The Tessellation Saga. Book Two. 'The One'

by D. J. Ridgway

  ‘That’s disgustin’ man,’ Toby said, turning away and wrinkling his nose. He spoke again to his men, ‘as soon as ‘e’s finished throwin’, tie ‘is ‘ands too…’ he grinned and walked a distance away from the smell. ‘Watch ‘im careful like lads,’ he added as he ducked into a bush, ‘I’m goin’ fer a piss.’

  A few minutes away Sonal was hurrying Mayan as fast as he could back along the path they had taken earlier.

  ‘Mus’ we go ser fast Sonal, can’t yer at least tell me why we suddenly be hurryin’ back the way we came?’ She asked. Her feet were sore and she didn’t understand what was happening, one moment they had been ambling along enjoying the sunshine in the leafy wood and the next Sonal had stopped and seemed to ‘smell’ the air.

  “By the Journey!’ Come on, move...’ he had shouted as he hurried away. Mayan complied but after Sonal had offered no explanation, she stopped defiantly.

  ‘Sonal what’s wrong, I’ll not be moving anovver foot til yer tell me.’ She said, her fists curled and planted rebelliously on her hips.

  ‘Journey preserve us,’ Sonal replied, stopping and looking toward the girl, how could he explain to her that it was a feeling he had received through his bond with the magic. Something was happening, even he was not sure what it was but he knew without a doubt it concerned Gideon and it could be fatal if someone did not do something. ‘Mayan, it’s Gideon, he needs us... now,’ he said as gently as he could in his agitated state. ‘We must go dear, now...’ he said again when Mayan did not move. She thought of Gideon, of all she had heard last night and the horror she had felt at hearing of Gideon’s birth, she had not known how to face her fiancé this morning and had been very willing to walk with Sonal in the woods, delaying the moment she would see him again. She felt immediately guilty.

  ‘It’s my fault,’ she whispered to Sonal, ‘I wasn’t there when he woke. First, the dreams last night, an’ now this. ‘E’ll think I didn’t love ‘im enough, what should I do Sonal?’ The tears immediately fell from her eyes and she sobbed into her hands. Aware of time and slightly harsher than he otherwise would have been, Sonal strode to the girl and shook her.

  ‘It’s not always about you, you silly, silly girl, Gideon may die, die here and now whilst you wallow in your self-pity. Stay here if you must but I really have to go,’ he turned his back on a shocked Mayan and fled down the path. Remorse at his rough treatment of her flitted through his mind but he shook it loose as he turned a corner and stopped abruptly.

  Across the small clearing three men were huddled over what seemed to be a man kneeling on the floor. Sonal recognised the top of Gideon’s blonde head as he leant forward being violently sick and fearing the worst he rushed over.

  ‘Let me through, I’m a healer,’ he said just as Toby returned to the clearing adjusting his belt, without wasting a moment Toby walked up quickly behind Sonal and cracked him hard on the head with the handle of his knife, down Sonal fell, straight over Gideon’s back and lower legs. His body rolled down the slight gully and rested in the piles of leaves gathered at the bottom.

  ‘Just missed the puke!’ exclaimed one of the three men, laughing hard as he tried unsuccessfully to hold Gideon in a position to tie him without the lad being sick all over him.

  ‘Journey’s End,’ how much puke can a man hold?’ Another exclaimed as Gideon threw up yet again this time over the soldier’s shoes.

  Gideon was dangerously weak and faint, his eyes were on fire, his brain felt like it was swelling, his head felt ready to burst and he thought he was truly dying.

  Mayan, shocked at Sonal’s appraisal of her character followed him quickly down the path. As she ran, brambles snagged her legs and her skin tore in numerous places as twigs and branches reached out to hinder her. Suddenly she thought again of the dreams she had had last night. Gideon’s mother, the girl even younger than she was herself and running alone in the dark with both the rain and the wind lashing at her. ‘Ow frightened she must ‘ave been, Mayan thought feeling deeply ashamed. As she turned the corner, she saw only the pale blonde head leaning forward, liquid dribbling down from his nose and chin and a soldier wiping his shoe on Gideon’s legs.

  ‘Oh Gid,’ she called in sorrow as she rushed toward him; the faces around him looked up.

  “Ello there… ‘my only love!’’ Toby said quietly, echoing a previous conversation he had overheard between Gideon and Mayan; he bowed politely from the waist and although exhausted from his sickness, Gideon looked up.

