“They’ve got horses,” Mika said. “I don’t think we could get away.” She looked over at her friend. “They may be able to help us cross the river,” she said.
Zabeh nodded, and the three of them stood side by side with their backs to the fire.
The first of the riders rounded the bend – a man with long grey-streaked hair and a shaggy beard. “Ho!” he shouted, reining in his horse. “Good night to you.”
Mika peered through the gloom as the others arrived behind him. They were a tough, tired-looking group, each of them wrapped up in makeshift clothing that suggested they were not used to travelling in snow. Mika watched the riders closely as they approached the camp fire. Most of their faces were still deep in shadow.
“We saw the light from your fire,” said the bearded man, who appeared to be their leader. “There aren’t too many travellers in these parts. Are you running from the demons, too?”
Firelight flickered over his face. He sat casually in his saddle and smiled.
Mika felt Star’s wariness and Zabeh’s body language was equally tense.
“We’re heading for Meridar,” said Mika. She didn’t know if she should be speaking to these people at all, but she had to say something. “Rakeen was overrun by the Narlaw.”
The man responded with a sombre nod. He glanced down at Star, and Mika noticed him share a look with a woman rider who had drawn up beside him. The woman also nodded, but not at what Mika had said. There was an arrogance to her manner and the way she stared at Star made Mika feel nervous.
I don’t like these people, Star said.
Me neither, whispered Mika. She glanced sideways and saw Zabeh narrow her eyes. Her friend still had a hand on her sword hilt.
The riders at the back of the group began to move, slowly circling around the fire to stand their horses behind Mika, Star and Zabeh. No one spoke for several moments and the only sounds were the crackle and spit of the fire, and the thud of the stepping horses.
The lead rider broke the silence. “I suppose I should tell you,” he said, “that we came here looking for a Whisperer.”
The woman next to him peered down at Mika and Star with an unpleasant grin. “Looks like we found one,” she said.
Zabeh stepped forwards. “And what would you want with a Whisperer?” she demanded. “Are you thieves?”
The woman rider laughed and the bearded man simply watched them with lazy, confident eyes. “Not thieves,” the man said, “but there’s money to be made if we can hand over your friend here.”
Mika’s heart began to pound in her chest. “Over to whom?” she asked.
The man’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said.
Mika’s mind raced. Who could possibly be offering money for kidnapped Whisperers? Then the answer was suddenly clear. “The Narlaw,” she said. A hollow feeling took hold of her. It seemed impossible, yet she knew instinctively that it was true.
“Clever girl,” the man said. “Let’s see if you’re clever enough to come quietly.”
Zabeh drew her sword in direct response. “Traitors!” she said. “You’d sell your own kingdom for a piece of gold?”
“The world has changed,” said the man. “Call us traitors if you like, but we’re the ones who’ll survive this war. We’ve chosen the right side. That’s all.”
Mika could see her friend’s hands were shaking. She felt her own body tense uncontrollably. How could this be happening?
We have to run, said Star.
There’s nowhere to run to, said Mika. They have horses. They’ll chase us down in seconds.
But then a thought came to her. Mika reached out carefully to the huge, docile presences of the horses. If they couldn’t run from the horses, maybe she could make the horses run from them?
The leader swung out of his saddle and stepped toward them. “Put the sword down, girl,” he said to Zabeh. “Don’t be a fool.” He swept a hand out to take in the other tough-looking men and women. “Just give up and you won’t be hurt.”
Zabeh switched swordhands and moved into a defensive stance, Star bristled with fear and anger at Mika’s side, and Mika reached out swiftly to the horse that now stood riderless behind the gang’s leader.
She knew how suggestible a horse could be, and how often they were driven by fear. It was unkind to the animal, but this was her only chance – she sent the image of a snarling bear into the horse’s mind.
Right away the horse whinnied and bolted forwards, nudging its rider and charging past the fire toward the rest of the gang.
