“Do you remember much of your childhood?” Wynn asked softly, she was surprised she had asked such a personal question but it popped from her lips before she could stop herself. Childhood had always been something of interest to Wynn; she knew Braelyn had had a similar childhood to hears, albeit with less violence and unhappiness. The travellers had all had happy childhoods, their lives only suffering once Lord Oprend had forced his rule upon them, for Jareth killing his parents, for Griffin seeing the truth of their rule. But what had happened to Arabella? She never showed anything, and the only way Wynn knew what she was thinking on the surface was due to the fact she could feel her emotions. If not for that Arabella would be a question mark, a mystery.
Arabella too rolled over and faced Wynn; her eyes were hard but her lip quavered, there was no hesitation in her reply and that for Wynn signified how much their relationship had changed in such a short amount of time, “That Night changed everything. Before then Aerona was strong, but she did not have a large following, her army of Fallen were at the time one of the only forces that worked with her. The Gypsies knew of her aims, the tarot cards, and few Seers in our family saw she had only evil in her future. The Foreseeing was remembered and passed throughout the land, but of course no one else could See into the future, or read the tarot cards, so they believed the Gypsies, being a superstitious race, were being too wary, and were mistaken. Aerona had had over a century to hone her magic, and gain strength, so it is not surprising that she has grown progressively stronger over the last seventeen summers.
“But, despite that shadow of fear – I do not remember much of my childhood, I have very clear memories of my mother holding me on the back of a wagon, looking out across the plains, horses pulling it at the front – the memories I can recall were always happy. Gypsies lived in the plains back then; we raised animals, animals that survived in the harsh conditions, and used our gift of the sight to read the fortunes of those travellers who sought us out. I learned the tarot from my mother and her sisters, and was good at it, but the happiness did not last long. The Gypsy Massacre, seven summers after That Night, destroyed our race, our livelihood; the animals we reared too were slaughtered as they were believed to have magical abilities. It was nonsense of course but Aerona was cautious. We were rounded up, by Woodstone’s army; all men and those with magic were murdered. The image I always remember from that day, save the sight of hundreds of blood covered bodies was my mother being killed, except now I think about it I know she was not murdered. I saw a Mage raise his hand and her fall to ground; I did not understand the complexities of magic.
“The survivors all disbanded, and our family, our race was no more. My grandmother and I moved to Kingly to try and make a fresh start. At nine I would not inherit my magic for another nine summers, but my grandmother took no chances, every day, for nine summers she trained me in combat and control. My grandmother never had magic, but her husband had been a powerful Mage and told her everything he knew, he was murdered in the massacre and so it was left to my grandmother to teach me. I never really believed I would have magic, but my grandmother insisted that I would, every female on our side of the family, save my grandmother, had the gift. My grandmother was a mother to me, and I regret the day I left more than anything in the world. We had lived happily for nine summers, and my birthday loomed and yet still I left for stupid, childish reasons. I was determined to hunt down and destroy the man that had killed my mother. My only thought was finding this man and killing him. My grandmother wisely told me not to, to let it go... I would not listen and so I left. The next day I inherited my magic. I was trained, and knew what to do, and the extra power that was added was overwhelming. I felt sure that I could find the man and destroy him. I searched for months, but of course could not leave Inlo. I had not thought for a moment the Mage could cross The Wall... It was then that I was kidnapped.
“I was kidnapped by Methis’s army. It is a small town to the west of Woodstone. I was taken to Methis. It is a town of corruption and poverty. Whores roam the streets and children cry in alleys. There the Lord of the town ordered me to his Manor. He knew I was a Gypsy as at the time I wore an anklet my grandmother had given me. On it was a tiny charm of the moon, the ancient sign of my people. He ordered me to dance. I refused. His men grabbed me and held a knife to my throat, taking the anklet as punishment. After that I danced. I had inherited by magic, and had control but I was still not trained to use it, my grandmother could never have trained me for that, so when he kept me in his Manor and called me when he wanted a private dance, I had no idea how to free myself. It was when he tried to seduce me that I killed him, with his own weapon. If I was not already an outlaw before I had become one then. I ran, ran for days, I had never been so exhausted before. I nearly died I am sure, that was when the travellers found me. I trained every day after that, using my magic until I could use it safely without a moment’s notice.”
