The Broken Kingdom

by Sarah Chapman

  Karesh nodded. ‘Smart.’

  Taken aback the woman said, ‘y-yes, we thought so.’ Then she slipped back through the crack in the door, and the boulder rolled back into place.

  Karesh turned back to the group and smiled. ‘We stay tomorrow, and leave the next day.’

  ‘We could force them to come.’ Janisk murmured.

  ‘We discussed this already, Janisk.’

  ‘I know, but it is an option.’

  ‘No, it is not.’

  ‘The Master wouldn’t like it.’ Telag agreed. ‘It is not what we’re here for.’

  There was murmured agreement from the others, and Karesh was surprised Telag understood their assignment.

  They had enough food with them for the trip back, as well as extra for any others they convinced to join them. They had no need to hunt, and so sat down to wait out the day.

  The next morning the woman returned.

  ‘You’re still alive.’ She said, her eyes roving over the group.

  ‘Have you made a decision?’ Karesh asked, standing but not approaching her.

  She looked towards the red-faced snake ehlkrid, and a flash of fear crossed her face. Then she looked back to Karesh. ‘Yes, we’ve spoken about it. We’ll leave now.’ Despite the confidence of her tone, her face was ashen.

  Karesh nodded firmly. ‘How many in your group?’

  ‘Eight. Six warriors, including myself, and two children.’

  ‘And are you in charge of your group?’

  ‘Yes, I am Avega the…’ she shook her head, ‘just Avega now.’ And she shot another look at the ehlkrid.

  ‘Avega.’ He repeated. ‘Get ready as quickly as you can. When everyone is out here, I’ll explain the travel arrangements.’

  In under an hour, Avega’s tribe of thin, lean gemengs was gathered outside. They carried all their possessions on their backs, and had their own food and water.

  Karesh explained to Avega and then the rest of the tribe that they must stay close together, with the knife at the centre. Karesh and his warriors would remain on the outside on the group, and would defend them if they were attacked.

  ‘We should arrive at our Masters camp in four or five days.’

  The other gemengs whispered amongst themselves. They often glanced towards the ehlkrid. Their fear was obvious, but so was their hunger. Avega hadn’t told him what had convinced them, but Karesh thought perhaps they were just tired of hiding in the darkness of the mountain. They were warriors after all.

  Watching them, Karesh was hopeful. Avega was their leader, but she spoke with them and considered their opinions more than most gemeng leaders. The coming of the ehlkrid had changed things.

  The group set off in an orderly manner. The snake ehlkrid slithered after them, keeping pace. Occasionally, they saw other ehlkrid as well. Avega’s gemengs did not speak to Karesh, and were tense and uncomfortable.

  ‘Why does it follow and not attack?’ Avega asked him when they stopped for lunch. They stopped in a small clearing, shaded by the tall trees of the forest. Four warriors stood guard at all times, and rotated with the other warriors once they’d eaten.

  ‘This is probably its territory. It will probably leave us soon.’

  Avega grunted. ‘Perhaps we will all die out here.’ Up close, he saw she had short, sharp claws, and a light dusting of white fur over her arms. He noticed when she tensed her fur stood up, glinting dangerously in the light. In a close-quarters fight, she would likely be a devastating opponent. He made a mental note not to get too close to her.

  ‘How did you find the hill?’ he asked, changing the subject.

  ‘We used to rule this area…’ she hesitated, and Karesh got the feeling she hadn’t been the original Master of the tribe. ‘When the creatures appeared… one of the children found it. There are tunnels in the hill, and strange stone walls. I have seen nothing like it before. But we were able to block the tunnels and protect ourselves… as long as we stay far from the entrance, and put many stones in the way, the monsters do not bother us… I don’t know how long it’s been.’

  ‘The ehlkrid have been here over a year now.’ Karesh said.

  ‘Only a year? It feels like an eternity.’

  The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Late in the day, the snake ehlkrid dropped back, and left them alone.

  ‘I do not like the look of that one.’ Janisk muttered to Karesh, the afternoon of the second day of travel.

  ‘Nor do I.’ he agreed. A furry ehlkrid, with long, muscly arms and huge jaws had begun following them a few hours ago. There was something about its movements, about the way it watched them, that made Karesh feel it was hungry. Desperate.

