Conflict (13 page)

But it was empty.

They went to the bed and rounded it in a leap.

Nobody was hiding behind it.

The guard with the oil lamp bent down to shine a light under the bed.

Hartz could see the guard’s feet. He could smell danger. He felt his heart pumping in his chest, without being able to do anything to calm it. For a second he trusted to luck, hoping the unwelcome figure would forget about looking under the bed, but the man suddenly stooped.

And discovered the huge Norriel!

Hartz’s body was brightly-lit. The guard with the long sword bent over to strike him. He stretched his arms back, to give impetus to the lethal thrust. But at that moment Komir leapt from the balcony to appear behind the guard, and hit him on the nape of his neck with his sword-butt. The guard fell unconscious on the wooden floor. His partner turned in alarm, ready to strike Komir. But then a massive foot came out from under the bed and swept the guard off his balance. He fell backwards and dropped the oil lamp, which immediately went out. Before he could recover, Komir landed two hard punches on him, which knocked him senseless.

A few moments later the two Norriel were running stealthily along the corridor as if spectral dogs were chasing them. They went to the rooms at the end of the hall and searched them, but without success. They went through all the rooms at that level, but with one exception they were all bedrooms and all empty. The exception was Guzmik’s office, although unfortunately he was not there. Cursing their bad luck, Komir stopped to think. The critical point in Kayti’s plan was to catch Guzmik unawares in either his bedroom or his office, and they had failed to accomplish this. Most probably he would be on the third floor. Kayti had explained to them that it was quite uncommon for wealthy people to use the third floor in that type of luxurious dwelling, given the number of stairs they would have to go up every day. Unfortunately this seemed to be the case here, and it was something they had not counted on. The problem was that if they went up those stairs they would surely come across guards there who would give the alarm.

The building was very well protected, too much so in fact. On the other hand, their friends would be in a pretty tough situation on the floor below. Time was running out. Komir knew he had to make a decision, and he was not at all clear what the best option would be.

In the library, Kayti watched their captors. The six guards carried short swords and daggers. They wore padded leather armor over their yellow tunics and high boots over black leather leggings, also padded. They were prepared for fighting in confined places, launching short strokes with their swords and stabbing with their daggers. They were facing hardened men with brutish faces: there was not a single young novice among them. They were probably mercenaries, well paid for their work. They were standing in a semicircle with their backs to the entrance, keeping them cornered at the far end of the library. There was no possible escape. The tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife, and she was aware that before long Lotas would betray her. Lindaro remained at her side, looking serious and trying to hide his fear, although a few drops of sweat shone on his pale forehead.

A shadow at the door caught Kayti’s attention. She looked again and recognized Hartz’ forehead and big brown eyes, which appeared for a single moment behind the door and then disappeared again. Seeing the big Norriel’s eyes filled her with joy, a hopeful joy which made her feel secure despite the uncertainty of the situation. Most definitely that young giant had a strange and contradictory effect on her. One moment he filled her with fury, the next with surprising happiness. She could not understand why. But what was important was that he was there, ready to help her. It was time to act. Their plan must not have worked, or else Hartz would not have been there.

So she would act.

With an almost lethargic movement of her arms, which immediately alerted the six guards, she reached for the hood on her head and slowly removed it to reveal her feminine face. With studied calculation she shook her red mane, capturing the attention of the six men. Surprised to find it was a woman, and one of such fiery beauty, the men remained dumbstruck for a moment. Time which turned out to be crucial. Taking advantage of the distraction, Hartz came up behind them wielding his enormous bewitched sword, like the personification of some terrifying vision of destruction. With a single stroke the Norriel killed two of the soldiers on the right, cutting their backs open from side to side. While the other four turned in astonishment at the surprise attack, Hartz picked up a long-sword with his left hand and threw it in the air towards Kayti.

“Alarm! We’re under attack!” one of the guards yelled.

“Guards, to me! To me, Guards!” cried another as he lunged at Hartz.

