by Susi Wright
Below, various factions of the company rolled and stowed tents and bedrolls with surprising efficiency. Within minutes, mounted or carried on sleds, walking or running to the crunch of new snow, they formed into one homogeneous mass moving forward out of the valley of ice.
Espira hoped they had enough time. Thank you, Ra! Do you think you are a match for the Gargantuan?
Ra growled and spat flame, as the ground below began to shake and the people moved faster.
Did the dragons of old ever meet a foe like the evil here in these mountains? She knew he was young for a dragon, the first to live in Existence for a thousand years. But she guessed the monster in the mountain's heart had lived for longer than that.
Ra snorted. They fought it with mind-sense many times . . . to win their nesting places, my lady!
It had begun to snow again. The rarefied air froze her cheeks. Espira stroked Ra's neck. I understand . . . their knowledge lives in you!
Noticing there was a lull in the rumbling peaks, she rode on through drifting snowflakes, confident that the Wisdom of Ages was with them.
A wide glacier leading up into a high pass gave the Morvians and their Baramese escort passage out of harm's way. They were all clear when the avalanche hit the valley behind them, after another bout of violent shaking.
From where they congregated at the summit of the pass, the company watched as the snowcapped peaks around the valley of ice dissolved and flowed to fill it. The deafening roar of the mountain continued for a long time, eventually subsiding to a deathly calm, while the people squinted through thickening snowfall at what could have been their fate.
Where the camp had been was a deadly lake of snow, hundreds of metres deep. Stunned, they all stared and not one of them moved before offering thanks to all things Holy, Espira and of course, her dragon, for their survival.
The remainder of the morning until noon was endured under an increasingly heavy fall of snow; subdued by their close encounter with the Gargantuan's wrath, shivering and hungry, but nonetheless very grateful, the people marched on, urged by the promise of arrival at the Cave of Springs before nightfall.
Around midday they stopped to hand out broken bannocks beside a fast-flowing stream, which coincided with a brief break in the weather. Espira took Ra down to a flat ridge to enjoy the short rest and air-cloaked down to collect a piece of panna, eating it quickly while she walked among the crowd to check how the children and injured fared.
She searched out Ji, who was handing crusts to the group of orphans he and his cavalry-men had carried on their samblars. One small boy with his leg in a splint hopped along beside him, clinging to his hand, as he spoke with his men.
Ji looked up as Essie approached and smiled. “Hie, my lady! Come meet La-poo . . .” He looked affectionately at the young Morvian who raised his arms to be hoisted up on to Ji's hip. Ji changed dialect to speak in Morvian. “He is my adopted little brother and rides with me to a new home in Baram! He is very special – remember, my lady, he is the one who was with me, when I returned from the caves. He has ridden your dragon!” La-poo beamed with pride, his huge, round black eyes shining adoringly at Ji.
Espira smiled lovingly at both of them, but she gave her thought only to Ji. I see you will one day make a good father, my love!
It was Ji's turn to beam.
Mid-afternoon, the weather worsened. Heavy snow and strong wind slowed them all down to a snail's pace; even Luminor, Xandor and the Gaian fliers were forced to continue on foot, because as they had discovered previously, their air-bending talents worked very poorly here.
Ra was strong enough to stay aloft and Espira clung on by her single rein, resisting the cold only by virtue of his body heat. They flew low and slightly ahead as a guide since the scout had to abandon his forward position and go to ground with the others.
For two hours the company slogged through deepening snowdrifts and freezing wind, almost to the limit of their endurance until finally, the storm abated, and they could pick up speed. Fortunately, a small break in the clouds on the horizon even allowed a shaft of late sunlight through, and general visibility improved.
The scout took up his position, guiding them in the direction of the Cave of Springs, while the Elite earth-movers managed to make some impression on the terrain, to clear the loose rubble and snow from a small pass which had been closed recently by a landslide. Along the way, Ra was most helpful, using his breath to melt a small ice wall which blocked their passage.
