The morning sun fell bright and unflinching on the devastated countryside. Mika stroked Star and glanced across at Zabeh, who looked as bruised and exhausted as Mika was.
We’ll be in Meridar soon, said Star.
Mika smiled. There’s still a long ride ahead. Maybe now you can tell me how you got out of that river and found the others?
Star looked up at her mischievously. A wild fox can escape from any dangerous situation, she said. You wouldn’t understand.
You mean Jen and Damon found you, then?
Star settled back on to the front of the saddle. They might have noticed me drying off on the eastern bank of the river. I was sneezing quite a lot.
Mika laughed. Well, I’m glad you found us, she said. You saved our lives.
And now we’re together, said Star, there’s nothing that can stop us.
Mika nodded, and felt in her bones that Star was absolutely right.
Princess Ona sat up with a jolt.
The cart had stopped. Somehow she had slept, but now that her eyes were open, darkness crowded in on her and the realization of where she was returned with a chilling rush of fear.
More than three days had passed since she had been spirited out of the palace by the demon masquerading as Captain Niels. Her abandoned blue sash had led to nothing. The only sign that anyone might have been searching for her was the slow, cautious progress of her prison-cart. The roads they were travelling had become bumpier and more crooked by the mile. It seemed her captor was still taking pains to avoid being seen.
Occasionally, the cart had stopped and, with a growled warning, the demon had unlocked the back doors and thrown some bread in for Ona to eat. She had been allowed out of the cart only twice. Each time she had stumbled into the light, finding herself in the midst of dense woodland with the demon pointing her toward a nearby stream or brook. Ona was so thirsty and weak by then that escape was impossible. Instead, she drank greedily and washed her face and hands in the flowing water before returning to her moving prison.
When the cart doors opened for a third time, Ona was greeted by darkness outside. She grasped the earthstone and stared, wide-eyed, at the shadowy form of her captor.
“Out,” said the demon. Its voice was harsh and dry. Its posture was unnaturally upright – a tall silhouette against the dusky sky. “Out,” it growled again. “Now.”
Ona slid forwards cautiously on her knees. With the doors open she heard the swish of trees and the snort of the cart-horse. As she neared the door she heard footsteps. Her heart skipped – they had reached the other Narlaw. It was over. She closed her eyes, wanting to weep, but the demon’s voice broke in on her.
“Hurry up, or I’ll drag you out.”
Ona stepped down on to soft earth. Her legs were weak from being cramped for so long. Voices echoed, drawing nearer, and Ona took a deep breath.
“Now,” she whispered to herself. She thrust the earthstone toward the shadowy face of the demon and, as it shrank back in horror, Ona turned and ran.
Her shoes sank into the mud. She felt heavy and slow and the cold evening air stung her throat.
Seconds later something crashed into her from behind and she fell on her face. Hands grasped her by the shoulders and turned her over. She fumbled for the earthstone, shoving it at her attacker. But the face she saw wasn’t that of Captain Niels. It was dirty, unshaven and lank-haired and it didn’t flinch at all from the earthstone. Ona gasped in shock. This was a man, not a demon.
The man laughed and Ona turned her face from his stinking breath.
“That necklace won’t work on me,” the man said. He laughed again as he lifted Ona easily off the floor.
Mud clung to her face and made her dress stick to her body. She tried to shake free of the man, but he was twice her size.
The demon-Niels watched as Ona was dragged back toward it. “Take her inside,” it said.
Ona was pushed off the road and on to a footpath, through trees that hissed in the wind.
“Where are you taking me?” she cried. “Don’t you know that was a demon? A Narlaw?”
“You’re kidding me?” said the man in mock surprise. “A demon? Well I never.” He laughed again, shoving Ona ahead of him along the path.
She stumbled through the trees until the lights of a building became visible ahead. The woods ended in a clearing and Ona was confronted by an inn. Its signboard swayed and shadows passed across its lamplit windows.
