Origin

by Samantha Smith

  “If I were you I’d listen to the woman. She doesn’t take well to people who don’t heed what she says. Ask Rhys, he’ll tell you,” said Ayron laughing as he remembered the fiery exchanges between Rhys and Clayre he overheard as he was riding alongside their wagon. “I won’t keep the two of you long, but I was wondering if you had any idea when we could start traveling toward Amarni again?”

  “I think we should probably stay put today and begin traveling again tomorrow morning. After treating Rhys for this infection, I am now short of some medicines and was going to see if Galdor would go with me into Port Strabo so that we can both replenish our supplies before we leave for Amarni. Also several of us are exhausted by the events of last night and could probably use a good night’s sleep without a storm raging about us.”

  “I must agree with Clayre. Everyone is exhausted, including you Ayron, and it shows. Besides, Rhys is still drifting in and out of consciousness and should have some time to recover his strength before we move on. I’m so sorry Ayron. I know that isn’t what you want to hear.”

  Ayron shrugged. “Rhys has to be our highest priority. Go make your plans. I’m going to check on everyone to ensure that we all get adequate rest, but also that our camp is well protected at all times. I don’t think anyone would dare attack us so close to the city, but I’m not going to take any chances. Oh, and my first order of the day is that you two need to go get some food, wash yourselves at the stream, and change your muddy clothing. I don’t care if you do it one at a time, but please attend to yourselves, or I will soon have two useless healers. Besides, the two of you smell.” Ayron said trying hard to look severe.

  Ayron watched as Clayre and Galdor, both feigning indignation, walked back over to the shelter where Rhys lay to check on him. They were going to have Alea watch Rhys while they were gone. Ayron spent the next hour or so checking in with his soldiers and setting up a rotating schedule. He wanted to be sure that everyone had a chance to rest, wash up, and eat, but at the same time keep watch for any approaching intruders. Finally, he went back to his own shelter and was sound asleep before his head hit the pillow.

  Several hours later he was awakened by Alea who said that Rhys was asking for him. Ayron shook off the fog that sometimes persists after a deep sleep, grabbed a mug of hot tea from the campfire, and hurried over to the tent where Rhys lay. He entered the shelter and was greeted by Rhys sporting a huge grin.

  “Thank you elf, for the news you gave me last night. I needed something to fight for. While I was lying here ill and in pain, I was thinking, now that Elwyn has family who seem to want her, that maybe it would be alright to just pass on and be with my precious Alesia. Besides if I died, then you could go and look for her, rather than babysitting me. I realized when I heard your words that the child still needs me, and that it would be wrong of me to desert her; selfish even. I am feeling much better today and anxious that we continue our journey so that you will soon be free to join her. And by the way elf, stop calling me old man. I am far younger than you, even though I don’t look it,” Rhys said smiling.

  “Rhys, my memory is as long as my seasons and I know that you got the nickname “old man” when you were just Elwyn’s age. I heard it said then that you could worry the skin off a tuber. Besides I know it gets a rise out of you and there was always nothing that I enjoyed more than that.”

  “Aren’t you getting a bit too old to play those games, elf? Besides, I would have thought that by now your memory would have started to fade a bit,” said Rhys feigning indignation. Seriously now, when are we going to get moving again? I want you free to go find my niece; the sooner, the better.”

  “I talked with Clayre and Galdor earlier. They say it’s alright with them if we continue our journey tomorrow. And, “old man”, I am very happy to see you alive! I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of the tongue-lashing I would get from that child, if anything happened to you.” Ayron said chuckling rather loudly as he turned and left the shelter.

  Ayron then went off to see to his own personal needs. After a good soak in the stream, some clean dry clothing, and some hot tea and travel biscuits, Ayron felt refreshed. He was still very worried about Elwyn being in the woodlands all alone and perhaps pursued by assassins, but he knew that she had Kierra and more help coming soon. His job was to focus on getting Rhys and Clayre to safety, if he was to be any help to her. He was actually hopeful that she’d already found Keroc and was traveling north. He also hoped that she was getting close to Kren. He knew that Owen would happily see to her safety until he was able to join her there.