  ‘Go May, run, run…’ he croaked wearily, as one of the soldiers knocked him aside with his knee. May’s blood ran cold as she turned on her heel to run as Gideon had instructed, Toby watched her with both lust and loathing in his eyes, he stepped to one side and reached into the pack held securely at his belt and removed his swag net. Slowly he spun it above his head, smooth circular movements gradually becoming faster and faster, the net swirled through the air with a faint hum emanating from its taught wires, finally he released it spinning toward Mayan. The weights on the edge of the net held the spread wide and it flew like a gossamer spider’s web across the open space. It dropped fast, directly down onto the fleeing girl, its momentum wrapping the spinning weights tight about her ankles and she fell. With no free arms to block her fall, she fell hard, knocking her head. As she started to slip into unconsciousness she thought, I’ve been ‘ere before… silently she screamed as the darkness took her.

  ‘Oh my, this be easy, too, too easy..., tie ‘im tight,’ Toby said grinning at his men ‘but make sure ‘e watches this…’ he laughed as he walked toward the stunned girl, adding, ‘funny, ain’t it me love,’ yer own brother Jed was the one oo taught me ‘ow to swing a swag net in the firs’ place!’

  In her mind Mayan fled, deeper and deeper she retreated, erecting barrier after barrier. Finally, she found her safe place, a happy place beside a tree with a silver brook and she imagined Gideon was with her, in her dreams he wrapped his arms around her while she cried softly.

  ‘I’m sorry;’ she sobbed, her salty tears staining his beautiful white shirt.’

  ‘Hush, love,’ Gideon was saying, ‘It’ll be all right...’

  ‘After me lads, yer know yer first...’ Toby laughed again as he knelt at Mayan’s feet freeing her slowly from the net and taking the knife from his belt, he began to cut away her clothing. He glanced over at Gideon expecting to see his pain but when he did not he screamed at his men.

  ‘I said make sure ‘e can see.’

  Gideon felt his hair grabbed and his head lifted but as he looked up the light hit his eyes piercing them with red hot needles, he screwed them tightly shut trying to lessen the pain.

  ‘Don’t yer wanna see your girly get a good portion then lad?’ The soldier holding his head up by the hair asked with a sneer evident in his voice. Gideon forced his eyes open, he saw between the tears falling from his eyes his Mayan, nearly naked and lying still before Toby, her creamy white skin exposed to all. Her nipples hardened in the cool breeze as Gideon watched and Toby unbuttoned his trousers releasing his engorged manhood to the cheers and catcalls of his men.

  ‘Toby…, please no,’ Gideon whispered through his pain. The vision before him wavered then grew still again, he felt as if his head were pulsating, each contraction becoming stronger and stronger; his body was bursting out of his skin. Vomit once again rushed up his gullet and he pulled his head down for release.

  ‘No lad,’ said the soldier once again yanking his head up with his hair, ‘Sergeant Hollins says you have to watch, you never know, maybe if you are a good prisoner the serge will let you have a share after all of us!’ He laughed at his own joke as Gideon saw Toby cut away the last of Mayan’s underclothing, her natural red hair curling delicately. Gideon’s neck stretched too far for breath and his vision distorted once more.

  ‘Go on Serge, give ‘er one fer me,’ he heard.

  ‘No,’ Gideon tried to shout, his voice came out as barely a whisper, his eyes began to throb, for an instant his vis
ion cleared once more and he watched as Toby, his knees pushed between Mayan’s spread legs finally leant forward and ploughed his manhood into her.

  ‘No,’ Gideon shouted, tears of fury running down his face.

  ‘Got there before yer, Gid…’ Toby purred as he realised Mayan had been a virgin, his voice was hoarse and filled with pleasure and his scar puckered the side of his face turning his grin into a sneer.

  ‘NOOOO…!’ Exploded Gideon; a wave of pure power erupted from his body, white and shining in its intensity. The soldiers beside and in front of him dropped dead, their hearts stilled instantly. Small animals and birds overhead fell from the trees as the power surged on above and in front of him, diminishing in intensity as it travelled. Toby collapsed on top of Mayan suddenly knocked out cold, his manhood, still buried deep inside her shrivelled and died, slipping out of her like a cold wet worm.

