by Ben Cassidy
Chapter 10
There was a continual flourish of movement, a rustle of flowing gowns that filled the ballroom. Music flowed gently across the scented air, and Jade stood entranced in the middle of the room as she watched the people around her swirl and dance in perfect unison. The men were dressed in immaculate uniforms, the women draped in dresses of vibrant colors and hues. They danced, hand in hand, oblivious to the young woman standing in their midst.
It was a dream, of course. It had to be. None of this was real. Yet, at the same time, it felt oddly familiar in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She strained to see the faces of the people around her, but they were always hidden, sometimes by a darkened shadow, sometimes by a whirling piece of silk. Jade felt anger and frustration rising in her as she looked around desperately, trying to recognize any face, any person in the dancing crowd. She knew this place. She had been here before. It was important, somehow….
She reached out for one of the dancers and vainly tried to catch hold of the edge of his cape. If only she could talk with one of them for a moment, ask them a question. They knew who she was. They could tell her everything she needed to know. She lunged again, barely missing the hem of a woman’s dress as she sailed by. Jade ground her teeth in frustration, and felt tears begin to well up in her eyes.
A sudden chill ran up her spine, taking her thoughts away from the people dancing around her. She spun around, staring into the twirling mass of dancers.
Something was moving towards her. Slowly, deliberately, it wove its way through the dancers. She could feel it as much as she could see it. A dark shape, cold and relentless. It moved straight towards her.
Jade stumbled backwards, and a sudden fear crowded into her mind. She tried to cry for help, but her mouth made no noise, and none of the dancers noticed her distress. They continued to brush by her, intent on their waltz. None noticed the chilling presence that moved ever closer across the dance floor.
Jade closed her eyes, feeling terror overwhelm her. A hand reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder…
“Jade?”
She woke suddenly, a familiar gloved hand on her shoulder. Jade stared up at the pale face hovering above her. It took her a few seconds to make sense of what she saw.
“Kendril?” She sat up, leaves falling down around her. It was still dark. “What time is it?”
Kendril rose to his feet. “Just before dawn. Sorry to wake you, but we need to get moving. That bounty hunter and his men will be on our trail come first light.”
Jade staggered to her feet, brushing the dirt and twigs off her trousers and shaking off the blanket she had used for the night. Her eyes still burned from lack of sleep. “Where’s Maklavir?”
“Over there, getting the animals ready. Hungry?”
Jade folded the blanket, shoving it under her arm. “Not really.” The air was still cold. She shivered, suddenly wanting to wrap the blanket around herself again.
Kendril nodded. “We’ve got some bread and dried meat. It should make a gourmet meal in a couple hours.” His smile vanished. “Gather your things together quickly, Jade. We have to be moving before the sun comes up.”
She felt her stomach contract. “I understand,” she said in a small voice.
Kendril turned and disappeared between two trees.
Jade got to her feet, rubbing her shoulders painfully. The dream still echoed in her mind, and the terror she had felt before still lingered. The early morning air seemed to close in around her on all sides. Unseen phantoms lurked in the pre-dawn blackness. She suddenly wished that Kendril had not left her alone.
Drawing her vest around her against the cold, Jade crunched through the leaves in the direction Kendril had taken. It was strange, she thought to herself, how glad she was to have him around. She had only known him for a little while, yet his presence was somehow reassuring.
She stopped for a moment, shivering again against the cold. In front of her she could just make out the shadowy forms of Maklavir and Kendril as they packed up the animals. She felt a sudden pang. Both these men were risking their lives to help her, and they barely knew her. She owed them everything, and she had no way to thank them.
The dream came back to her mind once again. She was sure it meant something. It held a clue, something about herself, something she felt she could almost remember, but was still shrouded in darkness.
Shivering again, but this time not because of the cold, she stepped towards her two companions.
The dawn came cold and gray, and the chill from the previous night continued to persist. A heavy fog hung over the forest, clouding the dripping branches and brambles in an impenetrable curtain. The blanket of mist seemed to silence the normal sounds of the forest, and as the three travelers made their way through the undergrowth they were met with nothing but a ghostly silence.
Jade felt particularly cold, and was not able to stop shivering until Maklavir noticed her, and handed her a blanket from off Veritas’ back. She had smiled her gratitude, then wrapped herself in the coarse wool. It helped some, but not much.
Kendril led the small group, his rifle cradled in the crook of his arm. Simon following dutifully behind. The Ghostwalker looked continually apprehensive, as if he expected something to leap from the surrounding mist at any moment. He continued to scan the area around them as they walked, occasionally muttering quietly to himself.
Not that it really mattered. The fog hung so heavily that visibility was cut down to almost nothing. If there was a path or trail to be found, they would certainly miss it in this. Jade could only hope that the fog might also slow their pursuers, though she somehow doubted it.
