Elves: Beyond the Mists of Katura (30 page)

‘We must make the Septern Manse ours. We should send a large force of soldiers and mages there; seed the place with more wards than we’ve ever laid; make sure that any force that
comes to take it pays the highest of prices. And while we’re there, work to solve this magical riddle for ourselves.’

Kerela felt her pulse quicken. ‘You’re suggesting triggering conflict at the Manse.’

‘It has already been triggered. We know Xetesk’s true leanings, and they know that we know. Do you think they won’t move to reinforce their position? We have to get there
first, clear out whoever’s there and make it ours. Ownership of that place is key to this fight right now.’

‘Doesn’t it weaken us here? We have to protect our city and people.’

‘And what better way than diverting enemy forces elsewhere? Look, we know Xetesk has murdered our team there and probably Lystern’s too. Dordover wasn’t even represented
because of its foolish trust in Xetesk. We can retake it if we act now. Call a council meeting, make the decision. And remember, we can always recall our forces.’

Kerela found herself excited at the prospect of action.

‘I’ll call the meeting. At least we won’t be sitting inside our walls wondering when the end will come; we’ll be out there taunting it.’

‘That’s the spirit, and there’s more to discuss. Let me find you a goblet and we’ll finish this flask together, eh?’

Auum woke to a bleak morning. When he opened his eyes, all he could see were the towering peaks of the Blackthorne Mountains and he wondered what madness had possessed him to
think they could climb them at all, let alone at the speed they needed to.

‘It always looks worse from a prone position,’ said Ulysan.

Auum took the proffered hand and let himself be hauled upright. He brushed himself down and stretched away a few aches left from his uncomfortable bed on the rough grass. All around him people
were waking up. TaiGethen stretched, prayed and practised some moves; mages and Il-Aryn sighed or frowned, unhappy to have opened their eyes to this reality.

‘How are we doing?’ asked Auum.

‘Not so well,’ said Ulysan. ‘Come and see.’

Walking across a slight slope towards the stream edge where they had tried to make the wounded more comfortable, Auum saw Julatsan elves in the sky, monitoring the forest for enemies. Ahead, he
saw bodies being laid out for reclamation while others were being tended, healed with spells as far as that was possible and given water and food.

Auum sent a silent prayer to Shorth as he walked among the bodies, each one a further blow to his will. He had known some would die, but they had fought so hard to live that he had allowed
himself false hope. Five TaiGethen had gone to Shorth’s embrace along with eight Il-Aryn and ten Julatsan elves. He could hear crying and whispered laments for the dead.

Faleen was kneeling over the body of one of her Tai, the youngster Illyan. His head was scorched black and red and he had been blinded by fire. His injuries had been so severe the only help the
mages could give him was relief from pain. Auum put his hand on her shoulder and she looked round, gripping it with one of hers. It was burned and blistered on the back too. Her eyes were moist,
though she had known this was coming.

‘He never once cried out, never asked for anything but a little water. Look at what happened to him; he didn’t even have the chance to defend himself. This isn’t right,
Auum.’

‘Have you slept?’

She shook her head and smiled. ‘No, I stayed with him, describing what I could see and remembering the rainforest with him. He said he could smell banyan and panther, and he died just as
the sun crested the horizon. I think he could sense it, he was waiting for it. Yniss bless him but he was so good, so quick.’

‘He and all of our fallen will be avenged, and those enemy souls we send to Shorth will suffer eternal torment for their crimes. You’re with me, aren’t you, Faleen? I need
you.’

Faleen nodded and stood, Auum helping her to her feet.

‘What do you need me to do?’

‘Stay with him if you want to,’ said Auum.

‘No, he’s gone, and we need to move. I have spoken all the prayers. He is with Shorth now.’

‘Yniss makes you strong, Faleen. We need to organise the wounded and get them away from here, back to Julatsa. We saved a team of horses and a cart, so they can ride in that. We also
spared a couple of cavalry horses for those able to ride but the rest were bled out overnight. Marack and Thrynn’s Tais are butchering them for our journey.

‘Can you oversee the wounded? Take whoever you need and get them to the cart and away. Every moment they are here makes me more nervous. If the humans attack, we won’t be able to
save them.’

‘Consider it done,’ said Faleen.