Kayti lifted her arm and caught the sword in mid-flight, seizing it by the pommel. On her left, Lindaro threw himself on the floor under a table to get away from the guard who had launched an attack on him. Without a moment’s hesitation Kayti lunged at the soldier, to protect the cleric. On her right, Lotas bent to take out two long daggers hidden in his riding boots. One of the guards aimed a stroke at Hartz. The Norriel managed to dodge it, although he could not avoid a superficial cut. Kayti aimed a thrust at the head of her opponent, but he deflected it with his short sword. With a nimble leap the guard tried to sink his dagger in her neck, but Kayti deflected it with her forearm. The scaled armor under her cape protected her against most cuts. It took great strength to penetrate it but the neck, being uncovered, was always in danger. Kayti went on to sink her sword into the stomach of the guard. Looking ahead, she saw Hartz dispatching his second opponent with ease, skewering him with a powerful double-hand stroke, leaving a track of blood at the foot of the door. Kayti turned towards Lotas. She found him by the lifeless body of another guard, calmly cleaning his daggers on the corpse’s clothes.

Silence fell on the library.

“Is it over?” Lindaro asked in a trembling voice from under the table, where he had hidden like a frightened mole in its lair.

Lotas smiled evilly. “I’m afraid not. There’ll be more on the way. They’ve given the alarm.”

“He’s right,” said Kayti. “We’d better get ready for the next attack.”

“Don’t you worry, little wildcat,” Hartz’s voice said cheerfully. “I’m here to defend you. Today blood will run through this house and ruthless night will swallow up the souls of these fools. Igrali will shut her eyes so as not see the savage acts of her Norriel son.”

The giant took hold of the two-handed sword and placed himself in the center of the library, waiting for the attack which was sure to come.

The rumble of a dozen running boots reached them.

“Come on then, you wretches, meet your fate!”

Kendas bent down to inspect the footprints. He was in no way a tracker, but his father had taught him the principles of that difficult art at the farm where he had been born. “Following footprints, either of an animal or a person, requires great skill.” So he had been told when he was no more than a brat, in the middle of the tall forest north of the farm. His father had taken him there to reveal to him the mysteries and secrets of the art of identifying and recognizing the prints and tracks which both a person and an animal leave in their passage through forest and brush. His father was an enthusiast on the subject, although less so of hunting, which was a little paradoxical. But his father was like that, not only in this but in many other aspects of life as well: a peculiar farmer, fond of studying, and an enemy of bloodshed. Kendas, on the other hand, had never been particularly interested in the matter, perhaps because the first track his father taught him to follow had been that of a skunk, and to this day he could still recall the stench. He had to admit, though, that those teachings had been useful on more than one occasion, such as the one he found himself in at the moment.

The trail he followed was not recent, of that he was sure. It was at least three days since Aliana had stopped there. But what worried the Rogdonian Lancer were the other tracks he had discovered very near the Healer’s: Usik footprints, half a dozen men, following her. Unfortunately they were some way ahead, so that he had no way of warning her of the danger behind her. Kendas punched the air and cursed under his breath; he had been so close to catching up with her at first, when the river had taken her. He had galloped down-river on his powerful Lightning and come very close to the Healer, who was being dragged away by the force of the current. But just when he was about to grab her, she slipped between his fingers down the great waterfall.

He could not believe his miserable luck. He had almost had her, one step closer and he would have caught her and saved her from the turbulent river. The two of them would have been on their way to Rilentor by now. The waterfall had swallowed the girl and Kendas had had to let Lightning go, sending him on up-river while he continued his rescue mission in the deep forest. It had taken him three days to make his way round the enormous precipice and find the Healer’s trail again. Not only was the geography complicated, but the appearance of the Usik had not made things any easier.

He looked down at his clothes. He was camouflaged by the leather garments of a Red Usik he had surprised two days back. He had painted his face red, imitating those savages, with the sandy paint he had found in a little pouch the strange green-skinned wild man carried at his waist. He had also taken his bow and axe, leaving behind his Rogdonian sword to avoid discovery. The ruse had already been successful once: a trusting Usik had approached him, speaking in that strange sing-song language. Before the man could realize the deceit, Kendas had turned and driven an arrow into his heart. The Usik had died with an expression of surprise and horror on his face. The only thing he could not hide completely was the pallor of his arms and legs, which his attire only half-covered: a loincloth of animal skin and a leather shirt reinforced with bones and wood. So he had smeared his limbs with mud and moss.

