by M J Porter
Sereh struggled to get her breath back as Arrow began running back towards the person in the snow. Sereh was a little annoyed and a little resentful of Arrow’s stamina. Huffing to herself, she picked herself up and started to gather whatever she could find to start a fire. She rifled through the back pack she had grabbed in hope and thank fully found a heat stone. Scurrying to the back of the cave she came across some small deadwood and also a lump of something that looked distinctly animal like, but now very dead. She picked it up with the tips of her fingers and took it back to where she planned to build her make-shift fire. Never mind that it would probably stink when burnt, this little lump of fur would make the fire burn hot and fierce, and would hopefully stave off the ice chills that her snow friend would be susceptible to after his extended exposure on the glacier.
Sereh did not have time to think about what he was doing out here, alone, and obviously in trouble. All she could do was focus on the task at hand and wonder about what Arrow was doing. She had not come back yet and Sereh hoped that she wasn’t trying to single handily bring him to the cave. If she was, then he would end up with many more bumps and bruises than he really needed.
Happy that the fire was now starting to give off some heat, Sereh grabbed a wooden cup out of his back pack and stuffed it with snow, before putting it near the fire to melt and then heat.
Aware that she had prepared all she could, she turned to leave the cave. She had not gone far back across the violet tinged glacier when she saw Arrow dragging him along the ground. Sereh hurried to catch up with her, and call her a good girl, whilst secretly thinking, silly girl. Now look what you’ve done to him. He had either fallen back to sleep, or Arrow had hit his head on something, because he was to all intents and purposes, unconscious. Arrow looked so proud of herself that Sereh really did not have the heart to tell her how dangerous it was to be dragging him along. That said Sereh was also astonished by Arrow’s strength. She had managed to drag him all this way with no help. It was only a few more moments before they got him inside the cave. Sereh covered him in every available piece of clothing she had, stripping down to her own layer of sheepskin tunic, and further ransacked his backpack for spare clothing and furs. She made Arrow lie next to him. They were all dangerously close to the fire so that they could absorb as much heat from it as possible. Sereh was pleasantly surprised by how warm Erann actually was, whilst his face and hands were cold, the rest of him did not seem overly frozen. She was more than a little surprised and wondered how he had managed to keep himself so warm on the glacier.
Sereh bent to the hastily snatched backpack again to gather whatever she could to make a tea or soup. Whilst her back was turned away from him, she heard a low groan, and immediately turned back. Whatever Arrow had done to him in her mad dash to get him to the cave had done him little damage because his eyes looked bright and clear and blindingly green when Sereh met them with her own.
She was right, it was Erann – the boy she had once known in her other life. There was a look of confusion on Erann’s face that quickly cleared as he too recognised Sereh,
“What are you doing here?” they both asked each other at the same time. Sereh laughed and Erann did as well but as he did his face crumpled in pain,
“Oh, my head hurts when I do that. It feels like someone is trying to squash my head into my body”.
“Sorry about that. Arrow there has just dragged you all the way across the glacier on her own, and I don’t doubt that she was less than gentle with you.”
Arrow perked up at the sound of her name and Erann looked at her with some surprise and a warm smile on his face.
“So, it’s you I have to thank for saving me from wherever I was, is it? Well thank you Arrow. You have my heart felt thanks.”
With that he reached across to ruffle her grey ears, and Sereh couldn’t help laughing at just how pleased with herself Arrow looked.
“So what are you doing here?” she prompted him.
“No you first, tell me how you came to find me, and where exactly I am?”
Sereh was taken aback by his question. How could he not know where he was? She hesitated and then, hastily gathering her thoughts snapped a reply.
“I am on an important journey for Jarl Rankil, and you are on Vatna Jokull.”
As soon as she uttered the name of Rankil she regretted it. There was no need to mention his name. Erann might not even be aware that she had been, until three days ago, his Other. Erann did not react to her own accounting of why she was here. He seemed more intrigued by the knowledge of where he was. She prompted him.
“Why, where are you going?”
Erann’s face looked slightly pained as he answered her,
“I have to go to Rankil’s home. I have to see the healer”.
