The Guardians (Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter 7

Chayse

Immosey stared out of the window. ‘It’s been over three hours!’ she said incredulously. ‘And they’re showing no signs of finishing.’ Peta held out a tray of biscuits and she took one. ‘Thank you, Peta. You’ve been so kind to us!’

‘
My pleasure, Immosey,’ said Peta smilingly. ‘Are you aware that I know your mother and father?’ Grief swept over Immosey like a massive wave when she remembered how Kelian had found the dead bodies of her parents as they escaped from Nyinaku over the Ice Mountains. Her thoughts rushed back to the day they were taken from their barge by the warriors of the fallen and how Milgorry had helped them escape. She remembered the trek across the Ice Coast and then the heartache of being captured before escaping once again and crossing the Ice Mountains to get back to Alkira. Now the man who had been beaten terribly and labelled traitor for helping them, yet had saved them on so many occasions, lay on the ground with his back broken. Tears poured down her face as she tried to control her grief.

Peta gave an understanding gasp and wrapped her arms around the thin girl.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘What happened, Immosey?’

‘
Mother and Father tried to come after us and they…we don’t actually know what happened Peta, but their bodies were in a cave up in the Ice Mountains.’

Peta said nothing. She led Immosey to her little straw bed.
‘Try to get some sleep,’ she suggested. ‘Did you sleep at all last night?’

‘
Not a bit,’ Immosey admitted.

When
Immosey woke it was almost midday. She strained her ears but could not hear anything other than the sound of some noisy birds squawking in a nearby tree, so she rolled from her bed, stood up, and moved to the window. Araas and Timbul had not moved and Borgulnay was now performing routine exercises, obviously from boredom. Colonel Mulgrew was pacing back and forth between the guardians and the edge of the forest. Louisa was lying beside Milgorry, as close as she could get without actually touching him, or impeding Timbul and Araas.

Immosey
turned and went through the door which led directly into the kitchen where Elena and Kelian were sitting at a small kitchen table talking to Peta. Peta hopped up and seconds later a plate containing a slice of beef, some bread and an apple appeared in front of Immosey.

‘
Thank you,’ Immosey said gratefully and she hungrily began to eat. There was a creaking sound as the front door opened and everyone leapt from the table and dashed into the hallway. Milgorry stood in the entrance, holding firmly onto Louisa to keep himself upright. Behind them on the little veranda stood Borgulnay and Mulgrew, holding the unconscious bodies of Timbul and Araas. They carried the two guardians to the bedroom and placed them in two of the straw beds, pulling the covers over them. Louisa helped Milgorry into her own bed and sat beside him. Colonel Mulgrew followed them into the room.

‘Colonel?’ Milgorry’s voice was very quiet.

‘
What is it warrior?’

‘
They’re gathering. I can sense them. When they attack again, it won’t be stealthy and it won’t be with a handful of warriors. They’re coming in force.’ His head dropped back against the pillow and he closed his eyes.

‘
We need a plan,’ Colonel Mulgrew stated.

‘
I wonder how long Araas and Timbul will sleep for,’ said Immosey tensely, glancing towards the guardians.

‘
I think even when they wake they’ll be weak for a while,’ Colonel Mulgrew replied, and he stared down at Milgorry contemplatively. ‘It’s just as likely that our warrior here will be up and fit again before these guardians regain consciousness. That could be days.’

‘
So what do we do?’ asked Borgulnay. ‘Sir?’ he added.

Mulgrew drew his gaze away from Milgorry and
turned to Louisa. ‘You’re the fastest. If you could make it through to Chayse, there are people there who would help us…if you are willing to go?’ he added.

‘
Of course I’ll go,’ said Louisa emphatically. ‘Um…which way is Chayse please?’

‘
The path that leads towards this farm – the one you crossed when you brought in the Sergeant with the spider bite – if you follow it, it will lead you directly into the town,’ Mulgrew explained. ‘You need to find a man called Ethan who lives opposite the well, and say to him, ‘Colonel Mulgrew said to send reinforcements’. He’ll know what I mean, and then bring him back here with anyone who is willing to come. If he’s not at home, he might be at the Tavern. Can you do that?’ he asked. Louisa nodded, looking frightened. She took Araas’ dark cloak from beside his bed and tied it around her shoulders, then without even a backward glance she dashed out the front door and sprinted down the track. Colonel Mulgrew’s jaw dropped as he watched her gaining speed.

