“Is everything OK, Eleanor?” Will asked in Dwarfish. His tone was mild, but his underlying growl carried suspicion.
“Your master was simply about to dispense some much-needed discipline,” Merl snapped.
“My master?” Will asked, amused.
Merl looked at Conlan with a disapproving frown. “Do none of them understand your position?”
Conlan sighed and took a step back from Eleanor. “They are not my servants, Merl, they are my friends… my family. Eleanor, go, take Freddie. Make sure you walk just behind him, though, as men do not walk behind women in Mydren. Stay out of trouble and come back here as quickly as you can.”
Eleanor rolled her eyes but nodded. Giving him a small smile she grabbed Freddie’s arm, pulling him out of the door after her, before Merl tried to change Conlan’s mind.
It took them some time to find the right shop. The city was far bigger than any they had been to before, and it sprawled over many miles. Down the street from their inn was a four-storey building with a flag flying over it. The sign over the door said ‘Weaver’s Guild’. It was an impressive building, standing higher than all those around it and high enough that they were able to see the flag from quite a distance, which gave them a reference point to use to get back. Eleanor walked as quickly as she could without looking suspicious towards the main shopping area she had glimpsed on the way into the city. Freddie walked a few steps in front of her as she gave him directions in his head. The jewellery shop with the mountain and diamond symbol over the door was halfway down the wide shopping boulevard. It had a large ornate doorway and a front window that glittered with beautifully crafted baubles designed to entice rich ladies. The shop had only just opened for the day as they entered. The sales assistant, a red-haired woman with pale, freckle-covered skin, looked them up and down before deciding they were not serious customers. She was wearing a full-length, plain-brown fitted dress with long sleeves and a buttoned up collar; her face and hands were the only flesh that could be seen. It seemed to be the standard outfit for all the women Eleanor had seen since arriving in Katadep. She had yet to see a woman in trousers.
“Can I help you?” the assistant asked coldly. Not sure if she should trust just anybody with her request for help, Eleanor smiled. It did not hurt to be friendly.
“We would like to see the shop owner, please.”
“I do not think that will be possible,” the woman replied, her voice dropping a few more degrees in temperature.
“Remic sent us,” Eleanor said, the redheads’ eyebrows nearly disappearing into her hairline in surprise.
“Come with me,” she said, turning on her heel and heading towards the back of the shop. Eleanor jogged to keep up with her long legs and Freddie followed dutifully behind. The woman led them through a beaded curtain into a staffroom. There were tables, chairs, a messy noticeboard, drinks-making facilities, a fire blazing in the fireplace and pegs on the wall with an array of clothing hung on them. On the left-hand wall was a door marked ‘Private’. The woman knocked politely.
“Come in,” said a fragile male voice from behind it. The door opened. Eleanor and Freddie walked into a cramped office, a desk, chair and cabinet practically filling it. Behind the desk was a shrivelled old man in an embroidered padded velvet jacket. He regarded the woman with milky-grey eyes as he absentmindedly scratched his bald, liver-spotted head.
“I am sorry to disturb you, Father, but she claims Remic sent them,” the woman said, her tone one of disbelief. At the mention of Remic’s name, the old man’s bushy, grey eyebrows shot up in the same expression of surprise his daughter had inherited. His eyes flicked in Eleanor’s direction; he noticed her fully for the first time and scrutinised her, knowing eyes holding her gaze.
“Eleanor?” the old man said softly. Next to her the red-haired woman gasped. Relieved she would not have to explain who she was, Eleanor nodded and smiled. Walking forward, she lay Remic’s knife on the old man’s desk. The old man smiled back.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Judder and this is my daughter, Leda,” he said, nodding towards the woman, who bobbed a curtsy. “We were told about you. Remic holds you in the highest regard, Avatar of Earth, and I am honoured that you would grace us with your presence. Now then, how may we be of assistance?”
Aware that she had very little time, Eleanor quickly introduced Freddie and then launched into a rapid summary of what was going on, telling the old man about Merl’s friend, the crown and about the possibility of it being a trap, then telling him about her fears for Gregor. Leda went back to tend the shop and the old man listened as Eleanor tried to bring him up to speed, Freddie standing quiet and watchful behind her. Even talking quickly, it took far longer than she had expected. When she had finished, she patiently answered the old man’s thoughtful questions.
