Slave's Gamble

by Jay Stonesmith

  The village smelt fresh and earthy, and the morning dew darkened the leather of her boots.

  “Good morning.” Jereth strode towards them. The skin under his eyes was dark and puffy, and his eyes were bloodshot, but he didn’t seem anxious or concerned.

  “How’s the patient?” Merisca said.

  “He’s alive,” Jereth replied. “He’s still alive.”

  Merisca smiled. “That’s certainly a good sign.”

  She walked towards the stand of trees where they’d left Flynn. Ordella and Jereth followed.

  Flynn was lying just as he was when they’d left him. His face was still drained of colour, but it wasn’t as pale as it’d been yesterday. Someone else, presumably Lera, was lying next to him, bundled in furs.

  “Has he woken?” Merisca said.

  Jereth snapped his head in her direction. “No. Should he have?

  Merisca shook her head. “It’s better if he hasn’t. He needs all the sleep he can get. A resting body will do a better job of healing itself.”

  She moved closer, drew back his blanket and carefully peeled back the bandage covering his shoulder.

  “His wound is progressing as expected.”

  “What does that mean?” Jereth said.

  “It means he’s going to survive.” Merisca retied Flynn’s dressing. “But he may never be the same as he was before the injury. Although his condition will improve in the days and weeks that follow, he will still be weak. It’s unlikely he will ever fully regain his former strength.”

  “He’s alive.” The bundle of blankets stirred, and Lera sat up. “That’s all that matters right now.” She turned to Merisca. “Thank you for all that you have done. I’d be grateful if you would oversee Flynn’s recovery, too.”

  Merisca nodded. “When he wakes, make sure he has plenty of water. He can be moved later today.” The Islander glanced at Jereth. “You’ll need to use a stretcher.”

  He nodded. “I’ll also set a group to work constructing a hut at ground level,” he said. “I’m guessing he’s not going to be able to manage stairs for a while.”

  “Make sure his bed is raised from the floor and sturdily built. We’ll need to be able to roll him over when we’re cleaning…”

  Ordella blinked. Merisca and Jereth were still discussing the details of Flynn’s care, but she couldn’t focus on the words. Instead, her eyes were drawn to the slow rise and fall of Flynn’s blanketed chest. He’d seemed so confident yesterday before they’d ventured into the caves. His copper hair had been shining, and his eyes had glimmered. The prospect of hunting down the dangerous animals seemed to fill him with an almost child-like glee.

  Ordella chewed her lip. How would he be changed by his injuries? Not just physically, but in his mind? How much of the old Flynn had the beasts claws stripped away? Would he still be able to lead Oakhaven alongside Lera?

  She studied Lera’s blue eyes as they flicked from Jereth to Merisca and then back again. Ordella took a breath. Would she be permitted to leave if Flynn’s voice no longer carried as much weight? Would Lera try and prevent her from continuing her journey?

  Twenty-One

  The feast was already well underway. Ordella stepped into the dining hall through the gap in the willow panels and was engulfed in a fug of warm air scented with the rich aroma of spiced meat. The benches were full and villagers had started to spill out beyond the woven walls into the forest, clutching mugs filled to the brim with ale and plates piled high with food.

  Merisca was in the center of the room at Chegg's side, ladling stew into the bowls of those queued up in front of the cooking fire.

  Ordella waved at her, and Merisca held up her hand in return. She filled up the bowl in front of her then gestured for Ordella to stay where she was.

  A large table had been set on the other side of the fire. A thin man, dressed all in green, was standing behind it, helping people to pies, slices of meat and spiced apples. Merisca tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something to him. He nodded, and Merisca turned back to Chegg. She handed him her ladle, untied her stew-stained apron and picked her way through the throng of people.

  "I've asked Tom to plate up some food for you and put it aside." She wiped her forehead on the apron bundled up in her hand. "I need to get away from the fire and the noise. If you're not starving, perhaps we could walk for a while?"

