The Q'Herindam

by B Cameron Lee

  Arwhon turned away and after reclaiming his sword and helm, left the courtyard as the General dismissed his men.

  Next morning, at daybreak, Arwhon and the General were once more out inspecting the soldiers. Most of them had made the effort and their mail and weapons gleamed as a result. Arwhon picked out the worst dozen of those who had not bothered to clean themselves up.

  “You men are to hand in your weapons and mail. It will be given to others more worthy. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t deserve the King’s silver but you will be issued with a rubbish sack and broom and are to go out and clean up the city. Someone will check on you every day and if you are found slacking you can easily be acquainted with the dungeons. If I hear of any of you causing trouble, there will be retribution. Now go.”

  Arwhon deplored sending able men away but he knew he must set an example for those who were left and at least the recalcitrants would be of some other use to the city. Soon the inspection was over and Arwhon left the General to organise weapons training and drills for his men.

  That afternoon, Arwhon was once again summoned into the King’s presence. Rickard was pale and exceedingly troubled as he sent the servant out of the room. He again drew a scrap of paper from his pocket.

  “Myseline has been invaded Lord Arwhon. A message by carrier pigeon just arrived from Durton in the far north, relayed via Bentwood. It reads: ‘A horde of creatures have come from the Forbidden Lands and are killing everyone they find. We are fleeing south as quickly as possible. Please send help.’ What are we to do?”

  “Sire, the army is training as we speak. If we can rapidly get supply wagons together and loaded, your force could march north immediately. We should try to meet the enemy north of Bentwood. It will be a hard march but we have to stop the invaders as soon as possible. This attack might be part of a larger offensive. We have no way of knowing what is happening on the other side of Mehgrin’s Wall. We have to warn the lands to the east. With your permission Sire, I will put some responses in motion.”

  “See to it Lord Arwhon and let me know what is happening. I’ll be in the Audience Chamber; the people must be made aware of this development.”

  Arwhon bowed and left the King’s presence, deeply troubled, thinking of his brother as he headed for his quarters. Staril would have barely arrived at Trugor by now and would have no knowledge of the advancing horde. Still, the chance of the invaders reaching Trugor before Staril left with Polnari to return to Encarill was unlikely. Reaching their rooms, Arwhon informed Shiri of the invasion and the fact they would be leaving on the morrow.

  “Have you seen Cringle?” Arwhon asked. “He’ll have to be informed of what’s transpired. I’ll need him soon.”

  Shiri shook her head as Arwhon sat at the desk and taking a sheet of parchment wrote a letter to his Grandmother, setting out the events which had occurred and warning of a possible invasion from the Forbidden Land. He sanded, shook and folded the parchment then took a piece of sealing wax and held it over the join. Without any apparent flame, the wax melted and when enough had dripped, Arwhon pressed the Ring into it to make a seal. Shiri was amazed at the ease with which Arwhon used his Firemagic.

  Unconsciously, without any difficulty at all, as automatic as breathing.

  Arwhon left to help coordinate supply wagons and inform the General of the need for the army to leave early in the morning. It was going to be a hard march up the inland highway to Bentwood, then onward as far north as they could get until their force met the enemy. There was no indication as to the strength of foe they were about to encounter.

  Whatever was to come, they would have to resist it.

  Arwhon’s next stop was to see Captain Belmar on the Jalwynd.

  “Captain. You must recall your crew immediately and set sail as fast as you can to Belvedere and deliver this letter to my Grandmother. That tremor we felt the other day was Durhain’s Pass being closed and there’s an invasion force in the north of Myseline. I leave tomorrow with the army but it might not be the only force to come down from the Forbidden Land. Belvedere, and Crossroads too must be warned. Just in case.”

  The Captain took the letter and placed it in an inner pocket of his frockcoat, briskly patting it down from the outside.

  “I’ll leave on the early tide in the morning Arwhon and Jalwynd will fly. Now go and do what you must. Again. May Fate be kind to you and yours.” Farewelled the good captain, spurred to action.

