Daughter of Hauk (The Raven Chronicles Book 1) (13 page)

Chapter Sixteen

            
 
Y
’Dürkie’s horse reacted quickly to the urging of his rider, diving off towards the woods. Aware that someone else followed after the rider who took Arwenna, Y’Dürkie kept her focus directed to the spot where she’d seen the figure. It was not until they reached the woods that she realized it was Joss.

It took them about thirty minutes of searching deeper into the woods to concede they’d lost the trail. “It must have shifted again.”  Y’Dürkie drove a gauntleted fist into a nearby tree. She turned in her saddle slightly to look at Joss. “You go back, tell Barek vhat happened and that I have gone lookink for her. I am not goink back there vithout Arvenna.”

              Joss shook his head. “No, I can’t do that. Barek can find out from one of the other guards. I’m going to help you find her, even if you don’t want me to.”  The determination in his voice convinced Y’Dürkie not to argue. It was going to be easier with him along than to waste time arguing over it.

              They rode in silence for several hours, intent on looking for evidence of Arwenna’s passing. Frustration built within Y’Dürkie. Every minute they wasted looking kept them from reaching Arwenna. She felt her horse sidestep restlessly. He could feel her impatience.

              “Anythink yet?” she asked quietly.

              “No.” Joss’ voice was edgy. Y’Dürkie had suspicions of how he and Arwenna felt about each other. She just hoped he would keep his wits about him. Rescuing Arwenna was going to be tricky enough. Adding him to the list wasn’t her idea of a good time.

              Locating a fresh set of tracks, Y’Dürkie dismounted and motioned to Joss. Taking a look around, she found a ripped piece of cloth on a bush. Handing it to Joss, she saw the look of pain on his face. A nod from him confirmed her fear. It was from Arwenna’s dress. After another mile, the tracks disappeared again.

              “South…she’s to the south.”  Joss’ voice was almost a whisper. “And she’s still alive.”

              Y’Dürkie wheeled in her saddle, suspicion in her face. “How do you know this?” she demanded.

              “It’s her comb. She decided to wear it this morning. It’s pulling me to the south.”  A glimmer of hope showed on his face.

              Calming slightly, Y’Dürkie nodded. “Let us hope they do not take it from her. Ve are goink to need it if ve are chasink after somethink that can shift through the air like this damn think seems to be able to.”  Fear that Arwenna was miles or even days away crept into her heart.

              They kept to a trot, the forest too unfamiliar for a faster gait. Every now and then, Joss motioned them to go slightly west. About nightfall, Joss called out to her, “We’re going to need to rest soon. The horses aren’t going to be able to keep this pace for much longer.”

              “Bah!  These are varhorses, bred by some of the best breeders I know. They vill run for days before they get tired.”

              “What about yours, though?  He’s got an arrow in his flank, if you haven’t noticed!”  Frustration at not finding Arwenna found its way into his voice.

              Y’Dürkie dismounted and gently pulled out the arrow. Examining the wound, she gently patted her horse.  “Heal him the best you can, then. Ve keep ridink. Ve rest vhen ve know vhere she is and not before.” she commanded, hoping Joss wouldn’t argue further.

              They kept riding south, using Arwenna’s comb as a beacon. Around midnight on the second day of pursuit, Y’Dürkie finally decided to make camp.

              One look at the animals, even in the dark, told her they’d ridden them too far and too hard. “I’ve got to give them something, Y’Dürkie. Or they’re going to drop on us before we reach her.”               

              Y’Dürkie released a heavy sigh and left Joss to work his magic while she found some food in the saddlebags. When he was done, he sat heavily on a fallen log. “It’s not much. They’re still going to need to be rested often. But they’ll keep going for now.”

              Y’Dürkie continued to tend the horses, knowing that Joss wouldn’t welcome any attempt to help him up.

              “Can you tell if she is close yet, Joss?” Y’Dürkie asked as she handed him some bread. She didn’t ask if Arwenna was still alive, unwilling to believe she wasn’t.

