As they made a headlong charge towards the group, it became obvious that King Jarom had not anticipated such a maneuver, as his attentions were directed to the priests’ demise. He was taking great pleasure, as one by one they fell before his men. His voice boomed throughout the hall with his hideous, raucous laughter. The others seated beside him did not share in his joyous mood. King Peter and King Alexas sat with faces rigid, afraid to look about the hall but not ashamed of their deeds either. They were quite grateful that Andrew rested with the Father, for now they had no one’s revenge to fear. King William held his head low in shame; he had had no choice but to concede to King Jarom’s wishes.
King Jarom’s guards were slow to move and react, as their king had ordered them not to move and they greatly feared his scorn. They did not move to engage until Lord Serant and the others were fully upon them.
Father Joshua managed to raise his voice about the hall one more time before he was belted across the head, and his world faded to black before his eyes. “Ywentir, never forget!” His words were enough to incite fury into the keepers’ hearts, and enough to motivate their disheartened spirits, and the final spell dissolved.
Lord Serant said a hurried prayer to the Father as he saw the keepers stir to action. Lord Serant told Calyin to follow the two chancellors wherever they took her and to stay with them at all cost. His voice fell on the last word as he dove, arms and sword stretched wide, onto a group of guardsmen, knocking three of them down with him.
Lord Fantyu masterfully pummeled with the hilt of his sword while blocking another blow with his blade, the hilt catching his would-be assailant directly in the face.
As he blocked the second, he brought his knee up into the man’s groin, followed by an elbow to the back of the head. Captain Brodst cleaned up to the right, while Lord Fantyu attacked again to the left, his overbearing power with a sword readily apparent as he sent blows of metal against metal, bringing the edge of his sword always to flesh.
King Jarom’s verbal abuse against his men was enough to stir them into frenzied, thoughtless attacks. Serant was quick to his feet. He didn’t waste any time, as he covered the two chancellors and Calyin’s retreat. He could see the door was within their reach as he turned back toward King Jarom. Only four men separated him from revenge, which his honor demanded that he have.
Lord Fantyu felt a sudden cold feeling that sent chills running up his back. Numbness swept over him. He bit his cheek; his sword did not falter as he followed through, bringing another of the enemies down before him. He felt the blade withdraw from his back, and winced, but he continued to fight.
“Don’t be a fool!” yelled Captain Brodst to Lord Serant, “Get out of here now!” He pushed Lord Serant out of the way and engaged the two who stood before him. As he turned to sweep through with his sword, he saw the blade withdraw from Lord Fantyu, but he could not move to help him. Anger flowed through him and into his hands, as he hammered down with all his might on the foe before him.
Lord Fantyu moved in close beside Captain Brodst. His energy visibly slowed as blood dripped from his mouth. “Go! I’ll cover you!”
“I will go nowhere! I’m here to cover you, remember,” spoke Captain Brodst as he blocked.
“Like you covered my backside!” said Lord Fantyu, sounding harsh, but not meaning it. “Go before it’s too late!”
“If I go, you’re coming with me,” said Captain Brodst, as he blocked again.
“We’ll stand and fight together, my friend.”
“Yes,” said the captain as he watched Lord Serant hack down the last man who stood between him and the door, safely making his exit.
“Are you ready?” asked Lord Fantyu, as he watched a group of warriors break through the disarray in the center of the chamber. He elbowed the captain to gain his attention in that direction momentarily. Geoffrey of Solntse yet lived. He was buried amidst a mass of bodies. Only the glimmer of his full-handed sword raised high caught Lord Fantyu’s eye.
Lord Fantyu was slow parrying, and a blow glanced across his shoulder, slicing through his mail, but not wounding him. Captain Brodst paused, and instead of attacking, he opted to defend quickly both right and left, taking the brunt of two attacks momentarily to give his partner a reprieve. “Have you said your prayers?” asked Captain Brodst, indicating they should push forward to where Geoffrey stood.
