Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One

by Tania Johansson

  CHAPTER 18 – Old Friend, New Enemy

  Tas and Roscien had been gone a few minutes and I was eager not to leave too far behind them. Markai held us back for a moment longer before she agreed to follow. It turned out to be very useful to have Markai’s extremely sensitive senses along to guide us. Even with Navitas focused, I could not see much - even if they had left massive footprints, I would not have been able to follow. As it was, Markai had to stop, listen, and peer ahead a few times in order to guide us.

  We walked in silence. I constantly expected to see them return, warning us to turn back to camp. Markai called a halt after what felt like a couple of hours of trekking. I still could not hear or see them so I linked in with Markai’s senses to enhance my perception.

  Faintly, I could hear Tas and Roscien talking. “Yes, I am sure. This is where he said.” Roscien sounded agitated.

  I was sure Tas must have asked the question several times already, but underlying that was nerves and a touch of fear. “This does not feel right. Why is he not here yet? I think we should go back and say this was a trap.” There was more than a touch of fear in Tas’s voice.

  A faint clicking noise, I thought from Roscien’s tongue. “Just wait. We do not know either way yet. Remember they cannot do anything to us, not when we are like this.”

  After a short silence, Tas whispered so softly that even Markai’s ears had to strain to catch it. “Not as far as we know. Who knows what Rakadamon and his followers can do? What if they can catch our spirits and lock us up somehow?”

  Roscien shushed him. “Now is not the time to think of such things.”

  There was utter silence before the soft tap of a footfall broke it. “Are you alone?” Roscien was clearly addressing Brant.

  “Of course, I told you I would not bring anyone, and I have not,” he replied indignantly.

  I am going to search the perimeter to make sure there is not an ambush waiting for us. Markai had not spoken to me in this manner since we arrived on this plane and I had half assumed it was because she could not.

  In a heartbeat, she had disappeared into the dark and with her, my ability to hear what was going on.

  I strained my senses to be aware of what was around me, but I heard no noises and in the dark moonless night, I could hardly see anything at all. This close to the forest, I would have expected to hear at least some rustling in the undergrowth or night birds calling… something. The quiet was eerie.

  I nearly yelped when Markai suddenly spoke to me. Everything seems to be in order. Keep walking straight in the direction we had been going. The scrub will open up into a clearing; we are at the far end of it. I nodded before realising that she could not see me.

  “Come, Markai says the way is clear.” Without a question or hesitation, Alathaya followed me into the dark.

  Just when I was sure we had gone the wrong way, the clearing appeared abruptly in front of us. I could now hear the men talking in the distance, although I could not make out what they were saying.

  As we drew nearer, I caught some snippets. “That was the only reason, I swear!” Brant sounded exasperated.

  “How are we supposed to believe you when we find you here,” Tas gestured expansively at the area in general, “in the midst of our enemies?”

  His voice was hard and unforgiving. Markai was sitting quietly studying Brant’s every move and it was making him visibly uncomfortable; he was shuffling his weight from one foot to another. At that moment, they spotted us approaching.

  Brant started towards me with a broad smile, but a low warning growl emanating from Markai stopped him in his tracks. His smile faded as well. “Kadin, please, tell me you still trust me when I say I have not turned to the enemy.”

  I sighed. “That is what we are here to decide. You cannot blame our suspicion on anyone but yourself. Disappearing without any explanation, and then sending a messenger to warn us off trying to find you… What did you expect?”

  He held up both hands. “I understand that, but here and now, I can explain.”

  I raised my eyebrows at him.

  “I left without warning, because I had not planned on leaving. After we were attacked, I had to turn back to get my arm stitched up. I could have done it myself, but I thought since we were so close to a village I might as well have it done properly. I arrived there late afternoon, saw their physician and then decided to wait till morning before riding to catch up. Except, the next morning, I woke up and just thought how nice it would be to be rid of it all; all the worry, all the responsibility. So, I decided to keep on going back,” he explained.

  Roscien was shaking his head, his eyes suspicious pools of murk. “That still does not explain why you are here, working with the enemy.”

  Brant shot him a baleful look. “I am not working for the enemy and I am getting to that. I was on the road one day and more of the Skell attacked me. I thought they were going to kill me. They asked me if I knew who I was, which I thought was a particularly peculiar question, especially coming from creatures such as those. I told them I am Brant Almeer from Predaki, of the Tretakai people. The Skell laughed at me. Laughed! One of them said to look further back; that who we are, was more than just who we are now. It all sounded so strange. They were not making much sense until they told me who I was. They said that I was the descendant of Rakadamon’s first general. I did not understand what they meant. How that was supposed to change who I am now.”

  He shook his head; his eyes had a faraway cast in them. “They said they had planted my forefathers in Predaki, in among the Tretakai, so that they would have an ally who grows up alongside the Protector. They knew about Navitas being preserved all along. They only let everyone believe they did not so that they could use this situation against you Kadin.”

  Tas was shaking his head, a sneer on his ghostly lips. “You did not have to agree to follow them. You had a choice and you made it.”