  They clasped wrists and Arwhon left to arrange the supplies for the army. He knew the General was a capable leader and would have the men organised but everyone seemed to forget it was the supply wagons with food, spare weapons, medicines, tents and other such things which kept the soldiers comfortable and better able to fight. He would have to ban the liquor sellers and doxies from this campaign, as speed was of the essence and he couldn’t afford the distraction. No one yet knew the extent of the enemy horde ranging in the north.

  Cringle came in later and was informed of the train of events. He confirmed that Encarill was generally content with the deposition of Jerome and there seemed to be no hint of insurrection. He thought it safe to leave the Capital without fear of trouble being fomented.

  Arwhon had one more thing left to do and he didn’t know if it would work or even if he could do it but he hastened up to the roof of the Keep and stood silently for some time, thinking hard about Staril and Polnari. Eventually Arwhon felt the ward spell leave him and fly off in the right direction. He would never know if the spell had arrived to ward Staril. He could only hope so.

  Arwhon breathed a sigh of relief. One more thing accomplished. Now it was time to try to sleep.

  Well before the first fingers of sunlight reached over the ramparts of Mehgrin’s Wall off to the east, Arwhon and Shiri, in full armour, with Cringle right behind them, rode into the courtyard in front of the Keep. The army was assembled in companies of a hundred men, each in the charge of a Captain and Sergeant. It looked more like an army than it had a few days ago but still, they were green and none of them had seen combat. Accompanying the General, Arwhon and Shiri rode ahead to where King Rickard, mounted on a caparisoned charger, waited at the castle gates. He would not be accompanying them but wanted to see his men off, showing his support for them. The cavalry led the way, fresh horses stepping high. Orders were given by the Captains and the army marched forward, leaving the courtyard of the castle and saluting the King as they passed. Word had been spread in the city the night before and the streets to the north gate were lined with citizens, wives and friends who cheered loudly and waved scraps of bright cloth as the army marched past.

  Arwhon looked over the crowds and the resolute faces of the soldiers as they marched, eyes forward and was happy for the enlisted men but he knew that the reality of war was far different from these soldiers expectations. He turned to the General riding beside him.

  “Bentwood will be at least ten days of fast marching for the men. It will be a trade off. The quicker we push, the more tired the men will become and less able to fight. I counsel a comfortable pace for a day or two until the men’s boots and bodies are broken in and they are used to marching before we travel faster. Any who fall back can make up a smaller troop of their own and eventually catch us up. We can’t afford to wait for them.”

  The General thought about it for a while.

  “You have more experience in these sorts of things Arwhon. It will be as you suggest. I will inform the Captains.”

  The day was warm and the sun shone. The men were fresh and excited and the miles passed underfoot. Fate was being kind to them Arwhon thought but as usual, Fate was capricious and the next day it rained. Throughout the day, the light rain fell steadily and the road became muddy and slippery with the passage of many feet. That evening the rain diminished and Arwhon moved around the camp helping to start the cookfires and the bonfires the men lit to dry some of their gear. Wood was no problem, as they were now marching through forest and the men took advantage of the bright, warm fi
res Arwhon set ablaze for them to obtain some comfort. Most were amazed that once Arwhon lit a fire for them, it required no further fuel.

  An idea was forming in Arwhon’s mind, a plan he thought might be feasible and he sought out the General.

  “General. I have some business I would like to attend to. It’s of a private nature for now but I’d like your permission to ride ahead for a few days until I’ve accomplished it. After which I’ll rejoin the army.”

  “Lord Arwhon. You don’t have to ask me for permission to do anything but I thank you for doing so. By all means go about your business. It will be all the better for us to have someone scouting ahead. Good luck.”

  That was all it took and the next morning, Arwhon, Shiri and Cringle set out with full saddlebags and ranged well ahead of the marching army. Cringle couldn’t understand why their route led east off the highway and they made camp that evening close to the base of the mountains. Arwhon left his Servant and Shiri, walking off into the moonlit trees, calling out in a strange language. It was nearly midnight when he returned, smiling ruefully at Shiri.

