The Eaorl (The Casere Book 2) (16 page)

The instructions were pretty simple, and Njil, being an ex-pirate, would have no moral dilemma in abducting the woman, and there would be little that she could do when she was in the open sea. It might take her some time to get back. Of course, no one could know or suspect what had happened.

He then returned to the keep; to have breakfast with Ailbe and Devnet. They pointedly asked him what his plans were in Gatinan.

‘I intend to spend some time in Gambi – I would like to see how things are progressing.’

Trade between Gatina and Trokia and further had been restored and was expanding rapidly – most of it via Gambi – as that was where Conn sent his ships.

Devnet was sceptical; ‘surely you didn’t come all this way just for that? I have heard that Eion has been very busy following your instructions.’

Conn smiled. ‘He has – and I understand that he is doing very well. But it is true that I also came because I need help with a small problem I have.’

Ailbe looked confused. ‘You need help from us?’

Conn smiled. ‘I do. I’m trying to unravel the events of 562 – have you ever heard of a scroll called “The Confession of Leachlainn”.’

Ailbe nodded, though Devnet indicated he had not. ‘It is an old tale, and I recognized the title from my father reading it to me as a child.’ Ailbe explained what he knew of the scroll to Devnet. ‘Unlike Leachlainn, however, our ancestor was very proud of his achievements. I don’t know why I’m telling you as well, Eaorl, but it seems that you know most and have guessed the rest.’ He drank from his cup – Conn noticed that it was black tea from Lykia.

‘It would seem that our illustrious ancestor Comhghall, the first Healdend of Gatina, was not one of our most capable ancestors; it is written that he was proud and weak and he had a ‘feorrancund’ who acted as his mentor and tutor.’

‘By feorrancund you mean Ancuman?’

‘Indeed; anyway he was a younger son and never expected to become Aebeling as his mother was a merchant’s daughter, and his father’s fifth bedda – he received her as payment of an old debt. The tutor’s name was Finlayv. Not long after he was sixteen years old, a whole set of tragedies and accidents to his siblings left him as the only choice for Aebeling. Not long after that, when he was twenty, his father died at sea – his ship sunk.’

‘There would seem to be a hand at work there.’ Conn added.

Ailbe nodded. ‘Soon after Comhghall was declared Aebeling, a council was called by the Casere and all Aebelings were summoned. Comhghall, it is written – not by himself I might add, took being summoned as being unacceptable – and went to the Witan and convinced them to raise a Fyrd – he said that it was time that Gatinans be equal to the Silekians. He then went to the council and threatened to go to war. At the council, the other Aebelings supported him and unexpectedly, the Casere resigned and Comhghall came back a Healdend.’

‘Do we know why they supported him?’

‘No – but reasons that I still do not know. From his writing, Comhghall didn’t either – I think he was as surprised as anyone that his bold plan – or I should say, his tutor’s plan – was successful. Finlayv was rewarded with the Eaorldom of Rakia and a sister of Comhghall’s as bedda, and as you know his kin have gradually expanded the Eaorldom until they became Healdend. They would have kept going if they were not stopped. It is a strange affair.’

‘What about Tabiti?’

‘That is also strange. In books written after his death, it says that soon after Comhghall’s father died, and even before Comhghall became Aebeling, the Folgere abandoned the Cirice. The official history is that Comhghall banned them because they tried to influence his decisions.’

‘Do we know what happed to the heart-stone?

Not having a Cirice, Ailbe didn’t know about the heart-stone so had no advice. ‘With the closure of the Cirice here, there were only a few small Cirices left – and after they were all shut down in 638 – there is only one left – it is somewhere in Gela – but I don’t know where. I believe most were simply abandoned though I do believe that one was actually burnt to the ground.’ Ailbe sent one of his servants to find the Chief Cleric.

‘What about the Cirice here? Is it still in one piece?’

Ailbe pointed. ‘It didn’t burn down – it is still out there, somewhere in a very dense grove of trees. It is all overgrown. No-one goes near it.’

