by Clare Wilson
‘Don’t worry, granda,’ Aneirin said, wearily touching the old man’s arm.
‘Did Wilson ask questions?’ Torean asked warily.
‘He was curious why we needed his help with the animals,’ Aneirin said, shrugging his shoulders. ‘But when I said we may have to go away for a while, and that I couldn’t tell him any more than this, he seemed to accept it.’
‘He’s a good friend,’ Torean said thoughtfully. ‘Although I’m sure he'll not rest until he knows exactly what's going on. Hopefully today will be a success and you can fetch the animals back tomorrow.’
Aneirin feigned a smile at this thought, although he was not convinced that things would go so well. He also sensed in his grandfather’s overly hopeful tone that he did not believe this either.
Torean now gathered the three, ‘I think we have done all we can tonight. For now we should all get back to bed and try to catch up on some sleep. If they come, the wards Tom and I have placed around the farm will soon alert us.’
Too weary to argue with the old man, they all trooped off back to bed to try to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Tom found himself lying awake for a long time after the others had all gone off to sleep. Although he was exhausted from their exploits the night before, he could not help worrying about whether the protective charms he had help Torean place around the farm would be effective. He did not doubt Torean’s ability, but worried whether his own weakness could lose them the advanced warning they would desperately need. Could he be sure he would know the warning when it came? What if his sign was subtle and he slept through the whole thing? Concluding this was too big a risk, he rose from bed and went to sit in the living room. He decided to try to stay awake and keep watch, so he could warn the others if trouble arrived before they were ready. He sat looking into the low burning flames of the fire. What would a great knight do? He would keep watch over his camp and protect his friends. That is what I must do now. Despite his good intentions, as the embers of the fire slowly burned out, his eyes grew heavy as lead. He tried several times to force them open, but tiredness soon overcame him and he dozed off.
His dreams were full of flashing images. He could hear people screaming in fear and saw heavily armed men destroying the farm. In his dream he was trying to run, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move. His legs rooting him to the spot as if he was trapped in mud, he felt a great sense of panic, a sense of hopelessness. Then he suddenly felt a warm feeling come over him, everything was going to be alright. This made his dreams subside and he passed into a deep dreamless sleep. He felt safe again.
As Tom slept, Torean and Adaira had woken and seeing him, Adaira placed a blanket over him in his chair. ‘Poor lamb. It looks like he decided to try to keep watch over us,’ she said, stroking his hair the same way she had her son.
‘My dear,’ Torean said sombrely. ‘I fear that today we’ll need God himself to watch over us.’
Adaira reached out and grasped Torean’s hand firmly. ‘I think you're right Torean. But God is on our side, so what do we have to fear?’
He squeezed her hand in return. He was so grateful for her strength. In a strange way it felt like a great burden had been lifted from him because he was no longer expected to do this alone. He hadn’t felt this since he had fought with his son at his side. He hoped this saga would not end the same way his son’s chapter had.
Chapter Five
The Phoenix Flight
Tom thought it only felt like he had dozed off minutes earlier when he woke, but it had been several hours since they had all gone off to bed. Confused, he lifted off the blanket covering him and stiffly rose from his chair next to the fire place. It was now mid afternoon and Adaira had decided that he and Aneirin dare not sleep any longer. They arose and ate a meagre meal, since a lot of essentials were now packed up in case they would have to make a hasty escape. During this time the group barely spoke to one another, and the room felt as though there was a heavy fog hanging over it. They were all gripped by the fear of what was to come.
The afternoon passed very slowly, during which time Torean tried to break the tension by talking to them of where they should meet in the hills if they were separated. ‘Adaira and Aneirin know well enough where Longford’s Pass is, boy,’ he said to Tom. ‘I shall need to show you so that you know where you're going.’
‘While I've spent my time with you feeling as though I know absolutely nothing,’ Tom said, finding himself laughing, ‘I know how to get to Longford’s Pass. You forget that while I'm not from your time, I'm still a MacKay from Cairn Holme.’
