‘Thinking! Show off!’ Borgulnay laughed. ‘Supreme Majesty, Gil! That would be once in a row, wouldn’t it?’
‘Don’t interrupt me when I’m insulting you, thank you very much! What I was-’
Danil cleared his throat warningly and Gilgarry turned towards him respectfully. ‘Yes sir?’
‘Go to sleep.’
‘I was just-’
‘Go to sleep, King’s Captain. I’ll hear any suggestions you have when you’re rested.’
‘Yes sir. Are you and Lord Tiernan planning to get some sleep too sir?’
‘Definitely. But not at the same time.’
‘If you want to be relieved of watch-’
‘Gil!’
‘Sorry. Sleeping now sir. What time would you like to be relieved?’
‘Supreme Majesty,’ Danil grumbled. ‘It’s like having an insubordinate child!’
Tiernan laughed and slapped his shoulder. ‘Good practice for you, King’s Marshall. Get used to it.’
Danil smiled. ‘You won’t need to relieve us, Gil. I’ll take the first watch until mid-morning and Tiernan can take the second until midday. That’s more than enough sleep for either of us. We’ll have the afternoon to hone our plans. I want to be moving by dark this evening. So get as much sleep as you can manage before we head south.’
Gilgarry slept for a lot longer than he would normally sleep and he was quite certain either Tiernan or Danil had a hand in this. When he woke he noticed Borgulnay was also still sleeping and he glanced suspiciously at Tiernan. The guardian immediately looked away but not before Gilgarry caught the amused expression on his face. Gilgarry felt only gratitude that the guardian had bothered to ensure he slept well. Tiernan turned back to him and smiled.
‘You’re welcome. It’s probably best we go from here as alert as possible.’
Gilgarry stood up and stretched. ‘I know Danil wants to wait until after dark before we set out, but I can’t help feeling we’re wasting time. What if we wait here half a day and we arrive half a day too late?’
‘What if we dash south in broad daylight and get ourselves returned - or in your case, killed?’
‘Ahh Tiernan! For Kelian I’d take the risk! This whole business is crazy, but hanging around here when we could be sneaking south is infuriating.’
‘Danil’s word is final.’
‘I know,’ Gilgarry raised his hands. ‘And you know I’m not disputing that. I just want to find Kelian and get him out of there before something really bad happens - if it hasn’t already. And what happens if we’re still waiting here in the Gap and all of those fallen off the ships come rushing through here?’
‘You need to relax. Worrying won’t help us move any faster.’
‘I think even you couldn’t make me relax right now Tiernan.’ A wave of calm immediately spread through him so strongly he suddenly felt like lying on a rock in the sunshine and remaining there for the day. He laughed. ‘Alright…so you can…but don’t bother. Danil’s right. We have to wait for darkness’ cover.’
Gilgarry glanced at Borgulnay’s sleeping figure and grinned slyly. He deepened his voice and spoke in a tone so similar to Danil’s that even Tiernan started in astonishment. ‘Get up King’s Colonel! Why do you laze around as the day wears on?’
Borgulnay leapt up like he’d been stung. He opened his mouth to apologize and caught his words as his eyes fell on Gilgarry who was having a difficult time keeping a straight face.
‘Really funny!’ Borgulnay snorted. ‘You know, revenge will be sweet and unexpected. If I was you Gil, I’d sleep with one eye open from now on.’ He frowned. ‘Where is the King’s Marshall, anyway?’
‘Scouting ahead,’ said Tiernan, watching the two men in amusement. ‘But we won’t move south until it’s dark, so we do actually have time if you want a little more sleep Borg.’
‘No. I’m fine. Why did I sleep for so long?’
Gilgarry decided not to answer Borg’s question. ‘There’s a little stream not far from here. I thought we might do a bit of fishing.’
‘Fishing,’ Borgulnay raised a bemused eyebrow, ‘with what?’
‘Well, Principal Smith just happened to have a couple of spare bone hooks and some leather cord, very thin and strong, perfect for fishing.’
‘Excellent,’ said Borgulnay enthusiastically. ‘We’ll just clear up around here a bit, make sure it’s not too obvious we were here, and get on down to the water.’
