by Clare Wilson
Tom felt someone shaking him vigorously. He turned and found that Torean was trying to wake him up. He then saw it was still dark. ‘What time is it?’ he asked groggily.
‘It’s just before dawn. I think we should make a move,’ Torean replied.
Tom could see Torean looked troubled and didn't question him. He rose from his bed and began to pack up his things. ‘Are they coming?’ he asked worriedly.
‘I can’t be sure, but I have a bad feeling.’ Torean said seriously, raising his head and sniffing the cold air. Without another word he turned and walked away towards the centre of the camp.
‘Torean,’ Tom called after him.
‘What, boy?’ he asked impatiently. ‘We have no time to spare here.’
‘I know,’ said Tom. ‘I just wanted to let you know that the Nuggie visited again last night. They wanted to know why we were in the hills, they're debating whether or not to fight with us.’
‘Really?’ Torean asked, now interested despite his need for haste. ‘That's extremely unusual. They usually keep well away from our kind. Anyway,’ he continued after a few moments thought, ‘put this from your mind for now. We must concentrate on getting safely to our next destination. We can discuss this further when we arrive.’
Tom nodded, quickly packed up his bedding and followed Torean to the centre of the camp.
Adaira and Aneirin were already awake and were nearly ready to depart. ‘I thought we were waiting until dawn?’ Adaira asked, looking towards Torean.
‘I know, my dear,’ he said, picking up one of the bags, ‘but I feel we can't linger here.’ He then turned to Aneirin. ‘I would like you to ready Onero, we must leave here swiftly.’
The group then worked quickly in silence to prepare for their departure. Adaira passed Tom some dry, now stale bread, ‘I know it’s not much, son, but it'll need to do for now. We don’t have time for anything hardier.’
Tom smiled. ‘Thank you, Adaira,’ he said gratefully. He knew this situation wasn’t good, and reaching for his staff he tried to focus his senses to see if he could feel what was troubling Torean. As he did so he felt scared, but wasn’t sure whether that was simply down to the situation they were in or whether he was sensing something else. The whole family was nervous and he could feel that above anything else which was in the surrounding area.
After a short time the group gathered at the edge of the camp. Torean looked around them. ‘We must head off now. I think we should travel as quietly as possible for a time. We don't want to alert anyone to our presence, and also the ground we will walk today is treacherous under normal circumstances. In this light we can't afford to lose our concentration.’ The group nodded silently in agreement. They all felt afraid.
Torean then walked into the centre of the camp, raised his staff and muttered under his breath. The wind rose and leaves and grass started to swirl around him. As the dust settled Tom noticed that, as had happened at Longford’s Pass, all the signs which would have shown someone had camped in the area had been wiped out.
He returned to the group and they had one last look around them before heading off. Suddenly Tom felt a buzzing sensation in his head. It had been the same sensation he had felt back at the farm when the Sheriff and his men had arrived. ‘Someone’s coming!’ he shouted to Torean.
‘Yes,’ Torean hissed, trying to be quiet. ‘I felt it too. We must flee now!’
They were too late. Naithara and her men burst suddenly into the clearing. ‘Seize them!’ Naithara shouted, pointing towards the panic stricken family.
Tom froze in fear. Luckily Torean had already turned to the band with his staff and started casting protective enchantments. The winds rose and it was hard for the band to see where Torean and his family were.
Torean turned, ‘Go, Now! I will hold them off from here. Remember where we must meet.’
Aneirin stayed were he stood, ‘I won't leave you, granda.’
‘Go, boy!’ he shouted, trying to make himself heard over the wind.
Tom turned to Adaira, ‘You should go, and I promise I will get Aneirin out of here.’
She looked at him for a moment, her eyes wide with fear. Completely torn, her instincts told her to flee the fight, but could she leave her son? After a few moments fear got the better of her and she turned and fled the clearing the way the group had agreed to leave, taking Onero with her.
Tom turned back round to look for Aneirin. He was still standing at his grandfather’s side, readying himself to fight the oncoming men. Torean was using his staff to fend off three men who were trying to reach him.
