Child Of A Guardian And Of The Free (Book 3) (41 page)

‘
Remind me never to bet against you ever again,’ he said.

Tiernan took his own knife and cut the l
ime into four pieces. ‘I suppose I could share it,’ he said grudgingly, but Gilgarry could see his smile.

‘
I’ll make a fire,’ said Danil. ‘It shouldn’t be a problem this far north, but it will have to be the last time we do this.’

‘
It will be,’ said Tiernan. ‘From here I intend to move as fast as stealth will allow.’

‘
Are we taking the horses?’ asked Gilgarry.

‘
Only for as long as its practical to do so,’ Danil confirmed. ‘Weema is a long way south of the gap but the land between gets rough. We’ll be quicker on foot.’

‘
You seem to be certain they’ll take Kelian to Weema. What’s stopping them going somewhere else?’ asked Gilgarry. ‘They might think Weema isn’t a safe enough place to hide the King of Alkira, particularly after what happened last time we were in Nyinaku.’

Tiernan and Danil exchanged glances.
‘We’ll get to Weema as fast as we can, and find out as much as we can. If that’s not where they’re taking him then we have to find out where they plan to go.’

A voice replied from the shadows.
‘I don’t think they’ll keep him in Weema.’ Danil leapt to his feet and drew his sword. Borgulnay and Gilgarry dived in separate directions and came to their feet, also drawing swords from sheaths. Only Tiernan didn’t move. He stared into the gathering darkness with an expression both startled and amused.

There was a silence as the soldiers tried to see into the darkness, Gilgarry cursing himself for sitting staring at the fire
, as it was now impossible for him to see clearly. The voice spoke again.

‘
Things are truly awry to find you running around Nyinaku Tiernan.’

‘
Indeed they are,’ said Tiernan somberly, ‘bad enough to find you back here too, Garran.’

Chapter
44

Pain

Kelian wondered how he wasn
’t dead. The ends of his severed finger tips were unrelentingly excruciating, his head pounded continuously, his nose was broken in several places, his unattended broken wrist was swollen and sitting at a strange angle, and his broken ribs felt like daggers every time he breathed. His face was bleeding and bruised, both eyes were blackened and his chest and stomach were a colorful pattern of bruises. Blood was matted in his hair, dried on his face and throat and gummed around his eyes, but the pain in his wrist and fingers prevented him doing anything about this. Despite the torment, he knew he was hungrier and thirstier than he’d ever been before. That the fallen were enjoying bullying him was no longer a question, as their obvious satisfaction when beating him into unconsciousness was as frequent as their deliberate ignorance of his thirst. In his short periods of lucidity, Kelian searched desperately for a fault in their actions that might give him opportunity to escape, but so far he’d found nothing.

Regardless of the fact that every step took him closer to Nyinaku and to Nandul, he
’d been so endlessly cold crossing the Ice Coast that he found a small amount of relief in seeing the end of the ice and snow. He wondered at the unfathomable climatic phenomenon that caused the small strip of land behind the Ice Mountains to remain frozen all year, despite the fact that the land not far to the north was basking in sunny bliss.

He had become
desperately weak from his injuries and from lack of food and several times a warrior had picked him up and slung him over his broad shoulders and carried him for long distances. Kelian was too ill and weary to speak to the man. It was only after being carried from the edge of the Ice Coast and north into Nyinaku that Kelian made a mental connection. The short, broad shouldered warrior who was carrying him was probably the one Larund had spoken of. The moment Kelian had this thought the warrior dropped him to the ground and glared at him warningly. Kelian could do nothing but stare back up at him wishing he had their ability to hide his thoughts.

‘
Fortunately for both of us I have your thoughts well under control.’
  The warrior’s words were like a whisper in Kelian’s mind.

‘
Who are you? Are you the one Larund spoke of?’