“Yes, I am ready to go, but not until I take a few more of them with me,” grunted Lord Fantyu, as he struggled to maintain his balance.
“If we go, it will be together!” added Midori, as she and Catrin finally managed a short retreat to the spot where the two stood. “Through there—” she further added, indicating the door to the antechamber. “Yes, but first we will help out our friend,” said Lord Fantyu. “We cannot abandon one with such skill and bravado.”
Chapter Five
“Brother Teren, I believe we must continue on. We cannot afford to stop now. We will push through the night if necessary.”
“Yes, I back Liyan also. As you have told us, you promised Keeper Martin and Father Jacob we would arrive within the week. They need these supplies we bring.”
“Brother Seth, Brother Liyan, I hear your wisdom, but you do not know the nights on the plains. It will be unbearable.”
“We will endure; we must endure. I believe you can get us safely to the coast. I trust in you.”
“As do I,” added Seth.
Brother Teren, devout in his commitment, pulled the hood of his cloak up tight around his face and walked back into the face of the storm. The wind blasting south only added to the tumultuous flurries surging from the skies overhead. He noticed a conscious twinge of power against his will and cast a feeling of impatience back at Tsandra.
At a lethargic pace, the party began moving again. Teren was very careful to insure that the entire group was behind them as they did so. As he reached his thoughts back to the last section, he was sure all was in order, and he increased the pace ever so slightly.
Seth urged his mount to move onward though the beast would have preferred to remain still. He whispered to Liyan and then moved back to where Valam and Evgej rode. Seth voiced concerns to Valam over their previous debate. Evgej was quick to add that he was also concerned.
“This storm, what will it be like when it is at its full fury?” asked Evgej.
“Its power comes and goes. It is a natural cycle.”
“This is not natural,” directed Liyan to the three.
“What do you mean?” asked Valam.
“Brother Seth and I have been discussing this storm and its origins. I believe it is not natural, that it is an omen. A dark omen.”
“Have you spoken with Brother Teren about this?”
“We have considered it, but will wait till a better time.”
Evgej offered a scowl, to which Valam quickly appended, “I think we should have that discussion now. Brother Teren knows these plains.”
Liyan nodded to Seth. Seth rode off in search of Teren. Shortly afterward, Liyan joined the brothers of the Brown. Valam could see the elder riding alongside Tsandra. Tsandra cast glum stares in Valam’s direction as the night moved quickly in about them, carrying with it more cursed cold.
The snowflakes became crystalline as all the moisture in them solidified. Contrary to what Seth had hoped, the snow did not stop, nor did it slow; it maintained its barrage on them ever so efficiently.
The bite of the cold, especially in places that they could not adequately cover, grew beyond numbness to pain. Valam removed the gloves from his hands and touched the warmth to his face. A burning sensation swelled through his cheeks and nose. No matter how tightly he wrapped his hooded cloak about him, it did not shield his face.
Valam and Evgej were at a disadvantage as the darkness fell about them. They did not have the gift of Seth’s kind to communicate amongst themselves with thought. He doubted his tongue would move if it were necessary; or perhaps, he thought, it would freeze solid mid-sentence if he attempted to
speak.
Captain Mikhal and Lieutenant Danyel’ followed closely behind Valam and Evgej. Cagan made up the fifth of their tiny group. In front of and behind the five stretched a long caravan of horses and riders although they were the only such grouping amongst the entire party. They rode with a length of rope between them to mark their distances as visibility faded to obscurity. The others had no need for any such bonding. They had their link.
Liyan searched the sky with his eyes, looking for patches of scattered heavenly light, but he saw only blackness. He cast a sour feeling to Seth’s mind, to which Seth responded with an equally glum expression. After hours of riding through the darkness, Liyan felt as if they had only moved inches; to him it was if the winds held them at bay and for each step they moved forward it pushed them back an equal measure.