Auum embraced her then trotted away with Ulysan to find Stein. He was speaking to Grafyrre and the two of them were staring up at the mountains. They had an hour or so’s walk into the
steepening foothills before the first true mountain slope would have to be tackled.

‘You have a route?’ asked Auum.

‘It doesn’t look too taxing,’ said Ulysan.

Both Grafyrre and Stein eyed him coldly before Grafyrre spoke.

‘It’s a difficult ascent for the first part. There’ll be handholds for a TaiGethen and mages can fly but as for the Il-Aryn . . .’

‘We’ll just have to help them through it,’ said Auum.

‘How much warm clothing do you have?’ asked Stein. ‘It’s going to be very cold up there.’

‘Mother Ulysan made us all bring cloaks,’ said Auum.

‘And how wise I am,’ he said.

‘Occasionally you score a hit,’ said Grafyrre. ‘We’re going to need as much clothing as we can carry in our packs along with the horsemeat and water. The dead don’t
need their clothes or boots, Auum.’

Auum nodded. ‘Do what you must.’

‘Really cold,’ said Stein. ‘So cold you cannot grip with your fingers or speak because the muscles in your mouth refuse to frame words. It’s a cold that gets into your
bones and makes you shiver so violently you fall over. You will be so cold that if you can’t find shelter, it will kill you.’

‘So what’s your point?’ said Ulysan, that boyish smile on his face.

‘What’s the coldest you’ve ever been? I wonder. Beyond castings, I’d wager you’ve never seen ice and certainly not snow. I guess you’ve never even seen a
frost, and we get those here from time to time and run to our fires and warm our toes. Up there it is forty times colder and there will be no fires. You have to know this because the cold will make
your people start to stray in their minds, and you have to keep them focused or they will die.’

‘Do you think we can do this?’ asked Auum.

‘Anything is possible and mages can cast warmth up to a point. I know elves are sturdy and determined. But this will be beyond your experience and you must be wary of it. The cold can
kill. One slip and you’re done.’

‘Thank you, Stein. I’ll speak to everyone individually when we are on our way. Graf, get the old heads to make sure no one leaves any clothing behind, all right?’

Grafyrre nodded. Auum took another suspicious glance at the blank mountain slopes before tracking away a mile or so with Ulysan to take a look back at the woodland. He could see the glow of
fires within and smoke rising above the trees and dispersing into the sky.

‘What will they do?’ asked Ulysan.

‘They were here to kill us. They’re still here, so I’d be surprised if they didn’t come for us again.’

‘We should ready ourselves then.’

‘Not this time, Ulysan. We can’t afford to lose any more people. We have to focus on getting away.’

‘What’s up?’ asked Ulysan.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well you can’t sit still. You’re biting your lip, fidgeting and curling your toes inside your boots. It’s like you’re impersonating Takaar.’

‘Am I? Sorry, I had no idea.’

‘So, tell Mother Ulysan what’s on your mind.’

Auum sighed out a breath. ‘Stein’s right. This is madness.’

‘That’s not quite what he said.’

‘It’s what he meant, and he knows this country. It’s just . . .’ Auum trailed off, fighting for the words while he fought a wave of hopelessness. ‘Time is against
us. We are so few and we have so far to go. It’s so hard to see a path to victory and Yniss knows my prayers are fervent. I can’t think straight in this wilderness, and I need you to
tell me when I’m going wrong. Like now. Am I wrong?’

Auum sat with his legs stretched downslope. Ulysan dropped to a crouch next to him.

‘You’re not wrong. Very recent history reminds us that you are never wrong. We don’t have any other choice if we aren’t going to turn tail and run home.’

‘That would only put off the inevitable. But I question what difference we can make.’ Auum sighed again and cursed himself for it. ‘We’ve lost so many.’

‘Fifty TaiGethen and a few ClawBound won a battle against six thousand men and mages.’

‘In the rainforest.’

‘Mainly at Katura. Using open spaces and buildings. We can do it again.’

Auum smiled up at Ulysan. ‘Do you ever despair?’

‘Only of your despair,’ said Ulysan. ‘And now you’re going to tell me what’s really got you stirred up this morning. It’s him, isn’t it?’

Auum chuckled and pushed a hand through his hair.