              “The pull has been getting stronger; I’d say we’re within a few miles of her.”  The weariness in his voice was easy to pick up. Y’Dürkie knew it could be hard to work the kind of magic he’d been doing to keep the horses refreshed.
Better to let him rest now
, she thought.
Ve’re
goink to need his full power to get her free I think
.

              They ate in silence. Y’Dürkie knew Joss was as unhappy about the delay as she was.

              Y’Dürkie scanned the forest as Joss started to settle in for some sleep. It was unnaturally quiet, like the local animals had been scared away. A small movement in the distance caught her eye as Joss suddenly bolted upright. Before Y’Dürkie could warn him, he darted towards where she had seen the movement. Grabbing her sword, she ran after him.

              A pale figure staggered into the small clearing. It was not until she collapsed in Joss’ arms that Y’Dürkie recognized Arwenna. Y’Dürkie’s stomach churned when she caught up to where Arwenna had fallen. Joss cradled Arwenna’s battered body gently. Taking a long amazed look at her, Y’Dürkie’s jaw hardened at the sight of her hands and the welts all over her body.

              “Heal her, damn it!”  Y’Dürkie’s voice cracked.

              “I can’t, I don’t have enough left in me to do it. It’s not like refreshing the horses. Healing wounds like this will hurt like hell when it’s being done. There’s no telling how far she’s run. If she screams at all, we could have an army on top of us. We need to get her back to the camp.”  Y’Dürkie could hear the frustration in his voice.

              “Can you ride and keep a hold of her?”

              Joss nodded at her question, his face still intent on Arwenna’s broken form cradled in his arms.

              “Okay, let me take her. Mount your horse and I vill hand her up to you. I need to keep my arms free in case ve are pursued. Vhat can ve do to keep her comfortable on the vay back?”  Y’Dürkie carefully scooped up Arwenna from Joss’ arms, wrapping her own cloak around her for warmth.

              Joss rose to his feet, his focus still on Arwenna. “Do we have any sleeping potions?  If we can keep her asleep the whole way, the trip should be easier on her.”

              Y’Dürkie carefully but swiftly moved towards the horses. “I have one in my saddlebags.”

She waited for Joss to mount his horse before handing Arwenna up to him. Once she was satisfied he had her securely, Y’Dürkie mounted her own horse. “Ve start out slow,” she told him as she handed him a small vial. “Ve will slowly increase speed as ve move, take it only as fast as it seems she vill be okay vith. Vill that potion keep her asleep the whole vay?” She kept her eyes on Arwenna. 

              Tightening his grip around Arwenna’s waist, Joss looked at Y’Dürkie. “It should. Depending on how badly she’s been hurt, maybe a bit longer.”

              Y’Dürkie nodded, satisfied. “If somethink starts chasing us, just run. I vill deal vith any pursuit. You are to get her back to camp no matter vhat, understood?”

              Joss nodded in agreement. They both turned their horses around and headed north.

Chapter Seventeen

            
 
S
urveying the littered battlefield, Barek leaned on his sword and caught his breath. It hadn’t been much of a fight, really. The army had done well against what had been thrown at it. The organization that Arwenna had devised worked amazingly well. There were a few dead; rites would need to be performed soon for their passing.

              He turned around, expecting to see Arwenna not far behind him. When he couldn’t find her, he started scanning the area closer. Joss and Y’Dürkie were missing as well. Concern built in him as he headed for the healer’s tent. His mind tried convincing him that they had gone there to help, ignoring the sense of fear as it rose in the pit of his stomach.

              He stormed into the tent, furiously trying to find Arwenna, or at least Y’Dürkie and Joss. They weren’t there. He recognized one of the guards that had been surrounding Arwenna earlier lying on a cot. Storming over, he shoved anyone who got in his way aside. “Where is she?  You were guarding her!  Where did she go?”  The fear grew larger as he saw how wounded the soldier was.

              The soldier swallowed hard, fear on his face. “I don’t know. One minute she was next to me, the next she was gone.” His chest heaved with the effort.

              Rage built in Barek. He raised his sword as if to strike the messenger when a voice stopped him cold.