  Brant shook his head in vehement denial. “They would not take no for an answer. They said my choice was either to go with them or die there and then. I thought I could probably be more use alive than dead. I decided that if I could get on the inside, make them believe I was on their side, I could help you. I could feed you information about their plans, about how to win this war.”

  Roscien was still looking doubtful. “You will have to prove that and earn our trust. You could just as easily be working the double against us.”

  Brant’s face looked sincere. “I am working on finding out how to kill Rakadamon. It is not easy, not without giving myself away, but I believe it is something to do with the Skell. I think Rakadamon took something of himself to create them. They hold the key.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Markai stiffen and then crouch a moment before they burst through the bushes. An arrow whistled past my ear. I threw myself in front of Alathaya. Tas made to reach for his sword and then cursed in frustration.

  “Alathaya, back now!” I yelled at her, but with all the chaos in front of me, could not look back to check that she had heard.

  Roscien moved towards Brant as though meaning to attack him. “You liar! You traitor!” He roared.

  Brant’s eyes were as big as Moma’s pies used to be. “No, I swear, it was not me! I swear!”

  Snarling Dyrrendrel flanked the Skell and they were moving closer to us. Alathaya sat down with a thunk behind me.

  Some of the Skell had what looked like fishnets, except they shone and sparkled in some unseen light. One was moving towards Tas who started to back up, but as quick as a viper, the Skell struck out with the net and unbelievably, it seemed to contain him.

  Another Skell was walking slowly towards me. He had an arrow nocked and drawn. The bow and arrow were both as black as the blades I had seen them use previously. He smiled sardonically showing his pinpoint teeth. “The Master shall be best pleased with me.” He crooned in that gravelly voice they all had.

  The moment he let the arrow fly, Brant screamed, “No!” He jumped in front of me an
d the arrow hit him square in the chest. He fell with a thud at my feet.

  Horrified, I crouched down. Blood was running from the corner of his mouth and his eyes were already dulling.

  “Did… not… betray… you.” He released one final breath.

  The Skell who had shot him was still smiling and had another arrow nocked. He drew and let go.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  I had to stop myself from shaking her. At her house, she had come out of it naturally so I tried to wait patiently. Suddenly she took a deep, rasping breath.

  She gripped me by the arms to the point of pain. “We cannot go. They are waiting for us. We will all die if we go. Even Tas and Roscien. They are waiting.” She took a few deep breaths.

  I took the moment to talk to her. “Calm down. It is okay, we are okay. No one has left yet, so just take your time and tell me what happened.”

  She took a few more shuddering breaths and started recounting the story. “You leapt in front of me and shouted for me to come back and give warning. I was so afraid that I nearly was not able to find the focus I needed to do it. I heard for a moment Brant swearing that it was not him, but after that, I do not know what happened. Then I came back to awareness here.” She was still shivering.

  I called for Markai and Trissa. “Help Alathaya to bed. Give her a hot drink and make her eat something. She will need lots of rest.” Trissa nodded and led her away.

  I feared for her, she would be sick for days, of that I was sure.

  Once Trissa and Alathaya were gone, I told Markai what would have happened had we gone to meet Brant. When I finished she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So, what do you think?” She looked at me intently.

  “About Brant?” I asked, knowing that was what she meant. “I do not fully know,” I continued. “She said she heard him plead his innocence, but then that could have been a ploy. He knows of Thaya’s Talent, he knew she would come back and warn us, so perhaps he simply saw that they were not going to be able to kill her in time to keep her from warning us.”

  She looked at me a long moment. “Is that what you truly believe, or what your cautious side is telling you to believe?”

  I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. “Argh, it is all in such a muddle. Now I still do not know if I should trust him or not. What do you think?”

  She paced back and forth, whipping her tail with a swishing sound. “We must be as cautious as if it has been confirmed that he is against us. But, for all that, I do not think he is. If he had told them of your Talents, specifically Alathaya’s Talent, they would have simply hidden at a distance and have an archer shoot her first. As you said, she cannot come back and warn us if she is dead. That suggests to me, that they did not know what she is capable of.”

  I nodded; that made sense. "We cannot risk Tas or Roscien tonight either. They certainly were prepared for their Talent. Besides, if Brant had not been in on the ambush it means that they suspect he is not truly theirs. They must have followed him to see what he would lead them to. We would be risking exposing him as well if someone met him."

  She swished her tail. "Agreed. I think it best to ask Roscien and Tas to instead go back to the castle. We need more information there. We know now that they can be caught, but they still have the best chance at getting us more vital information."

  They were busy preparing for the meeting when I found them. "Change of plans."

  They looked up at me with surprise clear on their faces.

  Tas recovered first, and asked, "She came back then to warn us? It is a trap."

  I told them what Alathaya had reported and what Markai and I had been discussing.

  Roscien wore a deep frown. "They still knew of our Talents. They were prepared for that. He must have told them something."

  I had been thinking the same. "Possibly, but then maybe someone had spotted you in the castle. We do not know anything for sure. That is why we are going to go about things with the utmost of care. You now know the risk this poses to you, but that in itself is an advantage we have gained from this experience."

