‘Weren’t you planning to break my nose not so long ago?’
‘I have permission from Prince Kelian to do just that, so I’d be careful if I were you!’
‘Kelian just wants to see what would happen to you if you tried. Probably because you said he was reckless.’
‘I said he was brave!’ said Gilgarry indignantly, his face reddening. Kelian couldn’t help smiling at the soldier’s discomfort.
‘Here, what do you think of that?’ Borgulnay handed Gilgarry a finely crafted bone handled knife.
Gilgarry gave a low whistle as he examined the knife. ‘That’s one very nice weapon. You were right about the quality.’ He held out the knife for Borgulnay to take.
‘Actually I got two of them. That one is for you Gil.’
‘Why didn’t you say so? You enjoy tormenting me don’t you Borg?’
‘You’re my best friend Gil. Of course I enjoy tormenting you!’ Everyone flinched as a flash of lightening split the sky with simultaneous thunder cracking around them.
‘Let’s go,’ said Milgorry and he led the way south.
Chapter 39
Enri
‘What happened to Enri?’ asked Danil as soon as Enri left to hunt with Callian and Lias.
‘You want to know why he’s so quiet,’ Dale stated.
‘Yes, I do. He’s not the same boy as he was a few days ago. He looks angry and frightened and sick, and his mind is closed. He’s been this way since we left the forest and made our way up into these mountains.’
‘I thought you’d be able to hear his thoughts?’
‘I don’t like to intrude unless it’s necessary. But in this instance, Callian is guarding human thoughts very carefully. Now tell me what happened.’
Dale sighed. ‘They weren’t all knocked into the chasm by the falling rocks.’
‘Surprise, surprise,’ Danil muttered. ‘Explain.’
‘One went over the edge. Two were hit by the rocks but remained lying on the ledge and one was still standing after the fall.’
‘The one Enri fell on.’
‘Leapt on, would be a better description. He threw himself from the ledge like some kind of enraged demon and smashed the man to the ground. Then he reached around the man’s head and broke his neck before he could react – and for the fallen, that’s really something.’
‘And the others?’
‘He dragged them to the edge of the chasm and pushed them over the edge. Fortunately they were already unconscious.’
‘Remarkable,’ said Danil looking contemplatively at Dale. ‘But no boy of his age should have to deal with such an experience.’
‘The guilt is weighing on him heavily. Please don’t misunderstand. He knows very well that had he not returned them they would have killed us, and then they would have returned you, and probably little Aithne. But to break a man’s neck… He’s just a boy.’
‘He’s just a boy,’ agreed Danil. ‘I don’t suppose he’s dealing well with tossing the others down the chasm either.’
‘Not well at all. Talk to him Danil.’
‘I will. I wonder how he’s going on the hunt.’
Enri was going surprisingly well. From the moment they left their campsite Lias noticed a change in him. The boy moved relatively quickly through the forest, yet he was as silent as a hunting cat and he left very few distinguishable tracks. He was comfortable not speaking and patient as they crouched in companionable silence watching the water birds. He unshouldered the bow he had borrowed from Danil, stood up very slowly and nocked an arrow. He drew the arrow back and waited for the birds to paddle back into his line of sight. This took a little longer than he anticipated, and he determinedly held the bow steady as he waited. When the birds finally swam into sight, he adjusted his aim and released the bowstring. The arrow missed a bird by about a hand span and the birds rose a few feet into the air before resettling on the water. He drew a second arrow from his quiver. This time he managed to wound a bird and a split second later an arrow from Lias put the bird out of its misery.
Several hours later they returned to the campsite carrying three plump birds. Enri killed the second bird cleanly, and Lias shot a third as it began to fly away. Danil stood up as the hunters returned, with Enri proudly carrying the birds.
