The Fallen (Book 1) (5 page)

Chapter
4

Pursuit

Borgulnay cursed his
evil fortune. More than twenty ngurakin lay dead around them, but they had cost the patrol dearly. Two of his better soldiers had been severely bitten and a third was limping badly from a deep ankle wound which he sustained when the wild dogs had appeared suddenly and silently behind. Borgulnay stared down at the dead animals and felt like kicking them in frustration and anger. When his grandparents had dwelt in this area the wild dogs were ferocious enough, but they were half the size of these massive animals. Since people began clearing the bush land and farms sprang up to dominate the area to the south, the ngurakin had grown huge on an ample supply of fresh mutton. And their numbers had increased. Once they could be seen travelling with a mate and were shy of humans, but now they formed large and dangerous packs and were beginning to assert themselves. Borgulnay walked over to where Kelian and several soldiers were attending to the wounded.

‘
What are your orders, sir?’ David worriedly prompted the Captain.

Borgulnay considered the two injured men.
‘Construct litters for Johans and Reid. Samual, Leonid, Michael and Bailey will carry the litters. Hal, it will be a slow journey. Are you well enough to scout ahead with your injured leg?’

‘
Yes sir,’ said Hal, his face devoid of emotion. ‘We’ll see you when you get back to Castle, sir.’

Borgulnay turned to Kelian.
‘That leaves you sir, David, Alexander and me. We need to keep moving or we won’t intercept Captain Cassic and the governor’s daughters before they find themselves in the middle of one serious battle. Shall we continue, Highness?’

Kelian nodded. The litters were quickly and expertly constructed and Hal moved ahead to scout for danger.
The remaining four men gathered their gear and turned west once again.  Borgulnay now set a strenuous pace, moving with surprising grace for such a large man. He alternated between a loping run and rest periods where he slowed to a stride. Kelian was a fit man but unused to running distances and for such long periods, and he wondered how long he could keep up with Borgulnay and what would happen if he lagged. His thoughts focused on Elena and he knew he couldn’t allow himself to fall behind. He spent considerable time contemplating how the fallen had travelled so far east undetected.

‘
The south,’ he thought to himself. ‘Surely they came along the Ice Coast and past the Emerald Hills. I can’t believe they came through Skeleton’s Rest.’ He was absolutely exhausted when they finally stopped to rest midafternoon. He walked increasingly slowly until finally he sat and then lay on the ground. He looked up through the straggly tyallas at the clear blue sky. The ground where he lay was hard and cracked. The grass was dry and coarse and the low bushes were prickly. The River Ringo was currently flowing with summer rain, but by the time winter came, Kelian knew it would decrease to a mere trickle, forcing cargo to be taken by road or by sea. The sound of a bird caught his attention. He rolled his head to the side to watch the ‘happy jack’ flap its wings as it dust bathed not fifteen paces from where he lay.

 
Alexander and David sat together in quiet conversation whilst casting worried glances towards the Prince. If Borgulnay was concerned the Prince couldn’t keep up with the soldiers for the remaining part of the journey he didn’t make this apparent as he approached Kelian.

‘
We need to turn aside now so we don’t find ourselves in the middle of the camp of the fallen,’ he suggested. ‘We can cross the River Ringo here, or we can circle south of Three Ways. I’d rather cross here to save time. If the fallen are camped near Three Ways they’ll have more people on that side of the river, probably in the area between the river and Three Ways, and possibly surrounding the town. There’s nothing to be found on the other side of the river, it’s uninhabited, rough bush land. On the other hand, we don’t know what they’re searching for, so we cannot assume they’ll be absent from any area.’

Kelian
stood up and pulled a handful of cobbler’s pegs from his clothing. He had received ample instruction in military strategy under Trainer Larrence but he was aware that not only was Borgulnay most familiar with the area around Three Ways, he was a very gifted Captain. Regardless of his authority as Prince, he would not have openly disagreed with Borgulnay in front of his soldiers unless Borgulnay’s plans were completely unreasonable, and Kelian hoped that whatever Borgulnay proposed would be well reasoned.

