Drayden shrugged, “I cannot tell…you as a Warriormage are better able to determine that fact.”
Aran gestured to the Wolf Leader to join them, “I will ask Darven to Farsee. He is stronger than me at this.” Aran briefly explained to Darven what had to be done, and the young Wolf Leader nodded grimly his understanding. Stepping away from the others, Darven sought silence, and cast his awareness out beyond the group and to the east. A moment later Aran saw Darven’s eyes open and the strain leave his face.
“I sensed them,” Darven told Aran and Drayden. “They are certainly alive, and already moving westwards back towards their borders…”
“Then I assume with the Warleader’s death the army has lost its purpose and motivation to war,” mused Drayden, “And it looks as though the gHulam are already riding home…”
Drayden and Aran looked at each other as they both came to the same realisation.
“This would not be a good place to be caught in,” muttered Drayden, his face grey.
“I will hurry everyone along,” Aran replied, “For I fear we will have precious little time to get clear.”
*
“We won’t make it,” worried Darven out loud. “We know those gHulam were mounted, we’re on foot and some of us are still walking wounded.”
“And we can’t go back,” added Alissa, “For we know that way is closed to us.”
The group had paused to snatch a brief rest at one of the infrequent pools that had formed from one of the springs dripping in through cracks in the side of the tunnel. Most of the company was too exhausted to speak, let alone Te-Gormeth and Guardsman Kunek, who had both collapsed upon the ground, their breathing laboured through healing lungs and ribs.
“So how long now?” Aran asked, turning again to Alissa.
“I don’t know,” she replied, “I was told around five days. I think we’ve been travelling for at least three now but really it’s impossible to tell down here.”
“Then we must press on,” he stated.
“And what happens if we run into the gHulam?” Alissa stated.
Aran shrugged helplessly, “I don’t know? I really don’t…”
*
“Did you hear that?”
Darven stopped, and strained his Warriormage awareness out, “I’m certain I felt something… there, I think they’re coming.”
“How many?” asked Drayden.
“Too many,” Aran said bleakly whilst casting his awareness out. “I’m getting strong impressions of horsemen passing from daylight then into sudden dark.” He shook his head, “Whatever happened at the node must have confused my awareness. Their minds are closed to me.” He straightened, “All I know it that a large number of horsemen have just entered the tunnel, and if I’m right about their numbers it will take ages for them to pass though.”
“Can we hide?” Hela asked.
“Where?” Trenny snapped, “Even in those tiny alcoves you could hardly hide a rat, let alone the thirteen of us.”
The Weathermage suddenly looked around, “Where did the wolves go? I haven’t seen them in days.”
“They’ve gone on ahead,” said Drayden.
“Aye,” Aran replied tiredly, “Without Halffang there was little to hold them to our purpose.”
Bennek grinned mirthlessly, “I expect they’re halfway to Glade by now.”
“Damn!” Darven swore heavily, “After all that we’ve achieved…is this the way we die?”
*
Listlessly the group walked on. They could not go back; they could not even turn aside. In the intervening hours after Darven had first sensed the horsemen, the members of the group had in their own way accepted their fate. By common agreement they had decided to keep moving on. It seemed better to meet death head on, rather than wait for it to come in the dark. All of the couples walked together, trying to find comfort in each other’s company.
*
“How long now?” asked Alissa quietly.
Aran looked up dully, and with a sigh cast his awareness out, almost immediately he sensed men and horses, many of them.
“We’re almost onto them,” he replied, “You ought to be able to physically hear them soon.”
“Isn’t there anything that can be done?” she asked finally.
Aran shook his head, “Not even the Weathermages can help here. I’ve thought, and I’ve thought, and I still come up with no good reason as to why the Entity insisted we take this route.” He glanced at the golden haired woman, her face grey and lined with fatigue, “Are you absolutely certain that Sarana said this was the way?”
Alissa nodded wearily, “There was no mistake. All I can think is that the Entity did not realise that the gHulam had to also return by the tunnel. I mean it took us a while to come to that conclusion,” she added glumly.
“Then we will die,” Aran said finally, regretfully, “There is no other…”
“Bini, what in Andur’s name are you doing?”
