by Laura Jack
Ruban found his knees shaking uncontrollably and a wetness down his leg; he started to cry as the lion walked over to him. He wanted to run but couldn’t, time seemed to slow down and some deep instinct told him that if he ran the lion would too. Instead, he fainted.
“Hey! Hey!” Brinan yelled as he jumped down from a high rock onto the ledge where the lion had been eating its kill. The lion turned quickly as Brinan, fumbled to put a arrow in his bow. The lion turned and charged with frightening speed. In a heartbeat Brinan realized he would be too late to fire off an arrow. He backed up to the ledge, saw an opening and dashed in. The lion leapt up and followed determined to kill this insolent intruder.
Callom and Varad entered the canyon from the same direction Matina and Ruban had; just in time to see Brinan disappear into the hillside and the cave lion follow. They grabbed the two youngsters, slung them over their shoulders and ran - without looking back – to the open steppes.
“Where’s Brinan?” Serena asked when they reached her. They shook their heads grimly, gasping for breath.
“We don’t know, one moment he was on a ledge shouting at the lion; then he disappeared, the lion went after him. It gave us the chance to grab these two and run for it.” Callom tried to explain. “We didn’t hear anything, no scream so he may have escaped, we don’t know, we only just got away and we need to get well away from this place - now!”
Serena was dumbstruck. Both Matina and Ruban were crying in shock as they were placed on the ground.
“Shut up! Just shut up!” Serena yelled. “It’s your fault this has happened so you are NOT allowed to cry!” It had no effect on the youngsters, it just made them cry harder. Serena sighed feeling the fight go out of her.
“I’m sorry Matty, let me look at you.” Matina’s tunic was ripped across her shoulder and deep scratch marks had scraped her flesh – the wound was already stinging. It was an odd feeling, but all Serena could think now was how to treat Matina’s wound. Her mind would not let her think about Brinan, if he was not seen to die then he had not died. She was not the only one who thought along this line, all of them wanted desperately to believe this.
“What now?” She said looking at Callom and Varad.
“We still head for the river.”
“What about Brinan? Shouldn’t we wait?” She said finally.
“Brinan will head there too; these are the same hills around the Horse Clan, only higher up and further West. Once we get to that river, it leads us through the valley of the Horse Clan. Just a few more days and we’ll be at the Gathering, I’m sure of it.” He replied, feeling sick with worry for Brinan but trying not to show it. He noticed Brinan’s backpack on the ground beside Luma where he had dropped it in order to run faster, and added with finality;
“It’s what Brinan would want us to do.”
Luma started to whine. With a sleeping Tomas in the travois attached to her harness, she had been powerless to pursue Brinan. Serena had kept a firm grip on her. Luma sat down and let out a desolate howl for her absent pack leader. It came as a shock when she was answered by another howl, then another, signalling that there was a pack of wolves to the north of them. It served as a warning and without further argument they made their way hurriedly across the high plateau, thirst was forgotten when predators threatened. They needed to get out of this strange territory.
Brinan’s world went from light to darkness in the blink of an eye as he dived into the narrow crevice in the rocks. He had hoped at best that the lion wouldn’t follow but when his light was blocked by the great beast and he felt a claw rake at his trousers he backed in further and further. He felt satisfied that he had succeeded in drawing the lion off Ruban and Matina but now worried that he would not escape. The lion crouched low trying to squeeze through then stood on its’ hind legs to see if it could jump over the narrow walls.
Brinan realized grimly that he was now unarmed. He didn’t remember dropping his bow. He didn’t wait to see if the lion would succeed but instead turned and ran blindly. For a brief moment, the lion’s movement had allowed light to filter through. Brinan saw that he was in a passage way and kept running, finally more light from above guided him. A snarl of frustration that seemed close behind him drove him to run even faster. His heart raced and he kept on running. Suddenly he was running in thin air and dropping like a stone. He yelled in confusion and fear. Then all was dark and he landed with a splash into a deep, wet darkness.
