by Ryan Mark
‘As you say, King,’ said Merle, almost spitting out the words and sitting back down.
‘Who’s going?’ asked William, sitting down again and looking across at Branimir. There was no way he was going to be left behind. ‘I am definitely coming.’
‘It will be very dangerous, you must know this,’ Branimir paused. ‘You are only a chi–’
William’s eyes narrowed. ‘Don’t even finish that sentence. I’ve been through enough already. I was even almost eaten by flippin’ bandits in the Bad Lands. You can’t say I’m not ready for this. I’m fifteen, not flippin’ five!’ His eyes widened, courage peaking at just the right moment.
‘Count me in too. I have to see this to the end,’ added Althea, nodding at William. ‘For my mum and dad.’
Branimir ran his fingers through his grey beard, and then said, ‘Ok, yes, I suppose you’re right.’ He interlocked his fingers, looking directly at William. ‘This is probably going to be harder than anything you’ve experienced so far, but I know just how much this means to you, so I guess you don’t really care about that.’
‘I don’t. I just want my mum back,’ replied William. Branimir clapped. ‘And so, it has been decided! I will be in the first unit with William and Althea. I need to prove that I won’t stand for Terrafall’s practices by being there in person. I invite everyone who is sat at this table to come in the first group, and then, a larger, second will follow a few days later, so we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves during the journey. Two smaller groups will be much easier to keep under the radar.’
‘What about me?’ said Ori, his lower lip shaking. ‘Will, you can’t leave me. What if something happens to you and Alfie? What if you…’
William placed a hand on his shoulder and looked into his brown eyes. ‘We’ll be fine, and you’ve got to stay here and be safe. You’re the protector of the light. Make sure it’s shining when we come back, yeah?’
Ori seemed on the brink of howling, but he managed to nod and hug William. ‘Okay,’ he said, gripping tighter.
‘I want to come,’ said Merle abruptly.
‘You don’t agree with the mission,’ said Branimir, throwing Merle a scowl. ‘Why?’
‘I want to see the look on your faces when you realise I was right.’ He glared at William from across the table.
‘So be it,’ said Branimir, turning away from Merle. ‘But it’s you who shall be proven wrong.’ He shook his head, but quickly focused back on everyone else in the room. ‘We’ll use lighter vehicles as well as the bus. They’ll see us through any rough terrain. Pack now and we’ll set off. I will leave instructions in case I do not return.’ He tilted his head at the woman sitting next to William. ‘Igraine, as second in command you will take up my post if I am to fall.’
‘Anything, yes,’ she replied, bowing her head, slight hesitation in her words.
The room emptied quickly. William waited for Merle to leave before he stood. He didn’t want to risk passing him in the corridor. He was dreading having to travel with him. What was the guy’s problem? He was just trying to save his mother, for crying out loud. But he’d have to bite his tongue. There was no way he was going to let this creep stop him from saving her.
‘Are we ready then?’ asked Ichabod, dusting off his long black coat. His arm seemed much better, but it still hung a bit awkwardly. ‘The bus will have all our possessions on it so there’s no need for us to pack.’
‘Yeah, let’s go. We can be the first on,’ said Althea, following Ichabod out of the room.
William wrapped his arm around Ori’s shoulder and walked with him over the drawbridge to the wide, cobbled road on the other side.
The vehicles were arriving, trundling over the cobbles. William squeezed Ori then quickly boarded the bus, leaving Althea to say her goodbyes.
This was it. William’s shoulders shook. He steadied his breathing and focused his eyes forward, because forward was the only direction he was going to go.
Chapter 12
Through the Sticks
They quickly passed through the town’s gates, leaving the peaceful settlement behind them. William looked away, feeling sad, but reminded himself that pleasure and comforts could wait. Mum needed him.
‘We’ll be following Branimir, Igraine and Blake. Merle and a few others will follow us,’ said Ichabod, revving the engine as he pushed the bus up a slope. ‘It says on the map we’re going through Hardknott Pass. The place is legendary.’ A few flecks of sweat dripped down the side of his face. William gulped. That was a bad sign.