‘
My name is Januri.’
The warrior ignored Kelian’s second question.
‘Let’s have a look at your fingers.’
Ignoring the other warriors, Januri took a small skin of wine from a light pack he carried on his back and poured a little over Kelian’s fingers. Kelian gasped in pain but did not cry out. Then the warrior took thin strips of cloth and bound the wounds. Another cloth he used to bind Kelian’s wrist and then he spent a few moments washing his face. Kelian gave a shout of pain and shock as the warrior re-broke his nose then set it quickly in place.

‘
Is there any point?’ another of the warriors asked casually as they passed.

‘
No. But we can’t have Nandul thinking we’ve stolen all the fun,’ said Januri. He looked down at Kelian.
‘I think the guardians are bound to come after you. You want to hope they get to you soon, or you’re as good as dead. And there might be nothing I can do to stop that happening.’

Kelian looked at his bandaged fingers and wrist.
‘Thank you.’

‘
Don’t mention it.’
Januri smiled wryly.
‘Especially, don’t mention it aloud.’

Three days later Kelian was thrown unceremoniously into the very same secure unit in which Milgorry, Elena and Immosey had been imprisoned so many months before. The door showed signs of recent repair, and judging by the thickness of the new boards, Kelian doubted even Milgorry could smash his way through.

He lay on the floor exactly where he’d landed when he’d been pushed down the stone stairs. There was no use moving. There was nothing in the room, so there was no point in trying to find a more comfortable place to lie. He lay on his side keeping his hands positioned so as to prevent them scraping against the floor. Hope had fled. He’d heard nothing of Callian’s thoughts since the day he had shouted his name, and he didn’t know if Callian was still looking for him. He thought perhaps the fallen had made it seem like he was dead, as he was sure this was the only thing that would prevent the guardians from coming after him. He was torn between desperately wanting to hear Callian’s or Timbul’s or Araas’ thoughts in his mind, and not wanting to be the carrot that led them to what would most certainly be an exceedingly perilous situation. After lying still for quite some time he slept.

When he awoke he was startled to find that someone had thrown a blanket over him. He twisted his head around and saw in the corner of the unit there was a second blanket, a
small cushion, a bowl of water and a roll of bread sitting on a thin wooden board. Kelian hurried to the food, kneeling on the floor to pick it up. He stuffed the bread into his mouth and was surprised to find that there was a chunk of cooked meat hidden inside it. So intense was his hunger, he gobbled it down in seconds. There was a strange lump in the folded blanket and he lifted the corner, wincing as his fingers brushed the fabric. Inside was a good sized pile of blackberries. He ate them hungrily, and then drank the entire bowl of water. When he finished drinking he placed the bowl on the floor and sat staring at it stupidly. He felt like a fool, knowing he should have rationed both the food and the water. Once unfolded, the blanket was far larger than the one he had found stretched over him. He took the larger blanket, refolded it many times to make a reasonably thick pad, then he lay down, placed the cushion under his head and pulled the smaller blanket over himself once again. With the food and water, a small amount of hope had returned and it took him longer this time to relax. As he was drifting into sleep, he wondered who had given him the food. He was sure it was probably Januri, but he considered each of the warriors whose faces he could remember, knowing it wouldn’t do to be thinking of Januri trying to help him, in the middle of a village where every person could listen to his thoughts should they choose to do so.

Chapter
45

Enticement

A number of times
in their trek towards Weema, Dale and Lesley were forced to hide when they encountered other people. In the first instance the guardians and free warriors also hid as high as they could climb in thick trees, as a large group of women and children passed by. Several days later they encountered more of the fallen, all warriors, who surrounded them and attacked. Dale and Lesley scrambled for safety as the guardians and warriors were drawing swords and bows and spreading out so as not to inhibit each other’s actions. The ensuing battle had been brutal but brief and when Dale and Lesley dropped from the branches of the tree the warriors of the fallen lay sprawled across the ground, all dead. Dale could tell by Leslie’s face that it was the first time he had seen the guardians in action. He decided that the best plan was to circle around Weema and approach from the opposite direction, hoping to confuse anyone who might be watching them, though he felt fairly confident that between the guardians and the warriors someone would notice if they were being followed. Milgorry didn’t share his confidence. Several times he warned Dale to not underestimate Nandul and Dale was a wise enough man to listen to his advice.

