Forging Alliances: Wizards of White Haven

by Frances Howitt

They passed quickly along the corridor, up the staircase at the end and out the door into the Great Hall. She was relieved that the Hall now had a solid floor once more, with no dangerously gaping holes to fall through. The Hall was a hive of activity, with Clan people using the large open area to build and assemble the many items that had had to be kept small to fit through the Portal and then manoeuvred up stairs and through passageways.

  As it always did, it struck her just how little noise the people were making given there were so many working in one place. Inevitably some tasks did require hammering and sawing, but those were kept to a minimum. She glanced at Jack and noticed his constantly moving gaze was taking everything in with considerable interest.

  They stepped out through the large, heavy Hall doors, swiftly closing them behind them. The doors and stone were remarkably efficient at containing the noise the people did make. The shallow anteroom they now crossed was chequered with a strange combination of beams of early morning sun and black shadow. This was as a result of the end wall being riddled with holes and missing masonry. The fallen stone and jumbled debris was in sharp contrast to the restored rooms they’d just traversed.

  Jack wordlessly watched as the pack went to the holes in the wall and used them to spy outside. Only once they were confident the way was clear did they head out through the jagged gaping hole that was all that was left of the original doorway. Jack followed, jogging swiftly across the open area outside and down the slope to the shadow cast by a wall.

  ‘Where are we?’

  ‘This is Féarmathuin Castle,’ Freddie told him simply.

  ‘Féarmathuin Castle? Bloody hell.’ As he glanced around, to get his bearings, Jack realised that this wall was part of the upper defences, creating a sloping enclosed courtyard that many of the household buildings had once opened onto. At first glance the damage to the other buildings was catastrophically extensive. However, he now wondered if any of them had also been repaired underneath, like the hall, with the ruined rubble kept as camouflage.

  Now shielded from sight by the wall, they followed it to the left until they reached a corner. Rudimentary stone block steps had been built there which served the dual purpose of reinforcing the wall and also providing a corner lookout point. Freddie headed up the steps and peered over carefully, scanning the landscape in all directions. Natalya joined him a moment later, using her wizard senses. Only once they deemed it safe did they come down and let Jack go up for a look.

  Jack gazed around him in wonder. He’d never imagined he would ever have a chance to see the legendary castle. The battle that had ended in the fall of this castle was said to have been vicious and looking around him he could see ample evidence of that for himself. Where he stood, amongst the ruins, he felt a great sadness for the clan’s loss. This castle, and its noble animus ruling family, had stood as a symbol of hope and pride for all other animus for generations. He knew that was the primary reason it had been so comprehensively crushed.

  He eyed the lower bailey and its shattered gates and then beyond to the expanse of derelict town skirting the lower sides of the hill. Whilst he could see the castle itself was relatively small, he’d never realised the town had actually been quite large. Although, as he eyed it more closely from above, he realised that his first impression was not actually correct. The buildings were far more widely spaced than in any other town he’d ever visited, hence it seemed large. Many human towns were so crowded that the humans seemed to live on top of one another like ants. This more spacious, sprawling layout, would allow a person to breathe and hear himself think. Its people had built from the outset with an animus person’s space needs in mind.

  ‘Clan Green Bear are working to retake their homeland?’ Jack asked quietly, the secrecy and activity behind them taking on a new meaning.

  ‘Yes,’ Freddie responded, his gaze restlessly moving around them. ‘Until we have rebuilt the perimeter walls, and defences, we are vulnerable. We cannot let anyone know of our presence.’

  ‘So, no storming of prison walls until then?’ Jack clarified.

  ‘Correct. It’d be doubly cruel to have successfully launched a rescue, only to be overrun and retaken hours later, because we have no-where safe to take our people. For the time being, unthreatened guards are less likely to retaliate or treat their prisoners badly.’

  Jack nodded, understanding that whilst every protective instinct demanded he immediately rush to his family’s rescue, Freddie had a point and his logic was undeniable. He knew Freddie was watching him closely for his reaction and inevitable disappointment they could not rescue his loved ones today.

