Black Kerthon's Doom (13 page)

"We are discovered, I fear."

"My doing?"

"No. I shouldn't worry about that. But gather your things together. We must flee. Quickly!" He finished his packing, gathered his sword, bow, and left the tent he had called home for two years. He did not look back.

He met Daura again as she emerged from her tent just as the first cries of battle were heard along the edges of the camp.

"As Mira said. They only come from the south. We shall escape them in the mountains."

"We have no tent, no shelter."

"No time to pack a tent, now. We will do what we must. We must survive."

The swordplay was now ringing through the forest. There were shapes running in the darkness and cries of terror and pain reached Gareth's ears. Did his people have to die for him? What is gained by running?

He stopped and tried to run back to meet the attackers which now could be seen as soldiers. Daura hooked her arm through the shoulder strap of his pack and dug in her heels.

"No, Gareth! We must run to fight another day. You will be killed here. The rebellion cannot afford your loss."

He stopped struggling against her and turned toward her. His face was gray.

"I will avenge their deaths! I must!"

"Come!" she cried. She pulled hard on his arm, slowly breaking his resolve. He cursed and turned to join her.

They sprinted away from the blades and arrows of the soldiers who had not seen them. The rebels fought doggedly but they were not prepared. The armored breastplates and shields of the Calendian army turned many of their swords. The Calendian army was merciless.

The tall man turned over each of the rebel bodies with his sword as he entered the camp. He wore his gray beard short and his anger was rising.

"Where is Gareth!" he shouted. He could not find the rebel leader. No one had reported seeing Gareth. He ran to the large tent and entered. He saw that the occupant had left but had time to remove belongings before the soldiers attacked the camp.

"He knew," said Horeth. "He knew we were coming." He stepped outside. Rebel bodies lay everywhere. What sort of man could inspire others to sacrifice themselves for a lost cause? Gareth was far too dangerous to remain alive.

"Tarmat!" A large soldier ran to him.

"Yes, sir."

"Take thirty or so men and comb the area north of here. Gareth has fled with some of his captains. We found no one of rank here. If you find anything send a messenger back otherwise keep in pursuit. Do not return unless you bring Gareth's head. Release the Amogrihens."

"Yes sir." The Calendian soldier sprinted into the night and his shouts of command floated back to Horeth who took a torch and ignited the flap of Gareth's tent.

"So close," he said. "I vowed to kill you, cousin. But somehow, you slipped my net. I will not fail the next time we meet."

The path rose steeply over the rocky terrain and Gareth led Daura up the path to the waterfall. They were still several hundred yards away but the roar of the falls greeted them and drowned the last whimpers of battle below them. The path wound away from the cliffs and back into the forest where it hopped over roots, ducked under branches, squeezed between two large rocks, and opened to a ledge overlooking the falls. The water dove over the edge of the land and disappeared in white foam and blue spray far below. They looked up the path and they saw Mira with several others waiting for them. Daura was exhausted. She had not yet recovered from her ordeal at the tower. She hoped she could keep pace with Gareth.

"How many of us remain?" asked Gareth.

"Less than two dozen have joined us here," replied Mira. "I can't guess at how many got away. But we can't wait for them. Soon the soldiers will be in pursuit."

"They chased Serada and me for a while out of Dale," said Macelan. "But soon gave up."

"Yes," said Gareth. "But they didn't think you were part of the rebellion, just a local pair of trouble-makers."

"My god," said Serada. "Do you think they will make that connection now? I mean, they gave up on us not too far from your camp. If they believe the rebellion has another base in Greenhills, it will be bad for the resistance."

"Don't worry about it," said Mira. "They are far from you now. They know the risks. You must watch your own skin. That is the only way you can help your friends."

"Two hundred may be dead," said Gareth. "The rebellion is crushed in the field. We must bring it inside the palace walls. I thought it might come to this one day. Although not at the expense of so many lives." He felt the legacy of Kerthon closing in. Soon he would have no choice.

"Your foresight shall be rewarded," said Mira.

