Child Of A Guardian And Of The Free (Book 3) (9 page)

Chapter
9

Death

‘
No!’ screamed Dale, trying to fling himself from Eibhear’s arms.

‘
You can’t go in there Dale!’ shouted Eibhear. ‘There’s nothing you can do!’

‘
Charie! Charie! No! Supreme Majesty, no!’ Dale struggled frantically. He finally managed to hurl himself from Eibhear’s grasp and he landed heavily on the floor. He pushed himself upwards and shouted in rage when he found his legs simply refused to respond. ‘Help me!’ he screamed. ‘I have to...I have to...Eibhear… Please!’

‘
Dale, it happened too fast, the fire’s too strong. We’re too late. She’s gone Dale,’ said Eibhear sadly, holding the back of Dale’s shirt so he couldn’t roll towards the blaze which seemed to fill the kitchen.

‘
No! She- I have to help her! There’s still a chance!’ Dale’s strength gave out entirely and he collapsed to the floor.

‘
There’s nothing you can do,’ said Eibhear firmly, picking up Dale once again and running towards the door which led into the courtyard. Dale’s body shook with grief and shock as Eibhear placed him on the ground with his back against the base of the wall, as far as possible from anything flammable. ‘I’ll go back in, Dale, but you need to know, I can’t sense her thoughts at all, so either she’s dead or close to it,’ said Eibhear. He turned and ran towards the keep. He disappeared from sight and Dale slid sideways onto the ground, his tears pouring down his face and dripping onto the dust.

It was more than half an hour before Eibhear returned
. Dale shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth as he caught the expression on Eibhear’s face. ‘She’s burnt terribly, Dale.’ Eibhear leant against the wall and slid down until he was sitting beside Dale. Dale’s face turned towards Eibhear questioningly. ‘She won’t survive. She’s not conscious now and I doubt she’ll last the hour. I can hardly even tell if she’s breathing.’

‘
Take me to her,’ ordered Dale.

‘
Are you sure you want to see her?’ asked Eibhear, feeling sickened by the memories of the burnt girl.

‘
Just take me to her. If there’s any possibility she can hear me...well, I’m not going to miss the chance, Eibhear.’ Eibhear lifted Dale and carried him into the keep, to where Charie’s burnt body was stretched out on the long lounging chair in the conference room. General Marnol and Lady Sophie knelt beside her, pouring water over her body. Eibhear placed Dale beside the chair. Dale leaned forward until his mouth was inches from the blackened lump of flesh that had once been Charie’s ear.

‘
Charie? I love you Charie. You know I love you. You know that, don’t you?’ There was no response and tears flooded down Dale’s face. ‘Oh Charie, beautiful Charie,’ Dale’s voice broke and he laid his head on the side of the chair and closed his eyes. ‘Where are the guardians?’ he whispered eventually. ‘Have we no-one here who can help her?’

‘
They went with Kelian,’ said General Marnol. ‘And King’s Marshall Danil won’t be back here until this afternoon.

‘
I don’t think they would have been able to do anything. I doubt that even Tiernan could save her,’ said Eibhear kneeling beside Dale. He reached out and placed his hand on Charie’s forehead. ‘She’s gone now Dale. She’s dead.’

‘
What happened?’ asked Dale croakily, fighting against screams of grief. ‘How could this happen?’

‘
I’m not entirely sure, but from what we can see, she was working with a huge pan of oil and it caught fire. I think she threw water on it to try to put out the flames,’ said Lady Sophie. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

‘
Can I have a moment alone with her?’ asked Dale.

‘
Of course,’ replied General Marnol. They rose to their feet and left the room. Dale reached out hesitantly and placed his hand on Charie’s forehead. Most of her soft blond hair had burned away. He pulled himself up until he was partly lying beside the girl and he draped his arm over her body. He stayed beside her until General Marnol returned and carried her body away, then he dragged himself up onto the wet and blackened chair and lay staring unseeingly ahead.

‘
Dale?’

If Dale was surprised to hear Enri
’s voice he didn’t show it. Enrique of Western Downs, son of Duke Percy and Duchess Vera had been appointed to him as Squire, and they had become good friends. Enri’s courage had earned him the title of King’s Knight, but his duties were strictly limited as he was only fourteen years of age. When Kelian’s father had been King, he had forbidden Enri to take on the full responsibilities of a King’s Knight until he was older. Dale didn’t move at all as Enri walked across the room and sat on the edge of the lounging chair.