‘It’s mighty steep up there,’ said Marcus, the short guard from the town’s gates, slumped at the back of the bus. ‘I hope you’re good at pumping the pedal, Ichy.’
‘By the looks of things it’s the only easy way to get to the south-western valleys,’ replied Ernest. Marcus’s tall partner sat straight-backed across from William. He was studying a few maps and pieces of paper through his monocle, pouting every so often.
‘I’ve heard about that place before,’ said Althea, leaning on William’s shoulder. ‘Weren’t the surrounding villages destroyed by Terrafall to get rid of Scavengers and bandits?’
‘I heard that at school too,’ added William, looking back at the green valley as the bus pulled through a crack in the mountains surrounding its south-western boundary. If they were going back into the ashes, he wanted something he could visualise if things got tough.
‘Bits of the pass were wiped out, but the lower areas fared better, as you’ll see when we get there. But this means there’s a chance that bandits will be lurking there, and they certainly won’t be generous and accommodating,’ said Ichabod, swerving round a spill of rocks on the narrow mountain road.
‘So it’ll be the kind who steal from you then eat you alive, like the ones in the Bad Lands?’ William asked, gulping heavily. ‘Are there any other types around these days?’
Ichabod just shook his head, not taking his eyes off the road.
They drove through the winding passage, each tyre-spin taking them further towards their destinies, the rocky plateaus surrounding them now displaying a build-up of thin layers of ash. The movement of the vehicles disturbed the covering, puffing it up into the air like a low-lying mist.
‘All dead now,’ he said, breathing on the window and drawing a frown on the glass. ‘It didn’t take long for the green to disappear, did it?’
‘You never know, though, we might get to see the sea,’ said Althea, leaning over and turning the frown into a smile. ‘I haven’t seen the sea in years.’
‘You said you wanted to move to the coast,’ replied William, drawing a wiggly line under the face, ‘but I think we should move to the Hollow. It’s what we wanted isn’t it?’
‘Yeah, you’re right, I’d love to live in the Hollow, and I bet you can’t wait for your mum to see it too.’ Althea drew four stick-men next to the wiggly line and face. ‘Me, you, Ori and your mum.’
‘Definitely,’ William replied thoughtfully, completing the picture by surrounding it with a heart, then settling into his chair.
William yawned. He tried to remain focused on the landscape outside, but his eyes were having none of it. He let them drift down to the floor and soon they flickered closed, his snores rumbling quietly.
The bus jerked violently, waking William and sending him into the metal bar of the seat in front of him. ‘W–what,’ he murmured, grabbing his forehead. He didn’t want the wound to open again and applied as much pressure as he could, biting away the pain.
‘Tremors, lots of them,’ called Marcus, bracing himself. ‘It’s a shame we couldn’t bring that tremor reader with us… Oh damn, watch the edge of the road, Ichy! That’s one big drop.’
‘We’ve got to stop,’ screamed Althea, fists tightening on the seat.
The bus rocked again violently. ‘I agree with the girl – look!’ shouted Ernest, shaking debris from the black furs he wore.
William forced away the tiredness and looked out the window.
Towers of rock began to erupt into the road. The bus skidded to avoid a collision and ended up in a ditch, plumes of smoke rising from its wheels.
William’s nostrils filled with the smell of burning rubber. He paused for a moment, waiting for the next tremor to hit. He braced himself, muscles tight, but there was nothing, just the eerie aftermath of calm that always seemed to follow the destruction.
‘We have to check on Branimir!’ he said, staggering to his feet and jumping off the bus. He scooted around the gravy-like water swamping the ditch and stumbled up the side of the road, sighing in relief when an undamaged car came into view.
Branimir pulled himself out of the vehicle, clicking his back as he rose. Igraine and Blake followed, doing exactly the same. ‘By the beard, we were nearly goners then!’ he boomed, looking around. The caravan had parked further back for safety and its occupants were coming into view on foot.
‘What are we going to do now?’ asked William, following Branimir’s gaze towards the mountain peaks. He could see nothing, but grey rock and darkness.
