Nellise was just behind him, clad once more in her breastplate and the tattered remains of her robe tied around her waist. With tears streaming from her blackened eyes, she clutched at her crystal and whispered her prayers, holding back Tald's attempts at summoning the elemental forces of nature. This seemed to enrage the shaman even further, and he slammed his staff onto the ground once more in an attempt to overpower Nellise's efforts.
“No, you shall not,” she uttered with determination, again dispersing the build-up of power that threatened to end their lives. Colt loosed arrow after arrow at the shaman, who fell to his knees bleeding profusely from the assault, though it was Sayana who finished him off once and for all, embedding her thrown axe in his chest.
The near-silence of the cave was broken only by the sounds of their heavy breathing, the fight having taken all they could muster. Aiden grimaced as the adrenaline began to dissipate, and the pain from his wounds became more noticeable. Then, overwhelmed by the sudden realisation of how many people he’d just slain, he fell to his knees and vomited.
When he was done, Aiden was trembling like a leaf, feeling weak and mortal once again. This wasn’t the time to dwell on what he’d just done however, for they were still in danger and somehow had to find a way out of here.
After wiping his mouth, Aiden sheathed his bloodied sword and staggered over to Morik who was lying against the wall, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
“Don't you dare die on us,” Aiden cautioned him. “You owe us for putting you back in charge, do you hear me?”
“I wouldn't dream of going back on my word,” Morik replied, a half-smile on his lips. “If you would be so kind as to put my blood back inside me, I would be very grateful.”
“I'll see what we can do,” Aiden muttered, hiding his true feelings as he looked down at the grievously wounded man. Turning to look over at Nellise, Aiden could see that she was sitting on the floor, her face covered by her hands as she continued to weep. He had no idea what sort of strength it took for her to join in the fight after what she had endured.
Aiden limped over and crouched down beside her, wanting to give comfort and feeling awkward about having to ask for a little more from her.
“Nel, I know you're hurting right now, but we're in pretty bad shape,” Aiden whispered soothingly, not sure if she was even hearing his words. “I think Morik may be dying, and we need him to pull his people back from the brink of war. We need you to heal him - do you think you can do that?”
Nellise didn’t respond immediately, but sat clutching at the symbol of her faith with all her strength. Slowly, she nodded, sniffling back her tears and wiping her face with a piece of her robe. She held the crystal in her hand and began whispering her prayers. Aiden picked himself up and limped over to check on Pacian, who was sitting with his back against the wall.
“I don't think I can do any more killing today, Aiden,” he remarked absently, sounding strange through a broken nose. “Can we go home now?”
“That's the plan,” Aiden mumbled, practically collapsing next to him while they awaited Nellise's healing prayer. The faintest hint of a summer breeze wafted through the air, and everyone present took stock of what they had just survived. Aiden stared at nothing, watching the images of himself during the fight flit through his mind as if he were an outsider to his own actions.
A few minutes passed and Nellise finally slumped as the healing was completed. Aiden hoped it was enough, for they could ask no more of her this day.
“We've really got to get Nel back to town,” Pacian said, truly concerned about her. “She's been through hell down here.”
“Why don't you go and take care of her,” Aiden advised. “I'll go check on Morik.” Pacian nodded, and went to look after her while Aiden went to see if the recently re-instated leader of the akoran tribal people was ready to take office. He was glad to see Morik had already managed to pick himself up.
“Your priestess is very talented,” he said as Aiden came closer. “I am truly sorry for what my people did to her and indeed, to you all. Understand that your female companions were considered spoils of war -”
“You don't want to end that sentence,” Aiden warned, in no mood to hear any more about their evening. Morik did not take offence, inclining his head in apology.
“Enough of such things. You and your people need to leave as soon as possible, for I cannot guarantee your safety until I have solidified my position as chief.”
“Will they even accept you, considering you helped kill Erag?” The chief answered this by moving over to Erag's burned corpse. He shifted the head with the toe of his boot, then swung his axe to cleanly sever Erag’s head from his body.
