Guardians of the Light (Book One of The Nebril Riverland Chronicles)

by Leslie MacPherson

  Chapter 16

  I let out a scream as two strong arms closed around mine, binding them to my sides. I kicked my feet behind me in a panic, trying in futility to hurt my attacker. My head thrashed from side to side, looking for a way out of the situation. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Jalya had been similarly imprisoned.

  "Okay, relax now, love," a deep voice growled in my ears. He spoke Yalish as we did, the common tongue of the riverlands, but with an unusual accent. It reminded me of the lilting speech of David the Nebril, and my blood ran cold.

  "Stop fighting," he commanded. "I'm not going to hurt you."

  Only now did I realize that all of the crazed activity in the village had come abruptly to a halt. There was no more music and the silence was broken only by hushed murmurings from the other side of the houses where the crowd was assembled. I relaxed, simply because struggling didn't seem to be getting me anywhere against the strength of my captor. Besides such straining really hurt my head. I glanced at Jalya and saw that she was anything but relaxed. She writhed and kicked and strained her hands toward her belt and the knife that was hidden beneath her shawl. The burly man that held her had clamped a hand over her mouth, and I could hear her trying to scream from beneath it.

  "Jalya, calm down," I said. "This isn't helping."

  She looked at me and seemed to come to her senses. The man released his grip on her mouth. "We ain't gonna hurt you, love," he said in that same strange accent. "We just wanna know who you are."

  My captor slowly released me from his grasp and directed me to sit on a large log that ran alongside the pathway. I sat carefully amongst its gnarled bumps, grateful, at least, for the chance to get off my feet.

  "Now keep your hands on your lap where I can see 'em and there will be no problem." His unwavering glance penetrated me, and I twisted my fingers together on my lap like an obedient schoolchild. This whole time I'd been so afraid and focused on who or what might do us harm, that I'd failed to even consider that someone else might see us as a threat. I tried to imagine what would happen if two unknown, wayward girls had straggled into our village.

  Finally calm, Jalya was allowed to come sit beside me. I felt like we were little girls again, sitting together while waiting to get a lecture on why we shouldn't be wandering out in the forest. The two men stared at us for a moment, as if sizing up the danger that we presented. They were huge: tall and stoutly built with heavily muscled arms and barrel chests. One had hair that was cropped short, almost to the point of not being there at all. The other had pulled his long, shaggy locks back into a ponytail at the base of his neck.

  "You girls alone?" Ponytail asked.

  "Yes," I nodded. Jalya opened her mouth, but I glared at her before she could start talking. Now was not the time for one of her chattering episodes.

  "Got any weapons?"

  "No," Jalya said. I stiffened next to her. Had they been able to feel the knives tucked away beneath our clothes? It didn't seem so, because the two men didn't say any more about it. On the other side of Jalya's head I could see the movement of people peeking around the sides of the buildings. They babbled to each other in interest. This was the second time that we'd caused such a ruckus in a strange village this past day.

  "So what are two young girls doing out here all by yourselves?" asked Shaved Head.

  "We've been banished from our village...." Jalya began the story that the Lumeai had constructed for us that morning. "....for refusing marriage. So we are going to stay with my uncle. He lives in Warshar's Village, up near the Beyjerones caves. We're looking for someone to drive us up there. We have coins of amure to give to whomever does the task."

  Amure was the general currency of the riverlands. Most farming villages didn't use it, preferring to trade whatever commodities they manufactured instead. However, coins of amure were still prized as they could buy anything that a person wanted, particularly in Nebril City, where they were used exclusively. Lovis had made sure that we had a heavy sack of them to take with us. He said no one would refuse to help us if we offered them coins. We were about to find out if he spoke the truth.

  "Coins of amure, eh? Let me see 'em."

  Jalya reached under her shawl and found the small purse containing her half of the prized currency. I held the other half next to my body. We felt it was safer that way; if something happened to one of us, at least the other would still have some left to use. She grabbed a few coins and held them out for the large men to inspect.