  ‘Let’s go over to Berwick and scout out what’s now in Whitfield. I’d really like to know if what you heard is a true tip. But, before we go anywhere, I need your promise. If we discover that is where our women are, that you’re not going to try anything on your own.’

  ‘Leaving them doesn’t sit well,’ he admitted reluctantly, ‘but I’m not stupid.’

  Freddie nodded acceptance, appreciating Jack’s honesty and led them through the main gateway and down to the lower bailey. There he found Darius, not simply standing back supervising but helping the masons with the heavy stone blocks. Now they knew what the blocks they’d helped carry were destined for; the main defensive wall.

  Jack watched the men busy rebuilding a large section of wall, much of which had been reduced to rubble and dust. The large black haired man Freddie veered towards had glanced round almost immediately they had come into sight. He finished what he was doing and then straightened, unkinking his back for a moment before coming to meet them.

  ‘Freddie, come to give us a hand? Or are you off scouting today?’

  ‘Scouting. A good morning to you my lord,’ Freddie greeted. ‘I’d like you to meet Jack,’ he added gesturing, as if the two men hadn’t already been eyeing one another. ‘Jack, this is Darius, Drako’s elder brother,’ Freddie added.

  ‘Ah, you’re the one with the hot tip,’ Darius remarked quietly.

  ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you sir,’ Jack said and took the outstretched hand. He was glad Darius didn’t feel the need to attempt to dominate him, although it was clear that he had a commanding nature.

  ‘I hear you’re leopard,’ Darius observed. ‘Sure you want to spend the day trying to keep up with running wolves? Rather than hold them up, your energy might be better spent here. We could use another strong man. You can be sure we’ll be first to hear all about what they find when they return later.’

  Jack remembered the last time he’d tried to keep up with Freddie. He knew he’d been weak at the time, but he keenly remembered the humiliating way they’d hardly been moving faster than a walk and yet they had still had to keep stopping to let him catch up. Despite his renewed strength, leopards simply weren’t built to run for hours at a time. In a sprint and tackle situation, he was their superior, but that wasn’t what they’d be doing today. The fact Freddie wasn’t speaking up probably meant he would prefer it if he stayed behind. Jack appreciated the alpha wolf’s silence to let him make that decision.

  ‘You do have a point,’ he said easily. ‘Spending an entire day running flat out, merely to see the same things they are, does seem a poor use of time. Freddie already said this was merely a fact finding trip and that the priority was repairing the castle defences. I’ve already noticed a number of ways I could help to speed up your operation here.’

  ‘Did you indeed? What’s your trade?’

  ‘Wheelwright, amongst other things.’

  ‘Now that’s a very handy skill. See you later then Freddie,’ Darius added decisively and barely noticed as the wolves jogged off with no further ado. ‘What improvements do you have in mind?’

  Jack then spent the next few hours building some simple trolleys. Together with the addition of some ramps and another winch, it meant a trolley could be loaded at the White Haven end, be dragged through the Portal itself and then pulled from the Portal room to the next cave. The same trolley could then be a
ttached to the existing winch lift taking it up into the Hall. This meant the trolley was only loaded once and did not have to be unloaded and the blocks carried over tricky thresholds.

  The moment the first trolley was finished men started using it, exclaiming on how much easier it was to drag a wheeled load than have to carry such dead weight in their arms. The design was quickly copied to give them a second trolley. Once this was finished, Jack decided to mention Natalya’s concern that the new hole in the wall was a security hazard. He pointed out that a simple, but strong door could easily be built enabling the portal room to be barred at night. Having pointed out that weakness, he knew he could leave it to the other carpenters to rectify.

