The Fallen (Book 1) (27 page)

Her question came again.
‘Have you a plan to talk to the girl?’

‘
I haven’t got a plan yet,’ he said aloud, but very quietly. He felt uncomfortable hiding any conversation from Dale and the Prince. ‘She’s not going to be interested in talking to me when there’s a Prince around, not to mention a whole bunch of the Daoine Maithe.’

Dale turned to
Callian wondering if anyone had actually given Marcom their names and titles.

Callian
shook his head and then smiled. ‘You want to swap?’ he asked.

‘
Yes,’ Dale whispered, looking at Enri. ‘Enri is very tall and looks older than his years. I doubt they would know who the Baron is, and who is the Squire. What do you think, Enri?’

Enri
’s eyes widened with alarm. ‘Let’s hope I don’t get asked too many questions I can’t answer.’

‘
We will help, if needed,’ said Danil, and then turned away as a servant entered bearing fresh towels.

‘
If there is nothing else Highness?’ Callian said to the Prince, who shook his head. ‘Baron?’ He turned to Enri, who flinched then shook his head.

‘
Then with your permission sir, I will see Marcom about dinner,’ Callian replied as he climbed from the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist.

By the time the others had dressed and made their way to the dining room
, the evening meal was underway. Angelle and an older woman, who Dale assumed was her mother, were eating at a small table close to a door which led to the kitchen. There were several other guests already in the dining area and they stood as the Prince entered the room. He nodded in their direction before taking his seat. A team of serving staff hovered around the table seating the guests, but Dale scuttled quickly to draw back a chair for Prince Galbraith and then he stood behind Enri and drew back his chair politely. Enri ignored him completely as he sat. He gestured to the nearest of the servants and tapped his goblet expectantly. It was all Dale could do not to laugh aloud as he noticed the look on the Prince’s face as Enri began to question the flustered servant about the local wine varieties with the air of a connoisseur. He noticed Angelle was now regarding Enri with interest. Enri chose the finest and most expensive wine available. When the servant hurried back carrying the wine, he held up his palm commandingly and gestured to the table where Angelle and her mother were seated. Angelle gazed at him as the servant filled her goblet, and Enri graced her with a dignified smile and bobbed his head towards her. She smiled back at him and he cringed slightly noticing her smile was now filled with calculated purpose. Without turning towards Dale, Enri gestured him to a chair at the far end of the table. Dale bowed slightly and took the seat.

They talked amongst themselves, keeping the conversation
general. Dale didn’t speak at all, and after the meal the group remained, taking their ease in the low lounging chairs set in one corner of the room. Dale eventually rose, bowed to the Prince and then to Enri and left the room. He made his way up to their bedrooms and quickly inspected their belongings. The shirt he had placed just so on his bag had been moved and then draped back over his pack, though not quite where he had left it. On his initial inspection the Prince’s pack appeared untouched but instinct drew him to examine it more thoroughly. The pack was slightly shifted from where it had been left by the Prince. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment lost in thought then walked back to the room at the end of the hallway. He peered through the window. The building was built against the hill and though this was the second floor, the distance from the window to the ground wasn’t significant as the lower floor was built below ground level. There was no-one within sight, so he eased himself through the window and dropped to the ground. He waited for a moment, crouched against the wall, and when no-one appeared he stood and moved up the hill until he was hidden by the trees on the outskirts of the forest. Very quietly and unhurriedly he moved to the rear of the building. He could now see into the brightly lit kitchen where Marcom was seated on a high stool at one of the benches whilst conferring with a tall, black haired man. The man moved across the room to look through the slightly ajar door leading to the dining area and Dale saw he moved with the typical alacrity and grace of the fallen. He felt his hair stand on end. He watched as the man turned abruptly and left by a door which led into the courtyard. He crossed the courtyard and Dale drew breath sharply as he strode up the hill towards him. Dale was sure he would pass by close enough to easily sense his fear. He crouched lower in the bush where he was hiding, sweat suddenly appearing on his forehead. His mouth felt dry. Just as panic threatened to overcome him, a feeling of calmness washed over him. He felt his body relax with strange separation, like he was watching what was happening but wasn’t part of it. He held his breath as the man passed within ten paces of him and then disappeared silently into the forest.

‘
An bhfuil tú ag pleanáil a chodladh anseo?’

