Cassy did not complain at the pace the men set. She doggedly remained beside Drako, although she allowed her horse to choose the best footing. She had tucked her long coat over her legs and had her hood up even over the warm hat to keep her neck and cheeks warm. The wind was bitterly cold and light snow showered them periodically. It also found its way into any gap in her clothes. She breathed through her scarf, keeping it pulled up to her eyes.
‘What are you doing?’ Drako asked, watching her turn her horse behind him and then she moved level again but on his other side.
‘You make a good windbreak,’ she told him. Her horse thought so too, happily walking close beside the big stallion. Cassy put her hand on Drako’s knee and felt his concern for her, his misgivings that he should be risking her health out here. She sent him the reassurance that she wanted to be by his side wherever they were. She hadn’t the strength for anything else so returned her hands to the blanket over her horse’s neck. Her horse’s warmth was at least keeping her fingers tolerably warm. The same could not be said for her feet.
Eventually, the little lane they were following joined a clearer road and the horses were able to move more easily. The open farmland they passed through undulated gently so they had a good view ahead but little cover. Copses of trees, at irregular intervals, sheltered the small isolated farmsteads, but the general lack of trees locally meant the wind whistled unimpeded. They were avoiding the main roads in favour of less travelled small twisting country lanes. Few people were out to see them pass which suited them nicely. They detoured around the little hamlets served by the road wherever possible, and hid when they saw or heard anyone approach. Whilst the men were well armed, they kept their weapons concealed and wore non-descript clothing, hoping to allay suspicion from any travellers they could not avoid.
After diverting around another hamlet, trudging through deep snowdrifts and unexpectedly sliding dangerously down into a buried gulley, they paused to shake the snow from their clothes before it soaked them, and make sure all of them were ok.
‘Freddie, check out that corn barn,’ Drako instructed once they had returned to the road. Freddie trotted ahead, disappeared, then came back into sight long enough to beckon. They followed him into the winter empty shelter, all of them glad to be out of the wind. Drako dismounted quickly and went to Cassy. He helped her down and watched her walk awkwardly. It was lunchtime and they had been riding since dawn. They all needed a rest. ‘Let’s get a fire going,’ Drako suggested to his men. Normally they wouldn’t bother, but it would be welcome to all. His main consideration was Cassy; she probably needed a chance to warm up properly or she would not be able to keep going. ‘Come and sit here, love,’ Drako said to her softly. ‘Let’s have a look at your feet. We don’t need you getting frostbite.’
‘Frostbite?’ she echoed nervously. She sat on the straw bale one of the men had placed near the fire and let him take hold of her boot.
‘This boot is far too tight,’ he said struggling to pull it off for her.
‘I put on an extra pair of socks,’ she explained having hoped that would help ward off the cold.
‘You need to be able to move your toes, and air around them helps warmth too,’ Drako told her. He pulled off the socks and checked each very cold foot. ‘I think we got to them early enough,’ he reassured her and quickly put back on the thicker of the socks. He massaged each foot, encouraging her blood to circulate and warming them up properly, before putting her boots back on. ‘Better?’
‘Much better thank you. I’m sorry to be such a nuisance. Am I slowing you up?’ she asked rather despondently.
‘No, the weather’s doing that. It isn’t safe to go any faster. It’s icy in places and as we found out a few minutes ago, the snow is deep enough to cover far too many hazards.’
‘Wouldn’t it be better to stick to the roads then?’ Cassy asked. ‘We’ve hardly seen anyone about and going across country is dangerous and takes longer. Besides, we’re making very distinctive tracks across country whereas they’d be lost amongst other traffic on the roads.’ She took the sandwich Freddie offered and silently ate while they conferred. These men might be accustomed to doing without a fire but she noticed they gathered around it eagerly.
