Avalyne Series 01: The Queen of Carleon (12 page)

‘
Watch each other’s backs,’ Dare ordered firmly. 

‘
They are upon us!’ Aeron cried out, pulling out an arrow from his collection and arming his bow in readiness.

Red eyes flashed at them as soon as those words escaped him and they were followed by a low snarl that all of them recognised immediately. The peace of the campfire was shattered by the sudden emergence of large bodies of fur moving towards them at rapid speed, led by snapping jaws and ferociously sharp teeth. They exploded out of the woods, covered in dark fur, with yellowed eyes fixing quickly upon their intended prey, their savagery evidenced by their snarls and growl, converging into a tremendous roar that soon brought everything about them to chaos.

‘Caracal!’ Dare shouted as one of the creatures launched themselves at him. He reacted without thinking, thrusting his blade through its ribs, earning a powerful howl of pain as the weapon tore through the flesh of its back.

They swarmed through the camp, their numbers so many that it was hard to count, their growls draining the world of all other sound. The caracal were yet another obscenity created by
Balfure. Outwardly, they looked like cats but they were the size of bears. At Astorath, the Berserkers had used them as mounts and often these beasts were used to run down helpless prey. When he and Aeron had gone to find the dwarves in Angarad, they had encountered such creatures.

Dare saw one about to attack Tully and moved to intervene but he was soon beset by a duo of the heinous creatures who charged him. Thinking quickly, he dropped to his knees and grabbed a log from the fire and jabbed it at them to give them pause. As they hissed in black fury for being held back by fire, Dare saw that the farmer was more than adept at protecting himself.

With the short dagger Dare had given him years ago, he saw Tully hack away at the beast attempting to harm him and drive it back. In its attempt to evade the blade, the beast stepped into the fire and uttered a roar of pain before fleeing to douse its wound. 

Dare saw a flurry of moment in the corner of his eye and turned just as a caracal jumped at him. He had no room to move and it felled him heavily on the ground. Sliding his blade between himself and the creature’s snapping jaws, he could feel its powerful claws digging into his  skin as it tried to reach his neck.  Another was closing in on them when suddenly, an arrow flew threw the air and struck the second beast in the neck. The arrowhead protruding through flesh and bone on the other side.

‘Help Dare!’ Aeron shouted unable to come to his aid when more of the cats closed in on the elf, ready to pounce.  

A second beast was almost upon him when Dare threw the creature that he was wrestling over his head, slamming it into the other’s abdomen and sending them both tumbling. He rolled onto his knees and pulled out dagger concealed within his boot and flung it with a marksman’s aim. The blade struck one of the cats  in the breast  and it screamed in pain before collapsing on the dirt, black blood oozing across the ground. Now that one was dead, Dare rushed forward to deal with the other.

The cat glared at him with sinister eyes, its teeth dripping with saliva as it circled him, waiting to pounce.   It ran forward and leapt with Dare watching closely  and waiting for the moment to strike. He swung  his sword in a wide arc. The blade sliced through the creature’s flesh, tearing open its insides in one gruesome blow. The beast had barely enough time to howl before it dropped in mid air, its body making a heavy thud upon the earth.

Dare turned around to see the progress of his friends and saw that Tully had somehow managed to mount one of the creatures as if he were riding a pony. He remained steadfastly attached upon the caracal’s back, his hand cl
utching the beast’s pelt as he steadied his blade for attack. Then he plunged it into the creature’s neck and buried the dagger to the hilt. 

Ronen
was battling just as vigorously, surrounded by the carcasses of the creatures he had already put down. Tamsyn had also produced his sword and was making short work of the creatures that were foolish enough to attack him. Although the magii had great powers that could probably make short work of all these beasts, Dare knew that it was Tamsyn’s habit to not rely so much on his magic when he could perform tasks without it. Meanwhile, with his twin blades, Kyou used his size to his advantage and was able to gut several of the beast by getting under them.

When it was all said and done, the campsite resembled an uncovered grave of caracal. Their black blood seeped into the dirt that would soon attract the attention of carrion feeders who would feast upon their lifeless bodies. Dare immediately ordered their departure, wishing to be away in case any other foul creature chose to make its appearance. They returned to the shore where their boats were waiting and sailed further upstream, away from the carnage. 

For the most part, they had come away from the melee with only minor injuries. Ronen had suffered a bite but his vambraces had taken the worst of it and despite the skin being broken, it was not a serious wound. Tully and Kyou acquired some minor scratches, all of which Tamsyn was able to attend.

