Child Of A Guardian And Of The Free (Book 3)

by Dan O'Sullivan

  ‘Get out!’ said a gravelly voice. Kalinya gave a cry of pain as he rolled from under the table. ‘If you sleep here you pay!’

  Kalinya mumbled an apology and backed towards the door. Once he was outside he walked as quickly as his ankle would allow. After a while the crowed thinned and he found himself between broken down houses. Most were empty so he ducked inside one and sat down on the floor with his back to the wall. He tried to lift his arm but almost passed out from the pain, which made him certain the wound was dangerous, possibly deadly. Tears of frustration came. After a while he forced himself to think rationally. He thought back to the night his mother had died. He wondered if the two men who had chased him, wanting him dead, had sent the archer after him. If this was the case, he knew they probably thought him dead and it might be safe to return to Tathra, and to his home. He knew he had a far better chance of survival in Tathra than he did if he stayed in Orapba. The sun sank as he rested in the hut, and eventually he made his decision. He stood up and walked back towards the inn. The market place was now almost devoid of people. This time he walked boldly through the door and stood waiting for the innkeeper. The innkeeper frowned when he saw Kalinya, but waited for him to speak.

  ‘I need to get to Tathra,’ Kalinya began. ‘I was wondering if there are any carts from Orapba to Tathra. I can work. I can work to pay my way. I didn’t know who I should ask.’

  ‘Are you going to Orapba?’ asked the innkeeper, looking confused.

  ‘No. I want to go to Tathra.’

  ‘Do you want to go to Orapba first?’

  Realization dawned. ‘Is this not Orapba?’ asked Kalinya, as hopelessness spread through his heart.

  ‘This is Qinel boy. And if you can get work here, you’ll be the luckiest lad I’ve ever known.’

  ‘Qinel,’ said Kalinya, his heart sinking into ever deepening depression.

  ‘If you want to get to Tathra you need to go from here to Numher and then on to Tathra, but around here people won’t want to pay you. They want slaves.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Kalinya turned and left the inn once again. He wandered back towards the place where he had rested. He had almost reached the hut when a half loaded cart caught his eye. He moved closer to the cart and strained his ears to listen to the conversation of the men who were fastening a thick cloth cover over the goods. His heart leapt. He was certain he heard one of them say Numher. He crept towards the cart, keeping out of the sight of the two men. With utmost care, he lifted a corner of the cloth and pulled himself into the cart, sliding his thin body into a small gap between items which he supposed were goods being taken by a merchant to be sold in Numher. Seconds later the cloth was raised and an angry face glared down at him. The man shouted at him and dragged him over the side of the cart. Kalinya fought as hard as he could and managed to slip from the man’s grasp.

  ‘Get him!’ shouted a second man, as Kalinya ran down the street. ‘Don’t let him get away!’ Kalinya’s heart pounded from exertion and terror as he ran. He was certain these men would make him a slave if they caught him, but he didn’t know this town and he had no idea where he could run. He ran back towards the tavern, hoping if he reached it he could hide amongst the crowd.

  He was not quick enough. As he neared the tavern he saw one of the men run across the street in front of him, blocking his path. He changed direction and ran up a side street, hoping he could somehow lose the men in the jumble of broken down huts. For a few seconds he considered hiding in one of them, but reason told him he would be safer among people. Ahead of him he saw a light from a fire burning inside one of the huts. He sprang forward and rushed towards the light, with the two men now closing in behind. He raced up to the door, threw it open and dived inside, slamming the door behind himself. There was a moment of silence as the people inside stared at him, and then he collapsed to the floor. His eyes rolled up in his head and he became still.

  Kelian climbed down from the high stone bench where he had been resting. ‘He’s injured!’ he said, looking at the angry wound on the boy’s shoulder.

  Borgulnay knelt beside him. ‘By all rights he should be dead. Callian?’

  Callian crouched and looked at the child. ‘There’s an arrow head in this wound. We need to remove it before we can do anything.’ He brushed his hand over the boy’s forehead. ‘Just so he stays asleep,’ he murmured. He drew a small, sharp knife and handed it to Araas. ‘You look after the child and I’ll look after the people who are chasing him.’

  ‘What were they chasing him for?’ asked Kelian.