Callom led the others away from the canyon; they came to the southern end of the plateaux and made their way down a gradual hillside of dried scrub and loose rocks. It was precarious going. Serena untied Luma from the travois but kept a hold of her lead. She lifted Tomas out of the travois. Varad dismantled it so it became two poles and a backpack again. He put the backpack on his own back. Serena put Tomas into it then picked up one of the poles. Callom picked up the other and they carried on, using the poles as walking sticks to aid their descent.
Eventually they reached a dry streambed and followed it downhill where it opened out into wide grasslands. Towards the west, and far below, they could see the waters of a large, wide river flowing like molten lava in the fiery glow of sunset. Closer too, they saw the beginnings of a stream that had water. Luma pulled at her lead, sniffing intently then let out a low growl of warning. Serena stiffened. Near the water was a pack of wolves and they were looking right back at them. Luma shivered with fear and fascination.
Brinan’s head broke water and he gasped for breath. It was black and cold in the bowels of the hill. The need for survival heightened his instincts. He looked around, letting his eyes adjust to the lack of light. He could feel himself being pulled along in an underground current. He wasn’t sure whether to be more frightened by this or gladdened. With high rock either side of him, he realised there was nothing he could do but let the current take him. Moving water had to come out somewhere right? He sent a silent prayer to Magda to spare his life. At least I’m not thirsty anymore, he muttered to himself.
Above ground, the rest of the Wolf Clan were still facing down their living embodiments.
“Light the torches.” Callom said quietly. Ruban, get out your drum. Once the torches were lit, they all started to shout and yell, walking forward as one unit. Ruban, with the skull drum held in the crook of his arm with the cast, banged the end of his bow as hard as he could. All they needed to do now was keep going towards the wolves with purpose. The ruse worked. The wolves, all seven of them, were un-nerved by this strange noisy pack. They had already drunk their fill and with tails between their legs jogged away, disappearing into the dried long grass.
The children ran to the edge of the stream, it led nowhere, rather it was just an underground spring bubbling up between a few large boulders then disappearing back into the earth. Well at least they could drink now. Feeling revived, Serena splashed her face and then Tomas’s. Matina put down the torch she was carrying and did the same.
“We’ll walk a bit further, I’m sure this stream resurfaces further down, we’ll camp there for the night. If it’s where I think it will be we will have a nice rock wall at our backs tonight.” Explained Callom.
Varad handed round the last of his travel cakes, a piece to each of them. It didn’t look much, but the nutrient rich cakes would keep them going until they made camp. They moved on and walked with more energy. No-one noticed that Matina’s torch had been left by the spring. It smouldered in the dried grass which caught, and blown by a gentle wind crept slowly across the land east of the direction they had come from and, at first, away from the unsuspecting children.
Brinan’s journey in the underground river ended abruptly when the walls closed in and the water dropped between two narrow ledges. He realised miserably that he didn’t have a hope in Magda’s underworld of getting through it. Then, remembering where he was, he laughed aloud at the irony. He was in Magda’s underworld! He felt around the walls for some way out, grabbing for hand holds and fighting against the current until he found a sh
elf of rock. He pulled himself out of the water, a little chilled, but strangely energized – a primal survival tactic of his brain. He stood up and jumped up and down to warm himself. It wasn’t that long ago that he had been desperate for water and shelter from the sun, now he was desperate for light and heat to dry off.
He realised that there was a faint light coming in from high above casting shadows on the walls of the underground river, but as the sun set fully, he was plunged into darkness. With no torch to light, he contemplated his next move. He had seen enough of the ledge to know that it followed back the way he had come in the water. On impulse, he decided to try to feel his way back. He got some way but when a slip of his foot nearly put him back in the water, common sense got the better of him and he decided to stay put and rest, for now at least. He hoped that when dawn came light would come from somewhere to guide him out. He sat down on the ledge and waited. It was going to be a long night.
“Let’s camp here.” Callom suggested. They hadn’t reached the place he had hoped for but the underground stream had resurfaced and the banks to the side gave them some security. No-one argued with him and they all set about putting up ground tents and making a fire. Supper was eaten in deferential silence, as if the absence of Brinan was screaming at them all. Matina was the first one to fall asleep and Ruban soon followed. Their ordeal with the cave lion had just been the start of a long and exhausting day for them.
