The Awakened Book Two (8 page)

“I’m afraid not,” Maeryn answered. After a long pause, she added, “Actually, that’s not true. There is something we can do. We can make sure that these people escape to freedom, so that the work of Ajani and Zula is not wasted.”

Aelia smiled in response. “Do you think they’re alright?”

Maeryn paused, deciding not to shield her daughter from the realities of what they were doing. “No, Aelia. I don’t know what has happened to them, but their absence tells me that they are unable to come to us…for whatever reason.”

Aelia nodded and then looked to the ground as tears rolled down her face.

Maeryn reached over and put her arms around her daughter, letting her own tears flow as well.

After sunset, the group headed north through the hills, staying well away from the road that lead from
Bastul
to the northern watchtower. The road continued on a northeasterly course for several miles before ending, the construction of the direct route to
Orud
having been abandoned long ago in favor of more immediate concerns.

After skirting the guard tower and its area of visibility, the group slowly made their way east to the shore. This first leg of the trip took the entire night and by sunrise they made camp in a ravine along the coastline. Maeryn took the opportunity to rest her aching feet and to talk with the former slaves of
Bastul
. She was surprised by their optimism, knowing that she and Thaddius had good intentions, but almost no control over the outcome of this situation. But when compared to the lives to which they had become accustomed, the goal of reaching their destination seemed entirely plausible. By the time they began moving again, the weight of this realization began to change in Maeryn’s mind, turning into a determination to see this through to the end.

They began to move again a few hours before sunset and continued along the shoreline, heading for a secret location to the north. The first few hours before the setting sun proved to be productive, with the aide of the light and the smooth terrain. But as the sun waned, so did the speed of the group. Thaddius told Maeryn that the need to travel by night would lessen with their increasing distance from
Bastul
. And just as he suggested, the following day’s travels were spent almost entirely in the light.

On the third day of travel, a few hours after sunset, Thaddius stopped the group and instructed his guards to make camp. Maeryn helped prepare a small meal before the people retired for the night.

As soon as the provisions were put away and the cooking supplies packed, Maeryn found Thaddius. He was discussing the plans for the following day with his soldiers.

“Have we arrived?” she asked, as soon as he had passed out the guard’s orders.

“Nearly. Our destination is less than an hour from here.”

“And the preparations that you spoke of…they are in order?”

“One of my scouts has just returned,” Thaddius said, nodding to a man who was just now sitting down against a rock to eat his meal. “Everything is in order.”

Although Thaddius wasn’t very old, his stark white hair gave him the wise look of a man twice his age. His face appeared calm, reflecting the light of a nearby fire. He seemed to be at peace, even though their actions would earn them all a death sentence if they were discovered. Maeryn thought that it was as good a time as any to have the conversation she had been pondering all day.

“Thaddius. You haven’t explained to me what is to happen now that we have left
Bastul
.”

“That’s correct,” he replied.

Maeryn, seeing his reluctance decided to be more forceful. “I need to be included in the planning of this excursion.”

Thaddius’ eyebrows raised. “I didn’t know you wanted to be.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Well, what do you wish to know?”

“Everything. I think I have a right to know. Eventually, these people will start wanting some answers and they are going to look to me. In fact, I’ve already had to dodge a few questions today about our destination.”

“Yes, I suppose that is true. However, it’s late and we all need rest. I’ll tell you tomorrow’s plans, but the rest will have to wait until we have a better time.”

“When will that be?” she asked, sounding more forceful than intended.

“Tomorrow evening.”

“Very well. What is the plan for tomorrow?”

“Shortly after we set out, we will reach a cove. In the cove is a grotto at the water’s edge. I’ve made arrangements to have boats hidden in the cave.”

Maeryn looked back to the scattered groups of slaves shifting uncomfortably on the surrounding rocky terrain. “How many boats?”

“Enough,” he answered. “It’s a large cave,” he added. “Each boat will carry a specified number of people and we will travel the rest of the way by sea.”

“And what is our final destination?”

“Well now, that would be part of tomorrow’s conversation.”

“Good enough,” Maeryn stated. “But tomorrow I want to know everything.”

Thaddius nodded and Maeryn turned away to find Aelia and their sleeping quarters for the evening. As she walked away in the darkness, she realized that Thaddius’ conversation was different than any other that had occurred in the past. It took her several minutes to realize that she had never asked him anything specific before. Nothing about his intentions, plans, or his resources. He had always taken care of his responsibilities and left Maeryn to take care of hers.
Perhaps he feels threatened.
Though she knew it didn’t make any sense. Ultimately, he had complete control over the situation, even if he needed her as a mediator for the slaves.
What is it then?

And then it came to her.
He doesn’t trust me. He’s testing me, buying time to see if I’m going to quit.
Suddenly Maeryn understood. Only hours before the evacuation of
Bastul
, she had been willing to abandon all of the plans and the entire slave population of
Bastul
to save her own life.
At least that’s the way he sees it.

In that moment, Maeryn understood that she would have to portray herself as one who was willing to die for the cause. It would be the only way to gain his trust. But more importantly, in order for this to work, she would have to become that person in reality, one who is willing to set aside her individual desires in order to seek a greater good. After everything that she had been through since the disappearance of Adair, she wasn’t sure she could do that. She had learned to focus on surviving, looking to her own safety.
How can I now abandon the one perspective that has kept me alive all this time?

As she walked among the rocks protruding from the hillside, her heart grew heavy and for a moment she doubted that she was capable of what she was doing.
People like Thaddius and Adair are made for this sort of thing. Am I kidding myself?

