by Duncan Lay
‘That’s all I ask.’ Gaibun smiled, holding her hand again.
The news of the dragons was sweeping through Vales and they were being hailed from village to village. Any Forlish they saw — and there were few of them — just ran. The dragons were now a small army and one both proud and confident.
Then they rode into Catsfield once more, and everything changed.
At first it seemed the same. The village wall had been strengthened since they had left, while cheering people welcomed them inside and young men demanded to know what they had to do to become a dragon.
But Llewellyn, the dour village chief, looked even more sour when they joined him and his wife in their large hut.
‘Don’t tell me you are unsure about a united Vales?’ Huw asked him, ready to deal with him as he had many a doubting chief in Powys.
‘No, boyo — nothing like that,’ Llewellyn sniffed. ‘I am all for it! No, we have heard dire news.’
‘What?’ Huw smiled, sure it was nothing that he could not handle.
‘We received a visit from a stranger. He was Forlish but obviously no warrior. Might have been a merchant once — he sounded like one, ready to sell us anything. Claimed he had been driven out of Forland, like so many others, and was just looking for somewhere safe to live. Course we told him here was perfect — only he refused. Said a village with a wall was less safe than one without.’
The three of them looked at each other.
‘Had he been drinking?’ Rhiannon laughed.
‘Nay. He was serious. Claimed to have come from the west, where he had nearly run into a large band of Forlish. Said he only escaped through luck — had hidden under a bush while they camped. Anyway, he told us the Forlish were angry. Sick of being defeated and turned back by our walls and crossbows. Reckoned they had scraped together enough men so they could go from walled village to walled village, burning them to the ground and killing all inside, so we’d be so scared we’d pull down our own walls and make a bonfire out of our crossbows.’
‘What?’ Huw gasped. ‘Where is this man now?’
‘Did he say anything else?’ Sendatsu asked.
Llewellyn shrugged. ‘He wouldn’t stay here. He left two days ago, riding hard. Never said where he was going, just where he wouldn’t go.’
‘And where’s that?’
‘Patcham.’
Everyone looked at Huw, who had gone very white.
‘Patcham? Tell me everything he said!’ he demanded.
‘I have! He heard the Forlish were going to teach us a lesson and would start with Patcham. He wanted to know where it was, so there was no chance he could get caught in there …’
Llewellyn trailed off as Huw stood and staggered outside, leaning on the rough wooden wall and sucking in huge gasps of air.
‘It’s going to be all right,’ Rhiannon told him, rubbing his back.
‘I don’t know if it is,’ Huw moaned. ‘Here I was, thinking I was saving lives — all I have done is anger the Forlish. They are going to bring their army north and we can’t stop them …’
‘That is a fear for another day,’ Rhiannon said crisply. ‘This isn’t the real army. This is the raiders we have driven out coming together. But we have a new weapon now — the dragons Sendatsu has trained.’
Huw straightened up. ‘You are right,’ he breathed. ‘They think all we have are walls and crossbows. But we have the dragons. We can go there and defeat them — drive them out and save Patcham at the same time!’
‘Wait!’ Sendatsu snapped.
They turned in surprise.
‘This is a mistake. It smells like a trap,’ he warned. ‘A strange man comes into this village, tells them he heard Patcham is about to be attacked by a huge force, then he runs elsewhere? It stinks worse than my dragons after a day of training!’
‘What, do you think they meant for us to hear that? Why?’ Huw asked.
‘To draw us in, trap us and destroy us. If they get you, the dream of an independent Vales is gone,’ Sendatsu said simply. And my plan for getting back to my children is also gone …
‘And the man? Llewellyn said he was not a warrior,’ Rhiannon pointed out.
‘He’s probably a Forlish merchant they paid to spread that message. There would be enough of them over the border — and they have had time aplenty to get one up here since we started to defeat them,’ Sendatsu dismissed.
‘But we cannot leave Patcham. They are sure to attack — and if we do not stop it, then my village will be destroyed,’ Huw said in anguish.