And then there was the man with the eye patch. Who was he? How did she know him? Jade shuddered at the memory. That man, whoever he was, was somehow tied in with her past.
The past she couldn’t remember.
“Are you all right, Jade?” Maklavir’s voice broke Jade out of her thoughts. He was looking at her worriedly.
She managed a smile. “I’m fine. Sorry. Just thinking about…well, everything.”
Maklavir nodded glumly, looking back in front of him as he led Veritas along. “Not remembering anything yet, I suppose?” he added hopefully.
Jade frowned. “I don’t think so. Nothing important, anyway. I had a rather strange dream last night. A lot of people dancing around in a ballroom. I have no idea what it means.”
The diplomat sighed. “I’m sorry about all this, Jade, I really am. I wish there was some way I could help.”
She gave a tender smile. “You’ve helped more than enough all ready, Maklavir. More than I would have asked or expected.”
Kendril’s sudden materialization out of the mist in front of them caught both of their attention.
Maklavir stopped, patting Veritas reassuringly. “What is it?”
“A road.” The hood covering his head darkened the Ghostwalker’s face. “Just a few yards ahead. I can’t see too far down it either direction, but it looks like it keeps going for a ways.”
“These woods are crisscrossed with paths and small roads,” said Maklavir. “We were bound to hit one sooner or later.”
“Yeah, well this one’s pretty big. Large enough for a good-sized cart, I’d say. It might be the road to Calbraith.”
Jade glanced over at Maklavir, then back at Kendril. “So what do we do?”
The Ghostwalker shook some of the water off his cloak. “The way I see it, we have two options. Either we can follow the road and take our chances out in the open, or we can cross it and head into the forest on the other side.” He turned to look into the swirling mist behind him. “Neither is very good, I’m afraid.”
Jade rubbed her icy cheek, feeling the relative warmth of her hand against it. “Why not?”
Simon came trotting over and nudged Kendril insistently. The Ghostwalker irritably waved the beast away. “If we follow the road we risk our pursuers catching us on it. It would be hard to avoid being seen. Then ag
ain, we could certainly move a lot more quickly, and at least we would have some clue where we’re going. As long as we’re moving through the woods like this I have no idea where we are at all. We certainly can’t go very fast.”
Maklavir scratched his goatee. “Do we know where this road goes? Which direction, I mean?”
Kendril sighed. “Not really. With all this fog, I can’t really tell. We might hit a sign or marker, though.”
Jade’s stomach growled suddenly. Simon bumped her affectionately, and she rubbed the beast’s nose. “Well, at any rate I’m starved. Did you say we had bread?”
“Yes. Hang on, I’ve got it.” Maklavir began to dig into one of the saddlebags, then tore a small loaf in half, handing part to Jade and taking a bite out of the other half himself. “Never pays to make a decision on an empty stomach, I always say.”
The Ghostwalker scowled. “We can’t linger here for long. We have to keep moving.”
“Just for a moment, Kendril,” said Maklavir. “Time for two bites, no more. It’s been a long night.”
The young man pushed back his hood, nodding wearily. “That it has. All right, a moment, but no longer.” He scratched his cheek thoughtfully. “It will give me a chance to think, anyway.”
Jade leaned back against a wet sapling, digging into the stale bread as if it were roast mutton. Her eyes still burned. She felt as if she could fall down right here on the grass and sleep for hours. She shook her head, trying to keep her focus. Kendril was right. They had to keep moving. There would be time for sleep later. Well, she hoped there would be, anyway.
Kendril reached out a gloved hand, touching her bandaged wound. “How’s the head?” he asked quietly.
She wiped some crumbs from her chin. “I forgot about it, actually,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”
“Hmm.” Kendril eyed it carefully. “We might be able to take that bandage off now. Let me check.” He began to work carefully with his gloved hands, fingering the edge of the bandage and tugging at it gently.
Jade stopped chewing, and stayed still as he worked. She watched his eyes carefully.
A smile formed on the Kendril’s face. “It looks a lot better. Not entirely healed, mind you, but I think we can take this off.” He removed the cloth entirely, wrapping it up and sticking it in one of the saddlebags.
“Thank you,” she said.
“No problem,” Kendril responded, grabbing his rifle from where he had leaned it against a rock. “You two ready to move out? We can eat while we walk.”
Maklavir gave Jade a curious glance for few moments, then looked back at Kendril. “You’ve decided which way we should go, then?”
“More or less.” The Ghostwalker frowned, checking his rifle instinctively. “My vote is the road. It’s a risk, but I think it’s the best chance we have of finding some kind of help. We can wander these woods for weeks without getting anywhere. We’ll run out of supplies before then, and we’d still be no closer to safety.”