Erann seemed caught up in some inner turmoil, and preoccupied. Sereh was just glad that he hadn’t heard her small gasp when he mentioned his destination.
“I thought I was coming around Vatna Jokull and not through it. I really can’t explain how I came to be here,” he mumbled softly to himself.
Sereh was instantly intrigued,
“You must have missed the markers. Which way were you coming?”
“From my Uncle’s steading”, Erann said equally quietly to himself. Yet the look on his face alerted Sereh to the fact that he was not happy with that answer. She thought he might say more, but instead he made to sit up so that he could better see his surroundings. He was unsuccessful, his elbows buckling under his weight and he crashed back down to the hard cave floor with a thump which made Sereh wince in sympathy.
“Are you all right, Erann?” Sereh was concerned. He must be more badly affected than she thought by his stay out of doors. How long had he been out there for?
“I think I’m fine thanks. I just thought it would be nice to sit up, but I’ve changed my mind. I am just going to lie here and wait whilst you brew some tea”, his voice was a little shaky even though he was trying to sound upbeat. Sereh wondered what had happened to him. She was unsure how much to ask him. She really did not know him well. She busied herself making the tea and then handed him a cup filled with the bitter-sweet mixture in silence. As she did so, she noticed a journal tightly gripped in his hand. He must have had it with him on the glacier. It was a miracle that it was still there. Erann noticed her glance, and hastily covered the journal under a fur. He offered no explanation.
Erann greedily drank the warm liquid and then settled back in the makeshift bed looking at Sereh.
“That was wonderful, thank you.” His voice sounded stronger.
“Yes. It is. I have not tasted that strand for sometime now. How long do you think you had been exposed for?” Sereh had decided after internal debate with herself that a direct question was the way forward.
“I really don’t think that’s overly relevant. However you do have my heart felt thanks for saving me.”
Sereh was surprised by the underlying anger in his voice. There was no reason for him to get annoyed with her. After all, if it wasn’t for her and Arrow he would be shivering to death in a snow drift. Huffing to herself at his tone she turned back to his backpack to see what food supplies he had left. She wondered if she would be able to make a thin soup from his travel rations. She had nothing left in her own backpack and had been feeling the bite of hunger since she had woken.
As she dumped the contents of the back pack on the floor with slightly more force than necessary she glanced at Erann out of the corner of her eye. He was paying no attention to her and she huffed to herself again. She didn’t remember him being so easy to anger. She recalled him as a happy, content and laughing child. She had watched him on those occasions when the quarter council was in session and she had always been surprised by how well he seemed to get on with everyone. He had been very like his father, with an easy grace for making conversation. As Raymond had presided over the quarter council he had done so with humour and warmth but a strong will which he could call upon to enforce his decisi
ons if need be.
Sereh had been envious of Erann. She had felt out of place amongst so many people, and tongue tied when anyone had spoken to her. Her father had been the quarter scribe and as such she had no choice but to attend the council meetings. The noise and presence of so many people had scared her. Erann had always done his best to include her in the games and entertainments arranged for the children. She had been pathetically grateful for his especial attention. She was an only child, a rare thing in their society and had not been very good at playing games or sharing or joining in. He had made sure that she was fairly treated by the other more boisterous children. She had felt true pity when his father had been sent into exile, her grief at his loss only overshadowed by her own loss which had followed not soon after. Throughout the last eight rotations she had often thought of him. Now she wished she hadn’t bothered.
* * *
She woke from her sleep cold and still very annoyed at Erann. He had not uttered another word throughout all of last evening, other than pleasantries on receiving a cupful of soup from her and her anger had slowly built during the painfully slow evening. It had been a relief when it had been late enough to sleep. She did not think he had noticed her annoyance and that had only made it worse. He was caught up with his own inner demons and seemed to spare no thought for her, once he had uttered his thanks. Her annoyance quickly turned to concern as she realised he was gone and that all the furs were now piled around her. She reached across to touch where he had lain. It was cold. Wherever he was, he had been gone for some time. She scrambled to her feet in fear and consternation, getting tangled in the myriad assortment of furs and cloaks. Her eyes immediately alighted on his backpack propped against the cave wall, where she had hastily repacked it yesterday. If it was still here, then surely he was. He could not have left without it. She reached down and pulled her own fur cloak from the pile of furs and tugged her arms inside it. It was a bitterly cold morning following the further storms of the night before.