‘
Well, I was certainly right about her being the fastest,’ he said adamantly. ‘Let’s hope she gets though.’

‘
How far away is Chayse? How long will it take?’ asked Elena.

Peta answered.
‘I would think it will take Louisa about ten minutes if she keeps running as fast as she was when she left. Then our friends will take some time to get here, even after Louisa manages to find Ethan and however long it takes him to find everyone else.’

‘
It’s Sunday, Peta,’ said Mulgrew, smiling. ‘They will all be at the tavern by now, discussing old times,’ he said fondly.

‘
Let’s hope they haven’t been there overly long!’

‘
Don’t worry sweetheart. They’ll sober up fairly quickly when they get my message.’ He leaned against the window and drew Peta to his side as they waited.

Elena
picked up Milgorry’s sword from where it still stood against the wall and turned to Kelian and Immosey.

‘
Our turn to stand watch,’ she said firmly. She was pleased there were no objections, and Borgulnay and Gilgarry unbuckled their knife sheathes and belted them firmly around the girls waists. Kelian picked up his sword and scabbard.

‘
Why don’t I get a sword?’ asked Immosey. Borgulnay glanced uneasily at Gilgarry who shrugged and gave his sword to Immosey. She held the sword awkwardly, but raised her chin and walked determinedly from the room. ‘We’ll wake you if anyone is trying to kill us all,’ Immosey declared as she went down the front steps and into the yard.

Louisa dashed down the street until she reached the well. There was only one house opposite
, so she rushed over and thumped on the door. It opened almost immediately and a small woman appeared in the doorway.

‘
Please,’ said Louisa anxiously, ‘I have a message for Ethan from Colonel Mulgrew.’ The woman’s eyes opened in surprise and she grabbed Louisa by the hand, dragged her into the house and slammed the door behind her.

‘
Ethan!’ she cried as she pulled Louisa down the hallway. ‘There’s a woman here who has a message for you from
Colonel
Mulgrew!’ she exclaimed.

A small muscular man appeared
in a doorway. He stared at Louisa with an expression of curiosity and disbelief. ‘What message?’

‘
Colonel Mulgrew said to send reinforcements. That was all he told me to say.’

Ethan moved
towards her like he was in a dream. ‘Lilly, I want you to take the grandchildren and go up to your brother’s farm. You know what I have to do.’ Lilly dashed down the hallway and disappeared through an open doorway. ‘We’ll need to go down to the tavern,’ said Ethan, leading Louisa back to the front door.

The
tavern was crowded and noisy. ‘To Ethan!’ a combined salute of voices cried and everyone inside raised their glasses and drank as Ethan and Louisa pushed their way through the crowd. ‘And some other beautiful stranger!’ one voice commented loudly and everyone laughed merrily and raised their glasses again. ‘Beautiful stranger!’ they cried and they drank in salute. Ethan frowned as he stared around the noisy room then he turned to the tavern master. ‘Where’s Simon?’ he asked looking through the crowd who were now raising their glasses to the next person who had walked in the door, then to the weather they were having, then to someone called Joe Leroy who did his wife the wonderful kindness of leaving town. Louisa took it they didn’t like the man and she couldn’t help but smile when she saw that the biggest salute to the man came from a small, beaten looking woman in the middle of the crowd. ‘And to Mrs. Leroy!’ they all shouted raising their glasses once again. ‘Who is now in the market for a new husband – may he be better than the last bastard!’ Laughter followed this observation and Mrs. Leroy drank deeply in agreement. The tavern master handed Ethan and Louisa mugs of ale.

‘
Over in the corner, drinking himself under the table as usual,’ the tavern master observed jokingly and Louisa turned to see a thin, completely sober man sitting quietly in the corner nursing a pewter mug of water. Ethan made his way over and sat opposite the man.

‘
You’re not going to believe this, Simon, but the Colonel just called for reinforcements,’ Ethan stated.

Simon
’s mug slipped through his fingers and dropped to the floor, and he leapt to his feet as an expression of perplexity and shock rushed over his face. ‘You’re not joking are you Ethan?’ he asked.

‘
Had too many Simon?’ a voice called out cheekily and the crowd laughed merrily.

‘
Quiet!’ Simon shouted, banging his hand on the table. The crowd turned to stare at him and all fell silent. ‘Tell them,’ he said to Ethan, gesturing to the crowd.