  ‘I can hear their thoughts quite clearly. If the child hadn’t run into this hut he’d be a slave by now.’

  ‘Go and find them Araas. Do what you think is necessary.’ Kelian shook his head in disgust. Slavery appalled him.

  Chapter 9

  Death

  ‘No!’ screamed Dale, trying to fling himself from Eibhear’s arms.

  ‘You can’t go in there Dale!’ shouted Eibhear. ‘There’s nothing you can do!’

  ‘Charie! Charie! No! Supreme Majesty, no!’ Dale struggled frantically. He finally managed to hurl himself from Eibhear’s grasp and he landed heavily on the floor. He pushed himself upwards and shouted in rage when he found his legs simply refused to respond. ‘Help me!’ he screamed. ‘I have to...I have to...Eibhear… Please!’

  ‘Dale, it happened too fast, the fire’s too strong. We’re too late. She’s gone Dale,’ said Eibhear sadly, holding the back of Dale’s shirt so he couldn’t roll towards the blaze which seemed to fill the kitchen.

  ‘No! She- I have to help her! There’s still a chance!’ Dale’s strength gave out entirely and he collapsed to the floor.

  ‘There’s nothing you can do,’ said Eibhear firmly, picking up Dale once again and running towards the door which led into the courtyard. Dale’s body shook with grief and shock as Eibhear placed him on the ground with his back against the base of the wall, as far as possible from anything flammable. ‘I’ll go back in, Dale, but you need to know, I can’t sense her thoughts at all, so either she’s dead or close to it,’ said Eibhear. He turned and ran towards the keep. He disappeared from sight and Dale slid sideways onto the ground, his tears pouring down his face and dripping onto the dust.

  It was more than half an hour before Eibhear returned. Dale shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth as he caught the expression on Eibhear’s face. ‘She’s burnt terribly, Dale.’ Eibhear leant against the wall and slid down until he was sitting beside Dale. Dale’s face turned towards Eibhear questioningly. ‘She won’t survive. She’s not conscious now and I doubt she’ll last the hour. I can hardly even tell if she’s breathing.’

  ‘Take me to her,’ ordered Dale.

  ‘Are you sure you want to see her?’ asked Eibhear, feeling sickened by the memories of the burnt girl.

  ‘Just take me to her. If there’s any possibility she can hear me...well, I’m not going to miss the chance, Eibhear.’ Eibhear lifted Dale and carried him into the keep, to where Charie’s burnt body was stretched out on the long lounging chair in the conference room. General Marnol and Lady Sophie knelt beside her, pouring water over her body. Eibhear placed Dale beside the chair. Dale leaned forward until his mouth was inches from the blackened lump of flesh that had once been Charie’s ear.

  ‘Charie? I love you Charie. You know I love you. You know that, don’t you?’ There was no response and tears flooded down Dale’s face. ‘Oh Charie, beautiful Charie,’ Dale’s voice broke and he laid his head on the side of the chair and closed his eyes. ‘Where are the guardians?’ he whispered eventually. ‘Have we no-one here who can help her?’

  ‘They went with Kelian,’ said General Marnol. ‘And King’s Marshall Danil won’t be back here until this afternoon.

  ‘I don’t think they would have been able to do anything. I doubt that even Tiernan could save her,’ said Eibhear kneeling beside Dale. He reached out and placed his hand on Charie’s forehead. ‘She’s gone now Dale. She’s dead.’


  ‘What happened?’ asked Dale croakily, fighting against screams of grief. ‘How could this happen?’

  ‘I’m not entirely sure, but from what we can see, she was working with a huge pan of oil and it caught fire. I think she threw water on it to try to put out the flames,’ said Lady Sophie. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

  ‘Can I have a moment alone with her?’ asked Dale.

  ‘Of course,’ replied General Marnol. They rose to their feet and left the room. Dale reached out hesitantly and placed his hand on Charie’s forehead. Most of her soft blond hair had burned away. He pulled himself up until he was partly lying beside the girl and he draped his arm over her body. He stayed beside her until General Marnol returned and carried her body away, then he dragged himself up onto the wet and blackened chair and lay staring unseeingly ahead.

  ‘Dale?’

