“Tobyn virtually rules my country,” Parlan said angrily, “my brother, who is about to become king, is guided by him over every decision.” “Everyone fears Tobyn, and none will lift a finger or speak against him. I used to tend the castle stables with my father, until the king was murdered. But now that Tobyn has advised Prince Kaleb to raise taxes, the landowners are rebelling, refusing to pay, saying they wouldn’t have enough money or food to survive if they did. Relishing his new power even though he is not yet crowned, Kaleb has had them thrown into the dungeons to reconsider their position, and executed should they still refuse to pay. To make matters worse, he has confiscated their land to pay the debt they owe, and new managers have been appointed to run their estates. My father decided to leave the royal service and return to our farm. Even though it meant finding the new taxes that had been imposed, he thought it better to distance himself from Kaleb’s madness.” Nemeila paled at Tobyn’s name; she had hoped that she might be safe for a while longer before encountering him. Her birth mother had warned her of his power, stressing that she should avoid him at all costs. “Tobyn is no ordinary man,” Nemeila cautioned, “I was warned about him long ago. If I leave here to help you, I will be putting my life in serious danger. I’m not yet ready or able to stand against the most powerful sorcerer who has ever lived. Anyway, how did you two find me? No one in Kallopia knows about me, except perhaps Tobyn, and even he doesn’t know where I live - I hope!” “We were hiding in a wood, considering various plans to overthrow my brother’s claim to the throne, and how we could possibly deal with the sorcerer, when a strange creature came to our door. He didn’t appear to be human, but we didn’t question his origins for he was pretty scary. He told us that you were the only one who might stand against Tobyn.”
“What else did this creature say?” asked Nemeila. She knew there had been other prisoners on board her mother’s ship when it crash-landed, who were different to Tobyn’s followers. She knew it had to be one of the latter that had sought out these two young lads to find her. Her mother must have sent him, knowing these harmless aliens would present no danger to the natives of their new home.
“Little else actually, only that there would be great danger in standing against Tobyn.” Tyler leaned forward, to study Nemeila more closely. He saw before him a beautiful young girl, far different from what he had imagined. Her voice was kind and gentle, and although he had only just met her, the impression he had of her was not that of a domineering or selfish person. He instinctively liked her, and was not prepared to endanger her life, and would refuse any help she offered.
“I think we may have made a mistake in coming here,” Tyler said. “It hadn’t occurred to either of us that we would be endangering your life. If you’ll allow us to stay for a couple of days, we will help you tend your father. Then we’ll be on our way and will take on Tobyn alone.” The following day, Jakob seemed a lot better. Hot broth, rest, and treatment he’d received for his broken leg enabled him to sit up in his cot. He called his wife and Nemeila to sit close to him, as he had something important to tell his daughter.
“You have brought nine years of happiness to your mother and me,” he said, smiling into the girl’s eyes. “It would appear that your destiny now lies with these two boys who have asked for your help and, as much as we love you and want you to stay, you must follow your heart. I saw what you did in the forest; no ordinary child could do such a thing. At first I thought perhaps you were a witch’s spawn especially when the old woman suddenly appeared in a place I knew to be uninhabited. But I am grateful to her for her knowledge, if what she taught you helps you defeat this man and keeps you safe.” “I have learnt many things, father,” Nemeila agreed. “Since I have been away from you, I have been aged nine years, and with luck, it will enable me to defeat the man who threatens not only Kallopia, but also any place he might go. I love you both very much, no child could ever wish for more loving or caring parents. She hugged the woodsman and his wife hard, and then, with tears in her eyes, she faced the two young men who were making ready to depart, and agreed to accompany them. “I don’t know that I will be able to do all that you ask of me,” she said, “but Tobyn killed my natural father. He and I are destined to meet, that much I know. Whether it’s now or later, will make no difference, except the passing years would have granted me more experience.”
Chapter 8
Hunted
Tobyn halted mid-stride in the middle of the corridor. Servants passed him by with care, pressing themselves tightly against the walls lest they get too close and inadvertently touch him. A pain spasm ripped through his head at the exact moment Nemeila started to weave the spell in the forest clearing. Beneath the black-blue hood of his robe his pale gaunt face contorted in agony, and it took all his self-control not to cry out. Somewhere, someone was casting a spell, a spell that held the same bindings as his own. It could mean only one thing; either unknown to himself one of the other prisoners had his skills, or the girl he had vowed to kill had inherited her mother’s knowledge. It had to be the latter option, he concluded, for the strength of the bindings was weak and the user unsure how to command them. The summons from Kaleb could wait, there were now more pressing matters to attend to.