  Everything in front and to either side of Gideon was either dead or unconscious. The creatures of the earth stopped moving and the trees about him instantly lost their colour, turning brittle as life leeched away, the very air stilled, there was nothing living, death stalked the area greedily lapping up even the tiniest of insects and stopping their minutely beating hearts. A heavy branch cracked as it died and broke off a large tree, Gideon watched through a filmy haze of pain, as it seemed to fall in slow motion, landing almost on top of the two bodies lying one atop the other. Finally, Gideon himself collapsed on the dead ground his unknown power spent for the moment.

  Chapter 9

  Young Jed Leaves the Company

  On the Branton Road not too far away, Varan and his small party were travelling toward Green Home. They were tired and dirty, the weather had turned cooler as they crossed the river and the chill had leeched at their courage and determination, draining their strength like an open tap empties a barrel. Young Jed wanted to nothing more than to get home, he had begun to feel ill again and could not stop thinking his mother was in trouble. Lemba smiled at him feeling his worry and feeling useless as she was unable to put things right. She patted his hand as it held hers tightly.

  ‘Stop,’ Varan suddenly shouted, as he pulled his horse off the road, he was staring toward the trees, ‘do you feel that?’ He asked looking expectantly at his companions; in answer, both Rhoàld and Dotty nodded their heads. Jed looked up, his head had been aching badly for what seemed an age but now, suddenly, it began to get much worse.

  ‘All I feel be me ‘ead aching.’ Jed grumbled as he took his hand from Lemba and cradled his head.

  ‘Something is happening here,’ Varan continued as if Jed had not spoken. ‘Here...,’ he said again, pointing toward the dense woodland alongside the road.

  ‘We must go this way and quickly,’ he stated, moving his horse off the road and between some small gorse bushes. Dotty, driving the wagon at once pulled on the reins; the horse leading the cart obeyed the silent instruction and began to turn. Jed sitting in the back of the cart looked up again, this time in horror.

  ‘Wait,’ he shouted after Varan. Varan turned.

  ‘That’s not the way,’ Jed shouted angrily, ‘I ‘ave a bad ‘ead, I feel very sick an’ I wanna get ‘ome,’ he complained as the others looked from him to Varan. ‘I’m gettin’ off, I gotta get ‘ome an’ me ome’s not that way!’ He repeated softly, as once more his head began to pound. Varan approached the cart once more.

  ‘Go if you must boy,’ replied Varan. ‘Our paths will cross again soon, we’ll catch you up,’ he watched as Jed’s eyes sought Lemba’s, a pleading, sorrowful look deeply etched behind his pain. Lemba smiled sadly, knowing he was going.

  ‘It’s me fam’ly Lemba, I’m sorry.’ Jed said sadly, ‘I gotta get ‘ome, fast…’ he leant forward his lips brushing hers as quickly he jumped off the wagon.

  ‘We’ll look after Lemba until we meet again.’ Varan said as he turned the horse toward the trees once more. Lemba, seated in the back of the cart stared at Jed as the wagon moved toward the trees and finally disappeared in the dense woodland.

  Jed watched too as the cart got smaller and smaller. ‘I love you,’ Lemba’s fingers flashed as the cart finally vanished. ‘I love you too an’ I’m sorry,’ he replied, his fingers moving slowly, although he knew she was out of sight and would not see his message.

  Underneath the pain in both his head and his stomach, he felt wretched, all the promises he had made to Lemba and here he was abandoning her for the second time in just a few days. He thought of how he had hidden, no, cowered, he corrected his thoughts, in the tree stump whilst she had run bravely toward the soldiers pretending to be ill with the deathly red fever. The danger she had constantly exposed herself to, how she had rescued Varan from the midden when he was so ill, knowing that if caught she would have probably have been put to death, how she had helped Jed himself time and again when he was ill. How she had suffered abuse and been beaten repeatedly and how he, when he realised what was happening to the girl had still allowed her to return to Gath for more punishment. I didn’t even try to stop her, he thought, feeling thoroughly ashamed of himself. Then he thought of how her frozen fingers had tickled his toes whilst he sat beside the water. How the sound of her name rolling over his tongue made him smile warmly, as if his heart itself were glowing. He thought of how much he loved her, how quickly she had crept into his heart and found a place from which she would never have to run or be fearful.

