‘The tree! There! Behind you!’ she yelled, and they had turned and started running in a flurry of arms and pumping legs as she overtook them. She sensed rather than saw a dark blur moving to intercept them on their left flank, keeping her focus on the the tree. Air rasped against her throat and fear gave her speed she never knew she had. She found herself up on the first branch of the tree next to Kylen without really understanding how they got there. They turned to see Zax’s small white hand slip from the branch that was too high for his little hand to grasp properly. The young boy fell to the floor, the beast almost upon him.
Zastra acted instantly, instinctively jumping down in front of Zax. Somehow her crossbow found its way from the harness on her back onto her shoulder. She pointed it forwards, flicked the lever to set the bolt with a fluid movement and fired. There was almost no need to aim, the hot, wet maw of the beast was impossible to miss as it sprang towards her throat. She thought she saw the bolt land at the back of its throat, but the caralyx did not pause, rearing up with a terrible snarl in a blur of movement. A wet, heavy impact knocked her over and pinned her to the ground. She was overcome with horror, expecting any moment to feel sharp teeth biting into her. Wriggling and writhing in panic, she struggled to release herself, backing away from the beast on quaking legs. The caralyx lay on the ground, blood foaming from its mouth. It twitched sickeningly and then was still. Zastra sank down on one knee, trembling uncontrollably, her legs unable to hold her up. She became aware that Kylen, ashen-faced, was behind her, shielding her terrified brother with her body and holding a small twig defiantly in front of her. Zastra nodded towards the pathetically thin twig.
‘Fat… lot …of use… that… would be,’ she puffed. A slightly hysterical laughter caught them both as the relief of their escape hit them.
They became aware of people rushing down from the guardhouse. Moltas, the Sendoran groom, was first to reach them, breathless in his haste.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked, his voice choked with worry. He bent over Zax who was still curled in a tight ball, checking him over with his hands for injuries as caressingly as if he were tending one of his beloved fellgryffs.
‘Master Zadorax?’ he implored. ‘Please, say something.’
‘I think we are unhurt,’ Kylen said, as, to everyone’s relief, Zax slowly unfurled himself. ‘Thanks to Zastra.’
Moltas went over to the felled caralyx and nudged it with his foot.
‘Yep, it’s surely dead. Bolt straight through the neck. It must have died pretty much straight away, lucky for you. I’ve never seen such a large’un.’
‘Yes, lucky indeed!’ exclaimed one of the castle guards. ‘I saw the creature slink out of the bushes there and make for the young’uns. I thought that they were lost for sure. I’ve never heard of a caralyx this far south of the Helgarths.’
‘My Lord Mendoraz’ll want to know how his children were put in such danger,’ said Moltas.
‘Well, there’s nowhere in the castle one could live without being discovered,’ retorted the guard. ‘It must have been smuggled in and there’s only one group of people who’ve recently come here from the mountains.’
‘If you’re saying that we’d bring a savage beast to unleash on our own, then you really should think again,’ said Moltas, giving the guard a hard stare.
By this time a large group had gathered, attracted by the excitement. A lieutenant took charge.
‘Everyone please get back inside the castle,’ she ordered firmly. ‘We need to ascertain that there are not more caralyx in the grounds.’
The thought there might be other such beasts on the loose caused a collective flutter of dread and there were few protests as the crowd was herded to the safety of the castle.
The news of the incident had spread with startling rapidity and Zastra, Kylen and Zax were greeted by their concerned parents at the north door. Zastra rushed into the warm embrace of Anara while Mendoraz grasped both his children together, one strong arm about each. They buried their heads against his chest.
‘Will someone explain what happened?’ demanded Mendoraz. Moltas related the tale, and Zastra felt her mother shudder as he reached the part where the caralyx had sprung towards the children.
At the end of the tale, Mendoraz turned first towards Zastra. Crouching down he took her hand in his.
