Deragan Sword Prophecy: Book 01 - Kainan

by Rosemary Lynch

  “Alora mentoria escalida, alora mentoria escalida, espora healarta, espora healarta.” A white energy of light covered his body and the leaves and the potion began to soak into his chest. Over and over again she chanted. Moving her hands in a circular motion, she concentrated on his broken shoulder, the light grew brighter and brighter. Suddenly Drew gasped for breath, and then began to breath steadily again. Arweyn removed her hands and slumped to the floor shaking.

  “He will be all right now,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

  Kainan knelt down beside her and placing his arm around her shoulder he steadied her, drawing her in closer to him. She leaned against him as she regained her strength, inhaling his scent she sighed; this is where she had longed to be, in his arms.

  He smiled at her as he felt her nuzzle against him, she was truly remarkable. Gently he kissed the top of her head.

  “That was incredible Arweyn,” he said with all honesty. He looked curiously and closely at her. “You are truly amazing, do you know that?” She gazed into his deep gorgeous dark eyes and smiled.

  “Are you all right though?” he asked concerned, as she felt weak. He pulled her hair away from her eyes.

  “Yes, I will be fine. It just took a bit more than I thought that is all. I must have been tired from all the walking today.” She looked around; they were all still staring at her in utter disbelief.

  “How did you know how to do that?” Rufas questioned her. He too, was truly amazed by what she had just done. She leaned against Kainan warily. She was not entirely sure how she was going to explain herself without giving away her secrets. She looked up at Rufas, he was still staring down at her, waiting for an explanation.

  “It was just something that I have been taught, that is all Rufas; from the medicine man back home on Malgar,” she replied matter of fact. “I am a healer.”

  The young Prince looked up at Tolwein; he was staring at Arweyn, and not in a way that he liked. Kainan frowned angrily at him. “Did you know that thing was in here?” he demanded, pointing to the dead beast.

  Tolwein shrugged his shoulders. “I knew only what I told you my Lord.” He let go of Arweyn and standing up sharply, he took a step towards Tolwein.

  “You told me they were just stories! So tell me then, how did the traveller get past this monster without seeing it, or it seeing him, and what about all those bones?” He scowled, pointing at the piles of human remains. “You could hardly miss them!” Kainan’s eyes had fire in them. He studied Tolwein face, but he could not read him at all. He was sure Tolwein knew more than he was telling. Maybe they were right and this man could not be trusted. There was definitely something suspicious about him. If it had not been for Arweyn, he and Drew would most probably be dead now. Tolwein shrugged his shoulders, but said nothing. The torchlight began to flicker and dim. Kainan looked down at Arweyn; they didn’t have much time left before they lost the light from their torches.

  Whether Tolwein knew about that creature or not, Kainan would never know for sure. It made him even more distrustful of him. Bending down he rested his forearm on his knee.

  “Do you think you can walk now, we really ought to get going?” Nodding, she held out her hand, taking hold he helped her to her feet. Brushing herself down she did up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

  Drew coughed, and then opened his eyes.

  “Did I miss the action?” he joked, sitting himself up and staring at the dead beast. Kainan offered him his hand, gripping hold of it; he yanked Drew up on to his feet. Grasping his right forearm he pulled the burly man into a rough hug and patted his back relieved.

  “You, my dear friend were very lucky; you nearly had your head knocked off!” Releasing him he stepped back.

  Drew laughed nervously, why was everyone staring at him? “What? What happened? I can’t remember a thing?” He scratched his head; he could not remember anything except running into the cavern.

  “That thing nearly killed you Drew. It hit you so hard you were knocked out.” Kainan’s face drew a serious frown. “If it were not for Arweyn you would probably be dead now.”

  “Lady Arweyn! What? Where did she come from?” he cried shocked, spinning around and looking at her. Kainan took a deep breath and caught her nervous gaze.

  “That is something I am about to find out,” he said, raising his eyebrows at her. She blushed ever so slightly, giving him a half smile.

  “Do you think you are all right to walk Drew?”

  Drew nodded. “Yes I feel fine.” He rubbed his shoulder.