Gareth nodded. "I hope you're right."

Brice led them up past the falls into the high country. Gareth and Mira followed behind him, then Serada, Macelan and Daura. The other dozen followed close behind. Everyone was armed; they took time for that while fleeing the camp. Several rebels were wounded and those with serious injuries began to fall back. Gareth stopped.

"We cannot wait for you. The soldiers will catch us all. The rebellion must not be destroyed. We will give you what food we can spare. You should move well off the pass and perhaps they will not find you. Good luck!" He shook their hands, thanked them, and promised to succeed with the rebellion. He hoped they would survive to meet again. He turned and walked away and did not look back. He did not want them to see his weakness, this inability to accept the lives of others for his own gain. The sacrifices of more of his people hung heavy around his heart. He allowed his tears to flow freely.

The climb became difficult as the terrain rose sharply and the forest was already thinning out. The air became chilly and Gareth smiled grimly at his brave words to Daura back at the tent. Up here, they would have no protection from the biting wind and cold nights except themselves.

The air began to warm after the sun rose and they were cheered by the warming rays and had a meager breakfast from whatever they had time to grab as they fled the camp.

Macelan walked next to Daura, the first chance he had to talk to her since the Calendian army attacked their camp. Her long brown hair was braided and she wore a baggy jacket but he found her beautiful. He watched her as they moved and she met his eyes several times. Finally, he spoke.

"Have you recovered from your ordeal at the tower?" He could see that her breathing was labored. And there were dark circles under her eyes. "I didn't want to ask before and you didn't seem to want to talk about it."

"Yes, thank you. I am better."

"Sometimes you seem so distant like you are listening to voice far away. How long had you been there?"

She did not speak at once as a shadow brushed her face. She rubbed her eyes before she spoke.

"Well, Gareth estimates that I probably reached the ruins two weeks before you found me." Her voice was not as melodic as it was a moment before. The memory was painful.

"Two weeks? How did you survive? What did you eat?"

"I had some food with me. But I dreamed such strange things. Time had no meaning."

"What did you see?"

"I don't think I can talk about it yet," said Daura. "It is still too vivid."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's all right. Sometime I will have to face it. But I'd rather not now. There's too much darkness around me. We're too far from safety." She wiped her eyes and Macelan looked away. He cursed himself for bringing up bad memories for her.

"I'm afraid I'm not much company," said Daura.

"If you two must talk," said Mira. "Keep it quiet."

Macelan looked sheepishly at Daura who smiled and much of the light returned to her face. They were quiet for several miles. Macelan looked behind them but could see nothing. He looked at Gareth but the man was staring ahead of them.

"Mira?"

"Yes, Macelan. What is it?"

"I have a bad feeling."

"What do you mean?"

"We are being followed and I don't mean just the soldiers. My skin is crawling and I don't know what it means."

"Just your nerves. You're still new to this business."

"No, I feel it too," said Daura. "It reminds me of the Amogrihens." She began to shake and Macelan held her tight. She turned her face to his shoulder.

"That's one thing we don't need," exclaimed Mira. "And we don't need you two frightening everyone."

"What's going on?" asked Gareth.

"Two frightened rabbits."

"About what?" he asked Daura.

"We both feel it," she whispered. "Amogrihens."

Gareth stopped the troop. He looked behind them but could see nothing.

"Why didn't they use them at the camp?" he asked aloud.

"They aren't reliable," answered Brice. "Might have missed some of the sentries and we would have been warned."

Gareth looked at Mira. "We were warned anyway."

"Can we outrun them," asked Serada.

"No chance," said Daura. "They caught me so fast I didn't know what was tailing me. If it hadn't been for Cara.."

"Shh," said Mira, quickly. But it was too late. Tears filled Brice's eyes and he turned away.

"Brice, I'm sorry. I didn't think.."

He shook his head and waved her off. He walked ahead.

"Hansa, you keep a sharp watch back there," said Gareth. "If you see anything give a shout. If it is the Amogrihens noise won't mean anything to them but everything to us."

