The girls climbed aboard the flat barge and soldiers came forward with their baggage only to be hurried along by Captain Cassic when they paused to stare. The girls made their way to the small shelter as it had been politely suggested for their own safety that they remain there until the barge was underway. They also knew there were areas along the river where crocodiles were numerous, so the middle of the barge seemed a good place to stay.
Elena sat on one of the seats and gazed over the lazily drifting river. Huge white tyallas lined the banks of the river, hanging over the water providing lovely shady patches. Elena pulled her shawl around her thin shoulders and shivered as the wind lifted her hair. There was a crisp winter breeze blowing across the river and the water was chilly, as she discovered when her youngest sister had deliberately splashed her when they were coming aboard. She turned to see Immosey instructing Louisa to sit down.
‘The bags can wait Louisa,’ Elena agreed, motioning to the remaining empty chair. Louisa sat down, stretching her legs out and trying unsuccessfully to hide an enormous yawn.
Immosey laughed. ‘You need to have a little sleep Lou. There is absolutely nothing to do but sit and stare at the river and possibly stare at that soldier over there. There will be nothing to do this afternoon and nothing to do this evening, and then tomorrow, well…nothing.’
Louisa sighed. ‘Then I shall sit and stare at the river. Which soldier? The red head or the one with dark hair and the cross bow?’
‘You could have a sleep if you wish. There are beds prepared behind those curtains. I can’t sleep on anything less than a good thick mattress and you know how Elena likes to have at least three soft pillows. I meant the soldier standing at the back of the barge. He seems to be in charge of the poling.’ Immosey inclined her head in the direction of a large soldier who was using a pole to ensure the barge didn’t end up trapped against the banks of the shallow river.
‘There’s still a lot to be done since we need to eat and food won’t prepare itself. He’s very tall isn’t he?’ Louisa observed.
‘Maybe he’s of the Daoine Maithe. He has the shoulders and the bright blue eyes,’ said Immosey in a loud whisper.
Elena and Louisa laughed, and Elena added, ‘And maybe ‘red head’ and ‘cross bow’ were sent by Father to keep an eye on you!’
Immosey turned her face towards the cold breeze and deftly wound her long hair up into a knot. She was ever so slightly taller than her tiny older sister but apart from Elena’s hair being very straight, the sisters were similar enough in looks to be twins. ‘I still say it would have been much more interesting had we been allowed to ride.’ Immosey was already bored.
Elena groaned and sat forward. ‘Immy, you may have enjoyed days of bumping along the dusty road on the back of a smelly, sweaty horse but I for one was most relieved when this luxurious ship was constructed just for me.’
‘Don’t get her going Ellie,’ Louisa warned. ‘She actually would have enjoyed herself if we had ridden the entire distance.’
Louisa closed her dark eyes and relaxed into her chair, appreciating her friendship with the two girls she considered her sisters. Her mind wandered back to her childhood. Her parents had been bakers, though she couldn’t remember them at all. She found it strange that she remembered absolutely nothing before the time of the great flooding. She couldn’t remember what her parents looked like or the house where they had lived. When she tried to remember her life before the flood, her mind was curiously blank. She was a small child, about four years old at the time of the terrible storms, which were the most severe the country had known. Hundreds of people were killed and several towns destroyed in the wind and water. She could vaguely remember being held up in the floodwater by a man who valiantly fought against the raging torrent, managing to push her up into the branches of a tree before he was swept to his death. Later she learned that the man was Caedmon, who had been King of Alkira at the time. King Caedmon had been in the town working alongside the soldiers, trying to evacuate the people along the edge of the raging river, when a barrier collapsed and many were swept away. The crown passed to his son Dannicus, the current King. Louisa’s parents disappeared in the floods and Queen Kita found Louisa whilst searching for her husband. She had taken the little girl to Castle where she had been cared for briefly by the Trainer at Arms Larrence who was known simply as ‘Trainer’ and his wife Milly. Within weeks she was taken to Cullen Ringo and placed in the home of Governor Ringo and Lady Megan. It was supposed that the child would be raised by the servants to be a maid to the Governor’s own daughters, but Lady Megan had taken to raising the girl personally and Elena and Immosey had accepted her unquestioningly as their sister.