‘
Dale, General Marnol has chosen a nice place for Charie, are you coming outside?’ asked Enri, looking sadly at his friend. Dale didn’t respond. ‘I injured my arm trying to put out the fire, but I can get someone else to carry you, if you can’t walk yet since you got Nailmarni blood on you again. Rudi said it’s much worse when it happens a second time. He was really worried you might die this time.’ Dale still didn’t respond. ‘They’re waiting for you Dale. Are you ready?’

Eventually Dale rolled over and stared miserably up
at Enri. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you were going with Kelian.’

‘
I was. But he decided you would need me more than he would.’

‘
I don’t need anyone,’ said Dale, rolling away and staring blankly at the side of the lounging chair. Enri waited patiently, but Dale lapsed into silence once again.

‘
Fine!’ said Enri, rising to his feet. ‘If you respected her so little you can’t even attend her burial ceremony then that’s that I suppose!’ He stomped across the room and turned back towards Dale when he reached the doorway. Dale was sitting up on the chair. He was leaning forward and glaring at Enri.

‘
Good!’ said Enri, ignoring Dale’s anger. ‘It’s about time! Do you want to lean on my good arm, or do you want me to get someone to carry you?’

‘
I’ll lean,’ said Dale and Enri hauled him to his feet. He dragged Dale’s arm over his shoulder and half carried him towards the doorway, but partway across the room, Dale’s legs gave way altogether and Enri found himself desperately trying to prevent Dale from falling.

‘
Sorry!’ he cried as he lost his grip on Dale’s arm and the Baron crumpled to the floor. ‘I’ll have to get help, Dale. My arm is useless! I’ll get some of the soldiers to help.’

‘
No!’ said Dale, looking horrified. ‘Eibhear. Get Eibhear. Only you and Eibhear.’

‘
Eibhear? Why Eibhear?’ asked Enri curiously, then he looked up in surprise as the warrior appeared in the doorway without being called.

‘
Because he’s so rude he’ll have been listening in on my thoughts anyway!’ said Dale. Enri raised an eyebrow. ‘Can we go now?’ said Dale impatiently.

The burial ceremony was short and afterwards Eibhear carried Dale back to his room. Dale had not spoken since leaving the conference room and though he remained dry eyed during the ceremony, as Eibhear and Enri left his room they could see that his face was
once again wet with tears.

They set sail the following morning. The day was clear and
quite hot and the sun reflecting off the ocean made it impossible to look east without squinting. Captain Mervin had the ship ready to leave at a moment’s notice, and as Dale was the last person to come aboard, the moment Eibhear carried him onto the deck Captain Mercah gave orders to set sail. Dale’s strength had not returned, and he lay listlessly on the deck of the ship, ignoring the harsh sun beating down on his skin. Enri took a light cloth and spread it over him. Dale lay without moving as if he hadn’t noticed. Towards midday, Eibhear and Enri came to sit beside him. They didn’t speak.

Dale opened his eyes and pushed the cloth away from his face.
‘You don’t need to sit here with me,’ he stated firmly. ‘I don’t need you. I’m fine by myself. You can go away. Please.’

Enri glanced at Eibhear, who shook his head slightly.

‘I mean it!’ said Dale, catching the exchange. ‘Go away!’

‘
No,’ said Enri.

Dale managed to prop himself up on his elbows.
‘Aren’t you supposed to do as you’re told?’

Enri
’s face darkened angrily. ‘You need me to help you.’

‘
I don’t need anyone! The only person I needed...I barely discovered I needed her and now...I don’t need anyone Enri. No-one! Go away!’ He pulled the cloth back over his face and managed to roll away before Enri could see his tears.

‘
Now what do we do with him,’ Enri asked Eibhear.

‘
Nothing. We do nothing,’ said Eibhear seriously.

‘
Should we go away?’

‘
Definitely!’ Dale snapped.

‘
Definitely not,’ Eibhear contradicted. ‘You don’t desert a friend when they’re grieving Enri. No matter what they do, or how badly they react, if you know they are torn by grief and if you know they are a true friend, you stay with them.’

‘
Right then,’ said Enri, making himself comfortable. ‘Where are Rudi and Ben, and little Rezon and Raline?’

‘
Below deck. Ben, Rudi and Rez spent the better part of the last couple of weeks building walls and digging wells. They weren’t particularly tired, but they still need to take some rest.’

‘
Did Lias come aboard?’ asked Dale without moving from beneath the cloth.

‘
No. He went south days ago. He decided to make his own way back to the Dwellings and then to Emerald. He left in quite a hurry. If he kept moving at the same pace, he’s probably half way to Emerald by now.’