“Things will look better in the morning.” Serena said sleepily to no-one in particular. She didn’t expect an answer and didn’t get one, the others were either asleep or too tired to carry on a conversation. She looked across at Varad, Tomas was nestled in the crook of his arm and fast asleep, his tiny hand still clutching his favourite rattle. Serena smiled gratefully and Varad smiled sleepily back. She couldn’t stop her eyes closing and was soon fast asleep like the others.
“Brinan! Brinan!” Deema’s voice called out with it’s usual edge of impatience. Brinan tried to ignore her. He was nestled under his bed furs in the cave and wanted to sleep a little longer. He would only have to do chores anyway and he felt like being lazy today. He felt Luma licking his hand.
“Brinan!” Now Deema loomed over him, angry and insistent. “Get up now!”
Startled, Brinan opened his eyes, expecting to see his mother but in a heartbeat, he realized that he had been dreaming and remembered where he was. What loomed over him was a tall stalagmite. His hand was in a pool of water dripping off the stalagmite. He sat up abruptly, at least now he could see, it must be morning.
Ignoring the hunger in his stomach, he stood up and took his bearings from the current of the water below him. He was glad he had gone no further. The shelf ran out and he would certainly have fallen into the water again. Miserably, he realised that the only way he would get back in that direction was to go through the water and he didn’t relish that idea. He decided to go back the way he had come. As he retraced his footsteps along the ledge, he scanned the rocks above him. He reached the whirlpool where the water disappeared down in between the rocks. The fact that he could see a lot better now didn’t help him at all. He swallowed down a primal fear that he was trapped.
High above, he heard a flutter of wings, an occasional squeak. Bats! If they can get in, he thought suddenly; I can get out!
He looked up and could faintly make out the winged creatures coming in to roost, silhouetted against a small circle of grey light. Early dawn, he realised. He wondered how far above him the light was. On impulse, he shouted and his voice echoed eerily in the cave. The bats took wing and flew up, and up and out into the light. It was as Brinan feared; another near vertical hole, like the one he had fallen down. He cursed aloud, knowing this was his only way out. Looking for hand holds he visualized a way to climb up. Where the hole was narrow enough he could press his back against the rock and walk up the way he had done for fun in the sacred cave with Callom. This was going to be a lot harder he thought grimly as he started to climb.
Serena woke up feeling the warm glow of a fire and smelling smoke. She was pleased that someone must already be up and boiling water for Tomas’s gruel and their morning tea. She coughed, thinking that it was rather a smoky fire and the person responsible shouldn’t have built it up so quickly. She coughed again, and this brought her to full awareness. She looked across at the camp fire. It wasn’t even lit, then why was there so much smoke. She should wake the others.
“Varad, Callom!” She kicked them both to wake them. They sat up and then coughed.
“Where’s this smoke coming from, the fire is not lit!” Serena told them. The boys stood up, equally perplexed. Varad climbed up onto the bank and disappeared in a blanket of smoke. He dropped down quickly, coughing.
“Fire – on the plateau. We leave! Now!”
“The fire hasn’t reached us yet, but we must get away from this smoke.” Callom shouted, he had remembered a story told long ago, by his mother; of a travelling Clan getting caught in such a fire. The smoke could kill them even before the flames got them he knew. Ruban and Matina woke in the midst of the commotion and smoke. They didn’t need telling twice to get up.
In their rush, they left the tents and ground covers but picked up their backpacks, Tomas and the travois. Serena realized bleakly that Luma had gone; but now was not the time to worry about the wolf - she could take care of herself. Varad pulled off his tunic and put on the backpack to carry Tomas. Once Serena had the baby securely in, Varad threw his tunic over Tomas and his own head. The others did the same.
“Follow the stream bed and keep your heads low.” Serena said, leading the way. “We need to get to that river before the fire reaches us.” Then they ran for their lives without looking back.
