The women’s voices sank to low, urgent whispers and Amber strained to hear what they were saying, without appearing to listen.
“If we leave tonight….”
“Are you crazy? If we get caught—he’ll skin us alive!”
“I am not staying and fighting! Those Guardians don’t take prisoners. Besides, this Keira woman is said to have some serious powers.”
“Yes, you’re right. Maybe….”
“Maybe nothing. I’m leaving, tonight! You can stay, or come with me.”
“Fine, but we have to be careful. We’ll have to find a way through the wall, we can’t just leave out the front gate.”
“Leave it to me, I know who is on night watch. Meet me at midnight by the side door leading to the rose garden. And don’t be late! I’m leaving with or without you….”
Amber couldn’t hear any more, but it didn’t matter.
Keira is coming! But I have to warn her, she thought. They know she’s coming and there are so many of them here.
Amber twisted her hands together in agitation. Her friends were walking into a trap and if they all died, who would save her and her parents?
Amber thought for a few moments and then her lips pressed together in a thin, determined line. She had a plan. She would need all her courage, but she only had to think of her parents in the cold dungeon to push her fear aside.
Evening came and the castle quieted down. Amber lay on the woollen blanket under the kitchen table and tried very hard to stay awake. She was so tired; it had been a long day of brutal chores, but every time she felt her eyes drooping, she pinched herself and bit on the inside of her cheek. She made up songs and rhymes in her head and recited the names of the wolf pack a hundred times. She remembered all the happy times she had in the castle, and tried to imagine happier times to come.
The clock against the far wall tick-tocked hypnotically, trying to lull her to sleep. She got up a few times to drink water and splash her face. At last, the clock’s hands showed that it was a quarter past eleven.
Amber took a deep, shuddering breath. It was time to go.
She crept down the passage leading from the kitchen to the rest of the castle. Her bare feet didn’t make even the slightest whisper on the cold, stone tiles. She had packed her shoes in the only possession she was allowed to keep, a small backpack that also stored one change of clothes.
She knew the way to the dungeon. She had been allowed to go down there just that morning to take her parents some water. But all she could hear was her mother’s weeping and her father’s coughing, which had gotten worse as soon as he stopped drinking the tea.
From that visit, she knew the rusted gate at the bottom of the stairwell leading to the dungeon wasn’t locked. The only prisoners down there were her parents, and he obviously didn’t think they’d escape. Still, there was the fat old guard who sat at the entrance to the passage leading to the cells.
I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, Keira thought. There was always the cake cook had baked that afternoon. She’ll tell him cook said he could have some. That should get him moving.
She crept down the stone stairs, hugging the wall as she circled around and around, deeper into the castle’s nether regions. The guard was fast asleep. She could hear his snores before she could see him. When she took the last step down, she merely peeped quickly at him, just to be sure, before slipping past and quietly running down the dimly lit tunnel, past three other doors, to the one behind which her parents were kept.
“Mama,” she whispered. “It’s Amber. Papa?”
There was a slight shuffling sound, then her mother’s soft voice called from the other side of the door.
“Amber?”
“Yes, Mama. I’ve come to tell you to hold on. I’m going to get you and Papa out.”
“Amber! No! It is too dangerous, please—you have to go!” her father whispered urgently.
“Papa! How are you? Please hold on, I’ve got a plan,” Amber whispered, her little hands vainly pushing at the rough wood. She couldn’t even see a keyhole, and even if there was one, where would the key be?
“The Draaken is coming. They will help us!” Amber sobbed against the door, trying to be quiet unless the guard woke up.
“Amber, listen!” her father said, the desperation in his voice made Amber stop her scrambling.
“Amber,” he continued. “You have to be brave my girl. You have to get out of the castle.”
“Yes Papa. I’m going to find the Draaken. But I have to get the scroll first. Do you remember the one I told you about? I’m going to take it to Keira,” Amber answered. “I—I came to tell you—I love you and don’t worry.”
“No!” Amber’s mother cried from within the cell. “It is too dangerous! Go to the village, hide there!”
Keira heard her father moving her mother away from the door and trying to comfort the distraught woman. After a few tense moments he was back and whispered urgent instructions: “You will have to be our big girl, Amber. Get that scroll and leave the castle as quick as you can. You find Keira, and you give it to her. She is our only hope. Please Amber, we love you.”
Amber heard her mother’s muffled sobs. She felt a desperate keening start in her own throat, but she swallowed and did the cheek biting trick again.
“Yes Papa, I understand,” her voice broke. “Please Papa, stay strong, I will be back with the Draaken!” With a last touch against the door, she turned and crept back along the wet tunnel, past the sleeping guard, and up the circular steps.
She made her way back through the kitchen. This time she took the passage she was so familiar with, the one leading to the library, where he had his tea every morning. Inch by inch, she made her way in the darkness, her heart beating a polka in her throat. The way to the library was usually nerve-wrecking in the day with the Watchers appearing unexpectedly from behind corners and statues, but at night…. Amber had to clamp down on the whimpers threatening to escape from behind her lips.
I can do this, I can do this….