‘
Who’s looking after Lerise and Jade?’

‘
Raline. She seemed glad to be given something to do,’ said Enri.

‘
Eibhear?’ Dale pushed the cloth away from his face.

‘
You want to sit up?’ asked Eibhear. Without waiting for an answer he reached out and pulled the cloth away, grabbed the front of Dale’s shirt and reefed him into a sitting position. With what seemed like very little effort, he dragged Dale backwards until he was leaning against the raised quarterdeck.

‘
Dale, if you need to talk, you can talk to us,’ said Enri.

Dale looked at Enri and Eibhear and they could see reason returning to his eyes.
‘I will,’ he said. ‘I’m just not ready yet.’

‘
My dad used to say, if you’re at sea and nothing is going right, set sail for home. Home will be waiting.’

‘
I don’t even know if I want to go home Enri. Since the fallen attacked, home might not even be there. But I do get his point. I’ve had enough. I’m sailing for home. I had more than enough.’

‘
Fair enough,’ said Enri, knowing when a discussion was closed. ‘Why are we stopping at the Dwellings?’

‘
I want to see if there are any more of the people from Emerald waiting to go home,’ said Dale.

‘
And you want to see if the guardians can help you regain your strength,’ said Eibhear.

‘
I do. This weakness is driving me crazy.’

‘
Are you going to eat something soon?’ asked Enri as the smell of food drifted through the air.

‘
Maybe,’ said Dale wondering why the smell of the food made him feel sick. ‘What is that?’

‘
Cook’s made up some little pastry things with apple. They smell fantastic!’

‘
No! No. I’m not hungry. I couldn’t!’ He lay back down on the deck and dragged the cloth over himself, turning away from Enri and Eibhear as his heart ached painfully.

‘
Why not?’ asked Enri, surprised at Dale’s reaction.

Eibhear
stared sadly at Dale’s back. ‘Charie used to make apple pastries. She knew they were Dale’s favorite and she made them especially for him.’

Chapter
10

Khimerahd

Kalinya awoke. He touched his shoulder and frowned
in confusion when he found it neatly bandaged and far less painful than he expected. Memories of the past week flooded back and his heart accelerated with fright. He had no idea how he had come to be lying in a cart. The cart was not moving. He couldn’t see over the sides and he wondered if he’d been made a slave. Beside him stood a small water barrel and several huge sacks, the contents of which could only be guessed. He rolled sideways and dragged his knees up under his body, pushing himself into a sitting position. A woman was smiling at him over the side of the cart. He wondered if he was dreaming, but the pain in his shoulder precluded this possibility.

‘
How are you feeling?’ asked Immosey. Kalinya didn’t answer. He stared at her in stupefied amazement.

‘
He’s frightened, poor lad.’ Kalinya twisted around to find the source of the man’s voice and gave a cry of pain. ‘We didn’t mean to alarm you,’ said Borgulnay. ‘You’re badly wounded. We’ve done what we can to patch you up, and the men who were chasing you won’t be bothering you any longer, but we felt it might be prudent if you lay low for a while longer - just to be sure.’

Kalinya
’s mouth opened as he attempted to digest this information.  ‘So they’re not looking for me anymore?  I’m not a slave?’

‘
No, you’re not a slave.’ Borgulnay held out his water bag.

‘
Who are you?’ Kalinya took the water bag and drank thirstily.

‘
We’re travelers on our way to Tathra. We won’t hurt you. I’m Borg and this is Immy.’

‘
Ah. He’s awake!’ Kelian exclaimed appearing beside Immy. ‘Good. What’s your name lad?’

‘
Kalinya.’

‘
Do you live here in Qinel?’

‘
No. I live in Tathra. I want to go home. Will you take me home?’

‘
What are you doing here if you live in Tathra?’ asked Kelian, wondering if the boy was telling the truth.

‘
What are you doing in Qinel if you are travelling to Tathra?’ Kalinya countered. ‘Qinel isn’t exactly on the main road you know.’

Gilgarry and Evan threw several packs onto the
cart and turned to look at Kalinya. ‘We came here by ship,’ Gilgarry explained.

‘
You came to Qinel by ship?’ Kalinya sounded astounded. ‘Deliberately?’

‘
Yes,’ Kelian laughed. ‘Deliberately. It was...necessary. So your family is in Tathra?’

‘
My mother was in Tathra.’ Kalinya’s voice was hoarse as he dropped his head to hide sudden tears.

‘
What happened to her?’ asked Kelian.

