agreement and let her muscles sag and her eyelids close. She felt like she had been running and fighting for so long, and all to no avail.
Lewen kissed her forehead. ‘Leannan, I must go. My sleeping spell willna last forever.’
‘Do no’ go,’ she murmured, not opening her eyes. ‘Please, do no’ leave me.’
His chest rose and fell under her cheek as he took and released a deep breath. His arm came tightly round her, holding her close, and Rhiannon sighed and slipped into sleep.
She woke drowsily some hours later, as Lewen stiffened and tried to sit up. Rhiannon would have rolled over but the shackle on her wrist prevented her. The painful tug of the chain jerked her to wakefulness, and she opened her eyes and levered herself up on one elbow.
Iven stood in the doorway of the caravan, regarding them thoughtfully. Behind him stood a tousled and indignant Rafferty.
‘I thought Nina told ye to leave Rhiannon be?’ Iven said.
Lewen nodded jerkily. ‘Aye, she did, but I needed to talk to Rhiannon, I needed to explain.’
‘I see,’ Iven replied. ‘I suppose Nina and I have no real authority over ye, Lewen, but ye were placed in our care and so I would expect ye to listen to us and obey us.’
‘I had to see Rhiannon,’ Lewen repeated. ‘Nobody could have stopped me.’
Iven stroked his beard.
‘I dinna help her escape,’ Lewen said defiantly. ‘We are both still here.’
‘Aye, I can see that.’
‘Rhiannon’s promised she willna try to escape,’ Lewen said, with a quick glance at her. ‘Ye do no’ need to leave her locked up in this stinking caravan anymore. It’s no’ right. She hates being confined. Will ye no’ let her come out and breathe the fresh air and sit in the sunshine? It’s cruel to lock her up like this.’
Iven’s brows drew together. He looked consideringly at Rhiannon. ‘I hope ye will no’ take this the wrong way, Rhiannon, but I canna feel sure that a promise from ye is to be trusted.’
Rhiannon did not reply.
‘I will stand warranty for her,’ Lewen said.
‘I ken how ye must feel, Lewen,’ the jongleur said after a long pause. ‘But ye must remember Rhiannon’s crime is a serious one, and she has lied to us and tried to flee afore. I canna allow ye to take such a responsibility. If she fled, ye would hang in her place, do ye understand that?’
Lewen swallowed convulsively.
‘What if ye shackled her to me?’ he said after a moment. ‘She can ride with me, she can lie with me. I will keep her close, I promise.’
‘I’m sure ye will,’ Iven said, with a faint smile. He scratched his cheek, regarding them with thoughtful eyes. ‘How am I to be sure that she will no’ hurt ye to try to escape?’ he asked, half under his breath. ‘We have seen how ruthless she can be. It takes a cold head and heart to hack out a man’s teeth and his finger.’
‘I had to do that!’ Rhiannon cried indignantly. ‘If I had no’ claimed blood-right, I would have lost everything, and I’d have been scorned by the herd. Worse, they would’ve been suspicious and watched me, and I could never have escaped. Ye think I enjoyed doing it? It made me sick to my stomach, and I shook all over. I could no’ bear to wear the necklace afterwards. I had to do it, though. Have ye never done things ye wished ye did no’ have to do?’
Iven nodded. ‘I’m a soldier,’ he said wryly. ‘O’ course I have.’
‘Well then,’ Rhiannon answered, her voice losing none of its passion. ‘Why judge me so hard? Ye do no’ ken what it was like in the herd. Any sign o’ weakness, and they would have killed me. I was fighting for my life.’
‘It is no’ for me to judge ye at all,’ Iven said coolly. ‘That will be the court’s job. Mine is to bring ye to them safely.’
Rhiannon lay back, covering her face with her arm. ‘I canna bear it in here,’ she whispered. ‘I canna.’
Lewen drew her closer.
‘Lewen, truly I do no’ think this wise,’ Iven said warningly.
‘If ye willna let her out, I will stay in here with her,’ Lewen said. ‘We may no’ have much time together, I willna be parted from her.’
‘Lewen …’
‘Please, Iven.’
Iven sighed. ‘Rhiannon, ye must give me your solemn oath that ye will no’ try and escape. And do no’ think I willna be watching ye.’
‘I will swear a blood-oath, if ye will give me a knife to cut myself with.’
‘No need for that,’ Iven replied, wincing a little. ‘Ye have wounded yourself enough, I feel. Very well then, if ye promise.’
‘I will no’ try to escape while I am in your care,’ Rhiannon said. ‘After that, I will no’ promise.’
‘Fair enough,’ Iven replied. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a key. ‘I will shackle ye together, though,’ he warned. ‘I’m not taking an
y unnecessary risks.’
‘All right,’ Rhiannon said, so thrilled at the idea she might be allowed out of the caravan that she would have accepted far stricter preventative measures.