Each day seemed shorter than the day before; it wasn't long until dusk was upon them and they still had not reached their destination.
In the dimming light, the scout sighted two Morvians scaling the next ridge, headed towards the company; he made brief contact with them, before flying back to Espira and the others. He raised his voice to carry. “There are two Morvians, heading this way! They refuse to say why. I sensed shame and fear!”
Espira shouted back. “I shall go down to meet them. They will answer me!” She and Ra sped ahead, landing upon the ridge a non-threatening distance from the Morvians.
Air-cloaking down alone, Espira confronted the couple. At first, they had visibly cowered from the sight of a dragon, but recognising her Gaian features, they relaxed slightly. Both were openly shame-faced and terrified; their eyes told of horror. The woman was red-eyed and sobbing.
Espira spoke directly to the husband's mind. You are going the wrong way. It was foolish to leave the refuge! Wasting no time, she read him.
He and his family had been in the cave for only a short time, during which they experienced confusing visions. Adherents of an exclusive religious sect in a far-flung region of Morvia, they knew none of the Morvian refugees and made no friends. They heard others whispering, but no one could be sure. This man alone decided he would trust in his premonitions and took his family from the cave. The two children were taken by a single snow-cat this afternoon, and the couple had escaped while the cat was feeding. It seemed their sight was very wrong; now, he was sorry they did not stay with the others!
You are lucky we found you while the new snow covered your spoor, or you would have been next . . . now you can come back with us! Espira put her arm around the woman to warm and comfort her and waited with the couple until the main company made the ridge, half an hour later.
Before remounting Ra, Espira passed their story to her captains.
Dak shook his head sadly and remarked, “I sensed something of this nature!”
Luminor said nothing; his face bore the neutral mask he frequently adopted. I fear I cannot help you here Essie! And looking into his eyes, which lacked some of their usual emerald fire, she saw he could not.
Xandor bundled the couple up onto a samblar with a light pack and the group continued on their way, with Gaian archers doubling their vigilance for the prowling snow-cat well into darkness. However, they failed to sight it at all for the remainder of the journey to the caves.
Less than a furlong from their goal, Espira felt Ra's muscles bunch beneath her and he snorted in agitation. Blood!
Peering down, Espira spotted the sparsely spread bloody remains in the snow.
She gasped in horror and quizzed Ra, The couple's children?
He growled and shuddered.
Espira and Ra flew slightly ahead of the others, so they arrived first at the Valley of Springs. Even in darkness the steam was visible, rising up into the air in front of them from boiling water which trickled down the gorge. Despite the fact that an evening storm had not yet hit and the wind was light, Ra was very unsettled and difficult to land, but after several attempts, she got him to perch quietly on a high ledge. Feeling oddly queasy from Ra's antics, she air-cloaked down to make their arrival known.
As she descended towards the long narrow path into the Cave of Springs, it seemed too quiet. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she saw blood in the snow and its coppery odour filled her nostrils. The path was awash with it! Her stomach lurched as she made her way further in, drawing her s
word.
At the entrance, she almost gagged at the metallic stench. It was silent, dark; no fire-light shone into the portal, as one would expect.
Sensing a predator before she heard the growl, she flattened her body against the outer wall, slowing her heartbeat. How many?
Confident there was only one beast, she swallowed the nausea and dived to a run through the entrance-way into the main cavern – and froze. Her night-sight narrowed dimly across the blood-soaked rocks to a huge snow-cat, its jaws on the torso of a Morvian man who arms were locked protectively around a woman. Both were mauled badly; in another heartbeat, they were dead.
Espira knew the cat had seen her, knew it would attack. She pre-empted its strike by lunging towards it, rolling under it as it leaped. Thanking her father for his great-sword, she drove it up two-handed to the hilt, into the beast's soft underbelly.