Jade touched her wound carefully. It certainly seemed to be doing better. “Won’t we be easier to spot out on the road?” she asked.
Kendril nodded. “Yes, but they still have to find us first. They don’t know which direction we’re going, or which path we may be on.” Satisfied with the rifle, he slung it back over his gamble. “Of course, it’s a gamble either way.”
Maklavir straightened his hat, the feather bouncing jovially. “You’ve convinced me. Better than being eaten by wolves, I say.”
Jade nodded. She felt for the heavy shape of the pistol tucked into her belt. “I agree. The road it is.”
The fog continued to hang heavily into the late morning, but slowly disappeared as the day wore on. The sky above the road turned startlingly blue, with occasional white clouds the only trace of the storm from the night before. The sun shone brightly on the ground in front of them, but it was still cold, and their breath hissed out in white vapors as they walked. Jade rubbed her hands continually in a vain attempt to keep warm, and kept the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Maklavir had started whistling a little tune, until Kendril shot him a withering glare. After that, they walked in silence for quite some time.
As they reached a section of the road that sloped gently downhill, Maklavir came up beside Kendril.
The diplomat cupped his hands around his nose, breathing into them to warm it. “Nasty cold spell we’re having, eh?”
Kendril continued to scan the woods and road ahead of them, one hand near the stock of his rifle. “Better than rain.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” said Maklavir. “Rain can’t give you frostbite.”
Kendril swiveled his head to the right. His eyes probed the dark woods. “It’s not cold enough out here for frostbite, Maklavir.”
The diplomat chuckled. “I know, I know.” He glanced over his shoulder.
Jade was walking several yards behind them, holding the reins to Veritas and huddling in the blanket.
Maklavir looked back to his front and lowered his voice.“I wanted to talk to you.”
“Then talk.”
Maklavir rubbed his arms briskly. “I was wondering…well, actually, I was wondering what your plan is.”
Kendril switched his gaze to the left side of the trail. “Follow this road.”
“I meant after that.”
The Ghostwalker looked over at him.
“Look,” Maklavir began, his voice still low, “Jade’s in trouble. I don’t know what kind of trouble, but it must be something serious indeed.” He gave another anxious look behind him, but Jade was oblivious to their conversation. “That man she recognized, the one with the eye patch?”
Kendril’s lip curled slightly. “What of him?”
“He wanted Jade alive, Kendril.” Maklavir tilted his head. “He could have killed her right there in the stable if he had wanted.”
The Ghostwalker shifted the rifle in his arms. “What’s your point?”
Maklavir gave a soft sigh. “I guess I don’t really have one. She claims to have no memory of anything before two days ago, right?”
“More or less.”
“All I’m saying is that we don’t know what we’re getting ourselves involved in. It’s possible we’re in over our heads.”
“You think?” Kendril shot back sarcastically.
“Still—” Maklavir began.
Kendril suddenly shot a hand up, silencing the diplomat. His head snapped around to look behind them.
Maklavir followed his gaze. “What is it?”
“Horses!” the Ghostwalker exclaimed, grabbing Simon’s bridle. “Everyone off the road, now! Move!”
Jade turned, but the sloping road crested at a hill about fifty yards away, and she couldn’t see beyond it. She pulled Veritas towards the grass and trees off to the side of the road, following Kendril as quickly as she could.
Maklavir followed behind them with one hand on the hilt of his sword. He glanced back up the road uncertainly.
“I say, Kendril,” he said, “I don’t see any—”
Kendril made a motion for him to be silent, then pulled him into the trees. “Get down,” the Ghostwalker ordered. “Hurry!”
And then, suddenly, they all heard it. From over the rise, unmistakable in the clear cold air, came the sound of galloping hoof beats.
Jade pushed Veritas down as soon as they were far enough into the trees. The horse obediently complied. Simon stood around looking confused until Kendril pushed him into some bushes well out of sight. Maklavir dove into the low underbrush by Jade’s side. By now the sound of galloping hoof beats echoed through the air, getting louder and louder.
Kendril slung his rifle off his shoulder and aimed it towards the road, steadying it against the trunk of a nearby tree. Jade watched him out of the corner of her eye, then hesitantly reached for the pistol in her belt. She pulled it out and flicked back the lock with trembling hands.
Mere seconds later two riders appeared over the ris
e, their horses foaming at the mouth. They pounded down the road, flying past the group’s makeshift hiding spot and disappearing around a bend, mud flying in their wake.
For a moment none of the three travelers moved, waiting and watching the road.
Jade glanced over uncertainly at Kendril.
The Ghostwalker put up his rifle, returning her gaze. “I’ll check it out. Stay here.”
Jade nodded, her throat dry.