  They wandered south between rows of trees, following the main path through Oakhaven. They stopped at one of the village's largest sanctuary oaks, sitting next to each other with their backs against its massive trunk.

  "I'm glad to have you back. I'm so sorry," Ordella said. She picked at the earth at the base of the tree. "If Jereth hadn't suggested I talk to you the other night, who knows when we would have patched things up?"

  Merisca sighed. "I'm happy too, but you don't need to keep apologizing, Ordella. We both just let our anger get the better of us." She ran her hand through her dark curls. "As far as I'm concerned, we need never speak of it again."

  Ordella sifted through the events leading up to Gwenith's death.

  "All these weeks I've blamed other people for what happened to my grandmother. Billy for wielding the knife, and Skerrick for putting him in that position." She looked straight at Merisca. "And I blamed you," she said. "But now, when I close my eyes, all I can see are the times I didn't act to protect her. I should have known she was planning something. When she reached for Skerrick's blade, I should have stopped her. When she was on the floor, and Billy was approaching with the knife, I should have shrugged off Rigget's hands and potected her. I should have..."

  Merisca clutched Ordella's hands.

  "You couldn't have prevented what happened, and Gwenith wouldn't have wanted you to." Merisca gripped her tighter. "You are entitled to hate Skerrick, and even Billy, but you must not hate yourself. Your grandmother believed she had to give her life for you to be free of the Warren. She died so you could live."

  Merisca let go of Ordella's hands and stretched out her legs in front of her.

  "Growing up in the Warren has made you a survivor, Ordella. When Billy had the knife in his hand, you knew you had to swallow your anger and hold yourself back. Had you broken free of Rigget's hold and stepped in front of the blade, your grandmother still would've been killed. Skerrick would have seen to that, and your life would have been taken, too." Merisca stood up in front of Ordella. "In the Warren, where everything was stacked against you, survival was the best you could hope for." She raised her arms above her head. "But out here, your horizons are broader."

  The sound of voices from the dining hall drifted through the trees.

  Merisca sat down again. "Holding back may still be the right course of action in many situations," she said, "but outside of the Warren, you will also be rewarded for risking it all for something you believe in."

  Ordella nodded.

  "That reminds me," Merisca said. "Have you decided yet where you're going to start looking for your father? To be honest, I didn't think you'd have stayed in Oakhaven for as long as you have."

  Ordella looked away. Had Merisca just accused her of dragging her feet? Of failing to act on her grandmother's dying wish? She chewed on her lip. And was she right? Ordella thought back to her first meeting with Lera and Flynn. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Flynn had been right about something. The longer she stayed in Oakhaven, the harder it would be for her to leave.

  Footsteps and the sound of snapping twigs turned her head. Someone was coming

  "There you are!" Hob said. He had the crust of what looked to have been a meat pie in his hand, and crumbs of pastry were stuck to the side of his mouth and clung to the front of his tunic. "I've been searching everywhere for you." He brushed the flakes from his top then stuffed the last morsel of food into his mouth.

  "I'm glad you're enjoying the meal," Merisca said, smiling. "Seeing you eat reminds me that I should be getting back to Chegg." She stood up and stretched her arms. "Remember there's a plate waiting for you, Ord
ella."

  "Thank you," Ordella said as Merisca strode off back down the path.

  Hob wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

  "I've got something for you,” he said. “A surprise. Stand up, close your eyes and put your hands out in front of you."

  Ordella did as instructed. Something dropped into her outstretched hands. It was long and thin and quite heavy. The two ends of it felt like they were overhanging her palms. She snapped her eyes open. Snake! She flung it to the base of the tree and jumped back.

  Hob laughed. He walked over to it and picked it up. "What did you think it was?"

  Ordella didn't reply. The object Hob held out in front of her clearly wasn't a snake. It was much too thin, for a start, and it was dark brown all over. He handed it back to her and she clasped it in her hand. It was a length of cord made from strands of leather cleverly braided together. She turned it in her fingers. It must have taken ages to make.

  "Its lovely," she said. "But what's it for?"