“If you are captured you will be taken to the dungeons in the Protectors’ stronghold,” Judder said, frowning. “We would be unable to rescue you from there, so you must get to the main gate. Once there we can help you, because if you do get caught, we will know and we will be waiting. Get to the gate.”
Eleanor nodded, wondering how difficult that would end up being.
“And Gregor?” Eleanor asked.
Judder nodded. “That is a far easier request; however, it will take a day for the messages to get there and back, so you must return, if you are able.” Eleanor nodded and thanked the old man. Judder had offered all the help he could, she had let someone know what was going on and she had done her best to make a contingency plan. It was time to go back.
For the people of Mydren it was lunchtime, and the streets thronged. Moving in and out through the crowds, Eleanor and Freddie headed back towards the flag she could see flying over the Weavers’ Guild building while Eleanor told Freddie what Judder had said. Back at the inn Freddie quietly opened their bedroom door and they slipped inside. Will was sat in a chair by the sorry excuse for a fire that guttered in the grate, Amelia was sat on his lap, leaning against his chest, and they both had relaxed, spacey expressions on their faces. Eleanor knew they were talking to each other.
“How did it go?” Will asked as Eleanor sat down in the other chair opposite him. The bits of the chair she had exploded earlier were gone, burnt on the fire, she imagined. She gave them a rundown of her meeting with Judder.
“Did Conlan get back yet?” Eleanor asked.
“He came back briefly, but when he realised you weren’t back he disappeared off again with Merl. That was about an hour ago,” Amelia said.
The sun was setting when Conlan and Merl returned. Eleanor had begun to fret and was relieved when she heard his light tread on the floorboards outside the door. Without knocking, Conlan opened the door and walked into the room, his eyes landing on Eleanor still sat in the chair, Freddie sat at her feet. Merl followed behind, giving her an irritated look.
“Did you find the spies?” Conlan asked. Eleanor nodded, giving him a small smile as she pushed an energy string over his shield. He gave her a tired smile in return, dropping to sit on the bed, eyes widening as it groaned beneath his weight.
“So, are we getting the crown tonight?” Will asked.
Conlan nodded. “We sent the message to Arran. He has asked us to meet him in the park in the centre of Katadep a few hours from now. Merl and I have just been there to check it out; it’s a huge area with trees and plants – lots of hiding places and perfect for an ambush, if you’re worried the people you’re ambushing might make a lot of noise.”
“So if this is a trap, what’s the plan?” Will asked.
“We fight back,” Conlan said glibly.
“That’s not a plan, Conlan, that’s a knee-jerk reaction,” Will observed mildly.
“I’m fairly certain these Protectors have never met anything quite like the four of you; however, you’ll be pleased to hear that Freddie and I have come up with some plans,” Conlan said seriously.
Eleanor and Freddie stood at the bedroom window watching Merl,
Conlan, Will and Amelia walk down the street. None of them looked back. The moment they were out of sight, she and Freddie rushed around and gathered their stuff together because if they were captured, they did not want their belongings falling into enemy hands. Once everything was packed, Eleanor and Freddie rode through the dark, quiet streets of Katadep, pulling the others’ horses behind them to Judder’s house. Eleanor was surprised by their luck when they did not meet any Protector patrols. Judder looked a little bemused to see them on his doorstep, but he happily promised to take care of their horses and equipment until they got back. Eleanor kissed Horse goodbye, hoping it would not be the last time she saw her friend. With Freddie following close behind, they ran towards the park.
Somewhere in the darkness a bird screeched and Eleanor shivered. Freddie tightened his grip on her hand. She closed her eyes, trusting him implicitly to lead her. Conlan had not exaggerated, the park was huge. As they walked as quietly as possible through the undergrowth, Eleanor pushed multiple energy strings into the earth, her mind brushing the ‘awareness’ of the trees, plants and animals around her, looking for clues. She felt branches whipped back, uncomfortably close to breaking point; focusing all her energy strings in that area, Eleanor concentrated and visualised eight men moving towards a small clearing. Eight men were not an attack force, so maybe Arran was just being cautious, too. Conlan. Eleanor felt his energy and could not resist caressing it as she passed, before brushing a string against Will. He pulled her in. Amelia was already there, just as Freddie was in her head. Effortlessly, they bound their energy together.