She hastily stumbled from the cave as Arrow looked at her with mild interest on her face. Arrow did not bother to get up from her own position near the now dead fire and Sereh felt further infuriation. Couldn’t Arrow tell she was worried? Or maybe she knew that he was just outside and that there was nothing to worry about. She hoped as much whilst feeling that it was a futile hope.
The sun was still low when she burst out of the cave and the view before her was mist shrouded and luminescent. It made her eyes tear after the dark of the cave. The sun shone bravely through the low lying clouds which muted the view before her. She called Erann’s name and her voice reverberated back to her in the chill air. No other response came back. She cursed softly to herself. Talk about a rude awakening. She glanced back inside the cave. Arrow had not moved but was still watching her with her keen glowing, yellow eyes. Sometimes she wished the wolf could talk. She had the distinct feeling that Arrow knew exactly where Erann had gone. He had seemed to like the wolf yesterday and he had probably confided his intentions as he had left the cave. If a wolf could look smug, Arrow looked it now.
Sereh stomped along the opening to the cave looking specifically for Erann’s footprints in the snow. All she could find was a tangle of prints from where she and Arrow had both rushed in and out of the cave when rescuing Erann. Further from the entrance, the footprints had been covered by the snow storm of last night. Then, the sun broke through the mist and highlighted footprints a few wolf lengths in front. The footprints were leading back the way Sereh had come yesterday but were definitely not her own prints as they were much larger. She sighed in frustration. Where had he gone? Why had he left his backpack? Surely she was not that odious a person to be around. And then an insidious fear struck her. He was heading back the way she had come? He was heading to Rankil’s. He had admitted as much to her. What if he mentioned that he had seen her? She had wanted to tell him the truth of her new found freedom. Only his abruptness had stopped her, and then she had told more than half a lie. She could not stand it if he informed Rankil that she still lived. She would have no peace from him until he found her, and she could not run forever with no one to aid her other than her one friend.
What should she do? Should she run and hope or should she follow him and try to persuade him to keep her secret? He owed nothing to her, apart from his life. Would that be enough to buy his silence? She wished she knew him better than she did, and that she could predict what his actions would now be. She knew from gossip just how much Erann and his family hated Rankil, and his sister had no qualms in furthering the claims. When she had married Rankil she had made it clear that she did not hold the same opinions as the rest of her family. They all hated Rankil with a vengeance and thought him a liar and a cheat, with no right to the position of Jarl. Yet, Erann was still going to Rankil’s to ask for help. Perhaps Aras had over-exaggerated the hatred. Perhaps Erann would turn her in to Rankil to gain his help?
Her mind was a whirl of thoughts and fears. Arrow now slunk out of the cave and came to stand beside her, motionless. Sereh absent-mindedly ran her fingers on her right hand through the comforting texture of the coarse fur. She found herself repeating all her arguments out loud, asking Arrow for her opinion. The wolf looked at her with her glowing eyes and then walked a short distance away, to smell Erann’s footprints. She then headed back inside the cave. Sereh did not follow. She was too caught up in her dilemma.
Arrow appeared moments later, with Erann’s backpack firmly in her teeth and began to drag it back out onto the glacier, along the path they had been following yesterday. Sereh laughed in a sudden rush of relief. Arrow had spoken, in her own way. They would head onwards and trust their secret to Erann. Sereh was not sure he was worthy of the secret. Arrow obviously did. Again, she found herself capitulating to the wolf. Arrow had kept her alive so far.