  If Dale was surprised to hear Enri’s voice he didn’t show it. Enrique of Western Downs, son of Duke Percy and Duchess Vera had been appointed to him as Squire, and they had become good friends. Enri’s courage had earned him the title of King’s Knight, but his duties were strictly limited as he was only fourteen years of age. When Kelian’s father had been King, he had forbidden Enri to take on the full responsibilities of a King’s Knight until he was older. Dale didn’t move at all as Enri walked across the room and sat on the edge of the lounging chair.

  ‘Dale, General Marnol has chosen a nice place for Charie, are you coming outside?’ asked Enri, looking sadly at his friend. Dale didn’t respond. ‘I injured my arm trying to put out the fire, but I can get someone else to carry you, if you can’t walk yet since you got Nailmarni blood on you again. Rudi said it’s much worse when it happens a second time. He was really worried you might die this time.’ Dale still didn’t respond. ‘They’re waiting for you Dale. Are you ready?’

  Eventually Dale rolled over and stared miserably up at Enri. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you were going with Kelian.’

  ‘I was. But he decided you would need me more than he would.’

  ‘I don’t need anyone,’ said Dale, rolling away and staring blankly at the side of the lounging chair. Enri waited patiently, but Dale lapsed into silence once again.

  ‘Fine!’ said Enri, rising to his feet. ‘If you respected her so little you can’t even attend her burial ceremony then that’s that I suppose!’ He stomped across the room and turned back towards Dale when he reached the doorway. Dale was sitting up on the chair. He was leaning forward and glaring at Enri.

  ‘Good!’ said Enri, ignoring Dale’s anger. ‘It’s about time! Do you want to lean on my good arm, or do you want me to get someone to carry you?’

  ‘I’ll lean,’ said Dale and Enri hauled him to his feet. He dragged Dale’s arm over his shoulder and half carried him towards the doorway, but partway across the room, Dale’s legs gave way altogether and Enri found himself desperately trying to prevent Dale from falling.

  ‘Sorry!’ he cried as he lost his grip on Dale’s arm and the Baron crumpled to the floor. ‘I’ll have to get help, Dale. My arm is useless! I’ll get some of the soldiers to help.’

  ‘No!’ said Dale, looking horrified. ‘Eibhear. Get Eibhear. Only you and Eibhear.’

  ‘Eibhear? Why Eibhear?’ asked Enri curiously, then he looked up in surprise as the warrior appeared in the doorway without being called.

  ‘Because he’s so rude he’ll have been listening in on my thoughts anyway!’ said Dale. Enri raised an eyebrow. ‘Can we go now?’ said Dale impatiently.

  The burial ceremony was short and afterwards Eibhear carried Dale back to his room. Dale had not spoken since leaving the conference room and though he remained dry eyed during the ceremony, as Eibhear and Enri left his room they could see that his face was once again wet with tears.

  They set sail the following morning. The day was clear and quite hot and the sun reflecting off the ocean made it impossible to look east without squinting. Captain Mervin had the ship ready to leave at a moment’s notice, and as Dale was the last person to come aboard, the moment Eibhear carried him onto the deck Captain Mercah gave orders to set sail. Dale’s strength had not returned, and he lay listlessly on the deck of the ship, ignoring the harsh sun beating down on his skin. Enri took a light cloth and spread it over him. Dale lay without moving as if he hadn’t noticed. Towards midday, Eibhear and Enri came to sit beside him. They didn’t speak.

  Dale opened his eyes and pushed the cloth away from his face. ‘You don’t need to sit here with me,’ he stated firmly. ‘I don’t need you. I’m fine by myself. You can go away. Please.’

  Enri glanced at Eibhear, who shook his head slightly.

  ‘I mean it!’ said Dale, catching the exchange. ‘Go away!’

  ‘No,’ said Enri.

  Dale managed to prop himself up on his elbows. ‘Aren’t you supposed to do as you’re told?’

  Enri’s face darkened angrily. ‘You need me to help you.’

  ‘I don’t need anyone! The only person I needed...I barely discovered I needed her and now...I don’t need anyone Enri. No-one! Go away!’ He pulled the cloth back over his face and managed to roll away before Enri could see his tears.

  ‘Now what do we do with him,’ Enri asked Eibhear.

  ‘Nothing. We do nothing,’ said Eibhear seriously.

