The Guardians (Book 2) (28 page)

‘
I don’t entirely understand,’ Elena admitted.

‘
Their choices determine their changes,’ Araas explained. ‘Imagine you were taken by one of the fallen. If you were loved, you would want to be with them, and you would change. But this never happens. The fallen don’t love the women who bear their children. The human women taken by the fallen are kept in submission, terror, humiliation and contempt until their child is born at which point they are killed. They hate the fallen, and justifiably, so there are no changes.’

‘
Is there any reason we shouldn’t leave now?’ Kelian asked Danil.

‘
No. In fact, the sooner we get away from here the better. Even now, we need to be a bit more careful or we’ll all end up sick,’ said Danil. ‘And it’s only going to get worse around here as bodies decay.’

‘
We should find some clean water and bathe,’ said Enri, looking uneasily at the filthy water and mud.

‘
We’ll bathe in the first clean water we find,’ Kelian agreed. ‘In the meantime, everyone should wash their hands and faces with the water we have, but be sure you leave some for drinking.’ It was almost midnight when they left the ruined city.

Chapter 33

Muraban

‘
This is a good place,’ said Lias, looking across the stream. The land they had passed through was far greener than the land near Castle, and as they moved towards Emerald there were an increasing number of streams and little rocky pools. There were low hills to the south, which prevented them seeing more than a mile ahead.

‘
We’re not far from Starly Forest,’ said Dale. They had stopped to rest and find some food.

‘
Have you been this way before?’ asked Lias. He had spent the morning with Dale at a muddy little creek, searching for yabbies. Throughout the morning they trapped enough for everyone to have a reasonable meal.

‘
I have,’ Dale replied, removing one claw from a yabby and releasing the crustacean into the water. ‘Not long after I was taken to Emerald I tried to go back to East Inlet. I didn’t want to be found, so I crept through Starly Forest and headed east. At the time I thought I could return there, and somehow reclaim my old life.’ He sighed and shook his head. ‘You can never go back.’

‘
Just one claw?’ Lias asked.

‘
If you only take one of the claws, it will grow back. I already have enough whole yabbies, and we don’t want to take too many,’ he explained. He placed the claw in the camp fire. ‘There’s a place not far ahead I want you to see. It should be amazing at this time of the year.’ He took a stick and tried to remove some of the cooked yabbies and claws from the fire. Rudiger and Ben walked up the slope. ‘Where’s Raline and little Rezon?’ he asked.

Lias
paused and concentrated for a moment. ‘With Eibhear,’ he said pointing north. ‘They’re on their way back. I’m hoping they caught something. Other than yabbies, I mean,’ he said looking at the yabby claws dubiously.

Dale laughed.
‘At least they make a change from travel cakes,’ he said positively. He gave up trying to use a stick to remove a cooked claw from the coals, and attempted to flick it from the fire with his fingers. He gave a shout of pain as he made contact with both the claw and the hot coals. He straightened up with a curse, accidently stood on the hot claw, cursed again and limped at full speed into the creek. Eibhear appeared seconds later, followed closely by Rezon and Raline.

Eibhear
’s mouth dropped open in surprise. ‘You can’t have injured yourself again!’ he said, staring at Dale who was hopping about uncomfortably in the water. ‘Surely that’s not possible!’

‘
He did,’ Lias confirmed. ‘He burnt his hand and his foot. You’re not making this easy for me, Dale,’ he added irritably. ‘I gave Callian my word that I would get you safely back to Emerald.’ Their progress has been slow as Dale led Leon with Callian lying along the horse’s back. Dale allowed time for the horse to graze when needed and this slowed them considerably. At first Dale wondered if Callian’s unconscious body would slide from the horse’s back, but after Rezon lifted him onto the horse he remained steadily in place, and Leon didn’t object to carrying him. Rezon carried Raline every time she began to tire. Raline made no objection any time Rezon picked her up, and Rezon seemed to be quite pleased about this. Most of their gear was now being carried by the mare, who Dale was calling Amy.

‘So who found you?’ asked Lias. ‘Or did you make it through to East Inlet?’

‘
Duke Li. He found me just south of here in a place he called
Muraban
, but we did keep going to East Inlet together.’

‘
Muraban
. That means flowers,’ said Lias.