19 The River
Brinan climbed steadily; pacing himself - he had reached the halfway point and he was close to the part where the hole narrowed and the rock was sheer and smooth. He was startled by the sudden return of the bats which dropped into the hole almost as one and flew down past him into the bowels of the cave; sanctuary for them - but a death trap for him.
Brinan pinned himself against the rock face, squeezed his eyes shut and clung on for dear life as the bats swooped past him. Their urgent passing seemed to go on forever; he gripped tightly and tried not to breathe in the stench of bat droppings. His fear and discomfort triggered a flashback; he remembered feeling the exact same emotions when he was back on the cliff face by the sea with the gulls swooping around him and the wind trying to pull him way from the rocks. I really hate climbing rocks! He told himself vehemently.
Eventually, the bats were no longer flying in. He opened his eyes and looked up tentatively. It was dark again; which was strange, but he still climbed, feeling his way up. Then he reached the steep sides of smooth rock and changed tactics. Transitioning from facing the rock to placing his back on the rock to brace his feet was tricky but a couple of good handholds and the narrowness of the hole helped. He didn’t dare look down; he knew grimly what the consequences of a fall would be. At first, climbing this way seemed easier but as he got higher and higher, he felt his back burning with the effort of maintaining counter pressure. His thighs began to ache too. Stoically, he kept going, maintaining a rhythm of transferring his weight to his hands and shoulders with counter-pressure so he could move up his back and feet. Then he applied more pressure with his back and locked out his legs to allow himself to move his hands up again.
Hands and shoulders; back and feet; hands and shoulders - don’t look down – back and feet . . .
He climbed higher, maintaining a rhythm and ignoring his pain and fatigue, he let his subconscious keep on with the task of climbing and allowed his mind to wander ahead to the top of the hole and the promise of safety and firm ground. He was only a few feet from the top when the smell of smoke stung his nostrils and brought his wandering mind back to the present. He looked up and saw smoke floating over the top of the hole.
For the love of Magda – is fate determined to kill me! He thought
angrily. He stopped climbing and waited, listening. He heard the distinctive crackling of grass burning. It got louder and louder; flames licked up the dried grasses and heather, passing over and around the hole, Brinan could feel the heat. So this is what it’s like to be in an oven! He held his breath - and waited. The crackling grew fainter and fainter. The smoke thinned. Fuelled by anger and a fresh determination to live, he took a deep breathe and continued to climb.
“Keep running, we’re nearly there.” Yelled Serena. Up ahead, Varad was running with Tomas still under the hide. The bank had dropped away to nothing, but the stream bed was now filled with water and getting wider and deeper. They jumped onto the bank and were now running across a flat meadow between two hills. The wind changed direction and the fire, like a demon, followed them down. Serena had a firm grip on Ruban’s good hand. Callom scooped up Matina in an attempt to catch up with Serena. Matina looked back the way they had come; her eyes - burned red by the smoke - streamed with tears. She let out a scream of terror. From out of the smoke, a large cave lion loomed like a wraith, running at full speed towards them. Matina buried her head in Callom’s neck and visualized her mother reaching out to embrace her to block out the deadly sight of the charging lion. She remembered the smell of the big cat’s breathe when it had knocked her down yesterday and she felt like her heart would burst with terror.
Brinan reached the top of the hole and, spreading his arms behind him on the burnt ground, he grabbed the burned stalks of heather; gave one final push off with his feet and rolled backwards onto firm ground. Sweating and exhausted he still couldn’t rest. The smouldering ground burnt his hands and his back. He stood up quickly and surveyed the landscape. It was like he had climbed out to a different world of blackened earth and flint sky. Everything around him was dead - or dying. He wondered for a moment if he was actually dead and this was his journey to the spirit world. But if he were dead, surely he wouldn’t be feeling so much pain? He found a boulder to climb on to get off the charred ground. His climb out of the hole had worn out the soles of his boots as well as his tunic, no wonder he was in pain. He couldn’t see in any direction and decided it would be best to just sit and wait for the smoke to pass, if it ever would! He lay on his back, immediately winced in pain; rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. I’ll just rest for a moment, he promised himself as exhaustion overwhelmed him.