Gareth Ogilvie The Great Sea King

by J W Murison

  Gareth dropped his voice so as not to embarrass the struggling bowman, ‘Alan’s bow is of about medium strength, our best bow makers can make a bow to suit a man’s physical build, we have bows even Alan cannot draw and those bows can shoot an arrow twice the distance his can.’

  Grey Eagle shook his head, ‘why would you need such bows?’

  ‘We live in the Highlands and much of the game can climb better than we can and have better eye sight. You have to be very good to get close, the farther you can shoot an arrow from the better. It is also good on the battlefield. Most army’s stop just out of arrow range from each other, we have found the men of the lowlands normally make the mistake of getting to close to ours because they have no realisation of just how far we can shoot an arrow. I make a point of targeting their commanders; it’s amazing how quickly a charging army looses cohesion when all their officers are dead. Even if we don’t get them all it makes the enemy either retreat out of range or charge before the order is given.’

  Grey Eagle was more than impressed he was terrified, he was aware that their own battle tactics would be almost obsolete against bows of such range and men of such strength. They found The Beast had almost finished the map. Grey Eagle pointed to the place on the map where he believed they were.

  ‘I believe this is the area we live in, but I have no idea where you are.’

  Gareth studied the map; there was something on the very edge, what remained of what looked like a tooth, ‘I think this is it, I think if we sail directly west we would come to your land at a point on the coast almost directly opposite where you are here. Of course I could be wrong.’

  Grey Eagle made a decision, ‘that part of the coast has a few very violent tribes, and there is no telling how far away your ships are. If you insist on sailing I would like one or two of my people to travel with you, they worship us and would not harm anyone under our protection.’

  ‘Gareth thought it over, it would save a lot of problems, I really don’t want to get into a fight for no reason as a matter of fact could you spare two to each ship in case we get separated.’

  ‘I would do that, this is probably the best way, as soon as they see golden Eagles they would attack.’

  ‘Do you still fight with the golden ones?’

  ‘If we see them we kill them and of course if they find one of our people within their territory they kill us to.’

  ‘What happened between your people?’

  ‘We welcomed them as brothers, but their arrogance began to show very quickly. That did not go well with my people, then in a final display of arrogance they killed our king and declared their king as king of all the Eagles. We have been at war ever since. We drove them out of our lands to a place far away where there were few of us, beyond a great desert. There is a narrow corridor a green belt that goes along the coast, it is there we watch for them. A few times they have invaded our lands in great numbers but our people have always been able to push them back.

  We have grown to hate those with the golden feathers, today has been hard for all of us, yet their King has shown humility and it warms my heart. To come here with his family has shown great trust. I have commanded my people to treat them as guests, if only there was an easier way to distinguish between the two.

  There was a sudden furor at the far end of the village, they ran to the scene to find Alan tossing men into the air as though they were sheaves of wheat. He had not drawn his sword or dirk and was batting them aside with his shield behind him Natina had transformed and had a man in her talons her beak a heart beat from ripping his throat out.

  Grey Eagle roared a command and the men stopped as though they had ran into a tree. They lay down on their faces, Natina released the man and fluttered back a few paces, Alan retreated with her, hand on the sword strapped to his back.

  Gareth drew his but Grey Eagle ran out in front, ‘Chepata why do you attack my guests?’

  The man Natina almost killed rolled unsteadily to his feet then collapsed to a knee, ‘my Lord we saw the golden one and thought the village had been attacked.’ He was bleeding from a number of wounds.

  ‘It has not, these people are my guests, they are not of those from the north.’

  Alan turned to Gareth, ‘sorry about this but they just rushed us from the forest, we didn't kill any of them.’

  Gareth put his hand on Alan’s shoulder and sheathed his sword, ‘you did well and it’s not your fault but get back into the centre of the village and Natina pass the word everyone is to stay within the centre of the village.’

  ‘Yes sir, it is done.’ She tossed on a spare slip and they returned to where the Beast was finishing his artwork.