‘
It does,’ Dale agreed. ‘And when we get there, you’ll see why.’ Dale waded out of the water and took off his clothing. He hung his trousers and shirt over a small burgundy queen bush which was covered in a profusion of red blossoms. Eibhear filleted the two fish he was carrying and placed the pieces on hot rocks amongst the coals. Raline and Rezon sat under the shade of a large tyalla tree with Rudiger and Ben, nibbling on the pile of yabby meat Dale offered.

‘And Duke Li took you back to East Inlet?’ said Lias, looking surprised.

‘
He seemed to think I needed to resolve a few issues. He was right – he usually is. It was the first time I saw Duke Li for who he really is. There I was, camped in the middle of Muraban, next to a really nice rock pool. It might possibly be the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. But I barely saw it. I was so consumed by anger and resentment for-’ He stopped and looked sadly at Lias, ‘for the attack on East Inlet, for the death of my parents. I lost everyone I knew, and I was certain I’d never forgive the fallen for what they did.’

Lias did not comment
as he stared into the fire.

‘
So Duke Li rode right up to my campsite. He got off his horse, dropped his swag beside mine and said we’d have to hunt if we wanted to have enough food to make it through to East Inlet. I had expected to be given a good beating before being dragged back to Emerald, so I just stood there staring at him in complete confusion. I couldn’t believe he came to find me. And that he was serious. He went with me all the way to East Inlet, and he never once admonished me for leaving by myself. It was horrible returning to the town, but I needed to see it again. King Dannicus had people cleaning up the mess, and most of the bodies were gone. There were a few of the women from Storm Haven helping with the clean-up.’ Dale paused and gazed glumly into the fire. ‘One of the women found the body of her son buried under the ruins of a burnt building. That was the most hideous incident in the entire aftermath. She was screaming and trying to drag his dead body free, but he’d been dead for so long his hair and teeth were starting to fall out and his body just burst apart as she tried to pull him from the wreckage.’ Dale grimaced as he remembered the horrible sight. ‘And the smell was absolutely atrocious. I’ll never forget it. The poor woman threw herself from the northern wall.’ The wall around the small keep at East Inlet had been built at the edge of the rocky cliffs and it was a very long drop to the sea. ‘The only things that were not badly damaged were the wall and the keep, though everything inside was ruined.’

‘
I remember,’ said Lias, wishing he hadn’t been there. ‘Nandul’s purpose was to return Tebur, but he chose to destroy East Inlet as he passed by. There was no need. You are right to be angry. It was unforgivable.’

‘
I’ve taken a lot of thought and I hold Nandul responsible for what happened, Lias. I doubt he gave you any choice.’

Lias
shook his head. ‘There’s always a choice Dale. We never even thought to question him, and that in itself was wrong. Dale, I really am sorry.’

‘
As I said, we can never go back to a past life. Did you try the yabbies?’

‘
It’s fairly certain I can never safely go back to Nyinaku, at least not whilst Nandul is still alive,’ Lias agreed. ‘They could do with a little salt.’

‘
I’ll return to East Inlet one day,’ said Dale, cracking open a claw.

‘
Did you choose to go back to Emerald or were you told to go?’

‘
Both. I took Duke Li with me up into the keep. Practically everything was destroyed or burnt, but mother’s jewelry was untouched, and a few things belonging to father were left lying about, so I took what belonged to my family. I didn’t want to leave, but King Dannicus said I was to serve Duke Li as his Squire and Duke Li had to return to Emerald, so I had to go with him. East Inlet was all but gone, and everyone I loved was gone, but it was only after I went up into the empty keep that I found that I wanted to go too. I planned to return to East Inlet and rebuild when I was older, and King Dannicus agreed that I could. And one day I will. But it will be a new start - not a return to the past.’

Dale fell silent letting his mind wander over his childhood in East Inlet, and all that had happened to him since. He was remembering his brief journey through Nyinaku when a strange but familiar
feeling brushed his heart. His eyes opened suddenly and he barely stopped himself from crying out in surprise. Across his heart, in the gentlest of soft strokes came the feeling of someone searching his soul. As if in answer to his memories of Nyinaku, the sensation which he had first experienced outside Weema returned with force. He felt he was frozen in place, fearful to move a muscle lest the feeling should end. He steadied his breathing and glanced up at Eibhear.

‘
It won’t end Dale, unless you do something about it,’ Eibhear said casually, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

‘
What? I... Eibhear what...who is she? Is she here then? Is she here in Alkira?’

