Encouraged by Kierra’s offer to help, Elwyn and the two morden walked around the area again. After about an hour, Kierra noticed that her link with Keroc was steadily growing stronger. The link strengthened each time Elwyn approached the trees that grew behind their campsite. So she shifted her search pattern and walked around in the woods for the next hour, still not finding any sign of him. She was getting more and more frustrated when it suddenly occurred to her to look up into the trees. The morden had grown increasingly restless and were nickering, which made her wonder if they could smell or sense Keroc nearby, but could not see him either.
At first glance she didn’t see anything that resembled a drakenhawk up in the trees. Then, off in the distance, she spied an old abandoned bird’s nest high up in a dying pine tree, with something black sticking out just over the edge. She communicated what she saw to Kierra, who urged her to try to reach the nest to see if it was indeed her son. The tree was very difficult for her to climb. There were only a few hand and footholds and the trunk was dripping with a very sticky sap that stuck to her hands, feet, and clothing. Finally, exhausted and sticky, she reached the nest. She cried out first in joy and then in distress at what she saw. The two morden paced restlessly below, waiting for her to tell them what she discovered. Poor Keroc was impaled to the nest by the arrow that hit his wing. As horrible as it seemed, Elwyn quickly realized that the poisoned arrow may have actually saved his life. It had gone straight through his wing and when he fell into the nest as he lost consciousness, the arrow held him in place, saving him from a long fall and from predators. Elwyn quickly communicated what she saw to Kierra.
“First, it’s going to be important for you to free him from the nest. You will have to be sure not to touch any part of the arrow, or the area where the arrow pierced his wing with your bare hands. Rip off a piece of your shirt to wrap around the arrow before you attempt to remove it. If you try to pull it back out, the arrowhead might deliver even more poison into his system, so you will have to break off the shaft of the arrow and then pull it straight through his wing.”
Elwyn, following Kierra’s instructions closely, tore off a piece of her cotton camisole. She then tore the material into two pieces and wrapped a piece of the material around both ends of the arrow. She broke off the feathered end of the arrow as gently as she could, trying to keep the arrow as still as possible. She then pulled what was left of the arrow, straight through his wing and the bottom of the nest. Keroc was now free and no longer pinned to the side of the large nest. She tossed the arrow far from the tree so that she wouldn’t accidently step on it as she descended. She made sure to toss it away from where the morden were standing as well. Her next challenge was to get the unconscious drakenhawk safely down from high up in the tall pine tree. Relieved that she was the only person in the area, she removed her leather tunic and made a sling that she could put over her shoulder. When that was done, she gently slid the drakenhawk, who suddenly didn’t seem so little to her, into the sling. Making sure that Keroc was securely tied into the sling, she slowly and carefully descended the tree.
Once Elwyn reached the ground, she took a few minutes to bury the arrow so that no one else, man or beast, would succumb to its poison. She then picked Keroc up and headed slowly back toward the campsite followed by the two morden. Her eyes were overflowing with tears of joy and hope as she carried Keroc back to where she’d left her packs. He was unresponsive and very hot to the touch. His wing seemed bent at an odd angle with its leathery skin torn where the arrow perforated it. She really couldn’t tell any more than that about his condition. She knew so little about drakenhawks and just wasn’t sure what to do next. She quickly communicated her concerns to Kierra.
“I have already dispatched six of my fiercest warriors to find you and bring you an antidote that might reverse the effects of the poison. With your permission, I am giving them the right to maintain a link with you, so that they will be able to track you. Once they arrive, they will take over the job of protecting you and will also give you advice about tending to drakenhawk injuries.”
“I really need some help right now. I’m frightened of being alone and I have the feeling that another attack is coming. I’ll feel much safer if there are more of us that can fight as we travel. What should I do for Keroc until they reach us? One of the bones in his wing looks broken and I think he might be running a fever. He seems much hotter to the touch than he did before.”