Voices!
Amber quickly hid behind a suit of steel armour standing watch over the long corridor. She could see the library’s double doors in the distance.
Just too far!
The voices rumbled closer. Three Watchers glided through the shadows, right past Amber where she hunched, curled up in a small ball.
I am not here, I am not here, I am not here…
The refrain repeated itself in her mind, over and over until she was completely convinced of the fact that they couldn’t see her. She concentrated so hard on not being there, that it took her a while to realise she was alone in the corridor once again.
Somewhere in the castle a clock chimed a quarter to the hour. She had to hurry.
Amber tiptoed the last few metres to library. She slowly turned the big brass knob and froze as the door creaked open, the sound rolling down the corridor behind her like a foghorn. After an agonizing moment, she peered around the door. Moonlight streamed in from the tall, narrow windows on the far wall. The room was empty.
Amber slipped through the small opening and clicked the door closed behind her. She inched her way over to where she had last seen him reading from the scroll.
It wasn’t there!
She looked around frantically. The library was so big, she could search until the sun came up and not find it. Amber lifted books, trying to be as quiet as possible, but still the papers rustled and whispered as she moved them around.
The doors slammed open so quickly, Amber had no time to hide. She stood like a deer, frozen in an oncoming car’s headlights. It was a Watcher! He slinked into the room and looked around with a puzzled frown. His stare slid over Amber and continued up and down the bookshelves.
“Mmm, could have sworn I heard something in here,” he scratched his head, left, and closed the door behind him.
Amber sank to the floor, her quivering knees unable to bear her any longer.
He didn’t see me…. Why didn’t
he see me?
She bent over, trying her best not to be sick all over the floor.
A few deep breaths later she lifted her head, weary with the fear and tension bearing down on her small shoulders. She looked up, and there it was. The scroll lay on a low table a few feet away, rolled up and tied with a red velvet ribbon. Amber could only crawl on her hands and knees. She opened it, making sure it was the right one. The ancient text in the spidery writing leapt out at her and she wanted to cry with relief.
New strength flowed through her and she quickly rolled the parchment up, retied the ribbon, and carefully pushed it into her backpack.
Amber would never be able to remember the journey back down the long passages and corridors. It passed in a blur of shadows and light, then suddenly she was hiding behind a big shrub at the edge of the rose garden. She could see the fountain in the distance, its once-white marble shining dully in the moonlight. It was silent and dry, filled with dead leaves.
Papa would never have allowed that, she thought.
A few seconds later, two shadows, weighted down with big bags over their shoulders, slithered past the roses towards the outer wall. They didn’t notice the small shimmer of air that followed them. They walked along the wall, until they reached the narrow wooden door where a Watcher stood guard. The clinking of coins sounded as payment passed hands then the door was thrown open. The guard went with the two deserters, down creaking steps that led to the moat. They stepped onto a flat wooden raft and poled themselves over to the opposite bank.
Amber slipped underneath the steps and waited in the dark. The guard returned with the raft, tied it to the pole and went back up the steps, his boots passing inches from Amber’s face. She heard him lock the door in the wall and waited for everything to be quiet before she crept onto the raft, untied it, and slowly made her way over the water. The cook and her assistant had already disappeared down the road, but Amber wasn’t going that way. She knew who could help her find Keira, and find her quick.
The little girl felt a great weight lift from her shoulders as she flitted through the dark trees.
I’m getting help! Mama, Papa, I’ll be back soon!
Her feet found the path that she and Justin used to take so often—it seemed a lifetime ago—and she kept on running until she reached the clearing in the woods where the wolf pack lived.
She fell down to her knees on the soft grass, panting from exhaustion, and only looked up when a cold, wet nose snuffled her neck.
“Varg!” she called in relief, and threw her arms around the big wolf’s neck. “I am so happy to see you!” She was soon surrounded by the rest of the pack, each wolf coming up to greet and reassure her.
Amber giggled as the young pups fell over each other in their eagerness to reach her, and she spent a few happy moments scratching ears and furry tummies, until reality came crashing back.
She turned to the big male wolf. “Varg, I need your help. I need to find Keira, tonight! Do you know where she is?”
Varg and Ylva looked at each other, and Amber could swear she saw the silent communication between them. Varg stood up and came to stand next to her. He nudged her with his nose and looked at his back.
“You want me to…. Do you really mean it?” Amber asked, incredulously. The wolves had never before allowed her or Justin to ride on their backs, even when they were very small.
“Are you sure? I mean, I’m not little anymore,” she asked again.
The wolf looked her up and down with disdain, as if trying to say that he could carry a much heavier load than her slight body.
“Okay,” Amber laughed, grabbed a handful of fur and jumped onto Varg’s back. She felt his powerful shoulder muscles under her hands. She had scant time to shift her seat as he sprang away. Trees flew past them in a continuous blur of motion. Amber could only bend forward and cling to his fur for dear life as Varg ran on and on.
Chapter 30
It was their second night as guests at the Herberg and, once again, Keira couldn’t sleep.
