Heartwood (23 page)

The second day's ride to Lornberg was just as miserable. Beata knew the importance of keeping up the spirits of her party, but it was an impossible job. Though the Exercitus were used to a life on the road, the indomitable weather seemed to be depressing everyone, difficult as it was to remain cheerful when soaked through with rain, and with teeth chattering. To top it all, Caelestis had contracted a cold and, although she did not complain, Beata knew she was suffering from aches and pains, and had a temperature.

Gravis did nothing to help either; he remained morose and silent in the saddle, refusing to talk to anyone, and gradually they all left him alone. Beata knew the Quests relied on everyone working together to support each other, and her skills as Dean meant she should have no problem in pulling everyone together, but truth to tell she was at a loss, and felt out of her depth for the first time in her life.

It did not help matters that she made a couple of wrong decisions on the journey. At a fork in the road that wasn't on the map, she made the decision to go right, but the road twisted and turned and eventually almost doubled back on itself, and in the end they had to retrace their steps and take the other road. Though there was no way she could have known it was the wrong path, it had been her decision to take it, and she knew the others blamed her for losing a good half day's ride.

Secondly, during the afternoon they passed through a village; it was a decent size and had an inn with available rooms, and some of the party asked if they could stop there for the night. Beata made the decision to go on, however; there were a good three or four hours' ride left and time was of the essence, and they needed to travel as far as they could each day. So after stopping for a drink at the tavern, they continued on. However they did not pass another village, and eventually when it grew too dark to keep riding, they had to pull off the side of the road and take shelter in an old deserted barn. There was some hay there for the horses, but nothing else, and though they had bought food and ale from the village, it was a miserable meal, and nothing she could say or do would raise their spirits.

They rubbed the horses down and fed them, and then because there was little else to do and nobody seemed in the mood for singing or playing dice, they rolled themselves in their blankets and went to sleep.

Lying on the ground that night, cold and wet and suffering from saddle sores, Beata knew things were going to come to a head. Feelings and emotions were being suppressed, and it was only a matter of time before someone was going to explode and say something. She wondered whether to initiate the conversation and wake everyone up and force them to talk, but instinct told her it was not the correct time, and she must wait until the moment was right. So she lay there awake, listening to Caelestis cough, and the rain hammering on the roof of the barn.

The next day she got up knowing if anything was going to happen, it would be today. The mood of the party was sullen, seeming to match the weather, which continued to be grey and drizzly. Everyone ate their breakfast rations quietly, then mounted and left the barn with hardly a word.

In the end, nothing was said until they reached Lornberg around midmorning. This was a fairly big town at the junction of the path running to the south lands and the road southwest following the river to Henton on the coast. Here the two parties would split, Gravis heading for the Henge and Beata to try to track down the Virimage on the coast.

They stopped just outside the town and dismounted for a quick talk before they separated. Beata felt butterflies flitting in her stomach, sure something was going to be said. She had still not been able to get Gravis to talk to her, though she had tried several times during the morning to get him to open up about what was bothering him.

She did not have to wait long. It was Fortis who broke the ice, and her heart sank as he began to speak.

“We have been talking,” he said, frowning at her, imposing with his sheer size and visage. “We think it would be better if we all stick together and continue on to the Henge before trying to find the Virimage.”

“Do you?” Beata said acidly. “Well, I think you know my answer to that.”

“And will you not take our opinions into consideration?” he said. “This is a long journey, and we are all in unfamiliar territory, and it makes sense for us to remain as one group, with safety in numbers.”

“We do not have the time,” she protested, looking around the group, annoyed when nobody would meet her eyes. “Time is of the essence. We must find the Virimage and we must activate the Node; we cannot choose between them.” She glared at Fortis, her anger rising. “Somehow, I do not think this is the real problem. Why do you not tell me what is really troubling you?”