“Splint Keroc’s broken wing to the best of your ability. If it isn’t done quickly, it will impact his ability to fly in the future. After you do that, keep him warm and wrapped tightly so that he can’t injure himself. Also, please give him all the water that you can force into his body. When he is well enough, feed him lots of broth made from meat.”
“I will do my best to take good care of him for you, Kierra. Keroc has grown special to me too, and I really want to see him get well. He seems to experience so much joy in just being alive, that it spills over onto everyone else around him.”
“Thank you for caring for my son. I owe you a debt that can never be repaid, but now we must turn our attention to your safety. Please, get yourselves out of there as quickly as possible. I’m very afraid that when the first group of assassins failed to return, another might have been assigned the task.”
Elwyn knew, by the position of the sun, that it was well into the middle of the afternoon, leaving only a few hours before dusk. She first set Keroc’s wing, holding the broken bone in place with a stick she’d scrubbed clean in the water. She then washed and put some ointment on the places where the leathery membrane of his wing had been torn by the arrow. Finally, she wrapped some clean strips of linen she carried in her saddle bags to use as bandages around him to keep his wings from extending as she rode. She gave him as much water as she could get him to swallow, and then wrapped him tightly in one of Thane’s blankets. Elwyn then contacted Kierra and let her know what she had done, and that she was getting ready to leave and continue north.
“I will contact your uncle and let him know that you are as well as can be expected. I’ll also let him know that you found Keroc, that he will recover from his wound, and that you are back on the road traveling north to Kren.”
“Thanks Kierra, I’m sure that Ayron is worried about us and wondering why he can’t contact Keroc. If you get the chance, would you ask him about my uncle and Clayre? I’ve been very worried about them.”
“Yes, as soon as I get the chance to communicate with Ayron and get some news, I’ll contact you again. I hope you don’t mind if I check in with you about Keroc from time to time.”
“Actually you can contact me whenever you want. I really miss having Keroc popping in and out of my head, she said chuckling to herself, remembering her annoyance at Keroc’s first few forays into her mind.”
As quietly as it came, Elwyn felt the presence in her mind slip away. She felt the heaviness of being alone again. With a heavy sigh, she walked over to where the morden waited and gave them a short rundown of what Kierra said. She then shared her plan with them.
“Gemma, Raffe, my plan is to continue riding north along the trail and not stop for anything until I reach Kren. I have no idea how far away we are from the village, but Thane thought we were about a day’s ride south of there. I’m not sure that the two of you understand every word I’m saying, but I believe that you are both my friends and fellow travelers and as such, you deserve to hear whatever plans are being made. You have proven your loyalty and willingness to help me at every turn.”
Elwyn lost for any more words to express her feelings just put her arms around the morden’s sizable necks and gave them each a big hug. She learned more each day about their extraordinary intelligence and fearless courage. She was especially amazed at Raffe who, even through the incredible grief he must be suffering, held firm in his willingness and determination to help and to continue the journey. Her discussion with the morden concluded, Elwyn saddled them and prepared to lift Keroc up so that
he could ride with her on Gemma. Raffe and Gemma both snorted and stomped their feet at her actions. Raffe came over to her and nudged her gently in the arm that was holding the little drakenhawk, and she soon realized that Raffe was volunteering to carry him. She quickly fashioned a small litter that resembled the ones she used to carry game when hunting, and attached it to Raffe’s saddle. Raffe stood very still while she did this and she got the definite feeling he wanted to feel a useful part of the group. Actually, having Raffe carry Keroc made a lot of sense, because it would enable her to ride faster and be freer to fight if they were attacked on the trail.