Dale
fell backwards in fright and the feeling of relaxation vanished completely, then he let out all his breath at once when he saw it was Callian. He closed his eyes with relief. ‘No Callian, I’m planning on sleeping indoors, but you really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that! One day someone’s going to pay you back for giving them such a fright!’ There was flash of movement behind Callian and the big guardian leapt in shock as a hand rested on his shoulder.

‘
Na dean sin!
’ Callian gasped.

‘
Don’t do what?’ asked Danil innocently, suppressing a grin.

‘
Don’t sneak up on me like that, Danil,’ said Callian grumpily and Dale laughed at the irony. They walked back to the still open window. Prince Galbraith was waiting in the room.

‘
What happened?’ he asked.

‘
I wondered why Marcom wasn’t present in the dining room with his family. So I thought I’d have a look around to see what he might be doing that was more important to him than dining with the Prince of Tarlique. That seemed a little strange to me, as he gives the impression of being an ambitious man, and I felt sure he would have taken the advantage.’

‘
And?’ prompted the Prince.

‘
He was busy in the kitchen having a little chat with one of the fallen,’ Dale explained, ‘who scared years off my life when he suddenly came out of the kitchen door, but he had a good look at everyone in the dining room before he left.’ He turned to Callian. ‘Did you shield my mind?’

Callian
nodded. ‘You panicked. A second later and…’ he shrugged.

‘
Thank you Callian. You have no idea how close it was, actually you probably do, but I think you’re right, a second more and I was dead.’

Galbraith sat on the edge of the bed.
‘So the fallen know we’re here. Leaving Warbilla may not be as easy as we had hoped.’

‘
I think we need to go now,’ said Callian.

‘
Highness, where is Enri?’ Dale asked the Prince.

‘
He’s still in the dining room. Go and get him out of there Dale.’

Enri was
facing Angelle, seated in the chair which had been vacated by her mother. He was sitting forward looking closely at the girl, who looked a little annoyed as Dale approached the table.

‘
Your Excellency, his Highness requests your presence,’ said Dale, bowing slightly to Enri. He turned and left the room. Enri made his apologies to the now pouting girl. As soon as they were out of earshot Dale put his hand on Enri’s shoulder.

‘
Gather your gear. We’re leaving right now.’

Enri
’s eyebrows shot up, but he said nothing. Within minutes he and Dale entered the room at the end of the hallway. Prince Galbraith and Callian were waiting patiently and a minute later Danil and Valeska entered.

Galbraith slid the wooden lock
ing bar into place. Callian stood quietly for a full minute as if listening then climbed onto the window ledge and dropped silently to the ground. Dale threw each pack to Callian, who caught them and stacked them against the wall then Dale climbed over the windowsill and jumped to the ground. Enri and Galbraith leapt down and then Danil and Valeska dropped silently beside them. Danil turned and pushed the window closed.

Ten minutes later they stood outside the little door leading to Principal Smith
’s home. There was a small window to the right of the door which Callian forced open and he climbed through into the kitchen, carefully avoiding damaging the frayed curtain. He unlocked the door and everyone slipped inside. Enri was last in and locked the door. Galbraith wondered if there was any chance of Smith remaining silent when woken in the middle of the night by six people who had invited themselves into his home.

Callian
whispered, ‘There are little children. I will wake him.’

Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, and then there was a creaking sound as the bedroom door opened and Smith hurried towards them, with bare feet and wearing a crumpled night shirt.

‘Highness!’ he whispered in astonishment. ‘When the Guardian General woke me just now I could scarcely believe what was happening. He frightened my heart to a block of ice.’

‘
Principal, we need to leave right now,’ said Galbraith.

Smith
studied the worried faces. ‘Caity thought something like this might happen. Follow me.’ He led them across the street and through another door which led into a large stable. ‘You all ride?’ he asked and everyone nodded. ‘Good. Each of you will need to take food for your horse. I will help you saddle the horses and place their burdens. They’re good strong beasts. They will easily handle the extra weight.’ In a surprising short time each of the animals was readied.

‘
Wait here for a moment please,’ said Smith and he disappeared back across the street. He returned quickly, carrying a large cloth sack. ‘There are enough travel cakes in here to last each of you for quite a few days, if you are careful.’

Prince Galbraith
took the bag gratefully. ‘How did you come to have such provisions on hand?’ he asked curiously.

