Daughter of Hauk (The Raven Chronicles Book 1) (11 page)

Chapter Fourteen

            
 
A
rwenna scanned the clear sky above for Lexi, finally spotting her on Grie a fair distance up and away. The going had been slow, but the weather held for them. Lexi’s ability to scout ahead for miles was an immeasurable aid, finding them a place large enough for the army to camp every night. There was still a good week of travel before they reached Tanisal, however.

              She smiled at Barek as he looked back at her for the tenth time this morning. He was very insistent that she remain surrounded while they ride. Appealing to Y’Dürkie and Joss didn’t help, as they agreed with Barek. Y’Dürkie’s grandmother, D’Mitta, even volunteered to ride behind. Barek wasn’t satisfied with just those four surrounding her and added more warriors he felt he could trust.

              Giving him an exasperated look, she called out, “I haven’t gone anywhere in the last thirty minutes, Barek. You don’t have to keep looking back here. Besides, Joss and Y’Dürkie are riding close enough that there’s hardly room for my horse to walk!”

              Without turning around, he replied in a very even tone, “Yes, I do need to keep looking back. Until Bohrs is dead and I have his head, you’re going to be well guarded whether you like it or not. You can put up with it, or I can have you gagged and tied to your saddle.”  There was no doubt in Arwenna’s mind he would do just that.

              She fidgeted in her saddle; the constant surveillance chafed her nerves. Joss reached over and squeezed her hand in reassurance. Barek didn’t trust him. She knew that. It made it almost impossible for her and Joss to have more than a few moments alone under such scrutiny.

              A shadow passed overhead as Lexi and Grie found a spot to land not far ahead of the lead group. Arwenna and the others followed Barek up to meet her.

              “Well, what’s up ahead?”  Barek’s voice carried over the short distance to Lexi.

              “There’s a clearing up ahead, less than a mile. It’s at the bottom of a hill. That’s going to be the best place to camp for a while. Nothing else but woods for the next couple of days beyond that.”

              Arwenna remembered the woods; they were definitely getting closer to Tanisal. It had taken her, Lexi, and Y’Dürkie almost a full week to meander through them after they fled the city.

              “Is the clearing big enough for everyone, Cousin?” Arwenna asked Lexi. Barek’s army had grown considerably in the last few weeks. There were over 100,000 who had come at the chance to either help her or raid the city itself. More seemed to be coming every day. It took several hours for camp to be set up each evening and torn down each morning. In the evening between gulps of food, it
left little time for anything beyond talk of the battle to come. It had taken extensive planning, but she did finally manage to come up with what she hoped was an effective use of the clerics and healers.

              “It should be. The clearing itself starts on the hill and drops down into the valley below. There are a few stumps and some undergrowth, but nothing big.”

              Barek nodded. “Don’t suppose you saw any trace of the other side as you were scouting ahead?”

              “Not for at least thirty miles. Couldn’t find any trace of them in the woods at all, and it’s pretty thick for a fair distance.” Lexi glanced at Arwenna and grinned slightly, “But it’s not far enough that you won’t want to put guards out, Barek. Arwenna’s just going to have to put up with it until we’re done fighting.”

              Arwenna sighed, making no attempt to hide her irritation. She’d have to bring it up again tonight. 

              “I’ll go back up and circle the area, so you know when you’re close.”  The great wings of her mount lifted her back into the sky.

              Barek gave the signal to resume the march and the army started forward again. Arwenna stewed in her saddle over the guard surrounding her. She didn’t mind Joss being there. Riding with him by her side was the most time they managed to get together in a day. With Y’Dürkie and the rest around as well, however, there wasn’t much time for anything but small talk.

              “How are the lessons with Irini and Lian going?” Joss’ voice broke through her irritation, reminding her that he was still right there.