Cassy felt much better for the food, rest and chance to thaw her feet. She mounted her horse unaided and took her place at Drako’s side. They continued on the road much of the afternoon. Luckily, even the worst of the snowdrifts had been forded and a path made by other travellers. The horses were able to trot steadily where the footing allowed it. When they heard others approaching they continued to hide if possible. If the country was too open for that, Cassy would weave a spell clouding the minds of the passerby, meaning they would forget they had seen a mounted party. Touching a person’s mind with a subtle nudge was easier than trying to make them truly invisible. Horses were noisy creatures, stamping, huffing or jingling their tack impatiently if halted out in the cold. It was difficult to pretend no one was there unless she tried to affect the person’s hearing too. That was far too complicated, as someone would notice a complete lack of sound just as surely as a warning shout. It was tiring work on top of trying to keep her body moving enough to stay warm. She was unaware the men were all keeping an eye on her knowing she could not possibly be fit enough for such a bruising trek. Her slight body had little body fat for warmth, so she would both feel the cold, and not have too much strength. Nevertheless, she did not complain and stayed in the saddle by Drako’s side, silently persevering.
When the afternoon’s light began to fade, they searched out an empty barn set back from the road and stopped. Erecting the tent, in the most sheltered corner of the barn, was the first thing the men did. Cassy did not protest when they bade her go inside immediately the tent was up. Freddie handed over her packs and Cassy gladly unrolled the thin pallet and her sleeping bag and sat on them limply. She felt bad that she had left the care of her horse to the men but she simply hadn’t the strength to do it. She was just glad of a chance to recover with nothing asked of her.
Through the tent flap, she watched the men moving about the dark barn. They checked for hazards and secured the doors before deeming it safe for the horses. Each horse was checked for injury, rubbed down and fed before being released to find a place to rest. The men brought their bedrolls into the tent then collected firewood. Only once all the camp chores were done did they crawl into the tent to join her.
Cassy shifted her pallet to the back of the tent and kept out of their way. The tent had initially seemed reasonably spacious, but with five adults inside, it quickly became crowded. She took off her boots and rubbed some feeling back into her toes. They lit a fire at the entrance but it was the five of them inside that truly warmed the tent. There was long familiarity in their movements as they set about the camp chores. They didn’t need to discuss who would do what, they already knew. They teased one another good naturedly, Drako being the butt of some of the jokes. She smiled at the men’s bantering, raising a brow occasionally.
Drako sat beside her companionably. She was too tired to talk but when he put his arm around her, she leaned against him. They watched Freddie drop with a clang a brown frozen lump into the metal pot he’d suspended on a tripod over the fire. Freddie poked it round and slowly it melted into a mouth-watering thick stew. They sat silently, relishing the hot and flavourful meal provided for them. It warmed them properly from the inside out and finally they were warm enough to remove outer clothing.
The five pallets had to be pushed together to fit into the small tent and ended up cushioning the whole floor. Elbow room was definitely in short supply. Cassy crawled into her sleeping bag early, only having removed boots and coat. Drako lay between her and the cold wall. She snuggled against him in his sleeping bag aware it was what he wanted too and his arm came out to hold her. Freddie laid close on her other side, but with his back politely turned. They did not crowd her but they were close enough to share warmth. With little to do and feeling warm, ti
red and safe all together, they fell asleep early.
8. Northwalt
Three days later and not far from Northwalt the road passed through a forest. They were very glad of the shelter from the unrelenting icy wind. Unfortunately, anything around would be taking shelter here too.
‘Drako!’ Cassy whispered urgently and stopped her horse. She reached out and touched his knee. ‘There is an animus ahead of us and one on our right,’ she told him urgently.
Drako gestured to his men who had all noticed they had stopped. They alertly looked around peering where Cassy was looking. She abruptly turned in her saddle; someone was coming up behind them too. Drako glanced at her when she urged her horse on again and noticed her face set with concentration. His horse automatically moved with hers. A weird disorientating feeling swept him and he knew she had activated a shield over them. He was glad Jim had made him experience this before they left so he recognised what she had done without alarm.
‘Reveal yourselves,’ Cassy ordered, firstly locking onto the presence ahead, and then flicking to the right to add that presence and then finally turning to gather the one behind her. Her voice had not been loud but magic crackled.
Two men walked into sight shaking their heads and clearly bewildered that they could not control their feet. The third man at the rear had also felt the irresistible compulsion and came into view.