‘
Undoubtedly. She’s quite a determined little thing isn’t she?’

‘
Callian said she wants...me. I don’t understand.’

‘
I suppose she’s drawn to you. Perhaps I’m wrong. Maybe if you do nothing, she’ll have no choice but to go back to Nyinaku. Do you want me to stop her reaching out to you?’

‘
No!’ Dale shouted in alarm. He sighed and considered his task and his position in the Kingdom of Alkira. ‘No. I don’t want that Eibhear. But I must ask you to do it anyway.’

Instantly, the sensation disappeared and Dale experienced a strong feeling that something belonging to him had been stolen away. His heart quailed and he felt a strange prickly tearing in his eyes. Eibhear studied him with a mixture of concern and sadness.

‘Who is she?’ Dale whispered.

‘
I won’t tell you her name. It won’t help. Probably better to end it now,’ said Eibhear, then he turned away to leave Dale to deal with his confused emotions.

Everyone ate
their fill of yabbies and fish and then they packed their gear and made ready to leave. Lias dribbled some water into Callian’s mouth and then lifted him effortlessly onto the back of Leon. He felt a little concerned that the guardian was showing no signs of waking. They made their way south until they came to low rolling hills covered in snow white tyallas, and tyallas with orange and brown bark, and areas where there were masses of bright yellow wattle. They walked across a flat area of thick grass, and then followed a small creek downstream. The creek widened and formed a large pool before spilling over some rocks forming two waterfalls. One of the waterfalls crashed into a tiny, round, bowl shaped pool before running over the edge into a larger pool. The second waterfall slid down a steep slope of rocks then gushed up and over a smooth rocky slide to join the second waterfall. All around the large pool, steep rocks rose sharply forming high sides around the water. On one side of the pool, a flat area of rocks rose just above the water level and the rocks beyond curved outwards towards where they stood. To the east, the land sloped upwards forming the grassy side of a hill. Scattered prolifically amongst the grass and the bright yellow wattle trees, were hundreds of toobada bushes with bright red bristly blooms, and amongst the bushes were thousands upon thousands of flowers forming a massive brightly colored carpet. There were vivid blue sun orchids, and fluffy white conesticks. Yellow button flowers popped their heads out above the thick grass. Everlasting daisies turned their bright yellow faces up towards the sun and purple irises grew in clumps here and there on the slope. Even where they stood, there were masses of tiny purple fringed lilies hiding their delicate petals amongst the grass. There were flowers they had never seen before, some like round pink and red bubbles, and white flowers with high stalks which had five delicate petals at the top of each. In a strange quirk of nature, there were flowers growing together that would not normally be seen in the same place, or flowering at the same time of the year.

Rudiger walked forward into the flowers as if he was dreaming.  Everyone except Dale followed him up the side of the hill to the top, and Dale stood watching with an expectant smile on his face. There was a combined
cry of delight and surprise as the group reached the top of the hill. Ahead of them, to the east, south and west, the trees thinned and the flowers became even thicker. Vines covered in pale pink flowers had grown over fallen trees and huge granite boulders, and blue bell creeper had grown and spread forming their own tiny blue hills. Amongst the flowers and the trees, tiny wrens, honeyeaters, sparrows and flycatchers flitted here and there going about their own business. Through the tangle of vines and flowers, water glittered in the sunshine and in the distance they could see a long rise of cliffs. They stood taking in the beautiful vista, and listening to the loud rushing of the nearby waterfall. The sound of a huge splash snatched everyone from their reverie and they hurried towards the rock pool. They arrived just in time to see Dale, dripping wet and devoid of all clothing other than his undergarment, throwing himself gleefully from the cliff face and plunging into the foaming water. He swam to the side of the pool and hauled himself up onto the rocks, and then he slipped into the tiny round pool and ducked his head under the waterfall. Everyone except Raline began stripping off their shirts and trousers.

‘
You could just wear the shirt in the water. It comes right down to your knees,’ Rezon suggested to Raline, ‘and that way you could keep your dress dry for afterwards.’ Without waiting for an answer, he slipped his hands up under the shirt she was still wearing, and undid her dress ties at the shoulders. She blushed as he pulled the dress downwards, but she didn’t object. She made her way down the rocks and slid into the cool water.