The Fallen (Book 1) (38 page)

‘
Should we have a look around the buildings?’ asked Elena.

Kelian
shook his head at Elena and Immosey. ‘You’re not going with us,’ he said firmly.

‘
Neither are you,’ Milgorry added.

Kelian opened his mouth as if he
was about to argue, but closed it again as he caught the look on Milgorry’s face. He flushed a little but said nothing more. No one spoke for over five minutes as they watched the quiet settlement.

‘
Are we going to burgle this place or sit here looking at it?’ Gilgarry’s voice came from the darkness.

‘
You
are going to stay here with Kelian to help guard your sisters,’ answered Timbul. ‘Araas, Mil, Borg and I will be doing the burgling, if Borg ever gets back from his little scouting expedition.’

‘
You let him go alone?’ Immosey hissed angrily.

‘
None of us wanted to slow him down,’ answered Araas, his face mockingly serious.

‘
Or give him away with loud clomping feet,’ added Gilgarry grinning.

‘
Or breathe too loudly at the wrong moment – did you know he accused
me
of that once?’ said Kelian indignantly.

‘
He accused
me
of coughing when we were hiding from the Sagrians,’ said Gilgarry, remembering a time when he helped defend Sheldon’s Mark against raiders who came from Sagria disputing the Alkiran claim on the land between Sheldon’s Mark and Khynol. ‘We crept into their command tent, but unfortunately a couple of their soldiers returned to the tent and we were stuck in there hiding under a mound of supplies.’

‘
Did you really cough?’ asked Milgorry curiously.

‘
It was more like a sneeze actually,’ Gilgarry admitted and Milgorry laughed.

‘
What happened then?’ asked Immosey.

‘
Borg happened,’ said Gilgarry. ‘I doubt the soldiers even saw him coming. By the time I got out of our little hiding place they were both very dead.’

‘
You were a little slow.’ Borg’s voice came from behind them.

‘
Borg!’ Immosey’s voice was high pitched with anxiety.

‘
Hello love,’ he said, crouching and hugging her. ‘Six,’ he said to Milgorry. ‘The furthest building looks empty, but the nearer two are guarded. Three guards on each building.’

‘
Did you get close enough to see in?’ asked Araas.

‘
Are you joking? There are three of the fallen guarding each building! Do I look mad? At the back of the second building the bushes have grown right up to the back wall. Now all I need is a-’

‘
-distraction!’ everyone chorused in a whisper and Borgulnay glared indignantly between each face.

‘
So what are they guarding?’ asked Elena, gazing at the buildings. ‘People?’

Milgorry shook his head.
‘I doubt it. Maybe they suspected we might come down the river…no, that doesn’t make sense. They would have had someone watching the river.’

‘
Maybe they did,’ said Gilgarry.

‘
You think they know we’re here? Why don’t they attack?’ asked Kelian.

‘
I don’t think they know,’ said Borgulnay confidently. ‘They were far too relaxed. They didn’t look like men waiting on the edge of battle.’

‘
Even if we get past the guards, it wouldn’t be nice to discover there was an army of fallen hiding inside,’ said Timbul.

‘
Can you sense anyone?’ asked Elena.

‘
No-one. Not even the guards,’ said Timbul. ‘They might have looked relaxed but they’re obviously still wary if they’re guarding their thoughts. What about you, Araas?’ Araas shook his head. ‘Mil? Louisa?’

Louisa
also shook her head. Milgorry didn’t answer but stared curiously at the buildings for a long moment then finally turned to Araas. ‘I can sense them all,’ he said. ‘I can sense each of you, and I can sense my child within Louisa. I couldn’t until Timbul asked…I had to search…I don’t really understand...’

Timbul glanced at Araas then back at Milgorry.
‘So are there others?’

‘
I don’t think so,’ said Milgorry warily. ‘It’s a little confusing…’

‘
Kelian?’ Araas turned to the Prince who in turn looked at Elena and then Immosey.