Panic rose up and made Ona’s breathing frantic. She wanted to go home to the palace, to her father and Yusuf and all of her friends. Was this her final destination? She thought she was being taken to the Narlaw army. But maybe the demons planned to lock her up here, in the middle of nowhere, where no one would ever find her. The wind seemed to blast right through her, making her shiver uncontrollably as she crossed the clearing. The man thrust her toward a low doorway and the stale, mildew smell of the inn.
Inside a dozen pairs of eyes turned to regard her. Ona froze at the edge of the long, low-ceilinged room. Tobacco smoke hung above the heads of the men and women of the inn, mixing unpleasantly with the odour of stale beer and unwashed bodies. The princess scanned the room with growing terror. The faces that looked back at her were shrewd and suspicious. She knew that some must be demons – the ones with blank expressions, the ones who barely seemed to breathe as they watched her. The others would be the kind of desperate criminals she had heard tales about as a small child. Who else would be so low as to associate with the Narlaw?
The door banged behind her and Ona turned to see the demon-Niels glaring with a thin smile on its face.
“You,” it said, nodding at the man who had brought Ona inside. “Take the necklace from her.”
“No!” cried Ona.
But the man grabbed the whole thing and tore it from around her neck, jerking her forwards painfully.
Ona reached for the back of her neck where the clasp had broken.
“What are you going to do to me?” she muttered, summoning the courage to look Niels in the eye.
“I think we’ll keep you a little longer,” it said. “The king may be persuaded to surrender his armies once he knows who has his precious daughter.”
“He won’t,” said Ona. “And anyway, the Whisperers will fight you to the end. They’ll banish you just like Queen Amina—”
“Quiet.” The demon advanced on her. “Take her away,” it ordered a tall, fair-haired man. “You,” it said to another, “hide the cart.”
“Where are you taking me?” Ona cried. “Please!”
But no one was listening.
The blond man guided her toward the door. “Don’t make a fuss,” he said. “It’ll be a lot easier that way.”
Ona walked ahead of him obediently, out into the wind-blown night and across a short stretch of mud toward the stables. All hope had drained from her. They had the earthstone and she had no protection. No one had come to save her.
She entered the stables and the man began tightening the saddle of his horse. A pair of lamps hung from the ceiling and Ona counted thirteen horses in total. She watched him wrestle with his horse’s saddle. He looked strong and she knew there was no chance of outrunning him. But there was an uncertainty in his manner – it was almost as if he was embarrassed by what he was doing.
The man looked up and saw Ona watching him. “Don’t get any ideas,” he said. “There’s nowhere to run to. Even if you made it into the woods, those demons would find you in a heartbeat.” He tightened the strap and slipped a buckle into place beneath the horse’s belly. “Nothing you can do,” he said.
“What about you?” said Ona.
The man looked at her, puzzled.
“You could help me,” she said.
The man narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head. “It’s best you stop talking.”
Ona felt desperation rise up inside her. She’d felt nothing but fear, hunger and exhaustion for three days and now she would be sent to the Narlaw army. Beyond any chanc
e of rescue. This man was her last hope. There was a softness in him – she could see it in the way he barely looked at her. And he wasn’t drunk like most of the others had seemed.
“Do you know who I am?” Ona asked.
The man ignored her.
“My father is the king,” she said. “He would pay you much more than the demons are. More than you can imagine. I’d say you rescued me. If we ride north now we could be gone before they—”
“We’d be dead,” the man said, finally turning to face her. “They’d catch us. I’ve seen them move. I’ve seen them hunt. And your father doesn’t have enough gold to bring us back to life, does he? Can the king turn back time? Can he go back and stop the demons invading, stop them destroying my farm and turning my wife into a living corpse? I couldn’t make it north to hide behind the walls of Meridar and neither could my son or daughter. The demons surrounded the market town. They offered protection to anyone who would volunteer. The rest they put to sleep.” His eyes flashed with the horror of that memory. “My children are waiting for me,” he said. “So, you should save your breath. I’ll be finishing the job I came here for.”