‘I offer you my deepest thanks, Zastra, for the lives of my children,’ he said. ‘Sendor and my heart owe you the highest debt of gratitude.’
Zastra could only respond with a small nod of acknowledgement.
Mendoraz then rose and pointed at Leodra. ‘I hold you responsible for the safety of my family in your home and I demand to know how this can have happened,’ he said, his voice shaking with passion.
‘Believe me, I will have this fully investigated,’ replied Leodra, his face equally thunderous. ‘Someone will answer for this outrage.’ He beckoned Martek and the lieutenant of the guards toward him and engaged them in earnest conversation. Zastra had never seen him so pale and grim. Anara took Zastra by the hand.
‘Come, my dearest,’ she said gently, ‘let us get you cleaned up.’ Zastra looked down at her clothes and realised in shock that they were soaked with the dark red blood of the caralyx. She shuddered and allowed herself to be led away. Her mother tended to her affectionately, bathing her and sending away callers who came to enquire after her. Zastra was grateful, since the shock of the incident was finally beginning to tell and she felt unable to face anyone other than her mother. She hoped that her father might come and see how she was, but the long afternoon passed into evening and he never came.
Chapter Sixteen
The following day, Zastra went down to the combat ranges in search of Martek. Unusually, there was no sign of the master at arms. She waited for a while, but when he still did not appear, she went to look for Kylen and Zax at the house of Brandicant. The house was deserted and when she went to the stables they too were empty. What in the stars was going on? Astounded, she rushed back to the castle to try and find out. The courtyard was full of skittering fellgryffs, mounted with Sendorans in travel dress. Zastra recognised her own mount, loaded up with baggage. She saw Zax and Kylen astride their fellgryffs and raced over to them.
‘What’s going on?’ she cried. ‘Surely you are not leaving?’
‘We must,’ said Kylen stonily.
Zastra was stung, both by the news and by Kylen’s manner.
‘Weren’t you even going to say goodbye?’
Kylen relented and dismounted. ‘I’m sorry, Zastra,’ she whispered, looking furtively over her shoulder. ‘But my father insisted we leave straight away. We’ve been packing all morning. We wanted to come over to the ranges to say goodbye, really we did, but—’
‘Kylen!’ barked Mendoraz, urging his twitching fellgryff towards them.
‘Come, we must leave now,’ he said, gesturing to his daughter to get back on her mount. He did not acknowledge Zastra’s presence.
‘Yes Father,’ she replied obediently, turning to re-mount.
‘Wait!’ exclaimed Zastra. She pulled her crossbow from her shoulder harness, which in her hurry she had carried up from the range, and presented it to Kylen. It was her favourite bow, a real beauty, handcrafted from the finest blackwood and inlaid in gold with the eagle crest of Leodra’s house.
‘In case you meet any more caralyx on your journey,’ she said solemnly. ‘I wouldn’t want to you to try and fight them off with a twig again.’
Kylen took the gift silently and then, after giving Zastra a quick hug, leapt onto her mount and followed the rest of the Sendorans. As she passed through the gate, Kylen glanced back at Zastra and raised her hand in a lonely gesture of farewell. A strange, heavy silence filled the empty courtyard.
Zastra turned away, bemused. It had all occurred so swiftly. She went in search of someone, anyone who might be able to explain what had just happened. The first person she bumped into was Jannal.
‘What’s going on, Jannal?�
�� she asked. ‘Why have the Sendorans gone?’
‘I don’t know, Zastra,’ he replied, shrugging his rounded shoulders.
She decided to go to her father’s offices with some trepidation. He did not like being disturbed during hours of business, but she had to know what was happening. She found his door open, the office a scene of bustling activity. Her father and uncle were at the centre of it all, soldiers and servants coming and going with extreme haste.
‘What is it, Zastra?’ asked Leodra, looking up with obvious impatience.
‘Why have the Sendorans left?’ she asked.