A feeling of despair surged amongst them and even though they would not admit its presence, it was there. They were as weary as the animals they rode upon, especially those heavy with packs. Liyan’s propensity for thought was muddled by his exhaustion, another feeling which was pervasive; luckily, his other faculties were still mostly intact. Common sense told him they must stop now, and Liyan answered its call.
“Brother Teren!” he called out with his mind. “We must rest, the animals as well as ourselves.”
“If we pause, we will not be able to begin again,” answered Teren.
“As you said earlier, this I know.”
“If it is your will, then it is so.”
“It is.”
“Then so be it,” responded Teren in thought, while he reached out and touched the minds of those who followed him as one. “My brothers, we will wait out the storm here.”
“Can we survive the night here?” asked Liyan, of only Teren’s mind.
“If it is the Mother’s will.”
Tsandra approached the foremost group. “Why do we stop now?” she demanded of Liyan; the words were a spontaneous reaction to Teren’s thought. She did not even consider the possibility that it was Liyan’s idea that they stop until she reached out with her words to his center. As she did so, she bit back further comment.
“How can we endure this cold?” asked Seth, as he dismounted. Scattered sparks of light lit the sky as torches were raised on the extreme ends of the party. The lights were drawn together as the group formed a closely packed circle.
“The answer, Brother Seth, is beneath your feet.”
“The snow. How brilliant!” answered Seth as he touched Teren’s mind and Teren’s thoughts. “What of the animals?”
“With luck, they will survive also.”
Seth returned confused thoughts; Teren had obviously been in this situation before. Teren led the way and the others followed his example. He raised two mounds of snow around him and formed them into walls. Teren explained as he moved through the steps. He positioned the junction of the two walls into the wind, raising it upward to shield him from the chilling effects of the wind.
Cold, tired bodies moved cold, tired hands in a fevered attempt to raise a shelter from the storm. The first thing they did was to release the burdens from their animals and then they followed Teren’s example. Teren showed them how to form the walls together, connecting in a series of staggered angles.
The work stirred warmth into their muscles. Seth paused a moment and slumped down beside Teren and Liyan. Valam and Evgej also took a moment’s reprieve and joined them. Evgej closed his eyes as he sat down; the warmth returning to his body felt so good. “Do not let the lull of warmth blind your thoughts, Brother Evgej,” whispered Teren, “the warmth will carry you off into the winds of the night.”
“Say that again,” said Evgej, drowsily.
Teren touched the palm of his hand to Evgej’s brow. He held it there only a second before he removed it.
“Valam, Seth, remove the gloves from his hands. Liyan, pull off his other boot,” thought Teren into their minds quickly, as he removed Evgej’s right boot. “Quickly remove his cloak. Seth, remove your gloves as well. Follow my example.” Teren washed Evgej’s foot in the snow, massaging the foot with his hands. “Seth, can you feel the will within him?”
“Are you mad?” screamed Valam, “The snow will kill him!”
“Valam, please just listen to me, or else Evgej will die.”
“Yes, but it is shallow.”
The urgency of Teren’s message within Valam’s thoughts was all the proof he needed of Teren’s sincerity. From then on, he did exactly what Teren told him to do. “Evgej, can you feel this?” asked Teren as he pinched Evgej’s foot.
“Yes,” responded Evgej.
“Can you feel this?” asked Teren again.
“Yes.”
Teren looked to the others; he had not touched Evgej’s foot a second time. “Keep massaging his hands in the snow,” Teren told the others while he talked to Evgej. “Can you feel the movement of your fingers?”
“Yes.”
Teren told them to stop, and asked the question again.
“No.”
“Good, good!” responded Teren. Teren continued to work frantically over Evgej, directing the other three as he went. “This is exactly what I feared. We must be astute during this night, or none of us will reach the morning.” Teren carefully chose words to remind all present of the effects of the cold against their limbs and their lives. Forcefully, he reminded them to remember above all else to keep moving. “Do not let your bodies slow. Guard your will. Maintain close watch over your mount. Do not let it wander away, but make sure it also stays mobile. Be wary. If one bolts, all the animals will bolt.”