  They agreed to do another search of the castle, but part of the excitement from before was replaced with, what was in my opinion, much more sensible fear.

  I walked back to check on Alathaya. I knew we had to start our assault in a matter of days. We dared not risk waiting any longer. I found her lying on her bedroll. She was curled up under two blankets, but she was still shivering. I touched her forehead; she was burning with fever. Trissa sat looking at her with such concern in her eyes that it made my stomach clench. What if she did not recover this time? I should never have let her come along. Part of me knew that such a sentiment was pure foolishness, not least for the fact that Markai, Tas and Roscien and I would all have been captured or killed had she not come along. It did not make seeing her this way any easier.

  "Has she slept since you lay her down here?" I asked.

  Trissa shook her head miserably. "Yes, but this is more than sleep. I tried waking her to get her to eat some more porridge, but she did not wake. She mutters occasionally and that is a good sign, I think, but none of it makes sense. She had some water before she fell asleep and a couple of mouthfuls of porridge, but not much."

  I nearly jumped when Markai spoke behind my shoulder. "Her energy feels wrong. This is not good. You should speak to the Jerieghen. They are renowned for their knowledge of healing."

  Surely, they must have seen that Alathaya was unwell. They should have come to help if they were able. I bit back the words though and simply nodded. Markai of course, had a sense of the unsaid words. "The Jerieghen have many customs, many of which may seem peculiar to you. They do not interfere where they have not been invited. Even if it is a case of life and death."

  That seemed ridiculous to me, but I clenched my teeth and stood up. I found Laskia and Wulik together. They were busily grinding down some roots and seeds and some sort of flower by the look of it.

  They stopped their activity immediately when they saw me looking. "May we assist you with anything?"

  I cleared my throat. "Alathaya is not well. She had to come back from our meeting with Brant to warn us not to go. Now she has a fever and I am concerned for her recovery. Markai tells me you are highly skilled in healing?"

  They exchanged a meaningful look, although what that meaning might have been went right over my head. "We are not the healers from our 'towns'," the word sounded foreign on his lips and I wondered what they called them, "nevertheless, our skill most likely outstrips your best healer's. May we see her?"

  Irritation and gratitude boiled up in me, but I tried to show only the latter. “Please.” I led them back to her.

  They both knelt down beside her. For a long moment, they simply looked at her. I did not know what they were looking for or whether they found it, but at the exact same moment, they both started their physical examination. They pulled the blankets off her to her muttered protests and feeble resistance. I had to force myself not to pass comment on that. They poked and prodded her in all sorts of unlikely areas. For a moment, it seemed as though Wulik was looking for fleas. He combed through her hair inspecting what seemed every inch of her skull. Then he moved on to her mouth, forcing it open and peering in as though trying to see the contents of her stomach. Laskia was prodding at her stomach and then putting an ear to it and listening for the stars knew what. He then picked up her hand and looked underneath her fingernails, smelling and even licking one or two of them. He did the same with her toenails.

  At the same moment, they looked up from her and nodded at each other. “Some bluegoose grass and vine sweet.”

  Laskia nodded. “Rindle root and sero herbs.”

  Wulik thought on this a moment, and then shook his head. “Not sero herbs; roil salt.”

  A slow smile spread across Laskia’s face. “Of course, yes much better.”

  As one, they stood up and without another word to me walked off. I hurriedly pulled her blankets back over her, gave her fe
verish head a quick kiss before dashing off after them.

  Laskia was building a small fire while Wulik was digging through his bag. He muttered to himself while pulling out several strange looking plants and herbs. Once he seemingly had all he needed he set to cutting them all up into minute slices. Laskia put a kettle of water on the fire and as soon as the water boiled, they added all the diced up ingredients. For several minutes, they sat silently stirring the mixture, occasionally taking a delicate sniff of the steam, but never tasting it. Laskia opened a small pouch and pinched out a tiny amount of a white substance, which he then carefully added to the kettle. He stirred several more times before slowly pouring the brew through a strainer into an empty water skin.

  Still steaming, they carried it over to where she lay. They waited a few minutes for the tea to cool. Laskia started gently shaking her shoulder. When she did not respond, he shook her harder.

  Wulik produced another water skin and casually opened it and from a small distance above her head, started pouring the water onto her face.

  “What are you doing? She is not being obstinate, she is sick!” I asked in outrage.

  My only answer was a doleful look from Wulik. She started gasping and her eyes fluttered.

  “Open your eyes Alathaya. You must not give in to this illness or you shall never wake up. Now open your eyes,” Laskia spoke in a smooth yet commanding tone.

  I could see her trying to force herself to wake up. With visible effort, she opened her eyes. They were blood red and she appeared drunk, swaying as she sat, even though Wulik was supporting her. “Alathaya, you have to drink this tea. Your life depends on it. You must not spit any of it out. Do you understand, Alathaya?” He held her head steady while speaking to her.

  She gave a small nod and he started to press her cheeks to force her mouth open. Laskia stood over her and held the water skin to her lips. The first two sips she seemed to take willingly, but after that it became a struggle. She was moaning and trying to fight them off with feeble arms that did not seem to do what she wanted.