Escana

by J. R. Karlsson

  Her old life minus Solomon that was.

  She realised how much she missed her old book of tales then. The one that had educated and taught her throughout life in place of her own father. It was a shame she couldn't have brought it with her, but given Jakob's inquisitiveness it was most likely for the best.

  Whatever world awaited her, she would have to face it without her head in a book.

  She had started to lag behind him incrementally. Initially she did it to mask her laboured breathing but found as the hours passed the distance grew further. In spite of his brooding silence, she had caught Jakob staring anxiously back at her on occasion.

  The chill wind that tussled the boughs of the trees offered her little solace from the burning she felt passing through her insides. Trying to figure out who Jakob was by pushing him felt very trivial. Her legs started turning to lead, dragging her down towards the earth with each step, it wouldn't be long now.

  18

  Jimmy

  When Jimmy heard the hounds and caught sight of Thom astride a mount with Skullcleaver strapped to his back, his fears multiplied. Harvester's cart wasn't too far behind and at his command they came to a halt in the square. Rumour had grown that Thom was to bring justice by the sword and a large crowd of townsfolk and volunteers were there to see them off. He felt the familiar impulsion seize him, now was the time to act before the chance had gone.

  Mulling through the oblivious crowd, Jimmy slipped round the back of the cart and kept low, praying the dogs wouldn't draw attention to him. He buried himself under the dried hay padding the base of the cart, hoping against hope that it wouldn't tickle his nose.

  At least two other men set out with them on horseback, prepared to offer whatever muscle the Warden requested of them. Thom set a fast pursuit and the bumpy journey had Jimmy stifling many curses. He shut his eyes and tried to convince himself that his latest escapade was a good idea.

  In spite of his fears he had never seen Thom use his sword. There was much talk about the case of Murray and how he had dealt with the brigands posing as their victim's creditors, yet accounts seemed vague and conflicting at best. Many claimed he killed them all himself unaided, others insisted that they had been there to lend a hand. Many felt that Thom had driven them off rather than take life in penance for the murder. The man himself waved away all discussion of the matter and people knew better than to ask twice. Thom's fierce reputation was another thing Jimmy had never seen justified through action, people avoided Thom simply because he was the Warden, rather than having any knowledge of the man's past. His father spoke nothing but good of him, yet even his praise was vague and he seemed to be the only one giving it. With a sinking feeling, Jimmy found that he didn't know anything about the man either, or what Thom would do if he found him tagging along in the cart.

  Once he had been suitably bruised and battered, the group mercifully came to a halt. Thom had spotted something in the forest worth his investigation.

  Jimmy's head ached from the flies and the muggy atmosphere as he lay prone under his scant disguise. He had managed some form of self-assurance on the way after remaining undetected but he had tired far more quickly than he thought. He tried to still his beating heart once more as a guard came out to cut wood by the wagon, probably to make camp in the failing light should Thom not return for some time.

  Moments passed and Jimmy knew he couldn't remain there undetected, the logs were sure to be slung his way if Thom returned. Taking the weight off his numb side, he slid down into a gorse bush on the edge of the road. The wagon creaked slightly at the movement, causing the guard to raise his head.

  'Thom?' he started to call. 'Is that y...' The rest of his words trailed off into a gurgle as something shot out and pinned him to the side of the wagon.

  Jimmy stiffened, staring up in horror at the stricken man as he twitched his last. The arrow had pierced him right through his throat. Had Solomon's real killer made an appearance? It was far too near Escana for there to be any common bandits on the road.

  He crouched frozen in the bushes, his body refusing to peer out any further, knowing that any movement could spell death. Time slowed to a standstill and he cramped up, pins and needles stealing over him again. He couldn't hold this position forever either.

  A sudden clattering from the branches announced Harvester and Thom's arrival. They stopped dead beside the cart when they saw the body.