The other horses began to rear and snort as Mika sent them startling images, one by one.
The leader of the gang stood, confused for a moment, then glared at Mika and strode toward her in a rage. “That’s enough from you, Whisperer! You’re coming with me!”
Star ran at him, snarling. She dodged a kick from his boot and leaped for his forearm, but the man was strong. He shoved Star away and sent her scrambling across the grass.
Star! cried Mika.
Run, Mika! Star called back. Down the river path!
But the man was already upon her. He grabbed the hood of Mika’s coat as she tried to dart away and pulled her back viciously, forcing a choked gasp from her throat.
“Mika!” Zabeh cried. She swung her sword in a wide arc and the traitors who had closed around her leaped back. She burst past them toward her friend.
The leader turned as Zabeh came for him. He let go of Mika’s hood and dived away, rolling to avoid the swing of Zabeh’s sword.
Mika stood, clutching her throat. The horses thumped manically around them, still darting about in fear. Their shadows swept around the camp.
“You have to go!” hissed Zabeh.
Come on! urged Star.
The leader of the gang rose to his feet and Zabeh made a warning thrust with her sword. He backed away, but another man crashed into Zabeh from behind. Her sword flew from her hand and more of the attackers rushed in to pin her to the ground.
“Run!” Zabeh called to Mika as she struggled. “You can still make it!”
Mika glanced around in a panic. She saw an opening. If she could reach the river path, she and Star could get help. But that would mean leaving Zabeh to fight alone.
So Mika charged with Star by her side and crashed, screaming, into the traitors who had captured her friend. She swung her fists and grabbed at arms and legs as she tried to pull Zabeh free.
Something struck her in the side of the head and she fell to the ground. She heard Star snarling, the angry cries of men and women and, somewhere in there, Zabeh’s frustrated, desperate voice.
Mika felt herself lifted from the grass. She struggled and kicked out, but she was still dazed from the blow to her head. Her arms were bent back and held painfully behind her. She heard Star snarl and then whimper somewhere close by.
Star! she cried. Star!
Then she felt herself being draped over the huge back of one of the horses. From there she saw the river, glimmering and black, a few paces away.
Again, Star snarled, trying to reach Mika, but this time a splash followed.
Mika saw a flash of white fur as Star was thrown into the river.
“No!” she cried. She used all her strength to kick and squirm against her attackers, but her arms were being tied behind her back. She couldn’t get free.
Star! she called, again and again, as her companion was swept away by the cold, fast currents of the river.
Mika lay with her wrists and ankles tied, draped over the horse’s dappled grey back as if she were a sack of grain. Her muscles ached and every step the horse took sent a fresh jolt of pain through her body. The smell of horse sweat and saddle leather filled her nostrils, and the boots of the gang’s leader hung to her right as he steered them down the winding path.
The river rushed and gurgled nearby and Mika’s thoughts returned again and again to Star. She had lost her companion. She couldn’t feel her, couldn’t hope to hear Star’s whispe
rs in her head. Star could swim, but in a river so fast and cold…
Mika couldn’t bear to think about what might have happened.
She could feel Zabeh’s presence a few horses back and the knowledge that she was not alone was the only thing that kept Mika from losing hope, but the awful fear of their destination hovered ominously. She and Zabeh were to be sold like livestock to the demons.
And then what? Would it be the ghost-sleep? Or worse?
No Whisperer caught by the Narlaw would be treated kindly.
Mika felt more scared now than she ever had – even after all she had seen and done since the Narlaw came. She was powerless against these human traitors. They couldn’t be banished like a demon could. Her only idea was to spook the horses into bolting again, but that was simply too dangerous now she and Zabeh were tied to their backs. There was nothing she could do but wait.
Mika winced as the horse broke into a trot and its joints thumped into her stomach and chest. She was glad Astor couldn’t see her like this – captured before she’d even made it to the Meridar road.
