A Leopard in the Mist

by S E Turner

  'Where is she, then?'

  Lyall shrugged. 'I don't know, but I have to go now. I have all these people waiting for me.'

  'I will find her.'

  'Skyrah, I have tried to find her, but now I am out of time. Tell her ... well ... you will know what to say.'

  His look lingered, his sigh was long. He smiled, then signalled to his band of pilgrims, kicked his horse into a trot, and with a congregation of well-wishers behind him, made his way out of the camp.

  Skyrah ran to the blacksmiths. Arneb was not there. She went to the stream, and she was not there either. She even went to Lyall's hut, but that was empty. Finally, she went to the meadow and saw Arneb looking out over the horizon and picking at the daisies.

  'Arneb, what on earth are you doing? Lyall is leaving right now.'

  'There's no point, Skyrah. I have a duty at the blacksmiths. I can't go.'

  'Nonsense! I have sorted it out with Toady. He is more than happy to take over from you.' Her voice was becoming more urgent.

  'I can't leave, you know I can't. I have gone through the scenarios until I am quite exhausted.'

  Skyrah wasn't listening. Nothing her friend said was a good enough excuse. She shook her head at each line of defence and closed her ears to things that would never happen. She was bobbing about and stretching her head in Lyall's direction...until she heard those final words.

  '... and besides, I don't have a horse.'

  'You can take mine,' her voice was anxious and hurried. 'No more excuses. Meteor will take you.'

  'It's too late,' persisted Arneb. 'It's all too late.'

  'Nothing is too late, but if you watch the best thing that's ever happened to you walk out of your life, then you will regret it for the rest of your days. Now get up, wipe that sad look off your face. and race like the wind to catch up with him.'

  The sky was as clear as it could be on this warm sunny day in this first week of June. Lyall could hardly believe that a year ago to the day, Skyrah had saved them all from certain death when she burst into their dormitory, having poisoned most of the palace. What a difference a year makes, he thought to himself, and glanced over as he heard the thunderous sound of hooves approaching.

  Arneb fell in next to him on Meteor, and they both looked at each other and grinned.

  'I didn't think you were going to come.' His face looked relieved.

  'I just had a few things to sort out and needed to have a little chat with Skyrah.'

  'Women's talk?' he raised his eyebrows.

  'Something like that.' She smiled.

  He leaned over to kiss her on the lips, and with a congregation of people clapping and whistling behind them, they held that moment for as long as they could.

  This was without doubt the longest way round. The women and children who were taking the carts through the tunnel would have the job done in a couple of hours. But this trail way, taking the horses and animals across the mountains and through the paths, would take much longer. There was a quicker route that one of the men had suggested doing, but that was even more treacherous, with deep ravines to get lost in, and cracks big enough to swallow a whole horse, places where the sun was never seen, so that idea was abandoned.

  The party rode north, away from the Clan of the Mountain Lion, following a beaten path across fields into the woods and streams. The ground from here to the mountain ridge was mainly grasslands, parched fields and rolling hills, high meadows and lowland marshes. Here, the sun beat down on them softly, and the steady muffled sound of horses walking over the sandy tracks filled their ears. Lyall knew that this was the easiest part of the journey, and they would camp at the edge of the forest before dark. He kicked his horse into a brisk trot until the trees opened up into the beginning of the mountain path. He stopped at this point and waited for his party to assemble.

  'We will camp here tonight,' he said. 'We will rest, have food, and get going again in the morning.' The clan dismounted and relieved the horses of their cargo. The small herd were led to a stream to drink, then tied loosely to tree branches and left to feed on bags of oats. The moon was rising behind one mountain and the sun sinking behind another as Zak struck up a fire. Men laid out their provisions and talked about their futures. Arneb settled Meteor and came over to sit with Lyall.

  'It would have been a catastrophe if you hadn't come, you know,' he said.

  'And why is that?' She snuggled deeper into his arms.

  'Because we both have so much to offer each other.'