‘
If they know Cassic’s company is in the area they’ll have sentries posted everywhere around Three Ways sir,’ Alexander commented, his dark green eyes narrowed with worry. He picked up a handful of sandy soil and let it dribble through his fingers.

‘
Will they be watching the far side of the river?’ Kelian asked Borgulnay.

‘
Undoubtedly,’ Borgulnay replied. ‘But if we put a little distance between ourselves and the river we may slip through undetected. If we’re discovered, well…I have a plan.’

‘
What plan?’

‘
How fast can you run sir?’ Borgulnay enquired with a wicked grin on his face.

Kelian shook his head in disbelief.
‘That’s your plan?’ He snorted. ‘Heaven help us!’

‘
You have a better one?’ Borgulnay endeavored to keep a straight face.

‘
Yes. You’re such a sneaky bastard, we use you as a distraction and Alexander, David and I make a break for it as the fallen roast your body for dinner,’ the Prince replied sarcastically.

Borgulnay stopped dead still, gazing into the distance.

‘Oh no!’ Kelian’s face turned deadly serious. ‘You will not. I forbid you. We all remain together.’ He rolled onto his feet and stood right in front of the King’s Captain, glaring up at him.

Borgulnay continued to
stare ahead, lost in thought.

‘
Borg!’ Kelian raised his voice angrily.

Borgulnay turned to Alexander and David and an understanding passed between the men.
They rose without speaking and shouldered their packs.

‘
Captain!’ Kelian was now almost shouting.

‘
Kelian,’ Borgulnay said softly, looking at the Prince. ‘This will work. Alexander and David know the path I would have taken. I can lead the fallen away from you. You can pass through undetected.’

‘
Borg, you could be caught.’

Borgulnay smiled.
‘Highness, this is my territory. They’ll see me only when I allow them to see me. I will simply be a distraction. I’ll lead them away from you and once I’ve lost them I’ll find your tracks on the southern side of the river.’

‘
I cannot allow this. You’re overconfident. My father would not allow it.’ Kelian’s face was stubbornly set.

‘
The King will be pleased with his son’s fine strategic reasoning!’

‘
Yes sir,’ Alexander agreed. ‘It’s a good idea.’

‘
Wonderful!’ David chimed in. ‘The Prince’s solution is excellent.’

Kelian
looked from one soldier to the next, his mouth open in protest. Finally he turned away shaking his head in disgust and leaving the soldiers grinning as they heard him mutter something about being taken seriously.

Borgulnay didn
’t move from where he stood watching Kelian intently.

‘
What?’ Kelian asked grumpily.

‘
Highness, you know I can’t do this without your permission,’ said Borgulnay, suddenly serious.

‘
And if I don’t give it?’

‘
We change our plan, which would be a pity. It’s probably more dangerous
not
to do this. After all, we must get through to the Governor’s daughters soon, or we could be too late. What a pity it would be to end up fighting a battle with the fallen because no-one got through in time. And of course-’

‘
Alright! Fine!’ Kelian cursed under his breath. ‘Be a distraction. You’re certainly adept at distracting people enough to get your own way!’

They
crossed the River Ringo without incident. The river at this point was wide, but neither deep nor swift and the men were able to wade across without difficulty, holding their gear above the water. The water was as clear as crystal on the sandy creek bed. As Kelian climbed the bank of the river he turned to speak to Borgulnay, but the Captain had taken the opportunity to go without further protest.

A slight movement ahead of Kelian caused him to pause,
and his heart started beating loudly as he imagined being set upon by the fallen before they even reached their destination. He wished he had left his sword behind and brought his bow. He was a reasonable swordsman but he was nowhere near as comfortable with the sword as he was with the bow. David and Alexander drew their swords and moved ahead. Then to Kelian’s horror a figure dropped from the branches above and landed lightly beside him. With a shout of shock he leapt sideways and then turned in disbelief as he saw Alexander and David sheathing their swords. Timbul’s blue eyes twinkled at him mischievously.

‘
Sorry Highness. Did I startle you?’ Timbul asked the Prince innocently.

‘
We could have run you through, Timbul! We could have killed you!’ Kelian had not recovered from the shock.