“You never found the man that harmed your mother?” Wynn asked.
Arabella looked at her then with such sad eyes that Wynn felt tears prickle in her own. She did not need to answer the question; it was clear she had not succeeded and that she still burned with hurt and years of struggle because of him.
“I am sorry Arabella,” Wynn said softly, cautious of what to say. She knew the rest of the story; the travellers had taken her in and cared for her. She repaid them with protection. Wynn had always felt underneath Arabella given her vast knowledge of combat and magic but now she realised she was only two summers older than her. Twenty summers old. She seemed so much older; as Wynn was sure she too appeared. Wynn was surprised Arabella had told her so much of her life, maybe she felt the bond that had grown between them, or maybe this was the first time she had found someone to tell. Whatever the reason Wynn was glad, Arabella was a complex person and Wynn longed to be close to her.
An animal suddenly howled and Wynn sighed, they had talked for hours. She glanced at Arabella, who had fallen silently asleep. Wynn closed her eyes, too tired to even dwell on what she had learnt, sleep washing over her.
They woke the next morning stiff and irritable. Arabella searched through her pack and retrieved some dried meat and nuts. She handed Wynn’s share to her silently, pointedly avoiding eye contact. Wynn felt embarrassment from her and she longed to hold her and tell her... tell her what? That everything was going to be ok? How could she promise that? After they had finished eating Arabella packed away the remaining food and stood up stiffly. Wynn brushed herself down and stared up at her.
“Do you regret telling me?”
Arabella was silent for a moment, then sighed, “No, I do not regret it, it just has been so many years since I thought of my childhood in such detail, it has awoken old feelings.”
Wynn nodded. Arabella had told her story and made herself vulnerable and it would take a while for her to accept that she did not always have to protect herself from others. Wynn made sure her feelings radiated acceptance and understanding, but said nothing; the moment was too tender for spoken words. Wearily Wynn stood up and shouldered her pack into a more comfortable position, feeling the corner of the book of black magic dig into her back. She had the sudden urge to read it, even if it was only to look at the pictures but Arabella had walked off. Sighing Wynn ran after her.
They walked until nightfall, Wynn was sure the distance covered was substantial but Arabella seemed uncomfortable with stopping. Wynn wanted to argue with all she was worth that stopping was the right thing to do, her legs trembled and her muscles ached, but Arabella silenced her with her hand and they walked long into the next day. Arabella was driven by senses that Wynn had not acquired yet, how to survive in the open, if danger was near and Wynn could not argue with her. The forest all looked the same to her; she did not even know if they were walking north. For all she knew they were walking in circles. Wynn followed on silently; even her emotions had dwindled out into only exhaustion. She thought of nothing other than the pounding sound of her feet as walked.
&nbs
p; It was around midday when Wynn collapsed to the floor. Arabella spun round at the sound, and quickly noted how pale and exhausted Wynn was. She sat beside her and handed her some bread smothered in honey, taking some for herself. Wynn took a large bite then realised that it was all she was going to have to eat all day, and forced herself to nibble at it.
They sat in companionable silence for some time before Wynn felt something strange. It was an animal she was sure, she had felt enough in her travels to be able to distinguish between animal and human, but what she felt now did not have typical animal characteristics. It did not solely wish for food, or the thrill of the hunt. It was not even like the beast they had encountered in Cratewood, a Bordin Boar Medea had called it, which was a beast of rage and fear; the animal Wynn felt now was different and was searching for something with an almost human obsession. Wynn turned to Arabella to ask if she had felt it but she had her eyes closed. A few moments passed and her eyes snapped open and looked at Wynn in fear.