‘
She was coming home from the Sanctuary, that’s where she works…where she used to work, anyway. And I was going to meet her and walk home with her but someone...someone...’ Kalinya’s voice broke and he started sobbing. He rolled down onto his side and stared at the boards of the cart, letting the tears fall onto the rough old boards. Kelian moved forward and rested his hand on Kalinya’s shoulder. It was some time before Kalinya could control his voice, but eventually he managed to tell Kelian what had happened. ‘And some city guards took her away,’ he finished miserably. ‘The two men were going to come after me and murder me too, so I found a cart going to Orapba, only we were attacked by bandits on the road and the cart was burned, so I had to walk, but before I got to Orapba someone chased me and shot an arrow at me. And then when I got here it wasn’t Orapba, it was Qinel.’

‘
And no-one’s been trying to find you since you arrived in Qinel?’ asked Gilgarry.

‘
Only the two men who chased me into the house you were staying in. But that was because I was hiding in their cart. I think they wanted to make me a slave.’

‘
No doubt,’ said Evan, ‘and for their efforts they have no slave and now they also have no cart,’ he said with a grin, slapping his hand against the side of the cart. ‘So the cart’s a little worse for wear, but the horses are good and strong!’

Kalinya
managed to sit up once again and he stared at the cart. It was indeed the one he had tried to hide in. Much of the goods had been removed and what remained had been rearranged leaving a reasonable amount of free space.

Kelian
’s face turned hard. ‘People that make slaves of children, or anyone for that matter, deserve no sympathy. They disgust me.’

‘
So you won’t make me a slave?’

‘
Of course not.’

‘
What will you do with me then? I have no family left. I have to work or I’ll starve to death!’

‘
Let’s just get you well again before you worry about working.’

‘
So where are they now? The ones who chased me I mean?’

‘
Sleeping,’ said Evan confidently. He smiled at Kalinya when the boy looked confused. ‘Araas said they were very tired and needed to sleep. Apparently they won’t wake for days.’ He chuckled as he climbed onto the cart. ‘We couldn’t have picked a better cart to steal. There’s clothing, food, water, weapons and a newly made dunnigin seat.’

‘
How convenient!’ Immy laughed. ‘It might be useful along the way.’ She turned towards the hut. ‘Elena?’ Elena’s head appeared in the window. ‘Are you ready?’

‘
All set. We can go at any time, the sooner the better. I doubt the others will have any trouble catching up to us.’

‘
Well, we have enough food that we could eat for the entire trip to Numher, and plenty of weapons if we’re waylaid...’ Gilgarry’s voice trailed away as he rummaged in a low wooden crate. ‘That’s odd,’ he muttered, frowning.

‘
What’s odd?’ asked Kelian, his attention caught by Gilgarry’s tone.

‘
Well, these bows and swords have been made to look like Alkiran weapons, but they’re not Alkiran.’

‘
How can you tell?’

‘
I don’t know. I just can. There’s something not right about them.’

‘
Give me a look,’ said Borgulnay. He took the sword Gilgarry offered and studied it. ‘It’s not a bad sword, but Gil’s correct. It’s a bit... It’s too... Well, it just not quite right.’

‘
We’ll discuss it once we’re on the road out of here,’ said Kelian eyeing the weapon thoughtfully.

Everyone climbed onto the
cart and Evan took the reins, pleased to be leaving the dirty town. He made a clicking sound with his mouth and the two horses moved forward simultaneously. They avoided the center of the settlement, taking the small narrow streets on the outskirts where there were mostly deserted and ruined huts. The air cleared as they moved into open space. They had not grown used to the foul smelling streets, and the fresh clean air was a welcome change. A breeze carrying a salty tang was blowing in from the sea. The track leading towards Numher made a southward bend and passed close to the water and they could see their ship waiting patiently. Kelian had arranged for Callian to pass his thoughts to the captain of the ship when they were safely away from Qinel. The ship could then sail for Tathra, and if luck held, anyone who might be watching would believe Kelian was aboard. He sincerely hoped that this distraction would allow him to enter the city unobserved and make his way into the Sanctuary with little hindrance. The track turned inland once again, and the breeze lessened. To the south the straggly bush land thinned and they could see the glint of late afternoon sun reflecting on the surface of a lake. Their path turned due west as the sun dipped over the horizon. They moved along the level ground at a slow pace, watching as the birds began to disappear and sounds of nocturnal animals became apparent. The sky darkened. The night was clear, and bright stars glinted above, lighting the way. Mostly they travelled in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Borgulnay and Immosey settled into one corner of the cart and Kelian and Elena into another, snuggling together despite the warm evening. After hours of plodding along, Evan chose a place where their tracks were less likely to be observed and he turned the horses south towards the lake which was only a few miles from the track at this point. They chose a place close to the water where there was plenty of good grazing for the horses. It was past midnight when they ate and settled to sleep for the night. Evan felt sure they were reasonably safe, but they decided to keep watch regardless, even if only to keep the horses from straying too far. Timbul, Araas and Milgorry joined them as the sun was rising. Evan became fully awake the instant Milgorry touched him on the shoulder.

