The Way to Freedom: The Complete Season Two (Books 6-10) (The Way to Freedom Collection Book 2)

by H. M. Clarke

  The two Dymarki stood up from the table and in unison gave their Cearc a curt nod.

  Tayme took this moment to move back to his bunk and finish dressing from the clothes and weapons he had left at the foot of his bed. He then poured himself a cup of water from the pitcher on the table.

  “Kral and Hanton. You are to come with me. The rest of you, stay here and try to get what sleep you can.”

  “Yes, Sir,” came from the men around them, and Tayme poured himself another drink.

  “I wish those two had bought some food with them.”

  Peana smiled. “You do think with your stomach don’t you?”

  ‘He’s got you there!’ Trar’s voice piped up in Tayme’s head. She was finally awake.

  ‘The council is here, we will be meeting them shortly.’

  ‘About time. You have been asleep for nearly six hours Kral.’

  ‘Really? No wonder I’m hungry. It’s breakfast time.’

  Tayme heard a snigger come over the link and could not help but smile.

  ‘Is Adhamh awake?’

  ‘Not yet. He’s still curled up asleep. The Pydarki gave us several deer carcasses to eat and he ate well. I think he is still making up for not being able to eat while he was with the Arranians.’

  ‘How do you think things are between him and Kalena?’

  There was a pause as Trar seemed to think over the question.

  ‘I think they are getting along well. Maybe not like they once were but they are talking together for long periods of time. Adhamh has said that she is starting to remember some of her past, but he has not been more forthcoming than that.’

  ‘That’s good news! That might mean Kalena will come back to Foxtern with us.’

  ‘Kral. Be realistic. She is no longer just a Hatar Kalar. She is now Cearc of the Dymarki. She just can’t put that aside and leave.’

  ‘But-‘

  ‘But nothing. She is a leader with people and families who depend on her. She just cannot pick up and leave them.’

  ‘What will happen if Suene declares outright war against the Dymarki? And since the Dymarki are claiming Suenese land in the Bhaglier Ranges, you just know they will.’

  ‘That is a fence she and us will have to climb when we come to it.’

  ‘So, no use worrying about the future when the present is calling for our attention?’

  ‘Yes. Don’t waste time worrying about something that may never happen.’

  ‘You are starting to sound more and more like Adhamh every day you fat old buzzard.’

  ‘I’ll tell him you think he’s a bad influence on me.’

  Tayme started to snicker and quickly tried to cover it by taking a drink from his water cup. He glanced around the room and saw that the others were now as ready as they were going to be for this meeting.

  ‘Trar, everyone here is now ready to go. They should be back soon. Keep an ear out and see if you can listen through me at what happens and let me know what you think.’

  ‘Of course Kral.’

  ‘Thanks. Now we just have to wait.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The hall was large and devoid of furnishings. The highly polished stone walls and floor reflected their images back at them as the group stood in the center of the cavernous room.

  The only furniture were twelve chairs arranged in a row at the far end of the room and sitting upon them were twelve figures dressed in the traditional white suede of the Pydarki. Four of the figures were women, the sight of which made Dearen stare. And then she caught herself.

  ‘Don’t be stupid. Of course, there are female Pydarki. Just because no one speaks about them doesn’t mean they don’t exist.’

  ‘Females do not venture outside of their territory, but they are just as tough and fierce as the males.’ Adhamh’s voice slipped into her mind. ‘And remember. As strange as the female Pydarki look to you, you as the Dymarki Cearc will look strange to them.’

  ‘Very true Adhamh.’

  The two groups stood next to each other with Dearen, Hauga, and Raga on one side and Lieutenant Peana, Tayme and Hanton on the other.

  The Pydarki council showed no expression but Dearen got the impression that they were startled to see Dymarki and Bareskins mixed together, much less traveling with each other.

  The young Pydarki who had guided them here stepped forward and bowed slightly to the twelve seated figures.

