‘Dale? I’m sure he’ll know already,’ said Milgorry, putting his arm around Louisa. ‘Where are Tim and Araas? Are they going back to the Dwellings with Tiernan?’
‘Soon,’ said Timbul, appearing suddenly and startling Raline. ‘Mil, are you coming with us?’
‘Yes. The Dwellings is a good place for my lady to be. At least until our child is born. There are still many who will be waiting to see if our child is guardian or free, including Louisa and myself.
‘Your child will be what they choose to be,’ Araas pointed out, appearing as suddenly as had his brother. ‘Look at yourself, Mil. You aren’t exactly what we expected. In fact, you’re nothing like I once imagined you might be. You aren’t who you are because of the blood you carry, but because of the choices you make.’
Tiernan made his way through the crowd and placed an arm around each of his son’s shoulders. ‘Araas is right. Though there are some facts about the blood you carry that I think it’s important you know.’ He sat on the ground beside Milgorry and closed his eyes, as if weighing the words in his mind.
‘I don’t wish to speak of my father.’ Milgorry sighed heavily. ‘Not yet.’
‘It’s not of your father I wish to speak.’
‘My mother? Do you know who she was?’
‘Yes. I remember her well. We desperately tried to find her after Nandul took her, but it was years before we knew what happened to her, and by that time she had been returned. She had lived away from the Dwellings for many long years, but some of us have not forgotten.’
Milgorry’s face turned white. ‘My mother was a guardian?’
‘Yes,’ said Tiernan putting his hand on Milgorry’s shoulder. ‘She was one of us.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me this?’ Milgorry crossly shook off Tiernan’s hand.
‘Think about it Mil. Your father was one of the fallen, but your mother was a guardian. You were raised by Nandul. Do you think I wanted you to know the truth? Do you think I wanted Nandul to know the truth?’
‘Child of a guardian and of the free,’ Milgorry’s voice had fallen to a whisper. ‘No wonder you wanted to return me the first time we met!’
‘At the time I couldn’t be sure of the choice you would make. Now, my heart is at rest.’ Tiernan smiled. ‘You look like your Father, yet you remind me so much of your mother. Her name was Kyna.’
‘And Nandul never knew she was a guardian?’ Milgorry found this hard to believe.
‘No. He never knew. Of that I am sure. She was possibly the cleverest guardian I have ever known. It is from her you inherited such intelligence. She did well to hide only those thoughts that would expose the truth about who she was.’
‘But if she was a guardian, how is it she was captured by my father? And why didn’t she escape?’
‘I truly don’t know,’ said Tiernan. ‘I’ve always assumed that after he caught her he kept her inside. You know we don’t do well if we’re kept confined and out of the sunshine for any length of time. She would have known she was too weak to escape, and she would never have risked her child.’
‘She was always inside,’ Milgorry confirmed bitterly. ‘I only remember her being allowed to leave the hut at night for very short periods. And ‘don’t do well’ is an understatement. I’ve seen what happens when a guardian is kept in darkness. Now my father has answered for his crimes and I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about that. His death is...so…final.’
‘I heard you were coming back to the Dwellings before you go to Nyinaku and I think that’s a very good idea. You have wounds in your life that need to heal.’
‘Yes,’ said Milgorry quietly, looking down at the ground. ‘I certainly do.’
‘We will talk more, but right now I have to go to the city gates and find out why we have hundreds of fallen massing there looking for you.’
‘What?’ Milgorry’s head snapped up. ‘You can’t be serious!’ He was running before anyone could answer, with Tiernan, Araas and Timbul following. By the time they reached the gates, Rezon, Ben, Rudiger and Eibhear were close behind. Danil stood before the gates, surrounded by fallen. They were all shouting at once, but became quiet when he raised his hand. Tiernan’s estimation of numbers was quite accurate. The mass of warriors, some who Milgorry knew had been loyal to Nandul and others he knew were part of Rudiger’s company, waited for Danil to speak.
‘You can’t enter the city,’ he said firmly. ‘The citizens would panic.’
‘We want to talk to Milgorry of Tarl,’ the chorus rose again.
Milgorry dashed into the nearby watch house and raced up the stairs with his companions close behind. He addressed the crowd from the top of the wall. Danil made his way to his side as he spoke.
‘I’m here. Where’s Garran?’
One warrior stepped forward, making it obvious he was the appointed spokesman.
‘Garran’s returned to Mirri.’
‘Why are you here then? Garran is true Prince of our people.’
‘And we will follow him. We have no problem with that. He’s our chosen Prince. We’re here because we know about the child; the child of a guardian and of the free. Nandul was mad! And we won’t let anyone else jeopardize our freedom.’
‘So?’
‘So the child must be destroyed. It’s dangerous.’
Milgorry gave an angry snarl. ‘This is my child you are talking about! And it’s not even born yet.’ He felt a wave of calm wash through him as Tiernan placed his hand on his shoulder.
As the crowd began to raise their voices Tiernan lifted his hand and once again they fell silent.
‘But you trust Milgorry. I can sense this.’
‘That’s right,’ one of the warriors shouted. ‘We trust him. We need him back in Nyinaku.’
‘Why?’
‘He’s our leader. Garran is our Prince and we respect that. But Milgorry is our Commander. We have chosen for him to lead us, under Garran.’
‘Your trust in Mil is so strong,’ said Tiernan quietly, knowing the fallen could hear his voice. ‘Yet you won’t trust his child?’
‘We don’t need some half guardian half free child who might be able to return the gifts that were taken from us. We don’t want this. We want our freedom. We won’t have our freedom taken from us!’