              “Not bad, all things considered. I’m finding I know a good deal by how it feels. Irini seems to think very strongly that the word and praise to Hauk is the path to gain any kind of magic. Lian is more instinctual than verbal. I’m actually learning quite a lot from both of them. There’s a good deal of basic knowledge I gained through the other Church that is helping. I’m not starting completely from scratch. Most of the concepts of dealing with Undead are the same. Silas isn’t fond of abominations any more than Hauk is.”  Arwenna paused, taking in the green of the fields around her. “It’s almost like my abilities have grown over the last few months, expanding past limitations that my previous training had instilled in me.”

              A small shadow of concern passed over Joss’ face at her words. She spoke again, trying to put him at ease. “I’m not experiencing any need to take over the world, Joss. It’s more that I’m accepting I can be this person that you all expect me to be. That I can do what must be done, that there is more to me than even I know. I’m still the same person, just a little more ready for whatever is going to be thrown at us.”  The smile she sent his way was full of calm self-confidence. After about an hour, the woods faded away as the clearing Lexi found came into view. The plain below was open land, trees surrounding it in the distance. Barek and Y’Dürkie started barking orders for tents to be erected, fires to be built and lit. Arwenna’s horse danced about, restless. Joss reached out to take the reins and help her steady him. She had a second to exchange a worried look with Joss as they both felt the air change. Without warning, the ground around her exploded with fire. The horse reared up, jerking free of Joss’ hands.

              More explosions started going off all around them as the sky darkened ominously. Whirling black figures dove down from the gray clouds, screaming with painful intensity. The ground near her shook violently as a gaunt-looking ghoul came bursting out of the ground. The creature’s gray emaciated body exaggerated the hollowness in its face. Arwenna’s horse reared in fright and took off at a run towards the valley below.

              She could hear people yelling her name behind her, as she fought to regain control of her terrified horse. Another explosion hit the ground right in front of her. The horse reared violently, tearing the reins from her hands. She flew through the air, hitting the ground hard, momentarily stunned. Standing up quickly, she spied Joss and Y’Dürkie riding towards her. A sound of laughter behind her caused her to turn her head. A rider in black, mounted on a huge beast vaguely resembling a horse bore down on her. Steam poured from the nostrils of the beast as it charged toward her at the urging of its rider. She summoned up all the strength she had in her, running to the safety of her friends. A black leather-wrapped arm gripped her tightly, lifting her from the ground. The land blurred around her.

              Woods appeared once her sight cleared, the thick trees blocking even more of the sunlight. The far-off sounds of battle reached her ears as she struggled against the rider holding her. “Still lots of fight in you, I see,” a familiar voice growled in her ear. “I’ll fix that soon enough.” Arwenna’s eyes widened in terror as the sound of Bohrs’ voice chilled her soul. Her scream trailed off into the forest as the beast shuddered, the surrounding forest blurring once again.

              The horse stopped dead after the terrain came into focus. With all the strength she could muster, Arwenna tried to fight her way off the beast. Her feet hit the ground running; she could hear Bohrs as he dismounted to chase her. Strong hands grabbed her from behind, jerking her off balance. The hem of her dress caught on a thorny bush as she tried to throw him off of her. Panic filled her mind as she struggled against him. She could feel his breath against her cheek as Bohrs pinned her arms to her sides. Arwenna thrashed about, trying to break free. A rope wound itself around her wrists tightly, binding them in front of her. She drew a deep breath only to choke on the rag shoved into her mouth. She struck out with her feet when she felt them lifted from the ground. A sharp pain arched through her back as she was thrown back into the saddle, Bohrs right behind her. Arwenna fought back the terror that welled up inside her as her hands were secured to the horn of the saddle. A guttural command in a language she didn’t want to know set the beast in motion. Arwenna tried her best to watch for landmarks, but the beast shifted through distance like a blur too many times. Panic rose in her throat as she saw a large army camp ahead. The white marble walls of Tanisal shone in the fading light of the day.