Kendril slipped through the bushes, heading down towards the now-empty road.
Maklavir slowly took his hand off the hilt of his sword.
Jade’s eyes followed Kendril’s movements as the Ghostwalker moved out towards the road, rifle at the ready. He scanned the path in both directions for a few minutes, then returned to where she and Maklavir were hiding.
“Either of you get a good look at the riders?”
Jade shook her head. “No. Do you think they were the men who were after us?”
Kendril shifted his weapon slightly. “I don’t know. They could have been. They went by pretty fast. I couldn’t make out their faces. Anyway, they’re long gone now.”
Maklavir got to his feet, stretching his legs. “Well they couldn’t have been following our tracks very well at that speed,” he said hopefully. “They looked more like they were trying to get somewhere in a hurry.”
“Yeah.” Kendril looked back towards the road. He didn’t sound convinced. “I don’t like this. We don’t know what’s ahead of us. Or behind us for that matter.”
Maklavir grabbed his horse’s bridle. “I’ve no doubt there’s danger out on the road, but if we stay here in the forest we’ll run out of supplies before long. This route is our best bet. If we can make it to a good-sized town near Calbraith or Llewyllan, we might be able to get some help.”
“Neither is exactly close,” said Kendril doubtfully. “Llewyllan must be at least a week’s journey east of here. Calbraith is even farther.”
“But surely there must be towns that are closer.” Maklavir gestured with his hand towards the road. “If this is the road to Calbraith, then it must pass by some kind of habitation.”
Kendril sighed. “I don’t think this is the main road to Calbraith. None of these surroundings look familiar.”
“These woods are huge. There’s nothing to say this road doesn’t lead us out, even if it’s not one of the main thoroughfares.” Maklavir shaded his eyes, looking up towards the shimmering shape of the sun through the trees. “It seems to be heading consistently east so far. That’s a good sign.”
“I agree,” admitted Kendril. “Perhaps if we—” his sentence was cut short as he caught sight of Jade.
She was staring, pale-faced, at both of them.
“My dear girl!” exclaimed Maklavir. He had noticed her as well. “Whatever’s wrong? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost!”
Jade blinked, as if waking from a dream. “I—I’m sorry. I’m all right. It’s something you said. Llewyllan…Calbraith….” She looked at them helplessly. “I know those names. I’ve heard them before, I think…I—” Her voice cut off. “I’m sorry, I really don’t know what’s come over me.”
“You recognize the names?” Maklavir leaned forward suddenly, giving the girl a hard look. “Llewyllan? That means something to you?”
Kendril sighed. “My, a geography lesson. This really is helpful.” He crossed his arms, looking over at Maklavir.
The diplomat was staring at Jade with an odd expression.
Kendril raised his eyebrows. “What is it, Maklavir?”
The diplomat shook his head, as if awakening from a dream himself. “Nothing, nothing. My mind running away with me, that’s all.” He put a hand on Jade’s shoulder. “At least you’re starting to remember some things, my girl. That’s an encouraging sign.”
“Yeah, well we need to figure out what we’re doing from here,” broke in Kendril once more. “Do we stay on the road?”
Jade passed her hand over her eyes, as if bringing herself back to reality. “Yes…yes I think we should.” She looked at Kendril. “Maklavir is right. If we can find a town, we might be able to get some help. I think we should continue east, at any rate.”
“I agree,” said Maklavir quietly. He still seemed a little shaken by something. “Those riders may not have been the bounty hunter’s men. Even if they were, they don’t seem to have seen us.”
“It’s what they may be doing ahead of us that worries me,” said Kendril. “We may be walking into an ambush.” He sighed. “Still, I think you’re both right. It’s this or nothing.” He grabbed Simon’s bridle roughly, pulling the poor mule away from a juicy plot of grass. “We should stay off the road from here on out, though. We can travel in the woods off to one side. It will be slower, but safer.”
Jade nodded. “That sounds good,” she said. She started to say something else, but stopped. Her face flushed slightly.
“All right,” said Kendril, “let’s get going. And keep a sharp eye out, both of you.” He turned, leading Simon through the tumbled bushes.
Jade was silent a moment. Her gaze followed Kendril. She turned back to Maklavir. “I can take Veritas, if you like.”
“No,” said the diplomat pleasantly. “I think I can handle him for a while.”
She glanced back in the direction that Kendril had taken. “Okay. I think I might walk up front with Kendril for a while, then.” She looked back at Maklavir, and her face flushed a bright red. “And take Simon, I mean.”
Maklavir smiled. “That sounds marvelous.”
Jade turned, following after the Ghostwalker and his mule.
The diplomat watched her for a moment, his brow knitted into a frown. “Let’s hope my mind is running away with me,” he said quietly to himself.
****