“It is a creature of Aerona’s making. It searches for us. We must move.”
Wearily Wynn stood, her pack threatening to unbalance her. The heat of the midday sun beat down on her and closeness of the forest choked her; she could not see how she could go on much longer. Forcing herself she stepped forward and allowed her feet to fall into the familiar rhythm of walking. Arabella was further ahead listening intently, treading carefully. They walked for a few minutes when from behind them they heard the cry of an animal and fear instilled itself into Wynn. It was close, too close. In a few moments she was sure it would appear. Arabella spun at the sound, her hair flying around her head and stared in the direction of the noise.
“We have to fight,” she commanded, dropping her pack and drawing her daggers. Wynn wanted to laugh, she was so exhausted she could hardly stand let alone fight of a carnivorous beast of black magic. With an effort she dropped her pack and unsheathed the Dagger of Night, holding it tightly in her hand. She went for it automatically. The sound of wood snapping sounded from all around them, not twigs, but whole trunks. Wynn jumped fearfully on the spot, warming her muscles.
It leapt at them from nowhere, it had the body of a mountain lion, with wings and head of an eagle, it knocked into Wynn and bounded at Arabella, beak open in a nightmarish scream. Wynn lost her balance and fell into a nearby tree. The tree shook with the force and shed its leaves onto of her. She snarled in anger and jumped from where she had fallen and charged at the beast, tiredness forgotten; slicing it with the dagger in its side, but the creature did not fall. It instead roared in anger and swiped at her with its paw, catching her leg. Thick talons ripped into her skin and blood poured freely. Instantly Wynn went weak with pain, dropping the dagger into the forest floor and collapsing into the undergrowth. The beast turned its attention back to Arabella.
Arabella screamed at the beast, charging at it. The beast pawed the ground then soared into the air; Arabella took her chance and ran her dagger along the underside of the creature, sending her magic into its body which slowly dismantled the creature’s organs. The creature fell to the ground and tried pathetically to rise. Its insides sprawled along the ground. Arabella ignored it and ran to Wynn. She was unconscious in a pool of blood. Arabella turned her over and placed a hand on the wound. She sent her magic deep into the gashes, healing the veins and muscles. It took a few minutes, but soon the wound was knitted back together.
Arabella sighed with exhaustion and leant against a nearby tree. The creature died silently. Arabella felt its life extinguish and she laughed weakly with satisfaction.
Wynn and Arabella did not walk for five days. Each too exhausted to do anything more than eat. Wynn prodded her thigh curiously, expecting searing pain to explode through her; instead she felt nothing but her nail dig gently into her skin. If it were not for Arabella Wynn was sure she would have fared far worse, the necklace she wore around her neck protected her from magic and she could not die while it still worked, but it did not stop her from feeling pain and without Arabella she would have been in agony for days as her magic slowly healed the wound. The Dagger of Night had done nothing more than cut the creature, but then what had she expected to happen? She held onto the dagger because she knew it was powerful but she did not know how to use it. Groaning in irritation Wynn looked at her leg, all that was left from the creatures attack was three pink lines running the whole width of her thigh. Her trousers were ripped comically and loose fabric flapped whenever she moved. She might as well take them off and walk in her undergarments. Wynn laughed dryly at the thought, being attacked by Aerona’s henchmen and creatures in her undergarments. Arabella stirred at the sound of her laughter and raised her eyebrow at her.
“Sorry,” Wynn said quietly. Arabella snorted and pulled herself up and leant against a tree trunk. The creature’s corpse still lay a few feet away; they had not had the energy to move it, and did not want to touch the body. Wynn stared at it as she had stared at it for the past five days. It was beautiful in death, if she ignored the huge gash that ran all the way down its abdomen and the organs that were sprawled from it, bloody and rotting. Its legs were strong and its talons sharp and deadly, its wings half curled around its body, as though sheltering it from the world. The feathers were golden, with streaks of red running through them. Its beak still lay open as though it were screaming, and its huge eye, as large as a plate, was wide and accusing. It was the creature Medea had warned them about, a Hybrid, a creature of Aerona’s will. Wynn was not surprised that it had found them, danger seemed attracted to her.
