by Lorna George
‘Lady Naomi?’ Rayan’s surprised voice shook her out of her musings and she looked up to see the older man standing just outside the entrance to Arun’s tent. ‘I wasn’t aware you were out here. Is everything alright?’
She felt a tremor of shock and embarrassment from Arun, but ignored it. ‘Fine, thank you Lord Rayan. Thirty paces isn’t as far as you might think, that’s all.’
He glanced at the tent, knowing Arun must be able to hear them, then walked across to where she was sitting on a nearby tree stump. Respect for him caused her to stand up, sheer force of will keeping her from standing to attention. He seemed to notice the brief internal struggle and smiled, which made her wonder just how much he knew, or suspected about her.
‘I’m surprised my wife hasn’t stolen you away. She’s already very fond of you, and it’s nice for her to have someone to fuss over.’
‘Lady Esta is helping in the mess tent,’ she returned genially. ‘My predicament won’t allow me to go that far, so I decided to sit out here and mull over a few things.’
There was that look of sympathy again and she briefly wondered just how pathetic she must seem to these people. ‘I’m sorry to have disturbed you, in that case. I know you must have a great deal on your mind, and personally I find that very careful consideration is the best way to make any rational decision. Can I be of any service to you?’
‘Thank you, no, but perhaps I can be of some help to you? I understand you’re taking out a hunting party.’
He suddenly looked uncomfortable, and glanced back to the tent behind them again. ‘I’m very sorry, Lady Naomi, but there’s no question of you accompanying us.’
‘So I understand,’ she laughed quietly. ‘No, I just meant that perhaps you would like some advice as to what’s safe to hunt and what isn’t? I’ve already given Lady Esta a list of plant life that’s freely available in this area of the forest and safe for consumption, but the wildlife is full of trickery and disguises. It’s too easy to kill something you shouldn’t if you’re not familiar with the land.’
There was that familiar tingling on the back of her neck as she spoke and she realised Arun must have come out of the tent. The fact that Rayan kept looking behind her made her certain of the fact they were being openly watched, and it seemed like he was waiting for some kind of sign from his cousin before accepting her offer.
‘Thank you, that would be greatly appreciated.’ He bowed.
‘Stick to rabbits, deer and boar, but only brown ones. If it’s a different colour, white, green, gold and such, it probably is a nymph, and trust me when I say you don’t want to accidentally kill one of them,’ she warned, knowing it was the best and most basic advice she could offer without being there herself. Rayan and Esta had been kind to her. She didn’t want them to be hurt. ‘Try not to use your magic, as well. Especially not for fire, it makes the dryads antsy. It would probably scare off any griffin or clabbert in the area, but it will also attract the attention of the dragons and maybe even The Watcher.’
‘The Watcher?’
‘The guardian of the forest,’ she told him, then felt a stab of irritation at the snort of disbelief from behind her. She turned, and sure enough, there was Arun, arms crossed and brows raised.
‘The Watcher is real,’ she turned her back on him again, directing her words to Lord Rayan. ‘He’s also very dangerous, especially if you damage things you shouldn’t. If you aren’t sure it’s a normal animal, then don’t touch it. If you’re able to observe it for a while first and make sure its behaviour is natural, then I’d recommend it.’
He nodded once, and she was glad to see that he seemed to take her warning seriously. She supposed that to most people, even those from Ffion, The Watcher must seem like little more than a myth to keep small children from wandering into the woods alone, but she knew better. She just had to hope Lord Rayan was as sensible as she believed and would heed her experience.
‘Thank you. We’ll be careful, I promise.’
She nodded once and bit back replying sharply that it was no skin off her nose if they weren’t. The warnings were for their own benefit, after all. Lord Rayan then raised his hand in salute to Arun, and smiling very briefly to her, turned away and headed to where the group of soldiers were gathering. Naomi very deliberately didn’t turn back to Arun and watched as Lady Esta came out of the mess tent, skipping excitedly to her husband. There was a short exchange of words, and Esta’s face fell slightly. She turned to where Naomi was standing, and apparently seeing Arun behind her, hesitated a moment, before cupping her hands around her mouth and calling over.