Refusing to let this one go, she hung on with all her might as the white demon dragged her along underneath it for several strides, before its front legs gave way and it somersaulted on to its back, with her astride its belly. It was not dead. The front and rear claws slashed out wildly as the cat tried to dislodge her; she avoided the vicious talons twice but the third swipe caught her arm, ripping through her leather arm-guard like butter, deep into the flesh of her forearm. She screamed in pain and heard Ra roar outside in impotent rage.
The snow-cat rolled. Espira went with it, reefing on the sword with both hands, gritting her teeth as blood spurted from her arm. The soft flesh gave way and the blade came free with a crimson gush which soaked her tunic. She rolled to her feet, bringing the sword up in a high arc, and used its own weight downwards to sever the cat's head, poll to jaw. It slumped lifeless at her bloody boots.
For a moment she stared at the pile of crimson-stained fur before her; then her eyes drifted over the scene of the massacre. There was nothing but blood and bones strewn from one side of the massive cavern to the other. The pools were brimming red. How many did the couple say were here – fifty?
She retched hard and fell to her knees, leaning heavily on her down-turned weapon. Breathless and stunned with horror, she inclined her forehead to rest on the ornate hilt. For once she did not regret the kill.
Luminor, Ji and Xandor raced into the cave together, closely followed by Shuul, the four almost colliding in their rush to get to Espira.
“Where are you wounded?” demanded Ji, streaking ahead and sliding to his knees beside her. She fell into his arms numbly, as he quickly checked her injuries. “Thank the Stars . . . it looks to be only your arm!” He hugged her fiercely, ignoring all the blood. With a glance at Luminor and Xandor, he assured them, “I've got her, you can see to the rest!”
Horrified at the scene they faced, Shuul muttered a curse in his own language, and bit his thumb.
Ra continued to screech outside, as other Gaians entered the cave and stood like statues, silent and solemn, just inside the entrance. Xandor issued an order. “Four of you, go, now! Keep the others away – at all costs – until we can deal with this! ” He looked around gravely. “The children – none of them – can see this!” The four warriors left at a run and Xandor, holding back tears, gestured to the others. Luminor spoke to them. “Come! Let us see what can be done with this catastrophe!”
Chapter 50 : CLEANSING
“Do you recognise this man, or the woman, brother?” Luminor asked Xandor as they crouched beside the dead Morvian couple.
“Hardly, my lord,” replied Xandor, grimacing.
“It seems these two are the only complete bodies left! They must have been last to die. It looks like the youth was trying to get the girl into that crevice behind them.” Luminor's gaze turned from the dead couple, to survey the scene and fell on the corpse of the big white cat. He shook his head. “I do not believe one snow-cat could have done all this!”
“No, my lord,” said Xandor, frowning. “That is certain . . . this one could be a stray scavenger. The musk is strong. Others were here, before this one. I wonder how many there are!”
Luminor came to his feet, looking doubtful. “I do not know these beasts. I can only guess – perhaps a dozen or more. Many of the bodies have been taken, if they were not consumed here. The stench is more than a day old.” He repressed a shudder. “See what our warriors can do with the springs here – quickly, before the people outside freeze to death to add to our woes!”
Xandor summoned together the Elite who could attend to the cleansing. Those who could not, including Shuul, gathered the bits and pieces of people and animals into a small pile for burning, while others searched the ruined stores for some remnants of untainted food and flint to re-kindle the fires.
Luminor strode to where Ji was helping Espira wash her face and arm-wound in one of the cleaner springs. He did not miss the haunted look in his daughter's eyes, before he addressed Ji informally. “Ji, my boy, how is it?”
“I think it needs stitches. Perhaps later . . . Xandor has some lubio now, and I believe he kept needle and thread from dealing with my leg.” He winced and glanced at Espira. “Yes – later, I think!”
“Now Ji, you must get her up a little higher. There is going to be a great deal of water in here presently.” Even as Luminor spoke, the sound of bubbling springs began to echo in the cave.