‘
Elena and Immosey must have food and blankets,’ said Kelian. ‘But we’re not going to try this unless you can look me in the eye and tell me honestly that we can do this without anyone getting returned or killed.’

‘
We can do this without any of
us
getting returned or killed,’ said Araas.

Chapter 37             

Torture

Callian
opened his eyes. Anger and frustration coursed through him. Exactly as he’d feared, the fallen had lain in wait, forming a trap even he couldn’t escape. They had been swiftly and efficiently captured as they entered the Lost Forest. Strangely they had been taken by only four of the fallen, and had circumstances been other than they were, this would have been ludicrous. Dale, Enri and Alexander were walking slowly, but the instant they realized what was happening they leapt onto the backs of the guardians, and Callian had no doubt they could easily outpace the fallen. They flashed past the first three warriors only to find themselves in a massive, sandy, bowl-shaped area which was devoid of trees. In the middle of the sand, about three hundred paces from the edge of the bowl, knelt a small girl, her hands tied behind her back. Beside her crouched one of the fallen, his knife held firmly to her throat.

‘
Stop,’ the warrior commanded. He moved his knife slightly and the girl screamed as blood oozed from the cut. Callian, Danil, Lias and Valeska stopped dead still, staring in horror at the little girl, but Dale and Enri leapt to the ground and dashed off in opposite directions into the forest. The three warriors turned to go after them, but stopped as the warrior holding the little girl shouted once again.

‘
No! You can kill them later! Tie the guardians.’ He glared at them. ‘If you move, or if you mess with my mind, I assure you, she is dead.’

It had been that simple. For a moment Callian had considered how fast he could get to the little girl, but he knew the man would harm her in the instant he moved. He wondered if this was the little girl Borgulnay had spoken of. He felt sure it was and he wondered if
she had been taken by the fallen when William was killed or if she had escaped and then been recaptured.

He found it terrifyingly difficult to shield Dale
’s and Enri’s thoughts from a distance, when the fallen had tortured him. The warriors kindled a small fire right in front of them. One of the fallen threw a handful of what appeared to be fine black seeds onto the fire and a huge cloud of dark smoke billowed around the captives. Callian reacted too late and gasped a lung full of smoke, cursing himself for not holding his breath. Over the next few moments his muscles relaxed and he found it increasingly difficult to keep command of his thoughts. His reactions became almost instinctive and when the beating and the questions intensified it took all of the guardian’s strength to remain silent. Through the haziness of pain Callian knew the other guardians were finding it just as difficult. The beating ended and through the blood running down his face he saw the man in front of him draw a knife. In desperation he tried to raise his legs, but his legs refused to obey and the knife sliced across his chest. He considered his situation and instead of trying to resist, he hung as limply as he could from his restraints, forcing his body to relax.

He was surprised he was still alive when those attacking him finally moved away.
The pain in his heart far outweighed the pain of the injuries inflicted upon him, though these were not insignificant. His wrists were bound to two branches, and the plaited leather ropes bit into his wrists. He raised his head slightly and tried to blink the blood from his eyes as he looked to where Lias, Valeska and Danil were similarly bound. The ties were wound many times around the wrists of each guardian. The fallen were taking no chances. Danil’s wounds looked worse than Callian’s. Even so, Danil was desperately trying to move. Callian could sense Danil’s growing panic as he watched his wife. So far Valeska remained untouched, but Callian knew if they couldn’t escape it was only a matter of time. He prayed none of the fallen knew she was carrying a child. Lias had been beaten badly. Callian knew he was alive, but only because he could hear his faint shallow breathing. Once the four warriors found that the beating wasn’t yielding the required results, in particular information relating to Louisa’s whereabouts, they had moved on to knife work. Callian knew what the next step in coercion would be and his heart followed Danil in rising dread. His eyes fell to the sand below his feet where the little girl lay and his heart contracted in panic and anger. He wondered where Alexander had been taken and he closed his eyes. He was certain that the fallen would have killed him. A feeling of failure swept over him.