‘
We rid ourselves of all the caracal,’ Dare stated as they gathered around the fire of their new campsite, ‘I know we did.’

‘
I thought so too,’ Aeron shook his head. ‘At Astaroth, I was certain we saw the end of them.’ The archer was cleaning the arrows he had managed to retrieve from the dead creatures, appearing none to happy about the grisly task.

‘
There seems to be a greater frequency of dark things emerging in recent months,’ Dare replied. ‘First the appearance of Berserkers and goblin tribes, now we have caracal whom we were certain were killed at Astaroth coming out nowhere.’

‘
Its like they’re all emerging their hiding places,’ Ronen remarked, attempting to see under the swathing of bandage around his arm and frowning when Tully swatted his hand for making the attempt.

‘
They’re hear the call of their new master,’ Tamsyn mused softly. ‘This evil Arianne is facing is drawing them to him, just like Balfure.’

‘
Astaroth is empty,’ Dare said firmly. ‘Since Balfure’s defeat we have maintained close control of it. They have nowhere else to go.’

‘
Yes,’ Tamsyn agreed. ‘They have been bred to be followers and the Enemy knows that. He takes advantage of that weakness. We must wipe them out or else they will follow anyone with the will to command them.’

Dare stiffened, not liking to be reminded of that. It was hard enough trying to remain focussed on finding Arianne safely, to think nothing of the child inside her belly whose fate hung in the balance. If she failed then it would most likely be his son that commands
Balfure’s army in the future. The thought made him sick to the stomach

‘
I know that all too well Tamsyn,’ he said softly.

‘
I did not mean to worry you any more than you already are, Dare,’ Tamsyn apologised, seeing the pain in his eyes. ‘I just want to say that what we face is formidable and we must be on guard.’

‘
We are on our guard,’ Tully retorted. ‘We fought those things off.’

‘
Yes, you did,’ Tamsyn nodded. ‘But did you not find it odd that they came after us specifically?’

Dare’s gaze snapped towards the wizard.
‘What do you mean?’

Tamsyn drew a deep breath and released it by way of his curved pipe.
‘The Enemy knows what we are on the move. He knows that we are coming and is attempting to stop us any means he can. The question is; does he know Arianne is on the move too?’

CHAPTER EIGHT:
EDEN HALAS

Arianne awoke a
nd for an instant forgot where she was.

Sitting up, she found herself on a bed of elven design though not the one Dare had brought from Eden Taryn for their wedding night
in Sandrine. It was an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room that as unmistakably elvish. The room was all windows, with sunlight pouring through the thin curtains, giving clarity to the ornate designs carved on the bedposts and the other pieces of furniture. Outside, she could hear the rustle of leaves and the peaceful quiet that was only broken by the occasionally chirp of a bird.

For a moment, she could have been forgiven for thinking herself back in Eden Taryn. She took in a deep breath and recognised the scent of the forest, crisp and sweet. It reminded Arianne of childhood when she would run through glens covered with wild flowers, lost in a sea of the golden coloured buds. Lylea used to tell her that they were drops of sun. Of course, more recent memories soon returned to her and Arianne knew she was not home at all but in a place that was almost as beautiful.

Eden Halas.

After fleeing Caras Anara, she and Keira had rowed all the way to the woods of Eden Halas without a pause. They arrived in the woods of Aeron’s birth during the small hours of the night and were immediately set upon by King Halion's Forest Guard. Although King Halion was known for his dislike at humans entering his borders, he put aside his natural hostility once he learned the identity of his guests. Aware that his wife considered Dare family and to some extent so did he, Arianne was welcomed to his court as kin.   Even so, Eden Halas would not turn away a daughter of Lylea, High Queen of the elves.

Syanne was thrilled to receive Arianne despite the circumstances of their arrival.

Upon seeing the exhausted and in one instance, the injured state of their visitors, she immediately called for Celene to be taken to the Hall of Healing.  Despite protests to the contrary, Celene was more affected than she liked to admit by the venom of the spider that attacked her. In an effort to placate the Lady of Gislaine, Keira volunteered to accompany her so she did not tax too greatly the patience of the elves attending her.  In the end, it was the pointed reminder by Arianne that Celene would be no good to them in this quest if she were ill.

Arianne had just made up her mind to go find Keira and Celene when a knock on the door received her invitation to enter and Queen Syanne stepped into the room.