  “Not here my love. Perhaps tomorrow night.”

  Arwhon turned in after setting wards and they settled back to sleep. The next day was similar to the previous one and once again they camped under trees near Mehgrin’s Wall. Under the light from both moons, Arwhon spent half the night wandering and calling but with no luck. Cringle was mystified by this behaviour and the lack of any explanation but he knew Arwhon had his reasons for what he did.

  The third night they camped well off the road up in the foothills, so high up that before dark they could see out over the forest and discern the cleared line of the highway to the north, off in the distance. It was cloudy and dark but Arwhon left again after the evening meal, heading higher up the mountainside, calling once again in that strange language.

  Cringle was just settling down to sleep when he heard small noises and glimpsed a flash of white through the trees. He freed his belt knife from its sheath and whispered to Shiri to wake her but Shiri was already awake, staring into the night, her M’Herindar eyes used to the near dark. Cringle saw a smile on her face by the glow of the fire. Suddenly Arwhon appeared and with a small hand motion from him, the fire died down. It was then Cringle saw the two strange creatures he had glimpsed through the trees. They came forward into the dull glow of the embers and bowed deeply to Shiri who had risen from her blankets. She bowed in return. Then the small white furred beings came to bow before Cringle. He suddenly put two and two together as he bowed in return.

  Guilar!

  They sat outside the fire’s red gleam, keeping well back from it as Arwhon sat with them. He turned to Cringle.

  “Sorry for being so mysterious but I wasn’t sure if this would work so I didn’t say anything to you. The time has come Cringle, for you to leave Shiri and me, as there’s a task for you to do. It will be a real adventure I’m sure but it’s very, very important and one I would trust to no one else.”

  Arwhon smiled and looked to Shiri. She knew what he meant.

  “I have a feeling this attack on Myseline may not be the only attack on Man and the Militia Garrison at Crossroads needs to be aware of the problem and guard the road to Forbidden in case anything comes down it from the Forbidden Lands. Anything. We just don’t know what to expect. You are to go to Crossroads and warn them. You know your way around Crossroads and you’ve been seen with Shiri and me. That makes you the best one to send.”

  Cringle was getting the odd feeling that he wasn’t going to like the next part but his life had definitely become more interesting since he became Servant to Arwhon. Arwhon continued.

  “As you have probably guessed. These are Guilar. One of the seven races. They can be trusted and tell me they are getting on with the dwarves a lot better now. In fact, since I introduced them to their neighbours, they have led the dwarves to some mineral deposits and, in return, the dwarves have repaid them with a small herd of goats. The Guilar are delighted. They tell me there is a way under the mountains which is just large enough for you and Vixen to pass through but you’ll have to take the packs and saddle off her. The packs you can carry but the saddle you’ll have to leave behind. I’ll give you money to purchase another in Crossroads. The Guilar will hand you over to the dwarves. You must speak to Ironfist, their King. Tell him you are my Servant and apologise for me sending a Man into his realm but stress the emergency. Tell him what is happening out in the world and beg him to let you pass and lead you to the surface so you can ride to Crossroads as quickly as possible.”

  Arwhon looked to Shiri.

  “Have I forgotten anything Shiri?”

  She thought for a moment before answering.

  “Maybe after Crossroads, Cringle could travel on to the Darkwood and inform Mother of these events.”

  “Good idea. Hear that Cringle? You’ll be on your own but you’ve been well trained and I know you can do what is necessary.”

  Cringle was a somewhat apprehensive about all the responsibility being given to him but saw the necessity of everything Arwhon proposed. He drew a deep breath and pulled himself together.

  “When do I leave?”

  “Right now Servant. The Guilar will lead.” Arwhon indicated the nearer of the two. “This one is Dorna and the other fine specimen is Fuark.”