Fortis looked at her coolly. “If you insist.” He paused and flicked a glance around the group before continuing. “We do not have confidence in your abilities as a leader. We suffered an attack in the forest which should not have occurred; we should have taken extra forces from Ogier when he offered them; we took the wrong road; we should have stopped at the village. These are mistakes a good leader would not make.”

“Rubbish,” Beata snapped. “Each of those events was just an unfortunate occurrence and they could not have been prevented, whoever was in charge.”

Fortis glared at her. “I do not agree. And I will not be going to Henton. I am going to join Gravis's group.”

 

V

Gavius did not look back when his small party left the others behind and headed west for the mountain pass. For a while he said nothing to his companions, lost in his own thoughts, but as the snowy peaks of the mountains began to loom in his view, he looked across and gave them an encouraging smile.

Trained as they were as soldiers to obey and follow an officer's instructions, the members of the Exercitus had said nothing to him about their fears of the journey ahead. Still, he knew they must be feeling the same wariness as he was about entering a country that had for so long been thought of as an enemy of Heartwood's.

They all smiled back at him, however, and he found himself hoping his dreams were unfounded and they would all make it safely to the Green Giant, activate the Node and then return to Heartwood safe and sound. He looked at the two knights riding at that moment on either side of him. Mellis and Niveus were both originally from Hanaire and could almost have been twins like him and Gravis, he thought. Tall and slim, with long blonde hair braided and pinned at the nape of their necks, they were both confident and accomplished female warriors, Mellis probably slightly better with the longbow and Niveus with the sword. But as alike as they were in appearance, they were very unalike in character; Mellis was quiet and determined, while Niveus was energetic and outspoken, and they made interesting companions.

Brevis, riding behind them, was a Wulfian, short and muscular, with long dark hair caught back with an oak leaf clasp, and a beardless but continually stubble-coated face. He wore a permanently fierce expression, which Gavius had thought was affected but he had eventually come to realise it was just the way the knight's features were set.

The last Exercitus warrior in the group was Hodie. He had arrived at Heartwood in the same Allectus as Gavius and Gravis, and they had all grown up together until Hodie had chosen to serve in the Exercitus. Their reunion at Heartwood had been a happy one, and Gavius was glad he had an old friend riding with him into Komis.

The mountain pass was narrow but short and they knew they should reach the other side in a couple of days. However, it was the first time any of them had been in such difficult terrain, and the going was slow. The further into the pass they went, the colder it became, and when the rain turned to sleet and finally to snow, Gavius knew they were in the heart of the mountains.

The horses slipped and stumbled on the snow-covered path, which cut a way through the sheer mountains to their left and right. Gavius kept a tight grip on the reins and pulled the fur-lined cloak closer around him. The path soon became too narrow for them to ride abreast and they fell behind one another, continuing in single file, Gavius in front and Hodie at the back.

It was too difficult to speak over his shoulder through the whirling snowflakes, and Gavius soon felt as if he were in his own private world, all sound muffled by the blanket of snow, and barely able to see more than a few feet ahead of him. He trusted to his mare's careful footsteps and hoped fervently the steed would not slip and send them both plummeting down the mountainside.

Enclosed in a white cocoon, with only himself for company, he soon found his mind wandering. He thought about Gravis and wondered how he would fare on his Quest, knowing his brother would not find the task an easy one. He was well aware he, Gavius, was the stronger twin, the one who had all the ideas, all the intuition, and all the courage. How would Gravis cope without him?

Though they were twins, he had always thought of himself as the older brother. Because of this, he had tried to persuade Gravis to come with him on his Quest rather than go off on his own. For some reason Gravis had been insulted by his brother's insinuation that he would be unable to complete his own Quest. They had argued, Gavius trying to explain he just thought Gravis would feel more comfortable if they stayed together, but Gravis had been unable to shake off the thought that his brother was sure he would not be able to cope on his own. It had made him even more determined to undertake his own Quest to the Henge. Gavius had been disappointed and confused with both the argument and Gravis's coolness towards him afterwards. They had not parted on good terms, and that saddened him now, as he thought about the journey ahead and considered the fact that he might not return to Heartwood at all.