‘I think we should camp here tonight,’ replied Branimir, inspecting the wheels. ‘We’ve punctured all but one tyre and it’s bad to be in the lower pass when it’s dark. We’ll pull the vehicles out in the morning.’
‘There’s a ruined fort nearby, according to the map. We can hide the vehicles and camp there,’ said Ernest, still gripping the papers he’d been studying earlier. ‘Can you see that slight rise at the side of the road?’
William nodded.
‘Venture up and you shall see our hotel. It’s not exactly the Savoy, but it will suffice,’ he said, helping Branimir, Markus and Blake push the car into the ditch with the bus.
Althea joined William and together they stepped up and over the small ridge. An extensive, flat plateau appeared on the other side, overhanging a deep, scabbed valley. The crispy grass was scattered with the remnants of the fort, its ancient stone pillars and crumbling walls just poking out of the dead ground. Although the day was dying, he could see the full length of the valley until it disappeared into the blurry horizon.
‘Cosy, don’t you think?’ said Althea, green eyes shimmering in the tinny light.
‘It’s a bit exposed,’ replied William, wrapping his arms around his chest. The cold was biting tonight.
Althea shrugged. ‘They wouldn’t have decided to camp here if it wasn’t safe.’
‘I suppose not,’ said William, sitting down on a low wall, compacted right into the dirt. ‘We’re getting closer, aren’t we?’
Althea nodded, but her response was cut off when a bellowing voice disturbed their conversation.
‘We’ve got something here! A stowaway! How did we not notice this?’
Althea looked at William. ‘Ori,’ she whispered.
‘Oh crap…’ he whispered back, clasping his mouth. They ran down the side of the road. A group of big men were standing in a circle, looking down at something.
‘Separate!’ hollered Branimir, coming onto the road from the ditch with Igraine, Blake and Ichabod.
They separated, revealing a stick-like figure looking sheepish among their huge frames.
Althea ran to him and grabbed his wrists. ‘For goodness’ sake Ori, what the hell were you thinking?’ she shouted, shaking him. Ichabod tried to intervene, but she pushed him away.
‘I didn’t want to be left! If you die I’ll be alone… You have to take me with you, whatever happens, even if we–’ blurted Ori, tears falling into the dust that covered the tarmac.
Althea’s mouth opened but nothing came out.
William walked to them, nudging the guards out of the way. He placed a hand on Ori’s shoulder. ‘Come on,’ he said. There was no point in scolding him further, what was done was done.
The tremors could kill them at any time. That was a scary thing, and made everything feel so temporary. It was no wonder Ori wanted to be with them.
‘And so the journey takes another turn, oh how I love a good twist!’ said Branimir, patting Ichabod’s back and following them to the ruined fort.
‘Don’t be cruel Bran, the boy has emotions, we should all think like him. I don’t want to be alone in this world either,’ replied Igraine, tilting her trilby hat in Ori’s direction. ‘What say you?’ She looked at the others following, blue eyes locked in an authoritative stare.
Grunts of agreement came from the crowd.
‘The moment I lost my children was the first time I felt truly alone,’ said Ichabod, walking to Ori, cane in hand, and patting him on the shoulder. ‘And I won’t let that feeling take me again. My wife is all I have. The boy’s right. No one should be left alone, no matter how young or old they may be.’
No one replied to that, they just stood there staring at Ichabod in silence. He’d ended the conversation perfectly.
Althea stormed off in the direction of the fort. William paused for a second, but shook his head, deciding to leave her to it. He grabbed Ori’s hand and took him to collect some supplies from the vehicles hidden in the ditch.
A couple of campfires had been lit, already surrounded by groups of men, shivering even though they were dressed in thick furs and animal skins. William hated the atmosphere. Althea hadn’t spoken for ages, and Ori wasn’t much better, just using one word replies and utterances. They sat opposite each other, staring into the wavering orange.
William poked the fire with a withered stick. ‘At least we’re together again.’
Althea shook her head and glared. ‘Not like this, it shouldn’t be like this.’
‘I’m eleven, Althea, not a baby.’ Ori scowled.