  Ponytail leaned toward her to get a closer look. "Looks pretty genuine," he said. "Give 'em here so I can see better." He extended his arm out toward Jalya.

  "I don't think so," she said, closing her hand around the coins. "Unless you're offering to transport us, you don't need to get any closer to them." She looked him straight in the eye in an astounding display of bravery. The man glared at her for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

  "You're a tough one, ain't ya?" he chuckled. "Well, come on then; let’s find you a driver. I doubt you'll have a hard time when you're carrying that loot. Are you from Carper's Village?"

  "Yes," I said, relief flooding my body.

  "Where did a couple of farm girls get coins of amure?"

  "My grandmother," Jalya said. "She's been hiding them under her bed for years, you know, collecting them from merchants when they'd come into town. So when I had to leave, she gave them to me, because she thought that I'd need them."

  I was impressed; Jalya could really come up with a good story under pressure. I was grateful that she was there, as I doubted that I would be able to think that quickly in my agonized state. I rubbed the left side of my head hard. The pressure felt good, like I was pushing back against the part of me that was trying to get away. The water was still to my left. I still longed to run to it.

  Some of the village men had gathered nearby, I assumed to be of help in case we were a bigger threat than what we appeared. Ponytail motioned for one of them to come over.

  "Shale," he said. "These girls are looking for a driver to take them through the woodlands. Why don't you take 'em into town and introduce 'em to Wagna. He might be looking for a little amure, and a reason to go on another adventure."

  I looked up and watched one of the men step forward and move toward us. He was large, as they all seemed to be, but not as large as the men who had grabbed us. He reached us in a few easy strides and when the light fell across his face, I could see that he was young and quite handsome.

  "Come along ladies," he said, cheerfully extending his hand to Jalya. "Come and join the festivities."

  Jalya took his hand with a small smile; for once she almost looked shy. I realized, at that moment, that I would be hearing about how attractive Shale was for the rest of our journey. Right now, however, I couldn't have cared about any other man, except for the one that I was sure was waiting for me on the other side of the river.

  I forced myself to stand and follow Jalya and Shale, still holding onto the hope that I would find some way to cross that river. As I trudged along, I wasn't even sure if Jalya was aware if I was following or not, as she didn't once take her eyes off of our guide. The crowd closed in around us as we reached the pathway, chattering excitedly. I was only dimly aware of what they were saying.

  "My goodness, you girls must be tired."

  "And hungry. I'll go in the house and rustle them up some stew."

  "Oh my goodness, look at how tiny and pretty they are....like little dolls."

  "Does Carper's Village still have arranged marriages? They're so old fashioned there!"

  "Baro, why don't you go see if Wagna's hiding in his house, because he sure ain't out here."

  "No, absolutely not. I'm not dealing with that old crank....you go."

  "Come, come sit down you pretty things. You must join in on the fun!"

  We were ushered into the town center and sat with Shale and some others at a table right next to the dancing. There were several men and women sitting across the
square, playing drums and stringed instruments that I vaguely remembered hearing about at some point in my life, but definitely had never seen. The music pulsed and my head throbbed in time. I guessed that I had turned my body in another direction, because the pain was now pulling backwards on my head and I kept turning around to see if I could find the river through the trees behind us. I could no longer hear it over the constant din of the party, and was illogically afraid that somehow it was no longer there. If only I could get away, go for a walk through those trees, so I could reassure myself.

  "What's wrong with your friend?" Shale's voice rose above the noise. "She seems nervous." Jalya turned and looked at me as if she finally remembered that I was still there. "Oh, she just....."

  I interrupted her before she could answer for me. "I really want to see what's on the other side of the river. Is there a boat or something that I could take over there?"

  "What would you want to go over there for?" said the woman who sat next to me. "There ain't nothing over there but trees!"

  I scrambled for an excuse, but my mind was too muddled to function. Luckily, Jalya was there to rescue me. "When we were walking up here, Emerin was saying how pretty the lights were in the village and she thought that they'd look amazing from the other side of the river, you know, reflecting off the water and all. She had been talking about finding a boat to go across, right, Emerin?'