  Ayron spent the rest of the day and evening guarding the camp in shifts with his soldiers and taking the opportunity to try to rest during the times he was not on duty. It was a struggle trying to rest with so much on his mind. He was distressed because they had lost a full twenty-four hours from their schedule and had no way to make up the time. Elwyn was now alone and needed him more than ever. He hadn’t heard from Kierra and had no idea if they’d been able to find Keroc. He felt sure that his group was overdue for some type of attack from Stefan’s men and it was stressful not knowing when or where it was going to happen. And he was worried about Rhys weakened condition and hoped that traveling tomorrow would not worsen his health. After several rest periods spent worrying, Ayron did eventually fall into a deep dreamless sleep.

  Ayron woke to a bright sunny morning and to the smells of hot tea and biscuits baking. He took some time to wash both himself and a few articles of clothing, laying them in the bright morning sun to dry. He then hurried over to the campfire to pour himself a cup of hot tea. The smells drifting through the morning air acted as a signal for everyone to gather for a morning meal. Everyone not on guard duty gathered around the campfire to eat. All seemed eager to continue the journey to Amarni. As soon as the meal was finished, Ayron called his soldiers together and asked them to clean up the camp, groom the mounts, and take down the shelters they’d erected to help protect them from the storm. That was work that would have to be done whether they were leaving or not. Shortly after he finished speaking with his men, he saw Clayre coming toward him.

  “Ayron,” she said with a worried look. “I think that we should begin our journey again after the noon meal. I have to tell you that both Galdor and I think that it would be better to wait another day before moving Rhys, but he will not hear of it. He is upset that we have already lost more than a day and is very anxious to get to Amarni so that you can leave to join Elwyn. It pains him that she is alone.”

  “I am certainly willing to wait another day if you and Galdor think that it’s best for Rhys health. The purpose of this journey is to get him to safety, not jeopardize his health even more,” Ayron said sincerely, remembering how Rhys had lain unresponsive and burning up with fever just twenty-four hours previously.

  “Actually,” she replied with a smile. “I think that traveling might be just what Rhys needs. He wants to feel that he is aiding in getting you to the point where you can leave to go join Elwyn. I know that, even though he is happy that she survived the assassins, it bothers him that she is out there all alone. I think he would rest easier and cooperate more with us if we were underway, rather than sitting here doing nothing.”

  “I can’t tell you that I’m unhappy that we are going to move on today,” he said with a grin forming on his face. “I just wanted to make sure that we weren’t doing it at that stubborn old man’s expense,” he added laughing.

  “I’ll tell him that you said that,” Clayre said laughing as well. By the way, Ayron, why is it that you call Rhys “old man?”

  “I’ll let him tell you that story. But I will say that he’s had that nickname since long before you met him and he got it because of a tendency to fuss and fret about things.”

  “I see, well I will see if I can pry the story out of him as we ride together. It may help to pass the time.”

  As Clayre walked back toward the wagon, she added, “One think that I have observed is that the two of you a
re neck and neck in competition to determine who the biggest worrier is. Rhys may fret and fuss, but you frequently walk around camp looking like the grim reaper.”

  “Enough said, Clayre,” said Ayron as he headed over to join the other soldiers. “I will try to appear more cheerful,” he added while turning back and throwing her a large grin. “I’m not ready to take the title of “old man” from Rhys quite yet.”