              “Barek, you put that down right now!  That man is no more your enemy than I am!”  D’Mitta’s voice carried across the room. She strode up towards him and forced his arms down. “I vas there, I saw vhat happened, I vas one of her guards. Do you intend to kill me as vell?”  There was a definite challenge to her voice that brought him back from the edge. “Come, ve go talk and figure out a vay to get them back.”  The hand on his arm was insistent.

              He nodded curtly, following D’Mitta out of the healer’s tent and back to the command pavilion. Once inside, he collapsed into a large chair and looked at Y’Dürkie’s grandmother. “What happened?”  His voice was low, the rage barely in check.

              “It is how the soldier in the tent told you. One minute she vas there, the next she vas gone. Y’Dürkie and Joss both saw somethink at the edge of the woods to the south and chased after it. That is the last I saw of them. They saw somethink ve did not.”  D’Mitta’s tone all but challenged Barek to find fault with what had happened.

              Barek rose, throwing the table next to him across the room in barely checked fury. His rage continued for several minutes, with nothing but destruction of the furniture as a result. His anger temporarily spent, he leaned against a thick center pole. The floor around him was littered with splintered wood, dented cups, and ripped pillows. Small feathers floated to settle on the debris.

              “Fine. We march south into those damn woods and find them!” Barek started towards the door when D’Mitta’s voice cut his stride short.

              “You have responsibilities here, Barek. There is an army out there that is not goink to like hearink the person they have come to fight for has gone missink. They need to think all is still vell. You cannot let your own desires rule you on this.”  Her words hit him like ice water. He turned to face her. The knowing look on her face made him realize she knew more than he would like her to.

              “And just what would you have me do?  Sit here and wait? I can’t do that. I
won’t
do that.” He kicked at the remnants of a chair.

              “Y’Dürkie has gone after her, as has Joss. I know my granddaughter vell, Barek. She vill not come back vithout Arvenna. If she does not come back, it vill not be because she could not find her. The guilt she vould feel for failink to keep her friend safe vill drive her to do things that ve vill not speak of. She cannot come before me again vithout Arvenna’s safe return.”  D’Mitta paused. “Send out patrols and search parties to the south, if it makes you feel better. Give it a veek at most, then continue your march to var. They vill bring her back, Barek, or they vill not come back at all.”

              Barek slumped to the ground, knowing how much truth was in D’Mitta’s words. Ideas of what Arwenna might go through before she would be found invaded his thoughts. “They have six days, D’Mitta. After that, we do it my way. Understood?”

She nodded, and left him.

* * * * *

Barek threw a chair out of his way as he entered the tent again. Another patrol had returned without finding any trace of them. Feeling helpless wasn’t an emotion he dealt with well.
That’s it,
he thought.
When we get her back, I’m
strapping her to my back
!  The last five days had been trying.               Tomorrow they marched, one way or another.

              “Barek! They are back! They found her!” D’Mitta’s voice boomed from outside the tent. He ran out of the tent and into the late afternoon light.

              He spied two horses coming up the hill, Y’Dürkie and Joss barely able to keep upright in their saddles. Joss had someone wrapped in a cloak in front of him. The cloak shifted as the horse wearily finished walking up the hill, revealing Arwenna’s sleeping form. Screaming orders to have Irini brought to the command tent, Barek moved swiftly to the horses.

              He reached Joss first, and his eyes widened at the sight of Arwenna. “Why the bloody hell haven’t you healed her?” he demanded. “You’re a cleric, damn it! Hand her here!” He reached out for Arwenna’s sleeping body.

              Joss gently slid Arwenna into Barek’s outstretched arms. “I was keeping the horses from being exhausted. I’m not as strong as Arwenna, Barek. I just didn’t have any magic left.”  He slid from the saddle and leaned on his horse for support.

Barek glanced at Joss and Y’Dürkie before turning his attention back to the form cradled in his arms.               “Everyone into the command tent. I’ve already summoned a cleric. We make her comfortable, then you two tell me what happened.”  He saw the guilt written on Y’Dürkie’s face. By Gods, he would get some answers before she got to rest!