Wynn wished they were further away from the rotting creature, but they had been too exhausted to even contemplate it. She had never felt such weariness before, when she was running from the Fallen, she thought she would die, but that was heightened by fear, but after her fight with the creature she had known true weariness. Brought on by lack of food, she had only eaten a few meals in over a week, lack of sleep and continual walking. She had never slept for so long, three days solid, waking only to relieve herself and felt better for it. The past two days had been spent drinking water and eating their supplies. They needed to be fit because their journey was nowhere near over.
“We should get moving today,” Arabella said suddenly, as she brushed herself down. Wynn sighed and nodded, the attack of the creatures had drained them of their strength, and combined with the hard walking they had done over the last month they had had no choice but to rest, but she could feel the strength returning to her muscles and could not justify sleeping anymore. Arabella waved her hands and water separated from the air, flowing as though from a pump. Once they had enough Arabella channelled half of it to Wynn who drank it hurriedly. As long as there is air we will not want for water, Wynn thought gratefully. Arabella stood, shouldered her pack and waited for Wynn to do the same. It felt heavy on her shoulders and she grimaced. They set off into the forest leaving the creature behind them to rot.
They walked solidly for a week, and the days were hard. Arabella was prickly for days after telling Wynn her story, but Wynn did not hold it against her, if anything it showed Arabella’s fragility, that she felt so vulnerable for telling someone of her childhood that the echoes of the pain lasted for days. After Arabella had established Wynn thought no less of her she relaxed into their friendship and Wynn felt her spirits lift. The nights were cold, and the supplies dwindled but something about Arabella made her feel secure and even though they sleep little and ate even less Wynn did not lose hope.
While they walked Arabella taught her simple combat techniques. How to block an attack without a weapon and take an enemies weapon from them; after seven days she still could not master them. As she walked she thought of the lessons; jumbled embarrassing moments. Arabella had started off with a stick, a thin long one that she hit Wynn with when Wynn failed the exercise. Arabella tried to poke Wynn with it, and all Wynn had to do was block it any way she could. At first Wynn had used her arm to block the stick, but as Arabella pointed out if it was a real sword her arm woul
d have been severed straight off. Wynn tried something different, trying to dodge the stick, and it worked at first because Arabella had not been expecting it, but when Arabella knew it was all Wynn would do she changed her attack and ‘killed’ her instantly.
Wynn’s frustration grew until she forgot she was only dodging a stick, if she saw Arabella’s face drawn in a smug smile or heard her utter ‘dead’ one more time she would scream. She ducked under the swing, hearing the whoosh of air above her, and thrust her palm out; fingers curled and hit Arabella’s hand with the heel of her palm. Arabella’s hand instantly reacted, letting go of the stick and it flew through the air, thwacking into a tree. Arabella flexed her fingers and grinned at Wynn.
“Unconventional.” Arabella said, “in situations like that I would dodged the weapon and rendered the enemy unconscious with a kick to his temple, but your way worked just as well for sometimes it is not at all possible to move your legs in that way.”
Wynn had grinned, pleased with herself, but the smile was wiped off her face when Arabella had moved on to the next exercise, disarming and taking the weapon off the enemy. Wynn could not manage it. Arabella had retrieved the stick and was thrusting it at Wynn again; she could dodge it well, and had managed to disarm Arabella a few times, but she could not take the weapon from her. Arabella’s attacks became quicker and Wynn was forced to try and fight back, she swung at Arabella who ducked the attacks with ease, a smile on her face. To Wynn this was essential but to Arabella it was a game, she was good at this, her limbs moved like smoke, quickly and unseen, too fast to be touched. Wynn felt like a slug in comparison, easily hit and not at all graceful.
Shade of Destiny (The Foreseeing) Page 31