  There are hierarchies among the ehlkrid too, he reminded himself, and perhaps with few gemengs around, there is little left for this one to eat…

  Karesh watched it as it hung from a branch high above, its jaw hanging open, revealing long, razor sharp teeth and a red tongue.

  He stopped. ‘Shiressa, you have the knife?’ he said, his heart pumping.

  ‘Yes, why, what is it?’

  ‘Is something the matter?’ Avega demanded, a note of alarm in her voice.

  ‘No, continue walking.’ He ordered, following his own command. The black, oily eyes of the ehlkrid remained fixed on him.

  For the rest of the day, the ehlkrid followed them. They set up camp as the sky began to darken.

  ‘The creature still follows us.’ Janisk muttered, her voice thick with anger, and perhaps fear.

  ‘Yes.’ Karesh’s skin prickled unbearably. He could not shake the sense of danger. ‘They are more comfortable at night, Janisk.’ He said in a low voice.

  ‘It wouldn’t…’

  ‘Have you noticed we haven’t seen any other ehlkrid for the last hour?’

  ‘Yes, but isn’t that good?’

  ‘If the knife keeps them away, because they fear the Shining Lady… perhaps… they fear her retribution if…’

  ‘You think?’

  ‘Perhaps. We will set double watches tonight. While we still have light left I want to remove the branches of the trees directly above us.’

  Janisk was silent for a moment as she turned that over. Then she said, ‘I will help, together we can push the trees over entirely…’

  ‘Some of them are too thick and strong, Janisk, and the tree might fall in a bad direction. It would be easier to remove the branches.’

  As Karesh and his warriors began the arduous and difficult task of removing the branches, the other gemengs watched nervously. Half of Karesh’s gemengs stayed on the ground, keeping the others out of the way of the branches incase they fell. Karesh and the others flew or climbed up to the branches, ripping them off with pure strength, or hacking at them with weapons. The furry ehlkrid followed them all the time. Karesh had a bad feeling it was keeping a close watch on whatever feelings the knife gave off… and he wondered whether it was starting to realize their ruse.

  Full dark fell within the hour and they had to stop. Sweaty, dirty and tired, Karesh was satisfied with their work. They’d cleared the branches directly above them. He thought the creature could still jump, but at least they’d made it harder for it to attack them.

  That night Karesh slept fitfully. A few hours before dawn, he gave up trying to sleep and joined the gemengs on watch. He’d already taken a turn earlier in the evening.

  ‘It’s still there.’ Kalgen murmured softly.

  ‘I know.’

  ‘What do we do if it attacks? You said the knife won’t work if we kill it.’

  ‘We’ll have to lead it away from the group with the knife.’

  Kalgen didn’t respond.

  Karesh watched the dark shape of the ehlkrid as it crouched in a tree a short distance from the camp. Karesh flexed his wings, and felt the stone knife at his belt. He’d sharpened it after using it to hack at tree branches.

  Suddenly Kalgen let out a yell. Karesh saw it too, the dark shape suddenly moving, hurtling through the air towa
rds them. Karesh launched himself from the ground at the ehlkrid, colliding with it in mid-air.

  He frantically flapped his wings and kicked at the beast as it tried to grab him.

  ‘Move away,’ he yelled at the same time as he flew higher and further from the camp. ‘Kalgen, Shiressa, to me! Everyone else, head back to our Master!’

  He had no time to see if they obeyed, and it was dark besides. He couldn’t dislodge the creature, its strong arms had a vice like grip around his legs. It felt like his legs were going snap in two. The creature began crawling up him. He couldn’t fight an ehlkrid one on one. Frantically, he flew towards a tree and rammed into it, jolting himself and the ehlkrid. The creature let out a howl of rage. Karesh continued flying, whacking his legs and the creature against trees and branches.

  ‘Karesh!’ he heard voices call.

  ‘We’re here, down here!’ another voice yelled.

  Karesh let out a scream as he felt jaws sink into his leg. He half fell half flew to the ground. He landed with a bump. The ehlkrid was all over him. He pulled his knife from his belt and slashed at the creature above him to no avail.

  Suddenly it was gone. He looked up and saw Kalgen and Shiressa, and the ehlkrid crumpled against a tree. They’d pulled it off him while it had been entirely focussed on him. Quickly, he staggered to his feet. Sharp pain exploded in his legs as he tried to stand on them. They couldn’t hold him up and he had to use his wings.

