by Clare Wilson
‘It looks so strange,’ he muttered. ‘When my mother and I ran for the hills the fire hadn’t started. I could see the smoke rising when we reached Longford’s Pass, but it still makes it seem so definite to see the place where I was born as a ruin.’
‘You’ll rebuild it,’ Lizzy said, brushing the hair from his eyes. ‘It’ll all be over soon.’ Still holding his hand, she led him on. She knew it wasn’t good to stand there and dwell on such things.
They walked on and were soon walking up the dirt road which led to Wilson’s farm. As they reached the house they all somehow felt a sense of expectation.
Wilson opened the door and ushered them inside without a word.
Sitting around the table as they had several days before, Lizzy thought it felt like a lifetime ago when they had decided to head out into the hills after Torean and his family.
‘Well,’ said Wilson. ‘I’m surprised to see you here, Aneirin. You must tell me everything that’s happened.’
Aneirin explained what had transpired, finishing with the story with how the Sheriff had been killed and that Tom was still a prisoner. Wilson’s wife set down cups and a pot of tea and joined them at the table. She looked pale, which didn’t sit well with such a normally rosy person.
‘I’m not sure where to begin,’ Wilson said. ‘I suppose we need to try to get the boy out. Do any of you know anything of Torean’s whereabouts?’
‘No,’ said the Laird. ‘We’re hoping he’ll make himself known to us soon, although I’m not sure how.’
‘You say the Provost has him?’ Wilson questioned.
‘Yes,’ Lizzy said. ‘He led him off last night. I assume he’ll be in his house.’
‘It would be the most obvious place to keep him,’ the Laird mused. ‘Even so, I’m not sure how we would be able to free him.’
‘If we could head there and you could create some kind of distraction, I could try to get in and find him?’ Aneirin proposed.
‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea boy,’ replied Wilson. ‘It sounds like you had a narrow escape, and they are bound to be looking for you since they believe you have Torean’s staff.’
‘I agree,’ said the Laird. ‘If we are to do this, I think it would be folly to put you in harm’s way.’
Lizzy, who was relieved that they were not going to allow Aneirin to put himself in danger, felt guilty as she imagined Tom tied up, perhaps beaten. ‘I could go,’ she proposed. ‘Could I use the pretence that I’m there on behalf of the Laird and gain entry to the house?’
‘You could, lassie,’ Wilson said, ‘but I’m not sure what you would do once you were in there. He’s unlikely to be keeping him anywhere obvious. I doubt that the Provost’s family is aware of what he’s been doing. If he can keep the boy from his wife, he wouldn’t be easy to find when you had little time to look.’
‘I suggest,’ said the Laird, ‘that we all take some time to try to think of a way to get in there.’
A long time seemed to pass and they were all becoming frustrated by their lack of progress. The atmosphere was broken when Mrs Wilson realised it was gone twelve and stood to prepare them some bread and cheese for lunch.
As she worked about the kitchen a knock came to the back door. Wilson rose from his chair, looking nervous. ‘I think you should all hide,’ he said, looking around the room for a suitable place. ‘I don’t usually receive guests at the back door. If you were followed today Aneirin could end up being taken again. God knows what they would do to us if they found out we were aware of their plans.
Mrs Wilson ushered them all into the larder in the corner and closed the door before motioning for her husband to open the back door.
He then turned the handle and opened it in silence.
From inside the larder the three could not hear anything which was being said. They were tightly crammed together and felt scared that the door could suddenly burst open in front of them revealing their enemies.
The larder door slowly opened and Mrs Wilson, smiling, told them it was safe. As they stepped out into the light of the room once more it took Aneirin’s eyes time to adjust. He suddenly realised that his grandfather and mother stood in front of him. He dropped the staff from his hand and ran towards them. It was such an amazing feeling to see them again.
The three stood for several moments in an embrace. Torean was the first to speak. ‘If you are to become a wielder of the staff, my boy, you need to learn not to throw it on stone floors.’