Ethan
gazed around the silent crowd. ‘Colonel Mulgrew just sent me a message.’

‘
What message?’ someone in the crowd called.

Ethan turned to Louisa.
‘Go on then guardian. Tell them the message.’

‘
How did you know I’m a guardian,’ Louisa whispered curiously.

‘
You crushed your mug almost in half when Simon dropped his,’ Ethan explained. ‘Now tell them please.’

Louisa
glanced down at her crumpled mug in surprise and then blushed as she looked up at the crowd who were waiting expectantly for her to speak. ‘Colonel Mulgrew said to send reinforcements,’ she said, looking intently around at the faces in the room.

There was complete silence for a few seconds then everyone began to speak at once.

‘Stop! Quiet! Please!’ Neither Ethan’s nor Simon’s shouts made any difference in lowering the volume of the voices. There was a piercing whistle from the tavern master and hands flew over ears. Everyone became quiet and waited for Ethan to speak.

‘
If you are willing to come with me,’ he said quickly, ‘arm yourselves and we’ll meet back here in ten minutes. If you can’t come, I will remind you that Colonel Mulgrew would not have sent this message without necessity. Make sure your families are safe.’

‘
And just how do we keep our families safe if we aren’t here, Ethan?’ complained a tall thin man with a dark angry looking face.

‘
Bert, we’ve discussed this so many times I weary of your stupidity. You are supposed to have a plan in place for your family if ever we are threatened by the fallen. You are supposed to have chosen someone to defend them, someone who can handle weapons.’ He turned his back on Bert, ignoring his indignant look. The people rushed from the tavern and disappeared into the street, leaving Louisa standing in the corner with Ethan.

‘
I’ll be back in a few minutes, guardian,’ he said and he ran through the door and turned towards his home. Louisa found she was the only person who remained. Even the tavern master had disappeared. She sat down on one of the stools and waited patiently.

Chapter 8

The Nest

Dale moved stealthily through the tunnel under the street until he came to the door leading into the warehouse. He reached up and took the handle and turned it gently, moving it slowly and just enough to open the door. He mentally cursed when the door creaked as it opened. He crouched and pushed against the huge sack of flour at the bottom of the neatly stacked goods. It refused to move so Dale braced himself against the wall and pushed against the sack with his feet. Still nothing happened and he knew that he was going to have to climb the pile of supplies. Using the stack of goods and the wall for support, he gradually pushed himself upwards until he could see into the warehouse. There was no-one in sight so he dragged himself over the bags and crates and began to climb towards the floor. There was an incredible crash as the pile gave way. Dale stifled a shout as he landed awkwardly on the floor, bursting a bag of flour and smashing several clay jars of oil which splashed over his entire body. He grimaced as he saw that the black clothing and the dark cloak and hood he had chosen for his venture were now covered in white flour. He began to beat his clothing with his hands to remove the flour that was gripping the oil. He stopped for a second and frowned. For a moment he was sure he had heard someone laugh. He waited, straining his ears. There was a movement in a corner of the warehouse and a rat scuttled across the floor and disappeared between broken boards. Dale relaxed. He moved noiselessly from the warehouse and circled around the castle, following the outer curtain wall.

‘
Enri?’ he called, looking up to the top of the wall, and Enri’s head appeared between the merlons.

‘
Head’s up!’ Enri’s voice said cheerfully. A pack suspended on a length of rope appeared over the edge of the wall and descended towards Dale. Dale quickly untied it and gave the rope a sharp tug. The rope disappeared and then reappeared a moment later tied to blanket containing a bow with a full quiver and several hunting knives in sheaths attached to a leather belt.

‘
Thank you,’ Dale called up quietly and Enri’s head appeared again.

‘
No trouble, Dale,’ said Enri. ‘I suppose it wouldn’t have done for anyone to see you sneaking out armed and with a pack on your back. Aren’t you riding? Where’s Crocodile?’ he asked, referring to Dale’s impossibly protective horse.

‘
He’s down in the stables next to the city gates.’

‘
Dale, I should come with you,’ said Enri uneasily, glancing around the bushes. He stood still for a moment, staring into the trees and then a look of recognition came over his face. ‘Never mind,’ he said abruptly. ‘I’ll see you when you get back.’