  “Your shoulder may be a bit sore for a while Drew,” she informed him, delving into her bag. “Here chew on some of these leaves; they will take away the pain.”

  Reaching his hand out, he took the leaves gratefully.

  “Thanks, but why does it hurt?”

  “You broke it Drew, when the beast clobbered you. Arweyn healed it.” Drew looked at her then bowed his head graciously.

  “Thank you my Lady,” he offered sincerely.

  “You are welcome Drew. Take the leaves they will help.” She pointed at the leaves in his hand. Nodding he popped one in his mouth and started to chew.

  “Tastes like liquor,” he grinned, chewing. She smiled at him.

  “Come on let us move on before our noise attracts any more of them,” Kainan ordered. Pernash spun around sharply. More of them! Pushing his way forward he quickly took up the lead. Rufas threw Kainan his pack and he slung it over his shoulder. Taking hold Arweyn’s hand Kainan squeezed it gently; leaning towards her the slightest bit he whispered.

  “You can explain what you have been up to on the way.”

  Re-entering the passage way they continued along. Tolwein took up the lead with Pernash closely followed by Drew and Rufas. Kainan and Arweyn dropped back behind them.

  “Well, go on then tell me how did you get here?” Kainan asked, turning to her. She hesitated, but knew from his look she would have to tell him the truth. Her eyes on his she smiled.

  “I followed you.” He raised an eyebrow at her questionably.

  “You followed us, how?” She looked at him as she swallowed the feeling of dread, surely he could not send her back to her uncle. Not now, they had to have travelled far enough to not warrant sending her back.

  “Come on Arweyn, you can tell me can’t you. I know you healed Pernash and me last night; but how did you get by the others in the tunnel without them seeing you?” Arweyn sighed as she looked at his puzzled face. She knew she had to trust him.

  “I will tell you Kainan but please, you must not tell the others, do you promise?” She pressed in a meaningful voice as she caught his gaze.

  “You know I would not say anything that you didn’t want me too.” Kainan replied. She looked into his deep dark eyes and smiled, he would never betray her, this she now knew for sure.

  “It is my cloak,” she announced, swirling it about.

  “Your cloak?” He stared at her blankly, and shook his head. What did her cloak have to do with it? He could not imagine for a moment how a cloak could help her hide so well.

  “It belonged to my mother Kainan, it is a magical cloak. I can use it to become invisible,” she said in a hushed tone, leaning closer to him.

  “You are kidding me?” She shook her head, her face was deadly serious. Kainan thought for a moment then grinned at her. His shoulders rose and fell as he chuckled to himself shaking his head as he remembered.

  “What? What is so funny?” Having him bursting into laughter was not the kind of response she had been expecting. “Do you not believe me Kainan?” She felt suddenly hurt; she had trusted him with her secret and he was laughing at her.

  An impish grin lit his face. “No, it is not that, of course I believe you honey. It is just, in the alleyway when I first went to Malgar, then in the Gate Room. I felt someone was watching me but I could not see anyone. It was you wasn’t it?” He looked into her eyes for a long moment; Arweyn blushed at his prolonged gaze then nodded.

&nb
sp; “Why did you follow me that day?” It was a question he had wanted to ask her for so long but up until now he had never found the right moment.

  “To be perfectly honest I don’t really know.” She shrugged her shoulders at him. “It was strange, like there was some kind of magical force urging me to follow you. All I knew is that it didn’t matter how much trouble I would get into I had to find out who you were.” He smiled at her, and raising his hand to her face he pulled a strand of her hair out of her eye.

  “Well I am so glad you did, and I am glad you are here. Even though your uncle is going to probably kill me when he finds out you are gone. He specifically told me you were not allowed to come with me.”

  Arweyn scowled. Folding her arms under her chest defiantly she let out an angry breath.

  “I knew it! That is why he locked me in my room.”

  “He locked you in your room?” Kainan repeated shocked.

  She nodded angrily. “Yes, but he was a fool if he thought that was going to stop me. I have a secret way out of my bedchamber that my uncle does not know anything about.” She grinned as she thought of his face when he opened the door and found she was not there. He would be absolutely furious, raging. His face as red as a boiled beetroot!