Tom forced his way through the wind and grabbed Aneirin’s arm. ‘Aneirin, we have to go. If we're going to survive we can't stay here.’
Aneirin turned to him. ‘You're a coward!’ he bellowed over the roaring noise of the wind. ‘You should be at my granda’s side. Give me your staff if you’re too afraid to fight!’
Tom felt ashamed. He should have been helping Torean to fend off the men.
Torean turned to them both quickly; he couldn't spare much time to speak to them. The old man was using all his strength to keep the men at bay, ‘Both of you go, now!’
At that Tom noticed Lady Naithara was casting enchantments of her own. She had her arms raised, arched like a bird and was making a narrow path through the winds Torean was using to keep the band at bay. Tom knew Torean would not have the strength to keep up the winds and stop Naithara for long. He turned to Aneirin, ‘Stand behind me. I’m going to try to help.’
Aneirin looked at him doubtfully. ‘We can't leave him, Tom.’ He was grateful Tom did not want to simply flee and leave his grandfather to his death.
‘I know,’ he shouted. ‘Just get behind me.’ He turned back to Torean and raised his staff. Then, summoning his courage he said, ‘Beathaich,’ and could feel the power rush through him. For a moment he didn’t know whether he would be able to stand it. How had Torean kept this going for so long? It was like his heart was on fire with the pressure. In spite of this he centred his thoughts and focused himself. He stood steady behind Torean.
The old man turned to him. ‘About time, boy,’ he yelled over the din.
Tom’s intervention had greatly increased the power behind Torean’s enchantment. Tom saw Lady Naithara had been knocked back by the power of the wind attacking her group and was now lying on the ground. The men had started to scatter unsure of what their next move should be.
Torean turned to him again. ‘I want you and Aneirin to get out of here; if we go separately we’ll have a greater chance of getting away. We'll meet in the place we discussed.’
Tom nodded and turned to Aneirin. ‘We have to make a move. Your granda wants us to run, and then he's going to follow.’
He could tell Aneirin wasn't happy at the idea, but the boy nodded and said, ‘Let’s go.’
With that the two turned and ran in the same direction Adaira had fled several minutes earlier. Tom tried to keep his part of the enchantment bound to Torean for as long as possible, even so, once they had turned to flee he felt the link between them fade until it was no more. He had never felt so afraid, even when the cottage had been on fire. His heart was battering against his ribcage as he raced through the hillside. His senses also told him that after he had broken his bond with Torean the enchantment continued. He hoped Torean wouldn't completely exhaust himself buying time for their escape.
The two boys fled, stumbling into the undergrowth together, running and tripping over tree stumps and bushes as they ran. To Tom it seemed endless. He never wanted to stop running; the thought of being caught filled him with immense fear. At the same time he had never felt so completely exhausted. They didn't slow their frantic pace until they were both completely out of breath. ‘Can we stop?’ Tom asked, slowing to a stagger. He had a stitch and knew he would end up falling if he didn’t take a break.
Aneirin stopped and bent doubled-over, trying to catch his breath. ‘Yes,’ he panted. ‘It’s probably best. We'll need to get
our bearings. I ran so hard getting out of there I haven’t paid any attention to where we are.’
Tom, looking around himself, suddenly realised that he had done the same thing. Peering around in the early light of dawn, he too was unsure of where they were. ‘Damn,’ he muttered, dropping down onto the grass. ‘We need to find the path again soon. We definitely can’t afford to lose our head start on them. When Torean leaves they'll follow him.’
Aneirin looked around himself for a few moments. ‘I think I know where we need to walk; follow me.’ Aneirin then motioned for Tom to be silent and he slowly started walking through the undergrowth back the way the boys had come minutes before.
Tom stood up and stretched, there was no time to lose. He followed after Aneirin hoping he was right.
As Tom caught up with him, Aneirin stopped dead. He looked round at Tom and put his fingers to his lips to signal that they should both be quiet. Someone was coming through the undergrowth ahead of them. The figure came close by them and went past onto the mountain path northward.