And then she saw the figure of a young woman, waving her arms. It was Aelia, beckoning her mother to come and rest in the soft sand. In that instant, her confidence was restored.
How many men could have accomplished this?
She had come up with a plan and had seen it through, at the threat of her own life, to protect and raise her daughter for the last sixteen years. Perhaps even Thaddius was not capable of such steady determination.

Maeryn smiled as she waved back to Aelia.
I will keep going. I will keep going because the consequences of giving up are unthinkable.

The following morning, the group cleaned up their camp in record time, everyone excited to reach the next leg of their journey. And within an hour of setting out, just as Thaddius said, Maeryn could see the coastline jog sharply to the west, indicating that somewhere, beyond sight, was Thaddius’ cove. The terrain rose slightly for several hundred yards, and the bright morning sun had everyone sweating profusely by the time they reached the top of the ridge that surrounded the cove.

Suddenly, one of the Resistance soldiers, who always walked far ahead as a scout, raised his hand and crouched to the ground. All of the slaves looked around in confusion and slowly began to imitate the man, responding to the sense of urgency on his face.

Maeryn’s heart began to beat rapidly as she looked over to Thaddius, crouching a few paces away on the right. The scout waved him forward and Thaddius began to move, staying low. Without an invitation, Maeryn followed, intending to be part of every decision made on behalf of this group from this point forward.

As she and Thaddius came within whispering distance of the scout, who was now joined by several other soldiers, Maeryn could see the source of the man’s alarm. There, on the northern side of the cove, just visible over the horizon of the ridge, were two Syvak warships. Their sails were slack and they appeared to be anchored. Maeryn looked to Thaddius, who paid her presence no attention. His mind was consumed with the task at hand.

“They have found our cave,” he whispered intensely to the scouts.

“What are they doing here?” one of the men asked.

“I thought they all fled after the attack,” offered another.

“None of that matters,” broke in Thaddius, stopping the unnecessary conversation. “We need only be concerned with how to be rid of them.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, but no one offered any constructive ideas. Maeryn looked out to the small bay and was alarmed to see tiny shapes in the water next to the warships.

“What are those?” she asked.

Thaddius lifted his head. “Our boats!” he hissed through gritted teeth. “We have to put an end to this, NOW!”

“We outnumber them,” Maeryn stated. All the men looked at her as if she was crazy. “I know they’re dangerous, but there is strength in numbers. If all of us,” she said, sweeping her hand back to the massive group of crouching slaves, “were to swarm them, our losses would be minimal.”

“And who is going to make them do it?” one of the scouts asked her.

Maeryn looked around the small group of soldiers to find Thaddius smiling. “I will,” she answered plainly. After a few quick nods of agreement, she turned and made her way back to the slaves.

The former captives of
Bastul
came close as she approached. Deciding that they were well out of earshot from the Syvaku, she raised her voice enough for all to hear. “Listen to me. Your freedom was not gained by simply escaping
Bastul
. From this day forward, your freedom will be a prize for which you must fight. And today is the first day of that struggle. Even now as we speak, the same barbarians who attacked
Bastul
are down in that cove, stealing the very boats that were reserved to carry you to freedom. There is no time to delay, or even to think. We must act now. Though they are warriors, they will not risk their lives for a losing cause. That is why we must act as one, intimidating them with our numbers.”

As Maeryn spoke, a sense of calm came over her and the words began to flow. She didn’t ask permission. She commanded without hesitation. There would be no second guessing, for there was nothing else to do but act. The freedom of these people before her lay not in her hands, but in their own. “We will head back to the trees and then make our way quickly and quietly to the other side of the cove. I will give you more specific instructions when we get there. Let’s go,” she said, rising to her feet and striding confidently toward the forest. The slaves followed without hesitation. From the corner of her eye, Maeryn saw Thaddius say something to his men, but she couldn’t hear.

Minutes later, Maeryn, the soldiers of the Resistance, and the mass of former slaves poured out of the forest above the cliffs on the north side of the bay. Half of the group split off and followed the gently sloping shore leading to the beach. The other half climbed to the highest point of the cliffs, directly over the entrance to the cave and the Syvak warships. Screaming at the top of their lungs, the slaves began hurling rocks at their enemy.

Three of the barbarians came out of the cave, running along the sandy shore to confront their attackers, but stopped short at the sight of their numbers. As rocks rained down upon them, the warriors turned back and ran for their ships. Along the decks of the warships, a flurry of activity erupted as blonde-haired barbarians readied their ships to sail. When the last of their brethren boarded, the ships lurched into motion, driven by the strength of the oarsmen.

Thaddius turned to a smiling Maeryn with a look of panic on his face. “If they escape, they will return with more men.”

Maeryn, unsure of how to respond, watched as Thaddius ran back up the incline, heading toward his soldiers atop the cliffs. Maeryn followed as fast as she could manage, understanding instantly what he meant to do.

As she neared the top, the Resistance soldiers were already in motion, lifting rocks above their heads and heaving them over the cliff, aiming for the warships.

“Large rocks,” Maeryn yelled to the slaves. “We must sink the ships.”

The first of the Syvak warships was gaining momentum and its slack sails were beginning to fill with wind as it headed away from the cliffs. A great cheer went up from the crowd as one of the slaves, a large and muscular man, hefted a boulder the size of his head, over the cliff. It landed with a crack on the stern of the enemy vessel, splintering wood as it crashed through the hull. Almost immediately, the ship began to take on water and its forward progress halted. It took only minutes before it slipped beneath the surface, leaving its angry crew treading water. Suddenly, another cheer came from the slaves as the second ship, still close to the mouth of the cave, pitched to one side and began to sink.