  ‘Remember our three-point manoeuvre.’ He gasped. ‘I’ll distract it, you two take it from the sides.’

  The three gemengs advanced on the ehlkrid. By now, it had gotten to its feet. It snarled at them and then quickly turned and climbed up the tree with an amazing show of speed and agility.

  Kalgen swore, ‘we can’t fight it in the tree!’

  ‘We need to kill it now its attacked us.’ Karesh replied. ‘Be ready for it.’ And he flew up above the ehlkrid. He dived at it from above, stone knife in hand. With his weight he bowled into the ehlkrid and knocked it off the branch. He was more careful this time, and managed to avoid being grabbed.

  As it crashed to the ground Kalgen and Shiressa laid into it. A few grunts and gasps escaped them as they pummelled it with their bare hands. They didn’t scream and yell as they fought, like they once had on the Plains.

  As Karesh watched from above Kalgen suddenly went down and the ehlkrid hopped over him with a howl, heading for the trees again. Shiressa leapt after it. It knocked her over with one swipe of its arm.

  Karesh, painfully aware of the throbbing ache in his legs and the sticky wetness spreading from his wound, darted into the creature once more. He barely managed to stop himself and retreat as it suddenly turned and swiped at him.

  ‘Keep it on that tree, Karesh!’ Kalgen called, anger clear in his voice. ‘We’ll knock it down.’

  ‘I hear you!’ he called, hoping they didn’t squash themselves in the process.

  Karesh darted in and out, taunting the ehlkrid. He came close to being knocked from the sky many times. Suddenly with a howl of rage, the creature leapt from the tree right at him. Karesh flew up, out of reach, and the ehlkrid landed on another tree.

  ‘Karesh!’ Kalgen yelled. ‘That’s the wrong tree!’

  ‘Hold on!’ he said. He darted back into the ehlkrid, putting himself between the tree Kalgen and Shiressa were ramming into, and the ehlkrid’s new perch.

  ‘Hurry!’ Shiressa called as the tree swayed.

  Karesh alighted on the tree they were attacking, and then suddenly had to fly above it, he couldn’t stand. He used his wings to keep himself in position, and ripped a small stick off a branch. He chucked it at the ehlkrid on the other tree. The ehlkrid snarled and leapt at him. Karesh flew off again, as the ehlkrid landed on his branch.

  ‘Now!’ he called down.

  ‘Get out of the way!’ Kalgen called.

  And then leaves and twigs were flying all around him, and he was flying frantically to avoid the far more dangerous branches.

  The ehlkrid let out a startled howl.

  There was a monstrous crash as the tree collided with the earth. Above the dust and the chaos below, Karesh couldn’t see what was happening. He cautiously approached through the clear space left in the forest canopy. He heard a pitiful cry, and then silence.

  ‘Kalgen? Shiressa?’ he called.

  ‘It is dead.’ He heard a tired, but triumphant, voice call back. It was Kalgen.

  Karesh landed on the ground before them, and his legs gave way. As he fell he caught a glimpse of the ehlkrid, half crushed by the tree. Kalgen and Shiressa had finished off the job the tree began.

  ‘Karesh, are you alright?’ Shiressa called in alarm.

  ‘It bit me.’ He gasped. ‘I-I’m fine, I must bandage the wound though.’

  Dizzily, he tried to right himself.

  ‘Stay where you are.’ Kalgen ordered.

  ‘Your clothes are soaked.’ Shiressa muttered.

  Karesh was rendered speechless by surprise as Shiressa gently began bandaging his wound.

  ‘Your legs look bad. Very bruised.’ Kalgen muttered.

  Karesh looked down at his legs, and realised he could see. Dawn had come. ‘Yes,’ he murmured. ‘It grabbed me.’ His legs were nothing but throbbing pain to him. At least his wings were unharmed.

  ‘Aerlid will have to fix that.’ Shiressa murmured. ‘Kalgen, we’ll have to carry him gently.’

  ‘Yes, I can see that.’ He muttered. ‘I wonder how far the others went?’

  ‘We know which direction. We’ll find them.’ Shiressa said firmly. ‘They won’t go far without Karesh.’

