by BJ Hanlon
Grent nudged him in the back and Edin looked at him. The warrior was grinning under the hanging mustache. The guard nodded forward and Edin started walking faster to catch up to Master Horston. The old tutor was about ten yards away and moving quickly, faster than Edin thought possible. He guessed that the threat of death could make anyone a little spryer.
Sometimes it felt like his feet were clamped on the stone, other’s he felt like he was moving through wet grass after a rain. A rotten odor rose from everything his feet or hands disturbed. The light gray brick began to get darker as they pushed further, a slight bend took them around a partially collapsed wall with dirt and large granite rocks covering the floor.
Edin had to press himself into the clammy wall to get past. His heartbeat quickened as he realized the whole tunnel could fall at any moment. This pushed him forward faster than anything Grent could say.
They finally caught up to the old tutor. He glanced back with a scowl beneath his gray mustache. One hand held the torch up while the other held his so called good luck charm. A small flask with some sort of spirit.
“My arm is tired,” he said handing the torch past Edin to Grent. The man grunted and pushed past Edin to take the lead.
They started walking again. The air grew warmer and more humid. It seemed that the tunnel was beginning to rise, it was slight and almost imperceptible, but Edin was sure if he dropped an apple or ball, it’d roll back the way they came. He tried glancing back in the darkness but couldn’t see more than a few feet behind.
A whistling came from somewhere in front of them. He squinted but couldn’t see past the glow from the torch.
After about fifteen minutes, Grent stopped and was staring at a thick stone wall with plant life trying to pierce it. A dead end.
“Are we trapped?” Edin said looking back the way they came. He wasn’t sure what worried him more, being stuck down here with the potential for a collapse or imagining the armored men running down the dark tunnel with swords, spears, and knives with the intention of skewering him.
“No,” Master Horston said studying the wall as if it were one of his manuscripts. “Raise that light.” Grent did and Edin glanced at the uniform rectangle blocks. Every few there were different etchings. One looked to be a sun, another a crescent moon, there were humanoid figures and animals. He shivered when he saw a crillio cat. Edin gripped the fang.
Master Horston started to press one that looked like a man on horseback with a sword in the air. The stone barely moved. Then he pressed others.
Edin heard the click of some latch and felt a rush of air. The large wall of stones slid inward. “Old story from these parts,” Master Horston said, “a lord from long ago rode out at night to save his lady love from the beast. Some say it was one of your ancestors.” Edin wasn’t sure what he meant.
Edin stepped back as the swinging door came closer to him. His heel caught on a something and he stumbled. Grent caught him.
“Quit messing around,” Grent said as he grabbed the stone door and pulled. It rumbled open just enough for Edin to see another wall. Then he realized he could see through it. Long rope-like objects hanging down in a tangled mess. He heard the sound of rushing water outside. Grent handed Horston the torch pulled out his sword. The quick strikes of the blade offered more light. He took a second and realized they were vines and roots.
Grent’s large frame started to squeeze through the opening.
“Put that out,” he whispered to Master Horston who immediately dropped the torch to the ground and stomped on it. “Grab the packs, hand them to me,” Grent said.
Edin quickly took off his pack and started passing them to the guard. After Grent and the gear was through, Edin began to follow, moving sideways through the narrow opening. Fresh air brushed past his hand, Edin took a few more sidesteps when something latched onto his tunic just below his neck. There was no way to get through without going forward. Holding his breath, he moved. The thin needle like object began scraping his neck. He heard a slight tear in the fabric and felt a scratch.
Edin ignored it, closing his eyes he kept going. Finally, his shoulders then head met the cool earthy smelling air as he emerged into the fresh morning. They were in the forest ravine somewhere north of the manor. His heart was pounding almost loud enough to drown out the sound of the Crys that flowed before them.
Master Horston emerged, brushing off his brown robe with his thin hands. Above them stood a large tree with vines wandering down. It seemed to sit only inches from the hidden entrance but somehow the tunnel held.
Grent stuck an arm back into the tangle and the door closed, concealing it into the earth as if it were never there.
“No time for rest,” Grent said, “it’ll be full light soon and we need to put as much distance between us and this place as possible.”
“It looks cold and the current is strong,” Master Horston said walking toward the rushing water. “It’ll take us some time to cross and by the time we get over we’ll be shivering, possibly hypothermic.”
“We didn’t have time to fell the tree. Only bridge for leagues is on the North Road…” Grent said trailing off.
He left it unsaid that they’d easily be noticed and caught. The flight through the tunnel would’ve been worthless, Edin might as well have just walked out the front porch.
His thoughts went to his mother and his home. He hoped she had calmed them and was sitting in her study sipping tea. Maybe she was already preparing to leave and meet them.
“So, no boat to take us down river?” Edin asked. “A ship from Calerrat would be the most efficient way to get to the southern isles.”
“Who said it’s a southern isle?” Master Horston said. “Besides, it’s too obvious first, too dangerous second. Remember the capital has the Citadel and a Por Fen on almost every corner.”