Timbul
smiled at Kelian and then at Alexander and David. ‘You’re a good enough swordsman Kelian, and I’ve known Alex and David for long enough to know they’re dangerous soldiers, but no, you couldn’t have killed me.’ There was no boasting in Timbul’s voice, simply a statement of reassurance. ‘So why didn’t you bring your bow?’ he asked, making Kelian certain the guardian had been listening to his thoughts. ‘King Dannicus made you into a fine bowman.’

‘
I was in such a hurry to leave. My father sent you?’ Kelian asked resignedly. Timbul nodded. ‘Where’s Araas?’ Kelian was surprised to see Timbul without his brother.

‘
He’s gone after Borg.’

‘
You’re worried,’ Kelian stated.

‘
You may not be able to re... You may not be able to kill one of us, not easily anyway, but the fallen can.’

‘
But we can destroy the fallen. It’s difficult, but it’s possible.’

‘
They’re fallen. They have strength, and they’re very fast, but they no longer have…’ Timbul’s voice drifted off. ‘We need to continue if we have any hope of stopping the barge before it reaches Three Ways. In fact, I’ll go on ahead if you wish Kelian.’

‘
That would be appreciated. If we can get word to them in time-’ Kelian stopped speaking as Timbul was already gone.

Chapter 5

Daoine Maithe

The road
leading to the edge of the Province of the Guardians was made in the time of Dannicus’ grandfather. After he died, his son Caedmon had visited the ones he called the ‘Good People’ only once, so the unused road had now fallen into disrepair. Caedmon had declared the surrounding area the Province of the Guardians and had decreed that the Good People were free to dwell in the Province of the Guardians and that they may also dwell in or travel through the Kingdom of Alkira as they so desired. The guardians seldom used roads and had preferred to let the surrounding nature gradually reclaim it. Occasionally one of the people from their neighboring Kingdom of Alkira would travel through the Province. All returned unharmed but few could tell details of their visit beyond vague memories of pleasant and relaxing surroundings. Many times the Daoine Maithe had travelled within the Alkiran kingdom and relationships between these travelers and the humans were good, though the Daoine Maithe rarely spoke of business within the Province.

Dannicus had never travelled through the Province of the
Guardians. He had studied several old maps which were made by his grandfather, though these seemed incomplete and in some cases one map would contradict another. He felt certain however, that should he enter the Province, his presence would be immediately detected and he hoped he may even be greeted and escorted to Lord Tiernan and Lady Karrijeuiga. The King and his group of personal guards now stood poised outside the borders of the Province. The temperature had dropped dramatically as they climbed towards the Castle Mountains which formed the border, and this coupled with light but persistent rain and a sharp breeze had so far not made for a pleasant journey. Danil kept the soldiers moving more slowly than normal, for which the King was grateful as he knew the King’s Marshall usually set a punishing pace and expected his soldiers to keep up. Danil was a very large and strong man, well over six foot in height, very broad in the shoulders and carrying no fat. He was the youngest King’s Marshall Alkira had ever had, and certainly the cleverest. The King had no doubt his military and tactical skills far surpassed any of his predecessors. He had never married, which had surprised the King as there was a persistent flock of ladies gathered around him at every social function the Queen held. These functions were always a source of amusement for the nobility, as the King’s Marshall showed considerable discomfort in these situations and had once been heard to comment to General Marnol, ‘Surely there must be somewhere else I need to be, General. Don’t we have any enemies?’ The King smiled, remembering the Queen’s face when she had overheard the King’s Marshall’s comment, and he looked over at Danil and wondered if he had placed so much responsibility on the young man’s shoulders that he might never take a wife. Danil ordered a halt to ensure all were clear on the procedure for entering the Province.

‘
I’m betting the guardians will already be aware of our presence. We will move slowly over the borders of the Province as we do not wish to look like an attacking army,’ he said to the soldiers, his voice showing his amusement at this thought. Several older and more experienced soldiers laughed at his words.

‘
Thankfully we have battled only beside the guardians when they have come to our aid, and we have never faced them,’ said King Dannicus, thinking of the times the guardians had helped them drive the fallen from Alkiran territory.

‘
Majesty, for that I’m ever grateful. They are more than a little frightening when they lose their temper.’ Danil was deadly serious in his reply. ‘Though I do wonder when we return, whether we will remember more than what the weather was like.’