  ‘I’ll come back fer yer Lemba,’ he screamed at the top of his lungs, the energy from his pain adding volume to the scream, ‘I’ll be back,’ he said more quietly as his stomach began to churn and complain at the sudden inrush of fresh air. Suddenly his mouth filled with fluid and he rushed to the side of the road where some small bushes could hide the sight of a grown man on his hands and knees venting his stomach. I deserve this, he thought, as leaning forward his head began to spin, his stomach protested as it tried to empty once more and without warning an excruciating pain like a white blinding light, pierced his brain. He fell forward, comatose into the long grasses narrowly missing the puke now cooling on the ground behind the prickly gorse bush, unknowingly he fell at exactly the same time that his blood brother Gideon, collapsed.

  ***

  Many miles away in Devilly Castle, Gath sat up on the bed he was sharing with his new body slave.

  ‘Did you feel that Darnel?’ He asked. ‘The disturbance in the magic field, I mean, a disruption at the very roots,’ he said, adding, ‘I believe my son has come into his power.’ He laughed maniacally looking at the silent young man before him. ‘I’m going to get home Darnel,’ he exclaimed excitedly, as he grabbed the young man’s scrotum and squeezed hard, tears of pain sprang from Darnel’s eyes. ‘Be pleased for me.’ Gath said angrily, looking at the pain-filled eyes as he released the young man and threw himself down on the satin sheets.

  ‘Finish me,’ he commanded, ‘then you and I are going on a journey. It’s high time I became acquainted with my son,’ he laughed aloud staring at the wall and the framed tattoo that he had harvested so carefully, it no longer disturbed him because he knew it for what it was, it was a picture of home. ‘Home...,’ he whispered, ‘home.’

  Ignoring his own pain Darnel moved to a position better able to service his master. He did not speak; he never did, not anymore.

  Chapter 10

  Varan Meets His Twin

  Deep in the woodlands as the wagon stopped it seemed to Dotty that the whole area was littered with death and she could hear Lemba beside her draw breath in horror. Varan was already off his horse and running toward a pair of bodies, lying in the middle of the clearing. He stopped to feel their necks for signs of life and to lift a log from their tangled legs.

  ‘They’re alive,’ he shouted to Dotty as she climbed from the wagon and searched for her bag of emergency equipment. ‘You help them,’ he called as he rushed off again, this time toward more bodies piled at the edge of the clearing opposite them.

  Lemba clambered down from the wagon and moved quickly to he
lp the couple lying unconscious on the ground. The man had broken a leg, it bent awkwardly, she could see the white of a bone as it protruded through his skin and blood was everywhere. As she looked at the couple she suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, as a child she had often helped her step mother and Dotty nurse the sick and ill and she was used to seeing blood but it was not the bone or the blood that had made her feel this way. It was in the way the two bodies lay. The man lay with his buttocks and thighs exposed and the girl’s legs spread apart beneath him on the cold hard ground, she noticed the net wrapped tightly around the girl’s upper body and the torn pieces of fabric that had once been clothing. Roughly and with tears in her eyes she pulled the man off the body of the girl, he was going to get dirt in his wound and probably a serious infection but she did not care.

  ‘Lemba…’ screeched Dotty as she saw her sister’s strange behaviour, ‘Lemba have a care, they’re hurt.’ Dotty added, as she quickly ran over to minimise whatever extra damage Lemba had caused. Realisation hit Dotty as she noticed the young girl’s near naked body and the bruises and scratches on her arms where the net had caught her.

  ‘You poor little thing!’ She cried as she covered the frozen girl with a blanket from her emergency bag. Lemba removed the net from the girl’s arms and head and gently began to move the red hair from her face, same shade as Jed’s she thought, full of pity for the young girl, she’ll take time to get over this. Lemba continued to brush the young girl’s face gently removing the last of the thick covering of soft red hair.

  She remembered the first time she herself had been raped by Gath, his fury at her frightened giggling, the journey to the dungeon and the foul smelling Hackman who had touched her intimately as she was tied and helpless. Her eyes glazed over as she remembered the tongs forcing her teeth apart, Hackman piercing her tongue with a rod and then using it like a lever to pull it, swollen and bloody between her teeth and out of her mouth and him holding her still, as Gath himself cut her tongue away slowly. She remembered the blood; the strange metallic taste, the pain and then the silent screaming that seemed to go on and on and on, she shuddered at the memory that was still as fresh now as if it were yesterday. Something in her had died that day and stayed dead until the day she met Jed.