He turned his back on Ona and shook the saddle, making sure it was steady.
“Do you really want to live in a world of demons?” Ona asked, her voice rising in anger. “Do you really think you and your family will be set free after the Narlaw have overrun the entire kingdom? They took your wife. The only way to bring her back is to defeat the Narlaw once and for all.”
The man flinched and then peered at her sideways as he stroked his horse’s neck.
“Help me take the earthstone back to Meridar,” whispered Ona. “You can save everyone. You can wake your wife from the ghost-sleep.”
The man stared into a dark corner of the stables. Outside, the wind rippled through the woods and creaked the building’s old wooden frame.
“You’re lying,” the man said.
“I swear,” said Ona, taking a step toward him. “I swear it’s true. The necklace they took from me has the power to win this war.”
The man shook his head. “Even if I could get my hands on it –” Ona’s heart lurched with a sudden surge of hope – “Even if we could get away from here unseen,” the man said. “They would track us down. We wouldn’t stand a chance.”
The stable door creaked loudly and Ona spun to see the demon-Niels standing tall and still in the doorway.
“You wouldn’t stand a chance at what?” it said.
Ona backed away. She glanced behind her and saw the man’s jaw working uselessly, searching in vain for a way out.
Two other figures appeared behind the demon in the doorway. Niels stepped inside and the other two demons followed, their blank eyes boring into Ona as she stared back at them in horror.
“It seems we need a new rider,” said Niels. It strode past the princess and up to the man.
“Wait…” the man spluttered.
But Niels placed a hand on his forehead and the man crumpled to the ground. Then the demon turned to Ona.
“Please,” she whimpered. “No.”
“I think it’s best you sleep the rest of the way,” the demon said, reaching a hand toward Ona’s head.
She stumbled back into the warm flank of the horse. The horse snorted and edged away. She screamed as the demon laid its cold, open palm on her forehead and she felt a terrible, sickening rush.
Her vision blurred and everything turned to black.
It was Ebony who found the cart. She swooped out of the pitch black night and nearly scared Dawn’s horse into bolting.
There’s a tavern in the woods! she said. Two minutes’ ride from here. It’s empty, but there’s a cart in the stable block that reeks of Narlaw.
Take us there! said Dawn. She raised her torch and nudged her horse into a canter, away from the tracks she and the guards had been following.
The inn was dark and silent amid the trees, but as soon as Dawn drew near she felt the recent presence of demons. She dismounted and stepped inside. From the way the chairs and tables had been moved around, she could see that a large group had made this place their own.
How far behind are we? she asked Ebony.
Ebony hopped across the floor, her black feathers shining in the flickering light of Dawn’s torch. I’d guess less than an hour, she said. The demons’ scent is fresh.
Then we can still catch them, said Dawn. She stared at Ebony, and knew her companion would be thinking the same as she was – the demon had joined up with others. Lots of others.
Valderin ducked into the tavern. “Fresh horse tracks on the road,” he said. “Twelve at least, all heading south.”
Dawn nodded. A dozen Narlaw meant she and the palace guards would be outnumbered if it came to a fight, which it certainly would. The demons wouldn’t let Princess Ona or the earthstone go easily.
“Let’s go,” she said.
She strode out to where the other six guards awaited their orders.
Can you lead us to the Narlaw? she asked Ebony.
You follow the tracks, said Ebony. I’ll go ahead and try to sniff them out.
Right, said Dawn. She swung back on to her horse and Ebony launched into the air above her.
They rode hard.
Dawn and Valderin led, side by side, Dawn holding tight to the reins and listening for Ebony’s voice above the thunder of hooves. They had put out their torches to keep their approach a surprise.
The thin woods gave way to meadows and Dawn felt the night around her, cold and charged with fear.
