They entered a sea of people.
Realisation hit Miro like a punch in the stomach. Rather than heading away from the encampment and raising a cry, Tungawa planned to hide in a place where no sane man would choose to travel, yet where they would disappear instantly.
Tungawa led Miro through the revenant army.
The barbarians of Oltara and Muttara formed eerily still ranks on both sides. Mingled through their numbers were the defenders of Narea and Gokan, now fighting on their enemy's behalf in death as they never would have in life. Miro brushed past a huge northerner and in his haste to avoid the man's touch he stumbled, falling into a Gokani woman. Tungawa pulled him back upright as Miro stared into the white eyes of the revenant, seeing the slash across her throat where the necromancers had ended her life.
Without orders the revenant returned Miro's stare but did nothing, and Miro and the alchemist resumed their journey through rank after rank of the undead.
They were the ultimate warriors: perfectly disciplined, needing no sustenance, feeling no pain, and loyal to the end. There was no use counting them, there were simply too many.
Miro stumbled again as weakness washed over him. This time he fell to one knee and cried out with the pain in his head.
"Get up!" Tungawa hissed. "They are slow to think, but some do."
Miro opened his mouth and retched, as the pain sickened him to the point nothing else mattered. His stomach was empty and nothing came out. He felt Tungawa's hand under his arm, pulling him up.
"Fight the pain." Tungawa said. "Do it for Amber."
Summoning strength from some hidden reserve, Miro stood up, battling his body's every desire to let unconsciousness close in and take away the pain. He took three faltering steps forward, sensing the revenants around him stir and seeing more and more of them turn their white-eyed stare on him.
He pushed the pain down, and felt his legs strengthen as his footsteps grew more certain.
"We're almost there," Tungawa said. "Just a little further."
Miro risked moving his head enough to look up. He saw trees ahead, and the sight gave him strength.
With a burst of fresh air they cleared the ranks of the revenants, and no cries were raised behind them. With Tungawa still holding his arm, Miro followed the alchemist into the trees.
Miro concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other, his entire being consumed with that task. He desperately wanted to rest, but he knew that if he stopped the relief of unconsciousness would overtake him.
Then he could go no more. Miro fell over a tree root and pushed his head up with his hands but felt the strength leave his limbs.
There was a new voice beside him. A woman's voice.
"Oh, what have they done to you, my love?" Amber sobbed. "Tungawa, help me get him to the grove."
"He nearly didn't make it," Tungawa said. "You know we can't stay here. We're going to have to put him on the cart. The army occupies this entire region, but if we head for the river I know where there's a bridge to take us into Veldria. The only problem is it isn't a short cut by any means. The army will get ahead of us."
"We need to get him out of here. Take us to this bridge. Oh, Miro! No, don't try to speak."
"Thank you," Miro whispered. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you."
"Shh," Amber hushed. "Rest now. We'll go back to Emirald and we'll get the ship we've been promised. We'll be on our way home before you know it."
Miro fell into the waiting arms of oblivion.
41
"SOON we'll be at the bridge," Tungawa said. "I have to tell you, by now the army will have crossed the main border at Renton. They'll now be in Veldria."
Amber looked down at Miro's sleeping form as the ox-drawn cart rumbled along the road. His chest rose and fell with healthy, normal sleep, and the tension in his body had eased; he was no longer struggling with the pain.
She had cleaned his wounds: his lips, split in three places; his cheeks, scratched and torn; and the twin lines of red dripping down from his broken nose.
Tungawa had helped Amber set Miro's nose, telling her it would now heal cleanly. Now, three days later, the black surrounding Miro's eyes had faded to blue, and he still looked terrible, but nothing like when Amber had first seen him.
Amber and Miro both wore normal travelling clothes, garments Tungawa had somehow procured. In the time since Miro's failed rescue attempt, the scorched wounds Amber had received at Sentar's hands had mostly healed. She had cut her hair short to remove the singed strands after it caught fire.
Amber had never travelled on a cart pulled by an animal. It was surprisingly similar to being drawn by drudge, although the two oxen needed feeding and gave off interesting smells. Tungawa knew the area in the south of Gokan well, and took them on trails he was sure the revenant army would avoid, particularly when their path was a less than direct way to get to Veldria.
It was late summer, and under different circumstances Amber would have found the travelling pleasant. The road meandered through forests and plains, over hills and down valleys, with the warm sun of summer shining on the treetops and the scent of flowers in the air.
The road developed an incline, and soon Amber knew they must be approaching the bridge Tungawa had mentioned. She pricked her ears; soon she would hear the sound of rushing water.
"I have to thank you, Tungawa."
"For what?"
"For saving me, and then for risking your life, and going back once more to save my husband."
Tungawa sighed. "It was my Guild that built the device that poisoned your son. I feel now that we were wrong to turn our backs on lore. I have no wish to see the end of the human race. If by helping you, I help the only chance of resistance this world has, then perhaps I am selfish."
"No, Tungawa. You are brave. It took extraordinary courage to do what you did."
Tungawa grimaced. "When those wretched Gokani prisoners saw me offer my services to the enemy… Words cannot describe how it made me feel."