The old man smiled. ‘Yes, my boy, I do forget that you are still one of us. Well, at least we know where we are going.’
Adaira could not take comfort in this. ‘It's all well and good that we all know the hills surrounding us, but are you sure it'll come to that? We have done no wrong; I cannot see that the Sheriff will be able to find a way to remove us from our home.’
‘Adaira,’ said Torean kindly. ‘You speak the truth, we have done nothing wrong. But if the Sheriff has been seduced by Lady Naithara he'll not care about right and wrong. He will only care about serving his mistress. We, or I, am a threat to her success.’
Tom felt extremely nervous. This was the first time he would come into direct contact with the evil which Torean had described. Again he felt guilty that he was secretly relieved the old man did not expect him to be involved in any form of combat. He didn’t know what to expect from the Sheriff’s visit. Would he use the evil powers which Torean had spoken of? Would he march to their home like an evil mage from one of Tom’s stories, bent upon wreaking havoc and destruction?
Several hours passed, and as the sun began to set Tom found himself feeling as though there was no real danger at all. He had been waiting so long, he had begun to feel that no evil would ever come. Watching the light change in the room with the early evening sun; his vision of evil warlocks marching to bring about their destruction seemed childish. Just then he began to feel a strange buzzing sensation in his head, it was the wards they had put in place the night before. He jumped and looked outside. There were people approaching the farm from a distance carrying torches. He was amazed by the distance the protective spells covered.
Torean had also sensed this and stood by him. ‘Go to your place and hide, I'll warn the others.’
Tom, now feeling a fear which made him want to be sick, nodded, turned without saying a word and went to the corner to fetch his staff. He knew he may need it with him in case of an emergency. Up in the hayloft above the cottage was a good vantage point; he could hear both inside the house and out because of a vent in the roof. He could also partially see outside through the small opening. He felt slightly frustrated by the prospect of simply hiding away and watching it happen, as it also made the situation seem slightly unreal. His fear had made him feel almost numb, as the scene outside began to unfold he felt more like he was watching a scene from a film rather than crouching in fear for his life only feet away. It was almost like sitting on the edge of his seat reading an exciting chapter. He could feel fear for the characters involved, but did not feel he was one of them.
Downstairs Torean spoke with Adaira first. ‘It's time,’ he said. She looked pale, but said nothing and went to stand by her son in the hallway. The three were all ready and the house looked as normal as possible when the door was knocked loudly.
‘Torean, open up,’ a voice said from outside. ‘This is the Sheriff, Michael MacDonald.’
Torean slowly got up and opened the door. Trying to look casual, he leant on his staff like a wizened old man. ‘Sheriff, what can I do for you this evening?’
The Sheriff didn’t flinch, even though he knew the old man was playing with him. Looking very serious he said, ‘I believe you know why I’m here. There have been further allegations of illegal activity on your farm and I have a warrant to search your property.’
‘I feel we're becoming friends, you and I,’ the old man said,
sarcastically. ‘These visits are becoming so regular, and there is no more illegal activity going on here now than there was the first time you called.’
The Sheriff didn’t smile, instead he signalled to the four men he had with him to enter the property. Torean stood aside and let them enter, motioning for the men to look around wherever they saw fit. The Sheriff looked around the cottage from the doorway. ‘While we have previously had reports of poaching, today’s visit regards a more serious matter,’ he said sternly.
‘Oh?’ Torean enquired, curious about what they could have concocted to try to escalate matters.
‘Yes,’ the Sheriff replied, smirking as he pushed past the old man into the house. ‘Some items were stolen from the Laird’s house in the past couple of days and we have reason to believe your lovely grandson was involved.’
Torean knew Aneirin had been no-where near the Laird’s house for over a week. Since the situation with Lady Naithara had been deteriorating, he had found ways to avoid sending him there on errands.