‘Good!’ he called. ‘Bring them here and I’ll prepare them.’ Enri handed him the birds and walked to the edge of their campsite which they had made in a high valley in the Khynol Mountains. He walked part way up a hill and sat down on the ground leaning his back against an old fallen tree. He closed his eyes and let the sun warm his face. His muscles were aching. He had expressed the desire to be able to fight better, with or without weapons, so Lias had taken every possible opportunity to help him improve. He knew he was far stronger and faster than when he left Alkira, and he was definitely tougher. He could scarcely believe how quickly Lias and the guardians had guided them from the Lost Forest to this place in the mountains and he was relieved they had not encountered any more of the fallen, though he wondered how many they might have to win past, to get to the Wasteland path of which Kelian had spoken. He wondered if anyone was aware how frightened he felt. He was ashamed of his fear, and hoped he would be brave enough to fight beside his companions when they finally came to face the fallen, which would probably be when they tried to cross the border. His face reddened as Danil sat down beside him. He gritted his teeth and tried to close his mind.
Danil sat in silence for a moment and considered how he would approach what Enri was sure to feel was an embarrassing issue. He thought about the boy’s parents and wondered how they might broach such a subject. Duke Percy was kind but tough and at no time would Enri have been spoilt. The Duchess was an exceptionally graceful woman, but very direct and particularly intelligent. Danil decided to get right to the point.
‘Enri, I would consider you a fool if you were not frightened. Let’s put this in perspective, shall we?’ Danil paused. Enri was giving him his full attention. ‘We have one Baron, one young Squire, three guardians, and one soldier and we’re being led through Nyinaku by one of the fallen. There may be hundreds of fallen waiting for us to cross the border.’ Enri’s eyes narrowed. He was already aware of their hopeless situation. ‘Let’s look again,’ Danil suggested and Enri raised his eyebrows. ‘We have a Baron who has proven to be clever and cunning, both extremely useful tools. We have a young Squire who is also very intelligent and whose bravery is beyond question. He has the ability to move silently and invisibly when needed and he can fight like a demon when he’s cornered. We have Guardian General Callian, who is far more dangerous and deadly than you can possibly imagine. And we have the Lady Valeska who is a gifted path finder. Did you know her name means ‘excellent guide’?’
‘Dale said her name was ‘splendid leader’, but I thought that meant like a captain rather than a guide.’
‘Among the Daoine Maithe she is both. So have no doubt that we will find Kelian’s pathway through the wasteland. And we have Lias. He knows this land and he knows his people. That means we have information we wouldn’t normally have. And Alexander is a good soldier and an excellent scout. If I send him ahead he will remember and report every single thing he sees.’
‘And we have you,’ Enri added. ‘Guardian King’s Marshall of Castle.’
‘I’m not trying to tell you not to be scared. A little fear isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A man with no fear becomes complacent and is far too easily killed. When you’re frightened your body will do more than you are normally capable of to keep yourself and your loved ones alive.’
‘You mean like in the cave?’ Enri rested his arms on his knees.
‘That’s exactly what I mean. Enri, when you leapt from the ledge, you were frightened, right?’
‘Absolutely terrified.’
‘Yet you managed a task which would normally be beyond your expectations of yourself.’
Enri nodded.
‘Fear can do that. And the result is that we’re al
l still alive. With thanks to your absolute terror.’
‘The trouble is,’ Enri paused and looked uncomfortably at Danil, ‘I’m still scared, Danil. Sitting here on a mountain where there is probably no-one for many miles… I’m still scared.’
‘Good. Very good. So if we’re set upon right now by an unexpected band of fallen warriors, you will be ready. Better to be scared and alive than complacent and dead. In the meantime, as much as is possible, enjoy this quiescence. I doubt it will last.’ He paused and gazed towards the campsite. ‘I’ll bet you anything that you’re not as scared as I am Enri,’ he said wryly.
Enri just gazed at him as if he thought him mad.
‘No, I’m serious. Back in our camp is the woman I live for and would die for, and she carries our child. I wish more than anything that she wasn’t here.’
‘She’s a strong woman,’ Enri observed. ‘I can’t imagine her backing down if she had her sights set on coming with you. Strong and beautiful, like my mother,’ he said smiling.