"You're no traitor. I promise you, we'll fight Sentar Scythran to our last breath."
Tungawa nodded as he met Amber's gaze. "Hearing you say that brings me peace."
"What will you do when we get to Emirald?"
"I would like to help you get a ship, and travel with you to your homeland. The Guild has accumulated a great amount of knowledge. I would see that the knowledge isn't lost. If," Tungawa's eyes sparkled, "you'll have me?"
"Of course," Amber smiled, but then sobered. "Can I ask you something? Will Miro be all right?"
"He took a great amount of trauma to the head, but he is strong, your man. The worst is behind him."
"Tungawa, I have to ask. You said you were going to look for weaknesses. Did you find any?"
"I am sorry, Amber, but it seems nothing can stop this dark storm sweeping across the world. If I had some time with one of your loremasters, there was something…"
Tungawa suddenly cursed, making Amber look up.
There were four men, thin and travel-worn, their eyes filled with fear and suspicion. Three had swords, while the fourth held a spiked club. The leader, a bald man with round features, stepped forward. Before Amber and Tungawa could react, he had taken the halter of one of the oxen in his hand, bringing the cart to a halt.
"We want your oxen and your cart. We'll take any food you have also."
Amber and Tungawa exchanged glances.
Hearing loud voices, Miro stirred. "What's happening?"
"Miro, there's danger," Amber called to him. "You'd better get up."
"Well, did you hear me?" the bald brigand said. "There's four of us, and you're a woman, an old man, and an invalid."
"Our lives are more valuable than this cart," Tungawa said. "We should give it to them."
"Listen to the old man's advice. Quickly now!" the bald brigand brandished his sword.
Amber helped Miro get to his feet and they climbed down to stand beside the cart. Miro wobbled from side to side as Amber he
ld him upright.
Amber still held the flask Tungawa had given her in her hand. She tried to hide it with her body; this was the antidote they had come all this way to get.
Both she and Miro were unarmed. Tungawa began to climb down from the cart.
"What's in the flask?" the bald brigand said.
"It's nothing," said Amber.
"Give it here."
Amber handed the bald man the flask while Tungawa finished climbing down. She glanced at Miro, who returned her concerned look.
"Please," Amber said, "be careful. It's medicine for my son."
The brigand flicked the catch and levered the stopper open. He sniffed at the flask suspiciously. "Urgh," he said.
Amber watched in horror as he upended the flask, tipping the contents out onto the ground. "No!" she cried.
Miro went into action.
He sprang forward and his fist clipped under the bald brigand's chin, while his other hand grabbed at the flask.
The brigand fell down, clutching his head, and suddenly his sword was in one of Miro's hands, the flask in the other. Two of the bald man's followers charged, but the cart was in the way, preventing the fourth man from coming forward.
Miro ducked a slashing sword and thrust into one brigand's chest. As his opponent fell he turned to the next, the man with the club, attacking furiously until he opened up the third man's throat. The fourth man came around the back of the cart, his sword raised and face twisted with a combination of fear and rage.
Tungawa was in the way. The alchemist raised his hands, but the sword came forward to enter his chest, penetrating through the black robe.
Miro twisted and ran at the last brigand before the man reached Amber. He blocked an overhead blow and slashed his opponent's chest, cutting through the flesh and sending a spray of blood into the air.
Miro's arms lowered and he panted, falling to his knees.
Amber came forward. "Tungawa!" she cried.
Blood soaked the front of the fallen alchemist's robe. Amber heard scurrying behind her and saw the bald brigand rise to his feet. She saw the thoughts cross his face as he realised he was the last of his men standing, and then he turned and ran.
Tungawa rolled to his back and stared at the sky. He coughed, and redness splattered from his mouth onto his lips and chin.
Amber felt Miro beside her.
"My lung has been punctured," Tungawa gasped. "I can feel it filling with blood. I won't last long."
"The cure," Miro said. He shook the flask but it was empty. "You have to tell us how we can get more."
The old alchemist's lips curled in a smile, and his eyes began to glaze. "Reach into my robe. Look for a book."
Miro felt around inside the blood-soaked robe until he found a leather-bound book, thick, but small enough to fit in a pocket. There was blood on the outside, but the pages were protected.
"The knowledge you need is in there. Find the most gifted of your loremasters and give them this book. Not only does the book detail the cure you need, it contains our greatest secrets. When you give it to them, tell them this."
Tungawa's voice faded, and both Amber and Miro leaned in close.
Finally he spoke again, little more than a whisper. "Tell them everything is toxic, and small amounts of things considered poisonous can do good, while large amounts of safe substances can kill. For every bad there is good. My Guild has helped as many as we have hurt. I hope someone remembers this."
A gurgling rattle came from Tungawa's chest, and his eyes stared sightlessly. The alchemist was dead.
42
THEY left the alchemist where he lay, along with the three bodies of the brigands. With no time to lose, they took the cart along the road until they saw the bridge Tungawa had spoken of.