Above the rushing noise, a high pitched wail went up from the opposite side of the cave, where Xandor and two other warriors were moving the bodies of the Morvian couple away from the rock wall. The woman's body had been crammed backwards, half-in to a crevice. When they pulled her out, there was another squeal. Xandor leaned far into the crevice and retrieved something – a tiny, squirming Morvian baby. With the utmost tenderness, he held it up to show the others, regarding it with wonder, as if he could not believe his eyes.
The water-movers paused in their work to take a look. Xandor tucked the child gently to his chest and flew into the air. His throat worked against emotion, as he made a solemn vow. “This little one will see no more danger or hardship . . . from now on, he will be the son Serafina and I could never have! I will wait to name him until I am with my wife again.”
In these strong, kind arms the baby quietened, for hidden by Lelu and Finn, he had not seen nor understood the bloodbath. There was no one still alive to remember his name, nor did he know it. But Bilu understood what love was, and that was all that mattered.
With the remains of the bodies piled on a heap of animal dung as a pyre, the Morvian couple were placed right at the top. When everyone in the cave was above the expected water level, the warriors continued the cleansing of the space with prayers and a flow of hot bubbling springs; the water washed away the blood and gore as it flowed across the rocks, down through the earth and dispersed underground. When the tide drained away to a normal level a few minutes later, the boulders were clean and wet and the pools were crystal clear. The warriors lit the dung which exploded to life, quickly enveloping the bodies in flame.
Espira had begun to gather her emotions. Although she was still in a great deal of pain, her strained expression warmed a little, as she watched Xandor flying around the cave with his new baby, glad for the one good thing in this nightmare. Then she managed a small smile for Ji, straightened and turned to Luminor. “Perhaps we should let the people in now. We can say that all we found was a dead Morvian couple, but their baby lived!”
Her father smiled sadly and sent Shuul off with word to start bringing the crowd in from the cold. He canted his head, listening. “I hear no dragon roaring now . . . has he gone to hunt, Essie?”
“Yes, Father,” she answered mildly, “I believe he is hunting snow-cats . . . and not one will escape his notice!”
People began to file into the warm glow of the cavern, three and four abreast. As they passed the pyre, each bowed his or her head in respect, hushing their excited children; groups of friends and families found places to sit, quietly observing the cathedral-like space, wide-eyed and reverent.
In the centre, a second fire held two h
uge copper pots of barley tea.
An army of fireflies hovered in the air, disturbed from their nests by the cleansing, and hundreds of glow-worms adorned the surrounding rock walls; their luminous, flickering bodies lent a deceptively festive look to the scene. Or perhaps, they were trying to chase away the ghosts.
The animals were brought in last, led by their handlers. They were unsaddled, unloaded and housed in the second cavern. The tack and stores were stacked along one wall of the main cave.
Slowly as people thawed and sipped tea, their conversation became a low but lively buzz. The couple who were found wandering earlier, hid their immediate horror and stayed to themselves, self-imposing a penance of verbal and mental silence, out of shame and grief; urged by the captains to avoid frightening the others, they kept the grisly secret of what had happened here, and would carry it to their graves.
Gradually, volunteers began to occupy themselves with cooking duties, boiling sacks of grain in the hot pools.
After eating, there was an orderly queue of bathers, eager to soak away the rigours of travel.
Espira sat with her group, talking of plans in the usual way, attempting to bring some normality into the evening of a particularly bad day. “We can stay here for two days. When the dragon returns, we shall leave!” There was a murmur of assent. Suddenly, she grimaced with a stab of pain in her injured arm, and she swore quietly, unpleasantly reminded of the white demon she had killed.
Xandor looked up, concerned; he had just settled his new son with a drink of warm barley tea. Swaddled and cosy, the babe slept on a fur beside him. Sumar had quietly observed how his powerful warrior friend so gently tended to the child. He touched Xandor's arm. “I know Serafina will be most pleased, brother. She has waited childless for too long!”
Ji piped up brightly. “I can personally vouch for the benefits of adoption, my friends – it is certainly the way of the future!” He turned to Xandor. “But, I believe, brother, now it's time to attend to a pressing matter. Are you ready?”