  I nodded stupidly. They must have thought I was crazy and Jalya was only my friend because she felt sorry for me. I picked at the thick stew that one of the women had set in front of me and waited to see what they had to say. I looked from one face to another, still holding out hope.

  "Nah," said another man at the table. "No one can cross the river here; current's way too rough. You try to paddle across that, it would carry you all the way back to Carper's Village before you could reach the other side." He scratched his long whiskers thoughtfully. "That is, if you didn't topple in or your boat didn't smash to bits first. Even if we had a boat in the village, there's not a soul here that would take you across, no matter how many coins you're hiding under that shawl."

  I hid my disappointment in a spoonful of saucy meat, trying not to let the tears flow. I had to get there...I had to. Jalya looked at me with concern, for what seemed like two seconds, and then turned back to her conversation with Shale. I rubbed at my neck in futility, as if anything but crossing that river could relieve the pain.

  Seeing no point in pursuing the topic, I tried instead to stay focused on the conversation around me. The villagers were very interested in what our village was like, how our marriages were arranged and what prompted us to leave. The women were very sympathetic, their big eyes staring at us intensely from their round faces. They reminded me a bit of the Lumeai, only much larger and more gregarious. The men were very attentive, making sure we had enough to eat and drink and that we were warm enough. Jalya seemed to be enjoying herself immensely and I probably would have been having fun too, if it weren't for the pain and the nagging desire to explore what lay behind me.

  As the evening wore on, the festivities got louder and the people sang along joyously to the music. They had brought us each giant mugs of what they called ale. I sipped at mine slowly, not really savouring the taste, but Jalya downed hers enthusiastically and requested a second cup. It did seem to dull the pain slightly, but not the all-consuming desire to get to the river. To distract myself, I watched the dancers, who had only gotten more wild and uninhibited with the passage of time. Skirts swirled up high and the men lifted the women above their heads exposing legs and personal garments. Bodies were pressed together rubbing against each other and twirling together across the platform. It all seemed a little wrong to me somehow, but at the same time, oddly liberating. No one in Carper's Village ever seemed to have this much fun.

  At some point Jalya got up and left the table. Between all the commotion around me and my unrelenting river distraction, I hadn't noticed her leave. Panic welled up in my throat, as I scanned the crowd for a glimpse of her, and found her on the platform dancing with Shale. She wasn't hard to notice, being the only slender body in a tall and stocky crowd. Not to mention the worst dancer. She stumbled about clumsily, while Shale held her up, pressing his muscular body against her. I wasn't sure if I was revolted or jealous, but at least it was entertaining. Everyone slowly lost interest in me as they drank more and more ale, which turned them into loud, clumsy children, more interested in singing and dancing than serious conversation.

  Since I no longer had to concern myself with answering a multitude of questions, I internally debated what my next move would be. Should I go make sure that Jalya was okay with the effects of the ale and the public groping, or should I use the lack of attention I was now blessed with to take a trip to the riverside? I never got to answer my own question, however, because at that moment a bulging figure strode over and straddled the bench next to me.

  "I'm Relco," the hulking body said. I turned and saw a man of about Shale's age, but not quite as handsome, casting a long shadow over me.

  "I'm Emerin," I said, hoping he would just go away, but I had the feeling that he came with a purpose.

  "So...," he continued in his slow, laid back drawl, "...I went to look for Wagna at his house, but he ain't there. Don't know where he's at; he's kind of a strange old man, prone to wandering off at all sorts of odd hours. I don't know when he'll be home, but I can check back later if you like."

  "Yes, I'd appreciate that. Thank you." I turned my face away from his, hoping that now he'd just leave me alone. I didn't mean to be ungrateful, but I really just wanted some time to collect myself and deal with the intensity of my situation.

  Relco didn't take the hint. "So...would you like some more ale?"