‘Which proves it is a trap. They must have found out who you are,’ Rhiannon reasoned.
‘Perhaps — or maybe they chose Patcham because it was the first one we helped,’ Sendatsu suggested. ‘Either way, we would be better off sending a couple of dragons on fast horses with a message from you, telling the people to leave. If they get out now, they will be safe.’
‘And we shall be safe as well,’ Rhiannon agreed.
‘But the village will be burned and the Forlish will have their victory,’ Huw said slowly.
They paused.
‘If we let them burn Patcham, it sends a message to every village in Vales. We lied. Walls and crossbows cannot save you. At the moment we have the people on our side but if they think we cannot help them, that we lied to them about helping them, the dream of a real Vales goes up in smoke. People will do what the Forlish want — pull down their walls, burn their crossbows and put their hands up to accept Ward’s rule.’
‘Surely not!’ Rhiannon exclaimed.
‘They might — if they felt it was the only way their family would survive,’ Huw said.
‘That may or may not be true. But the real issue is we cannot stick our heads into this trap,’ Sendatsu pointed out.
‘But I think we must,’ Huw sighed. ‘It is the only way. We have to take our best men, go there and defeat the Forlish, turn them back once more.’
‘Perhaps it is not such a risk. If we bring every dragon with us, plus the men in the village, we will have so many men the Forlish cannot hope to win,’ Rhiannon suggested.
‘No! We cannot take everyone,’ Huw said instantly. ‘We have to make them attack Patcham.’
Sendatsu carefully stuck his finger in his ear. ‘I know my ears are not exactly the same as yours but I swear I heard you say you wanted them to attack Patcham!’
‘Well, I don’t want them to attack Patcham. But I want them to attack where we want. If we march in there with three hundred dragons, they are going to walk a few miles west and sack Crumlin instead. It will not have the same impact on me but it will have the same effect on Vales. It will destroy everything we have done these past moons.’
‘If they bring their army north, they will be able to do that anyway,’ Sendatsu grunted.
‘But by then we shall have a united Vales and meet them with five thousand dragons,’ Huw said calmly. ‘We shall empty Rheged and even Gwent, send everyone north but our fighters. We shall sting them and draw them in, use our land to hit them time and again. They shall find no food, we shall lead them a merry dance through hills and valleys, taking a slice at a time, until they give up. They will discover we are more trouble than we are worth. Don’t forget we are the source of much of their iron ore and coal, which feed their war machine. If we take that away, even for a few months, they will face uprisings from the Landish and Balians. Especially when we travel south to meet the leaders of those nations, to talk about uniting to put an end to the Forlish threat.’
They gaped at him.
‘Well, if the elves are not going to help us, then it seems other men must.’ Huw shrugged.
‘All right,’ Sendatsu said slowly. ‘But what if this is not just about defeating the Velsh resistance. What if they want us — want you? I mean, there are easier villages, smaller villages than Patcham. But that is your home. Making it their target seems a little personal …’
Rhiannon chuckled. ‘But that’s ridiculous! Who among the Forlish has a grud
ge against us? Who is hunting us and wants revenge on Huw?’
Huw’s and Sendatsu’s eyes met for a moment and the same thought flashed between them: Rhiannon’s father, Hector.
‘Well, there was that group of Forlish that tried to grab us earlier, when we left Crumlin,’ Huw said quickly, to end the possibility that Sendatsu might let something slip.
‘It could be them. They might have been left over from the ones we sent running at Patcham,’ Rhiannon mused.
‘This is getting us nowhere. We cannot let Patcham be destroyed. How many dragons should we take with us? We need enough to secure victory but not so many it scares the Forlish off.’ Huw changed the subject swiftly.
‘We should only take the best ones — the ones who can use both bow and sword well,’ Sendatsu said immediately. ‘Probably a hundred of them. Any less and we risk death.’