The cleric returned and Ailbe sent him away again with instruction to find out what he could about the event of 636.

As they waited, Conn took the opportunity to ask why they invaded Trokia.

Ailbe looked at Devnet before answering. ‘It all seems silly now, but we had ships simply disappear, with a loss of life and cargo. We didn’t know what the cause was – and Kiley was unable to give any insight. Eventually one did survive an encounter, and they said they were attacked by a Trokian ship. We asked Trokia to explain and they said it wasn’t them. Rakia came and said the same thing – their ships had also disappeared.’

‘Who came from Rakia?’

‘Gillean – Fallon’s eldest son and Aebeling – and Fainche – she is my cousin and Fallon’s cousin.’

‘So Gillean was advising you that the Trokians were involved?’

Ailbe nodded. ‘Gillean has my daughter as bedda, and given the evidence, we demanded the payment of a wergild. They refused to pay but asked to talk and a Gatinan delegation led by my brother Eonoth went to Trokia, but the ship disappeared on the return voyage with the loss of all lives. The Rakians also lost two ships – one of which was captained by Gillean. They said he was attacked by Trokians.’

Conn disagreed. ‘No – he was attacked by one of my ships. Eggar, my Captain informed me that he sailed into a battle between Rakian and Gatinan ships – the Gatinan ships were already sinking so he took action against the Rakian ships – they were lost with all lives.’

‘Why would Rakia attack our ships? I find that hard to believe.’

‘So that you would go to war…’

Ailbe sighed. ‘With the loss of my brother and his brother, Alric, now Aebeling of Rakia, was insistent on making the Trokians pay – he had just returned from Moetia – he was not very flattering about you, I must say.’

Conn laughed. ‘That I can understand. And so you went to war…’

‘Yes, and after every battle fought on Trokian soil, more lives were lost – which increased the need to complete the war to our benefit. And you know how it ended. Perhaps we were lucky that even more didn’t die.’

Conn considered the information – it was as he had deduced. ‘Do you believe now that the Trokians were right – they didn’t attack your ships?’

Devnet nodded. ‘Kiley convinced me of that; and I have passed on my belief to my father. It was a sad affair. But what is it all for?’

The Chief Cleric finally arrived back carrying a scroll, and after some time winding it back and forward, he came to a relevant part, and read it out aloud.

‘As per the conditions of the agreement of 636, the Healdend of Gatina travelled to each Cirice in Gatina in order to remove the Folgere. In all cases except one, the sites were abandoned, and no Folgere were to be found. In the Cirice in Eriak, they found the charred remains of the Cirice and the corpses of a dozen Folgere. Locals reported that the fire broke out in the middle of the night but nothing else was seen. The bodies were discovered in the morning. The body of one Folgere was not found and believed to have been taken captive.’

Conn thanked the cleric and gave him a gift of a codex – a copy of ‘The History of Meshech’ written by Silekians. He was beside himself with gratitude.

They watched him leave. ‘I’ve never seen anyone so exciting about pieces of paper.’ Ailbe commented, ‘but all that doesn’t answer the question you had about the heart-stone.’

‘Yes it does; and that brings me to my task – you may not believe this, but I want to reopen Tabiti’s Cirice, and I need your help to do it.’

Father and son looked at each other. Devnet spoke first, ‘Why would you do that? Is she not the enemy of all the Gyden?’

‘I don’t believe so – she is only the enemy of Rakians. To reopen her Cirice, I need to find her heart-stone.’

Ailbe looked confused. ‘I remember something about that now – wasn’t it destroyed?’

‘The heart was never destroyed – never can be – but they can be removed and stolen and put somewhere no one could find it – or somewhere where they have no power. Alric was trying to remove the heart-stone in Moetiak but I stopped him. As for Tabiti’s heart-stone – I know where it is. I just need help in getting it.’

‘And how would you know – who would know?’