  I looked down at my half-finished mug and shook my head. Did he really think I was ready for more? "No thank you," I said, trying my best to smile politely.

  "Well, maybe you'd like to dance then?" he pressed.

  "Oh, I don't think so," I stammered. "I don't really know how."

  He chuckled. "That doesn't seem to be stopping your friend." I looked at Jalya with concerned embarrassment, as she writhed and rubbed against Shale, laughing boisterously. If only the elders could see her now. I turned back to Relco and saw that he was smiling at me, a wide toothy smile that lit up his whole face.

  "C'mon now," he urged. "I'll teach you."

  There didn't seem to be any getting out of this and the ale had dulled my headache to a tolerable level, so I stood up and let Relco lead me to the vibrating wooden platform. At least I could check on Jalya while I was there. I stepped up onto the platform and felt the floor shaking under my feet. Joyous revellers swirled past me and closed in around me as Relco made a pathway through the wall of bodies.

  As the crowd parted I could see patches of grassy field between their bouncing heads, and beyond that field there seemed to be nothing. It stretched out into an inky blackness devoid of anything but stars, a vast nothingness that could only mean.....water. The river was that way. I felt an incredible pull in that direction to confirm my suspicions and immediately forgot all about Jalya. I gathered up my strength and tugged on Relco's arm. He stopped and leaned toward me to hear what I had to say.

  "I think before I do any dancing, I'd better use the outhouse," I screamed over the music. "Is there one nearby?"

  "There sure is," he yelled in my ear. "Just around the other side of the doctor's building over there." He indicated the general direction with his head and I took note of the building behind him on the other side of the platform. "I'll take you there if you want."

  "Oh no, I can find it. You stay and have fun."

  Relco looked around and his gaze settled on a trio of buxom women standing nearby. "Okay, well, I'll be here when you get back," he said without looking at me.

  "Sure," I said, and took off toward the outhouse. It was a relief to be headed in the right direction again. I jumped down off the platform, and made my way around the sid
e of the doctor's building, before turning around to see if anyone was watching me. Jalya was slumped against Shale, and Relco was already dancing with one of the women he had seemed so interested in. At least he wouldn't be missing me for a while anyway.

  Once behind the cover of the building and out of sight of the dancers, I took off at a run. I could feel the breeze coming off the water, its cool fingers combing through my hair. I opened my shawl and let it caress the rest of my body as I ran toward my destiny. I raced through the long grass, and saw no one. I bounded over the rocks at the riverside, with no one there to stop me. No one noticed as my skirts dipped into the first waves of the river and I disappeared into its blackness. No one was here, no one would stop me this time.....I was going to make it...I was going to make it.....

  Then suddenly there was nothing beneath my feet, and I was enveloped by water. It surrounded me on all sides, embracing my limbs and my torso, roaring in my ears and crashing over my head. It pressed against my skin in soothing ripples, reminding me that now everything would be okay. I was on my way. I would be there soon. The residual pain in my head slipped away and was carried off by the waves.

  My head bobbed above the surface for a few seconds and I could see the water swirling around me, as the dancers had been only moments before. The trees on the other side bounced around before my eyes, and I peered into the darkness to see if he was there...if he was waiting for me. But I didn't have enough time to see anything before my head plunged back into the soothing comfort of the rushing water. I floated along without struggling, knowing somehow that I would get to the other side; somehow I would be safe.

  I took a breath and, as the water rushed into my lungs, I no longer felt so confident. The growing ache inside of me as its coldness spread through my chest shocked me back to the reality of my situation. I was drowning. The other side of the river was still very far away and I had no clue how far I had come from the shore. I moved my arms, trying to grasp at something, anything, but my hands could only claw frantically at the water. I thrashed my head from side to side looking for some help anywhere, but I could see nothing but blackness and the village lights reflecting off the water. I couldn't scream, couldn't even get my head back up to the surface. Panicking, I struggled for another breath, but instead of precious air, I was met with more water. My lungs ached, felt ready to explode. What had I been thinking?

