Into The Dark Flame (Book 4) (3 page)

   Leth felt cast down, shaking his head. 'No. No. There is too much here that I cannot comprehend.'       

   'We need you. Is that not reason enough to be here?'

   'My people need me; my children.'

   'More than we, who will be destroyed without you?'

  
'As greatly. It is Orbelon who should be here, not I.'

   'Our Creator should be able to intervene directly on our behalf? Why should that be? Is that not an assumption based on belief, or hope, or desperation, rather than knowledge, which you profess to seek?'

    Leth recalled how Orbelon had claimed to have inklings of life or consciousness within himself, but knew nothing of its form or nature, nor of the scope or limits of his world. It had grown as he had grown, as he himself had become more than the prison in which he had been incarcerated.

   'Is it not so?' enquired Lakewander again.

   'You are right, yes. You have exposed the flaw in my reasoning. Yet only a short while ago you were asking what kind of Creator could allow such suffering in those he had created?'

   'Yes, I asked, but it was not in expectation of an answer. But tell me, Swordbearer, if you have indeed met with our Creator, this Orbelon, what kind of creature is he? Is he truly so indifferent to our plight?'

   'He is a being,' said Leth after long moments of thought, 'who finds himself almost as mystified by his existence as you are by yours. Or indeed, as I am by mine. And he is not indifferent. The truth is, he simply is not aware that you exist.'

   Lakewander gave a bitter smile. 'Ah well, much is thus explained. And he has sent you, even if he is unaware of it.'

   Leth was about to protest again, but something caught his attention. He sat up abruptly in the saddle. 'What is that sound?'

   'I hear nothing.'

   'Nothing?'

   She shook her head.

   Leth glanced about him, then shrugged. 'The breeze passing through the trees.'

   'There is no breeze, Lord.'

   'Then it was my imagination.'

   'Or a sound intended for your ears alone?'

   Leth said nothing. There was silence now, but for the clump of their horses' hooves upon the way, and the low creak and jingle of harness. But he had heard something that had sounded like a voice calling from far away. An ethereal sound, that had repeated his name twice: 'Leth! Leth!'

   And he had thought then that the voice sounded within him. It had faded, and then he had heard:
'Be strong, Leth. I am seeking you.'

   Whether it had come from within him or from somewhere beyond, was of little account. But Leth had recognized the voice. It was Orbelon.

iv

   Soon they began to pass the metal statues that housed the imprisoned Souls, living and dead. Lakewander rode slowly between them, her head bowed. Leth eyed them uneasily, and felt relief that their occupants emitted no sound. He and Lakewander broke out upon the dust-covered plain. He cast his gaze far and wide, taking in the multitude of blank, faceless metal figures, morbidly wondering which one housed the bones of Lakewander's mother.    

    In due course they left the plain and began the laborious ascent of the winding stony path towards the crest of the gleaming ridge. Leth turned and looked back from time to time, seeing the panorama of the eerie plain and the distant forest spread beneath him, the red-toned ridge arcing away for as far as he could see. Well beyond the forest misty
blue mountains rose in dramatic tiers and a silver ribbon of distant water glittered in the bright Orblight.

   At length they halted before the stone slab-bridge. Below them the river foamed and thrashed, silent at the foot of the gorge. The entrance to the
cavern which led down to the Shore of Nothing gaped darkly on the other side of the bridge.   

   Lakewander took a breath and hailed the Bridgekeeper, who was nowhere in evidence. Her voice cracked the silence of the place,
then was gone. She called again, then for the third time, more loudly: 'Bridgekeeper, this is tiresome. It is I, Lakewander, wishing to cross with my companion of yesterday. Surely you know my voice, even if you cannot see me; and you know that I am alert to your wiles. So show yourself now if you wish to collect your toll, otherwise I have declared my presence the statutory three times and will cross accordingly without payment. So states the Law!'

   Nothing moved; there was no sound.

   Lakewander frowned and looked about her. 'This is curious. I don’t like it.'