Dale gave a wave and disappeared into the early morning gloom. The
sky was beginning to lighten as he slipped between the abandoned buildings, making his way towards the city gates. He stopped not far from the stables and listened intently. He could hear and see nothing unusual, but he walked around to the side of the stable, where he was hidden from sight and climbed in the window. His horse was standing quietly in the corner as Dale dropped to the floor.

‘
How are you doing Leon?’ Dale asked quietly, as he rubbed the horse’s neck. Leon gave a little snicker as Dale patted him, and then waited patiently. Dale used his finger to open the horse’s mouth, slipping the bit into position, and then he eased the bridle over each ear. He hesitated for a few seconds as nervousness made him feel like he was being watched. He pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside and turned back to Leon. He checked the cheek straps were sitting comfortably and moved to Leon’s left to buckle the throat lash. He listened again for a moment but could hear nothing unusual. His saddle cloth and saddle were placed exactly where he had left them, so he unhurriedly saddled Leon, then he led him to the back door of the stable, across the road and through the city gates.

As soon as he was through the city gates h
e mounted and left the road, disappearing into the southern bush land. The sun rose as he made his way through the trees. He continued steadily south for several miles before stopping. He had come to the place where, months before, he had found a path leading into a very well hidden valley, when King Dannicus had asked him to investigate the possibility of traitors within the Castle garrison. He dismounted and led Leon up the path.

T
he path ended unexpectedly and he felt distinctly uneasy as he gazed around at the unfamiliar landscape. To his shock, he heard movement. As quietly as possible he led Leon from the path into the bushes, moving up the side of the valley and taking shelter behind a mound of exposed granite. He settled himself uncomfortably in a crevice and waited. Within minutes a group of people passed. Their white skin was sunburned and their pale eyes squinted as they peered around. They were not moving particularly quickly, but by their smooth strides Dale felt sure they could move a lot faster if they wished to. Each one of them wore the brown leather skirt which had been described by Evan. They wore no clothing on their upper bodies and no shoes on their feet. They passed by without noticing him and he wondered how long he should wait until he followed them, or if he should go further into the valley and investigate where they came from. He sat contemplating this decision for a moment then decided to move further into the valley. He knew Danil was trying to be prepared for an attack at any time, but Dale wanted very much to find out how many of these invaders there were and exactly where they had their base, or as Callian had put it, their nest.

He led Leon
from the rocky hillside and moved further into the valley. It was only an hour off sunset when he found the nest. He had almost given up hope and was beginning to look around for a suitable place where he could hide and make cold camp, when he stumbled on a clear set of bare footprints. He left his intended path, tied Leon’s reins to the low branch of a hoop pine and made his way back to where he had seen the footprints. He looked in the direction he had left his horse, to ensure he couldn’t see the animal through the trees and then he crept forward, looking apprehensively into the bushes and stopping every few paces to listen. Eventually he came to a place where the ground fell away sharply with thick bushes at the base of the depression, so he sat down on the ground and slid down, barely making a sound. He peered through the bushes and it was all he could do not to shout. He pushed himself violently backwards. His heart started to pound, and sweat and tears burst from his face as he scrambled up the slope. At the bottom of the depression and stretching out across a field were white bodies which appeared to be sleeping. They lay on the bare ground, uncovered and unmoving. Scattered amongst the sleeping bodies were numerous sentries, standing motionlessly watching the bodies and watching the surrounding bush land. He was trembling with shock and horror and it was all he could do to control his breathing as he slipped into the nearest thick bushes. He could barely believe they hadn’t noticed his hasty exit. In the very center of the field was a pile of human bodies, some with missing limbs. Even in such a brief instant, Dale recognized the clothing of King Dannicus and Duke Li. He had no doubt that if he was able to look further he would also find Princess Elizabeth. He felt shocked and sickened and his stomach churned. Tears of grief and anger poured down his face. The man and woman who had raised him after his own parents had been killed lay dead in a jumbled mess of human bodies, next to the King who had placed such faith in him. He wondered who all the other people were and why they had been killed and he leaned forward and vomited. He took out his water bag and washed his mouth, and then he vomited again. He dropped to his knees and cried silently. The sun slipped over the horizon and the sky darkened as he knelt inside the prickly bush. Depression threatened to overcome him and he leaned back against a branch, acknowledging that it was almost dark, which meant it would be far easier for these invaders to see him, than it would be for him to see them. He felt like screaming. He felt like taking his bow and striding into their nest and seeing how many he could take down before they killed him and added his body to the pile. He wondered for a moment what death would feel like and before he could stop himself he let out a half strangled cry.