Lewen slid away from Rhiannon and stood up. As Iven stepped past him, Lewen touched his arm briefly. ‘Thank ye,’ he said.
Iven nodded and unshackled Rhiannon. As she rubbed her bruised and chafed wrists, he unwound the chain from the bedpost, pausing to examine the damage she had done to the wood, then quickly and deftly snapped one of the shackles around Rhiannon’s wrist and the other around Lewen’s. ‘I hope I’m no’ being played for a fool,’ he said to no-one in particular and stood back to let Lewen lead Rhiannon out into the dawn.
The other apprentices lay in their sleeping rolls around the fire, which had sunk into grey ashes. Although it was light enough to see, the sun was not yet up and no birds called. The horses stood with sunken heads and relaxed forelegs in their hobbles. Even Lulu slept in a little round huddle.
‘That was some sleeping spell ye cast, Lewen,’ Iven said wryly. ‘I felt like I’d been hammered over the head when I woke. Your teachers at the Theurgia must be pleased with your progress if ye can cast a spell as strong as that already.’
‘Me?’ Lewen asked in amazement. ‘I canna cast sleeping spells that strong. Most o’ my power lies in wood-working, ye ken that. My spell should have kept Rafferty sleepy for half an hour at most.’
Iven raised one eyebrow. ‘Look at the horses,’ he said. ‘Look, even the bird in that tree is asleep. Happen ye’re stronger than ye thought.’
‘I ken my strengths and weaknesses well,’ Lewen argued. He glanced at Rhiannon. ‘Happen it was Rhiannon,’ he said, frowning. ‘She has Talent, we ken that, but she’s never been tested. We have no idea what she can or canna do.’
‘A sleeping spell is no’ the easiest o’ Skills,’ Iven said. ‘Ye have to be very subtle if it is to work, and no wild talent is ever that subtle, no matter how powerful they may be.’
Lewen shrugged. ‘It seems very odd,’ he began.
Just then the door of the blue caravan opened and Nina stood with her shawl wrapped tight about her nightgown, her dishevelled hair hanging almost to her knees. ‘Roden!’ she cried, in a voice made shrill with anxiety. ‘Roden! Where are ye?’
Iven started forward. ‘Nina! What’s wrong?’
‘Where’s Roden?’
‘Is he no’ with ye?’
‘No, no, he’s no’. I canna believe I did no’ feel him getting out o’ bed.’ She put her hand to her head, swaying a little. ‘I feel so sick, so heavy-headed. I slept so very deeply. Maisie is still sleeping, I couldna wake her. Oh, that naughty lad! Where can he be?’
Nina called her son’s name again and again, and began to search through the bushes, though her feet were bare and the grass icy with dew. Iven and the others began to search too, everyone feeling a creeping sense of dread. There was no sign of the little boy. Nina became increasingly distressed.
‘He was sleeping right beside me, I had my arms about him, and Maisie slept on the other side. No-one could’ve stolen him, it’s impossible.’
‘Unless a very strong spell was cast indeed,’ Iven said grimly. ‘We all slept heavily, every one o’ us. I could no’ believe it when I woke and it was dawn. I was meant to wake and relieve Rafferty o’ guard-duty in the dark hours. I have never no’ woken afore.’
‘I slept too,’ Rafferty admitted shamefacedly. ‘I could no’ help it.’
‘Me too,’ Lewen said. ‘I dinna think I’d sleep a wink, I had so much on my mind, but I slept like the dead.’
They all looked at each other, ashen-faced, then Nina began a strange, low keening. ‘Nay, nay, no’ my baby, no’ my laddie, nay, nay, I canna believe it. They canna have got my baby.’
‘If they have, they’ll be sorry for it,’ Iven said. ‘They must have left a trail o’ sorts. Do no’ worry, my love, we’ll find him.’
‘The birds!’ Nina said wildly. ‘The birds may have seen something.’
Iven pointed to a nearby tree, where two small birds slept still, their heads tucked under their wings. ‘A strong and subtle spell,’ Nina said, unnaturally calmly, when the implications of the sight had sunk in. ‘There’s a sorcerer at work here.’
‘Laird Malvern?’
‘I fear so,’ she answered. ‘Remember, he was an apprentice at the Tower o’ Ravens once, and they said his witch-sniffing powers were uncanny. Oh, Iven! Please, we must hurry! I fear for my Roden.’
Rhiannon had been standing still, the chain between her and Lewen drawn taut, looking intently at the ground. ‘I see a footmark here,’ she said then. They all crowded round her, but could see nothing but a faint smudge in the damp soil. Rhiannon ignored their questions and exclamations, walking slowly away towards the wood. Lewen followed her, tugged along by the chain between them. ‘He went through here,’ she said, examining a broken twig, then bending to look at the leaf litter.
‘Are ye sure?’ Nina asked helplessly, unable to see any marks on the ground.