Elwyn quickly washed off as much sap as time would permit, and changed her clothes for the second time that day. She also made sure both waterskins were full, and that she had easy access to the jerky and travel biscuits. She intended to ride straight through to Kren, even if it meant sleeping in her saddle all night. It was difficult not knowing how far she had left to travel. She was also determined to not become an easy target for another assassination attempt, and would depend on the morden to alert her as they had the night before. She kept her short sword at her side and slung her bow and arrows within easy reach across her back. She reminded the morden one more time to alert her if they sensed anything that smelled similar to the scents they picked up the night before. She wanted to have as much time as possible to decide how best to evade a shadow squad, if one did try to attack them as they rode. Elwyn turned and took one last look at the grave where she’d laid Thane to rest, and at the four bodies that lay sprawled around their campsite and sighed deeply. The price of this journey had been very high so far, and she hoped with everything in her, that there would be no more injury or death to face before she arrived in Kren. With a determined sigh, she mounted Gemma, signaled to Raffe who was carrying Keroc, and rode north away from their campsite without looking back.
Chapter 20 – The Road to Amarni
Ayron missed Keroc. It was as simple as that. As he and his soldiers rode escort for Rhys and Clayre along the road leading away from Port Strabo toward the land of Urafiki and the city of Amarni, he realized that he felt very much alone. He was dumbfounded at how quickly his drakenhawk companion had become such a vital part of his everyday life. He was always amazed by Keroc’s love of life and often sent the little drakenhawk on small errands or scouting missions, enjoying the pictures and emotions that Keroc shared with him as he flew. Keroc was young enough to be amazed and captivated by almost everything new he encountered. He was also very curious and loved to have Ayron explain to him the many things he saw that puzzled him. They had indeed grown very close since their life-bonding ceremony. Ayron hadn’t realized just how close, until his link with him was interrupted. It was difficult for him to go through each day with only his own thoughts for company.
The more time that Ayron had to process his thoughts, the darker his mood became. It was almost as if nothing in his grand plan was going according to expectation. He was so sure that they could ride quickly to Amarni without any delays, and that hadn’t happened. He’d been so sure that Stefan would be fooled and Elwyn and Thane would get to Kren without being attacked. That hadn’t happened. He’d had a difficult time earlier in the day when he told his soldiers about Thane’s death. He was definitely doing a poor job at consoling Alea, who appeared extremely distraught at the news. He hadn’t realized that they were so close. He was beating himself up for not having sent more men with Thane and Elwyn. He’d thought that they would be able to travel swiftly enough reach Kren before having to deal with an attack. With Thane dead, she was left alone, with no one to help or protect her. He had no idea where she was and certainly didn’t see any way she could find Keroc, survive another assassination attempt, or deal with a grieving morden. Morden who have had their life-bond broken were often inconsolable and Keroc, even if she found him, was probably critically ill. They were both were dependant on a young woman who had never even known about the existence of their species until three days ago. All in all, the world was shaping up to be pretty bleak.
Ayron signaled the group to stop for a break as the sun began to slowly descend behind the western mountain range. As his soldiers dismounted, he told them he had decided to take two long breaks a day, one around the noon hour, and one in the late afternoon that would last until dusk. They would ride as quickly as they could, taking into consideration Rhys’ ability to withstand the speed until they reached Amarni. He knew he was pushing his soldiers hard, but that was what they’d been trained for, and most of them had endured hardships much worse than this one. Ayron also felt that for Elwyn’s safety and Rhys’ continued healing, it was critical for him to be able to find her as quickly as possible. That would also allow him to help tend to Keroc as well. He jumped down from Gerrack’s back, unsaddled him, and led him to the stream. He then headed over to the wagon to speak with Clayre.
Clayre carefully climbed down from the wagon as soon as she noticed Ayron approaching and waved him off to the side, so that they could speak without disturbing Rhys, who was still sleeping soundly.
“Clayre, I hope that the afternoon’s travels haven’t been too taxing for Rhys. I am trying to pick routes that are not too rough and still move us along as quickly as possible.”
“He seems to be fairing well enough. I am watching him closely though, because I’m not sure the old fool would admit it if the travel becomes too difficult for him. He is determined not to slow you down. He wants you to get us to safety as soon as possible so that you can go after Elwyn.”