After the figure had passed Aneirin turned to Tom, ‘That was only one person. Perhaps it was my granda?’
‘Maybe,’ Tom said thoughtfully. ‘But if it was Torean, the others won't be far behind him. Should we hide here for a while?’
‘Not far at all,’ a woman’s voice said behind the boys. ‘Seize them!’ she shouted.
Before the boys could move they were grabbed on either side by arms which came out of the undergrowth. Naithara’s men tied their arms roughly behind their backs. One of them took Tom’s staff and went to pass it to Lady Naithara.
‘The staff!’ she shouted exhilarated. ‘The old fool was stupid enough to give it to the children, hoping to protect it.’ She reached out a hand to touch the staff and a spark of blue light flew from it and caught her hand. ‘Ah!’ she shrieked in pain. ‘I think we will need my master’s help to destroy such a powerful object. Hamish, perhaps you should carry the staff for now. The old man must have passed it to the children hoping they could escape with it. I think we should head back. These two should act as perfect bait to lure Torean out. When he does come to us, we will have his staff and he will be defenceless against us.’
Aneirin and Tom looked at one another. As long as Lady Naithara thought Tom’s staff was the one which belonged to Torean there was still a chance. Tom tried to reassure Aneirin, but before he could speak the two boys were dragged forward and the group started their descent down the mountainside.
‘Well,’ Naithara sneered at Aneirin. ‘Let’s see how long it takes your fool of a grandfather to come looking for you. When we get you back, you and your little friend here are going to tell me everything you know about this staff, whether you like it or not.’
Aneirin spat on the ground next to her feet, ‘We'll tell you nothing, witch!’
The Lord Provost hit Aneirin hard across the face with the back of his hand, and his lip began to bleed. ‘Be quiet, you filthy maggot. Do you not know to whom you speak?’
Not allowing Aneirin to respond, he then pushed him forward and the group continued their journey. Aneirin tripped as he was pushed but managed to keep his balance. Tom and Aneirin didn't speak to one another again. Tom’s mind was racing, trying to think of anything that Torean had taught him which would allow him to get his staff back. He was painfully aware there was nothing he could do to help them unless he had the staff in his possession.
* * *
Torean ran up through the mountain pass, his lungs breathing hard. He had thought he would see the boys in front of him, but hoped the fact that he hadn’t, meant they had simply had too great a head start. After ten minutes he had to stop. He was panting and bent over double. Checking behind him he decided he had lost Naithara and her men and took the rest of the way up the hillside at a slower pace. He was careful as he walked; he knew he would need to watch his footing. It would be folly to rush his way up the hillside when one wrong footing could cause him to fall.
In what seemed like no time at all he reached the area known as Hermit’s Way. The area was riddled with caves and he began to look around for the group. Frantically searching, he couldn't see anyone, but thought that they may have hidden with the horse in one of the caves in case Torean had been pursued. He decided to call out. ‘Aneirin, Adaira? Are any of you here?’
Slowly Adaira emerged from one of the caves leading Onero beside her. Her eyes were red from crying; she had obviously been hiding in the cave, petrified at the thought of what had happened to the rest of the group. ‘Is Aneirin with you?’ she asked worriedly.
‘No,’ Torean said wearily. ‘He and Tom fled before me. They're not here yet?’
‘No,’ Adaira muttered. She looked as though blind panic was setting in. If the boys had left before Torean, they should already be there. ‘They’re not here! They should be here! Where could they possibly be?’
‘Don’t panic yet, lassie, there could still be a good reason why they are tardy. They could have taken a different path from us,’ Torean said, in a voice which sounded as though he was trying to convince himself more than Adaira.
‘They should be here!’ she cried. ‘What will we do if they don't arrive soon? I know Aneirin knows these hills, and young Tom seems to know Cairn Holme equally well.’