‘And what are you using for bait?’ Tiernan asked dubiously.
‘Worms,’ said Gilgarry. ‘Are you coming fishing too Tiernan?’
‘I may as well. I’m certainly not letting you two wander around alone this close to Nyinaku.’
‘I guess we’ll have to wait here until Danil gets back.’
‘I think the King’s Marshall will be able to find us Gil,’ said Tiernan drily.
‘Oh. I suppose he probably will.’
A devious smile came over Tiernan’s face. ‘Though it would be funny to hide our tracks and see what happens when he returns.’
‘Hilarious,’ said a voice from the trees. Everyone jumped in surprise as Danil’s approach had been silent.
‘Could you cough next time you sneak up on me?’ asked Tiernan indignantly.
‘Um..Heh Hmm!’ Danil coughed. ‘No,’ he added, with a grin.
‘We were just going to go...’ Gilgarry waved his hand around vaguely. ‘But now you’re back I suppose...’
‘What? Don’t you want me to come? I’ll bet I can land a fish before any of you,’ Danil said challengingly.
‘You’re on!’ Borgulnay grinned.
‘You’re going to lose!’ said Gilgarry assuredly.
‘You’re all mad!’ Tiernan shook his head.
‘You’re joining us then?’ Danil smiled knowingly.
‘Of course,’ Tiernan scratched his chin thoughtfully. ‘First person to catch a fish gets the lime Gil’s carrying in his pack to eat with his fish.’
‘Hey! I was saving that lime! Caity gave it to me in case I did actually get to use the fishing gear.’
‘What?’ Danil’s face was mocking. ‘Are you afraid you might lose it?’
‘Never!’ said Gilgarry adamantly. ‘I’ll have a fish on my line before you even get yours in the water.’
‘I doubt it.’
‘I will.’
‘Will not.’
‘Will so.’
‘If you two children are ready,’ Tiernan nodded towards the water, with another cunning grin on his face.
‘Let’s do this!’ Gilgarry agreed enthusiastically.
The afternoon was well spent, sitting on the edge of the riverbank, casting the worm-baited hooks into the water and discussing possible strategic scenarios and how best to deal with difficulties, should they arise. Gilgarry and Borgulnay felt a deep peace settle over them as they sat fishing, a peace Gilgarry was certain was being helped along by either Tiernan or Danil, but a peace to which he did not object. It was a far better way to deal with the inevitable wait than to sit in nervous anxiety. No-one caught a fish. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, Gilgarry pulled in his fishing cord and hook, took note that the bait had been stolen yet again, and stowed the gear in his pack.
‘So much for a nice fish dinner,’ he complained.
‘I thought you were just fishing to pass the time,’ said Danil.
‘You should have told me if you truly wanted a fish to eat,’ said Tiernan. He stood up and walked to the edge of the stream, then he knelt on the grassy bank and stared into the water, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. For several minutes he didn’t move, then to everyone’s astonishment a reasonably large fish leapt from the water right in front of the Guardian General. His hands flashed out and he caught the fish before it could fall back into the water. He stood up and held the wriggling fish out to Gilgarry.
‘Thank you,’ Gilgarry stared open-mouthed. ‘How did you do that?’
Tiernan shrugged. ‘I just made it wan
t to jump.’
‘You make that sound simple.’
‘It is simple. It’s just something I can do.’
Borgulnay prepared the fish as Gilgarry rummaged in his pack and took out the lime he had stowed. He threw it to Tiernan.
‘Remind me never to bet against you ever again,’ he said.
Tiernan took his own knife and cut the lime into four pieces. ‘I suppose I could share it,’ he said grudgingly, but Gilgarry could see his smile.
‘I’ll make a fire,’ said Danil. ‘It shouldn’t be a problem this far north, but it will have to be the last time we do this.’
‘It will be,’ said Tiernan. ‘From here I intend to move as fast as stealth will allow.’
‘Are we taking the horses?’ asked Gilgarry.