  The Guilar stood and Arwhon conversed with them in singsong tones as Cringle readied himself, unsaddling Vixen and getting his gear together while Arwhon went to Duran’s saddlebag and took out a small sack of barley, emergency rations for the horses they always carried. He gave it to Cringle but with a shy smile, the Guilar who’d been identified as Dorna took it from him and said something to Arwhon.

  “Dorna says you have enough to carry so she will bear the extra load for you.” Arwhon translated.

  Cringle nodded toward Dorna, signifying his thanks and very quickly he was ready to go. Shiri came to him with a strip of dark cloth.

  “If Vixen baulks anywhere, tie this cloth over her eyes and speak encouragingly to her. She trusts you and should follow. If you lose her, it will be a long walk from the other side of the mountain to Crossroads.”

  Shiri handed over the cloth strip then leant forward and kissed Cringle lightly on the cheek. He felt a strange tingle accompany the kiss. Magic of some kind he guessed. With no reason to delay, he nodded to the two Guilar and they led off. Arwhon strode along beside him until eventually they came to a small cave in the hillside, well concealed by trees and shrubs overgrowing the entrance, their branches covering the dark hole into the mountain.

  “This is where we part company Cringle. Wait for us in the Darkwood and try to talk to Ch’ron. You’ll learn a lot. Take care.”

  They clasped wrists and then all too soon the Guilar led off and Cringle followed them blindly into the dark of the cave at night.

  When Arwhon and Shiri woke the next morning things seemed a trifle strange at first without Cringle to take care of all those little jobs around camp and make them breakfast. Although they’d become quite used to his non intrusive care, Arwhon and Shiri were still quite able to look after themselves.

  “Do you think he’ll be alright?” Shiri asked Arwhon as she was packing the saddlebags. “I did lay a little ward on him to help.”

  “He’ll be fine Shiri. The lad has come a long way from the little thief we first met in Crossroads. Your Mother helped him a lot as did Cristal and as Grandmother has said, he was also Merdon’s star pupil. Who knows what he’s learnt from that respectable crook. We’ll just have to forget about him for now; there are more important events for us to attend to.”

  Duran was ready to go when Arwhon mounted and soon he and Shiri were back on the Highway riding north toward Bentwood. They kept up a ground eating pace and arrived the following evening. Before entering the town, Arwhon gazed up at the Mountains to the east, looking for Durhain’s Pass, usually quite visible. He couldn’t see it and when eventually he managed to follow the road up to where it had bee
n with his acute M’Herindar vision, he was astounded at how much rock blocked the pass. He pointed it out to Shiri who found it hard to comprehend the amount of fill in a gap she had passed through for the first time little more than a month before.

  “That was no accident. I bet the Q’Herindam had something to do with it. Divide and conquer. If they took Myseline it would be difficult to win back from the sea. It would become another Forbidden Land.”

  Shiri concurred.

  Arwhon sent to Krissi, circling high overhead and she peeled off to hunt. Krissi would feed and find a place to roost and wait until Arwhon called her. Arwhon and Shiri rode on to Bentwood’s best inn where they’d stayed before and reserved a room for themselves plus one for the General. The place was near capacity and their appearance drew some quizzical looks but the innkeeper spread the word of their exploits and from then on all Arwhon and Shiri saw were awed expressions. Some patrons were discussing the invasion from the north but they hadn’t seen the aggressors, the information they had coming solely from messenger pigeons.

  Arwhon had a private word in Shiri’s ear and left her for their room to slip out of his armour and weapons. He dressed in plain Ranger clothing and walked to Bentwood’s second best inn. It was packed full with all sorts of people, some who had actually seen the horde as it ravaged its way south. They’d fled on horseback or in fast carts, keeping ahead of the trouble. Not so difficult, as the enemy horde was on foot. Estimates of how far north the invaders were varied but Arwhon thought it sounded as though they were moving slowly and laying waste as they went. Descriptions varied but all talked of two-legged beings which resembled dogs. Some said wolves but not many people had seen wolves before, so the information was unreliable.