  ‘I told them to go on ahead.’ Karesh said, his voice weak.

  ‘They’ll wait for you.’ Kalgen agreed. ‘Come, let’s hurry. We don’t want to be attacked again.’

  Karesh didn’t say anything as they gently picked him up. Karesh was a light man, and it was easy for them to carry him. They made good time through the forest and half an hour later, spotted the rest of the group standing in a huddled group.

  ‘You live!’ Avega announced, the first to see them.

  ‘I told you we knew how to fight the ehlkrid. Our Master taught us.’ Karesh answered immediately, and flapping his wings, extracted himself from Kalgen and Shiressa and flew over. The idea of all these warriors seeing him so vulnerable was more than he could bear. But he knew he couldn’t fly all day.

  ‘I was sure it had killed you.’ She said in awe.

  ‘We fought it together, as a team.’ Karesh said. ‘Kalgen and Shiressa came up with the plan.’

  ‘You look injured.’ Telag said, coming forward.

  ‘Yes, what’s happened?’ Janisk demanded.

  Karesh’s blood ran cold, seeing their demanding gazes fixed entirely on him.

  ‘I was bitten.’ He said. ‘We need to keep moving.’

  ‘We should make a stretcher.’ Kalgen said, and Shiressa added her agreement.

  ‘No.’ Karesh said, his heart pumping as hard as when the ehlkrid had attacked.

  ‘We’ll make a stretcher.’ Janisk announced. ‘And then you will tell us how you fought.’

  ‘I don’t need-!’

  ‘I’ll prepare food for you! You haven’t eaten yet.’ Telag announced.

  Karesh watched in disbelief and discomfort as the gemengs set about making themselves useful for him.

  Soon, all of his warriors were busy.

  ‘These gemengs obey you even when you’re injured.’ Avega said, coming up to him as the others rushed around.

  His wings were starting to tire, and he desperately wanted to sit but… ‘yes, they do…’

  Kalgen and Shiressa came up to him and sat down, hunks of meat in their hands. They were covered in scrapes and bruises, and Kalgen had a fresh bandage wrapped around his shoulder, concealing a more serious injury. Overall though, they seemed alright.

  ‘Sit,’ Shiressa ordered, ‘eat, then we go.’

  Karesh hesitated a moment more and then obeyed
. He was simply too tired, and reason told him if they hadn’t killed him when they were alone in the forest, they probably weren’t going to do it now.

  Karesh gratefully ate the food they handed him.

  Soon after, Janisk appeared with a stretcher. ‘On.’ She ordered. ‘I carry you.’

  ‘Me too.’ Telag growled. ‘We both will.’

  Karesh hesitantly sat on the stretcher made from branches gathered from the forest and blankets, which they’d carried with them. Karesh didn’t lie down, and instead sat, with his legs stretched out before him. Lying on his back was uncomfortable with his wings, and fear for his fellows still coursed through him.

  Telag and Janisk picked up the stretcher, and the group headed off.

  As they walked Karesh heard Kalgen and Shiressa tell the story of their fight. He was surprised when he heard what the others thought of him.

  ‘Flying right at the ehlkrid!’

  ‘Not a trace of fear!’

  And though no one said it, he thought he heard relief that he’d led the ehlkrid away from the rest of the group.

  His mind whirled with worried thoughts as he was carried. I shouldn’t worry; the Master would not approve of them killing me, or leaving me, while another voice said, but the Master is far, and they could lie, and another part of him wondered that Kalgen and Shiressa hadn’t even hesitated in looking after him. Perhaps they would like to be looked after when they are injured too. Warriors like them, warriors even when on the Plains, must know fear as well. He smiled slowly as it occurred to him that perhaps the others of the tribe appreciated the new way the Master had forced upon them, as he did.

  ‘We will have to tell the Master about the attack.’ Shiressa mused. ‘They have never attacked when we’ve had the knife before…’

  ‘We will tell her.’ Karesh agreed. ‘We will tell her…’

  Chapter 48

  ‘Karesh, what happened to you?’ were the first words out of the Master’s mouth when they arrived back at the camp.

  ‘An ehlkrid attacked…’ he mumbled, his voice weak. The ache in his legs hadn’t faded over the days they’d been travelling.