INBORN (The Sagas of Di'Ghon) (12 page)

Then, as if it were the other side of the coin that was Thaniel, a vision of the dra, its wicked blue eyes flashing, peered back at her from her memories. She let the silence stretch, not really knowing what to say.

What was there to say?

Elycia tore her eyes away from him, peering instead into the cold deep shadows of the pines. That was when she saw the first set of big diamond shaped yellow eyes watching them as they lurched by.

Long Trip

The trees became thicker the further down the pass they rode, their branches blotting out what little light there was to see by. Once the moons passed, leaving them in an all engulfing blackness, they lit a tarnished brass lamp that the blessed Bella had been thoughtful enough to make sure they had. The pale flame barely penetrated the gloom of the forest around them, giving off just enough light to keep them on the trail. Beyond that small lurching circle Elycia couldn’t see anything but shifting shadows and unfortunately, eyes. At first she saw only one creature studying them from a safe distance. But as the ride
, a constant swaying she hadn’t been able to get used to, stretched, more sets of yellow unblinking orbs joined the first.

“It’s right there. Just ahead.” Thaniel grimaced at both of them. “You both go blind?”
He asked incredulously.

Her stomach and head hurt so much
. The rocking motion was torture that grew in intensity with every slow plodding step of the ox. She just wanted it to stop for a minute, but for as many times as the thought of demanding a rest crossed her mind, she knew it wasn’t possible. Whatever was out there was growing bolder by the minute. The swaying lamp and the creeks and pops of the ancient cart didn’t seem to be spooking them anymore. Instead the fleeting shapes moved with purpose. Furtive dark blurs just out of the light’s reach. What were they waiting for?

Against the deep of night the lamp’s feeble light was nearly useless. She didn’t see the old stone keep until they nearly ran into Samial Harkanin’s wagon. Meticulously painted in swirling patterns of yellow and green, every edge trimmed in brass gilt, it was chocked next to a makeshift manger that leaned precariously against a ramshackle stone cottage. The keep had seen more abuse than the coach had care. What did she expect? The only upkeep the place was given was by weary travelers trying to escape the cold. It was so decrepit that she wondered if they were safe to enter. It looked like it would topple over at the first stiff breeze.

“Told ya. We’re here.” Thaniel shook his head as if they were both playing a joke on him that he wasn’t falling for.

“How did you know?” She couldn’t help but ask. The little keep was nestled in a bend in the road, nearly impossible to see until they were right on it. In fact, the sudden appearance of the bright colored coach had nearly caused her to wet her pants.

“Stop it.” Then he made that face boys do when they think people are stupid and thumbed upward, “The chimney smoke.”

The smell of the fire filled her nostrils as if for the first time. She couldn’t help but smile. She was being stupid after all. Then both he and Jorel licked their lips in unison as the smell of searing meat wafted over them. Did they ever think of anything else?

“Harkanin?” She heard Jorel call out.

A loud crash came from inside the keep, followed by a torrent of swear words before the door banged open.

“Who in nine hells…” The wiry trader peeked around the rough hewn door post, rubbing his head and squinting in pain.  His one open eye took in the three of them. “Sneakin on a man in the pass?”  He yelled. “Stupid is what that is.” He added after a few mutters and curses… “A good way to get killed.” Then he disappeared back into the keep.

“That’s Harkanin?” She asked.

Thaniel’s face twisted into a grimacing grin and he nodded affirmatively. Clearly, both Jorel and Thaniel thought the profane man was funny. They had a hard time stifling laughter.

The ox
’s ears flickered toward the boarded up manger, where Harkanin’s beasts were penned up. Elycia smiled. He was miffed about being yoked and hungry while they were eating already. She suspected it wasn’t the only reason the ox couldn’t wait to be on the other side of the walls. Her head swiveled, eyes peering into the woods, expecting to see the eyes out there again. But all she saw was blackness. Whatever had been tracking them was long gone, at least for now.