She reached for Erann’s backpack, gently prising it from Arrow’s jaws. As she did so it came open and a wrapped bundle fell onto the soft snow. She bent and retrieved it. Unfolding the layers of fur and cloth she was surprised to find not food, but the hide journal Erann had been clutching yesterday. It was dulled by age and whilst originally it might have been dyed, it was now no more than a muddy brown colour. She flicked through the journal, carefully; the pages were smooth to the touch. She found nothing but list after list of numbers. She didn’t know what they were for and she didn’t much care. However she did carefully re-wrap the parcel and laid it by the side of the backpack to return it when she had rifled through the rest of it for food. She had a healthy respect for the written word, even when she did not understand it. She did wonder why Erann prized it so much and again she was left with the unsettling thought that he had run away from her this morning. The thought filled her with self-loathing. Was she really to be so little regarded? She hoped not but couldn’t push the thought away now that it had taken root.
The backpack contained more peat cakes and sealed pots. She had not noticed yesterday, only grabbing the few things that had been handy and at the top of the pack. She could only assume that the pots contained curdled animal blood. She took some of the peat cakes and cracked the lid on one of the pots. As she had thought, it contained curdled blood. It made her stomach clench. However she was hungry and this was a free meal. She walked back into the cave, followed by Arrow and placed the pot in the almost cold ashes of the fire and waited for it to, hopefully, warm. Arrow was looking at her expectantly and she reached over and patted her head,
“I know girl. I know it’s not much but it will fill our bellies for now. Maybe today you will find an animal or something and then we can feast later, when we reach Estrith’s.”
The thought of warm food now, and hot food and good company later filled Sereh with hope and as she mopped the blood up with the oatcakes she smiled to herself. Forget Erann and his odd behaviour, she didn’t need to worry about him, only about what the future held for her and Arrow.
Feeling full for the first time in two days, Sereh carefully repacked the ba
ckpack and slung it over her shoulder. It was heavier than her own and she decided to put it on her back whilst carrying her own. She marvelled that this was all she had in the world, a full backpack, an almost empty one and a wolf. It wasn’t much but at least it was all her own, nearly.
Calling to Arrow she left the cave, resolutely walking in the opposite direction to Erann. She hoped that he made it to Rankil’s. Other than that she wasn’t too keen on him – leaving like that was just simply rude. It was strange what the rotations had done to him. He looked different too. Whilst she had recognised his face on inspection as she had studied him last night whilst he pretended sleep she had realised he was no longer the self assured boy she had known. The rotations had been hard on him and whilst he was the spitting image of his father in general looks – large, well muscled, bearded and blonde; he had piercing green eyes and carried his few rotations heavily. He seemed much older than he was. It did not make him unattractive, in fact, quite the opposite. She had felt drawn to him. Now she resolutely decided to banish him from her thoughts. She had more important things to worry about. Staying alive for one.
Stepping outside again she noticed the sun was as high as it was going to get and that she must have lingered longer than she had intended. The day was freezing and Sereh gazed again at the sun in wonder. It seemed to be ineffectual against the ice and snow that gripped her land so tightly. Whilst she accepted that she was on one of the coldest places in her land, Vatna Jokull was huge and stretched across much of the Eastern quarter and down into the Northern one, she should still have been able to detect the thaw under way, if only through the trickling of the water as the edges of the glacier began to melt. Instead there was no hint, and snow storms had covered the land for every night since the sun had first risen. That wasn’t right either. What was going on?
Arrow whimpered besides her and she realised that she had not actually stepped out onto the glacier. She did so immediately and she and Arrow strode out purposefully. She was hopeful that they would reach her friends today, even with the few hours of daylight remaining. The thought put a fresh spring in her step, and even though she was weighed down with her own, and Erann’s backpack she made good progress over the ice packed glacier and as the sun began its fast descent she and Arrow scampered down from Vatna Jokull and onto the flatter lowlands which provided good pasture for the animals throughout the Long Day. She wished she had not lingered so long earlier in the cave. As the daylight faded she was going to find it difficult to find Estrith’s steading. Momentarily she was torn between staying put for the night and carrying on regardless. Her desire for friendly company and warm food spurred her on and she stepped resolutely to where she recalled Estrith living. She was suddenly desperate to be with someone she knew and cared for. Erann’s company last night had been less than satisfactory but it had reminded her of the joys of companionship with like minded people.