  "For your pendant," he said. "The one that belonged to your father."

  She put her hand into her tunic pocket and pulled out the piece of intricately carved wood.

  "Something like that shouldn't be hidden away," he said. "Thread the cord through and see how it looks."

  Holding the pendant in one hand and the cord in the other, she slipped the leather through the hole in the object's base. She tied a knot in the ends of the cord, completing the circle, then put it over her head.

  Hob nodded. "So what do you think?"

  "I love it," she said. It felt strange wearing something that had belonged to her father, although she still couldn't recall him ever owning it. Why had he kept it hidden? Perhaps it hadn't meant that much to him. But then why would her mother have had it on her when she died, and why had her grandmother taken it from her?

  "Thank you," she said. She put her hand on Hob's arm. His cheeks blushed a deep shade of pink.

  "I'm glad you like it," he said. "Todd had me chopping logs for the whole morning before he agreed to plait it for me."

  "But I haven't got a gift for you," she said.

  "I don't need anything," he said.

  Dunder sprang out from behind the sanctuary oak next to where they were standing. His straw-like pale hair was sticking up in filthy clumps, and his eyes were wild. He crouched down like a frog, his tongue flicking in and out over his crooked teeth, then he leaped towards them. Ordella and Hob took a few steps back, and Dunder landed on all fours at their feet.

  "We've got to be heading back, Dunder," Hob said. "Wasn't I just saying that, Ordella?"

  "Yes. Yes you were. We really do need to get back to the hall. I've got food waiting for me."

  Dunder let out a large croak and hopped across the path. He reached the trees, jumped around, then bounced his way back to where he'd started.

  "Let's just go," whispered Hob, shielding his mouth with his hand. "And hope he doesn't follow."

  Ordella nodded. She took a couple of steps back up the path.

  Dunder jumped in front of her and drew himself up to his full height, his chest inches from her face. A sour stale odor filled her nose. Dunder's hand shot out towards her. She stumbled back, but something was stopping her from getting away. She flicked her eyes down. Dunder's fingers were curled around the pendant. He lifted it up, the taut leather cord jolting her head forward.

  "Oi! Let her go!" Hob shouted. Ordella waved off his protests. She shuffled towards the madman, and he turned the pendant in his calloused hand. His eyes glinted, a knowing smile spread across his face.

  "You've seen one of these before, haven't you?" She tried to keep her voice even, matching the tone Flynn had used when he'd asked Dunder about the rotclaws.

  He nodded his head very slowly.

  "Yesssssss!"

  "Well? What is it?" she said.

  Dunder let go of the pendant and it swung back to rest against her chest. He bounded to the middle of the path.

  "Play a game." He jumped up and down on the spot. "Play a game."

  Ordella sighed. "What type of game?"

  "A guessing game, a guessing game, a guessing game." He bounced from one foot to the other.

  "One game." She held up the necklace. "And then you'll tell me what you know about this?"

  "Yessss!" he said.

  Dunder coughed, snorted like a pig, and spat out a huge wad of yellowish spittle by his feet. He then tilted his head back and started to sing in a scratchy voice.

  I have no gums, but I do have teeth,

  Countless secrets I do keep.

  Put me in and turn me round,

  To see what treasures can be found.

  "It's a riddle," said Hob. "A few years ago he used to sing them to people all the time." Hob put his hand to his chin. "And me and Much got pretty good at solving them, too. Now let me see. What has teeth?"

  Ordella closed her eyes and repeated the words of Dunder's song in her mind.

  "Key," she said. "The answer's a key."

  Hob turned to her. A look of annoyance flashed across his face.

  "That's what I was just about to say."

  "Yessssss!" Dunder said. He cupped his hands to his mouth. "She said to me, 'Is it a key?' It is a key, I say to thee."

  "What is?" Ordella touched the pendant. "Is this a key?"

  "Yesssss!"

  "But it doesn't look anything like one."

  She turned to Hob. He shrugged.

  "How do I use it?" Ordella said.