‘We’ll be back soon, Naomi!’
A little surprised and more touched than she’d like to admit by this obvious show of support, Naomi waved silently to the other woman.
‘I’ll try to find some good feathers!’ she called again. ‘Don’t forget you promised to show me how to fletch an arrow!’
Naomi couldn’t stop herself from smiling at her insistence. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
Esta seemed satisfied by this and waved again, before heading over to the rest of the hunting party. She found herself watching wistfully as they made ready to depart, Rayan relaying her warnings to the others as they checked their weapons, and wished she could have gone as well. Hearing Arun move up to stand beside her, she looked skywards and silently prayed for patience.
‘You know I couldn’t let you go,’ he said, his voice hard as iron.
‘I know,’ she shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t trust me either, even though we both know that without your magic sustaining me I wouldn’t last an hour without passing out.’
Glancing up at him, she saw his expression of surprise and realised that this hadn’t occurred to him. When he saw her looking up at him, possibly mockingly, he glowered at her. ‘How am I supposed to trust anyone that sneaks around listening in to conversations they have no business hearing?’
He turned to leave, but the guard who had been outside his tent cleared his throat and stood to attention. ‘My King, I feel it my duty to inform you that the Lady was sitting out here long before the Commander entered your tent. She was originally seated on my other side, closer to the structure, and would have been harder to spot and in a better position to listen, but once you began to speak she stood and moved away, where she was easier to see and would have found it harder to hear.’
Both Naomi and Arun looked at the young man, taken aback by his statement. Arun was the first to react, snapping, ‘And just what does that have to do with anything?’
‘I mean no disrespect, My King,’ the hapless man looked nervous, but resolute in making his point. ‘Only that you accused the Lady of deliberately listening, and I’m sure that given this information you would have to agree it unlikely to be purposeful on her part.’
‘How are you doing this?’ Arun rounded on her, face twitching irritably. ‘What have you said to inspire this kind of loyalty from my own people?’
‘Nothing!’ she held up her hands defensively, then looked in honest bewilderment to the guard. ‘I don’t think we’ve ever spoken, have we?’
‘No, My Lady,’ the guard hesitated. ‘My name is Rostam.’
She watched the guard curiously for a moment, and Arun tutted loudly and walked back into his tent. Naomi smiled a little at the guard.
‘That was very kind of you,’ she shook her head. ‘Potentially foolish, but very kind, none the less.’
‘The King is a good man, My Lady. He’s just in a difficult situation at the moment, as you are.’ Rostam glanced into the tent, then lowered his voice. ‘I have a sister about your age who was married last year. She struggled too, but things are much better for her now she knows her husband more.’
‘I don’t understand,’ she said, also keeping her voice low so Arun might not hear her. ‘Even with the Bond, your people still arrange marriages?’
The young guard smiled slightly. ‘I know that it must be hard for you, but it just works out for us that way. It’s better
to go into the Bond with no preconceptions about who the other person is, you see? It’s quite possible to think you know someone when you actually don’t.’
She could relate to that, at least. She had been betrayed by those she believed in and knew it was all too easy to be misled.
‘Please, My Lady, just give him a chance,’ Rostam asked. ‘If you have questions, and I’m sure you do, please don’t hesitate to ask. The more you know, the easier it will become.’
Naomi wondered if Arun realised the loyalty of his men was actually meant for him, and felt a stirring of appreciation for the Korenian guards. It was good to meet people of fealty again. She didn’t like the Bond Spell at all, but she supposed it was just a different way of doing things. She held out her hand to Rostam, and after a little moment of surprise, he took it.
‘Thank you,’ she smiled, shaking once, then letting go. ‘I’m sure your King would be grateful to know you only mean to help.’