It was a narrow span of stones, and with the wide river surging below the oxen were reluctant to cross, but they eventually got the cart over the bridge. The road ahead was infrequently travelled, the alchemist had said, but if they continued south, passing through the forested hills, they would reach the small border town of Rengwin. From then on, they would be in Veldria.
Miro and Amber travelled day and night, one of them always with the reins held firmly in their hands. They could see the oxen were flagging, and gave them short rests, but always they drove on, pushing south, desperately trying to outrace the army and reach Emirald before the enemy.
It was impossible to say what Rengwin had once been like. The town was in ruins, buildings burned to the ground and timbers lying across the road. The strewn remnants of houses blocked the streets so that they couldn't take the cart any further. The army was definitely ahead of them.
From here on, they would be walking.
Their footsteps angled slightly towards the setting sun, heading south but with a westward bent, a path that would intersect the great road connecting Emirald to the main Gokani border crossing. Miro and Amber both kept a keen eye out for it.
Shading his eyes, Miro saw the road ahead. "Look!" he pointed.
Like a river of grey stone the road pointed directly south. In that direction was Emirald. Miro only hoped the Emir would keep his promise.
"I can't see the army on the road," Amber said.
"Neither can I. I don't think we've passed it though, which is concerning. You saw Rengwin. The enemy must be ahead of us."
"We should shadow the road. If we keep it in sight and travel south there's less chance of running into trouble."
At mid-morning the next day, they came upon another town. Evidently it had once been a waypoint for travellers stopping on their way north or south. Like Rengwin, it had been razed.
A terrible force had gone through the town like a storm, shattering the brick dwellings and setting fire to anything that would burn. In some places the coloured facades of the Veldrin houses still lined the streets in garish colours. Bodies were left to rot in the sun, a sure sign Sentar was in a hurry now that Emirald lay before him.
They left the shattered town behind, still hugging the road, keeping watch for the enemy that marched ahead of them.
"Is this what will happen to Altura?" Amber asked.
She looked at Miro when he didn't immediately respond. The marks on his face were still there, plain to see, but strength had returned to his voice. He now wore an expression of fierce determination Amber had seen before, during the darkest days of the war against the Primate.
"No, this won't happen to Altura. Not while we're alive to defend it," Miro said.
~
TWO days later, they came across the enemy encampment. It was early evening, and with the low light Miro and Amber almost stumbled across it, but suddenly Miro's arm shot out and he grabbed Amber's shoulder, silencing her with a glare.
They were travelling through the forest and couldn't see far into the distance, but they'd entered a clearing. Lazy trails of smoke rose from behind the trees ahead.
Revenants didn't need to rest, or eat. But the necromancers who controlled them did.
"I think it's them," Miro breathed in Amber's ear.
"Should we turn around? How can we be sure?"
Miro wore the sword he'd taken from the brigands. He rested his hand on the hilt while he gazed at the thick trees ahead.
"I'll be back," he muttered, and without another word he moved into the trees, leaving Amber behind.
Miro crept forward, stealing through the undergrowth. He manoeuvred from tree to tree, finally seeing light ahead. He heard cries and moans, the sounds of anguish unmistakeable. Again he remembered lying on his back on the iron table and felt the fear he'd felt then send a shiver up his spine. It was all the confirmation he needed.
A moment later Miro emerged from the trees, returning to Amber's side.
"Don't do that again," she said. "Well?"
"It's them. I could hear the screams."
"What should we do?"
"We need to get ahead of them," he said.
"How?"
"The road passes through a val
ley here, so the army's squeezed between the hills on both sides. Sneaking through will be impossible."
Amber scanned the cliffs on both sides of the valley. "The cliffs. There." She pointed. "I'll bet we can climb up there. If we follow the escarpment, we can get past the army."
Miro looked askance at the heights. "We'd be killed."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"Shh…" Miro held up his hand. "Do you hear something?"
"I can hear running water."
"Exactly."
Miro led Amber in the direction of the tinkling sound of water. They came to the edge of a gully, where a thin stream at the bottom of an old riverbed sent water in a vaguely southern direction.
"We can follow this as far as it takes us," Miro said. "The gully provides good cover, and it's heading in the right direction. Come on." He turned to descend the steep wall to the riverbed. "What are you doing?"
Amber held Miro's arm firmly in her hand. "You're not going anywhere. How do you know this isn't going to take you right into the middle of the enemy camp, where you'll find some necromancer washing his robe in the water?"
"It's better than your idea of scaling the cliffs!"
"You're right. But you said yourself the army will be occupying the entire valley. That includes this gully. Your plan needs one small change."
"What's that?"
Amber released Miro's arm and folded her arms across her breasts. "We're going to try this in the middle of the night."
~
PALE moonlight shone through the trees above as the two figures walked in single file along the narrow ravine. The walls rose to both sides, and if anything they had grown higher, so that rather than a gully it was becoming a small canyon. Miro was thankful as he looked up at the steep sides. Even the moonlight failed to reach these depths.
Something splashed in the water ahead; Miro and Amber both froze. They waited several long breaths before resuming.
The Path of the Storm (The Evermen Saga, Book Three) Page 33