‘Lilith told me. It is somewhere in or near the ancient town of Mylae.’ Conn smiled as he said this, full knowing that Mylae was in Rakia.

Ailbe almost choked on his wine. ‘You want to go into Mylae to collect a haligdom – you, the most hated man in all of Rakia. Do you know the price that is on your head?’

Conn nodded. He had heard. He was almost tempted to turn himself in. Paying that much could bankrupt Rakia.

Devnet was direct. ‘I’m unsure what we can do to help you?’

“It is fairly simple really; I would like you to escort me to Eriak and its border with Halani. It is some weeks from here. From the border I will go on my own to Mylae.’

Ailbe was shocked. ‘Are you mad? Do you propose to go to Mylae alone – with only Torunn?’

‘No, I’ll get some help from Halani.’

Ailbe scoffed. ‘Devnet tells me that he met a Twacuman in Trokia, but they won’t provide you with wiga. Twacuman do not interfere in the affairs of Priecuman, ever.’

Before Conn had a chance to answer, an excited official ran in. He had been running so fast that he couldn’t breathe properly.

‘Healdend, Aebeling; there are two TWACUMAN wiga at the gates and they wish to speak to you.’ He put great emphasis on the Twacuman.

Ailbe looked at Devnet and the boy with disbelief. ‘Twacuman? Here in Gatinak?’ He looked at Conn.

‘It’s Derryth – he’s running late. He should have been here yesterday.’

‘You’re expecting them.’

‘Yes. Have you seen the size of your horses? I asked me to bring me a bigger one…’

‘You have Twacuman bringing you horses? Has the world gone mad?’

Instructions were sent for the Twacuman to be shown in immediately and it wasn’t long before Derryth and Elva joined them in the hall.

After being introduced around Derryth turned to Conn in rebuke.

‘Feorhhyrde, do you realize how long it takes to ride from Kaniak to Gatinak?’

‘Are you still feeling soft?’

He shook his head, and laughed. ‘That I do not. Thanks for hardening me up again. Anyway, Elva came to give me a hand. Ten horses are a lot of horses to lead.’

Ailbe was still in shock. The arrival was one thing, and then the fact that the Twacuman wiga seemed to know Conn extremely well.

He interrupted.

‘Excuse me, Derryth il Halani, did you just happen to address the Eaorl as
Feorhhyrde
? Surely I misheard?’

‘No, Healdend, you didn’t.’

‘The Feorhhyrde has returned? And it’s the Eaorl of Kuita? Why does none of this make sense?’

‘When you find out, let me know too, will you? Anyway, do you have any Lykian Beer? This local stuff really doesn’t taste very good. Are you sure it isn’t off?’

Conn assured Derryth that new supplies of beer should be at the Inn by now – the ox carts from the harbor would be arriving today. Conn had a supply of all essentials – such as Lykian Beer and Wine – included in the cargo of his ship.

Devnet interrupted. ‘Did you say that you had some Lykian Bitter arriving?’

‘Excellent and about spices? I could kill for a … what was it called again… I remember now... a curry!’

‘I have some of those as well – why not come later for a meal. I’ll make sure that Derryth doesn’t drink it all.’

Ailbe looked at his son in total confusion. ‘What is this about “bitter beer” and something called a “curry”…’

Conn looked at Devnet, and Devnet looked almost embarrassed.

Conn addressed the Healdend. ‘Healdend – there has been some confusion – I did in fact send you a delivery of some Lykian Bitter – possibly the finest beer in all Meshech – as well as a sample supply of a variety of spices. It would appear that it didn’t arrive…’

Conn then looked at Devnet again, as did Ailbe. He smiled sheepishly. ‘The package did arrive but it had to be checked in case of tampering – I couldn’t risk the Healdend being poisoned or anything…’

Ailbe shook his head. ‘In other words, you took it all for yourself…’

They were interrupted by the arrival of Fiona – the news that there were Twacuman in the hall since
forever
spread quickly and soon the room was full of curious people. Most were shyly standing around the periphery except for Fiona – who rushed over and embraced Derryth with a big hug.