Returning to the clutter of his quarters in the lower regions of the castle, Tobyn sought a way to identify this new threat. Long dark tendrils of greasy hair draped down his back and hung around of his face, as he bent low over the pages of his Grimoire. He spent the best part of the day searching for a way to discover this newcomer and the game being played. Pinpointing the spell he needed, Tobyn intoned the incantation aloud and, weaving esoteric patterns in the air with his hands began to conjure the spell of vision. Afternoon had passed into evening by the time the spell was complete, but for him the time spent had been worth the while. The wavering vision before him showed the boy who had helped in the stables together with the elder prince. But who was the girl? Was this really Ilanthia’s daughter? And if so, just what powers did she possess? Having now seen her face, he could have her captured as she crossed the water from her homeland to Kallopia. He sent word and summoned the six who had followed him from the crippled ship. “You will be well rewarded for your efforts,” he promised them as they stood listening to his plan, “you can kill the two boys, but I want the girl taken alive. I made a vow to our beloved captor that I would tear out her daughter’s heart with my bare hands, and I never go back on my word. They are currently preparing to leave the land of Ikasar. You cannot fail to recognise the girl as she bears a striking resemblance to her mother, having the same long dark hair, with golden-brown eyes. Get down to the docks and await her arrival.” Jakob held a bag of coins towards Nemeila, urging her to take them, “I will not see my daughter go hungry on the road, nor will I have her sleeping rough when a bed might be bought. You will also need money for the sea voyage if you are to go with these young men.” He looked at Tyler and Parlan, and in his eyes they could see the fierce love he had for his daughter. “I am entrusting her life to you,” Jakob said, solemnly, “she means more to my wife and I than you can imagine. Whatever happens, I want to know, even if the news is ill.” “We will take care of her, sir, of that much you can be assured,” Tyler, said, “I would forsake my own life before I would allow her to be harmed.”
Nemeila hugged her parent’s goodbye, before Tyler linked his fingers and boosted her onto the back of his horse and climbed up behind her. The forester and his wife watched as they trotted towards the centre of the village, before vanishing from sight at a bend in the road.
“I knew we would lose her one day,” Taliena remarked sadly, tears forming in her eyes, “but I was hoping it would be on her wedding day.”
“Her arrival all that time ago is still a mystery,” said Jakob, “as is the fact that a wolf brought her to us, the same wolf guiding her to me after my accident. Perhaps we will never know her true origins but that doesn’t matter, we were entrusted to look after her, which we did. She said her amulet will
protect her, and I believe that. For if you’d seen what I saw in the forest, you’d know she’s no ordinary child; maybe her mother is a goddess, who entrusted her daughter to us to test our worth. Who knows? But if she really is an Immortal, then I hope the other gods will help her and keep the two boys safe in their coming battle.”
Although they had coin enough to purchase a bed, there had been no inns or taverns along the chosen route. Dusk fell and, having found a place to make camp, Tyler helped Nemeila to dismount. “Can you make a fire,” he asked, “while we try to catch something to eat?” “If you have flint and striker, then by the time you return, I will have a fire large enough to cook a meal over.” She smiled, and his answering blush made her grin more widely once his back was turned. They were gone so long that by the time they returned the fire had almost burnt itself out. Nemeila was busy rekindling it, when she heard their approaching footsteps.
“There is very little in the way of game in this part of the wood,” Parlan grimaced, shamefully, “I am afraid all we caught was a small quail.”
Nemeila examined the tiny bird and laughed. “Even that is better than nothing at all. Give it here and I’ll pluck it. How much further is it to the port?” she asked, as she worked on the feathers.
“About four days,” Parlan replied. “We took six in reaching your village, because we were unsure of directions.”
“What’s your homeland like? Is it the same as here?” she asked, looking up at him.”
Parlan couldn’t help but wonder how a young fragile girl like her could possibly be a threat to the sorcerer they were about to challenge. The firelight illuminated the side of her delicate face, her glossy hair radiant in its glow.
“Much the same,” he considered, “the people are mostly kind and gentle, and the landowners don’t mind you crossing their property, provided you don’t damage the crops. But unrest and rebellion are threatening the land, now that my brother has only a few months to wait before he is crowned king on his sixteenth birthday. I fear then that Tobyn will urge Kaleb to start a war that will devastate all our lives. But at this moment I am more worried about you. Knowing what Tobyn is capable of, I’m beginning to wish we had not sought you out.”
Nemeila had dreaded facing her blood father’s killer, since Ilanthia had warned her about him, but she knew that day would come, and the meeting would not be on friendly terms. She thought Parlan was a good-hearted lad, but he didn’t fully understand what they were up against. She could not tell him the whole truth about Tobyn, any more than she could reveal her own origins. She decided she would go along with whatever plan he had in mind for the time being, providing it was feasible, and until such time as their lives were put in serious danger. “I can take care of myself,” she said, a slight haughtiness in her voice, “I have won more contests against the village boys than I have lost. I can fire an arrow and hit my target, and I can wield a sword, although I admit I haven’t had much practice at it.” They settled down for the night by the last glowing embers of the fire, but as Nemeila tried to sleep, her thoughts returned to her wolf. He had not gone back to the cottage with her when she had guided her father home. He had stayed at her side long enough to ensure her safety, but as soon as the village came into view he had run off into the trees. She wondered where he had gone, and if he was now leading the pack that had driven off the bear, and if that were so, she would never see him again if she went to Kallopia.