Did you get everything to Judder? Will asked.
Yes. We’re heading in your direction now, but so are eight other men. They’re going to get there first, Eleanor said.
Eight men? That’s not much of an ambush, Freddie said quietly.
Maybe Arran is just unsure about us, Amelia suggested before Eleanor got the chance.
They fell silent but kept their energy strings linked. Eleanor found it comforting and wondered if the others did, too.
As Eleanor and Freddie moved closer to the rendezvous point, she spent a few moments investigating the area, working out where all the men were positioned; three of them were stood out of sight in a rough triangle around the clearing in which their friends were stood. Using a passing shrew’s eyes, Eleanor determined they were only armed with swords. The remaining five men were stood together, hidden in the darkness, and oddly they appeared to be unarmed. Eleanor gave the others this information.
This feels wrong, Eleanor whispered, letting some of her worry and fear slip through her mind’s defences.
Yeah! I’m beginning to think this was a bad idea, Freddie murmured.
Well there really aren’t enough for an ambush, so let’s hope Amelia is right, Will said.
Still creeping forward, Eleanor and Freddie made it to the edge of the clearing, lying flat on their stomachs, the cold damp of the earth immediately seeping through Eleanor’s clothes and body. Will and Merl were staking torches into the ground and lighting them so they could see when Arran arrived. Conlan stood next to Amelia, his eyes flicking around the surrounding darkness. Eleanor pushed an energy string out to him again and saw the smile that passed briefly over his face.
“Hello, Merl, it has been a long time.”
The voice was quiet but it carried across the clearing. Will immediately moved back to Conlan’s side. Eleanor had problems locating where the voice was coming from, but as Merl walked forward to greet his friend she understood why. The voice belong to one of the five men she had seen standing in the shadows. No wonder I couldn’t make them out in the dark.
A long black robe covered him and a hood was drawn over his head, his face hidden.
Will gasped.
“Hello, Arran,” Merl said.
Conlan froze, shock on his face. “Merl, this is an Enforcer,” he said, his shock turning to fear. Will had stepped in front of Amelia, his face grim.
“Indeed he is,” Merl replied, a nasty smile twisting his lips.
“I understood there would be four Avatars,” Arran said, his voice emotionless.
“Two of them are hiding out in the bushes somewhere, some idiotic rescue plan if this turned out to be a trap,” Merl said, the Dwarfish made an animal-like snarl by his irritation. Eleanor watched Conlan’s body go rigid as he stared at Merl. In her head, Amelia gasped as Will translated Merl’s words.
“This is not really satisfactory, Merl. You were given one job to do – get the Five here – and you have failed. Lord Daratus will not be pleased,” Arran said, his voice still calm. The words were some sort of signal, and before he had finished speaking, both Will and Amelia collapsed to the ground, writhing, arms wrapped around their abdomens, sobbing cries filling the cold night air. Through their link, Eleanor and Freddie felt an echo of the paralysing pain.
Will, what’s happening? Eleanor cried, panicked.
I don’t know, but it hurts, like when Conlan tried to pull my energy but worse, so much worse… The thought faded as Will’s consciousness began to fade; Amelia was already lying still next to him, her eyes closed. Frightened of being pulled down into black oblivion with them, Eleanor broke the link, dragging her and Freddie’s energy strings free. They looked at each other in horror as Will’s body stopped writhing. He lay still, eyes closed, but the rise and fall of his chest with each breath continued.
What do we do now? Eleanor asked.
Follow the plan, Freddie replied.
Horrified, Conlan knelt at Will and Amelia’s sides, checking their vitals, searching Amelia’s neck for a pulse. Relief in his eyes when he found one, he turned to glare at Merl.
“What have you done?” he demanded.
“You are so arrogant!” Merl snapped at him. “The Lords of Mydren have ruled for hundreds of years, do you think they would have forgotten how to deal with abominations?”
“I trusted you, Gregor trusted you…” Conlan said, unable to keep the hurt from his face.