  Grey Eagle rejoined Gareth as the berated man and his men limped away back into the forest, ‘why were your people out this way?’

  Gareth shrugged, ‘they have been stuck on board ship for many months, if I know those two they were probably slipping away to get some privacy if you know what I mean.’

  ‘I noticed the golden bands, they are wed.’

  ‘Have been for years.’

  ‘No children.’

  ‘No they are enjoying life to much at the moment, Alan told me he will think about it when he is as old as I am.’

  Grey Eagle burst out laughing and the tension eased, ‘ah what it would be like to be young again.’

  Gareth joined his laughter, ‘true, I am sorry about that.’

  ‘None was hurt badly only pride has been bruised but to these people that can be worse than death.’

  ‘Will they come back?’

  ‘No, I told them he never killed anyone on orders from myself and his own king and the girl from her king. I think they got a shock and doubt if they will try again soon. He is quite formidable for one so young.’

  ‘They sing songs of his courage in many different lands.’

  ‘Truly.’

  ‘My word of honour on that.’

  ‘Truly I am impressed by the nature of your people, could you leave the young one and his wife with me, I would like to learn more about them and you.’

  ‘You could ask him to stay, but I warn you, if you ask him then you had better ask The Beast as well. They are a package deal those two and their wives.’

  ‘Could you not command them?’

  ‘No they first came with me many years ago under command of the Highland council, but I am no longer war chieftain of my people. Once they were released they decided to stay with me. I could not, would not command them to do anything they did not want to, they are not my vassals they are my friends.’

  ‘I see, a strange concept a king having friends.’

  ‘They were my friends long before I was a king, it is the same with Graun, he was once my greatest enemy, however we found one greater than both of us and from it formed a friendship that has lasted. He did leave me for a while but returned, he decided I needed a man that I could trust at his side and he was right. I would be lost without them.’

  ‘They help you rule?’

  ‘No they have no interest in the trappings of power, but they help keep me grounded in reality, without them I fear I would have been lost a long time ago. Alan and The Beast belong to a group of men we call the scouts, they are made up of my most trusted men, most of them Highland and men who have married Eagle women. I value them above all others and keep them close.’

  ‘There is an old saying, keep your friends close but your enemy’s closer.’

  ‘I have no enemies, none living anyway.’

  ‘I will remember that. We will eat soon, will you join us in a meal?’

  ‘I would love to, I am getting rather hungry, I would also like to explore that city with your permission of course.’

  ‘Your father-in-law has expressed the same desire, why don’t you stay there the night and explore it to your heart’s content.’

  The day passed quickly and they returned to the city which was rapidly rebuilding itself. They naturally went to the palace and found themselves rooms a
nd beds. The Eagle king was restless as he paced about, he found Gareth and they went to a small library and waited until it had completely rejuvenated. For a few hours they searched the archives in silence, eventually the Eagle king sighed in disgust.

  Gareth closed his book, ‘what’s wrong father?’

  ‘The conceit of my own race is what is wrong Gareth, they had it all here, it is a beautiful land and they threw it all away. Did you know the golden king assassinated the Grey Eagle king and tried to declare himself king of all the Eagles.’

  ‘I know I was told that earlier in the day by Grey Eagle himself, I was just looking for confirmation.’

  The Eagle king tapped the book he was reading, ‘it is all in here. They did no wrong, they invited them to share their land and how did they reward them. It disgusts me Gareth it truly does.’

  ‘Don’t be too hard on yourself father, there is plenty of conceit on the Grey Eagle side to, did you know it against their law for one of them to marry a human or a golden Eagle.’

  ‘Were you told that?’

  ‘I was.’

  ‘Let’s check the records and see if that law came into place after the war.’

  They spent half the night checking but neither could find any reference to the Eagles cross breeding. The Eagle king conceded the point, ‘maybe you are right Gareth I can find no reference here to our kind marrying theirs or yours for that matter.’