‘Yes. You’re right. She utterly refused to be left behind. I was a fool to give in. I should have insisted she stay. We’ve already been captured once. If anything was to happen to her I would wish to return. I couldn’t remain here without her.’ His voice dropped to a whisper. ‘I wish so much she wasn’t here, in this place, in so much danger.’
‘You can’t change that now by wishing,’ said Enri firmly. ‘And there’s little point in getting panicky and overprotective. Its fear again isn’t it? A bit at the right time is a good thing, but a lot at the wrong time is…debilitating.’ Danil raised an eyebrow in surprise as Enri continued. ‘You said it yourself. Even in our small group we have skills, and your wife may be the key to our leaving this land. If you had left her behind… Well, I don’t think it would have done her any good to be stuck outside somewhere wondering if you would ever come home, as you wander around Nyinaku searching unsuccessfully for the path that leads out of here, until the fallen finally return us all.’
‘At least she would be safe,’ said Danil.
‘To what end?’ asked Enri crossly. ‘To live out her existence here as a guardian without a husband? Somehow I don’t think she would appreciate that. She would be trapped here. There’s no way she would seek to return whilst carrying a child, would she? Of course she wanted to come with you. She’s no fool!’
Danil leaned back and closed his eyes knowing Enri was right. Enri continued before Danil could comment.
‘And I know how duty bound the Daoine Maithe are. I think she may have found it impossible not to come. After all, she’s been doing this ‘guardian’ thing a lot longer than you have. Could you have stayed behind and let Dale and I come alone?’
‘No,’ Danil admitted. ‘I couldn’t have done that.’
‘So your worrying is like my fear. We’re stuck with it, but it isn’t really a bad thing,’ said Enri, as though reciting a lesson. ‘You worry because you love her. So you use this worry, this fear to make sure you are ready to deal with any threats.’ He felt better, having talked to the King’s Marshall.
The two sat in comfortable silence as the shadows shortened. At midday they walked back to the campsite and made preparations to sleep. Enri noticed that Aithne was already sleeping peacefully under the shade of a low bush. He found the coolest place he could and was asleep within minutes.
‘How is Enri?’ Dale asked Danil from where he crouched, roasting pieces of the water birds over the camp fire.
‘He’s just scared Dale. And aren’t we all?’ said Danil, glancing towards Valeska.
‘Were you able to help him?’
‘I hope so. He certainly helped me.’
Dale looked quizzically at the King’s Marshall.
‘Dale, I was just taught the meaning and usefulness of worry by a fourteen year old boy. And I thought I was teaching him!’
Dale laughed. ‘He’s certainly full of surprises, isn’t he? Do you still plan on training him?’ He placed the last pieces of cooked meat on a large leaf that he had taken from a spoon lily.
‘I do. Strength and intelligence. Imagine the soldier I could make of him!’
‘Just remember Danil, he’s only fourteen,’ said Dale picking up a piece of meat and walking away from the fire.
‘How old are you Baron?’
‘Eighteen.’
‘Supreme Majesty! I’m surrounded by children!’ said the King’s Marshall jokingly. Dale laughed and turned as Callian, Alexander and Lias appeared through the thick bushes surrounding the camp. He was relieved to see how well Alexander was recovering though it was plain to see from his bearing that the burns were still very painful and he tired easily. Dale knew that Callian was using his own healing abilities to speed Alexander’s recovery. Callian and Lias insisted he bathe his wounds in the cool water which was pouring from many nearby springs. He was wearing Lias’ boots. Lias didn’t move any slower with bare feet.
‘Don’t step on Aithne,’ Dale warned them.
Callian chuckled. ‘Watch out for the little girl, Lias. Can you see her?’ He made a show of tiptoeing in a wide circle around the sleeping girl. Lias stretched out his arms as though he was blind and stumbled into the camp deliberately knocking Dale backwards.
‘Alright, very funny. So you saw her. What did you find out? What did you see?’ asked Dale whilst trying to kick Lias as he picked himself up from the ground.
‘A lot,’ said Alexander watching Lias trip Dale as his foot swung past.