At mid-morning on the fourth day of travel, they could smell the ozone in the air; Nemeila was really excited as this was the first time she had ever ventured away from her home – apart from that time with Ilanthia. Tyler called a halt, to rest the horses for a while, before riding the final distance to the port, where they had to return them to their owner to retrieve their deposit; money urgently needed to pay their fare. As he rested his back against the gnarled trunk of a tree, two yellow eyes peered at him from the dark undergrowth. They watched first one boy, then the other, finally coming to rest on the girl who sat close by. As the wolf stepped out into the open, Tyler blinked open his eyes and leapt to his feet his hand halfway to his sword. Nemeila sprang up too, hurrying to Amber’s side where she knelt and placed a protective arm round his neck, scratching his ear lightly before turning to face Tyler and Parlan.
“He saved my father’s life,” she said. “If he hadn’t led me to where he lay trapped, he would have died. I have named him Amber, come and say hello.”
Tyler removed his hand from the hilt of his sword, and both he and Parlan edged closer, both unsure how the wolf might react towards them. He looked safe enough, in Nemeila’s embrace, but his fangs looked sharp and deadly. “If you let him smell you,” Nemeila smiled, “he will not hurt you. “They are friends,” Nemeila whispered to Amber. “I have to go with them, help them fight the master sorcerer and the evil he’s created since escaping my mother’s ship. Take their scent, so that you know them, and you’ll know they mean me no harm.” Cautiously, they held their trembling hands towards the wolf, not quite sharing her confidence in the wolf’s friendliness. Amber examined the proffered fingers intently before nudging them with his nose. No teeth were revealed and as Amber’s gaze returned to his mistress, it was as if the boys were invisible. When they remounted, ready to ride the final distance to the port, Amber trotted alongside the horses. As they neared the quayside, Nemeila expected Amber to race away, but he stayed close to her when she dismounted. “Take the horses back to their owner,” Nemeila said, “I will stay here. I don’t think anyone will bother me with my protector to stand guard.” A few sailors eyed Nemeila as she perched, legs swinging, on the quayside wall, but although they remarked on her striking looks amongst themselves, no comments or whistles reached her ears. When Tyler and Parlan returned, the three of them and Amber scoured the docks searching for a ship that would give them passage to Kallopia. “What about him?” Parlan whispered nervously, indicating Amber. “You’ll have to send him back inland, away from here, or these people will kill him. I’m surprised no-one’s raised the alarm yet that there’s a wolf roaming the streets.”
“He wants to travel with us,” said Nemeila firmly. “Why else would he still be here?”
“It will be hard enough to find passage for ourselves; I don’t know any captain or crew who would willingly take a wolf on board; especially one his size, no matter how well he keeps his teeth covered!”
“Then I will stay here with him,” insisted Nemeila, stubbornly. “He guarded me as a newly born child, he delivered me to my adopted parents and he saved my father’s life. I was told by my birth mother that a wolf would always protect me, that’s the wolf right there and I will not chase him away, not for you, not for anyone.” She folded her arms in grim determination and stared Parlan down.
“Then don’t refer to him as a wolf,” sighed Tyler in exasperation. “I’ll go and try to find a ship calling at Kallopia; I’ll say we have a large dog with us. We might get away with that.”
While Parlan and Nemeila remained to guard Amber, Tyler canvassed the captains of several ships as to their destination and if they were taking passengers. Of the seven, two were going to Kallopia, but had no facilities to accommodate a girl and a dog.
Despairingly, Tyler returned to Nemeila and Parlan who were lurking in the shadows of a cobbled alleyway leading away from the harbour front. “Are you hungry?” he asked. “I am,” she replied.
“Then while we try to think of a way for us to find passage, let’s go to that tavern, have a drink and get something to eat.”
The tavern was crowded with sailors. Many were celebrating the end of their voyage and relishing in a bit of spare time before another, others celebrating their leaving to destinations often unknown. Tyler guided Nemeila to a table in the corner of the taproom, before beckoning to a serving wench. Amber settled under the table, well away from the booted feet milling around the room. Parlan kept his face to the floor, so that he would not draw any undue attention to himself. Stew was the only thing on the
menu, so they ordered four bowls and three mugs of ale. The fourth portion of the unidentifiable meat in gravy was slipped discreetly under the table, where a loud lapping noise started up. “If he’s going to travel with us, then I don’t want him thinking of us as his next meal,” Tyler said with a broad grin on his face. Nemeila couldn’t help but grin back. “We might have to find lodgings, if we can’t get a ship tonight,” Parlan said. “It hadn’t occurred to me that it would be so difficult.” “I have money to pay my way,” Nemeila said. “If we have to wait a few days, so be it.” Two men at the far side of the taproom began shouting at each other, their voices rising loudly over the already noisy room. The man who had started the argument pushed his companion, who fell backwards, spilling the ale of a third man behind them. Within moments, a fight had broken out. A thrown tankard smashed against the wall behind Nemeila who ducked, but was showered with beer and glazed clay. Tyler realised that the fallen man was the captain of the last ship he had tried to buy passage on, and now stood alone against the five men encircling him. The rest of the drinkers had moved to the sides of the taproom, giving the fighting men room to manoeuvre. The captain was by no means a small man, and he easily held his own against the drunkard who had started the argument. But as he knocked him down, two of the drunkard’s colleagues grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms so that others could punch him.
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