“Bini…you fool.”
“Come back!”
Aran was shaken out of his depression by half a dozen voices raised in sudden alarm, and consternation.
“What is it?” he called out, staring about him in confusion.
The globe of ball lightning that Hela had harnessed, bounced and swung as the young Weathermage too turned in sudden bewilderment.
“My lord, it is plainsman Bini, he just ran off…” Hela’s face was incredulous.
“If he’s not careful he’ll run smack into those gHulam,” growled Bennek, drawing his sword.
“That’s all we need,” complained Darven as he too drew his sword. “Ah well,” he sighed, “We may as well go down fighting.”
“Has the plainsman gone completely mad?” demanded Trenny coldly, “I knew this tunnel was getting to him, but I wish he hadn’t picked now to go insane.”
“Listen everyone, I can’t hear fighting,” Alissa remarked suddenly, “Also I can’t hear the sound of horseshoes on this rock”
She turned to Te-Gormeth, “The gHulam…are their horses shod?”
The Scout frowned, confused, “Of course, I remember the Thakur smiths complaining of the work shoeing such a host…”
He broke off in amazement as Alissa kissed him soundly on the cheek.
“Aran!” she cried out joyously turning away from the Scout, “Don’t you see, it’s not the gHulam…it must be the plainsmen. They’re the only ones who ride unshod horses.”
“What?” Aran was bewildered beyond words.
“Look ahead,” shouted Darven, “There are horsemen bearing lit torches.”
He stared ahead, his eyesight keen even in the dim light, then he too started running.
“Aran!” he shouted back, “It is the plainsmen…and Bini’s with them!”
*
“Well met, my lord Riothamus.”
Aran could only stand and stare up at the golden haired, leather-clad riders on their tall horses, and shake his head in amazement.
“How?” he finally asked, as his brain struggled to make sense of the last few minutes.
The leading rider, who Bini had addressed as Bowleader Kainne Stormbringer, was clad in bronze and leather and had elaborate tattooing around his eyes and cheekbones. His limed hair was standing in stiff spikes. Aran could see too that it was liberally stained with dried blood. The tall plainsman slid from his horse in one fluid motion to land softly upon the ground, to then murmur “Hail Riothamus,” whilst bending his head, and hiding his eyes with his palm.
“Well met indeed Bowleader,” replied Aran, finally taking himself in hand, “We expected to battle the enemy here but to our great joy you came instead.”
“Lord Riothamus,” he replied straightening, “We indeed followed the enemy to this place, but wonderingly they turned aside at this tunnel to suddenly ride south within their borders. At their action, I split my force in half, one company to follow the enemy to see if they should strike out to an unknown route into the mountains. The other I led into this dark tunne
l to see if it in truth led deep into Thakur…I did not expect to find my lord Riothamus here.”
“We are in fact lately come from Thakur,” Aran replied, “However this tunnel no longer leads there. Something has happened at the far end. We suspect that the tunnel collapsed, but we did not go back to see.”
“Then we will not continue on,” said Kainne in some relief, “For to tell you the truth, neither I nor my men find this dark and close place to our liking.”
“Then we will all leave this place,” Aran replied wholeheartedly.
“We did not expect to look for you and your men, Bowleader,” Darven said suddenly, “Indeed we believed that the gHulam would take this route back to Erie and had prepared ourselves to die here against such enemy numbers.”
“gHulam?” Kainne asked the Wolf Leader, “You have a name for the enemy who came against us so suddenly.”
“Aye,” Darven replied, “And we have much news. The best being that the Warleader is dead.”
Kainne grinned, “We guessed as much when the Thakur army, who were set to overwhelm us, turned at the last moment to ride back to their borders.” He grinned again as he thought of the good news he would be taking back to the army.
He turned to Bini, “I had not thought to see you again brother…but to see you here and now, and in such company well…I regret not the day you gave me back your Plains Oath.”
Bini grinned, and hugged the other man, “Brother, I tell you that I am afire to see the sky, plains and sun again. We all have been too long in dark and close confines.”
Bini straightened, “Bowleader Kainne Stormbringer, you have already met our lord Riothamus, I would like to introduce the rest of the group who have come out of Thakur.”