  A smile spread across Kainan’s face as he thought of Detaine’s reaction on not finding her there.

  “Dare I ask how you got out?”

  Grinning at him she nodded her head. “I have a secret passageway; it is behind the fireplace in my chamber. It leads into a tunnel which comes out just near to the market place. I used to go out through it as a child, to escape the castle for a few hours.” Hooking some hair behind her ear, she frowned as she remembered what her uncle had told her. That she would slow them down, hold them back. She lowered her voice. “Thank you for letting me stay with you. I promise I will not get in the way or slow you down,” she insisted nervously.

  “Get in the way!” he exclaimed, stopping and turning to her, his heart was racing. He was so glad she was here, he could hardly hold himself back from taking hold of her in his arms and planting a kiss on her luscious red lips.

  “Arweyn if it was not for you following us…” He stopped mid-sentence and pointed ahead of him. “Drew, Pernash and...” he added gently. “Even me, you used my sword didn’t you, to stop the beast?” She nodded sheepishly. “We would all be dead now. You could never be in the way. I would have had you come with me from the beginning if your uncle had not stopped me. That morning we left Malgar, I tried to find you, to tell you that it was not me who didn’t want you come. I didn’t want to leave with you hating me.”

  Arweyn’s smile widened and her heart fluttered as she returned his smile.

  “I could not hate you Kainan. Even if it was you who didn’t want me to come, I would have understood.” She stopped and screwed her nose up at him. “I would not have liked it, but I would not have hated you.” She gave a heavy sigh of relief that he was allowing her to stay, and that he really wanted her with him. Then she looked up ahead. “But what will you tell the others?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing let them ponder on it. They do not need to know anything until you are ready to tell them,” he assured her.

  She sighed gratefully. “Thank you.”

  “Kainan, there is light up ahead.” Drew yelled from further up the tunnel. Grasping for her hand he gave her a reassuring squeeze, before pulling her past Pernash and Rufas and catching up with Drew. Then he released her hand.

  Daylight suddenly burst into the tunnel.

  “We must be through the mountain,” Kainan said, relieved that they had all made it out alive. As they emerged Kainan inhaled a deep fresh breath of air, raising his hand to his eyes to shield them from the brightness, he scanned the panorama in front of him. He could see a Mountain in the distance, heavily covered in a thick low cloud.

  “Is that Mennock Mountain?” he questioned, turning to Pernash. Pernash stepping forward, and squinting through the brightness, nodded.

  Tolwein had been right after all. He shivered; the cold night air was starting to draw in.

  “Now which way is it?” Kainan asked, turning around to Pernash.

  Pernash walked forward, looking down into the valley below them; he pointed down towards a river in the near distance, which wound through the forest below them.

  “We need to head towards the river; the keeper’s cottage is due south, just passed the village of Sandstar. I do not think we will make Sandstar tonight Kainan, there’s not much daylight left. Probably just enough to get us down the mountain. And believe me you do not want to be wandering around this forest after dark.”

  “Right, then we will head down the mountain and make camp at the bottom.” Kainan ordered. He would be glad for some rest; he was beginning to feel the day catch up with him. He looked at Arweyn and smiled; besides he wanted to spend some time with her, alone.

  The terrain down the mountain side was harsh; there was a footpath of sorts running down the edge of the mountain although it was overgrown with bracken weed and thorns. A couple of times Arweyn’s dress got snagged on some of the larger thorns, but she didn’t want to make a fuss so she tugged her dress at them, ripping the threads of her skirt to free herself. She had just smiled at Kainan and continued on behind him. She was not going to be a burden to him, nor give him any excuse to have to send her back home. They clambered their way down slowly and arrived at the bottom just as the sun was beginning to set. Reaching up Kainan lifted Arweyn by her waist off the last rock and onto a small clearing. He looked around the area quickly, spotting a small cavern cut into the rock. It was of no real depth but it could offer them some protection if the weather was to turn bad during the night.