  Ayron gathered his soldiers together and informed them that they would be moving out after the midday meal. He knew they would finish breaking camp quickly and efficiently. They’d been together long enough to each know their own individual area of responsibility. He went over to where he’d slept the night before, packed up his bed pad and picked up the clean clothing that he set out to dry in the sun earlier that morning. When his saddlebags were packed, he went over to where Gerrack was waiting, greeted him, groomed him, and then saddled him so that they would be ready to depart as soon as they’d finished the midday meal. He noticed that Stuart was preparing the new wagon to carry Rhys and Clayre. He and a few of the soldiers were loading their supplies, so that after the meal, they just had to carry Rhys’ litter and strap it onto the wagon frame so it wouldn’t slip. Tomak was also nosing around anxious to help and eyeing his new harness and back pad. Ayron guessed that the morden among them were as concerned as he was about the possibility of danger during the remainder of their journey.

  As Ayron turned back toward the campsite, he caught a whiff of the fresh baked bread and savory stew that Kormir and Clayre were preparing for lunch. Before long, they were all seated around the fire enjoying a hearty meal and sharing stories about the storm. Everyone seemed relieved that it had blown itself out early the morning before. Living by the sea, Clayre experienced storms like that from time to time, but the soldiers from Silvendil were amazed at the intensity at which the wind blew and the rain fell soaking everything in its path. After everyone finished eating, Ayron took a few minutes to review the route he planned to take with his soldiers. While he did that, Clayre took Rhys some lunch, and packed up their things, preparing to leave. Within the hour, Ayron’s men arrived to carry Rhys’ litter and Clayre’s medical supplies to the wagon. The little band of travelers departed as the sun loomed high overhead, ready to face the rest of their journey and whatever waited for them along the way.

  Chapter 19 – Lost and Found

  As Elwyn walked with the two morden back toward the camp, she felt a sense of relief that she wouldn’t have to search the area surrounding the campsite alone. This was definitely a departure from how she normally felt, but after the horror of last night’s events, she wasn’t sure if she would ever feel completely safe in the woodlands again. It amazed her to think just how quickly she’d slid from feeling safe and confident to paranoid and fearful. She knew that if there was danger the morden would alert her, but she carried her short sword at her side and her bow along with a full quiver of arrows slung across her back. She and the two morden began to search the area behind the campsite. Elwyn felt that the most valuable lesson she’d learned from Thane was that loyal friends and fellow travelers never abandon each other. Keroc had been as much a friend and fellow traveler to her as Thane; offering her support, encouraging her, and possibly even dying for her. Elwyn was determined to search the area surrounding last night’s carnage until she found some sign of her other fallen friend. If he had indeed been felled by an assassin’s arrow, the least she could do was to give him an honorable burial.

  Elwyn and the two morden wandered around searching the small meadow behind and on each side of the campsite over the next two hours and found no sign of Keroc. She took a break from the search to take a drink of cool water and develop a search plan that would leverage the fact that there were three of them. To have the two morden following in her footsteps was comforting, but counterproductive to their chances of success. Besides, time was her enemy today, and it was passing quickly. She took a stick and divided the area surrounding the camp into grids in the dirt. She called the morden over to her and explained to each of them what she wanted them to do. She felt a little silly standing there explaining her plan to the two morden, but was amazed at how much of her instructions they seemed to understand. As soon as she finished speaking, Gemma and Raffe split up, went to the area assigned to each of them, and began to methodically search as she’d requested.

  Elwyn went to the grid that she’d assigned herself and focused as hard as she could on examining every inch of the terrain as she walked. She was driven by the desire to find the young drakenhawk, as well as to keep busy enough to not think of the battle the night before. She was shocked and horrified at how easy it had been for her to kill like that; quick, determined, and without thought. For the first time since she could remember, she hadn’t stopped to think about what she was going to do, she’d just reacted. While she knew she’d been functioning on autopilot during the fight, she never would have believed herself capable of such violence. It seemed surreal to her that twenty-four hours ago the idea of killing game was distasteful to her. All of that seemed to be almost inconsequential now when she compared it to killing people who might have families and friends who would suffer at their loss, just as she was suffering at the possible loss of her uncle.

