by Mary Coffin
Gwynn was pleased with herself, not about Markus but about the journal. The unfortunate circumstance with Markus, she reasoned, was that she must have been the catalyst - the right event at the right moment - to push him over an edge that he was about to go over anyway. She knew that if she had been caught, she would have been blamed for his death, if he was dead, and she seriously doubted anyone would have believed that she hadn’t laid a hand on him. He must have been ill already.
She had managed to get out of the compound and almost to her horse before she heard the alarm bell clang. She rode as swiftly as she could, in the dark of night, to get to the trail. Once she had gained enough distance, she slowed and began tearing out the pages of the journal. She shredded sections into smaller pieces and was feeling a sense of elation to have accomplished what she set out to do. The pages were so old and dry; it didn’t take much to decimate them.
She had even dropped the binding on the ground and coaxed her horse to trample it several times. She dismounted, picked it up off the open trail, and tossed it into the forest. It was too dark to see any great distance but by the sound of it hitting a tree, she determined it had gone far enough out of view of any passersby.
Gwynn got back on her horse and enjoyed the light-hearted feeling of knowing the journal was gone. It didn’t mean the Guardians and Brethren wouldn’t still pursue their search. They had both obtained enough information to bring them into the vicinity of the crystal but, hopefully, the information would eventually die off with the current generation and future generations would have no knowledge of it.
She estimated she was a few hours from the Great Mountains going the shortest route but she didn’t want to traverse the same narrow passages in the dark. There were a couple of options: either she could go the long way around and add several more hours to the ride or find an inconspicuous place to get some sleep and make the shortcut in daylight. She was considering the latter option when she heard a noise.
She stopped her horse and listened. Leaves rustled above her, making her look up just as a dark form fell out of the tree and onto the back end of her horse. Her horse reared onto its hind legs just as strong arms wrapped around her torso, holding her arms at her sides as they tumbled to the ground. Something pierced her side and she grunted in pain.
She squirmed and wrestled to break free but her captor was strong and had the advantage of surprise that put her into this vulnerable position.
“I knew you’d come back this way, Elwyn,” said a male voice as he wrestled against her strength to keep her bound.
Gwynn wasn’t sure whether she heard right...Elwyn?
“Apparently Bortundo couldn’t complete Draevil’s instructions, so now I’ll do it for him.”
Gwynn managed to open the man’s grip slightly and unsheathe her dagger. She tried to distract him by playing the part. After all, it was dark and he hadn’t seen her face to know that she wasn’t Elwyn.
“What do you mean?”
She held the dagger in her hand but he tightened his grip and only her forearms could move.
“He wants you dead, of course,” boasted the male voice. “And now that it’s apparent you work for the Guardians, he’ll be happy to hear that I killed you myself!”
Gwynn kicked with her foot and drove her heel into his shin. The man cried out and let go long enough for Gwynn to spin and jump to her feet.
The man kicked his foot into the back of her knee and she involuntarily crumbled to the ground, onto her hands and knees. Fortunately, her dagger was still in hand and she flipped it so the blade pointed backward. As soon as he lunged and grabbed her from behind, she was ready to drive the blade into him. She swung her arm backwards, to time it perfectly, but only pierced air. She spun around to see where he was so her next attempt would hit him directly but she couldn’t see his dark form in the night.
She whirled around to look in all directions but the man was gone. It was strangely quiet. All she heard was her horse breathing heavily, above the sound of her own heavy breathing, from having been spooked.
She continued to check in all directions until she felt fairly certain that the man was nowhere around. Then she stood and her head spun in dizziness. The pain in her side screamed out for attention and she dropped to her knees. When she pulled her hand away from her side, it was wet and sticky. She knew it was her own blood.
She took a few slow breaths to steady herself and turned in the direction where she heard her horse. She clicked her tongue a couple times to call it. The horse approached.
With all the strength she could muster, Gwynn held onto the stirrup and stood. Her energy was rapidly draining from her body, but with great effort, she managed to pull herself up onto her horse. One hand held her bleeding side and the other held the reins. She prodded the horse with a light kick and struggled to stay upright but she was slipping into murkiness darker than the night itself. One single thought remained on the edge of her consciousness. Must warn Elwyn.
FORTY ONE
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Overseers
Great Mountains
Morten had been keeping a close watch on Gwynn. When someone wasn’t in his physical presence for him to read his or her thoughts, he relied on the bubble to see what was taking place. After he left Elwyn in the care of the fairies, he had returned to his special cave. Freshly heated river rocks were exchanged for the cold ones. He cushioned himself with a pillow and sat. Dusk was setting in so he lit a few candles for light. He had let a drop fall onto his palm and blew.
He watched, through the bubble, as Gwynn rode to the Northland. He also watched as a member of the Brethren followed her. She turned a couple of times, so Morten thought that perhaps she sensed the man’s presence but other than that, she seemed oblivious.
Morten had used the ethers to try to send her a thought, to caution her, but Gwynn was so preoccupied that she wasn’t receptive to his warning. His concern grew. She wanted the journal too badly and it was affecting her judgment. This made it riskier for her and easier for the Brethren or the Guardians to sense her energy.
He would keep watch over her as best he could but, in the meantime, he needed to find Silas.