‘
You will remember what we choose for you to remember,’ a gentle voice stated. A woman appeared before them so suddenly that several soldiers leapt forward with swords drawn. She was slight but of wiry build and attired in dark linen trousers with a black thigh length tunic that crossed at the front and tied at the side of the waist. Her long dark hair was rolled away from her face and caught behind her neck with a strip of leather. A short sword hung from the belt at her waist.

Danil felt a strange leap in his heart as he studied the woman. She was shorter than Danil by more than a head and appeared to be simply a very pretty woman. But there was no doubt in his heart that she was a
guardian, one of the Good People, the Daoine Maithe. She looked at Danil for a moment and he saw curiosity in her blue eyes.

The woman turned to the King.
‘Majesty, on behalf of Lord Tiernan and Lady Karrijeuiga I welcome you to the Province of the Guardians. If you so desire I can lead you through our land to the Dwellings where our Lord and Lady reside, however you must understand that it’s for the Lord and Lady to decide if your memories of your visit will remain with you,’ she paused, ‘or if you will remember only the beauty of the falling rain and the loveliness of the cold mountain breeze.’ The woman laughed and Danil felt her laughter melt into his heart. He stood mute before her, astonished by this deep emotion. He glanced around but no one else appeared to be affected, yet he was completely captivated by the woman.

‘
Do you still wish to enter the Province, knowing you might not remember your visit?’ She looked questioningly at the King.

‘
We wish to enter,’ Dannicus murmured softly. ‘May we know your name?’

‘My name is Valeska. I’m to lead you and make a clear path for you.’ She paused and a slight frown crossed her face. ‘There have been strange happenings of late, even here in the Province of the Guardians, so between here and the Dwellings I will shield your thoughts.’

K
ing Dannicus made no comment as she continued. ‘If others are planning to use this opportunity to waylay your visit to the Dwellings, it’s probably better if they don’t know who, or how many you are.’ Her eyes lingered on Danil curiously for several seconds before she turned and began to walk towards the trees and as she did, a path became apparent before them.

‘
Did
you
see that path before, sir?’ Danil spoke softly to the King. As he spoke he could once again feel a strong emotion emulating from Valeska. Even with her back turned he knew she was smiling at his question.

‘
No,’ said Dannicus. ‘Let’s continue on.’

Immediately Danil moved ahead of the King and the guards
returned to their assigned positions. Dannicus glanced back several times as they made their way between the close trees, but the path seemed to disappear behind them as they passed.

The
day’s trek was uneventful. They climbed steadily higher and the cold intensified as the rain eased and eventually ceased. Trees gave way to large, smooth expanses of rock, sloping up towards a grey pass in the mountains. It was late afternoon when the group reached the pass and here they rested. Soldiers broke out rations and Captain Danil ordered a suitable meal be prepared for the King. Valeska sat with the group looking out over the mountains and down into the valley spread before them, but she didn’t eat. Several times Danil saw her glance at him questioningly but each time he met her gaze she looked away. The soldiers offered her a share of the food but she politely declined instead sipping from a leather water bag she carried tied to her belt.

For a while Valeska sat silently on the ground gazing into the distance
, lost in thought. Then without warning she sprang to her feet. The soldiers leapt up, wondering what was happening. Valeska made a swift chopping motion with her hand.

‘
Bithibh sàmhach,'
she commanded. Silence was immediate. No-one moved. Valeska flitted silently back towards the rocks at the side of the pass. She looked towards the soldiers and motioned for them to crouch. She drew her short sword and waited. Remaining as still as possible the soldiers gently eased their swords from their sheaths and watched the pass. The sky began to darken. Then with no noise and no warning a dark figure leapt from above and behind Valeska. With unnatural alacrity she turned and drove her sword into the man’s neck almost severing his head from his body. Blood poured from the wound as the body fell to the ground. A second, then a third figure dropped beside her. The soldiers ran towards her and they heard the second man’s neck break as Valeska’s sword smashed into the side of his head before he could react. The third man was luckier and managed to gain his footing and raise his sword before Valeska had time to recover and turn to face him. She twisted around just in time to see Captain Danil lunge towards them. He gasped as his normally controlled thoughts were invaded by a feeling of dread that he might fail and Valeska might die. He knew he mustn’t fail and in a strange moment of foresight he knew that his life was about to change. He couldn’t let this woman die. Then his battle training asserted itself and with a shout he swept his sword across and upwards, slashing the wrist of the attacker’s raised sword arm.