He went on, alert, following the trail to the northeast. Aliana must have been totally disoriented, because she was heading deeper into the thick, endless forest. Or perhaps she had no other option, perhaps circumstances were forcing her to go in that direction, which was a possibility if she was being chased. In any case she was heading into the heart of that infinite forest, with the growing danger that involved. Kendas had to make haste, they were too far ahead. If he did not reach her soon, Aliana would be lost.

I must find her and get her out of this eternal forest.

Aliana woke up with a terrible headache.

She was swaying.

She could not understand what was going on, the reason for the movement and the dizziness she was feeling. Her head was hanging backwards, and her body swaying as if suspended in the air. She looked up, still rather unclearly, and saw that her hands and feet were tied to a thick branch from which she was hanging. She could see a Usik shoulder at each end of the branch. She was being carried by two of them, like a hunted deer.

The Usik have captured me! Oh no! They’re going to kill me!

She tried to control the panic that was suffocating her like a giant snake coiled around her body. She was in a truly desperate situation, she had to recover her poise, calm the rampant beating of her heart and get her nerves under control. She looked around. The Usik were walking on deeper into the forest, chatting animatedly, not paying the slightest attention, totally unconcerned about her. She could make out half a dozen of them. Her head was about to burst with pain, she had been hit hard. She searched within herself for her healing energy and focused it on the point where the pain was sharpest. After a moment the pain had almost gone.

Aliana sighed, a bruise on the back of her head was not too serious. Once the pain faded she began to feel better. Those Usik had not wanted her dead. She had no idea why, but at least she was alive. She did not know why she was being carried like the spoils of a hunt. Maybe that was what she represented as far as those savages were concerned.

Nervous tension made her ask, unthinkingly: “Where are you taking me? What do you want of me?”

The six savages stopped at once at the sound of her voice.

This made Aliana shiver. It seemed to her that she had just made a mistake.

They all looked at her frowning, their faces sullen. One of them came near and without a word kicked her hard in the ribs.

She twisted with pain. But she said nothing, not a single word.

Satisfied, the six men set out once again.

Aliana had understood with absolute clarity that she would not be allowed to speak. So she concentrated her healing energy on her ribs, and the pain subsided gradually.

The Usik walked on all day until nightfall. Then they made a fire, but with such unusual care that it caught her attention. It took them at least five times as long as a group of travelers would have needed to prepare and light a camp fire for the night. Simply selecting where to make it had taken an eternity. For some reason the site for the fire was very important to these barbaric individuals. Having witnessed the preparations, Aliana noticed that they had chosen a clearing and swept the leaves and deadwood away, cleaning it surprisingly carefully. The fire was the same distance from the trees in all directions. They carefully placed stones around a hole which they dug in the ground for the wood they would use to make the fire.

They take extreme precautions so as not to start a wild fire, that’s what they’ve been doing. They clean the clearing of any leaves and branches which might start an accidental fire, and they’ve chosen the exact point where to build it so it’s the same distance from all the trees, as far as possible from any of them. It’s truly fascinating, considering they’re just a bunch of bloodthirsty barbarians.

The Usik sat around the fire and cooked several small animals they had caught. They tied her hands and feet, put her beside a great tree and ignored her. Aliana looked at them fearfully. She had no clue as to their intentions towards her. She imagined all kinds of horrors, from torture to group rape, but for the moment, luckily, they were simply ignoring her. She gave thanks to Mother Helaun for the fact.

One of the men came toward her menacingly, brandishing a hatchet in one greenish hand. His face was painted a sinister red under the cloudy night sky. On one side of his shaven head was a huge, ugly scar. He sat down beside her. Aliana thought the time had come for suffering, and swallowed hard. She raised her tied hands to protect her face in what she knew was a vain gesture.

The Usik showed her his other hand, which he had been keeping out of sight behind his back, and offered her food on a piece of bark that served as a plate. She looked at the savage in surprise, then after a moment’s hesitation accepted the offering. The Usik also brought her water and a strange beverage with a strong, bitter smell which he made her drink, insisting with a threatening wave of his hatchet. Those savages were nothing if not direct. She thought of poison, of some powerful drug, but she really had no choice in the matter, since the Usik did not seem inclined to argue. She closed her eyes and gulped the ill-smelling, bitter-tasting drink.

Protect me, Mother Helaun, don’t let anything bad happen to me, please.

Nothing strange happened to her, or at least nothing she could identify.