  ‘Should we go away?’

  ‘Definitely!’ Dale snapped.

  ‘Definitely not,’ Eibhear contradicted. ‘You don’t desert a friend when they’re grieving Enri. No matter what they do, or how badly they react, if you know they are torn by grief and if you know they are a true friend, you stay with them.’

  ‘Right then,’ said Enri, making himself comfortable. ‘Where are Rudi and Ben, and little Rezon and Raline?’

  ‘Below deck. Ben, Rudi and Rez spent the better part of the last couple of weeks building walls and digging wells. They weren’t particularly tired, but they still need to take some rest.’

  ‘Did Lias come aboard?’ asked Dale without moving from beneath the cloth.

  ‘No. He went south days ago. He decided to make his own way back to the Dwellings and then to Emerald. He left in quite a hurry. If he kept moving at the same pace, he’s probably half way to Emerald by now.’

  ‘Who’s looking after Lerise and Jade?’

  ‘Raline. She seemed glad to be given something to do,’ said Enri.

  ‘Eibhear?’ Dale pushed the cloth away from his face.

  ‘You want to sit up?’ asked Eibhear. Without waiting for an answer he reached out and pulled the cloth away, grabbed the front of Dale’s shirt and reefed him into a sitting position. With what seemed like very little effort, he dragged Dale backwards until he was leaning against the raised quarterdeck.

  ‘Dale, if you need to talk, you can talk to us,’ said Enri.

  Dale looked at Enri and Eibhear and they could see reason returning to his eyes. ‘I will,’ he said. ‘I’m just not ready yet.’

  ‘My dad used to say, if you’re at sea and nothing is going right, set sail for home. Home will be waiting.’

  ‘I don’t even know if I want to go home Enri. Since the fallen attacked, home might not even be there. But I do get his point. I’ve had enough. I’m sailing for home. I had more than enough.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ said Enri, knowing when a discussion was closed. ‘Why are we stopping at the Dwellings?’

  ‘I want to see if there are any more of the people from Emerald waiting to go home,’ said Dale.

  ‘And you want to see if the guardians can help you regain your strength,’ said Eibhear.

  ‘I do. This weakness is driving me crazy.’

  ‘Are you going to eat something soon?’ asked Enri as the smell of food drifted through the air.

  ‘Maybe,’ said Dale wondering why the smell of the food made him feel sick. ‘What is that?’

  ‘Cook’s made up some little pastry things with apple. They smell fantastic!’

  ‘No! No. I’m not hungry. I couldn’t!�
�� He lay back down on the deck and dragged the cloth over himself, turning away from Enri and Eibhear as his heart ached painfully.

  ‘Why not?’ asked Enri, surprised at Dale’s reaction.

  Eibhear stared sadly at Dale’s back. ‘Charie used to make apple pastries. She knew they were Dale’s favorite and she made them especially for him.’

  Chapter 10

  Khimerahd

  Kalinya awoke. He touched his shoulder and frowned in confusion when he found it neatly bandaged and far less painful than he expected. Memories of the past week flooded back and his heart accelerated with fright. He had no idea how he had come to be lying in a cart. The cart was not moving. He couldn’t see over the sides and he wondered if he’d been made a slave. Beside him stood a small water barrel and several huge sacks, the contents of which could only be guessed. He rolled sideways and dragged his knees up under his body, pushing himself into a sitting position. A woman was smiling at him over the side of the cart. He wondered if he was dreaming, but the pain in his shoulder precluded this possibility.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ asked Immosey. Kalinya didn’t answer. He stared at her in stupefied amazement.

  ‘He’s frightened, poor lad.’ Kalinya twisted around to find the source of the man’s voice and gave a cry of pain. ‘We didn’t mean to alarm you,’ said Borgulnay. ‘You’re badly wounded. We’ve done what we can to patch you up, and the men who were chasing you won’t be bothering you any longer, but we felt it might be prudent if you lay low for a while longer - just to be sure.’

  Kalinya’s mouth opened as he attempted to digest this information. ‘So they’re not looking for me anymore? I’m not a slave?’

  ‘No, you’re not a slave.’ Borgulnay held out his water bag.

  ‘Who are you?’ Kalinya took the water bag and drank thirstily.