She also enjoyed watching the night wildlife; owls hooted in the trees, bats swooped round their heads, rabbits scampered after one another and foxes skulked in the shadows. The group didn’t talk much while riding, and Kiræ liked that she could watch the night world go by. They had been riding for a few hours when Kiræ heard Aurora’s voice rise in annoyance.
“What’s wrong?” she asked and Keolan answered.
“I simply asked if she would consider flying us to the Holy Land and she flipped out.”
“I didn’t flip out,” Aurora said still clearly annoyed, “I just told you to drop it or I’d bite your head off!”
“But it would be so much faster and far less dangerous,” Keolan pointed out and Aurora, who’s complexion was usually as pale as the moonlight, reddened in anger.
“Keo I think you had better shut up,” Tom advised and they fell into an uneasy silence. Kiræ considered the brief argument and wondered if there was more to it than what she had seen on the surface. Aurora, who was generally calm and good natured, had become defensive and angry over, what was quite frankly a good suggestion. She stole a glance at Aurora who looked like she had calmed down, but Kiræ thought she now wore a troubled expression.
She decided to take the risk, “What’s going on with you?” she asked in a hushed tone.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never known you to get so, angry,” she said hesitantly, “I mean it was just a silly suggestion.” Aurora shifted uncomfortably, “what is it Ror? You can tell me.”
Aurora looked up, a troubled expression on her face and locked eyes with her friend, “I’m worried I won’t be able to change again,” she said so quietly that Kiræ thought she must have misheard her.
“But, you said you believed your training was ‘sufficient’,” she pointed out to which Aurora winced causing Kiræ’s eyes to widen, “you were lying!” she almost hissed in annoyance.
“Just because you can’t lie doesn’t mean others can’t,” she said smiling sheepishly.
“But you’ve changed several times,” Kiræ pointed out, “I was there, I’ve seen you do it, and you can draw on the attributes like it’s second nature.”
“The attributes aren’t too difficult to access,” Aurora explained, “but every time I’ve changed I’ve found it difficult and a little uncomfortable, like my dragon self and human self are fighting for dominance. It gets a little easier each time but Draogo said it could take several seasons before I was able to perfect the transformation.” Kiræ was silent, her mouth hung slightly open and she stared blankly at her friend, “I’m really sorry Kiræ, I’ve let everyone down.”
Kiræ shook her head, pulling herself out of her stupor, “You haven’t let anyone down,” she perked up as an idea struck her, “why don’t we continue your training while we travel?” Aurora looked dubious but Kiræ began to shift excitedly, “we don’t need to do it every day, but I think it would be good for you to keep trying.” Her friend looked unconvinced but after several more minutes of persuasion she finally agreed and Kiræ grinned.
The following days passed much like the first and it wasn’t long until they could see Kelendal in the distance. Although it was almost dawn, Tom suggested they continued travelling until they reached the small town where they could rest and gather supplies.
Kelendal was a small town with only a low wall to ward off rebels; there was only one gate in and out of the town and the citizens manned it voluntarily. They were a friendly town who housed little suspicion for strangers, traded readily with others and assisted those in need, providing they did not pose a threat. The guards on duty welcomed the twins and their friends with open arms, ushered them towards the large Inn once they had dismounted and lead their tired horses to the stables. The Innkeeper was a tall, well-built man, whom Kiræ would probably have avoided had she seen him in the darkened streets. He beamed at them however as they entered bringing mugs of ale to refresh them.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had any travellers,” he said pulling a chair over and seating himself next to Tana, “I’ll wager you’re newly qualified,” Tom smiled politely at him but remained quiet, “off for an adventure are you?” he asked turning to Tana, who sipped her drink and stared at the table.
“We’re travelling home,” Kiræ said causing the Innkeeper to turn sharply, Kiræ smiled at him and he returned the gesture; he rose from his seat mumbling something incomprehensible and walked behind the bar where he began cleaning discarded mugs.
“Should we be suspicious?” Keolan asked glancing quickly at the tall man.
Tom shook his head, “I think he was genuinely interested, he did say they haven’t had travellers here for a while, perhaps it becomes quite mundane living here.” They finished their drinks quickly and Tom asked the Innkeeper if there were a couple of rooms spare; he nodded and led them through a warren of corridors, stopping towards the end of one.
“You can have these two,” he said dropping keys into Tom’s hand while pointing at two doors opposite one another, “I’ll take payment in the morning,” he said smiling and turned to walk away but Tom stopped him.
“I’ll pay now if you don’t mind, we might leave during the night,” the Innkeeper smiled and nodded, taking the coins from Tom.
“Your horses will be in the stables, just leave a couple of coins under the stool by the door, I’ll see that the boys find it,” he nodded his head towards them, turned and walked back through the warren. The rooms were small and sparsely furnished but they were suitable for what the group needed.
Kiræ woke as the sun filtered brightly through the window, she sat bolt upright and shook Aurora who was lying next to her; the other girl mumbled a curse Kiræ thought was probably aimed at her, and rolled onto her side. Kiræ, leant over and shook her again, this time Aurora opened her eyes, then she too sat up quickly, head-butting Kiræ in the process.