He opened his eyes slightly and saw that Lias
was hanging from his restraints as though unconscious and Danil was moving very feebly as if trying to command his unresponsive muscles into action. He looked up at the trees around them. The forest was so thick that he could see very little sky through the branches which were covered heavily with matted vines and creepers.

Gradually the haziness bega
n to subside. He reached out with his thoughts and found to his alarm that he couldn’t sense either Dale or Enri. That was either very good or very bad. Either they were far enough away that he couldn’t sense them, or they were dead. His heart pounded in panic for a moment and Danil and Valeska raised their heads slightly to look at him.

‘
I cannot sense them at all,’ he said.

‘
I’m shielding them Callian, when I can sense them.’ Valeska’s thoughts sounded confused.

‘
As am I,’ Danil thought.

Callian
let out a sigh of relief. ‘That explains why I’m having such difficulty finding them. I wonder where the fallen went.’

‘
They went to find Dale and Enri,’ said Valeska, her voice breaking as she thought of them being hunted through the forest.

‘
What a debacle! I’m stupid even to hope they might get away,’ said Danil.

‘
Hope is not stupid, darling,’ said Valeska. ‘There! For a moment, I thought I heard Alexander’s mind! And so close!’

‘
They could be close, but with all of us trying to shield them I doubt any of us will accurately sense where they are. If there were not three of us getting in each other’s way, one of us might be able to work out their whereabouts,’ suggested Danil.

‘
Four,’ a quiet whisper corrected him and they all turned, relieved to hear Lias’ voice.

‘
For a while there I wondered if you were returning,’ said Callian.

‘
As did I,’ Lias admitted.

‘
Alright Vali, you are the least injured. If we all stop trying to shield them, do you think you can find them?’ asked Danil.

‘
I will try,’ Valeska answered and then she gasped as there was flash in front of her and a knife dropped from the trees above, embedding itself into the sand. A second later Enri dropped from the trees like a cat, landing neatly on hands and feet. He stood up grinning as the guardians stared at him dumbfounded.

‘
Enri!’ Callian gasped, looking absolutely staggered. ‘Where’s Dale?’ There was another thud as Dale dropped from the tree landing in the same fashion as Enri, but looking a lot less comfortable than the Squire about the long drop. He grabbed the knife and quickly freed everyone.

‘
You look awful,’ Dale observed. ‘Enri, help me get Alex down.’

‘
He’s here!’ cried Valeska. ‘I knew it!’

‘
Good,’ said Lias in relief.

‘
I can’t believe they didn’t just kill him when they had the chance. Is he alright?’ asked Callian.

‘
He’s getting better. Well, he’s a bit slow but he’s improving,’ said Enri. ‘They took one look at his injuries and threw his body into the trees as if he was already dead. We came back for him.’

‘
So where is he?’ asked Danil curiously.

Enri pointed upwards.

‘You have him up in a tree?’ said Callian in disbelief.

‘
It certainly took some doing,’ Dale admitted. ‘We just wanted to get him somewhere safer than on the ground in case any more of the fallen appeared. Actually, once we had him up off the ground, it wasn’t as difficult as you might think to move from tree to tree. We’ll get him down.’ He leapt up and caught the branch and disappeared into the thick canopy. A few minutes later he was lowering Alexander’s body towards Enri’s waiting arms. The young Squire had proven to be considerably strong for a boy of his age, and he had no trouble at all helping Alexander down from the tree.

‘
Alex!’ said Danil in delight.

Alex
winced as his feet touched the ground. ‘I’m still alive, thanks to the mad Baron and his crazy Squire.’ He knelt beside the little girl and touched her forehead. ‘Poor little Aithne. We have to get her out of here.’