‘Eleven doesn’t mean you’re ready to see all this!’ Althea shouted, shaking.
‘Althea, calm down,’ said William, grabbing her hand.
‘The world’s broken. I’ve been through enough already,’ whispered Ori, throwing stones into the fire. ‘You can’t protect me all the time. I need to help you. And I need to do this, for Mum and Dad.’
‘You’re not to leave my side,’ is all Althea said. She turned away and almost threw herself onto the fur rugs Igraine had given them. ‘Mum and Dad wouldn’t want you killing yourself for them.’
Ori fell silent and lay down too.
Ernest and Marcus approached, sitting down on a log next to William.
‘Would a teacher help break the tension?’ Ernest ventured, adjusting his fur cloak so it neatly hung off his shoulders.
‘You’re not much of a teacher any more Ernie,’ said Marcus, twisting a piece of dried grass in his mouth. ‘It’s been nearly six years since you ran that school.’
‘I know, I know, but a teacher never loses his touch,’ replied Ernest, patting Marcus’s back rather hard, causing him to spit out the grass. ‘I would like to return to teaching once this is all over. I think the children of the Hollow would benefit from an education. It’ll help strengthen the future of the Haven Development.’ He patted Marcus’s back again and grinned.
‘Damn, Ernie, you don’t know your own strength,’ said Marcus, lips arching, causing him to look like a bulldog. ‘After all this, I’d like to go into medicine, maybe help build a hospital. May as well put my building skills back to good use, eh?’
‘What a lovely idea, you have a heart after all,’ said Ernest, winking at William. ‘So, is there anything we can do?’ He pointed at Ori.
William pouted. ‘I don’t think anyone would be able to reason with either of them.’
‘Sympathising with those who will bring destruction to our valley,’ spat Merle, his shadow falling over William.
‘Oh Merle, hush,’ said Ernest, his brow furrowing. ‘The boy has done nothing wrong! Aim your anger towards Terrafall. As Branimir said, its evil would come to our valley eventually.’
‘Yeah, leave the kid alone,’ said Marcus, rising from his position, but falling down when Ernest grabbed his belt.
‘If they hadn’t come to our valley with Ichabod we wouldn’t be heading towards our deaths. On
ce Terrafall has finished with us and forced us into revealing our secrets, it will destroy our homes; our children,’ snarled Merle, moving away again.
William shivered. ‘Creep.’
‘Don’t worry, he’s always been a pain, even as a student,’ said Ernest. ‘He’s all talk though, so don’t be troubled by him.’ He got up, knees cracking. ‘Bedtime?’
Marcus yawned, ‘Aye, bedtime. And kid, listen to Ernest and don’t let him get to you. I’ve got your back.’
The camp soon fell silent. William was the last to give in to sleep. He waited until the last embers faded into the ash. He couldn’t use the word uncomfortable because he’d not been comfortable in a long time, but he guessed what he was feeling right now would fall into that category.
Before his eyes closed he caught glimpse of someone staring at him from across the dark fort. When he met Merle’s stare, the man turned away, shaking his head.
He scowled and looked into the dimming lumps of scorched wood, pushing Merle’s black eyes out of his mind.
Sunlight radiated across the cobalt sky and though weak, it woke William from his nightmare-filled sleep. He breathed in, but the usual ashen air entered him. If only he’d bagged up some of the crisp air in Haven’s Hollow, then at least his lungs would’ve had a small break. He coughed, rubbing his chest.
Rolling onto his side, he looked into Ori’s pale face. ‘Morning mate, feeling any better?’
Ori nodded.
‘And what about you, Alfie?’ said William, turning to face Althea.
‘Yeah, I’m alright now. I suppose having him around means I’ll know what he’s up to.’
The fire was burning again and a couple of tins had been placed into the heat, bubbling and oozing orange and red liquids.
‘Tinned spaghetti and soup for breakfast, and then we’re off,’ said Ichabod as he passed them food. ‘We must make haste.’
‘We still have to get the vehicles out,’ said William, shovelling a spoonful of spaghetti into his mouth, sauce dripping down his chin. God, it tasted so good.