   She made to dismount. 'Remain here, Swordbearer. Be alert. Something isn’t right.'

   Drawing her sword she moved with cautious steps to the stone bridge. 'Bridgekeeper!'

  
Still no response. Lakewander stepped onto the great stone slab high above the rushing water. Leth scanned the surrounding slopes. To his right the ascent was almost sheer fissured rock, with stunted pines sprouting wherever they could find a foothold in the thin dark soil that clung between the crags. On the other side the land fell away steeply, with more pines thrusting from shale and loose, rotten earth. Leth could see short lengths of the stony path winding down between the trees, and the Plain of Imprisoned Souls far below. Beyond the bridge the red-toned cliff reared towards the sky; a narrow curving ledge ran off to either side of the cavern mouth. On the right it vanished around the shoulder of the bluff; to the left it climbed into a deep cleft in the rock.

   Leth listened: all was totally silent. In his own land such silence would have alerted him, for it was unnatural, as though all of nature held its breath, awaiting something. But here perhaps it signalled nothing out of the ordinary.

   Lakewander crossed the bridge. She moved up to the cavern maw and peered in. 'Bridgekeeper?'

   Her voice was hollow in the gloom. She stepped inside, was swallowed by the darkness. Leth waited, growing tense. Lakewander reappeared, shaking her head, mystified. 'He has gone.'

   From around the bluff a few yards to Lakewander's left two men appeared.

  
'Lakewander!' Leth called, and nodded towards the newcomers. Lakewander swung around to face them, her sword held before her.

   The two men wore makeshift shirts of dark mail and leather trews and undershirts. Upon their heads were dented iron helmets with leather ear- and neck-flaps. One gripped a huge two-handed sword before him. He was a big, burly fellow, aged perhaps twenty-five years, with mean, glittering eyes and a coarse dark beard. His companion, only marginally smaller of
build, and of a no less menacing aspect, was older by about five years, bushily bearded, and toted a stained and battered battle-axe.

   As Lakewander adopted a defensive stance a sound behind her caused her to glance over her shoulder. Two more men approached, similarly garbed and accoutred. From their postures and expressions she was in no doubt that their intentions fell short of honourable.

   From Leth's rear came the sound of hooves upon the stony path. He twisted in the saddle. Six more men approached up the track. Four of them were on horseback; three held crossbows aimed his way.

   He calculated swiftly that he might wheel and charge, and stand a chance of smashing through them. He would be dependent upon his armour to deflect, or at least stop their bolts, but the advantage of height was his. But against such odds he had little chance of sustaining a fight - he could possibly strike down two, and then flee. But Lakewander would be left at their mercy.

   He turned his head back to Lakewander. She was half-crouched before the cavern mouth, swinging her blade from side-to-side. Her eyes were bright and wild. No one had spoken a word, but she was in no doubt that she faced the fight of her life.

   In a strong, clear voice Leth said, 'Gentlemen, greetings. Can we be of assistance to you?'

   The men at Leth's back smirked and grinned and muttered amongst themselves, their eyes going for the most part beyond Leth to the sight of Lakewander before the cave mouth. Then one of them - a tall, long-haired fellow, aged perhaps thirty, with a clean-shaven jaw, thin dark moustache, notably pale skin and piercing blue eyes the colour of smalt - spoke. He was better-garbed than the others, in a dusty red shirt, leather trousers and boots, long leather gauntlets, and a long damask cloak over a mail hauberk and jupon. His voice was surprisingly rich and plummy, the words clearly-enunciated and resonant. 'Yes you may, sir. You can lay down your arms and thus spare us the inconvenience of having to take them from you.'

   Leth had not yet drawn the Orbsword. His hand slid now to its jewelled hilt. 'I think, under the circumstances, we might be ill-advised to comply with your request.'

   'Ah,' said the pale man in a tone of regret, 'that is a pity. Still, if that is your choice, so be it.'