The Sheriff disappeared into kitchen area. He quickly reappeared from the shadows holding some silverware aloft which had the Laird’s family crest upon them.
Aneirin started to protest, but one look from his grandfather told him to hold.
‘Look, Sheriff,’ Torean said, having now dropped his pretence of being a feeble old man. ‘We both know you had that silverware on you when you entered this house. Why don’t you tell us why you’re really here?’
Torean could tell that the Sheriff’s men were now slightly confused.
The Sheriff turned to Torean looking angry at any suggestion of wrong doing. ‘I believe we both understand the situation,’ he said, his blood boiling. He then turned to face his men. ‘As thieves this family must have their farm confiscated. I will also be taking the boy for further questioning.’
‘No! You can’t!’ Adaira cried out. She instinctively put her arm around her son.
Torean, stony faced, stepped in front of Aneirin. His voice now sounded very different to that of the old man who had opened the door. ‘I think we both know that isn’t going to happen,’ Torean said. He then turned and made a gesture to Aneirin.
‘Look, old man,’ said the Sheriff stepping forward. ‘Don’t make this difficult. There are five of us and one of you. Are you going to take us all on?’
In one motion Torean raised his staff then slammed it off the stone floor, ‘Buireadh!’ he shouted. There was an extremely loud bang and the cottage was immediately filled with smoke.
In the confusion which followed Adaira and Aneirin dropped to the floor. Putting their hands over their mouths to avoid suffocating in the smoke they crawled to the back of the cottage. Wasting no time, they crept out of the back door. As they stepped outside they had to put up their hands to shield their eyes from the sunlight which was so bright in comparison to the dark house filled with smoke. Aneirin had been smart enough to keep one of the horses Onero tied to tree outside. He was a strong and loyal beast and Aneirin had made sure that the horse was saddled and had their supplies on his back. The two moved swiftly as they needed to be on the horse quickly. ‘Move!’ Aneirin yelled.
‘I’m right behind you,’ Adaira spluttered, panting.
‘Onero, my friend, we need your help,’ Aneirin whispered, stroking the horse's mane. He quickly leapt onto the horse and pulled his mother up behind him. ‘Heeya!’ he shouted and gave the horse a kick to signal that they needed to move off quickly. The horse took off out of the farm gates at a tremendous speed. The wind rushed in their ears as they made their escape. Adaira couldn’t help but look back towards the cottage, fearful for those left behind.
The men had re-grouped from the confusion in the cottage and were running out of the cottage to stop Aneirin’s escape. On foot they had no chance to stop the two on horseback. After watching Aneirin and Adaira fly past them and disappear into the distance, they ran back into the house to see the old man and the Sheriff struggling with one another.
‘Don’t just stand there staring you fools! Help me!’ shouted the Sheriff.
One of the men grabbed a pan from next to the fire and hit Torean around the head with it. The blow made Torean lose his balance and fall to the floor. This allowed the Sheriff to switch positions with the old man and hold him down.
‘I want this place burned to the ground!’ the Sheriff screamed, absolutely livid.
His men momentarily looked from one to the other.
‘Now, you fools!’ he bellowed.
They quickly lit their torches in the fire and set the thatched roof alight.
The Sheriff made for the door with his men and slammed it shut behind them. His men barricaded the door and windows quickly to ensure Torean would not escape.
Inside, Torean coughed and looked around himself in the darkness. He then turned and started making his way to the back of the house away from where the fire was spreading rapidly through the cottage.