‘Calm yourself,’ Torean said. He was racking his brains trying to think of a way to contact the boys. He knew there must be a way to find out where they were. Then an idea came to him, ‘I will call our little friend and ask him to search the hillside for us, he'll be much quicker than we would be on foot, and he seems to have a knack of knowing exactly where we need him to be.’ Torean, feeling slightly relieved that he had thought of something to help, turned and closed his eyes. Raising his staff he said, ‘Suaimhneach, little one.’ He hoped the little bird was close by. They hadn’t seen him at all that day.
He and Adaira searched the skies for the little bird hoping he would hear Torean’s summons. After a few minutes, which felt like hours to the pair, the little bird circled above them and landed next to Torean. Again Torean raised his staff and focusing on the little creature repeated, ‘Suaimhneach. Find them, little one.’ He focused his thoughts on the two boys, and hoped this would be enough to guide the little creature to its new task. The bird wasted no time and flew away from them and into the hillside.
‘What do we do now?’ Adaira asked mournfully.
‘All we can do,’ Torean said, dropping to the ground from the exertion of communicating with the bird. ‘We wait. No good can come of us leaving here now. If we leave this place and the boys show up, they would go in search of us. Hopefully our friend will bring us news of where they are and we'll be better placed to get them here safely.
Adaira dropped to the ground next to Torean and he put his arms around her. She sobbed gently against his chest and Torean did all he could to comfort her. However, he also found himself weeping. He had done his best to keep his family safe. Despite this, once again, as it had been with his son, the staff may have cost him another loved one.
After a time, the two looked up as though worn out by weeping. ‘Torean, don't torture yourself.’ Adaira said kindly. She knew he was thinking about his son. ‘I know you blame yourself for my husband’s death. In all honesty, I blamed you myself when you explained the situation. Nevertheless, what you do with your staff is important. If anyone is to blame for these things it's people like Lady Anstruther. I pray my son won't be lost like his father.’
Torean felt immense gratitude for Adaira’s words, but couldn't think of anything to say to her which would fully convey his emotions. So, in silence, they sat and watched the sky. Both terrified at the prospect of what could have happened to Tom and Aneirin, and hoping that the little bird would return soon and tell them where they could head to find the boys.
The two must have dozed off and were awoken in mid-afternoon by the twittering of the little bird that had returned and was hopping around them frantically. ‘He’s here!’ said Torean
.
‘The boys!’ was all Adaira could say.
Neither of them felt joy, it was more a sense of relief mixed with nervousness about what was about to be revealed to them.
Wasting no time, Torean once again raised his staff and said, ‘Suaimhneach.’ His consciousness was then flooded with the images the little bird had seen. He saw the boys being led down the hillside with their hands bound behind their backs. He could tell that Aneirin looked like he had suffered a blow to his face, but otherwise they looked unharmed. He couldn’t rationalise it, but a great sense of panic washed over him. Their worst fears had been realised. He couldn’t stand it. Torean was finding the images unbearable and so he pulled away from the little bird and staggered away from both the creature and Adaira. He didn’t want to have to say the words aloud. Surely it couldn’t be true? If he just didn’t say it then it wouldn’t be true.
‘Torean?’ Adaira asked frantically. Moving forward towards him, she grabbed him by his tunic. ‘You’re frightening me. What did you see?’ She then grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him violently. ‘Where is my son?’
Torean, unable to look Adaira in the eyes, simply stared at the ground and mumbled, ‘They have him. They have them both.’
Adaira did not speak. Her mouth opened and closed and releasing her grip on Torean she stumbled backwards. Her hands over her mouth, she dropped to the ground and began to wail.
Torean couldn't think straight, he dropped to the ground beside her. Taking her into his arms he rocked her back and forth. He then looked to the sky and cried aloud. ‘I’ll find you! When I do, you'd better run!’ His voice echoed around the hills.
At the sound, the little bird, frightened, had taken flight and disappeared into a nearby tree. He wanted to help the staff bearer, but he couldn’t understand their loud noises. He knew that he had brought them grave news, and thought how he would feel if one his chicks was taken from his nest.