A
s they moved north of Weema, Dale felt strange stirrings in his heart once again, and he knew the fallen woman was still following him. The scenery was stunning and he found himself stopping and staring at the rocks, the trees, the streams, the flowers and noticing every detail of the beauty around him. At one point he dropped back a short distance to feel the water in a small cold stream. When he stood up he could feel that she was watching him, not just searching his heart, but actually watching him. After the initial shock, the feeling returned to being pleasant and welcome. He wondered how it was that she made him feel so incredibly content. As this question crossed his mind he saw a shadow flit into the trees less than two hundred paces from where he stood. Common sense overcame curiosity and he hurried back to Eibhear and Rudiger.

To Dale
’s pleasure it happened again, the very next day. They were hiding in a thicket of trees, having crawled underneath the branches in search of a safe sleeping place for Lesley and Dale. As Dale lay down to sleep he became intensely aware of her presence, and he knew she was watching him intently, seeing his every move and he wondered how close she was, considering the thick bushes surrounding him. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling and for a split second the image of a woman’s face appeared in his mind. She was very small but strong with long dark hair and skin that was lightly sun browned and freckled. Her almost black eyes were framed by thick lashes and her lower lip was thick and slightly turned down, giving her a sad but hopeful look. He wondered if he should mention it to Eibhear, but the instant he had this thought, the feeling of her presence disappeared and he found himself regretting having considered sharing his concern.

He slept and when he awoke several hours later he was gratified
to find he could once again sense that she was watching him. He soaked the sensation greedily into his soul, like a starved body devouring a rare meal. The feeling of belonging intensified and he felt a surge of rebellion and challenge towards Eibhear, as if warning him to keep his distance. Eibhear eyed him uncomfortably several times as he made ready to continue, and he studiously ignored the warrior, knowing that Eibhear could take his thoughts as he pleased. He wished he could keep his current experience to himself.

The next evening Dale insisted they discuss their strategy for entering Weema, and he knew he had to approach Eibhear rather than be in the position of
jeopardizing their entire mission.

‘
I know that you know she’s watching me...I don’t know what she’s doing.’

‘
She desires you,’ Eibhear said bluntly. ‘You want me to hide your mind? You know, you’re a little inconsistent about what you want, Dale.’

‘
Is she dangerous?’

‘
Of course she’s dangerous. She’s fallen! But I doubt she’s working for Nandul. He doesn’t trust women, not even our own women. Regardless, I’ll hide your mind from here on. I would have done so earlier, but your thoughts were harmless and I know you’re enjoying her company.’

‘
Do you know her name?’

‘
Dale, it’s enough that she is who she is. If you follow her, she’ll take from you what she wants and then she’ll kill you.’

Dale
’s eyes widened and he grinned. ‘What a way to go!’

‘
Don’t be stupid,’ said Timbul, frowning as he came to stand beside Dale. ‘You’re being distracted. I should have put a stop to this a long time ago, but...’ He hesitated, remembering the woman he had loved so deeply. The fallen had captured and tortured her before they killed her. He sighed heavily. ‘We need you to come up with the best way to get Kelian out of Weema and you’re actually considering trying to find this woman. Dale you’re going to have to fix your mind on our task. Soon we’ll have so much to concentrate on we may not be in a position to guard your mind every second.’

‘
Sorry,’ said Dale meekly. ‘I just couldn’t seem to help myself. I’ve never even met the woman, but there’s something strange about her, something incredible, that makes me just want to rush away from here and find her and - and - tell her that I can hear her and I like it...I want it...I really want it… Alright, I sound like an idiot. Let’s put our heads together and come up with a plan.’

Milgorry shook his head.
‘Did anyone tell Dale what’s going to happen if he does find her?’

‘
Oh I told him,’ Eibhear confirmed, folding his arms. ‘He decided that would be a
really
nice way to die.’

‘
Supreme Majesty, Dale! You’re the strangest person I’ve ever known!’ Milgorry tipped his head towards the trees and everyone pushed their way through to a small clearing.