When Louisa woke she found she was lying on one of the beds in the little shelter. She sat up and looked around. She couldn’t remember coming in to the shelter. Picking up her shawl she walked outside wondering if Elena and Immosey had eaten but they were seated just where they had been before Louisa had fallen asleep.
‘Hello sleepy!’ Immosey greeted Louisa with a smile.
‘I’m sorry I fell asleep. I don’t even remember going into the shelter,’ said Louisa. She usually required little sleep. She had a strange tendency to lie awake at night, sometimes all night, lost in deep thought without actually sleeping, but this didn’t concern her as she always felt rested in the morning.
‘Actually you fell asleep out here, in your chair,’ said Elena. ‘The tall one carried you to the shelter.’
‘Have you eaten? Can I prepare something for you? Do you need to sleep?’ The words tumbled from Louisa as she wondered how long she had slept.
‘Yes, no, and no,’ said Immosey. ‘We ate a good meal, we even saved you some food, and we have slept. You must be hungry, Lou. There’s bread and cheese in the meat safe, and plenty of fruit, and some other nice little delicacies. Father spoils us, as always.’
Louisa ignored the food as she didn’t feel hungry. ‘You’ve changed clothes,’ she stated, as Elena arranged her dress around her.
‘Well, we felt a little dusty after the journey in the coach yesterday,’ Elena explained. ‘I can’t stand feeling dirty.’
‘Yesterday!’ Louisa leapt to her feet and glanced at the sun. She lowered herself gently into the seat. ‘Well I really did sleep!’ She wondered why she had slept for so long. It felt very peculiar. She couldn’t remember ever having slept for more than three or four hours at a time.
‘How did we go with packing? Did we remember everything? Have we need of anything?’ she asked.
‘Yes!’ said Immosey, ‘a glass of ice cold cider from the orchards of Rammon.’
‘A poet to entertain us,’ said Elena.
‘Better still, a singer.’
‘Perhaps some oysters from the rocks near the Reef of Peril.’ Elena added her favorite delicacy to the list.
Louisa rolled her eyes heavenward and shook her head. ‘Certainly, and perhaps I shall reach up into the sky and bring down a pig for our supper.’
The sisters joined in with her laughter. ‘There truly is nothing for us to do Lou,’ said Immosey. ‘So relax. We’re bored silly, but there’s nothing we can do about it. I wish I could do something; anything to liven things up. As it is, we’ll sit back and enjoy the apricity.’
The day passed slowly
Chapter 4
Pursuit
Borgulnay cursed his evil fortune. More than twenty ngurakin lay dead around them, but they had cost the patrol dearly. Two of his better soldiers had been severely bitten and a third was limping badly from a deep ankle wound which he sustained when the wild dogs had appeared suddenly and silently behind. Borgulnay stared down at the dead animals and felt like kicking them in frustration and anger. When his grandparents had dwelt in this area the wild dogs were ferocious enough, but they were half the size of these massive animals. Since people began clearing the bush land and farms sprang up to dominate the area to the south, the ngurakin had grown huge on an ample supply of fresh mutton. And
their numbers had increased. Once they could be seen travelling with a mate and were shy of humans, but now they formed large and dangerous packs and were beginning to assert themselves. Borgulnay walked over to where Kelian and several soldiers were attending to the wounded.
‘What are your orders, sir?’ David worriedly prompted the Captain.
Borgulnay considered the two injured men. ‘Construct litters for Johans and Reid. Samual, Leonid, Michael and Bailey will carry the litters. Hal, it will be a slow journey. Are you well enough to scout ahead with your injured leg?’
‘Yes sir,’ said Hal, his face devoid of emotion. ‘We’ll see you when you get back to Castle, sir.’