Poor Ailbe just sat back and stared; his whole world had just gotten very confused.

It was after lunch before they left the donjon and returned to the Inn. Ailbe had agreed to help Conn travel through Gatina and they set a day of departure of three days. Derryth wanted to rest his butt.

Ailbe then asked curiously. ‘Is there anything else?’

‘Yes, one last thing. I’d like to see the old Cirice please.’

‘The old Cirice? Why? It is nothing but a grove of trees – and one that people say is haunted.’

‘The heart-stone will have to be returned there so it will need to be made ready.’

Finally back in the Inn and able to sip on a mug of Lykian beer, Derryth brought him up to date with events in Halani. ‘Caronwyn is now Wealdend. Brina has passed on.’

Conn was shocked. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. Did you miss her farewell?’ Conn had experienced a passing of the old – because Twacuman lived well over a hundred years, the passing was a celebration.

‘No, she waited for me – to say goodbye. She had a message for you – she says she know what the link between her and you is now. She was happy about it.’

Conn held his breath. ‘And…?’

‘Oh, she didn’t tell me what it was – she said there was no need for me to know – yet.’

The Twacuman lack of curiosity was sometimes very annoying. ‘Does Caewyn know? I’ll ask her…’

‘I don’t think so. Just Brina. I gather she asked the wind and the wind told her. She is with the wind now.’

‘That is not very helpful. I thought it would be something useful.’

‘If it was, she would have said.’

The next morning Conn led Derryth, Elva and Torunn back to the donjon at the appointed time, and Conn was ‘surprised’ to see the Harbor Master of Hybla, Thady, talking earnestly with the Healdend and the Aebeling. He must have travelled all night to be here at this hour. He was also surprised to see a Folgere, middle aged, who watched him intently as he arrived, sitting to the side. She smiled and he smiled back.

Why suddenly was there a Folgere in Gatinak? They were banned.

When the Thane had left, Conn innocently asked if there was a problem in Hybla.

‘Yes, a significant one. I presume you remember me mentioning our cousin, and a cousin to the Healdend of Rakia, Fainche? Well, she has disappeared. She was due to leave on a ship on the tide this morning – she arrived back into Hybla last night, but was not there when she was called. Her bags are gone, everything, despite being seen waiting not an hour before. Thady has searched the whole town including, I should add, your ship. The captain was insistent that they make a proper search of his vessel.’

He paused for a reaction but there was none. ‘Well, anyway, they have looked everywhere for her but she has simply disappeared. Thady came back here to see if she had for some reason returned here.’

‘What are the ramifications for you?’ Conn was genuinely curious.

Ailbe shrugged. ‘These things happen – she insists on travelling alone. We will send a formal report in a month of two. But it is all very strange.’

Satisfied, Conn looked to the Folgere sitting at the side. ‘I am surprised to see a Folgere here.’

Devnet nodded, ‘Not as surprised as me – she arrived this morning. I will introduce you.’ He went over and brought her back to the Healdend.

‘Synne of the house of Tabiti, this is the Eaorl of Kuita from Trokia – and somewhere else – Taransay or something. I really don’t know. Eaorl, Synne is also my cousin.’ He also introduced the Twacuman and Torunn.

She went to each cupping their hands in hers and kissing them on the lips, as is a Folgere’s want. After she kissed Conn she addressed him: ‘Feorhhyrde – I understand you have the title long deserted by our Silekian ancestors – it is a pleasure to meet you. It is good to see you at last. I was told you were coming here.’

Ailbe interjected. ‘Well, you could have told me – I didn’t know. Anyway, who told you?’

Synne looked to Ailbe. ‘Cousin, I have not been here in Gatinak since I had my calling. How could I have told you – and if you remember rightly, the laws that ban Folgere from Gatinak still exists. I only got in because I am your cousin – they didn’t know I was a Folgere. As to who – let’s say the wind told me.’ She looked at Conn again. ‘So why are you here?’