  I thought of my parents; their worst fears of my disappearance would be realized. I closed my eyes and tried to picture their faces in my mind, but I could only see the silhouette of my mother closing the door as I ran off into the shadows. Had that only been the night before? My limbs relaxed as more water rushed into my lungs, and I gulped it down my throat. This was it...this was the end; at least my bei clu va would be whole now. He would be whole and I would be nothing. I opened my eyes. All I could see was darkness.

  The chill of the water against my skin was painfully obvious now and I floated backwards into it, riding along with the current. Maybe I would float all the way home and they would never realize that I'd left at all. The iciness ripped into my shoulder blades and sliced around my arms.

  And then, in an instant, it was gone....I felt my back resting against something concrete, something much less cold. My hands groped behind me in a last desperate motion and clasped onto what felt like fabric. I wanted to turn around and grasp it and pull myself out of this swirling tomb, but I could not move. There was nothing left in me; I finally had a chance at survival and it was too late. I couldn't even save myself.

  But just as I let go, gave into the blackness and resigned myself to death, the warmness surrounded me. The fabric embraced me around my ribcage and I felt myself being pulled from the water. The blackness cleared and I could see the lights of Sandoff's Village emerging in the distance. I struggled for air, but still could not breathe, and panic set in again. Why couldn't I breathe?

  Suddenly water rushed into my nose and throat and I quickly became aware that I was vomiting all over myself. Again I struggled for a breath and finally felt a little air penetrate my chest, enough to make me cough and sputter and again heave a vast quantity of water onto my dress.

  "C'mon now, stop fighting me," said a distant voice that I wasn't sure I really heard. "I'm trying to help you." I looked down and realized that what was wrapped around me was a pair of arms. Had I been fighting? I sure hadn't noticed. And who was behind me, dragging me up onto the rocks?

  "Alright, you gotta lie on your side here, head down now...c'mon, we want to make sure you get all the water out." The voice was definitely a man.

  I complied and lay down on the rocks, coughing violently, unable to think about anything except gasping as much air into me as possible. I rested my head on the rocks shivering uncontrollably, trying to focus my eyes. Was I awake or asleep, alive or dead, breathing or motionless...I just couldn't tell anymore.

  The gruff voice brought me back to a semi reality. "Goodness gracious honey, what were you doing out there? You weren't trying to kill yourself, were you?" It seemed to my dulled senses that I shook my head in response. That meant that I was alive, I reasoned.

  "We gotta get you outta these wet clothes; you're gonna catch your death of cold. Let me go to my horse and fetch a blanket." I heard the man's steps fade off into the distance as he climbed over the rocks. His horse? Who was this man? It seemed to me that I wasn't in Sandoff's Village anymore. Maybe the current really had brought me home. The man seemed to have an accent unlike anyone in my village, but in my state I couldn't be completely sure. No, I could still hear the music; it was further away now, but still there.

  The coughing fit had subsided and I lifted my head slightly to observe my surroundings. Yes, I was definitely awake and alive, but that was really all I knew. I saw the lights in Sandoff's Village in the distance, bouncing off the water. Did I make it across? Who was the man? I no longer felt the pulling, no longer felt the desire to run, to go anywhere other than here. Could this man be him? Could he be....? I let my head drop down back onto the rocks in exhaustion. I couldn't even think, so I just rested and concentrated on breathing while I waited for my rescuer to come back.

  Before long I heard the footsteps returning, softly at first then increasingly louder, crunching over stones and scraping against rocks. Then he was beside me again, laying his hands on my side, presumably to see if I was still breathing.

  "You okay, honey?" he asked gently. "Can you sit up do you think? We have to get your wet clothes off so you don't get too cold."

  I nodded briefly and slowly lifted my head again. The village lights swam before my eyes and I blinked repeatedly to make sure my vision wasn't failing me. The stranger gathered me in his arms to help me sit up and I turned to look at him not knowing what to expect, wondering if I would be looking into the face of my bei clu va.