“You’re the Caller. You talk to him.” Jorel said as he nimbly slid off the cart and started
to unhitch the cranky old beast.

“Don’t start with that Caller stuff again.”

“You prefer master? How about The Free-erer of the Lowly Slaves? Or…”

“I’m going, just shut up…” Thaniel raised his hands in surrender and headed for the door.

“Take her with you, before she pukes on my boots.” Then he bowed apologetically with a majestic flair toward Thaniel and added, “My sincere apologies, Great Owner of the Blonde!” Jorel boomed, lowering his chin and pursing his lips comically. He opened his mouth wide as if threatening to continue. He wasn’t going to stop until they moved faster.

“Own
er!” Elycia said through grit teeth as she slid off the bench toward Jorel with a fist already clinched. Then just as she thought she would connect with his jaw, Jorel dodged her effortlessly, leaving her swatting at air. The force of her wild swing pulled her off balance and she felt her feet slip on the slush. Thaniel grabbed her arm before she fell headlong into a tree bole.

“I’m fine.” She said a little too quickly, and at the hurt look in his eye, immediately regretted it.

“I see. You wanted to slam your face against a tree.” He said defensively.

“Just drop it.” She said, motioning towards the keep.

“You can’t let him get to you like that.” He offered quietly while Jorel stuck his tongue out over his shoulder.

Thaniel’s timing was flawless. The moment Jorel stuck his tongue out Thaniel tossed a snowball over his shoulder, hitting him square in the face. Jorel was doubled over trying to get snow out of his nose when they slipped into the keep.

The keep was four stone walls packed with earth and dry pine needles for mortar. It was covered by crisscrossing timbers and more earth for a ceiling. Three of the walls were lined with sleeping pallets, which were nothing more than hand sawn planks worn smooth by years of use. A rough fireplace occupied most of the fourth wall.

“You comin in or movin on?” Samial Harkanin asked without looking up.

“We’ll stay the night.” Thaniel spoke up. He was good at that. Doing the right thing at the right time. “If it’s alright with you, that is.”

“Nobody owns the keeps. But I wouldn’t be movin on tonight. Wolves been actin strange… damn things like the night too. Best hold up here till morning.”

Wolves!

She hadn’t actually seen them, but now that the trader mentioned it, she was sure that the yellow eyes in the dark belonged to wolves.
A lot of them… She’d heard that wolves avoided people. This pack didn’t seem to care about what she’d heard. They were definitely tracking them. Elycia shook her head. What did she know about wolves? Before today, she’d never actually seen one up close. Come to think of it, she still hadn’t.

Samial Harkanin sat on one of the pallets near the fire. A pile of firewood was strewn across the floor. He was stirring a black pot nestled at the edge of the coal bed. A pheasant crackled on a spit that he turned with an ingenious foot pedal. He was a big man, hardly starving. The way his tongue touched the edge of his lips as he meticulously tended to his meal, he looked like he hadn’t eaten in days. Bella had been right. He really did live for dinner.

“They were out there.” Thaniel said casually. She thought she was the only one that noticed them. “I didn’t want to bring it up. You had enough with being sick and all.”

Of course, as if she couldn’t handle any more. Always protecting the little girl. It was infuriating and charming all at the same time.

Samial Harkanin looked up. Recognition dawned on his face as he regarded Thaniel.

“The messenger?”  Something else flashed across his eyes too... was that fear? “What in…” He glanced at Elycia and continued without the curses that always adorned his speech, “are you doing out here? If Ontar finds you with me…” Samial Harkanin knew just about everyone. She wasn’t surprised the old trader would recognize him. Most everyone knew the hold’s messengers by sight. But he was right to be afraid. Escaped slaves were always brought back to Ontar Hold, but they were never alive, as well as any who helped them along the way.

“We were freed this morning.”

The old trader’s face screwed up in unbelief, but he allowed, “Freed? Never heard of Ontar freein anyone?” His brows furrowed in thought and he added, “I guess so. Wouldn’t have made it out the gate with a cart and all…” more muttering under his breath, “bastards would have cut you down before you got ten
feet into the woods.”