  Dunder leaped forward and grabbed the pendant. He slid his thumb over the carved surface, pausing in the center. A thin strip of metal started to extend from the object's base.

  "How did you do that?" Ordella grabbed it back and inspected it. "What does it open?"

  The madman stared at her for a moment. His jaw dropped, and then he screeched like an owl and ran into the trees, his arms flapping at his sides.

  Twenty-Two

  Ordella clutched the pendant between her thumb and forefinger then slid her thumb forwards, copying Dunder's movements from the night before. She'd been practising all morning, and could now get the key to protrude nearly every time. The metal slid out. Holding the key by its leather cord, Ordella dangled it in front of Merisca's face.

  Merisca smiled.

  "Ingenious," she said, "but what's it for?"

  Ordella shrugged. "Dunder didn't say." She chewed her lip, letting the key fall to her chest. "When my grandmother gave it to you, she didn't tell you anything about it?"

  Merisca shook her head. "Nothing more than I told you before. She said your mother had it on her when she died, and that it had originally belonged to your father."

  "I wonder if Grandmother knew it was a key?"

  "I didn't get that impression," Merisca said, "but I might be wrong."

  Ordella studied it again. She ran her fingers over the three metal teeth hanging down from the barrel. Somewhere out there was a lock waiting for this very key.

  She retracted the metal and turned back to Merisca.

  "I'm going to find it," she said. "I'm going to find the lock."

  "How are you going to do that, Ordella? You don't even know what you're looking for. It could be a lock on a door, a box, a chest."

  "You said yourself it's time I started to fulfill my grandmother's last wish." She held up the pendant again. "This is as good a starting point as any."

  "I didn't mean that you shouldn't try, Ordella. I agree this is something you can't ignore, and I still think you must leave Oakhaven. It's just that I want you to think carefully about where you are going to start your search."

  "That's easy." Ordella pushed a strand of hair away from her face. "I'm going to go back to my village. I can't think of a better place to begin."

  "Does Rittle even exist anymore?" Merisca took Ordella's hand. "I'm not trying to stop you going, but I just want you to be prepared. You saw what the buildings of Marwood looked like, and that village was only torched in the last year. The Kelsharlan's att
acked yours six years ago. Surely everything in it that had a lock has already been removed or forced open?" Merisca paused. "Perhaps you're better off starting your search away from the forest, in Gilmar. As a soldier, your father must have spent plenty of time there, too."

  Ordella chewed her bottom lip. "You're probably right, but I just feel I have to return to my village and see for myself." She turned to Merisca. "I was hoping you'd come with me."

  Merisca looked away and took a deep breath. "I'm afraid I can't." For a moment it seemed as if she was going to say more, then she stopped.

  "It's because of what I said to you before isn't it?" Ordella said. "Because I was so cruel to you?"

  "No, that's not it. That's not it at all." Merisca stared at Ordella. "I can't leave Oakhaven," she said. "I've made a promise to Lera to be here for her when the baby comes."

  "Lera?" said Ordella. "I thought you'd be the last person she'd want around."

  Merisca nodded.

  "A month ago, I'd have agreed with you. But since Flynn's injury, things have changed somewhat. We've met several times. We actually have much in common. More than either of us imagined." She took Ordella's hand. "It's not my place to tell you the details, and I'm not excusing how she was with us when we first arrived here, but she's been through a lot. She's going to need me here."

  I need you, too. Ordella pulled her hand away from Merisca's grasp. What about the promise Merisca had made to Gwenith to protect her grandchild? Did that count for nothing now? Ordella ran her hand through her hair and took a breath.

  No, she was being unfair to her again. She couldn't expect Merisca to be at her side for the rest of her life. Besides, she hadn't spoken to Flynn and Lera yet. They might not even agree to her leaving the village.

  *****

  "Enter!" Ordella was expecting Flynn's voice, but it was Lera who responded to her knock.

  She unlatched the door and opened it. The wood-paneled room was dark and stuffy. A single lantern flickered in the corner.