‘
Caity,’ said Smith proudly as if that explained everything. ‘My wife gathered as much flour and dried fruit as possible from trusted friends and family, and she has been cooking all evening. She seemed to know you would need to leave early. Her gift, I guess.’

‘
I’d like to thank her personally,’ said the Prince, ‘but if you would pass on our appreciation I would be most grateful.’

‘
Caity was going to take you over the Cabla Hills to Khynol and avoid the road, but I will leave it to you to decide which way is the better option. It will take you three...perhaps four days to get to the Khynol Gap. Highness, may I ask what happened?’

‘
Dale saw Marcom having a conversation with one of the fallen in the kitchen at the inn,’ Galbraith answered grimly. Smith eyes narrowed.

‘
Why don’t you avoid Khynol altogether and head straight towards the western end of the Khynol Mountains? Since they already know you are here they will most likely be waiting for you at Khynol.’

There was a slight creak and the group turned round quickly as the door moved. The door opened
wide and Caity stepped inside. She was dressed in her riding attire under a long travel cloak with a hood, and she wore good sturdy boots. Smith took her in his arms for a long moment and held her tightly.

‘
At times like this I wish deeply that you didn’t ride so well,’ he murmured, ‘and that I could.’

‘
I’ll be fine,’ Caity insisted, snuggling against her husband’s neck.

Smith
looked meaningfully at Callian. Callian gave him a reassuring smile before turning away and saddling one of the remaining horses.

Chapter 27

Capture

Milgorry gasped
from pain and tried to dodge backwards as the boot struck him. He wished with all his heart that he had never led the girls into Nyinaku. It was only a strange coincidence that they had been caught, but his heart was filled with regret when he considered how they had been taken. They had come to the River Weema which was too deep to walk across and icy cold from the melted snow coming from the Barren Mountains. If they moved west Milgorry knew they would come to Lake Meselwe. The lake was wide, but he was confident he could find a boat and have the girls safely across without having to brave the icy water. They decided to rest for the night before moving east. Whilst the sisters were sleeping, the fallen came with such speed and in such force that Milgorry and Louisa were overcome in seconds. What was most exasperating to Milgorry was that the ones who had captured them hadn’t even been looking for them. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They hadn’t seen Louisa since.

His boots and shirt had been taken from him, and he had been struck repeatedly until he fell to his knees from pain and exhaustion, but the beating continued as he
knew it would until he was returned or he lost consciousness. He was sure if he lost consciousness he would be revived to endure another bout of torture before the end came. He took a deep breath and put his entire strength into his attempt to free his hands. Blood flowed from his nose and lips and dripped from a gash on his forehead, running into his eyes and blurring his vision. He cried out as the boot lashed at him again, this time taking him high in the chest and sending him flying backwards. His head and shoulder smashed into a rock and he wondered if his shoulder was dislocated. He tried to move and pain shot through him like a knife. His shoulder wasn’t dislocated, but his collarbone was certainly broken. The boot smashed squarely into his broken collarbone and his eyes rolled upwards. He groaned in agony as someone grabbed his tied hands and dragged him backwards over the rough rocks. He felt the skin scraping from his back. Another vicious kick and his body rolled down the incline. Desperately he tried to free his hands. He screamed in pain as he used every bit of his remaining strength and finally he snapped the leather strap that bound his wrists. He sat up and his arm flew across to his broken collarbone.

‘
Help me!’ he whispered frantically. ‘I need to finish this!’ Warmth shot through his body and ran across his chest and shoulders, and his body glowed with a pale light where his hand rested. The heat increased for a split second until he felt like he was burning then just as suddenly it melted away and the pain was gone. Hope spread through him like a wave of energy and he flipped over into a crouch, now grinning dangerously at the look of shock on his attacker’s face.

The man
’s voice was a blast of uncontrolled fury. ‘Traitor! You’re not one of us! You’ve betrayed your own people! You’ve betrayed me!’

‘
Father, what you’re doing is wrong! You must know this!’ Milgorry was also shouting. ‘You made your choice and you chose freedom! You knew what you would lose!’

‘
Don’t tell me what’s right or wrong!’ Nandul’s eyes glittered dangerously. ‘I raised you!’

‘
I can forgive you for the abysmal mess you made of raising me,’ said Milgorry, glaring at Nandul, ‘but I cannot forgive you for what you are planning to do.’