He nodded, opening his mouth to respond, when a piercing shriek rent the air. There were cries of terror from the middle of the camp, and Naomi immediately began to run in the direction of the disturbance. She heard Arun shout, but too late to remember the spell and slammed into the invisible wall of magic. Cursing loudly, she fell to the ground and knew he must have been coming towards her. The shouts were getting louder, and as another screech tore through the camp, she saw the soldiers falling back, weapons drawn, as the monstrous thing advanced.
It was a harpy, jagged maw already dripping blood down its feathered front. The Korenians were attacking with swords and spears, making it all too easy for the creature to lash out with its powerful claws, barbing their flesh like fish on a hook.
‘Long range weapons!’ she bellowed. ‘Fall back! Fall back!’
No one seemed to hear her, but the harpy looked up from the man whose skull she was crushing between her talons. Orange, aquiline eyes looked right at her, and its face pulled back, revealing its rows of jagged teeth in a horrific grin. She recognised it as the same one that had attacked her before. It screeched again, and Naomi scrabbled up to her feet, stepping unsteadily backwards and into Arun.
‘What in all hells are you doing?’ he shouted, trying to pull her back. She didn’t have time for his misplaced sense of concern, however, knowing that just one harpy in their midst could slaughter every single one of them if not handled properly. The hunting party had gone, so they were already ten soldiers down, along with their commanding officer. There was one of the soldiers who seemed to be trying to organise some kind of attack, but again with short range weapons.
‘Stay here!’ Arun ordered, a sword appearing in his hand as he shoved past her to go to his men. Instinct took over Naomi then, and grabbing his sword arm, she twisted it up behind his back and hooked her ankle around his, flooring him easily. He yelled in surprise, but she let go of him instantly and stepped away.
‘You stay here!’ she snapped, turning away and running by herself into the thick of the battle. Part of her registered that she only had a space of thirty paces before she got stuck again, but she knew it wouldn’t take Arun long to get back to his feet and follow her. She had a precious few moments to get their defence where it needed to be.
‘To the King!’ she yelled, shoving through the soldiers and skidding down to pick up an abandoned bow from the grass. The change in call got more attention, and she saw a few of the men at the back turning to see Arun trying to get to his feet. ‘Fall back! To the King!’
The retreat of the ranks in the back was almost instantaneous, unsure of their King’s injuries and rushing back to help him. As one of them passed her, she grabbed a handful of arrows from the quiver at his back and turned back to face the beast and the front ranks still fighting her. Naomi fell back too, knowing that the soldiers would likely try and drag Arun out of harm’s way, and her with him, then jabbed the arrows tip first into the ground. Nocking one as quickly as she could, she took a deep breath and aimed.
‘Long range weapons!’ she repeated, then fired the arrow into the face of the harpy. It screamed in agony and reared back as Naomi rolled her shoulders and picked up another arrow. She saw the soldiers start to heed her words, and not giving the harpy a chance to recover, fired the second shot into one of its great wings.
It shrieked again, swiping at the men at its feet, but the one who had seemed to be in charge was at last repeating her commands. ‘Fall back! Long range weapons!’
Naomi nocked another arrow, pulling the bowstring taut as she took aim, and was glad to see the Korenians retreating and notching their own bows. She fired again, but only grazed its shoulder as someone suddenly shouted in her ear.
‘You stupid woman!’
‘Aim for the eyes and wings,’ she called back to the men that had formed ranks around her, then spared Arun a quick glance. ‘Not now, Sire, I’m a little preoccupied. Either grab a bow or get back, please.’
Finally there was an organised volley that hit the now squawking creature, and as Arun snatched the bow out of her hands bad-temperedly, she allowed him his petty outburst. Stepping back out of the way, she watched as he took up her position and fired another volley. The Harpy had stopped moving, and she saw the Korenians hesitate, thinking it was dead.
‘One more,’ she ordered, forgetting herself until Arun again turned furious eyes on her. She shrugged. ‘Better to be safe than sorry.’