              Slowly, so as to not hurt her further, Barek carried Arwenna up the hill towards the tent. Cots were brought out to the main room, and he gently laid Arwenna down on one.

              Barek glanced over his shoulder when he heard someone enter the tent, then turned back to Arwenna. “She needs help,” was all he said to Irini.

              Irini nodded as she knelt next to the cot, examining Arwenna’s wounds. “Why is she sleeping?”  The question was not aimed at anyone in particular.

              Y’Dürkie spoke quietly, “Ve gave her a sleepink potion after ve found her. Joss thought it vas best to keep her asleep until ve got her back here. He said healink her vas goink to be painful.”  Her voice trailed off.

              “It may well be, the bones in her fingers will need to straighten themselves out during the healing. One of you needs to be ready by her shoulders, in case she moves too much. I need her to remain as still as possible.”

              Barek moved before anyone else could and positioned himself near Arwenna’s head. Irini nodded at him as she began to cast the healing spell.               A small green glow circled Arwenna’s head, healing small cuts as it moved downward. Irini guided the spell slowly. A small moan or two escaped Arwenna’s lips, then a scream of pain as the spell moved over her hands. She didn’t wake up, though. Within a few minutes, the only evidence of her ordeal was the tattered remains of her dress.

Irini rose, exhaling hard. “She’s going to be fine, I think. At least physically. Let her sleep. That’s the best for her now. She will need rest for a few days if we can afford to let her have them.”  Bowing to Barek and the others, she silently left the tent.

              Barek watched Arwenna’s even breathing for a while, assuring himself she was okay for now, and then placed a blanket over her sleeping body. He turned away, leveling a gaze at Y’Dürkie. “You were part of her guard!” he spoke quietly but insistently. “What the hell happened out there?  One minute you’re behind me with her next to you, the next I’m getting told that you were seen taking off into the forest chasing something no one could describe that picked her up out of nowhere!”  His rage was barely in check.

              The guilt that Y’Dürkie had been feeling was written all over her face. “Her horse bolted, ve gave chase. It threw her. Somethink black appeared out of novhere, vith a rider on its back. It showed up vithin feet of her. I vas screamink at her to run tovards me, but the beast vas faster than my horse. He had her scooped up and in front of him before ve could get there. Joss and I saw them disappear, and then reappear at the edge of the voods. That is vhen ve gave chase.”

              Barek found a chair and sat down heavily, the stress of the last few days finally starting to dissipate. “What then?”

              “I told Joss to come back, let you know I vas giving chase. He vould not, vhich turned out for the best. He vas able to hone in on that comb of hers and keep us goink in the right direction.”

              Y’Dürkie sank down onto one of the other cots; exhaustion crept into her voice as she relayed the tale to Barek. She paused at last, looking at her hands.

              “And you never thought about,” Barek started to say, stopping when she interrupted him.

              “Ve just vanted to get her back safely, Barek. Vhich is vhat you vould have done in my place. There is not a damn think you are goink to be able to say to me about losink her that I have not already said to myself.”

              Barek sighed, knowing full well how heavy the burden would lay on Y’Dürkie. He glanced over and saw that Joss had collapsed on a cot near Arwenna, sound asleep.

              “Did she say anything to either of you, anything about who took her or what happened?”

              “I think ve know who took her, Barek. Especially considerink the condition ve found her in. But, no, she has not said a vord. She vould cry out every now and then, more from pain I think, but that vas it.”

              Sighing, Barek realized the rest of the story would have to wait for Arwenna to wake up. “Get some sleep. I don’t care where, but Arwenna’s staying right where she is. I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

              “Where is….Arwenna!”  Barek jumped up as Lexi came barreling into the pavilion. He walked over to her as she looked at her sleeping cousin.               Gently, Barek laid a hand on Lexi’s shoulder, alerting her to his presence. He explained briefly as to how she had come back. By the time he was done, Lexi had pulled a chair up next to Arwenna’s cot.

              Barek pulled up his own chair, trying to think about what to do next. A good deal would depend on what Arwenna told them when she woke up.