  “The Suenese and the Dymarki have asked for an audience with you, and, as requested, I have bought them to present their messages to you.”

  A woman with silvered hair seated near the center of the row nodded back at the youngster and then waved a hand, effectively shooing the boy away.

  “Lieutenant. What business brings you to Daegarouf with a need to speak to the council?” the woman asked without much preamble.

  Lieutenant Peana took a step forward and gave a rather stiff, and reluctant, bow.

  “Lady, we are looking for one of our party who left us to come to Daegarouf. We are seeking news of him.”

  The woman raised an eyebrow but gave no other response.

  “We also wish to give warning that there may be an Arranian incursion into the Bhaglier Ranges.”

  A man seated at the far end of the row nodded. “We have already seen some pass through.”

  This response bought a low growl from Raga and Dearen gave him a mental nudge to have better control of himself.

  Dearen saw the frown that passed briefly over Peana’s face before he composed himself. “But there is another’s business here that is more pressing than ours. We have traveled here with a small group of Dymarki who have a request to ask of you.”

  The eyes of the council quickly switched from the bareskin side of the group to the Dymarki.

  Lieutenant Peana took this moment to step back and Hauga took his cue to step forward.

  ‘I trust you can hear me?’ Hauga asked the twelve and they all nodded back to him. Hauga straightened and Rage stepped up beside him.

  ‘I am Hauga, son of Ghrista, Clan Chief of Mufista.’

  ‘I am Raga, son of Jorga, Clan Chief of Trisqa.’

  Hauga’s whiskers flared as he tried to stifle a smile. Dearen could tell he was pleased that Raga now stood with him.

  ‘We are here to introduce our new Cearc-‘

  “What happened to the previous Cearc? We understood her to be in excellent health,” said a man sitting to the left of the silver haired woman.

  ‘She was killed in an Arranian attack on Councilmeet. Clan leaders were also killed.’

  Dearen noted that Hauga did not mention that one of those leaders was his father.

  “Where is the new Cearc? We do not see another Dymarki with you?” asked the woman who spoke earlier.

  ‘She is here.’

  Hauga and Raga moved apart to allow Dearen to step between them.

  “I am Dearen of Clan Mufista, Cearc of the Dymarki.”

  All eyes of the council fell on Dearen and she could see the surprise and shock mirrored on all their faces. Surely Asnar would have sent word back to Daegarouf of what had happened?

  “A human rules the Dymarki?” the woman’s voice questioned them all.

  “A Hatar Kalarthri no less,” said another of the council.

  ‘She is my adopted sister,’ Hauga said placing a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘And she avenged the death of the Cearc. The Claw of the West itself declared her Cearc,’ Raga said placing a hand on her other shoulder.

  “This is an age of surprises it seems,” the Pydarki woman said, the surprise now blanked from her face. “If we had known that the Cearc was among you, we would not have housed you in the common quarters.”

  “The quarters are adequate and comfortable and the hot food was most welcome,” Dearen replied. But she did not want to waste any more time with small talk.

  “The Arranians are encroaching into territory once held by the Dymarki, they are encroaching into territory held by the Suenese and als
o into territory held by the Pydarki. They have killed both Dymarki and bareskin and they have most probably killed some of your own people. The Dymarki council have voted and decided to invoke the ancient treaty held between our two peoples, to ask for your aid against the northerners.”

  Dearen paused and looked along the length of the seated Pydarki, trying to gauge their mood. But the twelve now gave nothing away, their faces as impassive as the stone walls around them.

  The woman who had greeted them turned to look at Lieutenant Peana and the Suenese. The Lieutenant gave her a respectful bow. “We are here as observers only in respects to the Dymarki. But I will say that Arran has made repeated incursions into Suenese held territory. We also have reports of Arranian forces massing along our northern border. Daegarouf and the lands around it will be in the direct path of their attack if they choose to come across the border.”

  The woman turned her gaze back to Dearen.