‘Darius,’ Drako exclaimed in relief having swivelled round to see who Cassy was looking at behind them.
‘Drako, is that you?’ Darius asked coming forward more readily now. He certainly recognised the wolf men, now he was closer, but when people were wrapped in layers of heavy clothing and were furthermore liberally dusted in snow, identity details were not so easy to discern.
Cassy was relieved and released the compulsion and protective shield as they approached. Drako’s brother was also tall and darkly handsome. However, she sensed a harsher personality in the man briskly taking control of them.
Darius motioned for his sentries to return to their posts while he retrieved his horse and mounted. He led their party through the screen of trees and nodded reassurance to the next set of sentries hidden in the two trees flanking his position. The gates of the village’s palisade opened at his approach and he escorted them past the perimeter checkpoint without pause.
Darius halted outside a large Inn, and dismounted. Northwalt was an isolated village, but it was on a trading route and benefited from sufficient passing trade from merchants to survive, but only in the clement months. In winter, it usually closed for want of trade. Opening its doors to Clan Green Bear, after its usual trade had gone, was mutually beneficial. Drako jumped down from his horse and was at Cassy’s side before she’d even had much of a chance to look about her. She threw her leg over and slid down her horse letting Drako catch her.
‘Are you alright?’ Drako asked taking the excuse of assisting her to hold her in his arms. That had been powerful magic she had just performed and at the end of another cold tiring day.
‘Yes. You should put me down; your brother is watching.’
‘So? Saves telling him,’ Drako said but released her.
People came and led their horses away and Cassy followed him into the warmth of a big reception room. She was aware that Darius was staring at her, but with her long coat, hood, hat and scarf up round her face she was well hidden. The heat of the room was powerful however; she could not put off the inevitable meeting. She turned her back and put back her hood, drew off the scarf and hat. Drako smiled at her in silent encouragement and they turned as one to face Darius.
‘Darius, I’d like you to meet Cassaria, my girlfriend,’ Drako announced.
‘So, you finally get here little brother,’ Darius drawled. ‘I trust you have a good explanation for where our people are and your failure to get them to one of the meeting places. So tell me, why did you bring a girlfriend here when so many lives are at stake? Where did you find this tiny bit of skirt? What is she?’ Darius added scathingly.
Cassy stepped between them and put a hand on Drako’s chest hearing his snarl and feeling his instant outrage. ‘I see you learned your manners and charm from your father, Darius.’ She met his angry black eyes without flinching. ‘I am a wizard and I’m here because Trent asked me to come.’
‘Consorting with a wizard, have you learned nothing?’ Darius sneered at his brother. ‘You even walked straight into our ambush; some hunter you are.’
‘You’re referring to our meeting? Cassy detected the three of you from a distance and alerted us to your exact locations. She shielded me then summoned you all to walk out of cover to face us. You were three to our five, exposed and on foot. Yes,’ Drako said calmly. ‘We remember.’
‘We were hidden; we could have fired at any point,’ Darius defended. ‘None of you were taking evasive action.’
‘You were not hidden from me and no, you could not have fired,’ Cassy told him. ‘Sensing three animus men so close to our destination I made sure there were no mistakes. I pulled you to us so you could be identified,’ she added.
‘You could not have seen us,’ Darius refuted.
‘You need proof? There are three men outside that door, seven outside the window and four more people upstairs.’ She silently watched Darius go to the door and peer out into the hall then go to look out the window.
‘That could be a useful skill,’ Darius conceded. ‘So, you’re here to get permission to marry Drako?’
‘No, we’re not engaged. I’m here because Lord Trent invited me to visit.’ A tall slender dark haired woman entered the room. Her likeness to Drako was obvious.
‘Ebony,’ Drako said in warm greeting and rose to receive her hug.
‘You must be Cassy or is it Cassaria?’
‘Call me Cassy. I take it you’re Drako’s sister?’ Cassy asked liking her on sight.
‘Yes. I’m so happy to meet you. So I hear our people now have their own village with you? And you were one of the wizards that built it?’ Ebony asked. She glanced at Darius, smiling that she had found out real and useful facts ahead of him.