“You and Gregor are fools playing with fire. You have created weapons of unimaginable power, and as I have witnessed time and again, you have absolutely no control over them!” Merl yelled at him.
“As much as this little chat is fascinating, we have two Avatars still to find, preferably before Lord Daratus learns of your incompetence,” Arran said mildly. Merl winced at the word ‘incompetence’ and glared at Arran.
“My father does not tolerate failures, Merl,” Conlan commented.
Merl marched towards him, throwing his first punch before he had finished moving. It was a clumsy attack driven by fury. Conlan ducked it and punched Merl back. The older man staggered onto his back foot, already off balance. Conlan maintained the advantage. Arran did not look interested in getting involved, so Conlan ignored him and focused on Merl. They traded punch for punch for several moments, but while each one of Conlan’s landed punishing blows, Merl’s did not. Conlan dealt Merl a vicious blow to the chin. The older man collapsed, staring up with dazed, hate-filled eyes. Looking bored, Arran flicked his hand. Conlan was flung off his feet and propelled through the air to impact against the trunk of one of the larger trees at the edge of the clearing with a sickening thud. He dropped to the ground, barely conscious. Eleanor gasped, pain twisting her gut. She made a move to get up but Freddie dragged her back down.
We can’t help them if we get caught, he reasoned. That’s an Enforcer, and a powerful one if he could disable Will and Amelia; we need to think this through.
There were five of them… five Enforcers? Eleanor wondered. I have to help him, Freddie.
He’s still alive. If they wanted him dead, Merl would have killed him months ago, Remember the plan, Eleanor, we can’t show ourselves. Again Freddie was the voice of calm, cold reason. Eleanor froze as Merl struggled to his feet. Wiping the blood dripping down his chin with the back of his hand, he walked purposely towards Conlan, who was on all fours, attempting to stand. Glazed, pain-filled eyes tracked Merl warily.
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“I shall enjoy watching Daratus tear you apart,” Merl snarled at him, delivering a solid kick to Conlan’s ribs, the force of the blow enough to lift Conlan off the ground and propel him into the tree trunk again.
“Have you any idea what you cost me?” Merl continued, with another hefty kick. Conlan curled in on himself, trying to make as small a target as possible. Merl continued yelling and kicking. Eleanor shuddered with each blow.
“I loved her, loved her! Do you hear me?”
Kick!
“She was my world.”
Kick!
“She was carrying my child and you killed her, your own mother!”
Conlan’s head snapped up, a look of stark despair on his face.
“Merl... I…” he choked.
That was as far as he got. Merl kicked him in the head before he was able to say anymore. Conlan fell back, his body twitching then going limp.
Eleanor shoved her hand into her mouth to muffle her gasping sob, her teeth automatically fitting the scars.
“This is not helping us find the other Avatars,” Arran observed. Merl looked back at Arran with flat, vicious eyes, a sneer curling his lips.
“Eleanor!” Merl yelled. “I know you can hear me. Give yourselves up or Conlan will suffer. Our orders were to bring him in alive, but there was no requisite that he be undamaged.”
Eleanor pushed her hand further into her mouth, tears filling her eyes. Freddie kept a firm grip on her arm. For a moment there was silence. When there was no answer, Merl grabbed the back of Conlan’s collar and the waist of his trousers and dragged him back into the light. Eleanor desperately wanted to blast him, but Conlan was too close. Merl resumed his savage kicking. Every blow sent needles of sympathetic pain through Eleanor’s body.
“How much of this do you want him to take, Eleanor?” Merl asked, looking at the darkness around him, panting slightly from the exertion. Arran did not seem inclined to stop Merl’s abuse and Eleanor could take it no longer. Reason be damned. Plan be damned. Fighting off Freddie’s attempts to restrain her, Eleanor walked into the open, pulling free the sword at her waist. Using her energy to seek out the Enforcers she tried to blow them up, but they had a shield around them. It was far weaker than Amelia’s, she would get through it eventually, but she did not have the time. Leaving the Enforcers for a moment, Eleanor concentrated on the three Protectors, killing them instead and hating the fact that incapacitating them was not an option. Then she brought her focus to Merl.
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