Arianne had met her one only a few occasions. While the elves preferred to keep to themselves, the elves of Eden Halas were particularly reclusive and did not like trespassers within their borders. Arianne knew that much of this had to do with Halion's dislike of other races. Lylea had explained to Arianne that his disdain originated from the belief that the
Celestial Gods had used the elves to cleanse Avalyne during the Primordial Wars only to give it away to lesser races. Halion had lost his entire family during the conflict and considered this an affront to all that he had fought for.   

‘
How fare you this morning?’ Syanne greeted pleasantly as she took a seat in the chair next to the bed.

Like all elves, she wore her hair long although Syanne’s was unusual because it was the colour of copper that stood in sharp contrast to her eyes blue. The queen was tall and slender, her cheekbones high and the shape of her face told Arianne, that save for his
dark hair, most of Aeron’s looks had come from his mother. This was of little surprise to Arianne since Aeron had taken after Syanne in manner and disposition unlike his older brothers Hadros and Syanon who were very much their father’s sons.

‘
I am well,’ Arianne answered smiling at the queen. ‘I felt as if I have slept for days.’

‘
It is no wonder after fleeing from spiders and travelling cross country. That is not work for a queen, let alone a woman with child,’ Syanne spoke with a hint of reproach.

Arianne shrugged not wishing to discuss the reasons for her journey and decided to make a change of subject instead.
‘You did not come to our celebration in Sandrine,’ she remarked.

As soon as the comment had left her lips, Arianne felt sorry for doing so when she saw the look of guilt stealing across Syanne’s face. Clearly the queen had wanted to be there and the expression of regret made Arianne feel unkind for using it as a means of distraction.

‘I was needed here,’ Syanne said quietly. ‘The King felt it too dangerous for me to travel south. While we did not know about the spiders in Caras Anara, we have been dealing with the remnants of Balfure’s goblins. It has required Halion to cooperate with men of the Winter Keep and the dwarves of Iridia,’ she explained as proof of the urgency of the situation. There was no other reason why Halion would deal with them otherwise.

Arianne suspected that Syanne did not wish to admit that Halion probably disliked the idea of his wife travelling to city ruled by men, when Aeron was already present in Sandrine and capable of representing his court. 
‘Galain did make mention of that,’ Arianne answered, hoping to move past the moment, ‘he said that the goblins were being driven back to the Cinder Mountains.’

‘
Yes,’ Syanne said brightening up a little, grateful that Arianne was not dwelling on her absence at Sandrine.  ‘Syanon has taken some our best warriors to help the humans push them back farther and I think Halion will be sending Hadros to Caras Anara after your report of spiders.’

‘
Tell him to be careful,’ Arianne warned. ‘There were many. I believe the entire village has been consumed.’

‘
How terrible,’ Syanne winced in horror and it was easy to see how this queen could have defied her husband to give shelter to a helpless human babe left in the care of a dying nurse. Once again, Arianne found herself thinking that Aeron’s compassionate nature was inherited from his mother.

‘
Yes,’ Arianne nodded in agreement and then asked, ‘How is Celene? Do I need to apologise for her?’ A flicker of mischief crossed her face as she tried to move away from such grim talk.

Syanne laughed shortly and shook her head,
‘Perhaps a little. She is exceedingly stubborn. I thought Dare was difficult to treat, she might even exceed
his
obstinacy.’

‘
That would not surprise me,’ Arianne giggled, picturing in her mind’s eyes the consternation Celene would have probably caused amongst the elven physicians in the Hall of Healing. ‘She is a good friend and has already saved my life once on this quest.’

‘
I do not doubt that,’ Syanne retorted, ‘she believed she was ready to travel
last
night.’

That sounded like Celene and Arianne had to admire the Angarad’s optimism even if somewhat unrealistic.
‘She would think that,’ Arianne shook her head in resignation because Celene’s stubbornness could sometimes override her good sense.

‘
Fortunately after our healers treated her wounds, they gave her something to sleep for her benefit as well as theirs,’ the queen laughed and then added, ‘However; your
other
companion is up and about. There is something about her that is most unusual. I am not certain what it is but I sense darkness and pain.’

‘
It would not surprise me,’ Arianne admitted because even Lylea sensed it. One could not survive the torture of the Disciples and the taint of the burrowers without some scars left behind. ‘Rest assured, she is someone who can be trusted.’

‘
I know,’ Syanne smiled, ‘we were certain that any companion of yours had to be worthy of your friendship and this Green she speaks of seems to be very enchanting.’

‘
It is,’ Arianne smiled, pleased that Keira had made a good impression. ‘The woods of the Green are old. I believe they may be even older than the woods of Eden Ardhen. They say that the trees are haunted by ancient spirits from the time of Enphilim and they protect the folk of the Green.’