  ‘The Pydarki came and fought alongside us in the battlefield before the Great Exile. The Covenant that bound us then is still in force.’

  Dearen glanced sidelong at Raga, hoping that his words were not aimed at antagonizing them. She wanted the Pydarki to join them because they wanted to, not because they were shamed into it.

  “The Dymarki were exiled. The Pydarki were absorbed into the then Kingdom of Suene.” One of the seated men replied.

  ‘Have not the Pydarki promised to help us regain our lost territory?’

  “Raga!” Dearen’s voice was low and hard and full of as much warning as she could layer it with. Raga took the rebuff and stepped back. She could feel his frustration and seething anger that the Pydarki seemed not to want to lift a finger in something that, if successful, would benefit them.

  “We have given no such promise of help to the Dymarki. We welcomed you back to your ancestral homes but have not explicitly promised anything else.”

  So what Dearen had begun to suspect was true. Asnar had been deceiving them. He had not been acting on behalf of the Pydarki leadership like he had implied, but for reasons of his own.

  “Are you denying our request?”

  Dearen’s voice rose into the silence. She had trusted Asnar. She would not make that mistake again.

  The council members looked amongst themselves, obviously talking with each other. They then all turned as one to look at Dearen.

  “Please allow us time to discuss this issue. We will send a messenger when we have come to a decision.”

  Raga looked like he was about to let out an outburst, so Dearen reached back and placed a forceful hand on his arm to calm him. Antagonizing them will not help their cause.

  “We will await your decision.”

  Dearen bowed to the council and as if summoned from outside, the young Pydarki came back into the hall to escort them all back to their room.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Anger and betrayal boiled into a hissing mix within Dearen, She could feel it’s pressure building within her as she followed the young Pydarki back to their room.

  ‘Is everything alright?’

  Adhamh’s voice popped into her head. He must be feeling her rolling emotions over the Krytal link the Hatar had told her about.

  ‘I’m fine Adhamh. I’m just disappointed in someone I thought was a friend.’

  ‘You’re talking about the Pydarki? Or just one Pydarki in particular?’

  ‘Just one.’

  They had now arrived outside their room. Tayme turned to let her enter first but Dearen shook her head.

  “You go ahead. I’ll come inside in a minute.”

  The southerner gave her a strange look but followed Lieutenant Peana and Hanton inside.

  ‘Hauga, Raga, stay with me a moment.’

  The two Dymarki stood beside her and they waited until the door closed on the others, giving them a semblance of privacy.

  ‘I want both your feelings on that meeting. I want to see if I’m reading too much into what just happened.’

  Raga was the first to answer. His anger burning as hot as Dearen’s, though for a different meaning.

  ‘The Pydarki do not want to help us. They acted as if we were beneath their notice. Our so called ancient bonds of family and friendship did not hold up against the centuries our people have been away.’

  Though angry, Raga’s words were not as one sided as Dearen thought they would be. She nodded and looked to Hauga.

  ‘The Pydarki did look like they were hedging. I am not pinning my hopes on help from that quarter.’

  Dearen looked between the two.

  ‘So you both believe the Pydarki will refuse our request for help and break the Covenant between our people?’

  Both cats nodded.

  ‘I too think the Pydarki were hedging their decision. But not for the reasons you gave Raga. I believe they are worried about the presence of the southerners. They are also beholden to them and are worried about going against their wishes.’

  ‘But this southern land of the bareskins did not exist when our Covenant was made,’ Raga countered.

  ‘Even so, it is what is affecting their decisions now. It would not surprise me if they want to observe the Suenese interaction with us to see if they were telling the truth about not getting involved in our affairs.’

  ‘Maybe. But I hope it does not take them long to make their decision either way,’ Hauga said.

  ‘Yes. We need to get back to the muster grounds to help prepare our warriors for the Northerners.’

  ‘Yes. But there was one thing that was confirmed for us in that meeting,’ Dearen said.