‘
Right, change of plans,’ said Dale decisively. ‘We’re going straight past Lake Khynol. We’re going to try to find the pathway through the Wasteland that Prince Kelian spoke of.’ No one objected so Dale continued. ‘Enri, pick up Aithne,’ he said, stooping to allow Alexander to climb onto his back. The girl began to stir as Enri picked her up and Callian quickly reached over and brushed a hand over her face, sending her back to sleep. ‘Lias, can you lead us to Lake Khynol?’ asked Dale and Lias nodded. ‘Right,’ said Dale, ‘there’s a bunch of caves in the cliffs just east of here, the ones we passed just before we were trapped. We’ll go back there.’

‘
Dale, surely they would look for us there?’ asked Valeska apprehensively.

Dale
’s face turned hard. ‘I doubt they’re looking for us. In fact, I’m fairly certain they are not. We almost didn’t bother getting up into the trees…but with the fallen around it’s always prudent to stay out of sight as much as possible. I know where the caves are, so follow me. And get the packs,’ he ordered, pointing to where their gear had been dumped in a pile.

Half an hour later they came to
the cliffs Dale had spoken of, which were absolutely riddled with caves. He turned to Valeska. ‘Enri and I ran into these caves and managed to lose the fallen in here when they were chasing us. They go a long way back into the hill and it’s really hard to find the way out once you get lost. Your name means ‘splendid leader’, and you are a trail maker for the guardians. If I get us lost in these caves, can you get us out?’

‘
Without a doubt,’ said Valeska confidently.

‘
Good, then stay with me,’ Dale instructed and moved into the caves. ‘There’s a good place in here for us to hide for a little while. We need to give you time to recover a little. Actually, where I’m taking you is very simple, it just might be a little unpleasant if I go the wrong way the first time.’

‘
Dale?’ Callian’s voice was uneasy.

‘
Callian, I just want to get a bit further back into these caves before we stop.’ He paused where the cave divided into two rough passages. ‘Watch your step,’ he ordered.

Callian
moved up beside Dale and they went deeper into the darkness. Then to Callian’s surprise the cave widened and lightened. The ground in the cave was a jumble of jagged rocks but here it flattened out into a rocky ledge leading up to a massive opening in the ground.

Danil walked to the edge and peered down into the darkness. He
couldn’t see the bottom of the chasm. On the far side of the abyss was a sheer wall of rock. Above their heads the ground had split beneath a great tree, and its roots now dangled over their heads. They could see daylight coming through the cracks above.

‘
Dale? What happened here?’ asked Callian.

Alexander slid from
Dale’s back as he answered. ‘The four warriors chased us in here.’

‘
And?’

‘
And they fell into the hole,’ said Enri bluntly, placing Aithne on the ground. He took the offered pack from Valeska and removed a blanket, wrapped Aithne and placed the pack under her head for a pillow. She didn’t wake.

‘
How did four of the fallen manage to fall into that hole?’ asked Valeska.

‘
It was completely dark in here and we were trying to run but actually ended up crawling over the rocks most of the time. Enri and I almost fell over the edge first,’ Dale admitted, ‘but we managed to catch hold of the tree roots and started to climb. We got up onto that ledge there,’ he pointed up to a small rocky ledge, ‘but we must have dislodged a lot of rocks and soil from around that old tree because when the fallen tried to come after us, a cartload came down on them.’

‘
And they all were knocked over the edge?’ asked Danil.

‘
There was one left alive.’ Enri turned his face away, sounding uncomfortable.

‘
And?’ Callian prompted.

‘
Enri kind of dropped on him and broke his neck,’ said Dale.

‘
I fell off the ledge,’ Enri muttered. Callian glanced at Dale who shook his head slightly.

‘
We have enough dried meat and bread for each of us to have a little,’ said Dale, deliberately changing the subject. ‘It will be dark in an hour, so I’ll go back outside now with Valeska’s help and we’ll get some firewood whilst it’s still light. Enri if you would get back up onto that ledge you could get some water and start cleaning wounds.’