“I’m so sorry,” she said as Kiræ covered her nose.
“It’s fine,” she mumbled.
“How did we sleep so long?” Aurora asked, pulling on her trousers while Kiræ roused Tana.
“I don’t know,” she said, warily shaking Tana so she didn’t get injured a second time, “you better wake the boys,” she said to Aurora, who nodded and left the room. Tana woke slowly, and took far longer to get up and dressed. Aurora returned quickly and informed Kiræ that Tom and Keolan were now awake. They ate a rushed breakfast, provided by the still beaming Innkeeper, retrieved their horses and set off just after the sun had finished rising.
“Looks like we’ll be travelling by day for a while,” Tom said sighing as they passed Kelendal’s gates; the guards nodded to them politely as they passed.
“It won’t be so bad,” Tana said, “anyway it will probably look less suspicious.” Tom agreed though slightly reluctantly, then he studied the map for a few minutes before setting off south east towards Birrien.
Chapter 27
Vala’s army had finally reached Cronne; the landscape around the town was bare, the snow had melted revealing a grassless landscape in the immediate surrounding area. Alten had suggested they set up camp some distance away, so they could study the town and plan their tactics.
Vala was stood, shielding her eyes from the low winter sun, staring at the town she had only visited a handful of times. It didn’t look as if it had changed drastically, the wall that ran round the exterior was a little taller, but there were very few men patrolling the top. In fact, when Vala really looked, she could see that the men weren’t patrolling at all, they were sat looking out across the landscape while several birds wheeled above the city. It certainly didn’t look to her like they were on edge or expecting an attack; perhaps word from Diapanm hadn’t yet reached the other towns.
Vala organised for a number of warriors to watch the quiet town in shifts and report if they saw anything unusual. She joined Alten and Julen who were in one of the large tents. They were studying a basic map of the town and surrounding area and looke
d up as she entered.
“Is this accurate?” Alten asked her and she nodded.
“At least it was a few seasons ago when I passed through here.”
“So there’s only one gate into the town?” Julen asked.
“Most of the small towns only have the one gate,” Vala answered, “they don’t have much need for multiple entry points since it doesn’t usually take too long to walk round them.”
Julen nodded absentmindedly and rubbed the light stubble on his chin. “We shouldn’t need all of the warriors for the attack,” Julen said examining the size of the town, “and it’s probably wise to have warriors based outside in case the mingual try to escape.”
“I’m not sure we would all fit inside the town anyway,” Alten said with almost a smile, “it’s a shame there isn’t another way in though, it’s always better to attack from two sides, it creates a sense of panic and fear.”
“What about the citizens?” Vala asked suddenly and the other two looked at her in confusion, “if they attack I mean.” The two men just stared at her so she continued after a brief pause. “The mingual, although I don’t completely understand how, aren’t human anymore. They didn’t ask for it but I guess that’s just the way it is and if it’s between us and them, then I’m choosing us. But the citizens are human, so what do we do if they attack? You can’t seriously expect these warriors to kill them, some of them have family in Yutshan.”
The two men were silent, thinking, after a while Alten spoke slowly, “I agree, I don’t think we can consciously kill them, but I think we have to be prepared that innocent casualties may occur while we are trying to protect them.”
Vala shook her head, “If innocent citizens are killed then I’ve not done my job properly. I think we need to try and incapacitate them.” Alten considered this, then agreed. The trio continued to discuss their various attack options but were interrupted just after midday by a young female warrior; she bowed as she entered the tent.
“Is everything okay?” Vala asked and the woman shifted uncomfortably.
“You asked us to report if we noticed anything strange,”
Vala quickly got to her feet, “What is it?” she asked urgently.
“I think you need to come and see for yourself,” the young woman said and all three followed her out of the tent and towards the main watch point. The woman pointed towards the men sitting on the walls but remained silent, Vala stared at them for some time before turning to the woman confused.
“What are we looking for?” Alten asked, still staring towards the town.
The young woman shifted again, “The men,” she began looking at the three army leaders, “they’re not moving.”
Alten turned his gaze away from the town walls and eyed the woman suspiciously, “What do you mean?”
“We’ve been watching in shifts since we arrived, and no one’s reported any sign of movement, from any of them.” Vala instantly turned her gaze towards the town, squinting slightly in the sunlight. Everything was still and Vala realised she was unconsciously holding her breath as she scanned the wall for any sign of activity. A large bird wheeled over the town and began to circle one of the men; Vala saw it dive, land on the man’s shoulder and start to peck his face. She threw her hand over her mouth and turned to Alten and Julen.
“Did you see that?” she asked as they both slowly nodded their heads.
“Assemble some warriors,” Alten said turning to Julen, “we need to get inside that town.” Julen nodded and hurried away.
It didn’t take them long to reach the town gates, Alten banged loudly on the large wooden door with the hilt of his sword. There was no answer. Alten banged on the door again and Vala strained to hear some kind of movement coming from the other side but heard only silence.