Aneirin laughed, a tear rolling down his cheek. ‘Sorry, granda,’ he said taking him into a tight embrace once more.
The family stepped apart and the group gathered around the wooden table. ‘Where is Tom?’ Torean asked, all the joy of finding his grandson suddenly gone from his face.
‘They still have him, granda,’ Aneirin muttered. ‘The Provost has him.’
‘This is bad,’ Torean said, leaning his head against his staff. ‘I brought the boy into this. I need to get him out of there.’
‘That’s exactly what we’ve been discussing,’ said the Laird. ‘Our only options are to try to get into the Provost’s house, or to try to retrieve him when they meet again tonight.’
‘We may have the advantage if we try to do it tonight,’ said Torean. ‘They don’t know that we’re aware of where they meet. I’m sure they would not expect to see us there.’
‘They killed the Sheriff, granda,’ said Aneirin looking worried. ‘They killed him as though he was a fly. Do you think we can stand against them? Especially since luring you to them is exactly what they want.’
‘Well,’ the old man said thoughtfully. ‘If we can’t stand against them now, I doubt we’ll be able to defeat them in the end. All we have to do is get in, grab Tom and get back out again.’
‘How do you suggest we do that?’ Adaira asked, feeling frustrated.
‘I can’t be certain it would work,’ replied Torean, ‘although I think I can provide a decent distraction with my staff which may allow Aneirin here to sneak in and free the boy.’
Aneirin nodded. ‘I think it’s the only chance we have.’
Lizzy tried to interject.
‘No, Lizzy,’ Aneirin said. ‘We’ve been sitting here all morning trying to come up with a plan to free him. I think this may be our best shot.’
Lizzy looked crestfallen as the men began to discuss how they would approach the clearing. Wilson suggested that he could bring his gun to cover Aneirin when he went in after the boy. After a few minutes Lizzy suddenly remembered something. ‘My Lord,’ she said turning to the Laird. ‘I’ve just remembered, last night you said you had discovered something regarding this matter?’
‘I believe you’re right, my girl,’ the Laird said, touching her shoulder. ‘I had completely forgotten.’
‘What’s all this, Angus?’ Torean asked thoughtfully.
‘When we returned from our journey into the hills,’ the Laird continued. ‘I decided to do some research among the books in my library to see what I could discover. My grandfather had had a somewhat unhealthy interest in the occult. I thought that this must have been the place where my niece stumbled upon her information regarding this, Eiric.’
‘What did you find?’ Adaira questioned impatiently.
‘Nothing at first,’ said the Laird. ‘There were a great many papers on contacting the dead and making poisons. However, I then came across writings mentioning an ancient text which contained the spirit of a demon known as Eiric. I would guess that my grandfather, after reading this must have sought the book out. The text advised that the entity was imprisoned within the book many centuries ago. He was a very evil creature which had once roamed the lands around Cairn Holme in the days when magical creatures lived among us. It said that if someone were in possession of the book, they could potentially free Eiric. And that the only way he could be completely destroyed would be if the book itself was also destroyed.’
‘Why didn’t the person who bound him in the book simply destroy it there a
nd then?’ said Aneirin.
‘Good question, boy,’ said the Laird. ‘From what I can gather, it would take a very special type of magic to destroy the book. The sorcerers in those days took their power from calling up spirits; I believe they were known as Shades. It would take something which could harness the power of Cairn Holme to destroy the book.’
‘Like the staff,’ Lizzy said thoughtfully.
‘My thoughts exactly,’ said the Laird.
‘My friend,’ Torean said. ‘You may just have given us what we need to win this fight.’
‘How do we get hold of the book?’ Aneirin asked.
‘That’s tricky,’ Torean mused. ‘I think it may come down to either Lizzy or you, Angus.’
The pair looked nervous.
‘The book will surely be in your home somewhere if Naithara has been using it to contact her master. Where would she keep it?’ Torean questioned.