This surprised and confused her.

The second day of their march they did not carry her. They tied her hands behind her back and she was made to walk behind the Usik with the scar, who guided her by pulling on a rope they had tied round her neck, like a dog collar. Several times he made her stumble with his sharp tugging at the rope and Aliana had fallen painfully to the ground, since she was unable to break her fall with her hands.

Every time she fell, the Usik stopped to laugh openly at her, making gleeful gestures. For some reason her clumsiness amused these savages immensely. She began to think that
Scar
, as she thought of him, was making her fall on purpose to entertain his companions. On one occasion she began to complain, but thought twice about it when she saw the expression on their sullen faces.

The days went by in misery. The Usik went on deeper into the forest, and Aliana began to notice strange and unfamiliar things about it. By the sixth day of the journey it was evident to the Healer that the vegetation had become much more like that of a jungle, vivid and richly-colored, peopled by strange animals and kinds of insects that were unknown to her. She did not recognize any of the different plants, nor the insects on them. That evening Scar brought her a small animal, cooked on the coals, which was unfamiliar to Aliana. She did not know whether it was a rodent or not, though it looked like one. She expected it to taste horrible, and was surprised to find it was quite edible.

Thank goodness, I thought it would taste much worse. Anyway, I’m sure I’m eating jungle-rat. But I won’t be picky. Even if I have to eat worms, I will. It’s a question of survival. I can’t afford to be fussy.

She had tried to communicate with Scar, but without success. Every evening, when he brought her food, she tried to whisper some words. At first the Usik had roundly refused to let her speak, waving his hatchet menacingly. Now he no longer threatened her.

Aliana touched her chest and whispered:

“Me Ah-lee-ah-nah! Aliana.”

Then she pointed at the Usik, but he shook his head and refused to answer. He brought her the strange drink and she gulped it down. She had reached the conclusion it must be some sort of medicine to prevent her falling sick in that environment. It seemed strange that they did not seem to want her to die. Why? They certainly treated her like an animal, so why give her any medicine? Unfortunately Scar did not wish to be communicative, leaving her haunted by doubts.

On the seventh day she tripped on a formidable root and fell, hard. This time it had not been Scar’s fault; she had lost her balance because her hands were tied behind her back. At once they all began to laugh non-stop, as though she were the court jester. At this, anger boiled up in her. Unable to restrain herself, she cried out in protest:

“I’d like to see you here in my place!”

There was sudden silence.

A cold fear clutched at Aliana’s stomach.

One of the Red Usik took a step toward her and punched her in the face, she fell once again. Next he lifted his loincloth and urinated on her. The shock was so great she did not know what to think or do. She was astonished, quite unable to react in any way. When he had finished, all the savages burst out laughing once more. She was furious, but realized that to them she was an animal, or less even than that, a dirty rat, so she had better be very careful what she did and say nothing more, or else she would pay dearly. The rage she was feeling made her want to scream, but she restrained herself. Her lower lip was cut and it hurt, although the humiliation hurt a lot more. Aliana looked at Scar, but he lowered his gaze and turned away.

On the tenth day of painful marching, things changed.

Aliana was absolutely awed. Before her were the tallest, biggest trees any human being could ever imagine.

Giant trees. As far as the eye could see. By the million. Unbelievable.

The Healer was so impressed by the wonderful sight that she almost fell over again. Each tree of that gigantic forest was titanic, unthinkable. The base of each trunk was bigger than a house, and the height of those cyclopean trees was at least a hundred and eighty feet, maybe more, probably more… When they came to the base of the first of those huge trees, Aliana realized just how huge it was. The base of the trunk was more than twelve paces across, the height incalculable. She was so impressed by these brown and green giants that she was left breathless as she looked up at the distant canopy of the forest. How old could those trees be in order to have reached such a size? Hundreds of years for sure, perhaps more than a millennium.

The Usik walked on among the magnificent trees. The vegetation was scarce at their feet. Probably the huge beings required all the nutrients the soil could provide, so that as a result nothing would grow around them, under their branches. She tried to imagine their roots, they must be unfathomable. Scar tugged at her rope to stop her lingering there, but Aliana was so impressed by the surroundings that she walked almost in a trance. The air was so clean, fresh and alive that all scents reached her pure and intensified.