Borgulnay turned to Kelian. ‘That leaves you sir, David, Alexander and me. We need to keep moving or we won’t intercept Captain Cassic and the governor’s daughters before they find themselves in the middle of one serious battle. Shall we continue, Highness?’
Kelian nodded. The litters were quickly and expertly constructed and Hal moved ahead to scout for danger. The remaining four men gathered their gear and turned west once again. Borgulnay now set a strenuous pace, moving with surprising grace for such a large man. He alternated between a loping run and rest periods where he slowed to a stride. Kelian was a fit man but unused to running distances and for such long periods, and he wondered how long he could keep up with Borgulnay and what would happen if he lagged. His thoughts focused on Elena and he knew he couldn’t allow himself to fall behind. He spent considerable time contemplating how the fallen had travelled so far east undetected.
‘The south,’ he thought to himself. ‘Surely they came along the Ice Coast and past the Emerald Hills. I can’t believe they came through Skeleton’s Rest.’ He was absolutely exhausted when they finally stopped to rest midafternoon. He walked increasingly slowly until finally he sat and then lay on the ground. He looked up through the straggly tyallas at the clear blue sky. The ground where he lay was hard and cracked. The grass was dry and coarse and the low bushes were prickly. The River Ringo was currently flowing with summer rain, but by the time winter came, Kelian knew it would decrease to a mere trickle, forcing cargo to be taken by road or by sea. The sound of a bird caught his attention. He rolled his head to the side to watch the ‘happy jack’ flap its wings as it dust bathed not fifteen paces from where he lay.
Alexander and David sat together in quiet conversation whilst casting worried glances towards the Prince. If Borgulnay was concerned the Prince couldn’t keep up with the soldiers for the remaining part of the journey he didn’t make this apparent as he approached Kelian.
‘We need to turn aside now so we don’t find ourselves in the middle of the camp of the fallen,’ he suggested. ‘We can cross the River Ringo here, or we can circle south of Three Ways. I’d rather cross here to save time. If the fallen are camped near Three Ways they’ll have more people on that side of the river, probably in the area between the river and Three Ways, and possibly surrounding the town. There’s nothing to be found on the other side of the river, it’s uninhabited, rough bush land. On the other hand, we don’t know what they’re searching for, so we cannot assume they’ll be absent from any area.’
Kelian stood up and pulled a handful of cobbler’s pegs from his clothing. He had received ample instruction in military strategy under Trainer Larrence but he was aware that not only was Borgulnay most familiar with the area around Three Ways, he was a very gifted Captain. Regardless of his authority as Prince, he would not have openly disagreed with Borgulnay in front of his soldiers unless Borgulnay’s plans were completely unreasonable, and Kelian hoped that whatever Borgulnay proposed would be well reasoned.
‘If they know Cassic’s company is in the area they’ll have sentries posted everywhere around Three Ways sir,’ Alexander commented, his dark green eyes narrowed with worry. He picked up a handful of sandy soil and let it dribble through his fingers.
‘Will they be watching the far side of the river?’ Kelian asked Borgulnay.
‘Undoubtedly,’ Borgulnay replied. ‘But if we put a little distance between ourselves and the river we may slip through undetected. If we’re discovered, well…I have a plan.’
‘What plan?’
‘How fast can you run sir?’ Borgulnay enquired with a wicked grin on his face.
Kelian shook his head in disbelief. ‘That’s your plan?’ He snorted. ‘Heaven help us!’
‘You have a better one?’ Borgulnay endeavored to keep a straight face.
‘Yes. You’re such a sneaky bastard, we use you as a distraction and Alexander, David and I make a break for it as the fallen roast your body for dinner,’ the Prince replied sarcastically.
Borgulnay stopped dead still, gazing into the distance.
‘Oh no!’ Kelian’s face turned deadly serious. ‘You will not. I forbid you. We all remain together.’ He rolled onto his feet and stood right in front of the King’s Captain, glaring up at him.
Borgulnay continued to stare ahead, lost in thought.
‘Borg!’ Kelian raised his voice angrily.