‘Fallen?’ asked Dale rolling over into a crouch and throwing himself towards Lias. The warrior nimbly sidestepped and laughed as the Baron hit the ground hard once again. This time Dale rolled over and stayed sitting on the ground.
‘Not too many until we leave the mountains,’ said Alexander. ‘They’re as thick as flies around the lake.’
Lias held out his hand and started to help Dale to his feet and then flicked his hand away chuckling wickedly as the Baron hit the ground yet again. Dale had another attempt at kicking him as he fell, only to find himself practically upside down when Lias grabbed his foot.
Dale struggled frantically and Lias dropped him to the ground. He gave a grunt of pain as he hit the ground and a flash of concern crossed Lias’ face.
‘Sorry Dale. Are you hurt?’
‘Only my dignity. Don’t worry about it Lias.’
‘Give some meat to Alex, and then you can both rest,’ Danil ordered. ‘Alex, I know you’d like us to think you’re fully recovered, but it will be a while before you regain your full strength. You’ll need all the rest you can get before we move on. And take the boots off whilst you can. I know you’re in a lot of pain.’
Alexander rummaged for his blanket. ‘Are we still planning to go past the lake sir? Do we actually have a plan?’ He removed the boots, folded the blanket around himself and lay down tiredly, reaching out to take a piece of meat from the leaf. It was clear that the afternoon’s expedition had taken all of his strength.
‘Of course we have a plan Alex,’ said Danil confidently. ‘I just haven’t thought of it yet.’
‘Alex, explain exactly what you saw on your sightseeing excursion, and what you remember from when you came around the lake with Kelian,’ ordered Dale.
‘We went east until we came to the edge of the mountains and that part was easy.’ Alexander propped himself up on his elbow. ‘But unless we grow wings I don’t see how we’re getting past the lake.’
‘Describe the area around the water.’
‘Fairly flat. We could see some fishing huts from where we were hiding, and we could see smoke around the southern end of the lake from several more fishing huts. Most of the huts appeared to be occupied, but not all.’
‘And beyond the huts?’
‘Forest. There’s a bit of distance between the lake and the forest – a lot of bloodwoods and ironbarks and some wattle. Not dense but consistent from the mountains across to the wasteland.’
‘Describe the huts. How many and where are they
placed?’
‘There was a group of three not far from the edge of the mountains and two more about three hundred paces north. We couldn’t see any other huts any further to the north, but we could see fishing boats tied up to a little jetty just past the last two huts. There are a few single huts scattered around the southern end of the lake. The nearest was at least three miles away and there was probably another mile between each of the other huts.
‘And distance between the huts and the lake?’
‘They’re practically on the edge of the lake, maybe fifty paces to the water. The slope down to the water isn’t particularly steep and the jetty is about four feet over the water. I think the water level is a little lower than normal.’
‘And the distance between the huts and the edge of the forest?’
‘Three hundred paces, maybe four in some places. The wattle trees actually start fairly close to the huts, but they’re sparse until the ground starts to rise near the edge of the forest.’
‘And the people; did they look like they were concentrated in any particular areas?’
‘There were a lot of warriors around the nearest three huts and we could see them moving around, both to the north and the south, but we couldn’t make much sense of their movements. Dale, when I came through this way with Kelian there were some people around, but just people going about their normal tasks, or so Tim and Araas told us. Now everywhere seems to be swarming with warriors.’
‘So it would be logical for us to avoid the lake and go through the forest to the south.’ Dale frowned. ‘That means they’ll have more warriors in the southern forest than I care to imagine.’
‘Do you want to go north then?’ asked Alexander, looking distinctly uneasy.
‘No. They’re not fools. They’ll have warriors around the northern part of the lake as well. They will try to block the land to the north between the lake and the mountains.’ Dale rolled himself in his blanket and rested his head on his pack.
Alex lay back on the ground with his hands behind his head. ‘So we’re not going north and we’re not going south. Do you want us to swim the lake, Baron?’ he asked drily.
The Fallen (Book 1) Page 38