‘I told them to leave. Be glad they are gone. Their duplicity disgusts me.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We found clear, conclusive proof that they were behind yesterday’s events with the caralyx. Smuggling a dangerous animal into the castle grounds and putting my family at risk. I will not stand for it.’
‘I don’t understand,’ protested Zastra in bemusement. ‘Why would they do something like that?’
‘The proof was incontrovertible,’ Thorlberd interjected. ‘An autopsy showed that the caralyx had been fed on fellgryff flesh and we found evidence that it had been housed in the Brandicant stables. They should be thankful your father didn’t throw them in the dungeons. That would have been my choice.’
‘I don’t believe it!’ exclaimed Zastra. ‘I’ve never seen it, and I’ve been in those stables loads of times. It attacked Kylen and Zax – it doesn’t make sense.’
‘Enough, Zastra,’ said her father. ‘You are too young to understand. They wished to hurt me by attacking my family, but a caralyx is not a tame animal and no doubt they lost control. Now, Thorlberd, the matter of strengthening the Sendoran border. Perhaps I could send the troops from the Helgarths? Although they were due to replace the soldiers that were sent as their relief. Without them, the castle guard would be weakened.’
‘I could order a company of the Bractarian guards to come to defend Golmer,’ replied Thorlberd, thoughtfully. ‘They are good troops all, and loyal.’
‘But would that not leave Bractaris under strength?’
‘Your safety and the security of Golmer Castle is paramount at the present time. We must address the Sendor issue. To think that Mendoraz had the audacity to say he would withdraw the tribute. I worry for our citizens in the borders. None are safe in the face of such treachery.’
They seemed to have forgotten that Zastra was still present. Frustrated, she tried once more to interject.
‘Father, please…’
‘Zastra? What, are you still here? No more of this. Leave me in peace. I have work to do.’
Zastra returned to the courtyard. She absolutely refused to believe that the Sendorans could have hidden a caralyx in the stables. As for feeding it fellgryff, she knew enough of the close relationship between man and beast to know that they would never contemplate using their meat as feed. But it was clear her father wasn’t going to listen. Her thoughts were interrupted by Bedrun, who had come looking for her.
‘Zastra, are you all right? I heard about the caralyx. Did you really shoot it? I would have been so scared.’
Zastra nodded, tight lipped. Bedrun seemed to understand that Zastra did not wish to talk about the incident, and switched to another subject.
‘Can you believe the Sendorans, though? What a nerve. I was outside the great hall when your father sent them away. He’s quite frightening when he’s angry, isn’t he? But Mendoraz wasn’t afraid of him and said straight out that he would not have his groom accused falsely and he certainly would not have his word questioned. But everyone could see that Moltas was lying – he had a huge scratch on his arm that could only have come from a caralyx. They refused to let the mindweavers investigate him. Mendoraz said he wouldn’t allow any of his men to suffer such an indignity. That shows their guilt, doesn’t it? They knew the mindweavers would see the truth. That’s when your father sent them away.’
‘Oh, it’s all wrong!’ exclaimed Zastra, unable to listen to any more. ‘Moltas wouldn’t do anything to hurt Kylen and Zax.’
‘But everyone says he did.’
‘Everyone is wrong,’ protested Zastra.
‘How do you know?’ asked Bedrun. Zastra told her about the fellgryffs, and how the Sendorans cared too much for them to ever use their flesh as food.
‘Then who did bring the caralyx in?’ asked Bedrun wide-eyed. ‘It can’t have got in by accident.’
Zastra was glad that her friend believed her. As the day wore on, she realised that they were the only ones who did not believe that the Sendorans were behind the caralyx incident. She grew more and more frustrated, as people smiled knowingly and shook their heads whenever she tried to argue the case. Eventually Bedrun persuaded her to go and play with Kastara and Findar. They at least did not disagree with her, so long as she amused them with by swinging them up and down and pulling faces. As usual, playing with the babies brightened Zastra’s mood. However, she could not stop wondering about the caralyx and where it had come from. If not the Sendorans, then who was responsible?