    His eyes went beyond Leth and he gave a single nod. Leth turned. A movement on the cliff above Lakewander caught his eye.

   He cried out a warning - too late. A slender loop of rope snaked down, dropping over Lakewander's head and draping itself about her shoulders. Then it was jerked taut, snapping tight around Lakewander's neck. Two burly men hauled from the rocks overhead, hoisting her from her feet. Her sword fell from her grasp. She swung before the cavern entrance, kicking and twisting, her hands grasping frantically at the murderous noose about her throat.

   'Throw down your sword, warrior,' came a politely-couched command from behind Leth, 'and she will be spared.
At least for now.'

   If he spurred Swiftwind hard across the bridge, Leth could cut Lakewander down quickly. But he lacked space to manoeuvre the stallion on the other side. He would be overcome with no great effort, and a single slip of the stallion's hooves could have him pitched headlong into the gorge.

   Grinding his teeth, Leth slid from the saddle and drew free the Orbsword from its scabbard. The sight of the glowing blade drew gasps and murmurs from the men before him.

   'I say, that is impressive!' said the pale fellow, who was plainly the leader of this brigand band. Then he shook his head, tutting with tongue against teeth. 'But I'm
sorry, it'll do you no good whatsoever. Pink and glowing or not, if you fail to lay it down immediately, then I fail to tell my dear friends over there to lower your comely companion. And I'm afraid she will be throttled. So sad; and unnecessary. Truly.'

   'Lower her now, and I will lay it down,' declared Leth.

   'Oh, I see, it's haggling time,' drawled the pale man. He took in an exaggerated breath between his teeth. 'Well now, let me see. There is, quite plainly, limited time in which to haggle. And I think there is little doubt that I have the upper hand. Still, if it entertains you, I see no reason to refuse. But mark you, if you fail to put down your lovely blade immediately she will be hauled high once more, and this time she will not touch earth again as long as a single breath remains in her body. Is that clearly understood?'

   Leth nodded, his gall rising, knowing he was trapped. The outlaw leader gestured with a gauntletted finger to the men over the cavern. They paid out the rope.

  Lakewander fell heavily to her knees, tearing at the rope that throttled her and gulping in great draughts of air. The outlaw inclined his head toward Leth and wagged one finger towards the ground. Reluctantly Leth laid the Orbsword at his feet.

   'Daggers also, and any other weapon you carry. And then step back.'

   Leth complied. Two of the outlaws, one rotund and unnaturally short, the other a gangling, surly youth with a pockmarked face, ran forward. The youth squeezed Leth's arms hard behind him while his companion bound his wrists roughly. At the cave entrance Lakewander was likewise trussed.

   The leader had dismounted meanwhile and sauntered forward to stare Leth in the eye. 'So, what have we here? An unusual catch, so it strikes me.' His gaze passed appraisingly over Leth's armour, then flicked to the Orbsword lying naked at his feet. He spoke over his shoulder. 'Take them both into the cave until I have decided what to do with them.'

   Leth was hustled across the bridge and made to sit with his back against the cavern wall. Lakewander was placed opposite him. The outlaws were going through their saddlepacks. The rotund fellow who had bound Leth's wrists bent to lift the Orbsword. To Leth's surprise the man, though plainly no weakling, had difficulty raising the weapon from the ground. He swore and stood back, scratching his head and scowling, then set to again. His companions laughed and taunted him as he struggled red-faced to carry the blade.

   'Tag, you are getting feeble in your old age!'

   'Like an old woman!'

  
'Ha-ha! Your muscle has turned to fat!'

   The man called Tag set the sword down again. 'By my father's balls, I have never known anything like this. You try, Derman, if you think you can do better.'

   A tall, heavily built barbarian of a man stepped forward with a swagger. He bent and grasped the sword-hilt in one hand. His sarcastic sneer withered as he made to lift it. Evidently it was far heavier than he had thought. He bent, braced himself and tried again. Two-handed he managed to raise the sword from the ground, but was visibly borne down by its weight.