“Yes,” Morik said flatly, placing the head on the ground for the time being. “Now, you must take your comrades and leave, for your own safety.”
“I don't think we're going to make it out past the camps outside,” Colt grunted. “Could you talk to them before we leave?”
“No, but there is another exit you can take in the rear of the caves. Come, I will show you.” They followed him down the corridor and through to the next chamber, a smaller area than the storage room, and with many chairs strewn around the floor. Across the room, Aiden spotted two bodies, one of which he recognised. Both had been stripped and beaten during the course of their interrogation and it wasn't a pretty sight, but no-one took it worse than Colt.
“Duncan, you poor bastard,” he groaned, recognising his fellow ranger, then staggered over for a closer look at the other, a small woman with red hair. “Sally deserved better than to go this way. She was too young to be on the front lines, the poor kid.”
“I am sorry for your losses,” Morik offered. “Erag interrogated them for information and then put them to death.” They stood in silence for a few moments while Colt stood over their bodies. Aiden had seen plenty of death lately and losing someone else he had known was the most difficult of burdens to bear. Duncan hadn't been a close friend, but he was a good man, and to see him broken and unmoving like this affected him more than he cared to say.
“We can't take them back with us, 'cause we have to move fast,” Colt said, sniffing a little. “But I want your word, Morik, that you'll give them a proper burial after I'm gone. Because when this is all over and done with, I'm coming back to pay my respects, got it?”
“You have my word,” Morik replied soberly.
Sayana, her face grim, continued past the bodies and through a doorway in the back of the room. Inside the chamber were a large wooden table, on which was a platter of meat and ale. A fireplace with a metal pipe funnelled smoke from the roaring fire through a square hole in the ceiling.
Just visible behind the smoke was a metal ladder embedded into the wall itself, confirming Aiden's earlier suspicions that this entire cave complex was not only artificial, but constructed from metal that did not rust.
“That ladder leads to a hidden entrance, above us, on the side of the hill,” Morik explained to Aiden. “From there, you can travel northwest, avoiding contact with my people and returning you to safety.”
“These caves, did your people make them, long ago?” Aiden inquired, genuinely curious.
“They have always been here,” the chief replied. “Akora have used them as shelter, and as a base for many generations. I do not know who built them.”
“What is all this?” Sayana asked, leafing through papers upon the table. Aiden leaned forward and saw what appeared to be a crude map, drawn in charcoal, with scrawled notes written in Aielish on accompanying sheaves of parchment. Aiden determined that the map was some kind of battle plan.
The mountains they were currently in were on the southern part, with a large circle around what would be the akoran encampment. A simple drawing of a house was sketched in where Coldstream would be, and to the left of it, another representing Bracksford.
A large arrow pointed from the akoran base to both towns, clearly depicting their planned path of attack. From what he could discer
n in the notes, the battle was going to start in only a few days’ time, after another tribe of warriors arrived to support the effort from the north.
“If we'd left this much longer, they'd have stormed through the entire region within a few days’ time,” Aiden muttered to himself, rolling up the battle plans and tucking them in under his tunic. “I think we're done here. I hope you can settle your people down, because we really don't need another war right now.”
“I will convince them of my legitimacy, I can assure you of that,” Morik said, giving Aiden an appraising glance. “For a warlock, you seem honourable enough, though I would one day like to see your prowess without the aid of outside forces. My people have no love for your kind, but I thank you for your aid this day and hope that our paths may cross again, in the future.”
“Warlock? I'm not a...” Aiden started to protest, and then considered how he looked striking down their enemies with beams of light. “Okay, maybe I dabble in the arcane arts a little, but as Tald mentioned, it is 'borrowed power'. The only real sorcerer here is Sayana, and you should be thanking her as well, particularly since she was once one of your people.” Morik look startled, and gave the red-headed girl another shrewd look, then spoke a few words to her in his native language.