  'Coward!' Harvester bellowed into the woods. Pounding on his chest, he roared at the tree line. 'Take your best shot you slimy bastards!'

  The woods swallowed up his words and left silence, it seemed no reply was forthcoming.

  Thom noted the arrow that had pinned the man's throat to the side of the wagon. 'Simon...' he started, then saw the man let loose his hounds.

  'I'll have your bones for this you skulking little fucker!'

  Thom's eyes squeezed shut in dismay as he heard the thud of a second arrow and the yelping of the hounds as they halted in their tracks.

  Some of the men jumped into the cart and others tried in vain to still the panicking horses so they could escape, Thom remained still amidst the confusion, then made one last attempt at reasoning with the farmer. 'Simon, leave it be and get back into the damn cart if you value your life!'

  Harvester looked back at him with seething rage, but noticing the fear in his men's eyes for the first time he picked up the dead hound and limped back.

  Thom pulled the arrow clean of the corpse and ordered men to bundle it into the back with the hound. He walked towards the woods with his sword sheathed and hands in a placating gesture.

  'These men have no quarrel with you, they shall depart and we shall speak alone of your actions,' he spoke into the nothingness, not raising his voice beyond speaking level.

  Silence.

  Thom motioned Harvester to depart, something he looked only too happy to do. At any other time Jimmy suspected that Thom would have been intensely gratified by the man's silent compliance. It was no secret that the two men did not see eye-to-eye.

  When the cart was out of sight amongst the trees, Jimmy watched as the Warden cast his scabbard onto the ground and stood still. He had failed to notice his other observer crouching in the bushes across the road.

  For what seemed like an eternity, Jimmy edged forward as quietly as he could.

  The Warden continued to stare silently into the trees from where the arrows had come, all his attention seemingly bent on that one area of the forest. In spite of the lack of interest Thom was giving him, Jimmy's heart pounded painfully against his chest. His fear of being spotted had long since been replaced by the fear of what was shooting at them.

  'They're gone, and they won't stop until they're back in Escana, you can approach me.'

  A clear melodious voice rang across the road, almost as if the air itself had spoken. 'I'm afraid your desire to find me has once again clouded your perceptions, we are not alone.'

  The voice seemed to have jumped behind him, startling Jimmy, who instinctively leapt out of the bushes. Cover blown.

  The sound of bow arms tightening sent him scrambling towards Thom, who was already heading in his direction.

  The arrow whistled past his head and seemed to dip in flight, Thom let out a howl of pain as the head skewered his calf. His horse bolted at the sound, leaving a cloud of dust and two prone targets.

  'You are not to travel beyond the river, your quarry will have crossed it by the time you arrive. If I find you have limped your way there I will consider it a most unwanted transgression.'

  Thom growled at the voice amongst the trees between his teeth but otherwise kept silent.

  They both lay there for a time, waiting for death to cut through the breeze, yet it never came. A quiet unease had settled, punctuated by oblivious birdsong.

  Thom raised his head, eyeing Jimmy with a withering glare. 'Get over here. Slowly.'

  He edged towards Thom with caution, finding his old fears about the man rising to form a lump in his throa
t.

  The Warden tore the sleeve from his shirt and fashioned a crude tourniquet. He stared at the arrow, sweat beading on his brow. Jimmy thought his frustration looked like an old hound discovering a game leg for the first time. He drew alongside Thom and took note of the wound.

  'I know your Dad taught you a bit about medicine, this is just a standard battlefield injury, pull the arrow out and help me walk back to Escana,' Thom said, sweat breaking out over his brow.

  Jimmy knew that this wasn't a request. In spite of Thom making light of it, the calf had been pierced deeply and pulling it out may do more harm than good.

  As if reading his thoughts, Thom's voice went up a notch. 'Pull the damn thing out or I'll do it myself.'

  Jimmy's shaking hands took grip of it and a deep breath calmed them. With a clean jerk, he tore it out.