‘Only for as long as its practical to do so,’ Danil confirmed. ‘Weema is a long way south of the gap but the land between gets rough. We’ll be quicker on foot.’
‘You seem to be certain they’ll take Kelian to Weema. What’s stopping them going somewhere else?’ asked Gilgarry. ‘They might think Weema isn’t a safe enough place to hide the King of Alkira, particularly after what happened last time we were in Nyinaku.’
Tiernan and Danil exchanged glances. ‘We’ll get to Weema as fast as we can, and find out as much as we can. If that’s not where they’re taking him then we have to find out where they plan to go.’
A voice replied from the shadows. ‘I don’t think they’ll keep him in Weema.’ Danil leapt to his feet and drew his sword. Borgulnay and Gilgarry dived in separate directions and came to their feet, also drawing swords from sheaths. Only Tiernan didn’t move. He stared into the gathering darkness with an expression both startled and amused.
There was a silence as the soldiers tried to see into the darkness, Gilgarry cursing himself for sitting staring at the fire, as it was now impossible for him to see clearly. The voice spoke again.
‘Things are truly awry to find you running around Nyinaku Tiernan.’
‘Indeed they are,’ said Tiernan somberly, ‘bad enough to find you back here too, Garran.’
Chapter 44
Pain
Kelian wondered how he wasn’t dead. The ends of his severed finger tips were unrelentingly excruciating, his head pounded continuously, his nose was broken in several places, his unattended broken wrist was swollen and sitting at a strange angle, and his broken ribs felt like daggers every time he breathed. His face was bleeding and bruised, both eyes were blackened and his chest and stomach were a colorful pattern of bruises. Blood was matted in his hair, dried on his face and throat and gummed around his eyes, but the pain in his wrist and fingers prevented him doing anything about this. Despite the torment, he knew he was hungrier and thirstier than he’d ever been before. That the fallen were enjoying bullying him was no longer a question, as their obvious satisfaction when beating him into unconsciousness was as frequent as their deliberate ignorance of his thirst. In his short periods of lucidity, Kelian searched desperately for a fault in their actions that might give him opportunity to escape, but so far he’d found nothing.
Regardless of the fact that every step took him closer to Nyinaku and to Nandul, he’d been so endlessly cold crossing the Ice Coast that he found a small amount of relief in seeing the end of the ice and snow. He wondered at the unfathomable climatic phenomenon that caused the small strip of land behind the Ice Mountains to remain frozen all year, despite the fact that the land not far to the north was basking in sunny bliss.
He had become desperately weak from his injuries and from lack of food and several times a warrior had picked him up and slung him over his broad shoulders and carried him for long distances. Kelian was too ill and weary to speak to the man. It was only after being carried from the edge of the Ice Coast and north into Nyinaku that Kelian made a mental connection. The short, broad shouldered warrior who was carrying him was probably the one Larund had spoken of. The moment Kelian had this thought the warrior dropped him to the ground and glared at him warningly. Kelian could do nothing but stare back up at him wishing he had their ability to hide his thoughts.
‘Fortunately for both of us I have your thoughts well under control.’ The warrior’s words were like a whisper in Kelian’s mind.
‘Who are you? Are you the one Larund spoke of?’
‘My name is Januri.’ The warrior ignored Kelian’s second question. ‘Let’s have a look at your fingers.’ Ignoring the other warriors, Januri took a small skin of wine from a light pack he carried on his back and poured a little over Kelian’s fingers. Kelian gasped in pain but did not cry out. Then the warrior took thin strips of cloth and bound the wounds. Another cloth he used to bind Kelian’s wrist and then he spent a few moments washing his face. Kelian gave a shout of pain and shock as the warrior re-broke his nose then set it quickly in place.
‘Is there any point?’ another of the warriors asked casually as they passed.
‘No. But we can’t have Nandul thinking we’ve stolen all the fun,’ said Januri. He looked down at Kelian. ‘I think the guardians are bound to come after you. You want to hope they get to you soon, or you’re as good as dead. And there might be nothing I can do to stop that happening.’
Kelian looked at his bandaged fingers and wrist. ‘Thank you.’