Any sign? she called to Ebony.
No, but I can feel them. We’re closing in.
Dawn prepared her mind for the battle ahead. She had only faced one demon at a time before and hadn’t always come off best. This time there could be as many as twelve. She breathed deeply, drawing the cool air into her body and reaching out into the passing night with her Whisperer sense. She felt the earth embrace her. She would need its help if she was to rescue Ona and the earthstone.
I can see them! cried Ebony. They’re at the edge of a ruined town about two hundred paces away. Off the main road.
Dawn shouted these directions across to Valderin, who drew his sword as a signal to his guards. Across the meadow, Dawn spotted the outlines of buildings, just visible against the dark horizon. She raced toward them, swerving off the main road on to a rutted track.
I can see the princess, Ebony said.
Dawn’s heart skipped.
She’s near the back of the group, said Ebony. Unconscious, I think. It’s a man riding the horse, not a demon. Half of the group are humans.
Humans? said Dawn. But why?
Then she realized. The demons needed people to carry the earthstone. She wondered, bitterly, how much these people were being paid.
They haven’t spotted us yet, said Ebony. If you skirt the southern edge of the town you’ll be on them in no time.
Thanks, Dawn whispered. Try not to get too close. They might sense you.
Understood, said Ebony.
Dawn felt her companion circle back, gliding above her, unseen in the night sky.
They reached the edge of the town in what felt like a heartbeat. All the thatch was gone from the roofs, and the cottages, shops and barns stood silent and empty of life. It was one of the towns the Narlaw had destroyed on their way to the city of Altenheim.
Dawn squinted against the rush of cold air as she galloped her horse past the edge of the town. If they failed to rescue Ona and the earthstone now, these demons would soon join up with the rest of their kind and all would be lost.
She closed her eyes for a moment and reached out. Right away she felt the demons ahead. They were close. Dawn opened her eyes. It was hard to see anything with the wind so strong in her face, but she thought, just for a second, that she had spotted them.
Yes, said Ebony. Get ready.
Dawn turned to face Valderin, whose horse thundered beside her. She pointed to the vague silhouettes ahead i
n the grass and Valderin nodded.
He raised his sword hand. “Guards!” he cried. “Charge!”
They manoeuvred into an arrowhead formation with Valderin and Dawn at its point.
Dawn stared ahead with wide eyes. A shout flew to her on the wind, then more cries rang out. The last of the town flashed by to her left and they sped into open country.
Then, in the long grass of the meadow, the guards and the Narlaw collided.
Dawn reached instantly for the first demon she could feel. It was still riding away and Dawn’s blood was so alive from the chase that she barely flinched at the sickness brought on by the Narlaw’s presence. She felt the demon swerve on its horse, felt its attempt to fight back, pushing against her grip. But the earth surged through her and the demon was wrenched from the world.
Dawn watched the riderless horse stumble and fall. The horse behind crashed into it and its rider also tumbled to the ground.
It was then Dawn saw Ona, falling like a rag doll beside him.
The fallen rider rose to his feet and turned to face the thundering guards. He stood beside the crumpled form of Princess Ona and drew a pair of axes from his back. Two other riders, both men, had also stopped and turned their horses to fight.
Valderin charged ahead, closing the ground in seconds, and he and the axe-man swung at each other as Valderin passed.
Dawn veered away from the collision and heard metal slither and clang as the riders crashed into each other. She swerved round, slowing her horse and glancing across to where the princess lay.
The axe-man remained standing beside her, but there was a strange, incredulous look on his grizzled features. He took a step toward Dawn then collapsed. He lay on the ground, unmoving.
Dawn nudged her horse into action and, as they drew near, she saw the wound Valderin had inflicted on his first pass. The man was dead.
Dawn leaped from her saddle and ran to Ona’s side.
Is she breathing? Ebony asked, circling above the battle.
Gathering Voices Page 8