‘Tell them,’ Milgorry said abruptly. ‘And if they want to return me...tell them anyway Tiernan.’
‘Are you sure?’ Tiernan asked silently, and Milgorry nodded. Tiernan looked at him intently for a few seconds before continuing.
‘You are concerned about the child. But Milgorry is also such a child. Child of a guardian and of the free,’ he said, raising his palms. ‘Yet you trust him?’
There was a stunned silence then everyone started shouting at once. Tiernan was about to intervene when Milgorry placed his hand on Tiernan’s arm.
‘Wait.’
There was an intense discussion before the warrior spoke again.
‘What are you Milgorry? Guardian or free?’
‘I am free,’ Milgorry declared. ‘Yet I have discovered I am also guardian. If you look deep within yourselves you will find the same. A friend once told me, ‘we aren’t who we are because of the blood we carry, but because of the choices we make’. My father made terrible choices and I don’t intend to repeat them. In fact, I mean to see that the atrocities he instigated are never repeated. Our people are free.’
‘Where does that leave you? Will you return to Nyinaku as one of the free? Or do you plan to join the guardians?’
‘Both,’ Milgorry replied, as understanding dawned. ‘I am both. But understand me. If you do hold to your decision to accept me as your Commander, know that I am more like my mother than my father. So Tiernan tells me. There is a legend that the child of the guardians and of the free would be able to return the gifts to the free. It’s not true. I have no more gifts than those I had before I stood against my father. It was his desire for power that made my father do the terrible things he did. His choices m
ade him who he was. And if I leave my people and join the guardians perhaps some gifts would return, but I have no doubt at all I would be required to sacrifice my freedom, and I’m not prepared to do this. I am free.’
Milgorry stood patiently during the ensuing discussion.
‘You aren’t being entirely honest,’ said Tiernan silently.
‘You think I should tell them the truth?’ Milgorry raised an eyebrow.
‘The truth? That each day you regain more and more gifts of the guardians, and that you do potentially have the ability to return the gifts to the fallen, should you choose to do so? Yet you retain your freedom? No. Please don’t tell them. I don’t think I could let you live.’
‘Do you believe it’s true?’
‘Yes. I do. I know it’s true.’
Milgorry swallowed hard and gave a tiny nod. ‘I won’t do it Tiernan. I may have the ability, but I don’t have the right.’
Tiernan smiled confidently. ‘I know you won’t. That’s why you’re still alive.’
Milgorry chuckled darkly, and then the warrior who had spoken earlier stepped forward again.
‘We have agreed. You will be our Commander. But...’ he hesitated and gave the crowd a nervous glance, ‘we think you need to go to the Dwellings first and make sure this is what you want.’
‘I will do that,’ Milgorry agreed, and he could sense Tiernan’s approval as the rift between the two races began to mend. ‘But when I return, be aware that Louisa and our child will be with me. I need to know they can enter Nyinaku safely. How can I know this?’
The warrior laughed and there was a ripple of laughter through the crowd.
‘We give our word. Your woman and your child will be safe as long as they make no attempt to take our freedom from us.’
‘I don’t see anything remotely funny about my question,’ said Milgorry, with a frown.
The warrior gave a snort of disbelief. ‘You’re different Milgorry, but I still don’t want to be on the wrong side of you if you lose your temper. A man would be a fool to cross you. Well, I suppose we’ve done what we came to do...kind of. We will accept you for who you are. And we remain free.’
Milgorry raised an eyebrow. ‘Some of you were with my father for a long time.’
‘Yes. Some of us were. I was. I was an idiot for a long time. I can’t change that, but I can...make a better choice.’
Tiernan took a step forward and heads turned towards him, most with expressions of wariness. ‘You are under no obligation to do as I ask,’ he began. ‘But there is something I’m going to order you to do anyway. You will free the slaves. Free them. You will not kill them.’ A ripple of apprehensive muttering ran through the crowd. ‘And you will no longer take humans as slaves. Those who are captive in Nyinaku you will free and they must be given the choice; to stay or to go as they please, without fear.’
‘And if we don’t?’ one of the warriors questioned.
‘I will gather the guardians and we will hunt down everyone who refuses to comply. I’ll touch no-one who does as I have asked. Garran has been made aware of this, and by the time you get home I imagine almost everyone in Nyinaku will know. I am not taking your freedom; I’m just taking back the freedom of the humans. If you defy me, you want to hope you can outrun me.’
The warrior who had questioned Tiernan gave a curt nod. ‘There’s something you should know,’ he said. ‘We saw someone just north of Emerald heading east. He was naked and unarmed, and he was moving fast. I’ll admit he gave us a bit of a shock as he went by, looking faster and stronger than I’ve ever seen him before. And that’s certainly saying something.’
Tiernan’s heart reeled with hope. He glanced at Timbul and Araas and then at Milgorry. Timbul and Araas were as still as statues, with identical expressions; a mixture of hope and apprehension. He could see that Milgorry was not breathing. He leaned forward, resting his palms on the top of the wall.
‘Who?’ he whispered.
The warrior laughed. ‘Callian.’
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Books in the Series
THE FALLEN
THE GUARDIANS
CHILD of a GUARDIAN and of the FREE
Copyright
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This first digital edition published by Dan O’Sullivan in 2014.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in this novel are the work of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Published by Dan O’Sullivan
Copyright © Dan O’Sullivan 2014
Dan O’Sullivan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Child Of A Guardian And Of The Free (Book 3) Page 44