Some time during the night, Mika fell into an exhausted kind of half-sleep. She closed her eyes and felt her body grow gradually numb to the pain of the horseback ride. Although true rest was impossible, she was able to quiet her thoughts, to find some small relief from the fear that clung to her.
Was she giving up? No, she told herself. When she reached the Narlaw she would fight with everything she had. She would banish as many as she could with the fury she had felt back in Rakeen. She knew there would be too many demons to overcome – a whole army of them, perhaps – but she would fight until the very end. With that thought in mind, she let herself drift, as the traitor’s horse carried her away.
Mika jolted awake.
Icy water splashed into her face. She flinched, pulling her head up and feeling a sharp spasm of pain across her back and arms.
They were crossing the river. The water rushed and eddied around them and the horse’s hooves clacked and slipped on the rocky river bed. Mika lurched in her bindings and for an instant she thought she would fall head first into the waters, but the ropes held her fast to the big horse’s back.
She shook the drops of water from her face and tried to look about. A silvery sheen lay over the water – the first light of morning had arrived.
As they clambered up the river bank, Mika’s abductor pulled his horse around.
“A straight line east from here,” he said as others in the group rode up beside him.
Mika couldn’t see any of them from her position – and she didn’t want to. They had sided with an army of demons that sought to destroy the whole of Meridina. She couldn’t imagine a worse act of treachery. Nor could she imagine what they hoped to do with the gold they were paid for her capture. What use was gold in a world with no crops left to eat? With no other people left to buy from or speak to?
The leader spun his horse around and Mika strained to take in her surroundings. For a giddy instant she caught sight of Zabeh, bound behind a woman’s saddle and peering right back at her. Their eyes met, but there was no time to speak. The horses moved back into a single file and Zabeh was gone from sight, but Mika had seen the anger and determination in her friend’s eyes. The same feelings burned inside her, too. She strained against the ropes tying her down, growling in frustration as the horses set off at a painful canter. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t loosen the ropes. She could do nothing but hold on and save her strength for the Narlaw.
As the sun rose, they left the river behind and set out on to the green flatlands of central Meridina. Mika watched the grass flick by beneath the horse’s powerful legs. They were heading east like the leader of the group had said. More and more often they crossed areas of ruined earth, signs that the Narlaw had passed this way in great numbers. Mika strained to catch sight of Zabeh, but it seemed they were deliberately being kept apart. Once again she thought about making her and Zabeh’s horses bolt. Perhaps the riders would be thrown and she and Zabeh would survive through being tied to the horses. Or perhaps she and Zabeh would end up beneath the horses’ hooves or lying in the grass with broken bones.
At mid-morning they passed through the shattered remnants of a town. Almost every building had lost its roof. There were signs of fire and the demon sickness lingered over everything, turning Mika’s stomach. They had to be drawing near to the demon army now, she thought. Mika suppressed the urge to panic as she was carried through the empty streets of the town. Instead, she found herself becoming strangely calm – ready to accept her fate and do her best at banishing the Narlaw.
It was in this state of calm that Mika heard her name spoken. At first she thought it was Zabeh calling for her. She craned her neck painfully to look for her friend, but saw only the cruel, weary face of the rider directly behind her. Then, when she heard her name again, she realized who it was.
Mika. Her heart leaped. Mika, can you hear me?
Yes, said Mika. Where are you?
She reached out and felt Star’s warm, vital presence. It was the greatest thing she had ever felt.
We’re over the ridge to the north, said Star. Can you get away from the horses?
No, said Mika. We’re tied to them.
Well, said Star. Just try to keep your heads down.
That won’t be hard, said Mika, letting her face rest against the clammy flanks of the horse.
She sensed two people and two horses beyond the ridge – Star had brought help. Mika thought about warning Zabeh, but that would only alert the traitors, too. Instead she concentrated on Star’s presence, letting hope kindle inside her for the first time since she had been taken.