  Noticing that a stack of blocks was soon accumulating in the hall, courtesy of the new trolleys and improved time efficiency, he watched how the men took them to where they were needed down the hill. Again, men were carrying individual blocks, but this time down a steep slope. Damn, that was hard work, not to mention inefficient. So, he designed a new trolley reminiscent of a sack barrow, but with four wheels. He made sure there was a particularly strong barrier at the trolley’s foot to stop the blocks sliding off on the steep hill. There was much trial and error involved, but as the efficiency of the first part of the moving process was clear to everyone, he had all the help he could wish for.

  It was when, many hours later, he connected the trolley to a cable and a counterbalance system, that even Darius came up to express his praise. As the small trolley, laden with stone, trundled down the hill, its momentum could now provide the power to pull a heavy load up on the lift to Hall level. Even though the load only went a short distance down the hill, it traversed a steep section particularly difficult to walk down with a heavy load and exposed to sight. Since wizards tended to scan for magical signature in preference to coming close enough to use their actual eyes, keeping the workforce obscured behind thick stone walls minimised the risk of being noticed.

  Jack noticed people putting away tools and realised dusk was beginning to fall. He was urged to follow suit and finished up his work on a second outside trolley. Glancing around he realised there was still no sign of the wolf team. He sought out Darius who privately advised that the pack had decided to stay on a bit longer to have a thorough scout around. Natalya was clearly very handy to have with them since she could call Darius directly and give him updates as and when they had something of note to report. It was promising news, even if they had yet to confirm finding their goal.

  Jack followed everyone else down into the portal room and then back to the village. He wasn’t alone in stretching stiff and weary muscles. He couldn’t deny there were pleased smiles abounding though, despite the hard labour. They were pushing themselves towards a worthy objective; no one was forcing them to put in extra effort and morale was strong as a result.

  Knowing Dustin wouldn’t be back this evening he accepted the invitations to join those he’d been working with to share their evening meal. He followed his new friends into the charcoal burner’s cottage to discover the kitchen was far larger than would usually be the case for what had seemed a modest cottage. He realised it had been designed for the workers to be able to come in and sit down for meals together. Although the table was far larger than the small burner staff would ever need, it fitted the space. He admired the ongoing signs of subtle subterfuge; everything the clan built seemed designed to have multiple uses and purposes.

  After taking his turn washing his gritty hands, he accepted the space given him at the table and gladly sat down. A pair of women bustled about in the business end of the kitchen and the room was warm and redolent with the rich scent of a hearty stew. The atmosphere, companionship and sense of working towards a shared goal warmed him. And, as a thick stew was ladled out into a bowl before each of them, silence fell to appreciate the good food. A mug of ale arrived by his plate and he smiled warm gratitude to their hostess. Soon, stomachs began to fill and the noise level rose as banter and good natured teasing around the table caused laughter.

  Tomorrow was soon enough to continue the heavy work he’d been doing. He knew he’d be welcome to return to finish his projects and then lend a hand wherever was most useful. He had real skills to offer and they’d trusted him with their secret.

  The days of feeling a burden were over. There would be much critically useful work he could undertake at the castle. They were enabling him to repay their hospitality in a way that served both his and their needs. He walked back to the village with the others, tired but with a warm sense of satisfaction.

  Whatever Freddie found, he understood no rescue attempt could be undertaken yet. He’d seen for himself where they were at with the rebuilding of the castle’s defences. They were in no shape yet to repel attack from even a small army. He knew others in the Clan had superior skills at scouting and fighting. He would be a hindrance to them, and that did not sit well with him. His family was best served by his working towards their freedom using the skills he did have. Now able to actively help speed up the Clan’s security eased his frustration.

  19. Scouting

  Natalya followed Freddie away from Jack, Darius and the castle wall builders. She eyed the huge pile of rubble that was all that remained of the main gates. Some wizard had been too enthusiastic with his spell, shattering the towers as well as the gates. The gateway subsequently blocked with rubble, the intruders had therefore had to make another way in. The large wagon sized hole had been seamlessly repaired, but one of the others, farther along the wall, remained. From a distance, it looked as though there was a narrow, jagged gap, ample for a person to get through. The impression was that the wall remained broken, especially given the mess of the shattered gateway. She frowned wondering if that was actually so, but kept her silence to see what they’d done. She constantly marvelled at the Clan workmen’s ingenuity in fooling the eye. As they reached the breach she realised it was an optical illusion. A second piece of wall now overlapped it from behind leaving a jagged shadow in front but making space for a concealed solid door to close the breach but provide access.