  Blood trickled down Thom's lip as he bit into it to stifle a scream, he started to pick himself up from the road only to collapse back onto it.

  Jimmy offered him his shoulder and Thom struggled to come to his feet, a baffled look on his face.

  'Many people aren't able to stand after such a deep injury, you shouldn't be walking at all.'

  Thom spat on the ground. 'You think I don't know that? It's not that that's worrying me boy, I can't feel it at all. My whole leg has stopped working, that bastard got me good, he would though.'

  Jimmy noticed that Thom's entire right leg had gone limp, shock had nothing to do with it.

  'Give me my sword boy, you go look for the horse, I'll start heading back.'

  He handed the large sword to Thom and let him stand under his own power, he knew words would be pointless against such a stubborn man.

  Thom rose with a grunt of pain and started hobbling back towards Escana. Jimmy joined him, patiently waiting for him to realise the limits of his own strength.

  The hours passed silently and Thom's breathing grew more laboured, at first he cursed Jimmy for not scouting ahead, complaining that the horse would be lost and it would be on his head. The wound soon took the fighting spirit out of him and around dusk he came to a quivering halt.

  'I think I may need to rest,' he muttered hoarsely.

  As Thom pitched head first onto the road Jimmy leapt forward to cushion the fall, he had expected this some time ago.

  He rolled Thom to the side of the road and found there was nothing more he could do for him. Gazing silently into the darkening branches, he realised he was still waiting for the final arrow to come.

  19

  Ella

  She awoke to the touch of a hand on her shoulder and recoiled in shock before realising how weakened she was. Letting out a cry, she focused her watering eyes on Jakob's face.

  He had a pained expression painted there, the reaction to his touch had shocked him as much as he had her. Slowly righting herself against the trunk, she sucked in a few breaths and waited for him to speak.

  'You never did tell me how badly he hurt you. Now that I know, we need to get you some help.'

  She looked away from him then, somehow ashamed at the sympathy in his tone. The skyline spoke of early dawn. They were in the same place as she last remembered, he had stopped travelling altogether when she collapsed. 'Why did you not just leave me here?'

  A bitter smile crossed his lips. 'You'd have just wandered off and been caught and killed for confessing your crimes, remember?'

  She blanched at that, it seemed an age since she had retaliated with those words, her head in a state of numb shock.

  Gathering her wits about her, she took a moment before she composed herself. All the while Jakob stood quietly observing, as if expecting her questions.

  'I've never strayed off the main road, where do we go from here?'

  He started pacing back and forth, gesturing with his hands. 'I've only been here once before, the river lies a day's walk east of here. If the Warden hasn't caught our trail the journey will be manageable. If the hounds are on our tail then we're doomed from the onset like you said and most likely won't make it that far.'

  She felt it then, there was no stinging rebuke in his words, but the guilt she felt at leading him to his death because of her own ravaged body swallowed her up.

  'I'm sorry,' she whispered, almost inaudibly. The words didn't seem enough.

  He stopped mid-stride at that. 'You're not to blame. It was going to happen eventually when I discovered what he was doing to you.'

  As rehearsed as his words sounded, Ella believed them. It had been the look in Jakob's eyes that she had noticed before anything else. She had considered it simple jealousy initially, but the level of contempt behind it grew each time she had seen him. Each time Solomon was by her side. What may have started off as jealousy had escalated far beyond that. Still, perhaps it was too early to come to such conclusions. A few words here and a knowing look there could win many a heart yet mean nothing.

  She forced herself to stand, leaning gingerly against the trunk for support and waving away Jakob's aid. If she couldn't do this under her own power then there was reason enough to convince him not to leave her here.

  He was watching her intently, trying to gauge just how much of a recovery she could have made in such a short time, it was scant distraction from the pain she felt lance through her insides upon standing. Wincing, she started walking forward, confidence growing with every step. She was less damaged than she had thought, a lot of the blood must have come from surface wounds. Jakob tossed the last of the makeshift bandages over and turned his back to her, affording her a little privacy with put-on chivalry.