The blow should have removed the man
’s hand but as was typical of the fallen his speed saved him and the cut was barely more than a deep scratch. The man turned with a snarl and flipped his sword to his other hand. Danil dodged backwards as the warrior’s sword flicked past his neck and then he staggered sideways as several other soldiers flew past him with swords raised and knocked the man to the ground. He raised his sword and brought it down hard across the warrior’s legs. The man screamed and writhed as Danil attempted to slash his throat. Valeska leapt over to Danil and drove her sword up under the screaming man’s ribs.

‘
There’s another!’ Valeska gasped, pointing her sword towards someone leaning from the rocks above them. The figure turned and ran and then to the astonishment of the soldiers below, there was a dull thud and silence.

A voice
from above their heads broke the silence. ‘Vali?’

‘
Yarra!’ Valeska said with relief in her voice. She lowered her sword. ‘Is he returned?’

‘
Yes. I’ve been tracking them since they crossed our borders. They were moving fast!’

‘
Are there any more? We returned three.’

‘
That’s all. The three you returned, and I returned the leader who was bravely watching your battle from a safe distance.’

‘
Returned?’ The term did not make sense to Danil.

‘
All must eventually return to face their Creator.’ Valeska smiled at Danil as she gestured to the bodies. ‘These are fallen, and we have returned them, so their fate is no longer our concern.’

Danil gazed at her intently and he heard her voice in his heart.
‘Though your fate has become my concern, soldier.’

‘
Why?’
he wondered silently.

She continued to look at him for a long
time but didn’t reply.

‘
It’s alarming to find the fallen so far east,’ Danil commented, looking concernedly to where a tight group of soldiers surrounded Dannicus. ‘We have continual problems along the border south of Khynol and at the eastern end of the Ice Coast. Sometimes I think they’re just playing games with us, letting us think we have any sort of control over our own borders. If it came to open warfare, we’d be up to our eyeballs in...’ His face reddened as he looked towards the King. ‘Er...we’d probably not do as well as I’d like to think.’ Dannicus pushed two soldiers aside and walked over to join Danil and Valeska.

‘
Yarra, are you coming down?’ Valeska looked up to the top of the rocky ridge some twenty feet above their heads. There was a swish of air, and a guardian dropped lightly beside her, his feet barely making a sound as he landed on the rocks. Valeska turned to the King. ‘Your Majesty, King Dannicus of Alkira, may I introduce Yarrabyth of the guardians.’

‘
I’m in debt to you both.’ King Dannicus looked up at the guardian who stood at least a foot taller than himself.

Yarrabyth lowered his head.
‘There is no debt, Majesty. It is our duty.’

‘
Are you to return to the borders?’ asked Valeska.

‘
I’ll accompany you to the Dwellings,’ Yarrabyth answered. ‘We must make camp here tonight and continue on to the Dwellings as soon as we’re rested.’

‘
Yarra, I don’t think we should stop here,’ said Valeska.

‘
The humans have to sleep to regain their strength,’ said Yarrabyth.

Danil laughed aloud.
‘We may be human, guardian, but we can do without sleep for a night or two when needed.’ As if in answer to this statement the soldiers shouldered their packs and moved into position around the King.

Yarrabyth
shrugged. ‘Then we shall continue. Though I doubt we’ll get far. There’s going to be a heavy storm.’

Just before Valeska
resumed her lead, she turned and stared into Danil’s eyes. Once again he felt a powerful surge of emotion as he looked at her. He felt as if she could see into his soul and he desired for her to be pleased with what she saw. His mind raced back through the encounter with the fallen. At the moment his sword had made contact with the warrior he felt a stab of emotion from Valeska, as though she screamed out in terror, and the terror wasn’t for her own danger, but for his. He couldn’t take his eyes from her, and he was suddenly longing to wrap his arms around her, to protect her.