  Freddie nodded to the man, standing guard over the door, who had opened it at their approach. They walked through and were now outside the castle’s walls. They headed quickly across what had once been a cleared expanse of mown grass that would have provided a clear field of fire from the castle walls. It was now an unkempt area with patches of tall weeds and wild briar. That waist height vegetation would probably allow an animus, in their animal form, to traverse through here unnoticed, but since the cover was patchy they’d have to work to remain hidden. She noticed there weren’t any trees though and she suspected some would have self-set in the decades the ruin had been untended; clearly they had been removed as being a hazard. They jogged on down the hill and into the town.

  The town itself had already been thoroughly checked out and the traps set for the encroaching army removed or made safe. She could see evidence that many wild creatures, including deer, had moved in to graze in the parks and use the broken buildings for shelter. Birds flew everywhere, filling the air with their cheery calls and the sound of fluttering wings. They helped dispel the weighty gloom surrounding them from a town otherwise empty of life.

  As they walked down what had once been the main street, she looked about her sadly. The broad paved street gave hints as to what it had once looked like. Beneath the cracks, debris and weeds, lay smoothly worked stone. In the places where roadblocks had been sited however, the devastation was acute, with craters, rubble and the twisted rusted remains of weaponry. Likewise the shops and homes bore many signs of the ferocity of the fighting that had taken place. Black sooty streaks still remained in places, despite the passing of years, telling the tale of how fire had swept though. It was a grim reminder of just what the Clan had suffered, mercilessly attacked in their very homes.

  Looking past the damage, she could tell this had once been a prosperous and pleasant place to live. Mature trees lined the main roadways and there were many
large open spaces where a wide variety of lush greenery thrived. The plants might be wild and overgrown but they’d clearly once been gardens rather than the result of weeds growing over broken masonry. This was an animus town; its people needed elbow room and green places and they’d had that here. Thus the town sprawled over quite a large area.

  Her fingers twitched, itching to cast spells to mend and rebuild, but she could not. Instead she had to maintain her shield to mute her magical signature in case the area was still being monitored by enemy wizards. She could feel the sorrow and bleak depression emanating from not only Freddie, but Rupert and Johnny too. They might have been small children when they’d lived here, but they’d been old enough to remember these streets bustling with life, people and families. The scenes they were remembering brought the areas they traversed to life for her, but the comparisons were stark reminders of what Clan Green Bear had lost.

  ‘I can’t wait for the castle to be finished and the need for secrecy to be over,’ she said. ‘There’s so much history here. So much that was once good.’

  ‘You’re right, but it’s gone now,’ Rupert said, looking about him mournfully.

  ‘Not everything is gone. Your people are resilient, just like this land. It might take a while but we’re working on taking your Clan’s home and heritage back, even if it is one stone at a time. All of this can be rebuilt.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Rupert said quietly, his back straightening once more. It was so easy to focus on the devastation rather than the true fact that they’d successfully found a way back to their homeland. Stealthily working towards their objective was the animus way after all. They’d already come far.

  ‘Let’s get moving,’ Freddie said briskly as they left the remains of the town’s palisade wall. Whilst the birds had done some scouting, sufficient to know the Castle District was empty of people, they’d only done a ten mile radius. The birds’ reconnaissance might be useful and be a quick way of covering large areas, but much of the landscape here was forested. Any number of threats could lurk undetected beneath the canopy. However some places were more suited to settlements than others. They were the places to check out first. ‘We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. We’ll head west today beyond the Castle District and then loop round. We also need to make sure the Berwick valley is secure.’