‘
Forgiveness is for the weak!’ Nandul snarled.

‘
No,’ said Milgorry, his voice turning sad and quiet. ‘You’re wrong. Revenge is for the weak. Forgiveness is for the strong. I have very little forgiveness in me. I suppose that’s one thing you did well; you made me the merciless bastard that I am. Like all of the free.’

‘
But that’s all we are. Free. Freedom is not enough! We could be so much more. We should be!’

‘
We chose freedom.’

‘
I’ve seen what happens to our people in time. I’ve seen what happens when we have children by the humans. Most of them are inferior. I won’t let that happen to us. They are nothing. They are practically human!’ Nandul spat the word out like a curse.

‘
It’s too late. We made our choice. It can’t be changed!’

‘
Yes it can! We can regain what we lost. I know how to make it happen. And so do you!’

‘
The guardians will hunt you down and return you. And you may be assured I’ll do nothing to stop them.’

Nandul lowered his voice as he fixed his infuriated gaze on his son.
‘It doesn’t matter any longer. I have what I want. You are no longer useful.’

Milgorry
’s dangerous smile returned and Nandul hesitated uncertainly. ‘Put him in with the other two, so he can think about what he’s done before I destroy him completely,’ he said and turned away.

‘
Father,’ Milgorry called after him, ‘if you kill Elena or Immosey, the guardian might just become your worst nightmare.’

Nandul stopped and turned
back towards his son. ‘I’ve dealt with the guardians before,’ he said contemptuously.

Milgorry shook his head.
‘You’ve not dealt with this guardian before.’

‘
You
are the most dangerous creature I’ve ever dealt with Milgorry, and it was I who made you that way. Remember that.’ His voice lowered until it was virtually inaudible. ‘You’re my worst nightmare,’ he muttered. He swung around and gestured to the group of fallen and they closed in around Milgorry. They dragged him down to the secure unit where Elena and Immosey were being held. The room was built into the ground, with stone walls and a heavy wooden door at the bottom of the stone steps which lead down to the room. A small amount of light came in through a tiny opening at face height in the door, but it was still very dark and the two girls backed into the corner in fright until they saw it was Milgorry who was being pushed into the room. They rushed over to help him as he fell forward to his knees, and they were sickened by the wounds on his face and body. He stood up and staggered across the floor, sinking against the wall in the corner and wincing as the deep abrasions on his back scraped against the stones. He closed his eyes and didn’t move.

Elena
looked down at her torn and filthy dress. Turning towards the corner of the room she dragged the dress over her head. She gnawed the edge of the fabric with her teeth until she formed a small hole and then pulled the edges apart to lengthen the tear. Immosey watched as Elena began to bite at the fabric again, and then she tore a neat strip parallel to the edge of the skirt. Elena held it up in satisfaction. She repeated the process and then pulled her shorter dress back over her head.

Immosey went to the wooden
door and pressed her face to the small gap between the boards. ‘Please,’ she called, ‘could we have a little water?’ There was no reply. She tried a little louder. ‘Please! We need some water.’ There was still no answer, though Immosey was sure there was a guard just out of sight. Milgorry opened his eyes and looked at Immosey in surprise.

‘
Guard!’ she shouted. ‘I want some water! Don’t ignore me!’

‘
No! Immosey!’ Milgorry raised his hand and Immosey fell silent. ‘No. They-’ he stopped as the door opened.

A second later
four warriors had Milgorry pinned to the floor and he struggled violently against his captors. A fifth person grabbed Immosey and flung her against the wall, holding her there by her neck. She screamed and tried to kick and bite, but the man barely seemed to notice.

‘
Stop screaming,’ he ordered. Immosey continued to scream and he began to squeeze her neck making her choke and gasp for breath. Elena threw herself at the man and wrapped her hands around his throat. As if removing an annoyance, he grabbed Elena’s hand and flung her across the room. She smashed into the wall and slid to the ground. Milgorry snarled and pulled his arm free, lashing out furiously at his captors. One man drew his sword. His expression turned shrewd and he stepped to where Elena lay unconscious. He held the sword against her throat and turned and looked questioningly at Milgorry. Milgorry stopped struggling and was driven to the ground. He stared in hatred at the man, infuriated by what he saw as his own failure, but he didn’t move a muscle.

The
man holding Immosey dropped her now limp body to the ground and she lay there gasping for air, tears streaming down her face. He drew a knife and stood looking down at her.