  Her heart fluttered, and she felt the pit of her stomach knot. 'This is what my parents wanted for me.'

  'What did they want for you?' he asked.

  'They wanted me to be happy and to follow my dreams.'

  Lyall squeezed her hand and kissed the top of her head .

  She smiled and continued. 'They told me that a fine young prince would be my saviour and whisk me away to his castle where he would love me and protect me for the rest of my life.'

  A short laugh rose in the back of his throat. 'Well, maybe they knew your future, dear Arneb.'

  'I think they did. They knew my destiny from when I was born.' She sighed and looked up at the full moon. 'It's so beautiful and bright tonight, Lyall. She's looking down on us and keeping us safe.'

  She squeezed his hand tighter and closed her eyes. Lyall leaned back with Arneb in his arms and looked up at the great magical sphere lighting up his homeward-bound path. Smiling up at the huge orb of white light, he pulled a blanket over them both and bowed out to another successful day.

  The cool of the night gave way to another bright morning, the sounds of dawn drifted through the camp as birds trilled out their awakening chorus, and squirrels gorged themselves on a feast of nuts. The horses snorted and tossed their heads, and soon the party was ready to go again.

  For a long way, they stayed to the trail, following its twists and turns as it coiled around the side of the mountain. The ridge began to ascend slowly as they gained height, and debris spat out from beneath the horses’ hooves as they carried their cargo homeward bound. Fortunately, they were nimble on their feet, and it made for better hacking while the path was covered in weathered stones and gravel. Whilst the conditions on the ground were favourable, the turns were treacherous, and the narrow path would be fatal at any other time of the year. Above them, a long fold of granite curved over them like a huge tidal wave, and under the ridge, it zig zagged, going a quarter of a way round the circumference of the mountain before it started to descend again. The sun hung even higher above them now, perched on the crest of a wave of high ridges, and immediately below was the Kingdom of Durundal.

  It sprawled out before him like a long-lost friend, the trees and hills welcoming him back with waving arms. He thought it to be the most beautiful place on earth, breath taking and magical at the same time. From out of nowhere, an eagle soared—the sun caught the bronzed tip of its tail and turned it into a spectrum of light. He smiled at the image, thinking it resembled his sword. He felt the weapon at his side, concealed safely within its scabbard. He followed the eagle's flight with squinted eyes, and from this highest point, he could see more of the mountain range and witnessed the unfathomable power of the Claw. He gasped in wonder as he saw unforgiving waterfalls plunging over tongues of stone into ravines that were so wide and brutal, he could see whole trees still stranded at the side from the punishing winter months. Displaced boulders of rock had been pushed out with such a force it would be feasible to imagine that giants lived in these peaks and understand why the range was given its name. But this was the eagle's home, and another giant of a beauty came into sight looking for rich pickings from the disturbance on the trail.

  'Everyone all right?' he shouted back to his troops.

  The single file caravan all confirmed that they were.

  They had descended the north face of the mountain by the afternoon and stumbled across a disused archer tower. A section of the four hundred foot long spur wall had collapsed, taking the gun ports with it.
In its day, the tower would have reached to one hundred and twenty-five feet. Now, it was a fraction of that; and the long wall that once stood at thirty feet was now a ghostly ruin of a once proud monument, beaten and worn down by the work of a hundred murdering soldiers.

  'What is this place, Lyall?' called out Arneb.

  'It's supposed to defend the castle.'

  'Did the General do this?' Her gaze followed the endless mass of fallen stones.

  'He probably did. I can see that the gun ports have been smashed in as well.'

  'What a despicable creature.' She grimaced.

  'One of the very worst,' his voice was scathing.

  'It will be back to its former glory one day,' she tried to lift a scraping of hope.