Borgulnay turned to Alexander and David and an understanding passed between the men. They rose without speaking and shouldered their packs.
‘Captain!’ Kelian was now almost shouting.
‘Kelian,’ Borgulnay said softly, looking at the Prince. ‘This will work. Alexander and David know the path I would have taken. I can lead the fallen away from you. You can pass through undetected.’
‘Borg, you could be caught.’
Borgulnay smiled. ‘Highness, this is my territory. They’ll see me only when I allow them to see me. I will simply be a distraction. I’ll lead them away from you and once I’ve lost them I’ll find your tracks on the southern side of the river.’
‘I cannot allow this. You’re overconfident. My father would not allow it.’ Kelian’s face was stubbornly set.
‘The King will be pleased with his son’s fine strategic reasoning!’
‘Yes sir,’ Alexander agreed. ‘It’s a good idea.’
‘Wonderful!’ David chimed in. ‘The Prince’s solution is excellent.’
Kelian looked from one soldier to the next, his mouth open in protest. Finally he turned away shaking his head in disgust and leaving the soldiers grinning as they heard him mutter something about being taken seriously.
Borgulnay didn’t move from where he stood watching Kelian intently.
‘What?’ Kelian asked grumpily.
‘Highness, you know I can’t do this without your permission,’ said Borgulnay, suddenly serious.
‘And if I don’t give it?’
‘We change our plan, which would be a pity. It’s probably more dangerous not to do this. After all, we must get through to the Governor’s daughters soon, or we could be too late. What a pity it would be to end up fighting a battle with the fallen because no-one got through in time. And of course-’
‘Alright! Fine!’ Kelian cursed under his breath. ‘Be a distraction. You’re certainly adept at distracting people enough to get your own way!’
They crossed the River Ringo without incident. The river at this point was wide, but neither deep nor swift and the men were able to wade across without difficulty, holding their gear above the water. The water was as clear as crystal on the sandy creek bed. As Kelian climbed the bank of the river he turned to speak to Borgulnay, but the Captain had taken the opportunity to go without further protest.
A slight movement ahead of Kelian caused him to pause, and his heart started beating loudly as he imagined being set upon by the fallen before they even reached their destination. He wished he had left his sword behind and brought his bow. He was a reasonable swordsman but he was nowhere near as comfortable with the sword as he was with the bow. David and Alexander drew their swords and moved ahead. Then to Kelian’s horror a figure dropped from the branches above and landed lightly beside him. With a shout of shock he leapt sideways and then turned in disbelief as he saw Alexander and David sheathing their swords. Timbul’s blue eyes tw
inkled at him mischievously.
‘Sorry Highness. Did I startle you?’ Timbul asked the Prince innocently.
‘We could have run you through, Timbul! We could have killed you!’ Kelian had not recovered from the shock.
Timbul smiled at Kelian and then at Alexander and David. ‘You’re a good enough swordsman Kelian, and I’ve known Alex and David for long enough to know they’re dangerous soldiers, but no, you couldn’t have killed me.’ There was no boasting in Timbul’s voice, simply a statement of reassurance. ‘So why didn’t you bring your bow?’ he asked, making Kelian certain the guardian had been listening to his thoughts. ‘King Dannicus made you into a fine bowman.’
‘I was in such a hurry to leave. My father sent you?’ Kelian asked resignedly. Timbul nodded. ‘Where’s Araas?’ Kelian was surprised to see Timbul without his brother.
‘He’s gone after Borg.’
‘You’re worried,’ Kelian stated.
‘You may not be able to re... You may not be able to kill one of us, not easily anyway, but the fallen can.’
‘But we can destroy the fallen. It’s difficult, but it’s possible.’
‘They’re fallen. They have strength, and they’re very fast, but they no longer have…’ Timbul’s voice drifted off. ‘We need to continue if we have any hope of stopping the barge before it reaches Three Ways. In fact, I’ll go on ahead if you wish Kelian.’
The Fallen (Book 1) Page 4