‘Don’t mention it.’ Januri smiled wryly. ‘Especially, don’t mention it aloud.’
Three days later Kelian was thrown unceremoniously into the very same secure unit in which Milgorry, Elena and Immosey had been imprisoned so many months before. The door showed signs of recent repair, and judging by the thickness of the new boards, Kelian doubted even Milgorry could smash his way through.
He lay on the floor exactly where he’d landed when he’d been pushed down the stone stairs. There was no use moving. There was nothing in the room, so there was no point in trying to find a more comfortable place to lie. He lay on his side keeping his hands positioned so as to prevent them scraping against the floor. Hope had fled. He’d heard nothing of Callian’s thoughts since the day he had shouted his name, and he didn’t know if Callian was still looking for him. He thought perhaps the fallen had made it seem like he was dead, as he was sure this was the only thing that would prevent the guardians from coming after him. He was torn between desperately wanting to hear Callian’s or Timbul’s or Araas’ thoughts in his mind, and not wanting to be the carrot that led them to what would most certainly be an exceedingly perilous situation. After lying still for quite some time he slept.
When he awoke he was startled to find that someone had thrown a blanket over him. He twisted his head around and saw in the corner of the unit there was a second blanket, a small cushion, a bowl of water and a roll of bread sitting on a thin wooden board. Kelian hurried to the food, kneeling on the floor to pick it up. He stuffed the bread into his mouth and was surprised to find that there was a chunk of cooked meat hidden inside it. So intense was his hunger, he gobbled it down in seconds. There was a strange lump in the folded blanket and he lifted the corner, wincing as his fingers brushed the fabric. Inside was a good sized pile of blackberries. He ate them hungrily, and then drank the entire bowl of water. When he finished drinking he placed the bowl on the floor and sat staring at it stupidly. He felt like a fool, knowing he should have rationed both the food and the water. Once unfolded, the blanket was far larger than the one he had found stretched over him. He took the larger blanket, refolded it many times to make a reasonably thick pad, then he lay down, placed the cushion under his head and pulled the smaller blanket over himself once again. With the food and water, a small amount of hope had returned and it took him longer this time to relax. As he was drifting into sleep, he wondered who had given him the food. He was sure it was probably Januri, but he considered each of the warriors whose faces he could remember, knowing it wouldn’t do to be thinking of Januri trying to help him, in the middle of a village where every person could listen to his thoughts should they choose to do so.
Chapter 45
Enticement
A number of times in their trek towards Weema, Dale and Lesley were forced to hide when they encountered other people. In the first instance the guardians and free warriors also hid as high as they could climb in thick trees, as a large group of women and children passed by. Several days later they encountered more of the fallen, all warriors, who surrounded them and attacked. Dale and Lesley scrambled for safety as the guardians and warriors were drawing swords and bows and spreading out so as not to inhibit each other’s actions. The ensuing battle had been brutal but brief and when Dale and Lesley dropped from the branches of the tree the warriors of the fallen lay sprawled across the ground, all dead. Dale could tell by Leslie’s face that it was the first time he had seen the guardians in action. He decided that the best plan was to circle around Weema and approach from the opposite direction, hoping to confuse anyone who might be watching them, though he felt fairly confident that between the guardians and the warriors someone would notice if they were being followed. Milgorry didn’t share his confidence. Several times he warned Dale to not underestimate Nandul and Dale was a wise enough man to listen to his advice.
As they moved north of Weema, Dale felt strange stirrings in his heart once again, and he knew the fallen woman was still following him. The scenery was stunning and he found himself stopping and staring at the rocks, the trees, the streams, the flowers and noticing every detail of the beauty around him. At one point he dropped back a short distance to feel the water in a small cold stream. When he stood up he could feel that she was watching him, not just searching his heart, but actually watching him. After the initial shock, the feeling returned to being pleasant and welcome. He wondered how it was that she made him feel so incredibly content. As this question crossed his mind he saw a shadow flit into the trees less than two hundred paces from where he stood. Common sense overcame curiosity and he hurried back to Eibhear and Rudiger.
Child Of A Guardian And Of The Free (Book 3) Page 38