They continued away from the town, parallel to the low ridge where Star was waiting. Mika held her breath in anticipation. Who had Star brought with her and what were they planning?
Then there was a horrible cry from further back in the line of riders.
The horse carrying Mika stopped as the leader of the group turned to look. Mika glimpsed a man on the ground and his horse standing riderless. The shaft of an arrow slanted from the centre of the fallen man’s back.
Another arrow flew. This time it thudded into the ground and several of the riders wheeled their horses away and fled at a gallop.
Keep low, whispered Star. We’re coming for you.
The leader yelled, “It’s an ambush! Ride!” and he kicked the horse into a gallop.
Mika bounced behind the saddle, winded and gasping for breath. She twisted her head and saw two riders crest the ridge to the north. One moved slowly, upright with a bow in their hands. The other galloped down on a course to intercept Mika’s horse.
Another scream came from the panicked ranks of the traitors. Mika tried to see what was going on, to see if Zabeh was all right, but everything was a blur. The thunder of hooves drowned out all other sounds. Mika tensed her muscles, hoping that the ropes would hold and she wouldn’t be thrown from the horse.
In the saddle, the leader of the traitors kicked and shouted at his horse to go faster. But in no time at all there was another horse alongside them.
Mika.
She craned her neck and saw Star riding at the pommel of the other horse’s saddle. Holding the reins was Jen.
She had made it! The warriors had made it out of Rakeen.
There were only two of them, but Mika didn’t have time to think about what had happened to the others. As soon as Jen had her horse close enough, she drew her sword and struck out at Mika’s captor.
The man dodged the blow and the horse swerved, whinnying in pain at the man yanking the reins. Mika swung and thumped against its flanks. The gap widened between the two horses and she realized that Jen must have ridden her horse to near exhaustion to have caught up with them.
Don’t worry, said Star, sensing Mika’s fear. I won’t lose you again.
Mika glanced across and saw Star balanced on Jen’s lap, ready to jump.
She leaped across and the traitor
cried out in surprise. Mika couldn’t see, but Star must have tackled the rider because the horse suddenly lost control. An instant later the man screamed and fell from the horse. Mika saw a white blur on the ground with him as the horse galloped away.
Star! she called.
She saw Star back away from the fallen man, who lay clutching his leg and writhing in pain.
Jen drew alongside and reined in the runaway horse. “Here,” she said, as she stopped the horses and leaned in to cut the ropes.
Mika slid down into Jen’s arms. She could barely stand, her muscles ached so badly.
And then Star was with her, leaping into her arms. Mika dropped into the swaying grass and held her companion close, overwhelmed with relief, exhaustion and gratitude.
They left the injured traitors where they lay, taking their horses. Mika and Zabeh rode side by side.
“I don’t know about you,” said Zabeh, “but I don’t feel sorry for them at all.”
Mika shook her head. “Me neither. What kind of person would trade the safety of their own kingdom for a piece of gold?”
Zabeh remained quiet for a moment, staring at the pommel of her saddle. Then she looked across at Mika. “Thanks for not leaving me,” she said, “at the campfire. You were brave. Stupid, but brave.” She smiled.
“You wouldn’t have left me, either,” said Mika.
Slowly they departed from the scene of the fight. Three of the traitors had fled and two others had been killed. One of the casualties was the woman carrying Zabeh. She had put up quite a fight, but the other Rakeen warrior, Damon, had beaten her in combat and rescued Zabeh.
As they set out north-east, riding toward Meridar, Jen and Damon spoke of their escape from Rakeen. Mika listened closely to the sad tale of Guran and the others. They had given their lives so she could carry her secret to Meridar. Although she couldn’t help feeling guilty, she knew that the real blame lay with the Narlaw alone. She had to make this journey worthwhile. She had to reach Meridar and teach the other Whisperers how to reverse the ghost-sleep and banish the Narlaw for good.
Gathering Voices Page 7