  'That it will, I can assure you. But the castle has to be much better defended in the future. There will always be another General Domitrius Corbulo for us to contend with, and we have to be better prepared. '

  But that was only a fraction of what the General had done, for a much greater savaged dwelling greeted him as his party got closer. For the first time, he could see that nothing remained of the castle grounds at all. It was a graveyard of ashes and bone, buried deep within layers of dirt, soot and mud. Nothing of the beautiful apple orchard remained—it was trampled flat and bare. He looked for some saplings, but even they couldn't find any sustenance in this lifeless place. The rows of beehives were flattened, none of the residents had even attempted to re home or build their nests close by. It was like walking into hell itself, and he had already seen several places that were comparable.

  It took them the rest of the morning to make a slow circuit of the castle. Most of the stone walls remained, albeit fragments and charred beyond recognition, but the foundations were probably still strong and could be used again, he decided. The wooden stable block was burned to a cinder—nothing remained of that except his memories. Lyall hoped that the horses had been able to escape, he didn't want to think about the terror and pain if they hadn't. Some of his most favourite ponies were kept in there—hopefully the stable boys and grooms had got to them in time and they would return one day. The new stables would be built from granite rock next time. He didn't want to put anything to chance again.

  He had already seen the shredded core of the castle last year and was aghast then at how much death and destruction had been inflicted. He wondered then how parts of it had remained standing upright, albeit teetering on a splinter or a nail or a pole. But now, a year later, even the splinters, nails, and poles had given way. He worried about the people coming through the cave and venturing into a room with no floor. He needn't have been concerned, though, as all of them were there to greet him as he entered the courtyard.

  It was only Bagwa they were waiting for. He had left the following day, because he knew he would be slow and didn't want to hold anyone up.

  Bagwa popped his head from one of the exposed beams just as Lyall was thinking about him.

  'Are you all right?' Lyall shouted up.

  'Yes, I'm fine. We are all here, give us a minute and we will join you.'

  'Hurry up. I think the whole structure is about to crumble.'

  'It's been standing like this for four years,' Bagwa called back. 'I think it will hold for another four minutes.'

  Lyall shook his head in desperation. He wasn't sure that Bagwa was right when he heard the castle creak and groan with the weight of new guests inching across its broken limbs. 'Just hold on for a few minutes longer, please,' he begged the fragile heart.

  Everyone felt his apprehension as the castle began to rock to and fro. They could hear muffled footsteps and ghostly voices telling each other where to go and where not to stand coming from within. Worried faces fixed on the fragile monument, guided the party safely out, and a collective sigh of relief was heard across the estate when the family emerged safely .

  'Got a fair bit of work to do then, Lyall,' said Bagwa, coming out into the light and stating the obvious.

  'Come on hop-'o'-long.' Tyna playfully pushed Bagwa out of the way.

  Lyall had to laugh and greeted his old friend with a hug. 'You are not wrong there, dear friend. Now, do you still think you are up to it?'

  Bagwa ignored the raised eyebrow and thin smile from his wife and children.

  'It's just a war wound, you know. I can still build a wall,' Bagwa harrumphed and hugged his friend back.

  'This will take a lot of effort and man hours to complete,' said Lyall. 'I hadn't fully appreciated how bad it really was.'

  'Anything can be done if you put your mind to it,' said Bagwa, looking over at Tyna. 'You should know that more than anyone.'

  'Yes, you are right. I can't be defeated before I've begun, can I.' His passion was rekindled once again.

  Lyall called out to his people. 'Thank you for coming with me, and thank you for supporting me.' He smiled to each of them as he looked around at his new recruits. 'I know this is probably worse than you were expecting—it's a lot worse than what I was expecting.' He looked sadly at the remains. 'But we will make this castle grand again. It will be safe, and it will be a place that you can call home.'

  'You are wrong, Lyall,' called out Zak. 'We all knew it would be like this, of course we did. But we also know that anything that is worth having doesn't come easy. We all know that we will have to work night and day to get this castle to its former glory.'

  A cheer and swivel of nodding heads went up from the crowd.

  'Thank you, Zak. Thank you, everyone,' called out Lyall in response. 'I will have to enlist a lot more men though to get this structure back up, and maybe more women and children can help with the lighter work. I am sure our friends at the Marshland and Hill Fort and Giant's Claw, can spare a few extra helpers. Are there any men who will get back on a horse in a couple of days to bring back support?'