‘I’ve come to reopen the Cirice here. Perhaps you could give me a tour.’

Conn was surprised that Synne was not expecting that answer. Obviously the wind didn’t know everything. She visibly paled before she regained her composure. ‘But the Cirice here is haunted. I tried to visit it as a child and I nearly died… it is against the law to visit THAT as well.’

‘I try not to let laws impede my action, Synne. I am happy to go alone – perhaps you can take me as far as you can.’

Synne took a deep breath, and without another word, turned and started to walk out of the Donjon, while they all followed along behind. They snaked through the castle grounds and out a back guardhouse. Here everything was different and immediately he felt the dark presence in his head that he first felt when he arrived. It was just a lot stronger. He recognized it now – though it wasn’t exactly the same – but it was the Ancuman Gyden, and she hated him. She would not be happy to see him.

They walked to the edge of a grove of trees, covered with vines and shrubs. It looked like it hadn’t been touched for several hundred years. Conn continued towards the grove and stopped when he felt that that the others had stopped walking. It was obvious that they could feel the presence as well; and it seemed to be a ward; they couldn’t go any further.

Ailbe said as much. ‘This is as far as I can go – as I said it is haunted and whatever haunts it is very powerful.’

‘But the Cirice is in there somewhere?’

Synne answered, in some distress. ‘Yes, but it is probably lost to the elements by now. Do you know what it is that prevents us from entering?’

Conn shook his head. ‘I do – and it needs to be destroyed.’ Conn had a funny feeling that naming it was not a wise move as the presence changed from a general ward to hunting. It wanted to find out who had threatened it. Conn had to concentrate fully to maintain his shields. Conn handed his swords to Derryth and retrieved a machete and his Kunai. He had come prepared.

Derryth looked concerned, and he spoke quietly to Conn. ‘Even I can’t help you here, my friend. I’m unable to take a forward step.’

‘All good. I know who it is.’

‘Friend or Foe?’

‘Most definitely foe.’

Conn turned and walked the thirty yards before he reached the vines, unimpeded, and then started hacking his way through. As soon as he touched a vine, however, the Gyden knew exactly where he was and started to probe his defences. It also then knew who he was.

‘You! You again! What do you think you are doing?’

Conn ignore the question and immediately blocked her out as he continued to hack his way through the vines. It didn’t take long to reach the stone masonry walls that was the outside of the Cirice – they were only about ten yards inside the grove. As he suspected; they were still sound, despite the years.

The Cirice was built the same as the others – two rectangular buildings overlaying into a cross shape; the ended rounded Each end was an Apse while the common area in the middle was the Cella. In each apse, Conn expected to find a stone naked carved idol of the Gyden – the largest would be in the west apse; and that would be Tabiti. Access would be gained by any of the four doorway that separated the apses from the cella.

Finally standing beside the doorway, he removed dead branches and fallen logs to be able to gain access; he was starting to sweat profusely – the Gyden was beating down on the barrier in his mind, and if it failed he would be gone. When he was able to stand in the centre of the cella, he could see that the roof was gone, but otherwise the Cirice was in fine condition. The voluptuous idol of Tabiti was staring at him from her priced of place—her hands waiting for the heart.

Conn knew that his only choice of finding whatever it was that was guarding this place was the very dangerous act of opening the blocks to his mind further. Taking a deep breath, Conn opening his mind the smallest he could – and the Gyden attacked him with a force that was so great that Conn stumbled backwards; he placed his hand on the cold granite to stop himself from falling. The granite seemed to give him strength and he surveyed the room. Sweat poured down his face and body and as he stood upright again.

‘What do you think you are doing? You cannot defeat me – you are mortal!’

Conn didn’t answer – that would open up his mind further and allow her greater access. However, her voice was like a radar – he knew instantaneously which apse she was in and he headed there. Within the apse, he would stop to ‘measure’ the Gyden’s level of fear. The fact that he was where he was had already created a high level of anxiety.