‘Yes. We have a new headmaster. He’s a powerful wizard but only in his early twenties. He and Drako have become firm friends and have forged a completely new alliance. I believe Louis is drafting something in writing as we speak. Your father was very impressed with how happy and settled your people are there. Nearly everyone now have homes and places of work to call their own. I think it is only the hunters who’ve yet to have their houses built and that’s only because we ran out of time before the snows.’
‘The wizards in the school built a village within school grounds? Why?’ Darius queried.
Ebony waved Cassy into an armchair beside the fire and sat opposite in fascination.
Cassy shed her coat properly and sat down collecting her thoughts.
‘It began with your tithe. Our former headmaster heard that a foreign wizard travelling with an animus girl would pass near us at about the right time. He hoped to be able to give you a stranger. But unfortunately for him, he realised Amelie was not simply animus when he finally met her.’
‘This is the woman meant for me?’ Darius asked his brother. Drako nodded.
Cassy absorbed the news that the kidnap victim had been for Darius not Drako. She had always wondered why Drako had seemed so removed from that. ‘It’s a very good job none of your people tried to kidnap Amelie; I doubt they’d have managed to keep her trapped for more than a few minutes and they’d certainly not have got all the way here.’
‘Why do you say that?’ Darius asked.
‘Amelie is a very rare talent: an animus warrior wizard. She can be any animal she likes. She can also create spells. No one could make her do something against her will. However, I understand Vako had already said he could deliver before even meeting her. He staged a weapons practice session, on learning Jim was a complete novice, and gave our best student an enchanted wooden sword. They timed it so that Amelie was also busy fighting and p
aired with our drill instructor. He’s no wizard but he’s a big powerful man. She had no problem besting him but she couldn’t do so quickly. Only then could she see the damage Jim was taking. She intervened before he was killed. She was completely furious. Jim had a dislocated shoulder, broken ribs and fingers. This was arranged to coincide with Louis’s visit the next evening. Vako was scared Jim would fight to defend his lady.’
‘When I gave Jim lessons he said he had no wish to be pummelled into the ground. I didn’t know he’d suffered so badly,’ Drako said in dismay. ‘But Louis said Jim walked in to that meeting and took charge. Louis did hear the others refer to an attack serious enough to cripple Jim only the day before, and could see he was in pain, but those kinds of injuries should have felled him for many days.’
‘They did fell him, but Amelie spent hours mending his bones, giving him strength and shouldering his pain for him. Yet even after having done all that and exhausted, she still felt the presence of intruders. I don’t know what was said to Louis, but obviously it was cause for a change of plan to invite you to us. I do know Jim was hopping mad when he got back after that meeting. We could all feel waves of power rolling off him.’
‘Hang on; you say this animus wizard was able to mend bones in a day?’ Darius asked.
‘Bones are relatively straightforward I understand. I’ve never done it, so can only repeat what they say. Mending internal flesh and muscle however, is not easy, because flesh is flesh whether it’s damaged or whole. But somehow Amelie figured out how to help heal him.’
‘Why do you think Jim was hopping mad after speaking with Louis?’ Drako asked her in concern.
‘Vako announced to us all he was stepping down in favour of Jim at breakfast next morning. I imagine Louis told Jim of Vako’s plan to ransom Amelie. You know how he is when anything threatens her.’
‘So a fight took place, which Jim won,’ Drako surmised. Ebony shifted in her seat impatiently and he recalled himself to relating facts they needed to know. ‘While I was meeting with Jim a messenger came to me. Our camp had been found and our people were on the run. Jim immediately offered us sanctuary within the school grounds and we took it. I don’t think he realised just how many of us there were. We couldn’t all take shelter in the training ground buildings. Some of us had had no chance to pack our tents so we were in a poor way. Jim freed up a big dormitory on the top floor of the house instead for us. All of us could be together in a warm dry room with beds and fires. What had that room been used for?’ Drako asked, turning to Cassy.
Clan Green Bear: Wizards of White Haven Page 12