Grent shook his head and stuck the tips of his fingers into the water. “We’re heading east, through Dunbilston,” he sighed. “We have to cross.” He took his boots off and held them, his pack, and sword above his head. Without another word he turned and waded into the icy water.
Edin touched the cold flowing water and shivered. Icy as if it had just melted minutes ago.
“I don’t know…”
“Quit being a child, if my old bones can take it so can you.” Horston said.
Edin glared. “Maybe there’s a tree or…”
“Get in.” Horston spat.
Edin followed, with his boots, pack and sword above his head. The middle of the river looked to be moving at the speed of a galloping horse. He dipped a foot in and the icy water sent a shiver through his entire body. His breath came quickly as he pushed deeper in the river.
The water barreled into him as his feet began sinking into the soft river bed like an anchor. Soon he could barely feel them except for the dull ache from kicking a rock.
A thin tree with drooping branches clung to the river bank across from him. Fixing his eyes on it he moved deeper. That was his goal. He glanced over and saw only Grent’s head and arms above the water, the current had pushed the strong guard a few yards further down river than Edin.
Edin’s breath escaped him as his nether region hit the freezing water, everything felt like it contracted. His muscles seized for a second and his lungs decided to stop working.
A few moments later Master Horston said something from behind him. Through the rushing water and chattering teeth, he only heard “fool.” He didn’t want to glance back to see the old man. If he didn’t get out of the water soon, he wouldn’t be able to feel anything at all.
The water reached his chest and his fingers began to tingle and he couldn’t feel his toes. He kept moving, the frozen sensation crept up his legs as he delved further into the river. Slowly, he noticed the tree was drifting away. No he was drifting.
A soft yelp came from behind him but kept his eyes on the target. It was almost twenty feet up river now. He took another step and dropped even further. Edin’s shoulders began to tremble a
s the water reached his chin. A quick glance at Grent, and he saw the guard’s head was still above water and it looked as if he were still walking. Grent was a couple inches taller than Edin. Berka’s size. That meant Edin would be almost completely submerged. He breathed deeper as he reached the center of the river. The water rose to just below his nose.
Edin’s heart was pumping faster, trying to keep him warm. Tilting his head back, he gasped a breath of air. The water was too fast here, pushing him at an angle. He closed his eyes and pressed his feet into the bed and the hard rocks.
He was still moving and couldn’t feel his feet at all. His legs drove as in cold molasses.
The shivers ran up and down his body, his teeth began chattering drowning out all noise. He felt numb, his brain slowing like he had just woken. Slowly though, he felt the water level lowering… or was he rising.
The far bank was only a few paces away. He glanced toward the tree, but he couldn’t even tell which one he was looking at before. The river would push them south and into the open farm fields that straddled the water. Freezing and in plain sight, they’d be found in a matter of hours.
His mouth came out first, then his neck. The tingling moved up to his legs then further. Edin gasped, he didn’t want anything falling off.
In front of him, Grent was on the bank of the river doing something in the bushes. If he had to relieve himself, why didn’t he just do it in the water? Edin wanted to say something but his tongue wasn’t working.
Finally, his chest came out, then his hips. A soft breeze attacked, chilling him worse than the water. Five feet away, he took a step. Almost there. He thought. I’m out.
Suddenly, something hard slammed into his leg cracking the side of his knee. It was dull but caused him to collapse. On instinct he tossed his things forward as the water enveloped him in a splash. A fast-moving object caught him in the hip and then chest. Edin tried to grab it but his fingers wouldn’t work. He tried shoving it but the swiftness and the power of the water made it feel like it was a thousand pounds. His brain started to go numb, and his lungs strained for air.
Edin reached out with his arms to the sides. His frozen hands were unable feel anything, unable to respond to any commands. He pressed his legs down, they felt like dead weights but somehow the thick muck of the bed held onto him.
Edin splashed his arms around as he tried to reach the surface. The vision in his eyes began to blur. Darkness crept in as his lungs strained for air. The surface of the water was inches away, but his entire body was numb. There was no way to move.
A blurred shape ran across his field of vision. Something splashed into the water and he felt a tug under his arms. Suddenly, his whole body was out of the freezing water and in the chilly air. It was almost as if he were flying away from the blue river. He crashed into a spindly bush with a thick arm wrestling him to the ground. A tingling sensation rolled through his body, his chest rising and falling as his body shivered uncontrollably.
His vision came back. He was looking straight up at the sun peeking through the budding canopy. Someone plopped down next to him and slowly, his body began to feel normal. Edin closed his eyes and didn’t move except for the random shivering. He was unsure how long it was before he heard Grent, “we need to go, if you two don’t move, you’ll freeze.”
“Damned… terr…” Horston started, his words barely coherent.
“I… am frozen,” Edin said through chattering teeth.
“Not yet,” Grent said pulling Edin up by his tunic. It took a long time for Edin to slip on his boots. His fingers felt like they had pins in them and all the dexterity was gone.
“We’re going to have to go cross country, stick to the forest for at least a week, probably more.” Grent said as he helped Horston to his feet. “After, we’ll try and cut down to the North Road.”