Rhiannon glanced back at her. ‘One thing a satyricorn kens is how to hunt,’ she answered, her voice warm with compassion. Nina’s eyes filled with tears.
‘Rafferty, rouse the others,’ Iven cried. ‘Get the horses saddled up, get my sword.’
‘And my bow and arrows too, please,’ Lewen added.
‘And mine,’ Rhiannon said, giving Rafferty a very clear, direct look out of her blue-grey eyes. Rafferty hesitated and looked at Iven, who waved him on impatiently.
‘Rhiannon, where now?’ he cried.
She led them deep into the wood, through a maze of trees and thorny bushes. At last she came to a small clearing. ‘Horses tethered here,’ she said. A mound of fresh horse droppings galvanised them all into excitement. ‘Three horses,’ Rhiannon said. She suddenly bent and picked up something from the ground. It was a small wooden soldier.
Nina’s face crumpled. ‘He took it to bed with him last night. Oh, my laddie! Where are ye?’
‘Fettercairn Castle,’ Iven said in a murderous voice. ‘I will raze the place to the ground if I have to, to get my son back.’
‘Aye, with a handful o’ lads and your sword,’ Nina said in a voice blank with despair.
‘We may be able to catch them afore they get back to the castle,’ Lewen cried.
‘We must be quick!’ Iven said, gripping his hands into fists. ‘Rhiannon, which way did they ride?’
Breaking into a run, Rhiannon led them through the trees to the other side of the wood. Beyond was a long meadow stretching back to the north. They could all see the deep indentations the horses’ hooves had made in the damp soil. ‘They were galloping hard,’ she said, bending to touch one hoof print. ‘At least half an hour ago.’
Nina was white and trembling.
‘I bet they canna run as fast as Argent,’ Lewen cried.
‘Or Blackthorn,’ said Rhiannon. She put her fingers in her mouth and whistled piercingly.
‘Ye’ll have to unshackle us,’ Lewen said. ‘Argent canna run if he is carrying both o’ us.’
Iven did not hesitate. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the key. ‘I’ll be right behind ye. I’m sure the boys willna mind me taking one o’ their horses. My auld Steady is too big and slow for this task.’ He unlocked the shackles and the chain fell at their feet.
A shrill whinnying rent the air, and Blackthorn came galloping out of the wood, her tail held high, her mane rippling like a black satin banner. Rhiannon flung open her arms, her face radiant, and the mare came to a plunging halt before her, to blow grass-stained slobber all over her shirt. Her wings were unfurled, flashing blue as a kingfisher, and her horns cut through the air like rapiers as she tossed her head, pawing the ground. Rhiannon embraced her passionately.
Then Rafferty came up at a run, Cameron close behind him. They led their two geldings, and the girls’ two mares. Argent cantered close behind, neighing in excitement, unsaddled, unbridled a
nd untethered.
‘He would no’ let me saddle him,’ Rafferty panted. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘That’s all right, I’ll ride bareback,’ Lewen said. He vaulted up onto the stallion’s back. Rafferty handed up Lewen’s longbow and quiver of arrows, which he slung over his shoulder. Then the boy turned to Rhiannon and, without a word, passed over her bow and arrows, and her beloved silver and black daggers. Rhiannon took them with a quick shining smile and a nod of thanks, and quickly hid them about her person.
‘Rafferty, I want ye and the girls to ride to Linlithgorn and raise the reeve. Tell him to get as many men as he can on short notice and ride for Fettercairn Castle. We canna allow the laird to escape the Rìgh’s justice any longer. Take my courier’s badge from my caravan, and show the reeve. It gives me His Highness’s authority.’
Rafferty nodded, though it was clear he would rather be riding to the rescue with the others.
‘May I borrow your horse?’ Iven asked him. ‘I’m too heavy for the mares, over such a distance.’
Rafferty nodded. Iven mounted with the easy grace of a one-time cavalier, taking his sword from Cameron with a nod of thanks. Then he and Lewen were off, galloping across the meadow. Rhiannon swung herself up onto the black mare’s back with a wild whoop, then the mare bounded after them, her wings half-unfurled.
Nina seized the bridle of the brown mare, then she was up into the saddle too and galloping away, her unbound hair whipping behind her. Cameron grimaced at Rafferty, and then swung himself up onto Basta’s back and kicked him into motion. As the gelding broke into a run, Lulu came scampering out of the forest, whimpering in distress. She leapt up Basta’s tail and onto the back of Cameron’s saddle, clasping his belt. Cameron cried out in shock and almost fell off.
‘Get off!’ he cried, but Lulu clung on, gibbering loudly. He scowled but did not try to shake her off, bending low as he tried to catch up with the others.
The horses were fresh after their long stay in the laird’s stables and the easy ride of the day before. Their heavy hooves seemed to eat up the miles. Rhiannon rode ahead, following the trail left by the kidnappers. There was no doubt the trail led towards Fettercairn Castle.