‘Will you get out of my head? How can you know that?’

‘Because it’s nearly always about him. You don’t know whether to embrace him or kill him, do you? And you wish he was here. Admit it.’

Auum shrugged. ‘I can’t forgive what he did to Drech. Not ever. But, you know . . . the things he can do are so extraordinary and when he directs them properly . . . I’ll never
be able to forget what he did to that ship. But I hate what he has become. I hate
him
so much of the time. His madness, his ego and his arrogance, though they are probably all one and the
same thing. The fact is, we need him. Do you think he knows that?’

Ulysan laughed. ‘He’s always known it. But look, if you need him don’t let your personal feelings get in the way. Ephemere and Cleress both survived the attack yesterday. Have
them contact their sisters at Korina. Get him back here by land or sea. The Senserii will see him safely to us, and you never know, he might turn up in time to save us all.’

‘And wouldn’t he absolutely love that?’

Auum cringed just imagining the posturing that would follow.

‘He’d have earned it in my eyes,’ said Ulysan.

‘He’d never stop letting you know it.’

The two old friends were silent for a time. Auum ran through everything in his mind a hundred times in those few moments: the moment he had found Takaar and the days that followed, the rise from
the pit of his madness to something almost elven once again, his unpredictability, his genius and his weakness of meeting criticism with the most hideous violence. And the ship, the ship rendered
to dust in the middle of the sea. A power greater than even the Wytch Lords, surely.

‘All right. Get either of them to contact the ships. We can only try.’

Auum’s eye was drawn to a line of elves moving slowly to his left, heading to the cart. Four were mounted on horses and the rest limped along, either supported by the uninjured or helping
those worse off than they were. It was a sad sight.

‘Get back to the camp, Ulysan, make sure they’re all ready to go. I’ll see this lot off. And Ulysan? Bless you for everything you are. I couldn’t do this without
you.’

Ulysan, normally so free with a quip, merely nodded and ran back towards the mountains. Auum felt in need of a run himself. He pushed himself hard, sprinting across the steep slope, over another
shallow rise and onto the open ground, tearing across the earth to the wounded. It felt good. The air in his lungs was chill and fresh, the water on his right calmed his spirit and the blood
thundering through his body energised him.

He slid to a halt next to Faleen, who was helping one of the two wounded TaiGethen along.

‘Very impressive,’ she said. ‘Who was that for, us or the eyes in the woods?’

‘For none of you. It feels good, Faleen. I’ll race you back.’ Auum put his arm around the wounded warrior, and the two of them shared the burden. ‘How are you feeling,
Hanyss?’

‘I’ll live, my Arch,’ he said, his face taut with the pain of his broken leg, which had been lashed to his other as a makeshift splint. ‘I’m sorry to be deserting
you. I failed us.’

‘No one caught in the fires of magic hidden beneath his feet has failed us. It is an evil force that skulks in the dark like a thief, waiting to snatch life from heroes like you,’
said Auum. ‘And you dodged that fate. You will recover and one day you and I will run the rainforest together.’

Auum could feel Hanyss swell with pride at the thought. He held his body more firmly and his face cleared a little.

‘There is always joy on the horizon,’ said Faleen, and she looked across him at Auum and mouthed,
Well done
. ‘Come on, not far now.’

The first of the wounded had reached the wagon and were being helped on board. Two horses were taken around to the front to be hitched, their riders helped to dismount. Hanyss and Ynsiell, the
other injured TaiGethen, were loaded on board. Food and water was attached to the many hooks on the sides.

Auum stood back to allow the rest on board and glanced back towards the wood. Men were pouring out of it at a run. There were mages in the sky ahead of lines of soldiers, archers and more spell
casters.

He wiped a hand across his mouth. The Julatsan fliers had seen the attackers so the camp would be warned.

‘Faleen, we have to go now. Get the rest on board and get this cart moving. Keep your pace up, don’t stop and don’t look back. Tais, with me. Run hard.’

Auum led the four who had helped the injured to the wagon, though they pressed him hard for the lead. The humans were no match for the speed of the TaiGethen, but the ground was hard up to the
steeper foothills and not all the elves had such pace. Auum watched the elven mages in the air. There were three of them, trying to keep back four humans.