Their landing at the airstrip the previous evening had been uneventful, except for a token resistance from a handful of Watchers who quickly dispersed when Marco sent a fireball their way.
“Now he’ll definitely know we’re on our way,” Adam had grumbled.
“Good,” Keira replied as they all bundled into a big SUV sent by Magda, the Herberg’s owner. They’d arrived late, but the friendly proprietress and her husband welcomed them with warm smiles and bowls of steaming goulash. Keira learned that Magda was also a Guardian. She had earth magick and was proud of the home-grown ingredients in their dinner. “I show you gardens tomorrow, ja?” she beamed.
This morning, after a night of fitful tossing and turning, Keira had finally gotten up only to find Marco and Yoshi already at the breakfast table.
“You look as tired as I feel,” she said and helped herself to some fresh bread rolls, cold meat and cheese.
“Hmm,” Marco acknowledged and took a sip from what looked like very strong, very black coffee.
“What’s the plan for today?” Keira asked and wondered if she could stomach some of that coffee.
“We wait for everyone to arrive. They should all be here by tonight,” Marco said.
Alison and Sammy joined them and after their own breakfast, Keira suggested they go for a walk outside. She felt herself relaxing as her friends laughed and joked and tried, not very subtly, to distract her from what lay ahead.
Sammy regaled them with tales of her holiday romances and Alison blushed when they asked her about unemployed ski instructors. All three girls appreciated the view when they discovered Magda’s blond, broad-shouldered son working in her vegetable garden.
The rest of the Draaken had arrived at intervals throughout the day. First came Adam’s sisters. They could be heard a mile away as they sang an infectious ditty and everyone’s feet started tapping.
“Stop it!” Adam thundered and they complied with laughs and giggles while hugging him from both sides.
Next came Chloe, Rafael, and Justin. Rafael disappeared inside with his brother to discuss strategy, while Chloe joined the girls outside and Justin went off exploring.
When they went in for lunch, Chetan, Zina, and Kamau were already there, talking with Magda’s husband.
“Oh, I didn’t see you arrive,” Keira smiled and greeted her friends.
“We came in a while ago; I had to feed this man first before I came to say hallo,” Zina said with a soft glance at her fiancé.
“Keira,” Chetan said and nodded a welcome.
She took a seat at the table and soon the conversation was flowing, along with a steady stream of German weissbeer, most of which flowed in Adam’s direction.
“Is it a prerequisite that every Draaken member has to be drop-dead gorgeous?” Sammy whispered to Keira.
“I hadn’t noticed,” Keira whispered. “And stop drooling!”
It was early evening and they were gathered in the living room, when Simone strolled in and hooked her arm through Marco’s. “Did I miss anything?” she asked.
“No, but now that everyone is here, we can iron out the last details,” Marco said and extracted his arm.
They’d planned their approach to the castle late into the night, agreeing that they would leave the Herberg midmorning the next day. Magda’s husband, Dieter, would take them across the border, following old loggers’ tracks, and into the forest. From the drop-off point, they would hike through the forest and reach the castle just before dusk. Dieter offered to take them right up to the castle’s gates, but Marco declined. He wanted to arrive unannounced.
“Early twilight is a good time to attack,” Chetan agreed. “The drawbridge and gate face west. The sun will be in their eyes.”
It was past midnight when everyone drifted off to bed. Marco walked Keira to her room. “Long day tomorrow,” he said. “I hope you get some sleep.”
“You too,” she said and hesitated in front of her door.
�
�Goodnight,” he nodded and continued walking down the hallway to his own room.
“Goodnight.”
*****
Now, Keira paced up and down in her room. She looked out the window, then paced some more and thought over their plan. Tomorrow they would cross the border and make their way to the castle. They had done what Yoshi had suggested. Marco had divided them into groups of two, and each group had their own orders. Still, they were no closer to finding the traitor and Marco didn’t want to take any chances with the mission.
Keira was going stir-crazy. She quickly pulled her boots on, grabbed her jacket, and left the room. She walked out onto the Herberg’s wide front porch; it reminded her so much of Cassandra’s cabin that she immediately felt calmer. She took a few deep breaths of the crisp mountain air and felt her mind begin to clear.
“Couldn’t sleep?” a deep voice asked behind her.
“Oh!” Keira gasped.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Marco said and stood up from the bench he was sitting on.
“No,” she smiled. “It’s okay. I didn’t expect anyone to be out here. I thought you’d gone to bed?”
“Couldn’t sleep either.” He stood next to her and together they looked up at the sky. There were no other buildings near the Herberg, no outbuildings either, so the stars were visible in all their shining glory. It felt as if they were standing at the centre of the Universe, surrounded by its magnificence.
“It is so beautiful,” Keira whispered, awed by Mother Nature’s display.
“Yes,” he agreed.
His voice hinted at a double meaning. Keira suddenly wanted to ask him what happened that night in the tent, why he left so suddenly. But she didn’t ask. She didn’t want to look like a needy fool.
“Keira,” he said. “I don’t know when we will be alone again, but I have to ask you—what do you plan to do once we reach the castle?”
Guardians of the Akasha Page 21