‘Can you start organising them? We shall need to take all the horses, as well as the weapons. The others can follow as best they can. Rhiannon, you can lead them …’
‘What?’ Rhiannon spat.
‘I don’t want you in Patcham. It is too dangerous. What if something was to go wrong …’ Huw began reasonably but her eyes flashed dangerously and he trailed off.
‘If you think I am going to stay here while you ride into danger, you are very much mistaken, Huw ap Earwen!’ she snapped. ‘Or is there some big-breasted wench you would rather have by your side?’
‘Of course not!’
‘Then do you have another reason for me not to see these Forlish?’
‘No — what possible reason could I have?’ Huw asked weakly.
‘You don’t have a chance, man, give in now while you can still retain a shred of dignity,’ Sendatsu said, forcing a grin to make it seem like a joke.
Huw spread his hands. ‘I am sorry. You shall share a fast ride into danger and death with us.’
‘Good! And I don’t want to hear anything ridiculous like me staying in safety ever again!’
‘I’ll go and start sorting out the dragons. There are a couple of wounded and sick, ones who have been with us for longer, who can look after the new recruits.’ Sendatsu half-smiled.
He stared hard at Huw. Of course Huw had wanted her to stay here, away from the possibility of meeting her father. Huw had to tell her the truth. Now.
But Huw could not bring himself to say it. When we are in Patcham, when she cannot ride away — that will be the time, he told himself.
Sendatsu wondered whether he should try harder to avoid this, take two squads of dragons and ride off in the night. But it was nothing more than a passing thought. He could not leave his friends, leave the dragons — and leave the children of Patcham — to the mercy of the Forlish. He simply could not do it. He could not live with himself. In a way, he was one of them. Or were they the same as him? The lines were all blurred. He ate almost the same food as they did, dressed as they did and had given up on the bathing, although, funnily enough, the smell seemed to have gone away now. He had never wanted responsibility before, but now he discovered he preferred it to running away.
Hanto’s visible wounds had healed but his pride stung. Jin and Taigo had been battered around and were of little use. And although they had been able to steal new horses, they were no closer to finishing their mission. Far from being able to catch Sendatsu and his two companions alone, the cursed son of Jaken was now surrounded by hundreds of warriors and slept each night in either a walled village or an armed camp patrolled by vigilant guards.
‘He is teaching them how we fight,’ Jin muttered angrily, as they watched Sendatsu leading scores of human warriors through exercises that looked horribly familiar.
‘We need to get him,’ Hanto brooded.
But there was no chance they saw, although they shadowed the war band as it moved south and west.
‘Does he plan to use them against the Council?’ Taigo wondered.
‘Even several hundred humans would be no match for us,’ Hanto snorted. ‘Humans cannot fight like we do.’
Jin and Taigo exchanged looks and compared fading bruises from the last time they had encountered humans.
‘We shall continue following them. They will make a mistake and we shall strike.’
Jin and Taigo rolled eyes at each other. They had heard this all before — and were no closer to getting Sendatsu. At least they were travelling east, towards home.
Glyn was delighted to see them again, and the whole village turned out to cheer the dragons as they rode in beneath the huge flag, singing the new Velsh anthem. It had taken longer to ride in, because the villagers wanted to show Huw what they had done since he was away, expanding the defences, so now there were two walls around the village, although the new ditch around the outside had not been finished.
‘It’s not just for defence — the first wall didn’t give us enough room for the animals inside the village,’ Glyn pointed out proudly. ‘Took us bloody ages to fill in all the holes we dug, though!’
‘You’ve done well,’ Huw applauded.
‘As have you — look at the banner — and the men riding with you! Velsh dragons — a fine sight! Ah, it is good to see you again. I suppose you are here to get some of our youngsters to join up — and secure our promise to be in a united Vales!’
‘No — I am here to save your lives, and the very existence of Vales,’ Huw said grimly.
The smile faded rapidly from Glyn’s face.
‘We need to talk to everyone. Now,’ Huw warned.