  ‘What is that?’ Hauga asked.

  ‘That Asnar has been lying to us all this time. The Pydarki have not pledged to support us. They had not promised us anything that Asnar said that they had. I want to know why he did this.’ Dearen’s frustration and anger boiled out into her words.

  ‘Asnar had been telling the Elder Council about the help and support that the Pydarki are going to give us.’ Raga said. ‘And I agree with you. The Pydarki council seemed to know nothing of this.’

  ‘We have asked for their help officially now. You never know, they may decide in our favor.’

  ‘You are an optimist Hauga,’ Dearen replied.

  ‘From their reaction, I believe they will just stay indifferent,’ Raga fumed. ‘We should just leave the Pydarki to fend for themselves and ally ourselves with the Southerners. They are not friends of the Northern Bareskins which makes them more our friend than the Pydarki.’

  Dearen made no comment to Raga’s remark. She had her own misgivings with the Southerners. They looked to be having their own problems, especially if it turns out to be true that some of their own are betraying them to the Arranians.

  ‘I want to talk to Asnar.’

  Dearen looked up into the eyes of both the much taller Dymarki.

  ‘Will you help me find him?’

  Both of the Dymarki nodded.

  ‘I want to know why he lied to us. I want to know why he pretended to be our friend.’

  ‘He wasn’t in the room. It was empty when the Lieutenant opened the door to go in.’

  ‘Asnar could be anywhere then. He probably ran as soon as we left for the meeting,’ Raga spat.

  ‘He might be easier to find than you think,’ Hauga said. ‘Have you noticed the way the other Pydarki here had been treating him? I suspect he is not wholly welcome here. Someone may know where he is.’

  ‘There was a common room back down the hall. Someone, there may have seen him.’

  ‘It’s a start,’ Dearen said and then turned on her heel to head back down the hallway, with the two Dymarki close behind her.

  In the common room were five Pydarki seated around one of the tables enjoying a hot mug of soup. All five sets of eyes quickly focused on them as they stood blocking the door.

  “Can we help you?” one of them asked.

  Dearen nodded.

  “We are trying to find the Pydarki who arrived here with us. His name
is Asnar.”

  Their helpful expressions turned to distaste at the mention of Asnar’s name. But the Pydarki who spoke quickly schooled his expression back to what it was and gave her a weak smile.

  “I saw him leave the room not long after the meeting was called. He left down the corridor in that direction.” The man helpfully pointed to the left. “That way eventually leads to a general common room. He may have been heading there.”

  Dearen nodded again. Then she asked. “Do you know of him? Does he have living quarters here?”

  The man’s weak smile quickly flattened between pursed lips. He did not reply. The others sitting around the table said nothing but looked away from them as if they were unsightly. Dearen took the hint.

  “We’ll leave you to your meal. Thank you for your help.”

  The Pydarki gave her a nod and then turned back to his friends.

  Dearen stepped back into the hallway and strode in the direction the Pydarki indicated with Hauga and Raga following close behind.

  ‘Are you sure that he will still be here? He might have taken his chance in our absence to leave us before we could confront him.’

  Hauga’s words sat heavy in Dearen’s mind. It was a possibility, but if Asnar was afraid of a confrontation, then he had had many chances to leave and be long gone on the journey here.

  ‘I’m sure he’ll still be here. He’s had many chances to leave us, but he hasn’t.’

  ‘He may come back to us then. He’s probably gone to see someone here,’ Raga said.

  Dearen suddenly stopped in her tracks. She then turned to look at both Hauga and Raga.

  ‘He will come back to us. He will not give up until the council gives its decision. We’ll head back to our room and wait-’

  Dearen halted mid-sentence as she saw Hauga jerk his head, warning her of something, or someone, behind her.

  She slowly turned around and found herself face to chest with Asnar.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Asnar, you have been lying to us,” were the first words that Dearen spat at him.

  “The council have told us that they had made no earlier promise to help us.”