Their pace quickened and they soon were winded but could not afford to slacken their speed. Hansa watched behind while running in stride with Serada who wrapped an arm around him to steady him. They went several more miles and then Brice led them down into a ravine that then opened to a narrow canyon where the river picked up speed on its way to the falls.

The land was dotted by a few trees and shrubs but the long grasses had disappeared. They saw no animals or birds and that alone told them the Amogrihens were close. There was not a path down the ravine and they all slid down the steep rocky slope to the bottom of the ravine and then ran to the river. It was fast but not deep. Brice stepped into it first and began to cross. It was icy cold. They held their packs aloft and tried to withstand the freezing grip around their waists. There was no time to change, they would run in the sunshine and hope to stay warm enough.

By noon, they were exhausted and could not go any farther. Macelan and Serada changed immediately and felt better at once. Those who managed to grab packs when they fled soon followed and their wet clothes were laid on rocks in the hot sun.

"It's time we headed south again," said Gareth. "I know of several houses in Nantitet which will take us in."

"What about the Amogrihens?" asked Serada.

"There is no cover for them to cross the river. They will have to wait until nightfall. By then we should be far away. We will not stop again as long as daylight lasts."

"Great," muttered Macelan.

"I am surprised," said Mira. "Where is your renowned humor? Does not this situation call for it? Do you not scoff at your own peril?"

"Mine, yes. But there is more at stake here."

"I see. I am glad you have some sense, no matter what Serada says."

"Serada knows me well," said Macelan.

"Not that well, it appears."

"How are you doing?" Macelan asked Daura.

"Fine. No, I feel lousy. But what can I do? We must run or die. If I run I will feel like dying."

"I will stay with you," said Macelan.

"You don't know what you are saying. If we stay, the Amogrihens will kill us. I do not intend to remain behind."

"But you said.."

"What I want to do and what I will do are two different things, Macelan. I cannot have all that I want, I learned that long ago. But I will do what I must. The risk is too great to do otherwise. I am not involved in the rebellion just because my brother leads it. It is something I believe in and must do to be able to live with myself."

"What about Parean?" Macelan asked.

"He is important to me and I think he joined us for the same reasons."

"But you are not sure?"

"No, I am not sure. I hope he isn't just involved because of me."

"It's reason enough," said Macelan.

Daura looked at him suddenly. His dark hair hung over his forehead and she brushed it back.

"Don't make this harder on yourself than it already is. You don't know me. Don't build me up to be something I'm not. I will not allow that to happen again."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Come, the others are leaving."

Night came quickly in the mountains and they were exhausted. Gareth gave orders for two sentries and the others were to sleep for four hours. The sentries would change every hour. In the third hour came a cry which raised the company and they sprinted off into the darkness to remove themselves from the firelight and to evaluate their situation. Several minutes later, they gathered around Serada, who had been on watch at the time.

"Hansa said he saw movement. He wanted to check it out. I saw him walk into shadows near the group of trees. There seemed to be more shadows than trees but I couldn't be sure. Then I saw one move and Hansa saw it too. He turned to run and a shadow cut him off. That's when the Amogrihens screamed. And Hansa screamed. I never heard such a terrible sound."

Daura nodded and hugged him. She remembered the sound she had heard a few weeks earlier and it had blended with Hansa's and she shook involuntarily. Macelan took her by the arm and led her away.

"Poor Hansa," said Mira.

"Yes," agreed Gareth. "It seems they all went for him. If they had found us, perhaps half would be dead. And the rest tomorrow night."

In ten minutes, they were ready to break camp. Macelan was the rear guard as the band raced through the night once more. He carried Hansa's pack as well as his own and he kept looking back to see if the Amogrihens were behind them. Macelan's lungs ached and he did not believe the pain would ever go away. His legs felt leaden and after each step, he was amazed that his foot was brought up high enough to clear the ground. His thoughts became repetitive and unclear. He wasn't sure if he was following Serada anymore and suddenly he fell, sliding down an embankment, and then dropping into a ravine.