‘In her room,’ Lizzy said, without having to think. ‘I’ve often entered her room and felt an uneasy presence. I think she has contacted this spirit from there.’
‘Excellent,’ Torean replied.
‘What do you suggest?’ Lizzy asked.
‘Firstly,’ said Torean, ‘I think that none of you should be seen. One of the few advantages we have right now is that they don’t know we have your help. If we are to have somewhere to shelter and any chance of retrieving this book, you cannot be noticed. I think that Wilson should stay here, and you should both go back to the house.’
Lizzy looked distraught. ‘I can’t stand sitting around waiting any longer.’
‘You don’t have any choice,’ said Torean impatiently. ‘You’ll need to return to the house today. I’ll then need you to return here tomorrow morning as you have today, so that we can regroup and plan for the final fight.’
‘Are you confident you can do this?’ Adaira asked. She didn’t like this plan at all. She had only just gotten her son back and did not like the idea of putting him in jeopardy again.
‘We cannot be sure of anything, my girl,’ he said, touching her hand. He could sense her fear. ‘But young Aneirin has proved himself most capable so far since he and Tom were captured. Do you think you can get Tom if I can hold them off?’ he asked his grandson.
‘Yes,’ Aneirin said firmly. He hadn’t been able to rest since Tom had been dragged off by that monster. They had to help free him.
‘Then it’s decided,’ Torean decreed looking around the group.
‘Good luck, my friend,’ the Laird said, rising from his chair. ‘We will be praying for you this evening.’
‘Thank you,’ Torean replied, standing up to embrace the Laird. ‘We’ll see you both in the morning, and with any luck we’ll have young Tom back safe and sound.’
Lizzy stayed sat where she was unable to move. Aneirin approached her and stroked her hair. ‘Don’t worry Lizzy. Everything’s going to be okay.’
‘I thought you were safe,’ she mumbled.
‘None of us is safe, not until this is over. If it were me instead of Tom imprisoned in the Provost’s house, you would think nothing of him doing this for me.’
She knew he was right and rose to follow the Laird back to the house. It was going to be another long night waiting for news, waiting to hear the outcome of their mission.
The two headed off from the house and left the others to prepare for the evening ahead. As they walked back to the house neither spoke very much. They had left that morning with high hopes of what would come of the day. Despite the fact that they had now seen Torean and knew what lay ahead, Lizzy felt extremely apprehensive.
Chapter Nineteen
The Unexpected Cavalry
It was very dark as Torean and Aneirin crept into the clearing. After a great deal of persuasion, Adaira had agreed to stay behind at Wilson’s farm. Torean understood it had been very hard for her to part with Aneirin again, but he couldn’t do this alone, and he didn’t want his enemies to know about their friends. It also took him back to the days when he and his son had fought together. Aneirin had his father’s determination.
They sat among the bushes feeling cold and very nervous. Aneirin had not brought Tom’s staff with them because Torean had decided it would be better for now to keep up the pretence that there was only one staff. He had felt slightly relieved because his grandfather didn’t know he had been practising with the staff, and he didn’t feel particularly confident. Aneirin had mentioned that Eiric had said Tom was a staff wielder, but the group didn’t seem to realise this meant there was more than one.
They sat together in silence, unable to speak in case the enemy arrived and they inadvertently revealed their position. After what seemed like a very long time they noticed movement among the trees. The group was beginning to gather and were lighting their torches as before. Very soon Naithara strode into the clearing and stood in the middle with an expression that made her look as though she was meditating. She had her hands clasped together in front of her and was looking towards the sky with her eyes closed.
Torean knew she was trying to sense his presence and hoped that the wards he had placed around Aneirin and himself would not give them away. Had he just been standing there holding the staff without protection they would have been shining like a beacon in the dark.
One of the last people to arrive was the Provost. He was dragging Tom behind him. Tom tripped and stumbled as he was led along. He had never felt so tired in his life.