He pulled his hood low to try to stop the snowflakes touching his face. Why did he have this recurring feeling he was going to fail? It wasn't because he doubted his abilities; he was a confident knight, aware of his intelligence and strength, and he had faith in his companions. He felt he had enough courage for two men! He did not worry they would not reach the Green Giant, nor was he particularly afraid that he would not be able to activate it. But it was something else, something hanging over him like the shadow of a cloud as it passed across the landscape.

Gavius blinked. Ahead of him, through the swirling snow, something moved. He reined in the mare, frowning, squinting and trying to see through the flakes. He could not explain what he had seen. Was it just the snow moving in the wind, a sudden eddy that had whipped it around in a spiral to form a long shape? Or had it been something more, someone standing on the path in front of him, revealed and then hidden by the curtain of white?

“What is it?” Mellis yelled from behind him, suddenly realising Gavius had stopped in front of her.

“I do not know… A shape in the snow,” he called back. He turned, seeing the others appearing out of the blizzard, stopping as they reached him and Mellis on the path. Mellis relayed that Gavius thought he had seen something. He turned to look in front of him once more and held his breath. Yes, there it was again. It was definitely more than just a pattern of snowflakes. There was someone standing there, shrouded in white.

Deftly, he dismounted, dropping soundlessly to the ground. He pushed back his hood, then pulled off his mittens and lay them on the mare's saddle. Silently, he swept back his cloak and unsheathed his sword.

Snowflakes fell onto his face, onto his eyelashes and cheeks, and into his mouth. He brushed them aside impatiently with hands growing colder by the minute. His heart pounded, but he was not afraid. He went forward, feeling as if he wanted to push aside the snow as if it were a curtain. His boots scuffed on rock. He narrowed his eyes against the flakes, trying to peer ahead. There was definitely a shadow there, about his height, dressed in white, camouflaged against the wintry scenery.

Behind him he heard Mellis calling his name. She sounded far away, her voice muffled by the white blanket that had fallen between them. His hair was wet and his face numb with cold. He paused, wondering if he should turn back and get them to follow him. But ahead of him the figure moved, and he found his feet walking towards it. It shifted like a wraith, fading in and out of the white scenery. He had to find out who or what it was.

Mellis called his name again. Her voice sounded distant and echoed around him so for a moment he could not tell whether she was behind or ahead of him. He turned, suddenly disorientated. He could not remember which way was forward and which was back. Everything looked the same in white, like being at a wedding where everyone was dressed as the bride.

He swore softly, realising how foolish he had been. Why had he not taken his horse with him, at least? He listened for Mellis's voice, but she did not call again. Turning, he took a step forwards, hand held out in front of him as if he was blind.

Then, suddenly, he froze. Before him was the snow figure, appearing out of the gloom so suddenly and silently it made Gavius gasp. He stared. The figure stood directly before him in the same pose as himself – hand outstretched, the other clasping the hilt of a sword with numb fingers. He drew in his breath so quickly the cold air stung his throat.

It was Gravis.

The oak leaf tattoo was clear on his right arm, mirroring Gavius's own tattoo on his left. He wore a cloak completely covered in snow, hence Gavius' thinking the figure had been dressed in white. His hair, like Gavius's, was wet, hanging limp around a face white with cold.

Gavius dropped his arm. The figure dropped his. Gavius stared, a sudden realisation dawning on him. Was it Gravis? Or was it just his reflection? There were no mirrors in Heartwood save the few small ones they used for shaving, and Gavius had never looked at himself in a full-length one. The sensation was unsettling, disturbing.

Once again he lifted up a hand and reached out to see if he could touch the person in front of him. But this time something peculiar happened: the figure dissolved, disintegrating as if it had been made of snow. Around him, the wind spun flakes in a whirl of white, and then suddenly, briefly, the snow before him cleared and he could see clearly the view before him.