‘
How fascinating,’ Syanne remarked. ‘She is the same one who protected Dare from the Disciples, is she not?’ The queen ventured a guess, having been told the tale by her adopted son years before.

‘
Dare owes her his life,’ Arianne confirmed. ‘It was Keira who refused to give him up to Balfure. She endured the burrowers to keep him safe.’

‘
That is what we sensed then,’ Syanne mused before declaring as if she was making a royal proclamation. ‘She will always be welcomed here. In fact, you must all stay with us for a few days and allow the Lady of Gislaine to heal before you set off on your journey again.’

Arianne hesitated because she knew as soon as Celene felt able, the Lady of Gislaine would be eager to travel. Indeed, Arianne herself was conscious of time and knew that they needed to leave as soon as possible. As much as Arianne would have like to have taken advantage of Syanne’s hospitality, the threat to her child overrode all other considerations. Furthermore, she suspected that if King Halion knew of her quest, he would react in just the same manner as Dare. The King of Eden Halas would not let her leave this place without warriors to protect her and Arianne's mission needed to continue within its shroud of secrecy.

‘If I know Celene, she will think herself ready to leave as soon as she awakens,’ Arianne stated, hoping to avoid giving away anything unnecessarily. ‘We will stay a day and then we must be off.’

‘
Arianne,’ Syanne reached for her hand and squeezed it, ‘I can tell by what you are trying not to say that there is urgency to this journey of yours that you wish to keep silent.  That is your right and I will not press you but do not be premature in your desire to leave. The venom of the syphi is nothing to take lightly. She
needs
rest.’

Arianne wa
s torn because Syanne was right. Celene did need to rest but they had such a long journey ahead of them and so little time. In the end, she chose to confide in Syanne because she was not just the Queen of Eden Halas but Dare’s adopted mother. She would trust that Syanne would understand her need for secrecy and her reasons for haste.

‘
We ride to confront an enemy who seeks to bring forth Mael,’ Arianne finally revealed.

‘
Mael!’ Syanne gasped and then fell silent as if speaking his name was liable to summon the dark god into the room with them there and then. ‘And Dare sent you out alone to deal with this menace?’

She had the tone of a mother who just discovered her son had done something inordinately stupid against all the tenets of his upbringing.

‘Dare does not know or rather he did not when I left,’ Arianne quickly explained before her husband earned himself a cuff the next time his adopted mother saw him. ‘My lady, you cannot tell the King why we are here. You know your husband as well as I know mine, he will not let us leave here alone, if at all, for such a perilous quest. If I am not allowed to complete it myself, Avalyne will fall into darkness again and Dare will almost certainly be destroyed by the consequences.’

‘
But why...’ Syanne protested, unable to imagine any danger that would warrant Dare's exclusion at the cost of the wife he loved above all else.

‘
The enemy seeks to fill the baby with the spirit of Mael. He intends that Mael shall be resurrected as the heir of Carleon.’  

‘
By the Gods...’ the older woman whispered, unable to imagine anything more monstrous plan.  ‘How much time do you have?’ She asked once she recovered her composure.

‘
I must reach him in two full moons or his plan
will
come to pass. My mother has told me that while I carry the baby, the Enemy cannot harm me.  However, if Dare were to confront him, he will be killed without hesitation.’

Arianne went onto reveal what she had learned from Lylea and
Tamsyn about the Enemy's design and why it was so necessary to go on ahead and keep her journey a secret.  If Dare rode out after her, the Enemy would believe that the king had most likely learned of the plan and had left his wife at home to deal with the threat himself. Their advantage lay in the fact that the Enemy did not know that it was Arianne herself who was coming to face him.

‘
This is a dangerous course,’ Syanne said after Arianne had finished her tale. ‘I cannot help but fear for you and I would still prefer that that you embarked upon this with an escort of warriors if not Dare himself.’

‘
But he could be killed,’ Arianne pointed out. As much as she loved Syanne for thinking so much about her, she wanted Dare to have no part in her quest, not if his life could be lost as a result.

‘
I know,’ Syanne sighted heavily. ‘However, I am accustomed to him placing himself in danger. I cannot say the same for you.’

‘
I will be fine,’ Arianne assured her, ‘once Celene is on her feet we will continue and Celene has proven to be an able protector. We have a long way to go to cross the Frozen Mountains.’  

‘
The Frozen Mountains?’ Syanne looked at her worried. ‘In your condition?’

‘
I will be able to manage,’ Arianne said firmly. ‘I
have
to.’