              Soldiers and other creatures, some with scales and horns protruding from their bare skulls, moved out of the way as the beast found its way to a central pavilion. Her sense of fear increased as she began to recognize creatures similar to those that had raided her village. They stopped and saluted Bohrs as he rode by. The beast came to a halt in front of a pavilion near the center of the massive camp. She felt Bohrs slide off the back, waiting until he reached up towards her before slamming a foot squarely in his chest. She turned in the saddle, kicking at the beast, willing it into a run. It didn’t move. She fought the hands reaching up to grab her off the saddle; cold mocking laughter filled her ears.               She tripped as Bohrs shoved her forward through the tent flap, sliding across the ground. Pain from her scraped elbows flared briefly as she skidded to a halt.

              The glow from the lanterns revealed a stark and severe room. Sparsely furnished, the dim light did little besides deepen the shadows. Arwenna scrambled away from the figure of Bohrs as he entered the room. She kept her eyes focused on him, uncertain of what he would do next. He snapped his fingers once. From the shadowy depth of the room came three other figures. They were dwarves once.               Dead and unfocused eyes stared mindlessly from sunken sockets. Their skin was as gray as the stone they had once worked. Two carried a small blacksmith’s anvil. Bohrs’ cold hand grasped her by the back of her neck, forcing her towards the anvil. A pole was slid between her arms and her back. Her breath became ragged with terror as Bohrs held her hands flat on the anvil. The third dwarf positioned himself in front of her, a massive hammer in his hands.  Eyes bulging, she renewed her attempts to get away. She could feel Bohrs’ breath as he whispered in her ear, “You can’t expect me to let you run around casting spells I don’t approve of, now can you?”  His mocking laughter drowned out her muffled screams as the hammer was brought down on her hands. A welcoming blackness engulfed her as the pain seared through her body before the hammer was brought down a second time.

              Arwenna rubbed at her foot, the stone she had been walking on for the last hour finally fell out and back on the road where it belonged. The others were busy working on the camp for the night. She’d offered to help more times than she could remember, with the same answer being given each time. “You need to rest, need to get your magic back up. Von’t take us that long to put up a few tents and get food goink,” Y’Dürkie’s voice echoed in her head.

              “Arwenna, there is something I have wanted to ask you for some time. About how it is you can
focus on so much at once.”  Senyan’s quiet voice brought her mind away from her battered foot.

              “I’m not certain I understand the question.”  She was slightly taken aback. Senyan’s magic was different from hers, and far more deadly.

              Senyan’s eyes strayed off to his raven, perched on a tree branch a few feet away, and he lowered his voice somewhat. “It’s just that, on occasion, I find a number of things in my head at one time. It makes it hard for me to concentrate on the battle at hand, among other things. You seem to have a clarity of focus that I can’t get to. If you would not mind, I’d very much appreciate a way to do that.”

              Arwenna nodded, finally understanding. “It’s not that hard, really. You need to learn to train your mind to shut off other parts at will.” She looked up at the rapidly fading sunlight. “I’m not certain it’s the sort of thing I should be teaching you in front of the others, though. They’d be asking all sorts of questions, and it’ll be easier if we have some quiet. Would it be all right with you if I were to show you after dinner?  We could retire to one of the tents for some privacy and I can show you what you need to know.”

              Senyan nodded, obviously relieved. He helped her off the rock and they joined the others for dinner.

              Once dinner was over and most of them had settled in for the night, Mialee volunteered to take a watch. Senyan gave Arwenna a questioning look, nodding towards his empty tent. She nodded back and followed him inside.

              She instructed him to sit on the floor opposite her. “If you practice enough, you won’t have to concentrate as hard to do this. It takes a good deal of time and practice, though. Just close your eyes and search for the part of your mind that is totally quiet.” She started to lead him through the exercise.

              After about thirty minutes, she could see a rare smile forming on Senyan’s face. His eyes opened to meet hers. “Thank you, Arwenna. This is a debt that I will have a hard time repaying.”