‘
I don’t need any reason to kill you, human,’ he said contemptuously. Immosey glared up at him rebelliously.

‘
I still need water,’ she said, her voice faint and raspy. The man let out a growl of rage and kicked her hard. She rolled over and retched, then lay sobbing with her knees drawn up to her chest. The door opened again and Nandul appeared. He surveyed the scene for a second and then dropped his gaze to Immosey, his face impassive. Immosey’s heart froze. Nandul looked coldly at the man standing over her.

‘
I didn’t give you permission to kill the humans, Rylin.’

‘
She was screaming for water,’ Rylin explained.

‘
Then give her some water,’ said Nandul, his teeth gritted together. ‘I will kill the girls myself when I wish to kill them, but right now, they’re still useful.’ He turned and looked at Milgorry. ‘I want him alive as well, but barely alive will do. I want him to watch and learn as I kill the humans as slowly and painfully as I possibly can.’ Milgorry watched his father through narrowed eyes as he strode from the room. Rylin followed, seemingly a little disappointed by Nandul’s interference.

The four remaining
men backed towards the stairs. Three wore expressions of wariness, but the fourth watched Milgorry uncertainly. He seemed troubled by the wounds covering the warrior’s body and he shook his head then shrugged apologetically as he backed out of the room, closing the wooden door. A few minutes later the door opened again and a water bag was thrown inside. Immosey rolled onto her knees but the pain in her stomach was too great and she fell back to the ground, crying. Milgorry’s eyes filled with remorse. He gathered Immosey’s thin little body into his arms and carried her over to her sister, who was not stirring. He propped her up against the wall and picked up the water bag.

‘
I’ll help you drink, little sister,’ he said gently, kneeling beside her. Immosey shook her head.

‘
The water is for the lacerations on your face and back,’ she murmured. ‘We have some cloth from Elena’s dress to wash your face. It’s not very clean, but it’s better than nothing.’

Milgorry sat back on his heels
and his feelings of guilt and regret intensified. He sat beside Elena and gently moved her so her head was on Immosey’s lap, then he took one of the cloth strips, wet it and began to wipe Elena’s face. Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned.

‘
Still with us then, little Queen?’ asked Milgorry, smiling down at her.

‘
Can you hear Louisa?’ asked Elena, trying to sit up.

‘
Stay where you are,’ said Milgorry firmly. ‘I cannot hear her. She’s still alive, I can sense that much. You remember the drink I gave her when we first met?’ he asked. ‘I think she has been given a good dose to prevent her escape. It won’t hurt her, but it makes it almost impossible for me to reach her.’

‘
Now what do we do?’ said Immosey under her breath.

‘
Well, we don’t shout for water,’ said Milgorry decisively and Immosey couldn’t help but smile. ‘Yet they might listen now.’ He looked at the sisters sadly. ‘I’m so sorry. Anterry would have killed Elena, have no doubt.’ He grimaced. ‘He was never able to shield his thoughts very well. I think if my father hadn’t arrived, he may have killed you both just because he hates me so much. He was so very pleased to see me-’ He broke off and shook his head in disgust. ‘Anterry is an idiot. I’m having no trouble getting into
his
thoughts. I’ll make him terrified of the day I escape from here.’

Immosey raised her eyebrows.
‘How exactly do we do that?’ she asked.

He
looked at the doorway. ‘That door is strong enough to defeat any human, and supposedly strong enough to stop any one of the free. I think it’s time to put it to the test. But we need a plan. If I can get out of here at the right time, there’s a good chance I’m fast enough escape, but I’m not so foolish to think you would survive if I went.’

‘
I think you should go anyway, Mil.’ Elena sat up. ‘If we stay here we’re all dead. At least one of us can escape.’

‘
I’m not going anywhere without you, little Queen. We all go, with Louisa, or I don’t go at all.’

Immosey crawled to her feet. She followed Elena
’s example and tore a wide strip of cloth from the bottom edge of her dress. Milgorry sat quite still as she cleaned the wounds on his back and then she helped him clean the blood from the gashes on his face.

‘
Strange,’ he said, ‘that I found the gift to heal my collar bone when Nandul broke it, but I cannot heal a simple cut.’

‘
Nandul broke your collar bone?’ said Elena. She had seen so much pain that her face didn’t even register the shock she felt.