“Will Evgej be all right?” asked Valam. His mind bristled with thoughts, none of which were pleasant. He wondered how Captain Mikhal and Lieutenant Danyel’ fared, as they also were not used to severe cold weather. He blamed himself for Evgej’s condition; common sense should have told him to ensure Evgej was wary.
“Yes, I believe he will be fine, but we must keep him warm,” responded Teren while he directed into Evgej’s mind another question.
“Ouch!” yelled Evgej, “That hurt!”
“Good! Keep moving your toes.”
The amount of wood they had for burning only amounted to a scattered stockpile of torches, which would provide little heat even if they threw every last one into a pile and burned them. Besides, they needed to save the torches and a dwindling stack of wood used for cooking. It wasn’t much, since most of their food stocks were dried, but at best they could warm their ale over it, which is what they decided to do. They were given the opportunity to get warm liquid into their bellies before they settled in to endure the remainder of the long night.
Fortunately, the cold had not deeply touched many others. Valam surmised from what he saw that Seth’s people had a much greater tolerance for the cold. Valam dreaded the many sleepless hours that lay ahead. As he saw Captain Mikhal and Lieutenant Danyel’ move from the long line huddled around the dwindling fire, he motioned for them to join him.
He was sitting alone. Seth and Liyan had helped Evgej to the fire. The three were still there, sitting around it. He could see from the expression on Evgej’s face that life was returning to his veins. Captain Mikhal and the lieutenant followed Valam’s lead and sat upon their packs, to avoid sitting on the cold earth.
The walls of snow shielded them well from the chilling effects of the wind, but the storm’s rage still found its way to them. “How do you think Keeper Martin and Father Jacob fare?” asked Valam of the captain as more of a conversation opener than anything else although he was interested in hearing more about the two.
“They are tough men. I am sure they are fine,” replied Mikhal.
“Do you know much of these plains?”
“Yes, we have been very thorough in our scouting.”
“Then you were on a scouting expedition from the camp when we met you?”
“Well—”
“Yes,” responded Danyel’.
“How many days had you been away from the enc
ampment?”
The captain paused, and then Danyel’ answered the question, “I had been gone from the camp three days when I met Brother Teren. He had seen something that piqued his interest and asked our group to ride along. Unfortunately, Keeper Martin sent Captain Mikhal in search of my group when we did not return to camp on time. They met up with us just hours before we met your group.”
“Then, Captain Mikhal, you probably know best how affairs are at the camp. Are spirits good? How goes the training?”
“Training goes well.”
“Have you been able to carry on Seth’s training?”
“Yes, you would be surprised at the enthusiasm. After the initial confusion, or should I say rather bluntly, disdain, a certain fascination caught most everyone.”
Valam nodded his head in approval. Silence fell between them, and Captain Mikhal muddled over thoughts in his mind. He considered telling Valam of Keeper Martin’s plan to return to the Great Kingdom if supplies did not come. He didn’t know how Valam would take news like that. He just hoped the keeper and Father Jacob would hold out an extra week as they had planned although tomorrow would mark the seventh day of his absence.
“Tell me more of the lands in the vicinity,” requested Valam, ever shifting his thoughts to concerns for the future. “Seth has told me a little, but I want to hear it from a viewpoint I can relate to. Have you seen signs of the enemy?”
The captain and the lieutenant took turns depicting all the details they could recall about the countryside they had explored. Valam was very careful to note each detail they gave him; his mind fed on them. The picture he created in his mind helped him feel more at home here, even under these inhospitable conditions.
As the last embers of the fire fell, Seth, Liyan, and Evgej, with help from the other two, moved back to join Valam. Full feeling had returned to Evgej’s joints and limbs. He felt much better although he did still feel rather foolish. He had felt fine until Teren had started prodding him.
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