  A dozen hands went up and Lyall was knocked back with the response. 'Thank you, each and every one of you. I am truly honoured and overwhelmed, and you will be duly rewarded.'

  'The reward is the community we shall be building,' Tyna said humbly.

  Another cheer went up and again Lyall had to stifle his emotion. 'Thank you, I do appreciate your enthusiasm, but for now we need to build shelters. There is timber and wood littered around the grounds. I know a lot of you have brought provisions and blankets to share, so we will make a base right here, and in the morning, we start the real work.'

  Chapter Nineteen

  Across the still, blue water came the soft swish of oars from the galleys. The great cog groaned with the effort, and gentle breezes helped the ship on its way. Cornelius watched the sun bounce off the crystal waters beneath him and merge with the specks of nothing on a distant skyline. It reminded him of being in the cave when he had come to appreciate the sharp salty smell of the air and the vastness of the horizon trimmed with a band of azure on a clear day while the sea remained a rich shade of cyan. But now, on a ship with not much else but a crew of sweaty men, bilious passengers, and panicking animals, he had grown to love the freedom of the sea gulls in the air, their superb navigation skills, and their exceptional abilities when seeking out food. He spoke to them often, and sometimes wished he could fly alongside them—just for a day, even an hour, maybe a minute, just to feel that sense of power and unrivalled freedom. These masters could tell him in an instant of an impending storm. For they could see before the lad in the crow’s nest when a knot of dark clouds hovered in the distance, moving in like a giant shadow, following the ship at every turn, waiting to attack. And as the birds quickly flew low, and changed direction, he would wave them off with admiration.

  The animals below the decks also sensed a change; whether it was the smell of the wind, or the motion of the sea responding, they knew. But without their freedom, all they could do was panic, and as soon as the gulls had disappeared, you could hear the animals shrieking in fear.

  The beautiful azure sky turned black and the crystal cyan sea morphed into an angered silver-grey creature. As the wind ho
wled off its back, the canvas snapped and cracked in response while the crew men reefed the sails. The hull bellowed undeterred, and the crow’s nest stood firm as it was blasted with several tonnes of spray.

  The squall picked up pace and the decks below were fuelled with screaming and stampeding. The galley boys were worked to their very core, cleaning up and settling the animals. It was frightful for everyone… except Master Cornelius. He gripped the rail at the bow of the ship and breathed in the voracious wind while the hammering rain beat down on him, leaving him soaked and windswept. He not only weathered the storm, he embraced it.

  Day after day, the young man stood on the deck, drinking in the scenery of the vast horizons where an endless sky and a menagerie of birds flew alongside the ship, and he observed their behaviour to forecast the weather. On some occasions he was lucky enough to see a whale breaching or a school of dolphins jumping in time to the mechanical cog. The early morning was the best time to see them. It seemed they, too, were excited by the rising sun, and after a long time brushing against the sea floor and hidden in the depths, would rise to the surface to take in the wondrous spectacle themselves. He had never seen that vision before, and because he thought he probably would never have the chance again, he stood at the bow most days, watching for a glimpse of the great mammals of the ocean. 'Come up on the deck Gya,' he would say enthusiastically. 'It's going to be fine today so the turtles will be seen.' Or, 'Best stay below, I sense a change in the weather.'

  He preferred it up on the deck and would often sleep up there, especially now that he knew that Gya was a woman. For the first few nights, he had found himself looking at her, trying to view unnoticed while she changed and washed her body. He found himself savouring the sight of her breasts and becoming increasingly aware of her sexuality, particularly the way she moved. Even her smell was different now, and the tone of her voice. She is definitely more like a woman than a man. How could I have not noticed? Perhaps it's a case of believing what we are told, he surmised. Tricks of disguise and camouflage. Nevertheless, it all got embarrassing for him, for now she was more like a sister to him.