Aneirin noticed Tom was bound as before, and saw the untreated gash on his face which now added to his bruising. He felt a rush of relief to see him again. Aneirin had expected the Provost to have tortured Tom. He hoped Tom had managed to escape his wrath with nothing more than the cut on his face.
His train of thought was broken when Torean motioned to him to move off towards the bushes behind where the Provost had positioned Tom. The old man then moved off in the opposite direction hoping to draw the fire away from the boy. Their only hope was for Aneirin to be able to get in and grab Tom quickly while the group was distracted.
Naithara then looked up to address the group and silence descended. Aneirin froze, now paranoid he would be seen.
‘The old man is close at hand,’ she crooned, looking around the men. ‘I can taste his fear. As I surmised, he has come for the boy. I suggest we all remain patient and await his arrival.’
The men stood in silence for a few moments, and then began looking from one to the other unsure of what exactly they were expected to do.
‘Do you not intend to summon Eiric to our aid?’ the Minister asked, feeling a little fearful at the thought of facing Torean without their master to protect them.
‘No,’ Naithara said impatiently. ‘My master was extremely angry last night. I do not intend to call upon him until we can confirm that we have defeated the old man.’ She knew if Eiric was disappointed again he may take more than one man’s life.
Tom was standing with his head bowed looking at the ground. He had never felt so alone. He was sore all over. Although the Provost had not had the opportunity to give him any more special attention, he had been lying on a stone floor in the dark, unsure whether he would see the light of day again. Suddenly he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Summoning his little remaining energy he slightly lifted his head towards where the movement had come from, but saw nothing. The grass was moving but it could have simply been the wind. He thought he heard a low whispering. He then saw something in the opposite direction and when he glanced he did see a figure in the shadows. It was Aneirin among the bushes. He looked towards where Aneirin stood without raising his head any further and saw that his cousin was signalling to him. Unsure of what this meant he felt a rush of courage and decided it was now or never. Again without lifting his head he sidled towards the Provost slowly and before the man could react kicked him sharply in the groin.
The Provost doubled over with pain, then reached out for Tom but did not manage to get hold of him.
The grou
p, momentarily distracted by this did not see Torean emerging from the bushes. With his staff held aloft he shouted, ‘Criothnaic!’
As he did so the ground surrounding the group began to tremble violently. Several of the men fell to the ground and Aneirin knew this was his only chance and wasted no time. He ran towards Tom and quickly tried to untie him.
‘Thank God. I thought I was going to die here,’ Tom said.
‘Less talk,’ Aneirin whispered, his face screwed up trying to untie the knots. ‘If I can’t get this, can you run with your hands bound?’
‘Right now,’ Tom whispered loudly, ‘I think I could run just about anywhere.’
Naithara had turned away from Torean and noticed Aneirin. She quickly bellowed to her men, ‘Get the boys!’
Torean however, reacted too quickly. He ran extremely quickly for a man of his age, trying to place himself between the boys and the group. Spinning around with his staff held aloft he cried, ‘Amail!’ There were spells being cast by Naithara flying around him.
Suddenly the winds in the clearing rose and seemed to be pushing the group back from where the boys stood. No matter how hard the men pressed they could not penetrate the gale. The torches in the clearing blew out with the strength of the blast and suddenly all around them was in darkness.
Torean was beside the boys. ‘Hurry, we must use this to get out of here quickly.’ His voice sounded extremely strained from trying to keep up the spell.
Aneirin struggled quickly to try to free Tom and make a retreat.
‘Let’s just go, Aneirin,’ Tom said, feeling panicked. ‘I think I can keep my balance.’ He just wanted away.
Meanwhile Naithara stood in the middle of the clearing trying to focus her energy. All of a sudden, the winds from Torean’s enchantment disappeared as though they had never been and the torches relit themselves. Naithara stood perfectly poised with a self-satisfied smile on her face. She then motioned her hand and shouted, ‘Men, after… what the…’ she was abruptly cut off by confusion.