Kainne nodded and his eyes swept the group, “I see that two are descendants of the plains.”
“Lady Alissa, daughter of Captain Taran and betrothed of lord Riothamus,” explained Bini, “And High Earthmage Drayden of Glaive Island.”
He indicated the rest of the group, “Wolf Leader Darven and Guardsmen Kunek, Jede, Gunthred and Bennek. Three of the Guardsmen are Warriormages; another is a Weathermage, my lord Bowleader. The remainder of the group are all mages from Glaive Island; High Weathermage Trenny, Weathermage Hela, Master Healermage Genn and Master Earthmage Theaua”
“You travel in high company, Bini Stardreamer,” Kainne remarked with a grin, and then his eye swept the group and settled on a darkhaired man standing at the back of the group.
“There is one here that you have not named,” Kainne said coldly, “And he has the features of the Thakur people.”
Bini dipped his head, “You see the Thakur Scout, Te-Gormeth…once our prisoner, now trusted, and a friend.”
“You trust a son of that accursed race?” Kainne’s voice was heavy with disbelief.
“He has proved himself,” Aran interrupted abruptly, “There the matter ends.”
Kainne shrugged, “Very well, although you may think twice about trusting such a one after seeing how many of your army fell to his kind.”
Aran’s face grew grave, “Heavy losses, Kainne Stormbringer?”
Kainne inclined his head, “Aye, lord Riothamus…heavy losses indeed.”
Aran turned to gaze at the quiet Scout, “However Bowleader, I have found that man to be honourable and worthy of trust. I will ask that you do not think of him as an enemy.”
Kainne inclined his head, “If you so insist, lord Riothamus?”
“I do,” Aran replied shortly.
“Then it shall be so,” the other said, “We shall allow him to ride with us.”
Kainne turned to Aran, “If you and your friends do not mind riding double, we can have you back to your people in three days.”
Aran grinned happily, “Kainne Stormbringer, we would not mind even if we were bound as baggage to your horses.”
He laughed and looked around at the weary faces of his companions, “If it means quitting this ungodly place.”
*
Chapter 11—Resolution
After the hardships of the journey, the travellers found that riding with the plainsmen was both a joy and a relief. As befitting their rank, Aran and Alissa had both been given mounts, the previous riders happily doubling up behind others. The rest of the group rode double with the plainsmen, their backpacks and gear distributed around the rest of the company. Happily it took the plainsmen only an hour or two to quit the dark confines of the tunnel, and everyone spontaneously cheered to see the familiar sights of wintry sun, sky and brown sweeping plain.
“I was beginning to think that I’d not see it again,” said Alissa, drawing the dark bay mare she had been given across to where Aran rode.
“Aye,” Aran replied, his spirits lifting with the realisation they were now finally back in the province. “There have been a few times I would have given us little chance for getting out,” he replied. “The worst being in that tunnel expecting the gHulam to any moment appear.”
Alissa nodded her face paling at the memory, “I wonder why they decided to go south. I mean there is no way they would have known about what happened at the node after the Warleader’s death.”
She frowned, “The link would have gone by then…no, something or someone told them and warned them away.”
Aran settled himself more firmly in the saddle, “I wonder if the wolves had anything to do with it. They were linked to the Entity and they did go on ahead,” he reflected.
Alissa shrugged, “Who is to say. They certainly didn’t have much to do with us since Halffang became the Entity.”
Her gaze swivelled back to stare at the lowering snowcapped peaks of the Trident Range, “I wonder what did happen after we left?”
“I’m certain that the round chamber was destroyed,” replied Aran. “I don’t think the Entity much liked the way the Thakurian priests had dedicated the node to those Hidden Ones. “ He shook his head, “Every time I think of those shadows my blood runs cold…”
“Well if it’s destroyed they won’t be able to use the node,” Alissa said practically. “I rather suspect that the Entity planned on making the destruction more permanent. That last noise was rather loud and did go on for quite a time.”
“If we’re lucky the location of the node will be lost,” said Aran bleakly, “And those shadows forever gone from our world.”
“So how are you now?” she asked carefully. “I mean you’ve had the worst of it all along.”