“Kerik White-wolf,” she replied to his question in Aielish, “though I'm sure he believes I am dead. Do you remember the elven lady he took as a wife?”
“We will never forget her, though individual reasons as to why differ from person to person,” Morik answered. “Too many of us were paranoid about her abilities, and it shames me to say that I was one of them. I never wanted to see her harmed, though.” Sayana's eyes locked on the Akoran chief, showing her barely controlled emotions bubbling just below the surface. A revelation struck Morik at that moment, and he looked at her with disbelief.
“You are the child that was lost to us, years ago?” he breathed. A tear trickled down Sayana's cheek as her emotional dam burst. “I heard you had wandered off on a hunting expedition.” A chill wind filled the room as Colt scaled the ladder above the fireplace, and apparently found the trapdoor Morik had spoken of.
“One of the hunters saw me performing some minor sorcery, and he struck me over the head and left me to die,” she sobbed. “He said something about 'having kept an eye on me in case I turned out like my mother'.” Morik nodded slowly, and then turned his head at the sounds of approaching warriors.
“You must go, now, but we will meet again. That, I can promise. I will somehow make this right with you Sayana, when things are peaceful again. Please, leave before you’re discovered.” Aiden hastened over to Nellise, who was still lying barely coherent on the cushions.
“I will take her up through the secret passage,” Sayana declared, wiping tears from her eyes as she stepped forward to lift the exhausted cleric over her shoulder. She struggled with the weight but with Pacian's help, managed to lift her over to the base of the shaft, where the wild girl somehow found a hidden reserve of strength to levitate them both upward and out through the opening.
Although it had been cold down in the cave, the freezing air was still a slap in the face as Aiden emerged from the top of the shaft, into the bleak, frigid wasteland of the High Plains. The wind had died down a great deal, and stars could be seen shining through the clouds as the foul weather slowly broke up.
Colt gave his winter cloak to Nellise to help keep her warm, and then pressed ahead silently, with Sayana leading them out through the rocky hillside they had used to approach the camp in the first place.
They travelled for well over an hour before Aiden felt they had left the akoran camp far enough behind them, feeling fortunate they had encountered no more patrols on their way out. Colt called for a quick break and they gathered under the sparse trees that provided a modicum of shelter on the plain.
“I think we should head back to Coldstream and nurse our wounds,” he advised breathlessly, leaning on his greatsword as one would a staff. “Bracksford is too far for us in this condition, and I don't think this break in the weather is likely to hold.”
“I don't know, something tells me we're going to have a stretch of fine weather for a while,” Aiden replied enigmatically. “I think we're overdue for it. I'm not really keen on going to Coldstream, if we have a choice.”
“Yes, I'd rather camp out in the woods around a nice hot fire than go back there,” Pacian muttered, neither of them mentioning the reasons for wanting to stay away.
“Are you sure?” Colt asked dubiously. “With the exception of Sayana, you lot are a bit soft for roughing it in the wild, and I'd have thought you'd jump at the chance to sleep in a warm bed.”
“It's more than that,” Aiden added, glancing at the wild girl as she tore into a chunk of bread voraciously. “If we head northwest, we'll get to Bracksford a lot faster than going up through Coldstream, and we should let Olaf and Tara know what's happened as soon as possible.”
“A fair point,” Colt conceded. “Alright, northwest it is then. We'll find a place to rest in a couple of hours.” Aiden nodded as they headed out once more.
With his adrenaline rush gone and the incantations dispelled, Aiden felt very, very ordinary as they continued onward, and soon the ordeal of the past day was beginning to catch up with him, each step forward becoming a struggle to stay upright.
They found a small clearing in amongst the trees to set up their camp, and everyone except Aiden collapsed as soon as it was decided this was where they’d rest. Thanks to the goggles, he was able to quickly gather kindling and build a campfire. After nearly a minute of unsuccessfully trying to light it with flint and steel, flames suddenly sprang forth from the tinder, startling Aiden, who was quite certain it wasn't his doing.