  “Drew. If you and the others set up camp over there near that cavern, it will give us some shelter. Arweyn and I will go and fetch some water from the river.” He wanted to spend some time alone with her. Drew nodded and untied a large pail from the back of his pack and handed it to Kainan.

  “Thanks. Arweyn, will you come with me?” She nodded; nothing would please her more than to be on her own with him.

  Suddenly his back shivered and he felt his whole body turn to goose bumps. Slowly he turned around he could feel Tolwein’s eyes burning through him.

  “What?” Kainan shot him a warning glance. “Do you want something?”

  “Only to say beware of the forest my Lord.” Tolwein replied.

  Kainan starred at his face, there was nothing, no feeling, no emotion. The man made his skin crawl, was that a threat or just a friendly warning? “Why is there something in there I should know about?” He caught a strange gleam in Tolwein’s eyes.

  “No my Lord, just as Pernash has said, it is not safe to be in the forest after dark.”

  “Then we shall make sure we return before then.” Tolwein bowed his head. Kainan turned to Arweyn. “Come on, we haven’t got much time before it gets dark.”

  They set off into the forest; it was very still and eerie. “Are you all right?” he asked as they walked. The noise their feet made crunching on the twigs and acorns that had fallen from the trees, being the only sound that could be heard.

  “Yes I am fine; it is just a bit creepy in here,” she said with a slight shiver. “How far is it to the river?”

  “Not far, it shouldn’t take too long.” He could not help staring at her. She was so beautiful, and he was desperate to approach her, but was still unsure what to do. Courting women was not something he had any experience in. He wanted her to open up to him but for some reason he still felt she didn’t trust him completely.

  “You know it’s been one hell of a week. Do you think your uncle will send Lothar to come and get you back?” He glanced at her.

  She shot a scared look at him. “No, he never leaves Malgar.” Her voice quietened to a slow whisper. “At least… I don’t think he would.”

  “But he likes you?” Kainan questioned, raising an eyebrow at her, he was testing the water; seeing if Drew was
right.

  “That he may, but it does not mean that I will do as he wants,” she replied sharply, swallowing hard as she remembered the other night, of what he had almost done to her. Kainan grinned, that was confirmation, she had no interest in Lothar. Now maybe he had a chance with her?

  “Even so,” he added, “Your uncle will be mad when he unlocks your bedroom door and finds that you have gone.”

  She smiled as she thought of his face again. “I know, but it will be worth it.” He glanced at her and twitched a smile.

  “When we bring the Crystal back I mean,” she added quickly.

  “The Crystal, yes of course that is what you meant.” He smiled warmly at her.

  “We will get it back, won’t we Kainan?”

  “Of course we will. Surely you are not giving up that easily on me?” The young Prince raised his hands defensively and faked a hurt look of dismay, his head tilted to one side he dropped the corners of his mouth sorrowfully.

  “No! Sorry I didn’t mean...” She looked away from him. Now she had offended him, every word seemed to come out wrong. That was not what she had meant at all. As she glanced back at him she noticed his sly grin. She blushed and blinked hard, smiling at him.

  “Your teasing me aren’t you?”

  He winked at her. “Of course I am honey, I know what you meant. Believe me we will find the Crystal and bring it back to Malgar, I promise.” Then he stopped suddenly, hobbling on his left foot.

  “What is the matter?” she asked concerned, looking down at his foot.

  “It is nothing, just something in my boot that’s all. Look there is the riverbank, can you take the pail and fill it with water. We have nearly lost the daylight; we really should start heading back.” Nodding, she took the pail from him and walked over to the river bank. Sitting down on a fallen log he untied his boot and pulled it off, turning it over he banged the bottom, and a stone dropped out. He felt about inside the boot to make sure there was nothing else then put his boot back on. The first shadows of the evening began to appear and turning as he did his laces up, he watched her silhouette against the last shimmers of daylight as she knelt down by the river to fill up the pail. He sighed happily as he watched her, he was so glad she was here. The last few days had been without a doubt both the worst and the best in his entire life. And he felt sure without her now, he would be lost.