Tom started towards the ladder from the hayloft as he heard the front door close behind the Sheriff. Adrenalin pumping through his veins, he decided to try using the word Torean had taught him to control fire. He somehow found the strength to control his power and made his way through the burning loft to the cottage below. He was totally blind and was relying on the staff to protect him from the rising flames. The loft was completely engulfed in smoke and Tom tripped over some tools which were stacked up on the floor. He had hurt his leg, but knew he must keep going. By the time he made it down the ladder the entire cottage was full of smoke. Looking around frantically, he struggled to find Torean. Suddenly he noticed a light near the back of the cottage. It was a piercing blue which made it stand out against the darkness. Choking and spluttering he made his way blindly towards the light. Behind him a ceiling beam to the front of the house collapsed and sent debris flying everywhere. It was inches from where Tom had been standing only moments earlier. As it fell the blast knocked Tom to the floor. He raised his head and saw the blue light growing distant as the old man moved towards the back of the house. Crawling along the ground, he found Torean and grabbed his ankle. Torean helped Tom to his feet and taking his hand led him to the back of the cottage and through a hidden doorway which led into a dark tunnel. Tom was coughing and spluttering as they stumbled through the dark passage.
The two emerged from a hatch hidden in the undergrowth further down the garden. Torean helped Tom out of the hole and quickly covered over the exit so as not to reveal its whereabouts.
‘What was that?’ Tom asked, pointing to the tunnel they had exited from.
Torean turned to him and motioned for him to be silent. He let the light fade from his staff and slowly led Tom further into the undergrowth. They moved a short distance away from the house and waited. Torean pointed and Tom noticed the Sheriff and his men were positioned strategically to try to ensure no-one escaped the cottage. He whispered in Tom’s ear, ‘We'll have to remain here until they leave.’
They sat there for what felt like hours, watching the cottage go up in flames. In a strange way Tom was surprised at how quickly the old house was destroyed. Eventually they saw the Sheriff and his men move off.
‘Come!’ shouted the Sheriff, motioning for his men to gather round. ‘No-one could have survived that fire. We should head back.’
The men were looking from one to the other, unsure about what had just taken place.
‘Do not be troubled,’ the Sheriff said to the group. ‘Remember that this man was a criminal. We gave him every opportunity to come with us quietly. We had no choice.’
The men stood looking at one another in silence. Tom got the impression from the tone in the Sheriff’s voice that he was trying to convince himself as much as the others. With that, the group turned to head back towards the town. Torean, after ensuring they had gone a safe enough distance, led Tom slowly through the undergrowth and onto a track leading into the hills.
After a short time Torean decided it was safe to talk and turned to face Tom. ‘
I’m glad you found me, boy,’ he said. ‘I don’t think I could have gone into the loft after you.’
‘I remembered the word for controlling fire and used it to clear a path and find my way down. Did the others get away?’ Tom asked.
‘Well done! They did get away, thank God. We should set off now. This light won’t last long; hopefully Adaira and Aneirin will be waiting for us at Longford’s Pass. We can shelter for the rest of the night at least.’
They walked on in silence through the dusk, unable to make small talk because they were both so shocked by the day’s events and tired from lack of sleep. After climbing up through the hillside they reached a clearing as night fell across the valley and Tom noticed a horse tied up outside a cave. They sped up, desperate to know that the others were alright. As they reached the cave entrance they saw Adaira had a fire lit and looked to be preparing a meal. Aneirin stood up and ran to his grandfather.
‘I’m so happy you’re okay,’ Aneirin sobbed, embracing the old man tightly. ‘Mother and I feared the worst when we saw the smoke rising from the farm.’
At this Adaira simply looked up. ‘Is our home destroyed, Torean?’ she said. Her eyes had the look of one who was completely in shock.
He nodded. He knew if he said the words aloud he might not keep his composure. He could not quite believe what had happened himself.
Tom, sensing the unease between the members of the family, and feeling a little awkward, spoke next. ‘We were lucky to get out alive. I think the Sheriff wanted Torean to die in the fire. He wasn’t interested in arresting him.’
‘The boy's right,’ Torean added. ‘He's more consumed than I thought, and the fact that he's now involved Aneirin means we have to stick together. I doubt he'll go directly to his mistress this evening. If that is the case, we have until tomorrow before they realise I'm not dead. We'll need to move around the hillside and make camp at different places throughout the valley.’