  'You've already seen me naked, what difference does it make that you don't now?'

  She watched the back of Jakob's shoulders roll into a shrug. 'I couldn't avoid it last time, I can now. I choose to respect your privacy, is that so strange a thing?'

  Ella let out something between a laugh and a snort, either way it hurt. 'I don't care how you see me, you've seen everything already.'

  'Well I do care,' Jakob replied, resolutely facing the tree.

  She didn't bother responding to him, he was trying to win her over for some reason. This was going to be a long day.

  They approached the river with caution. Any pursuit would either be careening towards the bridge or following them upstream to this very point. He scouted the area and motioned to Ella. 'There doesn't appear to be anyone here.'

  Ella looked at him incredulously. 'How are we supposed to get past the river?' She gazed into the current, the darkening navy flow swept past her at quite a pace. She couldn't swim and doubted he could ford that without being caught by the currents.

  He hadn't seemed to have noticed it, instead he was searching the banks and heading downstream as if in a trance.

  'Am I going to get an answer, Jakob?'

  It was then she spotted him starting to walk across the face of the water.

  She made her way to the bank in disbelief and spotted the silver glow running straight to him. 'What is this?'

  Jakob beckoned her forward, punching under the surface of the water. 'It's solid, like it was forged from some sort of metal, yet seems stronger than any masonry.'

  Ella tentatively put a foot out and dipped it into the water. It was firm yet hollow, as if someone had forged a bridge out of iron but with none of the weight. 'This is... bizarre. I don't trust it.' The current threatened to take her footing but she stood firm, pain momentarily forgotten at seeing such a strange construction, it was as wide as the main road and spanned the whole river.

  'It's very old,' Jakob remarked as they crossed. 'Nobody I've asked knows what it is or who built it. I doubt most people even know it exists. Nobody that would be following us, that's for sure.'

  Ella looked sceptical as they reached the shore, how did he know all this? 'Won't our scent lead them to this place?'

  'Not before the sky darkens too much for them to see where we could have gone. That is assuming they're not right behind us.' He took his boots off and let the water slop out of them. 'If we c
amp a few miles east of here I think our scent will have gone by the time they head back up to the bridge and round.'

  They couldn't risk a fire that night for fear of giving away their location. Even at this distance from the river the smoke could still be spotted by the keenest eyes. They remained quietly surprised that their supposed pursuers hadn't caught up with them, yet couldn't dare to hope.

  The cool air buffeted the tree branches they sheltered in and chilled them to the bone. Between chattering teeth, Jakob finally demanded explanations. 'You almost made it sound like you were my possession yesterday. Why?'

  Ella shrugged, staring off into middle distance.

  'You're not going to answer?'

  She turned with deliberate slowness, the pain had been making Jakob increasingly intolerable as the day progressed.'You heard what I said last time, if you can't understand then that's your problem.'

  He refused to be baited this time. 'Why are you so adamant that I will treat you like you're something to possess?'

  So he's finally demanded answers, took his time once again. 'I'm adamant about it because everyone I've ever known has been more or less the same. Sure some are more blatant about it than others, but that just makes them more honest. They're not afraid to show their true feelings, their true selves, they don't wrap it up in pretty meaningless words and call it something it isn't. That's something Solomon was very good at.'

  She watched Jakob try to keep his cool, but felt it slipping from him at a rapid rate.

  'The same Solomon that had a different phony face for each group of people he met. He was certainly good with meaningless words.'

  Ella remained impassive. 'I didn't really care how Solomon treated others, he showed his true self to me.'

  He almost laughed at hearing this. 'In case you didn't notice, he would have killed you if I hadn't have been there. I saved you from him, even you admit that, yet all you've done this entire journey is speak of him like a fond absentee.'