Chapter Seventeen
Amonth passed and things at the castle were almost back to normal. Much to her disappointment, Zastra had been unable to solve the mystery of the caralyx. Leodra had become ever more frustrated with her as she continued to insist that he was wrong about the Sendorans and eventually forbade her from mentioning the subject again.
Thorlberd’s Bractarian troops had arrived to supplement the depleted castle guard and everyone felt safer with them patrolling the grounds. No longer would wild animals be free to attack children within the walls of Golmer Castle. Zastra’s lessons had resumed and she continued working hard at all her studies. She missed the Sendorans, especially Kylen. She and Bedrun spent a good deal of time worrying about Morel and Dobery and their mission to Waldaria. Very little news made its way back to the castle. Bodel, Bedrun’s other mother, had received a note from Morel a week ago, saying simply that they were well and were soon to enter the forest of Waldaria. She wrote that the soldiers were complaining about the food rations and Dobery was missing his tobacco, which unfortunately had been washed away as they had forded the Great River. Other than that, they had heard nothing.
When they weren’t studying, the girls spent much of their time looking after Kastara and Findar. The twins were growing fast and developing distinctive personalities. Kastara was feisty and temperamental, whereas her brother was more mellow and placid. They were starting to recognise their big sister, reaching out to her whenever she came to the nursery. One day, Sestra having been called away on some business, Zastra and Bedrun were released from lessons a little earlier than usual. As Zastra burst through the doors to the nursery, eagerly anticipating trying to get Kastara to say her name, she was startled to find her uncle leaning into the cot. He jumped back as she entered.
‘Ah, Zastra,’ he said, ‘thank the stars you are here. I just popped into to see my little niece and nephew, but I’m afraid I’ve upset them.’
Kastara was howling, and Findar was just beginning to join in. Together they made a truly awful cacophony. Thorlberd shook his head forlornly.
‘Alas, I don’t have the knack with the little ones. Is it my beard, do you think, that scares them?’
He looked truly embarrassed, something Zastra had never seen in all the weeks her uncle had been at the castle. He backed away with an apologetic grimace, bumping into Anara, who just at the moment was rushing into the room in response to the cries. They stepped away from each other in confusion.
‘I beg forgiveness, dearest Anara,’ said Thorlberd, first to recover his composure. He enclosed Anara’s small hand in his large one and bowed in respectful apology. ‘Not only do I appear to have frightened the little ones, now I nearly knock you off your feet.’
Anara gave a faint smile.
‘No matter,’ she murmured.
‘I had an urge to see the twins,’ Thorlberd explained. ‘As you know, I’m expecting
my own little one soon, and I was just thinking about him. Or her, I suppose. I won’t be present when he or she is born, a thought which makes me rather sad. I thought a visit to the twins might raise my spirits. Family is so very important, Anara, is it not?’
‘Yes, indeed,’ said Anara. ‘We are most grateful that you are part of our family, Thorlberd.’
‘I have the continued success of my family very much at heart,’ said Thorlberd, with a bob of his head.
‘I’m glad to hear you say so,’ said Anara, pulling her hand away and hurrying over to the cot. She picked up Kastara. Zastra had already taken up a screaming Findar and was smothering him in kisses.
‘What happened? Why are they crying?’ asked Anara anxiously.
‘It was entirely my fault,’ said Thorlberd. ‘I came in and they started to cry and I was unable to calm them. That nurse of yours was nowhere to be seen, but what do you expect from someone who’s half Sendoran?’
‘Half Sendoran?’ said Anara
‘Didn’t you know? My dear Anara, you must be more careful. I tried to comfort the little ones, but they just cried the louder.’ As he spoke, the twins cried even harder.
‘Just like that,’ said Thorlberd with a grimace.
Realm of Mindweavers: Book one: Tales of Golmeira Page 8