“Ah, dear lady,” Ayron said with a shake of his head. “If our travel to Amarni kills or permanently damages him, then the whole purpose of the trip has been defeated and my promise to Elwyn will not be kept. I have planned to take two long breaks each day which will allow for a good meal, time to see to any personal needs, and for a bit of rest. I would ask you to confer with Galdor and seek his counsel on whether it will be too taxing for Rhys. I too wish to arrive in Amarni as quickly as possible, but not at the sake of his life.”
“I’ll do that as soon as I have assisted Kormir in assembling the evening meal. It is obvious to me that the man, elf, or whatever he is, shouldn’t be allowed to fix the meals without some serious supervision. If all of the ingredients in our stews were left up to him, I would be terrified to eat them. I think he believes that he can add anything to a pot of water. I am trying to educate him so that he doesn’t end up poisoning you and your soldiers by mistake when you don’t have me around to protect you,” she said with a small laugh. “He does seem to be a willing student and eager to learn, so I will help him all I can.”
“Thank you very much kind lady.” With a smile and a quick bow, Ayron left to speak with some of the other soldiers. Stopping, he turned and added, “Make sure that you speak with Galdor and let me know what the two of you decide, so that I can inform the soldiers and adjust my plan accordingly.”
Clayre responded with a quick nod and hurried off to seek out Kormir before he could do any damage to the evening meal. She faced a difficult dilemma trying to balance Rhys desire to not slow down their progress to Amarni, against their desire to see him get there without endangering his health any more than it already was. While his body seemed to be fighting off the infection he sustained as a result of his knife wound; he was still incredibly weak, his breathing was impaired, and his immune system was in shambles. In her opinion, he was sustaining himself by the strength of his will alone. The problem with that was that she wasn’t sure just how long he would be able to continue doing that. At some point, he was going to have to just relax and let time and the healers do their work. She chuckled to herself. Spending time with him in such close quarters and listening to him grumble and fret had made her begin to appreciate why Ayron referred to him as “Old Man”. Well at least she would be able to ensure that he got a healthy dinner. Kormir was just unpacking the cooking utensils as she arrived at the campfire.
Rhys, on the other hand, lay on his litter in the wagon full
of anger and frustration. He felt as weak and helpless as a new born babe just at a time when his niece needed him the most. Elwyn had become independent very early in life. He supposed it was due to her elven heritage and the abilities that came with it. He also hadn’t babied her, fearful that someday something like this would happen, and she might have to fight to survive. He thought he could lose himself in the small village of Tarlon and live a peaceful life there. His mistake was in thinking that he could keep the knowledge of his niece’s existence hidden forever. It was obvious that Stefan was still paranoid and that, for some reason, considered his niece a threat. He felt proud of how she’d dealt with the shadow squad that was sent to kill her, but he wondered if she would be able to make it to Kren alone. He was extremely angry with himself for his own weakness, and frustrated that the only people he knew that were able to help her were here babysitting him and refusing to leave.
Ayron sitting on a large stump on the other side of camp was feeling much the same way, but from a slightly different perspective. He was regretting the promise he made to Elwyn. He was having a difficult time dealing with the fact that his promise, made in haste to a grief stricken young women, might actually result in her death. Of course, he was also upset at himself because he realized that whoever was directing the assassins had seen right through his plan, and directed his men to attack both them and Elwyn and Thane. Ayron still doubted that they would get to Amarni without coming under attack again, but he was beginning to think the primary target of the attacks was Elwyn and not Rhys. At least their group was fighting men. Poor Thane and Elwyn had to deal with a shadow squad; and his niece was not out of the woods yet. Had he realized that, he would have at least sent a few more men along with the two of them on their journey. He was angry with himself for dismissing how important this young woman was to Stefan, and how determined he was to kill her. He also believed that this very short sightedness on his part was also the reason Thane was dead. He was glad when Kormir announced that the evening meal was ready.
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