They moved to one side and Alten signalled to a group of warriors holding a large, freshly cut tree trunk; they moved forward with it and began to heave it against the large doors. Surprisingly, they broke through with minimal effort and as they moved aside to lay the trunk on the ground, Alten and Vala moved forwards cautiously, swords in hand and shields raised.
Vala stopped abruptly just inside the door, her weapons left her hands, clattering noisily to the floor, her mouth hung open in horror. The warriors behind them began to move slowly into the open doorway and as they did, looks of shock crossed their faces and their weapons, which had been raised, fell to their sides.
Women and children lay motionless in the streets, drenched in their own blood while carrion birds pecked absentmindedly at their flesh. A look of anger crossed Vala’s face as she stared at the frozen scene before her; mothers clung protectively to their children, trying to shield them from the horror they had faced. Women slouched in doorways as they had tried to shut out their enemy and the elderly had simply died where they stood, knowing they would be unable to escape the mingual who chased them.
The town was deathly quiet except for the cawing of scavenging birds. Vala’s eyes moved slowly back and forth over the innocent citizens whose lives had been cruelly ripped from them by creatures she could no longer think of as human; nothing with a shred of humanity could have allowed this to happen.
Her hands became fists and silently she vowed to take revenge on Bælana and the mingual. Vala retrieved her weapons and began dividing the warriors into groups so they could search of the city. She didn’t hold out much hope that they would find anyone alive but if by some miracle there was, then they couldn’t just leave them surrounded by death.
Vala walked with Alten and several others to a large building towards the centre; the town hall, where the leaders, if any remained, would be found. They walked past another small group of warriors, one who gagged and tried to stop himself from retching. Vala felt sorry for him, he was a young man and a new recruit, he wasn’t used to seeing or dealing with this kind of horror. Although the smell of blood and rotting flesh was overpowering Vala found she was able to block out most of the odour by breathing through her mouth and she whispered that to the young man as they passed.
Alten reached the town hall first and placed his ear against the door, after a few seconds he turned to Vala and shook his head. They opened the door and walked inside; the entrance hall was dim and Vala noticed the oil lamps that were usually lit continuously had been extinguished.
There were a couple of women lying against the large wooden staircase staring at them blankly; Alten walked forwards and closed their eyes and if they hadn’t been surrounded by a pool of red, they might have looked like they were sleeping. Alten stepped carefully over the two women and made his way upstairs, Vala turned to her right, raised her sword and walked through an open door into one of the meeting rooms.
There were a number of men in this room, their hands and feet were bound and they were slumped over the table in the centre. Vala checked them one by one with no luck so she continued into the next room.
She searched the lower rooms of the building, finding several more corpses but no one living. She finally found herself in the kitchen and leant against the counter sighing heavily and staring blankly at the stone floor, it was then that she noticed the trap door in the centre that likely lead to the cellar. She stood up straight and continued to stare, hardly daring to hope that someone might have hidden themselves down there. She walked slowly towards the centre of the room, knelt down and gingerly pulled on the large iron ring.
Vala held her breath as the door lifted and stared down into the darkness, straining to hear noise or movement that sounded human. She was about to move away when she stiffened, believing to have heard something below, she remained for some time, considering whether to get Alten but on hearing the noise again, decided to continue alone.
Vala called down into the cellar but received no reply, she heard the noise again and decided to proceed with caution. Vala held her sword out in front of her and made her way carefully down the wooden steps into the gloom of the cellar. It should have been lit with oil lamps like the rest of the bui
lding but it seemed as if they had burnt out like the others. There was a little sunlight filtering through the windows of the kitchen and some of it managed to penetrate the darkness. Vala called out again into the gloom but no one answered, she peered round, turned to leave and heard a shuffling to her left.
“Hello?” she called, turning back to the dimly lit room and strained to hear a reply. Assuming the noise was probably rats, she turned again to leave when something hit her hard between her shoulders sending her sprawling to the floor. She dropped her sword and cursed loudly as a large unshod foot kicked it away, when she looked up, a mingual warrior was grinning over her. She grabbed for her dagger, stabbed the mingual’s foot and scrambled to her feet, heading for the stairs. He wasn’t distracted by his injury and slammed his fist into her face. She stumbled back and he clamped a large clawed hand round her throat and slammed her against the steps.
Vala gasped for breath as the mingual’s second hand clamped over the first, she grabbed for her dagger to slash at her assailant. Her opponent growled and Vala could feel the hot breath on her face as the mingual warrior drew closer to her. She saw a flash of white as he grinned, grabbed her wrist, pulled it towards him and bit down hard. She tried to scream but his hand clenched more tightly round her neck and only a hoarse cry emerged.
The mingual finally released her arm from his jaws and it fell limply to her side; blood ran freely from the wound and dripped onto the dusty floor. She kicked wildly at him while her good hand grabbed at his in a desperate attempt to free herself but she could feel herself becoming weak. She found it increasingly difficult to draw breath and began to feel lightheaded and dizzy. Her second hand fell to her side as she finally stopped trying to breathe and lost consciousness.
Forgotten Magic (Elementals Book 1) Page 23