He looked around the room; tiled floors and the carved statue of Inanna at the end. The statue was one piece of marble so nothing would have been able her – so the guard stone had to be under one of the hundred tiles that made up the floor. After ten minutes of “measuring the temperature, he was able to position the presence to the tiles three feet in front of Inanna. He moved away a foot of branches and logs from the centre of the room and he knelt down.

As he knelt, the attacks on his mind became increasingly intense – Conn fought to keep her from destroying his mind as he used his kunai to lift up four tiles from the floor, and then to search through the sand and soil.

He finally found what he was looking for. It was all alone; a single black gemstone, perhaps an onyx, and it had simply been placed in the sand. With due respect to power of the Gyden, he decided not to pick it up, and used his machete to lift the gemstone from the sand to the floor of the Cirice. It wasn’t very big – about 2 inches across but a brilliant black – but certainly much larger than the gems that hung on the end of necklaces.

Conn struggled to stand, and he searched for the largest object he could find in the room; it was a granite boulder that was dislodged from a doorway. As he picked it up and carried it back to the center of the room, Conn could feel his strength starting to fail – he used everything he had to stand above the gemstone and let go. The last thing he heard was:

‘Nooooooo…’

Then he passed out, falling to his knees and then face down onto the floor.

When Conn woke, it was late afternoon. He was in his room at the Inn, and he tried to sit up but his head swam. He had the mother of a headaches. Elva was sitting at the end of the bed watching him.

‘Gyden, I need a beer.’

‘Just a beer, I was thinking you might need a new brain. You gave us all a scare.’ She went over and gave him a kiss. ‘I’ll get you a beer and I’ll tell the others. Even Devnet is waiting for you downstairs. I do think he is here mostly for the curry – he’s on to his third – and that is just today.’

‘How long have I been out?’

‘Just over a day.’

‘That long? Tell them I’ll be down in a minute.’

He stood and got dressed and went down slowly – he was still a big unsteady on his feet.

Fiona was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs ‘You had us scared there for a moment.’

She helped him to the table in the middle of the room. Elva brought him over two beer – the first one didn’t touch the sides. He sat and sipped the second.

Amongst everyone else, Synne were waiting for him – but she now had three other Folgere there as well, and they came to Conn and kissed his hands and his lips; they were obviously very grateful.

‘I would assume that means it worked. The Cirice is back in use?’

Synne, nodded; ‘Well it can be – once we have removed the forest around it and rebuilt the roof. Do you know what it was?’

‘A guard stone – placed there by the Ancuman to prevent anyone from ever reopening it.’

Synne was shocked. ‘But how would it get there? No Ancuman could enter Tabiti’s Cirice and do such a thing?

‘It wasn’t an Ancuman.’ Conn looked at Devnet. ‘Your father mentioned that Finlayv was rewarded with the Eaorldom of Rakia and a sister of Comhghall’s as bedda after 562?’

‘That is as I understand it. His younger sister.’

‘Did the sister ever have children?’

‘I don’t believe so… the Rakian line descends from other bedda.’

‘Then I suspect that soon after the Cirice was abandoned, it was her that went into the Cirice and placed the guard stone – she is of the house of Gatina and as to why, we can only guess. Maybe Finlayv promised to stay away from her bed if she did that for him. I’m only guessing – but someone took the guard stone into the Cirice.’

Conn was up to his fifth glass of beer and his head had just stopped aching. ‘I remember dropping a boulder on the guard stone – what happened after that?’

Synne answered for them. ‘After you entered the grove, the intensity of the ward dropped considerably and we were able to get closer. Of course, when you destroyed it, it disappeared completely and we rushed in to find you unconscious on the floor.’

Derryth agreed. ‘We thought that it had killed you – and your heart and breathing were weak for some time. But it seems that you are very strong, Feorhhyrde, there would be no man alive who could have done what you did and come out alive. Foolish but strong…’