They were about to reload, when the harpy suddenly shrieked again, throwing its head back and making one last charge towards them. Naomi grabbed Arun’s arm and pulled him back with her instinctively, despite knowing it didn’t have the energy to reach them now. Its broken form all too quickly crumpled back onto the grass, blood pouring and pooling around it, then began to emit a high, ear-splitting note that made most of them cover their ears.
‘It’s calling for help,’ Naomi yelled above the din to Arun. ‘We need to get out of here!’
‘What about Rayan and the others?’ he shouted back. She could see the concern in his face, but had no answer for him and turned away. She found the soldier that had been leading the first attack.
‘Are you the ranking officer?’
‘I’m just a Sergeant. The Captain was the first to be killed by that thing!’
The noise subsided all at once and the Sergeant’s words echoed around the wrecked campsite. Other soldiers, some wounded, others just shaken, began to look between herself and Arun. She only nodded, knowing they had to get out of there as quickly as possible. She had no idea how many harpies were on their trail, but she knew that with their numbers so depleted, they were unlikely survive another attack.
‘Patch up the wounded who can’t wait as best you can, and get as many supplies together as possible,’ she ordered decisively. ‘The essentials only. Food, weapons, and bedrolls. Leave everything else.’
‘I’m not leaving without Rayan and Esta,’ Arun grabbed her shoulder, but she said nothing. ‘This isn’t your decision to make.’
‘No,’ she admitted. ‘But if we stay here, we will all perish. Lord Rayan would say the same. We don’t know what else is hunting us, you have less than fifteen soldiers left, and most of them are injured. We don’t have the time to wait for their return and we can’t withstand another attack.’
She saw him look around at the state they were now in and silently realise what she said was true. Putting her pride aside for a moment in the face of his dilemma, she touched his hand briefly.
‘Your cousin is clever and able. He’ll see what’s happened and continue to head towards Pearpetal where your ship is. The best we can do is the same and hope to meet them there.’
There was a tense moment of silence, then he looked to the Sergeant still hovering beside them and nodded once.
Chapter Eleven
Naomi was trying her best to be nice. She knew it had been a tough decision for Arun to abandon camp without waiting for Rayan, Esta, and the others, and he seemed to be holding her personally responsible for the whole thing.
He had told her that using his dragon form sapped a lot of energy, and so using it to hunt for her previously made him unable to utilise now, and hadn’t spoken a word to her since. She could understand his anger, and said nothing to defend herself, knowing it would only make things worse.
They had taken the bare minimum of supplies they needed, leaving both the wagons and all the tents behind at her instructions. She hadn’t meant to just take over like that, but Arun was withdrawn and the Sergeant who was now highest ranking officer, Naseem, seemed completely bewildered by his sudden elevation. They had taken the horses they needed, setting the others free, and ridden through the forest as hard and for as long as possible. They had put a great deal of distance between themselves and the camp, and once they hit water, Naomi had ordered the now exhausted horses to be rested and fed, then set free as well.
It was only then that Arun had seemed to shake himself out of his dark silence and challenged her order, but once she explained that they would be harder to track on foot, he had again retreated. By then it was dark and late, and she had shown the remaining soldiers how to build small sleeping platforms high in the trees, where they were now spending the night.
She had allowed magic for the sake of healing those injured by the harpy attack, but had then forbidden all use unless absolutely necessary. Arun himself had done a great deal of the healing, and she was glad to see he was keeping himself busy instead of dwelling in dark places. She understood what he was experiencing, but knew better than to try and offer a comfort that wasn’t sought. Hope and logic were battling inside him, and the best she could do to help was keep them all moving and get as many safely out of Ffion as she could. He wasn’t stupid, and she knew he must realise as she did that Rayan and Esta hadn’t been gone from the camp long enough to not hear and respond to the noise of the attack. The only explanation was that they had been attacked themselves simultaneously.