Everything about Edin was exhausted and frozen, he didn’t even have the energy to nod. How would he be able to hike? His mind whirled.
A piercing cry came from somewhere… his mind? It felt as if it were echoing from a cave. Edin barely paid attention until he saw the worried look on Grent’s face… then on Horston’s.
Another… it was a loud scream came from somewhere across the river. It took a moment to orient himself, he knew some of those trees and the cry came from… the direction of the manor.
Edin spun, nearly falling. He couldn’t see anything through the boles and undergrowth. He grabbed at his sword and started tramping down river.
“Don’t,” Grent spat.
Edin didn’t care, suddenly warmth pulsed through his body, a rush of adrenaline, curing any after effects of the freezing water that had recently made its residence in him.
Bowed trees began covering the ravine like a green tunnel. Behind him, he heard thick sloshing boot steps but he kept glancing between the open tree line and the direction of his home.
Slowly, the trees on the other side of the river began to thin out. He spotted a dark tower of black smoke rising to the west as the daylight faded behind a cloud.
More screams and wailing chorused together, at least two people, maybe more. He knew his home was only a hundred yards away… on the other side of the river. Edin’s blood was pumping as he raced down the ravine, what would he find?
The trees parted with only the odd one or two clumped together. Across the river was a small stone stair that the servants used to collect water and beyond that, he saw the side of the manor. Smoke billowed in puffs like Horston thinking while puffing on his long pipe. A hand grabbed him and pulled him back turning him away.
“Let go,” Edin screamed as another hand clamped his face. He wrenched his head away to see the manor.
Near invisible flames were climbing the side of his home. A portion of the porch cracked and fell. The mob cheered. The thatched roof seemed to be turning from a soft yellow to black instantly, as if a wave was pouring over it.
Tears began to stream down his face as he was pulled back again. Thick fingers dug into his scared bicep and yanked him down into the mud. More terrified screams.
He took a deep breath and screamed, “mot…” Grent’s thick hand clapped onto his mouth again. Edin tried to fight it, push it and pull it away. He needed to call, to see her. She had to be okay. They wouldn’t have left her in that place. She is loved by the town, by everyone. A tear slipped down his cheek as Grent pulled him into his chest and cradled his head as if he were a frightened child.
More screams from the manor. A lot more.
Edin glanced back, he couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. A moment later, he saw a woman in a multicolored cloak rushing toward the house, screaming something… for someone but Edin couldn’t understand. A man stepped out of the crowed and yanked her back. A loud smack cut across field as he knocked her to the ground. He knew that man, that woman, her parents.
“My daughter!” the woman cried.
“Kes…” Edin whispered, his mouth went dry as he stared at the manor.
Then something crashed and there was no cheering or screaming anymore. The mob, Grent, Master Horston and he stared in silence. He hoped everyone was out of there before it burnt, but he knew that wasn’t the case.
Grent whispered in his ear. “We need to go.”
Then the Justicar stepped out of the crowd and began gazing around the manor… around the tree line. His eyes paused for just a moment and Edin was sure he’d seen them.
“It’s the Justicar,” Master Horston said. “Run.”
5
The Darkener Forest
When Edin woke his body felt sore and cold. He had the dream again, the flash and the all-enveloping flame around him. Jeers from the crowd. Everyone who ever knew him was there, watching him, cheering as he was lit up like a candle.
It took a moment to orientate himself. He was on the ground with something hard jabbing in his lower back.
His two companions spoke somewhere off to his left. Edin blinked open his eyes, above him was the canopy. The trees must’ve
been fifteen yards high with only a few branches until a leaves that let in little daylight.
After seeing the fire and the Por Fen looking in their direction, they ran. Or more aptly, Grent dragged Edin.
Following the tree line, they dodged bushes, roots, leapt dead trees and rocks. They didn’t care about leaving a trail, they needed to get away. Edin’s ankle hurt from a stumble, his knee throbbed from the river assailant.
All three of them were completely exhausted by the time they stopped. Their sprint turned into a jog then slowly into a near crawl before they finally collapsed behind a rock wall.
Edin’s lips felt cracked and he tried to move his tongue but it seemed to be too large for his mouth. He pushed himself to his elbows and looked at Master Horston and Grent sitting a few yards from him. They leaned against their thick packs and Master Horston held a thin branch above some sort of etching in soil.
“Water?” he said barely getting the word out. Grent didn’t look up, he reached for a plump waterskin and tossed it. Edin it dropped in front of him a few inches from his leg. Edin pulled off the top. He put it to his lips and drank. Cold water flowed down his throat. It wasn’t freezing like the river but refreshing like an ale. Better than an ale.
As he closed his eyes he pictured the manor aflame. The crumbling wood cracking around the screams. Kes’ mother rushing toward the house crying out while his father pulled her back. Edin’s chest thumped. He somehow knew what happened: Kes’ father threw her into the house… because of Edin.
He sat quietly as the men discussed what he assumed was their route. There was nothing to do besides sit and stare at the trees above.
“Do you think anyone escaped?” Edin asked after a while. Both men turned toward him with sullen faces.