‘
Dale?’ Dale fell sideways as a hand rested on his shoulder. Callian stood right behind him and the guardian’s face was a portrait of his own feelings. ‘You need to come with me,’ said Callian softly and Dale followed him miserably through the trees. They reached the place where Leon was patiently waiting and the tall guardian untied the animal and handed the reins to Dale, then he pointed west. Dale mounted and once again followed Callian, moving slowly in the darkness. Callian kept walking for hours before he stopped and gestured to a flattish area between some high boulders. ‘We’ll stay here tonight,’ he said.

Dale
unshouldered his bow and quiver and slid his pack from his back. His thoughts raced between the nauseas sight, the grief of losing loved ones, and the threat these people – these horrible, poisonous, enemies the Daoine Maithe called Stonefish - imposed on everything and everyone he knew and loved. His knees trembled and he dropped to the ground with his pack clutched to his chest and tears running down his face.  He said nothing as Callian took his pack, removed several blankets and stretched one out on the ground for him. Without objection, he crawled onto the blanket and pulled the other over his body. He lay staring up at the stars. His heart ached and his body trembled uncontrollably. The last thing he saw was a flash of movement as Callian’s hand brushed over his face.

Dale woke as the sun was rising. For a moment he
thought he was back in Nyinaku, then the memory of the horror he had witnessed the previous day returned, and his stomach churned. He closed his eyes, wishing he hadn’t woken, and then he pushed himself to his feet, rolled his blankets and squashed them into his pack. Callian was standing on top of one of the huge boulders which were strewn across the entire mountainside, looking warily into the trees. Dale ducked behind the rocks to relieve himself then joined Callian on top of the boulder.

‘
You slept,’ Callian commented.

‘
Yes. Thank you, Callian,’ Dale said gratefully. Grief weighed heavily on his soul, but he felt better able to bear it, having slept.

‘
Do you wish to return to Castle?’

‘
No. I want to go back to where we found the Nailmarni nest and have a better look. I want to be able to show Danil exactly what we are facing.’

Callian
said nothing.

‘
I think I need to take this opportunity. I’m already here and I may as well gather as much information as I possibly can,’ Dale stated.

Still
Callian said nothing.

‘
Callian, I’m not going into their nest, I just want to look. From a distance will be fine.’

‘
And if something goes wrong? What if we are seen?’

‘
We won’t be. But if we are, would you mind grabbing me and getting us out of there fast?’

Callian
sighed resignedly.

‘
You don’t seem very keen on this plan.’

‘
I’ve battled these people before. Their skills are not to be taken lightly.’

‘
I saw the bodies, Callian!’ said Dale angrily. ‘I’m not quite as stupid as I look, but Danil is going to need more information, and we are here! I have to do this!’

Callian
sighed. ‘Dale I certainly didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just such a dangerous plan.’

Dale stared at
Callian in dismay as he remembered the result of his last dangerous plan. Callian, Danil and the free warrior called Lias who had helped them to escape from Nyinaku, had almost been returned whilst defending their group against pursuing fallen warriors. If the people of Tabul had not come to their aid, all three would most certainly have been lost. Dale took a step backwards and sat on a rock.

‘
I’m sorry Callian. What do you think we should do?’

‘
I think you should stay here, whilst I go back to the nest for a look. I can show you what I see when we get back to Castle.’

‘
Absolutely not! We go together or I won’t allow you to go at all. I want to take a sketch of the area, so I can show Danil, without relying on you being there. After all, you’ll be off to the Dwellings soon, and that might happen before you have any chance to share what we’ve seen.’

‘
Dale it makes no difference!’ Callian raised his hands impatiently. ‘I can give you my thoughts as soon as-’

‘
No! What if you were to be returned?’ Dale closed his eyes briefly as Callian looked at him in disbelief, then he sighed deeply. ‘This is probably stupid, but I just don’t want you going back there alone, even you guardian General.’

Callian looked at Dale with the strangest expression of perplexity. Then he nodded slowly and smiled.
‘Alright, we go together. And you are correct, if I am returned, my memories are lost. But if I even imagine they see us, we leave. Agreed?’

‘
Agreed. Why were you out here in the first place?’

‘
Danil knew what you were up to. And following you just happened to coincide with my search for the King and the Duke and Princess.’