“You might have warned me,” he admonished Sayana, who was lying on her bedroll a couple of yards away, barely visible from underneath the heavy winter cloak with one hand extended towards the fire.
She didn't reply, instead closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she drifted off to sleep, leaving Aiden to stand watch alone until morning.
* * *
It was a testament to just how tired the others were that they slept right through the most beautiful sunrise Aiden had seen in months. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the faint heat of the winter sun was enough to warm his face as he closed his eyes and bathed in the light.
It had been a quiet night, without any sign of patrolling akorans or wild animals, and Aiden was looking forward to getting some rest once they had arrived at Bracksford. As the dawn brightened, Aiden noticed they had made camp next to an old graveyard, now overgrown with vines and almost unrecognisable, save for the entrance to a mausoleum in amongst the foliage.
It was made of stone, and despite the cracked and weathered exterior, seemed to be mostly intact. The clearing was a curious place to camp and given the choice, not the location Aiden would have chosen.
He noticed Nellise was awake and peering at him with an inscrutable expression. Aiden suspected that questions concerning his apparent return from the dead would be forthcoming and he was not disappointed.
“I saw you die,” Nellise said quietly, the first words she had spoken since they left akoran lands.
“You saw me injured and knocked out, perhaps,” Aiden conceded, not sure about telling her about his otherworldly experience. Informing the others of his dragon-related dreams had done nothing to promote unity within the group.
“You were struck right in the head, Aiden,” Nellise pressed. “No-one survives something like that.”
“I'm not going to contest that point,” he shrugged, poking at the fire with a large stick. “But I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for my reappearance.”
“There's no need to explain it, I already know the answer.”
“You do?” he asked, looking at her with surprise.
“Yes,” she nodded, “God sent you back to save us.” Aiden blinked, caught off guard by her answer and unsure if he should attempt to c
orrect her. Then he realised what the look had been about – absolute faith. She thought she was looking upon an angel, or something similar, sent by God to pull them out of hell, and it was this knowledge that was allowing her to deal with the abuse she’d endured.
“I'm not really sure what happened,” he lied, “I woke up in the snow, and I knew I had to try and save you all. It was only with the aid of the relics I'd recovered from Ferrumgaard that I could pull off that rescue though. I wonder what Clavis would have thought of it?”
“I can't speak for the dead,” she mused, “but I think you certainly honoured his memory. Thank you, Aiden, I don't want to think about what would have become of us if you hadn't...” Nellise's veneer of control crumbled, and she visibly recoiled from the memories. A look of such pain twisted her face Aiden didn't know what to do. Pacian had stirred during their conversation, and upon seeing her suffering, moved to comfort her.
“Don't touch me,” she gasped, pulling back from his outstretched hand, wrapping the cloak tightly around herself and stumbling off into the nearby bushes. Pacian moved to follow her but Colt stopped him with a look.
“Leave her be,” he growled, slowly getting to his feet. “Let her work through it in her own way.”
“This is exactly what I was talking about,” Pacian muttered, a dark look on his face. “She went in there expecting tea and crumpets and look what happened to her. Well, from now on, I'm doing things my way, whether she likes it or not. It's for her own good. Excuse me, nature's calling,” he added, stalking off into another part of the camp.
“That's not gonna go well,” Colt remarked, unimpressed with Pacian’s attitude. “But enough about that. How the hell did you do all that fancy sorcery last night anyway? And Nel's right, you were stone dead after that axe hit you.”
“I... met an old acquaintance,” Aiden replied evasively, glancing meaningfully at Sayana, who was watching the whole scene with interest from under her cloak. “He is a master of healing, and was able to get me back on my feet. As for the sorcery, well, as I told Nel, it all came from Ferrumgaard. That old wizard saved our lives with his little stash of scrolls, not to mention this thing,” he added, hefting the sceptre.
Nature Abhors a Vacuum (The Aielund Saga Book 1) Page 30