Aran’s face grew still, “To tell you the truth I don’t really know.” He stared hard at the wintry plains, “For most of this trip I’ve been driving myself forward always with the burden of what I was expected to do hanging over my head.” He drew the black gelding across closer, “At the beginning I had expected the worst…with the Weathermages I mean,” he said softly. “It wasn’t an auspicious beginning with them being so suspicious of me. Even now I’m not certain how I’m going to deal with the Archmage.” He shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably, “In the beginning getting away was the easy option, rather than dealing with Maran.” He pulled a rueful face, “Lately I’ve been given to wondering why I am cursed with unpleasant relatives,” he sighed, thinking with some guilt over the necessary, yet unpleasant death of the Warleader.
“We did all agree not to mention your relationship with her,” Alissa replied softly, seeing the lines of pain incise his face. “We all thought it would be for the best, especially with the connection to the Andurian line.”
His shoulders hunched over despairingly, “Relative or no, I still haven’t come to terms with killing her. Ever since I went berserk during the ambush, the thought of taking a human life makes me feel sick inside.” His mouth twisted, “Although killing in battle is different,” he added, “The rage is there and the men you kill are soldiers like yourself.” He sighed, “Killing the Warleader in cold blood was the hardest thing I ever had to do,” Aran admitted. “In the end I had to try and forget my humanity and just do it.”
He looked up,
and raw pain was in his eyes, “That’s why I believe Andur came to help. At first I thought it was because of the dark gods, but later I understood that with my will alone I could not have brought the sword down upon her. Being a shade, he was beyond any such pangs of conscience, and could do what had to be done.”
“Perhaps that’s why he was held here for all those centuries,” Alissa murmured, “Especially since all the others had gone on.” She stared directly at Aran her words as uncompromising as the winter around them, “It was the right thing to do, killing her that is.”
“Oh she had to die all right,” Aran replied bleakly, “There’s no disputing that. From what Kainne tells me, killing her has saved our people from many needless deaths and maimings in that last battle.” Aran’s face hardened as he remembered what happened at the node, “She had to die, especially after what she did to Uhmar,” he added. His eyes grew cold, “On the way back down the tunnel I had a chat to Kunek and he told me everything. Uhmar did not die well…”
Alissa nodded unhappily, “I can guess, especially since you almost met the same fate.” She grimaced at the memory, “When she had you, I was almost insane with horror and fright.” She shook her head, eyes bleak with memory, “Darven had to physically restrain me from running onto the node. The Goddess alone knows what would have happened then…”
“She would have killed you,” Aran replied immediately, “Just as she almost killed Kunek and our friend Te-Gormeth.” He chuckled wryly, “Now those are two that are lucky to still be alive.”
“Te-Gormeth has certainly fallen on his feet,” Alissa observed, “He will find it an easier life with us than back in Thakur.”
Her mouth twisted, “I don’t know how the Thakurians will come to terms with this…it must rankle that they were ordered to pull their armies away just before the very moment of victory.”
“It does not distress me that our armies were saved,” Aran said dryly.
She nodded, “Things will be difficult in Thakur for a while…I think Te-Gormeth is better out of it.”
*
For three joyous days they rode with the plainsmen upon their half-wild horses. The Andurian plain seemed dry and dead from the frosts and snow, but after the horror of the mountains it was a veritable paradise. For three days they rode swiftly with the wind streaming in their hair, and the mid-winter sun warming their faces with its feeble rays. For three nights they rolled themselves in their blankets and groundsacks, and watched the passage of the stars, and heard around them the good-natured talk and banter of Bini’s kin. Bini was in his element. Laughing and joking with his plainsbrothers, he related the tale of their adventures in Thakur, pausing only to fall silent when he came to what had happened at the node. Many pressed him, for this indeed was the crux of the journey, but his face would fall into lines of pain, and he would speak no more on the subject. On the third day of their ride they reached the site where Aran’s forces had been routed by the gHulam. Silently they stared at the broken and twisted ground, the mage-formed fissures still smoking, and lined with charred bodies of Thakurian infantry. The smell of roasted and rotting bodies was intolerable, and Aran turned away sickened.
Warriormage: Book Three of the 'Riothamus' trilogy Page 29