It took some time to calm the village down but, finally, they gathered around to hear Huw, as they had done just a few months ago. He was reminded of that as he looked out over the village.
‘People of Patcham. We have come to you in a time of great danger. The Forlish are planning to launch a massive attack on this village. I have ridden here to save the village. But there is no point in risking lives. I need the women, the children and the elderly to pack food and clothes and get over to Crumlin.’
While the people had listened to his news about the Forlish in silence — albeit shocked silence — this caused more reaction.
‘Dafyd has promised to open doors to us. I know only too well of the traditional rivalry with Crumlin. But this is a time to put aside petty feuds. We are all Velsh, and they will help us in our time of need!’ Huw shouted. He had stopped to visit with Dafyd on the way in and extracted such a promise from him — another thing that would have seemed inconceivable just a moon or two ago.
‘Any men who want to stay are welcome. But we fear these Forlish have prepared for the crossbows — and will be carrying shields or the like.’
‘How long have we got?’ Glyn asked.
‘We don’t know,’ Huw admitted. ‘They could be here at any time. So we need to get the women and children to safety now …’
‘Forlish! Forlish in the trees!’
The shout from above stopped everything, made everyone turn and look.
As well as the extra wall, Kelyn and his helpers had built a lookout tower, a perfect post to provide plenty of warning of anyone approaching. The usual watchers were down on the ground but a handful of boys had climbed up there, to get a better view of the excitement going on below — and now they yelled and pointed.
‘Let me see.’ Sendatsu exploded into action, sprinting across to the ladder propped against the house wall. He went up the rungs swiftly, hands and feet pumping, then swung up onto the small platform, which swayed a little under his weight and the weight of the four boys already up here.
‘Over there, Mr Elf!’ one cried.
Sendatsu looked out to the tree line and saw the Forlish emerging, dragging strange machines with them. Others carried huge shields but he tried to ignore those, instead concentrating on numbers. He divided the line in half, then half again, then tried to count that quarter. It was not easy, because they were not advancing in line but rather as a mass. He climbed down the ladder much slower.
‘What is it?’ Huw asked anxiously.
‘Nobody is going anywhere,’ Sendatsu said grimly. ‘They were waiting for us. They must have been watching. We must stay here, for good or ill.’
‘We have waited centuries for the right time to act,’ Sumiko said reflectively. ‘The magic had to fade in the people, the barrier begin to break down. Finally our time was coming but our best chance was lost. And now you tell me Sendatsu has still not made contact with you.’
Her garden had grown again, but filled with plants the likes of which Asami had never seen before. Tall, spiky, with vicious thorns, they loomed over the paths.
‘Yes, sensei.’
‘Do you think he is dead?’
Asami gulped. With each phase of the moon that passed, and no contact on the other side, that very fear was growing. ‘I am sure he is alive,’ she said defiantly.
‘Then what is he doing? I thought he doted on those children? It seemed natural that he would turn the human world upside down to get the answers we wanted, the proof we needed?’
‘I don’t know, sensei. But if there are answers out there, he will find them.’
Sumiko turned abruptly. ‘We cannot wait forever! Jaken grows ever stronger with each passing day. And our plans have advanced too far to call a halt. My Magic-weavers have been spreading the word among the people that the magic is dying and the Council has no idea how to stop it, that the barrier will soon fail, exposing us to the hordes of gaijin outside. The people are ready; the esemono are terrified and even the middle classes and merchants are fearful. They can see the barrier coming down and thousands of gaijin humans rushing in to swamp us. They believe only the Magic-weavers can save them. But if we do not act soon, the Council will crack down. For now they see it as silly rumours — but that happy state of affairs cannot continue too long.’
‘Sensei, we must beware Jaken. He seeks to use us to further his own aims. If we act, he is ready and will seize control, claiming Daichi and the rest of the Council could not control us. Once he has Dokuzen, his next step will be the human lands, it is a horrible idea of having human slaves …’