  Gareth closed the book, ‘it is strange. They have offered us guides for when we reach the coast, so the natives don’t attack us and we can pass in peace.’

  ‘That was nice of them.’

  ‘It was but I wonder at their motive father.’

  ‘It’s sometimes just nice to be nice Gareth.’

  ‘Not when you are considered gods by the humans that surround you.’

  ‘Your problem is you look for enemy’s under every bush, reasons within reasons, sometimes you have to accept things at face value and relax.’

  Gareth smiled slowly at him, ‘nice try father, I’ll say goodnight.’

  CHAPTER 35

  Amber moaned quietly as her own fluids ran over her fingers. She rolled on to her belly and raised herself to her knees her fingers probing still, sliding deeper and deeper into herself until she felt a little pain, she gave a little squeal and slid her knees open until she felt the kiss of the soft furs on her mons veneris. She ground it against the furs until she felt the release come. She lay there gasping for air unable to move her trembling limbs for a full minute. Then she rolled on to her back and pulled the furs close.

  She should have been mated a few years before but her father could not decide on a husband for his favourite daughter. The list was long but he found fault in all, now she found herself dreaming of the human man, longing for his touch. It was so alien a thought she was beginning to think she was some form of pervert. The trouble was he was just so strong, power oozed from his very pores. She found it hard to believe her attraction for him. Was it the way he looked right through her as though she wasn’t there, or the way her father reacted when around him. Her father had always been the strongest figure in her life and never believed she would meet a man stronger, yet here he was, not even an Eagle but a man who seemed to frighten her father.

  She had talked to the two women who had also married these strange Highland men. They just didn't seem to care that they were human, in fact they relished it. Natina had told her of the day she had met Alan, who was at one time the youngest of the group. Now he was a mature handsome man who satisfied her every need as a woman. The two of them made her shudder inside. They were war Eagles, once they bore riders, vicious men with no conscience, and believed the women had taken that trait. They would be ruthless in battle in a way she could only imagine. They did however love their men with every fibre of their being and it showed in the way they behaved in their husband’s presence, they really smouldered. It was more than a little shocking and they laughed at her in a way that made her flush when they noticed her discomfort.

  She got up and flew to the nearest stream where she preferred to bathe and washed her own scent off her fingers, she hoped her father would marry her soon, maybe it was time she spoke to her mother. She smelt them before she heard them. Human men, bear grease and excited sweat. She flew up into a tree to safety and watched them flow through the forest below heading for the old city, there must have been near a hundred. She flitted from tree to tree not sure what she was doing, she tried to contact her father but he couldn’t have been up.

  Her eyes suddenly fixated on a spot in a tree not far away. She suddenly realised it was another Eagle, a golden one. In the far distance she could just make out the toot of a horn but was sure the men below could not hear it. When the men were gone she flew to the branch and transformed the golden Eagle transformed as well, it was a young woman she had not met before, she was nervous unlike the others.

  ‘Who are you?’ Amber asked.

  ‘Glaciea, why do you lead these men to attack us?’

  Amber took a deep breath, ‘I don’t I swear, I was watching them, I was taking a morning bath I did not sleep well, I heard them coming and took to the trees to watch, I tried to call my father but he isn’t up yet.’

  ‘Who is your father?’

  ‘You haven’t met him, he is Grey Eagle our king.’

  The girl bobbed her head, ‘then you must be the princess Amber, they said you are very beautiful, they were right.’

  Amber felt a flush of pleasure, ‘they do, who says that?’

  ‘I'm sorry I can’t stop to chat, I've told my husband that you aren’t involved and that they come on their own, but I have to return.’

  ‘Wait please, what are you doing out here so far from the city.’

  ‘I am on guard of course, I am part of the scouts my husband and I. We like this watch when the sun rises, we are also the youngest couple,’ she smiled, ‘but I have to return, they are forming up for battle and I have a job to do. Nice meeting you Princess Amber.’

  ‘Can I come with you?’