  She also felt horrible about her incredible sloppiness. When she first became aware of the archer in the field, she hurried to return fire. She shot him twice, saw him fall, but failed to follow up making sure he was actually dead. It was like shooting a bear or wild boar when hunting. A smart hunter always makes sure that the target he or she hits is dead, because most animals and people, apparently, were much more dangerous when wounded. She’d been in so much of a hurry to help Thane that she neglected to follow basic rules that had been drummed into her for the past several seasons by the village hunters. Her failure to do that had probably resulted in Keroc’s death, and most assuredly was responsible for Thanes. There would be a lot for her to think about when she arrived in Kren. She was definitely not looking forward to telling Ayron that it was her sloppiness that cost the lives of his close friend and his companion. She realized suddenly just how morose she was feeling and realized this was not the time to dwell on all the negatives and the mistakes. Hopefully she would learn from them, and be able to use what she’d learned to protect her other friends and fellow travelers, the morden. For right now her priorities had to be to find Keroc, to continue traveling north, and to stay alive.

  The morning slowly gave way to afternoon and Elwyn felt that she and the morden were no closer to finding Keroc than they had been when they started the search earlier that morning. They searched all but one of the grids she drew on the ground and found nothing. Even the morden seemed restless and troubled. There was still a scent of blood in the air assaulting their nostrils each time the wind blew southwest across the campsite. Whenever that fetid odor invaded her lungs, it brought along with it terrifying memories of the carnage from the night before. She was also becoming increasingly concerned about still being in the same location of last night’s attack. She knew she needed to move on soon and not let another group of assassins find her still here and unprepared to defend herself adequately. She had no idea how these killers were able to locate their targets, but was determined that if this King Stefan wanted her dead, then his assassins were going to need to work hard to find her.

  Tired, but determined, the three of them began to carefully search the last grid. She’d already decided that if they could not find Keroc soon, they would have to move on. She felt as if were searching for a needle in a haystack. Just as they finished searching the last grid and were considering packing up and racing northward, she felt a presence enter her mind.

  “Keroc,” she cried joyously, tears filling her eyes. “Where are you? Tell me so I can find you. I’ve been so worried. Thane said you’d been hit by an arrow. I thought you were dead.” The words tumbled from her mouth so rapidly that she almost forgot to breathe. Elwyn was so excited that she actually sho
uted out the words. The morden stopped their search and turned to look at her. They quickly trotted over to her side and took up a protective stance. Elwyn settled down so they wouldn’t worry, but continued to speak out loud so that they could hear what she was saying.

  Her tears of joy quickly became tears of frustration and grief as Kierra quickly identified herself. “I thought I might be some help in locating Keroc. I know you’ve been searching for several hours without success.”

  “Kierra, please help us. The morden and I have searched everywhere we can think of to look. We want to give Keroc a proper burial next to Thane but we are getting close to giving up and moving on. I’m sure you understand why we don’t want to still be here at dusk.”

  “Elwyn, don’t give up your search for Keroc yet. He’s still alive. He doesn’t seem to be able to communicate with his mind. I think that the assassin’s poison running through his system may be blocking his ability to reach out to us. I have been able to maintain a tiny link with him. If you are willing to walk around the area again, I’ll see if I can sense the link with him growing stronger as you walk. I’m not sure it will help, but I’m willing to try.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to find him. Besides, we still have a few hours we can use to search for him before we have to seriously consider other options I won’t leave him here all alone in this place of death. I’m amazed that you can sense him. Is that the way it is with all drakenhawks, or is Keroc special to you.”

  “Yes, I can sense any one of my drakenhawks at any time. And yes, Keroc holds a very special place in my heart. He was hatched from my last egg. Keroc’s father, Berroc, was my mate and was life-bonded to Ayron. Berroc later died protecting Ayron in battle. I actually convinced Keroc to choose Ayron as his companion. I knew he was a good and courageous man who’d been broken in grief by Berroc’s death. Keroc chose Ayron and the match is proving to be good for them both.”