‘
Where’s Khim?’ he asked anxiously, looking from Milgorry across to Timbul and Araas.

‘
Callian is bringing her,’ said Milgorry. ‘He said it wouldn’t help to move her too quickly.’

‘
Is she alright?’ Kelian asked anxiously, standing beside Evan.

‘
No,’ said Milgorry, shaking his head. ‘She’s not alright. She’s badly hurt.’

‘
What happened?’

‘
There was no sign of her in or outside the building,’ Milgorry explained. ‘We could see where someone had been sleeping in a small stone room below ground level. There was an old blanket and some used dishes, and a jug of water was sitting in the corner of the room, but there was no-one there. So we crept around until Callian picked up her thoughts. She was barely conscious so this wasn’t as easy as you might think. Eventually we found her in the corner of the roof. They’d left her up there to die. Already the birds were all over her.’

Evan sighed. He knew that Khim was skilled enough to have escaped from a simple flat roof were she well enough to do so.
‘How is it you weren’t seen?’

‘
If anyone came close, Callian made sure they had an urge to use the dunnigin, or he made them forget what they were doing,’ said Araas. ‘But we were too late. And we weren’t so discreet getting out.’

‘
What did they do to her?’ asked Kelian, his face darkening with anger and worry. Before anyone could answer there was there was a rustle of leaves and Callian appeared holding a blanket wrapped body in his arms.

‘
Khim!’ Evan exclaimed, running to Callian’s side. He gave a gasp of shock when he saw Khim’s face. The empty sockets where her eyes had been were a bloodied mess, confirming that she had been unable to withstand the attacking birds. The rest of her face appeared untouched. Callian placed her gently on the ground and unwound the blanket. Red abrasions on her wrists and ankles showed how she had been tied. On hands and feet, several fingernails and toenails were missing and one ankle was broken. Her knees were strangely shaped as if something had been smashed against her knee caps. Evan felt sickened as he noticed blood seeping down her legs.

Callian
’s face was white.
‘Tá brón orm. Fágadh Khim go bás ar an díon.’

‘
Milgorry said that’s where they left her. What can we do?’ Evan asked desperately, feeling helpless.

‘
She’s as far into unconsciousness as I dare,’ said Callian. ‘I’m surprised she’s still alive even now. I can hardly believe you managed to get in and out without being killed, Evan. But it’s not surprising you didn’t find her. It would have been impossible.’

‘
How did you get her down from the roof,’ asked Kelian, kneeling beside the girl and gently placing the blanket over her body.

‘
That proved a little more difficult than getting in,’ said Timbul. ‘We had to remove a few... obstructions.’

Kelian looked questioningly at Timbul.

‘Callian reacted badly when he saw Khim. Actually we all reacted badly,’ he admitted, glancing at Callian’s unemotional face.

‘
I touched no innocent person,’ Callian declared adamantly. ‘Those who died had a direct hand in what happened to her.’

‘
And it certainly made getting out a lot easier,’ said Milgorry. ‘Once I got over the fright.’

‘
Fright?’ asked Kelian dubiously. ‘I didn’t know anything could scare you Mil.’

‘
Three guardians let loose in a building full of murdering bastards. Trust me; it was nothing short of terrifying. You would have had to see these three in action to believe it!’

Kelian nodded soberly. He believed it. He
’d seen Timbul in action before.

‘
You weren’t exactly idle, Mil’ said Araas, rolling his eyes. ‘If anything, we were a little slow beside you.’

‘
I had to trust your judgment. It was disconcerting not being able to hear their thoughts. I’ve found this before with both Sagrians and Tatharlians, but it was still a bit of a shock,’ said Milgorry. ‘Strangely enough, towards the end of the fiasco I was starting to hear them…that was a bit of a surprise.’ He turned back to Callian. ‘What do we do now?’

‘
We can take her with us, or I can wait here with her,’ said Callian.

‘
Wait? Wait for what?’ asked Evan, as his voice rose in fear.