  She shrugged, ‘I can’t stop you.’

  Amber followed Glaciea back to the city which had transformed overnight. Men ran into the gathering light, there were only twenty of them but they had managed to draw themselves into a spot that was tight and defendable. Glaciea swooped down to where Gareth stood. They came into land together, Gareth's eyes flashed at Amber and she felt herself go weak at the knees.

  Glaciea reported to Gareth, ‘there are about a hundred Sire heading this way, spears and bows no swords. They mean business, painted up and everything. They are about two miles away now moving fast.’

  ‘Ok join the rest of your section, wait, are they bare footed.’

  ‘Yes Sire.’

  ‘Good tell your section commander to ready the caltrops, that's all we should need to break a charge.’

  Amber shuddered as his eyes passed through her then a thrill ran up her spine as she realised he was actually looking straight at her, ‘you have a habit of turning up places Amber.’

  She felt her legs go weak at the knee as he said her name, ‘I couldn’t sleep... Sire,’ a thrill ran through her she called a human Sire, she could hardly believe her own words, but they felt so right, ‘I was taking a bath when I heard the people run past and took to the trees.’

  ‘Can you get a hold of your father, if you don’t these people are going to die.’

  She looked round, ‘you should leave there are about a hundred of them, it would be quicker.’

  ‘I suppose it would be but if we run we will never be able to return.’

  ‘You will all die.’

  ‘Contact your father get him to come here and stop these men or they will die.’

  ‘You are very conceited aren’t you?’

  Gareth's brows furrowed, ‘no I'm not, get a hold of your father please.’

  ‘He sleeps.’

  ‘Then get a hold of a sentry and get him to wake him or fly there fast.’

&
nbsp; ‘We have no sentry’s.’

  ‘Then please fly and we will prevent bloodshed.’

  ‘You won’t, they will not stop now they have already disobeyed him, they are fierce fighters you will all die.’

  ‘If you’re not going to help then get out of the way, find somewhere safe to roost.’

  ‘You are a fool,’ she snapped and took to the wing.

  Graun stepped up to his side, ‘we aren’t leaving are we.’

  Gareth was thinking it over, ‘It will be a slaughter.’

  Graun shrugged, ‘you can’t say that Gareth, there is no sure thing in battle, these men could be canny fighters, you never know, we could end up in big trouble or dead, but we shouldn’t leave, if we run now we will have to run every time we come across these people.’

  ‘I know,’ he raised his voice, ‘prepare for battle.’

  A low growl rose in the throats of the Highlanders until it reached a crescendo. Pumped up the men drew their weapons. Amber sat high on a building with her heart in her throat. There was a flutter of wings beside her and the Eagle King transformed at her side. She transformed too.

  He smiled bitterly, ‘you should have listened to him young lady and fetched you father.’

  ‘No, he will learn his mistake, our humans have great courage and skill, they are amazing fighters.’

  ‘Could you stop them?’

  ‘I don’t want to.’

  He was surprised, ‘why not?’

  ‘I will teach him a lesson.’

  ‘Or you will learn one girl; these are lives you are playing with in your hand, do they mean so little to you that you would see blood spilled.’

  ‘I would see a lesson learned one way or another, either the King will learn a hard lesson or our humans will. My father ordered them to do nothing yet they disobeyed him, if a few of them are killed they may take his warnings more seriously next time.’

  The Eagle King rubbed his chin, ‘you have no idea what you have just unleashed.’

  She ignored him and watched as a few Eagles flew overhead with large canvas bags in their talons. With a tug of their beaks they release the spiked devices onto the ground below. They didn't have to long to wait for their enemy. Gareth eyed them over the rim of his shield. They seem put off a little by the fact that they were ready for them and were now standing just out of bow shot of the Highlanders shouting insults that could not be understood. They were working themselves into a fighting frenzy, Gareth knew he wouldn’t have to wait long, their enemy saw only twenty and would be keen to claim a kill.