“We are going to Navillus.” Thaniel announced.

“Navillus. My eyes! Three kids, an old ox, and a cart I sold to Ontar fore any you were born…”  Harkanin laughed until, with a sizzle, he burned his finger on the pot, and after a few vile words, stuck it in his mouth. “If that cart makes it down the pass, you still have to cross the plains, and buy river passage down the Fiss.”

She knew Fiss was a river she’d forded with her father a few times but couldn’t remember exactly where it was.

“From there you need more passage cross the Cut.” That was what most called the Blue Sea. “Five years work to afford all that.”

“We can ride.” The thought of that almost made her throw up on the spot.

“Uh-uh.” He chuckled. “Better off eat that old ox and die right here.”

She felt her face flush. The contemptible man, with his pointed nose and bristly eyebrows, reminded her of a
plump rat. Tristan had given them enough money to go anywhere they wanted, twice.

She was about to rip into him.  He deserved it too. She’d tell him… Then she noticed it had gotten awfully quiet in the room.
Thaniel looked at her sideways, annoyed. Her skin tingled.  Before she realized it she took half a step back.

“You got you
r hands full, messenger.” Harkanin chuckled with a nod in her direction.

How dare he…

The door slammed shut behind them.

“You don’t know the half of it dirt bag.” Jorel strode in like he owned the place and plopped down next to Samial Harkanin
. He grabbed the spoon right out of the pot and slurped a mouthful of whatever was stewing inside it. Jorel winced, fanning in front of his mouth and sucking in air to cool it off.

Harkanin started bellowing, slapping his thigh.

“Sam,” Jorel fanned furiously, “There’s enough pepper in this…” he sucked in air through pursed lips, “to fry all nine hells.”

“You know I like it like that.” The trader explained, throwing his hands in the air, fingers stretched wide.

“Me too.” Jorel replied with a goofy grin, eyes already watering, “Me too.” He repeated as he shoved another spoonful in and started the whole fanning thing all over again.

“So, you still hanging around this one?” The trader thumbed at Thaniel.

“Yeah, I can’t shake him.” Jorel flicked the empty spoon in the air a couple times for effect. “It’s getting worse too.” He said, conspiratorially leaning over to the man, “Now there are two of them.” He thumbed in her direction. “Hard to believe she’s more irritating than he is, but she belongs to him, so we’re stuck with her.”

Elycia felt her face go flush.

“See?” Jorel said while Harkanin laughed heartily.

Thaniel just shrugged, loosened the drawstrings on the sack he brought in with him, and threw a piece of hard bread at Jorel, who caught it out of the air and bit into it spitefully.

“Not falling for the same trick twice in one day.” Jorel said as he bit into the bread with a crunch. “Listen, Sam,” Jorel went serious, “Bella said you knew the way to Navillus.”

“Bella? Now there’s a woman a man could sell his wagon for…” The trader started.

“Don’t start.” Thaniel said with a grimace.

“What do you say, Sam?” Jorel prodded, “We can pay.”

“How much?” One bushy eyebrow rose quizzically.

In moments the three of them were ladling out of the wretched smelling pot, slicing off meat, and breaking out provisions, haggling a price, and ignoring her completely. Elycia’s stomach growled and threatened to heave again all at the same time. In complete misery, she grabbed a blanket and plopped on one of the rough hewn sleeping pallets before she remembered what a day on the cart had done to her backside. She settled for lying down instead.

Before long the three of them were trading barbs and chatting about nothing. Everything from the price of tea to the unusual weather… The kind of useless talk men were accustomed to. She tugged the blanket over her head and rolled her face back to the stone wall.

This was going to be a long trip.

Sacrifice

In the wild the dra would eat two hundred weights of evergreen a day. It didn’t care what type of evergreen. Trees, bushes, or even shrubs would all suffice.